Deep Purple Registry (RFP Bible Version)

A registry of entries to help explain those Bible passages that contain nouns or pronouns that cannot be easily resolved

(Revised December 2025)

Preface

With the advent of the second Purple Letter Bible, the RFP Bible, there are now two versions of this Deep Purple Registry. This RFP version is intended for use with the RFP Bible; while the original version is intended for use with the KJP (and all other English translations of the Bible.) The difference centers around the treatment of the book of Deuteronomy, which is especially challenging to identify the entity its pronouns refer to. The use of color-coded quotation marks in the RFP Bible enabled the elimination of much of the large and awkward section that dealt with the difficulties that Deuteronomy presented in other Bible versions.

The “Deep Purple Registry” is a catalogue of about 240 entries intended to help with the Bible passages and verses that required further explanation because they contain nouns – particularly pronouns – that reference entities that are not readily resolved as to whether they refer to Deity (God the Father, Son or Holy Spirit) – or some other entity (non-deity angels or other heavenly beings; mortal men; Satan or his demons, etc.) Those that clearly refer to Deity merit the “Royal Purple” font treatment in both the KJP (King James Purple) and RFP (Reader-Friendly Purple) Bibles. However, those that possibly refer to Deity, but cannot be resolved as such with a high degree of certainty, are identified to the reader of these two Bibles by a “Deep Purple” font; and an explanatory entry appears in this Registry.

This Deep Purple Registry is fairly informal – it is a by-product of research during the development of the KJP and RFP Bibles. Its entries appear in book, chapter and verse order. These Registry entries are intended to help readers with the ‘tough’ ones – the ones with unresolved ambiguity, those that are in dispute among Bible scholars, those with dual-resolution, or others that seem to merit further explanation.

The entries consist of 3 or 4 sections, in the following format:  The first section identifies the issue or question; the second section, contained within a border (box), consists of the verse or passage in question; the third section, if needed, has a heading of “N/C:”, and contains editor’s Notes/Comments that briefly state what is known about the issue, and to explain the rationale for the resulting font treatment; and the fourth or Resolution section defines how the issue was dealt with and describers the KJP & RFP font treatment applied to that entity reference.

While this Registry was created specifically for readers of the KJP and RFP Bibles (the only versions that use this unique font color scheme), readers of any English translation can use it, because its entries appear in the order in which they occur in the Bible.

This is the color scheme used in the KJP and RFP Bibles: Nouns and pronouns that clearly refer to Deity have this “Royal Purple” font color applied to them. And because is easier to distinguish, from the context, between references to God the Father and the Holy Spirit, than it is to distinguish between either of these two Entities and Jesus Christ, the Son, the bold/non-bold font attribute is used to aid in that distinction. The use of this attribute is just a distinction ‘device’ for that purpose; and is not meant to slight any member of the Holy Trinity.

A main purpose for developing both of these “Purple Letter Edition” Bibles was the belief that a primary purpose for reading God’s Word is to learn more of Him; and when it is not clear who is being spoken of, it detracts from that purpose, as well as interrupting the ‘flow’ of the passage.

The need the for a deep purple color and this Registry became apparent early in the development if the KJP Bible when these ‘exceptions’ emerged, that could not be resolved to an acceptable level of certainty; and the use or absence of font coloration would mislead readers as to whom a noun or pronoun referred.

Reference materials consulted, and their abbreviations used in this Registry:

Commentary and other reference source abbreviations used in this Registry are as follows:

“BBC” = Believer’s Bible Commentary by Wm. MacDonald; “CC” = Clarke's Commentary; “CS T/D” = Chas. Spurgeon’s “Treasuries of David”; “EBC” = Expositor's Bible Commentary; “GSB” = Geneva Study Bible Commentary; “ISBE” = International Standard Bible Encyclopedia; “JAA” = Dr. Joseph A. Alexander Commentary; “JFB” = Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary; “LMG” = Lesley M. Grant Commentary; “MH” = Matthew Henry Commentary; “W&Z” = The Bible Knowledge Commentary by John F. Walvoord & Roy B. Zuck; “WN” = Wesley’s Notes; “BN” = Barnes’ Notes.

Also frequently consulted were 19 Parallel Translations (referred to as a group herein as “PT”): AKJV = American King James Version; ASV = American Standard Version; BBE = Bible in Basic English; BSB = Berean Standard Bible; DBT = Darby Bible Translation; DRB = Douay-Rheims Bible; ERV = English Revised Version; ESV = English Standard Version; GWT = God’s Word Translation; KJB = King James Bible; NAS = New American Standard Bible; NIV = New International Version; NKJV = New King James Version; NLT = New Living Translation; RSV = Revised Standard Version; WEB = World English Bible; WBT = Webster's Bible Translation; WNT = Weymouth New Testament; YLT = Young’s Literal Translation.

Other abbreviations used: “N/C:” is used to identify the Notes/Comments sections of entries when needed; “OT” is Old Testament; “NT” is New Testament; AV is 1611 Authorized Version (of KJB).

Start of Deep Purple Registry Entries in Canonical Order

Genesis 1:26 – Here in the Garden of Eden is the first of several occurrences of God using the first person plural pronoun “Us” in referring to Himself – and is an early Biblical intimation of the Holy Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. See also Gen. 3:22, 11:7 and Isaiah 6:8 for other such examples.

Resolution: Apply the capitalized “Deep Purple” bold font to the first of the occurrences of “Us”, as a mechanism to refer readers to the “Deep Purple Registry” to further explain this extraordinary reference. The subsequent occurrences of first person plural pronouns referring to God will have entries here in the “Deep Purple Registry”; but will be treated with the “Royal Purple” font consistent with the intent of this work, as seen below.

Genesis 3:15 – Q: Who is referred to by the three nouns “seed”, “it” (“he”) and “his” in verse 3:15?

N/C: These three nouns may refer to Christ, but there is no agreement on the question: 7 of the 30 translations, by their use of capitalization, indicate a reference to Deity – likely Christ, and many commentators seem to believe they refer to Christ, but at least one commentator is adamant that they do not!

Resolution: Apply the “Deep Purple” font to those three words to alert the reader to the possibility that they may indirectly refer to Deity, and insert this entry in the “Deep Purple Registry”.

Genesis 3:22 – This is another instance of God using the first person plural pronoun “Us” in referring to Himself.

Resolution: Apply the capitalized “Royal Purple” bold font consistent with the intent of this work, but insert an entry here in the “Deep Purple Registry” for further explanation.

Genesis 11:7 - The Tower of Babel – Another example of God using the first person plural pronoun “Us” in referring to Himself.

Resolution: Apply the capitalized “Royal Purple” bold font consistent with the intent of this work, but insert an entry here in the “Deep Purple Registry” for further explanation.

Genesis 14:18 - 20 – Who is Melchizedek and what, if any, type of Theophany is this?

N/C: Upon first reading this passage (Genesis 14:18 - 20) that mentions Abram’s encounter with Melchizedek, it may arouse the reader’s mild curiosity, or possibly even mild irritation that it is inserted in this narrative with so little background information. Were it not for other passages in God’s Word, such as Ps. 110:4; Heb. 5:6; 6:20; 7:2-3; 10; 7:17, 21, it would remain a mere obscure and perplexing biblical ‘factoid’. However, this is not a mere insertion of ‘trivia’.

Resolution: While much mystery remains about Melchizedek, most Bible scholars agree that at a minimum he is a “type of Christ the King-Priest” and therefore references to Melchizedek are treated with the “deep purple” font as means of alerting the reader that there is more here than meets the eye of the casual reader. Note the spelling variation in Hebrews (NT): “Melchizedec” As for the two pronouns in verse 19 (“And he blessed him”), the first refers to Melchizedec, who blessed Abraham.

Genesis 16:7 Who is the “angel of the LORD” or “the angel of God” referenced here and elsewhere in Scripture?

N/C: This is the first of several appearance in the OT of an entity that is referred to most often as the “Angel of the LORD” or “the Angel of God”, and also as “the Angel of the Covenant”. (See also Gen. 21:17; 22:11-12; 31:11; Exod. 3:2; 14:19; Num.22:22-35; Jud. 2:1; 2:4; 5:23; 6:11-13; 6:20; 13:3-21; 2Sam.24:16; 1Kings 19:7; 2Kings 1:3; 1:15; 19:35; 1Chron.21:12-30; Ps.34:7; Isa. 37:36; Zech.1:11-12; 3:1; 3:5-6; 4:4-6; and 12:8 for other occurrences.) It is clear that this is not an ‘ordinary angel’ and is deserving of more explanation at this first Biblical occurrence: ISBE calls Him “the Angel of Theophany” and the following excerpt from page 134 could serve well as an apt and reliable introduction to the question, “Who is the angel of the LORD or the angel of God?” - “A study of these passages shows that while the angel and Jehovah are at times distinguished from each other, they are with equal frequency, and in the same passages, merged into each other. How is this to be explained? It is obvious that these apparitions cannot be the Almighty Himself, whom no man hath seen, or can see. In seeking the explanation, special attention should be paid to two other passages. In Ex 23:20 ff God promises to send an angel before His people to lead them to the promised land; they are com­manded to obey him and not to provoke him "for he will not pardon your transgression: for My name is in him." Thus the angel can forgive sin, which only God can do, because God's name, (i.e., His character and thus His authority) are in the angel. Further, in the passage Ex 32:34 – 33:17 Moses intercedes for the people after their first breach of the covenant; God responds by promising, "Behold, Mine angel shall go before thee"; and immediately after God says, "I will not go up in the midst of thee." In answer to further pleading, God says, "My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest." Here a clear distinction is made between an ordinary angel, and the angel who carries with him God's presence. The conclusion may be summed up in the words of Davidson in his O.T. Theology: "In particular providences one may trace the presence of Jehovah in influence and operation; in ordinary angelic appearances one may discover Jehovah present on some side of His being, in some attribute of His character; in the angel of the Lord He is fully present as the covenant God of His people, to redeem them." The question still remains, Who is the theophanic angel? To this many answers have been given, of which the following may be mentioned:

(1)  This angel is simply an angel of God with a special commission;

(2)  He may be a momentary descent of God into visibility;

(3)  He may be the Logos, a kind of temporary preincarnation of the second Person of the Trinity.

Each has its difficulties, but the last is certainly the most tempting to the mind. Yet it must be remembered that at best these are only conjectures that touch on a great mystery. It is certain that from the beginning God used angels in human form, with human voices, in order to communicate with man; and the appearances of the angel of the Lord, with his special redemptive relation to God's people, show the working of that Divine mode of self-revelation which culminated in the coming of the Saviour, and are thus a foreshadowing of, and a preparation for, the full revelation of God in Jesus Christ. Further than this it is not safe to go.” Some suggest that the key to distinguishing between these entities lies in whether the definite article “the” (as opposed to “an”) is used as part of the entity’s title. Assuming these articles (the and an) have been preserved in translation to English, then the form of this article, while perhaps a helpful “clue”, does not appear to be a reliable hard-fast indicator of the identity of these entities, since both the definite and indefinite forms are used for the same entity in several passages. Also note that in addition to Stephen’s reference to the OT appearance to Moses of “an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush” in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, during his defense before the Sanhedrin, there are 2 other occurrences of “an angel of the Lord” and 9 of “the angel of the Lord” found in the New Testament. Thus there appears to be no ‘easy answers’ to this perplexing question. Loren Jacobs, of Jews for Jesus, in his treatise titled “An Angel You Ought To Know”, has well said: “This writer maintains that the angel of the Lord must be the Lord God. Yet in some sense, the angel of the Lord, even though He Himself is deity, must be distinguished from the totality of the Godhead. For in Zechariah 1:12, the angel of the Lord is seen interceding on behalf of Israel, calling out to the Lord of hosts! The Holy Scriptures have given us a paradox: The Angel of the LORD is distinct from God, yet is Himself very God! This paradox is consistent with God's very nature. God, who is involved with His creation and interested in our welfare (Psalm 139:3, 13), is also high above (Isaiah 55:8,9). God is a vengeful God to those who flaunt His revealed will (Deuteronomy 32:35), and yet He is merciful (Exodus 33:19). God is all-important (Psalm 139), and yet He willingly "forgets" (Jeremiah 31:34, Isaiah 64:9). God is an advocate, a defender of His people (Psalm 59:1, Job 16:19), but He is also a prosecutor and judge (Psalm 50:6), Ecclesiastes 3:17). When we study the nature of God, we find paradoxes.”

Resolution: This and subsequent Biblical occurrences as cited above are most likely of the same entity; yet sometimes with subtle distinctions as alluded to in the ISBE and Loren Jacobs excerpts copied above. There is good evidence that this is a true Theophany – or more specifically – a Christophany – a pre-incarnate manifestation of Christ and as such seems worthy of treatment with the “Royal purple” font. However, to do so would, at least in some instances, be to make blanket assumptions that may not be warranted. Therefore, references of this entity throughout the OT will be capitalized to indicate Deity and have the “Deep Purple” font applied for consistency across all occurrences and to refer the reader here for fuller explanation of this unique heavenly Being. Within these passages, where other pronouns clearly refer to God, the Father, the usual “Royal purple” font will be applied, despite the unavoidable apparent and contradiction.

Genesis 18:2 – 19:25 Who are the “three men” that appear in these Genesis 18 & 19 passages?

N/C: This ‘threesome’ - consisting of God and two of His angels - appears in vv.2,4-5,8-9, & 16; while the pronouns in vv. 3, 10, 13-15 appear to refer to a single entity, Who is God.

N/C: The Lord as a separate entity again appears in vv.17-21, and in other verses that follow in chapters 18 and 19 of Genesis.

18:22 And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.

N/C: The angel(s) apart from the Lord are referred to in v.22, where they leave for Sodom, and then are spoken of again beginning in 19:1.

N/C: It appears to be only the Lord Who is referred to in the passage of vv. 23-33.

Resolution: Use “deep purple” where all three ‘angels’ (the Lord and two of His angels.) This ‘threesome’ appears in Chapter 18, vv. 2,4-5,8-9, & 16. It appears to be the Lord only Who is spoken of in vv.10, 14-15, 17, 19-33. Use blue font where only the angel(s) – and not the Lord – are referred to, which occurs in 18:22, where they leave for Sodom, and then are spoken of again beginning in 19:1. While both the Lord and the angels are referred to in chapter 18 and 19, they do not appear as a ‘threesome’ after they part in 18:22.

It appears that only the two angels entered Sodom, and lodged with Lot at his urging (19:1 And there came two angels to Sodom at even); and were God’s agents in destroying Sodom, Gomorrah, and other cities in the plain. Note, however, that these two angels appear to have had sufficient authority or autonomy to grant Lot’s request to spare the town of Zoar. Also note that the pronoun shifts from the plural (19:13 For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it.) to 2^nd and 1^st person singular (19:21 And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this city, for which thou hast spoken. 19:22 Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither.) Also note that ultimately, the destruction came from the Lord (Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; And He overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground. 19:24-25)

Genesis 21:17 Is this an encounter with God (Theophany), or with one of His angels?

N/C: There are a number of appearances in the OT of what is referred to as “The Angel of God”. It remains to be seen if these occurrences are all Theophanies (manifestations of a member of the Triune Godhead), or manifestations of God’s angels. One test of this is whether the being that appears acts as God, or as one of His messengers or agents (angels). Note that in verse 18 of this passage the angel of God states that “I will make him a great nation.” Further, in verse 19, it states that “God opened her eyes” (See Gen.16:7 entry for more on the “Angel of God”.)

Resolution: By the context, this appears to be a manifestation of God, Himself – or a Christophany - and not one of His ‘ordinary’ angels, but will be treated with the “deep purple” font as means of alerting the reader to its unique significance.

Genesis 22:11-15 “The Angel of Lord” restrains Abraham from sacrificing Isaac.

N/C: Here is another OT occurrence of what is referred to as “The Angel of Lord”. It is not clear that these occurrences are all Christophanies (pre-incarnate manifestations Christ, or of God Himself), (See under Gen. 16:7 for fuller explanation.)

Resolution: While this appears to be a manifestation of God, Himself – and not one of His angels, it, like other such occurrences, will be treated with the “deep purple” font as a means of alerting the reader to its significance.

Genesis 24:7 Abraham instructs his servant to go to his country to take a wife unto his son Isaac; and assures him that God shall send His angel before him.

Resolution: This appears to be a simple reference to God’s angel, and will be treated with the “blue” font as the usual treatment of angels, In the KJP Bible.

Genesis 24:40 Abraham’s servant relates and quotes Abraham’s assurance to him that God shall send His angel before him.

Resolution: This, like 24:7, is a simple reference to God’s angel, and is treated with the usual “blue” font for angels.

Genesis 31:11 Jacob encounters the “Angel of God” in a dream.

N/C: Here is an OT occurrence of what is referred to as “The Angel of Lord”. It is not clear that these occurrences are all Christophanies (pre-incarnate manifestations Christ), or of God Himself. (See under Gen. 16:7 for fuller explanation.) Note that in verse 13 of this passage the Angel of God states that “I am the God of Bethel, where thou anointedst the pillar, and where thou vowedst a vow unto Me.”

Resolution: By the context, this appears to be a manifestation of God, Himself – and certainly not one of His angels, but will be treated with the “deep purple” font to alert the reader to its significance.

Genesis 32:1-3 Who or what is referred to by “the angels of God” in verse 3?

N/C: Here is another encounter with what is referred to as “The Angels of God”. Some of these occurrences are Theophanies (manifestations of a member of the Triune Godhead), others are manifestations of God’s angels. One test of this is whether the ‘angel’ acts as God, or as one of His messengers of agents (angels). Note that in verse 1 & 2 of this passage the entities referred to as “the angels of God” is treated as plural – and as such they appear to be messengers or angels of God.

Resolution: By the context, this appears to be a manifestation of God’s angels and will be treated with the “blue” font to identify them as such.

Genesis 32:24-32 – Whom did Jacob wrestle with in this passage, an angel, or God?

N/C: Here is the account of Jacob’s encounter with what is referred to as “a Man”. Some of these occurrences are true Theophanies (manifestations of a member of the Triune Godhead); others are manifestations of God’s angels. Our test here is whether the being in question acts as a member of the Godhead - as opposed to one of God’s messengers or agents (angels). Note that in verse 30 Jacob says he has “seen God face to face”. Some commentaries say this was an encounter with an “angel of God”. Other evidence from Scripture shows this to be an appearance of pre-incarnate Christ.

Resolution: This appears to be a true Theophany – or more specifically – a Christophany – a pre-incarnate manifestation of Christ and most applicable nouns will be treated with the “Royal purple” font to identify it as such. However, to alert the reader to this issue and refer him to this DPR entry, the first occurring noun, “Man”, will have the deep purple bold font applied to it,

Genesis 32:25 - Which pronoun in the latter part verse 25, “he” or ‘him”, refers to God, and which to Jacob?

N/C: This is one of those instances where we know that one of these two pronouns refers to Deity, and the other to mortal man; and it’s virtually impossible to ascertain which is which.

Resolution: While we know that one of these two pronouns refers to Deity, and the other to mortal man, their references are not readily resolved, nor is it crucial that they be. Therefore, they will remain un-resolved beyond recognizing that one applies to the Lord; and will apply the deep purple font to both as an acknowledgement of the unresolved ambiguity.

Genesis 48:16 Jacob’s reference to “an Angel” in verse 16 is really a reference to God.

N/C: Here in the account of Jacob’s blessing of Ephraim and Manasseh, Joseph’s sons, on the eve of his death, Jacob refers to the God of his fathers, Abraham and Isaac, as “an Angel” in verse 16.  Despite the term, it is clearly as reference to God, the Father.

Resolution: There is no implication of an angel, per se, here. This is merely the use of the term “an Angel” as an appellation by Jacob of God, the Father, and will be treated with the “Royal purple” bold font that it merits.

Genesis 49:24 Jacob makes reference to Christ (v.24) in his prophecy of his and Joseph’s sons.

N/C: Here in verse 24, on the eve of his death, in his prophecy regarding his and Joseph’s sons, Jacob includes a reference to Christ, the Messiah, “the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel”.

Resolution: The two references are treated with the “Royal purple” font as it applies to Christ.

Exodus - 3:2 Here the Angel of the LORD appears to Moses in the burning bush.

N/C: This is one of several appearances of the Angel of the LORD in the OT. In this particular passage we see a transition (v.2 through v.6, assuming that here, as in most instances, the Angel of the LORD is indeed a pre-incarnate manifestation of Christ) from the Second Person to the First Person of the Trinity. In verse 2 the Angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a burning bush; but in verse 6 He identifies Himself as God, saying, “I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Jacob”.

Resolution: This Angel of the LORD (v.2, typically a pre-incarnate manifestation of Christ) also appears to be a manifestation of God, Himself – certainly not one of His angels. It will be treated with the “deep purple” font as means of alerting the reader to its unique occurrence.

Exodus 12:23 God accompanies and directs the actions of “the destroyer” throughout Egypt.

N/C: Here we see the Lord Himself acting as the sovereign God, overseeing of the actions of “the destroyer” (angel of death).

Resolution: There is a reference to an angel “the destroyer” in this passage, which is treated with blue font. The balance of the passage appears to refer to the Lord Himself and these nouns and pronouns are treated with the Royal Purple font.

Exodus 13:21-22 The Lord in a pillar of the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night.

Resolution: This is a visible manifestation of the presence of God acting as Israel’s Guide in their wanderings in the wilderness. It appears in the OT in Ex. 13:21-22, 14:19-20, 24, 33:9-10, Num. 12:5, 14:14, Deut. 31:15, and Neh. 9:12 & 19. Each deserves special treatment - applying “Deep purple” font to alert the reader to this unusual evidence of God’s presence.

Exodus 14:17-19 The “Angel of God” interposes himself between the Egyptians and the camp of Israel.

Resolution: The Angel of God, typically a pre-incarnate manifestation of Christ, is also a term that is here used to refer to the visible manifestation of the presence of God acting as Israel’s protector and Guide in their inaugural wanderings in the wilderness. The term “pillar” also appears in this verse. Applying “Deep purple” font to both nouns to flag them as unusual evidence of God’s presence.

Exodus 19:16,19 etc. Certain manifestations of a “voice” in scripture are significant.

N/C: There are instances in scripture where the word “voice” represents the presence and glory of God. Their occurrences, listed above by book, chapter and verse, are worthy of note.

