How many times is children mentioned in the Bible?
The word children appears 1,803 times in the King James Version, in 1,516 verses. Counting every form (children, child, child's, children's), it appears 2,027 times in 1,700 verses across 58 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses children 1,793 times (2,010 with every form).
Children in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of children counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| children | 1,803 | 1,793 |
| child | 201 | 190 |
| child's | 4 | 9 |
| children's | 19 | 18 |
| Total | 2,027 | 2,010 |
Which books mention children most
Children appears in 58 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Numbers has the most (264), then Joshua (192) and Exodus (150).
Also in: 1 Kings (51), Matthew (50), 2 Samuel (44), Luke (41), 1 Samuel (35), Ezekiel (32), Proverbs (20), Hosea (20), Mark (17), Job (16), Acts (16), Daniel (13), 1 John (12), Joel (11), Lamentations (10), Romans (10), Galatians (9), Ephesians (9), Revelation (9), Amos (8), John (8), 1 Corinthians (7), Ecclesiastes (6), Hebrews (6), 2 Corinthians (5), 1 Thessalonians (5), 1 Timothy (5), Micah (3), Zephaniah (3), Colossians (3), 2 John (3), Esther (2), Obadiah (2), Zechariah (2), Malachi (2), Titus (2), Ruth (1), Song of Solomon (1), Nahum (1), 2 Timothy (1), 1 Peter (1), 2 Peter (1), 3 John (1).
First and last mention of children
Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:
The verse that uses it most is Joshua 17:2, 8 times:
There was also a lot for the rest of the children of Manasseh by their families; for the children of Abiezer, and for the children of Helek, and for the children of Asriel, and for the children of Shechem, and for the children of Hepher, and for the children of Shemida: these were the male children of Manasseh the son of Joseph by their families.
Where the two translations differ
107 verses match in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 89 verses match only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
Genesis 10:22: counted in the KJV only
The children of Shem; Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram.
The sons of Shem were: Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram.
Genesis 10:23: counted in the KJV only
And the children of Aram; Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Mash.
The sons of Aram were: Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash.
Genesis 4:25: counted in the World English Bible only
And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.
Adam knew his wife again. She gave birth to a son, and named him Seth, saying, “for God has given me another child instead of Abel, for Cain killed him.”
Genesis 15:3: counted in the World English Bible only
And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.
Abram said, “Behold, to me you have given no children: and, behold, one born in my house is my heir.”
Verses with children on our topic pages
83 verses that use children in the World English Bible are in our topic collections.
Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.
and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up.
Behold, children are a heritage of Yahweh. The fruit of the womb is his reward.
Children’s children are the crown of old men; the glory of children are their parents.
You fathers, don’t provoke your children to wrath, but nurture them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
I have no greater joy than this, to hear about my children walking in truth.
He settles the barren woman in her home, as a joyful mother of children. Praise Yah!
As arrows in the hand of a mighty man, so are the children of youth.
On: Children
Even a child makes himself known by his doings, whether his work is pure, and whether it is right.
On: Children
The rod of correction gives wisdom, but a child left to himself causes shame to his mother.
On: Children
All your children will be taught by Yahweh; and your children’s peace will be great.
On: Children
Common questions
How many times is children in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 1,806 of the 2,027 uses are in the Old Testament and 221 in the New Testament. Children appears in 58 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Numbers has the most (264), then Joshua (192) and Exodus (150).
Where is children first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Genesis 3:16: "Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee." The last is Revelation 21:12.
Read the full collection: Bible Verses About Children (20 Verses).
More word counts: mother, father, friend, heart, holy, kindness, comfort, spirit, or all 107 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 2026-10-02.