Saturday, January 5, 2013

READ & STUDY THE BIBLE IN 2021: A Ton of Resources


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"With every part of my being, I seek you, Lord. Keep me from straying from your commands. Like a priceless treasure, I have stored up your words within my heart so that I might not sin against you. You are worthy of praise, Lord! Teach me the way of life you have mapped out." 

(Psalm 119:10-12, my translsation)


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Just having a solid understanding of the Bible will quickly dispel a large number of the questions that arise, strengthen your faith and enable you to give the reason for the hope that is in you (1 Peter 3:15). And more importantly, it is key to having a relationship with God, who is the source of all wisdom, knowledge and understanding. 

In America (and other free English-speaking countries), we have amazing access to the Bible--unlike any other time and place. Unfortunately, we also have more distractions. I challenge you to take advantage of the opportunity that you have to read or listen to the Word of God and let God speak to you. AND DON'T FORGET TO PRAY, PRAY, PRAY! In 2021, you can let your self be lost in the frivolous or you can choose to seek that which lasts--a relationship with your Creator and Savior, Jesus Christ. In this post, I have found some great resources to help you in doing just that...and they are nearly all FREE...or very cheap! I invite you to take a look.

*NOTE: I will keep revising and updating this post as I find other great resources, so bookmark this and keep coming back. In fact, this page has been revised dozens of times since I first made it several years ago. :)

CONTENTS OF THIS POST:
1. MY TOP PICKS
2. TRANSLATIONS OF THE BIBLE
    a. Choosing a Bible Translation
    b. Easy-To-Understand Versions
    c. Recommended Standard Translations
    d. Paraphrases (Pros and Cons)
3. BIBLE READING PLANS ONLINE
4. BIBLE STUDY SITES ONLINE
5. BIBLES FOR ELECTRONIC DEVICES
    a. ON KINDLE
    b. TO DOWNLOAD (PDF, ETC.)
6. AUDIO BIBLES ONLINE
7. VIDEO DRAMATIZATIONS OF THE BIBLE ONLINE
8. FREE ANDROID BIBLE APPS
9. BIBLE OVERVIEWS
10. BIBLICAL BACKGROUNDS
11. TEACHING FOR EACH BOOK OF THE BIBLE
12. HOW TO STUDY THE BIBLE
13. STUDY BIBLES
14. INTERPRETING SCRIPTURE
15. MEMORIZING THE BIBLE
16. BIBLE SOFTWARE
17. ADVANCED BIBLICAL STUDIES
      a. General
      b. Commentaries
      c. Old Testament Hebrew
      c. Old Testament Greek
      d. New Testament Greek
18. BIBLES IN LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH
      a. FOREIGN LANGUAGES
      b. BIBLES FOR THE DEAF
      c. BIBLES FOR THE BLIND


1. MY TOP PICKS
The Short Version (for those who want to get right to it)
A. Install the YouVersion Bible app on your smartphone, tablet or PC....and consider using one of their Bible reading plans.
B. Bookmark Blue Letter Bible and watch the video tutorial to find out what it does (bottom right of home page). Also, install their app on your devices. Also install the Blue Letter Bible app on your devices.
C. Read the following articles: Many people make a commitment to read the entire Bible in a year. I am constantly in debate with myself about the value of that, but in general I think it is good for some but more of a hindrance to others. Consider the wisdom found in these two articles: "Christians, Don't Read the Entire Bible in 2021" by Sean McDowell and " How to Study the Bible" by John MacArthur (audio available here also). Whatever you do, dive in deep into God's Word. Spend time pondering it, asking questions, seeking answers, and asking God to teach you. May this year be a year in which you GROW closer to Jesus Christ and more like him because of time in Bible study and prayer.
D. Consider buying the ESV Study Bible, NIV Study BibleNIV Essentials Study Bible, or The Apologetics Study Bible. A study Bible makes an excellent ready reference to guide you through as you are reading.
E. Find time to watch BIBLE SURVEY: A BIG SCREEN PERSPECTIVE by Dr. Bert Downs (5 hours 25 minutes) to get a better handle on how all the books of the Bible fit together.
F. Choose one or more of the following FREE recommendations to get a better understanding of how to study the Bible: 
*Article: *"Getting the Most out of Reading the Bibleby Dr. Robert M. Bowman, Jr.
*Book/Audiobook: How to Study the Bible by Dwight L. Moody. This classic is FREE on Kindle. FREE audiobook version on YouTube (4 hours)
*Online Course: *HOW TO STUDY YOUR BIBLE (just over 6 hours) by Dr. George Guthrie
A college-level class on how to study the Bible inductively, which emphasizes the most basic tools, principles, and processes for moving from the sound reading of the Scriptures to application. The class is comprised of 9 lectures.
G. Check out the FREE online courses or the FREE ONLINE "SEMINARY" to go deeper in your understanding. And find time to look through the other resources on this page as you are ready.

