How many times is Abner mentioned in the Bible?
The word Abner appears 62 times in the King James Version, in 52 verses. Counting every form (Abner, Abner's), it appears 63 times in 53 verses across 4 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses Abner 60 times (63 with every form).
Abner in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of Abner counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| Abner | 62 | 60 |
| Abner's | 1 | 3 |
| Total | 63 | 63 |
What the name Abner means
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary glosses Abner as "father of light".
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 Abner most
Abner appears in 4 books of the 66 in the King James Version. 2 Samuel has the most (46), then 1 Samuel (13) and 1 Kings (2).
First and last mention of Abner
And the name of Saul’s wife was Ahinoam, the daughter of Ahimaaz: and the name of the captain of his host was Abner, the son of Ner, Saul’s uncle.
Of the half tribe of Manasseh in Gilead, Iddo the son of Zechariah: of Benjamin, Jaasiel the son of Abner:
The verse that uses it most is 1 Samuel 17:55, 3 times (tied with 1 Samuel 26:14):
And when Saul saw David go forth against the Philistine, he said unto Abner, the captain of the host, Abner, whose son is this youth? And Abner said, As thy soul liveth, O king, I cannot tell.
Common questions
How many times is Abner in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 63 of the 63 uses are in the Old Testament and 0 in the New Testament. Abner appears in 4 books of the 66 in the King James Version. 2 Samuel has the most (46), then 1 Samuel (13) and 1 Kings (2).
Where is Abner first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is 1 Samuel 14:50: "And the name of Saul’s wife was Ahinoam, the daughter of Ahimaaz: and the name of the captain of his host was Abner, the son of Ner, Saul’s uncle." The last is 1 Chronicles 27:21.
What does the name Abner mean in the Bible?
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary glosses Abner as "father of light".
More word counts: Simon, Balaam, Asa, Jehu, Zedekiah, Mordecai, Laban, Josiah, 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.