How many times is Paul mentioned in the Bible?
The word Paul appears 156 times in the King James Version, in 153 verses. Counting every form (Paul, Paul's), it appears 162 times in 158 verses across 15 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses Paul 155 times (161 with every form).
Paul in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of Paul counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| Paul | 156 | 155 |
| Paul's | 6 | 6 |
| Total | 162 | 161 |
What the name Paul means
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary glosses Paul as "small; little".
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 2026-10-06.
Which books mention Paul most
Paul appears in 15 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Acts has the most (132), then 1 Corinthians (8) and Colossians (3).
First and last mention of Paul
Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him,
And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;
The verse that uses it most is Acts 15:2, 2 times (tied with Acts 23:16, Acts 26:1, 1 Corinthians 1:13):
When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question.
Where the two translations differ
1 verse matches in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 0 verses match only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
Acts 25:7: counted in the KJV only
And when he was come, the Jews which came down from Jerusalem stood round about, and laid many and grievous complaints against Paul, which they could not prove.
When he had come, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing against him many and grievous charges which they could not prove,
Verses with Paul on our topic pages
11 verses that use Paul in the World English Bible are in our topic collections.
But Saul, who is also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, fastened his eyes on him,
A vision appeared to Paul in the night. There was a man of Macedonia standing, begging him, and saying, “Come over into Macedonia and help us.”
On: Dreams
Following Paul and us, she cried out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us a way of salvation!”
She was doing this for many days. But Paul, becoming greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!” It came out that very hour.
But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.
On: Worship
While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul, having passed through the upper country, came to Ephesus, and found certain disciples.
On: What Does the Bible Say About Speaking in Tongues? 22 Verses
Paul said, “John indeed baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe in the one who would come after him, that is, in Jesus.”
On: What Does the Bible Say About Speaking in Tongues? 22 Verses
When Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke with other languages and prophesied.
On: What Does the Bible Say About Speaking in Tongues? 22 Verses
But some of the itinerant Jews, exorcists, took on themselves to invoke over those who had the evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, “We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.”
On: Demons
The evil spirit answered, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?”
On: Demons
On the first day of the week, when the disciples were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and continued his speech until midnight.
On: Communion
Common questions
How many times is Paul in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 0 of the 162 uses are in the Old Testament and 162 in the New Testament. Paul appears in 15 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Acts has the most (132), then 1 Corinthians (8) and Colossians (3).
Where is Paul first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Acts 13:9: "Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him," The last is 2 Peter 3:15.
What does the name Paul mean in the Bible?
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary glosses Paul as "small; little".
More word counts: Peter, seven, forty, twelve, wine, drunk, dragon, unicorn, 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 2026-10-06.