---
title: Search
url: 'http://bibleindex.app/en/docs/search'
markdown: 'http://bibleindex.app/en/docs/search.md'
lang: en
date: '2026-10-03'
description: 'Search The Search tab lets you find verses by keyword or Bible reference, and then read or copy them. Search Field The field displays the label Search Terms, References. Click the search button to run the search. A recognized reference (e.g., John 3:16) displays those verses without performing an …'
---

# Search

The **Search** tab lets you find verses by keyword or Bible reference, and then read or copy them.

## Search Field

The field displays the label **Search Terms, References**. Click the search button to run the search.

- A recognized reference (e.g., `John 3:16`) displays those verses without performing an additional keyword search.
- Otherwise, the terms entered are searched for in the text.
- Wildcards: `lov*` (prefix), `*ing` (suffix), `*ove*` (infix). Quotation marks around text force an exact match.

## Options below the field

In order: **Multiple Words**, **Match Mode**, **Scope**, then **Ignore Case**, **Ignore Accents**, **Ignore Punctuation**.

Unless **General** has **Open Search Options on Hover** disabled, these menus open on hover; otherwise, a click is required.

### Multiple Words

This option applies when you enter **multiple terms**. If you enter only one term, it is ignored.

- **Keywords** — all words must appear in the verse, in any order.
- **Keywords in Order** — the same words, in the order entered, though they do not have to be adjacent.
- **Exact Phrase** — the phrase exactly as entered, including spaces. Using quotation marks in the query also forces this mode.

### Matching Mode

For **each term**, specify how it should match a word in the verse.

- **Whole Word** — the entire word (`love` does not match `loves`).
- **Word Start** — the term at the beginning of the word (like the wildcard `lov*`).
- **End of word** — at the end of the word (like `*ing`).
- **Part of word** — anywhere in the word (like `*ove*`).

### Ignore case, accents, and punctuation

- **Ignore case** — `Amour` and `amour` are equivalent.
- **Ignore accents** — `père` and `pere` are equivalent.
- **Ignore punctuation** — punctuation is ignored in the comparison; it no longer separates words (e.g., `l'amour` may match the same word as `amour`).

### Scope

See the following section.

## Scope

The scope applies to results by reference and by words. A scope alone, without search terms, returns nothing.

- Presets: **Entire Bible**, **OT**, **NT**, or books selected from the selector
- In the query: `love @Mt @Jn`, `Moses @Gen-No`, `@OT`, etc.

## Results

- The sort button cycles through **Sort: Order of Results** (the order returned by the search; for a search by reference, the order of the passages in the query), **Sort: Canonical A→Z**, and **Sort: Canonical Z→A** (order of the books of the Bible, then chapter and verse)
- **Previous Search** and **Next Search** use the search history
- **Choose Bibles to Display** selects the edition columns
- **About this Bible** beside the active Bible in the search bar opens the same dialog as in [Reading](http://bibleindex.app/en/docs/reader#bible-and-passage)
- The Bible in the action column is the one for which **Copy and Read use this Bible**
- **Copy** uses the default copy profile; **Copy with a Profile** selects a different one;
- The **Read** action opens a **Reading** tab on the passage;

If no Bible is loaded, open **Manage Bibles** (**Settings** window, **Manage Modules** section).

## Keyboard

The keys for the search field and the result list are in [Keyboard Shortcuts](http://bibleindex.app/en/docs/shortcuts).

## See also

- [Keyboard Shortcuts](http://bibleindex.app/en/docs/shortcuts)
- [Reader](http://bibleindex.app/en/docs/reader)
- [Copy Profiles](http://bibleindex.app/en/docs/copy-profiles)
- [Manage Modules](http://bibleindex.app/en/docs/modules)

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## Navigation

- Parent: [User Guide](http://bibleindex.app/en/docs.md)
- Previous: [Keyboard Shortcuts](http://bibleindex.app/en/docs/shortcuts.md)
- Next: [Reading](http://bibleindex.app/en/docs/reader.md)