Online and Free Bible Study Resources

Online and Free Bible Study Resources  

(updated 2021.04.14 from 2018)

The variety of online Bible study resources continues to change. This is my latest list I share with students. These are all worthwhile resources, and you need to check to see which works best for you and your desired platform. I've starred* ones that you should probably check first. Also remember that for deeper study, you probably want something like Accordance, Logos, or OliveTree, but these free ones will go a long way!

• ONLINE BIBLE SITES which provide extra helps for English readers to study the underlying Greek and Hebrew
• *NET Bible: This is a highly recommended choice. It gives you access to the NET Bible notes which I recommend consulting. Use the Hebrew or Greek tab in the right column, and you will see how it highlights the matching English and Greek words. Double-click on a Greek/Hebrew word to get a rudimentary lexicon entry. Click on  an English word in the NET to do an original language word search or open the Parallel tab on the left to see NET, NIV, NASB, ESV, NLT, MSG, NRSV, and KJV together.
• *STEP Bible from Tyndale (replaces Tyndale Tool Bar): Another outstanding site with both original language and many English version texts (NET, NIV, ESV, KJV…). Like the NET Bible Study Environment, it can highlight matching Greek/Hebrew//English words, and has links to many lexical resources.
• TheBible.org: Excellent site that is very nice for comparing original and translated versions with access to lexical resources. Many English versions including NRSV, NASB, ESV, KJV, NAB, NIV, NLT…
• Bible Web App: Less full featured, but it’s fast and includes the NET with all notes. Parallel highlighting of Greek/Hebrew//English with Strong’s lexical popups.

• OTHER ONLINE SITES primarily for English language study
• *YouVersion: The primary attraction of this site is the abundance of Bibles it offers, both English (e.g., CEB, CEV, CJB, ESV, GNB, HCSB, KJV, LEB, Message, NAB, NASB, NCV, NET, NIV, NKJV, NLT, NRSV) and nearly countless non-English ones. For Greek, it includes SBL GNT and Textus Receptus, and the Westminster Leningrad for the Hebrew. Two texts can be set in parallel. There are also free apps for Android, iOS, and voice (Amazon Echo and Google Home).
  
• *BibleGateway: There are too many English (and it does include the NRSV), non-English, Greek, and Hebrew versions to list. If you want to compare English versions, you can see a verse in every version they offer with a single click. There are quite a few linked resources, but many need you to subscribe for $4 USD/month. If your main interest is in comparing English versions, this is your best option.
• FaithLife: This is the online site. Many original and modern language versions are available, but the best part is the connection with the FaithLife Study Bible.
• Bible Hub: A nice collection of resources. The Atlas alone is quite helpful.
  
  
• FREE DOWNLOADABLE PROGRAMS and APPS if you don't already have Accordance, BibleWorks, or Logos
• *Logos Academic Basic: If you are a student, staff, or faculty person at an educational institution, this should be your first option. A Logos 9 Basic is also available for those outside educational institutions. Logos is also available as an app for Android or iPhone.
• *The Word: The Word is one of the first I recommend to people wanting a free program, since it is rather full featured program. It includes Greek / Hebrew. You can always buy some modules, e.g., NRSV, to expand its versatility. Among many non-English versions, free English versions include: Douay-Rheims, ERV, ESV, HCSB, KJV, Tanakh 1917, NET (but with limited notes), LEB. For Greek: LXX, SBL GNT, and other Greek text. For Hebrew: a tagged Hebrew Bible.  Only runs on Windows or under Mac emulation.
• Olive Tree: This free Bible app is available for Windows, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Kindle, and Android. Once you get the app, check out the free resources. It includes SBL GNT and Hebrew Westminster Leningrad. For English, it includes many of the usual versions (KJV, NKJV, ESV, limited versions of HCSB and NET, Douay-Rheims, Tanakh 1917), but it does also offer the NIV. A number of useful study tools can also be added.
• BibleGateway: Similar to the online version described above, the app is available for iPad iPhone, Android, and Kindle.There is also a voice app.
  
• e-Sword: The basic installation includes the KJV with Strong’s and its related lexicon along with a few other resources. Once installed, there are many other free Bibles and resources that can be added. Windows and Mac.
• LaParola: Does a nice job of creating concordance lists and working with text variants (Windows and Linux)
• FaithLife Study Bible: It's free and available for just about all platforms. It's a Logos product and uses their rather literally translated Lexham Bible. It comes from a conservative perspective, so you need some discernment, but many of its study features, especially the FaithLife Study Bible itself, can be helpful. (E.g., go to Phil 1.1 for The Life of Paul graphic.) 
• *YouVersion: This app, available for just about every platform, includes over 1000 Bible versions. It is similar to its online version described above.
• Accordance Lite: This free version has limited resources, but it can give you an idea of the look and feel of the program.
  
