The core of what is generally known as Bible software is an electronic Bible concordance. As we all know, concordances have traditionally been one of the main and most cherished tools used for Bible study and sermon preparation. But unlike print concordances, Bible software allows us to run the kind of multi-word, cross-version, cross-language, grammatical searches never thought possible before the advent of the computer age.

And that is only the beginning. Bible software turns the seemingly impossible into something readily available. It is not an automatic process, to be sure. It does take some time and effort on our part, but the dividends are excellent for those willing to invest in it.

Anyone involved in serious Bible study, teaching or preaching would do well to get acquainted with everything modern Bible software tools have to offer. There are a number of reasons for that. Among the clear advantages of using Bible software, we could point out the following.

Hyperlinking
Digital texts lend themselves particularly well to “jumping” from one place to another in the search for information. Forget all the stacks of books on your desk and the endless page flipping. Simply click on the live links (usually indicated by a different color, underlining, peculiar cursor symbol, etc.), and you’ll be taken to the right place. Look up the Bible reference, dictionary entry, commentary, map, illustration or whatever it may be, and get back to the original location with only a mouse click. Or, if you prefer, follow up more links as you broaden the horizons of your study. Hyperlink to your heart’s content, and you will discover a completely new dimension. Just be careful that you don’t forget where you started and what brought you there.

Speed
In an era when time seems to be at a premium, it is important to choose the most time-efficient approaches to performing routine tasks. Bible software is a time-saver when it comes to running searches, looking up references, gathering information, printing out notes, and so on, but let us remember that there are no shortcuts to prayerfully and diligently reading and studying the Bible. We should use whatever time we might save by employing Bible software tools in sharpening our skills for correctly interpreting and applying the Scriptures. Software is no excuse for exegetical sloppiness. Quite the opposite.

Comprehensiveness
It is true that sometimes one can’t see the forest for the trees. So often the Bible is read and studied in a piecemeal fashion, without an awareness of the overall plot and interrelatedness of its different parts. Bible software can effectively place all the relevant data at our fingertips. Admittedly, with the exponential growth of the information available also comes the need to sieve the data, and that is something we will have to do, but at least the grunt work will have been done for us. 

When exposed to the latest Bible software features (far too many to enumerate them here), most people will harbor no doubt that this is the way to go. But still many will be wondering what the best Bible program is. The answer to that question, of course, is that there isn’t such thing as “the best” Bible software in abstract terms. The best Bible software for us will be that which is better able to help us in the task we want to perform. To that end, there are a few helpful questions that should be asked at the very outset every time we are considering what program should we acquire. The answer to these questions will usually give us a very good clue as to which package will better meet our needs.

1. Do I base my study on a particular English version of the Bible or work directly from the original languages?
2. What platform would be best for me (PC, Mac, Linux, PDA, Tablet PC)? Do I work with a desktop computer most of the time? Do I travel much or spend a lot of time commuting?
3. Do I need to do any authoring (write extensive notes, add other books, Bible versions, etc. that seamlessly integrate into the program)?
4. What secondary sources do I use most often (Classic public domain reference works or more contemporary tools)?

Some Bible programs – which could be conveniently labeled as Bible-search programs – are glorified concordances and that will be good enough for those with basic search, display, copy-paste and print needs. Others, the Bible-study programs, are more or less sophisticated electronic libraries, which will appeal to those involved in more heavy research and/or teaching. Still others, the Bible-research programs, are geared towards the in-depth analysis and study of the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek texts, and can become an invaluable help for language-learning and exegesis.
 
Boundaries and terminology are not always clear-cut, but each program usually excels in one (two at most) of the above categories. We will rarely find an all-in-one piece of software, although two or three of the high-end products will certainly cover all our bases if we decide to have a go at them. Most of these come with a money-back guarantee, so there is little to lose and a lot to be gained.

It is always a good idea to think carefully and realistically about our present and future needs. Expandability is always a plus, and so is modularity. It may be worth our while to buy something that will meet our current needs and later on allow us to add more advanced resources. In other words, if we can afford it, it is much better to purchase a package that will certainly outgrow us, particularly at the beginning, than one that we will outgrow in a short while.

There are plenty of packages to choose from under each or the general types mentioned earlier, depending on our needs, our budget, and whatever bells and whistles we might want to find in them. But one thing is for sure: no matter whether it’s a freeware, shareware or commercial product, or whether it is highly advanced or very basic, Bible software – any Bible software – will revolutionize the way we approach our study of the Scriptures and will have an impact on our preaching and teaching.

It should be clear by now why we should all bother about Bible software. We owe it to ourselves, and we owe it to the people we minister to. We are to be good stewards of whatever the Lord has placed in our hands. A good, sensible use of Bible software will boost our productivity, enrich our study periods and give us the time we need to major on the things that really matter.

Let us always keep in mind that Bible software is never an end in itself; it is a tool for ministry. The name “computer-assisted Bible study” says it all. It is supposed to aid in our study, not become the focus of it.

Our goal cannot be other than 2 Timothy 2:15: “Make every effort to present yourself before God as a proven worker who does not need to be ashamed, teaching the message of truth accurately” (NET Bible).

I am convinced that Bible software can help us towards fulfilling this high calling.

Rubén Gómez is the editor of Bible Software Review, www.bsreview.org.

