How many times is sheep mentioned in the Bible?
The word sheep appears 187 times in the King James Version, in 178 verses. It is found in 33 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses sheep 204 times.
Sheep in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of sheep counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| sheep | 187 | 204 |
| Total | 187 | 204 |
Which books mention sheep most
Sheep appears in 33 books of the 66 in the King James Version. John has the most (22), then 1 Samuel (21) and Genesis (17).
Also in: Jeremiah (4), Ezekiel (4), 2 Samuel (3), Joshua (2), Song of Solomon (2), Micah (2), Mark (2), Luke (2), Judges (1), 2 Kings (1), Hosea (1), Joel (1), Zechariah (1), Acts (1), Romans (1), Hebrews (1), 1 Peter (1), Revelation (1).
First and last mention of sheep
And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.
The verse that uses it most is Exodus 22:1, 3 times (tied with John 10:12):
If a man shall steal an ox, or a sheep, and kill it, or sell it; he shall restore five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep.
Where the two translations differ
19 verses match in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 24 verses match only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
Genesis 34:28: counted in the KJV only
They took their sheep, and their oxen, and their asses, and that which was in the city, and that which was in the field,
They took their flocks, their herds, their donkeys, that which was in the city, that which was in the field,
Exodus 9:3: counted in the KJV only
Behold, the hand of the LORD is upon thy cattle which is in the field, upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the oxen, and upon the sheep: there shall be a very grievous murrain.
behold, Yahweh’s hand is on your livestock which are in the field, on the horses, on the donkeys, on the camels, on the herds, and on the flocks with a very grievous pestilence.
Genesis 38:12: counted in the World English Bible only
And in process of time the daughter of Shuah Judah’s wife died; and Judah was comforted, and went up unto his sheepshearers to Timnath, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite.
After many days, Shua’s daughter, the wife of Judah, died. Judah was comforted, and went up to his sheep shearers to Timnah, he and his friend Hirah, the Adullamite.
1 Samuel 24:3: counted in the World English Bible only
And he came to the sheepcotes by the way, where was a cave; and Saul went in to cover his feet: and David and his men remained in the sides of the cave.
He came to the sheep pens by the way, where there was a cave; and Saul went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were staying in the innermost parts of the cave.
Verses with sheep on our topic pages
8 verses that use sheep in the World English Bible are in our topic collections.
Know that Yahweh, he is God. It is he who has made us, and we are his. We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
On: Gratitude
All we like sheep have gone astray. Everyone has turned to his own way; and Yahweh has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
On: Sin
“Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!” says Yahweh.
On: Leadership
For the teraphim have spoken vanity, and the diviners have seen a lie; and they have told false dreams. They comfort in vain. Therefore they go their way like sheep. They are oppressed, because there is no shepherd.
On: Dreams
But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion for them, because they were harassed and scattered, like sheep without a shepherd.
On: Compassion
Jesus came out, saw a great multitude, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he began to teach them many things.
On: Compassion
Even as it is written, “For your sake we are killed all day long. We were accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”
On: Loneliness
Now may the God of peace, who brought again from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep with the blood of an eternal covenant, our Lord Jesus,
On: Peace
Common questions
How many times is sheep in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 145 of the 187 uses are in the Old Testament and 42 in the New Testament. Sheep appears in 33 books of the 66 in the King James Version. John has the most (22), then 1 Samuel (21) and Genesis (17).
Where is sheep first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Genesis 4:2: "And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground." The last is Revelation 18:13.
More word counts: lamb, thankful, rejoice, blessed, Jerusalem, Egypt, church, fasting, 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.