All documentation

If you are new to The Word Alone, follow this order—the same sequence on the Start here page:

1. Read a chapter — Open the reader with parallel translations and study tools.
2. Find a passage — Try John 3:16 or search for words across translations.
3. Open commentary or word study — Matthew Henry, Strong's, and maps open from the reader Study column.
4. Save a note — Highlights and reflections stay on your device—export anytime.
5. Explore maps, timeline & library — Places, history, creeds, and classic theology works.

No account is required. Notes and highlights stay in your browser unless you export them. Theme (light / dark / system) is in the header on every page.

Do I need an account to use The Word?

No. You can read Scripture, search, use timelines, maps, Strong's, creeds, and theology works without signing in.

Where are my Bible notes and highlights stored?

Notes and highlights are stored locally in your browser on this device. Use Notes to create and export; Reflect opens a chapter to review notes beside Scripture. Nothing is uploaded unless you export it yourself.

Is The Word free?

Yes. The site is free to use and ad-free. Some Library texts have their own copyright terms; see Legal for sources and notices.

How do I share a Bible passage?

Open Read, go to the chapter or verse you want, and use Share or Copy passage link in the reader toolbar. The URL includes book, chapter, and verse when set.

How do I look up a passage like John 3:16?

Use Search or the passage field on the home page. Enter references such as Jn 3:16 or search for words and phrases across translations available on this site.

Which Bible translations are available?

The reader lists every translation currently available on this site (often dozens from the Bible SuperSearch corpus). If a translation is missing, it may not be offered here yet.

What is the scarlet thread graph?

Scarlet thread is an interactive overview of messianic and thematic links between the 66 books—useful for seeing how themes run through Scripture.

Can I use The Word offline?

You need a network connection to load Scripture text and most reference content. Notes already saved in your browser remain on the device; full offline reading is not supported yet.

The home page is a calm entry point. Use Resume (when shown) to continue where you left off in the reader, or open Read, Plan, Notes, and other shortcuts. Maps, creeds, theology, and classic texts live in the Library and open from the reader Study column when you need them. Full texts such as On the Bondage of the Will are linked from the debate overview and this help page—not every title appears in the menu.

Theme (light / dark / system) is available in the header on every page. No account is required to use the site.

Search Scripture opens passages (e.g. Jn 3:16, comma-separated verses like Bible Gateway) or searches for words and phrases across translations available on this site. The home page passage field is a shortcut to the same passage lookup.

Popular passages: John 3:16, Psalm 23, Genesis 1, Romans 8:28, Philippians 4:13, Proverbs 3:5, Matthew 5, Isaiah 53.

Read is the chapter reader. Choose book and chapter from the controls, pick a translation from the list (only translations currently available on this site appear as selectable). The URL stores your place (book, chapter, translation, optional verse) so you can bookmark or share a passage.

Keyboard: N / P or [ / ] previous and next chapter; F focus reading; S toggle Study; / search this passage; Ctrl+K focus the book menu—when focus is not in a text field.

Verse: when a chapter is loaded, use the small Verse field next to the chapter controls: type a verse number and press Enter to jump (or use the next/previous controls at the bottom of the passage).

Canon & order: the reader uses the standard sixty-six-book Protestant canon in the usual book order. Deuterocanonical books are not included in Read.

Parallel reading: set Compare with to a second translation. Two columns appear for the same chapter; verse numbers align by position.

Study column: choose Study in the header to open Matthew Henry commentary, book context, Strong's, meditation, notes, and the on-device assistant. On wide screens, drag the divider to resize. On phones, commentary and context also appear in collapsible panels under the passage. Focus reading hides study tools until you turn it off or open Study again.

Turn on Study, then pick a category: Background (commentary and context), Reference (Strong's), or Notes & Reflect (meditation, notes, assistant). Phone: press and hold a verse number for notes and marker colors. Desktop: long-press cycles the marker; right-click picks a color (and notes). Double-click for notes. Phrase highlights: select text, then color, Notes, or cancel.

Verse numbers support notes, bookmarks, highlights, and phrase selection (see Notes & backup). Preferences (type size, reader typeface, focus reading, advanced display) live in the reader Display menu.

