Bible Analyzer 3.7 is now available, and includes some nice new features. Here’s a quick rundown:

• Added a search option for Regular Expressions.
• MiniWindow now has a drop down list of available resources.
• Added the option to show search results as only references (on a single page).
• Some word lists will also now display references.
• Added two Bible quizzes in Master Control Panel.
• Added the date, image, and Proverbs quote to ScripturePad at startup.
• Added Module Creation Tools (Beta, in Suite Editions only).
• Refined and enhanced Statistical Searches
• Changed Module and User file locations (more compatible with Windows Vista)

You may want to take a look at a this videotutorial showing some of the new features, or this other one that deals specifically with the new module creation tool.

After introducing the subject in Part I and Part II, it is time to see how this all works in real life.

Let me emphasize that the ability provided by some Bible software programs to search a Bible tagged with Strong’s numbers is important for a number of reasons (despite other opinions).

First of all, it allows us to search on English and Hebrew/Greek words at the same time. Thus, it is possible to find “master” only when it is a translation of the Greek term κύριος (Strong’s number 2962). This automatically excludes from the search any verse where “master” is used to translate another Greek word (δεσπότης, διδάσκαλος, ῥαββί, and so on).

It also gives us the opportunity to study how different translations have decided to render a particular word or sentence in a given context. This gives us a hint about the different translation philosophy (literal, dynamic, etc.) followed in each particular case.

It is also noteworthy that words without a corresponding Strong’s number (i.e., “untagged”) have their importance. Many of these are often understood or implied in the original, or else are simply supplied in the modern language translation for stylistic reasons.

Using Boolean operators, mixed phrases (that is, Strong’s numbers combined with English words) and wild cards can greatly enhance these types of searches and allow for a greater amount of flexibility.

Having said that, do keep in mind the caveats I have mentioned in my previous posts. In this regard, you might want to check David Lang’s series of posts “Contra Strongnosticism” (parts 1, 2, 3 and 4).

Today I would like to focus on the implementation of Strong’s searches in Accordance 8.2.3, BibleWorks 8 and Logos Bible Software 3.0f. These three high-end programs can do pretty much anything we require them to do.

In the table below I have listed a sample of searches and the different syntax used by each one of the programs. I have limited the examples to text searches, although there are alternate ways to build these kinds of searches in a graphical environment.

^* In Logos one can use “@” instead of ANDEQUALS and “!@” in place of NOTEQUALS. Other search symbols are also accepted (“&” – AND, “|” – OR, “!” – NOT, for example). On a side note, in order to get Logos to return roughly the same results as Accordance and BibleWorks, the syntax shown here has to be tweaked. Thus, unless term modifiers like nostem, marks, etc. are used, results will generally be way too broad due to stemming.

Accordance never displays Strong’s numbers in the Bible window. All the related information (number, English translation, original language word and English transliteration) appears in the Instant Details box instead when the mouse rests on a tagged word. To set up a search, Hebrew numbers must be preceded by an “H” and Greek numbers by a “G.” This is not necessary, of course, if we run the search by right-clicking or control-clicking a tagged text. On the other hand, by opening an original language text in parallel with a Bible keyed with Strong’s numbers, the original text will highlight as we move the cursor on the corresponding English term.

If using the NASB, Logos includes a somewhat similar feature whereby right-clicking on the English text one can navigate to the associated Greek word (in NA27), but it is not highlighted automatically.

BibleWorks can display Strong’s numbers inline (right after the word it is attached to) or hide them altogether, and offers the ability to do studies of word groups “associated” with a particular Strong’s number when the option “Extend <> Tags to All Words” is on. As for typing searches, a zero must precede OT numbers, and no prefix is needed for NT numbers. I should also say that BW can run cross-language searches (but only with the Graphical Search Engine [GSE]) and automatically highlight all the occurrences in both the English and Greek (or Hebrew text). Thus, we could easily find verses with Strong’s number 435 when it has been translated as “husband*” and the Greek version has some form of ἀνήρ.

Accordance can do that with two windows linked by the [CONTENTS] command. As for Logos, the way to do it is via a Reverse Interlinear, by writing the search syntax greekstrongs=435 ANDEQUALS husband AND lemma: ανηρ in a Bible Search window.

Logos can display Strong’s numbers inline, in an interlinear format (below the English text), or hide it from one’s view. A nice touch is the fact that when there is more than a single search term, each one of them is highlighted with a different color.

Further reading:

For a slightly outdated but still relevant article on the various ways to work with Strong’s numbers with Mac-based Bible software, see Getting the Bible’s Numbers, by David Lang.

To know more about how to work with Strong’s numbers in BibleWorks, check out the appropriate Study Guide from within BW8.

Finally, Logos has two recent blog posts on how to use Strong’s numbers, here and here.

