Help

To get to know the functions, we offer two discovery tours:

Add to homescreen

Save an icon as a quick access on your homescreen for ERF Bibleserver on mobile devices under Android and iOS. In the Chrome browser under Android you can create the icon via the menu item Install app or Add to home screen . The Firefox and Opera browsers also support this under Android. In the Safari browser under iOS, you can create the icon via the Share menu and the To home screen menu item.

Audio Bible

The audio Bible is part of the sidebar of the text view. If an audio Bible is available in the language of the user interface, it will be listed. To play the audio Bible, click on the corresponding line in the sidebar. The audio player opens at the bottom of the website and automatically plays the current chapter. It contains standard features such as play/pause , volume on/off (desktop version only) and close . The autoplay function of the player (also only in the desktop version) automatically plays the next chapter at the end of a chapter, without you having to navigate manually in the Bible text. Please note that the view of the Bible text does not automatically switch to the new chapter. Attention: The offered audio Bibles do not necessarily correspond to the selected standard translation - therefore the reading and audio text do not always correspond. §div§ Tip The audio player of the audio bible continues playing while you navigate on the website to open a new bible passage or to search for a term. §/div§

Bible text rights

ERF Bibleserver is an online platform on which many different Bible translations are offered. These are in most cases protected by copyright and may not be duplicated without permission. ERF - the association behind ERF Bibleserver - has entered into license agreements with the Bible societies to be able to present the Bible texts on www.bibleserver.com. Beyond that we can neither give you permission for the duplication and/or the printing of Bible texts nor advise you legally. If you would like to use Bible texts beyond our platform, please contact the respective Bible Society directly. Information on this can be found in the copyright information at the end of each Bible text.

Browser support

The website ERF Bibleserver is supported by the following browsers: Chrome 60+ supported Firefox 54+ supported Edge 15+ supported Safari 10.1+ supported Opera 15+ supported Internet Explorer 11 not supported JavaScript must be activated in your browser to use ERF Bibleserver. It is also recommended to allow cookies for the domain.

Commentaries

Comments are explanations of individual passages in the Bible. They typically take the form of an encyclopedia entry or devotion and are designed to help you get more involved with the Bible text. You can find them in the sidebar of the text view. It lists the different comments. The number in brackets indicates the number of matching entries to the Bible text. The commentary can either be opened directly in the sidebar next to the Bible text or in a separate view. You control this via the "Show commentary in sidebar" option. In the commentary view, all entries of a commentary on the displayed Bible text are opened. You can switch between the different commentaries using the selection menu at the top. The comment detail box in the sidebar is displayed in an extra box. You can change the width (mobile: height) of the sidebar to make it easier to see large commentaries. In the comment detail box, you can use the arrows to switch between the different comment entries within a chapter. If synchronization is active, the system scrolls to the relevant Bible text. You can deactivate this in the upper area of the comment detail box (synchronization icon). At the end of the comment detail box, you can open the current comment in a separate view by clicking on "Go to overlay". By default, the comment detail box in the sidebar is not closed automatically. To do this, you must click on the close icon of the box. The commentary is also not automatically updated when you open another Bible passage. You can use the refresh icon at the top right of the comment detail box to do this.

Cross-references

As a registered user, you can activate the cross-references of a Bible translation in the text formatting . They will then be displayed directly in the Bible text at the end of each verse. If you click on a cross-reference, the cross-references view of the Bible verse opens. All related cross-references with the Bible text are displayed in context. If you click on the link "more", you switch to the text view of this biblical passage. Note: Cross-references are not available in all Bible translations.

Dictionaries

In the dictionaries you will find keyword-based secondary information. You can find an overview of the dictionaries via the main menu ( dictionaries ). In this overview you can choose between different dictionaries and search for terms. If you click on an entry, the detail view appears. Further dictionaries with entries for the same term are linked on the right. §div§ Tip Hits from dictionaries are also displayed in the sidebar of the search view. So you can quickly get further information about terms. §/div§

Forgot password

If you have forgotten your password, you can have a new password sent to you by email via the link forgot your password .

