How many times is Persia mentioned in the Bible?
The word Persia appears 29 times in the King James Version, in 25 verses. It is found in 5 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses Persia 29 times.
Persia in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of Persia counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| Persia | 29 | 29 |
| Total | 29 | 29 |
What the name Persia means
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary glosses Persia as "that cuts or divides; a nail; a gryphon; a horseman".
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 Persia most
Persia appears in 5 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Ezra has the most (13), then Daniel (6) and 2 Chronicles (4).
First and last mention of Persia
And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia:
And now will I shew thee the truth. Behold, there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia; and the fourth shall be far richer than they all: and by his strength through his riches he shall stir up all against the realm of Grecia.
The verse that uses it most is 2 Chronicles 36:22, 2 times (tied with Ezra 1:1, Ezra 4:5, Daniel 10:13):
Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,
Common questions
How many times is Persia in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 29 of the 29 uses are in the Old Testament and 0 in the New Testament. Persia appears in 5 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Ezra has the most (13), then Daniel (6) and 2 Chronicles (4).
Where is Persia first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is 2 Chronicles 36:20: "And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia:" The last is Daniel 11:2.
What does the name Persia mean in the Bible?
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary glosses Persia as "that cuts or divides; a nail; a gryphon; a horseman".
More word counts: Macedonia, Ephesus, Corinth, Philippi, Antioch, Rome, Athens, Crete, 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.