How many times is behold mentioned in the Bible?
The word behold appears 1,326 times in the King James Version, in 1,275 verses. It is found in 52 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses behold 1,342 times.
Behold in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of behold counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| behold | 1,326 | 1,342 |
| Total | 1,326 | 1,342 |
Which books mention behold most
Behold appears in 52 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Jeremiah has the most (132), then Genesis (118) and Isaiah (104).
Also in: Numbers (30), Leviticus (29), Revelation (26), Acts (24), Zechariah (22), Deuteronomy (21), Daniel (19), John (19), Joshua (17), Mark (13), Amos (12), Song of Solomon (9), Ecclesiastes (8), Lamentations (8), 1 Chronicles (7), 2 Corinthians (7), James (7), Habakkuk (6), Malachi (6), Ruth (5), Proverbs (5), Micah (4), Nahum (4), Esther (3), Joel (3), Romans (3), 1 Peter (3), Nehemiah (2), Hosea (2), 1 Corinthians (2), Galatians (2), Hebrews (2), Ezra (1), Obadiah (1), Zephaniah (1), 1 John (1), Jude (1).
First and last mention of behold
And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
The verse that uses it most is Isaiah 29:8, 3 times (tied with Isaiah 62:11, Isaiah 65:13):
It shall even be as when an hungry man dreameth, and, behold, he eateth; but he awaketh, and his soul is empty: or as when a thirsty man dreameth, and, behold, he drinketh; but he awaketh, and, behold, he is faint, and his soul hath appetite: so shall the multitude of all the nations be, that fight against mount Zion.
Where the two translations differ
149 verses match in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 154 verses match only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
Genesis 6:12: counted in the KJV only
And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
God saw the earth, and saw that it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.
Genesis 6:17: counted in the KJV only
And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.
I, even I, do bring the flood of waters on this earth, to destroy all flesh having the breath of life from under the sky. Everything that is in the earth will die.
Genesis 8:11: counted in the World English Bible only
And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth.
The dove came back to him at evening and, behold, in her mouth was a freshly plucked olive leaf. So Noah knew that the waters were abated from the earth.
Genesis 18:10: counted in the World English Bible only
And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.
He said, “I will certainly return to you at about this time next year; and behold, Sarah your wife will have a son.” Sarah heard in the tent door, which was behind him.
Verses with behold on our topic pages
72 verses that use behold in the World English Bible are in our topic collections.
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new.
On: Salvation, New Beginnings, Creation, Sin
Behold, children are a heritage of Yahweh. The fruit of the womb is his reward.
On: Family, Children, Mothers, What Does the Bible Say About Abortion? 25 Verses
teaching them to observe all things that I commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
On: Loneliness, Baptism, Discipleship, Evangelism
Behold, I tell you a mystery. We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed,
On: Death, What Does the Bible Say About Cremation? 25 Verses, What Does the Bible Say About Reincarnation? 26 Verses, What Does the Bible Say About the Rapture? 24 Verses
But when he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take to yourself Mary, your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
He lay down and slept under a juniper tree; and behold, an angel touched him, and said to him, “Arise and eat!”
On: Mental Health, What Does the Bible Say About Suicide? 25 Verses of Hope
He looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on the coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank, and lay down again.
On: Mental Health, What Does the Bible Say About Suicide? 25 Verses of Hope
Behold, I was born in iniquity. In sin my mother conceived me.
Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
On: New Beginnings, Sleep
Behold, I will do a new thing. It springs out now. Don’t you know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.
On: New Beginnings, Bitterness
“For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things will not be remembered, nor come into mind.
On: Heaven, New Beginnings
Common questions
How many times is behold in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 1,104 of the 1,326 uses are in the Old Testament and 222 in the New Testament. Behold appears in 52 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Jeremiah has the most (132), then Genesis (118) and Isaiah (104).
Where is behold first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Genesis 1:29: "And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat." The last is Revelation 22:12.
More word counts: verily, manna, Passover, Jehovah, Yahweh, Leviathan, Antichrist, thus saith the LORD, or all 253 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 2026-10-05.