copyrighted bible verses, can we use them in our own writings?

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Crustyone

Crustyone

Senior Member
Mar 15, 2015
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I am trying to write some papers to help others and I am wondering if I need to be concerned about the use of bible verses in my paper if I specify where they came from. Does anyone know the legal requirements, if any, to the use of bible verses in an individuals writings? I would like to use some verses from the New International Version, the Orthodox Jewish Bible, and the Complete Jewish Bible.
 
Thanks. I think I've got it covered, although, I didn't do it exactly their way. It seems as though that verses can be used as long as the bible version, book, chapter and verse are made clear to the reader.
 
Crustyone said:
I am trying to write some papers to help others and I am wondering if I need to be concerned about the use of bible verses in my paper if I specify where they came from. Does anyone know the legal requirements, if any, to the use of bible verses in an individuals writings? I would like to use some verses from the New International Version, the Orthodox Jewish Bible, and the Complete Jewish Bible.
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You can use any King James Version verse .. :D The Word of God is Gods and not mens.. Any version that you have to pay copyright to a person to use should be dumped... How dare anyone claim ownership of Gods Word..
 
Adstar said:
You can use any King James Version verse .. :D The Word of God is Gods and not mens.. Any version that you have to pay copyright to a person to use should be dumped... How dare anyone claim ownership of Gods Word..
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kjv is 'public domain' in the USA only because of its age, but in the UK there are copyright restrictions on it actually ;)
 
Crustyone said:
I am trying to write some papers to help others and I am wondering if I need to be concerned about the use of bible verses in my paper if I specify where they came from. Does anyone know the legal requirements, if any, to the use of bible verses in an individuals writings? I would like to use some verses from the New International Version, the Orthodox Jewish Bible, and the Complete Jewish Bible.
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I think each Bible, and online version, will tell you what the rules are regarding copyright. If I remember correctly, the Bible I was quoting had some limit of number of verses I could quote in a publication. I think it was 500.
 
Crustyone said:
I am trying to write some papers to help others and I am wondering if I need to be concerned about the use of bible verses in my paper if I specify where they came from. Does anyone know the legal requirements, if any, to the use of bible verses in an individuals writings? I would like to use some verses from the New International Version, the Orthodox Jewish Bible, and the Complete Jewish Bible.
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Every book has copyright rules. Some books are so popular they have their own pages online with a section about copyright use. I know the KJV has such a site. No idea about the ones you are including. Why not find out?

And writer to writer, heads up. If someone uses three different versions to say something, I'm going to immediately check out why they couldn't just pick one. Does it not say the same thing in all three versions? And, if it doesn't, then I'm going to assume author bias to prove a point. I'm not saying that's what you're doing. I'm just letting you know that's the first thing I think and check out.
 
I think you can copy the KJV because the copyright has expired and that is the reason you see it quoted in so many books. With other versions you need permission from the Publisher. I would check this out if I were you in case I.m wrong!
 
Anyone can quote anything in any book, as long as it's properly cited.

Depending on the book, there are limitations to how much can be quoted/cited.
 
tanakh said:
I think you can copy the KJV because the copyright has expired and that is the reason you see it quoted in so many books. With other versions you need permission from the Publisher. I would check this out if I were you in case I.m wrong!
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Actually, the KJV is one of very few books where they've kept renewing the copyrights. It's owned by the royal family.
 
santuzza said:
Anyone can quote anything in any book, as long as it's properly cited.

Depending on the book, there are limitations to how much can be quoted/cited.
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In the USA, part of the intellectual property law says that to pursue a claim of the illegal use the owner must be able to prove that they lost money by your use of their work. So unless they can prove that your use of their 'scriptures' kept someone from buying their Bible, I think you're ok.

Yep. In the USA it always boils down to mammon.
 
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