How many times is death mentioned in the Bible?
The word death appears 372 times in the King James Version, in 342 verses. Counting every form (death, deaths), it appears 376 times in 346 verses across 45 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses death 398 times (400 with every form).
Death in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of death counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| death | 372 | 398 |
| deaths | 4 | 2 |
| Total | 376 | 400 |
Which books mention death most
Death appears in 45 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Psalms has the most (27), then Jeremiah (23) and Romans (22).
Also in: Luke (10), Hebrews (10), 2 Kings (9), 2 Corinthians (9), Genesis (8), Judges (8), 2 Chronicles (8), Isaiah (8), 1 Corinthians (8), 1 Samuel (7), Philippians (6), 1 John (6), 1 Kings (5), Ezekiel (5), Joshua (4), Ecclesiastes (3), Ruth (2), Hosea (2), James (2), 1 Chronicles (1), Ezra (1), Esther (1), Song of Solomon (1), Lamentations (1), Amos (1), Jonah (1), Habakkuk (1), Colossians (1), 2 Timothy (1), 1 Peter (1).
First and last mention of death
And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept.
But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
The verse that uses it most is Deuteronomy 17:6, 3 times (tied with Deuteronomy 24:16, 2 Kings 14:6, 1 John 5:16):
At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.
Where the two translations differ
13 verses match in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 37 verses match only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
Numbers 35:30: counted in the KJV only
Whoso killeth any person, the murderer shall be put to death by the mouth of witnesses: but one witness shall not testify against any person to cause him to die.
“‘Whoever kills any person, the murderer shall be slain at the mouth of witnesses; but one witness shall not testify against any person that he die.
2 Kings 20:1: counted in the KJV only
In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live.
In those days Hezekiah was sick and dying. Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him, and said to him, “Yahweh says, ‘Set your house in order; for you will die, and not live.’”
Exodus 21:28: counted in the World English Bible only
If an ox gore a man or a woman, that they die: then the ox shall be surely stoned, and his flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be quit.
“If a bull gores a man or a woman to death, the bull shall surely be stoned, and its meat shall not be eaten; but the owner of the bull shall not be held responsible.
Leviticus 20:4: counted in the World English Bible only
And if the people of the land do any ways hide their eyes from the man, when he giveth of his seed unto Molech, and kill him not:
If the people of the land all hide their eyes from that person, when he gives of his offspring to Molech, and don’t put him to death;
Verses with death on our topic pages
39 verses that use death in the World English Bible are in our topic collections.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
On: Comfort, Depression, Fear, Courage
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; neither will there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more. The first things have passed away.”
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,
On: Depression, Loneliness, Death, God's Love
Precious in Yahweh’s sight is the death of his saints.
On: Death
A good name is better than fine perfume; and the day of death better than the day of one’s birth.
On: Death
For I have no pleasure in the death of him who dies,” says the Lord Yahweh. “Therefore turn yourselves, and live!
On: Death
The last enemy that will be abolished is death.
On: Death
But when this perishable body will have become imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then what is written will happen: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”
On: Death
Common questions
How many times is death in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 237 of the 376 uses are in the Old Testament and 139 in the New Testament. Death appears in 45 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Psalms has the most (27), then Jeremiah (23) and Romans (22).
Where is death first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Genesis 21:16: "And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept." The last is Revelation 21:8.
Read the full collection: Bible Verses About Death (21 Verses).
More word counts: water, light, cross, blood, gold, amen, hallelujah, mercy, 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.