Resolution: These particular occurrences, as enumerated above, are not necessarily identical in type, but most appear to be the voice of God, while others may be of heavenly beings. These are all extraordinary and thus are treated with the “deep purple” font to alert the reader to their unique attribute.

Exodus 19:16-19 Here the cloud and voice represent God’s presence to the people.

Resolution: This is another visible and audible manifestation of the presence of God on Mount Sinai as He meets and confers with Moses. These, like the pillar, deserve special treatment - applying “Deep purple” font to alert the reader to this unusual evidence of God’s presence.

Exodus 20:18-21 The cloud and voice representing God’s presence to the people.

Resolution: This is another visible and audible manifestation of the presence of God on the mount as He meets and confers with Moses. These also merit special treatment - applying “Deep purple” font to alert the reader to this unusual evidence of God’s presence.

Exodus 23:20-23 God sends an angel before Israel to lead them. Who is this angel?

Resolution: There is ample evidence that this Angel is the same one represented earlier (e.g., Ex. 20:16-19) by the pillar of cloud and fire; and many Bible scholars believe this to be a pre-incarnate manifestation of Christ – note the severe warning to obey Him. References to Him also merit special treatment - applying “Deep purple” font to alert the reader to this unusual evidence of God’s presence.

Exodus 24:7-13 - Who is the “He” and “His” in verse 24:11?

Resolution: The pronouns “He” and “His” in v.11 refer to God, and will be treated with “Royal purple” bold font.

Exodus 24:9-18 This is notable because we are here told that Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy elders of Israel “went up”, “and they saw the God of Israel”; and “also they saw God, and did eat and drink”. Note the description of His appearance: “and there was under His feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in its clearness.”

Resolution: The nouns in vv.9-13 refer to God, as do “the LORD” & “He” (v15) and “the LORD” (v17), and will be treated with “Royal purple” bold font to distinguish them from the references to “cloud” (4), “glory” (2) and “fire” (1) in vv.15-18, which, like earlier occurrences of the pillar of cloud & fire receive special treatment - the “Deep purple” font to alert the reader to this unusual evidence of God’s presence and glory.

Exodus 24:15-18 Here the presence and glory of God is manifested by a cloud, and fire.

Resolution: The nouns “cloud” (4). “glory” (2) and “fire” (1) in vv.15-18, like the earlier occurrences of the pillar of cloud & fire receive special treatment - using “Deep purple” font to alert the reader to this unusual evidence of God’s presence and glory.

Exodus 32:34 and 33:2 God sends an angel before Israel. Who is this angel?

Exodus 33:2 God sends an angel before Israel. What entity is this angel?

Resolution: There is ample evidence that this Angel referred to in these passages is the same one represented earlier by the pillar of cloud & fire. Like the pillar, it deserves special treatment - applying “Deep purple” font to alert the reader to this unusual evidence of God’s presence.

In Exodus 34:6-7 God proclaims His Own attributes, and as such this direct quote from God deserves some special treatment. Thus, all of these words of God’s Own choosing - nouns, adjectives and qualifying phrases He used in declaring His Own attributes – are uniquely treated here with the “royal purple” font applied to them.

Resolution: These words, constituting God’s Own description of His Own attributes, received unique and special treatment – application of “Royal Purple” font to the entire proclamation.

Exodus 40:34-38 The presence and glory of God manifests itself in a cloud, and fire.

Resolution: The nouns “cloud” (5). “glory” (2) and “fire” (1) in vv.34-38, like the earlier occurrences of the pillar of cloud and fire receive special treatment - using “Deep purple” font to alert the reader to this unusual evidence of God’s presence.

Leviticus 7:34 – To Whom does the pronoun “I” in verse 34 below refer?

N/C: This appears to be a clear reference to God.

Resolution: Apply royal purple font to the “I” in verse 34 as an almost certain reference to God.

Leviticus 7:35-36 - Who is the “he” in verses 35 and 36 below – God, or Moses?

N/C: Several parallel translations were consulted (the commentaries do not address themselves to this question). The ‘reference’ in question is underscored in the parallel translations below.

The NIV, which typically capitalizes pronouns that refer to God, here uses the passive voice that avoids referring to the one who presented Aaron and his sons to minister in their office as priests: “This is the portion of the offerings made to the LORD by fire that were allotted to Aaron and his sons on the day they were presented to serve the LORD as priests. On the day they were anointed, the LORD commanded that the Israelites give this to them as their regular share for the generations to come.” D-RB – “This is the anointing of Aaron and his sons, in the ceremonies of the Lord, in the day when Moses offered them, that they might do the office of priesthood, And the things that the Lord commanded to be given them by the children of Israel, by a perpetual observance in their generations” WEB – “This is the anointing portion of Aaron, and the anointing portion of his sons, out of the offerings of Yahweh made by fire, in the day when he presented them to minister to Yahweh in the priest's office; which Yahweh commanded to be given them of the children of Israel, in the day that he anointed them. It is their portion forever throughout their generations.” YLT – “This is the anointing of Aaron, and the anointing of his sons out of the fire-offerings of Jehovah, in the day he hath brought them near to act as priest to Jehovah, which Jehovah hath commanded to give to them in the day of His anointing them, from the sons of Israel -- a statute age-during to their generations.” GSB – “This is the portion of the {n} anointing of Aaron, and of the anointing of his sons, out of the offerings of the LORD made by fire, in the day when he presented them to minister unto the LORD in the priest's office; Which the LORD commanded to be given them of the children of Israel, in the day that he anointed them, by a statute for ever throughout their generations.”

Resolution: Apply deep purple font to the “He” in verses 35 and 36 as a likely reference to God. The other less likely referent, if not God, is Moses.

Numbers 22:21-35 This appearance of the Angel of the LORD raises the question of what sort of entity here confronted Balaam.

N/C: The Angel of the LORD in the OT is typically a Christophany. In this instance, we note that at the start of this encounter (vv.22-30), this Entity was visible to Balaam’s donkey, but not visible to Balaam, until the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes to the vision of the Angel of the LORD standing in the way (v.31). In v.28 the Lord enabled the donkey to speak. It’s not clear from the text whether the Angel of the LORD is the same entity that actually performed these two enabling acts – or if “the LORD” is a separate entity from “the Angel of the LORD”. However, verse 32 does tell us that “the Angel of the LORD” asked Balaam why he had smitten his ass three times, and then proceeded to tell Balaam that He (“the Angel of the LORD”) had withstood Balaam because his way was perverse before Him, and had the ass not turned from Him, He would have slain him. Further, in verse 35, he instructs Balaam to speak “only the word that I shall speak unto thee” These statements suggest that this “Angel of the LORD” enjoyed the autonomy and authority to assess Balaam’s behavior as perverse and to act upon that evaluation even to the point of slaying Balaam, had his ass not taken evasive action. This autonomy and authority seems greater than that of a mere messenger or angel of God, and suggests that this Being is some form of Deity.

Resolution: The “deep purple” font will be applied to all occurrences of nouns or pronouns that refer to this entity within this passage to signify that It is likely a member of the Godhead.

Numbers 23:22 - Who is the “he” in verse 22 below?

N/C: Several parallel translations and commentaries were consulted. Many of these interpret this passage to be a testimony to God’s strength; but several commentaries (WN; JFG), on this same question, interpret this to be a reference to Israel’s strength, being much greater than when they left Egypt. The question is further compounded by the fact that “he” is singular, as is the word “God”;– apart from the exception noted in 24:2 (below). There seems to be no consensus as to whom (or what) the “he” in verse 22 refers.

Resolution: Apply deep purple font to the “he” in verse 22 as a possible reference to God.

Numbers 24:2 – Here singular “Israel” is subsequently referred to twice in the same verse by the plural possessive pronoun “their”.

N/C:  Clearly “Israel” here refers to the nation of Israel, and is treated as plural, despite the singular noun form.

Resolution: No action or special font treatment applies.

Numbers 24:7 – Who is the “He” and “his” (4 occurrences) in verse 7 (Israel or God)?

Resolution: Use regular black font for the “He” and “his” in v.7; they refer to the nation Israel.

Numbers 24:8 – Who is the “he” and “his” (2 occurrences each) in verse 8 (Israel or God)?

N/C: Here, again, there is no consensus among scholars (MH, WN, PT) as to whether this, as well a Numbers 23:22, is a reference to Israel – or to God.

Resolution: Used deep purple font for the “he” and “his” in verse 8, as it could refer to God or Israel.

Special Treatment of Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy Chapters 1-11, 17-18, 29, 32-32 and 34 - Do the pronouns “I”, “me”, “my” and “mine” that occur in these chapters of Deuteronomy refer to Moses or God?

N/C: It is often difficult to determine whether the first-person-singular pronouns that appear in Deuteronomy refer to Moses or God. A surprising number of them seem to refer to Moses. Because most Bible scholars and commentators generally do not concern themselves with pronoun resolution issues in scripture; there are precious few scholarly resources to bring to bear upon this aspect of God’s word. The editor has endeavored to make that determination, on a “best-effort basis” for the reader.

While the RFP Bible allowed us to eliminate that lengthy and awkward color-coded highlighted copy of much of Deuteronomy, a second and less onerous approach was retained and appears here. It is a summary consisting of two lists of chapters and verses. This first list of verses is where the pronouns apparently refer to God; and so the verse numbers are color-coded royal purple:

1:8; 1:35-36; 1:42b; 2:5; 2:9b; 2:19; 2:24-25; 2:31b; 3:2b; 3:26b; 4:10b; 5:6-10; 5:28b-31; 7:4; 9:12b-14; 9:23; 10:1b-2; 10:11b; 11:14-15; 18:18-20; 29:6; 31:14; 31:16-21; 31:23; 32:20-24; 32:26-27; 32:34-35; 32:39-42; 32:49; 32:51-52; 34:4;.

The second is the verse list where the pronouns apparently refer to Moses: 1:9(2); 1:12; 1:13, 1:15; 1:16; 1:17; 1:18; 1:37; 1:39, 1:41; 1:42; 1:43; 2:2; 2:9; 2:13; 2:27; 2:28; 2:29; 2:31(me); 3:12-13, 3:15-16, 3:18-19-20-21; 4:1-2; 4:5; 4:8; 4:21-22; 4:26; 4:40; 5:1; 5:5; 6:2; 6:6; 7:11; 8:19; 9:9; 9:17-21; 9:24-26; 10:3; 10:5; 10:10; 11:2; 11:8; 11:26; 17:3; 18:15; 28:1; 28:13-14-15; 31:2; 31:5; 31:27-29; and 32:46.

Verses 11:18 and 11:21 have not been unresolved to any degree of certainty as to whether they refer to God, or to Moses. That is why the “deep purple font” has been applied to those verse numbers.

(End of special Deuteronomy section that deviated from the normal DPR entry format).

Deuteronomy 3:24b - The word “God” after the colon in v.24 is a special case where the word is a reference to God when the question posed is properly answered.

N/C: The word “God” after the colon in v.24 is a special case where the word is a reference to God when properly answered. Given that the question in this case is posed to God, there is no question that it would be answered correctly. Still, the “deep purple” font is applied here. A similar situation is found at the beginning of Isaiah 41:2 and 41:4 regarding the pronoun “Who”, where both refer to God, if the correct answer is supplied to the question posed.

Resolution: This noun “God” will receive the “deep purple” font to indicate the reader must supply the correct answer for it to be a reference to God.

Deuteronomy 11:14 & 15 - The use of “I” in 11:14 & 15 suggests these are the words of God.

N/C: While the ‘speaker’ of the preceding discourse (vv 1-13) in this passage appears to be Moses, the use of two occurrences of the pronoun “I” in 11:14 & 15 suggests a ‘speaker switch’ occurs between verses 13 and 14 from Moses to God, and that vv 14 & 15 are the words of God. It is not certain who the ‘speaker’ is in the verses that follow (vv 16-23).

Resolution: The two pronouns “I” here will receive the “royal purple” font to indicate that they refer to God as the speaker.

Deuteronomy 11:18 - The use of “My” in 11:18 suggests these are the words of God, though the identity of the ‘speaker’ in the balance of the passage (vv16-17, and vv19-23) is not readily ascertainable.

N/C: While the ‘speaker’ of the balance of discourse in this passage may be Moses, the use of “My” in 11:18 suggests the words of verse 18 are the words of God.

Resolution: This possessive pronoun “My” will receive the “deep purple” font to indicate that it likely refers to God.

Deuteronomy 17:3 - While the 1^st 15 verses of chapter 17 appear to be the words of Moses, the phrase “which I have not commanded” in verse 3 is the same phrase that appears in 18:20, where God appears to be speaking (“But the prophet, who shall presume to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.”), and these may also be the words of God.

1“You must not sacrifice unto the LORD your God an ox or sheep that has a blemish, or any defect; for that is detestable to the LORD your God.”

Resolution: This pronoun “I” will receive the “deep purple” font to indicate the likelihood that it refers to God as the speaker.

Deuteronomy 18:18-19 - Are the words “Prophet”, “his”, “he” and “him” in verse 18, and “he” in verse 19 (underlined below) references to Christ? ?

N/C: Eight Bible translations that tend to capitalize pronouns referencing Deity were consulted, and two of the eight threated the nouns and pronouns in question as references to Deity, presumably Christ. The other six do not.

Resolution: Apply the “deep purple” font to indicate the possibility that they refer to Christ.

Deuteronomy 29:6 – Here, again, while much of the 1^st 8 verses of chapter 29 appear to be the words of Moses, in v6 God is the ‘speaker’, before again reverting to the words of Moses in vv7-8.

Resolution: The pronoun “I” will receive the “royal purple” font to indicate that the speaker in this verse is God.

Deuteronomy 29:15 – Who is referred to by the two occurrences of “him” in v15? It apparently refers to those present (1^st occurrence) – and their posterity (2^nd occurrence). It might better be rendered “But with those standing here today . . . and those not here today”.

N/C: It apparently refers to those present (1^st occurrence) – and their posterity (2^nd occurrence). It might better be rendered “But with those standing here today . . . and those not here today”.

Resolution: These two pronouns “him” will receive the normal black font as they appear to refer to mortals: those standing here today . . . and those not here today”.

Deuteronomy 32:27 – Who is referred to by the pronoun “I” in verse 27?

N/C: While God is not often portrayed in scripture as “fearing”, in this instance, it does seem to say that God feared that Israel’s adversaries would claim credit for Israel’s defeat. It looks like this “I” should properly be “royal purple” bold.

Resolution: This pronoun “I” will receive the “royal purple” font to identify it as a true reference to God.

Deuteronomy 33:5 – Does the “he” in “he was king” in 33:5 refer to God or Moses?

N/C: There are differing opinions among Bible expositors as to whether the “he” in “he was king” refers to God or Moses, each offering their reasons; and some offering arguments for it being a reference to either God or Moses.

Resolution: Apply the “deep purple” font to indicate the possibility that it refers to God.

Deuteronomy 33:8-9 – Which 2^nd person pronouns refer to God, and which refer to Levi or others?

N/C: The following pertinent references to this question were found -

NAS: Of Levi he said, "Let Your Thummim and Your Urim belong to Your godly man, Whom You proved at Massah, With whom You contended at the waters of Meribah; 9 - Who said of his father and his mother, 'I did not consider them'; And he did not acknowledge his brothers, Nor did he regard his own sons, For they observed Your word, And kept Your covenant.

NLT: Moses said this about the tribe of Levi: "O LORD, you have given your Thummim and Urim--the sacred lots--to your faithful servants the Levites. You put them to the test at Massah and struggled with them at the waters of Meribah. 9 - The Levites obeyed your word and guarded your covenant. They were more loyal to you than to their own parents. They ignored their relatives and did not acknowledge their own children.

Wesley’s Notes: 33:8 Let thy Urim - The Thummim and the Urim, which are thine, O Lord by special institution and consecration, (by which he understands the ephod in which they were put, and the high priesthood, to which they were appropriated, and withal the gifts and graces signified by the Urim and Thummim, and necessary for the discharge of that high - office) shall be with thy holy one, that is, with that priest, whom thou hast consecrated to thyself, and who is holy in a more peculiar manner than all the people were; that is, the priesthood shall be confined to and continued in Aaron's family. Whom thou didst prove - Altho' thou didst try him, and rebuke him, yet thou didst not take away the priesthood from him. At Massah - Not at that Massah mentioned Exo 17:7, which is also called Meribah, but at that other Meribah, Num 20:13. Thou didst strive - Whom thou didst reprove and chastise. 33:9 I have not seen him - That is, I have no respect unto them. The sense is, who followed God and his command fully, and executed the judgment enjoined by God without any respect of persons, Exo 32:26,27. They kept thy covenant - When the rest broke their covenant with God by that foul sin of idolatry with the calf, that tribe kept themselves pure from that infection, and adhered to God and his worship.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary: 8-10. Of Levi he said-The burden of this blessing is the appointment of the Levites to the dignified and sacred office of the priesthood (Le 10:11; De 22:8; 17:8-11), a reward for their zeal in supporting the cause of God, and their unsparing severity in chastising even their nearest and dearest relatives who had participated in the idolatry of the molten calf (Ex 32:25-28; compare Mal 2:4-6).

Resolution: After reexamining these verses, and consulting the interpretations of them by others, I have concluded that the font treatments, as applied, are correct. No change is warranted. (7/17/10 jam)

Deuteronomy 33:12 – To whom does the pronoun “him” refer to? - God, or to Benjamin?

Resolution: After revisiting this verse, and consulting others’ interpretations of it, I have concluded that the font treatment, as applied, is correct. No change is warranted. (7/17/10 jam)

Deuteronomy 33:12 – To whom do the pronouns “he” and “his” refer? - God, or to Benjamin?

N/C: There are two views as to who is referred to by the pronouns “he” and “His” in verse 12: The NAS and GSB agree that it says Benjamin dwells between God’s shoulders; however, the ESV, Wesley’s Notes, and Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary interpret it as “He” (God – and His temple) lay within the confines of Benjamin - or dwells between Benjamin’s shoulders (or borders). See below. Will apply deep purple font to both pronouns and add an entry in the “Deep Purple Registry”.

One view: NAS: Of Benjamin he said, "May the beloved of the LORD dwell in security by Him, Who shields him all the day, And he dwells between His shoulders."

Geneva Study Bible - And of Benjamin he said, The beloved of the LORD shall {k} dwell in safety by him; and the LORD shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders.

The other view: ESV - Of Benjamin he said, “The beloved of the LORD dwells in safety. The High God surrounds him all day long, and dwells between his shoulders.”

Wesley’s Notes: 33:12 Of Benjamin - Benjamin is put next to Levi, because the temple, where the work of the Levites lay, was upon the edge of the lot of this tribe. And 'tis put before Joseph, because of the dignity of Jerusalem, (part of which was in this lot) above Samaria, which was in the tribe of Ephraim: likewise because Benjamin adhered to the house of David and to the temple of God, when the rest of the tribes deserted both. The beloved of the Lord - So called in allusion to their father Benjamin who was the beloved of his father Jacob; and because of the kindness of God to this tribe which appeared both in this, that they dwelt in the best part of the land, as Josephus affirms, and in the following privilege. Shall dwell in safety by him - Shall have his lot nigh to God's temple, which was both a singular comfort and safeguard to him. Shall cover - Shall protect that tribe continually while they cleave to him. He - The Lord shall dwell, that is, his temple shall be placed, between his shoulders, that is, in his portion, or between his border's as the word shoulder is often used. And this was truly the situation of the temple, on both sides whereof was Benjamin's portion. And though mount Sion was in the tribe of Judah, yet mount Moriah, on which the temple was built, was in the tribe of Benjamin.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary - 12. Of Benjamin he said-A distinguishing favor was conferred on this tribe in having its portion assigned near the temple of God.

between his shoulders-that is, on his sides or borders. Mount Zion, on which stood the city of Jerusalem, belonged to Judah; but Mount Moriah, the site of the sacred edifice, lay in the confines of Benjamin.

Resolution: The “deep purple” font is applied to the two pronouns “he” and “His”, to alert the reader to the differing resolutions. (7/17/10 jam)

Joshua 5:13-14 - Joshua’s encounter with the “Captain of the host of the LORD”. Who is He?

Resolution: This is a true Theophany – a pre-incarnate manifestation of Christ, the Son of God. Applied the “Royal purple” font as appropriate for Deity.

Joshua 10:30 & 32 - Whom do the pronouns “he” (4 occurrences) and “who” (Joshua 10, vv. 30 & 32 in yellow highlight here) refer to?

Resolution: Use regular black font for the pronouns “he” in verse 30 & 32, as well as the “who” in verse 32, as all refer to Joshua. (Most useful reference for this was LMG.)

Joshua 13:14 - Who is referred to by the two pronouns “he” in verse 14?

Resolution: The first “he” refers to Moses; the second “He” refers to God (used “royal purple”).

Joshua 13:33 - Who is referred to by the pronoun “he” in verse 33?

Resolution: Used “royal purple” font for the pronoun “He” in Joshua 13:33, as it refers to God.

Judges 1:19 - Who is referred to by the ambiguous pronoun “he” in verse 19?

N/C: From the grammatical context, one might infer that it refers to the LORD; but from the theological context, it must refer to Judah (or collectively Judah and Simeon), since the following phrase implies (his) inability to drive out the inhabitants – clearly not an attribute of God.

Resolution: Used regular black font for the pronoun “he” in Judges 1:19 as it refers to Judah.

Judges 2:1 - Who is the “Angel of the LORD” spoken of in verse 1?

N/C: This appears to be a true Theophany. From the context (vv.1-3), where He speaks as God, it is clear that this is not a mere angel, but a member of the Godhead. Many Bible scholars say this is the Angel of the Covenant – a pre-incarnate manifestation of Christ, the Son of God. (See entry under Gen, 16:7 for fuller explanation.)

Resolution: Applied the “deep purple” font to refer the reader here for this explanation.

Judges 5:23 - In this Song of Deborah (after Jael gave Sisera, captain of King Jabin’s Canaanite army, a fatal ‘splitting headache’), we find this reference to “the Angel of the LORD”, that needs some explanation.

N/C: Background information - Chapter 5 (vv. 2 – 31) contains Deborah’s song of victory after the Lord delivered the Israelites from their Canaanite oppressors. Meroz (v.23) was a village SW of the Sea of Galilee near Mount Tabor on the border between Issachar and Naphtali, from which Barak, at the urging of Deborah, led the successful attack by Israel against Sisera, captain of the Canaanites who had oppressed them. In this song, the Angel of the LORD appears to curse bitterly the inhabitants of Meroz, because they did not help their brethren in the fight. (See entry under Gen, 16:7 for fuller explanation.)

