How many times is "LORD of hosts" in the Bible?
The phrase "LORD of hosts" appears 245 times in the King James Version, in 235 verses. The World English Bible has it 261 times (Yahweh of Armies 259, Lord of Armies 2).
Hosts here means armies. The World English Bible writes Yahweh of Armies, and Lord of Armies in Romans 9:29 and James 5:4, where the KJV has the Lord of sabaoth. The KJV's longer wordings, the LORD God of hosts and the Lord GOD of hosts, are not counted here. That is why the World English Bible count is higher: it has Yahweh of Armies in 14 verses where the KJV has the Lord GOD of hosts, such as Isaiah 3:15.
LORD of hosts in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of LORD of hosts counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| LORD of hosts | 245 | not counted |
| Yahweh of Armies | not counted | 259 |
| Lord of Armies | not counted | 2 |
| Total | 245 | 261 |
Which books mention LORD of hosts most
LORD of hosts appears in 15 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Jeremiah has the most (71), then Isaiah (54) and Zechariah (53).
First and last mention of LORD of hosts
And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the LORD of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the LORD, were there.
And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts.
The verse that uses it most is Zechariah 1:3, 3 times:
Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the LORD of hosts.
Where the two translations differ
2 verses match in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 16 verses match only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
2 Kings 19:31: counted in the KJV only
For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape out of mount Zion: the zeal of the LORD of hosts shall do this.
For out of Jerusalem a remnant will go out, and out of Mount Zion those who shall escape. Yahweh’s zeal will perform this.
Isaiah 19:16: counted in the KJV only
In that day shall Egypt be like unto women: and it shall be afraid and fear because of the shaking of the hand of the LORD of hosts, which he shaketh over it.
In that day the Egyptians will be like women. They will tremble and fear because of the shaking of Yahweh of Armies’s hand, which he shakes over them.
Psalm 69:6: counted in the World English Bible only
Let not them that wait on thee, O Lord GOD of hosts, be ashamed for my sake: let not those that seek thee be confounded for my sake, O God of Israel.
Don’t let those who wait for you be shamed through me, Lord Yahweh of Armies. Don’t let those who seek you be brought to dishonor through me, God of Israel.
Isaiah 3:15: counted in the World English Bible only
What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor? saith the LORD GOD of hosts.
What do you mean that you crush my people, and grind the face of the poor?” says the Lord, Yahweh of Armies.
Verses with LORD of hosts on our topic pages
12 verses that use LORD of hosts in the World English Bible are in our topic collections.
For I hate divorce”, says Yahweh, the God of Israel, “and him who covers his garment with violence!” says Yahweh of Armies. “Therefore take heed to your spirit, that you don’t deal treacherously.
On: Family, Divorce, What Does the Bible Say About Adultery? 28 Verses, Remarriage
Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house, and test me now in this,” says Yahweh of Armies, “if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there will not be room enough for.
On: Money, Tithing, Generosity, What Does the Bible Say About Stealing? 30 Verses
Yahweh of Armies is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
One called to another, and said, “Holy, holy, holy, is Yahweh of Armies! The whole earth is full of his glory!”
“Thus has Yahweh of Armies spoken, saying, ‘Execute true judgment, and show kindness and compassion every man to his brother.
On: Widows, Compassion
Yahweh of Armies is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
On: Fear
Yahweh of Armies, blessed is the man who trusts in you.
On: Blessings
For Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel says: “Don’t let your prophets who are among you and your diviners deceive you. Don’t listen to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed.
On: Dreams
The silver is mine, and the gold is mine,’ says Yahweh of Armies.
On: Tithing
Then he answered and spoke to me, saying, “This is Yahweh’s word to Zerubbabel, saying, ‘Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says Yahweh of Armies.
I will cause it to go out,” says Yahweh of Armies, “and it will enter into the house of the thief, and into the house of him who swears falsely by my name; and it will remain in the middle of his house, and will destroy it with its timber and its stones.”
I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against the perjurers, and against those who oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and who deprive the foreigner of justice, and don’t fear me,” says Yahweh of Armies.
Common questions
How many times is LORD of hosts in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 245 of the 245 uses are in the Old Testament and 0 in the New Testament. LORD of hosts appears in 15 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Jeremiah has the most (71), then Isaiah (54) and Zechariah (53).
Where is LORD of hosts first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is 1 Samuel 1:3: "And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the LORD of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the LORD, were there." The last is Malachi 4:3.
More word counts: Holy Ghost, only begotten, love, God, Jesus, Christ, Lord, Holy Spirit, or all 686 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 2026-11-03.