Friday, August 9, 2013

Bible Software Recommendations

In my second year Greek and Hebrew syllabi I recommend the following resources: 

The best computer programs for serious original-language study of the Bible are Accordance (Mac/Windows [coming soon]/Ipad), Bibleworks (Windows/Mac), and Logos (Windows/Mac/Ipad/Android).
Accordance 10 (http://www.accordancebible.com/). The Original Languages Collection includes the grammatically-tagged Hebrew Bible, Septuagint and Greek New Testament, several lexicons and English translations. Cost: $299.99 US.
Bibleworks 9 (http://www.bibleworks.com/). Includes the grammatically-tagged Hebrew Bible, Septuagint, Greek New Testament, Targumim, Apostolic Fathers, Josephus, Philo, and Greek Pseudepigrapha; as well as several lexicons, grammars, and many translations. Cost: $359 US. 

Logos Bible Software 5 (http://www.logos.com/). Ken Penner informs me that you can get basic Greek New Testament, LXX, and Hebrew Bible texts with parsing and translation for a $160 minimal crossgrade. If you want the standard Nestle-Aland Greek New Testament, Rahlf's LXX and the BHS Hebrew Bible, you can choose the Bronze package, which includes the grammatically-tagged Hebrew Bible, Septuagint, Greek New Testament, and Targumim; as well as several lexicons, translations, and some new tools for syntactical analysis of the Greek New Testament and Hebrew Bible, as well as other resources. Cost: $629.95 US. If you purchase a major Logos package and you are a student or faculty member, be sure to apply for academic pricing: http://www.logos.com/academic/program.

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My 2 cents: In my view, Bibleworks gives you the most bang for your buck, though if I were to start over, I would probably go with Accordance. (I really like what they have included in their Original Languages Collection.) Logos has fantastic resources, but you pay a premium for them. For my earlier posts on Bibleworks and Logos see here and here. For another perspective, I recommend Mark V.G. Hoffman's blog Biblical Studies and Technological Tools.

I should add that all three programs are powerful and sophisticated tools. To get full value for your investment, you should plan to spend a minimum of 8-10 hours learning how the program works. No doubt it is because I have done this with Bibleworks, but not with Accordance or Logos that I find Bibleworks easiest to use--though not as user-friendly as Gramcord used to be.

Finally, my comments are geared toward students of Hebrew and Greek. If you don't know Hebrew or Greek, you are better off spending your time and money on learning a biblical language. Bible software power tools are no substitute for the ability to read the original.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Accordance user here. Its great. I'm a parish pastor and use it several times per week.

Ken Penner said...

If we're talking bang for the buck, the Logos app (for any platform) is free, at http://www.logos.com/downloads
as are some of the texts (SBLGNT) a some lexicons (BDB abridged).
But a minimal crossgrade gets you the primary texts for $160 (http://www.logos.com/product/28376/logos-5-minimal-crossgrade), and the top lexicons are in the BDAG/HALOT Bundle which is currently on sale (under $250).

d. miller said...

Thanks, Ken. I'll note this option.

d. miller said...

Ken, do you happen to know if it is possible to do complex grammatical searches with Logos's reverse interlinears--or is that only possible with a morphologically-tagged text?

ἐκκλησία said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
ἐκκλησία said...

Hey, be more sensitive to poor starving students who can't afford to 'invest' in software when there are other worthy investments about (such as food).

How about the free software available at The Sword Project at crosswire.org?