Get our Latest Finds
Subscribe to our RSS feed or enter your email address below to get the feed delivered to you by email:
Follow Gizmo
Using this Site
Top Rated
Gizmo's Freeware is Recruiting
We are currently looking for people with skills and/or interest in the following areas:
- Rootkit Scanner and Remover
- Web Browser for Android
If this sounds like you then click here for more details
Best Free Bible Study Software
Well designed and truly beneficial bible study software is hard to find, so it's unusual, and an outstanding value, to find such software for free. e-Sword is just that. A fast and effective way to study the Bible, e-Sword is feature rich and user friendly, with more capabilities than you would expect in a free software package:
- All available Bibles, commentaries and dictionaries are readily viewed without having to "tile windows".
- Integrated editor for creating your own commentaries or study notes, complete with Spell Checking and a Thesaurus!
- Comprehensive print capabilities, including print preview, allow you to create impressive Bible study handouts from the Study Notes Editor.
- Strong's definitions and scripture references in the Commentary and Dictionary views are displayed as ToolTips! Just place the mouse pointer over the reference and the passage will then be displayed. To go to the passage, just click it!
And much more.
If you consider yourself a serious student of the bible, and enjoy complex Hebrew, Greek, Aramaic, and Latin searches, or are looking for a bible program that is light on resources, but heavy on content, check out DAVAR3. DAVAR means "Word" in Hebrew and with over 500MB worth of downloadable content (all free), it appears that DAVAR delivers on that expectation. It's context-sensitive search features are what make DAVAR stand out from the bible software crowd, as searching for complex results is near instantaneous. Want to search for word or phrase? Highlight the word or phrase and just right+click for a menu that gives you many options as to what to do with that word or phrase. As well as including a wide array of references, commentary, dictionaries, lexicons, tools, maps, and more, DAVAR3 includes a mobile version, as well as audio provided by mechon-mamre.org (requires separate download and setup) so you can read along to the Hebrew.
Other Relevant Information: Many additional tools, dictionaries, bible translations, books, images, commentaries and maps are availible for download if you would like them. All of them are free. Audio files require speaker or headphones. Total available packages to install and use exceed 500MB.
All posters should be aware that this Topic is devoted to "study software" only.
Posts condoning or condemning particular religious viewpoints are unwanted and will be removed.
- Article type:
Printer-friendly version
Comments
You missed the best Free Bible software there is, The Word. I used E-Sword from when it first came out tell over 10 years ago. Then last year I tired the New version of The Word, have not go back to E-Sward since. The Word is so much better, E-Sword is great but The Word has many advantages over it, just a better program.
The Word 5 stars
E-Sword 4 stars
Check it out: http://theword.net/
I agree The Word is excellent, maybe the best program. But it lacks the awesome amount of resourses available for e-sword.
This is a use thread but I still need some help!
I've been searching around for good software that will allow me to cross reference personal notes I make as I study the bible as well as provide the option to cross reference personal thoughts and other books I am reading- commentaries, thematic books and even some secular books (good quotes, stories etc).
If anyone has some suggestions I would be very grateful as initial research suggests Word and esword may not have the cross referencing note functions I'm looking for- happy to be corrected though!.
The only drawback with e-sword I find is that you can´t select a whole passage to make a comment. You can only comment on individual verses. So if I want to make an introductory note on a book or a chapter, I have to make on the first verse. The Word allows me to select multiple verses for a note, and its GUI is awesome, but it lacks free Spanish resources. This makes me using both programs, which are excellent, anyways.
I can't find a free one with NIV. Any suggestions?
Olivetree gives you their reader and many free versions plus Bible tools, dictionaries etc.
ESword is free with some free Bibles and some paid.
Charles
MONOON Bible reader has NIV
Glo Lite is free and has NIV.
Most bible freeware like E-Sword, Theophilos, and the others will come with the KJV as the default bible version, since the KJV it is public domain and free from copyrights. The NIV version is a copyrighted text published by Biblica. You won't ever find a legitimate free NIV bible module, even when the programs you may use it on are free. You can read the NIV online at www.blueletterbible.org as well as some other online bible reading sites. Search around for that, but be careful if you see a fake link to a free NIV download, since you might end up downloading harmful viruses or other malware.
Action Bible is not compatible with Windows 2000 (missing a DLL). That won't be an issue for most people, but SD Software does not list the system requirements, so just a heads up.
After having researched diligently almost everything here, I have ended-up with The Word (www.theword.gr). It is the fastest more intuitive and easiest of all, and it does have the best overall experience and features. I used to use eSword myself but there is just no comparison between the two.
HTH - Josh
I have used e-sword for years and LOVE it. I too have The Word. I find it harder to use (ease of use simple in e-sword). I do like The Word. It has some special features that e-sword does not have, but I like my study time and my teaching time to be as easy as possible, ALTHOUGH, I like how The Word has much more in the line of commentaries on board with the scriptures. That is nice. Can't say I like one over the other. E-sword is clear and you can change your font easily. I guess I am just used to it more than the Word. I am sure if I used The Word more it would become easier.