• Since I have Accordance and Logos, I use their included apps most often on my phone. (I tend to use the Logos app most often on my Android phone.) I’ve noted a number of the programs above which have mobile editions, but for more information on mobile Bible apps, look HERE.

My Recommendations:

If you simply want to study and read the most English versions, then YouVersion is handiest. Also check BibleGateway. If you want more study tools and resources, I recommend that you look first at The Word, e-Sword, and Logos 9 Basic. If you are connected with an educational institution, then your best bet is to get Logos 9 Academic Basic. Some of these programs are expandable for a cost or have full-featured upgrades.

Biblia Hebraica, Septuagint, Greek NT, Apostolic Fathers Free Android Apps

These are simple but very nice Android apps for reading the Biblia Hebraica, Septuagint, Greek New Testament, and Apostolic Fathers. If you don't already have an app, these look great and provide gloss and parsing info. Each app has specific features, and the most full-featured is the SBLGNT:

- Text: full text of the SBLGNT
- Glosses: quickly displays glosses and parsing for a word by touching it
- Concordance: full concordance displayed by touching any word
- Vocab: keep track of the vocab you need to learn for each chapter. Use the Vocab Wizard to automatically add words based on your reading level.
- Audio: audio playback available for every chapter
- SpeedRead: displays text one word at a time at an adjustable pace to improve your speed reading ability
- Reading Plans: choose a reading plan to track your progress and encourage your reading!

I'm not sure who Matt Robertson is, but he deserves thanks for providing these handy, original language Bible reading apps.
HT: John Linebarger on FB

Accordance Mobile for Android now available

Accordance software has been available for Mac, Windows, and mobile iOS, but it has just recently become available for Android as well. It isn't as full-featured as the Logos app or have as many available versions as YouVersion, but for users of Accordance and Android this is a very welcome addition.
Accordance for Android is free, and the starter version does come with the ESV w/ Strong's and a good number of other resources. (Listing here) For existing users of Accordance, most of your resources in your package can be installed on the Android version.

Logos Mobile App Updated

Logos has updated their free mobile Bible app, and it is an excellent upgrade adding tabbed browsing and a reference scanner. Read the full Logos Mobile App update description here.

How do you get tab functionality on a mobile device? Usually I am working full screen with a particular Bible version, but when I want to switch and check the Greek or Hebrew, it usually was a process of going to the library, selecting the version, then navigating to the right passage. In the new app, it's a simple matter of swiping left or right to move to whatever version you've set up. As you can partially see in the screen shot above, I have the Greek New Testament in one full tab, but to the right of it, I have the NRSV and NET Bible in a split screen tab. I have chosen to link those tabs, so they move together. To the left of my GNT, I have the LXX and Biblia Hebraica in tabs which are also linked to each other and to the NRSV/NET. It works magnificently.

Another very nice new feature is Reference Scanner. If I'm looking at a paper text (e.g., a worship bulletin or Bible study handout) with a number of Bible references on it, I can use the Reference Scanner to scan the page using the phone's camera. The app then automatically extracts any Bible references and opens a new tab with all of them available linked and ready to view. Outstanding!

The Logos Apps page provides more information about the free app, but I'm not clear what exactly is available without further purchases. I have a good library of Logos resources, and they are (almost?) all available through the app. The graphic above shows a portion of what two taps on the screen generates as a Bible Word Study.

Locating some things is not immediately obvious (e.g., finding the Reference Scanner), but Logos training videos (Android / iPhone & iPad) are available that will give you further information on the app's availability.

I highly recommend the Logos Mobile Bible app. It's my primary mobile Bible resource.

Bible Versions in Bible Apps

In the previous post, I listed the Bible versions I like to consult when doing textual and translation work. In this post, I want to note the Bible versions that are available in six of the leading mobile Bible apps. 

• Accordance (iOS only for now; UPDATE 01.2018: A beta version of Android is in final stages and should be released soon)
• BibleGateway
• Logos
• MySword
• Olive Tree
• YouVersion

A few things to keep in mind:

• Available Bible versions is only one reason whether to choose an app or not. If there is one particular version you must have, then this list may help.
• I do not do serious exegetical work on my Android smartphone. For a mobile app, I'm more interested in how quickly it works, and whether I can do some quick checking on a translation or the original text. I.e., I do include the availability of Greek and Hebrew texts. Bonus points for those that include Strong's or other tagging which might allow you to connect with a Hebrew/Greek lexicon.
• If you own desktop versions of any of these programs--especially Accordance, Logos, or Olive Tree--your decision will be easier since most everything you own in the desktop version is available in the app.
• Also note the costs. I've indicated which versions come with the free Bible app and which are available for purchase.
• I've also noted where some versions must be streamed and are not able to be downloaded and used offline. (I'm supposing this is due to licensing issues.)
• This chart is not nearly comprehensive. There are many other English versions available for each program. I've just listed ones in light of my previous post.
• I also have not included the multitude of non-English versions avaialable, usually for free. BibleGateway, MySword, and YouVersion are especially notable in this regard.
• I'll say it again: the number of Bible versions is only one aspect of a decision about which app to use. Consider what other aspects are important to you: notetaking, highlighting, parallel texts, text comparison, etc.

click to enlarge or go HERE for full downloadable spreadsheet

What do I recommend?

