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e-Sword for Windows

admin's picture
Submitted by admin on Tue, 02/16/2010 - 20:35

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  •  Basic framework is free download: see link on http://bible.org/downloads
  • Official website: www.e-sword.net
  • Has add-ons for Bibles, dictionaries, commentaries, other books
  • NETBible with limited notes module available for free from http://bible.org/downloads 
  • Premium NETBible with Full notes module available for purchase: see link on    http://bible.org/downloads  (purchase of Premium version helps support bible.org!)
  • Some modern translations available for purchase: NASB, NIV, NRSV, RSV, HCSB
  • A variety of English translations available for free, and many foreign language translations
  • Basic download package includes: KJV, KJV w/ Strong's numbers, and Strong's dictionary
  • Other translations available include: Douay-Rheims, ESV, Good News, God's Word, ASV, International Standard Version, and Modern King James Version
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Comments

Pam K's picture

In what way unstable?

Submitted by Pam K on Sun, 02/27/2011 - 21:30.

Corey, in your software evaluation you made this comment:

The NET with limited notes is still a very usable translation, 

Are you talking about the translation itself--

     Do you see questionable translations

                                OR

     Are you saying it is unstable because of its being in beta and

     still has quirks?

I have just in the last month found the website and started using the hardcopy also, so I would like your input to get me up to speed. 

We preach Christ and Him crucified!

Blessings in the Name of the Lord

Cory Howell's picture

Review of e-Sword

Submitted by Cory Howell on Mon, 02/22/2010 - 16:54.

I have used e-Sword for half a dozen years now, so I have become very familiar with it over the years.  The main thing I have always found attractive about the sofware is the wealth of material you can get for FREE!  I have paid for a few of the add-on modules, and found them very worthwile: the NET Bible with complete notes, the NRSV-CE, and the RSV-CE.  But, well before I got any of the modules for purchase, I was thrilled with all of the free versions.  The NET with limited notes is still a very usable translation, the ESV has always been free on e-Sword, and the KJV with Strong's numbers is an extremely useful tool. 

One of the other attractive features about e-Sword is how user friendly it is.  Just playing around for a little while, you can figure out most of the main features of the program.  In fact, one of the reasons I have used e-Sword more often than a couple of programs I have actually paid money for, is that e-Sword has always been easier to use than some of the programs I've bought.  For example, I sometimes use Pradis, which I bought on sale a few years ago.  E-Sword is way easier to use than Pradis, and so I almost always go back to e-Sword.

I have often used the Study Notes feature on e-Sword to write my own study notes, and link them to various Bible passages.  I have also cut and pasted from e-Sword a lot, to write my own Bible studies or Sunday School lessons.

The only negative thing I have found about e-Sword was when it was completely redone a couple years ago, and I had to re-download every single module I had originally installed, so that I could run the new version.  It took a few hours of mind-numbing downloading and installing to install the new version, so I hope that kind of overhaul doesn't happen again.

I'm sure software like Accordance and Bibleworks have a lot more to offer in the way of scholarly resources, but for the average Bible student, e-Sword offers plenty of material for little or no money.  I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to have a lot of information at his or her fingertips but can't afford, or doesn't want to, break the bank.

Cory Howell
Nashville, TN