The Longer Version (for those who want a little more info)
Install the YouVersion Bible app (for smartphone, tablet or PC). It is great for staying on track with a Bible reading program and you can use just about any version available to read or listen to the Bible all the way through. You can download the YouVersion app to your smartphone or tablet to use it anywhere (even without internet access).

Bookmark the Blue Letter BibleSTEP BIBLE (Scripture Tools for Every Person)and Biblegateway--my three favorite Bible web sites. Blue Letter Bible is my favorite Bible web site. It has an amazing array of easily accessible tools for digging deeper into the Scriptures, including using the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge cross-reference system and quick access to the original Greek and Hebrew (word meanings and parsing--even for the Old Testament Septuagint). There are video tutorials for using the Blue Letter Bible available on their home page (which is where the link above will take you). And their app is excellent, also so be sure to go to Google Play or the Apple store and download their app. The STEP BIBLE is also a great site for doing Bible study and accessing the original languages (Hebrew Old Testament, Septuagint/Greek Old Testament, and Greek New Testament). And you can also use the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge cross reference system and commentaries. I highly  recommend the Keil & Delitzsch Old Testament commentary and Robertson's Word Pictures for the New Testament. STEP BIBLE also has an app for your devices, though much more limited than the Blue Letter Bible app. Biblegateway is great for access to different versions and audio Bibles.


 If you are willing to spend just a little money, you can find a good study Bible to help you every step of the way. I highly recommend the 
ESV Study Bible or NIV Study Bible or NIV Essentials Study BibleAnd you may also wish to get The Apologetics Study Bible or The Apologetics Study Bible for Students. The ESV Global Study Bible is FREE for Kindle (which can be used on any computer, tablet or smartphone using the free Kindle app).

It's always very helpful to get an overview of the Bible so that you can get a better idea of how the part you are reading fits in the bigger story of the Bible. I recommend BIBLE SURVEY: A BIG SCREEN PERSPECTIVE by Dr. Bert Downs (5 hours 25 minutes)....OR you can scroll down to "8. BIBLE OVERVIEW" and choose from several other options.

And if you are ready to go deeper in your Bible study, you can pick a book of the Bible that you want to study more in depth, find a FREE online course, and be taught by one of the leading experts on that book of the Bible. Or you can go to Best Commentaries to find a commentary for that book and use that route (or both) to go deeper. Plus, there are excellent FREE commentaries available (in addition to the ones available at STEP Bible and Blue Letter Bible).



2. TRANSLATIONS OF THE BIBLE

a. Choosing a Translation
*Understanding and Choosing Bible Translations: A FREE course covering how we got our English Bible, what the major translations are, two different approaches to Bible translation, why literal translations aren’t always more accurate, how we can be certain the Bible we possess is really God’s Word, four guidelines for choosing Bible translation.
*History of the English Bible (2 hours 25 minutes) by Dr. Daniel Wallace

b. Easy-to-Understand Translations (for those who find reading difficult)
*The EasyEnglish Bible: FREE! to read online and it has very helpful and easy to understand notes embedded at the margin of the text. Just click on the icon and the note appears. This site also has free Bible commentaries to help you get a deeper understanding, free Bible studies and other helps.
*The Easy-To-Read Version (ERV): FREE! from the Bible League International
*The Bible in Basic English (BBE): FREE! to read online. Notes related to defending the truth of the Bilbe and Bible's view of the world are embedded in the margins of this Bible at this growing site. Also available for FREE at the STEP BIBLE (where you can download the STEP BIBLE program and the Bible in Basic English for FREE)....or at Blue Letter Bible.
*The New International Reader's Version (NIrV): Available for as little as one penny plus shipping in numerous editions (including the Quest study Bible for kids). Can be purchased in paperback, hardcover or Kindle version (which can be used on any electronic device using the FREE app available at Amazon). Information about the New International Reader's Version.

c. Recommended Standard Translations
*I highly recommend the New International Version (NIV), the New Living Translation (NLT), English Standard Version (ESV), and New American Standard Bible (NASB). All translations have their pros and cons, but I believe that these are among the very best. Each of them has benefits that the others lack. 

