How many times is hand mentioned in the Bible?
The word hand appears 1,468 times in the King James Version, in 1,295 verses. Counting every form (hand, hands), it appears 1,929 times in 1,709 verses across 61 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses hand 1,415 times (1,865 with every form).
Handmaid, handful and handle are different words and are not counted.
Hand in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of hand counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| hand | 1,468 | 1,415 |
| hands | 461 | 450 |
| Total | 1,929 | 1,865 |
Which books mention hand most
Hand appears in 61 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Psalms has the most (143), then Ezekiel (114) and 1 Samuel (111).
Also in: Matthew (44), Numbers (42), 1 Kings (41), Proverbs (40), Mark (38), Joshua (37), 1 Chronicles (37), Luke (32), Daniel (25), Revelation (23), Ezra (22), John (22), Nehemiah (21), Lamentations (20), Zechariah (18), Ecclesiastes (14), Hebrews (13), Esther (12), Song of Solomon (8), Micah (7), Zephaniah (5), Hosea (4), Amos (4), 1 Corinthians (4), 2 Corinthians (4), Ruth (3), Joel (3), Jonah (3), Habakkuk (3), Haggai (3), Malachi (3), Romans (3), Galatians (3), Ephesians (3), Colossians (3), 1 Timothy (3), 1 Peter (3), 2 Thessalonians (2), 2 Timothy (2), Obadiah (1), Nahum (1), Philippians (1), 1 Thessalonians (1), Philemon (1), James (1), 1 John (1).
First and last mention of hand
And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.
The verse that uses it most is Genesis 48:13, 4 times (tied with 2 Kings 13:16, Jeremiah 22:25):
And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them near unto him.
Where the two translations differ
91 verses match in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 35 verses match only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
Genesis 24:10: counted in the KJV only
And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed; for all the goods of his master were in his hand: and he arose, and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor.
The servant took ten camels, of his master’s camels, and departed, having a variety of good things of his master’s with him. He arose, and went to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor.
Genesis 32:13: counted in the KJV only
And he lodged there that same night; and took of that which came to his hand a present for Esau his brother;
He stayed there that night, and took from that which he had with him, a present for Esau, his brother:
Genesis 44:16: counted in the World English Bible only
And Judah said, What shall we say unto my lord? what shall we speak? or how shall we clear ourselves? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants: behold, we are my lord’s servants, both we, and he also with whom the cup is found.
Judah said, “What will we tell my lord? What will we speak? Or how will we clear ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants. Behold, we are my lord’s slaves, both we, and he also in whose hand the cup is found.”
Exodus 10:25: counted in the World English Bible only
And Moses said, Thou must give us also sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice unto the LORD our God.
Moses said, “You must also give into our hand sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to Yahweh our God.
Verses with hand on our topic pages
131 verses that use hand in the World English Bible are in our topic collections.
Don’t you be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you. Yes, I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness.
haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood;
On: Gossip, What Does the Bible Say About Lying? 28 Verses, What Does the Bible Say About Abortion? 25 Verses, Bullying
I have set Yahweh always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
On: Hope, Stress, What Does the Bible Say About Meditation? 29 Verses, Bible Verses for Graduation
You will show me the path of life. In your presence is fullness of joy. In your right hand there are pleasures forever more.
On: Joy, Contentment, Bible Verses for a Birthday, Bible Verses for Graduation
My times are in your hand. Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, and from those who persecute me.
He becomes poor who works with a lazy hand, but the hand of the diligent brings wealth.
Wealth gained dishonestly dwindles away, but he who gathers by hand makes it grow.
On: Money, Work, Debt, What Does the Bible Say About Gambling? 25 Verses
Let him who stole steal no more; but rather let him labor, producing with his hands something that is good, that he may have something to give to him who has need.
On: Work, Laziness, What Does the Bible Say About Gambling? 25 Verses, What Does the Bible Say About Stealing? 30 Verses
looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising its shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
On: Faith, Joy, Discipleship, Perseverance
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time;
On: Worry, Humility, God's Love, Modesty
Who doesn’t know that in all these, Yahweh’s hand has done this,
On: What Does the Bible Say About Dinosaurs? 26 Verses, Animals, Nature
in whose hand is the life of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind?
On: What Does the Bible Say About Dinosaurs? 26 Verses, Animals, Nature
Common questions
How many times is hand in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 1,664 of the 1,929 uses are in the Old Testament and 265 in the New Testament. Hand appears in 61 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Psalms has the most (143), then Ezekiel (114) and 1 Samuel (111).
Where is hand first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Genesis 3:22: "And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:" The last is Revelation 22:10.
More word counts: stone, gate, beard, generation, image, brass, valley, cattle, or all 680 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 2026-10-26.