Scripture Spy

Big Idea: e-Sword is a powerful offline Bible app for Bible study resources.

What is e-Sword?

Around since 2000, e-Sword is free Bible software for Bible study research found at https://www.e-sword.net/ I have used it for years and watched it improve and expand.

It is also an app for both apple and android tablets and phones.

It takes some download space but it can be used completely offline!

The difference between e-Sword on PC and Tablet

Here is what it looks like on PC

Here is what it looks like on my tablet

What I like about it

The Bible (free with a couple translations including ESV, KJV and KJV Strong’s, and more)
Editor program to write notes, Bible Study or sermon and print it as you see it
Strong’s, many commentaries and reference tools downloaded for free. Easy to move between them.
A wide reference library and books (mostly older resources are free)
Maps and graphics
Audio books and sermons available
A good user’s guide and good response (I even wrote to the man who does all this and heard back right away)

What is challenging about it
https://www.e-sword.net/

The website provides so many tools it can be overwhelming and more than you probably need.
There is so much available and so much to integrate it can take awhile to figure it all out.
There are also resources you can buy.
It uses what it calls modules to download extra material. Some are free and some you can buy.
Resources vary depending on your medium. Some modules available in Mac and some in PC, some in Apple tablets and some in Android. You need to search for what is available for your type.

You can get your modules and support at http://www.biblesupport.com/

Here is how you can check resources available to download on your tablet.

Why is the Bible called a sword?

The Bible refers to itself as a sword and explains that it penetrates the heart and mind. It is first called this when Paul describes the Armor of God.

And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:17 NASB

For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, even penetrating as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12 NASB

Before we had electronic Bibles on our phone, we had paper Bibles.

The challenge was finding a reference among the 66 books of the Bible. It is a thick book after all! It is important when talking to someone to be able to find your way to a verse.

When I was a child in Sunday School they used to give us sword drills. Bibles would go up in the air. No fingers marking a spot! And a reference would be given, with the word, “Go!”

It was excellent and fun practice!

The Word of God always comes first!

There are many great Bible tools around on esword! Just be sure to study the Bible itself the most! Resources can be tantalizing and they are certainly useful, but they are not the very Word of God. They are man’s explanations.

The Word of God always comes first! Read it today!

This series is about Bible study tools. There are many types of Bibles and helpful resources like a concordance or Bible dictionary. Information about their book and their electronic version are included. Cost and “how to use” is addressed.

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Previous: Five Tips for The Blue Letter Bible
Up next: Is Logos Bible Softeware Worth the Cost?
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Reflect:

1. Meditate on Hebrews 4: 12 and reflect how the Bible digs into your heart and mind. Mull on this and pray over it.

For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, even penetrating as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12 NASB

2. How is the Bible like a sword to you in your daily life? If you haven't ever considered it, how could it be?

Thursday, May 9, 2024

Five Tips For The Blue Letter Bible

Big Idea: The Blue Letter Bible has great tools for in-depth Bible study and their help features make it easy to use.

Five Tips for Using The Blue Letter Bible

The Blue Letter Bible website was started almost 30 years ago and has continued to grow in their quality resources offered.

The Blue Letter Bible is so named because the Bible online contains hyperlinks in blue to direct you to helpful resources.

1. Watch the 5 minute introduction

There are so many functions which are shown in action in this video.

There are 36 short video tutorials listed under the HELP icon at the top.

2. Touch the Study bar at the top

https://www.scripturemark.org/canvas

Examine the different resources available by clicking on a category. There are many commentaries, study aids, and other tools available.

3. If you like marking a passage try ScriptureMark

I love the insights I get from marking up a passage in colors and other labels. ScriptureMark is a powerful feature that lets you mark up a passage and save it.

4. Take free Bible courses

There are 8 different free Bible courses partnering with Lancaster Bible College. They are individually not for credit but if you complete all 8 of them you can get credit toward a degree program at Lancaster Bible College.

https://study.bible/welcome

5. Explore Sharable Social Images

The Bible quotes and quotes about the Bible are beautifully done and worth reviewing even if you are not on social media all the time. There are beautiful calendar pictures of verses and Bible clouds of frequent words.

There are many other things as you explore the site.

And so much more…

The Word of God always comes first!

There are many great Bible tools around like the Blue Letter Bible! Just be sure studying their other resources do not replace studying the Bible itself! The Word of God always comes first! Read it today!

This series is about Bible study tools. There are many types of Bibles and helpful resources like a concordance or Bible dictionary. Information about their book and their electronic version are included. Cost and “how to use” is addressed.

