How many times is Gaza mentioned in the Bible?
The word Gaza appears 19 times in the King James Version, in 18 verses. It is found in 11 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses Gaza 21 times.
Gaza in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of Gaza counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| Gaza | 19 | 21 |
| Total | 19 | 21 |
What the name Gaza means
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary glosses Gaza as "strong; a goat".
This is the 1869 traditional meaning; modern scholars often read names differently.
See every name and place with its meaning and count on Bible names and their meanings.
Source: Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary (1869), checked 2026-10-22.
First and last mention of Gaza
And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon, as thou comest to Gerar, unto Gaza; as thou goest, unto Sodom, and Gomorrah, and Admah, and Zeboim, even unto Lasha.
And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.
The verse that uses it most is Zechariah 9:5, 2 times:
Ashkelon shall see it, and fear; Gaza also shall see it, and be very sorrowful, and Ekron; for her expectation shall be ashamed; and the king shall perish from Gaza, and Ashkelon shall not be inhabited.
Where the two translations differ
1 verse matches in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 3 verses match only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
1 Chronicles 7:28: counted in the KJV only
And their possessions and habitations were, Bethel and the towns thereof, and eastward Naaran, and westward Gezer, with the towns thereof; Shechem also and the towns thereof, unto Gaza and the towns thereof:
Their possessions and settlements were Bethel and its towns, and eastward Naaran, and westward Gezer, with its towns; Shechem also and its towns, to Azzah and its towns;
Deuteronomy 2:23: counted in the World English Bible only
And the Avims which dwelt in Hazerim, even unto Azzah, the Caphtorims, which came forth out of Caphtor, destroyed them, and dwelt in their stead.)
and the Avvim, who lived in villages as far as Gaza, the Caphtorim, who came out of Caphtor, destroyed them, and lived in their place.)
1 Kings 4:24: counted in the World English Bible only
For he had dominion over all the region on this side the river, from Tiphsah even to Azzah, over all the kings on this side the river: and he had peace on all sides round about him.
For he had dominion over all on this side the River, from Tiphsah even to Gaza, over all the kings on this side the River: and he had peace on all sides around him.
Common questions
How many times is Gaza in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 18 of the 19 uses are in the Old Testament and 1 in the New Testament. Gaza appears in 11 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Judges has the most (4), then Joshua (3) and Jeremiah (2).
Where is Gaza first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Genesis 10:19: "And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon, as thou comest to Gerar, unto Gaza; as thou goest, unto Sodom, and Gomorrah, and Admah, and Zeboim, even unto Lasha." The last is Acts 8:26.
What does the name Gaza mean in the Bible?
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary glosses Gaza as "strong; a goat".
More word counts: Ashdod, Gath, Shiloh, Carmel, Kadesh, Horeb, Goshen, Euphrates, 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.