How many times is circumcision mentioned in the Bible?
The word circumcision appears 36 times in the King James Version, in 32 verses. Counting every form (circumcision, circumcised, circumcise), it appears 85 times in 72 verses across 16 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses circumcision 37 times (86 with every form).
Circumcision in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of circumcision counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| circumcision | 36 | 37 |
| circumcised | 39 | 41 |
| circumcise | 10 | 8 |
| Total | 85 | 86 |
Which books mention circumcision most
Circumcision appears in 16 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Genesis and Romans share the most, 16 each.
Also in: Titus (1).
First and last mention of circumcision
This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.
For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision:
The verse that uses it most is Colossians 2:11, 3 times:
In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
Where the two translations differ
0 verses match in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 2 verses match only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
Luke 2:21: counted in the World English Bible only
And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
When eight days were fulfilled for the circumcision of the child, his name was called Jesus, which was given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
Philippians 3:2: counted in the World English Bible only
Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.
Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision.
Verses with circumcision on our topic pages
2 verses that use circumcision in the World English Bible are in our topic collections.
They of the circumcision who believed were amazed, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was also poured out on the Gentiles.
On: What Does the Bible Say About Speaking in Tongues? 22 Verses
For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision amounts to anything, nor uncircumcision, but faith working through love.
On: Love
Common questions
How many times is circumcision in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 31 of the 85 uses are in the Old Testament and 54 in the New Testament. Circumcision appears in 16 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Genesis and Romans share the most, 16 each.
Where is circumcision first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Genesis 17:10: "This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised." The last is Titus 1:10.
More word counts: rainbow, flood, famine, plague, olive, fig, donkey, cherubim, 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.