Graphics

Under Graphics, Bible verse graphics published by ERF Bibleserver are displayed. On each of them a Bible verse is graphically designed. You can find an overview of all graphics via the main menu ( graphics ). Here you can search for graphics to verses from certain biblical books and sort the displayed search results ( newest first or Canonically ). Also in the sidebar you will see matching graphics to the Bible text. If you click on a graphic, the detail view appears. Here you see the graphic in large and further graphics from the same chapter are shown. You have the option to share the graphic on Facebook or Twitter or copy the link to the clipboard (top right icons). You can also jump directly from the graphic to the corresponding Bible text ( Bible context button).

History

The history shows you the biblical passages or search terms you have used in the past, including the respective Bible translation. Each entry in the central search field is saved. That way you can easily track which Bible passages you have accessed in the past. Some entries in the view are displayed smaller. These are entries that were not accessed directly from the search box (e.g., by changing the Bible translation or clicking a cross-reference). In addition, the history can be filtered by date range ( select date ) or by individual biblical passages/terms (check boxes). If you want to clean up your history, you can delete it completely using the paper basket icon in the upper right corner. Note that this cannot be undone.

Is there a ERF Bibleserver App?

In a nutshell: There is no ERF Bibleserver app for Android or iOS. There are several reasons for this. One main reason is that our unique range of Bible translations does not allow us to offer them within an app. The license agreements with the Bible societies only provide for the use on the website bibleserver.com. The website ERF Bibleserver provides the complete functionality on mobile devices and works very similar to an app. Only the offline-function, which is common for apps, is not available via the website.

Language selection

In most cases ERF Bibleserver automatically recognizes the correct language of the user. To change the language of the user interface manually, open the menu and select Language: English. A menu will open in which the language is selected. As a registered user you can also change the language in your profile. That language will be selected automatically the next time you visit the site.

Likes

The Likes are your favorite Bible references. Mark one or more Bible verses in a chapter and click on the heart in the top left corner of the sidebar. You can find an overview of all your Likes via the main menu ( Likes ). The view can be filtered by biblical books and sorted by latest first or canonical . In this view you can also remove Likes simply by clicking on the heart icon in the respective line. You can print the list of your Likes ( printer -Icon top right). §div§ Tip You want to know how many users have clicked the verse? Move your mouse over the heart icon in the sidebar and the corresponding number will be displayed by tooltip (desktop version only). In the Like overview you will see it to the right of the heart. §/div§

Login

Registered users can log in via the create profile area in the menu or at the top right of the website. In the view, you can change to the login form by clicking on the Log in link next to the title. Once you have logged in, your profile will automatically load the saved personal settings . The option stay signed in ensures that the login is saved in the cookies of your browser. The next time you visit the website, you will automatically be logged in with your ERF Bibleserver profile. Please note that cookies for this website must be allowed to be saved in the browser.

The menu icon at the top left of each page opens the main menu of ERF Bibleserver over the whole page. At the top of the menu you can see your login status. Here you can log in or register or edit your profile as a registered user. On the right side (mobile at top) the most important features are listed. This will take you to your tags or notes, as well as other resources such as dictionaries, graphics and videos. On the left side (mobile at bottom) you will find all other (partly technical) menu items. In addition to the help menu and information on data protection/imprint, you can also change the language of the user interface here. Furthermore you can change the design of ERF Bibleserver between light and dark. In the darkmode, the Bible text is displayed in white on a dark background. This is especially useful on mobile devices or for reasons of accessibility. Occasionally messages from ERF Bibleserver appear in the menu (e.g. about new campaigns or features). If there is a new message, it is indicated by an orange dot on the menu icon.

