Macintosh Users
I wanted to include a section reviewing software options for Mac users, but I must confess that I’m not indigenous to the Mac world. So, instead of pretending to explore the functionality of these software options, I’ve turned this portion of the review over to someone who knows what he’s doing (Doug Searle, a friend and proficient Mac user).
Preachers who use Macintosh computers will want to take advantage of powerful software solutions. The leader in this market is Accordance, developed by Oak Tree Software (www.oaksoft.com). Accordance is to the Macintosh what Libronix is to Windows, offering a wide variety of study tools that all run on the same application. Everything is available for both Classic and OS X operating systems. For original language studies, the Scholar’s Library Core Bundle starts at $219.
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Unfortunately, this does not include some resources you are likely to want, but all of the essential tools are available if you’re willing to spend more. It will take some time and effort to understand Oak Tree’s complex pricing packages. Study the website carefully before making your purchase.
For a more basic approach, check out Online Bible (
www.macolb.com). For the really amazing price of $89.95, Online Bible comes with 29 English Bible Versions including the NIV, NASB, NKJV, NLT and NRSV. It also includes — no extra charge — Greek and Hebrew texts and lexicons, maps, 20 commentaries (mostly older public domain stuff), dictionaries, and 40 Bible versions in other languages. Original language tools are very basic, but the package does include tense, voice and mood parsing of Greek verbs as well as stem and mood in Hebrew. The interface and search features are simple and intuitive. Online Bible for OS X is still being developed.
Perhaps the most useful feature of the Online Bible is its FKey function, which allows you to import Bible text into any document without opening the Online Bible to copy and paste. Simply hit the FKey, type the reference of the Scripture, choose the translation you want, and click OK. The typo-free text instantly appears in your document. This is great for creating notes, handouts, and sermon manuscripts. This feature alone is worth the purchase price of Online Bible.
A third possibility for Mac Users is to run Windows software on a PC emulator such as Virtual PC. Virtual PC with Windows XP Pro costs about $200 ($149 for XP Home). Add that to the price of BibleWorks and we’re talking serious money. But this may be the best option if you are serious about study in the original languages.
Bible Study Resources
PC Users
Bible Essentials
Though this is an older piece of software, I wanted to include it because of its value for word studies. AMG Publishers (www.amgpublishers.com) has produced a well-known set of original language tools, The Complete Word Study Bible, and The Complete Word Study Dictionary: NT by Spiros Zodhiates. These, along with nearly twenty additional resources, including the New American Standard, 1995 Updated Edition, are included.