References
Parse human-readable citations into structured references and resolve them to actual Scripture text.
What References Are
A Bible reference is a pointer to a specific location in Scripture. Bosca understands references in two forms:
- Human-readable — The familiar citation format people use: "John 3:16", "Genesis 1:1-5", "Psalm 23", "Romans 8:28-30"
- USFM — The machine-readable Unified Standard Format Marker: "JHN.3.16", "GEN.1.1", "PSA.23"
The platform converts freely between these formats, so users can type natural citations while the system works with precise structured references internally.
Reference Parsing
The reference parser understands a wide range of human citation formats:
| Input | What It Matches |
|---|---|
| "John 3:16" | A single verse |
| "Genesis 1:1-5" | A range of verses within a chapter |
| "Psalm 23" | An entire chapter |
| "Romans 8:28-30" | A verse range |
| "Gen 1:1" | Using abbreviations |
| "1 Corinthians 13" | Books with numeric prefixes |
Reference Output Formats
Every resolved reference provides three representations:
| Format | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Human | Full human-readable citation | Genesis 1:1 |
| Human Short | Abbreviated citation | Gen 1:1 |
| USFM | Machine-readable identifier | GEN.1.1 |
Finding Passages
The find operation takes a human-readable reference and returns the matched content. For each match, you get:
- The book — with its full name, abbreviation, and USFM code
- The chapter — with its complete component tree
- The matched component — the portion of the chapter that corresponds to the requested verses
- The reference — in all three formats (human, human short, USFM)
Editor Integration
Bible references can be embedded directly in rich text documents using the TipTap editor integration. When editing a document, you can insert a Bible reference node that stores the USFM reference and renders the passage inline. References can be displayed as inline citations or as block-level Scripture quotations.
References Across Translations
USFM codes like "GEN.1.1" are standardized, but verse boundaries and numbering can vary between Bible translations. Some translations split or merge verses differently, include or exclude certain passages, or number Psalms differently. This means a USFM reference that works in one translation may not resolve to the same content — or any content — in another.