Hidden Word Bible Lessons

Description

Hidden Word Bible Lessons helps your church or ministry teach Scripture through structured, engaging weekly lessons. Each lesson breaks down a single verse into five rich sections:

  • The Blueprint — The core scripture with memorization practice
  • The Context — Historical and cultural background
  • The Narrative — Events leading up to the verse
  • The Echo — Cross-references connecting to the rest of Scripture
  • Discussion — Reflection questions for small groups

Features

  • 500-verse curated NIV curriculum (Biblica fair-use maximum)
  • King James Version and World English Bible (public domain) included
  • Local Bibles — download free public-domain translations (English, Spanish, French, German, Chinese, and more, including Catholic/Orthodox-scope texts) into your site database for offline reading and search
  • Spaced-repetition memorization (SM-2), Flip cards and other practice modes, and review queue
  • Bible chapter reader with Hello AO audio (no key); memorization “Listen to verse” speaks the exact verse text
  • Bible Maps with biblical + modern place labels, passage/book toggle, and verse references
  • Bible Concordance for word/phrase study (Local Bibles offline; NIV/NLT via Biblia when configured)
  • Optional BYOK: API.Bible, Biblia.com, YouVersion Platform, OpenAI / Claude (or WP AI Connectors)
  • Licensed translation safety: NIV/ESV/NLT and similar wording is not embedded into AI prompts (display-only via API)
  • Verse of the Day, email digests, progress tracking, PDF leader guides
  • Custom scheduling, cohorts, study finder, and ask-a-question tools
  • Companion app support (church directory, app connect, account deletion)
  • Gutenberg blocks and shortcodes; lesson catalog at /bible-lesson/

Coming soon: iPhone and Android apps

Native companion apps for iPhone and Android are coming soon. We are looking for volunteers to help test before public launch.

To join the testing program, email sales@landtechwebdesigns.com with this subject line:

The hidden word iphone or andrid app testing program to participate.

Please tell us which phone you wish to test on (iPhone, Android, or both).

Shortcodes

  • [hwbl_lesson] — Current scheduled lesson
  • [hwbl_lesson_list] — Browse all lessons
  • [hwbl_verse_of_week] — Compact scheduled verse
  • [hwbl_bible_reader] — Read/listen to any chapter
  • [hwbl_bible_map] — Map biblical places for a verse or chapter (OpenBible geocoding data)
  • [hwbl_bible_concordance] — Word/phrase concordance (Local Bibles offline; NIV/NLT via Biblia when configured)
  • [hwbl_memorize_verse] / [hwbl_memorize_reviews] — Memorize and review
  • [hwbl_verse_of_the_day] / [hwbl_study_finder] / [hwbl_ask_question] — Daily verse and AI study tools
  • [hwbl_my_progress] — Progress and streaks

NIV Copyright

Scripture quotations marked NIV are from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

The bundled NIV text is provided under Biblica’s gratis use guidelines for non-commercial WordPress plugins (fewer than 500 verses, no complete books).

External Services

Bundled NIV/KJV/WEB text is stored locally. All other external calls are optional and only happen when a site administrator explicitly enables a feature, supplies keys, or starts an import:

  • Hello AO — free Bible text/audio API (no key)
  • API.Bible, Biblia.com, YouVersion Platform — optional translation providers (BYOK)
  • bible.com — Verse of the Day reference/image (when VOTD is enabled)
  • OpenAI or Anthropic — optional AI explain/study/ask (BYOK or Connectors)
  • BibleSuperSearch.com, eBible.org, BereanBible.com, theWord module archives (theword-modules.com), and the scrollmapper/bible_databases GitHub repository — used only when an administrator uses the built-in Local Bible Importer (Bible Lessons Local Bibles) to download an additional public-domain translation
  • GitHub (raw.githubusercontent.com, api.github.com) — used only when an administrator browses or installs a shared “Explain Pack” from the optional community catalog, or publishes/updates their own pack
  • OpenStreetMap tile servers — used when Bible Maps is enabled with the Leaflet provider (browser loads map tiles; OSM attribution shown on the map)
  • Mapbox — used only when an administrator selects Mapbox as the Bible Maps provider and supplies a Mapbox access token. Style presets include Outdoors (default), Light, Satellite, Streets, or a custom Mapbox Studio style URL (e.g. parchment/vintage themes)

Bundled OpenBible.info Bible-Geocoding-Data place index is licensed CC BY 4.0; attribution is shown with every map.

No license phone-home. No paid feature gates.

Screenshots

Blocks

This plugin provides 5 blocks.

