How many times is Benjamin mentioned in the Bible?
The word Benjamin appears 162 times in the King James Version, in 158 verses. Counting every form (Benjamin, Benjamin's), it appears 166 times in 161 verses across 23 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses Benjamin 161 times (168 with every form).
Benjamin in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of Benjamin counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| Benjamin | 162 | 161 |
| Benjamin's | 4 | 7 |
| Total | 166 | 168 |
What the name Benjamin means
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary glosses Benjamin as "son of the right hand".
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 Benjamin most
Benjamin appears in 23 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Judges has the most (41), then Genesis (17) and 1 Chronicles (15).
Also in: Exodus (1), Hosea (1), Obadiah (1), Zechariah (1), Acts (1), Romans (1), Philippians (1), Revelation (1).
First and last mention of Benjamin
And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Ben-oni: but his father called him Benjamin.
Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.
The verse that uses it most is Genesis 45:14, 2 times (tied with Numbers 2:22, Judges 1:21, 2 Samuel 3:19, 2 Samuel 4:2):
And he fell upon his brother Benjamin’s neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck.
Common questions
How many times is Benjamin in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 162 of the 166 uses are in the Old Testament and 4 in the New Testament. Benjamin appears in 23 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Judges has the most (41), then Genesis (17) and 1 Chronicles (15).
Where is Benjamin first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Genesis 35:18: "And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Ben-oni: but his father called him Benjamin." The last is Revelation 7:8.
What does the name Benjamin mean in the Bible?
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary glosses Benjamin as "son of the right hand".
More word counts: Manasseh, Levi, Reuben, Gad, Dan, Naphtali, Simeon, Asher, 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.