Paul Baloche
Desperation Band
Brian Doerksen
Don Moen
Desiring God
The Practice of the Presence of God 
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YouVersion iPhone Bible
Support | Main website | Download application
The team behind the YouVersion bible have recently improved their free iPhone bible application to allow certain translations to be read offline. This is great news for iPod Touch users and for those times you are unable to connect to the internet. It will be interesting to see the improvements that this iPhone bible application makes over the coming year.
Translations available
If your iPhone or iPod Touch is connected to the internet then there are lots of transaltions available including:
- NIV
- ESV
- KJV
- NKJV
- NET
- WEB
- the Messsage
- Chinese, Italian French, Spanish, German, Korean and Swedish translations
- and more!
Less of these translations are available offline, but they are working on getting more available. To access the offline transaltions you need to have access to a wifi or edge network to download the initial bible text, but then it will work wherever you are. Simply go to the settings menu and choose from the following bible translations: ASV, KJV, WEB, NET RVES, ELB, DELUT, LSG, GUVS, CUV, BG1940, SV1750, FINPR, KAR, IDBAR, NORSK, AA, RMNN, KRVB 1R1927 and RURSV.
A big advantage of having translations available offline is that searching the text is much quicker. It will be great when more translations are added.
Using the bible software
You can find verses in a couple of ways with this application. Firstly you can search for a specific word (or words) and the matching verses will be shown. This feature works well and is fast.
Secondly you can search by selecting a book and then chapter. This is probably the only flaw in the layout. It doesn’t feel particularly intuitively implemented. Firstly, this option is not on the tab bar so you have to press at least two buttons to get it (sometimes more). The layout of then selecting the book just doesn’t quite work. It is not bad, but I think there must be a quicker way of navigating. I’m not sure what that layout is, maybe something like the verse selector on Bible Reader. This is far from a deal breaker, but if YouVersion could crack this they would have a very user friendly iPhone bible.
There are no more powerful options such as bookmarking or note-taking available yet. Based on the online version of YouVersion this feature may be coming in a future release. If this could be synchronized with the online YouVersion you would suddenly have a very powerful multi-platform bible study package.
How does it look?
The presentation is very good and the text is easy to read. The images shown in this review are with small text but there are options for larger text or for a screen display which is easier to read in the dark.
There is nothing ground breaking in the design, but it fits the iPhone layout perfectly, and the simple design makes it easy to focus on the text you are reading. This is a good example of “less is more” in design.
Read the bible in one year!
A superb addition is the option of a daily bible reading plan (based on Robert Roberts daily reading plan). 3 sections of the bible are included each day, and you simply click on the verses shown to read them. This is a very well implemented feature which fits well with the way many people may read the bible on an iPhone.
Other features…
Other features include the ability to email verses by double clicking or holding down on a verse. This could be useful either to send yourself a note about what you are reading, or send an email to friend (which is its main intended use). This function does work when you are offline, as it saves any unsent messages and sends them when you are back in range. The verse itself is not shown - but it includes a link to the normal YouVersion website.
There is also a contributions tab, where recent contributions from YouVersion users are included. I did not find this amazingly useful as the contributions are very random and you can’t search for notes on a verse. I expect this functionality will be added in future versions.
Tags: bible, bible study, christian, ESV, free, iphone, NIV, resources, youversion
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Blue Letter Bible
main website
If you want a comprehensive online bible then Blue Letter Bible is a good choice. Where Bible Gateway opts for simplicity, Blue Letter bible opts for a multitude of options. With over 165,000 pages of concordances, lexicons, dictionaries, commentaries, images, and various bible translations there is certainly enough content here to throw light on any bible scripture.
The lexicon and dictionary capabilities stand out as exceptionally useful and detailed. Indeed, whilst there is a large volume of content virtually none of it is surplus to requirements which means using Blue Letter Bible is simple and enjoyable.
Bible translations
Blue Letter Bible trumps most online bible by offering both Hebrew and Greek texts. This helps to make Blue Letter Bible extremely useful for deep bible study when the English translation may loose the essence of the meaning.
The Blue Letter Bible uses the King James Version of 1769 as its main study text, however you can choose from thirteen other popular translations from a drop down list including the ASV, ESV, NASB, NIV, NKJV, NLT, and RSV
Using Blue Letter Bible
Getting started with the Blue Letter Bible is very easy, the image to the right shows the home page. Simply type in the book, or verse you want to read, select your preferred translation and then search!
