How many times is darkness mentioned in the Bible?
The word darkness appears 162 times in the King James Version, in 142 verses. It is found in 39 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses darkness 165 times.
Darkness in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of darkness counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| darkness | 162 | 165 |
| Total | 162 | 165 |
Which books mention darkness most
Darkness appears in 39 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Job has the most (28), then Isaiah (18) and Psalms (17).
Also in: Amos (3), Acts (3), Ephesians (3), Zephaniah (2), Romans (2), 2 Corinthians (2), 1 Thessalonians (2), 2 Peter (2), Jude (2), Joshua (1), 1 Samuel (1), 1 Kings (1), 2 Chronicles (1), Lamentations (1), Ezekiel (1), Daniel (1), Micah (1), Nahum (1), Mark (1), 1 Corinthians (1), Colossians (1), Hebrews (1), 1 Peter (1), Revelation (1).
First and last mention of darkness
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain,
The verse that uses it most is Job 10:22, 3 times (tied with Matthew 6:23, 1 John 2:11):
A land of darkness, as darkness itself; and of the shadow of death, without any order, and where the light is as darkness.
Where the two translations differ
4 verses match in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 8 verses match only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
Job 10:22: counted in the KJV only
A land of darkness, as darkness itself; and of the shadow of death, without any order, and where the light is as darkness.
the land dark as midnight, of the shadow of death, without any order, where the light is as midnight.’”
Psalm 88:6: counted in the KJV only
Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps.
You have laid me in the lowest pit, in the darkest depths.
Job 11:17: counted in the World English Bible only
And thine age shall be clearer than the noonday; thou shalt shine forth, thou shalt be as the morning.
Life shall be clearer than the noonday. Though there is darkness, it shall be as the morning.
Job 16:16: counted in the World English Bible only
My face is foul with weeping, and my eyelids is the shadow of death;
My face is red with weeping. Deep darkness is on my eyelids.
Verses with darkness on our topic pages
24 verses that use darkness in the World English Bible are in our topic collections.
For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world’s rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
On: Demons, Spiritual Warfare, What Does the Bible Say About Witchcraft? 25 Verses, What Does the Bible Say About War? 27 Verses
If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in the darkness, we lie, and don’t tell the truth.
On: Honesty, Truth, What Does the Bible Say About Lying? 28 Verses, What Does the Bible Say About Halloween? 24 Verses
The earth was formless and empty. Darkness was on the surface of the deep and God’s Spirit was hovering over the surface of the waters.
On: Creation, Holy Spirit
But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
On: Contentment, What Does the Bible Say About Pornography? 28 Verses
Again, therefore, Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.”
On: What Does the Bible Say About Halloween? 24 Verses, Yoga
Don’t be unequally yoked with unbelievers, for what fellowship have righteousness and iniquity? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?
On: Relationships, Dating
Have no fellowship with the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather even reprove them.
On: What Does the Bible Say About Halloween? 24 Verses, What Does the Bible Say About Pornography? 28 Verses
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellence of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:
For if God didn’t spare angels when they sinned, but cast them down to Tartarus, and committed them to pits of darkness, to be reserved for judgment;
For you will light my lamp, Yahweh. My God will light up my darkness.
On: Protection
and if you pour out your soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul: then your light will rise in darkness, and your obscurity will be as the noonday;
On: Stress
The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of Yahweh comes.
On: End Times
Common questions
How many times is darkness in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 111 of the 162 uses are in the Old Testament and 51 in the New Testament. Darkness appears in 39 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Job has the most (28), then Isaiah (18) and Psalms (17).
Where is darkness first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Genesis 1:2: "And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." The last is Revelation 16:10.
More word counts: understanding, witness, judge, servant, ox, hair, Hamath, Asahel, or all 635 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 2026-10-24.