The Holy Bible: World English Bible (WEB)

Annotated History & Bibliography

Read the World English Bible

Overview

The World English Bible (WEB) is a modern-English update of the American Standard Version (1901) with careful attention to the Hebrew and Greek texts. It is explicitly dedicated to the public domain—free to copy, share, print, and post—so that God’s Word can circulate without licensing barriers.1 The WEB’s editors describe their translation approach as largely formal equivalence (word-for-word where feasible) with straightforward modernization of English, punctuation, and formatting for today’s readers.2

Origins & Editorial Process

The WEB began in 1994 when Michael Paul Johnson sensed a call to prepare an accurate, modern English Bible that would remain free forever. Drafts circulated online with input from volunteers; over the years, the text was iteratively refined and typeset across multiple digital formats. The project announced a “complete” and stable text in 2020, while still allowing minor typo corrections thereafter.3

Textual Basis & Translation Character

For the Old Testament the WEB follows the standard Masoretic tradition (e.g., Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia), while the New Testament generally follows the Greek Majority Text (Byzantine) in places where it significantly differs from the ASV’s base; in a few passages the ASV’s original decisions are retained where no difference in meaning results.4 The result reads like a conservative, literal revision of the ASV, but with quotation marks, modern spelling, and smooth contemporary syntax.

Distinctive Features

1) Divine Name. WEB editions handle the Tetragrammaton in two ways: the Classic WEB renders God’s name as “Yahweh” throughout the Old Testament, while the Update/Protestant/British editions follow the traditional English convention of LORD/GOD.5

2) Editions & spelling. The WEB provides U.S.A.-spelling and British/International-spelling editions, with options that include or omit the Deuterocanon/Apocrypha; the Ecumenical editions include those books, whereas the Protestant editions present the 66-book canon.6

3) Open distribution. The entire text, audio recordings, and print layouts are made available for free use under public-domain dedication; however, “World English Bible” is a trademark of eBible.org to prevent confusingly altered editions from using the same name.7

Reception & Use in the Church

Because the WEB is both faithful and free, it has been widely adopted across digital platforms, apps, and print-on-demand services. British/International and U.S. editions, as well as Ecumenical and Protestant formats, support diverse ministry contexts (missionary distribution, Scripture engagement, and study alongside other translations).8 For pastors and teachers, the WEB reads much like an updated ASV: transparent to the original languages yet clear enough for public reading and discipleship.

Annotated Bibliography (Chicago style)

1) “World English Bible — Official Overview.” Concise statement of aims, textual basis (ASV revision; BHS OT; Majority-Text-influenced NT), and public-domain status; the canonical “about” description for the project.1

2) “WEB FAQ.” Authoritative explanations of translation philosophy, textual decisions (where MT/ASV choices are retained or adjusted), and editorial policies; essential for understanding how the WEB relates to the ASV and to the Greek Majority Text.4

3) “History of the World English Bible.” First-person narrative of the project’s origins (1994) and development through stable release; helpful for historical framing and editorial intent.3

4) “WEB Classic / Updated / British Editions.” Edition notes detailing the Divine Name rendering (“Yahweh” vs. “LORD”), spelling conventions, and the availability of Protestant/Ecumenical canons; useful for precisely labeling WEB editions on your site.5

5) “2020 Stable Text Notice.” The official statement that the WEB text reached a stable edition in 2020 (with allowance for typo fixes), confirming that ongoing updates are minor rather than stylistic overhauls.3

6) “Distribution, Audio, and Print.” Project pages and storefront listings documenting public-domain audio, downloadable PDFs, and Ecumenical/Protestant print editions—evidence of broad use and format diversity.8

Footnotes

  1. Official summary: WEB is a Public-Domain modern English Bible based on the ASV (1901), with BHS-based OT and Majority-Text-influenced NT. ↩
  2. WEB translation philosophy emphasizes formal equivalence with modernized English, punctuation, and formatting. ↩
  3. History and status: initial work in 1994; stable text announced in 2020; subsequent changes limited to minor fixes. ↩
  4. Textual basis details: ASV updated; OT aligned to Masoretic tradition (e.g., BHS); NT primarily Majority Text where significant; some ASV base decisions retained without doctrinal impact. ↩
  5. Edition handling of the Divine Name: Classic uses “Yahweh”; other editions use LORD/GOD. ↩
  6. Editions and canon scope: U.S.A. vs. British spelling; Protestant (66-book) and Ecumenical (with Deuterocanon) formats. ↩
  7. Public-domain dedication; “World English Bible” maintained as a trademark of eBible.org to avoid confusion with altered texts using the same name. ↩
  8. Evidence of wide availability across audio, digital, and print channels (British/U.S. editions; Protestant/Ecumenical). ↩