How many times is Baal mentioned in the Bible?
The word Baal appears 110 times in the King James Version, in 92 verses. Counting every form (Baal, Baal's), it appears 111 times in 93 verses across 18 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses Baal 109 times (110 with every form).
Baal in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of Baal counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| Baal | 110 | 109 |
| Baal's | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 111 | 110 |
What the name Baal means
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary glosses Baal as "master; lord".
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 Baal most
Baal appears in 18 books of the 66 in the King James Version. 2 Kings has the most (29), then 1 Chronicles (17) and 1 Kings (12).
Also in: Ezekiel (1), Zephaniah (1), Romans (1).
First and last mention of Baal
And Saul died, and Baal-hanan the son of Achbor reigned in his stead.
But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal.
The verse that uses it most is 2 Kings 10:19, 3 times (tied with 2 Kings 10:21, 2 Kings 10:23):
Now therefore call unto me all the prophets of Baal, all his servants, and all his priests; let none be wanting: for I have a great sacrifice to do to Baal; whosoever shall be wanting, he shall not live. But Jehu did it in subtilty, to the intent that he might destroy the worshippers of Baal.
Where the two translations differ
2 verses match in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 0 verses match only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
1 Chronicles 8:33: counted in the KJV only
And Ner begat Kish, and Kish begat Saul, and Saul begat Jonathan, and Malchi-shua, and Abinadab, and Esh-baal.
Ner became the father of Kish. Kish became the father of Saul. Saul became the father of Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Eshbaal.
1 Chronicles 9:39: counted in the KJV only
And Ner begat Kish; and Kish begat Saul; and Saul begat Jonathan, and Malchi-shua, and Abinadab, and Esh-baal.
Ner became the father of Kish. Kish became the father of Saul. Saul became the father of Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Eshbaal.
Verses with Baal on our topic pages
1 verse that uses Baal in the World English Bible is in our topic collections.
Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and walk after other gods that you have not known,
Common questions
How many times is Baal in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 110 of the 111 uses are in the Old Testament and 1 in the New Testament. Baal appears in 18 books of the 66 in the King James Version. 2 Kings has the most (29), then 1 Chronicles (17) and 1 Kings (12).
Where is Baal first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Genesis 36:38: "And Saul died, and Baal-hanan the son of Achbor reigned in his stead." The last is Romans 11:4.
What does the name Baal mean in the Bible?
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary glosses Baal as "master; lord".
More word counts: Molech, Chemosh, Belial, Beelzebub, Lucifer, Moab, Assyria, Hebron, 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.