Frequently Asked Questions

The oldest Bible transcripts are written in Hebrew and Greek, so the Bible must be translated into other languages in order to be accessible to readers around the world. Many of these Bible translations are protected by copyright, because they represent the dedicated work of scholars, translators, and experts. Licensing fees of copyrighted materials may help recover prior costs associated with producing high-quality translations, support ongoing translation efforts in languages that do not yet have a full or quality translation of the Bible, and/or may support various organizational initiatives such as Bible distribution and engagement.

Commercial use includes any use of API.Bible, it’s service, or content, as part of a product or service that is monetized, including but not limited to website advertising, licensing fees, in-app promotions, sponsorships, freemium models, and/or paid access to your application, website or other digital property. Anything that generates revenue is considered commercial.

Overage protection is a feature that helps prevent unexpected charges by limiting the number of API calls you can make beyond your monthly subscription. By default, your overage limit is set to zero, which means you won’t be billed for any calls exceeding your monthly allowance. If you need more API calls, you have the option to adjust your overage limit according to your needs. Overage fees are $1 per 1,000 additional API calls, and are charged in 1,000-call increments.

Revenue from paid subscription plans helps cover the operational costs of running API.Bible. This includes expenses for cloud computing, as well as the ongoing development, maintenance, and improvement of the platform. Your payment also supports the team of experts and technological resources that ensure the service remains reliable and beneficial to its users.

No, the API query volume is specific to each month and does not roll over. It operates on a “use it or lose it” basis, meaning any unused API queries will not be carried over to future months.

Yes, developers are encouraged to implement caching strategies, especially for static data such as metadata (e.g., the Books of the Bible for a particular translation). However, to comply with API.Bible's Terms & Conditions and IP restrictions, cached content must be refreshed at least once every 30 days. This ensures that users receive the most up-to-date content, including any scriptural or formatting updates.

While we do not have a formal satisfaction guarantee, we value customer feedback and are committed to addressing any concerns. Refunds or reimbursements may be considered on a case-by-case basis. If you experience any issues, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

No, sub-licensing of content is not permitted. However, if sub-licensing is essential to your use case, we’d be interested in discussing your requirements. Please reach out to us at support@api.bible to explore potential solutions.

FUMS (Fair Use Management System) is a system designed to ensure that the API's content is used fairly. It helps us track and analyze usage across different versions, books, chapters, and verses requested from the API. This data enables us to communicate the value of Scripture access via the API to copyright holders and publishers. We're also working on a dashboard to provide this usage data back to developers. For more details, please refer to the API Introduction, which explains the importance of FUMS.

Existing API.Bible users are not required to switch to an express licensing plan at this time, but we encourage you to explore these options. If a transition to express licensing becomes necessary, you will be contacted with further instructions.

Currently, video content is not available through API.Bible, but we are working to integrate more diverse resources in the future. As the platform evolves, we aim to include additional features like commentaries and study Bibles to enhance the service.

Yes, we appreciate your support. For more information on how to donate, please contact us at support@api.bible.

The way the Bible is divided into chapters and verses is a later development in the history of the Bible. Early biblica manuscripts did not include the numbered verses we see today. Over time, translators and editors introduced verse divisions to help readers locate passages easily. However, not all Bible translations follow this verse-by-verse approach. Some translations, based on their philosophical or textual priorities, group related verses together into spans or paragraphs. When you use our API to request a specific verse from such a translation, the API will return the entire grouped span that contains that verse. This behavior ensures that you receive the complete context as intended by the translation's methodology.

If you cancel or your subscription expires, you cannot simply reinstate it. Instead, you will need to create a new app within your existing account. Once the new app is set up, you can subscribe to the paid plan. After subscribing via the new app, you'll be able to select any additional licenses as needed during the checkout process. This process ensures that your subscription and license management are handled smoothly with our current system setup.

If your app is still hitting the old API.Bible endpoint, check for these common issues: