Word Focused KJVIn the beginning was the Word

whence meaning in the KJV

Whence means from where or from which place or source.

Meaning in context

Whence concerns origin. It can ask where a person or thing came from, or connect a statement to the place from which something was taken.

Genesis 3:23 uses it with the ground from which the man was taken. In Genesis 16:8 it asks about Hagar’s starting point. John 1:48 uses it in a question about the source of knowledge.

An origin need not always be a geographical location: the question can concern the source of knowledge or authority. Read the verb and its object before deciding how the word functions.

KJV examples

Genesis 3:23 KJV

Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.

The origin is the ground from which the man was taken.

Genesis 16:8 KJV

And he said, Hagar, Sarai’s maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai.

The question concerns where Hagar came from.

John 1:48 KJV

Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.

Nathanael asks about the source of Jesus’ knowledge of him.

First exact-word occurrence

Genesis 3:23 KJV

Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.

This is the earliest occurrence of this exact English spelling in canonical KJV Bible order. A related word form, a subject, or a person may appear earlier.

Find every occurrence

The exact English word whence appears 72 times in 69 KJV verses. Counts ignore letter case and exclude other spellings and word forms.

Explore all whence occurrences in Word Study

For original-language details, select the word in the particular chapter. A word can represent different terms or constructions in different verses.

Related word studies

  • whither

    Whither means to what place, or to the place to which.

  • thither

    Thither means to that place or toward that place.

Study method

These explanations are separate study notes. Every Scripture quotation above is copied from the existing KJV chapter text. Read the whole chapter and compare the setting before applying a meaning to another occurrence.