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Paragraph markers


Tom Childers

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I have always thought that the paragraph marker

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Tom,

I took a pass on offering a response earlier, mostly because was unsure at what level you were asking the question. But, seeing as how you've gotten no response...

I've always assumed the Accordance team has placed the paragraph markers as per the Nestle-Aland GNT 27e. And if not that edition, then another. They are there to introduce paragraphs, quite simply. The beginning of a paragraph is a subjective decision, for sure. However, modern decisions on where paragraphs are delineated are MORE reliable than the old chapter and verse designations. What I mean is, if a paragraph begins in the middle of a verse, it was the old verse decision that was in err. Remember that verses were not added to the NT text for for hundreds of years after they were first written.

HTH,

Joe

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Thank you, Joe, that is both helpful and interesting. Tom, please what is CMD-T? Thanks to you also!

 

Kevin

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Thank you, Joe, that is both helpful and interesting. Tom, please what is CMD-T? Thanks to you also!

 

Kevin

 

 

CMD-T is a key combination: command plus T. The command key is the one with the apple symbol on it.

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Tom,

I took a pass on offering a response earlier, mostly because was unsure at what level you were asking the question. But, seeing as how you've gotten no response...

I've always assumed the Accordance team has placed the paragraph markers as per the Nestle-Aland GNT 27e. And if not that edition, then another. They are there to introduce paragraphs, quite simply. The beginning of a paragraph is a subjective decision, for sure. However, modern decisions on where paragraphs are delineated are MORE reliable than the old chapter and verse designations. What I mean is, if a paragraph begins in the middle of a verse, it was the old verse decision that was in err. Remember that verses were not added to the NT text for for hundreds of years after they were first written.

HTH,

Joe

 

Joe,

Thanks for the reply. I understand that the present chapter divisions in our Bibles were invented in 1205 by Stephen Langton and later Robert Stephanus affixed his own verse divisions to the New Testament and numbered them within Langton's chapter divisions. I agree that they are poorly done in some cases and agree with the advice of A. T. Robertson that "The first step in interpretation is to ignore the modern chapters and verses."

 

My post was not inviting a discussion of the division of chapters and verses of the Bible, but rather to call attention to the purpose of a paragraph marker within the middle of a verse as is found in Matthew 1:6. Interesting, the Message has three paragraph markers in Matthew 1:17 which seems to serve as an outline of Matthew 1:2-16. The first marker includes Abraham to David (Mt. 1:2-6a) The second marker includes David to deportation to Babylon (Mt. 1:6b-11). The third marker includes deportation to Babylon to Jesus (Mt. 1:12-16). These markers seem to have to do with more than just verse divisions. If so, what is their purpose beyond chapter and verse divisions?

 

My post was also to call to our attention the power of Accordance Bible Software to not only do a text search, but to actually search and find paragraph markers within the text.

-- Tom

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We should remember that paragraph markers, chapters and verse divisions, book titles, attributed authorship, and in some cases even vowels are not part of the original texts.

 

They have been added to add clarification to the text. It is a matter of debate how helpful they actually are.

 

Accordance modules reflect the editorial additions of the original printed texts/editors/publishers.

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My post was not inviting a discussion of the division of chapters and verses of the Bible, but rather to call attention to the purpose of a paragraph marker within the middle of a verse...
As I said, the ambiguity of your op as to at what level you were asking the questions was the reason I had taken a pass on a response in the first place.

Please forgive any reply that came across as condescending.

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As I said, the ambiguity of your op as to at what level you were asking the questions was the reason I had taken a pass on a response in the first place.

Please forgive any reply that came across as condescending.

 

Joe,

No problem. I appreciate your response. It helped to clarify what I was asking.

 

Tom

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