How Many Times Is Love in the Bible?

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Take a look at some of the most common words used in the Bible
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There’s no denying that the Bible is chock full of words—over 770,000 of them, in fact, depending on which translation you’re reading! With so much text to sift through, it’s only fair to wonder just how many of them discuss "love," a simple word that cuts straight to the heart of what it means to be a Christian. We’ve crunched the numbers and assembled all the data, so you can know everything you could possibly want to know about the frequency of words like "love" in the Bible. We’ve even thrown in some well-known Bible verses that feature this special word so you can see it in action.

Things You Should Know

  • The word “love” can be found 310 times in the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible, while words like "Lord," "God," and "people" appear over 2,000 times.
  • Many Bible verses feature the word "love," including the well-known “Love is patient, love is kind” verse from 1 Corinthians 13:4-8.
  • The Bible references different kinds of love, including "agape" (unconditional love) and "philia" (affectionate, platonic love).
Section 1 of 4:

How many times is love mentioned in the Bible?

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  1. Yup, you heard that right—the word “love” is a frequent flier in both the Old and New Testaments. The same is the case for the New King James Version (NKJV), a slightly updated version of the original KJV that features the word “love” a total of 361 times. Here’s a look at where some other popular translations stack up: [1]
    • New Living Translation (NLT): 645 times
    • New International Version (NIV): 574 times
    • English Standard Version (ESV): 551 times
    • North American Standard Bible 2020 (NASB20): 348 times
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Section 2 of 4:

Other Commonly Mentioned Words

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  1. When it comes to Bible verses, no word is referenced more than "Lord," or the honorific that people use to address or refer to God. The New King James Version (NKJV) includes the word slightly less than the KJV, featuring it only 7,825 times. [2]
    • NLT: 7,443 times
    • NIV: 7,590 times
    • ESV: 7,821 times
    • NASB20: 7,790 times
    • Example verse: “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Genesis 2:7
  2. Christianity revolves around faith in God, so it’s only natural that this very word would be one of the most common ones found in the Bible. [3]
    • NLT: 4,576 times
    • NIV: 4,047 times
    • ESV: 4,378 times
    • NASB20: 4,374 times
    • Example verse: “Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, neither will he help the evil doers.” Job 8:20
  3. The word “man” is used quite a lot in the Bible, especially by Jesus, who uses the term “Son of Man” to refer to Himself in the third person. [4] In total, the KJV features the word 2,640 times, while the NKJV includes it 2,107 times. [5]
    • NLT: 1,271 times
    • NIV: 1,304 times
    • ESV: 2,043 times
    • NASB20: 1,452 times
    • Example verse: “And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God.” Acts 7:56
  4. Starting in the Old Testament, God heralds the Jewish community of Israel as His “chosen people”—for instance, in Deuteronomy 7:6, He says “For thou art a holy people unto the Lord thy God: the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto Himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.” [6] So, it makes sense that Israel is mentioned 2,568 times in the KJV and 2,570 times in the NKJV. [7]
    • NLT: 2,292 times
    • NIV: 1,798 times
    • ESV: 2,569 times
    • NASB20: 2,571 times
    • Example verse: “He shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root: Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit.” Isaiah 27:6
  5. Given the sheer number of prophecies and battles that take place in the Bible, it’s no surprise that the word “people” pops up pretty frequently. While the KJV features this word 2,141 times, the NKJV features it slightly less—only 2,139 times. [8]
    • NLT: 3,558 times
    • NIV: 2,702 times
    • ESV: 2,856 times
    • NASB20: 2,422 times
    • Example verse: “Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered without the gate.” Hebrews 13:12
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Section 3 of 4:

What types of love are mentioned in the Bible?

