Question: "What is the Blue Letter Bible?"

Answer: The Blue Letter Bible (www.blueletterbible.org) is a website and app that provides tools for in-depth Bible study. It is a non-denominational ministry that characterizes itself as being “grounded in the historical, conservative Christian faith.” The Blue Letter Bible (BLB) was housed under Koinonia House (the ministry of Chuck and Nancy Missler) and founded by Sowing Circle. It launched in 1996 with the King James Version of the biblical text and several commentaries. The site now includes twelve English Bible versions, one Spanish version, one Hebrew version, three Greek versions, and the Latin Vulgate version. Study tools include Hebrew and Greek Lexicons, including Strong’s; multiple commentaries available in text, audio, and video formats; Bible dictionaries; maps; devotionals; and other tools.

Up until 2010 the Blue Letter Bible was operated and fully funded by Sowing Circle, a conservative Christian ministry “dedicated to sowing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We believe that one of the most effective methods to spread the Word is to work together with other ministries in evangelizing, teaching the Scriptures and ministering in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ” (from sowingcircle.org). Sowing Circle also ran the Blue Letter Bible Institute, which offers several different courses in the Christian faith online. In 2015, Blue Letter Bible became its own separate 501(c)(3) public charity and is funded primarily through individual donations and grants as well as advertisements and book sales.

The Blue Letter Bible is so-called for the color of hyperlinks. In their words, “Our vision has always been to provide free Bible study software in which the Bible is the center of the experience with study resources that link off of every word in the Bible. With hundreds of thousands of links that were all blue, we decided to call it the Blue Letter Bible as a play on the more commonly referenced red-letter editions of Scripture.”

The site and app are free, easy to use, and offer a host of helpful Bible study tools in a convenient location. The Blue Letter Bible itself offers a disclaimer that it does not necessarily agree with every theological position presented in each of the study materials it provides, as such materials come from a broad array of authors within the evangelical tradition. So, as with any resource, it is important for users to compare the various commentaries, devotionals, and other supplemental content to what the Bible actually says. The Blue Letter Bible seems to be an excellent resource for anyone looking to study and understand the Bible.


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