Get started with Verbum for free!

Getting access to Verbum for free has never been easier. Simply open the app, whether on desktop, mobile, or the web, and sign-in with your free Verbum account to automatically unlock the app. Then, anytime you open the app in a different language or a different brand (Logos/Verbum), the free version will also be unlocked. If you don't already have Verbum, you can download it at verbum.com

In this article, we'll demonstrate using the web app.

Note: You can access the web app without signing in, but signing in with a free account unlocks many of the features discussed below.

By default, Verbum opens to the Dashboard, where you can access your workflows, prayer lists, and reading plans as well as browse up-to-date Bible study content, and more. You can customize how this content displays by clicking the settings icon which allows you to select the number of columns for your display as well as to refresh the Get Started section. 

Customize Display With The Settings Icons

 

You can return to this screen from anywhere in Verbum by clicking the Dashboard icon .

Note: Anytime you want to clear your workspace, you may do so by clicking the Close all icon on the toolbar. When you close panels in this way, they will return to the last place you were when you open them again.

Learn more about the Dashboard

What do you want to do?

 

 

  • Layouts

  •  

    Choosing a Layout opens a set of resources and tools in a predetermined arrangement.

     

    1. From the Dashboard, click the plus icon . From here, you can choose a resource or a Layout that you would like to add to your Get Started section.
    2. Select a option (such as Bible and Commentary) and click Add.
      Select Bible And Commentary
    3. Click the Layout's card on the Dashboard to open it.
    4. Type the Scripture reference you would like to read in the reference box. Because these resources are linked together, you only need to enter the reference in one of the boxes.
      Link Sets

      Note: Entering the book name and chapter will open the Bible to verse 1 of that chapter. When entering a reference, Verbum recognizes multiple formats.

      For example:

      • John 1:1
      • jn 1 1
      • See the complete list of recognized abbreviations here.

     

    Learn about Desktop Layouts

     

  • Choosing a Devotional or Lectionary

  •  

    1. From the Get Started section, click the plus icon .
    2. Select Daily Devotional or Lectionary to open a window that allows you to choose an available devotional or lectionary. Then, click Add. Once you select a resource, a new card will be added to the Get Started section.
    3. Click the card to open the devotional or lectionary to today’s reading. Hovering over any Scripture reference in this panel opens a window showing the full text.
    4. Click a Scripture reference to open a panel in your preferred Bible. Learn how to change your preferred Bible here.
      Set as Top Bible
    5. You may arrange the cards in the Get Started section by dragging and dropping them into your preferred order, or you may remove a card by clicking the ellipsis in the upper right-hand corner of the card and clicking Remove card.

       

  • Information and Context Menu

  •  

    You can reveal a wealth of information in Verbum by clicking the Tools icon Tools icon and selecting Information Info icon. This is especially helpful when studying a passage of Scripture. Simply click or hover over a word to reveal its definition, popular English translations, original language information, and more.
    Information Panel

     

    Most of this information is also available by right-clicking a term, which opens the Context menu. Here Verbum lists different kinds of information about the term in the left column along with a set of actions you can perform on the right.
    Context Menu

     

  • Library

  •  

    To browse your available books or open a specific one, click the Library icon  on the main navigation bar. You can search your Library by entering all or part of the title or author in the search bar.

     

    1. To locate a resource by title, enter the title in the search bar (e.g., Easton’s Bible Dictionary); then click the title link to open the resource in a new panel.
    2. You can also find works by a particular author by entering the word “author”, followed by a colon and the author’s name (author:heiser). Click a book's title to open it in a new panel.
    3. You can also use the Library filter panel on the left to explore your library and find books by attributes like subject, type, author, or publisher. To find all of your New Testament commentaries, for example, select Bible N.T. from the Subject filter options, then scroll to the Type filter and select Commentaries.
      Use Filters To Narrow Library Results

       

      If there’s a book you access often, you can create a button for it on the shortcuts bar by dragging and dropping.
      Add a Shortcut

       

      Now, you only need to click the button whenever you want to open the book or execute the command.

       

    Learn more about using the Library

     

  • Notes

  •  

    Easily document and collect observations while you research and read using the Notes tool. Notes can be organized in notebooks, allowing you to both record and organize your thoughts and then recall what you’ve learned with faceted searching.

     

    1. Verbum provides several ways to quickly add notes to the text of your books. You can select text and click the Notes icon Notes icon in the selection menu, right-clicking a word or selection to open the context menu, or click Add note on the Notes tab of the resource toolbar.
      Add note
    2. Once the note has been created, you may add tags, which are keywords or phrases that you can use in searches to find the note again as well as to link it with other notes.
      Add tags

       

      You can access all your notes by clicking Notes icon Notes on the main navigation bar. (On the desktop app, click the Tools icon Tools icon and select Notes.)

