I know you’re looking for memory verses that are easy to commit to heart from the Bible.
But isn’t it more important to be able to rapidly commit any memory verse to your heart and mind?
No matter how difficult?
As someone who has memorized plenty of difficult verses and helped thousands of others do the same, I would ask you to consider this question:
Won’t you feel much closer to your maker when you can simply commit any scripture to memory, regardless of difficulty?
In my experience, you just need a bit of humility and the best mnemonic strategies.
That way, you can experience one of the Bible’s most important passages:
For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. – Matthew 23:12
On this page, I’ll help you exalt yourself by sharing my best scripture memorization tips with you.
Even better, you’ll get case studies from my students and detailed examples.
Sound good?
Let’s dive in!
The Best Bible Verses To Memorize
Before we get into the strategies, you might like to know some of the best memory verses to start absorbing.
Here’s a list of my favorite:
- Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. – Proverbs 3:5
- God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power love and sound mind. Do you have one? – Timothy 1:7
- Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod & your staff, they comfort me. – Psalm 23:4
- And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. – 1 Corinthians 13:13
- For the word of God is alive and active. – Hebrews 4:12
- If God is for us, who can be against us? – Romans 8:31
- Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” – Matthew 19:26
- A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold. – Proverbs 22:1
- All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. – 2 Timothy 3:16
- I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. – Philippians 4:13
- Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds. – James 1:2
- Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. – 1 Corinthians 16:13
- For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. – Proverbs 2:6
- Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. – Matthew 28:18
- Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. – Matthew 24:35
- Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. – Matt 18:19
- For when I am weak, then I am strong. – 2 Corinthians 12:10
- He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. – Titus 3:5
- Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. – Romans 8:1
- Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud…it is not self-seeking. – 1 Corinthians 13:4-5
- I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. – Jeremiah 29:11
- Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. – 1 John 4:11
- For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. – Matthew 23:12
- And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:19
- Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. – Joshua 1:9
- For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Might God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. – Isaiah 9:6
- So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. – Galatians 3:26
- Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men. – Colossians 3:23
- Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding. – Proverbs 3:13
- To everything there is a season. A time for every purpose under heaven. – Ecclesiastes 3:1
- Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud…it is not self-seeking. – 1 Corinthians 13:4-5
- We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. – Hebrews 6:19
- Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters. – Colossians 3:23
- Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. – Romans 8:1
- The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe. – Proverbs 18:10
- Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised. – Proverbs 31:30
- Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. – Psalm 51:10
- Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. – Psalm 139:23
- Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans. – Proverbs 16:3
- Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. – 1 Corinthians 13:4
- He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? — Micah 6:8
- Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. – Hebrews 13:8
- Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens & those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever. – Dan. 12:3
- Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. – Phil 4:6
- May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him. – Romans 15:13
- How much better to get wisdom than gold, to get insight rather than silver! – Proverbs 16:16
- For when I am weak, then I am strong. – 2 Corinthians 12:10
- I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. – 2 Timothy 4:7
- Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. – 1 Peter 5:8
- The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever. – Isaiah 40:8
- So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. – Galatians 3:26
- For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. – Ephesians 2:8
- A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold. – Proverbs 22:1
- Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds. – James 1:2
- Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding. – Proverbs 3:13
- The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. – John 10:10
- You will be secure, because there is hope; you will look about you and take your rest in safety. – Job 11:18
- Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod & your staff, they comfort me. – Psalm 23:4
3 Memory Tips for Easy Bible Verse Memorization
Memorizing scripture is fairly straightforward. The trick is to develop systems that make it fast and easy.
As Jeannie Koh put in her testimonial for the Magnetic Memory Method Masterclass, using memory techniques helped her enjoy the process.
She was also able to memorize scripture in a foreign language without rote learning.
With Jeannie’s success in mind, here are the memory techniques you’ll want to have under your belt as you commit Bible verses to memory.
One: A Mnemonic Image “System”
Successful people use mnemonic images to memorize passages.
For example, when memorizing Isaiah 40:8, it’s quite easy to memorize grass withering and flowers falling.
The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.
