Free scripture index generator for books
Every verse your book cites, indexed in canonical order.
Open your manuscript as a PDF. Scripture Index finds each Bible reference, sorts it from Genesis to Revelation, and lists the pages where it appears. It does in minutes what used to take an indexer days.
- Free, with no account
- Your file never leaves your computer
- SBL, Chicago and full book names
- Real page numbers from your PDF
How it works
From finished manuscript to finished index in three steps
Compiling a scripture index by hand means reading every page, logging every reference and sorting hundreds of entries. Scripture Index does the reading and sorting so you can spend your time checking.
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1
Open your PDF
Choose the typeset PDF of your book. Page numbers come straight from the file, so they match the printed pages. You can choose which pages to index and fix the numbering if needed.
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2
Review the references
Every citation is listed with its page. Anything uncertain, such as John 22:1 (John has 21 chapters) or a bare "Mark 2", is held back for you to include or leave out.
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3
Copy the index into your book
Books appear in canonical order, verses in numerical order, pages merged. Copy and paste the finished index, or download it as plain text for your back matter.
Private by design
Your unpublished manuscript stays on your computer.
Scripture Index runs entirely in your web browser. The PDF is read on your own machine and the index is built there too. Nothing is uploaded, stored or seen by anyone else, which makes it safe to use before your book is published or under a publishing contract.
- Read byYour browser
- Processed onYour computer
- Sent to a serverNever
- Account neededNo
- CostFree
Citation styles
Reads references the way authors actually write them
Most manuscripts mix styles: full names in the text, abbreviations in parentheses and footnotes. You don't choose a style. Every recognised form is mapped to the same book and verse.
1 Corinthians 13:4–7Full name1 Cor 13:4–7SBL1 Cor. 13:4-7Chicago1Co 13:4–7Common variant- Verse ranges
Luke 15:4–7stays a single entry, as written.- Across chapters
Gen 1:1–2:3is kept whole.- Whole chapters
Psalm 23andGen 1–3are indexed as chapters.- Numbered books
1 John,I JohnandFirst Johnall mean the same book.- Verse lists
Rom 8:28, 31becomes two entries under Romans 8.- Chained references
Rom 3:23; 6:23carries the book forward.- Translations
John 3:16 NIVis indexed as John 3:16.- Validation
John 22:1is flagged, because John has 21 chapters.
Who it's for
Made for the people who make Christian books
Authors
Add a scripture index to your book without paying for days of indexing or doing it by hand the week before your deadline.
Publishers and editors
Give every title on your list a consistent, complete index, and check one quickly when proofs change.
Professional indexers
Start from a complete, sorted draft of every citation and spend your expertise on review rather than data entry.
Pastors and theologians
Index commentaries, sermon collections, study guides and theses so readers can find every passage you discuss.
The details
An index that follows the conventions readers expect
- Canonical book order
- The 66 books of the Protestant Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, in the order printed in English Bibles.
- Numerical verse order
- Within each book, entries sort by chapter and verse, so John 3:16 comes before John 10:10 rather than after it.
- Merged page numbers
- A verse cited on several pages gets one entry with every page listed, in order.
- Checked against the Bible
- Each reference is validated against real chapter and verse counts, so typos are caught instead of indexed.
- Ambiguity handled carefully
- Names that are also ordinary words, like Job, Mark and Acts, are held for your review when only a chapter number follows, as in "Mark 2 copies".
- Nothing guessed silently
- Anything uncertain is held back with the sentence it came from, so you decide what belongs in the index.
- Footnotes your way
- List a citation in note 3 on page 24 as 24n3, as plain 24, or leave notes out of the index.
- Pastes cleanly into your book
- Copy the index into Word or Google Docs with the page numbers lined up, or download it as plain text.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Is my manuscript uploaded to a server?
No. Scripture Index runs entirely in your web browser. Your PDF is read on your own computer and is never sent to us or anyone else.
Does Scripture Index cost anything?
No. Scripture Index is free to use and doesn't need an account.
Which file formats can I use?
PDF today, because a PDF has fixed page numbers that match your printed book. Word documents are on the roadmap.
Which ways of writing Bible references does it recognise?
Full book names, SBL abbreviations and Chicago abbreviations (with or without periods), plus common variants such as Jn, Mt and Ps. It understands verse ranges, ranges across chapters, verse lists and references chained with semicolons.
What order are the books listed in?
The 66 books of the Protestant Bible, in canonical order from Genesis to Revelation.
What happens to references like "v. 5" that have no book name?
Right now they are left out of the index, because the book isn't named, so nothing is guessed. Working out the book from the surrounding paragraph is the next feature being built.
How do I get the finished index into my book?
Copy and paste it straight into your manuscript, or download it as a plain text file, then place it in the back matter like any other index.