How many times is Balak mentioned in the Bible?
The word Balak appears 42 times in the King James Version, in 40 verses. Counting every form (Balak, Balak's), it appears 43 times in 40 verses across 4 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses Balak 43 times (44 with every form).
Balak in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of Balak counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| Balak | 42 | 43 |
| Balak's | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 43 | 44 |
What the name Balak means
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary glosses Balak as "who lays waste or destroys".
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.
First and last mention of Balak
And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites.
O my people, remember now what Balak king of Moab consulted, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him from Shittim unto Gilgal; that ye may know the righteousness of the LORD.
The verse that uses it most is Numbers 22:18, 2 times (tied with Numbers 23:2, Numbers 24:10):
And Balaam answered and said unto the servants of Balak, If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the LORD my God, to do less or more.
Where the two translations differ
0 verses match in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 1 verse matches only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
Revelation 2:14: counted in the World English Bible only
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.
But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to throw a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality.
Common questions
How many times is Balak in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 43 of the 43 uses are in the Old Testament and 0 in the New Testament. Balak appears in 4 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Numbers has the most (40), then Joshua (1) and Judges (1).
Where is Balak first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Numbers 22:2: "And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites." The last is Micah 6:5.
What does the name Balak mean in the Bible?
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary glosses Balak as "who lays waste or destroys".
More word counts: Ahaz, Zechariah, Eli, Caleb, Ahasuerus, Jephthah, Philip, Uzziah, 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.