How many times is music mentioned in the Bible?
The word music does not appear in the King James Version. The World English Bible uses it 16 times, and 23 times counting music, musical, musician.
Music in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of music counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| music | 0 | 16 |
| musick | 16 | 0 |
| musical | 3 | 5 |
| musician | 0 | 2 |
| musicians | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 20 | 23 |
Which books mention music most
Music appears in 12 books of the 66 in the World English Bible. Daniel has the most (5), then 2 Chronicles (4) and 2 Kings (2).
First and last mention of music
As they came, when David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tambourines, with joy, and with instruments of music.
“Now his elder son was in the field. As he came near to the house, he heard music and dancing.
The verse that uses it most is 2 Kings 3:15, 2 times:
But now bring me a musician.” When the musician played, Yahweh’s hand came on him.
Where the two translations differ
3 verses match in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 5 verses match only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
1 Chronicles 16:42: counted in the KJV only
And with them Heman and Jeduthun with trumpets and cymbals for those that should make a sound, and with musical instruments of God. And the sons of Jeduthun were porters.
and with them Heman and Jeduthun with trumpets and cymbals for those that should sound aloud, and with instruments for the songs of God; and the sons of Jeduthun to be at the gate.
Lamentations 3:63: counted in the KJV only
Behold their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their musick.
You see their sitting down and their rising up. I am their song.
2 Kings 3:15: counted in the World English Bible only
But now bring me a minstrel. And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the LORD came upon him.
But now bring me a musician.” When the musician played, Yahweh’s hand came on him.
Psalm 108:1: counted in the World English Bible only
O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory.
My heart is steadfast, God. I will sing and I will make music with my soul.
Common questions
How many times is music in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the World English Bible, counting every form, 22 of the 23 uses are in the Old Testament and 1 in the New Testament. Music appears in 12 books of the 66 in the World English Bible. Daniel has the most (5), then 2 Chronicles (4) and 2 Kings (2).
Where is music first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the World English Bible is 1 Samuel 18:6: "As they came, when David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tambourines, with joy, and with instruments of music." The last is Luke 15:25.
More word counts: dance, dog, lion, children, mother, father, friend, heart, or all 107 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 2026-10-02.