The Online Bible is a powerful software package combining a Bible study interface with a massive built-in library of Bibles, Bible dictionaries, commentaries, books, maps, devotionals, references and original language lexicons.
You can get the software as a download for no cost, or purchase a cd-rom.
Click here to check out the translations, commentaries and other free modules we recommend for the Online Bible program. More links to download hundreds of books and commentaries at no cost are also included on that page.
The Online Bible is, in my opinion, the best Bible study software available. There are several reasons for saying this:
- The program and hundreds of add-on books, commentaries, dictionaries and Bible translations are available at no cost as Internet downloads. Competitors’ products, like Logos, E-Sword, or Nelson’s are costly just for the basic programs, and then charge additional fees for the options you will want to use. While it is true that the Online Bible add-on modules are “public domain” and either free from copyright, or free to distribute with permission from the authors/publishers, this is not a disadvantage. As a pastor, I have a large library of more current commentaries and other Bible study tools. But I rarely need anything other than the resouces available on the Online Bible. Just because a particular commentary is new, does not mean it is necessarily an improvement over older, classic works, such as John Gill’s “Expositor,” or Robertson’s Word Pictures of the New Testament. For advanced original language research in the Old and New Testaments, I use BibleWorks. You can find BibleWorks available for purchase through the Online Bible storefront. But unless you are able to read Greek and Hebrew, the Online Bible has everything you need for personal study, sermon preparation, Bible college studies or even seminary studies not requiring advanced linguistic research.
- The “Add-on Material List Update” tool, listed above, is a fantastic way to keep current with the latest user-made and officially produced modules ranging from books to Bibles. Best of all, these updates are free!
- The search engine built into the Online Bible program is second-to-none. You can perform simple or complex searches easily and quickly in no time.
- Because the Online Bible has been around for so long, making it one of the longest surviving Bible software packages, it has a very large following of loyal users. These users frequently produce their favourite Christian books, theological works, commentaries, etc., into Online Bible format, and make them available at no cost to the whole user community. As far as I know of, this is unheard of with other Bible software products.
- The Online Bible has, for a long time, worked closely with Answers in Genesis and the team at what is now Creation Ministries International to provide a wide range of quality creation and science literature available to Online Bible users. These books are free and can provide Christian lay-people with up-to-date scientific arguments and evidence for the authority and trustworthiness of the Bible.
- I have been using the Online Bible program on a weekly basis since early in 2000. I have never encountered a serious software glitch. Program updates have been released regularly and frequently to resolve technical issues that were unknown to me. The program has just been getting better and better as these new updates have included user-requested features and tools to improve the product.
