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Interlinear Bible Preview
Explore the opening words of the Bible word-by-word in Hebrew. Each word shows the original script, transliteration, Strong's concordance number, and English meaning -- revealing depth that English translations cannot capture.
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
בְּרֵאשִׁית
bereshit
H7225
“in the beginning”
בָּרָא
bara
H1254
“created”
אֱלֹהִים
elohim
H430
“God”
אֵת
et
H853
“[direct object]”
הַשָּׁמַיִם
hashamayim
H8064
“the heavens”
וְאֵת
ve’et
H853
“and [obj]”
הָאָרֶץ
ha’aretz
H776
“the earth”
“And the earth was formless and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.”
וְהָאָרֶץ
veha’aretz
H776
“and the earth”
הָיְתָה
hayetah
H1961
“was”
תֹהוּ
tohu
H8414
“formless”
וָבֹהוּ
vavohu
H922
“and void”
וְחֹשֶׁךְ
vechoshekh
H2822
“and darkness”
עַל
al
H5921
“upon”
פְּנֵי
penei
H6440
“face of”
תְהוֹם
tehom
H8415
“the deep”
וְרוּחַ
veruach
H7307
“and spirit of”
אֱלֹהִים
elohim
H430
“God”
מְרַחֶפֶת
merachefet
H7363
“hovering”
עַל
al
H5921
“over”
פְּנֵי
penei
H6440
“face of”
הַמָּיִם
hamayim
H4325
“the waters”
“And God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light.”
וַיֹּאמֶר
vayomer
H559
“and said”
אֱלֹהִים
elohim
H430
“God”
יְהִי
yehi
H1961
“let there be”
אוֹר
or
H216
“light”
וַיְהִי
vayehi
H1961
“and there was”
אוֹר
or
H216
“light”
Each word card contains four layers of information, from the original script down to the English meaning.
The original consonantal text with Masoretic vowel pointing, read right to left.
A Romanized phonetic rendering so you can pronounce the Hebrew word aloud.
A unique identifier (e.g. H7225) linking to the Hebrew lexicon root entry.
A concise English translation of the Hebrew word in its immediate context.
These foundational words shape the entire biblical narrative. Understanding them in Hebrew unlocks theological depth lost in translation.
בְּרֵאשִׁית
bereshit (H7225)
From the root rosh meaning “head” or “chief.” This word implies not merely a temporal starting point but the “chief matter” or “first principle” -- the foundational act from which all else proceeds.
בָּרָא
bara (H1254)
Used exclusively in the Hebrew Bible with God as its subject. Unlike asah (“to make”) or yatsar (“to form”), bara denotes creation ex nihilo -- bringing into existence something entirely new.
אֱלֹהִים
elohim (H430)
A grammatically plural noun paired with a singular verb (bara). This construction -- the “plural of majesty” -- is central to theological discussions of God's nature and has been connected to Latter-day Saint teachings about the Godhead and the council of the gods.
An interlinear Bible displays the original Hebrew or Greek text of scripture alongside a word-by-word English translation. Each original-language word is paired with its transliteration, Strong's concordance number, and English gloss, allowing readers to study how individual words were translated and to trace their deeper semantic meaning.
Interlinear study reveals nuances lost in translation. For example, the Hebrew word 'bara' (H1254) in Genesis 1:1 specifically denotes divine creation from nothing -- a meaning not fully captured by the English word 'created.' By examining Strong's numbers and root words, students can trace concepts across the entire biblical text and discover connections invisible in English alone.
Strong's concordance numbers are a reference system created by James Strong in 1890 that assigns a unique number to every Hebrew and Greek root word in the Bible. Numbers prefixed with 'H' reference the Hebrew lexicon (Old Testament) and 'G' reference the Greek lexicon (New Testament). These numbers let you find every occurrence of a root word across scripture, regardless of how translators rendered it in English.
The full Interlinear Reader covers every chapter of the Old and New Testaments with complete word-by-word interlinear analysis, Strong's numbers, and deep lexical data.