e-Sword X: Bible Study Extreme for PC and Mac

Software Reviews and Criticism

• By Brynford

  The Best Bible Study Tool, Hand’s Down

  I’ve used study Bibles, commentaries, Blue Letter Bible, Bible Gateway, etc. This program brings them all together in an intuitive way that can’t be beat. The amount of free commentary available is remarkable. The parallel versions, the harmony passages, all these features make it simple to fully study a text without taking a long time. I can instantly find a passage, look up related passages, see what other commentators have said, and all within a few minutes. I haven’t even scratched the surface of all that can be done with this program. It’s free for PC, and the programmer seems to have only charged enough to cover the Microsoft agreement for Windows. This speaks volumes about the man behind this project. It seems he does this for the Kingdom, not for money. While you could spend a huge amount of money on Logos, or other programs for Bible study, you don’t have to. It’s here.

  
  
• By Andre Roux

  Needs development

  I have used Esword for many years on PC with lots of extra modules installed. The latter installed without flaw on the Windows app. However, what is an amazing free application on Windows has become a rather expensive and poor app on the Windows, but that's not the whole story. Esword has a lot of available resources and all old purchases can be downloaded again for free. This means you keep your comprehensive library. The user-interface is rather clunky and distracting, and should not have aimed to be so similar in layout to the Windows version in my opinion, but it works. Forget comfortable reading as only limited light and font adjustments are available. Other free applications do better in this area. Esword is good for 'technical' study, cross-references, and many other tasks, but achieve all these tasks in a rather awkward way. But one can get used to that too. In conclusion, it is not a too bad job, but in comparison to similarly priced and even free applications it does fall short. Lastly, there are no ads, no pesky messages to sell you anything at all, and this somewhat offsets the bad points too.

  
  
• By RyanPhMann

  I love this software so much, but please add a back button

  I had e-sword on my PC years ago. Then I got a Windows and naturally started using E-Sword X. I much prefer the PC format, but I found that I could get used to, and even enjoy, the Windows format. I use this software exclusively in my sermon preparation, and it works well. The one thing, however, that bothers me to no end about this software is that it has no back button. If i look up a scripture and want to return to my previous passage, I have to click on the history button, and then click on the scripture I used. The PC version just had two little arrow buttons that moved you back and forward through your scriptures in the order you visited them. Please add this feature, and better still, give it a hotkey too so I can use my keyboard to move easily through the scriptures I have visited without bringing up a cumbersome history tab. If you do this, I will give five stars instead of four and love you more than I already do.

  
  
• By REEMercy4me

  Ron/Layman

  This E-Sword is such a blessing, complete with many excellent resources, and the added benefit of the parallel Bible feature, capability of stuty notes etc. Before this E-Sword I did most of my rather extensive study in an easy chair surrounded by reference books, commentaries, bible, dictionaries and the such stacked so high you could barely see my head; what a mess. Now I get along with my wife a little better that my library around my chair has somewhat been cleared off. Thank you Rick for a wonderful program! Again, with the benefit of adding additonal resources I find it very helpful in writing devotionals. I know most people, including me, will not come close to exhausting the knowledge and information enclosed in Rick’s E-Sword program. What a wonderful opportunity to share this extent of good and redeeming information that is available to us in this particular culmunating age we now live in.

  
  
• By Older&dirt

  Get it and read it!

  I used e-Sword for several years on a PC and am now using it on a Windows. It is essentially free on the Windows (a small fee probably probably related to listing on the App Store). I have also used Logos and Oive Tree Bible Study for several years. All have their own virtues. If price is no object and you want the largest availability of theology books (all searchable), Logos is the answer. Olive Tree would satisfy most peoples needs and is much easier to learn and use than Logos. For the average Christian layman (like me) I strongly recommend e-Sword. Almost any biblical resource you could want is availiable free. Several Bible commentaries are available free on e-Sword including my favorite, Kretzmann's Popular Commentary. I am not aware of any other Bible software that offers Kretzmann, Logos has promised it for four years (at a price) but to this day have not delivered. Finally, e-Sword is so easy to use, you can quickly learn to use it by simply using it.

  
  

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