In the last article in this series we talked about the exceptionally easy to use, entirely free for everyone ESV Bible Online. It is, in itself, a first-class bible resource. But when it comes to detailed, feature rich bible web sites, the ESV Online Study Bible (another web site entirely) is superb. However, the full-feature use of the Study Bible is not entirely free. Instead, when you purchase a traditionally bound ESV Online Study Bible you receive a registration number inside which gives you full, lifetime access to the companion web site.

We will not cover the traditionally bound book bible here, only the companion web site. But, in the interest of accuracy let me say that the bound version is an impressive two million word, 2,700+ page volume with impeccable credentials. It is available in several bindings ranging from a lowest price hardcover edition at a list price of $49.95 to a premium calfskin edition at $239.95. ALL editions come complete with FULL access to this wonderful ONLINE version via a simple registration process.

Anatomy of a Study Bible page

Click image to enlarge

While the working web site demonstration you can find on their website will answer most of your questions, we’d like to point out some of the features we really like about it. First of all, it is one of the best reference web sites of any kind we’ve ever seen. The layout is uncluttered, well organized, fast to work with, and packs an incredible amount of information on every inch of the page by using embedded links and well executed tool-tip-like information balloons in EVERY appropriate location. The thumbnail image on the left here is linked to a full size picture of a typical page with many of the features we like best circled to illustrate the wonderful layout of the web site. Click on the thumbnail image to view it full size.

Click on image to enlarge

Every page has a right side column with copious study notes employing the same information balloons over every scripture reference showing a preview of the scripture text you’ll see if you click the link — a real time saver to prevent going to an incorrect page. The center column houses the actual scripture text in a highly readable font complete with translation footnotes and related scripture references included. Again the footnotes and references employ those tool tip-pop-up balloons when you hover over them making it easy to decide if you want to click there. The left column is dedicated to the user’s own notes which can be stored alongside the displayed scripture for future reference.

Hear the Word

As with the regular ESV Bible Online, the ESV Online Study Bible allows you to hear the scripture displayed in the center column using a simple “Listen” link beside the heading of each scripture text. This appears to employ the same technology as well, since you can listen to ONLY the scripture displayed, not the entire chapter as you typically see on other interactive bible sites with online audio. When you click the word “Listen” you should immediately hear the scripture through your computer speakers or headphones (be sure your volume is set properly) and the appearance of the link will change to a micro-player interface with pause and rewind links for control. We found that sometimes we need to click more than once to get this link to work, but that may be due to internet connection factors rather than the web site itself. So, if it doesn’t play on the first click, just try again. You’ll find that being able to play only the sound from the scripture displayed, no matter how few verses, is a great convenience over having to play an entire chapter at once. Very impressive!

Additional Content

• Articles ranging from Introduction: A User’s Guide to the ESV Online Study Bible to articles on theology, doctrine, history and much, much more bring a depth to your online study experience. One article which I was particularly impressed with was The Bible and Religious Cults which made very clear the differences in various faiths and their relationship to Christianity. One article entitled Biblical Ethics: An Overview is 29,000 words
• Book Introductions for every book in the bible are complete and easily accessible from a prominent link above the notes column on every page. I find myself frequently referring to the introductions to help me understand the context of the particular scripture I am reading.
• Illustrations and Maps are clear, concise and very useful. Full color drawings of historical items, 3D maps, and many conventional maps for everything beginning at the Garden of Eden bring new understandings with new insights.
• Informational Charts compile diverse references on single subjects into a single view.

All this and much more comprise the 2 million plus words in a massive web site with impressive navigational features which bring just the information you need to your fingertips (or mouse pointer in this case) when you need it.

