Wooden letterpress blocks in upper and lower case remind us that capitalization is a stylistic choice – one that even Bible translators have approached differently.
Many pastors and Bible readers have noticed a curious difference among English Bibles: some translations capitalize pronouns referring to God (rendering He, His, You, etc.), while others leave them lowercase (rendering he, his, you). This seemingly small stylistic detail can spark big questions. Is one approach more reverent or theologically faithful? Does it matter to God whether we write “He” or “he”? And why did translation committees make opposite decisions on this issue?
In this exploration, we will delve into the theological convictions, historical practices, and publishing decisions behind the capitalization (or non-capitalization) of divine pronouns. We’ll look at specific examples – from the NASB (1995) and its 2020 update, to the ESV and NIV – and hear from scholars, pastors, and translators on both sides. Our goal is a theologically rich but pastorally warm understanding, so that we can approach this issue with both conviction and charity.
A Question of Reverence vs. Accuracy
At its heart, the debate over capitalizing pronouns for God often comes down to two impulses: reverence and accuracy. On one side, some believers feel that capitalizing pronouns honors God’s name. Using “He” for the Lord, they argue, shows proper respect and highlights the uniqueness of God compared to any other “he.” This motivation is evident in translations like the New American Standard Bible (NASB) and New King James Version (NKJV), which adopted “reverential capitalization” as a hallmark. The Legacy Standard Bible (LSB) – a recent update related to the NASB – explains its choice plainly: “pronouns pertaining to deity are capitalized… First, it is a way to show honor to God who is greater than man”. Many find that a compelling reason: if we capitalize King or President as titles, how much more should we honor the King of Kings with a capital “H” in He?
On the other side, many scholars and translators emphasize that accuracy to the original languages and standard English style should guide our decision. In Hebrew and Greek—the languages in which the Bible was originally written—there was no special capitalizing of pronouns to distinguish God. Ancient Hebrew had no uppercase/lowercase distinction at all, and the oldest Greek manuscripts were written in all capital letters (so everything was capitalized equally). This means the biblical authors themselves did not signal reverence by capitalization – that’s a later convention. Translators who refrain from capitalizing pronouns say they want to be faithful to this original text and avoid adding interpretive layers that the text itself doesn’t include. From their perspective, a capital “He” might inadvertently imply emphasis or clarity that the Hebrew/Greek does not provide, thereby potentially muddying the accuracy of the translation.
There is also the matter of standard English grammar. In normal English writing, pronouns are not capitalized except at the beginning of sentences or for the pronoun “I.” We do capitalize proper nouns (names, titles, places) for clarity, not usually for respect. The Committee on Bible Translation for the NIV, for example, followed the principle that “names and titles are capitalized, not pronouns,” noting that this is simply standard English practice. From this perspective, “he” is grammatically sufficient even for God, since English readers don’t require a capital letter to know a pronoun’s referent if the context is clear. In fact, some argue that introducing a special capitalization rule just for divine pronouns can confuse readers who are “uninitiated” – for instance, a capital He in the middle of a sentence might look odd or seem like an arbitrary emphasis to someone not used to religious writing. As one style guide points out, English capitalization doesn’t inherently convey respect (after all, we capitalize Satan as a name and don’t capitalize you when addressing a respected person). It’s mainly about identification, not honor, in modern usage.
In short, those who capitalize see it as an act of reverence and a help to the reader, while those who do not capitalize see it as a matter of fidelity to the original text and readability in English. Both motivations are sincere – honoring God and accurately conveying His Word. How these play out in translation decisions is a fascinating story of history and theology intertwined.
Historical Tradition: From KJV to NASB and Beyond
It may surprise some to learn that most historic English Bibles did not capitalize pronouns for God. From the earliest English translations like Wycliffe’s Bible (1380s) through Tyndale (1530s), the Geneva Bible (1557), and the King James Version (1611), pronouns referring to God were rendered in lowercase. For example, the KJV of Psalm 33:21 reads, *“For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name” – with no special capitalization for “him”. The convention in early modern English was actually to capitalize all nouns* (for a time in the 17th–18th centuries), but not pronouns. By the 1760s, even the practice of capitalizing all nouns faded in English printing, and pronouns remained lowercase in general.
