The Back of the Book

“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son.” — Hebrews 1:1-2

I’m settling this once and for all: footnotes are far superior to endnotes. For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about, let me explain. Footnotes appear at the bottom of a page and expand on what’s said above. Endnotes, though they contain the same sort of information, are gathered inconveniently at the back of the book (or sometimes the chapter). I honestly can’t understand why any author or publisher would use them. I concede that footnotes can clutter a page, especially when they’re long or numerous, but the convenience is worth any amount of clutter if it saves you from flipping to the back of the book every time you want that extra detailed information. As you can probably tell, this is a big deal to me.

Ironically, given my strong feelings about endnotes, the Bible actually uses both, and I want to heartily encourage you to become familiar with each of them. If you have a standard English Bible, you’ll notice little italicized letters or small numbers next to words and verses. These are our Bible’s footnotes. Really, they come to us from the editorial teams that put our English Bibles together, but they are nonetheless helpful. They typically direct you to a center column or notes at the bottom of the page, which list cross-references, alternate translations, or brief commentary on the text (especially in Study Bibles). These notes are tremendously helpful for aiding the reader in uncovering details in the text. Footnotes should be used, engaged with, and appreciated for how much they’ve opened the Word to modern readers.

Endnotes, which I normally dislike, hold a different and very special place in Scripture. If endnotes in a modern book gather explanations at the back, then our New Testament functions as the Bible’s own endnotes. The Old Testament gives us types, shadows, promises, and allusions that are only fully explained in the New. There we see how Christ fulfills these institutions and prophecies in redemptive ways for His people. Only through a thorough grasp of the New Testament can we understand the Old, and only with deep familiarity with the Old can we appreciate how the New reveals its fulfillment in Christ. It’s when we flip to the back of the Book that we discover the additional information needed to fully comprehend all that’s being said in the pages that preceded it. 

I’ll always prefer footnotes to endnotes in modern writing, but the Bible’s grand endnote — the New Testament — surpasses them all. It is so essential that we can’t help but flip to the back of the Book over and over again to uncover the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to God’s saints through His Son (Col. 1:26). We find in the New Testament not commentary, but completion; not marginalia, but the Messiah Himself. He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. 

Rev. Kyle Lockhart, Pastor