How many times is rest mentioned in the Bible?
The word rest appears 275 times in the King James Version, in 265 verses. Counting every form (rest, rested, resteth, resting), it appears 304 times in 294 verses across 43 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses rest 294 times (326 with every form).
Rest also means "the remainder" (the rest of the people). Every use is counted.
Rest in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of rest counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| rest | 275 | 294 |
| rested | 21 | 19 |
| resteth | 4 | 0 |
| resting | 4 | 13 |
| Total | 304 | 326 |
Which books mention rest most
Rest appears in 43 books of the 66 in the King James Version. 2 Kings has the most (25), then Isaiah (22) and 2 Chronicles (20).
Also in: Ezekiel (8), Genesis (7), Deuteronomy (7), Revelation (7), 2 Samuel (6), Acts (6), Judges (5), Esther (5), Proverbs (5), Matthew (5), Luke (5), Daniel (4), Ruth (3), Ecclesiastes (3), Lamentations (3), Zechariah (3), 2 Corinthians (3), 1 Samuel (2), Mark (2), 1 Corinthians (2), 1 Peter (2), Song of Solomon (1), Micah (1), Habakkuk (1), Zephaniah (1), John (1), Romans (1), 2 Thessalonians (1).
First and last mention of rest
And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
The verse that uses it most is Exodus 23:12, 2 times (tied with Exodus 34:21, Leviticus 26:35, 1 Chronicles 22:9, 2 Chronicles 14:6, Ezra 4:10 and 4 more):
Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest: that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed.
Where the two translations differ
39 verses match in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 62 verses match only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
Exodus 28:10: counted in the KJV only
Six of their names on one stone, and the other six names of the rest on the other stone, according to their birth.
six of their names on the one stone, and the names of the six that remain on the other stone, in the order of their birth.
Numbers 9:18: counted in the KJV only
At the commandment of the LORD the children of Israel journeyed, and at the commandment of the LORD they pitched: as long as the cloud abode upon the tabernacle they rested in their tents.
At the commandment of Yahweh, the children of Israel traveled, and at the commandment of Yahweh they encamped. As long as the cloud remained on the tabernacle they remained encamped.
Leviticus 4:7: counted in the World English Bible only
And the priest shall put some of the blood upon the horns of the altar of sweet incense before the LORD, which is in the tabernacle of the congregation: and shall pour all the blood of the bullock at the bottom of the altar of the burnt offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
The priest shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of sweet incense before Yahweh, which is in the Tent of Meeting; and he shall pour out all of rest of the blood of the bull at the base of the altar of burnt offering, which is at the door of the Tent of Meeting.
Leviticus 4:18: counted in the World English Bible only
And he shall put some of the blood upon the horns of the altar which is before the LORD, that is in the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall pour out all the blood at the bottom of the altar of the burnt offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
He shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar which is before Yahweh, that is in the Tent of Meeting; and the rest of the blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering, which is at the door of the Tent of Meeting.
Verses with rest on our topic pages
28 verses that use rest in the World English Bible are in our topic collections.
“Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest.
On: Anxiety, Comfort, Guidance, Depression
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you will find rest for your souls.
Rest in Yahweh, and wait patiently for him. Don’t fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who makes wicked plots happen.
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
On: Protection, Rest
On the seventh day God finished his work which he had done; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had done.
On: Rest
God blessed the seventh day, and made it holy, because he rested in it from all his work of creation which he had done.
On: Rest
“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.
On: Rest
He said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
On: Rest
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
Yahweh says, “Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, ‘Where is the good way?’ and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
On: Rest
He said to them, “You come apart into a deserted place, and rest awhile.” For there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.
On: Rest
There remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of God.
On: Rest
Common questions
How many times is rest in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 258 of the 304 uses are in the Old Testament and 46 in the New Testament. Rest appears in 43 books of the 66 in the King James Version. 2 Kings has the most (25), then Isaiah (22) and 2 Chronicles (20).
Where is rest first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Genesis 2:2: "And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made." The last is Revelation 20:5.
Read the full collection: Bible Verses About Rest (20 Verses).
More word counts: patience, obey, worship, praise, sabbath, tithe, marriage, divorce, or all 107 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 2026-10-02.