How many times is Samuel mentioned in the Bible?
The word Samuel appears 142 times in the King James Version, in 121 verses. It is found in 7 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses Samuel 142 times (143 with every form).
Samuel in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of Samuel counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| Samuel | 142 | 142 |
| Samuel's | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 142 | 143 |
Which books mention Samuel most
Samuel appears in 7 books of the 66 in the King James Version. 1 Samuel has the most (131), then 1 Chronicles (5) and Acts (2).
First and last mention of Samuel
Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the LORD.
And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:
The verse that uses it most is 1 Samuel 3:10, 3 times:
And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.
Where the two translations differ
1 verse matches in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 1 verse matches only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
1 Samuel 9:25: counted in the KJV only
And when they were come down from the high place into the city, Samuel communed with Saul upon the top of the house.
When they had come down from the high place into the city, he talked with Saul on the housetop.
1 Chronicles 6:33: counted in the World English Bible only
And these are they that waited with their children. Of the sons of the Kohathites: Heman a singer, the son of Joel, the son of Shemuel,
These are those who served, and their sons. Of the sons of the Kohathites: Heman the singer, the son of Joel, the son of Samuel,
Verses with Samuel on our topic pages
8 verses that use Samuel in the World English Bible are in our topic collections.
They gathered together to Mizpah, and drew water, and poured it out before Yahweh, and fasted on that day, and said there, “We have sinned against Yahweh.” Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpah.
On: Fasting
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
But Yahweh said to Samuel, “Don’t look on his face, or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for I don’t see as man sees. For man looks at the outward appearance, but Yahweh looks at the heart.”
On: Tattoos
Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had mourned for him, and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. Saul had sent away those who had familiar spirits and the wizards out of the land.
Then the woman said, “Whom shall I bring up to you?” He said, “Bring Samuel up for me.”
When the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice; and the woman spoke to Saul, saying, “Why have you deceived me? For you are Saul!”
He said to her, “What does he look like?” She said, “An old man comes up. He is covered with a robe.” Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground, and showed respect.
Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me, to bring me up?” Saul answered, “I am very distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God has departed from me, and answers me no more, by prophets, or by dreams. Therefore I have called you, that you may make known to me what I shall do.”
Common questions
How many times is Samuel in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 139 of the 142 uses are in the Old Testament and 3 in the New Testament. Samuel appears in 7 books of the 66 in the King James Version. 1 Samuel has the most (131), then 1 Chronicles (5) and Acts (2).
Where is Samuel first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is 1 Samuel 1:20: "Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the LORD." The last is Hebrews 11:32.
More word counts: Saul, Elijah, Elisha, Daniel, John, James, Judas, Martha, 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.