How many times is dream mentioned in the Bible?
The word dream appears 74 times in the King James Version, in 61 verses. Counting every form (dream, dreams, dreamed, dreamer, dreamers), it appears 121 times in 86 verses across 17 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses dream 75 times (122 with every form).
Dream in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of dream counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| dream | 74 | 75 |
| dreams | 21 | 25 |
| dreamed | 20 | 18 |
| dreamer | 4 | 4 |
| dreamers | 2 | 0 |
| Total | 121 | 122 |
Which books mention dream most
Dream appears in 17 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Genesis has the most (48), then Daniel (29) and Jeremiah (9).
Also in: Zechariah (1), Jude (1).
First and last mention of dream
But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man’s wife.
Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.
The verse that uses it most is Genesis 37:9, 4 times (tied with Genesis 40:5, Genesis 41:11):
And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.
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.
Jude 1:8: counted in the KJV only
Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.
Yet in the same way, these also in their dreaming defile the flesh, despise authority, and slander celestial beings.
Isaiah 29:8: counted in the World English Bible only
It shall even be as when an hungry man dreameth, and, behold, he eateth; but he awaketh, and his soul is empty: or as when a thirsty man dreameth, and, behold, he drinketh; but he awaketh, and, behold, he is faint, and his soul hath appetite: so shall the multitude of all the nations be, that fight against mount Zion.
It will be like when a hungry man dreams, and behold, he eats; but he awakes, and his hunger isn’t satisfied; or like when a thirsty man dreams, and behold, he drinks; but he awakes, and behold, he is faint, and he is still thirsty. The multitude of all the nations that fight against Mount Zion will be like that.
Verses with dream on our topic pages
27 verses that use dream in the World English Bible are in our topic collections.
But when he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take to yourself Mary, your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
“It will happen afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; and your sons and your daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams. Your young men will see visions.
But God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night, and said to him, “Behold, you are a dead man, because of the woman whom you have taken. For she is a man’s wife.”
On: Dreams
Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to his brothers, and they hated him all the more.
On: Dreams
They said to him, “We have dreamed a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it.” Joseph said to them, “Don’t interpretations belong to God? Please tell it to me.”
On: Dreams
Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dream of Pharaoh is one. What God is about to do he has declared to Pharaoh.
On: Dreams
He said, “Now hear my words. If there is a prophet among you, I, Yahweh, will make myself known to him in a vision. I will speak with him in a dream.
On: Dreams
If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you, and he gives you a sign or a wonder,
On: Dreams
you shall not listen to the words of that prophet, or to that dreamer of dreams; for Yahweh your God is testing you, to know whether you love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
On: Dreams
In Gibeon, Yahweh appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask for what I should give you.”
On: Dreams
In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men, in slumbering on the bed;
On: Dreams
For as a dream comes with a multitude of cares, so a fool’s speech with a multitude of words.
On: Dreams
Common questions
How many times is dream in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 112 of the 121 uses are in the Old Testament and 9 in the New Testament. Dream appears in 17 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Genesis has the most (48), then Daniel (29) and Jeremiah (9).
Where is dream first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Genesis 20:3: "But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man’s wife." The last is Jude 1:8.
Read the full collection: Bible Verses About Dreams (32 Verses).
More word counts: music, dance, dog, lion, children, mother, father, friend, 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.