Browse the Demo Web Site

Browse the demo web site for the ESV Online Study Bible and take the time you need to get familiar with the interface. You’ll be impressed with how much information is packed into every page. While you are on the demo site, take particular interest in the following features:

• Tool tips are hidden treasures giving you a useful glimpse of where you’ll be going if you click on the link. You’ll find them by hovering over links to scripture references, translation footnotes, and many areas in the right sidebar. Take a few minutes on the demo web site to look for the tool tips by just hovering above likely areas on the page. These little jewels can save you time.
• Expanding Notes in the right sidebar are full of information to make your study more complete. When you first view the page all the notes are in their default collapsed state. But if you see a “More” link at the end of a note you can expand it instantly with a click to view the full contents without reloading the page — a real time saver.
• Personal Notes (not available on the demo site) can be typed for every page in scripture by just clicking on the “Add Note” button at the top of the left column. You’ll immediately be presented with a mini word processor so you can type your notes directly on the page. Your notes are stored there so that the next time you visit that page, you’ll be able to read them — just like you take notes in the margins of your conventional bible. But, as of this writing, I have not found a way to easily print my notes and take them with me. This is a feature I’d like to see in future enhancements and one of the few reservations we have about this web site.

We won’t be able to give you any direct links to the ESV Online Study Bible pages to demonstrate the features available to registered users since you must be logged in before they are available, but you can see many of them in action at the working demo of the web site. To take it out for a spin just go HERE.

Online Video Tour

There is also an excellent online video provided by Crossway which illustrates most of the features of the online ESV Online Study Bible. They have provided us with the capability to embed their video within our article, so you may view it from the player below. You’ll need a broadband connection to view it, but it’s worth the nine and a half minutes of viewing time. Just click on the play button at the bottom left corner of the player to view it. You may also want to click on the full screen icon at the lower right of the player to expand the video for a better look.

Conclusion

You’ll find five more (at the time of this writing) videos online at the primary ESV Study Bible web site. They include interviews with some of the folks who put this wonderful bible together such as J.I. Packer, Wayne Grudem, and Lane Dennis as well as an interview with John Piper and one from Joni Eareckson Tada. To see the main video page click HERE!

That’s it for our review of the ESV Online Study Bible web site. In the next article we’ll review the Bible Gateway web site, one of the most valuable online bible resources anywhere. It contains more versions in more languages than any other site we’ve seen and is an invaluable tool when you want to compare multiple versions side by side  for additional understanding. It is an almost unlimited virtual parallel bible.

Blessings!

Since our Pastor primarily uses the English Standard Version of the Bible from the pulpit here at Christ Church, this is easily the most used bible web site for us. We not only use it for brief passages on Sunday morning in the bulletin, we also use some of the web master tools provided to embed ESV scripture into web pages. For the average user this is the best site I’ve found to get accustomed to using the bible online. The user interface is simple, efficient and powerful. Overall, we’ve found it to be an excellent online bible for everyone from beginner to expert.

Main Sections

There are three main sections denoted by tabs at the top left of the window: Search, Browse and Devotions. The Search tab is actually the home page, the default landing page and the most used of the three. The Browse tab is simply a list of links to all 66 books of the bible. And the Devotions tab takes you to a list of ESV versions for various bible devotional reading plans. Explore this carefully to find out which, if any, suits your needs.

Scripture Text Search

Of course there is a powerful and FAST search box at the upper left corner of the window. Just type in the scripture text you want to look up, click “Search” and you are instantly taken there. You don’t even have to type in the complete formal text reference as long as you type in enough for the search engine to figure out what you meant to find. So you could type “ge2 20” as a shorthand and find Genesis 2:20.

You can also look up multiple scripture references at one time and the result will show them one after another on the page from top to bottom in a single column For example we could use a shorthand multiple search of “ge2 20 rev 22 3 jos 3 12 ezk4 12-14 num3 7” and get THIS RESULT!

There is also an “Advanced Search” link you can explore. I haven’t had much need to use it, since the basic search box answers about 98% of my needs. We won’t be exploring this feature right now, so if you’ve used it and have some input on it for others, please leave a comment to enlighten us all.

Online Devotionals

The One-Year Tract Bible Reading Plan based on the M’Cheyne reading system is one of the all-time standards. There are also several other one-year plans to choose from and, if you store the links as a bookmark in your browser, you’ll be able to jump directly to the reading plan’s page. Then you can immediately see your current day’s reading, because the home page for each devotional always lands on TODAY’S reading by default. But, if you missed yesterday’s reading, or want to see tomorrow’s, there is easy calendar-based navigation. To see the list of currently available devotional plans in this section GO HERE!

