How many times is weeping mentioned in the Bible?
The word weeping appears 44 times in the King James Version, in 41 verses. Counting every form (weeping, weep, wept, weepeth, weepest), it appears 171 times in 151 verses across 35 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses weeping 54 times (178 with every form).
Weeping in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of weeping counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| weeping | 44 | 54 |
| weep | 49 | 52 |
| wept | 71 | 70 |
| weepeth | 4 | not counted |
| weepest | 3 | not counted |
| weeps | not counted | 2 |
| Total | 171 | 178 |
Which books mention weeping most
Weeping appears in 35 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Genesis and Jeremiah share the most, 16 each.
Also in: Ezekiel (4), Mark (4), Deuteronomy (3), Nehemiah (3), Joel (3), Acts (3), Ruth (2), Lamentations (2), Romans (2), 1 Corinthians (2), James (2), Exodus (1), 2 Chronicles (1), Esther (1), Ecclesiastes (1), Hosea (1), Micah (1), Zechariah (1), Malachi (1), Philippians (1).
First and last mention of weeping
And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept.
And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.
The verse that uses it most is Genesis 43:30, 2 times (tied with Genesis 45:14, Deuteronomy 34:8, 1 Samuel 30:4, 2 Samuel 3:32, 2 Samuel 13:36 and 14 more):
And Joseph made haste; for his bowels did yearn upon his brother: and he sought where to weep; and he entered into his chamber, and wept there.
Where the two translations differ
4 verses match in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 9 verses match only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
Exodus 2:6: counted in the KJV only
And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews’ children.
She opened it, and saw the child, and behold, the baby cried. She had compassion on him, and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.”
Job 27:15: counted in the KJV only
Those that remain of him shall be buried in death: and his widows shall not weep.
Those who remain of him shall be buried in death. His widows shall make no lamentation.
Genesis 50:3: counted in the World English Bible only
And forty days were fulfilled for him; for so are fulfilled the days of those which are embalmed: and the Egyptians mourned for him threescore and ten days.
Forty days were fulfilled for him, for that is how many the days it takes to embalm. The Egyptians wept for him for seventy days.
Genesis 50:4: counted in the World English Bible only
And when the days of his mourning were past, Joseph spake unto the house of Pharaoh, saying, If now I have found grace in your eyes, speak, I pray you, in the ears of Pharaoh, saying,
When the days of weeping for him were past, Joseph spoke to the house of Pharaoh, saying, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, please speak in the ears of Pharaoh, saying,
Verses with weeping on our topic pages
12 verses that use weeping in the World English Bible are in our topic collections.
For his anger is but for a moment. His favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may stay for the night, but joy comes in the morning.
On: Hope, Comfort, Depression, Patience
a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
They mourned, wept, and fasted until evening, for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of Yahweh, and for the house of Israel; because they had fallen by the sword.
On: Fasting
He said, “While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, ‘Who knows whether Yahweh will not be gracious to me, that the child may live?’
On: Miscarriage
When I heard these words, I sat down and wept, and mourned several days; and I fasted and prayed before the God of heaven,
On: Fasting
He who goes out weeping, carrying seed for sowing, will certainly come again with joy, carrying his sheaves.
On: Miscarriage
Don’t weep for the dead. Don’t bemoan him; but weep bitterly for him who goes away, for he will return no more, and not see his native country.
On: Tattoos
“Yet even now,” says Yahweh, “turn to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning.”
On: Fasting
and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.”
On: Hell
Throw out the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
On: Laziness
Rejoice with those who rejoice. Weep with those who weep.
On: Compassion
For many walk, of whom I told you often, and now tell you even weeping, as the enemies of the cross of Christ,
Common questions
How many times is weeping in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 124 of the 171 uses are in the Old Testament and 47 in the New Testament. Weeping appears in 35 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Genesis and Jeremiah share the most, 16 each.
Where is weeping first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Genesis 21:16: "And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept." The last is Revelation 18:19.
More word counts: rabbi, Ashkelon, enemy, brother, virgin, birth, mouth, Hinnom, or all 635 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 2026-10-24.