LDM Scripture Study Tool Orientation

1. The AOCM Scripture Study Tool — What It Is and Why We Use It

Throughout this programme you will meet the Hebrew and Greek behind your English Bible — not because you are expected to learn either language, but because part of handling Scripture responsibly is knowing that every translation involves choices, and being able to look behind a translation when it matters.

Our tool for this is STEPBible (stepbible.org), a free Bible-study platform built by Tyndale House, Cambridge, containing the full text of Scripture in multiple translations, interlinear Hebrew and Greek, lexicons, and cross-references. It requires no account and no payment.

We have also built a companion tool of our own, the AOCM Scripture Study widget, which brings the specific words and passages relevant to a given unit directly into the page in front of you, so you rarely need to leave the unit to begin your word study.

You will meet the AOCM Scripture Study widget many times across the programme, always presented the same way. The next chapter walks through exactly what you are looking at, using a live, working example — the very same tool you will use in real formation work.

2. Reading a Scripture Study Panel

Below is a real AOCM Scripture Study panel, of the same kind you will meet throughout the course, so you can see exactly what one contains before meeting it for the first time in graded work.

Notice the parts of the panel above:

• A gold “AOCM SCRIPTURE STUDY” label at the top identifies the box, with the passage reference underneath and an “Open in STEP Bible →” link that opens the whole passage on the full stepbible.org site in a new tab.
• Below that, one card per word chosen for study. Each card shows a Strong’s number (for example G1160) with a small “?” beside it that opens a plain-language explanation of what Strong’s numbers are, if you ever forget; whether the word is Greek or Hebrew; the word itself in its original script; a pronunciation guide in italics; a short basic meaning; a fuller lexicon entry giving the same kind of detail a printed Greek or Hebrew dictionary would; and an “Explore [number] in STEP Bible →” link opening that specific word on the full site.
• Often, a gold-bordered Formation Question beneath the word cards — a reflection question inviting you to apply the word study to your own formation, not merely to record facts about it.

You are not expected to memorise any Strong’s number. You are expected to read each card, let it slow you down, and let it deepen — not replace — your reading of the passage in English.

Try it now, on the live panel above: click the small “?” beside a Strong’s number, then click one of the “Explore … in STEP Bible” links to see where it takes you. It opens in a new tab, so you will not lose your place here.

The short recording above shows this in action: opening the "?" tooltip beside a Strong's number, then following an "Explore in STEP Bible" link.

3. Using STEPBible.org Directly

Some units will simply ask you to go and work in STEPBible itself, rather than presenting a ready-made panel — this is deliberate, so that by the end of the programme you are genuinely competent with the tool itself, not merely able to read panels we have prepared for you.

To use it:

• Go to stepbible.org in a new tab. No account or sign-in is required.
• Type a reference (for example, “Luke 14:28” or “Genesis 1:1”) into the search box, or use the version selector to choose a Greek or Hebrew interlinear text.
• Select an interlinear view to see the original-language word beneath each English word.
• Hover over (on a computer) or tap (on a phone or tablet) any original-language word to reveal its Strong’s number, a short gloss, and morphological information such as tense and case.
• Click through on a Strong’s number to open the full lexicon entry — exactly like the cards you met in the last chapter.

STEPBible also lets you compare multiple English translations side by side, search for every occurrence of a Strong’s number across the whole Bible, and consult study notes — features you are welcome to explore, though they are not required for this programme.