How many times is frankincense mentioned in the Bible?
The word frankincense appears 17 times in the King James Version, in 17 verses. It is found in 8 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses frankincense 22 times.
Frankincense in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of frankincense counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| frankincense | 17 | 22 |
| Total | 17 | 22 |
Which books mention frankincense most
Frankincense appears in 8 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Leviticus has the most (7), then Song of Solomon (3) and Nehemiah (2).
First and last mention of frankincense
And the LORD said unto Moses, Take unto thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; these sweet spices with pure frankincense: of each shall there be a like weight:
And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.
Where the two translations differ
1 verse matches in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 6 verses match only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
Song of Solomon 4:14: counted in the KJV only
Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices:
spikenard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, with every kind of incense tree; myrrh and aloes, with all the best spices,
Isaiah 43:23: counted in the World English Bible only
Thou hast not brought me the small cattle of thy burnt offerings; neither hast thou honoured me with thy sacrifices. I have not caused thee to serve with an offering, nor wearied thee with incense.
You have not brought me of your sheep for burnt offerings; neither have you honored me with your sacrifices. I have not burdened you with offerings, nor wearied you with frankincense.
Isaiah 60:6: counted in the World English Bible only
The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall shew forth the praises of the LORD.
A multitude of camels will cover you, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah. All from Sheba will come. They will bring gold and frankincense, and will proclaim the praises of Yahweh.
Verses with frankincense on our topic pages
1 verse that uses frankincense in the World English Bible is in our topic collections.
and cinnamon, incense, perfume, frankincense, wine, olive oil, fine flour, wheat, sheep, horses, chariots, and people’s bodies and souls.
Common questions
How many times is frankincense in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 15 of the 17 uses are in the Old Testament and 2 in the New Testament. Frankincense appears in 8 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Leviticus has the most (7), then Song of Solomon (3) and Nehemiah (2).
Where is frankincense first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Exodus 30:34: "And the LORD said unto Moses, Take unto thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; these sweet spices with pure frankincense: of each shall there be a like weight:" The last is Revelation 18:13.
More word counts: myrrh, hyssop, cedar, scorpion, fox, raven, owl, trumpet, or all 484 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 2026-10-22.