This kind of verse is easier to memorize because developing mental imagery of grass doing something like withering is quite straightforward.
But there’s an additional factor that makes memorizing the Bible at scale possible. It involves developing a pegword system.
You can explore different ways of developing your pegwords, but my favorite is simply to assign one figure to each letter of the alphabet. Ideally, the figure is someone famous, either in reality or in a movie or novel.
For example, for the word “withers,” which is a bit abstract, I think of Winnie the Pooh or Winston Smith from George Orwell’s 1984.
I know that might sound weird, but both figures have “wi” in their names. This makes it easier to remember the line because I can know imagine Winston Smith interacting with grass and flowers. He can even be listening to a band called The Fall to pack in more associations in a single mnemonic.
In other words, by developing your associations in advance, you will have a system. In this way, you can memorize much more systematically. You’ll enjoy much more progress as a result.
Two: The Memory Palace Technique
Having a lot of associations is fantastic. The next important step involves having a place to store and refer to them.
For that, successful Bible memorizers use the Memory Palace technique.
Have a look at the image above. The Hoover Dam is in the background.
It’s used as the Memory Palace in this example for a television set and J. Edgar Hoover. The TV is my image for 18 and Hoover is my image for 13 using my version of the PAO System.
Frankly, number systems are a bit more advanced. But as Matt Barclay and I discussed in his demonstration of recalling a Psalm from memory, they will eventually be essential to your success.
For now, to build your first Memory Palace, consider using a familiar home and neighborhood. Separate it into stations using the method of loci. You’ll wind up with a mental journey like this one that I have used to memorize the 32 verses I discussed in my TEDx Talk.
As you can see, each station is numbered. This strategy is optional, but something I normally do.
Of course, I don’t always have an artist help me with my Memory Palaces. I usually draw them quickly in 1-2 minutes. Like this:
A Memory Palace drawn on an index card to maximize its value as a mnemonic device. This one is based on a bookstore in Zamalek, a part of Cairo.
The next step is to place your associations along the journey. Have a look at this example:
Each of these associations for Proverbs 18:13 were placed along a simple journey.
- For answer, I imagined my friend’s sister Andi answering an email
- The bee stand for “before”
- “Folly and shame” are represented by the unhappy figure and the Fawlty towers logo
These mnemonic associations aren’t 100% perfect matches, but they don’t need to be. They just need to be laid out along the Memory Palace journey and then recalled using the next tip.
Three: Use Spaced Repetition Optimally
Many people misunderstand the Memory Palace technique.
Although St. Augustine certainly described it as a treasure house, the Memory Palace technique is actually a kind of spaced repetition machine.
We need repetition in order to learn, and especially to recall memory verses verbatim. One of the reasons why the Memory Palace approach works so well involves what scientists call active recall.
Using the Memory Palace technique for spaced repetition is simple. You simply navigate through the Memory Palace forward and backward, triggering each association. As you do, you’ll experience the exact words in the target memory verse.
If you would rather not use the Memory Palace technique for this process, you can also use flashcards. Personally, I found flashcards more useful for memorizing the books of the Bible by name than entire verses.
For that project, I used simple drawings on cards, such as a giant zipper and Shaniah Twain to help me remember Zephaniah.
Then, by visiting the cards in different orders, all of the names of the Bible entered long term memory.
Still, whether it’s scripture, Shakespeare or song lyrics, I prefer the Memory Palace for anything verbatim.
The Truth About The Best Bible Verses To Memorize
I’ve worked with a lot of one-on-one clients memorizing the Bible in part or whole.
When people simply don’t have the time to memorize the entire Bible, I suggest one tip that has helped many people.
Pick the verses that you will are most likely to bring you one step closer to God.
Each and every word will be more meaningful than you can imagine if you haven’t gotten started yet.
Speaking of starting, if you’d like more help, get my FREE Memory Improvement Kit now right here:
It gives you worksheets, video lessons and exercises for creating your first Memory Palace.
That way, you can get started memorizing any of the memory verses listed on this page. Or whatever verses you have already assembled.
Time is of the essence so power to you and please enjoy making it happen!