Navigation in the Bible text

The Bible text is presented chapter by chapter. At the bottom of the screen you will see arrow buttons (left/right) to open the previous and next chapters. When scrolling, they are automatically hidden. To show them again, scroll the website up a bit. Alternatively, you can navigate through the Bible text using the arrow keys (left/right) on the keyboard. On devices with a touch screen (e.g. smartphones) you can navigate through the chapters with a wipe gesture. To get an overview of all contents (outline) of a biblical book, click on the Book selection in the upper left corner of the search box and then on the list icon in the lower right corner of the chapter tab.

Notes

Notes are your personal notes on Bible verses. They are private and will never be published. In the sidebar, notes are teased if they were created by you for the respective Bible text. To use notes, you must be logged in .

OpenSearch

ERF Bibleserver makes it possible to set up the website in the browser as a search engine and thus browse the Bible or look up a Bible passage. For this to work, though, the search must be set up in the browser settings. How to set it up can be found in the help of the respective browser (e.g. Firefox ). To set up the search engine manually, the following URL must be used: https://www.bibleserver.com/opensearch/BIBLE-ABBREVIATION/SEARCH-TERM For the English Standard Version in the Chrome browser, this is: https://www.bibleserver.com/opensearch/esv/%s Specifying a translation comparison is also supported: https://www.bibleserver.com/opensearch/esv.kjv/%s

Print

You can print a chapter of a Bible text using the corresponding button at the top of the Sidebar . The settings from the text formatting (except for the font size) are applied. A comparison of Bible translations can also be printed. If you have selected individual verses in the Bible text, printing is limited to the selected verses. To print the entire chapter, you must select/deselect all verses. You can also print other content: Search results, notes, tags and likes. Only the verses that are displayed in the browser are printed in the search result. If you scroll to the end of the result list, further hits will be loaded automatically. In order to print more verses in the search result, a corresponding number of verses must be reloaded.

Profile

As a registered user, you have many other functions, such as personal tags and notes or text formatting. The following links will show you how to register and login . To change the settings in the profile, click on the user icon in the top right corner (desktop) or via the main menu (mobile). Here you can edit the profile settings. In addition to standard informations such as name, email address and password, you can subscribe/unsubscribe to the newsletter or upload a profile picture. You can upload the picture by clicking on the big round icon/picture. Alternatively, the Gravatar profile picture can be used if you have uploaded a profile picture to your e-mail address. Gravatar is a service of Automatic, the provider of Wordpress, and enables you to automatically display the same profile picture/avatar matching your e-mail address on many websites. The option Show search box permanently when scrolling causes the upper bar containing the search box to be displayed permanently on desktop computers. If this option is deactivated, the bar is reduced as in the mobile view. The search box appears as soon as you scroll up a bit. The option Open external links with predefined translations allows you to open external links to Bible passages with your personal favorite translations. If an external link contains other translations that you click on, you will automatically be redirected to the translations stored in your profile. You can also delete your user account ( delete profile ). Note that this process cannot be undone.

Reading plans

Reading plans help you to read the Bible regularly. ERF Bibleserver offers various reading plans, for example a continuous Bible reading or reading plans for a biblical book. Some of them only refer exclusively to the Bible text, others also have an impulse regarding the Bible text or an audio section (currently only in German). You can get an overview of all available reading plans via the main menu. You can filter this view so that only your subscribed reading plans are shown. These are marked with an orange tick. If you have already completed the reading plan, the check mark is gray.

Registration

The registration on ERF Bibleserver is free of charge and offers a multitude of further functions in just a few minutes . This includes personal tags, notes as well as a history and text formatting. You can create a personal profile via the menu or the profile icon at the top right of the website. Once you have registered, you will be sent an e-mail in which you must confirm your email address. Then you can log in to ERF Bibleserver. The delivery of the confirmation e-mail can sometimes take a few minutes. If the email does not reach you within a few minutes, please check the spam folder in your email account.

