I’m not one of those Bible nerds who will geek out on something like punctuation… normally. But really, ya’ll, check out that semi-colon! Now, to be clear, biblical Greek does not have this sort of punctuation so what we’re seeing is a reflection of translation decisions by the editors of the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), which is the translation we use as our pew Bibles and that I use every week for these devotionals.
Now, as can be seen, not every translation utilizes the semi-colon:
- “O Lord, lead me in what is right and good, because of the ones who hate me. Make Your way straight in front of me” (NLV; New Life Version)
- “Lord, because of many enemies, please lead me in your righteousness. Make your way clear, right in front of me” (CEB; Common English Bible)
Some, of course, follow the NRSV’s course:
- “Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me” (ESV; English Standard Version)
- “Lord, lead me in Your righteousness because of my enemies; Make Your way straight before me” (NASB; New American Standard Bible)
- “Lord, I have so many enemies! Lead me to do your will; make your way plain for me to follow” (GNT; Good News Translation)
And then there’s these two sneaky devils:
- “Lead me, Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies—make your way straight before me” (NIV; New International Version)
- “O Jehovah, lead me in Thy righteousness, Because of those observing me, Make straight before me Thy way” (YLT; Young’s Literal Translation)
I’m not at all convinced that the YLT translation is syntactically correct – methinks that’s too many commas – and the NIV (the translation of my youth) just punts entirely on the debate with the em-dash. The NIV clearly has commitment issues.
Why am I pestering you over your morning coffee or as you try to fall asleep at night (depending upon when you read this post) with all this? Because something about that placement of the semi-colon strikes me as odd. For example, try this on for size:
“Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness; because of my enemies, make your way straight before me” (OOSV; Oddly Obsessed Schooley Version)
By switching the location of that semi-colon to after “righteousness,” we link the existence of enemies with a plea for God making the way forward straight. And that makes sense to me. If you knew you had “enemies” (and feel free to read that poetically as “evil” or even “Godless challenges”) in your future, wouldn’t you want God to chart the course straight to His will? Of course you would!
The way the NRSV translates it, we are asking God to “lead me” “because of my enemies.” I don’t like the idea that God would do anything that even resembles capitulation to evil or enemies. I want that “righteousness” to be rich and robust. I want God’s leadership of my life to be an extension of God’s righteousness. Naturally, if there is to be enemies/evil, I want God to move me straight through those challenges and ever-forward into His righteousness – that is to say, I want us to have a life that is righteousness-fueled and righteousness-oriented.
I’m not claiming the translators made a mistake with their semi-colon. There is likely a nuance in this psalm that extends well beyond my command of biblical Hebrew that I’m missing here and that makes their translation the correct one. I’m merely noting that even something as small as a semi-colon (it’s not even a full colon! ::rimshot::) participates in our knowing the love and purpose of God.
Mostly, though, I’m providing this reflection as a reminder to keep truly steeping yourself in the Word of God. It is easy to read through the Bible quickly, to seek the “major theme,” but every jot and tittle in scripture has been “God breathed” and even the translator’s punctuation is part of God’s holy work of revealing God’s self through scripture. So, take the time, engage the minutiae, and trust that such work is not folly nor the work of a neurotic mind, but is an essential part of your Christian discipleship. Amen.
