How many times is friend mentioned in the Bible?
The word friend appears 53 times in the King James Version, in 49 verses. Counting every form (friend, friends), it appears 102 times in 96 verses across 26 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses friend 54 times (115 with every form).
Friend in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of friend counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| friend | 53 | 54 |
| friends | 49 | 60 |
| friend's | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 102 | 115 |
Which books mention friend most
Friend appears in 26 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Proverbs has the most (20), then Luke (15) and Job (11).
Also in: 3 John (2), Exodus (1), Deuteronomy (1), Judges (1), 1 Samuel (1), 2 Chronicles (1), Isaiah (1), Lamentations (1), Hosea (1), Micah (1), Zechariah (1).
First and last mention of friend
Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath one of his friends, and Phichol the chief captain of his army.
But I trust I shall shortly see thee, and we shall speak face to face. Peace be to thee. Our friends salute thee. Greet the friends by name.
The verse that uses it most is 2 Samuel 16:17, 2 times (tied with Proverbs 6:3, Proverbs 18:24, Proverbs 27:10, Luke 11:5, 3 John 1:14):
And Absalom said to Hushai, Is this thy kindness to thy friend? why wentest thou not with thy friend?
Where the two translations differ
6 verses match in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 18 verses match only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
2 Samuel 19:6: counted in the KJV only
In that thou lovest thine enemies, and hatest thy friends. For thou hast declared this day, that thou regardest neither princes nor servants: for this day I perceive, that if Absalom had lived, and all we had died this day, then it had pleased thee well.
in that you love those who hate you, and hate those who love you. For you have declared today, that princes and servants are nothing to you. For today I perceive that if Absalom had lived, and all we had died today, then it would have pleased you well.
Proverbs 6:1: counted in the KJV only
My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger,
My son, if you have become collateral for your neighbor, if you have struck your hands in pledge for a stranger;
Ruth 4:1: counted in the World English Bible only
Then went Boaz up to the gate, and sat him down there: and, behold, the kinsman of whom Boaz spake came by; unto whom he said, Ho, such a one! turn aside, sit down here. And he turned aside, and sat down.
Now Boaz went up to the gate, and sat down there. Behold, the near kinsman of whom Boaz spoke came by. He said to him, “Come over here, friend, and sit down!” He came over, and sat down.
2 Kings 10:11: counted in the World English Bible only
So Jehu slew all that remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men, and his kinsfolks, and his priests, until he left him none remaining.
So Jehu struck all that remained of Ahab’s house in Jezreel, with all his great men, his familiar friends, and his priests, until he left him no one remaining.
Verses with friend on our topic pages
21 verses that use friend in the World English Bible are in our topic collections.
Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
On: Love, Family, Friendship, God's Love
He who covers an offense promotes love; but he who repeats a matter separates best friends.
On: Friendship, Gossip, Betrayal
A friend loves at all times; and a brother is born for adversity.
On: Family, Friendship, Relationships
A man of many companions may be ruined, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
On: Family, Friendship, Loneliness
Iron sharpens iron; so a man sharpens his friend’s countenance.
No longer do I call you servants, for the servant doesn’t know what his lord does. But I have called you friends, for everything that I heard from my Father, I have made known to you.
“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
Yes, my own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, who ate bread with me, has lifted up his heel against me.
On: Friendship, Betrayal
A perverse man stirs up strife. A whisperer separates close friends.
On: Friendship, Gossip
Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that had come on him, they each came from his own place: Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite; and they made an appointment together to come to sympathize with him and to comfort him.
On: Friendship
Faithful are the wounds of a friend; although the kisses of an enemy are profuse.
On: Friendship
Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart; so does earnest counsel from a man’s friend.
On: Friendship
Common questions
How many times is friend in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 67 of the 102 uses are in the Old Testament and 35 in the New Testament. Friend appears in 26 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Proverbs has the most (20), then Luke (15) and Job (11).
Where is friend first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Genesis 26:26: "Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath one of his friends, and Phichol the chief captain of his army." The last is 3 John 1:14.
Read the full collection: Bible Verses About Friendship (27 Verses).
More word counts: heart, holy, kindness, comfort, spirit, covenant, miracle, prophet, 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.