Sidebar
Product Roundup

Logos Bible Software Series X – Scholar’s Library Silver Edition
Want to cut your sermon preparation time, while preaching better sermons? You can. Logos Bible Software Series X - Scholar's Library Silver Edition helps you confidently preach sermons that are carefully researched, biblically sound and insightful, while saving you precious hours every week. Logos Bible Software is very easy to use, even for the computer novice. If you can get around on the Internet, you can use this software. Simply click, read and study. Scholar’s Library Silver Edition (a favorite package among pastors) contains nearly 400 electronic titles, along with a powerful search engine and special tools for working with Greek, Hebrew and even Syriac. This fully integrated platform combines a large electronic theological reference library with advanced biblical language tools.
www.logos.com

iLumina Gold
Live the Bible with iLumina Gold, the world’s first digitally animated Bible and Encyclopedia Suite. Enjoy the full text of the Bible in the NLT and KJV plus commentary on every verse, and a complete illustrated encyclopedia. iLumina Gold treats your senses to cutting-edge computer animations, guided virtual tours of the Holy Land, and documentary videos on the life of Jesus. Explore thousands of multimedia encyclopedia articles of Christian history, the Deuterocanonical Books, hymns, theology, a Bible dictionary and hot topics. Plus, find hundreds of people profiles, maps, pictures and a whole reference library of books from leading Bible scholars. My Study Center is the latest research tool that pools all the resources of iLumina Gold and makes them available at your fingertips. Conduct an in-depth search by typing in the topic you’re researching. iLumina Gold is so powerful it will gather all the related Scripture, encyclopedia articles, animations, photos, maps, and videos in seconds.
www.ilumina.com

Accordance Bible Software from OakTree Software
Accordance Bible Software from OakTree Software, Inc. searches the Bible, accesses commentaries and explores original languages with power and ease. Version 6 is Mac OS-X native with an elegant streamlined interface, but also runs on Classic Mac systems and on PCs with a Mac emulator. The wide range of CD-ROMs includes an interactive Bible Atlas and Timeline and a Bible Lands PhotoGuide. The core CD-ROM “collections”--Library 6, Scholar’s, Catholic or Jewish Collections--offer a variety of Bible texts and translations together with a selection of tools to facilitate in-depth research. Specialized CD-ROM add-ons include the BAR Archive, Essential IVP Reference Collection, the Anchor Bible Dictionary and many others. All purchased modules are fully integrated into your customized and expandable Accordance library.
www.accordancebible.com

Bible Maps PLUS
Bible Maps PLUS features more than150 full-color, printable maps of the Bible lands. Each map has “pop-up” information about cities, sites, features and locations. The software also has dozens of timelines, genealogies and charts and more than 300 full-color photos of the Bible lands. The program comes with lots of extras including PowerPoint-ready files, an integrated Bible concordance, a calculator for converting Bible measures to today's standards, editable text files so the program can grow with its users, and a powerful search engine containing more than 3,000 cities and sites. Bible Maps PLUS sets a new standard for user-friendly yet powerful Bible geography research and study. 
www.biblemaps.com

QuickVerse
Whether you are studying Jesus’ life and teachings, or Moses’ journey through the desert, QuickVerse enables you to understand your scripture better than ever before. Bible scholars, pastors, teachers, group leaders, students and new believers will all harness the power of computer Bible study and achieve results with QuickVerse. From Greek/Hebrew word study to simple daily reading plans, QuickVerse does it all. QuickVerse includes pictures, maps, word pronunciations (for those difficult-to-pronounce Old Testament names and places), sophisticated searching, completely automatic multi-window text synchronization, detailed commentary covering every verse of the Bible, notes, bookmarks, highlights, word-processor integration and more. The advanced search engine allows you to perform word, phrase, biblical reference searches and Hebrew and Greek Morphological searches, book searches, and topical searches to give you an overview of what you're studying.
www.quickverse.com

BibleWorks
Whether you’re preparing a sermon, doing complex morphological analysis or writing a seminary paper, scholars agree that BibleWorks is one of the best tools available. For close exegesis of the original text, BibleWorks is indispensable. You’ll find everything you need in its 93 Bible translations in 29 languages, 12 original language texts with seven morphology databases, six Greek lexicons and dictionaries, four Hebrew lexicons and dictionaries, plus 18 practical reference works. BibleWorks tightly integrates its databases with the most powerful morphology and analysis tools. BibleWorks now comes with three user interfaces. The Beginner Mode user interface is designed to make it easy for novice users to begin using BibleWorks right out of the box. The Standard Mode and Power User Mode user interfaces let you access a more powerful and streamlined search interface. From complex morphological searches through the original text, to simple word and phrase searches through your favorite translations, the BibleWorks search engine zips through the databases and shows you the results.
www.bibleworks.com

Kirkbride’s Thompson Chain-Reference Systems
The Thompson Chain-Reference Library includes eight Bible translations and more than a dozen great Bible study tools, such as the Talking Strong's concordance, more than 100,000 topical references, more than 8,000 chain topics, archaeological supplement with photos and maps, outline studies of each book of the Bible, journey maps and Bible harmonies, Biblical atlas and Bible book outlines. The Thompson Preacher's Library is the ultimate study tool for the pastor, preacher or ministry professional. It contains everything in Thompson Chain-Reference Library, plus five additional translations, 20 commentaries, Preaching the Word series, five dictionaries, five Greek and Hebrew helps, four Bible handbooks, five topical and cross-reference helps, 59 preaching and pastoral works, 32 Christian classic works, the works of Charles Spurgeon, the works of St. Augustine, the works of Martin Luther, the works of Hannah Withall Smith, the works of John Bunyan, the complete works of EM Bounds and six additional helps.
www.kirkbride.com