How many times is synagogue mentioned in the Bible?
The word synagogue appears 43 times in the King James Version, in 42 verses. Counting every form (synagogue, synagogue's, synagogues), it appears 69 times in 68 verses across 7 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses synagogue 43 times (69 with every form).
Synagogue in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of synagogue counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| synagogue | 43 | 43 |
| synagogue's | 2 | 1 |
| synagogues | 24 | 25 |
| Total | 69 | 69 |
First and last mention of synagogue
They said in their hearts, Let us destroy them together: they have burned up all the synagogues of God in the land.
Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.
The verse that uses it most is Acts 6:9, 2 times:
Then there arose certain of the synagogue, which is called the synagogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and of Asia, disputing with Stephen.
Where the two translations differ
1 verse matches in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 2 verses match only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
Psalm 74:8: counted in the KJV only
They said in their hearts, Let us destroy them together: they have burned up all the synagogues of God in the land.
They said in their heart, “We will crush them completely.” They have burned up all the places in the land where God was worshiped.
Acts 13:43: counted in the World English Bible only
Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.
Now when the synagogue broke up, many of the Jews and of the devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas; who, speaking to them, urged them to continue in the grace of God.
James 2:2: counted in the World English Bible only
For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment;
For if a man with a gold ring, in fine clothing, comes into your synagogue, and a poor man in filthy clothing also comes in;
Verses with synagogue on our topic pages
4 verses that use synagogue in the World English Bible are in our topic collections.
Therefore when you do merciful deeds, don’t sound a trumpet before yourself, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may get glory from men. Most certainly I tell you, they have received their reward.
Jesus went about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the Good News of the Kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness among the people.
On: Healing
Jesus went about all the cities and the villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the Good News of the Kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness among the people.
On: Healing
But Jesus, when he heard the message spoken, immediately said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Don’t be afraid, only believe.”
On: Courage
Common questions
How many times is synagogue in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 1 of the 69 uses are in the Old Testament and 68 in the New Testament. Synagogue appears in 7 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Acts has the most (23), then Luke (17) and Mark (12).
Where is synagogue first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Psalm 74:8: "They said in their hearts, Let us destroy them together: they have burned up all the synagogues of God in the land." The last is Revelation 3:9.
More word counts: proverb, love, God, Jesus, Christ, Lord, Holy Spirit, faith, or all 484 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 2026-10-22.