Bible verses, passages, quotes, or quotations?

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Kenneth Greifer
Posts: 661
Joined: Mon Feb 09, 2015 3:05 pm

Bible verses, passages, quotes, or quotations?

Post by Kenneth Greifer »

I am just curious what is the difference if any between the words verses, passages, quotes, or quotations? For some reason, Bible quotes, as I like to say, are called verses or passages, but never quotes. Why not quotes?

Kenneth Greifer
Kenneth Greifer
kwrandolph
Posts: 1531
Joined: Sun Sep 29, 2013 12:51 am

Re: Bible verses, passages, quotes, or quotations?

Post by kwrandolph »

Kenneth Greifer wrote:I am just curious what is the difference if any between the words verses, passages, quotes, or quotations? For some reason, Bible quotes, as I like to say, are called verses or passages, but never quotes. Why not quotes?

Kenneth Greifer
Dear Kenneth:

I think that there are a few reasons for “verses” and “passages”:

• tradition

• often paraphrased rather than a direct quote

• probably the most important, instead of quoting the original, the verses are referenced in translation.

“Verses” refer to individual verses, “passages” to groups of verses.

Interesting, we carry over “verses” and “passages” from English to Hebrew and Greek where we do quote.

Karl W. Randolph.
Kenneth Greifer
Posts: 661
Joined: Mon Feb 09, 2015 3:05 pm

Re: Bible verses, passages, quotes, or quotations?

Post by Kenneth Greifer »

Karl,

I am just curious. Do you think it is wrong to say "Hebrew Bible quotes" because a Bible scholar told me I was wrong to use the word "quotes"? I actually read an article that said that the word "quote" is considered to be slang and the word "quotation" is preferred by educated people, even though the word "quote" has been used for 100 years according to that article.
Kenneth Greifer
S_Walch
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Joined: Fri May 23, 2014 4:41 pm

Re: Bible verses, passages, quotes, or quotations?

Post by S_Walch »

Sounds to me like the BS is being somewhat overtly pedantic with that, Kenneth. Or snobbish. Whichever you prefer.
Ste Walch
talmid56
Posts: 295
Joined: Tue Oct 01, 2013 9:02 am
Location: Carlisle, Arkansas, USA

Re: Bible verses, passages, quotes, or quotations?

Post by talmid56 »

I would agree with S Walch on the term "quotes", Kenneth. And educated people use slang all the time. It depends on audience and the speaker's style. I preach and teach (and write on my blog) in a semi-conversational style for the most part. Using a slang term in that context is often appropriate. Slang is just informal as opposed to formal register. Most Bible scholars are not trained in linguistics, so that one is either unaware of or doesn't understand these issues.

As for "passage", that can include as little as a single verse, or as much as a paragraph or even a whole chapter. Though typically it is used to refer to a block of text longer than a single verse.

Dewayne Dulaney
Dewayne Dulaney
דואיין דוליני

Blog: https://letancientvoicesspeak.wordpress.com/

כִּ֤י שֶׁ֨מֶשׁ׀ וּמָגֵן֮ יְהוָ֪ה אֱלֹ֫הִ֥ים חֵ֣ן וְ֭כָבוֹד יִתֵּ֣ן יְהוָ֑ה לֹ֥א יִמְנַע־ט֝֗וֹב לַֽהֹלְכִ֥ים בְּתָמִֽים׃
--(E 84:11) 84:12 תהלים
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