This method for memorizing long passages of Scripture was developed by Andrew Davis and is available in the short ebook linked below. It works for memorizing several verses (like the ones included in our Sunday School Summer Memory Challenge) and for committing longer passages to memory—even memorizing entire books of the Bible. Here are some general principles and daily practices Davis recommends:

General Principles

Priority of reviewing old verses: Always give priority in your mind to the retaining of old verses even over the learning of new ones. What’s the point in going on to new ones if you don’t hold onto the old? This doesn’t mean you should re-memorize the old ones, just that you should begin every day’s work with a review of old verses. Look on that as what you need to do to earn the privilege of acquiring some precious new verses. (Work before play!)

Repetition over time: Saying a verse one hundred times in one day is not as helpful as saying it every day for one hundred days. The absolute key to successful Scripture memorization is repetition over a long time period. This is how you retain old verses while learning new ones.

Memorizing the verse numbers: An important note is that it is well worth the extra effort to memorize the verse numbers as if they were part of each verse. This will help prevent you from dropping out verses or even whole paragraphs when you’re reciting the book all the way through. It will also help you in being able to pick individual verses out to quote to someone for ministry or evangelistic purposes. Finally, it will help you to be able to recall the verses as you are reading Christian books that cite them . . . you won’t have to look them up. Don’t short-cut this discipline. It actually makes memorization easier in the long run.

Photographing the verses with your eyes: Memorization is partly visual. Read each new verse ten times, covering each word as though photographing it with your eyes. I can still remember where some particular verses were on the page of the Bible I first used to memorize them. Burn each verse into your brain with your eyes.

Say it out loud: Another help in memorizing is to say the verse out loud to yourself. The additional sensory input to your brain helps the memorization process. It doesn’t have to be very loud, just loud enough so you can hear it. Also, try putting some feeling and interpretation into reciting the verses. This is actually a form of meditation on the verses as you are learning them.

Sample Daily Procedure

The following is an example of how someone could go about memorizing Ephesians at the rate of one verse per day:

Day one: Read Ephesians 1:1 out loud ten times, looking at each word as if photographing it with your eyes. Be sure to include the verse number. Then cover the page and recite it ten times. You’re done for the day.

Day two: Yesterday’s verse first. Recite yesterday’s verse, Ephesians 1:1 ten times, being sure to include the verse number. Look in the Bible if you need to, just to refresh your memory. Now, do your new verse. Read Ephesians 1:2 out loud ten times, looking at each word as if photographing it with your eyes. Be sure to include the verse number. Then cover the page and recite it ten times. You’re done for the day.

Day three: Yesterday’s verse first. Recite yesterday’s verse, Ephesians 1:2 ten times, being sure to include the verse number. Again, you should look in the Bible if you need to, just to refresh your memory. Old verses next, all together: Recite Ephesians 1:1–2 together once, being sure to include the verse numbers. Now, do your new verse. Read Ephesians 1:3 out loud ten times, looking at each word as if photographing it with your eyes. Be sure to include the verse number. Then cover the page and recite it ten times. You’re done for the day.

Day four: Yesterday’s verse first. Recite yesterday’s verse, Ephesians 1:3 ten times, being sure to include the verse number. Again, you should look in the Bible if you need to, just to refresh your memory. Old verses next, all together: Recite Ephesians 1:1–3 together once, being sure to include the verse numbers. Now, do your new verse. Read Ephesians 1:4 out loud ten times, looking at each word as if photographing it with your eyes. Be sure to include the verse number. Then cover the page and recite it ten times. You’re done for the day.

This cycle would continue through the entire memory passage or book. Obviously, the “old verses altogether” stage will soon swell to take the most time of all. That’s exactly the way it should be. The entire book of Ephesians can be read at a reasonable rate in less than fifteen minutes. Therefore, the “old verses altogether” stage of your review should not take longer than that on any given day. Do it with the Bible ready at hand, in case you draw a blank or get stuck—there’s no shame in looking, and it actually helps to nail down troublesome verses so they will never be trouble again. Therefore, your 60th day should look like this:

Day sixty: (eight days off in that span means you’re on your 52nd new verse, which would be Ephesians 3:7) Yesterday’s verse first. Recite yesterday’s verse, Ephesians 3:6 ten times, being sure to include the verse number. Again, you should look in the Bible if you need to, just to refresh your memory. Old verses next, all together: Recite Ephesians 1:1–3:6 together once, being sure to include the verse numbers. Look in the Bible if you need to, so this process won’t take too long. Now, do your new verse. Read Ephesians 3:7 out loud ten times, looking at each word as if photographing it with your eyes. Be sure to include the verse number. Then cover the page and recite it ten times. You’re done for the day.

Weeding the Garden: As you recite a book over a long period of time without looking at the Bible, you will gradually begin to make little mistakes or leave verses out. (Again, this is why memorizing verse numbers is so helpful). In other words, “weeds” will start to grow in the garden of your mind. However, to “weed the garden” once a week, read through the passage, looking at each verse carefully with your eyes. This will be instead of your “old verses next, all together” daily task. This simple discipline will help correct errors—or, “weed the garden.”

Davis, Andrew M. An Approach to Extended Memorization of Scripture (pp. 16–18). Ambassador International. Kindle Edition.