This glossary defines the key terms behind Christian AI and serious Bible study — from Scripture-first AI and biblically guarded answers to Strong's numbers, interlinears, exegesis, and lexicons. Each entry is a plain, one- or two-sentence definition you can trust, whether you are new to Bible study or deepening a lifelong practice.
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Christian AI terms
Christian AI
Christian AI is artificial intelligence built to answer questions about the Bible and Christian faith while staying accountable to Scripture rather than to general internet opinion. Unlike a general chatbot, it is designed to cite real Bible verses and hold to sound doctrine. Read the full explainer on what Christian AI is.
Scripture-first AI
Scripture-first AI is a design approach in which the biblical text is the anchor and final authority for every answer. Rather than offering personal opinion or cultural consensus, a Scripture-first tool grounds its response in the Word and points you back to the passage so you can verify it.
Biblically guarded AI
Biblically guarded AI describes an AI companion with built-in guardrails that keep its answers within the bounds of Scripture and orthodox Christian teaching. The guarding is deliberate: it is meant to resist doctrinal drift, refuse to invent verses, and stay faithful to the text even when a looser answer would sound more agreeable.
Bible AI
Bible AI is a common shorthand for an AI tool focused on Scripture — reading, searching, explaining, and answering questions about the Bible in plain language. The term overlaps with Christian AI, though Bible AI emphasizes study of the text itself.
AI hallucination
An AI hallucination is when an AI system states something false as if it were true — for example, a general chatbot inventing a Bible verse, misattributing a quotation, or fabricating a reference that does not exist. Hallucination is the core reliability problem that a Scripture-first, biblically guarded tool like FlickerFaith is built to avoid by drawing verses from real, named translations. See the evidence on whether AI gets Bible verses wrong.
Bible study methods & tools
Concordance
A concordance is an alphabetical index of the words in the Bible, listing every place a given word appears so you can find and compare passages. It is one of the oldest Bible-study tools and the foundation of word study.
Strong's Concordance
Strong's Concordance is an exhaustive index of every word in the King James Bible, published by James Strong in 1890, that tags each original Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek word with a unique number. It lets a reader with no knowledge of the original languages trace a word back to its root meaning. FlickerFaith brings Strong's into a tabbed verse-study sheet — see the AI Bible study tools.
Strong's number
A Strong's number is the unique identifier Strong's Concordance assigns to each original-language word of the Bible — Hebrew and Aramaic numbers (for example, H430) for the Old Testament and Greek numbers (for example, G26) for the New. Looking up the number reveals the underlying word and its range of meaning.
Lexicon (Hebrew/Greek)
A lexicon is a dictionary of the Bible's original languages — Hebrew and Aramaic for the Old Testament, Greek for the New — giving each word's definitions, grammatical forms, and range of meaning. A lexicon is how a word study moves from an English gloss to the precise sense of the original.
Interlinear Bible
An interlinear Bible displays the original Hebrew or Greek text with a word-for-word English translation printed directly beneath each word. It lets you see the exact underlying wording and word order, which is invaluable for careful study even without fluency in the original languages. FlickerFaith includes an interlinear in its study suite.
Cross-reference
A cross-reference is a pointer from one Bible passage to another related verse — one that echoes the same theme, quotes it, fulfills it, or explains it. Following cross-references lets Scripture interpret Scripture and reveals how the whole canon fits together.
Word study
A word study is a method of examining a single biblical word — its original-language term, its range of meaning, and how it is used across Scripture — to understand a passage more precisely. Tools like Strong's numbers, lexicons, and interlinears make word study accessible to any reader, and FlickerFaith gathers them in one Bible study view.
Exegesis
Exegesis is the careful drawing out of the original, intended meaning of a biblical text — asking what the author meant to say to the first readers in their historical and literary context. It is contrasted with eisegesis, which reads one's own ideas into the text.
Hermeneutics
Hermeneutics is the set of principles and methods used to interpret the Bible correctly. Where exegesis is the act of interpreting a specific passage, hermeneutics is the underlying framework that guides how any passage should be read and applied.
Commentary
A commentary is a reference work in which a scholar explains a book of the Bible passage by passage, offering historical background, word meanings, and interpretation. Commentaries help a reader understand difficult texts and see how the church has understood them over time.
Textual variant
A textual variant is a place where surviving ancient manuscripts of the Bible differ in wording. The study of these differences, called textual criticism, works to establish the most accurate original reading; the vast majority of variants are minor and affect no major doctrine.
Original languages
The original languages of the Bible are the tongues in which it was first written: Hebrew and some Aramaic for the Old Testament, and Koine Greek for the New Testament. Studying a passage in its original language recovers nuances that any single translation may not fully capture.
Bible translations & daily reading
Public-domain translation
A public-domain translation is a Bible version whose copyright has expired or was never claimed, so it can be read, copied, and quoted freely. The King James Version (KJV) and the American Standard Version (ASV) are widely used public-domain translations.
Licensed translation
A licensed translation is a modern Bible version that remains under copyright, so an app or publisher must obtain permission from the rights holder to include it. Versions such as the NASB, NLT, and Amplified Bible are licensed translations, which is why access to them is often a premium feature.
Devotional
A devotional is a short, structured reading — usually a Scripture passage, a brief reflection, and a prayer — meant to guide daily time with God. Devotionals are designed for consistency, helping a reader engage Scripture a little each day rather than all at once.
"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." — 2 Timothy 2:15
Keep exploring
- What is Christian AI? — the category definition and how it differs from general chatbots.
- AI Bible study — Strong's, interlinear, word studies, cross-references, and commentaries in one place.
- Does AI get Bible verses wrong? — the hallucination problem and how a Scripture-first tool avoids it.
- All features — the full FlickerFaith Scripture companion, from devotionals to hands-free voice.
Put these terms to work
FlickerFaith is free to use — with Premium at $3.99/month or $34.99/year for licensed translations and hands-free voice. Ask a question and watch a Scripture-first companion stay accountable to the Word.