      Note: Whenever you highlight a word or passage in a resource, Verbum automatically stores these highlights in Notes.

       

    Learn more about the Notes Tool

     

 

This section orients you to some opening steps and features to launch you to a deeper study of God’s Word.

 

  • Workflows

  •  

    A quick way to begin a guided study is by opening a Workflow – a predetermined framework that guides you through a study and directs you to the relevant resources in your Library at the appropriate stages of your study.

     

    1. Click Guides icon Guided study on the main navigation bar.
    2. Select the Lectio Divina workflow.
    3. Enter the passage you want to study, and Verbum will generate your study outline.
      Lectio Divina

       

    Verbum automatically saves each Workflow. You can access each one quickly by returning to the Dashboard. Click the Settings icon and select Refresh. This adds a card with your saved Workflow to the Get Started section. Click the card to reopen your saved Workflow where you left off.

     

    Learn more about Workflows

     

  • Original Language Study

  •  

    Verbum gives you access to the original languages through interlinear Bibles. Reverse interlinears use Bibles like the Lexham English Bible (LEB) to reveal the original language behind the English text. Unlike a traditional interlinear Bible, reverse interlinear Bibles display an English translation with the corresponding Greek and Hebrew words placed below (and out of their original order).

     

    1. In an open Bible window, click Interlinear on the View tab.
    2. Click the slider at the top to toggle Interlinear view on.
    3. With the Interlinear menu open, choose which options to display by ticking the relevant boxes for:

      Reverse Interlinear

      • Its manuscript form in the original language and/or transliterated form,
      • Its lemma (or dictionary) form of the word in its original language and/or transliterated form,
      • Its root in the original language and/or in transliterated form,
      • Morphological data for the word
      • Strong’s and/or Louw-Nida Numbers
      • Its sense.

     

    Learn more about Interlinears

     

  • Information and Context Menu

  •  

    You can reveal a wealth of information in Verbum by clicking the Tools icon Tools icon and selecting Information Info icon. This is especially helpful when studying a passage of Scripture. Simply click or hover over a word to reveal its definition, popular English translations, original language information, and more.
    Information Panel

     

    Most of this information is also available by right-clicking a term, which opens the Context menu. Here Verbum lists different kinds of information about the term in the left column along with a set of actions you can perform on the right.
    Context Menu

     

  • Layouts

  •  

    Choosing a Layout opens a set of resources and tools in a predetermined arrangement.

     

    1. From the Dashboard, click the plus icon . From here, you can choose a resource or a Layout that you would like to add to your Get Started section.
    2. Select a option (such as Bible and Commentary) and click Add.
      Select Bible And Commentary
    3. Click the Layout's card on the Dashboard to open it.
    4. Type the Scripture reference you would like to read in the reference box. Because these resources are linked together, you only need to enter the reference in one of the boxes.
      Link Sets

      Note: Entering the book name and chapter will open the Bible to verse 1 of that chapter. When entering a reference, Verbum recognizes multiple formats.

      For example:

      • John 1:1
      • jn 1 1
      • See the complete list of recognized abbreviations here.

     

    Learn about Desktop Layouts

     

  • Guides

  •  

    Another option for beginning a study is through the use of Guides. Click Guides icon Guided study where you can create specialized reports for different kinds of information. For instance, to see everything your Library has to say on a Bible passage:

     

    1. Open the Passage Guide.
    2. Type the reference you’re studying, and press Enter.
    3. In the Guide, Verbum queues all of your resources discussing this text, such as commentaries, journal articles, cross-references from the Bible, other ancient literature, and more.

      Passage Guide

     

    Each Guide serves a particular function:
    • Passage Guides are meant for in-depth study of Bible passages.
    • Exegetical and Bible Word Study Guides provide information on the original languages.
    • Sermon Starter Guides help with preaching outlines and illustrations.

     

    Learn more about Guides

     

  • Link Sets

  •  

    Often it is helpful for multiple resources to work together in tandem (like a Bible and commentary or lexicon). You can easily control whether panels in Verbum scroll together or independently of each other using Link Sets. Assign two or more resources to the same Link Set or assign tools to follow an open panel.

     

    1. Open the books and tools you want to link.
    2. In both panels, click Link set from the Home tab and choose the same letter.
      Link Sets

     

    Open resources that share a Link set letter will scroll together.

