The Week's News in Christian Publishing

On 25th Anniversary, Bible Gateway has been viewed more than 14 billion times

Most Popular Online Bible Search Engine and Bible Reading Website

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (August 1, 2018) – Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the world’s most visited Christian website, Bible Gateway (BibleGateway.com; @BibleGateway) has been viewed more than 14 billion times by people using more than one billion devices.

“Our mission statement is ‘To honor Christ by equipping people to read and understand the Bible, wherever they are,’” says Rachel Barach, general manager, Bible Gateway. “What an honor and privilege to be able to serve so many people around the world during the last quarter-century, doing just that.”

Bible Gateway was created in 1993—when the World Wide Web was just beginning—as an internal Bible research computer tool for students at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Today it ranks number one on global search engines, is part of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc., and is home to more than 200 Bible versions in more than 70 languages—a trusted resource for people in more than 200 countries who rely on it every day for all their desktop and mobile device Bible reading, listening, studying, searching, comparing, and sharing needs.

What people the world over search for in the Bible on Bible Gateway varies throughout the year, but generally remains constant from year to year. An interactive visualizing graph lets users explore how cyclical some queries are, often repeating every year around the same time each year (for example, the word “love” being searched in the Bible around Valentine’s Day in February).

Along with a new sweepstakes every month with high-value print Bibles as prizes, the website MyBibleGateway.com (#MyBibleGateway) is the hub of the 25th anniversary celebration where enthusiasts tell what Bible Gateway means to them; such comments as:

“Encouragement. Bible Gateway is instant access to what my soul needs most – to hear from God through his Word.”

“Convenient access. Bible Gateway is not only easy to find the passage or verse you need, but to share it with social media, text, or email.”

“God has been faithful these last 25 years and we’re excited about how he will continue to use Bible Gateway to further his kingdom and help people know and share his Word,” says Barach.

Bible Gateway is device friendly, so that no matter what size device a person uses when visiting the site—desktop, tablet, smartphone—the screen is maximized for optimum viewing. And in the months to come, visitors to Bible Gateway will see a refreshed new design to the site.

The award-winning free Bible Gateway App for both Android and iOS allows people to read more than 90 Bible translations and listen to more than 20 audio Bibles, in addition to taking personal notes, highlighting text, starring favorite verses, follow Bible reading plans, enjoy night mode Bible reading, and much more.

The just-released free Bible Gateway Bible Audio App lets users listen to a variety of Bible translations, choosing from multiple audio narration styles; navigate quickly anywhere in the Bible; speed up or slow down playback to listen to the Bible at their own pace; and listen to the Bible while reading the very text that’s being narrated.

Among Bible Gateway’s many convenient features are the abilities to:

  • create a free account to select personal preferences
  • become a member of Bible Gateway Plus to benefit from additional acclaimed Bible study books
  • receive the free Visual Verse of the Day
  • access more than 200 Bible versions in more than 70 languages
  • benefit from free Bible dictionaries, commentaries, and encyclopedia
  • search for Bible verses using Emoji
  • listen to audio readings and productions of the Bible
  • comprehensively search the Bible using keywords, phrases, topics, and themes
  • display & compare up to five Bible translations side-by-side at once
  • read translator footnotes within the context of Bible verses
  • highlight and favorite Bible passages
  • write notes while reading Bible verses and save them to a personal account
  • easily share Bible verses with friends using Twitter, Facebook, email, and print
  • sign up for customizable Bible reading plans
  • select from more than 60 email and online devotionals
  • learn personal Scripture Engagement principles and techniques
  • discover new books and read Bible-related articles and interviews on the Bible Gateway Blog, named the #1 best Bible study blog on the web by Feedspot.

The top-10 keyword searches on Bible Gateway are:

  1. love
  2. faith
  3. peace
  4. hope
  5. joy
  6. prayer
  7. holy spirit
  8. grace
  9. healing
  10. forgiveness

The top-5 Bible verses searched and shared by users of Bible Gateway are:

  1. John3:16– For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
  2. Jeremiah 29:11 – For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
  3. Philippians4:13– I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
  4. Psalm 23:4 – Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
  5. Romans8:28– And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

The top-10 countries searching Bible Gateway are:

  1. United States
  2. United Kingdom
  3. Canada
  4. Mexico
  5. Philippines
  6. Columbia
  7. Australia
  8. South Africa
  9. Brazil
  10. India

It appears tropical vacationers and resort tourists enjoy browsing Bible Gateway. Out of more than 200 countries and territories, the geographic location that spends the most time (on average) on Bible Gateway is Saint-Martin/Sint Maarten, part of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean Sea, comprising two separate countries, divided between its northern French side (Saint-Martin), and its southern Dutch side (Sint Maarten). Sudan in northeast Africa is the country that statistically spends the least time on Bible Gateway.

About Bible Gateway:  As the Internet’s most visited Christian website, Bible Gateway (https://BibleGateway.com) seeks to equip people to read and understand the Bible wherever they are. Millions of visitors from more than 200 countries regularly come to set up personal accounts and freely read, hear, search, study, compare, & share the Bible in 200+ versions & 70+ languages; read our daily Blog; subscribe to 60+ devotional email newsletters, verse-of-the-day, & Bible reading plans; and download our free award-winning Bible app. Bible Gateway offers Bible study opportunities with its membership service Bible Gateway Plus – which begins with a 30-day free trial (https://www.biblegateway.com/plus/) – and Bible Gateway online learning video courses (https://zondervanacademic.com/bible-gateway/).

See Bible Gateway’s newsroom: https://www.biblegateway.com/newsroom.

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