Transparency
Editorial standards
Truth in Reference exists to help people read the Bible accurately. That requires care with the site's own words and sources. Here is how saying pages are prepared and corrected.
What we check
A saying page asks a narrow question: does a familiar saying match the King James Version, and what does the surrounding passage actually say? Before publication, each page must pass these steps:
- Search the wording across all 31,102 verses in this site's KJV index, including across neighbouring verses.
- Read every cited verse in its full chapter.
- Check relevant parallel passages, quotations, and echoes.
- Write an original explanation of the evidence and why the difference matters.
- Record the owner's approval and make it easy for readers to report a correction.
The first 50 saying pages were approved by the owner after revision and source checks. Independent second-reader sign-off was not recorded before their release. Automated checks and AI feedback helped find issues but do not count as an independent human review. We welcome corrections and will document material changes.
What the labels mean
Each page has one primary label. Its explanation can describe other issues the short label cannot hold.
- Word for word
- The saying matches the KJV. Limited modernization of a pronoun, verb ending, or spelling also counts here when the page shows the original KJV wording.
- Altered wording
- The saying keeps a distinctive run of KJV words while swapping or removing other meaningful words.
- Paraphrase
- The saying echoes a real passage, but its words differ more substantially.
- Not stated in the text
- A familiar claim about a biblical person or event is not established by the cited passage, such as the number of wise men.
- No exact KJV match
- The phrase is absent from this site's KJV index, even across adjacent verses. It may still have a biblical connection.
- Real verse, wider context
- The words are found in a real verse, but its surrounding passage addresses a different or narrower question than a popular use suggests.
What we do not claim
- Our findings address wording and context, not which denomination is right. We leave out sayings whose finding depends on a particular doctrinal position.
- “Not in the KJV” does not mean “not true” or “not found in any Bible translation.”
- We state an origin only when we can cite a source. An attested use is not automatically the earliest use.
- Advertising does not determine what we publish. Ads do not appear between a Bible passage and its explanation, and advertisers do not review the pages.
Sources
- Bible text: the King James Version in our local verse index. Sources & Method explains its known limits.
- Cross-references: local data apparently adapted from OpenBible.info's cross-reference collection, credited under CC BY 4.0. That collection draws primarily on the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. The exact source snapshot was not preserved; see the method page for details.
- Study guides and saying pages: original explanations published under the public byline @The..Mustard..Seed, with the owner review process above for saying pages.
Corrections
If you find an error, email support@truthinreference.com with the page and what you noticed, or use the feedback form. When a correction changes a finding or its evidence, we add a dated note to that page. Minor spelling and formatting fixes may be made without a note.
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