STEPBible TVTMS Versification Dataset

Verse-by-verse versification mapping data from the TVTMS (Translators Versification Traditions with Methodology for Standardisation) dataset, produced by STEPBible.org based on work at Tyndale House, Cambridge.

This dataset contains the Expanded Version of TVTMS — verse-level renumbering rules and notes for converting between English (KJV/NRSV), Hebrew (MT), Latin (Vulgate), and Greek (LXX/Septuagint) versification traditions.

What is TVTMS?

Different Bible traditions number verses differently. A verse numbered Gen.32:1 in an English Bible may be Gen.31:55 in a Hebrew Bible. TVTMS provides the definitive mapping between these traditions, including:

• Renumbering rules — which verses need renumbering when converting between traditions
• Merge/split rules — where verses are combined or divided across traditions
• Absent verse markers — verses present in one tradition but missing in another
• Conditional tests — how to detect which tradition a specific Bible follows
• Scholarly notes — cross-tradition reference information for academic Bibles

Fields

Feature	Type	Description
source_type	string	Versification tradition this row applies to (e.g., Eng-KJV+Hebrew, Greek, Latin).
source_ref	string	Verse reference in the source Bible's numbering (e.g., Gen.32:1).
standard_ref	string	Equivalent verse reference in Standard (English/KJV) numbering.
action	string	Versification action: Keep verse, Renumber verse, Concatenation, MergedNext verse, MergedPrev verse, Empty verse, IfEmpty verse.
note_marker	string	Importance level and marker: Nec. (necessary), Opt. (optional), Acd. (academic), Inf. (informational).
reversification_note	string	Note text for a Bible that has been reversified to Standard numbering.
versification_note	string	Note text for a Bible that keeps its own verse numbers.
ancient_versions	string	Cross-reference showing the verse in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek traditions.
tests	string	Conditional tests to determine if this row applies to a specific Bible.
tvtms_book_abbrev	string	Book abbreviation as used in the TVTMS source file.
book_id	string	Canonical OSIS book identifier.
book_name	string	Canonical short book name.
book_name_long	string	Canonical long-form book name.

Usage

from datasets import load_dataset

ds = load_dataset("NuBerea/stepbible-tvtms")

# Find all versification differences for Genesis
gen_rows = ds["train"].filter(lambda r: r["book_id"] == "Gen")

# Find all verses that need renumbering in Greek tradition
greek_renumber = ds["train"].filter(
    lambda r: "Greek" in r["source_type"] and r["action"] == "Renumber verse"
)

Source

• Data: STEPBible-Data on GitHub
• File: Versification/TVTMS - Translators Versification Traditions with Methodology for Standardisation for Eng+Heb+Lat+Grk+Others - STEPBible.org CC BY.txt
• Spreadsheet: Google Sheets
• Instructions: Google Docs

License

This dataset is derived from STEPBible data, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).

Citation

@misc{stepbible_tvtms,
  title={TVTMS: Translators Versification Traditions with Methodology for Standardisation},
  author={{STEPBible.org}},
  institution={Tyndale House, Cambridge},
  url={https://github.com/STEPBible/STEPBible-Data},
  license={CC BY 4.0}
}