How many times is Balaam mentioned in the Bible?
The word Balaam appears 60 times in the King James Version, in 57 verses. Counting every form (Balaam, Balaam's), it appears 63 times in 59 verses across 8 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses Balaam 60 times (63 with every form).
Balaam in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of Balaam counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| Balaam | 60 | 60 |
| Balaam's | 3 | 3 |
| Total | 63 | 63 |
What the name Balaam means
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary glosses Balaam as "the ancient of the people; the destruction of the people".
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 Balaam most
Balaam appears in 8 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Numbers has the most (53), then Joshua (3) and Deuteronomy (2).
First and last mention of Balaam
He sent messengers therefore unto Balaam the son of Beor to Pethor, which is by the river of the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me:
But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.
The verse that uses it most is Numbers 22:27, 2 times (tied with Numbers 22:35, Numbers 23:2, Numbers 24:10):
And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam’s anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with a staff.
Common questions
How many times is Balaam in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 60 of the 63 uses are in the Old Testament and 3 in the New Testament. Balaam appears in 8 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Numbers has the most (53), then Joshua (3) and Deuteronomy (2).
Where is Balaam first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Numbers 22:5: "He sent messengers therefore unto Balaam the son of Beor to Pethor, which is by the river of the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me:" The last is Revelation 2:14.
What does the name Balaam mean in the Bible?
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary glosses Balaam as "the ancient of the people; the destruction of the people".
More word counts: Asa, Jehu, Zedekiah, Mordecai, Laban, Josiah, Zadok, Rehoboam, 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.