The whole Bible, one word at a time.
See the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek words under the English Bible. Each word is explained in plain English.
Read closely. See the words for yourself.
A free Bible study tool for incarcerated men and women. Nothing to sign up for. Nothing to buy.
Where do you want to start?
Word by word
Every word in the language it was first written in.
Old Testament New Testament- Old Testament39 books · 929 chapters · Hebrew and Aramaic
- New Testament27 books · 260 chapters · Greek
On every chapter page
- The English verse, then a card for every word under it.
- A say line and dictionary meanings on each card.
- Match, related verses, and a map where a chapter has one.
Read straight through
Eight English Bibles, and other ancient books, from start to finish.
How each page works
- 1Read the verse.
The English verse is at the top.
- 2Swipe through the words.
Each word has its own card. Swipe sideways to see the next one.
- 3Look for the same word.
Tap Match to see where the same word is used again.
Learn even more about the Bible
Short pages on where the Bible came from, its words, and its world.
- AboutWhat Open Scroll is, and who it is for.
- How to use itFind a chapter in Open Scroll and use each part of it.
- Word cardsWhat each part of an Open Scroll word card tells you.
- Say the wordsHow to say a Hebrew or Greek word.
- Books of the BibleHow different Bibles count and order the books.
- Books not in every BibleWhy some Bibles have more books than others.
- Chapters & versesWho added chapters and verses, when, and why.
- From Scrolls to Modern BiblesHow the Bible came to us, step by step.
- The Ten CommandmentsThe ten words in Hebrew, and how they are counted.
- God’s NameHis name, his titles, and LORD.
- Hebrew & Aramaic in the New TestamentWords the New Testament kept.
- Bible Maps165 historical and modern maps, plans and pictures.
- B.C. and A.D. datesWhat the abbreviations mean and how to understand them.
- The Hebrew CalendarThe months and feasts, and the verses that name them.
- GlossaryKey Bible terms, A to Z.
- The Dead Sea ScrollsThe scrolls from the caves, and what they show.
- How to write an exegesisDraw out what a passage meant, step by step.
- Seeing the BibleThe Bible shown in artistic charts and pictures.
- The Bible Story Explained SimplyHighlights of the Bible story in 109 pictures.
- Sources & creditsWhere every part of Open Scroll comes from.
Before you begin
What is Open Scroll?
A free Bible study tool made for the tablets incarcerated men and women use. It shows every word of the Bible in the language it was first written in, Hebrew, Aramaic or Greek, and explains each word in plain English.
The Bible text is not changed. Open Scroll also has eight English Bibles to read straight through, and short pages on where the Bible came from, its words and its world.
Do I need to know Hebrew or Greek?
No. Every card gives the English meaning, and a say line that shows how to say the word in plain English letters.
If you want to go further, the page Say the words shows the letters and their sounds. You can learn as much or as little of the languages as you like.
Why does it look different from my Bible?
English puts words in English order. Hebrew and Greek often use a different order, and one Hebrew or Greek word can take several English words to say. In Genesis 1:1, the three English words “In the beginning” are one Hebrew word.
Open Scroll keeps the words in the order they were written, on cards under the English verse. Read the English first, then swipe through the cards to see what stands beneath it.
Why does my Bible say LORD or Jehovah?
Where the Hebrew has God's personal name, the four letters YHWH, the King James Version and the 1917 Jewish Publication Society Tanakh print LORD or GOD in capital letters. The American Standard Version prints Jehovah.
In the Hebrew text the four letters are written with the vowel marks of Adonai, a Hebrew word for Lord, so that readers would say Adonai. Jehovah reads the four letters with those marks. On Open Scroll, the cards for the Name show the four Hebrew letters wherever the Name stands.
Each Bible came out at a different time. From Scrolls to Modern Bibles shows when.