Resolution: This may be another Theophany. Generally, the term “the Angel of the Lord” is equated with “the Angel of the Covenant”, and refers to the Lord, and not a mere angel from God. There is not much context contained within this song to offer insight as to the identity of this entity. Applied the “deep purple” font to refer the reader here for this meager explanation.

Judges 6:11-22 - In this account of Gideon’s encounter with “the Angel of the Lord” and “the LORD”, the two terms seem to be used interchangeably as though they are the same entity.

N/C: Notice here that “the Angel of the Lord” and “the LORD” are used interchangeably in this encounter with Gideon. This appears to be a true Theophany. From the context of this passage, where He speaks as God, it is clear that this is not a mere angel, but a member of the Godhead. Many Bible scholars say this is the “Angel of the Covenant” – a pre-incarnate manifestation of Christ, the Son of God. See entry under Gen, 16:7 for fuller explanation.

Resolution: Applied the “deep purple” font to the word ‘Angel’ in the occurrences of “the Angel of the Lord”, and associated pronouns in this passage to refer the reader here for this explanation. The many other clear references to the “Lord” have the “Royal purple” font.

Judges 13:3 - Here we have the prediction of Samson’s birth to Manoah and his wife by the visits of the “Angel of the LORD” (13 occurrences plus many pronouns in vv.3, 7, 9, 13, 15-21).

N/C: Notice that in this encounter, there seems to be more of a separation or distinction in roles between “the Angel of the Lord” and “the LORD” that is referred to in this passage. Note that in verse 16, when offered food, the Angel of the Lord tells Manoah that “thou must offer it unto the LORD”. Also note that “the LORD” here is always referred to in the 3^rd person, and not used interchangeably as in other encounters, such as with Gideon. This may be a Theophany; but from the context of this passage, it is not as apparent as in other passages. (See Gen. 16:7 entry for more information on this subject.)

Resolution:  Applied the “deep purple” font to the word ‘Angel’ in the occurrences of “the Angel of the Lord”, and associated pronouns in this passage to refer the reader here for this meager explanation. The clear references to the “Lord” have the “Royal purple” font.

Judges 13:25, 14:6, 14:19, 15:14 – Who is “the Spirit of the LORD” that came upon Sampson and empowered him to perform mighty and super-human acts here in these verses?

Resolution: These four are instances (Judges 13:25, 14:6, 14:19, 15:14) where “the Spirit of the LORD” came upon Sampson and empowered him to perform these mighty acts with super-human strength. The “agent” that empowered him is the second person of the Holy Trinity – the Holy Spirit. Applied the “Royal purple” bold font as appropriate for Deity.

I Samuel 2:27 - Who is the “man of God” who came to admonish Eli in verse 27?

Resolution: There is no evidence that this “man of God” is anything more than a human prophet that God sends to reprove and warn Eli. Therefore, plain black font is applied.

I Samuel 12:5 – The first “he” in verse 5 refers to Samuel. Who does the second “He’ refer to?

Resolution: Used “Royal purple” bold font for 2^nd pronoun “He” in 12:5 as it refers to God as witness against Israel.

II Samuel 24:16-17 – Who is the Angel that God sends to punish David and his people?

N/C: The Bible does not exactly identify the “angel of the Lord”. But it does give us some insight. You will find references to “angels of the Lord”, “an angel of the Lord”, and “the angel of the Lord.” in both the Old and New Testament. The first two of the above forms of references likely refer to one or more angels (based upon the preface of the indefinite article “an” and the use of the plural “angels”). But when singular, and prefaced by the definite article “the”, it seems to imply an entity unique from other angels referenced. In these unique cases, it seems safe to infer that it refers to the LORD. Lord The angel of the Lord” identifies Himself with God, and speaks and does things with the authority of God. And in many cases, mortals who see “the angel of the Lord” are in fear of death because they have “seen the Lord.” And so it seems reasonable to assume that in at least these instances, the occurrence of “The angel of the Lord” is a theophany - a physical manifestation of God. Also See 1Chron. 21:15-20 for a passage parallel to this one.

Resolution: While this may appear to be a simple manifestation of a ‘regular’ angel under the direction of God, most scholars take this to be yet another appearance of the Angel of the LORD. Applied the “deep purple” font to the word ‘Angel’ to refer the reader to the Registry for this explanation. (See Gen.16:7 Registry entry for more information.)

I Kings 8:10-12 - Here is a visible manifestation of God’s presence and glory in the Temple.

Resolution: The nouns that represent visible manifestations of God’s presence and glory, “cloud” (2), “glory” (2) and “thick darkness” (1) in vv.11-12 receive special treatment - using “Deep purple” font to alert the reader to this unusual evidence of God’s presence and glory.

I Kings 15:28 – As phrased, it is not very clear that Baasha killed Nadab, and not Asa.

N/C: Applying the pronoun antecedent rule, one could misread verse 28 and infer that Baasha killed Asa; but it was Nadab he killed.

Resolution: Inserted “(Nadab – not Asa)” after the pronoun “him” in I Kings 15:28 to clarify whom it refers to.

I Kings 16:7 - The pronoun “him” at the end of verse 16:7 violates the pronoun antecedent rule.

Resolution: Inserted “(Nadab)” after the pronoun “him” in 16:28 to clarify who Baasha killed.

I Kings 19:5,7,9,11-13 - In these verses, who is the Angel that comes and ministers to Elijah?

N/C: While it may appear to be a simple manifestation of a ‘regular’ angel under the direction of God, most scholars take this to be yet another appearance of the Angel of the LORD. (See Gen.16:7 Registry entry for more information.)

Resolution: Applied the “deep purple” font to the word “Angel” to refer the reader to the Registry for this explanation

II Kings 1:3 - In verse 3, an Angel of the Lord is sent by God with instructions for the prophet Elijah.

N/C: While this may appear to be a simple manifestation of a ‘regular’ angel under the direction of God, most scholars take this appearance of the Angel of the LORD to be yet another OT Christophany. (See Gen.16:7 Registry entry for more information.)

Resolution: Applied the “deep purple” font to the word “Angel” to refer the reader to the Registry for this explanation.

II Kings 1:10, 12 &14 - In verses 10, 12 and 14, we see a manifestation of God’s power and judgment in the form of fire from heaven.

Resolution: The noun “fire” that represents a manifestation of God’s power and judgment in the form of fire from heaven, (1 vv.10. 12 & 14) merits special treatment - using “Deep purple” font to alert the reader to this unusual evidence of God’s power and judgment.

II Kings 1:15 - In verse 15, an Angel of the Lord gives instructions to the prophet Elijah.

N/C: This is another manifestation of the Angel of the LORD, here sent to the prophet Elijah with instructions. (See Gen.16:7 Registry entry for more information.)

Resolution: Applied the “deep purple” font.

II Kings 18:22 – Does the phrase “he, whose” in this verse a refer to God?

Resolution: These two pronouns do refer to God. Apply the “Royal purple” bold font and capitalize these two pronouns, as references to God.

II Kings 19:16-30 - Ambiguous pronoun references appear in the latter portion of II Kings 19.

N/C: The key to resolving pronouns in the latter portion of 2Kings 19 is making proper distinctions between unquoted and quoted words in this passage. We have God’s quote of the Assyrian king’s blasphemous boasting beginning in v.23 followed by God’s response which appears to begin in verse 25, ending in verse 34. Verse 27 is unmistakably part of God’s response. The transition from Sennacherib’s irreverent quote to God’s reply is subtle – but that transition the quote and God’s response lies between verses 24 and 25.

Resolution: No Action Required. A careful reading of this passage makes evident the conclusion that God’s words begin in verse 21b and end with verse 31, including God’s quote of Sennacherib’s blasphemous words (vv. 23b – 24, enclosed above in quotes for clarity). Immediately following these words from God is a further statement from God introduced in verse 32 and continuing through verse 34 regarding the king of Assyria (Sennacherib).]

II Kings 19:35 - Here, an Angel of the Lord went out and smote 185,000 in the Assyrian camp.

N/C: While this may appear to be a simple manifestation of a ‘regular’ angel intervening under the direction of God to destroy 185,000 in the Assyrian camp, most scholars take this to be yet another appearance of the Angel of the LORD. (See Gen.16:7 Registry entry for more information.)

Resolution: Applied the “deep purple” font to the word “Angel” to refer the reader to the Registry for this explanation.

II Kings 23:29 – As verse 29 is phrased, it is hard to tell who slew whom at Megiddo.

N/C: From the immediate context, due to violations of the pronoun antecedent rule, is hard to tell who slew whom at Megiddo (v.29). Pharaoh-neco killed Josiah.

Resolution: Inserted parenthetical clarifications, as shown above.

I Chronicles 21:12-30 - This is another manifestation of the Angel of the LORD, this time sent by God to punish and destroy in Israel, and then later restrained by God.

N/C: See II Samuel 24:10-25 for a parallel passage. While this may appear to be a simple manifestation of a ‘regular’ angel under the direction of God to punish David for numbering the Israelites, most scholars take this to be yet another appearance of the Angel of the LORD. (See Gen.16:7 entry in the Registry for more information).

Resolution: Applied the “deep purple” font to the word “Angel” to refer the reader to the Registry for this explanation

II Chronicles 5:13-14 - Here is another manifestation of God’s visible presence and glory in the Temple.

Resolution: The nouns that represent visible manifestations of God’s presence and glory, “cloud” (2) and “glory” (1) in vv.13-14 receive special treatment - using “Deep purple” font to alert the reader to this unusual evidence of God’s presence.

II Chronicles 32:21 – What entity is this angel sent by God to thwart Sennacherib?

19And they expressed contempt for the God of Jerusalem, just as they disdained the gods of the pagans of the earth, which were just idols - the work of men’s hands.

Resolution: This is an example of a ‘regular’ angel sent by God to thwart the oppression of the king of Assyria. No real need for an explanation in the Registry – apply blue font to “angel”.

Nehemiah 9:12, 19 - Here we find two more examples of visible evidence of God’s presence and glory.

Resolution: The nouns that represent visible manifestations of God’s presence and glory, “pillar” “cloud” and “fire” in verses 12 and 19 receive the “Deep purple” font treatment to alert the reader to this unusual evidence of God’s presence.

Job 4:18 - Eliphaz appears to make a reference here to God’s angels.

Resolution: This is an example of a reference to God’s angels. No real need for an explanation in the Registry – applied blue font.

Job 8:19 – The possessive pronoun “his” in verse 19 may refer to God

N/C: Some translations capitalize the “his” in “his way” in verse 19, signifying a reference to God, while others do not.

Those that do capitalize “his” in v19 are: AMP, ISR, ISV, NAS, NKJ.

In this passage, Bildad seems to be saying that a man with godless roots that are wrapped around a pile of rocks will eventually be snatched from his place, then his place will forget him, and out of the dust others will spring up and grow to take his place; and that this is the joy of His (God’s) way. A bit abstract, but plausible.

Resolution: Since there is no consensus among the translators, the deep purple font is applied to the “his” in verse 19 to alert readers to the possibility that it may refer to God.

Job 12:12 – Who or what is referred to by “ancient” in verse 12? Is it merely the naturally acquired wisdom of aged persons; or is it a reference to the “Ancient of Days”?

N/C: Most (if not all) extant translations regard this as a reference to aged men, and not the “Ancient of Days” or Deity. No real support was found for it as a personification – or Deity.

Resolution: Treat “ancient” as a normal attribute – with normal black font

Job 16:9, 12-14 – Is it God or Satan who hates and tears at Job (verse 9)?

N/C: The “enemy” who “hates” of 16:9 is really Satan (see vv.1:12 & 2:6-7 below), who truly hates Job and is the agent actively assaulting him, rather than God; and the “they” of 16:10 more aptly fits Satan’s demons, or perhaps Job’s “miserable comforters) than God. However, chapter 16 seems to be the apex of Job’s exasperation and frustration with his “miserable comforters” and he may well be referring to God in these verses. As MH points out in his commentary on this verse, “God hates none of His creatures; but Job's melancholy did thus represent to him the terrors of the Almighty.” If Job is referring to God, it is not in our province to alter the Word, but merely to point out the incongruity of Job’s assertions in the light of other scripture.

Job 1:12 And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD. Job 2:6 And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life. 2:7 So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.

Resolution: Capitalize but use deep purple font for the six personal pronouns and the noun “Enemy” in verse 9, as well as the eight pronouns in verses 12 - 14 to ‘flag’ them as being at odds with all that Scripture tells us of God’s attributes.

Job 28:9-11 – Who is referred to by the 7 pronouns in verses 9 through 11 (“he” – 5; “his” 2)?

N/C: While the 6 pronouns in verses 9 through 11 (“he” – 5; “his” 2), could conceivably refer to God, they more likely refer to man in his never ending quest for things of value – in this case for metal and gems in the earth. Most translations treat these pronouns in vv9-11 as referring to mortal man in his quest for valuable minerals (gold, silver, gems). (Job’s comments in the ensuing verses, (12-21) seem to pursue this line of thought regarding man’s quest for things of value, where he contrasts earthly treasure with godly wisdom. Clearly the “He” in the latter verses (23 through 28) refers to God.

Resolution: While 3 Parallel Translations and the GSB and WN commentaries say it’s the works or power of God, there is very strong evidence that it refers to man in quest for earthly treasures as stated above in the N/C section.

Applied “deep purple” font to all 7 pronouns as possible references to God.

Job 30:19 - Whom does the “He” of verse 19 refer to?

Resolution: The “He” refers to God. Applied the “royal purple” font.

Job 30:24 - Do the pronouns “He” and “His” in verse 24 refer to God?

N/C:  Here again there is a lack of consensus as to the referenced entity, it ranges from “God” (NKJ) to an unidentified hypothetical 3^rd party (“one”), to Job (“my”).

Resolution: Given that some (but not all) translations treat these pronouns as references to God, the “deep purple” font treatment is applied to them.

Job 33:23 – To whom does the “His” verse 23 refer - Job, God, or generic “man”?

N/C:  Here again there is a lack of consensus as to the referenced entity, it ranges from “God” (NKJ) to an unidentified hypothetical 3^rd party (“man”), favored by rendering of most translation, in many of which the “pronoun “his” does not even appear.

Resolution: Given that one (the NKJ) translation treats this pronoun as a reference to God, the “deep purple” font treatment should be applied to it.

Job 35:15 – To whom does the “He” in verse 15 refer? Job or God?

Resolution: Here we have consensus: it is God. Applied capitalized “royal purple” font.

Job 36:4 - Whom does the “he” in verse 4 refer to? Himself (Elihu) or God?

Resolution: Here again there is a lack of consensus among Bible scholars as to whom Elihu is referring by “he” v.4. If he is referring to himself, then Elihu might be thought a brash fool; but that is not borne out in what he says in these latter chapters (32 – 37) of Job. He exercised amazing restraint and patience in the first 31 chapters; hardly an indicator of brashness. It is also worth noting that in God’s comments in chapters 38-41, where He chastises and corrects Job’s other 3 ‘friends’ (42:7) – and even mildly chastises Job, God does not criticize Elihu at all. Some say Elihu is referring to God’s Holy Spirit; or God’s wisdom. Applied the “deep purple” font treatment to flag it as a not totally resolved reference. Elihu is indeed an intriguing individual!

Job 42:4 – Which of the personal pronouns in verse 4 refer to God; and which refer Job?

N/C: The problem here arises from the fact that most English translations (15 out of 26 consulted, including the KJV and NKJ), omit the lead-in two words “You said, ‘ ”, which reveals that the rest of text of verse 4 is where Job is quoting God, which reverses who the 7 personal pronouns in verse 4 are referring to. (Only 11 of 26 identify v4 as a quote of God’s words.) So while the KJP has heretofore treated the 2^nd person singular pronouns “Thee” and “Thou” in verse 3 as referring to God, they actually refer to Job, since God is Who uttered them, and, conversely, the 1^st person singular pronouns “I” and “Me” actually refer to God, and deserve the bold, royal purple font treatment.

Resolution: Given that the KJP is based upon the KJV and therefore omits the critical lead-in words “You said,” we dare not reverse the font treatment of the personal pronouns, which would only add to the reader’s confusion. Instead, we will apply the “deep purple” font treatment to them all to alert the reader that appropriate font treatment hinges upon the absence or presence of those critical lead-in words “You said,”.

Psalm 8:5 – To whom does David refer by the two pronouns “him” in verse 8:5?.

N/C – Just as an aside, a surprising number (15) of translations render 8:5 as “a little lower than God” , including NLT, NAS, NASB95, NASB77, AMP, CSB, HCS, ASV, CEV(than Yourself), GNT(than to Yourself), LSV (the gods [or God]), NAB(than a god), NRSV, WEB, YLT(lack a little of Godhead). The (9) that render it “a little lower than the angels” are: NIV, BSB, KJV, NKJ, ABinPE, BST, DRB, JPS, NHE.

Resolution: The two pronouns “him” is a simple reference to our (mortal man’s) station relative to God and His angels. Apply normal black font to them;, royal purple and blue font as appropriate to other entities referred to vv. 8:4-6.

Psalm 34:7 - David refers to the believer’s protection by God’s angel.

N/C: While this may appear to be a simple manifestation of a ‘regular’ angel under the direction of God, most scholars take this to be yet another appearance of the Angel of the LORD. (See Gen.16:7 entry in the Registry for more information).

Resolution: Apply the “deep purple” font to the word “Angel” to refer the reader to the Registry for this explanation.

Psalm 35:5-6 – Whose protection does David plead to God for in vv. 35:5-6?.

N/C: Here again, most scholars take this to be another appearance of the Angel of the LORD, rather than a simple manifestation of a ‘regular’ angel under the direction of God. (See Gen.16:7 entry in the Registry for more information).

Resolution: Applied the “deep purple” font to the word ‘Angel’ to refer the reader here.

Psalm 37:23 – Either the pronoun “he” or “his” after the semi-colon refers to God, the other refers to man. Thus, verse 23 could be rendered in either of the following two ways:

N/C:

Clearly one of the two pronouns (he or his) that follow the semi-colon refers to God, and the other one refers to man. No evidence favors one over the other; but the second rendering seems preferable to the first, but cannot be proven to be the correct one.

Resolution: Use the 2^nd rendering, where a good man delights in His (God’s) way, and apply the “deep purple” font to both pronouns to flag as an exception this questionable rendering, as below:

Psalm 40:7 – Several first-person singular pronouns beginning in verse 7 seem to refer to Christ.

N/C: There is good evidence that most of these first-person singular pronouns verses 7-11 refer to Christ. This despite the fact that none of the 28 English translations that were consulted capitalized the 2-letter pronouns (“me” near the end of verse 7, and the 3 occurrences of “my” - 1 each in verses 8, 9, & 10), being the 2-letter pronouns that might be capitalized when referring to Deity - as opposed 6 occurrences of the pronoun “I”, which is always capitalized, and is not a reliable indicator). In “Barnes’ Notes on the Bible” it says, “Lo, I come - It is difficult to see how this could be applied to David; it is easy to see how it could be applied to the Messiah.” Later Barnes’ Notes says, “This is one of the passages in the Psalms which cannot with any propriety be applied to David himself. Oher commentators tend to agree. However, by verse 12, the first-person singular pronouns clearly no longer refer to Christ, but to the David, as the psalmist makes reference to his many sins having caught up with him,

Resolution: Apply the royal purple font to these first-person singular pronouns in verses 7 to 10, then apply the “deep purple” font to those pronouns in verse 11 to alert the reader to this uncertainty as to when the references to Christ begin and end.

Psalm 45 – Many nouns and pronouns in Psalm 45 are perplexing as to the entity they represent.

N/C: The imagery in Psalm 45 seems to be that of the Messiah returning for His bride. Even if that assumption proves correct, there are some nouns and pronouns within Psalm 45 that it is not intuitively clear whom they refer to. Some examples are “King’s” in verse 9; the “Thy” in verse 12 would appear to refer to Christ’s bride, the church, whose favor the nations will seek. It is not clear who is the king or the king’s daughter in verse 13 – possibly the daughter of the King of Tyre? The “she” in verse 14 is also problematic. Who the two possessive pronouns “thy”, in verse 16, refer to is also enigmatic. God, the Father appears to be referenced by “God” in verse 2; as well as the two occurrences in verse 7. The rest of the pronoun references to Deity in Psalm 45 appear to refer to Christ, the Son (the Messiah), and as such are not rendered in bold.

Resolution: Applied the following described renderings: The four 1^st person singular pronouns (2 “I” & 2 “thy”) in v.1 refer to the psalmist; the “thine” and “thy” in vv. 10 & 11 refer to the bride (the NT church); the daughter of Tyre (v.12) refers to the nations – peoples outside the NT church which will seek the NT church’s favor; the “thy fathers” of verse 16 refers to the OT order & traditions. All of these use normal black font. The “I” in verse 17 refers to God, the Father, with “royal purple” bold font. All the non-bold but capitalized purple font pronouns throughout this psalm refer to Christ, the Bridegroom.

Psalm 54:5b – Does the “Thy” (2^nd person) in verse 54:5b refer to God, despite His being referred to earlier in the verse as “He” (3^rd person)?

N/C: Psalm 54 is an example of the perplexing phenomenon some refer to as “pronoun swap”: vv. 1 & 2 refer to God in the 2^nd person. In vv. 3 to 5a, references to God are in the 3^rd person; while in verses 5b & 6, the reference reverts back to 2^nd person; and then in v. 7 the reference to God is again in the 3^rd person. Each of these personal pronouns refer to God.

Resolution: Most – but not all - of the personal pronouns in Psalm 54 refer to God; and have the appropriate “royal purple” bold font applied to each pronoun referring to God, regardless of grammatical switches to and from 2^nd and 3^rd person within the psalm.

Psalm 72 – Several pronouns in Psalm 72 are “dual-reference” pronouns (referring to two different entities – in this case Solomon (short-term) and Christ, the Messiah (longer-range). There is an ill-defined transition from a focus on the reign of Solomon (v.1) to that of Christ. The difficulty lies in ascertaining when, exactly, the focus shifts to God, and hence the proper pronoun reference resolutions.

A Psalm for Solomon.

