How many times is silver mentioned in the Bible?
The word silver appears 320 times in the King James Version, in 282 verses. Counting every form (silver, silversmith), it appears 321 times in 282 verses across 42 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses silver 321 times (323 with every form).
Silver in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of silver counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| silver | 320 | 321 |
| silversmith | 1 | 2 |
| Total | 321 | 323 |
Which books mention silver most
Silver appears in 42 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Exodus and Numbers share the most, 32 each.
Also in: Deuteronomy (6), 2 Samuel (6), Job (6), Jeremiah (6), Zechariah (6), Matthew (6), Acts (6), Leviticus (5), Hosea (5), Esther (4), Ecclesiastes (4), Song of Solomon (4), Nehemiah (3), 1 Samuel (2), Amos (2), Zephaniah (2), Malachi (2), Revelation (2), Joel (1), Nahum (1), Habakkuk (1), Haggai (1), Luke (1), 1 Corinthians (1), 2 Timothy (1), James (1), 1 Peter (1).
First and last mention of silver
And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.
The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble,
The verse that uses it most is Exodus 38:17, 3 times:
And the sockets for the pillars were of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver; and the overlaying of their chapiters of silver; and all the pillars of the court were filleted with silver.
Where the two translations differ
2 verses match in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 5 verses match only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
2 Kings 22:4: counted in the KJV only
Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, that he may sum the silver which is brought into the house of the LORD, which the keepers of the door have gathered of the people:
“Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, that he may count the money which is brought into Yahweh’s house, which the keepers of the threshold have gathered of the people.
Luke 15:8: counted in the KJV only
Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it?
Or what woman, if she had ten drachma coins, if she lost one drachma coin, wouldn’t light a lamp, sweep the house, and seek diligently until she found it?
Judges 5:19: counted in the World English Bible only
The kings came and fought, then fought the kings of Canaan in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo; they took no gain of money.
“The kings came and fought, then the kings of Canaan fought at Taanach by the waters of Megiddo. They took no plunder of silver.
Isaiah 7:23: counted in the World English Bible only
And it shall come to pass in that day, that every place shall be, where there were a thousand vines at a thousand silverlings, it shall even be for briers and thorns.
It will happen in that day that every place where there were a thousand vines at a thousand silver shekels, shall be for briers and thorns.
Verses with silver on our topic pages
13 verses that use silver in the World English Bible are in our topic collections.
He who loves silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he who loves abundance, with increase: this also is vanity.
On: Money, Wealth, What Does the Bible Say About Gambling? 25 Verses
Many of those who practiced magical arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. They counted their price, and found it to be fifty thousand pieces of silver.
On: What Does the Bible Say About Halloween? 24 Verses, What Does the Bible Say About Witchcraft? 25 Verses, Psychics
A good name is more desirable than great riches, and loving favor is better than silver and gold.
then the man who lay with her shall give to the lady’s father fifty shekels of silver. She shall be his wife, because he has humbled her. He may not put her away all his days.
On: What Does the Bible Say About Sex Before Marriage? 26 Verses
When I saw among the plunder a beautiful Babylonian robe, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, then I coveted them and took them. Behold, they are hidden in the ground in the middle of my tent, with the silver under it.”
My fruit is better than gold, yes, than fine gold; my yield than choice silver.
On: Wisdom
How much better it is to get wisdom than gold! Yes, to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.
On: Wisdom
The silver is mine, and the gold is mine,’ says Yahweh of Armies.
On: Tithing
I will bring the third part into the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will test them like gold is tested. They will call on my name, and I will hear them. I will say, ‘It is my people;’ and they will say, ‘Yahweh is my God.’”
On: Purgatory
and he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi, and refine them as gold and silver; and they shall offer to Yahweh offerings in righteousness.
On: Purgatory
and said, “What are you willing to give me, that I should deliver him to you?” They weighed out for him thirty pieces of silver.
On: Betrayal
But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!
Common questions
How many times is silver in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 302 of the 321 uses are in the Old Testament and 19 in the New Testament. Silver appears in 42 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Exodus and Numbers share the most, 32 each.
Where is silver 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 18:12.
More word counts: seed, darkness, understanding, witness, judge, servant, ox, hair, or all 635 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 2026-10-24.