  • Bible Lesson
  • Bible Lesson Catalog
  • Verse Study Card
  • Bible Map
  • Bible Concordance

Installation

  1. Upload the plugin to /wp-content/plugins/hidden-word-bible-lessons/
  2. Activate through the ‘Plugins’ menu
  3. Go to Hidden Word Bible Lessons in the admin menu — 500 lessons seed in the background. A Today’s Lesson demo page is created on first activation.
  4. Add [hwbl_lesson] to any page or use the Bible Lesson Gutenberg block
  5. Configure schedule and translation under Settings; API keys and digests under Advanced
  6. Optional: download public-domain Bibles under Bible Lessons Local Bibles
  7. If you previously used the separate Premium add-on, deactivate and delete that plugin

FAQ

How many NIV verses are bundled?

500 single-verse lessons, using the full Biblica 500-verse gratis use allowance.

Do I need a separate Premium plugin?

No. Former Premium features are included in this plugin for free. Deactivate any older separate Premium install.

Can I store more Bible translations on my site?

Yes. Use Bible Lessons Local Bibles to download public-domain translations into your database. Licensed editions (NIV, ESV, NLT, etc.) still use your API keys under Advanced.

Can I add my own lessons?

Yes. Create new Bible Lessons or edit the seeded 500-lesson curriculum.

Does this work with page builders?

Yes. Use the shortcode [hwbl_lesson] in any page builder text widget or the Gutenberg block.

How can I help test the iPhone or Android app?

Email sales@landtechwebdesigns.com with the subject “The hidden word iphone or andrid app testing program to participate.” and say whether you want to test on iPhone, Android, or both.

Reviews

There are no reviews for this plugin.

Contributors & Developers

“Hidden Word Bible Lessons” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.

Contributors

Changelog

2.2.0

  • Memorization Flip cards: SM-2 adaptive blank ratio, swipe-to-flip, and “Listen to verse” speaks the exact verse (device/browser TTS) instead of the full chapter
  • Bible Maps: biblical + modern place labels, This passage / Whole book toggle, verse references in place details, and a compact places dropdown under the map
  • Bible Concordance and map shortcodes/blocks remain available for study and geography
  • Announcement: iPhone and Android companion apps coming soon — volunteer testers welcome (email sales@landtechwebdesigns.com; subject: The hidden word iphone or andrid app testing program to participate.; say iPhone, Android, or both)

2.1.0

  • Local Bibles: import public-domain translations into site SQL (language filter, USFX/eBible, scrollmapper JSON, theWord .ont including Torres Amat, and more)
  • Expanded book map for Catholic/Orthodox deuterocanonical texts in the Bible reader
  • Email verification helpers for front-end registration (pending until confirmed; login blocked until verified)
  • Companion app plumbing: church network directory, app connect codes, account deletion endpoint, community safety reports
  • AI scripture policy: do not embed licensed translation wording (NIV/ESV/NLT/etc.) into explain prompts
  • Explain packs and preload tooling for shared base + tradition override rows
  • Bible Maps: OpenBible place markers in the Bible reader, [hwbl_bible_map] / Gutenberg block, Leaflet or Mapbox (admin choice); Mapbox style presets (Outdoors default, Light, Satellite, Streets, custom Studio) with on-map style switcher; companion Map UI deferred until current store build is approved
  • Bible Concordance: word/phrase study via Local Bibles (offline) or Biblia.com for NIV/NLT; [hwbl_bible_concordance] / Gutenberg block + reader panel

2.0.2

  • Fix Verse of the Day Explain 404s: flush CPT rewrite rules when missing so saved explanation permalinks resolve
  • Ignore empty/broken saved explanation shells and regenerate usable content
  • Silence Plugin Check false positive for wp_get_connectors() via call_user_func

2.0.1

  • Verse of the Day Explain: clearer errors when AI explain is off or no provider is ready; follow site AI toggle when the VOTD explain option has never been saved
  • Log AI generation failures for Verse of the Day Explain to help diagnose Connectors/BYOK issues

2.0.0

  • Merge former Premium add-on into this plugin (all features free, no license gate)
  • Advanced Settings: Bible API keys, AI (BYOK/Connectors), digests, VOTD, scheduling
  • Shortcodes: hwbl_study_finder, hwbl_ask_question, hwbl_verse_of_the_day, hwbl_my_progress, and more
  • Remove license phone-home and GitHub updater from bundled modules

1.7.2

  • Escape copyright and lesson list HTML with wp_kses_post at output boundaries
  • Remove legacy thw_/THW_ shortcodes, constants, class aliases, and hook bridges (hwbl_/HWBL_ only)

