How many times is donkey mentioned in the Bible?
The word donkey (spelled ass in the KJV) appears 86 times in the King James Version, in 76 verses. Counting every form (ass, ass's, asses), it appears 154 times in 140 verses across 27 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses donkey 90 times (158 with every form).
The KJV never prints donkey: it says ass. The KJV column counts ass and asses and the World English Bible column counts donkey and donkeys.
Donkey in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of donkey counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| ass | 86 | not counted |
| ass's | 4 | not counted |
| asses | 64 | not counted |
| donkey | not counted | 90 |
| donkey's | not counted | 4 |
| donkeys | not counted | 64 |
| Total | 154 | 158 |
Which books mention donkey most
Donkey appears in 27 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Genesis has the most (21), then Numbers (20) and 1 Samuel (18).
Also in: Zechariah (3), Nehemiah (2), Luke (2), John (2), 2 Chronicles (1), Ezra (1), Psalms (1), Proverbs (1), Ezekiel (1), Daniel (1), Hosea (1), 2 Peter (1).
First and last mention of donkey
And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels.
But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man’s voice forbad the madness of the prophet.
The verse that uses it most is Numbers 22:23, 3 times:
And the ass saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way.
Where the two translations differ
1 verse matches 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.
Luke 14:5: counted in the KJV only
And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day?
He answered them, “Which of you, if your son or an ox fell into a well, wouldn’t immediately pull him out on a Sabbath day?”
Genesis 16:12: counted in the World English Bible only
And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.
He will be like a wild donkey among men. His hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him. He will live opposite all of his brothers.”
Mark 11:2: counted in the World English Bible only
And saith unto them, Go your way into the village over against you: and as soon as ye be entered into it, ye shall find a colt tied, whereon never man sat; loose him, and bring him.
and said to them, “Go your way into the village that is opposite you. Immediately as you enter into it, you will find a young donkey tied, on which no one has sat. Untie him, and bring him.
Verses with donkey on our topic pages
7 verses that use donkey in the World English Bible are in our topic collections.
“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”
On: Jealousy, Lust, What Does the Bible Say About Gambling? 25 Verses
If the stolen property is found in his hand alive, whether it is ox, donkey, or sheep, he shall pay double.
“If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again.
On: Enemies
If you see the donkey of him who hates you fallen down under his burden, don’t leave him, you shall surely help him with it.
On: Enemies
“Six days you shall do your work, and on the seventh day you shall rest, that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and the son of your servant, and the alien may be refreshed.
On: Rest
but the seventh day is a Sabbath to Yahweh your God, in which you shall not do any work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your livestock, nor your stranger who is within your gates; that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you.
On: Rest
Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion! Shout, daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King comes to you! He is righteous, and having salvation; lowly, and riding on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
On: Christmas
Common questions
How many times is donkey in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 145 of the 154 uses are in the Old Testament and 9 in the New Testament. Donkey appears in 27 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Genesis has the most (21), then Numbers (20) and 1 Samuel (18).
Where is donkey first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Genesis 12:16: "And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels." The last is 2 Peter 2:16.
More word counts: cherubim, frankincense, myrrh, hyssop, cedar, scorpion, fox, raven, 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.