The New International Version (NIV) and the New Living Translation (NLT) seek to use the "dynamic equivalence" method of translation. This I think offers the most promise of communicating faithfully what is intended in the original languages. Unfortunately, the NIV sometimes makes significant errors in judgment when attempting that. 

The English Standard Version (ESV) and New American Standard Bible (NASB) attempt to give a "literal" translation of the Bible. Unfortunately, that is just not a realistic approach. Far too often, the original languages and the way ancient people conceptualized ideas do not translate meaningfully word-for-word into modern English and modern ways of thinking. Furthermore, these two versions tend to use very wooden and/or archaic English that does not communicate well to modern ears. 

So again, they are all three excellent translations, but they all three have their drawbacks and require the reader to be thoughtful and prayerful in seeking to understand the Scriptures, and to be good "Bereans" (Acts 17:11). 

And as you grow in your understanding of the Word, you will want to check out the benefits of other translations and paraphrases. And for those who can, ultimately, you will want to gain an understanding of the original languages: Hebrew (Old Testament; and rarely Aramaic) and Greek (both Old Testament/Septuagint and the New Testament).

d. Paraphrases: Pros and Cons
*Paraphrases can be a fantastic way of hearing the message of the Scriptures in a way that makes sense, that brings better understanding. They attempt to put the concepts of the Scriptures into everyday language--and much more fully even than translations that use the "dynamic equivalence" method of translation, like the New International Version (NIV).

The downside is that these paraphrases too often reflect the views of those who are doing the paraphrasing more than they reflect the views of the Scriptures. For this reason, it is important to read them alongside a standard translation (as recommended above) and compare the messages. Not only will this exercise help you to be more faithful to God's Word, but they will prompt you to think more clearly about the Scripture and to grow deeper in your understanding.

I highly recommend the following paraphrase (but with the cautions already noted): The New Century Version (NCV).

3. BIBLE READING PLANS ONLINE
*These Reading Plans are all FREE except the next to last (which is a link to One Year Bibles on Amazon):

First I encourage you to read the following articles: Many people make a commitment to read the entire Bible in a year. I am constantly in debate with myself about the value of that, but in general I think it is good for some but more of a hindrance to others. Consider the wisdom found in these two articles: "Christians, Don't Read the Entire Bible in 2021" by Sean McDowell and " How to Study the Bible" by John MacArthur (audio available here also). Whatever you do, dive in deep into God's Word. Spend time pondering it, asking questions, seeking answers, and asking God to teach you. May this year be a year in which you GROW closer to Jesus Christ and more like him because of time in Bible study and prayer.

*The YouVersion Bible app is my top pick for Bible reading plans. You can use just about any version available to read or listen to the Bible all the way through. You can download the YouVersion app to your smartphone or tablet to use it anywhere (even without internet access)

*"Bible Reading and Study Plans" by Dr. Robert M. Bowman, Jr.: Dr. Bowman offers an excellent selection of 12 passages from the Scriptures to get a quick overview of the Bible. He then offers another set of passages from the four Gospels to get a helpful overview of the life and ministry of Jesus. I highly recommend you check this out.

More reading plans....
*Daily Reading Plans at BLUE LETTER BIBLE
*Daily Reading at BIBLE HUB
*23 Bible Reading Plans That Will Satisfy Anyone by ALEX TRAN. An extensive list of Bible Reading Plans that are well organized. Several of these are printable.
*Printable 52-WEEK BIBLE READING PLAN
*BACK TO THE BIBLE
*ENGLISH STANDARD VERSION
*BIBLESTUDYTOOLS.COM
*Bible Reading Plans at Ligonier Ministries

Books:
ONE YEAR BIBLES (the Bible arranged for daily reading):
*A boatload of choices you can buy in book form at Amazon starting at 1 penny plus shipping.

