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Some questions have asked questions about chapters and verses which have been assigned different numbers in history. Some in the Eastern church follow the Jewish numbering systems. The difference between these numbering systems is most likely to be seen in the Psalms.

This can be a bit confusing, especially if the questions don't quote the verses in full.

I would like to propose a policy for this site: we edit question titles to use only Western chapter/verse numbers. In question bodies, if someone is asking about or from a tradition which uses other systems we use their numbers, and put the Western numbers in brackets.

I propose we use Western numbers in titles because the large majority of users of this site are most familiar with them, and also because most online tools (such as Bible Gateway, Blue Letter Bible, BibleHub etc) use them. This policy would, I hope, be respectful enough to those from other traditions, but allow for an easier idea of what the question is about from seeing only the title, and maybe it will help for finding relevant search results too.

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    I like this, but I think it's worth pointing out that it's often better to outright avoid verse references in titles.
    – Mr. Bultitude
    Oct 26, 2015 at 16:54
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    @Mr.Bultitude What's the alternative for these questions? It's much better I think to have a reference than a vague "this verse".
    – curiousdannii Mod
    Oct 26, 2015 at 21:07
  • I just meant that titles are better served by honing in on the specific issue within the verse, and often it reads better by avoiding the verse reference altogether.
    – Mr. Bultitude
    Oct 28, 2015 at 17:03
  • @Mr Okay yeah that makes sense.
    – curiousdannii Mod
    Oct 28, 2015 at 21:15

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This isn't as simple as an East/West split or two schemes. The rabbit hole runs a bit deeper than that and it's more than theoretically possible that questions might come up where the verse schema is what causes the question in the first place. I don't think editing titles is a solution to this problem as it might actually end up disguising the core question from potential answerers.

The good news is that versification systems are usually translations specific. With a few exceptions, most translations are available in one primary scheme. If the translation being used is cited along with the reference this is unlikely to be an issue. If people look it up in their own translation then either they need to be aware that they are doing so or perhaps that's an indication the question would be a better fit for BH.

I would suggest leaving the author's original references but making sure the translation is also noted and, in most cases, that the verse itself be quoted in the post. At most a footnote can mention that there is a versification difference in play.

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