higher power with kevin
Accordance Bible Study
Software for the Mac User
A
Kevin A. Purcell - [email protected]
s the Mac gains in popularity, many of you might
be wondering if the it is ready for full-time use
by pastors and Bible teachers. After 8 months,
while having seen some compromises, I’ve been pleased.
Sadly, Mac Bible software in general is not as mature or
advanced as Windows software.
What is Available
I am sure that there are more Mac Bible tools out
there, but the best choices I have found (in no particular
order) are as follows:
• Logos 4 (http://www.logos.com)
• WORDsearch 9 (and Bible Explorer) (http://www.
wordsearchbible.com)
• Accordance 9 (http://www.accordancebible.com)
• QuickVerse 2011 (http://www.quickverse.com)
• Glo Bible (http://www.globible.com)
• Scrolltag (http://scrolltag.com)
• Eloquent 2 (formerly MacSword) (http://www.
macsword.com)
• Alkitab Bible Study (http://www.kiyut.com/
products/alkitab/index.html)
Evaluation of the Bible Programs Available
Of the above we’ve covered Logos, WORDsearch,
Glo Bible, and QuickVerse in previous columns. Search
our archives for reviews of these products. Scrolltag,
Eloquent 2, and Alkitab are worth a look for simple
needs. Eloquent 2 is the e-Sword of the Mac world and
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e-Sword users will be comfortable with it.
Of all of the Mac Bible software, the most advanced program that is also the most stable and the
fastest is Accordance. I like to say it is what would happen if Bibleworks and WORDsearch got together and
designed a Mac Bible program.
Looking for a powerful Mac Bible program? If you
are already invested in Logos or WORDsearch, give
them a try before investing in anything else. Everyone
else should start looking at Accordance
Accordance Bible Software
For those who do have large libraries in Windows
software, Accordance has a nice cross-grade program
where you can get sometimes 30% off of books you
already own just by proving you have them. I took advantage of this offer for a number of commentaries and
books.
For starters, be clear about one thing – Accordance
requires a serious investment of both money and effort.
1.Accordance, like all advanced Bible software, is
going to cost you money over time or up front, but
either way it will cost you.
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2.Accordance requires a time investment to learn
the powerful features. This is not a bicycle but an
advanced sports car. Really great video tutorials
are free to download at http://j.mp/khygC5 and
free all day training events are available. I attended
one and learned a lot.
What Accordance Offers
One of the hardest things to get used to with Accordance is that it is a search-centric program. Looking
at the screenshot below, you will see that there is a long
bar across the top of the Workspace window.
In that bar, you enter search strings. Above the box
is your translation drop down list. Next to that is a pair
of buttons – Words/Verses. If Words is highlighted, then
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the search box is expecting search terms like “righteousness”. If Verses is highlighted you can enter a
verse reference.
Below the entry bar is a slider. If it is all the way to
the left, the results window will only show the verses
that you entry returns. If you search for grace the results
will show only the verses with the word grace. Move
the slide to the right and it adds a verse before and after
each verse in your search hit list. That way you get the
verse before and after as well as the verse that has the
word grace. Keep moving to the right and it adds more
of the context until it shows the entire Bible if the slider
is all the way to the right.
Notice across the top there are tabs for the various
translations you have open. Along the left is the Library
window that has a tree with the different kinds of books
categorized. You can customize this list in many ways.
To open a book, just go here.
Along the right is a bunch of buttons that lest you
open various kinds of books. It also lets you open workspaces, etc. The buttons are drop down lists.
The bottom of the screen is a box that shows a lot
of information based on where your mouse is. In the
above screenshot, you will see the English word, the
Strong’s number for that word, and the actual Hebrew
word associated with whatever the mouse cursor was
hovering over in the HCSB text. Finally, there is a
transliteration.
This box gives you basic information about words
in the text if the translation you use has the original
language tags. The HCSB, ESV and KJV are some of
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the translations that offer this kind of functionality. Many still do not.
Once you take the time to learn the program you will find that the search functionality is as simple or advanced as you want it to be. With Accordance you can do all the basic searches without ever learning the more advanced functions. But if you will take the time to watch the videos, attend
a workshop or just spend some time reading Help, you will find that it can
search in so many ways. You can find a lot of details. Below is a screenshot
of a Greek Construct Search we did during the workshop I attended.
This search lets you find all the instances where an article and a noun
as well as the article and an adjective that within 5 words of each other all
agree in gender, number and case. Other programs can do this, but with
Accordance you have a powerful visual search builder. It is a lot of fun just
trying to figure out some cool ways to challenge the software.
Accordance is easy to setup if you have a good Internet connection.
The new Easy Install feature will download all of the books in your package. Accordance knows what you are supposed to have and automatically
sends them to you via the Internet. It also periodically checks for updates
and download them.
Accordance is a fast program – the fastest opening Mac Bible program
I’ve used. It’s performance is great. Searches are quick and movement
within the program is fluid, something you can’t say for most of the other
advanced Mac Bible programs.
Accordance is not perfect. It has crashed a few times while using it. But
this is typical for most of the Bible applications I’ve tested on the Mac.
Accordance has a lot of great features …
• Reading and searching the Bible
• Bible reading
• Commentaries and other Bible references like Dictionaries
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• Visual tools like the maps and timeline tools both of which are very powerful and useful
• Comparisons between translations, parallel books like the Gospels and more
• Ability to create your own books through HTML import
I was disappointed with the note taking feature and the diagramming tool. Neither of them are very useful. It
handles very simple notes adequately, but advanced note editing is not present. You will want to use something
else for keeping your notes. The diagramming tool is also not very good. It was hard to work with and moving text
is not very smooth. Adjusting the various visual markers was frustrating.
As I said in the bullet list above, I love the visual tools. The timeline is incredibly powerful and customizable.
You can export segments for showing during a Bible study in which you use Keynote or PowerPoint. The Mapping tool lets you customize the look of your maps and the photo guide helps you find images related to passages.
This is also great for teaching. There is a Mac widget that lets you quickly look up verses to copy into Word or
Pages.
A huge plus is that the company maintains a help forum that has input from developers. If you have a feature
you want in the application, request it in the forums and you very well may see it in the next couple of updates.
Cost and Recommendations
To get started using Accordance you can get a trial version. The base package is $149 in either the Bible Study
Track or the Scholar’s Track. Then packages go up from there at $100 increments. If you want go get a ton of content right from the start, try the Mega Bundle, which is “only” $1799. Once you get a base package you can add
books with the various sales Accordance is always running. One month they had a Bible sale. This month they are
discounting Study Bible notes add-ons. Who knows what will come in July?
If you are on the fence about switching to Mac, Accordance is one good reason to take the plunge. This alone
makes the switch worthwhile! You won’t be compromising good Bible study on the Mac if you check out Accordance Bible Software at www.accordancebible.com.
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