Print this chart:
THE CHART BELOW CAN BE USED FOR MAKING YOUR OWN BIBLE READING PLAN.
*Feel free to print it off, save it to your device or share it with others.




4. BIBLES STUDY SITES ONLINE
*My Favorite Bible Study Web Sites (in the order that I use them most)

BLUE LETTER BIBLE
This used to be my favorite and still a really great site. A close second: An absolutely incredible user-friendly resource with quick access to the original languages, multiple translations, audio Bibles, cross-references, commentaries, teaching in audio and video, dictionaries and reference works, etc....for every verse in the Bible. Video tutorials for using Blue Letter Bible can be found on the home page (where the above link will take you).

STEP BIBLE (Scripture Tools for Every Person): My new personal favorite. It will be my new go-to site for original language studies. I like how I can have the Hebrew, JPS & NIV (etc) in one column and the LXX, AB translation of the LXX, & NIV in a parallel column for easy comparison (with mouse-over lexical aids for both the Hebrew and LXX). You can even download it onto your computer to be used without internet access. Awesome!

BIBLE GATEWAY
Numerous versions and several different audio Bibles.

BIBLE HUB
Another excellent site with lots of tools on par with Blue Letter Bible. I would invite you to compare the two.

BIBLIA

*Excellent review of "FREE BIBLE STUDY APPS AND PROGRAMS" by Robert Bowman, Jr. (an expert New Testament scholar and apologist)


5. BIBLES FOR ELECTRONIC DEVICES
a. ON KINDLE
*You don't have to own a Kindle to read Kindle books. You can download a FREE app from Amazon to read them on your computer, tablet or smartphone.

STUDY BIBLES....
 If you are willing to spend just a little money, you can find a good study Bible to help you every step of the way. I highly recommend the NIV Study Bible. Perhaps, even better is the new NIV Essentials Study Bible, that is (as I am posting this) only $3.99 on Kindle (which can be used on any computer, tablet or smartphone using the free Kindle app). And you may also wish to get The Apologetics Study Bible (Kindle Version here) or The Apologetics Study Bible for Students. The ESV Global Study Bible is FREE for Kindle.

BIBLES WITHOUT STUDY NOTES & HELPS....
*ENGLISH STANDARD VERSION: FREE
*HOLMAN CHRISTIAN STANDARD BIBLE: FREE

FOR KIDS!....
*THE ACTION BIBLE (for Kids & Teens): "What do you get when you combine the trusted English Standard Version with illustrations from Marvel comic artist Sergio Cariello? An amazing study Bible that brings God's Word to life for kids and teens!" I loved the comic style Bible I had as a kid, maybe your kid will, too.

b. TO DOWNLOAD (PDF, ETC.)
*Bible League International's Easy-to-Read Version in English and many other languages.
*The Apostolic Bible PolyglotGreek/English Interlinear of the Old (LXX) & New Testaments, with Strong's Numbers. Highly recommended.

c. ALSO SEE BELOW: "7. FREE BIBLE APPS FOR ANDROID DEVICES."

6. AUDIO BIBLES ONLINE
*Numerous audio versions of the Bible available for FREE online:
*YouVersion BIBLEan App available for your smartphone, tablet or computer
*BIBLE GATEWAY'S AUDIO BIBLE PAGE
*BLUE LETTER BIBLE
*FAITH COMES BY HEARING has the Bible in 1315 different languages for FREE download.
*TALKING BIBLES has many different languages of the Bible available to listen to for FREE online.
*"THE WORD OF PROMISE" DRAMATIZED BIBLE
"The Word of Promise is an award-winning audio Bible, dramatized by an all-star cast of actors, including: Jim Caviezel as Jesus, Richard Dreyfuss as Moses, Gary Sinise as David, Marisa Tomei as Mary Magdalene, Jason Alexander as Joseph, Lou Gossett, Jr. as John, Stacy Keach as Paul, Max von Sydow as Noah, Michael York as the Narrator and more than 600 actors contributing to this timeless work. These actors 'perform' the words for you instead of just reading them from the New King James translation. This state-of-the-art audio Bible includes movie-quality sound effects and an original music score by prolific Italian composer Stefano Mainetti."
*BIBLE.ISListen online or with apps for your devices: several versions and languages available.
*FREE MP3 DOWNLOADS OF NIV

*Excellent review of "BIBLE READING AND LISTENING APPS" by Robert Bowman, Jr. (an expert New Testament scholar and apologist)
*Many more sources for audio versions of the Bible.


