Yada

John 1:1 · BSB

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

In plain words

The Word existed before the universe existed. The Word was with God. The Word also was God.

ἘνInἀρχῇbeginningἦνwasὁtheλόγοςWordκαὶandὁtheλόγοςWordἦνwasπρὸςwithτὸνtheθεόνGodκαὶandθεὸςGodἦνwasὁtheλόγοςWord

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Every day starts on Today

Each morning opens with the day’s psalms, a line from them on a photograph, and Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening for the date. After 5 pm, the evening’s psalms lead.

A lamp keeps your streak. A day counts when you read or listen to Scripture. One day of rest a week never breaks it. If it stops, it starts again the next day you read.

Your rhythm: the lamp and 1 day, the week’s dots, and How it works: a day counts when you read or listen to Scripture; one day of rest a week never breaks it; if it stops, it starts again the next day you read. Today in the morning: Good morning over a photograph of fog on a river, the line ‘He is like a tree planted by streams of water’ from Psalm 1:3, then Psalms 1–5 with Read and Listen, and C. H. Spurgeon.

Read it your way

  1. TodayThe day’s psalms, a devotional and your place.
  2. Read and listenRead any book, or listen as each word lights up.
  3. UnderstandPlain words first, then where readers differ.
  4. OriginalEvery word in Greek or Hebrew, with its form.
  5. SearchA person, a word or a verse, all at once.

Where Christians disagree, Yada says so

Some verses are read more than one way by faithful readers. Yada sets out each reading from the source and leaves the choice to you.

Women are to be silent in the churches. They are not permitted to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says.

1 Corinthians 14:34 · BSB

“women”

  1. married women (and possibly women with close male relatives)
  2. women in general

Translation Notes, adapted from unfoldingWord (translator guidance removed; readings set in a fixed sentence) · CC BY-SA 4.0

Yada explains the passage you are reading, in plain words, from named sources. It shows what the text itself says, and where Christians read it differently. No AI writes a word of it. No ads, no account, nothing collected. And it is free.

of Protestant churchgoers find the Bible hard to make sense of on their own.

Yada starts with the point, in plain words.

Lifeway Research, 2020

Closer to the Greek, when you want it

Every verse, word by word in Greek or Hebrew, each with its English. Choose a word in John 1:1.

Ἐν

en · In

Preposition

220 times in John, 2,733 in the Bible

ἀρχῇ

archē · beginning

Noun, dative feminine singular

8 times in John, 55 in the Bible

ἦν

ēn · was

Verb, imperfect active indicative, 3rd person singular

From εἰμί, usually “is”

443 times in John, 2,456 in the Bible

ὁ

o · the

Article, nominative masculine singular

2,159 times in John, 19,769 in the Bible

λόγος

logos · Word

Noun, nominative masculine singular

40 times in John, 330 in the Bible

καὶ

kai · and

Conjunction

813 times in John, 8,973 in the Bible

ὁ

o · the

Article, nominative masculine singular

2,159 times in John, 19,769 in the Bible

λόγος

logos · Word

Noun, nominative masculine singular

40 times in John, 330 in the Bible

ἦν

ēn · was

Verb, imperfect active indicative, 3rd person singular

From εἰμί, usually “is”

443 times in John, 2,456 in the Bible

πρὸς

pros · with

Preposition

100 times in John, 696 in the Bible

τὸν

ton · the

Article, accusative masculine singular

From ὁ, usually “the”

2,159 times in John, 19,769 in the Bible

θεόν

theon · God

Noun, accusative masculine singular

From θεός, usually “God”

83 times in John, 1,307 in the Bible

καὶ

kai · and

Conjunction

813 times in John, 8,973 in the Bible

θεὸς

theos · God

Noun, nominative masculine singular

83 times in John, 1,307 in the Bible

ἦν

ēn · was

Verb, imperfect active indicative, 3rd person singular

From εἰμί, usually “is”

443 times in John, 2,456 in the Bible

ὁ

o · the

Article, nominative masculine singular

2,159 times in John, 19,769 in the Bible

λόγος

logos · Word

Noun, nominative masculine singular

40 times in John, 330 in the Bible

A young woman in a yellow raincoat walks down a city street with earphones in, smiling at her phone.

Listen as each word lights up

Yada reads the Berean Standard Bible aloud and follows along word by word. Listen on a walk, in the car, or when reading is hard. Download a book to listen offline.

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning.

John 1:1–2, BSB, read by George, a computer voice
John 1 playing aloud: the word being read, There, sits in a dark pill in verse 6; the mini player shows The Word became flesh, verse 6, BSB.

Search a name, read it seven ways

Type Nicodemus and Yada finds the man, the Greek word for his name and every passage he appears in. Read any of them in seven translations: four built in, three to download.

  • Berean Standard Bible
  • World English Bible
  • King James Version
  • Literal Standard Version
  • American Standard Version
  • Young’s Literal Translation
  • Majority Standard Bible
Search for nicodemus: People, Nicodemus, who he was, from Tyndale; then the verses, from John 3:1. Search for λόγος: the Greek words logos, word, 330 times; legō, saying; logizomai, I reckon.

Made for every day

  • Two plans, no dates

    John passage by passage, or the whole Bible with M’Cheyne. Each waits where you stopped.

  • No signal needed

    The Bible text lives on your iPhone. Download a book’s reading to listen offline.

  • Kept in your iCloud

    Bookmarks, your reading place and settings, in your own iCloud. We never see them.

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    Text up to the largest accessibility size, in light or dark.

Questions

Does Yada cost anything?

No. Yada is free, with no subscription. Reading, the explanations, the Greek and Hebrew, and listening are all included.

How is Yada different from other Bible apps?

Most Bible apps help you read more: plans, devotionals and videos. Study apps go deep but cost money and take time to learn. Yada explains the passage in front of you, in plain words, names the source of every line, and shows where Christians read it differently. It is free and has no ads.

Where do the explanations come from?

From named, openly licensed sources, never from AI. The plain-words lines are unfoldingWord’s Simplified Text, the notes on where readers differ come from unfoldingWord’s Translation Notes, and the study notes and profiles come from Tyndale House’s Open Study Notes. Cross-references come from OpenBible.info.

Sources, in the app, lists each one with its licence.

What does Yada know about me?

Nothing. There is no account and no analytics. Your reading place, bookmarks and settings are stored on your iPhone, and, if you use iCloud, in your own iCloud account. We cannot see either.

The privacy policy has the details.

How do I get Yada?

Yada is in beta on Apple’s TestFlight, for iPhone. Open the invitation on your iPhone to install it.

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Start with the first passage of John

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