Logos Bible Software has recently opened a new forums site for all its users. This is intended to replace the older newsgroups.

Here are a number of recent online reviews for you…

Accordance 8 — A Close Look at OakTree’s Accordance, Part I: Basic Bible Study, by Timothy R. Butler (two more parts to be published), and Working Bible Magic, by Tony W. Cartledge.

BibleWorks 8 — Getting the Best Out of Bible Software: BibleWorks 8, by David Instone-Brewer (Tyndale Tech).

Logos 3 — Bible Software Review: Logos Gold, by Terry Delaney, and Review of Scholar’s Library (Logos Bible Software), by James Anderson.

Enjoy!

Olive Tree offers a free collection of over 1200 of John Piper’s sermons (made available through Desiring God). The collection, available for any of the many different platforms supported by the company, can be downloaded here, and once installed on the device it can be searched quite easily using the Table of Contents. Note also that sermons can be browsed by title, topic, occasion, sermon series, scripture reference, or date.

Version 5.5 has just been released. Apart from some new content (available only on the CD-ROM), there are number of enhancements and bug fixes. Here are the main ones:

• Added “Context Preview” for verse link pop-up text. It’s now faster than ever to quickly examine the context of a linked verse.
• Added improved support for custom Bible search ranges in Search Bible dialog.
• Optimizations to user module updates, significantly improving the save-time when changes to a user-edited module are saved.
• Improvements to Verse Guide panel: Added Compare Column toggle button to Bible and Verse List panels. Right-click to change compare text selection.
• Added “Results Panel List” to View menu for alternate access to multiple search result panels.
• Added Select Module Tool items to resource tab right-click menus for convenience.
• Quick Bible Search now behaves as the Go To Verse box in the event a verse reference is entered.
• Improved responsiveness of Full Library Search progress window.
• Verse Export Formatting (Search menu) now supports formatted text (such as bold for verse tags). Some changes to Verse Export Formatting options.
• Verse link detection for User Editor improvements.

Accordance Bible Software is making available free podcasts from the iTunes Store. If you have iTunes installed on your computer, you can search for “Lighting the Lamp” and download the episode you want or subscribe to future podcasts. Alternatively, you can go directly to the podcast by clicking this link.

These podcasts will revisit the topics covered in the former webinars and add many more subjects in due course.

The different episodes are an excellent way to become acquainted with the many features offered by this sofware, and suitable for both current and potential users.

Update (June 26): Those with no access to iTunes can download the podcasts here.

Unlike its older brother (WORDsearch 8), Bible Explorer 4 is available as a free download. There is even a new beta version for Mac (running through WINE and X.11) that can be downloaded. Once the program is installed, there are over 200 free titles (Books and other reference works) that can be added to the library.

I already mentioned the NeXt Bible Learning Environment when the project was in its early stages. Now I think it’s time to do it once more. If you need a fast, free, feature-filled online Bible study tool, I recommend you visit this site and start seeing for yourself. Help (including a number of screencasts — slightly outdated but useful nonetheless) is available here.

The search facilities (don’t miss the Advanced Search dialog!) and the Study Map System are well worth noting, as are the numerous and nicely integrated study helps available. So, if you are surfing the net and want to use an online Bible software program, check this one out.

Accordance point releases prove to be a great value for registered users, as they are always free and include nice enhancements (apart from fixing bugs). The latest upgrade is out, and here is the official list of enhancements:

Scripture References in Instant Details

• When the cursor is over a multi-verse reference in a Tool or User Notes window, the Instant Details box now displays up to 8 verses of the text.

Spaces Between Book Names and Numbers

• When entering verse references it is no longer necessary to avoid entering a space between a book number and name, so that 2 Kings is now acceptable anywhere in a list of references. However, now you must add a comma or semi-colon after the last number of the previous reference so that it is not interpreted as a book number. Thus Gen 1:1; Ex 1:1 must be used rather than Gen 1:1 Ex 1:1.
• Copy as Citation and Copy as References now automatically add a space between a book number and name, so that 2Kings becomes 2 Kings. This is separate from the setting of Use SBL Standard notation in Preferences/Appearance.

Other Text Export Enhancements

• Accordance now converts to the the correct Unicode characters when exporting NA27 apparatus sigla. Slight changes were also made in the “stripping” of characters in Greek and Syriac.

Reference List Window

• Control-command-R adds the selected verse(s) to the top item in the Add Selection To submenu, making it easier to add verses to a Reference List. The limit of verses has been raised from 1000 to 10,000.

Keyboard Shortcuts

• Command-+ and Command- - now resize the text in the Analysis, Concordance, Table, Parsing, and Text Differences windows, as they already did in the main windows.
• Control-0 changes the current search text to the tenth item in the pop-up menu.

Version 8.2.3 can be downloaded here.