How many times is temperance mentioned in the Bible?
The word temperance appears 4 times in the King James Version, in 3 verses. It is found in 3 of the 66 books. The World English Bible never uses the word temperance.
Temperance is the KJV's word for self-control, in Acts 24:25, Galatians 5:23 (the fruit of the Spirit) and twice in 2 Peter 1:6. The World English Bible says self-control in all three verses, so it has no temperance count. Temperate (1 Corinthians 9:25, Titus 1:8 and 2:2) is a different word and is not counted.
Temperance in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of temperance counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| temperance | 4 | 0 |
| Total | 4 | 0 |
First and last mention of temperance
And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.
And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
The verse that uses it most is 2 Peter 1:6, 2 times:
And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
Where the two translations differ
3 verses match in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 0 verses match only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
Acts 24:25: counted in the KJV only
And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.
As he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was terrified, and answered, “Go your way for this time, and when it is convenient for me, I will summon you.”
Galatians 5:23: counted in the KJV only
Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Common questions
How many times is temperance in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 0 of the 4 uses are in the Old Testament and 4 in the New Testament. Temperance appears in 3 books of the 66 in the King James Version. 2 Peter has the most (2), then Acts (1) and Galatians (1).
Where is temperance first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Acts 24:25: "And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee." The last is 2 Peter 1:6.
Read the full collection: Bible Verses About Self Control (27 Verses).
More word counts: earth, wealth, fatherless, bird, daughter, treasure, evil, world, or all 680 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 2026-10-26.