7. VIDEO DRAMATIZATIONS OF THE BIBLE ONLINE
*You can watch dramatized versions of the Bible online for FREE. Some really great stuff here:
*MATTHEW: 
*The Visual Bible




*MARK: Max McLean's Award-winning dramatization
*DANIEL: The Book of Daniel. An excellent portrayal of Daniel. Most of the script simply quotes Daniel. Strays from the Bible at only a few very minor points. I highly recommend this movie. You can watch it on Netflix Instant Watch or buy it on Amazon, etc.: More info on the movie here.
*"Best Jesus Movies Free on YouTube": A YouTube Video with descriptions and links to FREE videos based on the Bible


8. FREE BIBLE APPS FOR ANDROID DEVICES
*BLUE LETTER BIBLE: My personal favorite. See two parallel Bibles at once (many versions and paraphrases to choose from including Greek and Hebrew). Lots of helps (Hebrew and Greek language helps, cross-references, and more).
*YouVersion: My second favorite: Reading plans, lots of Bible versions, audio Bibles, and other resources.
*Biblearc has an Android app and has the ability to do diagramming in your Bible studies.
*OLIVE TREE  They also have a Windows app, so you can have this app on all your devices.
*AND BIBLE (Nice assortment of Bible helps):
*BIBLE GATEWAY
*ESV BIBLE (DOWNLOAD)
*MySWORD (Lots of Bible helps):
*WORDsearch

*Excellent review of "BIBLE READING AND LISTENING APPS" by Robert Bowman, Jr. (an expert New Testament scholar and apologist)


9. BIBLE OVERVIEWS 
a. Big Picture Overview: God's Plan of Redemption in  
Video & Book for Kids....but adults might enjoy it, too! :)
*The Biggest Story: How the Snake Crusher Brings Us Back to the Garden by Kevin DeYoung. The hardcover book & audio CD.

Articles....
*Reading the Bible in Light of the Whole Story by Matt Harmon. FREE! to read online.

Books....
*Seeing the Story of the Bible by Myer Pearlman. published in 1930 and republished in 2016, many consider this a classic; and it is a brief, easy read of 120 pages.
*From Creation to the Cross by Albert H. Baylis. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996. Previously published by Multnomah Press (1986) under the title On the Way to Jesus. Highly recommended.

Free Online Courses....
*THE STORY LINE OF THE BIBLE by Dr. Dave Mathewson (6 lectures): Available in video or audio.

b. General Surveys
Articles....
*"Bible Reading and Study Plans" by Dr. Robert M. Bowman, Jr.: Dr. Bowman offers an excellent selection of 12 passages from the Scriptures to get a quick overview of the Bible. He then offers another set of passages from the four Gospels to get a helpful overview of the life and ministry of Jesus. I highly recommend you check this out.

Book.... 
*DISCOVERING the BIBLE: An Introduction to Each of its Books by R. Herbert. FREE!
by Gordon Fee & Douglas Stewart
*Understanding the Bible by John R.W. Stott. Available in Audible audiobook, Kindle, paperback and hardcover.


Videos (FREE)....
*THE GREATEST STORY EVERY TOLD (3 minutes)
Not a bad 3-minute synopsis of the Bible. I would tweak it by noting the continuing promise of a Messiah that begins in Genesis 3, continues throughout the Old Testament, and is fulfilled in Jesus.
*EAT THIS BOOK 
by Blackhawk Church of Madison, Wisconsin (an Evangelical Free Church)
*5-minute videos give an overview for each book of the Bible. Resources are also provided to guide you through the entire Bible.
*A JET TOUR OF BIBLICAL HISTORY (1-HOUR VIDEO)

