How many times is sun mentioned in the Bible?
The word sun appears 160 times in the King James Version, in 152 verses. It is found in 36 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses sun 157 times.
Sun in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of sun counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| sun | 160 | 157 |
| Total | 160 | 157 |
Which books mention sun most
Sun appears in 36 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Ecclesiastes has the most (35), then Psalms (14) and Isaiah (12).
Also in: Jeremiah (3), Joel (3), Luke (3), Numbers (2), Song of Solomon (2), Ezekiel (2), Jonah (2), Malachi (2), Leviticus (1), 1 Samuel (1), 1 Kings (1), 2 Chronicles (1), Nehemiah (1), Daniel (1), Amos (1), Micah (1), Nahum (1), Habakkuk (1), 1 Corinthians (1), Ephesians (1), James (1).
First and last mention of sun
And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him.
And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
The verse that uses it most is Joshua 10:13, 2 times (tied with 2 Kings 23:11, Ecclesiastes 1:5, Ecclesiastes 8:15, Ecclesiastes 9:9, Isaiah 30:26 and 2 more):
And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.
Where the two translations differ
8 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.
Exodus 17:12: counted in the KJV only
But Moses’ hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.
But Moses’ hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side. His hands were steady until sunset.
Numbers 2:3: counted in the KJV only
And on the east side toward the rising of the sun shall they of the standard of the camp of Judah pitch throughout their armies: and Nahshon the son of Amminadab shall be captain of the children of Judah.
Those who encamp on the east side toward the sunrise shall be of the standard of the camp of Judah, according to their divisions: and the prince of the children of Judah shall be Nahshon the son of Amminadab.
Joshua 23:4: counted in the World English Bible only
Behold, I have divided unto you by lot these nations that remain, to be an inheritance for your tribes, from Jordan, with all the nations that I have cut off, even unto the great sea westward.
Behold, I have allotted to you these nations that remain, to be an inheritance for your tribes, from the Jordan, with all the nations that I have cut off, even to the great sea toward the going down of the sun.
2 Chronicles 14:5: counted in the World English Bible only
Also he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the images: and the kingdom was quiet before him.
Also he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the sun images; and the kingdom was quiet before him.
Verses with sun on our topic pages
18 verses that use sun in the World English Bible are in our topic collections.
“Be angry, and don’t sin.” Don’t let the sun go down on your wrath,
On: Anger, Self Control, Letting Go
For Yahweh God is a sun and a shield. Yahweh will give grace and glory. He withholds no good thing from those who walk blamelessly.
The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.
On: Protection, New Beginnings
If the sun has risen on him, guilt of bloodshed shall be for him; he shall make restitution. If he has nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft.
If you take your neighbor’s garment as collateral, you shall restore it to him before the sun goes down,
On: Debt
and lest you lift up your eyes to the sky, and when you see the sun and the moon and the stars, even all the army of the sky, you are drawn away and worship them, and serve them, which Yahweh your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole sky.
On: Idolatry
he will make your righteousness go out as the light, and your justice as the noon day sun.
On: Trust
God sets the lonely in families. He brings out the prisoners with singing, but the rebellious dwell in a sun-scorched land.
On: Loneliness
From the rising of the sun to the going down of the same, Yahweh’s name is to be praised.
On: Gratitude
Behold, that which I have seen to be good and proper is for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy good in all his labor, in which he labors under the sun, all the days of his life which God has given him; for this is his portion.
Also their love, their hatred, and their envy has perished long ago; neither have they any more a portion forever in anything that is done under the sun.
Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your life of vanity, which he has given you under the sun, all your days of vanity: for that is your portion in life, and in your labor in which you labor under the sun.
On: Marriage
Common questions
How many times is sun in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 130 of the 160 uses are in the Old Testament and 30 in the New Testament. Sun appears in 36 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Ecclesiastes has the most (35), then Psalms (14) and Isaiah (12).
Where is sun first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Genesis 15:12: "And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him." The last is Revelation 22:5.
More word counts: moon, wilderness, crown, throne, altar, temple, tabernacle, ark, 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 2026-10-05.