Portable AddTV Bible
Publisher's description
From Church of God :
What's new in this version:
Version 4.5 is embedded with videos from YouTube including Video Bible of different languages.
Watch religious debates, bible expositions, facts about the bible, bible guide, truth in focus, how authentic the bible is. You can also watch live Web cast.
For the ARDENT searcher of the TRUTH http://download.cnet.com/AddTV/3000-2135_4-10423687.html?tag=mncol#userr...
i was reading forums;suggestions;comparison of bible translations--Concluding to myself that the best translation there is today is ESV. So i searched an ESV bible study software, and there is just one program dafault only to ESV in basic package http://www.sdsoftware.org/ --other translation and comentaries are available as addons--This is also portable and for the minimlist. A good alternative to BerBible-- http://www.berbible.org/
I have edited your links as they were pointing to direct download of the software. Please do not put such links, as we do not allow that. Its better to provide links to the software page. About sdsoftware, its not clear which software you are talking about... there are many software on that site. Please be more specific.
Though there are many softwares on that site-there is only one free Bible study software available for download--ActionBible only--sorry for not being specific.
I have e-Sword, TheWord, Online Bible, Bible Analyzer 3.7, BibleMax, BerBible, ISA Davar3, BibleDesktop, Bible Explorer 4, and The SWORD Project, and to save a lot of bytes, the best two overall are the first two.
But for very quick basic searches, the best is still the old free QuickVerse, but being 16 bit, it will not run in XP if ram gets too low ((Win 16 subsytem resources too low) http://www.unitybaptist.com/quick_verse.htm Runs fine in Vista, praise the Lord. Got into Edit to change clipboard copying (paragraph mode, etc.,0
Hi everybody try this online Bible study tool, worth a look in
http://www.biblos.com/
Michael
Davar3 is definitely for serious students of the Scriptures. I would not recommend it to those with just a "passing fancy" for God's Word. One could spend hours researching with this one.
Alone you cannot do nothing
I think e-sword is still by far the best free Bible Study program. As I just tried bible explorer and it is not a download you have to stay conected to Internet to use it. Where as e-sword you can take it with you on your laptop and read with out a connection.
I was wrong about the programs not working without a conection. They do work. And some have a cool interface. I will try them all.
Its just super. Like it so much sent in donation money.
After reading the comments here and checking out: http://www.fostertribe.org/biblesoftware.html, which is a great site that has in-depth comparisons of 20 Bible software packages, eleven of which are free, I tried out e-Sword, Bible Pro, Bible Explorer, The Word, Theophilos and BerBible. After using e-Sword, Theophilos and not liking the way Bible Pro is "free", I deleted them and I now just use the others. Of the three, the reviewer doesn't mention BerBible, but it absolutely has the fastest startup time, and includes the NASB and NKJV. But the look is rather dull. Bible Explorer 4 is the most colorful and has the most resources. But, for me, The Word has the best user experience, the most options and can import material from several other sources. I still have all three, but may eventually just use The Word, so I can truly know it inside out. Thanks for everyone's input. Ultimately it just comes down to personal taste and needs.
PS I hadn't used PC Bible software before as I was just using the free BibleReader from Olive Tree for my Tapwave Zodiac, which was a PDA that was the forerunner of the Sony PSP.
After reevaluating, I decided to keep e-Sword and Theophilos. Both have some good features. And at least temporarily, I have let go of BerBible.
I've used Bibleworks 3.5 for years and decided I'd switch to something free but all three I tried (E-Sword, Online Bible and another I can't remember) were not so useful. I would have to use E-Sword with Online Bible to get fast the speed and flexibility of searching.
I'm about to try Davar - hope it works as well as it looks.
I like to use e-sword. In fact, there was a bible study software called 'Audio Bible Study', I used it in the age of windows 95,98. I still have the software but for some reason, it does not work in XP. I loved that software, but there seems no help or support any more. If anyone knows about it, please let me know. Thanks.
http://www.audiobiblestudy.org/
By far the best: The Word: http://www.theword.gr
If unsure, give it a try - then go back to others and you will understand :)
e-sword is very good. I have found a website of a bible teacher that has all of his teaching tapes online going back about 3 years for free. You can even download them in mp3 format. I have found his teachings to be very balanced.
This is the webpage to his teachings:
awmi.net/extra/audio
I have made a lot of search sometime ago before this best free STUDY BIBLE category been added here--My search criteria? BEST WORD FOR WORD BIBLEs TRANSLATION BUNDLE for the basic install download--
for me?..... http://www.berbible.org/ ---just like Mr.Meyers E-SWORD you can add other add ons after .
Post new comment