The home page also has links to other shortcuts most of which are mentioned in this review.
You first realize the depth of content once the results of your search are given in the format you can see on the left. On the left of each verse are six letters in boxes which allow you to access the detailed information within Blue Letter Bible.
K: Treasury of scripture knowledge
This provides a list of any correlating verses in the bible and links them either by word or phrase. As well as providing the links to the passages, it provides all of the verses below the summary. This is a very useful feature that can be invaluable in quickly cross referencing verses.
C: Concordance and Hebrew/Greek
This is another powerful part of Blue Letter Bible and for every verse it shows the interlinear Hebrew or Greek (including the Septuagint), as well a list of all words with Strong’s Concordance notes. If you click on a word it takes you to the fantastic Lexicon. This shows the root of the word (Greek or Hebrew), a summary of the meaning, a summary of Thayer’s Lexicon, a link to Vines Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, a list of all occurrences in the bible (with verses shown), and more besides.
L: List available commentaries
Assuming there is more than one commentary for a given verse you are presented with a drop down box to select the commentary you would like to read or listen to. The list of options is once again impressive.
Several thousand audio messages are available from a variety of preachers/teachers. There is a good selection of Study Tools including the Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia. Finally there are also written concordances with contributors including Charles Spurgeon, Matthew Henry and Chuck Smith. The Spurgeon links alone would make a website worth visiting.
Note: Hymns
Over 2,700 Hymns are included, indexed to the appropriate Bible verses. Not only does it include the words, but you can listen to a midi file (just of the music) or access the musical score.
I: Images/Maps
Here you can access various maps and images.
V: Versions/Translations
Whilst you can choose which translation you view earlier in the searching process, this option shows any given verse in all of the available translations. A very useful feature yet again which will enhance any bible studies.
D: Dictionary aids
If you still need more guidance on a verse or word then the dictionary aid option is another powerful tool. With over 10,000 topics covering most verses it is detailed and includes:
- Naves Dictionary
- Torreys Dictionary
- Easton Dictionary
- Vines Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words
- Subject Guides
Study tools
The Study Tools collects together the various charts and study guides already mentioned in this review. It also includes The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia (ISBE), book introductions, timelines and various other useful features
Other content
Listen to the bible
The Blue Letter Bible has MP3 versions of three translations (NKJV, NLT & KJV) by Stephen Johnston. Available are the New King James Version (dramatized), the New Living Translation (dramatized) and the King James Version (narrated). There is an audio link on each of the Bible pages for these translations. It is worth noting these are copyrighted and you can only stream them through your computer and not download them.
LexiConc
This tool in the sidebar allows you to type in any English word and it will return all occurrences of it in the bible (along with the Greek/Hebrew word it was translated from). You can then click through tho the great Lexicon section for words as discussed earlier.
Linking to Blue Letter Bible
If you have your own website you can also add the free search tools to any page. You can choose from a word/phrase search, a verse search or a Strongs number search and the widgets they produce are very customizable.
Other stuff
As well as the main content there are some other interesting sections such as the ‘sayings not found in scripture’. This highlights those sayings that people think are in the bible but aren’t. It then goes a step further and uses bible verses to show if the essence of the statement is actually biblical and true – or if it is just completely rubbish!
There is also access to some daily devotions and bible reading plans.
Layout and design
The layout and design of the website is on the whole very good. It takes a little while to get your bearings but this is understandable when you consider the sheer number of features and resources available.
Despite the large amount of information that can sometimes be displayed the screen never feels cluttered due to the relatively clean layout. The Lexicon results are a great example of the well thought out design.
Summary
It can take a little while to get to grips with all of the options available, but once you do Blue Letter Bible shows it is a seriously impressive website.
Strengths
- Many translations including Greek and Hebrew
- Superb lexicon and analysis of words
- Fast, considering the amount of data being retrieved (may struggle with dial-ups though)
- Well laid out and simple to use
Weaknesses
- More customisation would be great. For instance, being able to choose a favourite translation that is remembered when you return.
Tags: ASV, bible, bible study, blue letter bible, christian, ESV, free, KJV, NASB, NIV, NKJV, NLT, resources, RSV Related posts on this site:
Once you get hold of your exciting new iPhone one of the first things you’ll want to do is find a good quality bible that you can view on it. Back in October and soon after the launch I produced a definitive post of all the free iPhone bible options available. But which iPhone bible is the best for you?
