About Every Verse Matters
EveryVerseMatters.com is a continuing gospel education platform for adult members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — deep, verse-by-verse scripture commentary running parallel to the Come, Follow Me curriculum.
The Problem
The Church's CES program — Seminary and Institute — effectively ends at age 35. Come, Follow Me has become the centerpiece of member scripture study since 2019, and dozens of podcasts, blogs, and YouTube channels produce content weekly. But no single member can consume it all, and no single creator synthesizes every dimension for every verse.
The Old Testament — the 2026 curriculum — is where members struggle most and need the deepest support.
The Solution
For every verse in the week's reading, EveryVerseMatters.com provides in-depth commentary drawing from Hebrew word studies, cross-references across all Standard Works, Ancient Near Eastern historical context, JST revisions, Book of Mormon and Restoration connections, prophetic teachings, and practical application — dimensions that are difficult for any single weekly resource to cover consistently.
Alongside the verse-by-verse commentary, EVM curates the best content from trusted Come, Follow Me creators — Scripture Central, Follow Him, Don't Miss This, Unshaken Saints, and more — with links and full attribution. We point you toward great teachers, never replace them.
Historical Inspiration
This platform carries the spiritual legacy of the School of the Prophets (D&C 88), established by Joseph Smith in Kirtland, Ohio in 1833 — the Church's first adult continuing education program where leaders studied theology, Hebrew, history, and the mysteries of the kingdom. EVM is a modern digital continuation of that tradition.
Built By
EveryVerseMatters.com is built with AI by a Latter-day Saint returned missionary who believes that deep scripture study shouldn't end when Institute does. Have feedback, questions, or suggestions? Reach out at contact@everyversematters.com.
"And I give unto you a commandment that you shall teach one another the doctrine of the kingdom. Teach ye diligently and my grace shall attend you." — D&C 88:77-78
Sources
Every quote, insight, and claim on EVM traces to a vetted source in this registry. 26 sources currently verified.
Official Church Sources
4Church-published curriculum, General Conference talks, and verified resources.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The official Come, Follow Me curriculum for 2026. Primary source for weekly lesson themes, key questions, and study prompts.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Official Church resources supporting Old Testament study and teaching in 2026.
Church News · 2026-02-22
Church News weekly verified quote compilation for Week 9. Includes President Faust on the seed of Abraham, Elder Holland on Lot's wife, President Hinckley on God's protective care. Each quote includes full attribution.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Publishes weekly 'What Have Church Leaders Said' articles for every CFM week — pre-verified prophetic quotes with full attribution. Key systematic source for sources_registry.json population.
Prophetic Commentary
3Individual General Conference talks and published teachings by Church leaders.
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland · 2010-04
Contains Elder Holland's memorable teaching on Lot's wife — 'Don't look back.' Directly relevant to Genesis 19:26.
President James E. Faust · 1995-10
President Faust on the seed of Abraham and the nature of Abrahamic tests in our lives.
President Gordon B. Hinckley · 1971-10
President Hinckley on God's protective care — cited in Church News verified quote compilation for Genesis 18-23.
Scholarly & Academic
6Peer-reviewed and institutionally published biblical scholarship.
Larry E. Dahl · 2005
Sperry Symposium Classics. Analysis of Genesis 22 — everyone who achieves exaltation must pass an Abrahamic test. Includes Joseph Smith's teachings to the Twelve on trials.
BYU Religious Studies Center · 2009
Five elements of sacrifice in Genesis 22: place, identity, fire, obedience, provision. Moriah as temple/mountaintop. Altars as conduits between heaven and earth.
Aaron Schade · 2020
Sister-wife theme in Genesis 12 and 20. Sarah and Hagar complexities. Hebrew 'nissah' means 'try/prove' not 'tempt.' Abraham's laconic obedience.
BYU Religious Studies Center
JST Genesis 18:23 — the three messengers were 'holy men, sent forth after the order of God' (Melchizedek Priesthood). Critical for understanding the divine visitors to Abraham.
BYU Religious Studies Center · 2003
Three covenant promises: land, seed, gospel/priesthood. Genesis 18:18-19 and 22:17-18 as key covenant passages.
BYU Religious Studies Center
Faithful English translation directly from Hebrew with LDS commentary. JST additions placed in original context. Full Genesis coverage.
Come, Follow Me Creators
13Trusted weekly content producers in the LDS CFM community.
Academic-quality Come, Follow Me content. Multiple weekly series including KnoWhy articles, Finding Christ in the Old Testament (John Hilton III), and Handmaidens, Harems & Heroines (Lynne Hilton Wilson).
Hank Smith & John Bytheway
Weekly two-part interview podcast with guest scholars. One of the most popular CFM podcasts. Free show notes and transcripts in four languages.
Dave Butler & Grace Freeman
Weekly video and podcast. Devotional/inspirational style with wide appeal. Massive following. Weekly study materials and prayer posters.
Bryce Dunford
Weekly conversational deep dives with strong temple and covenant focus.
Jared Halverson
Verse-by-verse deep dives (2-4 hrs per episode). Closest format to EVM's Deep Dive. Strong faith-crisis support angle. Archive includes full 2022 OT cycle.
Scot & Maurine Proctor
Written depth with Holy Land context. Podcast and article format. Faithful LDS perspective with devotional tone.
Benjamin Wilcox
Practical teaching ideas for Gospel Doctrine and Sunday School teachers. Literary approach with downloadable lesson materials, slides, and handouts.
BYUtv
Weekly panel discussion with guest scholars. High production quality. Re-airing 2022 OT episodes for 2026 season.
Weekly study guides with historical context, reflection questions, and curated leader quotes. Also aggregates links to other creators.
Printable lesson activities and visuals for Primary, family home evening, and families with children ages 1-16.
Cali Black
Daily short-form podcast (1-5 min per episode), 5x/week aligned to CFM. Bite-sized scripture insights for busy members. One of the most popular daily formats. Episodes not easily indexable via web search — live in podcast apps.
Hank Smith & John Bytheway · 2022-02
2022 OT cycle episode covering Genesis 18-23 with a different guest scholar than the 2026 Dr. Carli Anderson episode. Guest name and specific episode URL still needed. Confirmed to exist in archive.
Kerry Muhlestein & Lamar Newmeyer
Kerry Muhlestein (BYU professor, Egyptology and ancient scripture) hosts deep-dive interviews with scholars, archaeologists, and linguists on the scriptural world. 420+ episodes, top 0.5% of global podcasts. Muhlestein also appears as a guest expert on Follow Him. Patreon content available at TSAR.website.