How many times is heaven mentioned in the Bible?
The word heaven appears 582 times in the King James Version, in 550 verses. Counting every form (heaven, heavens, heaven's), it appears 716 times in 670 verses across 53 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses heaven 341 times (495 with every form).
Heaven in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of heaven counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| heaven | 582 | 341 |
| heavens | 133 | 153 |
| heaven's | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 716 | 495 |
Which books mention heaven most
Heaven appears in 53 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Matthew has the most (79), then Psalms (77) and Revelation (57).
Also in: 2 Kings (16), Exodus (14), Nehemiah (14), Ezra (10), Hebrews (10), Ezekiel (9), 1 Chronicles (6), 2 Peter (6), 2 Samuel (5), Proverbs (5), Lamentations (5), Zechariah (5), Colossians (5), Joshua (4), Judges (4), Ecclesiastes (4), Hosea (4), Ephesians (4), Joel (3), Haggai (3), 2 Corinthians (3), 1 Peter (3), 1 Samuel (2), Amos (2), Zephaniah (2), Romans (2), 1 Corinthians (2), Philippians (2), 1 Thessalonians (2), James (2), Leviticus (1), Jonah (1), Nahum (1), Habakkuk (1), Malachi (1), Galatians (1), 2 Thessalonians (1), 1 John (1).
First and last mention of heaven
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
The verse that uses it most is Nehemiah 9:6, 4 times:
Thou, even thou, art LORD alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee.
Where the two translations differ
211 verses match 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.
Genesis 1:8: counted in the KJV only
And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.
God called the expanse “sky”. There was evening and there was morning, a second day.
Genesis 1:9: counted in the KJV only
And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together to one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so.
Psalm 71:19: counted in the World English Bible only
Thy righteousness also, O God, is very high, who hast done great things: O God, who is like unto thee!
Your righteousness also, God, reaches to the heavens; you have done great things. God, who is like you?
Psalm 150:1: counted in the World English Bible only
Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power.
Praise Yah! Praise God in his sanctuary! Praise him in his heavens for his acts of power!
Verses with heaven on our topic pages
68 verses that use heaven in the World English Bible are in our topic collections.
but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consume, and where thieves don’t break through and steal;
On: Contentment, Heaven, Christmas, Giving
Sell that which you have, and give gifts to the needy. Make for yourselves purses which don’t grow old, a treasure in the heavens that doesn’t fail, where no thief approaches, neither moth destroys.
On: Tithing, Heaven, Giving, Generosity
There is salvation in none other, for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, by which we must be saved!”
On: Salvation, Heaven, Evangelism
For our citizenship is in heaven, from where we also wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;
On: Heaven, Waiting, Resurrection
Whom do I have in heaven? There is no one on earth whom I desire besides you.
On: Contentment, Heaven
“For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things will not be remembered, nor come into mind.
On: Heaven, New Beginnings
“Ah Lord Yahweh! Behold, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for you,
For we know that if the earthly house of our tent is dissolved, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal, in the heavens.
On: Heaven, Eternal Life
to an incorruptible and undefiled inheritance that doesn’t fade away, reserved in Heaven for you,
On: Heaven, Resurrection
But, according to his promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.
Our help is in Yahweh’s name, who made heaven and earth.
On: Heaven
If I ascend up into heaven, you are there. If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, you are there!
On: Heaven
Common questions
How many times is heaven in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 441 of the 716 uses are in the Old Testament and 275 in the New Testament. Heaven appears in 53 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Matthew has the most (79), then Psalms (77) and Revelation (57).
Where is heaven first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Genesis 1:1: "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." The last is Revelation 21:10.
Read the full collection: Bible Verses About Heaven (37 Verses).
More word counts: hell, money, prayer, peace, joy, Satan, devil, angel, 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.