Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable and pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, my [firm, immovable] rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm 19:14 AMP)
As you know, English is a language that is constantly evolving. Depending on the era, a single word may have had multiple meanings. For example, “gay” used to mean “happy and cheerful,” but now it commonly means “homosexual.” Punctuation expectations have changed as well: a series of items separated by commas used to require a comma before the final item in a list. Today, that style looks old-fashioned. And if you were taught to type, you were likely told to put two spaces between the end of one sentence and the beginning of the next. In the digital age, those extra spaces—once helpful for separating ideas—are now seen as unnecessary and even wasteful.
Most of these changes reflect societal shifts and are not critical to communication. Yet I have arrived (again) at a personal crossroads: should pronouns that refer to God be capitalized?
Some Bible translations, like the KJV, ESV, and NASB, capitalize pronouns out of a sense of reverence or respect for God. Other translations, such as the NRSV, NIV, and CSB, do not capitalize these pronouns because the original languages did not use capitalization and because lowercase pronouns are easier to read for modern audiences.
When I was growing up, most of the Bible verses I read were from the KJV, which did capitalize pronouns for God. I understood this as a sign of respect. Later, in graduate school, we were encouraged to use the NIV or NRSV for coursework because they were considered more scholarly. Of course, one’s respect for God is not measured by capitalization alone; the posture of the heart toward God matters far more than whether we capitalize a pronoun. Still, capitalization can sometimes help clarify the flow of a passage.
Consider Psalm 23 (ESV):
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for He is with me; His rod and His staff, they comfort me. He prepares a table before me in the presence of my enemies; He anoints my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
In this passage, pronouns for God are capitalized, while pronouns referring to the speaker are lowercase. This distinction helps us understand who is speaking and who is acting in the passage.
Back to the crossroads: to capitalize or not to capitalize, that is the question.
This issue is not a matter of salvation, nor is it critical to advancing God’s Kingdom on earth. Capitalization alone will not bring God’s righteousness, justice, and mercy to the lost, dying, or broken. So why reflect on it at all? Perhaps because in our culture, we often struggle to show reverence at the right times. We don’t want to foster arrogance, but we do need to demonstrate respect. Language is one way to do that.
After decades of leaning toward the more scholarly approach, I may shift back toward the more reverent. My inward heart posture toward God may not have changed dramatically, but writing in a way that clearly honors Him may also help others recognize and respect God’s nature.
Capitalization is a small thing, but it reminds us that language can honor God and help guide our understanding of Scripture. In the end, reverence begins in the heart, and our words can simply echo it.
God,
May the words of our mouths, the meditations of our hearts, and the language we use be pleasing and respectful to you, we ask in Jesus’s name. AMEN.
For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear and worship Him [with awe-filled respect and deepest reverence]. (Psalm 103:11 AMP)