There are many tools available today for someone who is looking to study the Bible online. I have multiple study tools that I currently use on my computers and mobile devices. We have talked about YouVersion and Logos here before, which are both great study tools. In the past, when I needed to look something up in the Bible quickly, or copy some Bible passages for my lessons, I generally have turned to biblegateway.com.
There is a new option available to those who are looking to read or study the Scriptures on their computers or mobile devices. eBible is a new online Bible source that you can access via your computer or any mobile device. Launched this past November eBible strives to be a clean simple way to access God’s Word on your computer.
In 2010 we looked at Bible websites and were surprised to find most had either old technology or advertisements that distracted from our Bible reading experience. PC/Mac-based Bible software were an option but most of them tend to be too complicated and too expensive.
So we asked ourselves, “Where can we find an online Bible software that is clean, free, simple and made for regular folks like us?”
Not finding any, and just coming off a Christian social network project, we began building a clean and easy-to-use Bible software for ourselves. eBible.com/about
What began as an exercise in coding has turned into what I believe is destined to be one of the premier sources for God’s Word on the internet. What you immediately notice when accessing eBible is the clean efficient look of the web site. When reading God’s Word the last thing that you want is to have to sort through all sorts of confusing menus and advertising. You will find none of that at eBible.com. It is simple, easy to use, and well designed.
Deliberate or not, eBible has a design and layout that reminds one of using the kindle application on your computer. This is actually a huge plus in my mind, making the site really easy to use, even for someone who is not used to using an online Bible.
While a clean and efficient design is important and refreshing, what really matters is under the hood. This is where eBible will blow your socks off. I am amazed at the speed of this site. Accessing the internet via a cell phone connection does not always lend itself to a pleasant browsing experience, but eBible.com is so fast and the technology so well written, that it reacts as if the software were on your computer rather than on the internet.
You may think that with its clean, simple design, and the speed of the website that eBible will be lacking in features. You could not be further from the truth. The features built into the site seem to be just right to me. You can search by passages, or verse, or word from the top of any page. Once you are reading a verse of Scripture you simply highlight the passage and you will see a pop-up allowing you the following options:
- Highlight the passage in your choice of several colors.
- Underline the passage.
- Create a note for the passage.
- Explain the passage using either Strong’s or Matthew Henry’s Commentaries.
- Share the passage via Facebook, Twitter, or email.
I do highly recommend creating an account the first time you visit eBible.com. This free account will allow you to save all of your notes, highlights, and bookmarks. These will also be synced across any device that you happen to be using. Personally I have found this one of eBible’s greatest asset. Sure there are other online Bibles that allow you to do the same thing. However, I don’t believe that there is any other online Bible that allows you to do the same thing as easy, as efficient, and as elegantly as eBible.com.
eBible has also added several different reading plans for you to follow, as well as Bible verses emailed daily when you sign up for the free account. Sign up for a reading plan and the next time you visit the site, you will see a subtle reference to where you are on your reading plan and the last date that you completed your daily reading. This is a great way to track your daily reading. There are 18 different plans to choose from, so you should have no problem finding a plan that suits your needs. And unlike most other Bible Reading plans there are several that are short-term plans, which I think is the best kind to try starting out. It is easier to develop the habit while not facing a large complete Bible reading plan.
The developers at eBible are not content with just creating a great website for accessing God’s word, they have also created some great tools for websites such as mine to utilize in their efforts to share the Word of God with the world. Using a plugin that was written by the folks at eBible you can now “hover” over any scripture reference and you will get a pop-up box that will give you the actual verse. You can try this by hovering your cursor over Matthew 28:19 and you should see the verse. You may also notice a new “Bible Search” option on the right side of this web page that will allow you to input a chapter, verse, or word right here at ChristianDroid.com and have your results delivered via eBible. Try it out and see how efficient eBible is at delivering you your results.
As you can tell I have nothing but praise for eBible.com. In just a couple of short days, it has become my go-to source for accessing God’s Word online. But the best is yet to come. As impressed as I have been by the online site, I am completely enamored with their iPad application. But you will have to tune in tomorrow to see my review of this mobile application.
Until then, be sure to stop by eBible.com and spend a few minutes in God’s Word. eBible has many different translations available now with more being added in the future. You should have no difficulty finding a translation that you are comfortable reading.
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