How to Memorize Scripture: Mnemonics
Memorizing
by rote is effective. But is it the most effective
approach to Scripture memory? Over the past several
months I've launched in to a study of mnemonics
- the art and science of aiding memory through systems
and techniques. There are several mnemonic devices
you probably already know – though perhaps not in
relation to Scripture. One popular example is “Roy
G. Biv”, which is an acrostic for the color spectrum.
Red
Orange
Yellow
Green
Blue
Indigo
Violet
"Roy G. Biv" exemplifies a simply mneumonic
technique.
More complex mnemonic systems require the learner
to have full command of the system before it can
be applied. Such systems include the Loci system,
the peg system, the substitute system and so on.
I’ll not describe these systems here though a future
addition to this website may contain more detailed
information. Instead I want to focus on one interesting
fact researchers have discovered. Most people remember
images better than words. So let’s consider how
we might apply a visual mnemonic system to Scripture
memory.
In discussing rote memory we used the example of
Proverbs 10:1.
A wise son brings joy to his father,
but a foolish son grief to his mother.
How could one use pictures to represent Proverbs
10:1 instead of words? Here’s one possible approach:
Can you ‘see’ Proverbs 10:1? Do you believe that
picturing a verse in this fashion would be helpful
for memorizing? Personally, I’m quite excited about
the possibilities. By utilizing mnemonics, it may
be possible to memorize Scripture much more rapidly
and with significantly better retention than by
rote memory alone. I’ve begun to apply mnemonic
techniques to my memory work and hope to see lots
of improvement. Watch this space for further details!
