What difference could font style mean in your Bible study? You’d be surprised.
Let’s talk about italics. Did you know that some English translations use italics to indicate words in the translation that have been supplied for the sake of English, but for which no word in the original language exists? For example, Genesis 1:2 reads as follows in many editions of the King James Version:
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.
The word “was” is in italics because there is no verb in the Hebrew original behind that English word. It’s supplied for English smoothness. You’ll want to be careful with any Bible interpretation that depends on italicized words.
Small capital letters are used in nearly every English translation, particularly with the name of God. Deuteronomy 6:4 in the ESV reads:
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.
Notice that the word “LORD” is spelled with small capital letters. This is a publishing convention to tell the reader that the Hebrew word being translated is the divine name, YHWH (“Yahweh”). This distinguishes the sacred name from the generic word for “lord, master” in Hebrew, adon. The Bible uses many names for God, and the presence (or absence) of the sacred name can make a difference in the interpretation of a passage.
On those occasions where the divine name and this more generic word occur in tandem, English Bible publishers render the combination as “Lord GOD.” Genesis 15:2 is one such instance:
But Abram said, “O Lord GOD . . .”
The word adon is translated “Lord” with normal capitalization, and the divine name, YHWH, is rendered “GOD” with initial normal capital and the rest with small capitals. “Lord LORD” would just sound awkward.
The takeaway is that sometimes your translation is giving you information hidden in plain sight. Everything you see on the page has a decision behind it.