N/C: Here in this “Psalm for Solomon”, some of the early verses are a prayer for God’s blessing upon himself (David), and particularly blessings upon his son, Solomon, as his successor as king. There is then an ill-defined transition where God’s glory becomes the primary focus. Some pronouns through this transition are likely dual-references, which are designated using the ‘deep purple’ font, followed by the parenthetic insertion “(Solomon and Christ)”. Following is the rendering of Psalm 72 with added clarifications.

A Psalm for Solomon

Resolution: Renderings of the text as shown above, with clarifying parenthetical inserts, where font treatment alone will not suffice for clarity.

Psalm 73:10 – Does the pronoun “his” in verse 10 refer to God or someone else?

N/C: There are two schools of thought regarding this question – with two very different answers: Some Bible scholars believe it refers to God, while others believe it refers to quite the opposite – a wicked man. When the translations that tend to capitalize nouns referencing God were consulted, of the 7 that rendered this verse to include the pronoun “his”, 4 treated it as not referring to God, while 3 treated it as a reference to God. Perhaps an excerpt from the Benson Commentary best describes the dilemma: ““It seems impossible to ascertain,” says Dr. Horne, “with any degree of precision, the meaning of this verse, or to whom it relates. Some think it intends those people who resort to the company of the wicked, because they find their temporal advantage by it; while others are of opinion that the people of God are meant, who, by continually revolving in their thoughts the subject here treated of, namely, the prosperity of the wicked, are sore grieved, and enforced to shed tears in abundance.” Certainly a variety of discordant interpretations have been given of the verse.”

Resolution: Apply the capitalized “Deep Purple” bold font “His” to alert the reader to the possibility that it may refer to God, and insert this entry here in the “Deep Purple Registry” as an explanation of this enigma.

Psalm 78:14 - David refers to visible manifestations of God’s presence and glory, the “cloud” and “fire” in verse 14.

Resolution: In recounting God’s watch-care over His people, David mentions the visible signs of God’s presence and glory, “cloud” and “fire” in verse 14. These nouns receive special treatment - the “Deep purple” font to alert the reader to this unusual evidence of God’s presence.

Psalm 78:25 - David refers to the manna God provided His people as angel’s food.

Resolution: This is an example of a reference to God’s angels, which is treated with blue font.

Psalm 78:49 - David mentions God sending His angel to punish the ungrateful Israelites.

Resolution: An account of God’s angels (blue font) sent to punish ungrateful Israelites.

Psalm 80:17 – Q:  - Do the words “son of man” of v.17 refer to the Messiah?

N/C: There are several opinions among Bible scholars regarding this question – Some commentaries support – but do not necessarily favor – the possibility, as expressed here in these excerpts, where green comments favor a view; while yellow comments oppose that view: Ellicott’s - In the words “son,” “son of man,” some see a reference to the Messiah. But the parallelism and context show that the poet is thinking of Israel as a community, of which the vine is the emblem. But many interpreters, both Jewish and Christian, apply this to the Messiah, the Son of David, the protector and Saviour of the church, and the keeper of the vineyard. Matthew Henry’s - 80:17-19 The Messiah, the Protector and Saviour of the church, is the Man of God's right hand; he is the Arm of the Lord, for all power is given to him. Barnes’ - The allusion is either – (a) to some individual man whom God had raised up to honor, as a prince or ruler of the people; or (b) to the people as such - as Luther understands it. Prof. Alexander strangely supposes that this refers to the Messiah. Matthew Poole’s - understands either, (1)The Messias, oft called in Scripture the Son of man: let him come, and let his kingdom be established, and so thine Israel shall be saved and delivered out of all its troubles. Or, (2)The royal family, the house of David, in whose safety and welfare. the happiness of the whole nation was wrapt up. Or (3) The people of Israel, who are oft spoken of as one person

The question then becomes: what font treatment is appropriate here?

Resolution: Given these conflicting views, the “Deep purple” font will be applied to alert the reader to this possible reference to the Messiah.

Psalm 81 – The pronouns “he” and “I” in verses 5,6,7, &16 are unclear as to their referents.

N/C: In verse 5, the first He likely refers to God; the second “he” is not as easily ascribed, and the 2 pronouns “I” toward the end of verse 5 are also ill-defined (possibly Joseph, or Asaph, – or some other non-deity). It is also unclear whom the “I” in verse 6 refers to. Its seems reasonable to assume that the 3 occurrences of “I” in verse 7 are references to God. Clearly, by verse 8, the 3 1^st person singular pronouns refer to God. The 2 pronouns in verse 16 probably refer to God; but if they both do, then here, again, we see a ‘pronoun swap’. Also note that in this Psalm by Asaph, the latter half presumes to utter the words of God, mostly in the 1^st person singular, without any “thus saith the Lord” preface. Following is a rendering with clarifying inserts:

Psalm 81:1 Sing aloud unto God, our strength; make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob. 81:2 Take a psalm, and bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the psaltery. 81:3 Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day. 81:4 For this was a statute for Israel, and a law of the God of Jacob. 81:5 This He ordained in Joseph for a testimony, when he (Joseph) went out through the land of Egypt; where {I (Asaph speaking for Israel)} heard a language (God’s voice) that {I (Asaph speaking for Israel)} understood not. 81:6 I removed his (Israel’s) shoulder from the burden; his (Israel’s) hands were delivered from the basket {pots}. 81:7 Thou (Israel) calledst in trouble, and I delivered thee; I answered thee in the secret place of thunder; I tested {proved} thee at the waters of Meribah. Selah. 81:8 Hear, O My people, and I will testify unto thee; O Israel, if thou wilt hearken unto Me, 81:9 There shall no strange God be in thee; neither shalt thou worship any foreign {strange} God. 81:10 I am the LORD thy God, Who brought thee out of the land of Egypt; open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it. 81:11 But My people would not hearken to My voice; and Israel would have none of Me. 81:12 So I gave them up unto their own hearts' desire {lust}; and they walked in their own counsels. 81:13 Oh, that My people had hearkened unto Me, and Israel had walked in My ways! 81:14 I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned My hand against their adversaries. 81:15 The haters of the LORD should have submitted themselves unto Him; but their time should have endured forever. 81:16 He should have fed them (Joseph (Israel)) also with the finest of the wheat; and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee (Joseph (Israel)).

Resolution: In the above rendering, the text that follows verse 5 are the words of God (uttered in the voice that they (the writer, Asaph, speaking for Israel) did not know). This rendering clarifies the ambiguities, capturing and preserving the meaning of Psalm 81, and there appears to be good support for it. Renderings as shown above, with needed clarifying parenthetical inserts.

Psalm 82:6 - The “I” in verse 6 is difficult to resolve.

A Psalm of Asaph.

N/C: MH, page 667, column 2, says that in verse 6 “God says “You are gods.” He called them gods because they had a commission from God, and were delegated and appointed by Him to be the conservators of the public peace”. MH is confident that the “I” in verse 6 refers to God – and there is no reason, from the context, to refute that.

Resolution:  Made the “I” in verse 6 “royal purple”, as it is a reference to God.

Psalm 87 - The possessive pronoun “His” in verse 1 is difficult to resolve, as well as the phrase “this man” that appears in vv. 4 & 6, the possessive pronoun “my” and the pronoun ”thee” in v.7.

N/C: More than one commentary speaks of the “abrupt beginning” of this Psalm. The opening possessive pronoun appears to refer to God ; JFBC renders it “His—that is, God's foundation—or, what He has founded, that is, Zion (Isa 14:32). is in the holy mountains—the location of Zion . . ”. The “this man” of verses 4 & 6 and “this and that man” of verse 5 are references to gentiles born in these gentile nations, who will be considered by God to be natives of Zion, God’s chosen land. Evidently the end of the last verse, “all my springs are in Thee”, is part of a song that the singers will sing to God, so the “my” refers to the singers (worshippers), while the “Thee” is a reference to God. Thus the rendering should be as follows:

Psalm 87:1 His foundation is in the holy mountains. 87:2 The LORD loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. 87:3 Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God. Selah. 87:4 I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to them that know Me; behold Philistia, and Tyre, with Ethiopia: this man was born there. 87:5 And of Zion it shall be said, This and that man was born in her; and the Highest Himself shall establish her. 87:6 The LORD shall count, when He writeth up the people, that this man was born there. Selah. 87:7 {As well} The singers as well as the players on instruments shall be there; all my springs are in Thee.

Resolution: Passage rendered as shown above. Verse 1: Made the “His” in verse 1 “royal purple” as a reference to God. The “I” of verse 4 is a reference to God, as is the “Me” at the end of v.4. The “this man” of verses 4 & 6 and “this and that man” of verse 5 are references to gentiles born in these gentile nations, who will be considered by God to be natives of Zion, God’s chosen land. The “Thee” at the end of verse 7 is a reference to God.

Psalm 89:18-19 – Is there a distinction between “the Holy One” of verse 18 and the “Thy holy one” of verse 19; and should they be treated differently?

N/C: The Holy One” of verse 18 is clearly a reference to God. The “one” in “Thy holy one” of verse 19, unlike the similar phrase in verse 18, is a reference to David – not Christ – as a type of Christ - hence the use of the word “holy”, but it is not a direct reference to Christ. – thus no capitalization of “holy one”.

Resolution: Removed “Royal purple” font and capitalization from “one” in “Thy holy one” occurring in verse 19.

Psalm 91:11 - David speaks of God’s protection by His angels.

Resolution: This is an example of a reference to the protection afforded by God’s angels. No further need for an explanation in the Registry – the blue font is applied for God’s angels.

Psalm 99:7 - The psalmist refers to the visible manifestations of God’s presence as He spoke to His people in the “cloudy pillar” in verse 7.

Resolution: In reciting of God’s watch-care over His people, the psalmist mentions the visible evidence of His presence as He spoke to His people in the “cloudy pillar” in verse 7. These nouns receive special treatment - using “Deep purple” font to alert the reader to this unusual evidence of God’s presence.

Psalm 103:20 - David refers to God’s angels that do His commandments.

Resolution: This is an example of a reference to God’s angels, to which blue font is applied.

Psalm 104:4 – Here again David refers to God’s angels.

Resolution: This is an example of a reference to God’s angels, to which blue font is applied.

Psalm 105:39 - The psalmist refers to the visible manifestations of God’s presence as He protected and led His people using a “cloud” and “fire” in verse 39.

Resolution: In recounting of God’s watch-care over His people, the psalmist mentions the visible evidence of His presence and protection as He led His people using a “cloud” and “fire” in verse 39. These nouns receive special treatment - using “Deep purple” font to alert the reader to this unusual evidence of God’s presence.

Psalm 110:4 – Who is Melchizedek and what, if any, type of Theophany does he represent?

N/C: God is a God of detail; and often what appears to be trivia in God’s Word only appears so to us due to our puny understanding and appreciation for it. This is no doubt such an instance. In this Messianic psalm, David refers to Christ as “a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. See also Gen. 14:18-20; Heb. 5:6; 6:20; 7:2-3; 10; 7:17, 21 for other references to Melchizedek.

Resolution: There is agreement among most Bible scholars that at a minimum Melchizedek is a “type of Christ the King-Priest” and therefore references to Melchizedek will be treated with the “deep purple” font as means of alerting the reader that there is more here than meets the eye of the casual reader. Note the spelling variation in Hebrews (NT): “Melchizedec”.

Psalm 148:1 - The psalmist refers to God’s angels among those who should praise Him.

Resolution: This is an example of a reference to God’s angels. No further explanation need - apply blue font.

Proverbs 1: The 1^st person singular pronouns in verses 23 to 33 are not readily resolved.

N/C: The book of Proverbs has as its theme “Wisdom”, and it is often personified in passages of this book. This opening chapter begins with the words of Solomon (vv 1-22). Verse 23 represents a shift, where the words of the personified Wisdom are presented (vv 23 – 33). One could argue that the 1^st person singular pronouns in the last 11 verses of Chapter 1 (in “deep purple” font above) refer to God, the Creator and Repository of all wisdom. In this sense, this passage would be an example of a “duality” of pronoun resolutions.

Resolution: Applied bold “Deep purple” font and capitalization to pronouns that refer to “personified wisdom” (God) in these last 11 verses of Proverbs chapter 1, as shown above.

Ecclesiastes 5:6 - Who is referred to by the term “angel” in verse 6?

Resolution: Most scholars agree that the term “angel” in verse 6 is a reference to the priest as the messenger of God – and not necessarily to an actual angel. There are a few who render this a reference to God, so in any event, it does not appear to refer directly to Deity. There is a good argument for using the black font, the blue font, and the “deep purple” font. Applied the “deep purple” font to alert the reader to the fact that there is some dispute here and can consult this entry in the “Registry”.

Ecclesiastes 5:8 – Who does the “they” at the end of verse 8 refer to?

Resolution: Left the “they” at the end of verse in regular black font as a reference to those mortals that oppress the poor and pervert justice.

Isaiah 4:5 – What is the significance of “cloud and smoke by day,” and “flaming fire by night”?

N/C - In this vision of the coming kingdom, “In that day”, a prediction of glory and protection of God is manifested in “a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night”.

Resolution: In Isaiah’s prophecy, he speaks of visible evidence of God’s presence and protection as a “cloud”, smoke and “fire” in verse 4. These nouns receive special treatment - using “Deep purple” font to alert the reader to this unusual evidence of God’s presence.

Isaiah 6:8 – Who is referred to by the 1^st person plural pronoun “Us” in verse 8?

N/C – Here God uses the 1^st person plural pronoun “Us” in referring to Himself.

Resolution: Apply the capitalized “Royal Purple” bold font consistent with the intent of this work, but insert an entry here in the “Deep Purple Registry” for further explanation.

Isaiah 8:1-4

Q1: Whom do the “I” and “me” in verse 2 refer to? Q2: Whom does the “I” in verse 3 refer to?

 

N/C: Consulted 2 commentaries: MH and J. F Walvoord & R. B. Zuck OT (W&Z-OT). W&Z-OT, page 1050 says the “I” and “me” in verse 2 refer to God, while the “I” in verse 3 refers to Isaiah. MH says all three pronouns refer to Isaiah, which seems the more credible position.

Resolution: Left the 3 pronouns (“I” & “me” in verse 2 and “I” in verse 3) in regular black font and inserted “(Isaiah)” in both verses to clarify these pronouns as a references to Isaiah.

Isaiah 8:16 – Who is referred to by the 1^st person singular pronoun “my” in verse 16?

N/C: There are differing opinions as to whom the “my” in “my disciples” at the end of verse 16 refers. While some say it refers to Isaiah, others believe it refers to God, or to the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Dr. Joseph Addison Alexander says, “These are not the words of the Prophet (Isaiah) speaking in his own person, but a command addressed to him by God, or as some suppose, by the Messiah. If so, the first-person singular pronouns “I” and “me” in verses 17-18 would also refer to Christ as the speaker. Dr. Alexander’s “The Prophesies of Isaiah” is an excellent resource for insight into the book of Isaiah.

Resolution: Apply the deep purple font to those 1^st person singular pronouns in verses 16, 17 &18, to alert the reader of this question of whom they refer to.

Isaiah 15:5 &15:9

Q1: Whom does the “My” in verse 5 refer to? Q2: Whom does the “I” in verse 9 refer to?

Judgment Upon Moab

 

N/C: A1: MH, page 850, column 2 says “MY” refers to the prophet himself (Isaiah), which seems evident. A2: MH, page 850, column 2 says that the “I” in verse 9 refers to God. W&Z-OT, page 1063 implies that the “I” in verse 9 refers (indirectly) to God.

Resolution: The “My” at the beginning of verse 5 refers to the prophet Isaiah (use black font); the “I” in verse 9 refers to God, apply “royal purple” font.

Isaiah 18:3 & 5 - Three pronouns “he” (2 in v. 3; 1 in v. 5) are ill-defined and need resolution.

 

N/C: Verse 3 – Some treat the ensign / banner in verse 3 in the passive, as being raised without mention of the agent; others suggest it is God Who raises the ensign / banner and sounds the trumpet. MH, page 853, says “He lifts up an ensign upon the mountains, and blows a trumpet, by which He proclaims war against the enemies of His church, and calls in all her friends. He is about to do some great work, as Lord of hosts.” Verse 5 - Here, again, the consensus (NASB, Wesley, etc.) is that the “he” in 18:5 is none other than God.]

Resolution: Used “royal purple” font in all 3 instances of “he” in question; they refer to God.

Isaiah 21:2 & 11 - There are two ill-defined pronouns (“I” in v2; “He” in v11) to resolve.

Resolution: The “I” in verse 2 refers to God, Who will stop the oppression that caused the sighing (Royal purple font). The “He” in v. 11 refers to “one out of Seir” who calls to Isaiah. Use black font with clarifying parenthetic insert, as shown above.

Isaiah 22:18 & 19-23 - Here in the latter part of Isaiah Ch. 22 are several ambiguous pronouns (“He” in v. 18, six occurrences of “I” in vv. 19-23, and “My” in v.20;) that may refer to God.

Resolution: The “He”, “I”, and “My” pronouns that occur in verses 22:18-23 refer to God, (in royal purple), Who will perform all this as “Thus saith the Lord” (v15). The phenomenon of “pronoun swap” is fairly prevalent in Isaiah, and is certainly in evidence in this passage.

Isaiah 28:9 - 11 – Who is referred to by the four 3^rd person singular pronouns “he” or “He” plus “his”/”His, in some translations, depending upon the referent.  “Here in Isaiah Ch. 28 are two or three occurrences in v. 9, depending upon the translation; one in v.10; and one in v.11. A final “He” in v.12 appears to refer to God.

N/C: The two pronouns “he” in verse 9 appear to refer to the same entity; and the same entity is likely referred to by the pronoun “he” in verse 11. There is no complete agreement as to whether it refers to Isaiah or God. JAA capitalizes all three occurrences where he quotes them in his exhaustive commentary on Isaiah; and treats them as a reference to God. The NAS and YLT also capitalize all three occurrences, as does the JFB Commentary; and Wesley’s Notes specifically says it is God. Other translations and commentaries are not as definite in their treatment of these three occurrences of the pronoun “he”.

Resolution: It is likely that all of these 3^rd person singular pronouns refer to God, Who will speak to and undertake to teach this people. Due to the lack of consensus, and to err on the conservative side, the “Deep purple” bold font is applied to all of these occurrences of the pronoun “He”, to alert the reader of this likelihood.

Isaiah 30:7 – It is not a clear whether the “I” in v.7 refers to Isaiah, or God.

Resolution: The “I” in v. 7 could be Isaiah, or God (“saith the LORD”, v. 1). While it could be either, as this passage is studied, it seems to be God Who is speaking before (vv.1 & 2) and after this verse (v.8, where God instructs Isaiah to record God’s prediction of the results of Israel’s reliance on Egypt), and there is little evidence that the ‘speaker shifts here to the prophet Isaiah. To accommodate the outside chance this pronoun does not refer to God, but to Isaiah, and to err on the side of caution, the “Deep purple” bold font is applied to this pronoun, “I”.

Isaiah 30:33 - Who is referred to by “he” in 30:33?

Resolution: The “he” in verse 33 may refer to its antecedent, the king of Assyria, or more likely men who have made the burning pyre deep and wide. On the other hand, it could also be a reference to God, Who’s breath will kindle it. Therefore, it has the “Deep purple” bold font applied.

Isaiah 32:1

Here in Isaiah Ch 32, v.1, the word “king” seems to allude to Christ, but it is not clear.

N/C: The word “king” in verse 1 appears to be a “duality of reference” pronoun. There is no complete agreement as to whether it refers to Hezekiah, or Christ, the Messiah or both. JAA acknowledges both views. The greater consensus is that it refers to both, one near-term; and the other longer-range.

Resolution: Applied “deep purple” font and capitalized “King”.

Isaiah 32:13 & 18 - In vv. 13 and 18 the phrase “my people” appears. The “my” usually refers to God; and if not a reference to Him, then to whom do these two possessive pronouns refer?

N/C: While the two occurrences of “my” (in “my people”) of verses 13 & 18 could be just a reference to the prophet Isaiah, based upon Isaiah (rather than God) seeming to be the ‘speaker’ prophesying in chapter 32, there is no compelling evidence that the 2 possessive pronouns do not refer – at least indirectly - to God. Dr. J.A. Alexander, in his “The prophesies of Isaiah”, suggests that the reference in v18 is a reference to God, and the other, in V13 may well be, as well.

Resolution: Apply the “deep purple” font & capitalization to these two pronouns – to at least alert the reader to the possibility that the entity referenced may be God.

Isaiah 33:8 - In verse 8 the three occurrences of the pronoun “he” is not well defined.

N/C: The pronoun “he” occurs 3 times in verse 8. They appear to be a reference to Sennacherib.

Resolution: Inserted “(Sennacherib)” after each occurrence for clarity.

Isaiah 37:36 Here is a reference to “the Angel of the LORD” sent by God to destroy 185,000 Assyrians.

N/C: While this may appear to be a simple manifestation of a ‘regular’ angel intervening under the direction of God to destroy 185,000 in the Assyrian camp, most scholars believe it to be yet another appearance of “the Angel of the LORD”. (See Gen.16:7 Registry entry for elaboration.)

Resolution: Apply the “deep purple” font to the word ‘Angel’ to refer the reader to this entry.

Isaiah 41:2, 4 - Several pronouns in Isaiah Ch 41 are not well defined. These include the “Who” that begins verses 2 and 4. Also the “his” in verse 2. The “man from the east” and the 3 pronouns “him” in v. 2 refer to one unidentified entity. The “He” that begins the 2^nd sentence of v.2 needs defining, as does the “them” and the “his” in that sentence. The “Who” at the start of v.4 appears to refer to God. Some of the others are more problematic.

N/C: The pronoun “Who” at the beginning of both verses 2 and 4 both refer to God, if the correct answer (no one, except Jehovah God) is supplied to the question posed.

Resolution: These 2 pronouns “Who” will receive the “deep purple” font to indicate the reader must supply the correct answer for it to be a reference to God. The “His” in “His foot” of v.2 refers to God, and gets the “Royal purple” font. The “man from the east” and the 3 pronouns “him” in v. 2 probably refer to Cyrus, or perhaps Abraham (non-deity, in either case). The 2 pronouns “his” in v. 2 (his sword & his bow) also refer to Cyrus / Abraham. The pronouns “he” (2) and “his” (1) in v. 3 refer to the same (non-deity) person. All these latter pronouns receive the regular black font, with clarifying parenthetical inserts where needed.

Isaiah 41:25, 27-28 - Several pronouns in Isaiah Ch 41 lack clear definition: three occurrences of “he” in verse 25; the “He” in verse 26; and three occurrences of “I” in vv. 27 & 28?