It was not until the 19th century that reverential capitalization of pronouns emerged as a common trend. One oft-cited example is Young’s Literal Translation (YLT) of 1862, which uses capital “He” for God. This suggests that Victorian-era sensibilities about showing written reverence to deity played a role. However, this practice was far from universal. Many major 19th–20th century translations did not adopt it – for instance, the American Standard Version (ASV, 1901) and later the Revised Standard Version (RSV, 1952) kept pronouns lowercase.
The first major modern translation to comprehensively capitalize divine pronouns was the New American Standard Bible (NASB), first released in the New Testament (1960s) and completed in 1971. The NASB’s translators, under the Lockman Foundation, opted to capitalize pronouns for God (including Christ and the Holy Spirit) throughout. This was somewhat innovative at the time – breaking with the pattern set by the influential RSV and KJV lineage – and was likely motivated by a desire to express reverence and to aid readers in identifying when God is being referred to. The New King James Version (NKJV), published in 1982, followed suit, capitalizing pronouns for God in continuity with what NASB had done. Other translations in the late 20th century also used this style sporadically. For example, the original Amplified Bible (1954), which was another Lockman Foundation project, capitalized deity pronouns.
However, even as some translations adopted the practice, others explicitly resisted it. The translators of the New International Version (NIV) (New Testament 1973, full Bible 1978, revised 2011) chose not to capitalize pronouns for God. Similarly, the English Standard Version (ESV) (2001) did not capitalize them, aligning with the tradition of the RSV and older English Bibles. The ESV’s publisher, Crossway, explained that reverential capitalization was a “recent innovation that began less than fifty years ago” and that given the legacy of KJV/RSV, the ESV retained the historic style. Furthermore, Crossway noted the original manuscripts didn’t have such capitalization, implying that to add it would be an interpretive decision they preferred to avoid.
An interesting case is the Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB), first published in 2004. The HCSB initially did capitalize pronouns for God (as a “traditional” Southern Baptist publishing choice at the time). But when the HCSB was revised into the Christian Standard Bible (CSB) in 2017, the committee made a deliberate decision to reverse that practice. The CSB Translation Oversight Committee cited several concerns that led them to “adopt the traditional approach of not capitalizing divine pronouns”. They noted that in some Old Testament passages it’s ambiguous whether a pronoun refers to God or to a human, and forcing a capitalization could obscure the true meaning (for instance, Ruth 2:20 where it’s unclear if “his kindness” refers to the Lord’s kindness or Boaz’s). They also pointed out prophecies with dual fulfillment (like Psalm 2) where pronouns might apply both to an immediate historical figure (a king) and ultimately to Christ – if you capitalize them, you effectively eliminate the near fulfillment from consideration. Such reasoning convinced the CSB team that lowercase pronouns maintain interpretive balance. Thus, the CSB (2017) joined the NIV, ESV, and most modern translations in leaving pronouns lowercase for deity.
Even the Lockman Foundation itself has shown some evolution. When they released the NASB 2020 update, they retained capitalized pronouns for deity (following the NASB tradition), but some reviewers have observed it wasn’t done with absolute consistency and can occasionally be confusing in ambiguous contexts. It’s worth noting that a group of scholars connected to Pastor John MacArthur produced the Legacy Standard Bible (LSB) in 2021 as essentially a conservative revision of the NASB; the LSB very explicitly kept the capitalization of pronouns to “honor and preserve” the NASB tradition. So in our current landscape, translations known for capitalizing divine pronouns include the NASB (1977, 1995, 2020 editions), NKJV, Amplified, LSB, and a few others – whereas translations like the NIV, ESV, CSB, NLT, NRSV, and virtually all older English Bibles do not. There is no universally accepted rule; each publisher or committee sets its house style according to their convictions. In fact, major style manuals such as The Chicago Manual of Style and the Christian Writer’s Manual of Style explicitly advise against capitalizing pronouns for God in general writing, while some denominational publications or traditional publishers still prefer it. The Orthodox Presbyterian Church, for example, states that they follow the historic Bible usage and do not capitalize deity pronouns – not as a sign of disrespect, but to remain in line with the English Bible tradition and the original languages.
History, then, shows a pendulum swing: from no capitalization (Wycliffe through RSV), to a surge of capitalization in certain 19th–20th century circles, to a general trend back toward lowercase in many recent translations. The diversity of practice today is a reminder that this is a stylistic and interpretive choice – not an established doctrine. With that historical context in mind, let’s examine more closely why believers and translators come down on either side of the question.
