Explore four Bible apps offering study notes, edition trials and commentary.
Notes, articles, introductions and commentary are the four kinds of help gathered in this selection. The Lutheran Study Bible includes ESV notes and articles, while Deep Study Bible Commentary describes a pane for commentary in its iPhone listing.
The selection includes a Lutheran study Bible, a set of NIV study editions, an app built around classic commentaries and a study Bible whose authors describe its notes as many years of work. All have Android and iPhone listings.
Study Bible apps with notes on the text
1. The Lutheran Study Bible
Concordia Publishing House’s The Lutheran Study Bible contains the full ESV text and notes written by Lutheran theologians and pastors. The app also provides articles, maps and introductions to biblical books.
Cross-references numbering in the thousands sit inside the text, with links to the articles, and you can search by a verse, a word or a subject. Personal notes, highlighting and saved verses stay in the app. The App Store describes these as premium features under a subscription with a free trial, and Google Play shows purchases too.
Advantages:
- Notes written from a Lutheran perspective.
- Maps, articles and introductions to the books.
- Searches by verse, word or subject.
2. NIV Bible
NIV Bible is presented by Biblica and Zondervan. Its Android listing offers streaming and downloading of the complete NIV text; the iPhone entry makes access to the NIV, NIrV and Spanish NVI conditional on creating an account.
Popular NIV editions can be tried for a limited period; the iPhone listing names the NIV Study Bible, the NIV Application Bible and the NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible among them. Purchases are offered inside the app on Android and iPhone.
Advantages:
- The full NIV text for reading and download.
- Several NIV study editions to try.
- Related translations on iPhone.
3. Deep Study Bible Commentary
Deep Study Bible Commentary, by Codey Tullos, opens commentary in a pane beside the verse. The iPhone listing names Matthew Henry, Adam Clarke, Barnes’ Notes, Wesley’s Notes and Scofield’s Reference Notes, and tapping a word of the Berean Study Bible text brings up its Strong’s entry.
Tapping a cross-reference shows it in a small pop-up, translations can be compared, and a journal accepts text, photos and voice notes. Reading streaks and widgets support a daily habit, and the app works offline. On Google Play it is listed as Bible Commentary; both store entries list in-app purchases.
Advantages:
- Classic commentaries next to the text.
- Strong’s entries from any tagged word.
- A journal with voice notes.
4. The Pastors Study Bible
The Pastors Study Bible, from Grace Ministries and Dusty Sandals on Android, combines the full Old and New Testaments with study notes intended to explain what the text itself says. Cross-references are scattered through the notes, and the book ends with a concise concordance.
The iPhone listing describes bookmarks, highlights, personal notes and word search, along with a verse of the day, a night mode and a tool for making verse wallpapers. The Pastors Study Bible has no in-app purchases listed on either platform. Google Play additionally marks it as having no adverts.
Advantages:
- Study notes across the whole Bible.
- References and a short concordance.
- Night mode and verse wallpapers.
Choosing a study Bible app
The Lutheran Study Bible supplies Lutheran notes and articles. NIV Bible provides trial access to NIV study editions. Deep Study Bible Commentary combines older commentaries with Strong’s lookups from the Berean Study Bible. The Pastors Study Bible includes notes and references; neither listing records in-app purchases. To keep studying, use the four links placed above this article: free university and seminary Bible courses, apps that fit Bible reading and listening into everyday life, music apps for worship songs and gospel, and games for learning verses and stories.
