How many times is husband mentioned in the Bible?
The word husband appears 120 times in the King James Version, in 104 verses. Counting every form (husband, husbands, husband's), it appears 145 times in 125 verses across 32 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses husband 123 times (152 with every form).
Husbandman, husbandmen and husbandry mean a farmer and farming, not a married man, and are not counted.
Husband in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of husband counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| husband | 120 | 123 |
| husbands | 19 | 22 |
| husband's | 6 | 7 |
| Total | 145 | 152 |
Which books mention husband most
Husband appears in 32 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Numbers and 1 Corinthians share the most, 16 each.
Also in: Exodus (3), Leviticus (3), Titus (3), 1 Peter (3), Esther (2), Hosea (2), Matthew (2), Luke (2), Acts (2), Colossians (2), 1 Timothy (2), Isaiah (1), Joel (1), Mark (1), 2 Corinthians (1), Galatians (1), Revelation (1).
First and last mention of husband
And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
The verse that uses it most is Romans 7:2, 4 times:
For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband.
Where the two translations differ
3 verses match in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 8 verses match only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
Exodus 4:25: counted in the KJV only
Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me.
Then Zipporah took a flint, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet; and she said, “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me.”
Exodus 4:26: counted in the KJV only
So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision.
So he let him alone. Then she said, “You are a bridegroom of blood,” because of the circumcision.
Genesis 38:8: counted in the World English Bible only
And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother’s wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother.
Judah said to Onan, “Go in to your brother’s wife, and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her, and raise up offspring for your brother.”
Proverbs 6:34: counted in the World English Bible only
For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance.
For jealousy arouses the fury of the husband. He won’t spare in the day of vengeance.
Verses with husband on our topic pages
34 verses that use husband in the World English Bible are in our topic collections.
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the assembly, and gave himself up for it;
On: Love, Marriage, Relationships, Church
Her children rise up and call her blessed. Her husband also praises her:
Nevertheless each of you must also love his own wife even as himself; and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
In the same way, wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; so that, even if any don’t obey the Word, they may be won by the behavior of their wives without a word;
You husbands, in the same way, live with your wives according to knowledge, giving honor to the woman, as to the weaker vessel, as being also joint heirs of the grace of life; that your prayers may not be hindered.
The heart of her husband trusts in her. He shall have no lack of gain.
On: Marriage
Let the husband give his wife the affection owed her, and likewise also the wife her husband.
On: Marriage
The wife doesn’t have authority over her own body, but the husband. Likewise also the husband doesn’t have authority over his own body, but the wife.
On: Marriage
Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
On: Marriage
For this is how the holy women before, who hoped in God also adorned themselves, being in subjection to their own husbands:
On: Marriage
The overseer therefore must be without reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sensible, modest, hospitable, good at teaching;
On: Divorce, Leadership, Hospitality, Modesty
So then if, while the husband lives, she is joined to another man, she would be called an adulteress. But if the husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is no adulteress, though she is joined to another man.
On: Divorce, Widows, What Does the Bible Say About Adultery? 28 Verses, Remarriage
Common questions
How many times is husband in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 93 of the 145 uses are in the Old Testament and 52 in the New Testament. Husband appears in 32 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Numbers and 1 Corinthians share the most, 16 each.
Where is husband first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Genesis 3:6: "And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat." The last is Revelation 21:2.
Read the full collection: Bible Verses About Marriage (50 Verses).
More word counts: wife, morning, kingdom, temperance, earth, wealth, fatherless, bird, 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.