• Each one of these apps is capable enough and might serve your needs.
• Since I have a large Logos library, I'm using the Logos app most frequently. I could do full research if I wanted since I have access to critical editions of texts and the major lexicons and dictionaries like the Anchor Yale one. (I'm guessing Accordance users like their related app, but until an Android version is released I can't say much about it.)
• If, however, you are just looking for a free Bible app with access to some good Bible versions, I think MySword or YouVersion are probably your best choices.
• If you want to be able to consult Greek and Hebrew (including the LXX) and perhaps want to see Greek/English in parallel or even have an interlinear Bible, then MySword can do the job.

Note: I gleaned information as best as I could. If there are errors, let me know. OR, I have made an editable version of the spreadsheet on Google Docs. Go ahead and make any corrections or additions as appropriate.

Mobile Bible Apps - Load Times

I am working towards an updated list of recommended mobile Bible apps, but I'll offer some preliminary parts in separate posts. In this one, I want to look at how fast a few apps are, since one of the things I desire is to get quickly to the text to start reading and be able to change versions even more quickly. I did a more extensive test back in 2012, but I wanted to see how things have changed. The main changes are updates to the apps and an update to my phone. These are all relative times as calculated as well as I could on my Samsung Galaxy Note 5. (This phone is now almost 1.5 years old.)

So, I conducted an unscientific test to see how long it takes to:

• Tap the app to launch it and start reading the text. For BibleGateway and YouVersion, the app starts at a home screen, and it takes another touch to get to the Bible text.
• Exit (but leaving it in memory) and immediately relaunch the app
• Switch to a new passage
• Switch to another version (one that's been previously downloaded)
• Switch back to the previous version.

I tried to make sure that nothing else was going on with the phone, and I ran the tests twice. The averages do basically confirm how it feels in real practice.

Here are my results, but the main number to look at is the combined average in the last column. This gives an idea of the relative time it took to accomplish the 5 tasks listed.

When I ran the test in 2012, MySword was notably faster than most, and it remains the fastest here. Both Logos and YouVersion, however, have considerably sped up their app responsiveness. In actual practice, the difference in speed is not really noticeable with any of the apps, so a decision on the best app should be based on other factors. (Which I will get to in upcoming posts...)

New Ministry Tech Articles: Olive Tree Bible Study 6 for Mac

It's always worth checking on what Kevin Purcell is covering in Ministry Tech. This month he has a positive review of Olive Tree's Bible Study 6 for Mac. Olive Tree has been around since at least 2000 and have consistently upgraded there software into a highly capable system. The app is actually available for Windows, Android, iPad, iPhone, Kindle Fire, and Mac. The app is free, and you can get caught a few free resources to get started including the NIV, ESV, HCSB, NET, and more.

While you're at Ministry Tech, keep scrolling to see Purcell's article on Android Bible apps running on Chromebooks. He includes both hardware recommendations and pointers to the Bible apps.

The Future of Bible Software

Kevin A. Purcell at Christian Computing Magazine has been a long time user and reviewer of Bible software. In an article in the latest issue (February 2014), he points to quite a few online sites for doing Bible study, but his main contention is that "It’s time for Bible study software makers to go online with all their tools using the power of HTML 5 and modern browsers." I partially agree...

There are a number of issues here, but the main one for me is the device I'm using. I'm living in Windows 7 and Android for now. I'm using Google services to link the two where I need to be linked. As for Bible software, I use it on my Windows 7 machines (I have both a home desktop system with two 21" monitors and a seminary 14" laptop which I drop into a docking station with two 19" monitors) and on my Samsung Galaxy Note II Android smartphone (with its beautiful 5.5" screen). I have lots of Bible software on all these devices, but here is what I use most often.

Windows 7	Android	Browser
BibleWorks 9
Logos 5	Logos Android app	Biblia.com
eSword	MySword for Android
Olive Tree	Olive Tree Android app
	(YouVersion) Bible app	Bible.com
Laridian PocketBible	PocketBible app
		BibleGateway

Of all of these, I'm using BibleWorks and Logos most often on Windows 7. I'm using MySword most often on the phone. When I don't have either available, I use one of the online sites in a browser.

What this shows first of all is that the operating system is not that significant. What is actually more important for me is having access to my resources regardless of the platform. That is why I am very happy with Accordance, Logos, and Olive Tree along with some others for making their software, and the resources I have purchased, available across various systems.

