There are times when I just need more help understanding Bible passages or have you ever been frustrated trying to find that one verse that you know is in the Bible but you can’t remember were to find it. Then you have to go grab the 15 lbs Strong’s Concordance...ugh. Or what about this, have you ever wanted hundred’s of Christian books and reference material at your finger tips and the ability to search through them all in a blink of an eye?

Today we are blessed with a plethora of Bible software packages. I have used both Windows and Mac versions and will give my overview on the ones I have used.

Windows Packages

E-sword
Cost $0 (that rocks)
If you have no other Bible software or you just can’t afford spending money for one I urge you to download this package NOW! For free it is amazing. You can download commentaries, tons of Bible versions, dictionaries, reading plans and more... I always have this loaded on my computer no matter what! They also have a great PDA version and it is also free.

Logos
Cost $149+++
The Rolls Royce of Bible software. If you want access to thousands and thousands of titles this is the package for you. However, it comes at a cost. The minimum base package is $149 and goes into the thousands of dollars. But you definitely get what you pay for, Logos has done an excellent job with there package and its already up to version 3. Once you have the base package you can add individual titles or other complete packages. For example I purchased John MacAurthur’s life works for $29 on Ebay. The package included about 20 books John has written, his bible study guides, his MacArthur Bible commentaries and a bunch of other reference material.
Logos has all the features you could want in a bible software program and then some. It does take some time to learn all the tools but the interface is intuitive and great to work with.

Ilumina 1/2
Cost $99
This product contains some unique features that most other packages don’t have. For example it has virtual tours of the Holy Land, virtualized dramatizations of key biblical events as the resurrection and tons of photos. I would recommend this package for younger consumers. My boys love the videos of the different events. They like to see David take on Goliath. On the downside of this package is it contains only 2 Bible versions and the interface is annoying at times.

Mac Software

MacSword 1/2
Cost $0
This is the only viable free Mac program that I have found. It is similar to its counterpart on the pc side but no where as refined. If you have a Mac and you cant afford anything else this is your choice. Oh and if you have a Intel Mac its dog slow. I am sure the performance is better on a PowerPc Mac.

QuickVerse
Cost $69-$349
QuickVerse offers 3 packages for the Mac user, white, black and gold box. The primary differences between the three are in the amount of reference material included. Since I have invested most my money into Logos I purchased the white box for around $35 on Ebay. I have found it to be a very valuable. I would really compare it to the free PC version of E-sword. For $35 I feel its a quality product with lots of features I am use to. Right now the library comes no where close to Logos but it’s not bad. My one negative point with this software which all the other packages allow you to do is when you are going to a specific verse you cant just type it in and have it jump to that verse. Instead it requires you to click through to it. Which can be really helpful for those who don’t know where everything is but looking up a passages that you know is cumbersome.

Well that’s it. Let me know if you have something that you use that I have not listed here. I am always looking for new technology to make my studies more fruitful.

All Glory, All Honor, All Praise go to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He paid my debt and I am so grateful for it.

Wes
Galatians 2:20