How many times is tabernacle mentioned in the Bible?
The word tabernacle appears 328 times in the King James Version, in 297 verses. Counting every form (tabernacle, tabernacles), it appears 358 times in 327 verses across 32 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses tabernacle 123 times.
Tabernacle in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of tabernacle counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| tabernacle | 328 | 123 |
| tabernacles | 30 | 0 |
| Total | 358 | 123 |
Which books mention tabernacle most
Tabernacle appears in 32 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Numbers has the most (108), then Exodus (91) and Leviticus (48).
Also in: 2 Samuel (2), Lamentations (2), Ezekiel (2), Hosea (2), Amos (2), 2 Corinthians (2), 2 Peter (2), 1 Samuel (1), Ezra (1), Proverbs (1), Jeremiah (1), Daniel (1), Malachi (1), Matthew (1), Mark (1), Luke (1), John (1).
First and last mention of tabernacle
According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.
And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
The verse that uses it most is Exodus 33:7, 3 times (tied with Numbers 1:50, Numbers 3:25, Numbers 4:25, Numbers 9:15):
And Moses took the tabernacle, and pitched it without the camp, afar off from the camp, and called it the Tabernacle of the congregation. And it came to pass, that every one which sought the LORD went out unto the tabernacle of the congregation, which was without the camp.
Where the two translations differ
214 verses match 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.
Exodus 26:9: counted in the KJV only
And thou shalt couple five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves, and shalt double the sixth curtain in the forefront of the tabernacle.
You shall couple five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves, and shall double over the sixth curtain in the forefront of the tent.
Exodus 27:21: counted in the KJV only
In the tabernacle of the congregation without the vail, which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall order it from evening to morning before the LORD: it shall be a statute for ever unto their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel.
In the Tent of Meeting, outside the veil which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall keep it in order from evening to morning before Yahweh: it shall be a statute forever throughout their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel.
Revelation 7:15: counted in the World English Bible only
Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.
Therefore they are before the throne of God, they serve him day and night in his temple. He who sits on the throne will spread his tabernacle over them.
Verses with tabernacle on our topic pages
1 verse that uses tabernacle in the World English Bible is in our topic collections.
For in the day of trouble, he will keep me secretly in his pavilion. In the secret place of his tabernacle, he will hide me. He will lift me up on a rock.
On: Protection, Fear
Common questions
How many times is tabernacle in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 333 of the 358 uses are in the Old Testament and 25 in the New Testament. Tabernacle appears in 32 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Numbers has the most (108), then Exodus (91) and Leviticus (48).
Where is tabernacle first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Exodus 25:9: "According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it." The last is Revelation 21:3.
More word counts: ark, sacrifice, incense, idol, apostle, disciple, elder, gospel, 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.