How many times is unicorn mentioned in the Bible?
The word unicorn appears 6 times in the King James Version, in 6 verses. Counting every form (unicorn, unicorns), it appears 9 times in 9 verses across 5 of the 66 books. The World English Bible never uses the word unicorn.
The KJV's unicorn translates the Hebrew re'em. Modern translations, the World English Bible included, render it wild ox.
Unicorn in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of unicorn counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| unicorn | 6 | 0 |
| unicorns | 3 | 0 |
| Total | 9 | 0 |
Which books mention unicorn most
Unicorn appears in 5 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Psalms has the most (3), then Numbers (2) and Job (2).
First and last mention of unicorn
God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn.
And the unicorns shall come down with them, and the bullocks with the bulls; and their land shall be soaked with blood, and their dust made fat with fatness.
Where the two translations differ
9 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.
Numbers 23:22: counted in the KJV only
God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn.
God brings them out of Egypt. He has as it were the strength of the wild ox.
Numbers 24:8: counted in the KJV only
God brought him forth out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn: he shall eat up the nations his enemies, and shall break their bones, and pierce them through with his arrows.
God brings him out of Egypt. He has as it were the strength of the wild ox. He shall eat up the nations his adversaries, shall break their bones in pieces, and pierce them with his arrows.
Common questions
How many times is unicorn in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 9 of the 9 uses are in the Old Testament and 0 in the New Testament. Unicorn appears in 5 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Psalms has the most (3), then Numbers (2) and Job (2).
Where is unicorn first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Numbers 23:22: "God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn." The last is Isaiah 34:7.
More word counts: woman, wisdom, trust, death, water, light, cross, blood, or all 107 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 2026-10-02.