Every English Bible is a translation, and every translation is a series of choices. Where the Hebrew or Greek holds several shades of meaning at once, the translator has to pick one English word — and you inherit that pick without ever seeing the options. For centuries, seeing past it meant learning the languages or owning a shelf of lexicons. It doesn't anymore.
What "reading the original" actually means today
You don't sit down and learn to conjugate Greek verbs. Instead, an interlinear tool lines up the original text with a word-for-word English rendering, so you can see which original word each English word came from. The good ones go further: tap a word and you get its meaning, its grammar in plain English, and every other verse where the same root appears. The languages do the work; you stay in English.
What to look for in an original-language Bible app
- Tap-to-original on every word — not just a handful of famous verses.
- Lexicons in plain English — the scholarly dictionaries (BDB for Hebrew; Abbott-Smith and Thayer's for Greek) rewritten so a normal reader can use them.
- Every occurrence of a word — so you can see how Scripture itself uses it, not just one verse.
- Cross-references you can follow — to trace a word or idea across both Testaments.
- Works offline, no subscription — study anywhere, own it once.
| What you want | Typical free Bible app | Scholarly desktop software | DeepWord |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tap any word → original Hebrew/Greek | Rarely | Yes | Yes |
| Lexicons rewritten in plain English | No | Raw / jargon | Yes |
| Every occurrence of a word | Limited | Yes | Yes |
| Cross-references | Some | Yes | 344,799 |
| Price | Free / ads / subs | $$$ + subscription | $9.99 once |
| Built for non-scholars | Yes, but shallow | Steep learning curve | Yes |
How DeepWord does it
Open any verse and tap a word. DeepWord shows the original Hebrew or Greek behind it, three ways: the source word, the literal word-for-word sense, and the word your translation chose — side by side. Under that sits the meaning, drawn from the standard scholarly lexicons and restructured into plain English, plus every other verse the same root appears in and the cross-references that connect it across Scripture. No account, no subscription, no internet required.
Want to see it in action? Read a few of our plain-English Hebrew & Greek word studies — like logos in John 1:1, chesed in Lamentations, or agape in 1 John — each one is the kind of study DeepWord puts one tap away.
Frequently asked
Yes. An interlinear-style app like DeepWord shows the original word behind each English word, with its meaning in plain English and every verse it appears in — so you study the source without learning the alphabets or grammar.
An interlinear Bible places the original Hebrew or Greek text alongside a word-for-word English rendering, so you can see exactly which original word each English word came from. DeepWord makes this tappable and adds the meaning, every occurrence, and cross-references.
It depends on your goal. Scholarly desktop suites are powerful but steep and expensive; most free apps stop at the English text. DeepWord is built for readers who want real depth without a seminary library — tap any word for the original plus a plain-English lexicon, every occurrence, and 344,799 cross-references, for $9.99 once, offline.
Not with DeepWord — it's a one-time $9.99 purchase, no subscription, no ads, no tracking, fully offline.
Every translation is one translator's choice of words. A single Hebrew or Greek word often carries a range no single English word can hold. Seeing the original — and every place it's used — lets you weigh that range yourself instead of inheriting one committee's pick.