How many times is judgment mentioned in the Bible?
The word judgment appears 294 times in the King James Version, in 285 verses. Counting every form (judgment, judgments), it appears 421 times in 408 verses across 50 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses judgment 179 times (219 with every form).
Judgment in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of judgment counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| judgment | 294 | 179 |
| judgments | 127 | 40 |
| Total | 421 | 219 |
Which books mention judgment most
Judgment appears in 50 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Psalms has the most (62), then Isaiah (39) and Ezekiel (37).
Also in: Numbers (7), Revelation (7), Ecclesiastes (6), Hosea (6), 1 Chronicles (5), Daniel (5), 1 Corinthians (5), 2 Samuel (4), Nehemiah (4), Amos (4), Micah (4), Habakkuk (4), Luke (4), 2 Peter (4), Zephaniah (3), Malachi (3), Hebrews (3), James (3), Judges (2), Ezra (2), Zechariah (2), Jude (2), Genesis (1), Joshua (1), 1 Samuel (1), 2 Kings (1), Esther (1), Mark (1), 2 Corinthians (1), Galatians (1), Philippians (1), 2 Thessalonians (1), 1 Timothy (1), 1 Peter (1), 1 John (1).
First and last mention of judgment
For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.
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 Exodus 28:30, 2 times (tied with Deuteronomy 1:17, 1 Kings 3:28, Job 36:17, Psalm 99:4, Isaiah 28:6 and 7 more):
And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron’s heart, when he goeth in before the LORD: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the LORD continually.
Where the two translations differ
229 verses match in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 33 verses match only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
Genesis 18:19: counted in the KJV only
For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.
For I have known him, to the end that he may command his children and his household after him, that they may keep the way of Yahweh, to do righteousness and justice; to the end that Yahweh may bring on Abraham that which he has spoken of him.”
Exodus 21:1: counted in the KJV only
Now these are the judgments which thou shalt set before them.
“Now these are the ordinances which you shall set before them.
Psalm 7:8: counted in the World English Bible only
The LORD shall judge the people: judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness, and according to mine integrity that is in me.
Yahweh administers judgment to the peoples. Judge me, Yahweh, according to my righteousness, and to my integrity that is in me.
Psalm 112:5: counted in the World English Bible only
A good man sheweth favour, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion.
It is well with the man who deals graciously and lends. He will maintain his cause in judgment.
Verses with judgment on our topic pages
29 verses that use judgment in the World English Bible are in our topic collections.
I tell you that every idle word that men speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.
On: Gossip, What Does the Bible Say About Cussing and Swearing? 26 Verses, What Does the Bible Say About Lying? 28 Verses
and will come out; those who have done good, to the resurrection of life; and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment.
On: Resurrection, What Does the Bible Say About Cremation? 25 Verses, What Does the Bible Say About Reincarnation? 26 Verses
Inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once, and after this, judgment,
On: Death, What Does the Bible Say About Ghosts? 25 Verses, What Does the Bible Say About Reincarnation? 26 Verses
For judgment is without mercy to him who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
On: Mercy, Revenge, Judging Others
No weapon that is formed against you will prevail; and you will condemn every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of Yahweh’s servants, and their righteousness is of me,” says Yahweh.
“Thus has Yahweh of Armies spoken, saying, ‘Execute true judgment, and show kindness and compassion every man to his brother.
On: Widows, Compassion
These are the things that you shall do: speak every man the truth with his neighbor. Execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates,
But I tell you, that everyone who is angry with his brother without a cause will be in danger of the judgment; and whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ will be in danger of the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of Gehenna.
“Most certainly I tell you, he who hears my word, and believes him who sent me, has eternal life, and doesn’t come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.
On: Salvation, Eternal Life
For if God didn’t spare angels when they sinned, but cast them down to Tartarus, and committed them to pits of darkness, to be reserved for judgment;
“‘You shall do no injustice in judgment. You shall not be partial to the poor, nor show favoritism to the great; but you shall judge your neighbor in righteousness.
On: Justice
Yahweh administers judgment to the peoples. Judge me, Yahweh, according to my righteousness, and to my integrity that is in me.
On: Integrity
Common questions
How many times is judgment in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 340 of the 421 uses are in the Old Testament and 81 in the New Testament. Judgment appears in 50 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Psalms has the most (62), then Isaiah (39) and Ezekiel (37).
Where is judgment first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Genesis 18:19: "For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him." The last is Revelation 20:4.
More word counts: wrath, vengeance, envy, lust, hate, compassion, goodness, faithful, or all 253 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 2026-10-05.