How many times is judge mentioned in the Bible?
The word judge appears 191 times in the King James Version, in 170 verses. Counting every form (judge, judges, judged, judgest, judgeth, judging), it appears 337 times in 292 verses across 44 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses judge 193 times (331 with every form).
Judge is counted as a verb ("Judge not, that ye be not judged", Matthew 7:1) and as a noun ("the Judge of all the earth", Genesis 18:25). Judgment is a different word and is not counted. The World English Bible has no judgeth or judgest; its judges covers those verses.
Judge in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of judge counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| judge | 191 | 193 |
| judges | 52 | 64 |
| judged | 63 | 67 |
| judgest | 8 | 0 |
| judgeth | 17 | 0 |
| judging | 6 | 7 |
| Total | 337 | 331 |
Which books mention judge most
Judge appears in 44 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Psalms has the most (38), then Ezekiel (26) and 1 Corinthians (24).
Also in: Matthew (8), James (8), Revelation (8), 1 Kings (5), 1 Chronicles (5), Jeremiah (4), Daniel (4), Micah (4), Hebrews (4), 1 Peter (4), Joshua (3), 2 Kings (3), Ezra (3), Proverbs (3), Numbers (2), 2 Samuel (2), Hosea (2), 2 Timothy (2), Leviticus (1), Ruth (1), Ecclesiastes (1), Lamentations (1), Joel (1), Amos (1), Obadiah (1), Zephaniah (1), Zechariah (1), 2 Corinthians (1), Colossians (1).
First and last mention of judge
And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
The verse that uses it most is James 4:11, 4 times:
Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.
Where the two translations differ
17 verses match in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 13 verses match only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
Exodus 21:6: counted in the KJV only
Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him for ever.
then his master shall bring him to God, and shall bring him to the door or to the doorpost, and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl, and he shall serve him for ever.
Exodus 22:8: counted in the KJV only
If the thief be not found, then the master of the house shall be brought unto the judges, to see whether he have put his hand unto his neighbour’s goods.
If the thief isn’t found, then the master of the house shall come near to God, to find out if he hasn’t put his hand to his neighbor’s goods.
Deuteronomy 32:27: counted in the World English Bible only
Were it not that I feared the wrath of the enemy, lest their adversaries should behave themselves strangely, and lest they should say, Our hand is high, and the LORD hath not done all this.
were it not that I feared the provocation of the enemy, lest their adversaries should judge wrongly, lest they should say, ‘Our hand is exalted, Yahweh has not done all this.’”
Psalm 109:31: counted in the World English Bible only
For he shall stand at the right hand of the poor, to save him from those that condemn his soul.
For he will stand at the right hand of the needy, to save him from those who judge his soul.
Verses with judge on our topic pages
43 verses that use judge in the World English Bible are in our topic collections.
Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the bed be undefiled: but God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.
Don’t judge, and you won’t be judged. Don’t condemn, and you won’t be condemned. Set free, and you will be set free.
On: Forgiveness, Mercy, Letting Go, Judging Others
For God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him.
Open your mouth, judge righteously, and serve justice to the poor and needy.”
On: Justice, Widows, Judging Others
Learn to do well. Seek justice. Relieve the oppressed. Judge the fatherless. Plead for the widow.”
He who believes in him is not judged. He who doesn’t believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.
because he has appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he has ordained; of which he has given assurance to all men, in that he has raised him from the dead.”
On: End Times, Resurrection, What Does the Bible Say About Reincarnation? 26 Verses
Don’t speak against one another, brothers. He who speaks against a brother and judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law, but a judge.
On: Gossip, Judging Others, Bullying
They cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, Master, the holy and true, until you judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”
On: Persecution, What Does the Bible Say About Ghosts? 25 Verses, Purgatory
to judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that man who is of the earth may terrify no more.
Only one is the lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge another?
On: Judging Others, Bullying
Common questions
How many times is judge in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 217 of the 337 uses are in the Old Testament and 120 in the New Testament. Judge appears in 44 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Psalms has the most (38), then Ezekiel (26) and 1 Corinthians (24).
Where is judge first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Genesis 15:14: "And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance." The last is Revelation 20:13.
More word counts: servant, ox, hair, Hamath, Asahel, Amram, Nahash, power, or all 635 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 2026-10-24.