How Many Times Does the Word “Love” Appear in the Bible?
The short answer is 310 — but that is only the base form. When every grammatical variant of love is counted in the King James Version, the total climbs to 541 occurrences. Here is the full breakdown, book by book and language by language.
Updated 2026-05-23 · TheWordPath data study
The Complete KJV Love-Family Count
The King James Bible (1611) uses archaic English forms that modern concordances must count separately. The table below shows each form and its total occurrences across all 66 books.
| KJV Word Form | Occurrences | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| love | 310 | Base noun and verb form |
| loved | 86 | Past tense; includes "God so loved" (John 3:16) |
| loveth | 40 | KJV third-person singular present |
| lovest | 12 | Second-person singular ("lovest thou me?") |
| lovers | 14 | Often used negatively in prophetic books |
| loving | 6 | Participial form; e.g., "loving-kindness" compounds |
| loves | 0 | Not used in KJV; modern translation artifact |
| beloved | 73+ | Related but separate root; not counted in 541 |
| TOTAL (love-family) | 541 | KJV love, loved, loveth, lovest, lovers, loving |
Which Books of the Bible Mention Love Most?
Love is not distributed evenly. The Psalms lead by raw count, while 1 John leads by density — the word “love” or a related form appears roughly once every 32 words in that short epistle. Deuteronomy’s high count reflects the covenant command to love God with all one’s heart, soul, and might (Deuteronomy 6:5).
| Book | Love-Family Count | Testament | Notable Passage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psalms | 44 | OT | Ps 136 — "his mercy endureth for ever" (chesed) |
| Song of Solomon | 27 | OT | "I am sick with love" (2:5) |
| 1 John | 27 | NT | "God is love" (4:8) — densest by word count |
| Deuteronomy | 22 | OT | "Thou shalt love the LORD thy God" (6:5) |
| John | 21 | NT | "God so loved the world" (3:16) |
| Proverbs | 19 | OT | "Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth" (10:12) |
| Romans | 15 | NT | "The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts" (5:5) |
| 1 Corinthians | 14 | NT | The love chapter (ch. 13) |
| Hosea | 14 | OT | God's covenant love for unfaithful Israel |
| Jeremiah | 12 | OT | "I have loved thee with an everlasting love" (31:3) |
The Hebrew Words Behind Old Testament Love
The Old Testament was written in Hebrew, and two words carry most of its theology of love. Understanding them enriches every English reading.
Ahav (אָהַב) — the standard Hebrew verb for love, appearing approximately 245 times. It describes romantic love (Genesis 29:18 — “And Jacob loved Rachel”), parental love (Genesis 22:2 — “thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest”), and the commanded love of God toward Israel and Israel toward God (Deuteronomy 6:5).
Chesed (חֶסֶד) — often translated “lovingkindness,” “mercy,” or “steadfast love,” appearing approximately 248 times. Chesed is covenant love — the loyal, faithful love God maintains toward his people regardless of their faithfulness. Psalm 136 repeats “his mercy endureth for ever” (chesed) twenty-six times in a single chapter. This word has no single perfect English equivalent, which is why translations vary widely.
The Greek Words Behind New Testament Love
The New Testament was written in Koine Greek, which had a richer vocabulary for love than English does. Three words are most significant:
| Greek Word | NT Occurrences | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| agape (ἀγάπη) | ~116 | Selfless, unconditional love; used for God's love |
| agapao (ἀγαπάω) | ~143 | Verb form of agape; "God so loved (agapao) the world" |
| philos / phileo (φιλέω) | ~25 | Brotherly affection, friendship; Peter's reply in John 21 |
| eros (ἔρως) | 0 | Romantic/passionate love; does not appear in NT |
Key Love Verses in the Bible
Counting occurrences is useful, but some individual verses define the entire biblical theology of love:
“And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.” — Deuteronomy 6:5 (KJV)
“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.” — John 3:16 (KJV)
“Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up.” — 1 Corinthians 13:4 (KJV)
“He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” — 1 John 4:8 (KJV)
Note that in 1 Corinthians 13, the KJV uses “charity” rather than “love” to translate agape — a translation choice that accounts for why raw counts of “love” in that chapter are lower than many readers expect. The theological meaning is identical.
What the Numbers Tell Us
The Bible mentions love in 541 word-forms across both testaments, in at least three original languages, spanning poetry, law, prophecy, Gospel narrative, and epistle. Love is not a minor theme — it is the organizing principle of the entire canon. Jesus himself summarized the whole Law and the Prophets in two love commands (Matthew 22:37–40), and John states plainly that “God is love” (1 John 4:8) — not merely that God loves, but that love is his nature.
Whether you count 310 instances of the base word or all 541 love-family forms, the conclusion is the same: love is the most theologically weighted concept in Scripture after God himself.