Scripture 4 All version 2.1

The Scripture 4 All website  provides the free Bible software, Interlinear Scripture Analyzer (ISA). ISA allows a user to look up Scripture and to study the passages in three windows. The interlinear window displays the verse in Greek (New Testament) or Hebrew (Old Testament) and parallels it with word-by-word transliteration and translation. The translation window presents the verse (AV) in the context of the passage. The concordance window displays frequencies of words and their variations by Strong’s Concordance number. Each window interacts with the others. For example, users can search the concordance by selecting the word in the interlinear window.

The language itself is a little confusing at times. The Greek is displayed in Koine script, that is, all capital letters with some of them looking slightly different from ones many beginning Greek students would instantly recognize. The Hebrew letters are written right to left, as is normal, but the words themselves go left to right, the opposite direction from which Hebrew would be read. This is most likely for interlinear agreement.

ISA is a useful program with some helpful displays. However, coming from someone who is not very technologically-minded, the program does require time to learn and understand. The help menu allows a little more understanding of what the various windows and setups can do, and the website also has a “Help” and “Frequently Asked Questions” page. Trial-and-error exploration may be one of the best ways to come to understand this program.
(SarahT)
[Scripture 4 All also offers downloadable PDF files of the Hebrew Interlinear Bible and the Greek Interlinear Bible.]

LaParola 7.13

La Parola is Italian for The Word, and The Word is what La Parola wishes to display.  This is a free Bible software program that is comparable to Bible Works program.  In this review I will be making comparisons between the programs because they similar in what they can be used for. 

As far as value is concerned La Parola is a free program, so you will not lose money on this deal.  Time is also valuable.  La Parola did not take much time to download and set up.  However, the updates that contained additional Bible Versions and commentaries did take a good bit of time to download.  As a person that is familiar with the Bible Works program it took little time and effort to get adjusted to how the program works.  The La Parola website, which is linked from the program, offers 3 helpful instructional videos that show what the program is capable of how to perform the actions.  I have to believe for the lay person who is not familiar with Bible Works, La Parola is more accessible.

In terms of content La Parola is more geared to the Lay Person who is not interested in learning Greek.  La Parola offers a few Greek versions, but it does not offer the resourses that Bible Works has in how to learn and interpret the Greek version.   The standard Bible versions that La Parola offers is not that great (no NIV, NET, or RSV).  The only popular version that comes standard is the King James Version.  It is possible to add more versions from other Bible resources such as E-sword and OSIS.  The dictionaries and other resources are few, but functional. 

I would recommend this program to the lay person who interested in reading different versions of scripture at the same time and searching for words or phrases.
(DanC)

Cross Word 3.5

Cross Word correctly claims that it is easy to use, but that is partly because it offers very little.  The download was extremely slow.  It is free, although the program can be downloaded at cost in a faster format.  The paid version also has a sound function that can only be previewed in the free version.  Since the program is tied to an individual machine, it can be used regardless of internet access.  CrossWord uses three function buttons, forward and backward chapter buttons, and a search window.  The “Book” button allows you to choose an Old or New Testament book or to select a translation.  Only two translations are available with the free version; the display will allow you to view the King James Version and the World English Bible with the 1917 edition Scofield reference notes and a column for personal notes.  Another button recalls the search history, and the third allows the creation of bookmarks by category.  Both the KJV and WEB texts are linked to the Strongs numbered definitions; however, not all words in the translation are linked which may be confusing to those not already familiar with the languages.  The search window allows a slow English word search that is displayed in an additional column; statistics on the words are not available.  Overall, CrossWord is limited by its translations and references.  It’s strongest feature is the user’s ability to link personal study notes to each verse and the program’s compatibility with Windows, Mac, and, to a limited extent, Linux. (TraciMB)

Bible Explorer 4.0

For my Bible software review I looked at and began to get use to using Bible Explorer 4.0. This program in its basic form is a free download, and the free software was impressive in its function and amount of free documents included in the way of Bibles, Commentaries, Cross References, Devotionals, Study Tools and other items included in the library. Additional “books” are available for purchase on-line to be added on to the library and some additional research would be needed on those to give a good review of the possible library one could build, so you do not get everything for free!
The browser window within the program allows for multiple windows to be viewed at the same time. I found four documents to be viewed at a time on the screen about the most manageable, but while fooling around I was able to have 10 windows opened at once. So you could have multiple Bible translations, commentaries and the built in word processing program all on the screen at once. The Bible translations and commentaries are synced automatically (it can be toggled off) so as you scroll one version the other windows continue to scroll as well which I found to be nice when comparing three versions at once. I liked being able to view Greek and English translation simultaneously and I will continue to fool around with this while doing some exegesis work in the coming months to get a real feel of things.
There is also discussion groups connected to Bible Explorer as well. The free version does not included access to the groups, but with purchases of additional downloads you are granted access. According to many reviews on cnet.com these discussion groups might be something to avoid. I was not able to view the discussion group, but since the group is connected to the software publisher this does raise a potential concern. Overall I found the software a nice addition to my seminary tool box.

Theophilos

Theophilos is a Bible study program which runs on Windows OSs from 95 through Vista. The authors have taken considerable care to make sure that the package is compatible with readers for the visually impaired. It has a variety of powerful features which allow the user to do sophisticated searches, make notes, jumplists, and topic books, use and create multimedia, and author add-on modules. This is all available for free download. What is lacking in the freeware is resources; only the KJV, Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary, and Easton’s Bible Dictionary are included. Upgraded versions of the library are available on CD for $20-$70. Other downloadable add-ons may be purchased separately for $10 -$25 each or as a package for $130. These upgrades include additional versions of the Bible in English and other languages; however, the NRSV is not available. There are three Greek NTs on the upgrade CD: Scrivener's Greek NT 1894; Stephanus Textus Receptus; and Westcott-Hort Greek NT. No Hebrew Bible is available, although there are two Hebrew-Aramaic dictionaries and versions of the KJV and NASB which include Strong’s numbers. In spite of the powerful software, I think the resources are lacking, and I would compare Theophilos to other packages to see if I could find one with better resources. Another major drawback for me is that the way the package handles configuration files requires that it be run as an administrator, and I do not think that is acceptable.