How many times is mourning mentioned in the Bible?
The word mourning appears 51 times in the King James Version, in 48 verses. Counting every form (mourning, mourn, mourned, mourneth, mourner, mourners), it appears 134 times in 123 verses across 33 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses mourning 52 times (138 with every form).
Mourning in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of mourning counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| mourning | 51 | 52 |
| mourn | 45 | 46 |
| mourned | 22 | 24 |
| mourneth | 11 | not counted |
| mourner | 1 | 1 |
| mourners | 4 | 4 |
| mourns | not counted | 11 |
| Total | 134 | 138 |
Which books mention mourning most
Mourning appears in 33 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Isaiah has the most (16), then Jeremiah (11) and Genesis (10).
Also in: Joel (3), Numbers (2), Deuteronomy (2), 1 Samuel (2), Nehemiah (2), Proverbs (2), Micah (2), Luke (2), James (2), Revelation (2), Exodus (1), 1 Chronicles (1), 2 Chronicles (1), Ezra (1), Daniel (1), Mark (1), 1 Corinthians (1), 2 Corinthians (1).
First and last mention of mourning
And Sarah died in Kirjath-arba; the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan: and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her.
And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:
The verse that uses it most is 2 Samuel 14:2, 3 times:
And Joab sent to Tekoah, and fetched thence a wise woman, and said unto her, I pray thee, feign thyself to be a mourner, and put on now mourning apparel, and anoint not thyself with oil, but be as a woman that had a long time mourned for the dead:
Where the two translations differ
15 verses match in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 19 verses match only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
Genesis 50:3: counted in the KJV only
And forty days were fulfilled for him; for so are fulfilled the days of those which are embalmed: and the Egyptians mourned for him threescore and ten days.
Forty days were fulfilled for him, for that is how many the days it takes to embalm. The Egyptians wept for him for seventy days.
Genesis 50:4: counted in the KJV only
And when the days of his mourning were past, Joseph spake unto the house of Pharaoh, saying, If now I have found grace in your eyes, speak, I pray you, in the ears of Pharaoh, saying,
When the days of weeping for him were past, Joseph spoke to the house of Pharaoh, saying, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, please speak in the ears of Pharaoh, saying,
Judges 11:38: counted in the World English Bible only
And he said, Go. And he sent her away for two months: and she went with her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains.
He said, “Go.” He sent her away for two months: and she departed, she and her companions, and mourned her virginity on the mountains.
1 Samuel 6:19: counted in the World English Bible only
And he smote the men of Beth-shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the LORD, even he smote of the people fifty thousand and threescore and ten men: and the people lamented, because the LORD had smitten many of the people with a great slaughter.
He struck of the men of Beth Shemesh, because they had looked into Yahweh’s ark, he struck fifty thousand seventy of the men. Then the people mourned, because Yahweh had struck the people with a great slaughter.
Verses with mourning on our topic pages
17 verses that use mourning in the World English Bible are in our topic collections.
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; neither will there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more. The first things have passed away.”
You have turned my mourning into dancing for me. You have removed my sackcloth, and clothed me with gladness,
On: Comfort, Depression, Joy
a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
to proclaim the year of Yahweh’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn;
On: Comfort, Depression
to provide for those who mourn in Zion, to give to them a garland for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of Yahweh, that he may be glorified.
On: Comfort, Depression
Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had mourned for him, and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. Saul had sent away those who had familiar spirits and the wizards out of the land.
They mourned, wept, and fasted until evening, for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of Yahweh, and for the house of Israel; because they had fallen by the sword.
On: Fasting
When I heard these words, I sat down and wept, and mourned several days; and I fasted and prayed before the God of heaven,
On: Fasting
as the days in which the Jews had rest from their enemies, and the month which was turned to them from sorrow to gladness, and from mourning into a good day; that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, and of sending presents of food to one another, and gifts to the needy.
On: Christmas
The earth mourns and fades away. The world languishes and fades away. The lofty people of the earth languish.
On: Nature
Then the virgin will rejoice in the dance; the young men and the old together; for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow.
On: Comfort
Common questions
How many times is mourning in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 120 of the 134 uses are in the Old Testament and 14 in the New Testament. Mourning appears in 33 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Isaiah has the most (16), then Jeremiah (11) and Genesis (10).
Where is mourning first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Genesis 23:2: "And Sarah died in Kirjath-arba; the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan: and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her." The last is Revelation 18:11.
More word counts: Zebedee, Heshbon, Nun, Hananiah, Jehoram, Elkanah, Ethiopians, Rezin, 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.