Search box

The search box can be used for opening Bible passages as well as Bible text searches.

Search filter

The search field already offers many possibilities to adjust the search query. In the search filters you can choose additional settings for the search result. You can access the search filters via the funnel icon on the search results page to the right of the search field. If the search has been restricted or extended by search filters, this is indicated by an orange dot on the funnel icon. The search filter popup also contains a reset link that resets the search filters to default. The following settings are possible: By default, the system searches for whole words. You can extend the search to include substrings using the search for subwords option. Note that the search query may take a little longer, as no database indexes can be used. In addition to the Bible texts, the headings can also be searched. Activate the option search in headings . The Exact word order option is equivalent to putting the search term in quotation marks in the search field (see also search Bible text ). Only those search results are displayed where a group of words appears exactly as it appears in the Bible text. By default, umlauts are not considered in German. A search for "Vögel" also finds verses with the term "Vogel". If you activate the option consider umlauts, a distinction is made between a/ä, o/ö and u/ü. The search can also be restricted to individual biblical books. This is possible in the narrow your search section of the search filter. Here you can select or deselect individual books or the whole AT or NT.

Search result

The search result lists Bible verses that contain the term or phrase you are looking for. The search result can be adjusted via the search box (see search Bible text or the search filter . If you move the mouse (desktop) over a verse or click on the verse text on mobile devices, the search word is highlighted in the text. The search result also works in the translation comparison. Since the hits in different Bible translations appear in different verses, the text of the verses without hits is shown in grey. The respective number of hits is displayed at the top next to the Bible translation. By default the verses are listed in biblical order. Search results from the Apocrypha are shown at the very end after the New Testament. Alternatively, the search can be sorted by relevance (top right selection). Here the verses appear first in which the search word occurs most frequently or a group of words is closest together. In addition to the Bible verses, search results from secondary sources are also displayed in the search result. These are listed in the sidebar (mobile from below). All keyword-based resources such as tags, videos or dictionaries are searched. Here the search filters are only used to a limited extent. You will not have to browse several pages for your search results. At the end of the site, further results are automatically uploaded.

Selection of books & chapters

You can also open a Bible passage in the search box by selecting it (instead of typing it on the keyboard). To do this, click on the book icon on the left side of the search box. In the first step you choose the biblical book. The listing of the books is canonical. Alternatively, the sorting can be changed to alphabetical ( AZ icon at the bottom right). After the selection you automatically jump into the tab chapter . Here you can change the display to a table of contents (outline) of the biblical book ( lists icon bottom right). The headings of the Bible translation (if available) will be displayed. For more information on how to use the keyboard for selection, see the shortcut section of the Help.

Selections

To work with verses or verse sections, you can mark them. If you select individual verses, the sidebar will open automatically (Desktop only) and information about the selected verses will be displayed. You can remember the marked verses as your favorite verses by clicking on the heart at the top left of the sidebar ( likes ). If you want to share the marked Bible text with others (on Facebook, Twitter or by copying the link to the clipboard), use the share icons at the top of the page bar. You can print the highlighted verses by clicking on the print icon in the sidebar. If no verses are marked, the whole chapter will be printed. To mark one or more verses, enter the verse in the search box (e.g. Joh 3:12-16 ). Separate ranges within a chapter are also possible (e.g. Joh 3:12-16.20-21 ). Alternatively, markings can be made by clicking on the verse with the mouse. To mark an area, click on the first verse and then, while holding down the Shift key, click on the last verse. Several separate verses can be marked with the mouse while holding down the ⌘ / Ctrl key. This allows you to deselect single verses from a range. To deselect a single verse, simply click on the marked verse again. §div§ Tip If a translation contains headings, all verses of the corresponding paragraph will be marked/ deselected by clicking on the heading. §/div§

ERF Bibleserver offers icons in the sidebar to share the current page on Facebook and Twitter. You can also copy the link to the clipboard by using the copy icon. Note: The URL is copied, not the Bible text itself. If verses are marked in the text view, they will also be marked in the shared links. The same applies to the search filters: these are also contained in the shared links in order to be able to call up the same search result.

