You can memorize Bible books to the rhythm of “Knock the bell”, place sticky markers on your Bible, or create your own reference sheet. There are several techniques you can learn to quickly find all the books in the Bible. Call a friend, grab your Bible and start practicing!
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Memorizing the Books of the Bible
Step 1. Read the sequence of books from the Bible
Start by memorizing the New Testament and then repeat the Steps with the Old Testament books. You can apply them to any Bible you want to use. This article describes how to memorize the books of the Protestant Bible, but the techniques can easily be applied to any other Bible.
- Take a Bible and look at the index at the beginning of it. You can also search the internet for a list of the books of the Bible.
- Read the sequence a few times aloud to familiarize yourself with the pronunciation of the names of the various books.
- If you have problems with pronunciation, you can ask your pastor or someone who knows the Bible to tell you the correct pronunciation of names. You can also search the Internet for the pronunciation of the books of the Bible.
Step 2. Find a song to memorize the New Testament books
You can adapt the books of the Bible to the rhythm of, for example, “Ring the bell” or a hymn. Choose a simple melody with a strong pattern that is very familiar to you.
Look for videos on youtube of people singing the books of the Bible to the rhythm of a song you know
Step 3. Divide the books into groups
When singing, the easiest way to memorize is to group the books, then match the groups with the lyrics of the song. For example, group the books as follows and sing them in the rhythm of “Belt the bell”:
- Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts and Romans: the little bell rings, Bethlehem's bell
- First and Second Corinthians, Galatians and Ephesians: the child God is already born for our good
- Philippians, Colossians, First and Second Thessalonians: peace on earth, asks for the joyful bell to sing
- First and Second Timothy, Titus and Philemon: Bless, Child God, this home of ours
- Hebrews, John, First and Second Peter, First, Second and Third John: tolls the little bell, bell of Bethlehem
- Judas and Revelation, the books of the New Testament: the Child God was already born for our good.
Step 4. Memorize your song
Practice singing the song over and over until you know it in your head. Sing the books of the Bible so often that it becomes natural for you to sing them.
- Practice writing the books on a piece of paper or a chalkboard.
- Erase the board or fold the paper when you think you have memorized a group.
- Keep practicing until you have completely memorized all the books.
Step 5. Remember the books of the Bible
When someone asks you to find a book of the Bible, think about the group that contains the book. You will do this in a few seconds in your mind. Start by flipping through to the part of the Bible where you believe the book is as you process the order of the books in your head.
- For example, if it's the book of Romans, you might remember that the group order is Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, Acts and Romans. You know this group is at the very beginning of the New Testament, which starts at about two-thirds of the length of the Bible. Just flip up two-thirds of the way and look for any of the books in the group. Once you find it, continue browsing more slowly until you reach the book of Romans.
- If it's difficult to find one of the groups, think about the next one. For example, if you are looking for the book of Colossians and cannot find Philippians, Colossians, First and Second Thessalonians, look for First and Second Timothy, Titus and Philemon. Once you find this group, you can go back to Colossians.
Method 2 of 3: Using Sticky Markers in Your Bible
Step 1. Buy adhesive bookmarks for your Bible
There are sticker markers you can buy and place in your Bible, locating each book so you can easily refer to them. You can buy them on the internet, like Amazon, but you can also buy them from a Christian or religious store.
- Follow the instruction manual to align the markers correctly. They are permanent, pre-cut and adhesive.
- Placing bookmarks will help you become familiar with the order of the books.
Step 2. Buy a Bible with digital index
It will be easier than putting bookmarks in your Bible, as this version already includes them.
You can also buy this type of Bible on the internet or at your local Christian/religious store
Step 3. Familiarize yourself with the books of the Bible
Look at the table of contents at the beginning of the Bible. Associate the name of each book with its abbreviation in the bookmark to become familiar with the relationship between the two. Continue flipping between the index and each book. Familiarize yourself with one Testament, take a break, then work with the other Testament.
Write the sequence of books in the Bible a few times to become more familiar with the order, remembering that it is best to work with one testament at a time
Step 4. Test yourself or ask someone to test you
Ask someone to speak random books from the Bible and see how long it takes to find them. Choose books from one Testament and, when you've got practice, switch to the other Testament. When you are skilled at both, test yourself with the books of the entire Bible.
When you start finding books quickly, test yourself with the book, chapter, and verse. See how long it takes to get it
Method 3 of 3: Finding Shortcuts
Step 1. Make or buy a bookmark that contains the names of all the books in the Bible
Write all the New Testament books on one side and the Old Testament books on the other. It will be faster to use this method than to open the index.
- It is possible to buy one for around ten reais on the internet.
- You can also write the names of the books of the Bible on a small piece of paper and use it as a bookmark.
- Using a bookmark is a more discreet way to use a list than looking up the Bible index or using sticky bookmarks.
Step 2. Use the index page
If nothing goes well, see the index page. It is found at the beginning of your Bible, after the publishers' pages.
Mark the index page with your Bible ribbon or a bookmark
Step 3. Use the same Bible over and over again
If you change your Bible frequently, it will be more difficult to find the index. It's easier to quickly flip through pages and find books, chapters and verses when you know your Bible!
Step 4. Learn where some of the main books of the Bible are
Locate some books to use as references or landmarks to explore the Bible. Remember that the Psalms and Proverbs are in the middle, and Matthew is about ¾ of the beginning! If you know where Matthew is, you can quickly get to the gospels of Mark, Luke, and John.
Step 5. Use your smartphone as a Bible
There are Bible apps you can use to easily access any book of the Bible. Find and download a free Bible app on the internet.
- With a Biblical application you can choose which version of the Bible you want to use: Almeida Revised and Corrected, New Translation in Today's Language, New International Version etc. You can also easily change the version to match what others are using.
- Remember to tell people that you are using your phone to see the Bible. It's best to avoid mistakenly thinking you're checking your phone.