Bible Software #1

I’ve recently had conversations with several people discussing the merits of different bible software, and perhaps it would be useful to commit some of these thoughts to paper. Over a series of posts I will compare some of the options available, from the basic free stuff to the more expensive and sophisticated packages, to mobile options since there are an increasing number of people carrying smart phones around.

Obviously the different options all have advantages and disadvantages and the best choice will depend on what you would use it for, your level of technical expertise and ability to make use of what the programs offer, your computer’s hardware capabilities, and available funds.

Perhaps the place to start would be – why use bible study software at all? The ink and paper variety functions very well so why bother? That’s certainly worth asking before you go throwing any cash down on something. If your only use of the bible is in personal reading, taking it to church or Hub then you have little use for Bible software. It’s just not as good for sitting down and reading, and it’s not transportable with the exception of PDA/smarthphone versions.

On the other hand, if you want to study the bible and not just read it; if you lead a small group and want to really come to grips with a passage, to contrast all the different english translations, to explore how it connects with the rest of scripture, do word studies on key words, see how commentators have grappled with a passage, use other reference books – dictionaries and so forth; and if your skills allow, grapple with the text in its original languages and do sophisticated grammatical and syntactic analysis; you’ll either need a large free table, a pile of books and plenty of hours to scour through finding the information you need… or software.

Over the next weeks I’ll try to give you a snapshot of what’s out there, what it can do and who it would be useful for.