Biblical Aid…
In an effort to ease back in to the world of blogging I am doing my best to avoid my deeper topics. No real reason for this I suppose. However, I imagine those subjects come soon enough. An aside: I am hoping that when I begin to delve into these other thoughts that I take more than one post to dissect my considerations. In the past I just took one big swing at a topic then generally moved on. I tend towards the big picture rather than details. Some details don’t hurt I guess.
I decided this afternoon to share in brief about two tools shared with me for studying the Bible. While I use both of these tools extensively I probably still miss out on the full scope of usefulness they have to offer. I am not intending to write a technical review, rather to simply share my reactions and excitement for these offerings. I used to get frustrated wanting more options for Bible study on my computer and in general. The few books I have (concordance, commentary, etc.) are limited in scope and heavy to carry. Both of these options offer great alternatives to me.
I asked a friend several months ago about this matter and he pointed me to NET Bible as one resource he found. NET Bible (to my understanding) is a recent translation accomplished by a group of individuals seeking to create a modern, well researched text. This translation is available freely on the web with a number of interesting associated tools. One helpful inclusion is an information box related to each Biblical book providing links to background and contextual documents for that particular book. I find this a great starting point to gather deeper insight. Furthermore, in agreement with my friend, I find the translation notes included with the text incredibly helpful. As I seek greater clarity in understanding a particular passage I enjoy referring to these notes to learn more about original language, historical context, and a given translator’s understanding. Although I do not use this tool as much currently I still turn to NET Bible on occasion and intend to employ this reference in the days to come.
The tool I use daily now is Xiphos. This application is available for off line installation and provides a number of useful study aids. Xiphos is a software developed in relation to the Sword Project. Xiphos is available for all major operating systems and a large number of modules are available for use with the application. These modules include Bible translations, dictionaries, commentaries, ability to create personal prayer lists, and more. (This information and more can be found on the above linked Xiphos home page.) Honestly, I love it! I attempted to use different front ends for the Sword project in the past, but did not really connect with them. However, Xiphos is the daily study tool I’ve used for a couple months now.
A bit about a couple features I like the most:
The ability to view a single verse parallel with up to five translations at a time. I use this more for language study than anything at the moment and find it extremely helpful as I study one verse in a foreign language. I can compare to English and even reference the Greek and Strong’s Dictionary as needed. I also like this aspect just for digging more into a verse as I’m reading. I do not understand the original languages, so I find it fruitful to compare the translations of much smarter men who do have a grasp on Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic.
One other feature I like is the ability to highlight a particular verse and annotate the text with my own thoughts. I get a chance to write down what I am processing as I read and know that I can return to that passage with the ability to review my reactions. This is as valuable to me as the many marked up Bibles carried around.
I encourage anybody looking for more resources in their Biblical study to check these tools out. Enjoy the afternoon.
Nature of a Nomad 
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