How many times is Jabesh mentioned in the Bible?
The word Jabesh appears 24 times in the King James Version, in 21 verses. It is found in 5 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses Jabesh 24 times.
Jabesh is the town of Jabesh-gilead (1 Samuel 11:1), written Jabesh Gilead in the World English Bible, and counted in both spellings because it is the same place. It is also the father of Shallum, who killed a king of Israel (2 Kings 15:10).
Jabesh in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of Jabesh counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| Jabesh | 24 | 24 |
| Total | 24 | 24 |
What the name Jabesh means
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary glosses Jabesh as "dryness; confusion; shame".
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 Jabesh most
Jabesh appears in 5 books of the 66 in the King James Version. 1 Samuel has the most (10), then Judges (5) and 2 Samuel (3).
First and last mention of Jabesh
And they said, What one is there of the tribes of Israel that came not up to Mizpeh to the LORD? And, behold, there came none to the camp from Jabesh-gilead to the assembly.
They arose, all the valiant men, and took away the body of Saul, and the bodies of his sons, and brought them to Jabesh, and buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.
The verse that uses it most is 1 Samuel 11:1, 2 times (tied with 1 Samuel 11:9, 1 Chronicles 10:12):
Then Nahash the Ammonite came up, and encamped against Jabesh-gilead: and all the men of Jabesh said unto Nahash, Make a covenant with us, and we will serve thee.
Verses with Jabesh on our topic pages
5 verses that use Jabesh in the World English Bible are in our topic collections.
When the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,
all the valiant men arose, went all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth Shan; and they came to Jabesh, and burned them there.
They took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.
The men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. They told David, “The men of Jabesh Gilead were those who buried Saul.”
David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh Gilead, and said to them, “Blessed are you by Yahweh, that you have shown this kindness to your lord, even to Saul, and have buried him.
Common questions
How many times is Jabesh in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 24 of the 24 uses are in the Old Testament and 0 in the New Testament. Jabesh appears in 5 books of the 66 in the King James Version. 1 Samuel has the most (10), then Judges (5) and 2 Samuel (3).
Where is Jabesh first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Judges 21:8: "And they said, What one is there of the tribes of Israel that came not up to Mizpeh to the LORD? And, behold, there came none to the camp from Jabesh-gilead to the assembly." The last is 1 Chronicles 10:12.
What does the name Jabesh mean in the Bible?
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary glosses Jabesh as "dryness; confusion; shame".
More word counts: Gilead, Perizzites, Sihon, Jotham, Gedaliah, Ahaziah, Zeruiah, love, 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.