Hearing the Word

Users also have the option to listen to the scripture displayed with a simple click-and-play link labeled “Listen.” Whatever scripture is displayed on your screen will be played to you over your computer speakers. Just be sure you have your speakers turned on at a high enough volume to hear. (One note: sometimes I have to click a second time to get it to play, so keep trying if it doesn’t play the first time you click.) This is not the only web site which provides the opportunity to listen to scripture, but it is the only one I’m aware of which will let you listen to a single verse at a time instead of an entire chapter at a time. On first blush that may not seem like a big advantage, but if all you want to listen to is the last two verses of the chapter, you probably don’t want to listen to the first 48 verses of a 50 verse chapter in order to get there.

Optional Presentation

At the top left of every page is an “Options” link which allows you to tell this web site want you want to see when you ask for a scripture reference. There are many display options such as “Show words of Christ in red,” or not, “Show verse numbers,” or not,  along with several others. Take your choice, BUT REMEMBER TO CLICK THE SAVE BUTTON AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SCREEN OR YOUR OPTIONS WON’T WORK!

You also have several “Audio” options about how you want to set up to listen, such as what type player you want, or who is reading the scripture. If your “Listen” link doesn’t work, try a different player choice. Each computer is set up differently and while the “flash” player may work on one computer, your brother’s computer may be set up better for MP3, Windows Media, or RealAudio. Again, as with the display options, YOU MUST CLICK ON THE SAVE BUTTON AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE, OR YOUR CHOICES WON’ TAKE EFFECT!

Easy Web Site Tools

I briefly mentioned web master tools in the opening paragraph of this article. If you’ve seen the Christ Church home page you probably saw the “Daily Scripture” near the top right side of the page. This is actually provided by an ESV Bible Online webmaster tool. The scripture changes daily as it is fed directly from the ESV web server, providing a valuable service for everyone who visits this web site.

Immediately below the Daily Scripture you’ll find an opportunity to “Search the ESV Bible.” This is another valuable service provided by the ESV Bible Online. The search criteria are the same as the search box on the actual online bible page, but are provided to the viewer directly, without having to leave the Christ Church home page. I’ve inserted a live search box here for demonstration.

Who’s Behind All This?

Good News / Crossway is a not-for profit ministry responsible for publishing the ESV bible in its various forms, both print and electronic. To learn more about the ESV bible in all its various iterations go to ESV.org and explore the information provided there.

The written word of God has come a long way from those stone tablets Moses brought down from the mountain, but it is still as true today as it ever has been, no matter the delivery method. Stone tablets, parchment scrolls, bound books and on-line bibles all contain the same words, the same message … the same truth.

More important than the mechanical way we receive those words is the attitude of the heart which receives them. Do we read in humble submission to the One who breathed them? Or do we read them with an “I’ve read this before, so I can just skim this part to save a minute” attitude? In today’s fast-paced world it’s easy to justify “running” through our devotional time so we can get on with our lives. Even a Christ centered life can fall into this snare. We strive to get more things done for our ministry, or congregation, or family. These are all noble endeavors, but without truly immersing ourselves in His word (and not hurrying through it) can we continue to fully serve Him?

All this seems a counterintuitive prelude to an article on using the “Virtual Bible” resources on the web. The Internet is the consummate icon of modern impatience. “If you want it NOW you can get it NOW on the web with a simple click, as soon as you demand it” is the underlying mantra and a powerful seduction into the virtual world. Instant messaging, instant mail delivery, on-demand movies, on-line shopping, and yes, instant bible are all available at your beck and CLICK!

Over 19 million results!

So, should we just put down the mouse, walk away from the computer, grab our old, well worn, familiar leather bound personal bible, close the door to the outside world for a while and let the familiar feel of the leather, and the crisp sound of turning pages comfort us as the Word penetrates our soul, slowly, completely, prayerfully? Absolutely!

