Memorize Ecclesiastes 12:13

American Standard Version (1901)

This is the end of the matter; all hath been heard: Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man.

Ecclesiastes 12:13, American Standard Version (1901)

25 words · about five minutes a day for five days ·

Start memorizing Ecclesiastes 12:13 →

Free, no account, nothing to install. The path opens with this verse already in it. Or print it: a copywork sheet to write it out by hand, a sheet of wallet cards, take-home slips or bulletin cards for a church's verse of the week, each with a code back to this page.

The five steps

  1. Meet the verse. Hear it read aloud, then echo it phrase by phrase, with a small hand motion for each phrase.
  2. Fill the gaps. About a third of the words become blanks. Say it out loud, supplying them; peek if you need to, trying is the point.
  3. Half hidden. Most of the words are gone now. Say it once more at bedtime; sleep locks it in overnight.
  4. First letters. Every word reduced to its first letter. Recite it with only those to guide you.
  5. All by yourself. Nothing but the reference. One confident recite, then it goes into your Verse Book to come back for review.

Each step makes a fine "tonight's step" spread over five days, and nothing is locked: the numbered dots jump anywhere. How to memorize Bible verses walks through the whole method.

Why it works

Three of the most replicated findings in learning science: retrieval practice (pulling a word from memory strengthens it more than rereading it), spacing (short tries on separate days beat one long one), and sleep (a verse said at bedtime is consolidated overnight). The blanks grow in stages so that every try is hard enough to count and never so hard that you give up.

Ecclesiastes 12:13 in context

Remember the Creator before aging dims strength, sight, sound, and desire. The silver cord, golden bowl, pitcher, and wheel evoke life’s ending as dust returns to earth. The Preacher concludes that wisdom matters and everyone should fear God and keep his commandments.

Read Ecclesiastes 12:13 in its chapter · Ecclesiastes 12, in the American Standard Version (1901).

Verses that keep it company

In other translations

BSB · Berean Standard BibleKJV · King James VersionNET · New English TranslationWEB · World English BibleESV · English Standard VersionYLT · Young's Literal Translation

The reference is the same in every one; the path lets you switch mid-way, and pasting any wording you like works too.