If you don't use Bible software to study, then you can't imagine what you're missing. Even if you are using software that is five years old, the ease of use, sophisticated procedures, and vast array of additional resources put today's generation of software in a different league. This article focuses on the most recent versions of these five popular software programs:

PC Study Bible Version 5: Professional Reference Library; $899.95 (on sale for $674.95). Biblesoft.com.

BibleWorks 7; $349. BibleWorks.com.

Logos Bible Software 3: Scholar's Library: Gold; $1,379.95. Logos.com.

QuickVerse 2008: Platinum Edition; $799.95 (discounted to $599.95). QuickVerse.com.

The Teacher's and Pastor's Library 6.0 for Windows (Pradis-based); $149.99. zondervan.com.

Seek and Ye Shall Find
Each program provides biblical text in many different translations and paraphrases. BibleWorks also has the Bible in dozens of other modern languages. All the packages tend to puff up their list of Bible translations with a few versions you probably wouldn't bother having on your shelf. Surprisingly, QuickVerse does not provide the New International Version in its Platinum edition, though it's happy to sell you an add-on of the NIV, Today's New International Version, and New International Reader's Version for $40.

	The cost of the software package is directly related to the number of newer, copyrighted books included.

Various Greek, Hebrew, and English versions can be displayed in parallel fashion—as many or as few as you want to see. It is easy to cut text and paste it into other programs. PC Study Bible and Logos provide especially quick and ingenious tools for pasting biblical text into other documents.

BibleWorks and Logos can search for a particular kind of grammatical construction, regardless of the word. In Logos, for example, you could look for every verse where the Holy Spirit communicates in any way—speaking, announcing, or calling. BibleWorks has been a favorite for the scholars at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, though Logos's recent improvements have won accolades from professors and students of biblical languages.

Zondervan's Pradis can search for either the root form of a word (such as all the uses of agape as either a noun or agapao as a verb) or its particular morphological form (a certain tense or voice, for example). PC Study Bible and QuickVerse allow searches, but they are more difficult and are pegged to the old, but still serviceable, Strong's numbering system.

Exemplary Exegesis
Each program parses Greek words and provides basic lexicon definitions. Only BibleWorks, Logos, and The Teacher's and Pastor's Library offer help with Hebrew, including Hebrew text and word morphology. BibleWorks and Logos, once again, are extraordinary. In BibleWorks, for example, as you draw the mouse over the English text of an Old Testament passage, a small window appears with each word showing the Hebrew word and its meaning. Meanwhile, in the adjoining column, a much more complete analysis of each word appears, with even more links to word-study books and grammar tools.

Logos arranges things a bit differently, with every word in the selected text appearing in a column that shows the word as it is in the text, the lexical (basic) spelling, a brief definition, a tiny-but-clever bar chart showing usage of that word in each book of the Bible, and links to various lexicons and word-study tools—all in a about a half-inch of screen space. Logos's exegetical strong suit is providing semantical range of meaning, tapping into the Louw and Nida lexicon that's based on semantic domains. For example, you can search for all words related to "thinking," and even that is broken into sub-categories.

Several packages provide books in their libraries to help you brush up on grammar and syntax, or even tools to teach you these languages. BibleWorks, for example, has vocabulary flashcards.

Study Buddies
Four of the five packages provide links to the venerable The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, a classic compendium of 500,000 cross-references. You simply point at a reference and a window pops up with that verse. Zondervan's program does not have this book, but it does have its own cross-reference system (though not as extensive as TSK). I am surprised that none of these packages use the superior New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, compiled by Jerome H. Smith, although Logos offers it as a $40 download.

Diagramming is painstaking and laborious. Both BibleWorks and Logos make the process much quicker. The BibleWorks program was flat-out fun (if you like diagramming), and then I discovered the program already has the entire New Testament diagrammed!

Most programs have a simple notepad that links your notes to the passage, allowing you to build a kind of commentary of your own. In fact, QuickVerse allows you to write your own commentary and share it with others in its system. Most notepads are basic in function, but BibleWorks and Logos again come through with very sophisticated capabilities. Logos has a resourceful system for marking text with digital color pencils and pens. You can define certain colors or lines to indicate a certain subject (e.g. salvation subjects circled in red). This feature was another fun surprise that had me wanting to stay and play awhile.

Smaller Learning Curves
One of the big changes in this new generation of software is friendliness. The graphic appearance is inviting and often intuitive. But "intuitive" works only if you're looking to do something you've thought of already. These programs often do things you have never been able to do before in a paper-and-pen world. That means a new user needs to take the time to watch or read the tutorials. I found the help provided by PC Study Bible, Logos, and BibleWorks to be very helpful and clear. The Teacher's and Pastor's Library and QuickVerse need work.