__________________

Previous: Five Advanced Bible Hub Tips
Up next: What is E-Sword?
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Reflect:

1. Are you a visual learner? Do you like marking up a passage? Try out the ScriptureMark program using Psalm 18: 28-32 (You can also just print and mark or circle and underline words to distinguish.

For You light my lamp;
The Lord my God illumines my darkness.
29 For by You I can run at a troop of warriors;
And by my God I can leap over a wall.

30 As for God, His way is blameless;
The word of the Lord is refined;
He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.
31 For who is God, but the Lord?
And who is a rock, except our God,
32 The God who encircles me with strength,
And makes my way blameless?

Highlight the word Lord and God the same, also highlighting pronouns for God.

Find another way to mark words that are about strength.

Note the repeat of the word “blameless” and the relationship between them.

2.How does this passage show us God helps us, and how do you see the Word helps us?

Thursday, May 2, 2024

Five Advanced Bible Hub Tips

Big Idea: Bible Hub has powerful free resources that even the most advanced Bible study leader or scholar will find useful.

Five Advanced Bible Hub Tips

Bible Hub has powerful resources that even the most advanced Bible study leader or scholar will find useful!

Most are older resources, but the cumulative scholarly and godly knowledge contained in these books, commentaries and writings for free are unparalleled.

1. Familiarize yourself with the Bible Hub Menus on the home page

https://biblehub.com/parallel/genesis/1.htm

There are many tiles here. Hover on each tile for more information. Hovering works on my computer but not on my ipad. Click on each of them. Try them out.

A click on 3 letters at the top can take you immediately to a task you do often. Hover on the abbreviation to identify it.

Find this grid at Bible Hub home page. / https://biblehub.com/

2. Quick tips for moving through books of the Bible or verses

https://biblehub.com/

a. Start with the Bible passage at the top menu. You can choose the Bible translation from the 3rd column on top by the word “Bible.” Click on the lines for the full menu.

b. Use the blue arrows before and after a verse to move chapter to chapter or verse to verse. This is true for regular verses, commentaries on a verse, and interlinear texts.

c. Menu at top can also quickly change book, chapter or translation.

d. Translation can quickly change using the 3 letter abbreviations.

e. For five parallel translations side by side of a chapter click on the 3rd row PCH. Parallel has single verses with many translations on the page.

3. Quick shortcuts at the top of the home page in off-white

https://biblehub.com/

If you click on the underlined heading in the following section it will take you to the page on Bible Hub. Also if you ever get stuck and want to get back to the home page, click on the Bible Hub icon at the upper left of any page.

Parallel – Done with one verse at a time. Includes multiple versions, Audio Bible, brief context, cross references, Treasury of Scripture references and commentaries for that verse.

Sermons: A list of sermons on the verse with the preacher’s name, with sermon texts.

Audio: Three different men’s voices available for audio Bible by chapter or when book.

Visual: Maps, illustrations and verse tile with various backgrounds to use.

Commentaries: 30+ commentaries available, written on each verse. The commentary page is divided with Expository commentaries on the left side using just the English Bible, and Exegetical commentaries that reference original languages.

Interlinear: The interlinear Bible is in either Hebrew (OT) or Greek (NT) with the word in the language, Strong’s concordance number and grammatical position.

https://biblehub.com/text/genesis/1-1.htm

Hebrew (or GreekGreek for NT verses) Each word from the original language is charted for text analysis with Strong’s number, The Hebrew word, the English word and it’s Grammatical position.

Lexicon: Similar to the Hebrew or Greek table.

Strongs : A Lexicon of Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Hebrew and Greek dictionaries. Additonally Parallel Study Bibles using Strong's, Parallel Verses, Cross References and Links.

Multi : On this page you will find the Bible in multiple languages.

For more resources in other languages follow this.

a. Go to the home page to the Multilingual Bible iconc.

b. Next to the map is a search with the word "Bibeln." Click on that tab which will open the Red Bible menu at the top right of the page.

c. Click on that upper right pull down menu.

d. The languages will be in red and just choose the language.

For instances, French has the capability to use the Atlas, timeline, interlinear, Strong's numbers and Greek and Hebrew research, Parallel Bible, and the Treasury of the Knowledge of Scripture in French with some topical searches.

https://biblehub.com/multi/genesis/1-1.htm

4. Quick 3 letter shortcuts to use

https://biblehub.com/

SUM - Summary: The book summary given, followed by a list of themes, topics, people, locations and Bible Study Questions

OUT - Outline: Book outline courtesy of the Berean Study Bible.

TIM – Timeline: Each book’s timeline, event and passage

QUE – Questions: Bible study questions for each chapter of the book of the Bible

TOP – Topical: Based on each verse - People, places, topics, outline, Dictionary of Bible Themes by Martin H Manser 2009.