Shortcuts

The most important functions of the website can also be controlled with the keyboard. The following key combinations are available for this purpose:

Sidebar

On large displays (desktop) the sidebar will be faded in from the right. On small displays (mobile) it will be faded in from the bottom. In the text view, it offers extensive additional information about the displayed Bible text. In the search results, further keyword-based results from secondary sources are displayed (e.g. tags or videos). If no information is available for one of the categories in the sidebar, it will be automatically deactivated. As a registered user you can change the order of the boxes via the Settings icon. The moving is done by Drag'n'Drop. As soon as you select one or more Bible verses, the information in the sidebar adjusts to the selection. The sidebar opens automatically for large displays when a verse is highlighted, and closes again when you return to navigate the Bible text. You can keep the sidebar permanently open or closed as a logged in user by pressing the pin at the top of the sidebar so that it is activated. When the sidebar is closed, the desktop view shows some icons for creating tags or notes and sharing the page. You can change the width (or height) of the sidebar. To do this, move the boundary bar with the arrow in both directions using drag'n'drop. ERF Bibleserver remembers this position and retains it when it is opened again. §div§ Tip If you want to use the sidebar on your smartphone, but don't want to open and close it all the time, you can open it completely in Portrait mode and then switch to Landscape mode to read the Bible text. §/div§

Synopsis

The synopsis of the gospels is a comparison of the contents of the four gospels of the New Testament in the Bible. Many of the Gospel stories are mentioned in two or more of the biblical books. If the Bible text in the text view is part of one or more synopses, they are listed in the sidebar (e.g. Matthew 3 ). If you click on it, a comparison of the various biblical passages from the gospels of the New Testament opens in the detailed view. The translation displayed in the detailed view corresponds to the standard translation currently selected by the user.

Text formatting

Text formatting is available exclusively to registered users . This allows you to customize the appearance of the Bible text to your personal needs. You will find the text format icon in the Bible text view to the right of the search box. In addition to font size and font, the text view can be individually customized. The following settings are available: Limit text width : The Bible text is limited in width, so that a more pleasant reading is possible. One verse per line : Each verse is displayed in its own line. This option is mandatory for the translation comparison. Display headings : Show and hide the headings in the Bible text. Display footnotes : Show and hide the footnotes in the Bible text. They appear as a tooltip in the Bible text when you move the mouse (or your finger) to the footnote number. In the print view, they are displayed at the end of the Bible text. Display verse numbers : Show and hide the verse numbers in the Bible text. Show cross-references : Show and hide the cross-references in the Bible text. It depends on the Bible translation whether cross-references to other Bible passages exist. The text formatting (except for the font size) is used for the print preview.

Text view

The text view shows the Bible text of a complete chapter. Several translations can be displayed next to each other. Mobile, the translation comparison is only available in the landscape format of the device. The Sidebar (mobile from below) provides additional information about the Bible text, such as functions for sharing, personal notes, comments, graphics and videos. For more information on the text view, see below: Translation Selection Navigation in Bible Text Text Formatting Markers Keyboard shortcuts

Translation comparison

In the translation comparison, you can display several translations next to each other to compare them with each other. You start the translation comparison by placing several checkmarks in front of the translations in the translation selection. The maximum number depends on your screen size. In portrait mode, only one translation is displayed on the mobile device. In landscape format, it will be two translations on the smartphone. On tablets and computers, more translations can be displayed side by side, depending on the width of the browser window (3 translations from 800px). The restriction refers to the translations displayed - not to the possible selection of Bible translations. In the translation comparison, the verses are displayed next to each other line by line. If you mark one or more verses, they will be marked in all displayed translations. The order of the Bible translations in comparison can be swapped. At the top you will find a button with a double arrow between the names of the translations. If you click on it, the left and right translations will be swapped. This feature is only available to registered users (except Internet Explorer). All functions of the text view with a Bible translation are also available in the translation comparison. In the translation comparison, the left Bible translation is the standard translation, i.e. Bible texts in other views (e.g. create note) are always displayed in this standard translation. §div§ Tip To change the default translation in the translation comparison, click directly on the respective Bible translation in the translation selection. It will then be set as the default translation. §/div§

