Logos Bible Software Review

February 04, 2010

The myth about Bible Software is that its primary use is to "cheat" on biblical languages. How this myth got started is a mystery. More than likely it began with an overzealous Greek or Hebrew teacher whose fantasy world included only students who were as adept at the languages as he or she was. Whatever the case, anyone who has recently used Logos Bible Software will quickly realize that it is much, much more than simply a language tool for Bible study. It is that, and it does an excellent job of helping any student of the Bible — whether or not the original languages are known — understand the Greek or Hebrew behind the translation used.

Logos Bible Software, however, is misnamed. It would more accurately be called Logos Biblical and Theological Studies Software; the amount of biblical and theological content that one can have access to is unprecedented, as far as I know. Not only can you quickly call up a number of versions of a particular passage (including the original language and virtually any English (or other) translation), together with a group of commentaries, you can also immediately access any book in your electronic "library" (e.g., Charles Hodge's Systematic Theology or Richard Muller's Post-Reformation Reformed Dogmatics series) that mentions that verse.

The biblical and theological resources are too numerous to mention in a short review, but anyone interested should go to www.logos.com to see the new version 4 and the various packages available for purchase and download. Among the options available for purchase are the Scholar's Library - in Gold, Silver or Platinum, the Original Languages Library, the Leader's Library, as well as others. An extensive number of biblical and theological works can be added, and more are being introduced each week. The Logos website has a large number of training videos that are immensely helpful for a quick way to using the software, as well as some of its more extensive and complicated features (e.g., "Faster Searching-Hebrew Morphology").

There are only two negatives about this software. The first is that it is expensive; the Scholar's Library - Gold edition, for example, is almost $1400.00 (some discounts are available from time to time). Included in the Gold edition is over 875 resources, including 40 English Bibles and interlinears, over 250 volumes of commentaries, like the UBS Handbook Series ($1,050 value), the Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament ($160 value), the Pulpit Commentary ($170 value), and the Holman New Testament Commentary ($180 value), 55+ volumes of grammars, lexicons, and original language helps, dozens of texts in the original languages, like the NA27 and BHS, thousands of high-quality maps, photos, infographics, and other media, 20+ volumes of theological reference books, 40+ books on preaching, teaching, and ministry, including 10,000+ sermon illustrations, quotations, and other helps, a 70+ volume ministry resource library, with books on everything from youth ministry to small groups, nearly 20 volumes on Bible history, culture, exegesis, and interpretation, and much more.

The other negative, though one which will likely be corrected in the next few months, is that the new Mac version 4 is limping along, way behind the new fully functional Windows version 4.

If someone wants a quick, extensive and almost infinitely useful way to study Scripture and to access a wide array of biblical and theological material, this is by far the best software to own. It is well worth the cost.