Bible Study MCP Server

Bible Study

A complete scholarly Bible study toolkit — semantic search, original-language word studies, translation comparison, cross-reference traversal, and topical research — available as AI-native tools for the first time.

Without this server, deep Bible study means juggling multiple browser tabs: a concordance site here, a lexicon there, a translation comparison tool somewhere else. You lose the thread of your research every time you switch. This server brings all of that into your AI assistant, where each result informs the next question and the entire study session stays in one conversation.

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Why This Is Different

Most AI assistants answer Bible questions from training data alone — approximations drawn from whatever made it into the model. This server gives your assistant access to structured scholarly data that no training set contains: 17,543 Strong's entries with full BDB and Thayer lexicon definitions, morphological parsing for 447,734 individual words, the complete OpenBible cross-reference dataset, and Nave's 5,319 topical categories. When you ask about the Greek word for grace or the cross-references for John 3:16, the answer comes from the primary sources — not a paraphrase of them.

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What You Get

Semantic search across 155,510 verses. Describe a concept in plain language and receive passages that match the meaning, not just the exact keywords. "God's faithfulness despite human failure" finds relevant passages even when those words never appear together.

Topical research with curated context. For "what does the Bible say about X?" questions, topical search combines Nave's curated index with semantic search and returns something richer: individual verses with source attribution, plus major biblical witnesses — the books and narratives that are the Bible's principal treatments of your topic (such as Job for suffering, or the Psalms for lament). Each witness includes an explanation of why that book matters for your topic, the specific themes it addresses, and suggested anchor passages to begin reading. Semantic search finds similar verses; topical search tells you where the Bible speaks most deeply on a subject and why.

Original-language word studies. Look up any word in its Hebrew or Greek original. Get the Strong's number, transliteration, full BDB or Thayer lexicon definition, morphological parsing, and every other verse where that same word appears — all in one response.

Five translations side by side. Compare any verse or passage in KJV, WEB, ASV, YLT, and Darby simultaneously. See at a glance where translations agree and where meaningful differences in word choice appear.

606,140 cross-references. For any verse, find the other passages that illuminate, echo, or expand on the same idea. Trace how a theme develops across both testaments without losing your place.

Nave's Topical Bible with 5,319 categories. Research what the Bible says about patience, covenant, prayer, or any of thousands of subjects, persons, and themes. Each topic connects to curated verse associations organized by the editors of Nave's original index.

Full-text keyword search. Search for an exact word or phrase across all translations or a specific one, from Genesis to Revelation. Results come back in canonical order.

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How It Works

When you ask a Bible study question, the server queries a purpose-built database and returns structured data your AI assistant can reason about directly. The AI gets facts and definitions, not HTML pages it has to summarize.

Seven capabilities work together: meaning-based verse discovery, curated thematic research with major witnesses, keyword search, word frequency across books, side-by-side translation rendering, passage-to-passage connections, and original-language deep dives.

Because each query returns structured data, the tools chain naturally in a single conversation. You can find a passage semantically, compare how all five translations render the key term, look that term up in the Greek lexicon, and pull cross-references for the most significant occurrence — each step building on the last, without leaving the thread.

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Using This Server

Once subscribed, talk to your AI assistant as you normally would — no special syntax or commands required. Ask Bible study questions the same way you would ask a knowledgeable colleague: "What does the Greek say here?", "What other passages connect to this one?", or "What does the Bible teach about covenant?" The assistant routes each question to the right tools automatically and weaves the results into its response, so your research thread stays intact from the first question to the last.

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Example Phrases

Studying a specific passage You want to go deeper on a verse you are reading — seeing how other translations render it, what passages connect to it, or what the original text says.

• "Compare how the five translations render John 1:1."
• "What cross-references does Romans 8:28 connect to?"
• "Show me Genesis 1 in KJV and WEB side by side."
• "What other passages does Hebrews 11:1 echo?"

Exploring original languages You want to understand what the Hebrew or Greek actually says beneath the English translation.

• "What is the Greek word for 'love' in John 3:16 — is it agape or phileo?"
• "Give me the full BDB definition for the Hebrew word translated 'covenant' in Genesis 15:18."
• "Show me every New Testament verse where the same Greek word for 'grace' in Ephesians 2:8 appears."
• "What does the morphology tell us about the verb 'was' in John 1:1 in the Greek?"

Finding passages by topic or concept You want to know what the Bible teaches on a subject, or find passages that match a meaning rather than a keyword.