Free Online Courses....
*BIBLE SURVEY: A BIG SCREEN PERSPECTIVE by Dr. Bert Downs (5 hours 25 minutes). "For some of us our knowledge of the Bible is like a refrigerator door covered with post-it notes, each containing an important message but there is no coherence between them. For some it’s like reading a Dictionary; a lot of important pieces of information but no thread to the story. This course will help you make sense of all those pieces. Dr. Downs will give you a file cabinet containing major folders into which you can insert your individual file folders. If you want to be able to summarize the Bible on a table napkin, this will give you a way to do that."
*52 MAJOR STORIES OF THE BIBLE by Dr. Bill Mounce
The Bible is one continuous story, from the story of creation to the story of Jesus' future return at the end of time. And yet there are smaller, pivotal stories that make up the basic structure of the one big story. This class is a series of 52 talks that walk you through the main stories of the Bible, 26 in the Old Testament (the time leading up to Jesus) and 26 in the New Testament (the time of Jesus and beyond). They are geared especially for people who learn better through stories than teaching. (Note: This is the description given at BiblicalTraining.org)


More Online Courses (FREE):
SEMINARY-LEVEL SURVEY OF THE ENTIRE BIBLE
If you are ready to take your understanding of the Scriptures to the next level, you can find a series of free lectures by world-class Bible professors here:
*OLD TESTAMENT SURVEY by Dr. Douglas Stuart:
This course is an overview of the Old Testament from Genesis to Malachi. These lectures were given at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary during the spring of 2001.
*NEW TESTAMENT SURVEY: Part 1 (Gospels) by Dr. Robert Stein: 
This is the first part of an introductory course to the New Testament, covering the books Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. These lectures were given at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky during the fall of 2002.
*NEW TESTAMENT SURVEY: Part 2 (Acts to Revelation) by Dr. Robert Stein:
This is the second part of an introductory course to the New Testament, covering the books from Acts to Revelation. These lectures were given at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky during the spring of 2003.

Live Event (see site for cost):
WALK THRU THE BIBLEGain a great overview of the Bible in just a few hours....and have fun doing it!


10. BIBLICAL BACKGROUNDS
*Historical Geography of Israel: A free online course by Dr. Perry Phillips at Biblical eLearning.
*Get Lost in Jerusalem: An interactive resource by Ted and Zach Hildebrandt at Biblical eLearning.
*Apocrypha: Witness Between the Testaments: A free online course by Dr. David deSilva at Biblical eLearning.
*The Cultural World of the New Testament: A free online course by Dr. David deSilva at Biblical eLearning.
*NEW TESTAMENT BACKGROUNDS: Resources for Study

11. TEACHING FOR EACH BOOK OF THE BIBLE
*Some of today's best Bible teachers have made their teaching available FREE online, enabling you to make your way through any book or the entire Bible under the guidance of able teachers.

Free Online Courses
*A LIST of several sites with free online courses by some of the world's leading Bible scholars.

Online Audio (FREE):
*BLUE LETTER BIBLE

*JOHN PIPER
*MONERGISM
*SERMONAUDIO.COM



12. HOW TO STUDY THE BIBLE
Articles....
*"Getting the Most out of Reading the Bible" by Dr. Robert M. Bowman, Jr.
*"5 Books for Serious Bible Study" by Dr. Robert M. Bowman, Jr.
*Methods of Bible Study by R.A. Torrey. FREE! to read online.

Free Online Course....
*HOW TO STUDY YOUR BIBLE (just over 6 hours) by Dr. George Guthrie
A college-level class on how to study the Bible inductively, which emphasizes the most basic tools, principles, and processes for moving from the sound reading of the Scriptures to application. The class is comprised of 9 lectures.
*INDUCTIVE BIBLE STUDY (30 hours) by Dr. David Bauer
*Bible Study Methods (5 hours) by Dr. Mark Strauss
*Knowing Scripture: A series of video talks by R.C. Sproul that can be found at Bible Gateway. Lessons includeWhy Study the Bible?Private InterpretationThe Science of InterpretationLiteral InterpretationLiterary Forms (Part 1)Literary Forms (Part 2)Reading the Bible ExistentiallyThe Explicit and the ImplicitParallelismsScripture and CulturePrinciple vs. Custom
*The Bible and How to Study It by Terry Pruett (12 Lessons at InFaith Initiative)

Books....
*How to Study the Bible by Dwight L. Moody. This classic is FREE on Kindle. FREE audiobook version on YouTube
*Lord, Teach Me To Study The Bible In 28 Days by Kay Arthur. Kay Arthur also has a couple of other good books on how to study the Bible.
*Exegetical Fallacies: Common Mistakes Every Student of the Bible Must Avoid by William D. Barrick (a FREE! 11 page ebook)
*Guide to Bible Study by J.W. McGarvey. FREE! to read online.
*Unlocking the Scriptures by Hans Finzel. Currently FREE!


