E-Sword
It is hard to believe that bible software this good is FREE! However, Rick Myers has done the world a great service by offering e-Sword free of charge. As he points out on his site, there might be expensive software packages out there that can do more “things” than e-Sword, however the average user doesn’t know how to take advantage of them. e-Sword is an easy to use and robust application that is a great resource for studying the Bible.
If you’ve never owned Bible study software or can’t afford or don’t need a more robust application, then you should go and download e-Sword right now. It is an excellent tool at an amazing price… FREE!
Platform: Windows
Price: Free
Link: www.e-sword.net
Features:
- Multiple translations, commentaries, and dictionaries available
- Create your own parallel bible with up to 4 translations
- Create your own notes
- Comprehensive print capabilities
- Strongs definitions appear by mousing over words
- Compare translations to Greek and Hebrew
- Powerful Search
- Create your own lists of scriptures
- Copy and print in a variety of styles
- Graphics viewer for studying maps, charts, and images
My Greek professor is a huge fan of BibleWorks and made it clear that it would help us as we went through our exegesis classes. I found that I could use eSword to do just about everything I needed. The only thing it lacks is access to BDAG, but that was not a huge problem.
BibleWorks is certainly fancier and more polished. It can definitely do more than eSword. However, with some judicious Googling for resources and some patience you can make eSword do what you need for original language study. I know that I could buy BibleWorks, but I don’t see the point right now.
This is a great program. I have been using it since it first came out and have found it to be a wonderful resource. The ability to add newer Bible versions and reference material is very easy and when a fee is involved, they are prices economically. The search features are tremendous. Make sure to add the user-created modules. The amount of resources available will keep you busy digging into your Bible for years to come. I burn CD’s of this program to give to new members of our church and encourage them to use it to help them study.
While e-sword will never replace hard copies of Bibles and reference books, it has two tremendous strengths. First, I use it when I’ve got a question to answer. I can quickly flip through translations and commentaries to get several angles on a passage within a couple of minutes. Second, I keep it running when I’m doing in-depth studies. Though I generally flip back and forth between two translations, a commentary, and a handbook or other reference work, with e-sword I can keep several other translations and commentaries handy as well.
I’ve been using e-Sword since version 5.0. I’ve used other packages (Sword Searcher, Quick Verse, etc.) and e-Sword has everything that I really need, and the price is certainly right. I love the ability that I have to create my own commentaries and topic notes (useful for Sunday School lessons or sermons). If you dig into it a little bit, and check the resources available online, this is the most versatile Bible software package around. One thing I encourage people to do, though, is to donate the $20 every so often to get a copy of the program on CD. Support the ministry!
In a previous post, a reviewer stated that e-Sword can’t replace printed books. It has for me.
I used to own in the neighborhood of $5000-$7000 (USD) worth of print materials. Now, all I use is Bible software.
The price is right: free in many cases. The amount of tools that you get is far greater and cheaper than if you had to buy them yourself in printed form.
And there are so many resources available electronically that to spend a lot for printed materials does not make sense to me anymore.