Why Some Translations Capitalize “He/Him” for God
Those in favor of capitalizing divine pronouns usually point to two main benefits: reverence and clarity. We’ve touched on reverence already: it’s an instinct to honor God in our writing. Just as we might capitalize pronouns for a dignitary in a formal address (some older British English conventions would capitalize pronouns for royalty – e.g. “the Queen and Her ministers”), some Christians feel that surely God deserves at least that level of honor in print. It’s a voluntary act of respect. A person who writes their personal prayers or devotionals might capitalize “You” when praying to God out of a desire to exalt His name even in writing. The Lockman Foundation’s translators felt that way about the NASB: even though it introduced something not explicitly in Greek or Hebrew, they believed it was a fitting way to show God’s greatness in an English rendering. Author Randy Alcorn notes, “I think there’s not really a big down side. It not only shows reverence, but also sometimes increases clarity”.
Clarity is the second argument. In certain Bible verses, there can be a rapid shift between referring to God and referring to a human, and pronouns like “he/him” might technically apply to either. Capitalization can serve as an immediate signal to the reader of who is who. For example, consider Acts 8:26-27 – an angel of the Lord speaks to Philip, then “he (Philip) rose and went” – but shortly after, “the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, and he (the eunuch) saw him no more…”. In complex sentences, having “He” for God and “he” for Philip could help some readers keep track. Or take an example Alcorn gives: “Jesus and Peter were talking, and then suddenly He said to him, ‘Look out.’”. In a translation that capitalizes, He would indicate it was Jesus speaking to Peter, whereas lowercase “he” could leave it momentarily ambiguous. The LSB translators similarly claim that capitalization “helps the reader track with the author, making clear exactly to whom the pronoun refers”.
Importantly, responsible translations that do capitalize are usually cautious not to over-interpret. The NASB set the practice that if the referent was definitively God, they capitalized, but “if there was any doubt, they either left it lowercase or put a footnote to indicate” the uncertainty. This shows an awareness that it’s possible to mistakenly capitalize in the wrong place (and thereby assign a statement to God that might have been meant for someone else!). In fact, one challenge with the practice is ensuring consistency – translation teams have occasionally missed some pronouns and later had to issue corrections. But overall, proponents argue that when done carefully, it can be a helpful interpretive aid. After all, translation always involves interpretation to a degree. Every English Bible adds things like punctuation, quotation marks, paragraph breaks – none of which exist in the original manuscripts, and all of which require interpretive judgment. From this perspective, capitalizing pronouns for deity is just another helpful formatting choice to convey meaning, as long as the translators are making sound judgments about the context.
Finally, some supporters draw an analogy to ancient practices of reverence. In the Old Testament, the Jews had the tradition of qere perpetuum – saying “Lord” (Adonai) instead of pronouncing God’s personal name YHWH, out of reverence. And early Christian scribes used nomina sacra, special abbreviated forms of divine names (like writing “God” or “Christ” in contracted form with a line over it), to set them apart in manuscripts. Capitalizing pronouns, they argue, is a modest continuation of the idea that even in writing, we give honor to God’s name. A letter to the editor that Mark Ward received put it this way: “our typographical tradition of capitalization has become standardized among the Christian community… It simply indicates that we’re making a small effort in our written documents to show Him reverence.”. In other words, it’s a tradition understood by believers as a sign of respect – no one truly thinks the Pharisees revered Jesus just because a modern translation might print “You” in their dialogue with Him; readers understand it’s the translator’s choice, not the Pharisees’ attitude.
For many pastors and congregants who grew up with NASB or NKJV, the capital “He” just looks right when referring to the Lord. It’s become a familiar marker of reverence. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that – it can be a meaningful way to underline the glory of the person being spoken about. As long as one recognizes it as a stylistic convention, it can serve as a devotional aid much like red-letter editions (which put Jesus’ spoken words in red) serve to draw attention (interestingly, red letters themselves are another late innovation, not used in original manuscripts, but widely accepted by many for devotional emphasis).
