When I read Scripture, I much prefer reading off the printed page from a Bible that I can hold in my hands, feel the weight, finger the pages, and take my time. But when I’m online and want to quote Scripture in a blog article, or need to double check a reference for a sermon, I often turn to BibleGateway.com as a free and easy-to-use source for online Bible translations.
I’ve already reviewed Bible Gateway’s free Bible audio app, and today I’m happy to review the newly designed Bible Gateway website.
Since Facebook rolled out its latest re-design, I keep seeing the same comment over and over from friends: “I hate the new Facebook.” Some find it confusing or ugly or both. In contrast the Bible Gateway re-design has made its website even easier to use and looks great. The website now automatically adjusts to various devices and screen sizes so there’s no more need to scroll from side to side. A menu for study tools, devotionals, and other extras now appears in a handy sidebar. And if you prefer the Classic site, you can choose to use it instead.
The main page still features the search box for a Bible passage, keyword, or topic with a drop down menu of Bible translations to choose from. I’m glad that’s stayed the same, since it’s the Bible Gateway feature I use most often. Below the search box, there’s a new Bible book list that gives a chapter-by-chapter summary that can help narrow down a search. When I’m on my laptop, the right side of the screen shows introductory material for each book of the Bible with room for note-taking.
For writers and for anyone interested in reading and studying Scripture, Bible Gateway is an excellent go-to resource. While I mainly use it for quick reference, the website offers much more:
Create a free account, and you’ll be able to save your notes, sync them across your devices, and take advantage of Bible reading plans and other features.
Join Bible Gateway Plus, and you’ll gain access to digital Bible study resources from Zondervan Publishing, which owns Bible Gateway. There’s a 30-day free trial before the fees begin.
For more information, see the Tips for Navigating the New Bible Gateway Website.
Writing/Reflection Prompt: Do you read Scripture from a printed book or in digital format? Which do you prefer and why?
Disclosure: I’m a #BibleGatewayPartner which means my blog is part of the Bible Gateway Blogger Grid, and I link Bible verse references on my website to the Bible Gateway website. At the same time, the choice to review and any opinions expressed are my own and freely given.
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April Yamasaki 
Hi, April. It’s been a while that I’ve connected with you. I hope you are doing well and comfortable in your new niche.
Like you, I prefer my well-thumbed and annotated Bible to Bible Gateway, but when I’m hard-pressed to remember a scriptural reference, just putting a word or two into the “Search” yields good results. 🙂
Hi Marian – yes, it’s been a while, and it’s good to see you here. I’m actually amazed at how much my writing and speaking has moved online, such that it almost seems “normal”! I suspect there are a lot of us who prefer to read Scripture from the printed page, but appreciate the online search feature. Sending good thoughts your way and trust you are also keeping well.
🙂
April, I too enjoy reading from my well-annotated (by me) Bible to online reading but for references to Scripture, Bible Gateway has been my go-to site for that purpose. I always like a redesign that doesn’t touch my favorite bit. And I’m learning to like the new Facebook design!
With the Bible Gateway redesign, I feel the same way, Sherrey: “I always like a redesign that doesn’t touch my favorite bit.” But I also know that some redesigns are necessary and bring improvements. That’s why I recently redesigned my When You Work for the Church website–in part because the underlying theme was no longer being offered and in part to improve my site’s appearance on mobile devices. I like the new design better and hope that my readers do too.
Thanks for alerting me to some new features at Bible Gateway–a long time user as well. (And yes, still getting used to the FB redesign and also the WordPress redesign.) I want to check out your new look on your other website.
Blessings!
Good to see you here, Melodie! I hope you like the new look on WhenYouWorkfortheChurch.com. For the way I use Facebook, the new design hasn’t made a huge difference, although since my profile photo is now in the centre, I did change my cover photo. I thought it was about time I changed it anyway. And so far I’ve been mainly sticking with the WordPress classic editor since I know enough html to use the text editor, and the new block editor preview usually gives me an error page. Must be a glitch on my site, but I haven’t taken the time to contact WordPress about that.