A Primer on Dwell: The Bible, Beautiful to the Ear
2 min read ⭑
We’ve spent years in conversation with many hundreds of Christian thought leaders, asking them questions. Among these questions is this: What resources have made the biggest difference in your spiritual life? Their answers have been remarkably consistent. This is one of the ten most recommended.
For most of Christian history, Scripture was heard before it was read. The words of the prophets and apostles were proclaimed aloud, received by communities who listened together. Only later — much later — did private, silent reading become the norm.
The Dwell app is, in a sense, a return to something ancient: the Bible as a voice in your ear, shaping your day one chapter at a time.
Built by Brothers Who Wanted It for Themselves
Jonathan and Joshua Bailey spent years waiting for someone else to build the app they wanted. The idea seemed obvious: a beautifully designed audio Bible with professional voices and ambient music, something that made listening to Scripture feel less like a chore and more like a gift. By 2016, when no one else had done it, the brothers — both with backgrounds in software, design, and ministry — decided to build it themselves.
“For years, we have had this idea for a beautiful, easy-to-use, Scripture listening app in the back of our heads,” they later wrote. “Mainly, we wanted an app like this for ourselves.”
Dwell launched in 2018 and quickly found an audience among believers who had struggled to make Bible reading stick — but who discovered that Bible listening fit naturally into the rhythms of their lives.
“Dwell has transformed how I interact with Scripture. It’s a beautiful, immersive experience that keeps me connected to God’s Word throughout the day.”
More Than an Audio Bible
What sets Dwell apart is its attention to the listening experience itself. Users can choose from a variety of voices — some calm and meditative, others warm and conversational — and pair them with ambient musical backgrounds that shift the reading’s texture. The effect is less like a lecture and more like a companion walking beside you through the text.
The app also offers curated listening plans: thematic journeys through Scripture designed to give structure to those who want it. You can follow a plan through the Psalms during a difficult season, or work through an entire Gospel on your morning commute. The design is clean, the interface intuitive, and the experience — crucially — feels like something you want to return to.
Scripture That Meets You Where You Are
If you have tried and failed to maintain a daily Bible-reading habit, Dwell offers a different path. It meets you in the moments that are already there — the commute, the run, the dishes, the restless night. It does not ask you to carve out new time so much as redeem the time you already have.
And there is something fitting about hearing the Word read aloud. It echoes the way Scripture was first received, and it engages a different part of the mind than silent reading. For many users, listening has unlocked passages that felt flat on the page — the cadence of the Psalms, the weight of the prophets, the urgency of Paul.
The Bible, it turns out, was made to be heard.
Dwell is available on iOS and Android, with a free trial and subscription plans at dwellapp.io.