Why Many Translations Do Not Capitalize Divine Pronouns
Balanced against those considerations is a strong case made by many translators and theologians that not capitalizing pronouns best preserves the integrity and nuanced meaning of Scripture. We’ve already mentioned the primary reason: the original text does not make this distinction. When God inspired the Bible, the prophets and apostles did not employ special orthography for pronouns referring to God. Therefore, many argue, an English translation should not introduce a feature that isn’t there in the source. Famed Greek scholar Bill Mounce (who serves on the NIV translation committee) puts it bluntly: “Capitalizing what we believe to be divine pronouns adds an extra layer of interpretation on the translation, something translators shy away from.”. Translators are trained to convey the text, not to interpretively highlight parts of the text beyond what is explicit. If the Hebrew or Greek sentence itself could leave the reader to discern whether “he” refers to God or someone else, a translator may feel it’s not their place to make that decision for the reader by using a capital letter. Dr. Mark Ward gives an example of how capitalization “shouts” an interpretation that the author may have left subtle: Isaiah 53:6 in the Hebrew famously says, “the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Who is “him” in Isaiah’s immediate context? Is it the nation of Israel personified or the Messiah to come? Christians see a prophecy of Christ there (and ultimately He is the one who bore our iniquities), but an initial reader in Isaiah’s day might not have fully known that. If we print “the Lord has laid on Him…” we are clarifying it’s Messiah – but Isaiah himself allowed a degree of ambiguity until Christ fulfilled it. Sometimes the ambiguity itself is part of the richness of Scripture, and translators fear prematurely resolving it.
Related to this is the problem of double fulfillments and typology which the CSB committee highlighted. They gave Psalm 2 as an example: its pronouns could be applied to a contemporary king and to Christ. A translation that typically capitalizes might face a dilemma – do we capitalize, implicitly saying “this is God’s Son (Christ)” and downplay the earthly king aspect? Or not capitalize, and then some readers miss the messianic aspect? Either choice risks losing one layer of meaning. By not capitalizing at all, the CSB avoids taking a side in the text and often adds footnotes or explanatory notes elsewhere if needed. In essence, not capitalizing can preserve interpretive neutrality, leaving it to context, study, and the Holy Spirit’s guidance to identify who is who in more challenging passages.
Another significant argument is consistency and reader perception. If only a few translations capitalize and most do not, using the standard lowercase pronouns may actually make the Bible more accessible to a broad audience. A younger Christian or a visitor reading the Bible might not immediately grasp why some pronouns have capital letters. As one writer quipped, meddling with people’s religion and their grammar at the same time can cause confusion. If capitalization is inconsistently applied (and it often is, due to the ambiguities we discussed), readers might wonder if a lowercase “him” means the person is not divine in that verse, which might not be the translator’s intention at all – it may just mean the translator wasn’t 100% sure or was following a convention. For example, in the NASB, the demonic voices addressing Jesus are sometimes rendered “What business do we have with You, Jesus?” which capitalizes You even though a demon isn’t revering Christ – it’s simply indicating deity. But some find that odd, as if the demon is paying respect. Or consider the Gospel accounts where crowds say about Jesus, “We wish to see a sign from You” – the NASB capital You inadvertently makes it look like the crowd acknowledges Jesus as God when they’re actually skeptical of Him. Such cases are awkward situations introduced purely by the capitalization convention. The Logos article notes this and argues it muddies communication more than it helps.
Standard English style guides uniformly advise against capitalizing pronouns for God in general writing, treating it as an antiquated or specialized practice. This means many Christian publishers and authors have moved away from it to meet modern readers where they are. Randy Alcorn shares that “most Christian publishers abandoned [capitalizing deity pronouns] years ago”. He himself used to insist on capitalizing in his books, but when quoting Scripture that didn’t, it became inconsistent, and eventually his publishers’ style guidelines led him to stop (though his own ministry’s materials still prefer to capitalize out of reverence). Alcorn doesn’t think it’s a huge issue either way, but illustrates how publishing standards can change. In the evangelical publishing world today, you’ll find that Crossway (ESV), Zondervan/HarperCollins (NIV, NRSV, etc.), and many others default to lowercase unless an author specifically requests capitalization for a particular work. Meanwhile, more conservative or niche publishers (e.g., those who publish the NASB, or certain devotional writers) might keep the traditional capitalization.
One more argument worth noting: Does God need our capital letters? Those against capitalization often reassure that God’s honor is not in question here. As the Biblica FAQ states, “Ultimately, God has honor and authority simply because he is God… It is not dishonoring to God if pronouns referring to him are not capitalized.”. What honors God in Scripture is our obedience and worship in spirit and truth – whether we write “He” or “he” cannot add to or subtract from His intrinsic glory. In fact, making a big issue out of it could potentially distract from weightier matters of faith. Theologically, God’s name is to be hallowed in our hearts and speech far more than in our orthography. If someone chooses lowercase out of a desire to stick to biblical patterns, it is not irreverence but a different approach to honoring God’s Word. And if someone chooses uppercase out of a personal sense of reverence, it can be a beautiful token of respect – provided they don’t project that conviction as a rule for everyone.
