How many times is joy mentioned in the Bible?
The word joy appears 165 times in the King James Version, in 155 verses. Counting every form (joy, joyful), it appears 190 times in 178 verses across 38 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses joy 172 times (195 with every form).
Joy in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of joy counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| joy | 165 | 172 |
| joyful | 25 | 23 |
| Total | 190 | 195 |
Which books mention joy most
Joy appears in 38 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Psalms has the most (35), then Isaiah (31) and Luke (10).
Also in: 1 Thessalonians (5), Romans (4), Nehemiah (3), 1 Kings (2), 2 Chronicles (2), Lamentations (2), Ezekiel (2), Joel (2), Zephaniah (2), Philemon (2), Hebrews (2), James (2), 1 Peter (2), 1 Samuel (1), Hosea (1), Habakkuk (1), Zechariah (1), Galatians (1), 2 Timothy (1), 1 John (1), 2 John (1), 3 John (1), Jude (1).
First and last mention of joy
And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of musick.
Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
The verse that uses it most is Isaiah 9:3, 3 times:
Thou hast multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy: they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.
Where the two translations differ
15 verses match in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 23 verses match only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
Esther 9:22: counted in the KJV only
As the days wherein the Jews rested from their enemies, and the month which was turned unto them from sorrow to joy, and from mourning into a good day: that they should make them days of feasting and joy, and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor.
as the days in which the Jews had rest from their enemies, and the month which was turned to them from sorrow to gladness, and from mourning into a good day; that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, and of sending presents of food to one another, and gifts to the needy.
Job 41:22: counted in the KJV only
In his neck remaineth strength, and sorrow is turned into joy before him.
There is strength in his neck. Terror dances before him.
Deuteronomy 16:15: counted in the World English Bible only
Seven days shalt thou keep a solemn feast unto the LORD thy God in the place which the LORD shall choose: because the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all thine increase, and in all the works of thine hands, therefore thou shalt surely rejoice.
You shall keep a feast to Yahweh your God seven days in the place which Yahweh chooses; because Yahweh your God will bless you in all your increase, and in all the work of your hands, and you shall be altogether joyful.
2 Samuel 6:12: counted in the World English Bible only
And it was told king David, saying, The LORD hath blessed the house of Obed-edom, and all that pertaineth unto him, because of the ark of God. So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into the city of David with gladness.
King David was told, “Yahweh has blessed the house of Obed-Edom, and all that belongs to him, because of God’s ark.” So David went and brought up God’s ark from the house of Obed-Edom into David’s city with joy.
Verses with joy on our topic pages
46 verses that use joy in the World English Bible are in our topic collections.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith,
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope, in the power of the Holy Spirit.
On: Peace, Hope, Depression, Joy
For his anger is but for a moment. His favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may stay for the night, but joy comes in the morning.
On: Hope, Comfort, Depression, Patience
looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising its shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
On: Faith, Joy, Discipleship, Perseverance
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you fall into various temptations,
On: Patience, Joy, Suffering, Hard Times
I tell you that even so there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance.
On: Joy, Repentance, Evangelism
Even so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner repenting.”
On: Joy, Angels, Repentance
for God’s Kingdom is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
On: Peace, Joy, Contentment
Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to him for whom nothing is prepared, for today is holy to our Lord. Don’t be grieved, for the joy of Yahweh is your strength.”
You will show me the path of life. In your presence is fullness of joy. In your right hand there are pleasures forever more.
On: Joy, Contentment
Be glad in Yahweh, and rejoice, you righteous! Shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart!
Common questions
How many times is joy in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 126 of the 190 uses are in the Old Testament and 64 in the New Testament. Joy appears in 38 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Psalms has the most (35), then Isaiah (31) and Luke (10).
Where is joy first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is 1 Samuel 18:6: "And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of musick." The last is Jude 1:24.
Read the full collection: Bible Verses About Joy (32 Verses).
More word counts: Satan, devil, angel, forgiveness, worry, anxious, sin, Israel, or all 107 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 2026-10-02.