Getting started
Install the app, pick a translation, and learn what lives behind each button on the home screen.
Install
Lamp Bible is a free download on the App Store. There is nothing to sign up for and nothing to buy. The first launch unpacks the bundled module database onto the device, which takes a few seconds; after that the entire library works with no network connection.
The home screen
Lamp Bible opens on today: the readings from the plans you follow, with a date at the top to step through the days. Everything else is a button along the bottom of the screen.
| Button | What it is for |
|---|---|
| Read | The reader itself — passage text, highlighting, the tool panel and word lookups. See The reader. |
| Search | One search box across every installed module. See Search. |
| Books | Long-form books you have installed. See Books. |
| Write | Your devotionals, studies and reflections. See Devotionals. |
| Settings | Sync, the module manager, translation and lexicon preferences, reading rate, read aloud and reminders. |
The readings themselves are covered in Reading plans.
Choose your translation
The reader opens on the Berean Standard Bible with Strong’s tagging (BSBs) by default. To switch, tap the title at the top of the reader and use the translation menu above the list of books; to change the default, go to Settings → Modules → Settings.
Translations whose identifier ends in s — BSBs, ASVs, WEBs and KJVs — carry Strong’s numbers on individual words. In those translations you can tap a word to open its lexicon entry. Translations without tagging read perfectly well but have no word-level lookups.
If you never use some of the bundled translations, hide them in the same settings screen rather than deleting anything. Hidden translations disappear from the picker but stay installed. If you own another Bible as a file, you can import it.
Set your reading pace
Reading plans estimate how long today’s portion will take. That estimate comes from a words-per-minute figure in Settings, which defaults to 183 wpm — roughly the average adult rate for reading aloud. A preset sets the silent-reading average instead, or you can set the number yourself. The same figure sets the pace of read aloud.
Decide where your work lives
Before you write much, go to Settings and choose a sync method. The options are local-only, iCloud Drive, or a WebDAV server of your own. Switching later is supported and the app will offer to bring your library with it, but making the choice up front saves a step. See Sync & backup.
A first pass through the app
- On the home screen, tap Add under Plans and choose a reading plan.
- Tap Start Reading, or open Read and tap the title to choose a book and chapter.
- Tap a word with a Strong’s number to see the lexicon entry, then swipe to the same word in the other lexicons.
- Select a phrase and choose Highlight. Long-press a colour to give it a name, so it means something later.
- Choose Show Tools from the reader’s menu, switch the panel to Notes, and write a note on the verse you are looking at.
- Add the Today’s Readings widget to your Home Screen so today’s portion is one tap away.