How to Hand Copy the Bible

Hand copying the Bible means writing out a passage of Scripture word for word, slowly, in your own handwriting. It takes about 5 minutes a day, a notebook and a pen. This guide covers what you need, a simple daily method, and why the practice has lasted for thousands of years.

What you need

A journal or notebook. Any will do, though a dedicated journal turns your pages into something worth keeping and passing on.

A pen or pencil. A fine pen slows you down and keeps untidy handwriting legible. A pencil lets you rub out mistakes. If you slip with a pen, strike through the word and carry on.

A short passage. Five to ten verses is plenty. Much more and copying becomes a chore rather than a conversation.

How to hand copy the Bible, step by step

Choose a short passage. Pick 5–10 verses. Working through a book in order, or following a plan, saves you deciding each day. Bible Copy Club sends a passage to your inbox each weekday morning so the choice is made for you.
Read it slowly first. Read the passage once before you write. Notice the punctuation; there’s usually a lot of it, and it carries meaning. Look for words that repeat.
Start a fresh page. Write the book, chapter and verse at the top of a new page. It makes your journal easy to look back through.
Copy it word for word. Write exactly what’s on the page, capitals and punctuation included. Resist writing familiar verses from memory; there’s usually more there than you remember.
Read it again. When you finish, read your copy back, aloud or quietly. Note a word or phrase that stood out and carry it with you through the day.
If you miss a day, skip it. Don’t play catch-up. Start again with tomorrow’s passage. Catching up turns a joy into a debt.

How long does it take?

A passage of 5–10 verses takes about 5 minutes to copy. Add a few minutes to read before and after. Copying the whole Bible by hand is a far bigger undertaking: people featured on our blog have taken anywhere from 500 days to nine years.

Why copy Scripture by hand?

It slows you down. Reading lets your eyes skim. Writing makes you attend to every word, and you start to notice things you’ve read past for years.

It helps the words stay with you. Writing a passage out by hand gives you time to dwell and meditate on it, so it is still with you long after you close the journal.

It’s an ancient practice. God told Israel’s kings to write out their own copy of the law and read it all the days of their lives (Deuteronomy 17:18–19). For centuries, scribes preserved Scripture by copying it by hand.

It leaves something behind. A journal of hand-copied Scripture becomes a record of your faith to keep and to share.

Get a passage in your inbox each morning

Bible Copy Club is a free daily email with a short passage to copy by hand, a brief meditation and a word of encouragement. Nothing to download, nothing to remember. Join Bible Copy Club for free.