About OpenScripture
Discover the text behind the traditions. The truth has nothing to fear.
The Mission
Most people experience Scripture through one translation at a time, without seeing how translation choices — and sometimes manuscript variation — shape what lands on the page. OpenScripture exists so those layers are visible when you want them, and out of the way when you do not.
Translation difference symbols show where published renderings diverge, reducing the risk that one familiar wording quietly becomes your only lens. Textual certainty markers bring manuscript-confidence data into ordinary reading where imported data exists.
Word Locks help you learn original-language vocabulary by tying a Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek word to a chosen rendering across aligned Composite verses. Verse Locks provide deep customisation by keeping your preferred published rendering for a verse inside a smooth, translation-aware reading flow.
Published translations retain their own textual bases; source-language tooling uses documented datasets such as Hebrew/Aramaic BHS/OSHB and Greek SBLGNT via MorphGNT, with sources cited as needed.
Values
Accuracy
Published text stays publisher-authored; comparison, source-language, and certainty layers are built from documented data.
Clarity
Complex information is presented intuitively. No degrees in Hebrew/Greek required.
Respect
The diversity of biblical traditions is honoured — Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox, Ecumenical, Jewish, and Independent.
Openness
Sources are cited, commentary is attributed, and the limits of certainty are made visible.
Built on scholarship
Source-Language Data
Word study and interlinear tooling draw from documented source-language datasets, including Hebrew/Aramaic BHS/OSHB and Greek SBLGNT via MorphGNT, rather than a single product-wide Greek base text. The planned AI Bible editions will use independently certified source profiles before any wording is published.
Multiple Published Translations
From public-domain classics to modern scholarship, spanning Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox, Ecumenical, Jewish, and Independent traditions. Full reader data is available for the current reader-visible catalogue, with more editions added as licensing completes.
What the markers mean
Circled translation-difference symbols stay separate from publisher footnotes, and optional textual certainty markers show where manuscript evidence is more debated.
What is marked, and what is yours
Where a difference has been explained, the marker shows in the text. Anything you changed yourself — a locked verse, a locked word — is always marked as yours, so you can tell your choices from the translator's.
The planned AISE Bible (Study Edition), AIRE Bible (Reader Edition), and AIDE Bible (Dynamic Edition) remain unpublished while their source research, translation, alignment, and review systems are built. Their sources, policies, versions, and publication state will remain explicit.
A Note on Labels and Generalisations
The traditions presented here — Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox, Ecumenical, Jewish, Independent — are generalisations of positions commonly labelled as such. Not every person who identifies with a particular tradition will agree with everything presented under that label on this website. Labels are useful starting points, not complete descriptions of individuals.
Reading about a theological tradition online is not the same as — and is considerably less enriching than — having a respectful conversation of curiosity with someone who holds it, seeking truth together with gentleness and humility, in love and unity as fellow followers of Christ our Saviour and Lord.
Discover the text behind the traditions. The truth has nothing to fear.
Ready to go deeper?
OpenScripture launch updates, progress notes, and partner opportunities go out through the Probably Theology newsletter — there's no separate OpenScripture mailing list.
Everyone with an account receives free Premium automatically until 3 March 2027 after signing in.
Subscribe below for the official launch email. That is when paid checkout opens.
Go to the Newsletter Signup →Common Questions
Is OpenScripture affiliated with any denomination?
No. All Christian traditions are honoured and represented fairly. The goal is to let readers see the full picture, not to promote any single tradition.
Do you change the Bible?
Not at all. What different translations and manuscripts say is shown unchanged. Context is added, not words.
Will there be a free tier?
Yes. Core translation comparison and study features stay free, with two Word Locks and five Verse Locks on the free plan. Guest locks stay local; signed-in Free accounts sync the same allowance.
What if I don't read Greek or Hebrew?
OpenScripture is designed for everyday readers. Tap a word to see meanings, transliteration, frequency—no degree required.
What is a Word Lock?
A Word Lock lets you tie a Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek word (by Strong's) to the rendering you choose - it is like a find-and-replace for that original language word across the whole bible (restricted to fully aligned verses in your translation). This lets you identify word hyperlinks, common language, and expands your vocabulary as you read! Free and Guest mode include two active Word Locks; Premium unlocks unlimited Word Locks. This feature is available only in OpenScripture's Composite mode.
Is OpenScripture based on a single source?
No. OpenScripture does not use a single source, like THGNT, as a single product-wide base text. Published translations keep their own textual bases, while source-language tooling uses documented datasets such as Hebrew/Aramaic BHS/OSHB and Greek SBLGNT via MorphGNT.
What other features are planned?
Right now we are focussed on the core reading experience: getting word alignment right (this is crazy complicated - it's essentially reverse-engineering the English translation), and getting the translation difference markers to be informative, helpful, accurate, and thorough, across Composite, Published, and Interlinear modes. We have more features planned for the near future though: An audio bible (TTS) feature so you can listen even to your composite personalised bible, using my own sultry tones! And hopefully, eventually (this is really cool) a digital map feature, indexed to the bible's text, timeline and geography. Your financial support is going to be required for that one. So please share the app!
What is OpenScripture?
OpenScripture is a free, customisable, translation-aware Bible app that shows where published translations agree and differ across Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox, Ecumenical, Jewish, and Independent traditions. It highlights where and why translations differ, with optional manuscript certainty markers where imported data exists.
What are textual certainty markers?
Textual certainty markers introduce scholarly-level manuscript data into everyday reading. Stable readings stay unobtrusive; more debated readings are marked more strongly where imported certainty data exists.
Which Bible translations does OpenScripture include?
OpenScripture includes multiple published translations spanning Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox, Ecumenical, Jewish, and Independent traditions (for example JPS TaNaKH 1917 in the public-domain set), with more editions added as licensing completes.
How is OpenScripture different from other Bible apps?
Unlike most Bible apps that show translations in isolation, OpenScripture is built around comparison, source-language learning, and customisable reading. Circled numbers marking translation differences stay distinct from publisher footnote markers, and optional textual certainty markers show manuscript context where data exists.