How To: Commentaries

Are you new to using commentaries — or at least, new to using them in the Olive Tree Bible App? This is the right blog post for you. We’ll show you all the important tips and tricks you need to know.

A Video: How Commentaries Work in the App

If you learn best with videos, make sure to check this one out. However, we have added one important feature to the way commentaries can sync up with your Bible text. Make sure to keep reading this post to find out more.

The Three Ways to Open a Commentary

Next, we’ll cover a few topics that were touched on in the video.

When you use a commentary in the Olive Tree Bible App, there are three, easy ways to open it. Each way helps you accomplish a specific goal.

Note – the below screenshots are taken from the iPadOS app. If you are using the Olive Tree Bible App on a smartphone, things are arranged differently. Email us at support@olivetree.com for any questions!

PARALLEL TAB

The Parallel tab in the Study Center is helpful for keeping any resource open as you study. If you know you’re going to use a specific commentary the entire time you’re reading the Bible, keep it open in the Parallel tab. Doing so will free up your Resource Guide tab for other uses.

RESOURCE GUIDE

The Resource Guide tab is designed to show you all the related content you have, based on whatever is open in the main window. For example, if you have your Bible text open to Romans 1, in the Resource Guide you can see:

• Commentary notes on Romans 1
• Book Introductions on Romans from your commentaries
• Relevant maps from your commentaries
• Related charts from your commentaries
• and more

Of course, the Resource Guide shows you content from other resources, too. You won’t only find commentary content in there. But for the sake of this post, we want you to know that your commentary content is easily at reach in the app.

The simplest way to use the Resource Guide with your commentaries is to look under the “Commentaries” header. You’ll find all your commentary notes there. Just tap on one to start reading.

LIBRARY

Use the Library the open up your commentary in the main window. This is useful if you are specifically wanting to read just the commentary.

Also, it’s easy to navigate inside the commentary from this view. First, tap the green bar. Then, you’ll see the table of contents and can drill down to specific content from there.

Other Commentary Features

Wondering what the text looks like? Here you go! All the screenshots in this blog come from an iPad. However, you’ll be able to see content like this on your other devices.

Additionally, do you see those green hyperlinks in the text? In commentaries, we hyperlink verse references and footnotes. Just tap to open a pop-up window with the information.

Lastly, use the link icon to link the Resource Guide and Parallel tabs with the main window. Tapping once will temporarily link, meaning that any scrolling in the Study Center will result in the link being broken. The next time you scroll in the main window, the other window will not follow.

But, by tapping twice, you can keep the link locked. If you scroll away in the Resource Guide or Parallel tabs, the tabs will sync back up when you scroll in the main window.

Get a Commentary!

Head on over to the Olive Tree Store to see all of our available commentaries. If you have a question or need suggestions, send us an email at support@olivetree.com!