Secondly, what that table shows is that my usage is more dependent on the device I'm using. I do 'serious' Bible study on my Windows machines. I have multiple windows or tabs open with multiple language resources and secondary materials all handy. Even with an i7 processor at 3.4GHz, some of my searches still can take a bit to execute. It's impossible to do that kind of work on my smartphone even though I have a decent processor and one of the biggest screens available. I'm primarily using my smartphone simply to read Bible texts, and in these cases, MySword is the fastest way I have to get to original language texts with some ability to switch between English versions, Greek, and Hebrew. If I want to look up something, then I'll go to the Logos app (or Biblia) where I have access to BDAG or the Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary among the other host of reference works.

I did have the chance to live with a tablet device (a Microsoft Surface running the full Windows 8) for a couple weeks while I was traveling in Israel and Jordan. I didn't always have internet access. With the limited drive space on the device and since I was only borrowing the tablet, I didn't want to put on a full program like BibleWorks or Logos. My solution? I used yet another program, The Word, which is rather compact but has numerous English, Greek, and Hebrew versions. If I needed more information, I used Biblia when I had internet access or used Logos or MySword with downloaded modules on my phone.

So, to summarize and to return to Purcell's desire for Bible software to move online with all their tools, I just don't need it yet. As I mentioned, I'm glad to have my library of resources available on the cloud when I have access, but I don't always have access. When I am doing 'serious' Bible study, I want to have screen real estate, which means I'm using a device that has sufficient computing power. I suspect that someday internet access will be ubiquitous (and affordable everywhere?), but in the meantime, I appreciate being able to run my programs locally.

Bible.Is and Bible App for American Sign Language

Bible.Is is another online Bible web site. It doesn't have any ancient Hebrew or Greek, but it does have over 700 modern language versions which are available in some combination of Old and/or New Testament in audio and/or text versions. Among English versions, there is the ESV and KJV (both full Bible, audio and text), NRSV (audio for OT and NT), World English Bible (text for OT and NT), and English Version for the Deaf (text, naturally, for OT and NT).

Nothing particularly remarkable about the site beyond basic search functionality, but the inclusion of the English Version for the Deaf points to a more notable offering, the Deaf Bible.Is ASL App available for free from iTunes, GooglePlay, and Amazon Appstore.

Experience the Bible like never before! The first translation of God’s Word in American Sign Language (ASL) is now available in an interactive, easy to use, Bible app, featuring skilled deaf signers in sharp, close-up, color video. Immerse yourself in a complete Bible experience – interacting in rich Bible content accessible in video and TEXT! [It also includes] 61 "Jesus" film segments in ASL.

Glad to see something like this is available. Check it out.

HT: ChurchCrunch

Biblical Studies and Technological Tools - Review of 2012 and looking ahead to 2013

I had been neglecting this blog a bit in 2011 and the start of 2012, but I had some time to revive it this fall. As a result, traffic to the site did increase by 18% in 2012 as compared to 2011. All told, in 2012 there were 38,459 unique visitors to the site and 74,0171 pageviews. As you would expect, the majority of visitors are from English speaking countries: USA, UK, Canada, Australia. After that, about 1% of the total visitors come from each of the following countries: Philippines, Brazil, Germany, India, Japan, Italy, Israel.

• By far the most read post in 2012 (9373 pageviews) was actually one I posted in 2011: Evaluation of Android Bible Apps. Other than the home page, the second and third most visited pages were also from 2011: Bible Software for Android (3750 pageviews) and MySword Bible App for Android. Clearly there is a strong interest in Android Bible apps. I will have to update my reviews. I did post in 2012 about the Relative Speed of Android Bible Apps and the Versions Available in Android Bible Apps. I'm still standing by the observations I made in those posts. I'm using MySword most often because it is the fastest one to come up on my aging Droid X, it has the Greek versions I usually want to read, and it allows for the display of multiple versions. If I want to see a bunch of English versions, I use YouVersion. If I need to do more in-depth work, I will go to Olive Tree or Logos or use a web browser and go to Biblia.com (Logos) or the online NET Bible.
• The most read post from 2012 was the Logos 5 Review - Part 1 with 1827 hits. (Part 2 and Part 3 of my review only received about 800 hits each even though that third part has my concluding observations.) The release of Logos 5 was one of the bigger items of interest in 2012.
• The second most read post was Bible Software Decisions: Accordance, BibleWorks, Logos, et al. There certainly is competition between the Bible software offerings, and when it becomes an investment of many hundreds of dollars, people do want to know what they are getting for their money.

Some news of note in 2012 in this little niche of interest in Bible and technology:

• Accordance 10 released in August and also indicated they are working on Accordance for Windows
• BibleWorks announced support for running on a Mac and on Win8
• Logos 5 released in November

Looking ahead to 2013...

