How many times is enemy mentioned in the Bible?
The word enemy appears 107 times in the King James Version, in 106 verses. Counting every form (enemy, enemies, enemy's), it appears 379 times in 367 verses across 43 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses enemy 102 times (341 with every form).
Enemy in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of enemy counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| enemy | 107 | 102 |
| enemies | 269 | 238 |
| enemy's | 3 | 1 |
| Total | 379 | 341 |
Which books mention enemy most
Enemy appears in 43 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Psalms has the most (106), then Deuteronomy (27) and 1 Samuel (22).
Also in: Luke (8), Nehemiah (7), 1 Chronicles (6), Job (6), Micah (6), Matthew (6), Proverbs (4), Nahum (4), Genesis (3), 2 Kings (3), Ezekiel (3), Romans (3), Ezra (2), 1 Corinthians (2), Hebrews (2), Revelation (2), Daniel (1), Hosea (1), Amos (1), Zephaniah (1), Zechariah (1), Mark (1), Acts (1), Galatians (1), Philippians (1), Colossians (1), 2 Thessalonians (1), James (1).
First and last mention of enemy
And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.
And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.
The verse that uses it most is Exodus 23:22, 2 times (tied with Numbers 10:9, Joshua 7:12, Joshua 21:44, Judges 2:14, 1 Kings 8:46 and 6 more):
But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries.
Where the two translations differ
45 verses match in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 9 verses match only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
Numbers 24:8: counted in the KJV only
God brought him forth out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn: he shall eat up the nations his enemies, and shall break their bones, and pierce them through with his arrows.
God brings him out of Egypt. He has as it were the strength of the wild ox. He shall eat up the nations his adversaries, shall break their bones in pieces, and pierce them with his arrows.
Deuteronomy 32:41: counted in the KJV only
If I whet my glittering sword, and mine hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me.
if I sharpen my glittering sword, my hand grasps it in judgment; I will take vengeance on my adversaries, and will repay those who hate me.
Joshua 5:13: counted in the World English Bible only
And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?
When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man stood in front of him with his sword drawn in his hand. Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us, or for our enemies?”
1 Kings 5:3: counted in the World English Bible only
Thou knowest how that David my father could not build an house unto the name of the LORD his God for the wars which were about him on every side, until the LORD put them under the soles of his feet.
“You know that David my father could not build a house for the name of Yahweh his God because of the wars which were around him on every side, until Yahweh put his enemies under the soles of his feet.
Verses with enemy on our topic pages
35 verses that use enemy in the World English Bible are in our topic collections.
But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you,
On: Love, Prayer, Persecution, Enemies
My times are in your hand. Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, and from those who persecute me.
Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in doing so, you will heap coals of fire on his head.”
On: Persecution, Enemies, What Does the Bible Say About War? 27 Verses, Bullying
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil. My cup runs over.
On: Depression, Grief, Enemies
Yahweh will preserve him, and keep him alive. He shall be blessed on the earth, and he will not surrender him to the will of his enemies.
On: Blessings, Generosity
When a man’s ways please Yahweh, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
“But I tell you who hear: love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
On: Forgiveness, Enemies
But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing back; and your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind toward the unthankful and evil.
and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” Abram gave him a tenth of all.
On: Tithing
“If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again.
On: Enemies
But if you indeed listen to his voice, and do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies, and an adversary to your adversaries.
On: Obedience
When you go out to battle against your enemies, and see horses, chariots, and a people more than you, you shall not be afraid of them; for Yahweh your God is with you, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
Common questions
How many times is enemy in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 349 of the 379 uses are in the Old Testament and 30 in the New Testament. Enemy appears in 43 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Psalms has the most (106), then Deuteronomy (27) and 1 Samuel (22).
Where is enemy first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Genesis 14:20: "And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all." The last is Revelation 11:12.
More word counts: brother, virgin, birth, mouth, Hinnom, Nadab, Tobiah, Tophet, 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.