BBB – Book by Book (Wilmington’s Bible at a Glance, by H.L. Wilmington, 2007 Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary). Book’s Bottom line intro, facts about the author, key events, key people, key places, unique features, comparison with other Bible books, titles and types of Jesus

PCH – Parallel Chapters: Five Bible Versions side by side. NIV, ESV, NASB, KJV, HCSB

PSB – Parallel Study Bible: English Study Bible side by side with the Hebrew Study Bible (OT) or Greek Study Bible (NT). From the Discovery Bible team 2012.

TSK – Treasury of Scripture Knowledge: Bible Verses that correspond with each verse. First published in 1830 and valued highly since then. Includes the chapter outline.

LIB – Library: Quotes from various books in Bible Hub pertaining to a single verse.

ABP – Apostolic Bible Polyglot: The Old and New Testament in Greek, translated first in 1996 by Charles VanderPool who coordinated it with Strong’s numbers.

LXX - For the Old Testament, the Septuigint which is the Greek version of the OT written before Christ in the intertestamental period.

5. Massive Online Library

https://biblehub.com/library/

Here is a sample of some interesting things in this massive library!

Flavius Josephus: The Wars of the Jews or History of the Destruction of Jerusalem (written 75 A.D.)
St. Augustine: The Confessions of Saint Augustine (written around 400 A.D.)
Martin Luther: The 95 Theses (written 1517)
John Wesley: The Journal of John Wesley (first published in 1735 with last entry 1790
Fyodor Dostoevsky: Crime and Punishment (first published in 1866)
Alfred Edersheim: The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah (written 1883)
J. Hudson Taylor: A Restrospect (written 1894)
G. K. Chesterton: Heretics (written 1905)

The categories are: Early Church Fathers, Nicene and Post Nicene Fathers, Clementine Literature, Apocryphal Writings, Apologetics, Biblical Studies, Children and Youth, Christian Living, Church History, Commentaries, Creeds and Catechisms, Daily Devotionals, Fiction, History, Life of Christ, Ministry and Missions, Poetry, Reference, Revelation, Sermons, Songs and Hymns, Theology

The Greek and Hebrew resources for Word Studies are:

For more tutorials

An excellent illustration of how to use Bible Hub is from the Steadfast Family Blog page The ULTIMATE Guide to Using Bible Hub, especially useful on how to do word studies.

Also if you go to YouTube in search you will find multiple videos on using Bible Hub for Word Studies.

The Word of God always comes first!

There are many great Bible tools around! Just be sure studying them does not replace the primary importance of the Bible! The Word of God always comes first! Read it today!

Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding. Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures. Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God. Proverbs 2:3-5 NLT

This series is about Bible study tools. There are many types of Bibles and helpful resources like a concordance or Bible dictionary. Information about their book and their electronic version are included. Cost and “how to use” is addressed.

__________________

Previous: Five Bible Hub Tips for Beginners
Up next: Five Tips for the Blue Letter Bible
____________________

Reflect:

1. As someone who has studied the Word of God with seriousness, what has excited you most to dig into the Bible? A schedule? A method? Your findings? The result of a deeper walk with God?

2. Take a moment to thank the Lord for His Word.

Thursday, April 25, 2024

Five Bible Hub Tips for Beginners

https://biblehub.com

Big Idea: Five tips on how someone new toBible study can use Bible Hub.

Five Bible Hub Tips for Beginners

When you are new to Bible Study you need something that makes the Bible meaningful and exploration exciting.

Using Bible Hub might be like a college student having a gourmet kitchen. It has way more available than you need right now! But it is still going to be very useful to you!

1. Find your Bible Passage

a. Start with the menu at the very top at www.biblehub.com

b. You can also put your book or reference in the search bar at the top.

When you read a verse or chapter you can quickly move to the next chapter or verse using the blue arrows.

c. You can choose a Bible translation by the top abbreviations. Here are some very good translations to use.

NIV- New International Version (used in many evangelical churches)
NLT- New Living Translation (very easy to read and understand)
ESV – English Standard Version (Considered very reliable to the original Bible)
NAS- New American Standard Bible (Considered very reliable to the original Bible)

d. Listen to the Audio Bible

Hit the word Audio on the home page. You can choose from 3 voices.

2. Use the BBB feature at www.biblehub.com

The BBB abbreviation means Book by Book, Wilmington’s Bible at a Glance. It will give you the Bottom Line introduction, the author of the book, key people places and events, etc.

You would also benefit from the OUT feature, which is the outline of a book. This too, is useful for your study to see the flow and ideas that you will be reading about in that book of the Bible.