Resolution: The “he” occurring 3 times in verse 25 and once in verse 26 refer to a mortal man, possibly Cyrus or a generic conqueror, as is the “one” in v.25. As to the 3 occurrences of “I” in vv.27 & 28, they, as well as the “Me” in v.1 refer to God, and are treated as are all references to God, with “royal purple” bold”, along with other references to God in Isaiah 41.

Isaiah 42:18-21 - Several references in Isaiah Ch. 42 need resolution. These include “ye blind” in verse 18; “My servant”, and “My messenger” in verse 19. The question “Who is blind as he that is perfect, and blind” in 19b is also puzzling.

N/C: Some scholars take “My servant” and “My messenger” to ultimately refer to Christ – a dual reference. As for the object of the puzzling question “Who is blind as he that is perfect, and blind as the LORD's servant?” in v.19b, some suggest that this also refers to Christ, as though He in His bearing our sin and looking beyond the cross neither “saw nor heard” the suffering and reproach that He endured.

Resolution: The parenthetic insertions in above annotated text should shed some light upon and clarify these references. No font or other changes were made to the affected Bible text – just an entry here for inquiring minds.

Isaiah 45:21 – To whom do the two occurrences of “Who” in verse 21 refer?

Resolution: The 2 pronouns “Who” in verse 21 both refer to God, when the correct answer is supplied. Applied the “deep purple” font to these two pronouns to signify that they represent God, when the questions are answered correctly.

Isaiah 48:14-16 - Interpreting these 3 verses and resolving some of their pronouns is difficult.

N/C: There is dispute as to who the 3^rd person singular pronouns in v.14 refer to: JAA takes it to read “God loves him (Israel), and to show His love, “He (God) will do His (God’s) pleasure (execute His purpose) in Babylon, and His (God’s) arm shall be upon (against) the Chaldeans.” However, some take it to refer to Cyrus, rendering it: “he (Cyrus) whom God loves shall do his pleasure in Babylon, and his (Cyrus’) arm will be upon the Chaldeans.” The former seems the truer rendering, and less problematic. Both renderings of v.14b make the “him” in “hath loved him” non-deity (black font), but raises the issue of whether the “he” and/or “his” that follow in “he will do his pleasure” refer to Cyrus or God. In v.15, it is God speaking (the four 1^st person pronouns “I”); and the four 3^rd person pronouns “him” (2), “he” and “his” refer either to Cyrus or Israel, non-deity (black font) in either case. The “Me” at the end of verse 16 is an example of duality of reference: in the immediate sense to the prophet Isaiah; and ultimately to Christ, the Messiah.

Resolution: The “them” in “Who among them” that starts the question (2^nd sentence) of v.14 refers to false gods or false prophets; so both the “Who” and “them” are non-deity (black font). Apply “deep purple” non-bold font to “Me” as representing both man and Christ.

Isaiah 49:1-26 - Here we have intermixed references to God and Christ, that need resolution. Who is addressing the coasts in verses 1-3?

[This passage contains pronouns that are still in dispute by some – they are the 4 occurrences of “Thee” in verse 8; and the “Who” and “He” in verse 10.]

N/C: While the pronouns “Me” and “My” in verse 3 may seem to refer to the nation Israel, they, as all of the 1^st person singular pronouns in first 5 verses of Isaiah 49 actually refer to the Messiah, as does the phrase “My servant, O Israel” also in verse 3. While the word “Israel” in verse 3 does refer to the Messiah, the words “Israel” that occur in verses 5, 6 and twice in verse 7 are used in the usual sense and refer to the nation Israel.

Resolution: - This work is indebted to and concurs with Dr. J. A. Alexander that the “speaker” is a dual entity: being the Messiah (as the Head) and also Israel, God’s chosen people and/or the Church (as the body). Therefore, the nouns and pronouns that represent this dual entity will be treated using the “deep purple” font used for dual-reference nouns and pronouns, in harmony with Dr. Alexander’s masterful verse-by-verse commentary of Isaiah 49.

Isaiah 50:1-11 - Here, again, are intermixed references to God and Christ, to resolve.

N/C – In chapter 50, as in chapter 49, there are intermixed references to God and Christ. They are distinguished by the KJP convention of applying royal purple bold to God, the Father and the Holy Spirit (not present in this passage) and applying royal purple non-bold to Christ (the exception being the pronoun “I”, which is always bold so that it stands out.). The problem is further complicated by the assertion of some commentators, including Dr. J. A. Alexander, that the “speaker” in some instances, may be a double entity: the Messiah (as the Head) and also the Church (as the body, Christ being the Head). Those nouns and pronouns that may represent this dual entity are identified here using the “deep purple” font: In verse 6 – “I gave My back to the smiters, and My cheeks to them that plucked off the hair; I hid not My face from shame and spitting.” Dr. Alexander suggests that the term “His Servant” in verse 10 could also be a duality of reference, referring primarily to Christ; but also, and secondarily, “to His official representatives, so far as He employs them in communicating even with the Body itself”. By that, I assume he refers to His prophets, or perhaps pastors or others in His employ in communicating with the “body”, the church.

Resolution:  Given that the primary – and perhaps sole – reference of these terms is to Christ, the “royal purple” font indicating a reference to deity is applied to these terms in the KJP Bible text; and will apply the “deep purple” font only here in the Registry to identify where possible dual-reference nouns and pronouns occur.

Isaiah 58:12 - Here, in v 12, are references to The Repairer and The Restorer (capitalized) but they appear to be references to the house of Jacob, not God or Christ.

N/C – Scriptural convention capitalizes the beginnings of a verse, a sentence, a quote, and also for titles, as occurs here in v 12, for “The Repairer” and “The Restorer”.  Thus capitalization is an unreliable indicator for a reference to Deity.

Resolution: Treat both nouns in regular black font – they are titles applied to Israel or the house of Jacob – hence the capitalization of these two nouns and the article “The” that precedes each – but not Deity As for the 2^nd person pronouns “thee” and “thou (2) that precede these titles, they refer to the nation Israel and a “going forth” from Israel to the nations a ‘restoration’ (black font).

Isaiah 59:16-17 Here, in v 16, and possibly 17, are references to both God and Christ.

N/C: For chapter 59 as a whole, use "Royal purple", with those referring to God in bold font; those referring to Christ in non-bold font. Note the italicized phrase inserted below in verse 16.

59:16 And He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor; therefore, His arm brought salvation to Israel for Himself {unto Him}; and His righteousness {it} sustained Him.

Resolution: In v.16, insert a clarifying italicized phrase “to Israel for Himself” as shown above in v.16 per JA Alexander commentary on verse 16.

Isaiah 61:10 - Who is referred to by “I”, 2 occurrences of “my” and 2 occurrences of “me” in 61:10?

N/C: There are different opinions among Bible commentators as to who these first person singular pronouns refer. They vary from: Christ, Isaiah, the church, and Jerusalem. Similar questions a raised about the person singular pronoun “me” in 61:1. A stronger case exists for concluding the 3 occurrences of “Me” in verse 1 refers to Christ, and it will be treated as such. Each opinion regarding 61:10 has its supporting arguments, which are too lengthy for inclusion here.

Resolution: In v. 61:10, apply the deep purple” font to “I’, 2 occurrences of “my” and the 2 occurrences of “me” in 61:10 to at least alert the reader of these possibilities.

Isaiah 63:1-19 - Here are more references to both God and Christ, that require clarification.

Resolution: The references in the first 9 verses of Isaiah 63 are to either God or Christ, the Messiah, primarily the Latter, and the referencing pronouns are treated with “Royal purple” font (the only issue is whether bold is in order). The 1^st word “Who” in v.1 is in “deep purple”, signifying that the proper answer to the question makes “Who” a reference to either God or Christ. The remaining references to Deity in this chapter are references to God, the Father, and receive the “Royal purple” bold font treatment. The only other treatment is for the word Angel (v.9), the same entity referred to in Exodus 23:20-23, and is treated the same here as there (deep purple).

Isaiah 66:5 - the pronoun “he” in verse 5 is ill-defined.

Resolution: The “He” in v.5 refers to the Lord. Apply royal purple bold font.

Isaiah 66:7-9 – Who is the “she” (3) and “her”; and who is the “man-child” in verse 7?

N/C: Conclusions: Zion brought forth an increase of numbers represented as a birth, so the “man-child” is not a person or single entity, but a metaphor, where the land of Zion, seemingly in a single day (birth) hath brought forth her children – both Jew and gentile.

Resolution: None of the entities referred to in vv. 7 & 8 are Deity, and normal black font applies. Only v.9 contains normal straight-forward references to God.

Jeremiah 6:1-12 - Verse 11 lends some doubt as to whether the pronouns “I” in verses 2, 8, 10-12 refer to God, or possibly Jeremiah.

Resolution: When read in context with the chapter 5 verses (5:14-31) leading up to chapter 6, there is no reason to believe that the 3 occurrences of the 1^st person singular pronoun “I” in verse 11 are any different from other 1^st person singular pronouns in this passage in their reference. Therefore, they should be treated with the ”Royal purple” bold font reserved for God.

Jeremiah 8:17-22 - Here in Chapter 8, the “weeping prophet” Jeremiah (as opposed to God) is referred to by some of the 1^st person singular pronouns (“I”, “myself”, “my”, and “me”), as in verses 18, 22 and 23; while in the majority of this chapter, such pronouns do refer to God.

Resolution: The 1^st person singular pronoun “I” in v.17 refers to God. Then a ‘swap’ occurs as the three 1^st person singular pronouns in v.18 refer to Jeremiah, as does the “my” in v.19, where the Lord is now 3^rd person until He is again referred to in the 1^st person singular pronoun “Me” toward the end of the verse. No reference to any person occurs in v.20; then in vv.21-22 there is another ‘pronoun swap’, and Jeremiah again refers to himself in the 1^st person singular (“my”, “I”, “I”, “me”, & “my”). Chapter 9 also has some of this, as well, with the same resolutions.

Jeremiah 25:38 - Here in the closing verses of Chapter 25, there are 3 occurrences of 3^rd person pronouns in verse 38. The first 2 occurrences may not refer to God, while the third occurrence is probably a reference to God.

Resolution: - The 3 occurrences of 3^rd person singular pronouns in verse 38 (one “He”& two “His”) are references to God. As to treatment of the noun “oppressor”, The J-F-B Bible Commentary renders it “He (the Lord) has left His covert - the temple, where heretofore, like a lion, as its defender, by the mere terror of His voice He warded off the foe; but now He leaves it {and Jerusalem} a prey to the Gentiles.” In this rendering, “the oppressor” is the invading Gentile army (black font).

Jeremiah 37:17 - It’s not clear from the context whether the pronoun “he” in verse 17 refers to God, or if it refers Jeremiah, who said what was told him by God.

N/C: This is a case where it is not critical to the sense of the passage which entity is being referenced by the pronoun “he”. In either case, it is clear that the word is from the LORD. No commentaries seem to address this minor question, and the translations that render this verse with a reference to the speaker take it to refer to Jeremiah.

Resolution: There is little need or justification for a font color other than normal black here.

Jeremiah 43:10 - It’s not clear from the context whether the 2^nd “I” in verse 10 refers to God, as the 1^st “I” in verse 10 does, or if it refers Jeremiah, who was told by God to hide the stones.

Resolution: There are 3 occurrences of 1^st person singular pronouns (“I”, “My” & “I”) in verse 10. The first two are clearly references to God. While in verse 9 God tells Jeremiah to hide the stones, and in a strict literal sense Jeremiah hid them, in effect God hid them using Jeremiah as His agent. There is no point in insisting that a ‘pronoun swap’ occurs here in order to have the 3^rd pronoun refer to Jeremiah instead of God. That would be putting an unnecessarily too fine a point on it. Treat all three 1^st person singular pronouns with the “Royal purple” bold font.

Jeremiah 48:31-32 - It’s not totally clear that the pronouns “I” (3) and “Mine” (1) in verses 31 and 32 refer to God, and not Jeremiah (the “weeping prophet”). The context and use of these pronouns in preceding and succeeding verses suggest these also refer to God, and if it does refer to God, it offers significant insight into the nature of God, thus the extra scrutiny into this.

Resolution: There is a very close parallel in Isaiah 16:7-9 where the conclusion is that it refers to Isaiah, rather than to God. It would require a strong body of evidence to support treating this passage differently from that of Isaiah 16:7-9. Use black, with 4 “(Jeremiah)” inserts for clarity.

Lamentations 2:13 - It’s not clear from the context whether the 4 pronouns “I” in verse 13 refer to Jeremiah, or if it refers God., or to a yet unidentified third party. God is referenced throughout this chapter by the 3^rd person singular, so if they are references to Him, then it’s a departure from that.

Resolution: There is no evidence that the speaker here is any other than Jeremiah, John Calvin, in his commentary, is certain that it refers to Jeremiah. Applied normal black font.

Ezekiel Overview –

The Ezekiel entries are divided below into two sections: Entities and Visions.

The reader of Ezekiel is immediately confronted in Chapter 1 with Ezekiel’s’ first vision, the Glory of God, which raises many questions as to the entities, heavenly beings and objects described in these visions. However, there are basic questions more germane to this pronoun / entity resolution effort that arise in Ezekiel that will first be given our attention (chapter 1:26-28; chapters 2-9, 12-18, 20-40, & 43; chapters 9 & 10; chapters 40-42 and 47; and chapters 43 & 44), before addressing the questions that Ezekiel’s visions raise. The following six noun / pronoun resolution questions (Q1 – Q6) will be taken in the order in which they arise, giving the reader what insight is available while striving to avoid any arbitrary or dogmatic conclusion as to who these enigmatic entities are. Some entries pertinent to the visions themselves will follow the noun / pronoun resolution issues.

Ezekiel Entity Question Section

Ezekiel 1:26-28 - A “Man” first appears to Ezekiel in 1:26 that was ‘above upon it’ (the throne), whose voice Ezekiel heard (v.1:28). Q1: Who is this entity?

N/C: The human form above this canopy is believed by many Bible scholars to represent Him Who, in the fullness of time, was manifested in the flesh – the pre-incarnate Christ, the Eternal Son, the Second Person of the Trinity. Clearly, He is one of the Triune Godhead; and is the most likely answer to this question. The other possibility is that of God, the Father, the First Person of the Trinity.

Resolution: Apply the “deep purple” font to nouns and pronouns representing this Entity to set them apart and alert the reader to this unusual manifestation, whether it be a Christophany or a Theophany.

Ezekiel 2:1 - Q2: Is the “He” of 2:1 (and of chapters 2-9, 12-18, 20-40, & 43) the same entity as that of Q1 introduced in Ez.1:26-28? This entity appears to and speaks with Ezekiel throughout the Book of Ezekiel (2:1-10; 3:1-4; 4:1; 5;1; 6:1-3; 7:1-2; 8:1; 8:5-9; 8:12-18; 9:1; 9:7-10; 12:1; 12:8-10; 13:1-3; 14:1-3; 15:1; 16:1; 17:1; 18:1-3; 20:1-3; 21:1-3; 22:1-3; 23:1-4; 24:1-3; 25:1-3; 26:1-3; 27:1-3; 28:1-2; 28:11-12; 29:1-3; 30:1-3; 31:1-2; 32:1-3; 33:1-2; 34:1-2; 35:1-4; 36:1-2; 37:1-3; 38:1-3; 38:23; 39:1-2; 40:1-3; 43:18-27, 43:44)?

N/C: Ezekiel is privileged to have a remarkable and sustained interaction and dialogue with this Entity throughout most of this book (chapters 2-9, 12-18, 20-40, & 43). Note that while Christ referred to Himself by the title “Son of man”, the title here, and some 90 times in Ezekiel, is a title by which God addresses the prophet, Ezekiel. While most Biblical encounters that the prophets of Scripture experience appear to be with God, the Father, the First Person of the Trinity (a Theophany), many reputable Bible scholars take this to also be a Christophany (a manifestation of the pre-incarnate Christ, the Second Person of the Trinity). However, there are several problems inherent in the view that this Entity is pre-incarnate Christ: One problem is that He frequently tells Ezekiel “Thus saith the LORD God” (over 150 times) and “I am the Lord” many times as well; and speaks of “Mine ordinances and My statutes”, which are clearly represented throughout scripture as being God’s; and there is scant contextual evidence that He is not God the Father. Another problem is that of His interaction with the “Man clothed in linen” in chapters 9 and 10. In 9:4, He gives direction to Him; and in 9:11 the “Man clothed in linen” reports on His carrying out of the directive. And Entity in question speaks to and directs “the Man clothed with linen” in 10:2 and again in 10:6. This strongly suggests that He that gives the direction is distinct from and superior in authority to the “Man clothed in linen”.

Resolution: As the conservative and less radical solution, the “deep purple” font is applied to nouns and pronouns of the verse that introduces this Entity in each passage (1:26-28, 2:1) to alert the reader to this question of whether this is a Christophany or a Theophany. The balance of the affected passage will retain the “Royal purple” font that is normally applied throughout scripture passages where prophets such as Jeremiah and Isaiah have similar encounters.

Ezekiel 9:2 – Q3: Who is “the Man clothed in linen” introduced in 9:2-5?

 N/C: Most scholars take this “Man clothed in linen” to be pre-incarnate Christ – in the role as Mediator and great High Priest Who marks those who are to be saved. This meshes well with the view that the Entity Who presents Himself to Ezekiel throughout this book (chapters 2-9, 12-18, 20-40 & 43) is that of God, the Father, the First Person of the Trinity. Conversely, in conflicts with the view that the Entity of chapters 2-9, 12-18, 20-40 & 43 is Himself Christ, as noted earlier. Argument for these two entities being the same do not hold up in the case of “Man clothed in linen and an inkhorn by His side” of chapter 9. Their appearances not only overlap, but the LORD calls to (9:3) and gives direction to (9:4) the “Man clothed in linen and an inkhorn by His side”.

Resolution: Apply the “deep purple” font to nouns and pronouns of the verse that represent this Entity in each passage (9:2-5, 11, 10:2-3, 6-7) to alert the reader to a probable Christophany.

Ezekiel 34:23 & 37:24- In Ezekiel 34 and Ezekiel 37, the allusion to “one shepherd” and to David (34:23; 37:24) may be a dual reference to both David, and to Christ as the reigning King.

(See also Isaiah 37:35 and Hosea 3:5, shown below).

Isaiah 37:35 For I will defend this city to save it for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake. Hosea 3:5 Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD their God, and David their king; and shall fear the LORD and his goodness in the latter days.

Ezekiel 34:23

Ezekiel 37:24

N/C: The Geneva Study Bible commentary says the “David” in “even My servant David” (Ezek. 34:23) means “Christ, of whom David was a figure.” Wesley’s Notes on the same verse says: “One shepherd - Christ, the great, chief, only shepherd, that laid down his life for his sheep. My servant David - The seed of David, the beloved one, who was typified by David”. The Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary says “one shepherd-literally, "a Shepherd, one": singularly and pre-eminently one: the only one of His kind, to whom none is comparable”.

The Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary says “The latter verses, 23-31, prophesy of Christ, and of the most glorious times of His church on earth. Under Him, as the good Shepherd, the church would be a blessing to all around.” (See also Isaiah 37:35 and Hosea 3:5).

Resolution: Apply the “deep purple” font to the noun Shepherd and referencing pronouns in Ezekiel 34:23, and to the noun Shepherd in Ezekiel 37:24 to alert the reader to a probable dual reference to both David and Christ.

Ezekiel 40:3-6 - Q4: Who is “the Man with a line of flax in His hand”, introduced in verse 3, Who guided Ezekiel on the tour of the Temple - 40:3-4; 42:6; 44:1,4; 46:19-47:12?

3He took me there, and I saw a man there, whose appearance was like bronze, with a line of flax in his hand, and a measuring rod; and he stood by the city gate. 4And the man said to me, “Son of man, observe carefully what you see and hear; and take to your heart all that I shall show you; for that is why you were brought here - to show you these things so you can tell the people (exiles) of Israel all that you see.”

N/C: The entity in question here is introduced as “a Man with a line of flax in his hand and a measuring reed” in 40:3-6, and referenced in 40:8-9, 11, 13-14, 17, 19-20, 23-24, 28, 32, 35, 45, 47-49; 41:1, 3-5, 13, 15, 22; 42:1, 13, 15-20; & 47:3-5. There seems to be a distinction made between the LORD, Who appears in the first 39 chapters –and indeed in the first 3 verses of chapter 40 (the entity in question in Q2), and the “Man with a line of flax in His hand” that is introduced in 40:3. On the other hand, the LORD, as He appears in the first 39 chapters, is conspicuous by His absence after the introduction of this “Man with a line of flax in His hand” in 40:3 through chapter 42. After 42:20, this “Man with a line of flax in His hand” is not again referred to until 47:3-3; and Ezekiel’s dialogue with the LORD (Q2) resumes. In (47:3-5) this “Man with a line of flax in His hand” resumes His measuring activity. This alternating of appearances by these two entities might suggest that they are the same Entity in two different roles. Or this could be an angel. In 43:6-7, the entity in Q2 again resumes His dialogue with Ezekiel.

Resolution: Apply the “deep purple” font to nouns and pronouns representing this Entity in the pertinent passages of chapters 40-42, 43:1, 6 and 47 to alert the reader to a probable Theophany.

Ezekiel 43:1-7 – Q5: Is the “he” spoken of in 43:1 and referred to in 43:6 as “the man” the same entity of Q3, or the “Man” of Q1?

N/C: Chapter 43 may be an extension of 42, where the “the man with the line of flax” continues his measuring up and through the last verse (42:20); and thus the “he” entity in question may also be the same entity. However, he is not described as “with a line of flax in His hand” or “a measuring reed”, nor is he seen to measure anything in Chapter 43. In 43:6 Ezekiel heard the LORD speaking to him, and “and the man (in question) stood by me”. Clearly the transition of focus from “the man” to the LORD as the speaker has taken place by 43:7; and “the man” in question is no longer spoken of. The question is where this transition to occurs; and whether the “he” that brought Ezekiel to the gate in 43:1 is the pronoun antecedent from 42:20, or this is reference to the LORD

Resolution: Apply the “deep purple” font to both “he” (v.1) and “the man” (v.6) to alert the reader to this ambiguous entity identity problem.

Ezekiel 44:1-4 – Q6: Is the entity referred to by the “He” of 44:1 and 44:4 the same as that of Q1 (the LORD)?

