How many times is blood mentioned in the Bible?
The word blood appears 447 times in the King James Version, in 375 verses. It is found in 41 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses blood 442 times.
Blood in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of blood counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| blood | 447 | 442 |
| Total | 447 | 442 |
Which books mention blood most
Blood appears in 41 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Leviticus has the most (88), then Ezekiel (52) and Exodus (27).
Also in: 2 Samuel (9), 2 Chronicles (9), 1 Samuel (8), Luke (8), Proverbs (7), John (6), Joshua (5), Hosea (5), 1 Chronicles (4), Joel (4), 1 Corinthians (4), 1 John (4), Habakkuk (3), Mark (3), Romans (3), Ephesians (3), Job (2), Lamentations (2), Micah (2), Zechariah (2), Colossians (2), 1 Peter (2), Judges (1), Jonah (1), Zephaniah (1), Galatians (1).
First and last mention of blood
And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground.
And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
The verse that uses it most is Ezekiel 35:6, 4 times:
Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will prepare thee unto blood, and blood shall pursue thee: sith thou hast not hated blood, even blood shall pursue thee.
Where the two translations differ
9 verses match in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 3 verses match only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
Exodus 22:2: counted in the KJV only
If a thief be found breaking up, and be smitten that he die, there shall no blood be shed for him.
If the thief is found breaking in, and is struck so that he dies, there shall be no guilt of bloodshed for him.
Exodus 22:3: counted in the KJV only
If the sun be risen upon him, there shall be blood shed for him; for he should make full restitution; if he have nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft.
If the sun has risen on him, guilt of bloodshed shall be for him; he shall make restitution. If he has nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft.
Exodus 4:25: counted in the World English Bible only
Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me.
Then Zipporah took a flint, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet; and she said, “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me.”
Exodus 4:26: counted in the World English Bible only
So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision.
So he let him alone. Then she said, “You are a bridegroom of blood,” because of the circumcision.
Verses with blood on our topic pages
33 verses that use blood in the World English Bible are in our topic collections.
For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world’s rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
On: Demons, Spiritual Warfare, What Does the Bible Say About Witchcraft? 25 Verses, What Does the Bible Say About War? 27 Verses
haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood;
On: Gossip, What Does the Bible Say About Lying? 28 Verses, What Does the Bible Say About Abortion? 25 Verses
in whom we have our redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,
On: Forgiveness, Blessings, Grace
“‘A man or a woman that is a medium, or is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones. Their blood shall be upon them.’”
On: What Does the Bible Say About Ghosts? 25 Verses, What Does the Bible Say About Witchcraft? 25 Verses
if you don’t oppress the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow, and don’t shed innocent blood in this place, and don’t walk after other gods to your own hurt;
Yahweh says: “Execute justice and righteousness, and deliver him who is robbed out of the hand of the oppressor. Do no wrong. Do no violence to the foreigner, the fatherless, or the widow. Don’t shed innocent blood in this place.
Since then the children have shared in flesh and blood, he also himself in the same way partook of the same, that through death he might bring to nothing him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,
They cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, Master, the holy and true, until you judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”
On: Persecution, What Does the Bible Say About Ghosts? 25 Verses
Whoever sheds man’s blood, his blood will be shed by man, for God made man in his own image.
“‘You shall not eat any meat with the blood still in it. You shall not use enchantments, nor practice sorcery.
But Yahweh’s word came to me, saying, ‘You have shed blood abundantly, and have made great wars. You shall not build a house to my name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in my sight.
Their sorrows shall be multiplied who give gifts to another god. Their drink offerings of blood I will not offer, nor take their names on my lips.
On: Idolatry
Common questions
How many times is blood in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 346 of the 447 uses are in the Old Testament and 101 in the New Testament. Blood appears in 41 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Leviticus has the most (88), then Ezekiel (52) and Exodus (27).
Where is blood first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Genesis 4:10: "And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground." The last is Revelation 19:13.
More word counts: gold, amen, hallelujah, mercy, glory, truth, righteousness, salvation, 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 2026-10-03.