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
20 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, What Does the Bible Say About Slavery? 26 Verses
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
God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should repent. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not make it good?
what is man, that you think of him? What is the son of man, that you care for him?
“I, even I, am he who comforts you. Who are you, that you are afraid of man who shall die, and of the son of man who will be made as grass?
On: Comfort
The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is justified by her children.”
Now when Jesus came into the parts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”
but I tell you that Elijah has come already, and they didn’t recognize him, but did to him whatever they wanted to. Even so the Son of Man will also suffer by them.”
and then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky. Then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.
“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
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 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.