How many times does the Bible say fear not?
The phrase "fear not" appears 63 times in the King James Version, in 63 verses. Counting the related wordings (fear not, fear ye not, fear thou not, be not afraid), it appears 103 times in 101 verses across 31 of the 66 books. The World English Bible words it differently: Don't be afraid 95, don't fear 13.
A popular saying claims the Bible says "fear not" 365 times, one for every day of the year. This page counts every match of the phrases listed below in the full text.
Fear not in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of fear not counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| fear not | 63 | not counted |
| fear ye not | 8 | not counted |
| fear thou not | 4 | not counted |
| be not afraid | 28 | not counted |
| Don't be afraid | not counted | 95 |
| don't fear | not counted | 13 |
| Total | 103 | 108 |
Which books mention fear not most
Fear not appears in 31 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Isaiah has the most (14), then Jeremiah (9) and Luke (9).
Also in: Daniel (2), Joel (2), Zechariah (2), Mark (2), John (2), Acts (2), 1 Peter (2), Ruth (1), 1 Kings (1), 1 Chronicles (1), Proverbs (1), Lamentations (1), Zephaniah (1), Haggai (1), Malachi (1), Revelation (1).
First and last mention of fear not
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.
And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:
The verse that uses it most is Jeremiah 42:11, 2 times (tied with Ezekiel 2:6):
Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid; be not afraid of him, saith the LORD: for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you from his hand.
Where the two translations differ
8 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.
Deuteronomy 20:1: counted in the KJV only
When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the LORD thy God is with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
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.
Judges 6:10: counted in the KJV only
And I said unto you, I am the LORD your God; fear not the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but ye have not obeyed my voice.
I said to you, “I am Yahweh your God. You shall not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell.” But you have not listened to my voice.’”
Numbers 14:9: counted in the World English Bible only
Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not.
Only don’t rebel against Yahweh, neither fear the people of the land; for they are bread for us. Their defense is removed from over them, and Yahweh is with us. Don’t fear them.”
Numbers 21:34: counted in the World English Bible only
And the LORD said unto Moses, Fear him not: for I have delivered him into thy hand, and all his people, and his land; and thou shalt do to him as thou didst unto Sihon king of the Amorites, which dwelt at Heshbon.
Yahweh said to Moses, “Don’t fear him, for I have delivered him into your hand, with all his people, and his land. You shall do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived at Heshbon.”
Verses with fear not on our topic pages
15 verses that use fear not in the World English Bible are in our topic collections.
Haven’t I commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid. Don’t be dismayed, for Yahweh your God is with you wherever you go.”
Yahweh himself is who goes before you. He will be with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you. Don’t be afraid. Don’t be discouraged.”
On: Fear, Courage, Loneliness, Hard Times
Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid or scared of them; for Yahweh your God himself is who goes with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you.”
On: Strength, Courage, Loneliness, Encouragement
But when he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take to yourself Mary, your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
Don’t be afraid of the things which you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested; and you will have oppression for ten days. Be faithful to death, and I will give you the crown of life.
On: Persecution, Perseverance
David said to him, “Don’t be afraid; for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your father. You will eat bread at my table continually.”
On: Kindness
David said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous, and do it. Don’t be afraid, nor be dismayed; for Yahweh God, even my God, is with you. He will not fail you, nor forsake you, until all the work for the service of Yahweh’s house is finished.
On: Courage
and he said, “Listen, all Judah, and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, king Jehoshaphat. Yahweh says to you, ‘Don’t be afraid, and don’t be dismayed because of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s.
For I, Yahweh your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, ‘Don’t be afraid. I will help you.’
On: Worry
But now Yahweh who created you, Jacob, and he who formed you, Israel says: “Don’t be afraid, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by your name. You are mine.
“Don’t be afraid; for you will not be ashamed. Don’t be confounded; for you will not be disappointed. For you will forget the shame of your youth; and the reproach of your widowhood you shall remember no more.
On: Divorce
Don’t be afraid of those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul. Rather, fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.
On: Death
Common questions
How many times is fear not in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 78 of the 103 uses are in the Old Testament and 25 in the New Testament. Fear not appears in 31 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Isaiah has the most (14), then Jeremiah (9) and Luke (9).
Where is fear not first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Genesis 15:1: "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." The last is Revelation 1:17.
Does the Bible say fear not 365 times?
No. The exact words "fear not" appear 63 times in the King James Version. Adding fear ye not, fear thou not and be not afraid brings it to 103. In the World English Bible, don't be afraid and don't fear add up to 108. None of these reaches 365.
Read the full collection: Bible Verses About Fear (49 Verses).
More word counts: heaven, hell, money, prayer, peace, joy, Satan, devil, 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.