Online Bible/Artikel

The leader in freeware

The freeware program, Online Bible, has assumed a prominent role among computer Bible study programs. The program's author, Larry Pierce, believes the Bible should be freely shared, so he allows anyone to freely copy and distribute everything in his program except for a few copyrighted commentaries and translations (such as the NIV and NASB).

Ten years ago, Pierce began by compiling a lexicon for the computer from several nineteenth-century sources, and adding James Strong's numbers to the mix. A century ago, Strong had assigned a number to every word in the Bible. He also prepared Hebrew and Greek lexicons to show the definitions and uses of each word in the Bible.

When Pierce embedded Strong's numbers into a computer-coded KJV text, he revolutionized how tens of thousands of people study the Bible. Now anyone can click on a number beside a word in the KJV and see the original Hebrew or Greek (in the original language or spelled phonetically) and a definition for that word.

Since then Online Bible has added an amazing number of resources. The latest Windows CD-ROM comes with more than a dozen English translations, more than 30 foreign translations, plus Hebrew and Greek translations, a half-dozen commentaries, and more than 5,000 "topics" (miscellaneous text files and images).

"You can let time winnow out the chaff for you," says Pierce, referring to the classic commentaries in his program. As with other freeware and shareware programs, most commentaries are older: Matthew Henry's Commentary, written between 1708 and 1710; John Gill's nine-volume expository on the Bible, published in 1809; and B. W. Johnson's 1889 People's New Testament Commentary.

Also typical of freeware and shareware, the user interface in Online Bible is spartan. You won't find icons on the toolbar, only labels, such as "View Passage." Nor is using the program as intuitive as in some commercial Bible study programs. For example, editing notes in Online Bible 7.0 is still a two-step process. First you pull up the notes screen. Then you choose "Edit notes" to activate a note editor. There is also no provision for searching your notes or the "topics." (That will be part of a future release, says Pierce.)

The low budget for development shows in the maps too. Online Bible includes 25 maps, but they can't be modified. You can't, for instance, "zoom in" on them or label where certain events took place (as some commercial programs allow).

The new version now allows for the extensive use of the right mouse button. You can set up a list of default translations and study aids (i.e., commentaries and dictionaries). Online Bible can do wildcard searches (e.g., enter "lov*" to find instances of love, loved, loving, lover, etc.), proximity searches (to find where two words are used within so many words of each other), and boolean (and, or, not) searches. You can also search for an "ambiguous phrase." Entering "Jesus . . . Christ," for instance, searches for phrases that begin with "Jesus" and end with "Christ."

The latest Windows version, Online Bible 7.0, comes in both a 16-bit version, for Windows 3.1 and OS/2, and a 32-bit version, for Windows 95. The Online Bible for Macintosh is nearly identical. A DOS version is also still available. The program and resources can be downloaded and copied freely, but doing so will take hours. That alone might make one of the available CD-ROMs ($30-$79 from Online Bible USA) sound attractive. For more information call 800/243-7124, or check the still-developing Web site: biblecd.com.

Best of the rest

Also worth a look are two shareware programs. (A shareware program can be freely copied and tested; if you decide to use it, you are expected to pay for your copy.)

God's Word 2.0 comes with three public domain translations (including the KJV), Strong's numbers with Greek and Hebrew lexicons, two Bible dictionaries, and Matthew Henry's Commentary.

The interface for SwordSearcher 97, a Windows 95 program, is a bit more intuitive than the one in God's Word 2.0. You can open up three possible windows: for a verse or reference list, a Bible passage, and your notes. All appear as file folders on your desktop. You can also synchronize the passage window and the notes window (as you can in Online Bible). Finding personal notes is also easier in SwordSearcher than in other programs.

In addition, the following can be downloaded from the SwordSearcher Web site: the 1917 Scofield Notes, the Geneva Bible footnotes, Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary, the People's New Testament Commentary, and the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. On the down side, SwordSearcher currently lacks Strong's numbers.

