How many times is fish mentioned in the Bible?
The word fish appears 35 times in the King James Version, in 31 verses. Counting every form (fish, fishes), it appears 62 times in 57 verses across 22 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses fish 65 times.
Fish in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of fish counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| fish | 35 | 65 |
| fishes | 27 | 0 |
| Total | 62 | 65 |
Which books mention fish most
Fish appears in 22 books of the 66 in the King James Version. John has the most (8), then Ezekiel (7) and Luke (7).
Also in: 1 Kings (1), 2 Chronicles (1), Ecclesiastes (1), Jeremiah (1), Hosea (1), Habakkuk (1), 1 Corinthians (1).
First and last mention of fish
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds.
The verse that uses it most is Ezekiel 29:4, 2 times (tied with Ezekiel 47:10, Jonah 1:17, Mark 6:41, Luke 11:11):
But I will put hooks in thy jaws, and I will cause the fish of thy rivers to stick unto thy scales, and I will bring thee up out of the midst of thy rivers, and all the fish of thy rivers shall stick unto thy scales.
Where the two translations differ
1 verse matches in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 4 verses match only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
Isaiah 19:10: counted in the KJV only
And they shall be broken in the purposes thereof, all that make sluices and ponds for fish.
The pillars will be broken in pieces. All those who work for hire will be grieved in soul.
Job 41:1: counted in the World English Bible only
Canst thou draw out leviathan with an hook? or his tongue with a cord which thou lettest down?
“Can you draw out Leviathan with a fish hook, or press down his tongue with a cord?
Isaiah 19:8: counted in the World English Bible only
The fishers also shall mourn, and all they that cast angle into the brooks shall lament, and they that spread nets upon the waters shall languish.
The fishermen will lament, and all those who fish in the Nile will mourn, and those who spread nets on the waters will languish.
Verses with fish on our topic pages
7 verses that use fish in the World English Bible are in our topic collections.
God blessed them. God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky, and over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
On: Creation
the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the water under the earth;
On: Idolatry
Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach you. The fish of the sea shall declare to you.
“Can you draw out Leviathan with a fish hook, or press down his tongue with a cord?
Or if he asks for a fish, who will give him a serpent?
On: Fathers
They gave him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb.
Common questions
How many times is fish in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 35 of the 62 uses are in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. Fish appears in 22 books of the 66 in the King James Version. John has the most (8), then Ezekiel (7) and Luke (7).
Where is fish first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Genesis 1:26: "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." The last is 1 Corinthians 15:39.
More word counts: wolf, sparrow, goat, dove, locust, soul, bride, widow, or all 253 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 2026-10-05.