How many times is sin mentioned in the Bible?
The word sin appears 448 times in the King James Version, in 389 verses. Counting every form (sin, sins, sinned, sinneth, sinning, sinful), it appears 771 times in 647 verses across 52 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses sin 441 times (790 with every form).
Sin in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of sin counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| sin | 448 | 441 |
| sins | 172 | 207 |
| sinned | 119 | 125 |
| sinneth | 22 | 0 |
| sinning | 2 | 8 |
| sinful | 8 | 9 |
| Total | 771 | 790 |
Which books mention sin most
Sin appears in 52 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Leviticus has the most (110), then Numbers (60) and Romans (57).
Also in: 2 Chronicles (18), Job (17), Luke (15), Proverbs (14), 1 Corinthians (12), Nehemiah (11), Hosea (11), Daniel (9), Matthew (9), Mark (9), Genesis (8), Acts (8), Lamentations (7), Micah (7), James (6), 1 Peter (6), 2 Samuel (5), 2 Corinthians (4), Ephesians (4), Joshua (3), Judges (3), Amos (3), Galatians (3), Colossians (3), 1 Timothy (3), 2 Peter (3), Revelation (3), 1 Chronicles (2), Ezra (2), Ecclesiastes (2), Habakkuk (1), Zephaniah (1), Zechariah (1), 1 Thessalonians (1), 2 Thessalonians (1), 2 Timothy (1), Titus (1).
First and last mention of sin
If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
The verse that uses it most is Leviticus 4:3, 5 times:
If the priest that is anointed do sin according to the sin of the people; then let him bring for his sin, which he hath sinned, a young bullock without blemish unto the LORD for a sin offering.
Where the two translations differ
14 verses match in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 29 verses match only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
Numbers 15:29: counted in the KJV only
Ye shall have one law for him that sinneth through ignorance, both for him that is born among the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them.
You shall have one law for him who does anything unwittingly, for him who is native-born among the children of Israel, and for the stranger who lives as a foreigner among them.
2 Chronicles 28:10: counted in the KJV only
And now ye purpose to keep under the children of Judah and Jerusalem for bondmen and bondwomen unto you: but are there not with you, even with you, sins against the LORD your God?
Now you intend to degrade the children of Judah and Jerusalem as male and female slaves for yourselves. Aren’t there even with you trespasses of your own against Yahweh your God?
Leviticus 5:18: counted in the World English Bible only
And he shall bring a ram without blemish out of the flock, with thy estimation, for a trespass offering, unto the priest: and the priest shall make an atonement for him concerning his ignorance wherein he erred and wist it not, and it shall be forgiven him.
He shall bring a ram without defect from of the flock, according to your estimation, for a trespass offering, to the priest; and the priest shall make atonement for him concerning the thing in which he sinned and didn’t know it, and he will be forgiven.
Numbers 8:21: counted in the World English Bible only
And the Levites were purified, and they washed their clothes; and Aaron offered them as an offering before the LORD; and Aaron made an atonement for them to cleanse them.
The Levites purified themselves from sin, and they washed their clothes; and Aaron offered them for a wave offering before Yahweh; and Aaron made atonement for them to cleanse them.
Verses with sin on our topic pages
94 verses that use sin in the World English Bible are in our topic collections.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
On: Forgiveness, Prayer, Divorce, Repentance
He who conceals his sins doesn’t prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.
On: Forgiveness, Mercy, Repentance, Letting Go
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
“Come now, and let us reason together,” says Yahweh: “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
On: Forgiveness, Sin, What Does the Bible Say About Sex Before Marriage? 26 Verses, What Does the Bible Say About Masturbation? 25 Verses
For we don’t have a high priest who can’t be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but one who has been in all points tempted like we are, yet without sin.
On: Temptation, Sin, What Does the Bible Say About Masturbation? 25 Verses, What Does the Bible Say About Pornography? 28 Verses
Then the lust, when it has conceived, bears sin; and the sin, when it is full grown, produces death.
On: Lust, Temptation, Sin, What Does the Bible Say About Pornography? 28 Verses
For from within, out of the hearts of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, sexual sins, murders, thefts,
for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God;
On: Forgiveness, Salvation, Sin
To him therefore who knows to do good, and doesn’t do it, to him it is sin.
On: Laziness, Sin, What Does the Bible Say About Smoking? 24 Verses
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity. Cleanse me from my sin.
Behold, I was born in iniquity. In sin my mother conceived me.
Jesus answered them, “Most certainly I tell you, everyone who commits sin is the bondservant of sin.
Common questions
How many times is sin in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 544 of the 771 uses are in the Old Testament and 227 in the New Testament. Sin appears in 52 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Leviticus has the most (110), then Numbers (60) and Romans (57).
Where is sin first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Genesis 4:7: "If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him." The last is Revelation 18:5.
Read the full collection: Bible Verses About Sin (38 Verses).
More word counts: Israel, David, Moses, Abraham, Mary, Paul, Peter, seven, 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 2026-10-03.