How many times is Gentiles mentioned in the Bible?
The word Gentiles appears 129 times in the King James Version, in 121 verses. Counting every form (Gentiles, Gentile), it appears 131 times in 123 verses across 27 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses Gentiles 83 times (85 with every form).
Gentiles in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of Gentiles counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| Gentiles | 129 | 83 |
| Gentile | 2 | 2 |
| Total | 131 | 85 |
Which books mention Gentiles most
Gentiles appears in 27 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Acts has the most (30), then Romans (26) and Isaiah (15).
Also in: 1 Peter (2), Genesis (1), Lamentations (1), Ezekiel (1), Hosea (1), Joel (1), Micah (1), Zechariah (1), Malachi (1), Colossians (1), 3 John (1), Revelation (1).
First and last mention of Gentiles
By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations.
But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.
The verse that uses it most is Luke 21:24, 2 times (tied with John 7:35, Romans 3:29, Romans 11:13, Romans 15:9, Romans 15:12 and 2 more):
And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
Where the two translations differ
51 verses match 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.
Genesis 10:5: counted in the KJV only
By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations.
Of these were the islands of the nations divided in their lands, everyone after his language, after their families, in their nations.
Isaiah 11:10: counted in the KJV only
And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.
It will happen in that day that the nations will seek the root of Jesse, who stands as a banner of the peoples; and his resting place will be glorious.
Matthew 6:7: counted in the World English Bible only
But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
In praying, don’t use vain repetitions, as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their much speaking.
Matthew 18:17: counted in the World English Bible only
And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the assembly. If he refuses to hear the assembly also, let him be to you as a Gentile or a tax collector.
Verses with Gentiles on our topic pages
10 verses that use Gentiles in the World English Bible are in our topic collections.
not in the passion of lust, even as the Gentiles who don’t know God;
On: Lust, Dating, Purity, What Does the Bible Say About Sex Before Marriage? 26 Verses
For the Gentiles seek after all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
On: Provision, Thanksgiving, Wealth
For we have spent enough of our past time doing the desire of the Gentiles, and having walked in lewdness, lusts, drunken binges, orgies, carousings, and abominable idolatries.
In praying, don’t use vain repetitions, as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their much speaking.
On: Prayer
They of the circumcision who believed were amazed, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was also poured out on the Gentiles.
On: What Does the Bible Say About Speaking in Tongues? 22 Verses
When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life!”
On: Repentance
“Therefore my judgment is that we don’t trouble those from among the Gentiles who turn to God,
to whom God was pleased to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory;
On: Hope
But the Lord stood by me, and strengthened me, that through me the message might be fully proclaimed, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.
On: Strength
because for the sake of the Name they went out, taking nothing from the Gentiles.
On: Hospitality
Common questions
How many times is Gentiles in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 30 of the 131 uses are in the Old Testament and 101 in the New Testament. Gentiles appears in 27 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Acts has the most (30), then Romans (26) and Isaiah (15).
Where is Gentiles first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Genesis 10:5: "By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations." The last is Revelation 11:2.
More word counts: giant, Easter, Selah, behold, verily, manna, Passover, Jehovah, 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.