How many times is Josiah mentioned in the Bible?
The word Josiah appears 53 times in the King James Version, in 48 verses. It is found in 7 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses Josiah 55 times.
Josiah in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of Josiah counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| Josiah | 53 | 55 |
| Total | 53 | 55 |
What the name Josiah means
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary glosses Josiah as "the Lord burns; the fire of the Lord".
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 2026-10-22.
Which books mention Josiah most
Josiah appears in 7 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Jeremiah has the most (18), then 2 Chronicles (17) and 2 Kings (13).
First and last mention of Josiah
And he cried against the altar in the word of the LORD, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith the LORD; Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men’s bones shall be burnt upon thee.
Take of them of the captivity, even of Heldai, of Tobijah, and of Jedaiah, which are come from Babylon, and come thou the same day, and go into the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah;
The verse that uses it most is 2 Kings 23:34, 2 times (tied with 2 Chronicles 35:20, 2 Chronicles 35:25, Jeremiah 1:3, Jeremiah 22:11):
And Pharaoh-nechoh made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in the room of Josiah his father, and turned his name to Jehoiakim, and took Jehoahaz away: and he came to Egypt, and died there.
Where the two translations differ
0 verses match in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 2 verses match only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
Matthew 1:10: counted in the World English Bible only
And Ezekias begat Manasses; and Manasses begat Amon; and Amon begat Josias;
Hezekiah became the father of Manasseh. Manasseh became the father of Amon. Amon became the father of Josiah.
Matthew 1:11: counted in the World English Bible only
And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon:
Josiah became the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the exile to Babylon.
Common questions
How many times is Josiah in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 53 of the 53 uses are in the Old Testament and 0 in the New Testament. Josiah appears in 7 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Jeremiah has the most (18), then 2 Chronicles (17) and 2 Kings (13).
Where is Josiah first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is 1 Kings 13:2: "And he cried against the altar in the word of the LORD, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith the LORD; Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men’s bones shall be burnt upon thee." The last is Zechariah 6:10.
What does the name Josiah mean in the Bible?
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary glosses Josiah as "the Lord burns; the fire of the Lord".
More word counts: Zadok, Rehoboam, Haman, Jesse, Nathan, Balak, Ahaz, Zechariah, or all 484 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 2026-10-22.