biblical-linguistics-mcp
Click on "Deploy Server".
Wait a few minutes for the server to deploy. Once ready, it will show a "Started" state.
In the chat, type
@followed by the MCP server name and your instructions, e.g., "@biblical-linguistics-mcpparse John 1:1"
That's it! The server will respond to your query, and you can continue using it as needed.
Here is a step-by-step guide with screenshots.
Biblical Linguistics MCP
A production-quality Biblical Linguistic Research Agent exposed as a standalone MCP (Model Context Protocol) server in Python. Provides Hebrew & Greek word study, full morphological parsing, cross-references, LXX alignment, and more — all from free, open-licensed data sources.
Usable by any MCP-compatible client: Claude Desktop, Claude Code, OpenClaw, custom agents, etc.
Quick Start
# Clone the repo
git clone https://github.com/your-org/biblical-linguistics-mcp.git
cd biblical-linguistics-mcp
# Create virtual environment
python -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate # or .venv\Scripts\activate on Windows
# Install dependencies
pip install -e ".[dev]"
# Bootstrap the database (downloads open datasets + builds SQLite DB)
python scripts/bootstrap.py
# Run the MCP server (stdio mode for Claude Desktop / Claude Code)
python -m biblical_linguistics_mcp --transport stdio
# Or run in SSE mode for network access
python -m biblical_linguistics_mcp --transport sse --port 8080Related MCP server: textual-criticism-mcp
Configuration
Option | CLI Flag | Env Var | Default |
Transport mode |
| — |
|
SSE port |
| — |
|
SSE host |
| — |
|
Database path |
|
|
|
Log level |
| — |
|
MCP Integration Examples
Claude Desktop
Add to your claude_desktop_config.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"biblical-linguistics": {
"command": "python",
"args": ["-m", "biblical_linguistics_mcp", "--transport", "stdio"],
"cwd": "/path/to/biblical-linguistics-mcp"
}
}
}Claude Code
# Add as MCP server
claude mcp add biblical-linguistics -- python -m biblical_linguistics_mcp --transport stdioCustom MCP Client (SSE)
from mcp import ClientSession
from mcp.client.sse import sse_client
async with sse_client("http://localhost:8080/sse") as (read, write):
async with ClientSession(read, write) as session:
await session.initialize()
result = await session.call_tool("parse_verse", {"reference": "John 1:1"})
print(result)Tool Reference
Tool | Description | Key Parameters |
| All words with full morphology for a verse |
|
| Full lexical entry by Strong's number |
|
| English word → Hebrew/Greek lexemes |
|
| Find verses sharing a lexeme/root |
|
| TSK cross-references for a verse |
|
| Topical/thematic related passages |
|
| LXX Greek ↔ Hebrew alignment |
|
| Frequency and distribution stats |
|
| Verse across KJV, ASV, WEB |
|
Example: parse_verse
// Request
{"reference": "John 1:1"}
// Response (abbreviated)
{
"reference": "John 1:1",
"testament": "NT",
"text_kjv": "In the beginning was the Word...",
"words": [
{
"position": 1,
"text": "Ἐν",
"morphology": {"part_of_speech": "preposition"}
},
{
"position": 2,
"text": "ἀρχῇ",
"strongs": "G746",
"gloss": "beginning, ruler",
"morphology": {
"part_of_speech": "noun",
"case_form": "dative",
"number": "singular",
"gender": "feminine"
}
}
]
}Resource Reference
URI Pattern | Description |
| All Bible books with metadata |
| Hebrew lexical entry |
| Greek lexical entry |
| Verse text in available translations |
| Hebrew & Greek morphology code reference |
Prompt Reference
Prompt | Description | Arguments |
| Comprehensive word study report |
|
| Exegetical analysis of a passage |
|
| Trace theme across both testaments |
|
| Analyze NT quotation of OT via LXX |
|
Data Sources & Licensing
All data is free and open-licensed:
Dataset | License | Use |
CC BY 4.0 | Hebrew text + morphology | |
CC BY-SA 3.0 | Greek lexical data | |
CC BY 4.0 | Hebrew lexical data | |
Strong's Concordance | Public Domain | Numbering system, definitions |
Treasury of Scripture Knowledge | Public Domain | Cross-references |
King James Version | Public Domain | English Bible text |
American Standard Version | Public Domain | English Bible text |
World English Bible | Public Domain | English Bible text |
Public Domain | Structured Bible data |
Development
# Install dev dependencies
pip install -e ".[dev]"
# Run tests
pytest
# Run with coverage
pytest --cov=biblical_linguistics_mcp --cov-report=term-missing