13. STUDY BIBLES
Articles....
*"Choosing a Good Study Bible" by Dr. Robert M. Bowman, Jr.

STUDY BIBLES....
 If you are willing to spend just a little money, you can find a good study Bible to help you every step of the way:
*I highly recommend the NIV Study Bible
*Perhaps, even better is the new NIV Essentials Study Bible OR the NIV Zondervan Study Bible: Built on the Truth of Scripture and Centered on the Gospel (edited by D.A. Carson), which is $4.99 on Kindle (as I am posting).
*And you may also wish to get The Apologetics Study Bible (Kindle Version here) or 
*The Apologetics Study Bible for Students. 
*The QuickView Bible is not actually a study Bible, but some people find it helpful because it is filled with infographics like the ones here.


14. INTERPRETING SCRIPTURE
One of the main sources of seeming contradictions is simply faulty interpretation (taking things out of context, etc.). Here are some solid resources for getting better at interpretation.

*See Biblical Interpretation: Resources


15. MEMORIZING THE BIBLE
*Scripture Typer Bible Memory System can be accessed at their website or through their Android, Apple and Kindle Fire apps. 
*MemLock Bible Memory System. Also, see this special deal for getting into your church.
*"Top Ten Verses to Defend Your Faith" by Sean McDowell


16. BIBLE SOFTWARE
*e-SWORDFREE. I've never used it but have had many others recommend it. Here is a summary from one of my friends who loves the program: "Dozens of versions in every language, commentaries, Strong's, Thayer's Greek lexicon, Brown Driver Briggs Hebrew lexicon, maps, dozens of devotionals, Josephus, Early Church Fathers, Gill, Clarke, Wesley, Barnes, Spurgeon, Notes, saving refs, you name it... Easy to set up and use and you can download new tools, Bibles etc. right in the program."
*WORDSEARCHFREE software. Lots of free resources available. Many more resources can be bought.
*Excellent review of "FREE BIBLE STUDY APPS AND PROGRAMS" by Robert Bowman, Jr. (an expert New Testament scholar and apologist)
*Excellent review of "PROFESSIONAL BIBLICAL STUDIES PROGRAMS" (software like BibleWorks, Logos, Accordance, etc.) by Robert Bowman, Jr. (an expert New Testament scholar and apologist)
*Tyndale House has an excellent list and review of available Bible software, also.


17. ADVANCED BIBLICAL STUDIES
a. General
*Advanced Biblical Exegesis28 lectures by Dr. Robert J.Cara and /Dr. Richard P. Belcher of Reformed Theological Seminary
*STEP BIBLE (Scripture Tools for Every Person): My new personal favorite. It is my new go-to site for original language studies. I like how I can have the Hebrew, JPS & NIV (etc) in one column and the LXX, AB translation of the LXX, & NIV in a parallel column for easy comparison (with mouse-over lexical aids for both the Hebrew and LXX). You can even download it onto your computer to be used without internet access. Awesome!

b. Commentaries & Bible Reference Works
*BIBLE & THEOLOGY REFERENCE WORKS ONLINE: Massive Selection + My Recommendations. A ton of FREE books and other resources. An entire library available from your computer or other device....which I am constantly adding to.
*Last Seminary hosts hundreds of scholarly articles on New Testament studies that can be download for FREE--with brief abstracts for each. Very nicely organized.
*Excellent review of "PROFESSIONAL BIBLICAL STUDIES PROGRAMS" (software like BibleWorks, Logos, Accordance, etc.) by Robert Bowman, Jr. (an expert New Testament scholar and apologist)
*Best CommentariesAn excellent site for choosing the best commentary. My first stop.
*Dr. Rob Bowman has some excellent bibliographies for The Gospels and Acts, Paul's Epistles, and Revelation.
*Annotated Old Testament Bibliography from Denver Seminary
*New Testament Exegesis Bibliography from Denver Seminary
*Excellent Bibliographies for the Study of the New Testament by William Harmless
*An extensive bibliography (with links and many FREE pdf files)
*A Brief History & Annotated Bibliography of Works on the Inerrancy of the Bible since the 19th Century.
*The New Testament GatewayMaintained by Dr. Mark Goodacre. A large directory of academic internet resources, though sadly lacking in some of the best evangelical scholarship.
*"Retrospective Bibliographies" by John Kloppenborg. Bibliographies for a large number of topics in New Testament studies, especially focused on the Gospels. (Seems to be focused on skeptical works but does include some biographies from more conservative scholars.)
*More bibliographies

