How many times is "Son of Man" in the Bible?
The phrase "Son of Man" appears 196 times in the King James Version, in 192 verses. The World English Bible has it 196 times.
Son of Man in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of Son of Man counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| son of man | 196 | 196 |
| Total | 196 | 196 |
First and last mention of Son of Man
God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.
The verse that uses it most is Matthew 24:30, 2 times (tied with Matthew 26:24, Mark 14:21, John 12:34):
And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
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.
Mark 13:34: counted in the KJV only
For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch.
“It is like a man, traveling to another country, having left his house, and given authority to his servants, and to each one his work, and also commanded the doorkeeper to keep watch.
Job 16:21: counted in the World English Bible only
Oh that one might plead for a man with God, as a man pleadeth for his neighbour!
that he would maintain the right of a man with God, of a son of man with his neighbor!
Verses with Son of Man on our topic pages
13 verses that use Son of Man in the World English Bible are in our topic collections.
even as the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
On: Leadership, Serving Others
For the Son of Man also came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
On: Humility, Leadership
“But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory.
On: Angels
The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man, and a drunkard; a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’
On: Alcohol
I tell you that he will avenge them quickly. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
On: Justice
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost.”
On: Hospitality
Therefore be watchful all the time, praying that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will happen, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
On: End Times
But Jesus said to him, “Judas, do you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?”
On: Betrayal
saying that the Son of Man must be delivered up into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again?”
On: Easter
No one has ascended into heaven, but he who descended out of heaven, the Son of Man, who is in heaven.
On: Heaven
Don’t work for the food which perishes, but for the food which remains to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For God the Father has sealed him.”
On: Work
Jesus therefore said to them, “Most certainly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you don’t have life in yourselves.
On: Communion
Common questions
How many times is Son of Man in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 108 of the 196 uses are in the Old Testament and 88 in the New Testament. Son of Man appears in 14 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Ezekiel has the most (93), then Matthew (32) and Luke (25).
Where is Son of Man first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Numbers 23:19: "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?" The last is Revelation 14:14.
More word counts: rest, patience, obey, worship, praise, sabbath, tithe, marriage, 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.