Three months on from the guide to 11 free iPhone bibles, and now several months after the launch of the iPhone. Here are the best bible choices for your iPhone!
the best overall choice: iBibleSpace
iBibleSpace still stands tall as the best iPhone bible offering available free. Firstly it provides the great ESV translation of the bible, including footnotes. As you can see from the image on the left, it looks superb and is perfectly at home on the iPhone.
You can create your own personal notebook to highlight or attach notes to any verse and you easily search the bible by choosing a specific book or use the search feature. They have also thrown in a verse of the day and Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening daily devotional.
If you have to choose one iPhone bible, choose this one!
the next best overall choice: iBibleZ.com
iBibleZ.com is newer than iBibleSpace but is improving in leaps and bounds. As with iBibleSpace it has a great design which fits nicely with the iPhone’s style. It also includes the ESV, ASV and Chinese Union Version, with further translations likely to be added. It is very easy to select the verse you want or search for words too.
iBibleZ is also undergoing continual improvements, so it is worth checking it out now to see what I have missed! Indeed, I would not be surprised if iBibleZ.com jumps to the top of this list soon.
the best for multiple translations: 3onesix
My goodness the 3onesix iPhone bible has more translations than you could dream of! As well as Italian and Spanish bible translations it also includes the NIV. Here is the complete list:
- NIV: New International Version
- TNIV: Today’s New International Version
- KJV: King James Version
- NKJV: New King James Version
- NCV: New Century Version
- NASB: New American Standard Bible
- ItalRV: Italian Revised Version
- ESV: English Standard Version
- SpaRV: Spanish Reina-Valera Antigua
- HCSB: Holman Christian Standard Bible
- MSG: The Message
The best for study: The NET bible
Obviously the iPhone is not exactly designed for in depth bible study! However, if you need some further background on a verse then The NET bible is the best iPhone bible. It has the study notes for the NET bible built in, and is particularly good for giving the original meaning of translated words.
other iPhone bible choices?
If you are not 100% happy with those iPhone bibles, then there are plenty more options as discussed further in ‘the best 11 iPhone bibles’ post.
Tags: bible, bible study, christian, ESV, free, iphone, KJV, NIV, resources Related posts on this site:
With the iPhone now established there are plenty of free bibles available to use, but which are the best ones? Inevitably this will depend on what translation you are after, so here are the best iPhone bibles around so far.
Applications have just been made available by apple to allow third party applications to be put on iPhones. This means that software like eSword and Olive Tree will now be possible. You can see the best Christian iPhone applications here at free Christian resources by clicking here. Hopefully the list below will help you find the iPhone bible you are after though…
iBible space
Bible translation: ESV
Website: http://www.acrodesigntech.com/apple.html
iPhone website: http://www.ibiblespace.org/cgi-bin/iphone
This is probably the most impressive bible offering on the iPhone. Firstly, as you can see from the image on the right it looks good, with an interface that will be familiar to iPhone users. It includes the entire English Standard Version (with footnotes), and Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary.You can also create your own personal notebook to highlight or attach notes to any verse of the Bible. You can either select a specific book from the bible, or use the search feature to find a word or phrase.
Added extras include a verse of the day, Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening daily devotional, and a link to some podcasts from the day.
iBibleZ.com
Bible translation: ASV, KJV, Chinese Union Version
Website: http://www.ibiblez.com/
iPhone website: http://www.ibiblez.com/iphone/bibleTemplate.php
iBibleZ is another good looking iPhone bible option. The main way to navigate the bible is by using the drop down boxes for the translation, book, chapter and verse. You can also either select a specific book from the bible, or use the search feature to find a word or phrase.
iBibleZ is continually being improved, with new translations likely to be added soon. This is a great option if like the ASV, ESV or Chinese translation.
The NET bible
Bible translation: NET
iPhone website: http://www.enetbible.com/
The NET bible does a great job translating the NET bible onto the iPhone. The text is well formatted for the iPhone, but perhaps most impressively you can access the multitude of study notes that the NET bible has. You can choose individual chapter from the old or new testament, however no searching function is available yet. One problem with the study notes is that the iPhone cannot yet properly show Hebrew, so any Hebrew words are just shown as boxes. Hopefully Apple will rectify this soon.
