How many times is Ephraim mentioned in the Bible?
The word Ephraim appears 172 times in the King James Version, in 159 verses. Counting every form (Ephraim, Ephraim's), it appears 176 times in 162 verses across 20 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses Ephraim 175 times (180 with every form).
Ephraim in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of Ephraim counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| Ephraim | 172 | 175 |
| Ephraim's | 4 | 5 |
| Total | 176 | 180 |
What the name Ephraim means
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary glosses Ephraim as "fruitful; increasing".
This is the 1869 traditional meaning; modern scholars often read names differently.
See every name and place with its meaning and count on Bible names and their meanings.
Source: Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary (1869), checked 2026-10-22.
Which books mention Ephraim most
Ephraim appears in 20 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Hosea has the most (37), then Judges (23) and Joshua (17).
Also in: 1 Kings (2), 2 Kings (2), Nehemiah (2), Obadiah (1), John (1).
First and last mention of Ephraim
And the name of the second called he Ephraim: For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.
Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews; but went thence unto a country near to the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim, and there continued with his disciples.
The verse that uses it most is Judges 12:4, 3 times (tied with Isaiah 11:13):
Then Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim: and the men of Gilead smote Ephraim, because they said, Ye Gileadites are fugitives of Ephraim among the Ephraimites, and among the Manassites.
Where the two translations differ
0 verses match in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 3 verses match only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
Joshua 16:10: counted in the World English Bible only
And they drave not out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer: but the Canaanites dwell among the Ephraimites unto this day, and serve under tribute.
They didn’t drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer; but the Canaanites dwell in the territory of Ephraim to this day, and have become servants to do forced labor.
Judges 12:5: counted in the World English Bible only
And the Gileadites took the passages of Jordan before the Ephraimites: and it was so, that when those Ephraimites which were escaped said, Let me go over; that the men of Gilead said unto him, Art thou an Ephraimite? If he said, Nay;
The Gileadites took the fords of the Jordan against the Ephraimites. When the fugitives of Ephraim said, “Let me go over,” the men of Gilead said to him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he said, “No”;
Common questions
How many times is Ephraim in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 175 of the 176 uses are in the Old Testament and 1 in the New Testament. Ephraim appears in 20 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Hosea has the most (37), then Judges (23) and Joshua (17).
Where is Ephraim first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Genesis 41:52: "And the name of the second called he Ephraim: For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction." The last is John 11:54.
What does the name Ephraim mean in the Bible?
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary glosses Ephraim as "fruitful; increasing".
More word counts: Benjamin, Manasseh, Levi, Reuben, Gad, Dan, Naphtali, Simeon, 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.