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I keep shaking my
head in amazement.
I've been examining
five major Bible
study software
packages and am
astonished at what
these new tools will
do. They're not all
alike. Some work
better than others.
They're not cheap,
but they are all
fascinating. And
they can change and
improve the way
pastors study for
preaching and
teaching.
If you don't use
Bible software to
study—even if you
are using software
that is five years
old—you can't
imagine what you're
missing. The ease of
use, the
sophisticated
procedures, and the
vast array of
additional resources
put today's
generation of
software in a
different league.
If you don't use
Bible software to
study—even if you
are using software
that is five years
old—you can't
imagine what you're
missing.
In this article I
will focus on these
five software
programs, all being
the most recent
versions:
·
Biblesoft's PC Study
Bible Version 5
(Professional
Reference Library)
·
BibleWorks 7
·
Logos Bible Software
3 (Scholar's
Library: Gold)
·
QuickVerse 2008
(Platinum Edition)
·
Zondervan's The
Teacher's and
Pastor's Library 6.0
for Windows (Pradis-based)
There are many other
Bible software
packages. One good
place to browse
through all of them
is at
www.bitsbytescomputer.com,
an online source of
"trustworthy tools
for biblical
studies." For this
project I enlisted
the help of several
seminary students
and pastors. Some
use study software
all the time; others
almost never. Some
are skilled in
biblical languages;
some are not. Some
are very computer
savvy; others not so
much. Our purpose
was to consider how
these various
software packages
would help average
pastors do their
work.
Bible software
provides help in two
ways. First, these
programs help you
study the text of
Scripture using
various
translations, Greek
and Hebrew
resources, and
cross-references.
Second, they provide
a digital library of
books and resources
in easy-to-search
forms to vastly
expand your study
and personal growth.
I will compare the
various ways these
programs help you
study the Scripture
directly. Then I
will provide more
information about
the libraries you
can acquire.
Finally, I'll spell
out the costs and
offer some
suggestions.
Benefit #1: Studying
the text of
Scripture
For old school guys
like me, throwing
away books is akin
to trashing a flag.
But if you have any
of these software
packages, you might
as well clear out
your Strong's
and Young's
concordances and all
those other behemoth
reference works that
list every use of
this-or-that in the
Bible. In each
software package,
you can find any
word, or group of
words, in any order,
in multiple Bible
translations or the
original languages.
But that's old news.
Bible software has
been doing that for
a long time. Here's
what's new:
Multiple versions:
The programs all
provide many
different
translations and
paraphrases.
BibleWorks also
provides the Bible
in dozens of other
modern languages.
All the packages
tend to puff up
their list of Bible
translations with a
few versions you
probably wouldn't
bother having on
your shelf.
Surprisingly,
QuickVerse does not
provide the NIV in
their Platinum
edition, though
they're happy to
sell you an add-on
of the NIV, TNIV,
and NIrV for $40.
Various Greek,
Hebrew, and English
versions can be
displayed in
parallel fashion, as
many or as few as
you want to see. It
is easy to cut and
paste from them into
other programs. Two
programs—Biblesoft's
PC Study Bible and
Logos—provide
especially quick and
ingenious tools for
pasting biblical
text into other
documents, like MS
Word.
Searches:
You don't really
need these packages
to do English word
searches. You can do
that in several
translations for
free at various
Internet sites.
Where these programs
are really valuable
is in tracking, for
example, all the
uses of certain
Greek or Hebrew
words or phrases in
the Bible. Even if
you do not know the
languages, you can
still use the tools.
Two of the packages—BibleWorks
and Logos—do far
more than simple
word searches in the
original languages.
What these two
programs do is
astonishing. They
don't do the same
thing, and space
does not allow me to
spell out the
intricacies of their
systems (and they
are intricate). Each
allows you to search
for a particular
kind of grammatical
construction,
regardless of the
word. In fact, each
has a long list of
the various ways you
can search and the
kinds of things you
can search for. In
Logos, for example,
you could look for
every verse where
the Holy Spirit
communicates in any
way—speaking,
announcing, or
calling. Logos and
Biblesoft have
numerous training
video clips at their
websites that show
how various features
work. This is a
feature I wish the
others had. It helps
you see what you
would be getting for
your money.
