How many times is Dan mentioned in the Bible?
The word Dan appears 74 times in the King James Version, in 66 verses. It is found in 16 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses Dan 72 times.
Dan in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of Dan counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| Dan | 74 | 72 |
| Total | 74 | 72 |
What the name Dan means
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary glosses Dan as "judgment; he that judges".
This is the 1869 traditional meaning; modern scholars often read names differently.
See every name and place with its meaning and count on Bible names and their meanings.
Source: Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary (1869), checked 2026-10-22.
Which books mention Dan most
Dan appears in 16 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Judges has the most (15), then Numbers (12) and Joshua (8).
Also in: Amos (1).
First and last mention of Dan
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.
They that swear by the sin of Samaria, and say, Thy god, O Dan, liveth; and, The manner of Beer-sheba liveth; even they shall fall, and never rise up again.
The verse that uses it most is Joshua 19:47, 4 times:
And the coast of the children of Dan went out too little for them: therefore the children of Dan went up to fight against Leshem, and took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and possessed it, and dwelt therein, and called Leshem, Dan, after the name of Dan their father.
Where the two translations differ
1 verse matches in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 0 verses match only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
Ezekiel 27:19: counted in the KJV only
Dan also and Javan going to and fro occupied in thy fairs: bright iron, cassia, and calamus, were in thy market.
“‘“Vedan and Javan traded with yarn for your wares: bright iron, cassia, and calamus were among your merchandise.
Common questions
How many times is Dan in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 74 of the 74 uses are in the Old Testament and 0 in the New Testament. Dan appears in 16 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Judges has the most (15), then Numbers (12) and Joshua (8).
Where is Dan first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Genesis 14:14: "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." The last is Amos 8:14.
What does the name Dan mean in the Bible?
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary glosses Dan as "judgment; he that judges".
More word counts: Naphtali, Simeon, Asher, Zebulun, Issachar, Joab, Hezekiah, Jonathan, 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.