How many times is dust mentioned in the Bible?
The word dust appears 108 times in the King James Version, in 102 verses. It is found in 30 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses dust 118 times.
Dust in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of dust counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| dust | 108 | 118 |
| Total | 108 | 118 |
Which books mention dust most
Dust appears in 30 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Job has the most (20), then Isaiah (17) and Psalms (13).
Also in: Micah (2), Nahum (2), Luke (2), Acts (2), Joshua (1), 1 Samuel (1), Proverbs (1), Daniel (1), Amos (1), Habakkuk (1), Zephaniah (1), Zechariah (1), Matthew (1), Mark (1), Revelation (1).
First and last mention of dust
And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.
The verse that uses it most is Genesis 3:19, 2 times (tied with Genesis 13:16, Exodus 8:17, Deuteronomy 9:21, Ecclesiastes 3:20, Isaiah 29:4):
In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
Where the two translations differ
3 verses match in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 11 verses match only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
Leviticus 14:41: counted in the KJV only
And he shall cause the house to be scraped within round about, and they shall pour out the dust that they scrape off without the city into an unclean place:
and he shall cause the inside of the house to be scraped all over, and they shall pour out the mortar, that they scraped off, outside of the city into an unclean place.
Nahum 3:18: counted in the KJV only
Thy shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria: thy nobles shall dwell in the dust: thy people is scattered upon the mountains, and no man gathereth them.
Your shepherds slumber, king of Assyria. Your nobles lie down. Your people are scattered on the mountains, and there is no one to gather them.
2 Kings 23:6: counted in the World English Bible only
And he brought out the grove from the house of the LORD, without Jerusalem, unto the brook Kidron, and burned it at the brook Kidron, and stamped it small to powder, and cast the powder thereof upon the graves of the children of the people.
He brought out the Asherah from Yahweh’s house, outside of Jerusalem, to the brook Kidron, and burned it at the brook Kidron, and beat it to dust, and cast its dust on the graves of the common people.
2 Kings 23:15: counted in the World English Bible only
Moreover the altar that was at Bethel, and the high place which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, had made, both that altar and the high place he brake down, and burned the high place, and stamped it small to powder, and burned the grove.
Moreover the altar that was at Bethel, and the high place which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, had made, even that altar and the high place he broke down; and he burned the high place and beat it to dust, and burned the Asherah.
Verses with dust on our topic pages
10 verses that use dust in the World English Bible are in our topic collections.
and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.
On: What Does the Bible Say About Cremation? 25 Verses, What Does the Bible Say About Ghosts? 25 Verses, What Does the Bible Say About Reincarnation? 26 Verses, Bible Verses for a Funeral
Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
On: Resurrection, Eternal Life, What Does the Bible Say About Cremation? 25 Verses, What Does the Bible Say About Reincarnation? 26 Verses
Your dead shall live. My dead bodies shall arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust; for your dew is like the dew of herbs, and the earth will cast out the departed spirits.
On: What Does the Bible Say About Cremation? 25 Verses, What Does the Bible Say About Reincarnation? 26 Verses
Yahweh God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
By the sweat of your face will you eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
Remember, I beg you, that you have fashioned me as clay. Will you bring me into dust again?
For he knows how we are made. He remembers that we are dust.
All go to one place. All are from the dust, and all turn to dust again.
On: Animals
You will be brought down, and will speak out of the ground. Your speech will mumble out of the dust. Your voice will be as of one who has a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and your speech will whisper out of the dust.
The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. Dust will be the serpent’s food. They will not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain,” says Yahweh.
On: Animals
Common questions
How many times is dust in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 101 of the 108 uses are in the Old Testament and 7 in the New Testament. Dust appears in 30 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Job has the most (20), then Isaiah (17) and Psalms (13).
Where is dust first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Genesis 2:7: "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." The last is Revelation 18:19.
More word counts: lips, physician, Gog, Magog, Haggai, Zephaniah, Caesarea, Mizpah, 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.