The Word Biblical Commentary (WBC) is now available in the Bible Study app. We couldn’t be more excited to offer this outstanding commentary set to our users. I spoke with the content craftsman who formatted the WBC, Matthew Jonas, and asked him to talk a little about WBC and how it can best be used in the Bible Study App. He gave me a lot of great information, and I thought I’d pass it along to you here.

A Long History of Excellence

WBC currently contains 59 volumes and has been in progress since 1977. Written from an evangelical perspective, WBC strives to uphold the ideas of the Scripture as divine and revelation, and the truth and power of the Gospel message.  All of the volumes were originally written in English, but are based on the original Greek, Hebrew, or Aramaic texts of the books they cover.  Each author was required to provide his own English translation for each passage, which always forms the first sub-section in each section of the commentary.

Using the WBC in the Bible Study App

If you saw our last article on WBC you will know that this is a hefty commentary series. Because of the vast information included in WBC, it presents some challenges for usage in a mobile platform. Each section of commentary in WBC (covering a range of verses) is further divided into a number of sub-sections which each approach the entire set of verses from different perspectives like “Bibliography”, “Translation” and more. As I mentioned before, each of these sub-sections covers the entire range of verses for the section.  If we were to attach a Bible verse location to all of them, there would be no way to distinguish in the verse chooser between the sub-sections and you’d be given multiple results for every location.

To avoid this problem, only the translation section is tied to a Bible verse location.  This means that if you select a verse in the verse chooser, you will be taken to that verse in the translation sub-section of the appropriate section in the commentary.

Why the Resource Guide Makes WBC Even More Awesome

The best way to use WBC in the Bible Study app is with the Resource Guide.  Each of the sub-sections has been individually tagged based on content, meaning that if you have a particular Bible passage open in the main window, the Resource Guide will display the commentary notes for that passage in the WBC for each of the subsections. Using it like this with the Resource Guide like this makes it easy to drill down to one sub-section, then jump back up quickly and then back down to another sub-section on the same passage.

More Tips for Using WBC

When using WBC in your main window, you have the option to switch the Go To menu from grid view to list view. The list view will give you access to the full table of contents as outlined in the table of contents at the beginning of each printed volume. This is the recommended method of navigating from point to point in our version of WBC.

One more note on the WBC, if you have your main window and split window set up to track along with each other, moving the text in the other window will take you back to beginning of that section in the commentary.  You can turn off the setting that sets windows to follow one another, which is recommended when using the WBC alongside another text.

Thanks Matt! If you missed out on the great savings we offered on WBC a couple of weeks ago (it was only $299.99 for this incredible set!), keep your eyes out. We are going to be running some great promotions during Christmas and a little birdy told me that WBC might just go on sale again.

This year, I thought it would be fun to ask around the Olive Tree office to see what our team is thankful for this holiday season. I asked my team members to tell me one serious thing and one not so serious thing that they are grateful to have in their life.

Daniel’s newborn girl: Constance Micah Scott

Here’s what they said:

• “I’m thankful for my healthy, beautiful baby.” (Shown above, she was born on 11/20/12 at 1:27am!)
• “I’m thankful for COFFEE! I’ve had about 5 hrs of sleep this week!”

• “I’m thankful to have the opportunity to work for a company that helps people study the Word of God.”
• “I’m thankful for heated car seats in the Winter!”

• “I am thankful I live in a country where basic necessities exist in abundance.”
• “I am thankful for coffee, as I am sure that there is more coffee than blood coursing through my veins.”

• “Well I am thankful for what Jesus did for us, and I am thankful for everything He has given me that I do not deserve.”
• I am especially thankful for opposable thumbs. Can you image what life would be like without them? How would we hit the space bar on the keyboard? Everthingwouldlooklikethisinsteadofnicelyspacedout!”

• “I’m thankful for my kids and watching as they grow up, more of their personalities come out. It’s like watching a mystery story unfold: who did God make these people to be?”
• “I’m thankful for my mother-in-law’s cheesecake.”

• “I’m thankful that God frequently reminds me that he is always with me (because I easily forget).”
• “I’m thankful for how beautiful the inland northwest is, even when it’s raining all the time.”

