Capitalizing Pronouns in Scripture: Restoring the clarity of the difference between the Creator and the creation

Continuing on with our exploration of the TLV Translation Guidelines, we come to our third principle: Restoring the clarity of the difference between the creator and the creation.

We will capitalize all pronouns that refer to the deity, of both Father and Son. This allows all readers to discern easily who is speaking to whom and honors God’s divinity always.

Messianic Jews prefer capitalizing all pronouns that refer to the deity, of both Father and Son. This allows for all readers to discern easily who is speaking to whom and honors God’s divinity, always. This inclination harks to the aforementioned premium we place on respect, even when referring to God with a pronoun.

Here are a few examples:

25 So Jacob remained all by himself. Then a man wrestled with him until the break of dawn. [a] 26 When He saw that He had not overcome him, He struck the socket of his hip, so He dislocated the socket of Jacob’s hip when He wrestled with him. 27 Then He said, “Let Me go, for the dawn has broken.”But he said, “I won’t let You go unless You bless me.”28 Then He said to him, “What is your name?”“Jacob,” he said.29 Then He said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but rather Israel, for you have struggled with God and with men, and you have overcome.”30 Then Jacob asked and said, “Please tell me Your name.”But He said, “What’s this—you are asking My name?” Then He blessed him there.31 So Jacob named the place Peniel, “for I’ve seen God face to face, and my life has been spared.”32 Now the sun rose upon him just as he crossed by Peniel—limping because of his hip. 33 That is why the children of Israel do not eat the tendon of the hip socket, to this very day, because He struck the socket of Jacob’s thigh on the tendon of the hip. – Genesis 32:25-33 TLV

2 But his delight is in the Torah of Adonai, and on His Torah he meditates day and night. – Psalm 1:2 TLV

3 Concerning His Son, He came into being from the seed of David according to the flesh.4 He was appointed Ben-Elohim in power according to the Ruach of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. He is Messiah Yeshua our Lord.5 Through Him we have received grace and the office of emissary, to bring about obedience of faith among all the nations on behalf of His name. – Romans 1:3-5 TLV

24 For Messiah did not enter into Holies made with hands—counterparts of the true things—but into heaven itself, now to appear in God’s presence on our behalf. 25 And He did not offer Himself again and again—as the kohen gadol enters into the Holy of Holies year after year with blood that is not his own. 26 For then He would have needed to suffer again and again from the foundation of the world. But as it is, He has been revealed once and for all at the close of the ages—to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. 27 And just as it is appointed for men to die once, and after this judgment, [u] 28 so also Messiah, was offered once to bear the sins of many. He will appear a second time, apart from sin, to those eagerly awaiting Him for salvation. – Hebrews 9:24-27 TLV

Here are the 16 Key Principles of translation that guided the entire process of creating the TLV. We’ll journey together to unpack, unveil, and understand them so that YOU can understand the miracle that ADONAI has placed in our midst: The Tree of Life Version.