How many times is Shechem mentioned in the Bible?
The word Shechem appears 62 times in the King James Version, in 54 verses. Counting every form (Shechem, Shechem's), it appears 64 times in 55 verses across 9 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses Shechem 66 times (68 with every form).
Shechem in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of Shechem counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| Shechem | 62 | 66 |
| Shechem's | 2 | 2 |
| Total | 64 | 68 |
What the name Shechem means
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary glosses Shechem as "part; portion; back early in the morning".
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 Shechem most
Shechem appears in 9 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Judges has the most (27), then Genesis (17) and Joshua (8).
First and last mention of Shechem
And Jacob came to Shalem, a city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padan-aram; and pitched his tent before the city.
That there came certain from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria, even fourscore men, having their beards shaven, and their clothes rent, and having cut themselves, with offerings and incense in their hand, to bring them to the house of the LORD.
The verse that uses it most is Genesis 34:26, 2 times (tied with Joshua 24:32, Judges 9:6, Judges 9:20, Judges 9:23, Judges 9:26 and 3 more):
And they slew Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem’s house, and went out.
Where the two translations differ
0 verses match in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 3 verses match only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
Genesis 12:6: counted in the World English Bible only
And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land.
Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time, Canaanites were in the land.
Hosea 6:9: counted in the World English Bible only
And as troops of robbers wait for a man, so the company of priests murder in the way by consent: for they commit lewdness.
As gangs of robbers wait to ambush a man, so the company of priests murder on the path toward Shechem, committing shameful crimes.
Common questions
How many times is Shechem in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 64 of the 64 uses are in the Old Testament and 0 in the New Testament. Shechem appears in 9 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Judges has the most (27), then Genesis (17) and Joshua (8).
Where is Shechem first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Genesis 33:18: "And Jacob came to Shalem, a city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padan-aram; and pitched his tent before the city." The last is Jeremiah 41:5.
What does the name Shechem mean in the Bible?
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary glosses Shechem as "part; portion; back early in the morning".
More word counts: Bashan, Syria, Gilgal, Persia, Macedonia, Ephesus, Corinth, Philippi, 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.