How many times is body mentioned in the Bible?
The word body appears 174 times in the King James Version, in 151 verses. Counting every form (body, bodies, body's), it appears 208 times in 180 verses across 40 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses body 243 times (307 with every form).
Body in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of body counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| body | 174 | 243 |
| bodies | 33 | 61 |
| body's | 1 | 3 |
| Total | 208 | 307 |
Which books mention body most
Body appears in 40 books of the 66 in the King James Version. 1 Corinthians has the most (47), then Matthew (16) and Luke (13).
Also in: James (5), 1 Samuel (3), Psalms (3), Isaiah (3), Ezekiel (3), Philippians (3), Revelation (3), 1 Chronicles (2), 2 Chronicles (2), Acts (2), Genesis (1), Exodus (1), Leviticus (1), Judges (1), 2 Kings (1), Nehemiah (1), Proverbs (1), Lamentations (1), Amos (1), Micah (1), Haggai (1), Galatians (1), 1 Thessalonians (1), 1 Peter (1), Jude (1).
First and last mention of body
When that year was ended, they came unto him the second year, and said unto him, We will not hide it from my lord, how that our money is spent; my lord also hath our herds of cattle; there is not ought left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands:
And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.
The verse that uses it most is 1 Corinthians 15:44, 4 times:
It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
Where the two translations differ
6 verses match in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 96 verses match only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
Exodus 24:10: counted in the KJV only
And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.
They saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was like a paved work of sapphire stone, like the skies for clearness.
2 Kings 8:5: counted in the KJV only
And it came to pass, as he was telling the king how he had restored a dead body to life, that, behold, the woman, whose son he had restored to life, cried to the king for her house and for her land. And Gehazi said, My lord, O king, this is the woman, and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life.
As he was telling the king how he had restored to life him who was dead, behold, the woman, whose son he had restored to life, begged the king for her house and for her land. Gehazi said, “My lord, O king, this is the woman, and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life.”
Genesis 15:4: counted in the World English Bible only
And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.
Behold, Yahweh’s word came to him, saying, “This man will not be your heir, but he who will come out of your own body will be your heir.”
Genesis 25:23: counted in the World English Bible only
And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.
Yahweh said to her, “Two nations are in your womb. Two peoples will be separated from your body. The one people will be stronger than the other people. The elder will serve the younger.”
Verses with body on our topic pages
70 verses that use body in the World English Bible are in our topic collections.
Therefore I urge you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service.
Or don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,
On: Tattoos, Alcohol, Temptation, Modesty
for you were bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
Flee sexual immorality! “Every sin that a man does is outside the body,” but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.
On: Lust, Temptation, Dating, Purity
that each one of you know how to control his own body in sanctification and honor,
We are courageous, I say, and are willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be at home with the Lord.
On: Death, What Does the Bible Say About Ghosts? 25 Verses, What Does the Bible Say About Reincarnation? 26 Verses, Bible Verses for a Funeral
And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.
On: Peace, Anxiety, Gratitude, Thanksgiving
The life of the body is a heart at peace, but envy rots the bones.
On: Strength, Peace, Contentment, Jealousy
Therefore don’t let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.
On: Temptation, What Does the Bible Say About Smoking? 24 Verses, What Does the Bible Say About Masturbation? 25 Verses, What Does the Bible Say About Pornography? 28 Verses
but I beat my body and bring it into submission, lest by any means, after I have preached to others, I myself should be rejected.
On: Laziness, Self Control, What Does the Bible Say About Smoking? 24 Verses, Yoga
For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether bond or free; and were all given to drink into one Spirit.
On: Baptism, Church, Unity, What Does the Bible Say About Slavery? 26 Verses
who will change the body of our humiliation to be conformed to the body of his glory, according to the working by which he is able even to subject all things to himself.
On: Resurrection, What Does the Bible Say About Cremation? 25 Verses, What Does the Bible Say About the Rapture? 24 Verses, Bible Verses for a Funeral
Common questions
How many times is body in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 58 of the 208 uses are in the Old Testament and 150 in the New Testament. Body appears in 40 books of the 66 in the King James Version. 1 Corinthians has the most (47), then Matthew (16) and Luke (13).
Where is body first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Genesis 47:18: "When that year was ended, they came unto him the second year, and said unto him, We will not hide it from my lord, how that our money is spent; my lord also hath our herds of cattle; there is not ought left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands:" The last is Revelation 11:9.
More word counts: son, teeth, womb, disease, Shushan, Lachish, Ziklag, Arabia, or all 635 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 2026-10-24.