Of all the other
resources, those who
are comfortable
working in the
original languages
seem to prefer
BibleWorks, Logos,
or both. BibleWorks
has been a favorite
for the scholars at
Trinity Evangelical
Divinity School near
me, though Logos's
recent improvements
have won them
accolades from
professors and
students of biblical
languages also.
Zondervan's Pradis
allows you to search
for either the root
form of a word (all
the uses of agape
as either a noun or
agapao as a
verb) or it's
particular
morphological form
(a certain tense or
voice, for example).
Biblesoft and
QuickVerse allow
searches, but they
are more difficult
and are pegged to
the very old, but
still serviceable,
Strong's numbering
system.
Exegetical analysis:
Each of these
programs will parse
Greek words and
quickly provide
basic lexicon
definitions. Only
BibleWorks, Logos,
and Zondervan offer
help with Hebrew,
including Hebrew
text and word
morphology.
BibleWorks and
Logos, once again,
are extraordinary.
In BibleWorks, for
example, as you draw
the mouse over the
English text of an
Old Testament
passage, a small
window appears with
each word showing
the Hebrew word and
its meaning.
Meanwhile, in the
adjoining column, a
much more complete
analysis of each
word appears, with
even more links to
word study books and
grammar tools.
Logos arranges
things a bit
differently, with
every word in the
selected text
appearing in a
column that shows
the word as it is in
the text, the
lexical (basic)
spelling, a brief
definition, an
ingenious tiny bar
chart showing usage
of that word in each
book of the Bible,
and links to various
lexicons and word
study tools—all in a
about a half inch of
screen space.
Logos's exegetical
strong suit is
providing semantical
range of meaning.
They have tapped
into the Louw and
Nida lexicon that's
based on semantic
domains. For
example, that means
you can search for
all the words that
have to do with
"thinking," and even
that is broken into
sub-categories.
Several of these
packages also
provide books in
their libraries to
help you brush up on
grammar and syntax
or even tools to
teach you these
languages.
BibleWorks, for
example, will give
you vocabulary
flashcards.
Cross-references:
Four of the five
packages provide
links to the
venerable The
Treasury of
Scripture Knowledge,
a classic compendium
of 500,000
cross-references.
You simply point at
a reference and a
window pops up with
that verse.
Zondervan's program
does not have this
book, but it does
have its own
cross-reference
system (though not
as extensive as
TSK). What
surprises me is that
none of these
packages use the
superior New
Treasury of
Scripture Knowledge,
compiled by Jerome
H. Smith. Logos does
offer it as a
download for $40.
Diagramming:
I recall diagramming
the entire book of 1
Peter for a Greek
class in seminary.
It was painstaking
and laborious. Now,
both BibleWorks and
Logos allow you to
do that much
quicker. The
BibleWorks program
was flat-out fun (if
you like
diagramming), and
then I discovered
that they already
have the entire New
Testament diagrammed
for you!
Note taking:
Most programs have a
simple notepad for
taking notes as you
study, linking the
notes to the
particular passage
you're in. Gradually
you could build a
kind of commentary
of your own. In
fact, QuickVerse
allows you do to
just that—write your
own commentary—and
even share it with
others in their
system. While most
of these notepads
are pretty basic
formats, BibleWorks
and Logos again come
through with very
sophisticated
capabilities. In
BibleWorks, for
example, you can
edit virtually as
you would in MS
Word, plus pasting
in hyperlinks and
bitmap files. Logos
has an ingenious
system for marking
texts, as I often
do, with digital
color pencils and
pens. You can define
certain colors or
lines to indicate a
certain subject
(e.g. salvation
subjects circled in
red). This feature
was another fun
surprise that had me
wanting to stay and
play awhile.
