How many times is sacrifice mentioned in the Bible?
The word sacrifice appears 218 times in the King James Version, in 205 verses. Counting every form (sacrifice, sacrifices, sacrificed, sacrificing), it appears 332 times in 306 verses across 40 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses sacrifice 187 times (321 with every form).
Sacrifice in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of sacrifice counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| sacrifice | 218 | 187 |
| sacrifices | 79 | 84 |
| sacrificed | 33 | 45 |
| sacrificing | 2 | 5 |
| Total | 332 | 321 |
Which books mention sacrifice most
Sacrifice appears in 40 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Leviticus has the most (46), then Numbers (31) and Exodus (27).
Also in: Joshua (6), 1 Chronicles (6), Daniel (6), Ezra (5), Proverbs (4), Acts (4), Judges (3), 2 Samuel (3), Amos (3), Genesis (2), Nehemiah (2), Jonah (2), Zephaniah (2), Matthew (2), Mark (2), Luke (2), Philippians (2), Revelation (2), Ecclesiastes (1), Habakkuk (1), Zechariah (1), Malachi (1), Romans (1), Ephesians (1), 1 Peter (1).
First and last mention of sacrifice
Then Jacob offered sacrifice upon the mount, and called his brethren to eat bread: and they did eat bread, and tarried all night in the mount.
Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.
The verse that uses it most is 1 Samuel 16:5, 3 times (tied with 1 Chronicles 29:21, Ezekiel 39:17):
And he said, Peaceably: I am come to sacrifice unto the LORD: sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice.
Where the two translations differ
47 verses match in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 33 verses match only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
Exodus 30:9: counted in the KJV only
Ye shall offer no strange incense thereon, nor burnt sacrifice, nor meat offering; neither shall ye pour drink offering thereon.
You shall offer no strange incense on it, nor burnt offering, nor meal offering; and you shall pour no drink offering on it.
Leviticus 1:3: counted in the KJV only
If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD.
“‘If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer a male without defect. He shall offer it at the door of the Tent of Meeting, that he may be accepted before Yahweh.
Exodus 22:20: counted in the World English Bible only
He that sacrificeth unto any god, save unto the LORD only, he shall be utterly destroyed.
“He who sacrifices to any god, except to Yahweh only, shall be utterly destroyed.
Leviticus 14:32: counted in the World English Bible only
This is the law of him in whom is the plague of leprosy, whose hand is not able to get that which pertaineth to his cleansing.
This is the law for him in whom is the plague of leprosy, who is not able to afford the sacrifice for his cleansing.
Verses with sacrifice on our topic pages
17 verses that use sacrifice in the World English Bible are in our topic collections.
Therefore I urge you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service.
But don’t forget to be doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
On: Laziness, Giving, Compassion
But I will sacrifice to you with the voice of thanksgiving. I will pay that which I have vowed. Salvation belongs to Yahweh.”
On: Salvation, Thanksgiving
But you go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ for I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
On: Mercy, Repentance
In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
On: Love, God's Love
Samuel said, “Has Yahweh as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying Yahweh’s voice? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.
On: Obedience
Now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me; I will offer sacrifices of joy in his tent. I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to Yahweh.
On: Fear
Offer to God the sacrifice of thanksgiving. Pay your vows to the Most High.
On: Thanksgiving
Whoever offers the sacrifice of thanksgiving glorifies me, and prepares his way so that I will show God’s salvation to him.”
On: Gratitude
Yes, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons.
On: Demons
I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call on Yahweh’s name.
On: Gratitude
Common questions
How many times is sacrifice in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 291 of the 332 uses are in the Old Testament and 41 in the New Testament. Sacrifice appears in 40 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Leviticus has the most (46), then Numbers (31) and Exodus (27).
Where is sacrifice first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Genesis 31:54: "Then Jacob offered sacrifice upon the mount, and called his brethren to eat bread: and they did eat bread, and tarried all night in the mount." The last is Revelation 2:20.
More word counts: incense, idol, apostle, disciple, elder, gospel, parable, demon, 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.