How many times is rich mentioned in the Bible?
The word rich appears 81 times in the King James Version, in 80 verses. Counting every form (rich, richly, richer), it appears 84 times in 82 verses across 28 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses rich 89 times (95 with every form).
Riches is counted on its own page, not here.
Rich in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of rich counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| rich | 81 | 89 |
| richly | 2 | 4 |
| richer | 1 | 1 |
| richest | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 84 | 95 |
Which books mention rich most
Rich appears in 28 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Proverbs has the most (16), then Luke (13) and Revelation (8).
Also in: Leviticus (1), Ruth (1), 1 Samuel (1), Isaiah (1), Ezekiel (1), Daniel (1), Hosea (1), Micah (1), Zechariah (1), Romans (1), 1 Corinthians (1), Ephesians (1), Colossians (1).
First and last mention of rich
And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.
And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.
The verse that uses it most is 2 Corinthians 8:9, 2 times (tied with 1 Timothy 6:17):
For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.
Where the two translations differ
3 verses match in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 13 verses match only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
Proverbs 10:4: counted in the KJV only
He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.
He becomes poor who works with a lazy hand, but the hand of the diligent brings wealth.
Proverbs 10:22: counted in the KJV only
The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.
Yahweh’s blessing brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it.
Genesis 49:20: counted in the World English Bible only
Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties.
“Asher’s food will be rich. He will produce royal dainties.
Leviticus 25:49: counted in the World English Bible only
Either his uncle, or his uncle’s son, may redeem him, or any that is nigh of kin unto him of his family may redeem him; or if he be able, he may redeem himself.
or his uncle, or his uncle’s son, may redeem him, or any who is a close relative to him of his family may redeem him; or if he has grown rich, he may redeem himself.
Verses with rich on our topic pages
24 verses that use rich in the World English Bible are in our topic collections.
Charge those who are rich in this present world that they not be haughty, nor have their hope set on the uncertainty of riches, but on the living God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy;
Don’t weary yourself to be rich. In your wisdom, show restraint.
On: Money, What Does the Bible Say About Gambling? 25 Verses
But God, being rich in mercy, for his great love with which he loved us,
On: Love, Grace, Mercy, God's Love
that they do good, that they be rich in good works, that they be ready to distribute, willing to share;
On: Provision, Giving, Generosity, Wealth
The beggar died, and he was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died, and was buried.
On: What Does the Bible Say About Ghosts? 25 Verses, What Does the Bible Say About Reincarnation? 26 Verses, Purgatory
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your heart to the Lord.
He who loves pleasure shall be a poor man. He who loves wine and oil shall not be rich.
On: Alcohol, What Does the Bible Say About Gluttony? 26 Verses
The sleep of a laboring man is sweet, whether he eats little or much; but the abundance of the rich will not allow him to sleep.
On: Sleep, What Does the Bible Say About Gambling? 25 Verses
Jesus sat down opposite the treasury, and saw how the multitude cast money into the treasury. Many who were rich cast in much.
But those who are determined to be rich fall into a temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful lusts, such as drown men in ruin and destruction.
Common questions
How many times is rich in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 42 of the 84 uses are in the Old Testament and 42 in the New Testament. Rich appears in 28 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Proverbs has the most (16), then Luke (13) and Revelation (8).
Where is rich first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Genesis 13:2: "And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold." The last is Revelation 18:19.
Read the full collection: Bible Verses About Money (29 Verses).
More word counts: riches, wealth, money, door, hand, stone, gate, beard, or all 680 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 2026-10-26.