But is it easy and
intuitive?
Most of us want to
download the
software and use it
15 minutes later.
One of the big
changes in this new
generation of
software is
friendliness. The
graphic appearance
is inviting and
often intuitive. But
here's the thing
about "intuitive"—it
only works if you're
looking to do
something you've
thought of already.
These programs often
do things you have
never been able to
do before in a
paper-and-pen world.
That means a new
user needs to take
the time to watch or
read the tutorials.
I found the help
provided by
Biblesoft, Logos,
and BibleWorks to be
very helpful and
clear. Zondervan and
QuickVerse need
work.
Biblesoft's PC Study
Bible and QuickVerse
both have very
inviting and
intuitive
arrangements of tool
bars and tabs.
QuickVerse mimics
Microsoft's Office
2007 look, and
Biblesoft has
bright, clear
buttons and a very
clean look.
Zondervan's program
is weakest in this
area and needs a
design makeover. I
found it klutzy and
old-fashioned.
Logos has done a
great job with
design, but its very
complexity—the
enormous range of
things it does—means
you must use their
tutorials. A pastor
friend of mine told
me he bought Logos
(the previous
version) for over
$1,000, but hasn't
used it, because he
couldn't figure it
out. By his own
admission, he hasn't
watched or read the
tutorials. If you
don't want to take
the time to learn
the way these
programs work, don't
buy them!
BibleWorks is
notorious for being
difficult to learn.
One of my student
assistants put it
this way: "The basic
way you use
BibleWorks is you
start the program,
open the help menu,
and tell it what you
want to do." The
icons are cryptic
and tiny. On the
other hand, learning
to use a tool that
sophisticated is
bound to be
challenging, and
many users have
learned how to do
it. Once you watch
the tutorials, it
all seems pretty
easy. Use it for a
week, and you'll
have the essence of
it and be thrilled
with all it helps
you do.
Benefit #2: Putting
a library at your
fingertips
The second major
benefit of these
software packages,
besides help in
exegesis, is putting
a library of
sometimes hundreds
of books on your
computer. A few
years ago, books
would come on
various CD-ROMS,
which you had to pop
in and out of your
drive in order to
use them. It was
easier to have the
book itself. Now,
thanks to both
increased capacity
of computers and
compression
technology,
everything is on
your computer, ready
to use. A chaplain
friend told me about
a deployment where
he worked on a
sermon series
tracing salvation
history from Genesis
to Revelation. "It
was invaluable," he
wrote, "to have the
complete Word and
Expositor's
Commentaries on my
computer and not
have to lug a whole
library across the
globe."
When it comes to the
libraries connected
with these packages,
you can count on two
things:
-
You'll get a lot
of old books
that are of
limited value.
That's because
they are not
under copyright
and publishers
can add them at
no cost. It can
be misleading
when publishers
tell you that
you're getting
$2,000 worth of
books, because
you would not
likely ever
choose to buy
many of these
books—at least
not at retail
price. Old books
can be useful,
of course, but
you need newer
scholarship as
well.
-
You get what you
pay for.
Any newer book
that is under
copyright must
be paid for, and
the cost of the
software package
is directly
related to the
number of
copyrighted
books that you
get. Virtually
every publisher
offers
hundreds—even
thousands—of
titles that you
can purchase and
load into their
system.
Some things to
consider:
While you can buy
books and other
features later, it
is to your financial
advantage to buy a
package that mirrors
as closely as
possible what you
hope to have. Adding
the same books later
will cost more. If
you haven't looked
at Bible software in
a while, the
enormous range of
books available for
download will
surprise you.
Virtually all major
commentary sets are
now available, as
are every other kind
of reference work.
What surprised me
was the number of
what I think of as
"reading
books"—books you
read from cover to
cover as opposed to
reference works.
Increasingly,
people—at least
younger
people—are
comfortable reading
books off their
computer screens.