• “I’m thankful that God has always provided for my basic needs… clean water, food, shelter, etc. A lot of people in the world right now do not have that.”
• “I’m thankful for Thanksgiving leftovers. And because of them, not having to prepare lunches for a week or so after thanksgiving.”

• “I am thankful to the Lord for all He has done. God has done so much for us. He created us. He sent His son to save and redeem us. God gave us life and breath. He gave us joy and happiness (and some sorrow).”
• “I am thankful for our wonderful Olive Tree users, publisher partners, authors and team members.”

• “I am thankful for the users who patiently work through issues with the app so they can persevere with their study of God’s Word.”
• “I am also thankful for car window defrosters.”

• “First, I am thankful for second chances.”
• “Second, I am thankful that the letters L and R have worn off my earbuds and I can now feel free to put them in any ear I please.”

And finally, I’m thankful for having family close so that I can spend time with them all year long, and I’m thankful for slip-on shoes, because who has time for laces?

I hope this inspired you as it did me, to reflect and thank God for the many blessings He’s given you. Let us know what you are thankful for, serious or silly, in the comments.

We thought you might like to see the Olive Tree app in action. Keith, an Olive Tree engineer, put together a step-by-step guide for preparing a Sunday school lesson on the Bible Study app for Windows 7. Here’s Keith:

“I’ve been preparing Sunday school lessons on the “Lord’s Prayer”-Matt 6:9-13, and next Sunday’s lesson is on Matthew 6:11: Give us today our daily bread.”

“With the ESV Bible open in my Windows 7 Bible Study app, I type Matt 6:9 in the search bar in the upper right corner of the window and press enter. This takes me to this passage in the main window.”

“I’d like to make some text from this passage be my lesson title, so I highlight “Give us today our daily bread” in the Bible window and right click the highlight. This displays a menu from which I click “Copy” and now I can paste the text into my word program.”

“I want to know more about the word “bread” in the Matthew passage, so I right click on “bread” in the text which highlights the word and displays a menu with various search options. I select “Look up bread” from the menu.”

“From “Look up bread,” a list of articles, notes, images, etc. about “bread” will appear. I choose Easton’s Dictionary of the Bible from the “Articles,” which gives me a great article with some background information. I highlight the first two paragraphs in the pop-up window and right-click/copy/paste the section into my lesson document. Here’s what I find in the Easton’s Bible Dictionary:”

Bread–

Among the Jews was generally made of wheat (Ex 29: 2 Judg 6: 19), though also sometimes of other grains (Gen 14: 18; Judg 7: 13). Parched grain was sometimes used for food without any other preparation (Ruth 2: 14).

Bread was prepared by kneading in wooden bowls or “kneading troughs” (Gen 18: 6 Ex 12: 34; Jer 7: 18).

“The term “daily bread” reminds me of “manna,” so I look up manna by typing it into the search bar and hitting enter. In the right window, I now see headings that guide me to topics, articles, Bibles, images, charts, all about “manna”. I can simply click on a result to go to any of the articles and Bible passages that pique my interest. In “Search results in Open Books,” I choose the Bible I’m using for study to see a list of every time “manna” is mentioned in the Bible. I highlight and copy the verses I want to paste into my lesson plan.”

“But what does the word “manna” mean in the original Greek and Hebrew? I go back to my search results for manna and scroll to the “Search results in Dictionaries” to select Olive Tree’s “Enhanced Strong’s Dictionary” that comes with Strong’s numbered Bibles. Now I have information about manna in Hebrew and Greek:”

h4478. מנ man; from 4100; literally, a whatness (so to speak), i. e. manna (so called from the question about it): — manna.

AV (14)- manna 14;

manna the bread from Heaven that fed the Israelites for 40 years of wilderness wanderings means ‘ What is it?’

“Olive Tree has many original language reference works available, including many Bibles with Strong’s definitions that are tied to the words in the biblical text. In a Strong’s numbered Bible you can click the word “bread” and the Strong’s definition pops up with further options for searching deeper into the word right in the popup.”

“With this research under my belt, I’m well on my way to bringing an excellent and thought-provoking lesson to my Sunday School class.”

Thanks Keith! That was only an introduction to the basics of how the Bible Study app can help you prepare for Bible studies, Sunday School classes, sermons, and more. Subscribe to our blog or follow us on Facebook and Twitter to stay on top of all the latest updates and news for the Bible Study app.

