How many times is Levites mentioned in the Bible?
The word Levites appears 265 times in the King James Version, in 237 verses. Counting every form (Levites, Levite), it appears 293 times in 265 verses across 19 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses Levites 263 times (292 with every form).
Levites in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of Levites counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| Levites | 265 | 263 |
| Levite | 28 | 29 |
| Total | 293 | 292 |
Which books mention Levites most
Levites appears in 19 books of the 66 in the King James Version. 2 Chronicles has the most (65), then Numbers (60) and Nehemiah (43).
Also in: Isaiah (1), Luke (1), John (1), Acts (1).
First and last mention of Levites
And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart.
And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus,
The verse that uses it most is Numbers 3:45, 3 times (tied with Nehemiah 10:38):
Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle; and the Levites shall be mine: I am the LORD.
Where the two translations differ
3 verses match in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 2 verses match only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
Numbers 26:58: counted in the KJV only
These are the families of the Levites: the family of the Libnites, the family of the Hebronites, the family of the Mahlites, the family of the Mushites, the family of the Korathites. And Kohath begat Amram.
These are the families of Levi: the family of the Libnites, the family of the Hebronites, the family of the Mahlites, the family of the Mushites, the family of the Korahites. Kohath became the father of Amram.
1 Chronicles 23:27: counted in the KJV only
For by the last words of David the Levites were numbered from twenty years old and above:
For by the last words of David the sons of Levi were counted, from twenty years old and upward.
Exodus 6:19: counted in the World English Bible only
And the sons of Merari; Mahali and Mushi: these are the families of Levi according to their generations.
The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their generations.
1 Chronicles 6:77: counted in the World English Bible only
Unto the rest of the children of Merari were given out of the tribe of Zebulun. Rimmon with her suburbs, Tabor with her suburbs:
To the rest of the Levites, the sons of Merari, were given, out of the tribe of Zebulun, Rimmono with its suburbs, Tabor with its suburbs;
Verses with Levites on our topic pages
3 verses that use Levites in the World English Bible are in our topic collections.
“Moreover you shall speak to the Levites, and tell them, ‘When you take of the children of Israel the tithe which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then you shall offer up a wave offering of it for Yahweh, a tithe of the tithe.
On: Tithing
The Levite, because he has no portion nor inheritance with you, and the foreigner living among you, and the fatherless, and the widow, who are within your gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that Yahweh your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do.
On: Orphans
Moreover he commanded the people who lived in Jerusalem to give the portion of the priests and the Levites, that they might give themselves to Yahweh’s law.
On: Tithing
Common questions
How many times is Levites in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 290 of the 293 uses are in the Old Testament and 3 in the New Testament. Levites appears in 19 books of the 66 in the King James Version. 2 Chronicles has the most (65), then Numbers (60) and Nehemiah (43).
Where is Levites first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Exodus 4:14: "And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart." The last is Acts 4:36.
More word counts: Philistines, Jews, Egyptians, Amorites, Canaanites, Chaldeans, Pharisees, Sadducees, or all 484 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 2026-10-22.