How many times is Bethany mentioned in the Bible?
The word Bethany appears 11 times in the King James Version, in 11 verses. It is found in 4 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses Bethany 12 times.
Bethany in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of Bethany counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| Bethany | 11 | 12 |
| Total | 11 | 12 |
What the name Bethany means
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary glosses Bethany as "the house of song; the house of affliction".
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 Bethany
And he left them, and went out of the city into Bethany; and he lodged there.
Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead.
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.
John 1:28: counted in the World English Bible only
These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.
These things were done in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
Verses with Bethany on our topic pages
1 verse that uses Bethany in the World English Bible is in our topic collections.
He led them out as far as Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them.
On: Heaven
Common questions
How many times is Bethany in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 0 of the 11 uses are in the Old Testament and 11 in the New Testament. Bethany appears in 4 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Mark has the most (4), then John (3) and Matthew (2).
Where is Bethany first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Matthew 21:17: "And he left them, and went out of the city into Bethany; and he lodged there." The last is John 12:1.
What does the name Bethany mean in the Bible?
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary glosses Bethany as "the house of song; the house of affliction".
More word counts: Tyre, Sidon, Gaza, Ashdod, Gath, Shiloh, Carmel, Kadesh, 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.