How many times is fear mentioned in the Bible?
The word fear appears 400 times in the King James Version, in 385 verses. Counting every form (fear, fears, feared, fearing, feareth, fearest), it appears 509 times in 489 verses across 55 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses fear 295 times (376 with every form).
Fear in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of fear counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| fear | 400 | 295 |
| fears | 4 | 20 |
| feared | 74 | 53 |
| fearing | 8 | 8 |
| feareth | 20 | 0 |
| fearest | 3 | 0 |
| Total | 509 | 376 |
Which books mention fear most
Fear appears in 55 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Psalms has the most (76), then Isaiah (41) and Deuteronomy (32).
Also in: Ecclesiastes (9), Revelation (9), 1 Kings (8), Hebrews (8), Judges (7), Malachi (7), Leviticus (6), 2 Samuel (6), Nehemiah (6), Mark (6), 2 Corinthians (6), Daniel (5), John (5), Romans (5), 1 Peter (5), 1 Chronicles (4), 1 John (4), Numbers (3), Esther (3), Ezekiel (3), Hosea (3), Zechariah (3), Lamentations (2), Jonah (2), Zephaniah (2), Haggai (2), 1 Corinthians (2), Ephesians (2), Philippians (2), Jude (2), Ruth (1), Ezra (1), Song of Solomon (1), Joel (1), Amos (1), Micah (1), Galatians (1), Colossians (1), 1 Timothy (1), 2 Timothy (1).
First and last mention of fear
And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.
And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great.
The verse that uses it most is 1 John 4:18, 4 times:
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
Where the two translations differ
140 verses match in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 13 verses match only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
Genesis 15:1: counted in the KJV only
After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.
After these things Yahweh’s word came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Don’t be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”
Genesis 19:30: counted in the KJV only
And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he feared to dwell in Zoar: and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters.
Lot went up out of Zoar, and lived in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he was afraid to live in Zoar. He lived in a cave with his two daughters.
Joshua 2:9: counted in the World English Bible only
And she said unto the men, I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you.
She said to the men, “I know that Yahweh has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you.
Psalm 76:12: counted in the World English Bible only
He shall cut off the spirit of princes: he is terrible to the kings of the earth.
He will cut off the spirit of princes. He is feared by the kings of the earth.
Verses with fear on our topic pages
49 verses that use fear in the World English Bible are in our topic collections.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
On: Comfort, Depression, Fear, Courage
Yahweh is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? Yahweh is the strength of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid?
On: Protection, Worry, Fear, Courage
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has punishment. He who fears is not made perfect in love.
On: Fear, God's Love, New Beginnings, Stress
Though an army should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear. Though war should rise against me, even then I will be confident.
On: Strength, Protection, Fear
Yahweh’s angel encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.
On: Protection, Fear, Angels
You shall not fear them; for Yahweh your God himself fights for you.”
On: Fear
Come, you children, listen to me. I will teach you the fear of Yahweh.
On: Fear
For God didn’t give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control.
On: Worry, Courage, Self Control, Encouragement
Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain; but a woman who fears Yahweh, she shall be praised.
“To him who is ready to faint, kindness should be shown from his friend; even to him who forsakes the fear of the Almighty.
On: Friendship, Betrayal
Oh how great is your goodness, which you have laid up for those who fear you, which you have worked for those who take refuge in you, before the sons of men!
On: Trust, Thanksgiving
Common questions
How many times is fear in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 394 of the 509 uses are in the Old Testament and 115 in the New Testament. Fear appears in 55 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Psalms has the most (76), then Isaiah (41) and Deuteronomy (32).
Where is fear first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Genesis 9:2: "And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered." The last is Revelation 19:5.
Read the full collection: Bible Verses About Fear (49 Verses).
More word counts: fear not, heaven, hell, money, prayer, peace, joy, Satan, 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.