N/C: The question here is whether the entity referred to by “He” in 44:1 and 44:4 is the same as that referred to by said “the LORD” who spoke to Ezekiel in vv. 2 and 5.

Resolution: Apply the “Royal purple” font to these two pronouns “He”, as verses 2 and 5 suggest this is “the LORD”, the same entity that accompanies and speaks with Ezekiel throughout most of the book. This entry in the Registry is to accommodate the reader who might come here to consider whether there is an entity swap here in Chapter 44, rather than make an unwarranted assumption that they are one and the same.

Ezekiel Vision Section

General Comments on the Visions of the Book of Ezekiel: The book of Ezekiel contains several “visions” that can be perplexing for the reader. Given that the goal of this work is limited to resolving pronoun references to the degree possible within Scripture, attempting to offer adequate explanations of these visions here is far beyond the scope of that effort. (Nor would we want to deny the reader the blessings of his/her personal Bible study.) There are many worthy scholarly works and commentaries that provide in-depth studies of these and other perplexing passages of Scripture. Having said that, this effort would fall short of its intent if it did not at least comment on the nature of these supernatural and divine occurrences.

In describing the entities, objects, and heavenly beings that appear in the visions that Ezekiel is privileged to see and record, he uses words or phrases such as “like”, “likeness”, “as it were”, and “appearance” over 70 times (39 times in verses 4-28 of Chapter 1 - the first vision alone) and he uses the best metaphors he can muster to convey what he saw in terms that his readers might have some comprehension and appreciation of his visions, which are listed below.

• This first vision is that of the appearance of the Glory of the LORD (1:3-28). It is, to say the least, difficult to form a visual image of these beings and wheels that Ezekiel describes, and their movement. Verse 28b aptly summarizes what this was: “This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD.” This first vision is followed by the following visions:

§ The vision of the scroll (2:8-3:3 - 6 verses spanning chapters 2 & 3)

§ The vision of the Glory of the LORD on the plain (3:22-23).

§ In chapters 8 through 11 are four visions concerning Jerusalem. They are:

§ Defilement of the Holy Temple (8:1-18); Slaughter of the Jerusalem idolaters (9:1-11); Destruction of Jerusalem and the temple (10:1-22); Departure of God’s Glory (11:1-25)

§ Chapter 37 contains the vision of the Dry Bones

§ In chapters 40 through 48 are the visions of the New Temple, New Worship, and Restored Land.

Ezekiel 1:3-28 Ezekiel’s first vision is that of the appearance of the Glory of the LORD.

Resolution: In this first vision of Ezekiel, there are several Divine entities and manifestations of God’s glory which have the “deep purple” font applied to them to set them apart and alert the reader to these unusual evidences of God’s presence.

Ezekiel 2:8-3:3 - Vision of the Scroll.

Resolution: In this vision, Ezekiel sees a hand holding a scroll which God tells Ezekiel to eat. Apply “deep purple” font to “hand” in Ezekiel 2:9.

Ezekiel 3:10-19 - Ezekiel has an encounter with God, and a vision of the Glory of the LORD as he is commissioned to go and warn the people of the captivity.

Resolution: In this meeting with God, Ezekiel is sent, and is transported there amid visions of the living creatures and other manifestations of God’s glory (vv 12-14), which have the “deep purple” font applied to them to set them apart and alert the reader to these evidences of God’s presence.

Ezekiel 3:22-23 - Vision of the Glory of the LORD on the plain.

Resolution: In this vision of the Glory of the LORD on the plain, Ezekiel reports seeing several manifestations of God’s glory which have the “deep purple” font applied to them to set them apart and alert the reader to these unusual evidences of God’s presence.

Ezekiel 8:1-4 - Vision of the Holy Temple.

Resolution: In this vision of the Glory of the LORD, Ezekiel reports seeing several manifestations of God’s glory which have the “deep purple” font applied to them to set them apart for the reader as evidences of God’s presence.

Ezekiel 8:5-18 - Vision of the idolatry and defilement of the Holy Temple.

Resolution: In this vision there are no unique manifestations of God’s glory , apart from Ezekiel’s encounter and conversation with God’, which receive the usual “Royal purple” font.

Ezekiel 9:1-11 - Vision of the slaughter of the idolaters in Jerusalem.

Resolution: In this vision there are several manifestations of God’s glory which have the “deep purple” font applied to them to set them apart for the reader as evidences of God’s presence. The six men are six angels of destruction and the blue font applies to them. The identity of one man clothed with linen is a bit more obtuse. He is clearly set apart from the six agents of destruction, and has higher authority than they. He serves here in the office of the Mediator, a Redeemer, a great high priest – which implies affinity with Christ. The JFB Bible Commentary says that the intercessory High Priest in heaven must be meant (Zech. 1:12); and it capitalizes pronouns in the commentary that refer to Him. While we cannot conclusively state that this entity is or is not a pre-incarnate manifestation of Christ, there is good evidence that it is. Therefore capitalized “deep purple” font is applied to words that refer to Him.

Ezekiel 10:1-22 - Vision of the God’s glory leaving the Temple.

N/C: The cherubim are the living creatures Ezekiel speaks of in chapters 1 and 3; and are manifestations of God’s glory. The man clothed with linen is the same one spoken of in chapter 9; most likely a pre-incarnate manifestation of Christ. In this vision there are several diverse manifestations of God’s glory: cherubim, living creatures, wheels, etc.

Resolution: The several manifestations of God’s glory have the “deep purple” font applied to them to set them apart for the reader as evidences of God’s presence. The identity of one man clothed with linen is again most likely a Christophany. Applying capitalized “deep purple” font to words that refer to Him.

Ezekiel 11:1-25 - God’s judgment upon the evil people of Jerusalem and His grace toward those returning from captivity. Who are the “they” of verse 18? Are they the faithful remnant of God’s people of verse 19? And are the “them” and “their” of v.19 the same as the “you” in that verse? If so, we’ve got another bi-directional ‘pronoun swap’ here.

N/C: Wesley’s Notes say the “they” of verse 18 are they of the captivity who assemble upon Cyrus' proclamation first, and then upon Darius's proclamation; and that these are also the “them”, the “you”, and the “their” of verse 19.

Resolution: This chapter speaks of several manifestations of God’s glory as it leaves the Temple and the city for the mountain to the east. These receive the “deep purple” font applied to them to set them apart for the reader as evidences of God’s presence. As to the identity of those referred to by the “they” of verse 18, and the “them”, “you” and “their” of v.19, they are they who return from the captivity and therefore have the normal black font applied to them.

Ezekiel 24:22 - The pronoun “I” in Ezekiel 24:22 is ill-defined.

N/C: The pronoun “I” in Ezekiel 24:22 refers to Ezekiel, and not the Lord, as do the same pronouns in verses 18 & 20 – as opposed to the intervening verse 21, where the “I” and “My” do refer to God. While this seems a fairly safe conclusion, it remains a confusing passage that needs a clarifying mechanism.

Resolution: Entered the parenthetical insert “(Ezekiel – not God)” after the pronoun in question in the Bible text as shown above for clarification.

Ezekiel 37:1-27 - Vision of the Valley of Dry Bones.

Resolution: This vision is devoid of the manifestations of God’s glory that have characterized most of Ezekiel’s visions. The identity of “one King” (v.22) and “one Shepherd (v.24) is the only ‘problem’ in this passage. It seems to speak of a future restoration of the Davidic kingdom under one shepherd, which most likely refers to the nation being restored and reunited under Christ, David being a used here as a “type” of Christ, or Messiah. Applied capitalized “deep purple” font to words that refer to Him., to reflect the duality of application (David and Christ).

Note: The issues arising from the Visions of the New Temple, New Worship, & Restored Land (Ezekiel 40 through 48) are primarily those of identity resolution, which were dealt with in the Identity section of Ezekiel that preceded the Ezekiel Visions section. Hence the passages containing those visions are not repeated here.

End of the “Visions” section of Ezekiel

Daniel 3:25 & 28 - In verse 3:25 we find 2 terms that clearly refer to a divine entity – the question being, is it an angel, or the pre-incarnate Christ. Nebuchadnezzar exclaims in astonishment that he sees not 3 but 4 “men” walking about unharmed in the fiery furnace, the 4^th “man” being at least an angel, if not the pre-incarnate Christ. He goes on to describe this fourth as being like the Son of God. In verse 28, Nebuchadnezzar declares that God hath sent His angel. These 3 words merit comment in the Registry.

N/C: Of course, Nebuchadnezzar’s knowledge of the God of Israel was likely imperfect, and his startled statement may have lacked theological accuracy. 21 parallel Bibles were consulted for their renderings of verse 25b (“and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God”). A summary of the rendering of these 21 Bibles is: 12 render it as “a son of the gods” (plural); 5 as “the son of God” (4 of 5 capitalizing “Son”); 1 as “a son of God”; 1 as “resembles a divine being”; 1 as “like a god”; and 1 renders it as “like that of a god”. Wm. MacDonald, in his BBC, states, “We believe that it was indeed the Son of God”. Other Bible commentators believe it to be an angel. What is indisputable is that it was a heavenly being sent by God to rescue the 3 faithful Jewish youths; and it may indeed have been one of several manifestations of the pre-incarnate Christ found in the OT. Thus it merits mention in the Registry.

Resolution: Apply the “deep purple” font to “men” and to the word “fourth” in verse 25, and also to the word “angel” in verse 28, as they all refer to this fourth entity observed in the furnace.

Daniel 4:13-14, 17, & 23 – It is not obvious what entity the terms “watcher” or “watchers” refers to in these three verses. It therefore merits comment in the Registry.

N/C: The terms “watcher” (v12 & 23), and its plural “watchers” (v17) as employed here in Daniel are not found anywhere else in scripture. Some of the perplexity with these words can be relieved when the context is considered: It is essentially King Nebuchadnezzar’s testimony. The narration begins with Nebuchadnezzar (vv 1-37, including his quote of Daniel in 19b-37); then an unknown narrator (vv 28-33); and ends with Nebuchadnezzar (vv 34-37). So the verses in question, 13-14, 17, & 23 are all as expressed by the king, (verse 23 being a direct quote by Daniel of the king’s words). Thus, they must be viewed as the words of this king, who is steeped in Chaldean and eastern lore, and while evidently ‘converted’ to a belief in the True God, but is still burdened with much of his pagan ‘baggage’. Note other phrases the king uses – he named Daniel ‘Belteshazzar’ after to the name of his god, observing that in him the “spirit of the holy gods”(plural) abides (v8-9); his reference to “the holy ones (v17). So the king’s view of God is through the distorted prism inherent in his residual pagan culture and belief system.

The consensus is that verse 13 refers to only one entity, “a watcher”; and the phrase “and an holy one” is merely a modifier ascribing the attribute of holy to that entity. By the term “watcher” he may be referring to one of God’s angels that appears in the king’s dream to announce this judgment upon him. This view is bolstered by the use of the plurals, “by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones”, but there remains the distinct possibility that these terms may indeed refer to God Almighty Himself, given that he says that it is “by the decree of” and “the demand by the word of” (v17) which implies authority. Much of our dilemma likely has its roots in Nebuchadnezzar’s imperfect theology as he tries to relate what he has just experienced and witnessed. In view of the uncertainty, it seems the prudent resolution is to apply the “deep purple” font to these nouns and pronouns to refer readers to this Registry entry and alert them to this possibility.

Resolution: Apply the “deep purple” font to the references to this entity in verses 13, 17 & 23 to refer readers to this Registry entry and alert them to the possibility that these could be references to God, Himself., as shown below:

4:13 I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and, behold, a watcher and an holy one came down from heaven; 14 He cried aloud, and said thus: Hew down the tree, and cut off its {his} branches, shake off its {his} leaves, and scatter its {his} fruit; let the beasts get away from under it, and the fowls from its {his} branches: . . . 17 This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones; to the intent that the living may know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever He will, and setteth up over it the basest of men. 18 This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen. Now thou, O Belteshazzar, declare the interpretation of it {thereof}, forasmuch as all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known unto me the interpretation; but thou art able; for the Spirit of the holy Gods is in thee. 19 Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was perplexed {astounded} for one hour, and his thoughts troubled him. The king spoke, and said, Belteshazzar, let not the dream, or its {the} interpretation {thereof}, trouble thee. Belteshazzar answered and said, My lord, the dream be to them that hate thee, and the interpretation of it {thereof} to thine enemies. 20 The tree that thou sawest, which grew, and was strong, whose height reached unto the heaven, and the sight of it {thereof} to all the earth; 21 Whose leaves were fair, and its {the} fruit {thereof} much, and in it was food for all; under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and upon whose branches the fowls of the heaven had their habitation: 22 It is thou, O king, that art grown and become strong; for thy greatness is grown, and reacheth unto heaven, and thy dominion to the end of the earth. 23 And whereas the king saw a watcher and an holy one coming down from heaven, and saying, Hew the tree down, and destroy it; yet leave the stump of its {the} roots {thereof} in the earth, even with a band of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till seven times pass over him; 24 This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which is come upon my lord, the king: 25 That they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass like {as} oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee, till thou know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever He will. 26 And whereas they commanded to leave the stump of the tree roots; thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee, after {that} thou shalt have known that the heavens do rule. 27 Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by showing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquility

Daniel 4:31 – The “voice from heaven” and its utterance may actually be the voice of God; and therefore merits comment in the Registry.

N/C: The “voice from heaven” is at least the voice of one of God’s angels, if not God, Himself. Thus the deep purple font as a visual clue to readers of its significance.

Resolution: Apply the “deep purple” font to the noun “voice” to alert readers to this unique manifestation, which may be the voice of God, Himself:

Daniel 5:5, 8, 15-17 & 24 – Here in Daniel 5 we have a supernatural event in the form of the fingers of a man's hand inscribing writing as a message of reproach to the king.

N/C: It is not clear whether these are the fingers and hand of God, Himself, or one of His angels; but it is clearly an unusual and supernatural form of reproach sent to Belshazzar by God. The references to the writing itself also receive the font treatment as this unusual manifestation.

Resolution: The several manifestations here have the “deep purple” font applied to them to set them apart for the reader as evidences of God’s imminent judgment upon Belshazzar.

Daniel 7:9, 13 & 22 - In these 3 verses, we find the term “Ancient of days”. It is not found anywhere else in scripture; and its meaning may not be obvious all. Thus it merits mention in the Registry.

N/C: As stated above, the term “Ancient of days” is not found anywhere else in scripture. The phrase "Ancient of days" denotes a venerable elderly person; one most ancient as to days, most likely referring to the fact that God is eternal. In this passage it undoubtedly refers to Almighty God Himself as the Judge Who is about to pronounce judgment.

Resolution: Apply the “royal purple“ bold font to these references to God, consistent with the KJP treatment of references to God; and insert this Registry entry to advise readers of the unique use and meaning of these phrases here in Daniel Chapter 7.

Daniel 7:13-14 – Here in Chapter 7, verse 13, we find an application of the term “Son of Man” that is unique within the OT. While there is no mystery as to Whom it refers, Christ, its unusual use here does merit an entry and comment in this Registry.

N/C: The phrase “the Son of Man” and the associated pronouns of verses 13 & 14, of course, refer to Christ, the Messiah. But as pointed out in Barnes’ Notes, it is worth noting that the phrase "The Son of Man", as a reference to Christ does not occur anywhere else in the OT; although it is often so used within the 4 Gospels, Christ uses it 15 times to refer to Himself in the NT, and is, in fact, the favorite term by which the Savior refers to Himself. This phrase does occur more than 80 times elsewhere in the OT, such as in Ezekiel, but in all OT instances except this one in Daniel 7:13, the reference is to the prophet – not to the Messiah.

Resolution: The capitalized “Royal Purple” font has already been applied in the KJP, consistent with all references to Christ, the Savior within this work; yet this entry is inserted here in the “Deep Purple Registry” to emphasize this remarkable OT usage.

Daniel 8:13-14 – Who are the two “saints” that Daniel hears speaking in verses 13 & 14?

N/C: It’s not intuitive as to whom the words translated “saints” refer. Given that these “saints” are able to explain the vision to Daniel; and one is able to define the duration of the events predicted, it seems more likely that they are God’s angels, and not ‘earthly saints’, who would not have that insight. Assuming these are angels, either one angel had more knowledge than the other, suggesting that some angels are more knowledgeable than others; or the question of ‘how long’ was rhetorical, which may be the case, given that the angel who gave the answer directed his answer to Daniel, rather that to the angel who asked the question. Evidently the intent was to inform Daniel – and for him to make record of it, perhaps as a reassurance to both Daniel and God’s people.

Resolution: Apply the “royal blue” font used in the KJP to identify these heavenly beings as most likely God’s angels, in the roll of His messengers; and insert this entry in the “Deep Purple Registry” to explain this font usage to these unusual terms in the OT.

Daniel 8:15 – Who is the One having {as} the appearance of a man that Daniel sees in verses 15?

N/C: Most Bible commentators properly concern themselves more with what’s being revealed in these visions than with questions regarding the identity of the entities that appear and offer the prophetic visions. Of those that do address the entity identity question, there is no clear consensus as to who the “One having the appearance of a man” in 8:15 is. Opinion is split very evenly between two views: either (1) the pre-incarnate Christ, or (2) an angel – likely Gabriel. It is more clear that the One Who addressed Gabriel in the following verse (v16) is indeed the pre-incarnate Lord.

Resolution: Apply the deep purple font to the word “One” to indicate that there is some question as to who this word refers; and that this may indeed refer to the pre-incarnate Christ, or if not He, then an angel.

Daniel 8:16 – Whose voice does Daniel hear addressing Gabriel in verse 16?

N/C: Unlike the question regarding v.15, it is fairly clear that the One Who addressed Gabriel in the following verse (v16) is indeed the pre-incarnate Lord. most Bible commentators properly concern themselves more with what’s being revealed in these visions than with questions regarding the identity of the entities that appear and offer the prophetic visions. Of those that do address the entity identity question, there is no clear consensus as to who the “One having the appearance of a man” in 8:15 is. Opinion is split very evenly between two opinions: either (1) the pre-incarnate Christ, or (2) an – likely Gabriel. It is more clear that the One Who addressed Gabriel in the following verse (v16) is indeed the pre-incarnate Lord.

Resolution: Apply the royal purple font to the words representing this “One” who addresses the angel Gabriel, as they indeed refer to the pre-incarnate Christ.

Daniel 10:5-6, 9, 16-17 - The beings that Daniel encountered and described in this vision of Chapter 10 merit comments and special font treatment. Text as previously rendered:

N/C: It appears that Daniel may have encountered more than one type of entity in the vision described in Chapter 10. He first meets what may be a Christophany or pre-incarnate manifestation of Christ in verses 5, 6 and 9. Then, the nouns and pronouns of verses 10-15 seem to describe an angel, possibly Gabriel, that was sent to explain Daniel’s vision; then, at least some of verses 16 through 17 seem to revert back to the vision of the pre-incarnate manifestation of Christ described in vv 5-9, after which vv 18-21 appear to again describe an angel, again perhaps Gabriel. There is some support - but by no means a consensus - among the 14 commentators consulted that the entity described in verses 5, 6 & 9 is a manifestation of the pre-incarnate Christ; and there is some, though weaker, support for that view regarding the vv 16-17 passage, along with difficulty as to where, exactly, the referent of the personal pronouns reverts back to the angel that vv 18-21 refer to. One commentator interprets verse 17 as an overwhelmed Daniel addressing an angel and asking “how can the servant (I, Daniel) of this my lord (the angel he is asking), talk with this, my lord (the Lord, Jesus Christ)?” If indeed there is a 2^nd reference to the pre-incarnate Christ in Chapter 10, the transition back to referring to an angel may occur as early as verse 18, but certainly by verse 20b; and the font treatment will be adjusted to reflect that; but pin-pointing the exact transition point is among the many difficult aspects of this passage. If the nouns in question do not refer to Christ, then they must refer to God’s angels.

Resolution: Capitalize and apply ‘deep purple’ font color to the noun “Man” and all 3^rd person pronouns that follow it in verses 5, 6 and 9 to identify them as possible references to Christ; as well to the nouns and 3^rd person pronouns in verses 16 & 17 as also possible references to Christ. The other nouns and 3^rd person pronouns in vv. 10-15, 18-21 will have non-capitalized blue font applied to them as references to God’s angels.

Hosea 12:4, 5, 7 & 14 - Several ill-defined nouns and pronouns appear in Hosea 12: First is the reference “the angel” in verse 4, which verse 5 suggests is the Lord. Then there are the 3^rd person pronouns in verse 7, which are ill-defined. Verse 14 refers to God in the first 2 pronouns (“Him” and “He”); the last five 3^rd person pronouns (his, him, his, his & him) appear to refer to Ephraim.

Resolution: The Angel of vv. 4-5 is pre-incarnate Christ. The three 3^rd person pronouns in verse 7 are references to Ephraim, who has degenerated into the cheating ways of the Canaanite merchants. Verse 14 refers to God in the first 2 pronouns (“Him” and “He”); the last five 3^rd person pronouns (his, him, his, his & him) refer to Ephraim.

Hosea 13:15 - It is not clear who is referred to by the “he” in the latter part of verse 15. It could conceivably be God, or some third party not otherwise identified.

Resolution: The “he” in the latter part of verse 15 refers to the Assyrian army, or Shalmaneser.

Hosea 14:4 – Who do the 3^rd person plural pronouns “their” and “them”, and the 3^rd person singular pronoun “him” in verse 4 refer to?

Resolution: The pronouns “their” and “them” refer to the Israel when God restores their nation. 3 of the 12 parallel translations consulted render the 3^rd pronoun “him” as plural, “them”. Most likely the plurality shift is due to a metaphoric shift from the back-slidden nation Israel to Ephraim, which is the main metaphor for back-slidden Israel throughout the book of Hosea. Apply normal black font to all three pronouns.

Hosea 14:8 - It is not clear who is referred to by the “him” that appears twice in the latter part of verse 8. The “Me” in the 3^rd sentence of verse 8 is God, but the two “him” references appear to be an unclear reference to some third party.

Resolution: The “him” that appears twice in the latter part of verse 8 refers to repentant Ephraim, whom God has heard and observed. So the “I’ that starts that 2^nd sentence of verse 8 refers to God, as does the “I” following the semicolon, where God likens Himself to a tree that will shelter repentant Ephraim. And the “Me” in the 3^rd sentence is also a reference to God.

