BibleWorks 8 contains a vast wealth of study tools that allows you to study the Scriptures more deeply in much less time than the old fashioned way. This goes for preparing sermons and classes too. I highly recommend BibleWorks 8 for Pastors, teachers, writers, etc, but even more than that BibleWorks 8 can help anyone dig deeper into God’s Word.

Deep Bible study requires quality study tools. When I study the Bible I like to have all of my books (lexicons, dictionaries, commentaries, other study Bibles, concordances, etc) on the table with me, I have one Bible in front of me, another Bible next to me (to give me the references so I don’t have to keep going back and forth for my next reference), all of my pens and pencils handy, and my notebook next to my Bible. BibleWorks 8 gives you all of these things on one screen. BibleWorks 8 also makes each tool easier and faster to use than the old fashioned way, and when I’m done I can print my work or publish to the web.

How does BibleWorks 8 deepen your Bible study? The short answer is the sheer number of tools and the speed of using them. BibleWorks 8 contains dictionaries, commentaries, topical lists, lexicons, and more, that are linked to the verse, passage, or word you select. When you select a word, you have instant access to what all of those resources have to say about that word without having to look the word up in each resource. In the time it takes me to look up a Strong’s number and then use that information to look up a definition in a Greek dictionary, then write that definition in my notebook, or teaching notes, or article, I could easily select ten Greek or Hebrew definitions and parallel passages from other translations, copy and paste them into my BibleWorks notebook, Word document, or WordPress article, and move on to something else. This helps me to retain my train of thought and do more in less time.

BibleWorks 8 isn’t just about saving time and shelf-space. It’s about deeper Bible study. This comes from exegetical tools, object-oriented word searches that include related verses and phrase matching, flashcards, diagramming, and on and on.

Looking at searching alone shows the complexity and quality of Bible study with BibleWorks 8. Searching can be simple or complex and the results you can get are amazing. Searching can show the relationships between words, and relationships between phrases. The search can be performed in the search window, which is actually a command line. You can use the command line to display a verse or a range of verses. To do this, type the first three letters of the book name and the reference. The reference can be a single verse or a range of verses. For example, to find Acts 2:38 in various versions you can type this:

act 2:38

In order to see Acts 2:38 and 39 you can type this:

act 2:38-39

This makes it easier to compare versions quickly. Simply toggle the browse mode and choose which versions you would like to see on screen. You can also select the version to search by selecting the version button under the command line.

The command line will also accept Boolean searches with And and Or. For an And search, use a period. For an Or search, use a For example, to find every verse that uses the words repent And baptized you would type this:

.repent baptized

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The Or search uses a forward slash. To find repent Or baptized, type this:

/repent baptized

You can also search for exact phrases. To find an exact phrase you would use a colon. You should type something like this:

‘Holy One

This will only find verses that use this exact phrase.

You can limit all of these searches so that you search only a specific book or books that you select. Clicking the tools button under the command line gives you a selection for more examples.

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To get even more complex with searches you can use the graphical search engine (GSE). The GSE allows you to build queries graphically using Boolean operators. Queries can be very complex and they can be saved for use later.

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BibleWorks 8 is also an exceptional exegetical tool for study of the original languages. With all of the Greek, Aramaic, and Hebrew study tools, including dictionaries and lexicons, you would have a great advantage in studying the original languages.

Another exegetical tool is diagramming that allows you to fully diagram a verse.

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Add to that flash cards for studying and memorizing the original languages, BibleWorks 8 has what you need to dig deeper into God’s Word.

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The vastness of exegetical and search tools of BibleWorks 8 makes it a must-have Bible study tool. With the ability to add even more tools through modules, BibleWorks 8 is THE Bible study program of choice for any serious student of God’s Word.

Also see:

Part One – First Impressions

Part Two – Favorite Features

I’d like to thank the kind folks at BibleWorks for giving me a free review copy of BibleWorks 8. I was not required to give a positive review. I was only required to give an honest review. My opinions and recommendation are my own.