How many times is Damascus mentioned in the Bible?
The word Damascus appears 61 times in the King James Version, in 56 verses. It is found in 15 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses Damascus 61 times.
Damascus in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of Damascus counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| Damascus | 61 | 61 |
| Total | 61 | 61 |
Which books mention Damascus most
Damascus appears in 15 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Acts has the most (13), then 2 Kings (10) and Isaiah (7).
First and last mention of Damascus
And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus.
Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus.
The verse that uses it most is 1 Kings 11:24, 2 times (tied with 2 Kings 16:10, 2 Kings 16:11, Isaiah 7:8, Isaiah 17:1):
And he gathered men unto him, and became captain over a band, when David slew them of Zobah: and they went to Damascus, and dwelt therein, and reigned in Damascus.
Where the two translations differ
1 verse matches in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 1 verse matches only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
Amos 3:12: counted in the KJV only
Thus saith the LORD; As the shepherd taketh out of the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear; so shall the children of Israel be taken out that dwell in Samaria in the corner of a bed, and in Damascus in a couch.
Yahweh says: “As the shepherd rescues out of the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear, so shall the children of Israel be rescued who sit in Samaria on the corner of a couch, and on the silken cushions of a bed.”
Acts 22:12: counted in the World English Bible only
And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there,
One Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well reported of by all the Jews who lived in Damascus,
Common questions
How many times is Damascus in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 46 of the 61 uses are in the Old Testament and 15 in the New Testament. Damascus appears in 15 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Acts has the most (13), then 2 Kings (10) and Isaiah (7).
Where is Damascus first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Genesis 14:15: "And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus." The last is Galatians 1:17.
More word counts: Jericho, Samaria, Nineveh, serpent, bread, honey, milk, oil, or all 253 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 2026-10-05.