Understanding Quotation Marks in the Bible

Quotation marks in the Bible are often assumed to indicate exact words spoken by individuals, particularly Jesus. However, this belief may not align with how ancient audiences perceived texts, which typically focused on conveying the gist rather than exact wording. In a time before audio recordings, many individuals were not literate, and dialogue was frequently reconstructed based on recollections. As a result, while God could have revealed exact words, the expectation for ancient authors was to communicate the essence of conversations rather than precise statements.