PursuingHim.com

One has to ask, “What did we do before the Internet?” I can remember as a kid seeing my dad study the Bible and having book after book open on the kitchen table jumping from one text to the other.  He also had this monstrous Bible that seemed to be a foot thick which contained four versions of the Bible side by side.  (In reality it was probably more like five to six inches thick.)  After almost 20 years of the Internet, most of the resources you would want to use to study the Bible can be found online at the click of the finger.

Over the next several posts, you will find a list of different sites that provide a wealth of resources for those who are studying God’s word.  If you have other sites that you use that aren’t listed here, leave a message in the comments and share with the rest of us.  To get things started, let’s look at the first site:

BlueLetterBible.org

BlueLetterBible.org is probably my favorite resource and the site I use most due to the ease of use and the way the resources are made available.  Once you identify the passage you want to read, beside each verse you will find six different icons which consist of   , , , , , and .  Each icon displays a different resource for that verse.

• represents the “Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.” Once clicked, it will displays key phrases for each verse and where you can find that phrase elsewhere in the Bible. This helps o get a better understanding of what the phrase means.
• stands for “Lexicon/Concordance.”  When clicked, you will see the verse in Hebrew or Greek depending on if it is found in the Old Testament or New Testament respectively.  Under the Hebrew or Greek verse, you will see each English word and it’s corresponding Hebrew or Greek word.  You will also see a number in a column labeled “Strong’s.”  The number identified next to the English word references that same word throughout the Bible.  If you click on the Strong’s number, you will be given a definition as well as every instance that that word is used in the Bible.  This allows you to get a better understanding of what that word means and how it is used in the Bible.
• will give you a listing of available commentaries which give further insight to passages of the Bible.
• The button lets you see available hymns, maps, or images that tie to the verse.
• when clicked will display the same verse in other translations. For example, if I looked up John 3:16 in the NIV and clicked , John 3:16 from the KJV, NLT, and more would be displayed.  This allows one to get a fuller understanding of the verse by seeing other words used in different translations.
• will give you a list of available dictionaries that can help define terms and meanings much the same as Webster dictionaries help define words.

Below you will find further resources that can be found on BlueLetterBible.org such as Bible Translations, Commentaries, Charts and Outlines, Introductions to the Books of the Bible, Encyclopedias and Dictionaries, Timelines and Miscellaneous Resources.

Bible Translations Available

New International Version (NIV)
The New International Version® (NIV®) is a translation made by more than one hundred scholars working from the best available Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts. The NIV offers a balance between a word-for-word and thought-for-thought translation and is considered by many as a highly accurate and smooth-reading version of the Bible in modern English.
Translates:  Combination word-for-word and thought-for-thought

New Living Translation (NLT)
Using modern English, the translators of the NLT focused on producing clarity in the meaning of the text rather than creating a literal, word-for-word equivalence. Their goal was to create a clear, readable translation while remaining faithful to original texts.
Translates:  thought-for-thought

King James Version (KJV)
The KJV is the first version of Scripture authorized by the Protestant church and commissioned by England’s King James I.
Translates:  word-for-word

New King James Version (NKJV)
The NKJ is a modern language update of the original King James Version. It retains much of the traditional interpretation and sentence structure of the KJV.
Translates:  word-for-word

English Standard Version (ESV)
The ESV Bible is a relatively new Bible translation that combines word-for-word precision and accuracy with literary excellence, beauty, and readability.
Translates:  word-for-word

Reina-Valera Version (RVR)
In 1960, the British and Foreign Bible Society and the American Bible Society jointly published the popular revision of the Version Reina-Valera. This version has been the basic text of the Spanish Protestant Church for generations. It is the most beloved translation of Spanish speaking Christians because it retains the traditional style of the Spanish language.

New American Standard Bible (NASB)
The New American Standard Bible was originally completed in 1971.  According to the Lockman Foundation who undertook the translation effort, “In 1995 the NASB was updated, increasing clarity and readability. Vocabulary, grammar, and sentence structure were carefully reviewed for greater understanding and smoother reading.”
Translates:  word-for-word

Revised Standard Version (RSV)
“The RSV is a comprehensive revision of the King James Version (KJV), the Revised Version (RV) of 1881-85, and the American Standard Version (ASV) of 1901, with the ASV being the primary basis for the revision,” states Wikipedia.
Translates:  word-for-word

American Standard Version (ASV)
The American Standard Version, also known as the Standard American Edition, Revised Version, is a revised version of the KJV. It was completed in 1885 and newly edited by the American Revision Committee in 1901.
Translates: word-for-word

Young’s Literal Translation (YNG)
The Literal Translation is unusual in that, as the name implies, it is a strictly literal translation of the original Hebrew and Greek texts.
Translates:  word-for-word

Darby Bible (DBY)
The Darby Bible was originally translated from the Hebrew and Greek by John Nelson Darby.  According to Wikipedia, “Darby’s purpose was, as he states in the preface to his English NT, to make a modern translation for the unlearned who have neither access to manuscript texts or training and knowledge of ancient languages of the Scriptures.”
Translates:  word-for-word

World English Bible (WEB)
“The World English Bible is a public domain translation of the Bible that is currently in draft form. Work on the World English Bible began in 1997 and was known as the American Standard Version 1997. The New Testament is considered complete and is available in print,” states Wikipedia.
Translates:  word-for-word

Hebrew Names Version (HNV)
The Hebrew Names Version is based off the World English Bible, an update of the American Standard Version of 1901. This version of the Bible is in the public domain.
Translates:  word-for-word

The Latin Vulgate (VUL)
The Latin Vulgate was translated from the original languages into Latin by Jerome in A.D. 405. For over a millennium, it remained as the preferred translation of the church.

Commentaries

1. Matthew Henry
2. Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

Charts and Outlines

Encyclopedias and Dictionaries

Introductions to the Books of the Bible

Timelines

Miscellaneous