How many times is image mentioned in the Bible?
The word image appears 100 times in the King James Version, in 82 verses. Counting every form (image, images, image's), it appears 172 times in 146 verses across 32 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses image 95 times (142 with every form).
Genesis 1:27 is the best known use: "So God created man in his own image".
Image in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of image counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| image | 100 | 95 |
| images | 71 | 47 |
| image's | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 172 | 142 |
Which books mention image most
Image appears in 32 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Isaiah has the most (19), then Daniel (16) and 2 Chronicles (15).
Also in: Micah (3), Romans (3), 1 Corinthians (3), 1 Kings (2), Nahum (2), Habakkuk (2), 2 Corinthians (2), Colossians (2), Hebrews (2), Numbers (1), 2 Samuel (1), Job (1), Amos (1), Matthew (1), Mark (1), Luke (1), Acts (1).
First and last mention of image
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
The verse that uses it most is Leviticus 26:1, 3 times (tied with 2 Chronicles 34:4, Revelation 13:15):
Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am the LORD your God.
Where the two translations differ
32 verses match in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 5 verses match only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
Genesis 31:19: counted in the KJV only
And Laban went to shear his sheep: and Rachel had stolen the images that were her father’s.
Now Laban had gone to shear his sheep: and Rachel stole the teraphim that were her father’s.
Genesis 31:34: counted in the KJV only
Now Rachel had taken the images, and put them in the camel’s furniture, and sat upon them. And Laban searched all the tent, but found them not.
Now Rachel had taken the teraphim, put them in the camel’s saddle, and sat on them. Laban felt around all the tent, but didn’t find them.
1 Kings 15:13: counted in the World English Bible only
And also Maachah his mother, even her he removed from being queen, because she had made an idol in a grove; and Asa destroyed her idol, and burnt it by the brook Kidron.
He also removed Maacah his mother from being queen, because she had made an abominable image for an Asherah. Asa cut down her image and burned it at the brook Kidron.
2 Chronicles 15:16: counted in the World English Bible only
And also concerning Maachah the mother of Asa the king, he removed her from being queen, because she had made an idol in a grove: and Asa cut down her idol, and stamped it, and burnt it at the brook Kidron.
Also Maacah, the mother of Asa the king, he removed from being queen, because she had made an abominable image for an Asherah; so Asa cut down her image, ground it into dust, and burned it at the brook Kidron.
Verses with image on our topic pages
14 verses that use image in the World English Bible are in our topic collections.
God created man in his own image. In God’s image he created him; male and female he created them.
On: What Does the Bible Say About Slavery? 26 Verses, Animals, Beauty
and have put on the new man, who is being renewed in knowledge after the image of his Creator,
On: What Does the Bible Say About Lying? 28 Verses, Change, Bible Verses for the New Year
God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky, and over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
Whoever sheds man’s blood, his blood will be shed by man, for God made man in his own image.
On: What Does the Bible Say About Abortion? 25 Verses, Murder
“You shall not make for yourselves an idol, nor any image of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
On: Idolatry
lest you corrupt yourselves, and make yourself a carved image in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female,
On: Idolatry
They abandoned all the commandments of Yahweh their God, and made molten images for themselves, even two calves, and made an Asherah, and worshiped all the army of the sky, and served Baal.
On: Psychics
The rest of it he makes into a god, even his engraved image. He bows down to it and worships, and prays to it, and says, “Deliver me; for you are my god!”
On: Idolatry
“What value does the engraved image have, that its maker has engraved it; the molten image, even the teacher of lies, that he who fashions its form trusts in it, to make mute idols?
On: Idolatry
and traded the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds, and four-footed animals, and creeping things.
On: Idolatry
With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who are made in the image of God.
On: What Does the Bible Say About Cussing and Swearing? 26 Verses
The smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever. They have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.
On: Hell
Common questions
How many times is image in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 146 of the 172 uses are in the Old Testament and 26 in the New Testament. Image appears in 32 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Isaiah has the most (19), then Daniel (16) and 2 Chronicles (15).
Where is image first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Genesis 1:26: "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." The last is Revelation 20:4.
More word counts: idol, brass, valley, cattle, voice, Micaiah, Eliakim, Hoshea, 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.