     

    Learn more about Link Sets

     

  • Searching

  •  

    Verbum Search helps you find words and phrases in your books. This panel shows different kinds of searches (All, Bible, Books, Factbook, and more).
    Search Panel

     

    All search scans through books and tools for the term you enter. Bible search focuses only on Bible verses, while Books search finds terms throughout your Library.

     

    Learn more about Searches

  • Factbook

  •  

    Whether you’re looking for more detail about biblical people and places, background on significant historical events, or insight into a theological topic, the Factbook will get you started. The Factbook is one of the most powerful features of Verbum, and it makes almost any biblical or theological term easily searchable.

     

    1. Click Factbook icon on the toolbar.
    2. Enter the name of a person, place, thing, event, or topic into the search field and press Enter.
      Factbook Result

     

    Alternatively, you can also access the Factbook from the Context Menu. Simply right-click what you want to look up. Words with existing Factbook tags display a label in the left-hand column. Click the label to expand options in the right-hand column. Click Factbook to open the entry for your chosen word.

    Factbook from Context Menu

     

    Open Factbook in Verbum

     

  • Notes

  •  

    Easily document and collect observations while you research and read using the Notes tool. Notes can be organized in notebooks, allowing you to both record and organize your thoughts and then recall what you’ve learned with faceted searching.

     

    1. Verbum provides several ways to quickly add notes to the text of your books. You can select text and click the Notes icon Notes icon in the selection menu, right-clicking a word or selection to open the context menu, or click Add note on the Notes tab of the resource toolbar.
      Add note
    2. Once the note has been created, you may add tags, which are keywords or phrases that you can use in searches to find the note again as well as to link it with other notes.
      Add tags

       

      You can access all your notes by clicking Notes icon Notes on the main navigation bar. (On the desktop app, click the Tools icon Tools icon and select Notes.)

      Note: Whenever you highlight a word or passage in a resource, Verbum automatically stores these highlights in Notes.

       

    Learn more about the Notes Tool

     

 

  • Guides

  •  

    Another option for beginning a study is through the use of Guides. Click Guides icon Guided study where you can create specialized reports for different kinds of information. For instance, to see everything your Library has to say on a Bible passage:

     

    1. Open the Passage Guide.
    2. Type the reference you’re studying, and press Enter.
    3. In the Guide, Verbum queues all of your resources discussing this text, such as commentaries, journal articles, cross-references from the Bible, other ancient literature, and more.

      Passage Guide

     

    Each Guide serves a particular function:
    • Passage Guides are meant for in-depth study of Bible passages.
    • Exegetical and Bible Word Study Guides provide information on the original languages.
    • Sermon Starter Guides help with preaching outlines and illustrations.

     

    Learn more about Guides

     

  • Notes

  •  

    Easily document and collect observations while you research and read using the Notes tool. Notes can be organized in notebooks, allowing you to both record and organize your thoughts and then recall what you’ve learned with faceted searching.

     

    1. Verbum provides several ways to quickly add notes to the text of your books. You can select text and click the Notes icon Notes icon in the selection menu, right-clicking a word or selection to open the context menu, or click Add note on the Notes tab of the resource toolbar.
      Add note
    2. Once the note has been created, you may add tags, which are keywords or phrases that you can use in searches to find the note again as well as to link it with other notes.
      Add tags

       

      You can access all your notes by clicking Notes icon Notes on the main navigation bar. (On the desktop app, click the Tools icon Tools icon and select Notes.)

      Note: Whenever you highlight a word or passage in a resource, Verbum automatically stores these highlights in Notes.

       

    Learn more about the Notes Tool

     

  • Media Tool

  •  

    Content such as Scripture passages or other media can easily be copied to the clipboard and made available to paste in another document (like Microsoft Word or PowerPoint). Open the Media Tool by clicking Tools icon Tools > Media icon Media. From here, you can view, search, and export media elements for presentations.
    Media Tool

     

    Learn more about the Media Tool

     

  • Exporting and Sharing

  •  

    When you copy a passage from a resource in Verbum and paste it in another document such as Microsoft Word, a footnote is automatically created. Notes and/or other sections can be exported to social media, email, or Faithlife.com.

     

    1. Open the Share tab on the resource toolbar.
    2. Select the text you wish to share and click Link (New in L9) icon Copy link.
    3. You can also create a Media file that can be exported to PowerPoint or Proclaim by choosing Media icon Create slides.

      Copy link and Create slides

 

In addition to articles and videos on the topics discussed above, the Verbum Help Center features training resources on a variety of other topics designed to help you get the most out of Verbum.

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