How many times is temple mentioned in the Bible?
The word temple appears 204 times in the King James Version, in 182 verses. Counting every form (temple, temples), it appears 213 times in 191 verses across 34 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses temple 216 times (226 with every form).
Temple in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of temple counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| temple | 204 | 216 |
| temples | 9 | 10 |
| Total | 213 | 226 |
Which books mention temple most
Temple appears in 34 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Acts has the most (27), then Matthew (20) and Luke (19).
Also in: Judges (3), Nehemiah (3), Isaiah (3), 1 Samuel (2), 1 Chronicles (2), Song of Solomon (2), Daniel (2), Jonah (2), Haggai (2), 2 Corinthians (2), 2 Samuel (1), Hosea (1), Joel (1), Amos (1), Micah (1), Habakkuk (1), Malachi (1), Ephesians (1), 2 Thessalonians (1).
First and last mention of temple
Then Jael Heber’s wife took a nail of the tent, and took an hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the nail into his temples, and fastened it into the ground: for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died.
And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.
The verse that uses it most is 2 Kings 11:11, 3 times (tied with 2 Chronicles 23:10, Ezra 5:14, Jeremiah 7:4, 1 Corinthians 3:17):
And the guard stood, every man with his weapons in his hand, round about the king, from the right corner of the temple to the left corner of the temple, along by the altar and the temple.
Where the two translations differ
11 verses match in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 26 verses match only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
2 Kings 11:10: counted in the KJV only
And to the captains over hundreds did the priest give king David’s spears and shields, that were in the temple of the LORD.
The priest delivered to the captains over hundreds the spears and shields that had been king David’s, which were in Yahweh’s house.
2 Kings 11:11: counted in the KJV only
And the guard stood, every man with his weapons in his hand, round about the king, from the right corner of the temple to the left corner of the temple, along by the altar and the temple.
The guard stood, every man with his weapons in his hand, from the right side of the house to the left side of the house, along by the altar and the house, around the king.
1 Chronicles 9:2: counted in the World English Bible only
Now the first inhabitants that dwelt in their possessions in their cities were, the Israelites, the priests, Levites, and the Nethinims.
Now the first inhabitants who lived in their possessions in their cities were Israel, the priests, the Levites, and the temple servants.
1 Chronicles 28:11: counted in the World English Bible only
Then David gave to Solomon his son the pattern of the porch, and of the houses thereof, and of the treasuries thereof, and of the upper chambers thereof, and of the inner parlours thereof, and of the place of the mercy seat,
Then David gave to Solomon his son the plans for the porch of the temple, for its houses, for its treasuries, for its upper rooms, for its inner rooms, for the place of the mercy seat;
Verses with temple on our topic pages
12 verses that use temple in the World English Bible are in our topic collections.
Or don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,
On: Tattoos, Alcohol, Temptation, Modesty
One thing I have asked of Yahweh, that I will seek after: that I may dwell in Yahweh’s house all the days of my life, to see Yahweh’s beauty, and to inquire in his temple.
On: Fear, What Does the Bible Say About Meditation? 29 Verses
and she had been a widow for about eighty-four years), who didn’t depart from the temple, worshiping with fastings and petitions night and day.
Day by day, continuing steadfastly with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread at home, they took their food with gladness and singleness of heart,
If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is holy, which you are.
On: Alcohol, What Does the Bible Say About Smoking? 24 Verses
In my distress I called on Yahweh, and cried to my God. He heard my voice out of his temple. My cry before him came into his ears.
On: Prayer
We have thought about your loving kindness, God, in the middle of your temple.
I will bow down toward your holy temple, and give thanks to your Name for your loving kindness and for your truth; for you have exalted your Name and your Word above all.
On: Gratitude
“When my soul fainted within me, I remembered Yahweh. My prayer came in to you, into your holy temple.
On: Mental Health
Then the devil took him into the holy city. He set him on the pinnacle of the temple,
On: Temptation
Don’t you know that you are a temple of God, and that God’s Spirit lives in you?
in whom the whole building, fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord;
On: Church
Common questions
How many times is temple in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 94 of the 213 uses are in the Old Testament and 119 in the New Testament. Temple appears in 34 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Acts has the most (27), then Matthew (20) and Luke (19).
Where is temple first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Judges 4:21: "Then Jael Heber’s wife took a nail of the tent, and took an hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the nail into his temples, and fastened it into the ground: for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died." The last is Revelation 21:22.
More word counts: tabernacle, ark, sacrifice, incense, idol, apostle, disciple, elder, 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.