Feature tour

What OpenScripture actually does

A walkthrough of the reader, in about three minutes. Interactive where it helps — real examples where it matters.

Orientation

Welcome to OpenScripture

OpenScripture is a customisable, translation-aware Bible app. It shows where published translations agree, where they differ, and where source-language or manuscript data can help you read more carefully.

The reader now has full text for the current reader-visible catalogue. The deeper layers are honest about coverage: translation-difference explanations and complete word-alignment/interlinear data continue to expand where they are not finished yet.

If you've ever preached a passage and wondered what the other translations did with it, or read a commentary that turned on a single Greek word, this is for you.

Comparison

Translation difference symbols

Circled numbers mark places where translations diverge in meaning. They help protect against unnoticed bias by showing when one familiar wording is not the only responsible way the passage has been rendered.

Publisher footnotes stay visually separate: each translation's own letters, numbers, or symbols appear inside a small muted square. You should never have to guess whether a mark is a comparison cue or a publisher note.

Tap any circled number to open a compact comparison of how each translation renders that word.
wordTranslation difference
word a, b, 1, or *Publisher footnote

Manuscript context

Textual certainty markers

Textual certainty markers introduce scholarly-level manuscript data into everyday reading. Where imported scores exist, OpenScripture marks wording that rests on more debated manuscript evidence.

Stable readings stay quiet. More uncertain places become visible at the level you choose in Reading Options, so the reader remains useful for devotional reading and serious study.

Where a verse has no imported certainty data yet, the layer stays quiet. The reader should be helpful without pretending to know more than it does.

the only begotten God

John 1:18 — stronger underlines indicate lower manuscript confidence.

Reading experience

Translation-aware reading modes

Four reading modes let you choose how much comparison sits in front of you for supported passages. Composite is the flagship: one smooth reading surface shaped by Verse Locks and Word Locks while the rest follows your baseline translation.

Published mode reads one translation as originally published. AI Translation generates from source-language texts with selectable style and emphasis where AI data is available. Interlinear aligns Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek script with transliteration and English where word data exists.

Tap each mode pill below to see what changes.

Composite

Build your own Bible with Verse Locks and Word Locks. To set a Verse Lock, choose the translation you want in the verse drawer and tap "Lock it in". To create a Word Lock, tap a word, open Word Study, and tie that Strong's word to your chosen rendering (for example logos, λόγος, or Word). Verse Locks set the full verse, and Word Locks guide matching words elsewhere.

Comparison

Compare by tradition

The comparison drawer groups reader-visible translations by tradition — for example All, Protestant, Ecumenical, Catholic, Orthodox, Jewish, Independent, and AI — with a count badge on each tab. When a passage matters to a specific tradition, you can jump straight to those voices without scrolling past the rest.

The AI sub-tab lays out the nine style-by-emphasis combinations where AI data is available, so you can see how "Formal + Accuracy" and "Paraphrase + Devotional" land on the same verse.

Click the tabs to try it.
  • KJVIn the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
  • NASBIn the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
  • NETIn the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
  • YLTIn the beginning of God's preparing the heavens and the earth —

Original languages

Learn source-language words

Learn the original languages as you read. Where word data exists, tap a word to see its original form, transliteration, Strong's number, morphology, concise definition, and frequency across Scripture.

You can also open the same entry in Blue Letter Bible or BibleHub when you want a fuller article or parallel translations on those sites.

ἀρχῇarchēbeginningG746 · noun · fem · sing · dative

Try Word Study (interactive demo)

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Click any highlighted word above to preview Word Study details.

Customisation

Word Locks and Verse Locks

Verse Locks provide unprecedented customisation: choose the published rendering you want for a verse and keep it inside a smooth, translation-aware Composite reading flow.

Word Locks are a language-learning tool. Tie one source-language word (by Strong's) to your chosen rendering across aligned Composite verses, then keep seeing that vocabulary choice as you read.

Free and Guest mode include two active Word Locks and five Verse Locks. Guest locks stay on that device and do not sync anywhere; signed-in Free accounts sync the same allowance.

A Word Lock can show transliteration (logos), original script (λόγος), or English. When both lock types apply to the same verse, Word Lock first is the default; you can switch to Verse Lock first under Profile → Account → Lock appearance.

Try both toggles below. The preview matches the default: with both on, the verse-locked sentence keeps your word substitution.

Try locks (interactive demo)

In the beginning was the Word.

This preview uses the app default: when both are on, your word substitution still appears inside the verse-locked wording. Under Profile → Account → Lock appearance you can choose Verse lock wins instead.

Word Locks are great for language learning: keep seeing the same chosen rendering each time that source word appears.

Personalised Bibles

A Personalised Bible is a named setup that saves your Verse Locks and Word Locks together. Switch profiles from the header when you want a different teaching context or reading habit.

Over time each profile becomes your own curated text — always marked so you can tell publisher wording from choices you applied at verse level and word level.

Free tier: one profile. Premium: unlimited.

Example: name one setup "Sunday teaching" and another "Personal reading". Each keeps its own Verse Locks and Word Locks, so the on-page wording follows the profile you selected in the header.

Library

Bookmarks

Bookmarks are always chapter-level and saved into named, colour-coded collections — for example sermon prep, family devotionals, or language study tracks.

Bookmarks are universal by design. A saved chapter remains visible in every reading mode and every Personalised Bible, while notes and highlights can still carry their own scope.

Collections stay yours, sync across devices when you are signed in, and are not shared by default.

Sermon prep - Advent12 chapters
Family Bible study7 chapters
Hard passages23 chapters
Language study18 chapters

Bookmarks are universal: a saved chapter remains visible across every reading mode and every Personalised Bible.

Next step

Ready when you are

The app is in active development and free to try today. The core reader features shown here are live where their supporting data is available, with translation-difference and word-alignment coverage continuing to expand.

Try it, or stay in the loop

The preview app is free and public. Try up to two Word Locks with logos / λόγος, plus five Verse Locks, to feel how language learning fits normal reading. Or join the newsletter and we'll tell you when major features land.