How many times is widow mentioned in the Bible?
The word widow appears 50 times in the King James Version, in 49 verses. Counting every form (widow, widows), it appears 76 times in 73 verses across 24 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses widow 51 times (78 with every form).
Widow in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of widow counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| widow | 50 | 51 |
| widows | 26 | 27 |
| Total | 76 | 78 |
Which books mention widow most
Widow appears in 24 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Deuteronomy has the most (10), then Luke (9) and 1 Timothy (8).
Also in: Numbers (1), 2 Samuel (1), Proverbs (1), Zechariah (1), Malachi (1), Matthew (1), 1 Corinthians (1), James (1), Revelation (1).
First and last mention of widow
Then said Judah to Tamar his daughter in law, Remain a widow at thy father’s house, till Shelah my son be grown: for he said, Lest peradventure he die also, as his brethren did. And Tamar went and dwelt in her father’s house.
How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.
The verse that uses it most is Ezekiel 44:22, 2 times (tied with 1 Timothy 5:3, 1 Timothy 5:16):
Neither shall they take for their wives a widow, nor her that is put away: but they shall take maidens of the seed of the house of Israel, or a widow that had a priest before.
Where the two translations differ
2 verses match in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 3 verses match only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
Proverbs 15:25: counted in the KJV only
The LORD will destroy the house of the proud: but he will establish the border of the widow.
Yahweh will uproot the house of the proud, but he will keep the widow’s borders intact.
Matthew 23:14: counted in the KJV only
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.
“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against men; for you don’t enter in yourselves, neither do you allow those who are entering in to enter.
1 Kings 7:14: counted in the World English Bible only
He was a widow’s son of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in brass: and he was filled with wisdom, and understanding, and cunning to work all works in brass. And he came to king Solomon, and wrought all his work.
He was the son of a widow of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in brass; and he was filled with wisdom and understanding and skill, to work all works in brass. He came to king Solomon, and performed all his work.
Matthew 23:13: counted in the World English Bible only
But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and as a pretense you make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.
Verses with widow on our topic pages
26 verses that use widow in the World English Bible are in our topic collections.
A father of the fatherless, and a defender of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.
On: Loneliness, Orphans, Widows, Worship
Learn to do well. Seek justice. Relieve the oppressed. Judge the fatherless. Plead for the widow.”
He called his disciples to himself, and said to them, “Most certainly I tell you, this poor widow gave more than all those who are giving into the treasury,
Yahweh preserves the foreigners. He upholds the fatherless and widow, but the way of the wicked he turns upside down.
if you don’t oppress the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow, and don’t shed innocent blood in this place, and don’t walk after other gods to your own hurt;
A poor widow came, and she cast in two small brass coins, which equal a quadrans coin.
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.
But I say to the unmarried and to widows, it is good for them if they remain even as I am.
On: Widows, What Does the Bible Say About Sex Before Marriage? 26 Verses
and my wrath will grow hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.
On: Widows
You have sent widows away empty, and the arms of the fatherless have been broken.
On: Widows
to deprive the needy from justice, and to rob the poor among my people of their rights, that widows may be their plunder, and that they may make the fatherless their prey!
On: Widows
Common questions
How many times is widow in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 49 of the 76 uses are in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. Widow appears in 24 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Deuteronomy has the most (10), then Luke (9) and 1 Timothy (8).
Where is widow first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Genesis 38:11: "Then said Judah to Tamar his daughter in law, Remain a widow at thy father’s house, till Shelah my son be grown: for he said, Lest peradventure he die also, as his brethren did. And Tamar went and dwelt in her father’s house." The last is Revelation 18:7.
Read the full collection: Bible Verses About Widows (20 Verses).
More word counts: poor, riches, sun, moon, wilderness, crown, throne, altar, 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.