How many times is sword mentioned in the Bible?
The word sword appears 424 times in the King James Version, in 384 verses. Counting every form (sword, swords), it appears 448 times in 404 verses across 42 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses sword 425 times (449 with every form).
Sword in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of sword counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| sword | 424 | 425 |
| swords | 24 | 24 |
| Total | 448 | 449 |
Which books mention sword most
Sword appears in 42 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Ezekiel has the most (89), then Jeremiah (71) and 1 Samuel (24).
Also in: 2 Chronicles (8), Amos (8), Exodus (7), Leviticus (7), Matthew (7), Genesis (6), Luke (6), Hosea (5), Proverbs (4), Lamentations (4), Micah (4), Nahum (3), Zechariah (3), Mark (3), Hebrews (3), Nehemiah (2), Song of Solomon (2), Joel (2), John (2), Acts (2), Romans (2), Ezra (1), Esther (1), Daniel (1), Zephaniah (1), Haggai (1), Ephesians (1).
First and last mention of sword
So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.
The verse that uses it most is 1 Samuel 25:13, 3 times (tied with Isaiah 31:8, Ezekiel 21:14, Matthew 26:52):
And David said unto his men, Gird ye on every man his sword. And they girded on every man his sword; and David also girded on his sword: and there went up after David about four hundred men; and two hundred abode by the stuff.
Where the two translations differ
4 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.
Judges 7:18: counted in the KJV only
When I blow with a trumpet, I and all that are with me, then blow ye the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon.
When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then blow the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and shout, ‘For Yahweh and for Gideon!’”
Job 20:25: counted in the KJV only
It is drawn, and cometh out of the body; yea, the glittering sword cometh out of his gall: terrors are upon him.
He draws it out, and it comes out of his body. Yes, the glittering point comes out of his liver. Terrors are on him.
Genesis 49:5: counted in the World English Bible only
Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations.
“Simeon and Levi are brothers. Their swords are weapons of violence.
Judges 3:16: counted in the World English Bible only
But Ehud made him a dagger which had two edges, of a cubit length; and he did gird it under his raiment upon his right thigh.
Ehud made himself a sword which had two edges, a cubit in length; and he wore it under his clothing on his right thigh.
Verses with sword on our topic pages
14 verses that use sword in the World English Bible are in our topic collections.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Could oppression, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
On: Depression, Suffering, Loneliness, Persecution
Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place, for all those who take the sword will die by the sword.
On: Self Control, Revenge, What Does the Bible Say About War? 27 Verses
There is one who speaks rashly like the piercing of a sword, but the tongue of the wise heals.
On: Tattoos, What Does the Bible Say About Cussing and Swearing? 26 Verses
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
On: Demons, Spiritual Warfare
and my wrath will grow hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.
On: Widows
and that all this assembly may know that Yahweh doesn’t save with sword and spear; for the battle is Yahweh’s, and he will give you into our hand.”
They mourned, wept, and fasted until evening, for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of Yahweh, and for the house of Israel; because they had fallen by the sword.
On: Fasting
He is the chief of the ways of God. He who made him gives him his sword.
His mouth was smooth as butter, but his heart was war. His words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords.
On: Betrayal
He will judge between the nations, and will decide concerning many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
In that day, Yahweh with his hard and great and strong sword will punish leviathan, the fleeing serpent, and leviathan the twisted serpent; and he will kill the dragon that is in the sea.
Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weak say, ‘I am strong.’
Common questions
How many times is sword in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 411 of the 448 uses are in the Old Testament and 37 in the New Testament. Sword appears in 42 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Ezekiel has the most (89), then Jeremiah (71) and 1 Samuel (24).
Where is sword first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Genesis 3:24: "So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life." The last is Revelation 19:21.
More word counts: king, priest, wife, wicked, mountain, tree, vine, eagle, 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.