# What are embeddings in AI?

> A way of representing text as numbers so software can find passages with similar meaning, not only matching words.

Source: https://www.lumin.faith/christian-ai-glossary/embeddings
By Andrew Kittridge · November 10, 2026

Also called: semantic search

## Why it matters for Christians

Search by meaning helps you find the right passage. You still have to read it.

## What to do

When a tool finds a verse by meaning, read the whole passage it points to. A close match in meaning can still be a different context or a different promise.

## Related words

- [Grounding](https://www.lumin.faith/christian-ai-glossary/grounding.md): Giving a model real source text to answer from, such as Bible passages or church documents, instead of relying on memory alone.
- [Large language model](https://www.lumin.faith/christian-ai-glossary/large-language-model.md): An AI model trained on vast amounts of text to predict likely next words. It powers ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and most Christian chat apps.

Every word: [Christian AI glossary](https://www.lumin.faith/christian-ai-glossary.md)