How many times is Achish mentioned in the Bible?
The word Achish appears 21 times in the King James Version, in 20 verses. It is found in 2 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses Achish 21 times.
Achish in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of Achish counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| Achish | 21 | 21 |
| Total | 21 | 21 |
What the name Achish means
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary glosses Achish as "thus it is; how is this".
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 2026-10-24.
First and last mention of Achish
And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.
And Shimei arose, and saddled his ass, and went to Gath to Achish to seek his servants: and Shimei went, and brought his servants from Gath.
The verse that uses it most is 1 Samuel 28:2, 2 times:
And David said to Achish, Surely thou shalt know what thy servant can do. And Achish said to David, Therefore will I make thee keeper of mine head for ever.
Common questions
How many times is Achish in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 21 of the 21 uses are in the Old Testament and 0 in the New Testament. Achish appears in 2 books of the 66 in the King James Version. 1 Samuel has the most (19), then 1 Kings (2).
Where is Achish first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is 1 Samuel 21:10: "And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath." The last is 1 Kings 2:40.
What does the name Achish mean in the Bible?
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary glosses Achish as "thus it is; how is this".
More word counts: Medes, Gibeah, Kedar, Gerar, Joash, fruit, charity, pestilence, or all 635 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 2026-10-24.