How many times is Abishai mentioned in the Bible?
The word Abishai appears 25 times in the King James Version, in 24 verses. It is found in 3 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses Abishai 25 times.
Abishai in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of Abishai counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| Abishai | 25 | 25 |
| Total | 25 | 25 |
What the name Abishai means
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary glosses Abishai as "the present of my father".
This is the 1869 traditional meaning; modern scholars often read names differently.
See every name and place with its meaning and count on Bible names and their meanings.
Source: Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary (1869), checked 2026-10-22.
Which books mention Abishai most
Abishai appears in 3 books of the 66 in the King James Version. 2 Samuel has the most (15), then 1 Samuel (5) and 1 Chronicles (5).
First and last mention of Abishai
Then answered David and said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Abishai the son of Zeruiah, brother to Joab, saying, Who will go down with me to Saul to the camp? And Abishai said, I will go down with thee.
And when the children of Ammon saw that the Syrians were fled, they likewise fled before Abishai his brother, and entered into the city. Then Joab came to Jerusalem.
The verse that uses it most is 1 Samuel 26:6, 2 times:
Then answered David and said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Abishai the son of Zeruiah, brother to Joab, saying, Who will go down with me to Saul to the camp? And Abishai said, I will go down with thee.
Common questions
How many times is Abishai in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 25 of the 25 uses are in the Old Testament and 0 in the New Testament. Abishai appears in 3 books of the 66 in the King James Version. 2 Samuel has the most (15), then 1 Samuel (5) and 1 Chronicles (5).
Where is Abishai first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is 1 Samuel 26:6: "Then answered David and said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Abishai the son of Zeruiah, brother to Joab, saying, Who will go down with me to Saul to the camp? And Abishai said, I will go down with thee." The last is 1 Chronicles 19:15.
What does the name Abishai mean in the Bible?
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary glosses Abishai as "the present of my father".
More word counts: Adonijah, Uriah, Darius, Abel, Phinehas, Boaz, Hazael, Cyrus, or all 484 words.
Counted by Bible Says About from the full public-domain text of the King James Version (1769 edition) and the World English Bible. Verse text only: headings and psalm titles are left out. A word is a run of letters: a hyphenated name like Beer-sheba counts as two, and an apostrophe stays inside its word (LORD'S is one). Matching ignores capital letters. Data compiled 2026-10-22.