c. Other
*"Resources for Scholars": Tyndale House has a very well organized and exceptional list of resources. Topics include: "....links to the best Biblical Studies and Theology sites and sources....links to the best bibliography databases and catalogues for online reading....links and introductions to the best tools for Biblical Studies, commercial and free....a quick-click dictionary for Hebrew, Greek, Syriac, Coptic, Arabic, Latin ….full-text lexicons for Biblical Languages which are faster to use than paper....find online books, read 70+ Bible versions, translation tools...." AND MUCH MORE!!! You definitely want to check this out.
*Resource Pages for Biblical Studies
*"Biblical Criticism" at Theopedia: An article explaining the different types of scholarly criticism of the Bible, followed by links for further research.
*FREE PDF download of....THE APOSTOLIC BIBLE POLYGLOTGreek/English Interlinear of the Old (LXX) & New Testaments, with Strong's Numbers. Highly recommended.
*Web Site....THE ONLINE GREEK BIBLE (includes definitions and parsing for all words)
*An annotated bibliography of "Recommended Books" at Bible Research


18. BIBLES IN LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH
a. FOREIGN LANGUAGES
*FAITH COMES BY HEARING has the Bible in audio in 1315 different languages for FREE download.
*TALKING BIBLES has many different languages of the Bible available to listen to for FREE online.
*WorldBibles.org: "Helping you to find God's Word in over 4000 languages." I have to say this is an amazing site. Incredibly easy to use to find the version you need: via map, list of countries or language search. "We believe that this is the largest collection of Bible links anywhere on the Internet. We list over 14,000 internet links where you can find the Bible or the New Testament in thousands of languages, and in many formats."
*The "Jesus" Film (based closely on the Gospel of Luke) is available for purchase in nearly 1200 languages and can be watched online or downloaded for FREE! in many languages. More info about the film.
*Bible League International has its Easy-To-Read Version (ERV) available in numerous foreign languages. Available for FREE! in PDF files.

*Bible Gateway has numerous languages available for FREE!....and many of these are also available in audio format.
*Bible.com: More than 1000 languages available to download for FREE! Also has a free Bible app available. 
*Gideons International has a very long history of distributing the Bible for FREE! to people around the world. They distribute print Bibles but also have an electronic app for reading the Bible on electronic devices.
*The American Bible Society has numerous foreign language Bibles available in print.
*The International Bible Society has non-English Bibles available in both PDF and print.
*An extensive list of other sites where you can find Bibles, New Testaments and audio Bibles (some FREE and some to purchase). More resources for audio Bibles in other languages.

b. BIBLES FOR THE DEAF
*Deaf Bible Society

c. BIBLES FOR THE BLIND
*Bibles for the Blind


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*MASTER LIST OF APOLOGETIC RESOURCES
*1000s of FREE BOOKS FOR APOLOGETICS & BIBLE STUDY
*GUIDE TO THE CONTENTS OF MY BLOG

5 comments:

  1. It is a very good collection of information. Thank you so much.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Have you ever heard of Bibles for America? They're a nonprofit organization that offers excellent free study Bibles and Christian literature on this website: http://biblesforamerica.org/books/. They've been super beneficial for my Christian walk, so I hope you'll enjoy them, too! Feel free to link to their page if you find them as awesome as I do and help spread the word! :)

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  3. Thank the Lord for Google! I was looking for dr Bert Downs notes accompanying his big picture bible course and “stumbled” onto your very helpful and informative page. Thank you for putting it together. I will definitely bookmark it for future use.

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