How many times is father mentioned in the Bible?
The word father appears 979 times in the King James Version, in 852 verses. Counting every form (father, fathers, father's), it appears 1,675 times in 1,471 verses across 57 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses father 1,191 times (1,911 with every form).
Father in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of father counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| father | 979 | 1,191 |
| fathers | 549 | 569 |
| father's | 147 | 151 |
| Total | 1,675 | 1,911 |
Which books mention father most
Father appears in 57 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Genesis has the most (211), then John (139) and 2 Chronicles (122).
Also in: Joshua (35), 2 Samuel (28), Ezekiel (27), Leviticus (26), Proverbs (26), Isaiah (22), Nehemiah (20), Psalms (19), Mark (19), Ezra (16), Daniel (15), Romans (15), 1 John (15), Ephesians (11), Job (9), Hebrews (9), Zechariah (7), Malachi (7), Colossians (7), 1 Corinthians (6), Galatians (6), 1 Thessalonians (6), 2 Corinthians (5), Revelation (5), Philippians (4), James (4), 1 Peter (4), 2 John (4), Ruth (3), Esther (3), 2 Thessalonians (3), 1 Timothy (3), Amos (2), Micah (2), 2 Peter (2), Lamentations (1), Hosea (1), Joel (1), 2 Timothy (1), Titus (1), Philemon (1), Jude (1).
First and last mention of father
Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads.
The verse that uses it most is Genesis 27:31, 3 times (tied with Genesis 27:34, Genesis 27:38, Genesis 44:22, Exodus 10:6, Joshua 24:2 and 16 more):
And he also had made savoury meat, and brought it unto his father, and said unto his father, Let my father arise, and eat of his son’s venison, that thy soul may bless me.
Where the two translations differ
10 verses match in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 147 verses match only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
Joshua 4:6: counted in the KJV only
That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones?
that this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask in the future, saying, ‘What do you mean by these stones?’
Joshua 19:47: counted in the KJV only
And the coast of the children of Dan went out too little for them: therefore the children of Dan went up to fight against Leshem, and took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and possessed it, and dwelt therein, and called Leshem, Dan, after the name of Dan their father.
The border of the children of Dan went out beyond them; for the children of Dan went up and fought against Leshem, and took it, and struck it with the edge of the sword, and possessed it, and lived therein, and called Leshem, Dan, after the name of Dan their forefather.
Genesis 4:18: counted in the World English Bible only
And unto Enoch was born Irad: and Irad begat Mehujael: and Mehujael begat Methusael: and Methusael begat Lamech.
To Enoch was born Irad. Irad became the father of Mehujael. Mehujael became the father of Methushael. Methushael became the father of Lamech.
Genesis 5:3: counted in the World English Bible only
And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:
Adam lived one hundred thirty years, and became the father of a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth.
Verses with father on our topic pages
98 verses that use father in the World English Bible are in our topic collections.
“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which Yahweh your God gives you.
You fathers, don’t provoke your children to wrath, but nurture them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
If it seems evil to you to serve Yahweh, choose today whom you will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell; but as for me and my house, we will serve Yahweh.”
Like a father has compassion on his children, so Yahweh has compassion on those who fear him.
On: Fathers
for whom Yahweh loves, he reproves; even as a father reproves the son in whom he delights.
On: Fathers
Listen to your father who gave you life, and don’t despise your mother when she is old.
On: Fathers
The father of the righteous has great joy. Whoever fathers a wise child delights in him.
On: Fathers
If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
On: Fathers
Call no man on the earth your father, for one is your Father, he who is in heaven.
On: Fathers
“He arose, and came to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
On: Fathers
Fathers, don’t provoke your children, so that they won’t be discouraged.
On: Fathers
As you know, we exhorted, comforted, and implored every one of you, as a father does his own children,
On: Fathers
Common questions
How many times is father in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 1,247 of the 1,675 uses are in the Old Testament and 428 in the New Testament. Father appears in 57 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Genesis has the most (211), then John (139) and 2 Chronicles (122).
Where is father first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Genesis 2:24: "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh." The last is Revelation 14:1.
Read the full collection: Bible Verses About Fathers (22 Verses).
More word counts: friend, heart, holy, kindness, comfort, spirit, covenant, miracle, 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.