Translation selection

You can change the translation of the Bible text in the search field on the right by clicking on the abbreviation of the Bible translation (e.g. ESV ). A selection opens with the tabs my translations (mobile: my ) and all translations (mobile: all ). As a registered user, you can add your favorite translations to my translations via the star icon. For non-registered users, the translations of the current language appear there. In the All translations section you will find all the Bibles of all languages available on ERF Bibleserver. Using the search field in the tab you can quickly filter by translations or languages. To change a translation quickly, click directly on the translated name. If you want to start or change a translation comparison, place several checkmarks in front of the translations. Then you have to accept the selection and the Bible texts will be loaded in the translation comparison. To finish a translation comparison quickly, click on the Cancel translation comparison icon in the grey bar at the bottom left of the translation selection. As a registered user, you will also find a button for quick access to the most recently selected translations or translation comparisons. So you can easily switch between your preferred translations. The info icon opens an introduction to Bible translation. Here you will find further information, e.g. on the origin, distribution and special features of the Bible translation. §div§ Tip If you know the abbreviations of the Bible translations, you can enter them in the search box followed by a colon at the beginning and the translation automatically changes to them (e.g. ESV: or KVJ: ). §/div§ For more information on using the keyboard to make selections, see the shortcuts section of Help.

Verse view

The verse view gives you an overview with all of ERF Bibleserver's information about a single Bible verse. You can open the verse view by clicking on the icon with the eye at the top of the sidebar. The verse view is divided into 2 columns. On the left side the Bible verse is displayed in all translations of the current language. Alternatively you can display the verse in your favorite translations. With the icon Settings you can also change the order of the translations in this view. On the right side you will see further information about the Bible verse. As a registered user you can assign tags (keywords) to the Bible verse. If you have already done so, they will be displayed in colored chips. Below them you will find the public tags already created by other users for this verse in grey. You can add public tags to your personal tags. There is also the possibility to save personal notes on the Bible verse as note . In addition, other suitable content such as Bible verse graphics or comments will be displayed. Also videos , ERF Workshops (online courses) and reading plans related to this Bible verse are displayed. In the upper right corner of the view you can also choose to like , share or print the Bible verse.

Videos

The videos will help you to better understand biblical books or terms. In the text view (if available) in the sidebar suitable videos are suggested to you, which explain the respective biblical book in detail. Similarly, the search results will show you videos that explain the term you are looking for in more detail. The video can be played and shared in the detail view.

What is the ERF Bibleserver Alexa Skill?

Alexa skills are voice activated apps that add capabilities to your Alexa-enabled device. Open and read a Bible passage by voice on Alexa enabled devices with this ERF Bibleserver Skill . Currently the ERF Bibleserver skill only supports the German language with the translations Neue Genfer Übersetzung, Schlachter 2000 and Neue evangelistische Übersetzung. More information about Alexa and supported devices can be found on Amazon .

Why does Bible translation XY not exist?

The Bible translations available on ERF Bibleserver were selected editorially. The focus is among other things on widespread translations in the respective language area. ERF Bibleserver does not claim to be a scientific portal, which is why the original texts of the Bible are not available. In addition, ERF - the association behind ERF Bibleserver - is committed to the faith basis of the German Evangelical Alliance, which also influences the selection of available Bible translations. If you are still of the opinion that a Bible translation meets the criteria mentioned above and is missing on ERF Bibleserver, please feel free to write us a message via the contact form .