How many times is Kish mentioned in the Bible?
The word Kish appears 21 times in the King James Version, in 17 verses. It is found in 5 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses Kish 22 times.
Kish in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of Kish counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| Kish | 21 | 22 |
| Total | 21 | 22 |
What the name Kish means
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary glosses Kish as "hard; difficult; straw; for age".
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 2026-10-24.
Which books mention Kish most
Kish appears in 5 books of the 66 in the King James Version. 1 Chronicles has the most (12), then 1 Samuel (6) and 2 Samuel (1).
First and last mention of Kish
Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power.
Now in Shushan the palace there was a certain Jew, whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite;
The verse that uses it most is 1 Samuel 9:3, 2 times (tied with 1 Chronicles 8:33, 1 Chronicles 9:39, 1 Chronicles 24:29):
And the asses of Kish Saul’s father were lost. And Kish said to Saul his son, Take now one of the servants with thee, and arise, go seek the asses.
Where the two translations differ
0 verses match in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 1 verse matches only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
Acts 13:21: counted in the World English Bible only
And afterward they desired a king: and God gave unto them Saul the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, by the space of forty years.
Afterward they asked for a king, and God gave to them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.
Common questions
How many times is Kish in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 21 of the 21 uses are in the Old Testament and 0 in the New Testament. Kish appears in 5 books of the 66 in the King James Version. 1 Chronicles has the most (12), then 1 Samuel (6) and 2 Samuel (1).
Where is Kish first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is 1 Samuel 9:1: "Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power." The last is Esther 2:5.
What does the name Kish mean in the Bible?
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary glosses Kish as "hard; difficult; straw; for age".
More word counts: heathen, feet, ashes, sickness, Kohath, curse, life, eyes, 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.