How many times is famine mentioned in the Bible?
The word famine appears 96 times in the King James Version, in 84 verses. Counting every form (famine, famines), it appears 99 times in 87 verses across 19 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses famine 106 times (109 with every form).
Famine in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of famine counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| famine | 96 | 106 |
| famines | 3 | 3 |
| Total | 99 | 109 |
Which books mention famine most
Famine appears in 19 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Jeremiah has the most (32), then Genesis (24) and Ezekiel (13).
Also in: Matthew (1), Mark (1), Romans (1), Revelation (1).
First and last mention of famine
And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land.
Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.
The verse that uses it most is Genesis 12:10, 2 times (tied with Genesis 26:1, Genesis 41:30, Genesis 41:36, Genesis 41:56, Genesis 47:13 and 6 more):
And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land.
Where the two translations differ
0 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.
Genesis 41:54: counted in the World English Bible only
And the seven years of dearth began to come, according as Joseph had said: and the dearth was in all lands; but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.
The seven years of famine began to come, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.
2 Kings 4:38: counted in the World English Bible only
And Elisha came again to Gilgal: and there was a dearth in the land; and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him: and he said unto his servant, Set on the great pot, and seethe pottage for the sons of the prophets.
Elisha came again to Gilgal. There was a famine in the land; and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him; and he said to his servant, “Get the large pot, and boil stew for the sons of the prophets.”
Verses with famine on our topic pages
4 verses that use famine in the World English Bible are in our topic collections.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Could oppression, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
On: Depression, Suffering, Loneliness, Persecution
They shall not be disappointed in the time of evil. In the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
On: Provision
For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there will be famines, plagues, and earthquakes in various places.
On: End Times
There will be great earthquakes, famines, and plagues in various places. There will be terrors and great signs from heaven.
On: End Times
Common questions
How many times is famine in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 92 of the 99 uses are in the Old Testament and 7 in the New Testament. Famine appears in 19 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Jeremiah has the most (32), then Genesis (24) and Ezekiel (13).
Where is famine first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Genesis 12:10: "And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land." The last is Revelation 18:8.
More word counts: plague, olive, fig, donkey, cherubim, frankincense, myrrh, hyssop, 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.