How many times is ox mentioned in the Bible?
The word ox appears 64 times in the King James Version, in 54 verses. Counting every form (ox, oxen), it appears 166 times in 145 verses across 28 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses ox 54 times (99 with every form).
Ox in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of ox counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| ox | 64 | 54 |
| oxen | 102 | 45 |
| Total | 166 | 99 |
Which books mention ox most
Ox appears in 28 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Exodus has the most (28), then Numbers (22) and 1 Kings (15).
Also in: Luke (3), Joshua (2), Judges (2), 2 Kings (2), Jeremiah (2), John (2), 1 Corinthians (2), Nehemiah (1), Ezekiel (1), Amos (1), Matthew (1), Acts (1), 1 Timothy (1).
First and last mention of ox
And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels.
For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward.
The verse that uses it most is Exodus 21:28, 3 times (tied with Exodus 21:35, Exodus 21:36, Exodus 22:1):
If an ox gore a man or a woman, that they die: then the ox shall be surely stoned, and his flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be quit.
Where the two translations differ
68 verses match in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 12 verses match only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
Genesis 12:16: counted in the KJV only
And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels.
He dealt well with Abram for her sake. He had sheep, cattle, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels.
Genesis 20:14: counted in the KJV only
And Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and womenservants, and gave them unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife.
Abimelech took sheep and cattle, male servants and female servants, and gave them to Abraham, and restored Sarah, his wife, to him.
Numbers 23:22: counted in the World English Bible only
God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn.
God brings them out of Egypt. He has as it were the strength of the wild ox.
Numbers 24:8: counted in the World English Bible only
God brought him forth out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn: he shall eat up the nations his enemies, and shall break their bones, and pierce them through with his arrows.
God brings him out of Egypt. He has as it were the strength of the wild ox. He shall eat up the nations his adversaries, shall break their bones in pieces, and pierce them with his arrows.
Verses with ox on our topic pages
11 verses that use ox in the World English Bible are in our topic collections.
“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”
On: Jealousy, Lust, What Does the Bible Say About Gambling? 25 Verses
“Six days you shall do your work, and on the seventh day you shall rest, that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and the son of your servant, and the alien may be refreshed.
“If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and kills it, or sells it; he shall pay five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep.
If the stolen property is found in his hand alive, whether it is ox, donkey, or sheep, he shall pay double.
“If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again.
On: Enemies
but the seventh day is a Sabbath to Yahweh your God, in which you shall not do any work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your livestock, nor your stranger who is within your gates; that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you.
On: Rest
You shall not muzzle the ox when he treads out the grain.
On: Animals
“See now, behemoth, which I made as well as you. He eats grass as an ox.
The cow and the bear will graze. Their young ones will lie down together. The lion will eat straw like the ox.
On: Animals
The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. Dust will be the serpent’s food. They will not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain,” says Yahweh.
On: Animals
He answered them, “Which of you, if your son or an ox fell into a well, wouldn’t immediately pull him out on a Sabbath day?”
On: Animals
Common questions
How many times is ox in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 156 of the 166 uses are in the Old Testament and 10 in the New Testament. Ox appears in 28 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Exodus has the most (28), then Numbers (22) and 1 Kings (15).
Where is ox first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Genesis 12:16: "And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels." The last is 1 Timothy 5:18.
More word counts: hair, Hamath, Asahel, Amram, Nahash, power, wedding, Seir, 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.