# Re-download data sources
python scripts/download_sources.py --force
# Re-bootstrap database
python scripts/bootstrap.pyProject Structure
src/biblical_linguistics_mcp/
├── __main__.py # CLI entry point
├── server.py # MCP server (tools, resources, prompts)
├── db/ # SQLite schema, connection, queries
├── morphology/ # Hebrew & Greek morphology parsers
├── lexicon/ # Hebrew & Greek lexicon access
├── crossref/ # TSK, thematic, root search, LXX
├── references/ # Bible reference parser
└── tools/ # MCP tool implementationsRequirements
Python 3.11+
No paid APIs or API keys required
~100 MB disk space for the full database
License
MIT
Available Tools
9 toolscompare_translationsB
Show a verse across multiple Bible translations (KJV, ASV, WEB)
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| versions | No | List of version codes (kjv, asv, web). Defaults to all. | |
| reference | Yes | Bible verse reference |
cross_reference_thematicB
Find topical/thematic related passages by reference or topic keyword
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| topic | No | Topic keyword to search (optional if reference provided) | |
| reference | No | Bible verse reference (optional if topic provided) |
cross_reference_tskC
Get Treasury of Scripture Knowledge cross-references for a verse
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| reference | Yes | Bible verse reference |
lookup_wordA
Full lexical entry by Strong's number (e.g. H7225, G3056)
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| strongs | Yes | Strong's number, e.g. 'G3056' or 'H7225' | |
| include_occurrences | No | Include list of verse occurrences (default false) |
lxx_alignmentA
Show LXX Greek for a Hebrew verse or find Hebrew source for LXX Greek word
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| direction | Yes | Direction of alignment lookup | |
| reference | Yes | Hebrew verse reference (for hebrew_to_lxx) or Greek Strong's number (for lxx_to_hebrew) |
parse_verseB
Return all words with full morphological parsing for a Bible verse
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| reference | Yes | Bible verse reference, e.g. 'John 1:1', 'Genesis 1:1' |
reverse_lookupB
English word to possible Hebrew/Greek lexemes reverse lookup
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| testament | No | Filter by testament (optional) | |
| english_word | Yes | English word to look up |
search_by_rootB
Find verses sharing a lexeme/root by Strong's number
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| book | No | Filter by book name (optional) | |
| strongs | Yes | Strong's number to search for | |
| testament | No | Filter by testament (optional) |
word_frequencyB
Get frequency and distribution statistics for a lexeme by Strong's number
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| strongs | Yes | Strong's number, e.g. 'G3056' or 'H7225' |
Tool Schema Changelog
Recent tool additions, removals, and schema changes observed during successful MCP inspections.
9 tool updates
v0.1.0- First observed
compare_translations - First observed
cross_reference_thematic - First observed
cross_reference_tsk - First observed
lookup_word - First observed
lxx_alignment - First observed
parse_verse - First observed
reverse_lookup - First observed
search_by_root - First observed
word_frequency
TDQS
Scored across 9 tools
Each tool has a clearly distinct purpose: morphological parsing, lexical lookup, reverse lookup, root search, cross-references (two distinct types), LXX alignment, frequency statistics, and translation comparison. No overlap in functionality.
All tool names use snake_case and predominantly follow a verb-noun pattern (e.g., parse_verse, lookup_word, compare_translations). Minor deviations like 'reverse_lookup' and 'lxx_alignment' still fit the overall convention, making names predictable and understandable.
With 9 tools, the set is well-scoped for biblical linguistics. Each tool covers a key operation (parsing, lookup, cross-referencing, statistics, translations) without redundancy or unnecessary clutter.
The tool surface covers major needs: morphological analysis, lexical lookups, cross-references, LXX alignment, frequency stats, and translation comparisons. Minor gaps like phrase search or lemma-based search are absent but the core workflows are well supported.
Maintenance
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