How many times is vengeance mentioned in the Bible?
The word vengeance appears 45 times in the King James Version, in 39 verses. It is found in 17 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses vengeance 49 times.
Vengeance in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of vengeance counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| vengeance | 45 | 49 |
| Total | 45 | 49 |
Which books mention vengeance most
Vengeance appears in 17 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Jeremiah has the most (11), then Ezekiel (7) and Isaiah (6).
Also in: Hebrews (1), Jude (1).
First and last mention of vengeance
And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.
Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
The verse that uses it most is Psalm 94:1, 2 times (tied with Jeremiah 50:15, Jeremiah 50:28, Jeremiah 51:11, Ezekiel 25:14, Ezekiel 25:17):
O LORD God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, shew thyself.
Where the two translations differ
4 verses match in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 8 verses match only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
Acts 28:4: counted in the KJV only
And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live.
When the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he has escaped from the sea, yet Justice has not allowed to live.”
Romans 3:5: counted in the KJV only
But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? (I speak as a man)
But if our unrighteousness commends the righteousness of God, what will we say? Is God unrighteous who inflicts wrath? I speak like men do.
Leviticus 19:18: counted in the World English Bible only
Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.
“‘You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people; but you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am Yahweh.
Leviticus 26:25: counted in the World English Bible only
And I will bring a sword upon you, that shall avenge the quarrel of my covenant: and when ye are gathered together within your cities, I will send the pestilence among you; and ye shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy.
I will bring a sword upon you that will execute the vengeance of the covenant. You will be gathered together within your cities, and I will send the pestilence among you. You will be delivered into the hand of the enemy.
Verses with vengeance on our topic pages
5 verses that use vengeance in the World English Bible are in our topic collections.
Don’t seek revenge yourselves, beloved, but give place to God’s wrath. For it is written, “Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord.”
On: Anger, Self Control, Justice, Letting Go
Yahweh, you God to whom vengeance belongs, you God to whom vengeance belongs, shine out.
On: Revenge
to proclaim the year of Yahweh’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn;
On: Comfort, Depression
“‘You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people; but you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am Yahweh.
On: Anger
For jealousy arouses the fury of the husband. He won’t spare in the day of vengeance.
On: Jealousy
Common questions
How many times is vengeance in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 38 of the 45 uses are in the Old Testament and 7 in the New Testament. Vengeance appears in 17 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Jeremiah has the most (11), then Ezekiel (7) and Isaiah (6).
Where is vengeance first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Genesis 4:15: "And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him." The last is Jude 1:7.
Read the full collection: Bible Verses About Revenge (19 Verses).
More word counts: envy, lust, hate, compassion, goodness, faithful, righteous, sinner, 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.