Amos 5:1 – To whom does the pronoun “I” in Amos 5:1 refer?

N/C:  It is not clear who is referred to by the “I” that appears in Amos 5:1. Most commentaries consulted favor a reference to Amos, but the J-F-B commentary suggests that it refers to both Amos and God.

Resolution: Apply the bold “deep purple” font to the pronoun “I” to alert the reader to possibility that while it most likely it refers to Amos, it could be a ‘dual reference’ – and refer to God, as well.

Micah 1:8-9, 11 & 15 - Several pronouns (identified here by green font) in chapter 1 of Micah are ill-defined: Verse 8 has three occurrences of “I”, which seem more likely to refer to Micah than the Lord; verse 9 has one personal pronoun – “he” (probably not the Lord, and “My” (probably referencing God). Verse 11 has an occurrence of “he”, “you” & “his” that are ill-defined. Verse 15 has an occurrence of “I” and “he” that are also ill-defined.

Resolution: The three occurrences of “I” in verse 8 refer to Micah. In verse 9, the impersonal pronoun “it” refers to God’s judgment or calamity upon Judah; the personal pronoun “he” refers to Sennacherib as God’s agent of His judgment {inserted “(Sennacherib)” for clarity} even unto the gate of Jerusalem; the “My” in “My people” refers to God. The “he” and “his” of verse 11 refer to the invading force; while “you” refers to the inhabitants of the invaded towns. The “I” of verse 15 appears to be God, Who brings a new ‘heir’ (a conqueror) to the town of Mareshah; and shall also occupy the glorious town of Adullam.

Micah 2:13 - Who is the “breaker” and the “king” referred to in verse 13?

N/C: This term “breaker” only occurs 4 times in the Bible. The other occurrences 3 refer to breakers of either: the covenant (Rom 1:31); the law (Rom.2:15); and of truces (Tim.3.3) So this fourth occurrences may be a bit puzzling: This “breaker” referred to here is quite different. He is the entity who will break the gates of the cities where the exiled Israelites are held captive in the lands to which they were scattered by the LORD for their repeated unfaithfulness to Him.

An analysis of 33 translation renderings revealed that 27 use a form of the word “break” or “breaker” in verse 13. (12 use “breaker”; 7 use “one who breaks”.) 4 renderings use the word “Open”; 2 use other terms. The commentaries seem to agree that this “breaker: is the Mighty Deliverer Who breaks the bondage of sin for all believers. And all evidence indicates that the “king” is he LORD God Himself, being in a providential way at the head of them.

Resolution: This particular occurrence and usage of “breaker” is a reference to the pre-incarnate Christ, Who will lead His people out of exile, breaking the gates and other obstacles to their escape and restoration to the land of their heritage. And all evidence indicates that the “king” is the LORD God Himself, being in a providential way at the head of them.

Habakkuk 3:4 The vision of God’s glory that came to Habakkuk while he was praying.

Resolution: Apply the “deep purple” font to the nouns “glory” in verse 3 and “brightness” in verse 4 to call the reader’s attention to this manifestation of God’s glory.

Zechariah Problem Passages

The book of Zechariah presents several difficulties from an entity identity standpoint.

In the first four chapters of the book some six angelic or divine beings are introduced that need identification and differentiation when they are referenced. In order of their appearance, they are:

• the LORD of hosts (1:1) - God the Father;
• Man riding upon a red horse (1:8) - also Angel of the LORD (pre-incarnate Christ (1.11);
• 3 horses: red, sorrel, & white (1:8) - God’s angels sent to walk to and fro through the earth;
• an angel who talked with Zechariah (1:9) - and interpreted visions for him;
• “a Man with a measuring line in His hand” (2:1) – many believe another Christophany;
• “another angel” (2:3) - who went out to meet the angel who talked with Zechariah.

These are, in addition to the following four entities that are clearly identified and are not Deity: Zechariah (1:1); Joshua, the high priest (3:1); Satan (3:2); and Zerubbabel (4:6).

In order to apply the appropriate font treatment to references to these entities, their true identities, where possible, must be determined in each instance of reference. This is a ‘best effort’ endeavor. In those instances where there remains doubt – or in order to ‘flag’ a unique occurrence - the “deep purple” font is applied, with a corresponding entry in the “Deep Purple Registry” advising the reader of the reason for this treatment.

Zechariah 1:11-12 - Who is the Angel of the LORD that stood among the myrtle trees in this passage?

N/C: The Angel of the LORD is introduced in v.8 of this passage as “a Man riding upon a red horse, and He stood among the myrtle trees” and subsequently referred to in vv.10-12. This is one of several OT manifestations of the pre-incarnate Christ (a Christophany); and it could be argued that the “Royal purple” font is more appropriate; but will err on the conservative side in treatment of these occurrences of the “Angel of the LORD”. (See Gen. 16:7 Registry entry for fuller explanation.)

Resolution: Apply the “deep purple” capitalized font to each occurrence (vv.1:8, 10-12) to alert the reader and refer them here for this unique manifestation.

Zechariah 2:1-4 - Who are the underscored entities in these four verses?

(scripture excerpts below are enclosed in brackets [])

Verse 1: [Man with a measuring line in his hand] – Most commentators agree that this is one of several OT manifestations of the pre-incarnate Christ (a Christophany).

Verse 2: [ “Where are You going?” And He said to me, “To measure Jerusalem…”] - This appears to be the same entity as that of verse 1 – the rub here being that verse 3 refers to this entity as an “angel who talked with me” and speaks of “another angel”, both suggesting this is an angel.

Verse 3: [And while the angel who talked with me was leaving, another angel came to meet him”]

Verse 4: [And said to him,] (the entity in verses 2-3 - perhaps verse 1?) [Run, speak to this young man (most likely the young prophet, Zechariah), saying, Jerusalem shall be inhabited”]

Resolution: Apply the “deep purple” font to the first occurrence (the “his” of “his hand” (v.1) to alert the reader and refer them here for this unique manifestation.

Also the pronoun “Me” in verses 8 & 9 are a reference to (and prediction of) the pre-incarnate Christ, the Messiah. As one commentary put it: “God thus being at once the Sender and the Sent to visit in wrath "the nations which spoiled you." Messiah 's twofold office from the Father is: (1) to glorify His Church; (2) to punish its foes”

Zechariah 3:1 - Who is referenced by the pronoun “he” in 3:1?

The commentaries seem to agree that it refers to Deity – more favoring God than His Son, Jesus Christ.

Zechariah 3:1-6 - Who is the Angel of the LORD that is referenced in 3:1, 5-6?

N/C: The Angel of the LORD that is referenced in 3:1, 5 and 6 is one of several OT manifestations of the pre-incarnate Christ (a Christophany); and it could be argued that the “Royal purple” font is more appropriate; but these occurrences of the “Angel of the LORD” are treated with the “deep purple” font to direct the reader here. (See under Gen. 16:7 for fuller explanation.)

Resolution: Apply the “deep purple” capitalized font to each occurrence (vv.3:1, 3:5-6) to alert the reader and refer them here for this unique manifestation.

Zechariah 4:4-6 - Who is the angel that appears in vv. 4:1, 4:4-6?

N/C: Here in this passage are more appearances of “the angel who talked with” Zechariah and interpreted some of the visions which he was shown.

Resolution: Apply the “blue” font to each instance (vv. 4:1, 4:4-6) as being God’s angels.

Zechariah 10:3-5 - To whom do the pronouns (him & they) refer?

N/C: Here in this passage we find the pronouns (them, him & they) for which it is difficult to identify their referent(s) with certainty, as well as the noun “corner”, which many translations render as “cornerstone”, with the allusion to Christ. The first-person singular pronouns “I” in verses 6 through the end of the chapter seem to refer to God.

Resolution:  These pronouns most likely refer to Judah, the fourth son of Jacob, or to the house of Judah.

Zechariah 11:7-14 - Here in this passage is an unmistakable allusion to, or a fore-shadowing of, the Messiah being rejected by His people, the Jews, at His first advent – as well as the actions of the prophet Zechariah.

N/C: - In this passage, there is a duality of resolution for many of the pronouns it contains that require special font treatment: In the time of Zechariah, these pronouns refer to him; while they are also a prophetic reference to Christ at His advent. There are two occurrences of the pronoun “I” in v.7. The first “I” refers to Christ; the second “I” and “me” in v.7 are ‘dual pronouns’ referring to both Zechariah (present) and the rejected Christ (future), as the “me” of V.11. The “it” in v.11 that ‘was broken in that day’ was the covenant spoken of in v.10. The ‘poor of the flock’ in v.11 are the oppressed remnant of faithful believers. The “I” “me”, and “my” in v.12 also refer to both in a ‘duality of reference’. The “ye” in v.12 are those who rejected Zechariah’s admonitions in his (analogous with the Jews who rejected Christ’s gospel message), the same as the “they” later in v.12. Evidently, as part of the breaking of the covenant, Zechariah’s ‘contract’ as the ‘shepherd’ of God’s flock is severed, and when they did not offer him is wages or ‘severance pay’, he is directed by God to ask them what, if anything, they consider his ‘services’ to be worth. And their response is to weight out 30 pieces of silver (v.12). Then God directs him to “cast them to the potter (v.13). Then he cut asunder the second stave, “Bands”, that signified the promise of unity between Judah and Israel (Ephraim). Those pronouns with a duality of reference are given the “deep purple” font to alert the reader to this unique use, and direct them to this Registry” entry.

Resolution:  The pronouns attributable to both Zechariah and to God or Christ, receive the “deep purple” font treatment to flag them to the reader.

Zechariah 12:8 - Who is the Angel of the LORD that is referenced in 12:8 in this passage?

N/C: The Angel of the LORD referenced in 12:8 is one of several OT manifestations of the pre-incarnate Christ (a Christophany); and it could be argued that the “Royal purple” font is more appropriate; but we will err on the conservative side in the font treatment of these occurrences of the “Angel of the LORD”. (See entry under Gen. 16:7 for fuller explanation.)

Resolution: Apply the “deep purple” capitalized font to each occurrence (vv.3:1, 3:5-6) to alert the reader and refer them here for this unique manifestation.

Zechariah 12:10 – Do the pronouns “Me” and “Him” of verse 10 refer to the same entity?

N/C: Despite the fact that 28 of the 32 English translations render the first pronoun as 1^st-person “Me”; (with two of the remaining 4 translations rendering it “Him”, and the other two rendering it as “One”), and all 32 render the following other two personal pronouns as “Him” (3^rd-person), they all refer to the same entity, foretelling the crucifixion Christ.

Resolution: Apply the “deep purple” capitalized font to each of the three occurrences to refer the reader here in case they find unfortunate switch from 1^st-person “Me” to 3^rd-person “Him” confusing.

Malachi 2:11 - Who is referred to by the “He” in “which He loved” in verse 2:11b ?

N/C: There are two possibilities. Most translations regard “the holiness of the LORD” as referring to the ‘holy place’ or sanctuary. Some render the phrase as “which He loves” or “loveth” (present tense) and treat it as a reference to the LORD and thus the capitalized “Royal purple” font would apply to the pronoun “He”. Others render the phrase as “which he (Judah) loved” (past tense), and treat the phrase as a reference to back-slidden Judah, where normal black font is appropriate.

Resolution: Apply the “deep purple” font to the pronoun “He” (v.2:11) to refer the reader here.

Malachi 2:15 - Who is referred to by the 3 occurrences of the pronoun “He” in verse 2:15 ? (Also the interpretation and meaning of the “Yet had He the residue of the spirit.”, near the beginning of the verse.)

N/C: The first two occurrences are references to God. There are two possibilities as to the third pronoun “he” in verse 15. Most translators and scholars regard it as also referring to God Who desires holy seed from the marriage union. Some, however, take it to refer to the covenant-keeping man – possibly the patriarch, Abraham. As to the interpretation and meaning of the “Yet had He the residue of the spirit.” – many take this to suggest that God certainly had the wherewithal to create additional women or mates for Adam besides Eve, but this was not His plan. Others point out that the ‘vowel-points’ that were later added to the originally inspired Hebrew writing may have introduced an error in this instance. The word that is often translated as "flesh" or "blood relative" ("she-er") is identical with the word translated as "remnant" ("she-ar"), except for one vowel point. Many translators believe that "she-er" ("flesh") fits better with “and they shall be one flesh” of Gen. 2:24.

Resolution: Apply capitalized “Royal Purple” to the first two occurrences; and the “deep purple” font to the third pronoun “He” (v.2:15) to refer the reader here for this explanation that there are two possible resolutions for the 3^rd occurrence of the pronoun “he” in this verse.

Malachi 3:1 - Who is referred to by the 2 occurrences of the word “messenger” in verse 1?

The first of the two occurrences of “messenger” in verse 1 seems to be a mortal man – possibly John the Baptist. The second “Messenger” is the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

New Testament Entity Issues

Matt. 3:16 Who is the “he” who saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove?

N/C: I consulted 8 ‘amplified’ translations to see how they rendered it: 5 regard it as a reference to Christ, with a 6^th allowing for that possibility. One specifically indicates it refers to John, and not Christ. There is no clear consensus. It may refer to Christ, or it may refer to John the Baptist. Cf Mark 1:10 (he), Luke 3:21-22, and John 1:32 (I), as seen below.

Resolution: Apply the “deep purple” font to alert the reader to these two possibilities.

Matt. 3:17, etc. – How does one interpret occurrences of the word “voice” in Matt. 3:17, and elsewhere?

N/C: There are instances in scripture where the word “voice” appears to represent the manifestation or glory of God. These particular instances, while not necessarily identical in type - often appear to be the voice of God, while others may be of heavenly beings - are extraordinary and thus are treated with the “deep purple” font to alert the reader to their unique attribute. Matt. 3:17 is the first of several NT instances. These occurrences are found in the following books, chapters and verses:  Exodus 19:16, 19:19 (2); 1Kings 19:12, 19:13; Ezekiel 1:24 (2), 1:25, 1:28, 3:12, 9:1, 43:2; Matt. 3:17, 17:5; Mark 1:11, 9:7; Luke 3:22, 9:35, 9:36; John 12:28, 12:30; Acts 7:31, 9:4, 9:7, 10:13, 10:15, 11:7, 11:9, 22:7, 22:9, 26:14; Hebrews 12:26; 2Peter 1:17, 1:18; Rev. 1:10, 1:12, 1:15, 4:1, 6:6, 6:7, 9:13, 10:4, 10:8, 11:12, 12:10, 14:2, 14:13, 16:1, 16:17, 18:4, 19:5, 21:3.

John 10:34-35 –To whom do the pronouns in the Psalm 82:8 (vv. 34-35), quoted by Christ, refer?

N/C: MH, page 667, column 2, says that in verse 6 “God says “You are gods.” He called them gods because they had a commission from God, and were delegated and appointed by Him to be the conservators of the public peace”. MH is confident that the “I” in verse 6 refers to God – and there is no reason, from the context, to refute that.

Resolution:  The “I” in verse 34 and the He in verse 35 are references to God and have the “royal purple” font applied.  The “them” and “whom” in verse 35 are references to the priests and elders of Israel, to whom God had entrusted His law, and have normal black font applied to them (See the entry under Psalm 82:6.)

Romans 3:4 – Who is referred to by the 2^nd person personal pronouns “Thou” (2 occurrences), and “Thy” (1 occurrence) in Romans 3:4?

N/C: Here Paul is quoting from Psalm 51:4 - “Against Thee, Thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Thy sight; that Thou mightest be justified when Thou speakest, and be clear when Thou judgest.” It is clear from the context of Psalm 51:4 that David is addressing God in these 2^nd person personal pronouns. What is perplexing is why, in the latter portion of that verse, as Paul quotes it in Romans 3:4, there is a switch from ‘active voice’: “when Thou judgest“ to ‘passive voice’: “when Thou art judged”, and thereby portrays God as being judged, rather than God doing the judging as in Psalm 51:4. Most – but not all – English language Bible translations have this ‘voice switch’ from active to passive. The Psalm 51:4 verse would have been translated from Hebrew; whereas the Romans 3:4 rendering would have been translated from Greek. So this switch may have resulted in subtle differences between these two languages; or it could have been an intentional ‘voice switch’ by Paul for whatever purpose. One commentator went so far as to refer to the end of Romans 3:4 as being in “medium voice”; which occurs in neither English or Latin, but is found in both the Ancient Greek and Hebrew, which broadens the scope of possible sources of voice variances. Given the complexity of this question, the Deep Purple Registry will posit no reason for the voice change between the Psalm 51:4 and Romans 3:4 renderings; but simply offer this Registry entry with this explanation, however woefully inadequate it may be.

Resolution:  These are clearly all references to God. Apply the capitalized, bold “royal purple” font to the first two pronouns in “That Thou mightest be justified in Thy sayings”, and apply capitalized, bold “deep purple” font to the 3^rd pronoun in “when Thou art judged” to alert and refer the reader to this explanation in the Registry.

Ephesians 5:18 –Does the last part of verse 5:18 refer to the Holy Spirit, or something else? Does it say we are to be filled with the Holy Spirit, or something else? And if not with the Holy Spirit, then with what – and how are we to be filled?

N/C: The King James translation, which renders the last part of verse 18 as “the Spirit”, which many take to mean the Holy Spirit, is perhaps not the best translation of this verse. While there is nothing wrong with the ‘sense’ that results from this rendering, it is not necessarily the most faithful grammatical translation. First of all, the definite article “the” does not appear in the Greek manuscripts that are rendered as “but be filled with the Spirit”; and would be better translated “but be filled with spirit”. However, if we are not here told to be filled with the Holy Spirit, with what and how should we then be filled? A better rendering would be to be filled – or made complete – by means of the actions found in the participle phrases that follow in vv 19-21: Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord (v 19), Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (v20); Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God (v21).

30 translations of this verse all agree that it is a reference to the Holy Spirit, a rare occurrence of consensus on any such question!

In light of the consensus of all 30 translations of this verse, the (7/23/23) updated Resolution is to change the font treatment from Deep Purple to the bold (not deep purple) to royal purple font reserved for references to Deity – in this case, the Holy Spirit, but rather that delete this DPR entry, update and retain it.

2Thess. 2:2 – This occurrence of the “day of the Lord” appears in the 1611 King James Authorized Version as “the day of Christ”, but is rendered “day of the Lord” in most translations.

N/C: The term “day of the Lord” has special meaning in scripture, as a time of impending judgment from the Lord. The term “day of the Lord” occurs 26 times in the OT, , always in prophetic passages (Isa., Jer., Lam., Ezek., Joel, Amos, Obad., Zeph., Zech., and Mal.), and 5 times in the NT (Acts 2:2, 2Thess.2:2, 2pet.3:10 and Rev. 6:17 & 16:14). The NT also calls it a day of “wrath,” a day of “visitation,” and the “great day of God Almighty”. These terms often describe the final eschatological judgment of the world, but also describe any forthcoming day of judgment, some of which have already occurred in the OT. It can refer to a day, or a longer period of time; but always identifies a span of time during which God personally intervenes in history, directly or indirectly, to accomplish some specific aspect His plan.

Resolution: There is no need for special font treatment per this noun / pronoun resolution effort, but this entry exists to alert the reader to the fact that some occurrences of significant words or phrases may be masked by alternative renderings.

2Thess. 2:3-10 – These verses contain four occurrences of the word “God” (v. 4), along with several pronouns that refer to “the son of perdition” - not to God Almighty, and these require exceptional consideration, treatment and explanation. The nouns in green font below are the exceptions in question.

N/C: In this passage, the Thessalonians are warned not to be deceived by “the son of perdition” masquerading and exalting himself as God. This passage presents an unique challenge as to the proper treatment of nouns and pronouns that are oblique and perverted references God. Thus three of the four occurrences of “God” in verse 4, as well a dozen pronouns in vv. 3 – 9, are not true references to God, but rather to “the son of perdition” as a counterfeit God. It is the Holy Spirit that is referred to by the “He” (2) and “Who” in verse 7.

Resolution: This is a special case where only the third occurrences of “God” in verse 4 is a true reference to God; and numerous pronouns in vv. 3 – 9 also refer to “the son of perdition” or speak of his aspirations to be God or like God. This passage presents a dilemma in that the word “God” in these unique usages does not refer to some idol or false god, but rather to the aspirations of son of perdition to be God or like God; and therefore, to convey the enormity of evil intent, it is necessary to retain capitalization of the word “God” to reflect that perverted aspiration. However, such references will not be afforded any special font treatment here but will have the regular black font, in contrast to true references to God, which will be afforded the “Royal purple” bold font treatment consistent with the intent of this work.

Hebrews 2:6-8 – Who is referred to by the pronouns “his” and “him” in Hebrews 2:6-8?

N/C: It is possible that those pronouns in verse 8 refer to Christ, but it’s not really clear. Most translations treat them as references to mankind, but not all commentaries agree.

Resolution: All of the 3^rd person singular pronouns “him” & “his” in verses 6 & 7, refer to mankind; and not Christ. It’s not quite so clear of those in verse 8. It is possible that those in verse 8 refer to Christ ,but most translations treat them as references to mankind, but not all commentaries agree on this point.

Hebrews 2:12 –13 – Who is referred to by the pronoun “I” in verse 12?

N/C: The two pronouns “I” in verse 12 refer to Christ. The author of Hebrews here quotes Psalm 22, which contains words of the suffering Savior, Christ, at His crucifixion. In verse 12, there is a transition from the Savior on the cross to the risen Lord, Who will then declare God’s name among His (Christ’s) brethren, His disciples. Verse 13 is a reference to Isaiah 8:17-18, where the Messiah again associates Himself with the saints as all children of God. The point being made in this portion of Hebrews 12 is that Christ makes Himself the brother of the saved. The verses from Isaiah are quoted in order to make this point more clearly.

Resolution: Apply the “Royal Purple “ font to the 1^st person singular pronouns in verses 12 and 13, as a references to Christ, with the reference insertions muted in gray.

Hebrews 5:6 –10 – Here we have a violation of the pronoun antecedent rule that would suggest that the “Who” at the beginning of verse 7 refers to Melchizedec, when in fact it refers to Christ.

Resolution: Apply the “Royal Purple” font to this pronoun at the beginning of verse 7, as a reference to Christ., with a clarifying insertion following it.

Hebrews 5:6-10; 6:20; 7:1-21 – Who is Melchizedek and what, if any, type of Theophany do references to him represent?

