How many times is Hoshea mentioned in the Bible?
The word Hoshea appears 11 times in the King James Version, in 11 verses. Counting every form (Hoshea, Oshea), it appears 13 times in 13 verses across 5 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses Hoshea 12 times.
Hoshea son of Elah was the last king of Israel (2 Kings 17:1). Hoshea is also Joshua's first name: the KJV spells it Oshea in Numbers 13:8 and 13:16, where Moses renames him, and both spellings are counted. In Deuteronomy 32:44 the World English Bible says Joshua where the KJV says Hoshea.
Hoshea in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of Hoshea counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| Hoshea | 11 | 12 |
| Oshea | 2 | not counted |
| Total | 13 | 12 |
What the name Hoshea means
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary glosses Hoshea as "savior; safety".
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 2026-10-26.
Which books mention Hoshea most
Hoshea appears in 5 books of the 66 in the King James Version. 2 Kings has the most (8), then Numbers (2) and Deuteronomy (1).
First and last mention of Hoshea
Of the tribe of Ephraim, Oshea the son of Nun.
Hoshea, Hananiah, Hashub,
Where the two translations differ
1 verse matches in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 0 verses match only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
Deuteronomy 32:44: counted in the KJV only
And Moses came and spake all the words of this song in the ears of the people, he, and Hoshea the son of Nun.
Moses came and spoke all the words of this song in the ears of the people, he and Joshua the son of Nun.
Common questions
How many times is Hoshea in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 13 of the 13 uses are in the Old Testament and 0 in the New Testament. Hoshea appears in 5 books of the 66 in the King James Version. 2 Kings has the most (8), then Numbers (2) and Deuteronomy (1).
Where is Hoshea first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Numbers 13:8: "Of the tribe of Ephraim, Oshea the son of Nun." The last is Nehemiah 10:23.
What does the name Hoshea mean in the Bible?
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary glosses Hoshea as "savior; safety".
More word counts: Joshua, Jabesh, Perizzites, Sihon, Jotham, Gedaliah, Ahaziah, Zeruiah, 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.