When you download
books, they must
work in the software
platform of your
program—Pradis in
Zondervan or
Libronix in Logos,
for example. Books
purchased in one
system won't work in
another. So think
about what program
you want to grow old
with.
I like "real
books"—the kind with
paper—because I have
a huge investment in
them. But there are
some sweet
advantages to
digital books. As my
friend Andrew
Johnson commented,
"If you love looking
at your books
physically, you're
not going to like
these programs that
much, because they
are leveraging all
their energy toward
putting books on
your screen. But if
you use
paper-and-ink books,
you'd never
cross-link your
physical
commentaries. No
more holding your
finger on one page
while you try to
find the parallel in
another book on your
desk."
Furthermore, when
you have a
commentary or other
resources open
before you, every
Bible reference in
that book will
appear instantly in
a box when you
simply point your
cursor at the blue
link. Want to see
that verse in its
context? Just click
on it, and the full
passage appears.
This alone is an
enormous time saver.
Depending on how
much you want to
spend, these
collections offer
Bible dictionaries,
Bible encyclopedias,
Bible studies,
sermon collections,
illustration books,
collected works of
old-timers from the
church fathers to
Spurgeon, devotional
books of all sorts,
and commentaries
(usually more
devotional than
technical, and
abridged rather than
full). Some even
have hymnbooks that
will play the tunes
for you. You need to
look at the
ever-present
comparison charts to
see exactly what
you'd get with each
program.
Besides the books
themselves, Logos
has various
additional functions
that can be
purchased, called
addins. These make
possible tasks such
as language
pronunciation,
sentence
diagramming, and
sermon files, to
name a few. The
sermon file addin
provides a way for
pastors to keep
their sermons in a
file database, as
well as a separate
file for
illustrations. I
wish I'd had it when
I was starting out.
QuickVerse has an
add-on of their own,
called Sermon
Builder, which is
essentially a
library of
sermon-writing
resources—like
illustrations and
quotations—as well
as a filing system
in which to keep
your illustrations.
The material comes
with the Platinum
Edition or can be
added to the more
basic editions.
One annoying
negative are the
ways that some of
these packages keep
reminding you to buy
more books. Logos,
for example, has
pop-up commercials
each time I start
the program.
Zondervan has a
red-letter link at
the top of the
working pane that
says "Book Store"
Maps, photos, and
timelines:
Talk about a
transformation from
older software
packages! Almost all
of these packages
have scores of
wonderful maps
(though the
Zondervan program
needs work here.)
These maps cover
just about every
Bible teaching
situation you can
imagine. Want to
trace all the places
where Ehud went?
There's a map for
that. I thought the
BibleWorks maps were
the cream of the
crop. They use
satellite technology
and high-resolution
topographical maps
with a couple of
hundred overlays,
such as all the
places mentioned in
each Bible book.
Several of these
programs also offer
a full collection of
photos of Bible
lands and artifacts,
as well as detailed
timelines. All of
these features can
be copied into other
programs, like MS
PowerPoint, making
them great for
teaching.
BibleWorks is the
one exception to the
build-a-library
approach. They offer
a very solid
collection of
exegetical works and
a few other very
basic resources.
This definitely
keeps their price
lower, and it may
suit you just fine
not to add other
books. If you wish
to do so, you'll
have to work through
a different program.
Customizing:
Most of these
programs allow you
to customize the
layout on your
screen, something
like you would with
resources on your
desk. You can have
the Bible versions
or books you most
commonly use open
all the time. The
use of tabs and
panes make it easy
to have several
resources open
without a cluttered
appearance. You can
save different
layouts for
different purposes,
if you like.
Apple OS—Mac
versions:
Of the programs we
reviewed here,
QuickVerse and
Zondervan offer
packages for
Macintosh (see
below). While I did
not review these
packages
specifically, they
appear to be similar
to the packages we
did review. One top
Mac package,
Accordance—Scholar's
Collection 7.4, is
priced at $249. A
very hefty
collection comes in
at nearly $2,500!