This blog is a re-post from the best of 2011 Olive Tree blogs.

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In the Bible Study app, there are three easy ways to use a Bible dictionary:

Table of Contents

The simplest way to use a Bible dictionary is with the table of contents. Open your dictionary in the main window and tap on “Go To” to pull up the table of contents. If you know what you are looking for just scan through the alphabet to find it.

While this may be the traditional way to use a dictionary, in the Bible Study app there are two other ways to use a Bible dictionary that are much cooler.

Resource Guide

Open the Bible in your main window and the Resource Guide in the split window. The Resource Guide has three sections called People, Places and Topics that generate results based on the Scripture you’re reading. These sections will update with new related items as you read through the Bible. Select one of the People, Places or Topics to do a quick search in your dictionaries for any entries.

                                         Click on the thumbnails to see the full image.

Reading in Acts 10, I can tap on Caesarea from the Places section in the Resource Guide and pull open an article from my Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary on the city in the split window. I don’t have to close my Bible at all, I can read the two side-by-side.

Look Up

My favorite way to use a Bible dictionary is to the leverage the Look Up function in the Bible Study app. When I come to a word or name that I don’t recognize and want to find a quick definition I simply tap and highlight the word and select “Look Up.”

The Look Up function will search my library for dictionaries that contain that entry. I don’t have to pull open a dictionary or search through an index to find a definition. The Look Up feature will pull up the definition in a pop-up window, so all I have to do is tap off to the side to close the pop-up. In this way, I can quickly get back to my Bible reading with little interruption.

I would highly recommend getting a Bible dictionary if you don’t already have one. In the examples above, I am using the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary which is currently half price. There are many other dictionaries to choose from on our Olive Tree store. Head to OliveTree.com to check them out!

Isaiah spoke these words to the exiled Israelites as he proclaimed the good news that there would be an end to their plight, that the their “warfare is ended and iniquity is pardoned,” and that the “glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.” (Isaiah 40:1-5)

Peter repeats these words and exhorts the early Christians to “love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God.” (1 Peter 1:22-25)

A good reminder, especially as we debate over politics, gawk at the latest gadgets, and go about our busy days. In the end all of it will fade, but God’s Word remains forever.

Microsoft will also debut its Windows RT operating system which looks and functions like Windows 8, but is not in fact the same thing. Windows RT is essentially a “lite” version of Windows 8 meant to run smoothly and conserve battery life on the new Windows tablets like the Surface. I’ll spare you the exact details of the differences between these two separate systems and just send you here if you are interested in learning more about it: Windows 8 vs. Windows RT: It matters. Let’s explain.

Olive Tree’s Windows Apps

With the variety of devices and computers floating around out there running a variety of Windows operating systems, I want to clarify a few things about the Olive Tree Windows apps.

Windows 7

We have a full-featured Olive Tree Bible Study app available for computers running Windows 7. You can download it by visiting our website at https://www.olivetree.com/pc/ and clicking on the “PC Download Now” icon. This app includes features like highlighting, the Resource Guide, and supports a majority of the titles available from the Olive Tree store.

Windows 8

There is an Olive Tree app called Bible+ available for Windows 8. The Windows 8 app is a much simpler version of our Bible Study app. That being said, our Windows 8 app features some cool functions like the Search Charm and a smooth design. We will be building up this platform in the future, but for now the Windows 8 app does not offer highlighting, note-taking, sync, or the Resource Guide and has a limited number of titles available for purchase and download.  It is important to note that Windows 8 currently runs legacy applications from Windows 7, which means that you will be able to download and install the Windows 7 version of the Olive Tree Bible Study app onto your Windows 8 device.

Windows RT

We now have an app available for Windows RT. The Olive Tree Bible Study app for Windows RT is the same as the Windows 8 app and has the same features and limitations. Please be patient with us as we work to build and develop our app for these new platforms.

Windows Phone

We do not currently offer a Bible Study app for Windows Phone, but we are still seriously considering building for this platform. We will announce any new developments in this area as we learn more about the way the different Windows operating systems work together.

