When it comes to the Bible, punctuation matters! God is His word (John 1:1) which means that every detail is important. When we study, we must pay attention to not only every word, but every punctuation mark as well. 

Context Matters

Remember, context matters! As we’ve discussed, it’s important not to take anything the Bible out of context—including punctuation. If there’s a comma in the middle of a sentence, don’t stop. If there’s a semicolon, keep reading. These small marks can have a huge impact on what is being said and how we are meant to interpret it. Even Jesus shows us the jots (smallest letters) and tittles (tiniest marks) have significance to Him (Matt. 5:18). Pay attention to punctuation!

Colons: Why They Matter

One example of the importance of punctuation can be found in Acts 1:8. Jesus says, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you:” Notice that this statement does not end with a period, but with a colon. This not only indicates that we should keep reading, but an explanation—something more—follows. After the colon we see the purpose of that power being given, “and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” 

God’s Infinite Understanding

Another example is found in Psalm 147:5 where the scripture says, “Great is our Lord, and of great power:” If we stop here, we learn that our Lord is powerful which is very valuable—but that’s not all! After the colon, the Bible says that His understanding is infinite. This lets us know that our God is powerful, but His power is not signified by physical strength or even His ability to do certain things. It is demonstrated by His infinite understanding. 

Dig Into the Details

How would you feel if something amazing was waiting for you just beyond where you stopped—but because you didn’t keep going, you settled for something good when you could have had something great?

The same is true when we study the Bible. If we stop too soon—if we ignore the details, the punctuation, the full context—we may receive something good, but miss something greater. On the flip side, if we only get part of what is being said we may draw conclusions that lead to costly errors in our thinking or in our behavior. Don’t settle or stop short; go after all God is saying in the passage. Dig into the details!

Make sure to pay attention to the punctuation! Periods suggest a stop, but commas and semicolons are only partway through the sentence. Colons lead to explanation. Use everything God allowed into the scripture to “get understanding” (Prov. 4:7), just like the Bible says.