Or, should we leverage the power of the Internet to research the bible efficiently and completely on any given day to sort out relationships between wide-ranging scripture references we never before realized. Should we compare a single scripture text from the ESV, New King James and The Message or any other combination of three versions simultaneously in three column format for more complete understanding? Absolutely!

Neither method of bible study precludes the other. There is nothing inherently sacrosanct about a traditional leather bound bible, or evil about using the web to research a biblical answer to a difficult question. The variable is the condition of the heart — from one person to another, from one day to another, or from one situation to another. And, there are times when that instant feedback from the computer screen is more available and more capable of confronting us with TRUTH, because we are already there when our need for answers suddenly arrives. But when we stand down from the duties of the day, or rise early to a new day, nothing replaces the familiar rustle of the pages and familiar personality of leather in our hands to reassure us that He is still there, real and constant, familiar and close.

Pray about it. Consider the personal rhythms the Lord has built your life around. Discover the word in your own time and place with a contrite heart … a heart open to the Master.

We’ll soon be posting articles in this same series about using online bible resources. Here at Christ Church we tend to use three main web sites in our daily routines, both for dedicated personal time and research for our daily activities. The three I use on a regular basis are:

• ESV Bible Strictly English Standard Version, outstanding features such as audio for listening to any passage, many choices in daily devotional plans, web master resources … and more. Excellent web resource!
• ESV Study Bible: Incredible bible research and study tool. Full access to ALL features granted with the purchase of any paper book version ESV Study Bible. Once you see the vast array of tools, articles, references, illustrations, maps etc. you’ll be hooked! Full access to ALL features of the web site is worth the price of the paper book version, plus, you’ll be able to carry the book version anywhere too!
• Bible Gateway: Extensive online resource. Many, many bible versions and language translations available. I use it for a customizable parallel bible with two or more versions in columns. They also provide topical resources, reading plans, web master tools and much more.

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” [ESV]

The Great Commission, as given directly from the lips of Jesus, has not changed. But even though the mission remains as true and constant as the Lord himself, we live in an ever changing 21st century world. The technical revolution has reached epic proportions, especially in information technologies. In fact, I am writing this from my living room recliner on a laptop computer over a home wireless network connection which leads to the Internet. That means that as soon as I click on the virtual “button” on my computer screen, this article will be available for you or anyone else in the world with access to the Internet to read my words as we move toward the “end of the age.”

In the sovereignty of an almighty God, the existence of this incredible communications network is as much a part of His plan to spread the gospel as the Roman highways Paul used in his travels during the first century. The web server which holds the audio recordings of sermons from the Christ Church pulpit corresponds to the manuscripts laboriously carried from town to town bringing light and hope to a hopeless first century world.

Each week the biblical message is brought as the clear, undeniable authority guiding our lives in this modern, debauched world almost halfway around the world 20 centuries beyond the travels of Paul. We are charged to continue with the same gospel message to OUR world, using the tools the Lord has provided, even if those tools are also used by others for immoral purpose as the Roman highways were used for greed, slavery and empire-building.

Jesus entered this world, not only to fulfill the prophesies, but to make clear the gospel message. In the High Priestly Prayer he explained the relationship of his disciples to the world in which they live and move:

But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth. [John 17:13-19, ESV]

In keeping with Jesus’ words we are now charged to take the truth delivered from this pulpit to the world by whatever means the Lord provides. The Internet, as evil as it sometimes becomes, is a dangerous place. But we have the assurance that Jesus has already prayed that we be kept “from the evil one,” and it is in that assurance that we can live and move and proclaim the gospel worldwide, at the touch of a button.

Even with this small congregation of 100+ on a normal Sunday morning we now have the capability and charge to magnify the message delivered here to a potentially world-wide audience. In fact, we are already delivering those messages to more visitors on the web than actually fill the pews on Sunday. If we fulfill our calling here, the Lord will appoint those He chooses to hear via the web the same message we experienced in our regular weekly worship services.