How many times is Nathan mentioned in the Bible?
The word Nathan appears 43 times in the King James Version, in 40 verses. It is found in 8 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses Nathan 43 times.
Nathan in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of Nathan counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| Nathan | 43 | 43 |
| Total | 43 | 43 |
What the name Nathan means
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary glosses Nathan as "given; giving; rewarded".
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 Nathan most
Nathan appears in 8 books of the 66 in the King James Version. 2 Samuel and 1 Kings share the most, 13 each.
First and last mention of Nathan
And these be the names of those that were born unto him in Jerusalem; Shammuah, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon,
Which was the son of Melea, which was the son of Menan, which was the son of Mattatha, which was the son of Nathan, which was the son of David,
The verse that uses it most is 2 Samuel 12:13, 2 times (tied with 1 Kings 4:5, 1 Chronicles 2:36):
And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.
Verses with Nathan on our topic pages
2 verses that use Nathan in the World English Bible are in our topic collections.
David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against Yahweh.” Nathan said to David, “Yahweh also has put away your sin. You will not die.
Nathan departed to his house. Yahweh struck the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David, and it was very sick.
On: Fasting
Common questions
How many times is Nathan in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 42 of the 43 uses are in the Old Testament and 1 in the New Testament. Nathan appears in 8 books of the 66 in the King James Version. 2 Samuel and 1 Kings share the most, 13 each.
Where is Nathan first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is 2 Samuel 5:14: "And these be the names of those that were born unto him in Jerusalem; Shammuah, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon," The last is Luke 3:31.
What does the name Nathan mean in the Bible?
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary glosses Nathan as "given; giving; rewarded".
More word counts: Balak, Ahaz, Zechariah, Eli, Caleb, Ahasuerus, Jephthah, Philip, 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.