God's Word 2.0 is $25 for a CD-ROM, $45 for diskettes. Discounts are available for additional copies and site licenses. Missionary organizations are free to make copies of a registered copy. Call 800/414-4268 for orders, or check the Web site (islandnet.com/~rintoul) for more information. SwordSearcher 97 is $45 plus $3 shipping for a CD-ROM, payable to Brandon Staggs, P.O. Box 1019, Hanalei, HI 96714, or by credit card through the Web site (swordsearcher.com).

Internet Bibles

You don't have to pay for diskettes or a CD-ROM if you have a modem. Several searchable Bibles are available on the Internet. Two of the best are the Bible Gateway (biblegateway.com) and the Goshen Online Study Library (goshen.net/osl).

With each you can search the Bible by Scripture reference or keywords. Both include some modern translations besides the old standards. The Bible Gateway includes the RSV, NASB, and NIV, and the Goshen site (still in testing stage as this was written) includes the RSV and NRSV. Each also offers some older commentaries, such as Matthew Henry's. A third site, the Blueletter Bible (blueletterbible.org) has only the KJV but allows you to look at the Strong's numbers or the original Hebrew and Greek.

A different approach is taken at World Wide Study Bible (ccel.org/wwsb) and Biblical Studies Foundation (bible.org). These two sites emphasize the interpretation of Scriptures. At the World Wide Study Bible, you can search for a lesson or sermon on a particular passage. Authors range from heavyweights such as St. Augustine and Charles Spurgeon to current pastors who have submitted their own sermons.

The Biblical Studies Foundation (BSF) site is intended to be a theological library on the Web, with lessons, commentaries and discussion forums, as well as a searchable Bible. The idea for it came from Hampton Keathley IV, who now oversees the Web site. Four years ago, he was searching the Internet for material to help prepare Bible lessons. All he found were sites for religious publishers. "I just could never find any content," says Keathley. "It was only, 'Hi, we're open for business.' "

The NET Bible is ambitious. The "NET" stands not only for the Internet but for the New English Translation, a modern translation being put together by the folks behind the BSF site. As you read the Bible in one frame on your screen, running commentary and translator's footnotes appear in other frames. Translators have completed about half of the Old Testament and all of the New Testament books except for the book of Revelation.

Much of the contents on the Web site are also available on a CD for $20. Call 800/575-2425 or check the Web site.

Whatever your choice, don't let your budget stop you from using a computer to augment your Bible study.

Marshall Surratt, of Frisco, Texas, uses freeware, shareware, and commercial Bible study programs in his personal Bible study and as a Sunday school teacher and church librarian.

Professional Starter Kits
Some heavy-hitting programs offer low-cost demos.

Shareware and freeware programs can be a bit clunky to use and don't provide the latest in resources. Internet Bible study sites are fine, if you don't mind working through a modem, which can be slow. If you're looking for more convenience, better graphics, and more up-to-date commentaries, you may want to stick with commercial software--even if you're on a budget.

Most commercial Bible study software companies offer a demo or starter version, which you can later upgrade. These versions will likely include some (if not all) of the following: one Bible version (usually the KJV, Living Bible, or ASV), a Bible dictionary, Strong's Numbers, the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, a Topical Bible, a map set, and a devotional, such as Spurgeon's Morning and Evening or My Utmost for His Highest.

One advantage is that you'll get a streamlined, commercial interface with the starter kit. This, in itself, may be worth the price--commercial programs have undergone rigorous testing for ease-of-use and speed, and usually feel better to the average user.

"Starter kits" are available for $50 or less from these and other companies:

• Biblesoft (800/995-9058 or biblesoft.com)
• Epiphany Software (800/333-BIBLE or bible-explorer.com)
• Logos Research Systems (800/87-LOGOS or logos.com)
• NavPress Software (800/888-9898 or wordsearchbible.com)
• Nelson Electronic Publishing (800/933-9673 or nelsonworddirect.com).
• OakTree (accordancebible.com for a Macintosh-based Accordance demo)
• Parsons Technology (800-644-6344 or parsonstech.com/biblestudy)