How many times is brother mentioned in the Bible?
The word brother appears 367 times in the King James Version, in 331 verses. Counting every form (brother, brothers, brother's, brethren), it appears 966 times in 878 verses across 57 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses brother 364 times (952 with every form).
The KJV's plural is usually brethren, and the World English Bible says brothers. Both are counted. A hyphenated word counts its parts, so brother-in-law adds 2 to the World English Bible count.
Brother in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of brother counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| brother | 367 | 364 |
| brothers | 1 | 551 |
| brother's | 35 | 37 |
| brethren | 563 | not counted |
| Total | 966 | 952 |
Which books mention brother most
Brother appears in 57 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Genesis has the most (173), then 1 Chronicles (96) and Acts (58).
Also in: 1 Thessalonians (19), James (19), 1 John (17), Jeremiah (14), John (14), Exodus (13), Joshua (13), 2 Corinthians (13), 1 Samuel (12), Ezra (12), Galatians (12), 1 Kings (11), Hebrews (10), Proverbs (9), Philippians (9), 2 Thessalonians (9), Job (8), Psalms (7), Isaiah (6), Ezekiel (6), 2 Kings (5), Colossians (5), Revelation (5), Philemon (4), 1 Peter (4), Hosea (3), Ephesians (3), 1 Timothy (3), 3 John (3), Ruth (2), Obadiah (2), Micah (2), Zechariah (2), Malachi (2), 2 Peter (2), Esther (1), Ecclesiastes (1), Song of Solomon (1), Amos (1), Haggai (1), 2 Timothy (1), Jude (1).
First and last mention of brother
And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.
The verse that uses it most is Deuteronomy 25:7, 5 times:
And if the man like not to take his brother’s wife, then let his brother’s wife go up to the gate unto the elders, and say, My husband’s brother refuseth to raise up unto his brother a name in Israel, he will not perform the duty of my husband’s brother.
Where the two translations differ
22 verses match in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 7 verses match only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
Genesis 13:8: counted in the KJV only
And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren.
Abram said to Lot, “Please, let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen; for we are relatives.
Genesis 14:14: counted in the KJV only
And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan.
When Abram heard that his relative was taken captive, he led out his trained men, born in his house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued as far as Dan.
Deuteronomy 20:8: counted in the World English Bible only
And the officers shall speak further unto the people, and they shall say, What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? let him go and return unto his house, lest his brethren’s heart faint as well as his heart.
The officers shall speak further to the people, and they shall say, “What man is there who is fearful and faint-hearted? Let him go and return to his house, lest his brother’s heart melt as his heart.”
Judges 1:16: counted in the World English Bible only
And the children of the Kenite, Moses’ father in law, went up out of the city of palm trees with the children of Judah into the wilderness of Judah, which lieth in the south of Arad; and they went and dwelt among the people.
The children of the Kenite, Moses’ brother-in-law, went up out of the city of palm trees with the children of Judah into the wilderness of Judah, which is in the south of Arad; and they went and lived with the people.
Verses with brother on our topic pages
86 verses that use brother in the World English Bible are in our topic collections.
Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honorable, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report; if there is any virtue, and if there is any praise, think about these things.
On: Worry, Hard Times, Honesty, Integrity
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.
Brothers, I don’t regard myself as yet having taken hold, but one thing I do. Forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before,
On: New Beginnings, Letting Go, Perseverance, Forgiving Yourself
In love of the brothers be tenderly affectionate to one another; in honor preferring one another;
On: Family, Leadership, Dating, Serving Others
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you fall into various temptations,
On: Patience, Joy, Suffering, Hard Times
a false witness who utters lies, and he who sows discord among brothers.
On: Gossip, What Does the Bible Say About Lying? 28 Verses, Bullying, Murder
But I tell you, that everyone who is angry with his brother without a cause will be in danger of the judgment; and whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ will be in danger of the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of Gehenna.
For you, brothers, were called for freedom. Only don’t use your freedom for gain to the flesh, but through love be servants to one another.
But we don’t want you to be ignorant, brothers, concerning those who have fallen asleep, so that you don’t grieve like the rest, who have no hope.
On: Grief, What Does the Bible Say About Cremation? 25 Verses, What Does the Bible Say About the Rapture? 24 Verses, Bible Verses for a Funeral
So, then, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger;
On: Patience, Anger, Self Control, Revenge
A friend loves at all times; and a brother is born for adversity.
On: Family, Friendship, Relationships
A man of many companions may be ruined, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
On: Family, Friendship, Loneliness
Common questions
How many times is brother in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 613 of the 966 uses are in the Old Testament and 353 in the New Testament. Brother appears in 57 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Genesis has the most (173), then 1 Chronicles (96) and Acts (58).
Where is brother first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Genesis 4:2: "And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground." The last is Revelation 22:9.
More word counts: virgin, birth, mouth, Hinnom, Nadab, Tobiah, Tophet, city, 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.