How many times is parable mentioned in the Bible?
The word parable appears 49 times in the King James Version, in 49 verses. Counting every form (parable, parables), it appears 65 times in 63 verses across 11 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses parable 50 times (69 with every form).
Parable in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of parable counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| parable | 49 | 50 |
| parables | 16 | 19 |
| Total | 65 | 69 |
First and last mention of parable
And he took up his parable, and said, Balak the king of Moab hath brought me from Aram, out of the mountains of the east, saying, Come, curse me Jacob, and come, defy Israel.
This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.
The verse that uses it most is Matthew 13:34, 2 times (tied with Mark 4:13):
All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them:
Where the two translations differ
1 verse matches 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.
Psalm 49:4: counted in the KJV only
I will incline mine ear to a parable: I will open my dark saying upon the harp.
I will incline my ear to a proverb. I will open my riddle on the harp.
Proverbs 1:6: counted in the World English Bible only
To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.
to understand a proverb, and parables, the words and riddles of the wise.
Isaiah 14:4: counted in the World English Bible only
That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased!
that you will take up this parable against the king of Babylon, and say, “How the oppressor has ceased! The golden city has ceased!”
Verses with parable on our topic pages
2 verses that use parable in the World English Bible are in our topic collections.
He spoke a parable to them, saying, “The ground of a certain rich man produced abundantly.
Common questions
How many times is parable in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 18 of the 65 uses are in the Old Testament and 47 in the New Testament. Parable appears in 11 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Matthew and Luke share the most, 17 each.
Where is parable first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Numbers 23:7: "And he took up his parable, and said, Balak the king of Moab hath brought me from Aram, out of the mountains of the east, saying, Come, curse me Jacob, and come, defy Israel." The last is John 10:6.
More word counts: demon, judgment, wrath, vengeance, envy, lust, hate, compassion, or all 253 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 2026-10-05.