🔍 Observe, analyze, and apply

• Observation tools: Track people, places, times, contrasts, conclusions, themes, and 5 W's/H observations
• Custom lists: Create lists for repeated ideas, commands, promises, questions, or anything else you want to trace
• Chapter analysis: Record chapter titles, themes, structure, and study notes in one place
• Interpretation worksheet: Work through what the text means
• Application worksheet: Capture personal application without mixing it into your observation notes
• Reference view: Review people, places, keywords, Strong's entries, and cross references while you study

📚 Organize focused studies

• Study system: Keep keywords, markings, and observations organized by study
• Book-scoped keywords: Limit keywords to specific books for focused studies
• Book-scoped people and places: Scope observation entries where they belong
• Clear book highlights: Start fresh on a book while preserving your reusable study structure

💾 Own your study data

• Local storage: Your study data lives locally in SQLite
• Automatic backups: Configure backup frequency and retention
• Import/export: Restore or move your full BibleMarker data when needed
• Study export: Export formatted study notes with observations and applications
• iCloud sync: Optionally sync study data between macOS and iOS through iCloud Documents

⚡ Built for daily use

• Native app: Runs on macOS, Windows, Linux, and iOS through Tauri
• Keyboard shortcuts: Navigate with arrow keys, J/K, chapter shortcuts, search, and marking hotkeys
• Appearance options: Choose dark, light, or system theme and select from multiple scripture fonts
• Touch-friendly workflow: Use the bottom toolbar on iPhone and iPad for Mark, Observe, Analyze, Reference, and Settings

Download & Installation

iOS: Download on the App Store

Desktop: Pre-built apps (macOS, Windows, Linux) are on GitHub Releases.

Windows: SmartScreen may warn for unsigned downloads. Click More info → Run anyway. For signed builds (no warning), see Windows code signing.

Building from source

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/spearssoftware/BibleMarker.git
cd biblemarker

2. Install dependencies:

corepack enable
corepack prepare pnpm@latest --activate
pnpm install

3. Run desktop app in development:

pnpm run tauri:dev

4. Build desktop app for production:

pnpm run tauri:build

See docs/MAC_APP_GUIDE.md for detailed macOS-specific instructions.

Configuration

Bible Translations

NASB 2020 and NASB 1995 are bundled with the app. Additional translations are available as downloadable SWORD modules in Settings → Bible → Manage Translations.

ESV API Key (Optional)

For the ESV translation, register for a free API key at api.esv.org and add it in Settings → Bible → API Configuration.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Navigation

• ↑ / ↓ - Navigate between verses
• J / K - Navigate between verses (Vim-style)
• ← / → - Previous/Next chapter
• ⌘/Ctrl + F - Search

Marking

• 1 - Quick color 1
• 2 - Quick color 2
• 3 - Quick color 3

View all shortcuts in Settings → Help → Keyboard Shortcuts

Development

Project Structure

biblemarker/
├── src/
│   ├── components/      # React components (feature-based folders)
│   ├── stores/          # Zustand state management
│   ├── lib/             # Core libraries
│   │   ├── bible-api/   # SWORD module reader + ESV API
│   │   ├── database.ts  # All CRUD and SQL operations
│   │   ├── sqlite-db.ts # SQLite driver and migrations
│   │   ├── sync.ts      # iCloud sync API
│   │   └── ...
│   └── types/           # TypeScript type definitions
├── src-tauri/           # Tauri native app code (Rust)
├── docs/                # Documentation
└── public/              # Static assets

Tech Stack

• Frontend: React 19, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS 4
• State Management: Zustand
• Database: SQLite via @tauri-apps/plugin-sql
• Desktop/Mobile: Tauri 2 (Rust)
• Build: Vite, pnpm, Vitest, ESLint
• Bible Data: SWORD modules (local Z-Text format), ESV API
• Maps: MapLibre GL + OpenFreeMap

Debug Logging

The app includes toggleable debug logging for development:

1. Go to Settings → Help → Debug Logging
2. Enable "Keyword Matching" or "Verse Text Rendering"
3. Open browser/dev console to see detailed logs

This is useful for troubleshooting keyword matching issues or rendering problems.

Scripts

# Development
pnpm dev                  # Run web dev server
pnpm run tauri:dev        # Run Tauri desktop dev

# Building
pnpm build                # Build web app
pnpm run tauri:build      # Build desktop app

# Testing & Linting
pnpm test                 # Run tests (Vitest)
pnpm run lint             # Run ESLint

# Utilities
pnpm run generate-icons   # Generate app icons
pnpm run version:sync     # Sync version across configs

License

BibleMarker is licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 or later (AGPL-3.0-or-later).

In summary:

• ✅ Free to use, modify, and self-host — for individuals, churches, ministries, and organizations
• ✅ You may distribute modified versions, provided you release your source code under the same license
• ✅ Commercial use is permitted under the same terms
• 🤝 If you'd like to ship BibleMarker as part of a paid product, hosted offering, or curriculum without those copyleft requirements, contact us — we're happy to discuss commercial licensing

See LICENSE for full terms.

Bible text licensing

BibleMarker source code is licensed under AGPL-3.0-or-later. The NASB Bible text is not part of this repository. NASB is licensed by The Lockman Foundation to Spears Software (the official BibleMarker developer) for use exclusively in the official BibleMarker app. The biblemarker.app endpoints that distribute NASB modules are restricted to the official app via a build-time signing key that is not present in this public source.

If you fork BibleMarker and want to ship a similar app:

• Your fork will not have NASB available. The build-time signing key is absent from the public source, so requests to biblemarker.app for NASB modules will be rejected.
• The American Standard Version (ASV, public domain) ships bundled with the app. Many other public-domain SWORD modules are downloadable from CrossWire on demand.
• To distribute NASB with a fork, you must obtain your own license from The Lockman Foundation.

Trademark

"BibleMarker" and the BibleMarker logo are trademarks of Spears Software. The AGPL license grants you rights to the source code. It does not grant rights to use the BibleMarker name or branding. Forks must rebrand.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome. Before your first pull request can be merged, you'll be asked to sign our Contributor License Agreement — a one-click process via the CLA Assistant bot. See CONTRIBUTING.md for details.

Support

For questions or issues:

• Website: biblemarker.app
• Documentation: GitHub Wiki
• Open an issue on GitHub
• Check the built-in help: Settings → Help → Getting Started

Acknowledgments

• Bible text provided via SWORD modules and ESV API
• Maps powered by OpenFreeMap and MapLibre GL
• Built with Tauri and React

Disclaimer

BibleMarker is independent software and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Precept Ministries International or any other organization.

Made for deeper Bible study 📖✨