• I am very interested to see what becomes of Windows8. I posted some of my first impressions of using it, and they are definitely mixed impressions. On my home desktop machine, I have the option of upgrading from Win7 to Win8, but I have decided not to do so for the time being. Win8 really is designed as a touch-screen system. To maintain usability with desktop users, Microsoft made some concessions for a classic desktop interface. To me, then, Win8 feels like neither fish nor fowl. I do like the idea of having a similar interface for all my devices, but I'm not sure how that will work out.
• In a related matter, I'm also wondering how Android will proceed. It's not without faults, but I have had great functionality on my Droid X phone which has basically become my do-everything device: phone, contacts, email, web, GPS, photo, Bible software, games... The question for me still is what I will do when my Droid X phone will need to be replaced, probably later this year. Do I go with Android or Win8? I'm not sure.
• It seems clear to me that the market is breaking into Win8, Android, and the Mac OSes. (I tried to keep abreast of developments in all three, but it is too much. I hope to do what I can with Windows and Android.) The question really becomes, what is the future of the desktop and notebook? My daughter wants a tablet, and it appears to me that manufacturers are trying to address this desire. I like the idea of, say, a 10" tablet that I can take everywhere and is able to run all the programs/apps I want. For me, this is probably going to take the form of a Win8 tablet. BUT, I really like lots of viewable screen. (I'm working with two 21" widescreen monitors right now.) Does this mean a tablet with a desktop docking station? Will the tablets really have enough power to run everything, including the photo editing I do? How about an ultrabook and a docking station with multiple monitors? I suspect that I am now old-fashioned for still liking a desktop.
• I will be watching for developments in the online social aspects of doing Bible study. Logos has been promoting Faithlife which has interesting potential. In addition to the online component, it also has ways of hooking in to the Logos software on your computer for sharing notes, searches, etc. YouVersion has a similar kind of integration for their online Bible reading as well as their mobile apps. BibleX is their latest approach to communal Bible reading. There are also a number of ways to read the Bible together on Facebook. I'd love to see this kind of approach become a truly global community of readers, and it could be both groups of Christians as well as interfaith groups.

"The Text This Week" (Textweek) now available for Android and iPhone/iPad

I'm assuming that just about every pastor knows about "The Text This Week" aka Textweek.com site. What started as something of a hobby for Jenee Woodard turned into one of the most popular sites related to the Bible on the web. I just discovered that Chris Ruddell of Church Mag turned the site into an Android and iPhone/iPad app. (Read more from Ruddell about it over on Church Mag

. He notes that the project is not yet complete, but for now it provides:

• Lectionary resources – it wouldn't be much of an app without this!  Look up lectionary readings for the current and upcoming Sundays, or browse by lectionary cycle.
• Scripture – Not following the lectionary per se?  Look up your current scripture reading by browsing the listing sorted by book of the Bible
• Artwork – Find artwork and images tagged by topic and theme.  A great way to find bulletin covers or PowerPoint slide images.
• Movies – Find inspiring clips for your sermon to bring a point to life.

It runs rather slowly on my now-aging Droid X, but it's great to have this available.

Getting ready for SBL / AAR meeting: Zotero

I'm getting ready for the Society of Biblical Literature / American Academy of Religion meeting in Chicago later this month. Besides getting the SBL / AAR app I described in the previous post, here's another suggestion that will help.

One of the fun aspects of such meetings is going around the exhibitor's hall and checking out all the new books. I won't be buying very many books, but there a lot of books I want to remember and check out later. Further, I'd love to have the books saved as some kind of online link so that I can easily obtain the bibliographic info and add notes to them. What's the best way to do this? Zotero is the obvious solution for the online database. I've written frequently about Zotero. It is wonderful. If you are not using it, why? Now the only question is how to get the books into Zotero.

I am now using Scanner for Zotero. You can get it for free, but I got it from the Android market and paid the $2 to help out the developer. Once installed, you link it to your Zotero account. Open the app, scan the barcode on the book, and it's saved. When you go online, the book with all the bibliographic info will be there. You can add notes, link to online reviews, attach other resources, etc. Note that Zotero is now available not only in Firefox but also Chrome, Safari, and as a standalone (for Win, Mac, and Linux.)

Further, with Zotero, when working with any word processing tool, you can quickly pull in the bibliographic data you need with drag/drop. If you use MS Word, OpenOffice, LibreOffice, or NeoOffice, use the plug-in to automate the whole process of entering footnotes and generating bibliographies with a variety of standard citation styles. You can even install the Society of Biblical Literature stylesheet.

Do note that there is another Android scanner for Zotero called Zandy. ($4) I have not tried this, but it appears to try to offer more ways of working with the Zotero entries. It may be a better choice than Scanner for Zotero, so if you've tried it, please share your experience in the comments. If you have an iPhone/Pad/Pod, there is a similar scanning app called BibUp available for free through iTunes.

AAR / SBL 2012 Annual Meeting App

James McGrath has just noted on his Patheos blog that this year's AAR/SBL app is now available for iOS devices. I can't find the Android version, but I'm trusting it's coming. (If you find it, please leave a comment here pointing to it.) The meeting is in Chicago, Nov 17-20, 2012.

