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No: the exact phrase “fear not” is not counted 365 times in the King James Bible totals reported by the sources examined. Two 2026 sources report 63 verses, while a separate plain-text count reports 62 occurrences. The difference reflects counting methods and units—not evidence for 365.
What the published KJV counts say
The available counts do not all measure the same thing, so they should not be collapsed into one definitive number.
| Source and method | Reported result | What it counts |
|---|---|---|
| Mercy House Ministry, 2026 | 63 | Verses returned by a Bible Gateway KJV keyword search for the exact words in quotation marks. |
| Mercy House Ministry, 2026 | 62 | Occurrences in its separate line-by-line count against plain-text KJV text. |
| Bible Says About, data compiled 2026 | 63 | Verses containing the exact phrase in 1769 KJV verse text, with case-insensitive matching and headings and psalm titles excluded. |
| Bible Says About, data compiled 2026 | 103 matches in 101 verses | Combined results for “fear not,” “fear ye not,” “fear thou not,” and “be not afraid.” This is a broader phrase list, not the exact-phrase count. |
| MakeInterview, 2026 | 62 | Exact-phrase matches under its stated method; a secondary, AI-assisted report. |
In short, the reported exact-phrase totals are 62 or 63, depending on source and method. Bible Says About provides explicit scope for its 63-verse result; Mercy House Ministry reports both a search result and a separate plain-text tally. Neither establishes a universal count for every KJV file or search method.
Why “fear not” and “be not afraid” produce different totals
An exact phrase search looks for the contiguous words “fear not.” It does not automatically include expressions such as “fear ye not,” “fear thou not,” “be not afraid,” “do not fear,” or other passages about courage and trust. A result that combines related wording answers a different question from a search for the exact phrase.
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There is also a difference between counting occurrences and counting verses. If a phrase appears more than once in a verse, an occurrence count may include each appearance, while a verse count includes that verse only once. Search tools may also handle punctuation, line breaks, capitalization, and non-verse material differently.
What to specify for a reproducible count
To make a count understandable and repeatable, state:
- Text: the particular KJV edition or digital text being searched. The KJV is an English translation; its wording does not establish the number of equivalent expressions in Hebrew, Greek, or another English translation.
- Phrase scope: whether the query is only the exact words “fear not,” or includes related forms.
- Counting unit: individual phrase occurrences or verses containing at least one occurrence.
- Matching rules: whether capitalization matters and how punctuation and line breaks are handled.
- Included material: whether the count covers verse text only or also headings, psalm titles, cross-references, or front matter.
The 2026 reports illustrate why these details matter: one gives both a keyword-search result and a separate plain-text count, while another specifies its text scope and also publishes a broader multi-phrase total.
Is the 365 figure supported, and where did it come from?
The published KJV counts described above do not support the claim that the exact phrase “fear not” appears 365 times. The precise origin of the 365 slogan is not established by the sources cited here. A contemporary article describes it as a popular saying but does not identify a published list or documented origin; its suggestion that a broad collection of fear-related verses may have been rounded into a daily devotional idea is speculation, not established history.
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“Fear” also has different meanings in biblical contexts, including dread and reverence. Counting every use of the word “fear,” or every passage about courage, is not the same as counting the exact phrase “fear not.”
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to check the wording yourself
You can inspect a KJV text directly, such as the complete KJV text in PDF form, or use a concordance to locate related references. For a digital count, search within a specified text and record the phrase, matching rules, included material, and whether you are counting occurrences or verses. A concordance can help find passages, but it does not by itself resolve differences between phrase lists or counting methods.
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