Biblesoft's PC Study Bible and QuickVerse both have very inviting and intuitive arrangements of toolbars and tabs. QuickVerse mimics Microsoft Office 2007, and PC Study Bible has bright, clear buttons and a very clean look. The Teacher's and Pastor's Library is weakest in this area and needs a design makeover. I found it klutzy and old-fashioned.

Logos has done a great job with design, but its very complexity—the enormous range of things it does—means you must use its tutorials. A pastor friend of mine told me he bought Logos (the previous version) for more than $1,000, but he hasn't used it, because he couldn't figure it out. By his own admission, he hasn't watched or read the tutorials. If you won't take the time to learn the way these programs work, don't buy them!

BibleWorks is notorious for being difficult to learn. The icons are cryptic and tiny. On the other hand, learning to use a tool this sophisticated is bound to be challenging, and many users have learned how to do it. Once you watch the tutorials, it all seems pretty easy. After you've used the program for a week, you'll have the essence, and should be thrilled with how it helps you.

Building a Library
When publishers say you're getting $2,000 worth of books, many of the titles are older books of limited value no longer protected by copyright. Old books can be useful, of course, but you need newer scholarship as well. The cost of the software package is directly related to the number of newer, copyrighted books included. Nearly every publisher offers hundreds—even thousands—of titles you can purchase individually and load into their systems. Your best value is to find a package that matches your needs as closely as possible.

I was surprised by the number of "reading books" available—books you read from cover to cover as opposed to reference works. Books must work in the software platform of your program—Pradis in Zondervan or Libronix in Logos, for example. Books purchased in one system won't work in another. So think about what program you want to grow old with.

Logos has various additional functions that can be purchased, called add-ins. These make several tasks possible, such as language pronunciation, sentence diagramming, and sermon files, among others. The sermon file add-in provides a way for pastors to keep their sermons in a file database, as well as a separate file for illustrations. I wish I'd had it when I was starting out.

QuickVerse has Sermon Builder, which is essentially a library of sermon-writing resources such as illustrations, quotations, and a filing system for your illustrations. Sermon Builder comes with the Platinum Edition or can be added to the more basic editions.

On the negative side, Logos has an annoying pop-up commercial every time I start the program reminding me to buy more books. The Teacher's and Pastor's Library has a red-letter link at the top of the working pane that says "Book Store."

BibleWorks is the one exception to the build-a-library approach. It offers a very solid collection of exegetical works and a few other very basic resources. This definitely keeps its price lower, and it may suit you just fine not to add other books. If you wish to do so, you'll have to work through a different program.

Maps and More
Almost all of these packages have scores of wonderful maps (though The Teacher's and Pastor's Library program needs work here). These maps cover just about every Bible teaching situation you can imagine. The BibleWorks maps are the cream of the crop. It uses satellite technology and high-resolution topographical maps with hundreds of overlays, such as all the places mentioned in each Bible book.

Several programs also offer a full collection of photos of Bible lands and artifacts, as well as detailed timelines. All of these features can be copied into other programs, such as Microsoft's PowerPoint, making them great for teaching.

Most programs allow you to customize the screen layout. You can have the Bible versions or books you most commonly use open all the time. The use of tabs and panes make it easy to have several resources open without a cluttered appearance. You can also save different layouts for different purposes.

All programs advertise free online support, as well as phone support. Some offer a 30-day money-back guarantee. When you order, ask for a list of support options if you don't like what you see.

Of the programs we reviewed here, QuickVerse and The Teacher's and Pastor's Library offer packages for Macintosh. While we did not review these packages specifically, they appear to be similar to the packages we did review. One top Mac package, Accordance—Scholar's Collection 7.4 (AccordanceBible.com) is priced at $249. A very hefty collection comes in at nearly $2,500!

The Bottom Line
Each of these programs boasts satisfied customers; each will help you study in ways you never could with paper-and-ink books alone. For $150, Zondervan's The Teacher's and Pastor's Library is probably the best bargain if you do not plan to do extensive language study. It is stodgy in design and needs a facelift, but it is a great price for what you get. Biblesoft's PC Study Bible and QuickVerse are great if you aren't particularly into more scholarly approaches. Both are designed well and fun to use. I'd give PC Study Bible a slight edge.

For those who are serious about using the biblical languages, you have to go with either BibleWorks or Logos. It's a toss-up between the two. One of my student scholars felt he needed them both to get the range of study he wants to do. BibleWorks offers the better price. With Logos you pay more and get more, especially in the other non-exegetical resources, plus it is generally easier to use and more creative than its competitors. In the final analysis, Logos's Scholar's Library will be my go-to software.

Lee Eclov is pastor of Village Church of Lincolnshire in Lake Forest, Illinois, and editorial advisor to PreachingToday.com. Adapted from an article that first appeared on PreachingToday.com.