How many times is holy mentioned in the Bible?
The word holy appears 611 times in the King James Version, in 544 verses. It is found in 50 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses holy 674 times.
Holy in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of holy counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| holy | 611 | 674 |
| Total | 611 | 674 |
Which books mention holy most
Holy appears in 50 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Leviticus has the most (94), then Isaiah (56) and Exodus (55).
Also in: Deuteronomy (9), 1 Chronicles (9), 1 Corinthians (8), 1 Peter (8), Mark (7), 1 Kings (6), Ephesians (6), 2 Peter (6), Ezra (5), Jeremiah (5), John (5), 1 Thessalonians (5), 1 Samuel (3), Proverbs (3), Joel (3), Habakkuk (3), Zechariah (3), 2 Corinthians (3), 2 Timothy (3), Joshua (2), 2 Kings (2), Jonah (2), Haggai (2), Colossians (2), Titus (2), 1 John (2), Jude (2), Job (1), Ecclesiastes (1), Hosea (1), Amos (1), Obadiah (1), Micah (1), Zephaniah (1), 1 Timothy (1).
First and last mention of holy
And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.
And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
The verse that uses it most is Ezekiel 42:13, 4 times:
Then said he unto me, The north chambers and the south chambers, which are before the separate place, they be holy chambers, where the priests that approach unto the LORD shall eat the most holy things: there shall they lay the most holy things, and the meat offering, and the sin offering, and the trespass offering; for the place is holy.
Where the two translations differ
23 verses match in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 79 verses match only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
Exodus 38:24: counted in the KJV only
All the gold that was occupied for the work in all the work of the holy place, even the gold of the offering, was twenty and nine talents, and seven hundred and thirty shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary.
All the gold that was used for the work in all the work of the sanctuary, even the gold of the offering, was twenty-nine talents, and seven hundred thirty shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary.
Leviticus 10:18: counted in the KJV only
Behold, the blood of it was not brought in within the holy place: ye should indeed have eaten it in the holy place, as I commanded.
Behold, its blood was not brought into the inner part of the sanctuary: you certainly should have eaten it in the sanctuary, as I commanded.”
Genesis 2:3: counted in the World English Bible only
And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
God blessed the seventh day, and made it holy, because he rested in it from all his work of creation which he had done.
Exodus 20:11: counted in the World English Bible only
For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
for in six days Yahweh made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore Yahweh blessed the Sabbath day, and made it holy.
Verses with holy on our topic pages
61 verses that use holy in the World English Bible are in our topic collections.
Therefore I urge you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service.
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope, in the power of the Holy Spirit.
On: Peace, Hope, Depression, Joy
Or don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,
On: Tattoos, Alcohol, Temptation, Modesty
Put on therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, humility, and perseverance;
On: Kindness, Humility, Mercy, Friendship
A father of the fatherless, and a defender of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.
On: Loneliness, Orphans, Widows, Worship
Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
On: Baptism, Holy Spirit, Discipleship, Evangelism
But when he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take to yourself Mary, your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
for God’s Kingdom is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
On: Peace, Joy, Contentment
who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before times eternal,
not by works of righteousness which we did ourselves, but according to his mercy, he saved us through the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,
Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to him for whom nothing is prepared, for today is holy to our Lord. Don’t be grieved, for the joy of Yahweh is your strength.”
Common questions
How many times is holy in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 430 of the 611 uses are in the Old Testament and 181 in the New Testament. Holy appears in 50 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Leviticus has the most (94), then Isaiah (56) and Exodus (55).
Where is holy first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Exodus 3:5: "And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground." The last is Revelation 22:19.
More word counts: kindness, comfort, spirit, covenant, miracle, prophet, baptism, resurrection, 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.