I had some critiques of last year's app, but I still found it more useful than not. 

UPDATE: 2012.11.01: The Android app was just made available. Click through to either the Android or iOS app HERE.

From the description, app features include:

• Native app: No wifi connection required to access the conference program, schedule or animated maps.
• Now: Stay informed about hot issues, event program changes, your upcoming sessions and organizer messages.
• Program: Browse the entire event program to build your personal schedule, bookmark sessions or speakers, or access session handouts as available.
• Take notes and email them as part of your trip report for reference.
• Exhibitors, Maps, related conference info and much more. 

Quick test run: Just downloaded and fired up the app. BTW, free wireless internet access has been promised throughout the convention center so connecting should not be an issue.

• There are a number of ways in the app to email or send to Twitter or Facebook (but not LinkedIn which was in last years) notes you've added, schedule, etc. There's even a live Twitter feed on the home screen of the app. (Twitter: #SBLAAR or #AARSBL)
• Yes! You can add your own appointments to the schedule!
• Yes! You can export your entire schedule so that it can be imported to Outlook, Google Calendar, iOS, Android via an ICS file.
• Maps of all the venues are great and a link to Google maps of Chicago. The exhibitor menu is similar to last year's, but that is good.

The app is similar to the 2011 one, but is definitely improved. More ways to search / find what you are looking for and better ways for sharing / exporting stuff.

UPDATE: 2012.11.07: There is now an official user guide to the app here. (PDF)

Android Bible Apps - Relative Speed

I am still working through the Bible apps I have on my Droid X. A common situation for me in using these is when I am in church and wanting to follow along with the lessons being read. I usually like to work in the Greek so I like to have the LXX and a Greek NT handy. One of my frustrations is when the app takes so long to load that I never can catch up with the reader. Even 10 seconds can seem like a long time... Given our liturgy, there is usually enough time between readings that my smartphone turns off, so I need to jump back in to the app. So, I conducted an unscientific test to see how long it takes to:

• Tap the app to launch it
• Exit and immediately relaunch the app
• Switch to a new passage
• Switch to another version (one that's been previously downloaded)
• Switch back to the previous version.

I tried to make sure that nothing else was going on with the phone, and I ran the tests twice. The averages do basically confirm how it feels in real practice.

Do note, however, that there are lots of other factors involved that I do not include here.

• CadreBible and MySword have very nice Parallel or Compare views, and Logos and Olive Tree allow for split screen views if you want multiple versions or languages displayed. For this test, I was just interested in getting to reading a text as quickly as possible. 
• This test does not take into account how long it takes to navigate to a different version or passage. It's not (usually) a significant addition of time (except for Logos which does not have a recently used list), but some apps have better and faster ways of moving around. 
• I have these different apps because I use them for different things, and each has different capabilities. Since I have a good Logos library, I tend to use it when I'm needing to do more in-depth work. So, the speed is probably also dependent somewhat on how many resources are included and the capabilities of the program.
• Laridian's PocketBible is still in pre-release, and I only have a few versions to use with it.

I have my bottom line below, but here are my results. My color coding scheme is rather arbitrary, but it highlights the differences well enough. Green is best, yellow is average, red is slow. (Click on graphic to enlarge)

BOTTOM LINE
As you can see, there are significant differences in how fast each app works on my Droid X. As for me, especially for working with Greek, MySword is the clear winner. I don't have as many English versions in MySword, so if I'm wanting to look at the most English versions, I use YouVersion. It, however, does not have a good way to see multiple versions displayed together, and in that case, I'm back to MySword, CadreBible, Olive Tree, or Logos.

As usual, your own experience probably will vary. Updates to the apps are regularly coming which would likely change results. Still, 'speediness' is a factor developers should keep in mind as they work on their apps.

Versions Available in Android Bible Apps

Android Bible Apps Available Versions as of 2012.09.06

 Apps surveyed (with links to install):

• ANDBible
• Biblia.com
• CadreBible
• Logos
• MySword
• Olive Tree
• PocketBible
• YouVersion

I am working toward updated and fuller reviews of the various Bible apps for Android, but in the meantime, I've collated lists of Bible versions that are available in each. Note that my listing is somewhat eclectic in including only English translations I regard as significant along with Greek, Hebrew, and Latin original texts. Each of the apps offers many other texts in other languages that I do not include here. I am also not evaluating the functionality of the app at this time except that I note instances where accented Greek is not displayed properly. Also note that I am highlighting what is available for free in each of the apps, but if you want more and better resources, they can be purchased. You should especially look at the offerings from CadreBible, Logos (and the associated Biblia.com), and Olive Tree.

You can see the full listing of available versions for each app HERE (DOCX / PDF) which also includes prices for additional versions. Otherwise I have summarized my results below. As usual, if  you happen to stumble upon this page a couple years down the line, note that probably everything has changed!