• "What does the Bible say about forgiveness?"
• "What does the Bible say about suffering and God's faithfulness? Show me why each book matters."
• "Look up 'patience' in Nave's and show me the associated verses."
• "Which books of the Bible deal most with the theme of exile and return? Where should I start reading?"
• "Search for verses about light overcoming darkness."
• "What does the Bible teach about lament and mourning? Which books address this most deeply?"

Sermon and teaching research You are preparing to preach or teach and need cross-references, lexical support, and translation awareness all in one session.

• "I'm preparing a sermon on covenant. Find cross-references for Genesis 15, compare the translations on the key verses, and look up the Hebrew word for 'covenant.'"
• "What are the major New Testament passages on the resurrection? Search Nave's for 'resurrection of Christ.'"
• "Give me a word study on 'sanctify' for a teaching on holiness — Greek roots, lexicon definition, and usage across the New Testament."

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Real-World Workflows

The pastor drafting Sunday's sermon on Wednesday afternoon. She's preaching on Psalm 23 and wants to know how the Hebrew behind "restore my soul" has been translated across history. She asks her AI assistant to pull the Strong's entry for the root verb, compare how KJV, ASV, and YLT each render it, and surface the cross-references that echo the same idea in the New Testament. The server returns the BDB definition, the morphological parsing, all five translation renderings, and a set of linked passages — in one response. She picks up the same conversation Friday morning to chase down the Isaiah parallels she bookmarked.

The seminary student writing an exegesis paper on Ephesians 2:8–9. He needs to demonstrate awareness of the Greek grammar, the lexical range of charis, and how the passage connects to the broader Pauline corpus. He asks for a word study on the Greek for "grace," then separately queries the cross-references to see which passages the OpenBible dataset links to this verse. He uses the semantic search to find thematically related passages that don't share the exact word, and pastes the structured results directly into his annotated bibliography notes. The entire research thread lives in one session so he can pick up the next day without losing context.

The small group leader preparing a discussion on forgiveness. She wants more than a keyword search — she wants the topical shape of what the Bible teaches. She opens with Nave's for "forgiveness," scans the subcategories and associated verses, then asks the server to compare how three translations render a verse that surprised her. When her group asks on Thursday night why a particular translation says "pardon" where others say "forgive," she already has the lexical answer ready.

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What Responses Look Like

Word study on "grace" in Ephesians 2:8:

The Greek word is charis (χάρις), Strong's G5485. Transliteration: charis. Thayer definition: "that which affords joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness" — and in a theological sense, "the merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ." Morphology: nominative feminine singular noun. This same word (G5485) appears 156 times in the New Testament, including Romans 3:24, Romans 5:2, 2 Corinthians 12:9, and Titus 2:11.

Cross-references for John 3:16:

Related passages include: Genesis 22:2 (God and Abraham's only son), Romans 5:8 (God demonstrates love while we were still sinners), 1 John 4:9 (God sent his only Son into the world), Romans 6:23 (the gift of God is eternal life), and John 10:28 (no one can snatch them out of my hand). The OpenBible dataset identifies 14 cross-references for this verse, ranging from direct parallels to thematic echoes.

Nave's Topical search for "Covenant":

Nave's Topical Bible lists Covenant as a primary category with subcategories including: Covenant of Grace, Covenant with Abraham, Covenant with David, New Covenant, and Covenant — Conditions of. The Abraham covenant subcategory associates 23 verses including Genesis 12:1–3, Genesis 15:9–21, Genesis 17:1–14, Romans 4:13, and Galatians 3:17. The New Covenant subcategory includes Jeremiah 31:31–34, Hebrews 8:6–13, and Luke 22:20.

Topical search for "suffering and God's faithfulness":

Major witnesses:

Job — 34 topical references across 12 chapters. Why it matters: The Bible's central sustained treatment of righteous suffering and divine response. Themes matched: Innocent suffering, questioning God, divine testing, covenant faithfulness. Suggested anchor passages: Job 1–2 (introduction), Job 38–42 (God's response).

Psalms — 28 references across 15 chapters. Why it matters: The poetry of lament and trust, where suffering finds voice and faith endures. Themes matched: Lament, crying out, divine refuge, trust under affliction. Suggested anchor passages: Psalm 23 (confidence), Psalm 42 (deep questioning), Psalm 88 (darkest lament).

Verse results: 2 Corinthians 1:4 — God comforts us in all our affliction (Nave's: AFFLICTION + Semantic). 1 Peter 4:19 — let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator (Semantic). Job 1:21 — the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord (Nave's: SUFFERING).