What This Means for You

If you have one of the older devices I mentioned or you’re still running iOS 3 or 4, you will not be able to update to the newest versions of our app. You should also be very careful when syncing your older device to iTunes that you do not update your Olive Tree app inside iTunes. Updating the app and syncing it to your older device through iTunes will delete the app off of your older device. If you have multiple devices, you will no longer be able to sync with your older device. You should still be able to run the app on your device and keep your current library, but any new features will not be available.

The Good News

You can still use the Olive Tree app as long as you don’t update or sync your app through iTunes. But the really good news is that Olive Tree is working on some really exciting updates to the Bible Study app. With the 5.2 release, we have revamped our in-app store and done a lot of work in the background to pave the way for features like reading plan sync and automatic downloads. We’ve done our best to continue supporting older devices with older tools, but now we can focus on the up and coming features that are going to make our app the best possible app for Bible study.

I’m generally not a very patient person and I find that I get less and less patient while standing in line for something. I realized that my impatience was becoming a problem when I found myself diving in and out of lines at the grocery store trying to find the fastest. This ultimately backfired because, as I’m sure you know, there is a law of physics that says the second you step out of a line at the grocery store it immediately speeds up as all the others come crawling to a stop.

My grocery store shenanigans quickly revealed my problem with impatience and so I began looking for a cure. Luckily the cure turned out to be rather simple. I have the Bible Study App on my smartphone, and I carry my phone with me everywhere. I even sleep with it…but that’s a discussion for another time. As I wait in line now, instead of glaring holes into the back of the person’s head in line ahead of me who just pulled out thirty coupons, I pull out my phone and open the Bible Study App. I usually open one of the devotionals in my Olive Tree library. Devotional entries are usually short and depending on the line length I can get through a couple entries. Also devotionals usually include encouraging and admonishing words that calm me down as the cashier calls for the manager to resolve the thirty-coupon issue.

If you have a similar distaste for waiting in line, I recommend you check out Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening Devotional and Streams in the Desert. While I still don’t love waiting in line, I find that I am not bothered by added delays because I get to spend more time reading and contemplating God’s Word.

Do you have a trick to make waiting in line more enjoyable? Please share it in the comments.

In the last year you’ve probably read or seen something in the news about marriage: a new study showing a decrease in the marriage rate, a movie glorifying an affair, a splashy celebrity divorce. Maybe it’s my pessimism talking, but most of the stuff I’ve seen on marriage hasn’t been positive. By the time I was approaching my own wedding, all of the talk and images surrounding marriage left me terrified and depressed. How could anyone get married and stay married, and why would they want to? Going into premarital counseling, I had this idea that marriage was going to be hard, horrible at times, and the biggest trial of my life, and I know I didn’t come up with those thoughts on my own.

I’ve seen marriages succeed. My parents are nearing the 40-year mark and my grandparents are getting close to 65 years together. I’ve got some great role models, but sadly I have just as many, if not more, friends and family members whose marriages have failed. Early in my twenties I watched my pastor fall prey to an adulterous relationship that eventually ended in the ruin of a marriage. In the months leading up to my wedding I watched as a close family member’s marriage disintegrated. As I tucked myself in at night, my thoughts were consumed with the things I had heard from the media, friends, and family about marriage. It all made me want to run screaming in the opposite direction of the aisle.

I’m so glad I didn’t.

Maybe I’m still in the honeymoon phase and speaking out of turn here, but I think more of us need to stand up and add some positive talk to the marriage discussion. Is your marriage amazing? Tell someone. I wish more people had told me how great marriage could be instead of how hard it would be and how much work it would take. I know it will take work. I’ve seen far too many marriages end badly to believe that it’s going to be easy.

I love my husband. The fact that he puts up with my selfishness, pessimism and taste in music is a miracle. I truly believe marriage is a miracle. God gave us this beautiful relationship as a picture of Christ and the Church and it is time we started showing it off to the world. In John Piper’s This Momentary Marriage, Piper says it like this:

Marriage is patterned after Christ’s covenant relationship to his redeemed people, the church. And therefore, the highest meaning and the most ultimate purpose of marriage is to put the covenant relationship of Christ and his church on display.

Do you have an amazing husband or wife? Are you amazed every day that they choose to love you? Please share your story, it could be the only positive voice a couple hears in a sea of negative marriage talk. Leave us a comment below and let us know why your marriage is amazing.