The original Bible had limited punctuation, if any, so translators determine the best use of punctuation, depending on the language into which the Bible is being translated. Bible translators use punctuation to best capture the meaning and intent from the original Bible.
The Bible was originally written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Koine Greek. Hebrew and Aramaic were written without punctuation and without vowels but included spaces between words. The original Greek was written in all uppercase letters with some punctuation, but without spaces. This is known as continuous writing. In English, however, vowels, spaces, and punctuation are required to render a text legible. So how do translators decide what punctuation to use?Translators must understand both the original language and the target language. English follows certain grammatical rules for structuring sentences as far as syntax (word order) and punctuation. For instance, Matthew 9:4 literally translated word for word from the original Greek would read, "And having known Jesus the thoughts of them he said so that why think you evil in the hearts of you." Rearranging the words to follow correct syntax, translators render the phrase, "Jesus knowing their thoughts said why do you think evil in your hearts." Adding correct punctuation, translators then render it, "Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, 'Why do you think evil in your hearts?'" The grammatical rules for English dictated that commas offset the participial phrase ("knowing their thoughts"), that a comma introduce a direct quotation, that quotation marks surround the quote, that the first word of the quotation be capitalized, and that the interrogative sentence end with a question mark. The translators first had to understand the original source language to know what was being said, and then they simply followed the grammatical rules of the target language.
Because some amount of editorial choice exists in each version of the Bible, consulting multiple translations helps. Reading different versions of the Bible helps illuminate particular biases among translations and gives a more complete conception of the ways to understand each passage of Scripture. Modern translations seek to make Scripture accurate, accessible, and understandable to today's readers; punctuation is important to achieving that goal.
Modern translations seek to reflect the original message of the Bible in a way that resonates with contemporary readers, taking into account the evolution of language and culture. Punctuation, for example, plays a crucial role in clarifying meaning. Ancient manuscripts often lacked punctuation marks, which are essential in modern languages for indicating pauses, emphasis, and the relationships between clauses. Translators must, therefore, make informed decisions about how to punctuate the text so that it aligns with the original passages’ intended meaning.
Ultimately, while no translation is perfect, translators have worked meticulously in their fields to assure that the versions we have are as close to the original as possible. The variety of translations available today allows believers to approach the Bible with a deeper and more comprehensive understanding. We’re assured that the core truths of Scripture are preserved across versions, even as language and culture change.