ESV mobile
Bible translation: ESV
Website: http://www.esv.org/blog/2007/08/more.iphone.news
iPhone website: http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/mobile/
Unlike some iPhone bibles the ESV bible allows you to search the text for words or phrases and this is easy to do as the search section is included on every page. You select the chapter you want to view via a list of the old and new testament books. The text is very readable as it is formatted specifically for the iPhone.
The ESV has plenty of added extras through their daily devotional content. This includes some daily devotionals, as well as a variety of ready plans (e.g. read the bible in one year).
3onesix
Bible translation: NIV, ESV, KJV and possibly more
iPhone website: http://iphone.3onesix.com/
If you want the NIV on your iPhone then 3onesix is your only option at the moment. 3onesix does not use the same menu system as all the other iPhone bibles use. Instead you have to type in the chapter you want (e.g. Mark 2). Understandably this is not as user friendly as the normal menu system. It would be good to have both this option and the more popular/common list.
The NIV is the standard bible used when you search. However you can search for other versions by adding this to your search. So to search for the KJV you would type “KJV:Mark 2″. You may be able to get more translations so give it a go if you really need a certain one.
Clearsight Bible
Bible translation: KJV
Website: http://apathyonline.net/iphone-bible/
iPhone website: http://iphone.clearsight.org//
This is a simple KJV bible, with the option to select a book from the main many, or also to search the bible. Additional versions of the bible should be added in the future as this is just a beta version.
Interestingly this also has an option for an off line version. You do have to pay for this (a one off fee I think) by a donation, and I am not sure how well it works. However this may well be worth investigating if you want to read your bible on your iPhone when you can’t get internet access.
God’s iPhone
Bible translation: God’s Word Translation
iPhone website: http://www.godsiphone.com/
God’s iPhone is still a work in progress and currently includes the whole new testament and parts of the old testament (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Psalms and Proverbs). These are being added to all of the time though, as quickly as Israel Anderson can manage. God’s iPhone also includes a section for Christian Classics which currently includes AW Tozer’s “The Pursuit of God”. There is also a link to popular podcasts, and a blog which will update you on any changes.
iPhone bible
Bible translation: NAB
iPhone website: http://www.iphonebible.org
You can search the New American Bible (which includes the apocrypha) by selecting an individual chapter from the old or new testament. Searching for a specific word or phrase is not too easy as you have to search via the main website (rather than the specific iPhone website). One problem highlighted by the This Lamp blog is that the text is very small, as the iPhone formatting has been rendered from the original internet content rather than being revised. To make it legible you really need to either turn the iPhone on its side, or increase the zoom. The iPhone bible also includes a daily reading, and daily reading podcast.
iPhone scriptures
Bible translation: KJV & Mormon
iPhone website: http://readscriptures.com/
This is a simple offering with no ability to search or skip through chapters. If for some reason you want to check out part of the Mormon “scriptures” you can also get these through iPhone scriptures.
LDS Standard Works
Bible translation: KJV & Mormon (can be excluded)
iPhone website: http://tall.mtmighty.com/#_volumes
As with iPhone scriptures, this includes the Mormon texts, however with LDS you can choose to exclude them. This makes this a good iPhone option for those you prefer the KJV. You can search for words or phrases via a search option in the main menu. There are also options to tag verses and see a random verse (should you want to!)
Since the initial post, the following three iPhone bibles are now available:
iTruth
Bible translation: KJV
iPhone website: http://www.itruth.mobi/
This is an easy to use bible and uses a similar style of menu to many other choices. You start by selecting the book that you want to read, and then the chapter. There are no bells and whistles so if you are just after the KJV bible verses iTruth may interest you.
Paradoxica iPhone bible
Bible translation: ESV
iPhone website: http://esv.phoreo.com
Scott Andreas has also released an iPhone website with the ESV bible on it. This uses a simple interface and currently just has a search box where you type in the verse you are after. You can use abbreviations, so you may actually find this quicker than using the normal menu system that is used with other iPhone bible. It is also available as a dashboard widget (Mac), and via Adobe AIR (Mac and PC)
Covenant Pocket Bible
Bible translation: ESV
iPhone website: http://covenantpocketlibrary.com/
Covenant Pocket Library is a simple iPhone bible that uses the ESV translation and also includes a one year bible reading plan. The Heidelberg Catechism and the Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechism are also available.
Tags: bible, bible study, christian, devotional, ESV, esword, free, iphone, KJV, nab, NIV, resources, spurgeon Related posts on this site:
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