How many times is Moabites mentioned in the Bible?
The word Moabites appears 19 times in the King James Version, in 18 verses. Counting every form (Moabites, Moabite, Moabitess, Moabitish), it appears 29 times in 28 verses across 12 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses Moabites 16 times (26 with every form).
This page counts the words for the people: Moabite, Moabites, Moabitess (the word the book of Ruth uses for Ruth) and Moabitish (Ruth 2:6, where the World English Bible says Moabite). The name Moab, used for the land and the nation, has its own page and is not counted here.
Moabites in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of Moabites counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| Moabites | 19 | 16 |
| Moabite | 3 | 4 |
| Moabitess | 6 | 6 |
| Moabitish | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 29 | 26 |
Which books mention Moabites most
Moabites appears in 12 books of the 66 in the King James Version. 2 Kings has the most (8), then Ruth (6) and Deuteronomy (4).
First and last mention of Moabites
And the firstborn bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day.
On that day they read in the book of Moses in the audience of the people; and therein was found written, that the Ammonite and the Moabite should not come into the congregation of God for ever;
The verse that uses it most is 2 Kings 3:24, 2 times:
And when they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and smote the Moabites, so that they fled before them: but they went forward smiting the Moabites, even in their country.
Where the two translations differ
4 verses match in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 0 verses match only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
Numbers 22:4: counted in the KJV only
And Moab said unto the elders of Midian, Now shall this company lick up all that are round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field. And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time.
Moab said to the elders of Midian, “Now this multitude will lick up all that is around us, as the ox licks up the grass of the field.” Balak the son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time.
Deuteronomy 2:9: counted in the KJV only
And the LORD said unto me, Distress not the Moabites, neither contend with them in battle: for I will not give thee of their land for a possession; because I have given Ar unto the children of Lot for a possession.
Yahweh said to me, “Don’t bother Moab, neither contend with them in battle; for I will not give you any of his land for a possession; because I have given Ar to the children of Lot for a possession.”
Common questions
How many times is Moabites in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 29 of the 29 uses are in the Old Testament and 0 in the New Testament. Moabites appears in 12 books of the 66 in the King James Version. 2 Kings has the most (8), then Ruth (6) and Deuteronomy (4).
Where is Moabites first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Genesis 19:37: "And the firstborn bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day." The last is Nehemiah 13:1.
More word counts: Moab, Anak, Asaph, year, Mephibosheth, Benaiah, Eliab, Ehud, 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.