How many times is cross mentioned in the Bible?
The word cross appears 28 times in the King James Version, in 28 verses. It is found in 10 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses cross 33 times.
Cross in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of cross counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| cross | 28 | 33 |
| Total | 28 | 33 |
Which books mention cross most
Cross appears in 10 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Matthew and Mark share the most, 5 each.
First and last mention of cross
And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Where the two translations differ
0 verses match in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 5 verses match only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
Leviticus 19:19: counted in the World English Bible only
Ye shall keep my statutes. Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind: thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed: neither shall a garment mingled of linen and woollen come upon thee.
“‘You shall keep my statutes. “‘You shall not cross-breed different kinds of animals. “‘You shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed; “‘Don’t wear a garment made of two kinds of material.
Deuteronomy 2:13: counted in the World English Bible only
Now rise up, said I, and get you over the brook Zered. And we went over the brook Zered.
“Now rise up, and cross over the brook Zered.” We went over the brook Zered.
Verses with cross on our topic pages
7 verses that use cross in the World English Bible are in our topic collections.
looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising its shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
On: Faith, Joy, Discipleship, Perseverance
He who doesn’t take his cross and follow after me, isn’t worthy of me.
On: Suffering
He called the multitude to himself with his disciples, and said to them, “Whoever wants to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
On: Discipleship
He said to all, “If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.
On: Discipleship
Whoever doesn’t bear his own cross, and come after me, can’t be my disciple.
On: Discipleship
And being found in human form, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, yes, the death of the cross.
On: Obedience
wiping out the handwriting in ordinances which was against us; and he has taken it out of the way, nailing it to the cross;
On: Debt
Common questions
How many times is cross in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 0 of the 28 uses are in the Old Testament and 28 in the New Testament. Cross appears in 10 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Matthew and Mark share the most, 5 each.
Where is cross first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Matthew 10:38: "And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me." The last is Hebrews 12:2.
More word counts: blood, gold, amen, hallelujah, mercy, glory, truth, righteousness, 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.