e-Sword HD Makes Reading the Bible Easy Again
Bible students installed e-Sword on millions of computers around the world making it one of the most popular Bible software applications for Windows. Now the popular app brings the popular blend of function and simplicity to the iPad in e-Sword HD. The app’s simplicity of the app makes it a perfect for the iPad, another simple platform.
e-Sword HD User Interface
Users will recognize the format at the outset. The default translation opens, in the case of a newly installed version that’s the KJV+, with the plus standing for Strong’s numbers added to the basic KJV. The numbers function as links that when tapped show a popup definition window.
e-Sword HD on the iPad
Across the top the app shows a toolbar with the following buttons in order:
- Search
- Bible browsing history
- Bookmarks
- Settings
- Help
- Bible view
- Interlinear comparison view
- Parallel comparison view
- LIbrary drop down
- Book browsing drop down
e-Sword HD on the Compare screen
Each of the above functions as expected. The comparison views let user see different translations in either an interlinear view with a new translations on each horizontal line. The parallel view offers translations in a table format with each translation in a column. When in one of these two views tapping the settings icon lets the user pick which translations will show up.
e-Sword HD Parallel View
Across the bottom of the screen the user funds tabs for the various kinds of books e-Sword offers. Here’s the list from left the right:
- Bible
- Commentary
- Dictionary
- Lexicon
- Reference
- Today – devotions
- Editor – notes editor
- Resources – download books
The simple interface makes Bible study easy. I like the popup references and the intuitive interface that makes learning how to use e-Sword HD easy. I’d like to see a dual pane view so that I can open a Bible on one side and a commentary or notes editor on the other side.
Evaluation
For an initial release, e-Sword did a great job of bringing their excellent free desktop program to the iPad. Unfortunately, it’s not free. Users must pay $4.99 for the app, which is expensive compared to other Bible apps that give the basic app to users for free or a buck and then charge for books. e-Sword differs from other free Bible apps because the user already gets a lot of great public domain and copyrighted content for free that other apps charge far more than $5 to use.
