How many times is wolf mentioned in the Bible?
The word wolf appears 6 times in the King James Version, in 5 verses. Counting every form (wolf, wolves), it appears 13 times in 12 verses across 10 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses wolf 6 times (16 with every form).
Wolf in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of wolf counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| wolf | 6 | 6 |
| wolves | 7 | 10 |
| Total | 13 | 16 |
First and last mention of wolf
Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil.
For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
The verse that uses it most is John 10:12, 2 times:
But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.
Where the two translations differ
0 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.
Isaiah 13:22: counted in the World English Bible only
And the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate houses, and dragons in their pleasant palaces: and her time is near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged.
Wolves will cry in their fortresses, and jackals in the pleasant palaces. Her time is near to come, and her days will not be prolonged.
Isaiah 34:14: counted in the World English Bible only
The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the wild beasts of the island, and the satyr shall cry to his fellow; the screech owl also shall rest there, and find for herself a place of rest.
The wild animals of the desert will meet with the wolves, and the wild goat will cry to his fellow. Yes, the night creature shall settle there, and shall find herself a place of rest.
Common questions
How many times is wolf in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 7 of the 13 uses are in the Old Testament and 6 in the New Testament. Wolf appears in 10 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Isaiah, Matthew and John share the most, 2 each.
Where is wolf first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Genesis 49:27: "Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil." The last is Acts 20:29.
More word counts: sparrow, goat, dove, locust, soul, bride, widow, poor, 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.