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Research Tools

This page describes the automated research tools that produce the data for each study.

Data Sources

The tools draw from these primary data sources:

Source Description Size
KJV Bible Complete King James Version text 31,102 verses
Nave's Topical Bible Orville J. Nave's topical dictionary 5,319 topics
Strong's Concordance James Strong's exhaustive concordance with Hebrew/Greek lexicon Every word in the KJV mapped to original language
BHSA (Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia Amstelodamensis) Hebrew Bible linguistic database via Text-Fabric Full morphological parsing of every Hebrew word
N1904 (Nestle 1904) Greek New Testament linguistic database via Text-Fabric Full morphological parsing of every Greek word
Textus Receptus Byzantine Greek text tradition For textual variant comparison
LXX Mapping Septuagint translation correspondences Hebrew-to-Greek word mappings
Sentence embeddings Pre-computed semantic vectors For semantic search across all sources

Tool Descriptions

Topic & Verse Lookup

Finds relevant Nave's Topical Bible topics using semantic similarity (sentence embeddings), not just keyword matching. A query like "what happens when you die" finds topics like DEATH, SLEEP (FIGURATIVE), RESURRECTION, and IMMORTALITY even though those exact words may not appear in the query.

  • Input: Natural language query
  • Output: Ranked list of topics with relevance scores and key verse references
  • Used by: Scoping agent to discover which topics are relevant to the research question

Direct lookup of Nave's Topical Bible entries. Returns the full entry for a topic, including all subtopics and every verse reference Nave catalogued.

  • Modes:
    • --topic "FAITH" -- Full entry for a specific topic
    • --search "salvation" -- Full-text search across all 5,319 topics
    • --list -- List all available topics
  • Used by: Research agent to retrieve complete topic entries with all verse references

kjv.txt -- KJV Bible Text

The complete King James Version in a simple searchable format (BookName Chapter:Verse[TAB]Text). Verses are retrieved using pattern matching (Grep tool).

  • Format: Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
  • Used by: Research agent to retrieve the actual text of every verse discovered during scoping

Cross-Testament Parallels

cross_testament_parallels_v2.py -- Hybrid Parallel Finder

Finds parallel passages across testaments using a hybrid scoring system that combines:

  1. Semantic similarity -- sentence embedding comparison
  2. Keyword overlap -- shared significant terms
  3. Theological phrase matching -- recognized biblical phrases and allusions

For every verse studied, the tool is run in BOTH directions (--hybrid-ot and --hybrid-nt) to find parallels in both testaments, regardless of which testament the source verse is in.

  • Input: A verse reference (e.g., "REV 14:11")
  • Output: Ranked list of parallel passages with composite scores
  • Used by: Research agent to discover cross-references and OT/NT connections

Strong's Concordance & Word Studies

search_strongs.py -- Strong's Translation Database

Searches Strong's exhaustive concordance for Hebrew and Greek word data.

  • Modes:
    • --lookup H430 -- All translations and verse counts for a Strong's number
    • --lexicon H430 -- Word form, part of speech, full definition
    • --verses H430 "gods" -- Every verse where H430 is translated as "gods"
    • --lxx-map H430 -- How the Septuagint translates this Hebrew word into Greek
    • --hebrew-source G2316 -- Which Hebrew words underlie this Greek word
  • Used by: Research agent for word studies: understanding how original-language words are used, their semantic range, and translation patterns

Finds Strong's concordance entries related to a concept using semantic similarity. Useful when you know the concept but not the specific Hebrew/Greek word.

  • Input: Natural language description (e.g., "divine wrath", "eternal punishment")
  • Output: Ranked Strong's entries with relevance scores
  • Options: --hebrew for Hebrew words only; --verses to include verse references
  • Used by: Scoping agent to discover which Strong's numbers are relevant to the research question

Hebrew Grammar Analysis

hebrew_parser.py -- Hebrew Morphological Parser

Parses the Hebrew Bible (BHSA via Text-Fabric) with full morphological analysis.

