How many times is zeal mentioned in the Bible?
The word zeal appears 16 times in the King James Version, in 16 verses. Counting every form (zeal, zealous), it appears 24 times in 24 verses across 16 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses zeal 20 times (28 with every form).
Zeal in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of zeal counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| zeal | 16 | 20 |
| zealous | 8 | 8 |
| Total | 24 | 28 |
Which books mention zeal most
Zeal appears in 16 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Isaiah has the most (4), then Numbers (2) and 2 Kings (2).
Also in: Revelation (1).
First and last mention of zeal
Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, while he was zealous for my sake among them, that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy.
As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
Where the two translations differ
2 verses match in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 6 verses match only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
Numbers 25:11: counted in the KJV only
Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, while he was zealous for my sake among them, that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy.
“Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, in that he was jealous with my jealousy among them, so that I didn’t consume the children of Israel in my jealousy.
Numbers 25:13: counted in the KJV only
And he shall have it, and his seed after him, even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for the children of Israel.
It shall be to him, and to his offspring after him, the covenant of an everlasting priesthood, because he was jealous for his God, and made atonement for the children of Israel.’”
Proverbs 19:2: counted in the World English Bible only
Also, that the soul be without knowledge, it is not good; and he that hasteth with his feet sinneth.
It isn’t good to have zeal without knowledge; nor being hasty with one’s feet and missing the way.
Isaiah 26:11: counted in the World English Bible only
LORD, when thy hand is lifted up, they will not see: but they shall see, and be ashamed for their envy at the people; yea, the fire of thine enemies shall devour them.
Yahweh, your hand is lifted up, yet they don’t see; but they will see your zeal for the people, and be disappointed. Yes, fire will consume your adversaries.
Common questions
How many times is zeal in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 12 of the 24 uses are in the Old Testament and 12 in the New Testament. Zeal appears in 16 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Isaiah has the most (4), then Numbers (2) and 2 Kings (2).
Where is zeal first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Numbers 25:11: "Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, while he was zealous for my sake among them, that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy." The last is Revelation 3:19.
More word counts: vision, Tirzah, Teman, shame, Artaxerxes, Bilhah, Milcah, Sanballat, 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.