Conclusions:

· If you are mainly interested in consulting a variety of useful English translations, YouVersion is clearly the app to use. In addition to all the versions, it also includes access to the NET Bible with all its excellent notes. Some versions—e.g., the NRSV—are only available for purchase or via  a web browser.

If you are interested in looking at Greek texts:

• For the Septuagint (LXX), MySword is your best choice and even has a version that is parsed and linked to Strong's.
• The NestleAland or UBS texts are only available for purchase in some of the apps. A good and free alternative is the SBL GNT which was sponsored by Logos. The SBL GNT is available in CadreBible, Logos, MySword, and OliveTree. (I wish I could include YouVersion here, but I cannot get the accented Greek to display properly.)
• Most apps have some edition of the Textus Receptus or Byzantine text or some other early critical edition (Westcott-Hort or Tischendorf). Among them, your best choice is probably MySword since it also includes Scriveners (1894) parsed and linked with Strong's.

· If you are interested in texts of the Hebrew Bible / OT, the standard BHS text is only available for purchase in a few apps. Some acceptable alternative texts (Aleppo or Leningrad) are available in MySword, CadreBible, and Olive Tree. I'm watching ANDBible to see what comes of their promised Open Scriptures Morphological Hebrew Bible that is linked with Strong's.

· For Latin, some edition of the Vulgate is available in ANDBible, CadreBible, MySword, Logos, Olive Tree, and Biblia.com.

Summary of Versions available:

English

·         NRSV: The NRSV is not available for free in any Android app. The cheapest way to get it is either in Olive Tree or as part of a Logos library.It's also available for CadreBible. If you have web access, you can read the NRSV at Biblia.com, BibleStudyTools, or the Oremus Bible Browser.

·         The NET Bible:  The NET is available with limited notes in many of the apps. It's available for free in YouVersion and at Biblia.com. It can be purchased for Olive Tree, Logos, or CadreBible.

·         KJV linked to Strong's: for purchase in CadreBible and Olive Tree

·         Other English versions worth consulting:

o   ANDBible: ESV, Lexham, translations of Peshitto NT

o   Biblia.com: ESV, Good News, HCSB,Lexham, Message, NASB, NIV, NLT

o   Logos: ESV, Good News, HCSB, Lexham, NASB, NLT

o   MySword: Lexham, LXX Brenton

o   YouVersion: CEB, CEV, ESV, Good News, HCSB, Lexham, Message, NASB, NIV, NLT, TNIV

Greek (with correct display of accented letters)

·         LXX: ANDBible ,CadreBible, MySword

·         LXX Parsed/Strongs: MySword

·         SBLGNT: Biblia.com, CadreBible, Logos, MySword, OliveTree

·         NestleAland: available for purchase in CadreBible, Logos, OliveTree

·         Westcott-Hort: ANDBible, CadreBible, Logos 

·         Some version of Textus Receptus or Byzantine: ANDBible, CadreBible, Logos, Olive Tree, MySword

·         Some Greek NT parsed/Strong's: ANDBible, MySword

Hebrew

·         BHS:  available for purchase in CadreBible, Logos, Olive Tree

·         Other Hebrew Bible (Aleppo and/or Leningrad): ANDBible, MySword, CadreBible, Olive Tree

Latin

·         Vulgate: ANDBible, CadreBible, MySword, Logos, Olive Tree, Biblia.com

BibleWorks and Logos on Android (sort of...)

I'm still trying to catch up on stuff from SBL last November, but here's a quick note I can post. 

In the past I have used Logmein for remote access to the various family computers I maintain. Even the basic free account lets me take over a computer and run programs on it. It works great and is secure. I will continue to use it for such maintenance tasks. Note that this can work the other way around, and what a program like this allows me to do is run programs that are on my home system from any other computer. As long as I have my home system on and Logmein enabled, I can remotely connect to my home system and use my installed programs like BibleWorks or Logos. I've also used it to grab files I've forgotten on my home computer when I'm at school. (I now use SugarSync to keep my systems all in sync via the cloud. It's a wonderful thing.) It's a little slow to use Logmein this way, but it works. What this also means is that I can use the web browser on my smartphone and see BibleWorks on my phone. I say "see," because without the use of a mouse on my phone, I really can't do too much. Logmein does have an Android app ($29), but I just don't use it that much, especially on my phone, to buy it.

I was pleased, therefore, to discover Splashtop Remote Desktop when it showed up as the free app of the day on the Amazon Appstore. (It's now $1.99.) As you can see in the photo above, that's BibleWorks running on my Droid X. It's the same sort of deal where you install the app and then also install the software on your computer and establish a secure password connection. Again, keep in mind that the home system also has to be on and have Splashtop enabled. The nice thing about Splashtop is that it is designed for touch screens. It uses all sorts of single and double finger gestures to scroll, expand the screen, emulate left/right mouse clicks, etc. It works quite well, even on my phone.(The only issue I had is that Splashtop could only see the primary monitor in my dual monitor setup, so I had to move BibleWorks over.) Below, you can see how the Droid X is duplicating my computer monitor. I suspect that this would look much better on a tablet rather than a smartphone. BTW, Splashtop is available for WinXP or better, Android (2.2 Froyo or better), iPhone, iPad, and Mac OS.

