How many times is fornication mentioned in the Bible?
The word fornication appears 36 times in the King James Version, in 32 verses. Counting every form (fornication, fornications, fornicator, fornicators), it appears 44 times in 40 verses across 17 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses fornication 32 times (45 with every form).
The World English Bible never says fornication. Its closest wording is sexual immorality, sexually immoral and, in a few verses, sexual sins or sexual sinners, and its column counts those. In four verses where the KJV says fornication (2 Chronicles 21:11, Isaiah 23:17, Ezekiel 16:15 and 16:29) the World English Bible says play the prostitute or prostitution instead, and those are not counted. Its sexually immoral also stands where the KJV says whoremonger.
Fornication in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of fornication counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| fornication | 36 | not counted |
| fornications | 3 | not counted |
| fornicator | 2 | not counted |
| fornicators | 3 | not counted |
| sexual immorality | not counted | 32 |
| sexually immoral | not counted | 7 |
| sexual immoralities | not counted | 1 |
| sexual sins | not counted | 2 |
| sexual sinner | not counted | 1 |
| sexual sinners | not counted | 2 |
| Total | 44 | 45 |
Which books mention fornication most
Fornication appears in 17 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Revelation has the most (12), then 1 Corinthians (11) and Ezekiel (3).
Also in: Hebrews (1), Jude (1).
First and last mention of fornication
Moreover he made high places in the mountains of Judah, and caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to commit fornication, and compelled Judah thereto.
For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.
The verse that uses it most is 1 Corinthians 5:1, 2 times (tied with 1 Corinthians 6:18, Revelation 17:2, Revelation 18:3):
It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife.
Where the two translations differ
4 verses match in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 5 verses match only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
2 Chronicles 21:11: counted in the KJV only
Moreover he made high places in the mountains of Judah, and caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to commit fornication, and compelled Judah thereto.
Moreover he made high places in the mountains of Judah, and made the inhabitants of Jerusalem play the prostitute, and led Judah astray.
Isaiah 23:17: counted in the KJV only
And it shall come to pass after the end of seventy years, that the LORD will visit Tyre, and she shall turn to her hire, and shall commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the world upon the face of the earth.
It will happen after the end of seventy years that Yahweh will visit Tyre, and she shall return to her wages, and will play the prostitute with all the kingdoms of the world on the surface of the earth.
Ephesians 5:5: counted in the World English Bible only
For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
Know this for sure, that no sexually immoral person, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and God.
1 Timothy 1:10: counted in the World English Bible only
For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;
for the sexually immoral, for homosexuals, for slave-traders, for liars, for perjurers, and for any other thing contrary to the sound doctrine;
Verses with fornication on our topic pages
21 verses that use fornication in the World English Bible are in our topic collections.
Now the deeds of the flesh are obvious, which are: adultery, sexual immorality, uncleanness, lustfulness,
Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the bed be undefiled: but God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.
Flee sexual immorality! “Every sin that a man does is outside the body,” but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.
On: Lust, Temptation, Dating, Purity
Put to death therefore your members which are on the earth: sexual immorality, uncleanness, depraved passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry;
On: Lust, Idolatry, Purity, What Does the Bible Say About Gambling? 25 Verses
For this is the will of God: your sanctification, that you abstain from sexual immorality,
But for the cowardly, unbelieving, sinners, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their part is in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
On: Idolatry, What Does the Bible Say About Lying? 28 Verses, What Does the Bible Say About Halloween? 24 Verses, What Does the Bible Say About Witchcraft? 25 Verses
Or don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit God’s Kingdom? Don’t be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor male prostitutes, nor homosexuals,
On: Lust, Idolatry, Sin, What Does the Bible Say About Sex Before Marriage? 26 Verses
But sexual immorality, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not even be mentioned among you, as becomes saints;
On: Lust, Dating, Purity, What Does the Bible Say About Sex Before Marriage? 26 Verses
For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual sins, thefts, false testimony, and blasphemies.
On: What Does the Bible Say About Sex Before Marriage? 26 Verses, What Does the Bible Say About Eating Pork? 26 Verses, What Does the Bible Say About Stealing? 30 Verses, Murder
but I tell you that whoever puts away his wife, except for the cause of sexual immorality, makes her an adulteress; and whoever marries her when she is put away commits adultery.
On: Divorce, What Does the Bible Say About Adultery? 28 Verses, Remarriage
I tell you that whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and he who marries her when she is divorced commits adultery.”
On: Divorce, What Does the Bible Say About Adultery? 28 Verses, Remarriage
Common questions
How many times is fornication in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 5 of the 44 uses are in the Old Testament and 39 in the New Testament. Fornication appears in 17 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Revelation has the most (12), then 1 Corinthians (11) and Ezekiel (3).
Where is fornication first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is 2 Chronicles 21:11: "Moreover he made high places in the mountains of Judah, and caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to commit fornication, and compelled Judah thereto." The last is Revelation 19:2.
More word counts: Dagon, Elam, Ramah, Moabites, Anak, Asaph, year, Mephibosheth, or all 635 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 2026-10-24.