Plan lists structured reading schedules. Open a plan to see day-by-day (or segment) assignments and links into the reader. Plans help pace reading; your progress is saved in this browser.

If today's readings don't appear, check your connection and reload the page once.

Reading partner is a two-person flow: open the same passage in Read with shared context (commentary and background in the Study panel, plus Strong's), reflect privately, then compare notes. Nothing is uploaded—session state stays in your browser.

Use it for small-group prep, accountability reading, or teaching a passage without one voice dominating the discussion.

Notes is for creating, editing, searching, importing, and exporting personal study on this device—verse-linked entries, chapter tags, and bookmarks. Open Notes to search across your library or manage backups.

Reflect is the chapter view at /reflect/… when you open a book and chapter: review your notes and Scripture together in passage context.

From the reader, opening notes for a verse jumps the study column to the Notes tab (when Study is visible). Notes are not synced to a server account today—they stay in your browser storage unless you export or copy them yourself.

Use Export in the Notes tab for JSON or Markdown backups, and Import when moving to a new browser (confirm before overwriting). See where data lives.

The Assistant tab (local) can answer questions about the open chapter using on-device context; it is not a cloud chatbot.

Timeline places Scripture and history on a scrollable timeline. Switch views (events, books, etc.) from the page controls. It complements reading by showing overlap between books and eras.

The former Book order URL redirects here into the books-oriented view.

Scarlet thread is an interactive graph of thematic links between passages—useful for tracing themes across the canon. Pan and zoom; follow edges to related nodes. A text summary of the messianic thread appears below the chart for readers who prefer prose. Performance depends on device; very large graphs may feel heavy on older hardware.

In Library → Creeds & confessions, historic confessions and catechisms are available to read alongside Scripture. Pick a document, browse articles or questions, and use proof-text popovers where provided to jump to Bible references in the reader.

Text is presented for study; it is not a substitute for your church's teaching or pastoral care.

Theology hosts longer systematic and devotional works (for example classic systematic theologies) split into chapters you can read in the same reference layout as other long-form pages. Use the table of contents to move within a work.

Strong's lets you search Hebrew and Greek lexicon entries by number or gloss, and follow links from the reader where Strong's numbers are embedded in the translation. Use it to compare how words are used; lexicon articles are reference tools, not devotional commentary.

Map shows places named in Scripture. Click markers for context and references. Coordinates are approximate guides for orientation—always confirm places in Read. Ancient boundaries differ from modern political maps.

How to read by genre is a long-form guide: narrative, law, poetry, prophecy, gospels, epistles, apocalyptic, and how each genre shapes responsible reading. It links out to the reader and timeline where relevant.

In Library → Historical texts, you can open full English texts of 1 Clement, Ignatius, and Polycarp to the Philippians from a single public-domain edition (Project Gutenberg) for historical reading alongside Scripture.

Freedom and bondage of the will is an interactive circular chart of the 1524–1525 debate between Erasmus and Luther. It is a visual study aid with prose summaries—not a substitute for reading those authors or Scripture itself.

Full public-domain English texts on their own pages: Luther's Ninety-Five Theses (1517) and On the Bondage of the Will (1525, Henry Cole via CCEL). Both use the same long-form Library reading layout as other primary and confessional texts.

About summarizes the mission (calm, ad-free reading), who maintains the site (Walter Vijayakumar), what is on the site today—including notes, reading partner, timeline, and Library texts—and beta status. It also explains how Scripture relates to creeds, theology, and other Library helps: Scripture first, secondary works labeled, and a library voice that is openly Protestant-friendly in parts. See Known issues for current beta limitations.

Legal collects terms of use, copyright notices for Scripture and third-party material, and related policies. Read it if you redistribute content or embed links professionally.

The About page includes a feedback form for general comments. Messages are delivered to the maintainer and are not stored on the server.

You do not need an account to read the Bible or use core tools. Study features store data only on your device (see below); there is no cloud account or sync for notes and preferences in the shipped app.

Notes, highlights, layout preferences, and similar choices are stored in your browser on this device. Clearing site data or switching devices will not carry that information over automatically.

Treat the site as a private desk: back up anything you care about using JSON or Markdown export in Notes, or by copying text where the UI offers it. If something breaks, check Known issues before reporting it.