I do have other Bible apps on my Droid--OliveTree, CadreBible, YouVersion, Logos. (Check here for my evaluations though I need to update them all. It's coming...) None of these Android versions have the power of a dedicated Bible software program. With Splashtop, however, I can access the power of the full program. (The Logos Android app is slowly gaining capabilities, but it still has a long way to go.) I'm not anticipating BibleWorks to release an Android version, but if you really, really want BW or the full Logos (or Accordance for you Mac users!) program on your phone or tablet, this is a way to do it.

Logos for Android released

Logos has announced the release of a beta version of its Bible software for Android devices. For those who already have Logos software and an Android device this is welcome news, because it starts to provide access to one's library of resources on these mobile devices. This is indeed only a beta release with limited functionality, but improvements are promised that will bring its functionality in line with other existing Android Bible software. The current version offers the following:

• Access to your Logos library (where licenses permit)
• Online access to streaming books
• Offline access to downloaded books
• Footnotes
• Preview Bible references
• History
• Navigate by
• Verse picker
• Table of contents
• Typed reference
• Slider
• Position syncs with Logos 4 

I've used it a bit, and here are some observations I can make for now:

• It is great to have access to my Logos library with original language texts and also resources like BDAG, the Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary, Apostolic Fathers (English and Greek), IVP Dictionary collection, Exegetical Dictionary of the NT, the ABS Handbook series, etc... I have been using Logos' online Biblia.com/ which provides similar access to my books, but it's not the best for viewing on my Droid X browser. How fast resources appear depends on your connection, but with Logos for Android (LfA), I can choose to download some books for faster and for offline access. Graphical items (maps, charts) do appear, but they are not resizable.
• The fonts look great--Greek, Hebrew, Syriac...--but my Hebrew is not displaying correctly in texts like the BHS. For now, it is not possible to specify font sizes.
• One really can't designate any preferences, and there is limited functionality with original language texts. That is, there is no way to get morphological or lexical information. (Though some texts like Runge's Lexham Discourse Greek NT and  Holmes' Apostolic Fathers displays in interlinear fashion with analysis and lemma and gloss.) One can't specify a preferred English Bible.
• It is nice how footnotes and references in a text can be tapped and have a popup appear. One can then jump to that reference with another tap. This includes popups and jumps to texts in the Pseudepigrapha or Josephus. Unfortunately, it does not yet include links to the apparatus of the critical edition of NA27. The SBL Greek NT is linked to the apparatus, but it replaces the text window.
• LfA works fine in portrait or landscape mode. To scroll through you library, you go up/down, but, oddly, you can only scroll text by sliding sideways, not up/down.

In any case, this is a good start, and I look forward to implementation of more functions.

Evaluation of Android Bible Apps

I have a listing of Android Bible apps HERE to which I have now added a review of MySword HERE. 

So what Android Bible apps do I use and recommend? 

• I'm finding that my first choice is almost always the free Cadre Bible. It's the fastest app, has good Greek texts (NA26, LXX), Hebrew Tanach, and English versions. The only thing I miss is some lexical help, but that can be purchased if you want to use the KJV or NASB with Strong's. (Mainly I just use the Parallel version feature to figure out what's going in the Greek/Hebrew. Cadre Bible also has a functional but clunky navigation interface.) 
• I occasionally use the YouVersion Bible, because of its outstanding access to so many English versions. (And remember that if you don't own or want to buy a version, you can still 'stream' it.) 
•  UPDATE: Logos for Android is now available. My review HERE.
• The And Bible still holds promise, but it still doesn't display Greek properly. 
• As noted in the MySword review, I keep it because of its "Analytic Septuagint."
• And then there is Olive Tree... This was my app of choice back in the day on Dell Axim using WindowsMobile, but I'm just not using it much on my DroidX. It is just slow enough to load that I will use Cadre Bible instead. It still has the best collection of academic resources for original language study. I was able to transfer my license for the BHS to this device, but my Gramcord Greek NT would not transfer, and I don't need their new Greek module badly enough to pay $58 for the upgrade. They do have the SBLGNT for free, but there is no parallel version view, so I'm back to CadreBible or...
• With internet access and my Logos resources, I use Biblia.com online. This works great, even to take a look at BDAG and all 885 books I have obtained in Logos4.
• If you don't own Logos, then the other online site to try is the NET Bible Study Environment, but this site is not really optimized for mobile browsers.

What am I missing? Leave a comment!