How to See Punctuation Differences in English Bibles

As I was studying in Galatians 2 where Paul confronted Peter, I noticed something interesting in various English Bibles: some versions place quotations marks at the end of verse 14 while others insert them at the end of verse 21. Since punctuation marks are not inspired, some Bible translators conclude Paul’s words to Peter end with verse 14 while others contend they continue to the end of the chapter. 

Wanting to explore the quotation marks in my English Bibles, I opened Text Comparison with the instruction to show punctuation differences.

Give this a go:

  • Choose Tools | Passage | Text Comparison

Text Comparison in Logos

  • Type Galatians 2:14 in the reference box and press Enter to jump to that location (A)
  • Select desired English Bibles such as NASB, ESV, NKJV, LEB from the Bible selector drop-down list (B)
  • panel menu in LogosChoose the panel menu in the upper-right corner of the panel (C)
  • Select these options:
    • Show differences (D)
    • Show base text (E) 
    • Deselect Ignore punctuation (F)

Bibles in Logos

  • Notice in the screenshot NASB is the first Bible, which serves as the base text, and the other three are the compared Bibles (G)
  • Also notice
    • NASB and NKJV do not have quotations marks ate the end of verse 14 (H)
    • ESV and LEB have quotations marks in blue, meaning a difference from the base verse (NASB) and indicating the translators of these Bibles believe Paul’s words to Peter conclude with verse 14 (I)

Scrolling to a verse in Logos

  • Scroll to verse 21 (J)
    Notice the quotations marks at the end of the verse in NASB and LEB indicating theses translators believe Paul’s comments to Peter end here (K)

As you read commentaries, you’ll see where authors point out the marks in various Bibles, but now you know where to find the tools to make the observations yourself. You’ll have to dig into the chapter to discover where you land on this particular punctuation issue.

For more detailed training about Text Comparison please consider a subscription to MPSeminars.com where you’ll find 1000’s of videos to help you become proficient both in the desktop and mobile formats of Logos Bible Software!

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Written by
Morris Proctor

Morris Proctor (1961–2023) was a certified trainer for Logos Bible Software and founder of MP Seminars. Morris trained thousands of Logos users at his two-day Camp Logos seminars, and his team continues to provide many training materials.

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Written by Morris Proctor
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