I use Blue Letter Bible and various commentaries other print resources. I’m old school, despite being 36 years old. 
The venerable program, Online Bible (for Mac) is a 32-bit application and will not run on the next version of MacOS (10.15 Catalina) which is coming out next month. Nor will it be updated to work, according to this page. I thought it was worth noting here because @tbbayly has suggested it to many people over the years and still uses it.
If you want to continue using it, the options appear to be:
-
Buy and run the Windows version in a Windows emulator on your mac. I do not recommend this.
-
Download the free Online Bible app (developed, apparently from scratch, by their European distributor) from the App Store and repurchase whatever content you want, but realize that much of the content that used to be available is not available from their store. I do not recommend this.
2.1. Instead of purchasing the content in the app, purchase the “unlock loading content” feature for $25. Then you can import old modules. However, it appears that only content from the Windows DVD is supported, and not all modules are supported, regardless. More info here.
-
Don’t upgrade to Mac OS 10.15 (Catalina) and keep running Online Bible. (I think this is a perfectly valid option. Though it only delays the inevitable, it can delay it quite a long time if you don’t need Catalina.)
-
Upgrade to Catalina, but also buy a copy of Parallels or another virtualization program and run your current version of Mac OS in there, and Online Bible inside that. For more info on how to do this, see here. (I don’t recommend this.)
-
Find another Bible program. (My vote, fwiw.)
2 Likes
Actually, I gave up on OLB earlier this year when it stopped working. At recommendation of Daniel above, I’ve been using Blue Letter ever since. Terribly inferior to OLB, esp for cut and paste of Scripture texts, but I’ve found it serviceable. Don’t like having to be on WIFI to access text of Scripture, though. Find the graspingness of Accordance and Logos for Mac (and esp the publishers and authors whose works they license) repulsive. What I hope is that the greed of Big Eva Bible software, authors, and publishers will drive us back to older books, at least in regard to sermon and study prep. Old free commentaries are almost always the best. Only very rarely do academics promoted by Accordance and Logos add anything necessary to the understanding and preaching of God’s Word to God’s sheep. Sometimes helpful, but rarely necessary. Calvin, on the other hand. What I find most helpful abt the modern commentaries I use is to understand the errors of my own age. Moo’s comments on Romans are so helpful in telling me what to oppose as I preach through Romans—his comments on Romans 7 not having to do with the regenerate, for instance, where he says only a few souls are able to attain moral perfection. No those aren’t his actual words, but it’s so bad and there’s other stuff similar that all leads me to think Doug has a low view of God’s holiness, man’s sinfulness, and the requirements of God’s Law. I mention this here b/c Moo’s commentary on Romans would be a centerpiece of Big Eva’s software companies’ marketing of their wares to pastors as necessary to the faithful preaching of God’s Word. Not true. Not necessary. Helpful more in showing our errors than showing what Scripture says. Sorry to say so. Wish someone humble would produce a Mac Bible software program that has the same principle of Ken Hamel back at the beginning of OLB who said the payment for OLB for Mac was you agreed to give it away to two or three others in the first month of use. He added that his software was written and distributed on the principle of grace rather than greed. May Ken rest in peace. He served us well for twenty or so years, which in software is two or three lifetimes. Love,
5 Likes
Hi everyone!
I happened upon this thread a few months ago and have been meaning to post. I am not a pastor but I am certainly interested in the latest bible study tools.
Has anyone here ever heard of/used e-Sword? I did not see it mentioned anywhere in this thread. My father in law uses it extensively. I am only beginning to familiarize myself with it but it seems promising. He loaded it on one of my laptops the last time I took it there. The link to the website is below.
Its a free program that from what I can tell was created for the good of the church. It is an actual download instead of a subscription. The basic program is free though there are many modules that can be added to it - some are free though some things (i.e. newer commentary sets) can be added for a fee. I can see things like A.T. Robertson’s Word Pictures, Mathew Henry’s commentary (complete or concise), Albert Barnes, and many other older resources for free.
I have a lot to learn about the program but I consider it to be very promising. I have not used logos or any other proprietary software for comparison, but the interface seems to be user friendly. Maybe someone on here can give it a shot. You might figure it out faster than I can!
Grace and peace to all…
5 Likes