Check out their
website at
www.accordancebible.com.
Like the packages
reviewed here, it
has many resources
available as add-ons
to your library.
Support:
All of these
programs advertise
free on-line
support, as well as
phone support. Some
offer a 30-day
money-back
guarantee. When you
order, ask what your
options are if you
don't like what you
see. To evaluate
support, I performed
a simple experiment:
I sent an e-mail to
each of the
company's tech
support addresses
with a basic
question. They all
responded in a
timely and helpful
fashion, except
QuickVerse, who
never wrote back.
Let's talk money.
You have to pay good
money for good
software. But you
have lots of choices
depending on what it
is you want. For one
thing, if you don't
use Greek and Hebrew
resources, you will
pay less, and you
can rule out a
program like
BibleWorks. In the
quick rundown below,
I highlight only the
packages I think
have enough
resources for a
pastor's study. For
full information
about specific
titles, features,
and hardware
requirements, go to
each company's
website. Most offer
charts that compare
their products with
others. Some will
show you written
reviews and customer
forums. You may save
money buying some of
these packages from
discount sellers.
·
Biblesoft's PC Study
Bible Version 5
(Professional
Reference Library)
costs $719.95. There
are three smaller PC
Study Bible
packages, ranging in
price from
$199.95–$479.95,
plus other
collections. Nothing
for Apple OS/Mac.
Website:
www.biblesoft.com.
·
BibleWorks 7 costs
$349. One price,
simple and clear.
Nothing for Apple
OS/Mac. Website:
www.bibleworks.com.
·
Logos Bible Software
3 (Scholar's
Library: Gold) costs
$1379.95. If that is
too steep, or there
are more tools there
than you need,
consider the $629.95
or $999.95 packages.
If original
languages are your
primary interest,
the library of those
tools without a lot
of the other things
is $415.95. This was
the only company I
saw that offered
payment plans to
spread out the
costs. Nothing
available yet for
Apple OS/Mac,
although a version
is in the works.
Website:
www.logos.com.
·
QuickVerse 2008
(Platinum Edition)
costs $799.95. The
Deluxe package
offers a good,
wide-ranging library
for $349.95. For the
same price, you can
get QuickVerse Mac
2007 Gold Box, a
solid resource
package. QuickVerse
has numerous other
packages. Website:
www.QuickVerse.com.
·
Zondervan's The
Teacher's and
Pastor's Library 6.0
for Windows (Pradis-based)
costs $149.99. This
is a great buy for a
very solid but basic
package. The
resources offered
are generally more
recent books. The
Zondervan Scholarly
Bible Study Suite
for Macintosh is the
same price and
appears to offer
essentially the same
resources. Website:
www.zondervan.com.
So what should I
buy?
All these programs
have very satisfied
customers—whose
raves you can find
on the respective
sites. As I said at
the beginning, they
are all amazing.
They all help you
study in ways you
never could with
paper-and-ink books
alone. For $150,
Zondervan's The
Teacher's and
Pastor's Library is
probably the best
bargain if you do
not plan to do
extensive language
study. It is stodgy
in design and needs
a face lift, but it
is a great price for
what you get.
Biblesoft's PC Study
Bible and QuickVerse
are great if you
aren't particularly
into more scholarly
approaches. They are
both well-designed
and fun to use. I'd
give Biblesoft a
slight edge.
For those who are
serious about using
the biblical
languages, you have
to go with either
BibleWorks or Logos.
I'd say it's a
toss-up between the
two. One of my
student scholars
felt he needed them
both to get the
range of study he
wants to do.
BibleWorks offers
the better price.
With Logos you pay
more and get more,
especially in the
other non-exegetical
resources, plus it
is generally easier
to use and more
creative than its
competitors. In the
final analysis,
Logos's Scholar's
Library will be my
go-to software.
Lee Eclov is pastor
of Village Church of
Lincolnshire in Lake
Forest, Illinois,
and editorial
advisor to
PreachingToday.com.
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