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  1. The Greek word "agape" is one of the best ways out there to describe how the God of Christianity loves His followers. It’s a type of love that has no strings attached—it’s freely offered even if the recipient chooses not to accept it. It’s also commonly associated with the concept of forgiveness, and absolving someone regardless of what they’ve said or done. [9]
    • Example in the Bible: “But commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8
  2. Similar to agape, "hesed" (חֶסֶד) refers to a dedicated, steadfast love that God feels for mankind. It’s also represented in some of the ways that people love each other, like a parent caring diligently and patiently for their child. In the Hebrew translation of the Bible, hesed is often used to represent an active form of love, like Ruth’s decision to stay with her mother-in-law Naomi after Naomi’s sons and husband had passed away. [10]
    • Example in the Bible: “How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.” Psalm: 36:7
  3. "Philia" is another Greek word for love—but instead of describing God’s love for mankind, it illustrates the love that people have for their friends and fellow human beings. [11] Philia was an important concept in Jesus’s ministry as he stressed the importance of loving one another (and even loving one’s enemy). [12]
    • Example in the Bible: “Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another.” Romans 12:10
  4. In Hebrew, "ahav" (אהב) means “to love,” while ahavah (אהבה) is simply the noun “love.” Both of these terms mention love in a very general sense and are used in a variety of Biblical scenarios, like describing David and Jonathan’s relationship in the Old Testament (2 Samuel 1:26). [13]
    • Example in the Bible: “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.” Mark 12:30
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Section 4 of 4:

Bible Verses about Love

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  1. “But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.”
  2. “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.” (NIV)
  3. “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.”
  4. “Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.” (NLT)
  5. “A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”
  6. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
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Expert Q&A

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  • Question
    If God loves us then why does he allow bad things to happen?
    Liz Cooledge Jenkins
    Christian Theology Expert
    Liz Cooledge Jenkins is a Christian Theology Expert based in Seattle, Washington. She is a freelance writer and preacher. Liz’s writing is focused at the intersections of faith, feminism, and social justice. She is the author of Nice Churchy Patriarchy: Reclaiming Women's Humanity from Evangelicalism. She also blogs at her own Substack, and has written for outlets such as Sojourners, The Christian Century, Premier Christianity, Christians for Social Action, Red Letter Christians, and Feminism & Religion. She worked as a Chaplain for King County Fire District in Burien Washington. Prior to that, she served as College Ministry Director at Peninsula Bible Church in Palo Alto, California. She received a Master of Divinity degree from Fuller Theological Seminary. She earned a BS in Symbolic Systems from Stanford University.
    Liz Cooledge Jenkins
    Christian Theology Expert
    Expert Answer
    Bad things happen because the idea is that God gives us the freedom to choose our paths. This freedom can be empowering but can unfortunately lead to suffering and bad decisions. But we have to remember that whatever path we choose, God is with us, even in the darkest times. In fact, it's often through these tough situations that we should trust in Him more and deepen our faith.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.blueletterbible.org/search/search.cfm?Criteria=love&t=KJV&ss=1#s=s_primary_0_1
      2. ↑ https://www.blueletterbible.org/search/search.cfm?Criteria=lord&t=KJV&ss=1#s=s_primary_0_1
      3. ↑ https://www.blueletterbible.org/search/search.cfm?Criteria=god&t=KJV#s=s_primary_0_1
      4. ↑ https://www.gotquestions.org/Jesus-Son-of-Man.html
      5. ↑ https://www.blueletterbible.org/search/search.cfm?Criteria=man&t=KJV#s=s_primary_0_1
      6. ↑ https://www.gotquestions.org/Gods-chosen-people.html
      7. ↑ https://www.blueletterbible.org/search/search.cfm?Criteria=israel&t=KJV#s=s_primary_0_1
      8. ↑ https://www.blueletterbible.org/search/search.cfm?Criteria=people&t=KJV#s=s_primary_0_1
      9. ↑ https://healthcare.utah.edu/the-scope/health-library/all/2020/02/four-types-of-love-some-are-healthy-some-are-not
      1. ↑ https://firmisrael.org/learn/the-meaning-of-hesed-hebrew-for-love/
      2. ↑ https://healthcare.utah.edu/the-scope/health-library/all/2020/02/four-types-of-love-some-are-healthy-some-are-not
      3. ↑ https://www.openbible.info/topics/philia_love
      4. ↑ https://bam.sites.uiowa.edu/RTL/ahav

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