How many times is Absalom mentioned in the Bible?
The word Absalom appears 103 times in the King James Version, in 86 verses. Counting every form (Absalom, Absalom's), it appears 108 times in 89 verses across 4 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses Absalom 103 times (108 with every form).
Absalom in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of Absalom counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| Absalom | 103 | 103 |
| Absalom's | 5 | 5 |
| Total | 108 | 108 |
What the name Absalom means
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary glosses Absalom as "father of peace".
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 Absalom most
Absalom appears in 4 books of the 66 in the King James Version. 2 Samuel has the most (102), then 1 Kings (3) and 2 Chronicles (2).
First and last mention of Absalom
And his second, Chileab, of Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite; and the third, Absalom the son of Maacah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur;
And Rehoboam loved Maachah the daughter of Absalom above all his wives and his concubines: (for he took eighteen wives, and threescore concubines; and begat twenty and eight sons, and threescore daughters.)
The verse that uses it most is 2 Samuel 18:33, 3 times:
And the king was much moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept: and as he went, thus he said, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!
Common questions
How many times is Absalom in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 108 of the 108 uses are in the Old Testament and 0 in the New Testament. Absalom appears in 4 books of the 66 in the King James Version. 2 Samuel has the most (102), then 1 Kings (3) and 2 Chronicles (2).
Where is Absalom first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is 2 Samuel 3:3: "And his second, Chileab, of Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite; and the third, Absalom the son of Maacah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur;" The last is 2 Chronicles 11:21.
What does the name Absalom mean in the Bible?
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary glosses Absalom as "father of peace".
More word counts: Jeroboam, Ahab, Jehoshaphat, Eleazar, Abimelech, Abner, Simon, Balaam, 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.