  • Modes:
    • --verse "Gen 6:4" -- Full parsing: Hebrew text, lemmas, part of speech, stem (Qal/Niphal/Piel/etc.), tense (perfect/imperfect/participle/etc.), person, gender, number
    • --clause "Gen 6:4" -- Clause structure: clause types (XQtl, xYqX, Wayq, NmCl), domains (Narrative vs. Discourse), phrase functions
    • --construct "Gen 6:2" -- Analyze construct chains (e.g., "sons of God")
    • --lemma "מלאך" -- Find every occurrence of a Hebrew lemma
    • --search "sp=verb vs=qal vt=perf" -- Search by grammatical features
  • Used by: Research agent for Hebrew word studies and grammar analysis

Greek Grammar Analysis

greek_parser.py -- Greek NT Morphological Parser

Parses the Greek New Testament (N1904 via Text-Fabric) with full morphological analysis.

  • Modes:
    • --verse "2PE 2:4" -- Full parsing: Greek text, lemmas, Strong's numbers, tense, voice, mood, case, number, gender, person
    • --clause "ROM 8:28" -- Clause structure analysis
    • --lemma "πιστεύω" -- Find every occurrence of a Greek lemma
    • --search "mood=participle" -- Search by grammatical features
  • Used by: Research agent for Greek word studies and grammar analysis

greek_text_compare.py -- Textual Variant Comparison

Compares the Nestle 1904 (N1904) critical text with the Textus Receptus.

  • Modes:
    • --verse "JHN 3:16" -- Word-by-word comparison with differences highlighted
    • --chapter "ROM 8" -- Full chapter comparison
    • --stats -- Overall variant statistics across the NT
  • Used by: Research agent when textual variants are relevant to interpretation

greek_parallel_passages.py -- NT Parallel Passage Finder

Finds parallel passages within the Greek New Testament, especially useful for Synoptic Gospel comparisons.

  • Modes:
    • --find "MAT 5:3" -- Find parallel passages
    • --compare "MAT 5" "LUK 6" -- Compare two chapters
    • --synoptic -- Full Synoptic Gospel parallel analysis
  • Used by: Research agent for finding related NT passages

Context Analysis

concept_context.py -- Theological Concept Context

Finds verses sharing the same theological concepts as a given verse, prioritized by contextual proximity (same chapter > same book > same author > other).

  • Extracts theological concepts from a verse via its Strong's numbers (e.g., LAW, RIGHTEOUSNESS, FAITH, MESSIAH)
  • Finds other verses using those concepts, organized by expanding circles of context
  • Scopes: --scope chapter, --scope book, --scope author, or full Bible
  • Used by: Research agent to understand how an author or book uses a concept

query_verse_context.py -- Rich Contextual Query

Combines multiple analysis tools into a single contextual query.

  • Modes:
    • Default -- Full context analysis
    • --similar -- Find semantically similar verses
    • --pericope -- Show the full pericope (passage unit)
    • --grammar -- Grammatical pattern analysis
    • --theme -- Chapter theme inference
    • --theological -- Theological concept parallels
    • --layer chapter/book/topics -- Specific context layer
    • --strongs G26 -- Find all verses containing a Strong's number
    • --topic "FAITH" -- Find verses associated with a Nave's topic
    • --author Paul -- Author statistics
  • Used by: Research agent for multi-dimensional context analysis

Grammar Reference

Semantic search across 10 Hebrew and Greek grammar textbooks.

  • Hebrew grammars: BDB (Brown-Driver-Briggs), Futato, BHSG (Basics of Biblical Hebrew Student Grammar), GKC (Gesenius-Kautzsch-Cowley), Waltke-O'Connor
  • Greek grammars: Duff, Hudson, Machen, BDF (Blass-Debrunner-Funk), Wallace
  • Options: --hebrew or --greek to filter; --book gkc for a specific textbook
  • Used by: Research agent to verify grammar claims against standard reference works

Finds previously completed studies related to a concept using semantic similarity.

  • Input: Natural language query (e.g., "state of the dead", "sanctuary judgment")
  • Output: Study slug, title, question, relevance score, tags
  • Used by: Scoping agent to discover what related research already exists

Web Supplement

In addition to the local tools, extended lexicon entries were occasionally retrieved from:

  • Blue Letter Bible (blueletterbible.org) -- Extended Hebrew/Greek lexicon definitions when local Strong's data needed more detail