3. Topical Information

a. Go to the menu from Topical on the right, or the tile mid page that says Topical.

b. There is a topical search in the center and you can enter a word like “peace.”

From the menu on this page you see the words Concordance, Dictionary, Encyclopedia, etc. These are all resources which are part of the topical search.

c. Always look at the concordance references that come up. Those are Bible verses that are connected to the subject. This called letting Scripture interpret Scripture. Always put what the Bible says first.

Another link from Bible Hub is the abbreviation TSK, which stands for the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. It is like a concordance. It brings together other Bible verses to help your understanding of a verse you are studying.

4. Use the Atlas feature

On the same upper right drop down menu you will find Atlas as a choice, or on the tiles in the middle. Since all our Bible stories occurred in the Middle Eastern part of the world, it is useful to look at a map to see the geographic situation.

An example is when the Hebrews are slaves in Egypt and Moses leads them through the desert. This is a very different map from one about Jesus at Capernaum by the Sea of Galilee.

It is it's own webpage at www.bibleatlas.org

5. The Parallel Bible

Though you may have a favorite Bible translation, sometimes it may not be clear to you. It is always useful to compare how other Bible translations explain the verse.

There are times when a word in the original language is complex or have more nuance to it. Looking at other translations may be enriching to your understanding.

In the third bar on top in the middle, PCH stands for parallel chapters. It will give you five Bible translations of the passage side-by-side.

Parallel will lead you to one verse in many translations.

The Word of God always comes first!

When you are new to the Bible, it is important to stay in the Bible, not read a lot of extra writings and commentaries. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you as you read.

Give me understanding and I will obey your instructions; I will put them into practice with all my heart. Psalm 119:34 NLT

There are many great Bible tools around! Just be sure studying them does not replace the primary importance of the Bible! The Word of God always comes first! Read it today!

This series is about Bible study tools. There are many types of Bibles and helpful resources like a concordance or Bible dictionary. Information about their book and their electronic version are included. Cost and “how to use” included.

__________________

Previous: Ten BibleProject Tips: Get the Most out of BibleProject
Up next: Five Advanced Bible Hub Tips

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Reflect:

1. What role might prayer play in Bible study?

2. Go to the Topical Page and type "Heart" into the mid-page search. When options come up, click on the first. Look it over and think about what insight it gives you.

Thursday, April 18, 2024

Ten BibleProject Tips: Get the most out of BibleProject

Big Idea: Ten tips to get the most out of the massive BibleProject resources.

Getting The Most out of The BibleProject

Our mission is to help people experience the Bible as a unified story that leads to Jesus.

The BibleProject

The BibleProject creates beautiful videos and posters for understanding the Bible better. They have podcasts, classes and articles; all very well done and of practical use.

You've probably seen the informative videos. There’s a lot more! All are available on YouTube too! Here are some tips toward making use of them.

https://bibleproject.com/explore/

1. Become familiar with videos by category.

Their baseline videos introduce every book of the Bible, telling the culture, theme, shape and main message. The final picture is available as a PDF that you can download for free.

Other categories are the How-To-Read-The-Bible series, Themes, Biblical word videos, and some called visual commentaries. Explore these by list. Try one out. Most are only 5-7 minutes long.

All Bible Project videos are also on YouTube.

2. How-To-Read-The-Bible series: both basic and deep videos

This series is not just for a junior higher or a brand new Christian wondering what to do with the book. The first couple videos help the most basic need.

But various literary styles are treated such as poetry and apocalyptic literature, giving tips as to how to read them.

Check the list out here.

https://bibleproject.com/explore/how-to-read-the-bible/

3. Pair the Book Introduction video with Bible Reading

BibleProject reading plans intersperse introductory videos with the reading of the corresponding book of the Bible.

Whether you are leading a Bible study or personally reading through a book of the Bible, taking time to watch the introductory video is useful.

4. Print/download PDF poster accompanying the Book video

The final sketch of each introductory book video becomes a PDF poster. It can be downloaded at their website for free and printed off. It is legal sized but can also fit on a regular 8”x11.5” paper.

Fold it and keep it in your Bible while you are studying the book, referring to it.

https://bibleproject.com/reading-plans/

5. Try one of their Bible Reading plans (30+)

Our church has encouraged the whole church to follow a BibleProject reading plan at YouVersion through the year. There are 365 day plans and much shorter plans. Check them out here.

6. Download the BibleProject App: videos and podcasts you can use anywhere

Like the website the app has all the videos, podcasts, articles and classes on it. You can download anything to your device and listen offline. A friend of mind listens to the podcasts while she rakes leaves, washes dishes, and drives the kids on errands around town. She’s listened to them all.

7. Practice Skill Studies on the App