N/C: God is a God of detail; and often what appears to be trivia in God’s Word only appears so to us due to our lack of understanding of and appreciation for it. This is no doubt such an instance. See also Gen. 14:18-20; Ps. 110:4.

Resolution: There remains much mystery, but most Bible scholars agree at a minimum that Melchizedek is a “type of Christ the King-Priest” and therefore references to Melchizedek will be treated with the “deep purple” font as means of alerting the reader that there is more here than meets the eye of the casual reader. Note the spelling variation in Hebrews (NT): “Melchizedec”.

Hebrews 11:28 – Who is the entity referred to in 11:28 by “he that destroyed the firstborn”?

Resolution: This is a reference “the destroyer” (angel of death) of Exodus 12:23. The angel, of course, should be treated with blue font.

Hebrews 12:25 – Who is referred to by the 2^nd of three occurrences of “him” in 12:25? (The other two clearly refer to God.)

RFP version –

N/C: 6 of the 13 translations that capitalize nouns/pronouns that refer to God indicate by their capitalization that it refers to God; while the other 7 indicate it refers to mortal man (Moses). The remaining 19 of the 32 translations examined were non-committal in that regard.

Resolution: Given the lack of consensus, will not change from the bold purple font treatment; but will make this entry in the DPR to inform any readers who might look up this is DPR entry of this differing opinion as to its referent.

James 4:5 – Does the word “spirit” in verse 5 refer to the Holy Spirit?

N/C: 16 translations that capitalize nouns/pronouns that refer to God indicate by their capitalization that it does refer to the Holy Spirit; 9 did not capitalize any nouns; 4 others that capitalized some other nouns did not capitalize “spirit”; and 1 (the Amplified Bible) explicitly indicates it is not a reference to the Holy Spirit: “Or do you think that the Scripture says to no purpose that the [human] spirit which He has made to dwell in us lusts with envy?”, making a possible total of 5 that may regard it as not a reference to the Holy Spirit.

Resolution: Given that the majority consider it a reference to the Holy Spirit, will now (7/29/23) change “spirit” from uncapitalized black font to the capitalized bold deep purple font; and insert this new entry in the DPR to inform readers that “Spirit” likely refers to the Holy Spirit.

I John 5:18 - Does the pronoun “he” in verse 18 refer to Christ?

N/C: 17 translations explicitly indicate that it does refer to Christ; and 3 others imply the same; while the remaining 10 translations treat the pronoun “he” as referring to a child God (mortal) who keeps himself from sinning.

Resolution: Given that the majority consider it a reference to Christ, (even though the King James is one of the 10 that does not treat it as a reference to Christ), and renders it “keepeth himself”, which runs counter to the view that “he” refers to Christ, the font treatment of “he” is now (8/5/23) changed from uncapitalized black font to still uncapitalized deep purple font to alert readers that “he” may very well refer to Christ, despite the King James wording, which wording will not be revised in the KJP – only the font treatment; and inserting this new entry in the DPR to explain this exception to our readers. In the ERP, “He” in “He that” will be capitalized.

Rev. 1:4, 3:1, 4:5, & 5:6 - Who or what are “the seven spirits of God” referred to in Rev. 1:4, 3:1, 4:5 and 5:6?

N/C: In Rev. 3:1 Christ is said to have those seven spirits of God; and in Rev. 4:5 it is said that seven lamps burn before His throne, which also are those seven spirits of God. This is the Holy Spirit, Who is one in person according to His subsistence; but in communication of His power, and in demonstration of His divine works in those seven churches, perfectly manifests Himself as if there were many spirits, every one perfectly working in his own church. That is why they are called the seven horns and seven eyes of the Lamb in Rev. 5:6, signifying His absolute power, vision and wisdom. Note 1:4 that grace and peace on behalf of the seven churches is asked by John in prayer from this Spirit, as well as from God.

Resolution: Apply the “Royal Purple” bold font to these references to the seven spirits of God, as is applied throughout the Scripture text to references to the Holy Spirit.

Rev. 2:26-28 – - to whom does “he” and “him” in these verses refer?

N/C: These verses seem to suggest that it refers to anyone who overcomes (i.e., any (or all) who believe and triumph in their trials.) But will just any faithful believer receive “authority over the nations”, to “rule them with a rod of iron”? Perhaps this excerpt from Barnes' Notes on the Bible can offer some light on the issue: “And he shall rule them with a rod of iron - There is an allusion here to Psalm 2:9; "Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel." There is a slight change in the passage, "he shall rule," instead of "thou shalt break," in order to adapt the language to the purpose of the speaker here. The allusion in the Psalm is to the Messiah as reigning triumphant over the nations, or subduing them under him; and the idea here, as in the previous verse, is, that his redeemed people will be associated with him in this dominion. To rule with a scepter of iron, is not to rule with a harsh and tyrannical sway, but with power that is firm and invincible. It denotes a government of strength, or one that cannot be successfully opposed; one in which the subjects are effectually subdued.”

Resolution: Apply the “deep purple” font to these third-person singular pronouns to alert the reader to the probability, that, at least to some degree, they allude to Christ, the Messiah, perhaps in association with His redeemed people.

KJP version - 26And he that overcometh, and keepeth My works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations; 27And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers; even as I received of My Father. 28And I will give him the morning star.

Rev. 6:1-8 –Who are the “four horsemen of apocalypse” of Chapter 6, verses 2, 4, 5 & 8? (Each passage and its horseman is treated in the entries that follow.)

Rev. 6:2 –Who is “he that sat on” “a white horse” with “a bow” (the First Seal)?

N/C: Given that this is first in three series of seven events (7 seals, 7 trumpets and 7 vials) described, and the first of four horsemen introduced in the book, and given that this first horseman is said to be sitting upon a white horse – as the Lamb is also described in 19:11 sitting upon a white horse – it is natural to wonder who the first of these four horsemen of Chapter 6 is; and whether he might be the Lord Himself. Theologians and scholars have pondered and studied this for centuries; and it still remains a matter of conjecture. The spectrum of their opinions, many with seemingly meritorious reasoning, range from: (1) Christ or God; (2) personification of the Gospel; (3) counterfeit Christ (an imposter or anti-Christ); (4) mortal man - Roman Emperor Trajan (52 AD –117 AD); (5) ambivalence - “It is enough to state here that he represents either some conqueror, or a conquering age.” There are also seemingly worthy arguments against this horseman associated with the First Seal being one of the above entities. Given the absence of consensus, and that the three horsemen that follow him appear to be merely symbolic of conditions and judgment events, it is at least possible that this first horseman is also merely a symbolic agent of the first judgment event, without need to personify or ascertain the identity of the 1^st horseman.

Resolution: Apply non-capitalized “Deep Purple” font to the pronouns that refer to this first of four horsemen (v.2) to signify that his exact identity is not known with any certainty.

Rev. 6:4 –Who is the rider on “a red horse” with “a great sword in his hand” (the Second Seal)?

N/C: This second in a series of four horsemen, mounted on a red horse, seems to symbolize God’s judgment of removing peace from the earth, bringing on internal strife, persecution and civil war. Some commentators contrast the “great sword in” the hand of this 2^nd rider with the bow held by the 1^st rider – pointing out that the bow inflicts wounds at a distance, to those afar, while this rider’s casualties are close at hand. There seems less effort to personify or ascribe specific identity here than applied to the first rider.

Rev. 6:5 –Who is “he that sat on” “a black horse” with “a pair of balances” (the Third Seal)?

N/C: This third in a series of four horsemen, mounted on a black horse, seems to symbolize God’s judgment of famine and death. Most commentators agree that the “pair of balances in his hand” symbolize the great scarcity and meting out of basic foodstuffs (bread), while luxury items such as wine and oil will remain in abundance. Here again there seems less zeal to personify or ascribe specific identity to this 3^rd rider than to the first rider.

Rev. 6:8 –Who is “he that sat on” “a pale horse” whose name is “Death” (the Fourth Seal)?

N/C: This last in a series of four horsemen, mounted on a “pale” horse, and followed by Hades or Hell, seems to symbolize God’s judgment of death and devastation by sword, hunger, or wild beasts. Some commentators point out that the Greek word translated here as "pale," can also mean "pale green," or "green." The pale greenish color of the fourth horse could imply plague, fear, sickness, and/or decay. Note that here the name of the rider is given: “Death”; and we find less zeal to personify or ascribe a specific identity to this 4^th rider than to the first rider.

Resolution: Apply the plain black font to the pronouns that refer to the second through fourth horsemen (vv. 4, 5 & 8) since they appear to be symbols of God’s judgment, rather than specific persons or entities.

Rev. 9:1 –Who is the “him” in verse 9:1 and the “he” in verse 9:2 who opens the bottomless pit?

N/C: This entity is introduced as a ‘star’ in verse 9:1 after the 5^th angel sounds his trumpet, and John sees this ‘star’ fall – more properly “fallen” from heaven to the earth, but unlike the star that falls from heaven after the previous trumpet sounds (vv.8:10-11) called Wormwood, this ‘star’ is then referred to by the personal pronouns “him” (v.1) and “he” (v.2). It is evident that it is an angel; the question being whether it is one of God’s holy angels, or a one of Satan’s fallen angels. He is given the key to the bottomless pit; but we are not told who gives him this key. Note that when he opens the pit, smoke and hybrid locust-scorpion-like creatures emerge who are commanded to only hurt men that do not have the seal of God in their foreheads, (presumably not the 144,000 – 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes vv. 7:4-8); those that did not receive this seal in verses 7:2-3 (the apostate church). Some commentators say this is an angel of God, but many others infer from the fact that he is a ‘star’ fallen from heaven that that he is therefore ‘degraded’ (a fallen angel). The symbol of a fallen star is used elsewhere in the Bible. Isaiah 14:12 speaks of Lucifer (Satan) as fallen from heaven. Christ described Satan as lightning falling from heaven (Luke 10:18). Rev.9:11 seems to confirm the theory that it is either Satan, or one of his fallen angels.

Resolution: Apply non-capitalized “deep purple” font to the star and the two pronouns that refer to this entity to signify that its exact identity cannot be established with any certainty.

Rev. 9:14-16 –Who or what are the “four angels” in verses 9:14-15; and does the “army” of verse 16 refer to the same entities?

N/C: There is little or no consensus among Bible commentators on this question, as illustrated by a few quoted excerpts: “No satisfactory explanation of their meaning has been given: nor can we be sure whether the name Euphrates is to be taken literally”, and “This vision has led to a great variety of interpretations. Some are obviously absurd; in all (of them) is considerable doubt and difficulty.” Nor must we assume that angels were actually used in these restraints. that angels were actually employed in these restraints. That being said, here are a few ‘guarded’ opinions for the reader’s consideration: “not good angels”; “mighty powers that had been held in check, but were now to be let loose upon the world”; “some power that seemed to be kept back by some invisible agents such as angels, but now set loose and allowed to execute the devastation of verses 17-21.

Resolution: Apply non-capitalized “deep purple” font to the two occurrences of “angels” (in verses 14 & 15), the pronoun “who” (v.15) and the words “army” and “them” (in verses 16) to alert readers to the fact that their exact identity cannot be established with any certainty.

Rev. 10:1-11 –Who is the “mighty Angel” introduced in Chapter 10?

N/C: This entity is introduced as a “mighty Angel” in verse 1 and is referred to in most of the 11 verses of chapter 10, as well as verse 1 of chapter 11. Many commentators regard this “mighty Angel” as the Lord, Jesus Christ in vision form. This “mighty Angel” is to be contrasted with the “strong angel that John sees in 5:2, that proclaims with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?” One commentator, however, regards this “mighty Angel” not as deity, but a created angel, citing verse 10:6; for He did not swear by Himself, but by God (verse 10:6). However, the words He utters in 11:3, “And I will give power unto My two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth”, do not appear to be words of a created angel, but of God – and in particular Christ, of Whom the two are witnesses. Also note that John hears “a voice from heaven” (vv.4 & 8), the speaker of which is not further identified, but is likely Almighty God. (See Matt. 3:17 entry.)

Resolution: Apply capitalized “Deep Purple” font to this Angel and the several pronouns that refer to this entity to signify that it is likely Christ; but its exact identity cannot be established with certainty. Also apply the “Deep Purple” font to the references to the “voice from heaven” (vv. 10:4 & 10:8) as normal treatment of manifestations of God’s Glory. (See Matt.3:17.)

Rev. 10:5-7, 11:1-19 –How much of the discourse and prophecy of Chapters 10 and 11 is attributable to the “mighty Angel”? If verse 11:3 is attributable to this “Angel”, it strongly suggests that He is either God, the Father, or Christ, the Son.

N/C: This portion of revelation given by this “mighty Angel” entity is begun in 10:6 and some suggest that it is in reply to the question posed by the martyrs crying to be avenged and were told they must "rest yet for a little season" or time. Here in Rev. 10:6-7 they are assured, "There shall be no longer (any interval of) time"; their prayer shall have no longer to wait, but at the trumpet sounding of the seventh angel it shall be consummated, and the mystery of God (His mighty plan heretofore hidden, but then to be revealed) shall be finished.” Some commentators say that Chapter 10 is a transition from the common history of the world to the history of the church in particular – and that this ‘story’ of prophecy goes from here to Chapter 22.

Resolution: The question of how much of the discourse and prophecy of Chapters 10 and 11 is attributable to the “mighty Angel” of 10:1 is beyond the mission of resolving entity questions and so no font treatment issues apply here. This question is germane only in assessing whether the words of verse 11:3 are attributable to this “Angel”, as further evidence as to His identity.

Rev. 11:1 –Is the Angel of 11:1 the same angel referred to in chapter 10 as a “mighty Angel”?

N/C: This entity appears to be the same mighty Angel” introduced in verse 1 of Chapter 10. Here He directs John to measure the temple proper (vv.1-2), and then continues the prophecy He began in Chapter 10, vv. 6-7. The JFB commentary says that the words “and the angel stood” is omitted in some manuscripts (A, Vulgate, and Coptic), but does appear in others (B and Syriac). It goes on to say that if this phrase is omitted, the "reed", by construction, is "saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God." Thus it says the reed, the canon of Scripture, the measuring reed of the Church, our rule of faith, speaks, as the altar is personified as speaking in Rev. 16:7 (“And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Thy judgments.”). If those manuscripts that omit the phrase “and the Angel stood” are correct, then the question being dealt with herein is moot. It seems unlikely that it is the “reed” that instructs John to measure the temple (vv.1-2). If, however, the phrase rightfully belongs, then this entity appears to be the same “mighty Angel” introduced in Chapter 10, verse 1.

Resolution: Apply capitalized “Deep Purple” font to this Angel here as also applied in Chapter 10 to signify that the exact identity cannot be established with certainty.

Rev. 13:1 – What is the correct first noun or pronoun in 13:1 – and to whom does it refer?

N/C: Here in verse 1 is a problem arguably beyond the scope of resolving pronoun referents.  Some translations have “I stood on the sand”, while others render it “he stood on the sand” or “the dragon stood on the sand”. According to J-F-B Bible Commentary, the problem arises from the conflict between manuscripts, to wit: the B, Aleph, and Coptic manuscripts have it as the 1^st person singular, “I stood” (and so rendered in 7 English translations); while the A, C, Vulgate, and Syriac manuscripts have it as the 3^rd person singular, "He stood" (so rendered in 5 English translations), and this is interpreted to refer to “the dragon”, which is how 2 English translations render it. This conflict is limited to the first noun in the verse; in all translations, the observer referred to in the subsequent phrase or sentence, “I saw a beast” is resolved to be the apostle John.

Resolution: Apply non-bold “deep purple” font to the pronoun “I” to signal and refer the reader here for this brief explanation of the manuscript conflict.

Rev. 14:14-19 – Who is He “that sat on the cloud” and “in His hand a sharp sickle”, introduced in verse 14:14? Who is he to whom the command or message of verse 15 is addressed? And is this the same entity to whom a similar command is addressed by another angel in verse 18? And if so, why is he referred to in verse 19 as an angel?

N/C: Here is another passage with several entities, whose identities and roles are a bit perplexing. The “I” of v.14 of course is John, the observer; the “One” or “He” That sits on the white cloud and “in His hand a sharp sickle” evidently is Christ (v14); another angel who comes out of the temple (v15), crying with a loud voice to Him That sat on the cloud (evidently Christ). [Note that there were 3 specific angels previously mentioned in Chapter 14 (vv.6, 8 & 9), plus “the holy angels” mentioned in v.10.] This “another angel” of v.15 says “Thrust in Thy sickle, and reap; for the time is come for Thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe”. It seems incongruous that an angel would appear to be giving direction to our Lord, Jesus Christ. Some commentators point out that the word rendered “thrust” in many translations is the Greek word “send”, suggesting that this angel does not command the Son of man, but rather serves as a messenger from God the Father that the time is ripe for the first of the two phase harvest – that of Christ’s redeemed and faithful believers. Note also that Christ Himself is the active agent in this first harvest of the elect; while the latter reaping of the unbelievers appears to be relegated to one of God’s angels. (See Mark 13:26-27 for reference to this first harvest of the elect; see also Mark 13:32 for Christ’s Own statement that neither the angels nor He, but only the Father knows that hour.) Another possibly perplexing aspect of this passage lies in verses 18 and 19, where “another angel came from the altar”, saying “Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe. And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God”. It is clear from v.19 that this instruction is not directed to Christ, but to the angel who also has a sharp sickle of v.17. This appears to be the command to an angel with the office of ‘grim reaper’ that gathers the unbelievers in the second of the two-phase reaping of the earth in end times.

Resolution: Apply capitalized “royal purple” font to the pronouns that refer to Christ (v. 14, 15 & 16); and apply the non-capitalized blue font to the pronouns that refer to angels (vv. 17, 18 & 19) as shown in the text above.

Rev. 16:16 – Who is referred to by the pronoun “he” in verse 16:16?

N/C: Many translations (NAS, ASV, BBE, ERV, YLT) render this “they” rather than “he” (KJV, NKJ, DRB, DBT, WBT, WEB) and two (ISV & GWT) render it “the spirits”. Bible scholars vary widely as to what entity is referred to by the pronoun rendered “he” in the King James Bibles. Those entities proposed include “the spirits”, God, “the sixth angel”, Satan, “the beast”, and Christ. The J-F-B Bible Commentary perhaps offers the best summary on this question, as quoted here within brackets: [“16. he - rather, ‘they (the three unclean spirits) gathered them together.’ If English Version be retained, ‘He’ will refer to God Who gives them over to the delusion of the three unclean spirits; or else the sixth angel (Rev 16:12).’”] Thus in translations where the plural pronoun “they” is used, it refers (directly) to the three unclean spirits, and indirectly to God as the ultimate Entity Who gathers them together; but in translations where the singular pronoun “he” is employed, it seems to refer (indirectly) to God as the ultimate Power Who gathers them together at Armageddon for battle.

Resolution: Apply non-capitalized “deep purple” font to the pronoun “he” of v.16 to signify that the exact identity of the referent is not known with any certainty and to refer readers here.

Rev. 19:9 – 10 – Who is referred to by the 3^rd person singular pronouns “he”, “his” and “him” in verses 19:9 & 10?

N/C: If one were to rely upon the antecedent rule of grammar, one would wrongly conclude that it refers to Christ (the Lamb). Nowhere in the preceding verses of chapter 19, nor the latter part of Chapter 18 is there a proper antecedent for these pronouns. One has to look to 18:1 & 18:21, ignoring all intervening nouns in chapter 19 to the Lamb (v7), God (vv 4-6), four living creatures (v4), God (v2), and revert back to 18:1 & 18:21 to find a reference to angel, which seems by context and consensus to be the proper referent (antecedent?) to these ambiguous pronouns. Those translations that do substitute a noun for the first “he” in v.10 render it “the angel”; and the commentaries on the verse that address the identity question all conclude that it does refer to an angel; and in truth, these are indeed references to an angel, as manifested by the angel’s stern admonishment to John in v.10 that he not worship him. There is a similar occurrence in Rev. 22:8 & 9 where the admonishment is repeated and the angel is clearly identified as such.

Resolution: Apply the blue font to these references to one of God’s angels.

Rev. 21:5-6 – Who is referred to by the pronoun “He” in verses 21:5 and 21:6?

N/C: While a few commentaries see this as a reference to an angel, some translations, such as the NAS, capitalize the pronoun “He” in both verses (5 & 6), indicating a reference to Deity. It is most likely the Lord Himself, based on the antecedent rule (referring back to “He that sat upon the throne”, v.5), and based on the next verse (6), where the exact phrase, “And He said unto me” is repeated, with this second occurrence being followed by the Speaker specifically identifying Himself as “the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End” – the Lord.

Resolution: Apply the “Royal Purple” bold font to these references to God, as is applied throughout the KJP Scripture text to references to the Deity.

Rev. 22:18 –Is the speaker referred to by “I” in v. 18 Christ, John, or an angel?

N/C: There does not appear to be conclusive evidence nor agreement among Bible scholars as to whether the speaker (“I”) in v. 18 is Christ, or John, or an angel. The question is moot, apart from the self-imposed dilemma of someone who seeks to identify all entities by color-coded font usage. It is moot because it is God inspired, regardless of whether the actual speaker is John, an angel, or the Lord Himself.

Resolution: Apply the “Deep Purple” font to this pronoun to refer the inquisitive reader here for this non-definitive answer.

Rev. 22:19 –Is the rendering “tree of life”, rather than “book of life”, the proper rendering?

N/C: It was noted that the 1611 Authorized Version of the King James text contains the phrase “book of life”, whereas more modern renderings of the KJV, as well as many other translations (ISV, NAS, God’s Word Translation, ASV, Darby, ERV, WEB, Weymouth New Testament) render verse 19 as the “tree of life”. The issue revolves around questions regarding what Greek source was used for the last six verses (22:16-22) and whether the Latin Vulgate was translated into the Greek. Two things are clear: This controversy will not be resolved as part of this noun / pronoun resolution effort; and neither is it germane to the task at hand.

N/C: Most translations (ISV, NAS, God’s Word Translation, ASV, Darby, ERV, WEB, Weymouth New Testament) render verse 19 as the “tree of life”, while the minority (KJV, AKJV, WBT, DRB) render it the “book of life”.

Resolution: Render the phrase as “the tree {book} of life” using the same notation convention followed throughout the KJP Bible text produced by this endeavor, with the word in italics representing the new replacement word (tree), and the old replaced word enclosed in braces: {book}. Thus the reader is cognizant of the word substitution in the subject phrase. There are no font treatment issues to deal with here