Wisdom, Conscience, and Charity in Addressing the Issue
What can pastors take away from this discussion? First, it’s clear there is no explicit biblical command on this matter. The capitalization of pronouns is a human convention, not a divine mandate. Thus, as several voices have affirmed, this falls in the realm of personal conviction and preference. It’s much like musical styles in worship or whether to wear a tie when preaching – it should be guided by conscience, context, and charity, not used as a litmus test for orthodoxy.
Second, understanding the translation committees’ perspectives can help us explain these differences to our congregations. You can assure your church members that when they see “spirit” vs. “Spirit” or “He” vs “he” in different Bibles, the translators were not being disrespectful in one or overly pious in another – each decision was made carefully. For example, the NASB95 team chose “He” out of a desire to honor God and make meaning clear, whereas the ESV team left “he” out of a desire to be faithful to the original text and historic English Bible style. Neither approach is heretical; neither is required. It is, as GotQuestions.org wisely concludes, “neither right nor wrong to capitalize or not… Some Bible translations capitalize pronouns referring to God, while others do not.”. Each translation has its own philosophy, and each reader can follow their conscience or preference in what they use.
For those who feel strongly one way or the other, it’s helpful to remember Romans 14: “Let each be fully convinced in his own mind” regarding disputable matters, and “do not judge one another” over them. If you have church members who love the reverential capitals, encourage them to use a translation that features it (such as NASB, NKJV, or LSB) and explain that this is a valid stylistic choice to honor God. If you have others who prefer the more plain-style of NIV or ESV, affirm that they are not failing to honor God; they are following a long tradition of Bible translation and are in good company with many faithful scholars and believers. In fact, the OPC’s statement noted that using lowercase pronouns “intends no disrespect to God; it is the usage of the historic English Bibles” and is also used by reverent modern translations like NIV and ESV. In the same breath, that statement acknowledged NASB and NKJV’s practice, albeit gently cautioning that it’s “introducing something which is not in the Greek or Hebrew.”. This balanced view can model to our people that Christians can disagree on a detail like this and still respect each other’s intent to honor God.
Finally, as a pastoral word, we might remind everyone that the spirit of the law matters more than the letter (quite literally, in this case!). If a person writes “He” with great outward reverence but harbors pride or uncharity, the capital letter gains nothing. Conversely, if one writes “he” but speaks of the Lord in awe and lives in obedience, there is true honor given to God. Jesus criticized the Pharisees for tithing mint leaves while neglecting justice, mercy, and faithfulness – we could perhaps analogize that to focusing on typography while neglecting love and humility. Let’s keep our focus on what the pronouns point to: the majestic God Himself and His Word. Whether in print He is “He” or “he,” we know who He is – our Sovereign, our Savior – and we must adore Him in our hearts, capital H or not.
Conclusion: “He is Lord” – Either Way
In summary, the choice to capitalize pronouns for God in English Bibles comes from commendable intentions on both sides. Historically, most translations (including the venerable KJV) did not, while a few (like NASB/NKJV) introduced it as a modern convention of respect. Translation committees today continue to differ, based on theological, linguistic, and stylistic reasoning. Those who favor capitalization cite reverence and clarity, and indeed find that “it not only shows reverence, but also sometimes increases clarity” in certain passages. Those who oppose it point to fidelity to the originals and the avoidance of forcing interpretations, rightly noting that God’s Word didn’t come with such capital letters and God’s honor doesn’t depend on typesetting.
For pastors, this is a great teaching opportunity. We can show our people that Bible translations involve careful decisions – not errors or irreverence, but different philosophies of how best to convey God’s truth. We can also model charitable disagreement. As one article concluded, “If you capitalize pronouns referring to God to show reverence… fantastic! If you do so for clarity, great! If you do not capitalize because you believe proper grammar should be followed, wonderful! Continue following your conviction. Again, this is not a right vs. wrong issue. Each of us must follow our own conviction and refrain from judging those who take a different viewpoint.”. Amen.
In matters like this, Christian maturity is displayed not by uniformity in style but by unity in spirit. Whether your Bible says “he shall reign forever” or “He shall reign forever,” the truth behind it is unchanged – Jesus Christ is Lord, and His reign is eternal. If we capitalize anything, let it be the love and respect we show one another as we together seek to honor Him – or rather, honor him – the one true God, in all we do.