How many times is kindness mentioned in the Bible?
The word kindness appears 48 times in the King James Version, in 43 verses. Counting every form (kindness, lovingkindness, kindly), it appears 84 times in 79 verses across 26 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses kindness 211 times (226 with every form).
Kindness in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of kindness counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| kindness | 48 | 211 |
| lovingkindness | 26 | 0 |
| kindly | 10 | 15 |
| Total | 84 | 226 |
Which books mention kindness most
Kindness appears in 26 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Psalms has the most (25), then 2 Samuel (10) and Genesis (9).
Also in: Nehemiah (1), Esther (1), Hosea (1), Joel (1), Jonah (1), Acts (1), Romans (1), 2 Corinthians (1), Ephesians (1), Colossians (1), Titus (1).
First and last mention of kindness
And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said unto her, This is thy kindness which thou shalt shew unto me; at every place whither we shall come, say of me, He is my brother.
And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
The verse that uses it most is Joshua 2:12, 2 times (tied with 2 Samuel 2:6, 2 Samuel 10:2, 1 Chronicles 19:2, 2 Peter 1:7):
Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the LORD, since I have shewed you kindness, that ye will also shew kindness unto my father’s house, and give me a true token:
Where the two translations differ
4 verses match in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 146 verses match only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
Psalm 107:43: counted in the KJV only
Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand the lovingkindness of the LORD.
Whoever is wise will pay attention to these things. They will consider the loving kindnesses of Yahweh.
Proverbs 31:26: counted in the KJV only
She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.
She opens her mouth with wisdom. Faithful instruction is on her tongue.
Genesis 19:19: counted in the World English Bible only
Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die:
See now, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have magnified your loving kindness, which you have shown to me in saving my life. I can’t escape to the mountain, lest evil overtake me, and I die.
Genesis 24:27: counted in the World English Bible only
And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and his truth: I being in the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master’s brethren.
He said, “Blessed be Yahweh, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken his loving kindness and his truth toward my master. As for me, Yahweh has led me on the way to the house of my master’s relatives.”
Verses with kindness on our topic pages
48 verses that use kindness in the World English Bible are in our topic collections.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith,
Put on therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, humility, and perseverance;
On: Kindness, Humility, Mercy, Friendship
Don’t let kindness and truth forsake you. Bind them around your neck. Write them on the tablet of your heart.
On: Kindness, Faithfulness
He who follows after righteousness and kindness finds life, righteousness, and honor.
The natives showed us uncommon kindness; for they kindled a fire, and received us all, because of the present rain, and because of the cold.
On: Kindness, Hospitality
He said, “You are blessed by Yahweh, my daughter. You have shown more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, because you didn’t follow young men, whether poor or rich.
On: Kindness
David said to him, “Don’t be afraid; for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your father. You will eat bread at my table continually.”
On: Kindness
That which makes a man to be desired is his kindness. A poor man is better than a liar.
On: Kindness
in pureness, in knowledge, in perseverance, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in sincere love,
On: Kindness
that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus;
On: Kindness
Surely goodness and loving kindness shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in Yahweh’s house forever.
On: Depression, Mercy, Grief, Eternal Life
Yahweh is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness.
On: Forgiveness, Anger, Mercy
Common questions
How many times is kindness in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 76 of the 84 uses are in the Old Testament and 8 in the New Testament. Kindness appears in 26 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Psalms has the most (25), then 2 Samuel (10) and Genesis (9).
Where is kindness first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Genesis 20:13: "And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said unto her, This is thy kindness which thou shalt shew unto me; at every place whither we shall come, say of me, He is my brother." The last is 2 Peter 1:7.
Read the full collection: Bible Verses About Kindness (30 Verses).
More word counts: comfort, spirit, covenant, miracle, prophet, baptism, resurrection, grief, 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.