1.7.1

  • Fix “Listen to verse” when site translation has no Hello AO audio (falls back to KJV/WEB/BSB chapter audio)
  • Add “Know the reference” memorization mode for book, chapter, and verse practice

1.7.0

  • SRS-first memorization: daily review mode, quality ratings, review queue dashboard shortcode [hwbl_memorize_reviews]
  • Lesson pages show due-review banner and auto-enroll verses in your SRS deck when logged in
  • Engagement: cohort leaderboard + weekly challenge, unified AI assistant, side-by-side translation compare
  • PWA offline pack caching for review queue; memorization audio via Hello AO
  • API.Bible FUMS script + attribution; merge-ready hwbl_premium_features_enabled() helper

1.6.0

  • SM-2 spaced repetition with server-side progress (hwbl/v1/memorize/* REST)
  • Practice modes: hide words, type from memory, first-letter hints, word scramble
  • Server streak sync with one-time localStorage import on login
  • REST namespace bridge: hwbl/v1 primary, thw/v1 deprecated aliases
  • Engagement scaffolds: cohort leaderboard, AI assistant shell, personalized digests, translation compare, PWA offline pack

1.5.0

  • Secure memorize-verse REST endpoint with rate limiting; custom verse posts require login
  • Memoize bundled KJV/WEB/NIV curriculum JSON loads for better performance
  • JavaScript i18n foundation for lesson tabs and memorization widget
  • Keyboard accessibility for word-hide memorization (Enter/Space, ARIA labels)
  • Align Premium streak claim with hwbl_mem_streak localStorage key

1.3.1

  • Schedule-aware front-end labels: “Today’s / This Week’s / This Month’s Verse to Memorize” based on Bible Lessons Settings schedule mode
  • Rename user-facing “lesson” CTAs/catalog/widget copy toward verse-to-memorize wording

1.3.0

  • Renamed for WordPress.org: Hidden Word Bible Lessons (slug hidden-word-bible-lessons)
  • Prefix identifiers as hwbl_/HWBL_ (4+ characters) with legacy thw_* shortcode/block aliases
  • Scope curriculum admin notices to plugin screens (Guideline 11)
  • Migrate legacy thw_lesson CPT, options, and meta on upgrade

1.2.2

1.2.2

  • Add optional Enable AI Features setting (requires Premium for front-end AI explain and study search)

1.2.1

  • Fix autoload for translation provider interface on plugin activation

1.2.0

  • Add lesson catalog with [hwbl_lesson_list], Gutenberg block, and /bible-lesson/ archive
  • Add print and copy verse buttons on lesson pages
  • Add browser-local memorization streak counter with Premium upsell
  • Add classic Verse of the Week widget
  • Backfill enriched lesson content and echo verse text from bundled curriculum cache

1.1.5

  • Add bundled World English Bible (WEB) as a third offline translation
  • Re-initialize memorization widget when Premium translation switcher changes verse text

1.1.4

  • Replace deprecated get_page_by_title() with WP_Query for demo page lookup
  • Add combined smoke-all.sh and Plugin Check smoke script

1.1.3

  • Replace mock WordPress.org screenshots with real wp-env UI captures
  • Seeding-complete admin notice links to the Today’s Lesson demo page
  • Update WordPress.org reviewer and submission documentation

1.1.2

  • Create a “Today’s Lesson” demo page with [hwbl_lesson] on first activation (does not change your homepage)
  • Add WordPress.org application form copy and plugin apply guide

1.1.1

  • The bundled 500-lesson curriculum now seeds in small background batches instead of all at once on activation, to avoid timeouts on slower hosting. An admin notice shows progress while it runs.
  • Lesson scheduling uses an in-memory lookup map instead of slow meta queries on every page load.

1.1.0

  • Expand bundled NIV curriculum from 52 to 500 verses (Biblica fair-use maximum)
  • Add HWBL_Curriculum helper for verse counting and lesson scheduling
  • Scheduler and lesson meta now support lesson numbers 1–500
  • Automatic upgrade seeding for existing installs
  • WordPress.org assets and GitHub Actions CI

1.0.1

  • Complete 52-week NIV curriculum with historical context, narrative, and discussion questions
  • Update project .cursorrules for Hidden Word Bible Lessons

1.0.0

  • Initial release
  • 52-week NIV + KJV curriculum
  • Lesson CPT with meta boxes
  • Tabbed front-end lesson display
  • Basic memorization widget
  • Gutenberg block and shortcodes