How many time is the word whale mentioned in the King James Bible?

Answer 1

Although the word 'whale' may be used, the concept of a whale certainly isn't.

Whales, as we know them, were unknown at that time as they did not live in the vicinity of where The Bible was written.

The well-known story of 'Jonah and the Whale' from the Book of Jonah in the Old Testament, is a misconception. The word 'whale' is never used. Instead we are told that a 'great fish' swallowed Jonah (possibly a basking shark) and not a whale.

Other incidences that are believed by some to denote 'whales' include

Gen 1:21 - however the words used in the original Hebrew were 'great sea creatures' and not 'whales'; as the latter were unknown to the writers of Genesis.

Ezek 32:2 - in the Hebrew the words are similar to Genesis, but refer to 'monsters of the sea' rather than what we nowadays call whales.

Matt 12:40 - refers to the Jonah story and all modern translations translate the Greek as it should be as 'a great fish' and not a whale.

Therefore, this simple question is an indication that, despite the King James Version of the Bible being popular (especially in the USA) almost all serious Bible scholars regard it, as a translation, as not particularly good as many misconceptions can result from its assumed words and descriptions, which are not always 100% accurate.

Answer

At least three

While Whales were unknown at that time as they did not live in the vicinity of where the bible was written, in many instances the translators of the King James Bible used words with which they were famiiar.

Gen 1:21, Ezek 32:2, Matt 12:40