How many times is Miriam mentioned in the Bible?
The word Miriam appears 15 times in the King James Version, in 13 verses. It is found in 5 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses Miriam 15 times.
Miriam in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of Miriam counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| Miriam | 15 | 15 |
| Total | 15 | 15 |
What the name Miriam means
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary glosses Miriam as "rebellion".
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 2026-10-22.
Which books mention Miriam most
Miriam appears in 5 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Numbers has the most (9), then Exodus (2) and 1 Chronicles (2).
First and last mention of Miriam
And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances.
For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed thee out of the house of servants; and I sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.
The verse that uses it most is Numbers 12:10, 2 times (tied with Numbers 12:15):
And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous.
Common questions
How many times is Miriam in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 15 of the 15 uses are in the Old Testament and 0 in the New Testament. Miriam appears in 5 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Numbers has the most (9), then Exodus (2) and 1 Chronicles (2).
Where is Miriam first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Exodus 15:20: "And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances." The last is Micah 6:4.
What does the name Miriam mean in the Bible?
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary glosses Miriam as "rebellion".
More word counts: Hagar, Enoch, Lamech, Nahor, Eliezer, Jethro, Rahab, Deborah, 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.