How to Memorize the Ten Commandments

Most people can recite two or three of the Ten Commandments and lose the rest somewhere around the Sabbath. That is not a failure of faith or memory. A list of ten is easier to learn when it has a shape, and almost nobody was ever shown one.

The Bible assumes the commandments will be learned by heart. Moses tells Israel what to do with them:

These words, which I command you today, shall be on your heart; and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up.

Deuteronomy 6:6–7

The short answer: learn the shape first (the commandments fall into groups), give each one a single keyword, use your hands to keep the order, and add the full wording one or two commandments a day. Five minutes a day for ten days is enough for most people. A plan for each day is below. For the list itself in order, see The Ten Commandments in Order, and for the meaning of each, The Ten Commandments: What Each One Means.

Before you memorize words, decide which list you are learning. Churches number the commandments differently, and mixing them is the main reason people get lost. The text is the same in every tradition; only the divisions differ. This article uses the numbering of most Protestant and Orthodox churches. Catholics and Lutherans combine the first two and split coveting, and Jewish tradition counts the opening line as the first (see Catholic vs Protestant Ten Commandments and The Ten Commandments in Judaism). If you worship with another count, use it, and change the numbers below.

The Bible says the commandments were written on two stone tablets, which gives you a natural first split:

He declared to you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even the ten commandments. He wrote them on two stone tablets.

Deuteronomy 4:13

Think of the ten in three groups, which you can remember as up, in, out:

• Up (commandments 1–4): how we relate to God: no other gods, no idols, God’s name and the Sabbath.
• In (commandment 5): the family: honor your father and mother.
• Out (commandments 6–10): how we treat our neighbor: murder, adultery, stealing, false witness and coveting.

Learning “four, one, five” gives you the frame. Jesus used a similar frame when he said all the commandments hang on love of God and love of neighbor (Matthew 22:37–40), which is the idea behind What Is the Greatest Commandment?

You carry the best memory aid for the ten with you all the time. Hold up both hands, because the tablets are often pictured as two sets of five. Jewish tradition does this, and so do many Christians who like the symmetry of two hands.

• Left hand (1–5). Thumb: no other gods. Index finger: no idols. Middle finger: God’s name. Ring finger: the Sabbath. Little finger: honor your parents.
• Right hand (6–10). Thumb: do not murder. Index finger: do not commit adultery. Middle finger: do not steal. Ring finger: do not bear false witness. Little finger: do not covet.

Touch each finger as you say the commandment, first with the left hand and then the right. Within a day your hands will recite it without help. Notice that the left hand covers everything “up” and “in,” and the right hand covers “out,” so the hands also remember the groups.

The finger method works for all ages. If you teach children, The Ten Commandments for Kids has simple explanations to go with it, and a variation for young children: one hand, five fingers, two commandments on each. Whatever method you use, the aim is the one the psalmist gives:

I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

Psalm 119:11

Next, give every commandment one keyword. A word is easier to keep than a sentence, and it pulls the sentence back. A simple set:

1. Gods: you shall have no other gods before me.
2. Images: you shall not make an idol.
3. Name: you shall not misuse the name of the LORD.
4. Sabbath: remember the Sabbath day.
5. Parents: honor your father and your mother.
6. Murder: you shall not murder.
7. Adultery: you shall not commit adultery.
8. Stealing: you shall not steal.
9. Witness: you shall not give false testimony.
10. Coveting: you shall not covet.

Then take the first letters: G, I, N, S, P, M, A, S, W, C. Turn them into a sentence you can say aloud, such as “Good Icicles Never Stay Put; My Aunt Sings Wild Calypso.” It sounds ridiculous, which is the point: strange images stick better than sensible ones. Make your own.

Test yourself with the keywords alone, then with the first letters, and only then with the full words. The meaning helps too. When you know why “do not murder” and “do not covet” belong together, as Jesus showed in Matthew 5, the order feels less arbitrary. Those links are explained in Thou Shalt Not Kill — or Murder? and What Does ‘You Shall Not Covet’ Mean?

Here is a plan that takes about five minutes a day. Say every step aloud, because speaking uses a different part of memory from reading, and write it once by hand if you can.

1. Day 1. Read Exodus 20:1–17 once, aloud. Learn the shape (up, in, out) and the opening line, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.”
2. Day 2. Commandments 1 and 2: keyword, then the full words, then the finger.
3. Day 3. Commandments 3 and 4. Then say 1 to 4 by keyword.
4. Day 4. Commandment 5. Say 1 to 5 on your left hand.
5. Day 5. Commandments 6 and 7.
6. Day 6. Commandments 8 and 9. Say 6 to 9 on your right hand.
7. Day 7. Commandment 10. Say all ten by keyword.
8. Day 8. Say all ten with the first-letter sentence, then in full without it.
9. Day 9. Say them while walking, washing up or driving, and note where you stumble.
10. Day 10. Say them to someone else. Teaching is the best test, and it is what Deuteronomy 6:7 asks for.

After that, review them once a week for a month, then once a month. Memory fades without review, and a minute is enough. Most people find that after ten days the words begin to mean something as well, which is what the plan is for.

Which wording should you learn? The King James Version is in the public domain and is the one most people already half know; see The Ten Commandments in the King James Version. Any translation works if you stay with one. Catholics often learn the short catechism formulas, which are worded differently.

What is the easiest way to memorize the Ten Commandments?

Learn them in groups (four about God, one about family, five about your neighbor), give each a keyword, use your fingers to keep the order, and add the full wording a commandment or two a day. Saying them aloud helps more than rereading.

How long does it take to memorize the Ten Commandments?

About ten days at five minutes a day for most adults, and about two weeks for children. Learning the shape and keywords first makes the full wording come faster.

How can I remember the Ten Commandments in order?

Use the hands: five fingers on the left for the first five, five on the right for the last five. Pair that with one keyword per commandment (Gods, Images, Name, Sabbath, Parents, Murder, Adultery, Stealing, Witness, Coveting).

Which version of the Ten Commandments should I memorize?

Choose one translation and one numbering and stay with them. Many people use the King James Version because it is familiar and free to use. Catholics usually learn the short catechism formulas, and Jewish readers count the opening line as the first commandment.

How do I help children memorize the Ten Commandments?

Keep it short and physical: use the fingers, learn two commandments a week, and explain each in a sentence, as in The Ten Commandments for Kids. Children memorize best by saying things aloud together, and many learn them as a game.