Revelation of John 21:8 · Bible study
Revelation 21:8 Commentary: The Cowardly and the Overcomer
Greek · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why does the sin of cowardice lead the list of the damned? How does it contrast with the promise to the overcomer? A study of Revelation 21:8.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Those who shrink back from faith in Christ, along with the unrepentant wicked, face eternal separation from God.
- Key words: δειλοῖς (cowardly), the same term used of terrified disciples; ἐβδελυγμένοις (abominable), perfect passive participle, 'having been made detestable'; λίμνη τοῦ πυρός (lake of fire), final judgment.
- Main debate: Whether 'cowardly' refers to temperamental fear or to deliberate apostasy under persecution.
- Theological theme: The necessity of perseverance; the reality of judgment for those who do not overcome.
- Best use: A pastoral warning that underscores the seriousness of faith and the hope held out to those who endure in Christ.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
But to the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and sexually immoral and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.”
WEB World English Bible 2000
But for the cowardly, unbelieving, sinners, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their part is in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
KJV King James Version 1769
But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
But for the fearful, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their part shall be in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone; which is the second death.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
and to fearful, and unstedfast, and abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all the liars, their part is in the lake that is burning with fire and brimstone, which is a second death.'
Darby Darby Bible 1890
But to the fearful and unbelieving, [and sinners], and those who make themselves abominable, and murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their part [is] in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone; which is the second death.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
But the fearful and unbelieving and the abominable and murderers and whoremongers and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, they shall have their portion in the pool burning with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Mas á los temerosos é incrédulos, á los abominables y homicidas, á los fornicarios y hechiceros, y á los idólatras, y á todos los mentirosos, su parte será en el lago ardiendo con fuego y azufre, que es la muerte segunda.
Mas quanto aos covardes, e aos incrédulos, e aos abomináveis, e aos homicidas, e aos pecadores sexuais, e aos feiticeiros, e aos idólatras, e a todos os mentirosos, a parte deles será no lago que queima com fogo e enxofre, que é a segunda morte.
Mais pour les lâches, les incrédules, les abominables, les meurtriers, les impudiques, les enchanteurs, les idolâtres, et tous les menteurs, leur part sera dans l’ étang ardent de feu et de soufre, ce qui est la seconde mort.
Der Verzagten aber und Ungläubigen und Greulichen und Totschläger und Hurer und Zauberer und Abgöttischen und aller Lügner, deren Teil wird sein in dem Pfuhl, der mit Feuer und Schwefel brennt; das ist der andere Tod.
Maar den vreesachtigen, en ongelovigen, en gruwelijken, en doodslagers, en hoereerders, en tovenaars, en afgodendienaars, en al den leugenaars, is hun deel in den poel, die daar brandt van vuur en sulfer; hetwelk is de tweede dood.
ma quanto ai codardi, agl’increduli, agli abominevoli, agli omicidi, ai fornicatori, agli stregoni, agli idolatri e a tutti i bugiardi, la loro parte sarà nello stagno ardente di fuoco e di zolfo, che è la morte seconda.
Lecz bojaźliwym i niewiernym, i obmierzłym, i mężobójcom, i wszetecznikom, i czarownikom, i bałwochwalcom, i wszystkim kłamcom część ich dana będzie w jeziorze gorejącem ogniem i siarką: Tać jest śmierć wtóra.
Боязливых же и неверных, и скверных и убийц, и любодеев и чародеев, и идолослужителей и всех лжецов участь в озере, горящем огнем и серою. Это смерть вторая.
惟有 膽怯的、 不信的、 可憎的、 殺人的、 淫亂的、 行邪術的、 拜偶像的，和 一切 說謊話的，他們的 分 就在 燒著 硫磺 的 火 湖 裡； 這是 第二次 的死。」
But those who are full of fear and without faith, the unclean and takers of life, those who do the sins of the flesh, and those who make use of evil powers or who give worship to images, and all those who are false, will have their part in the sea of ever-burning fire which is the second death.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Koine Greek)
New Testament · Koine Greek · Revelation of John 21:8
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that this verse is the dark counterpart to the blessing of 21:7. The 'cowardly' (δειλοῖς, deilois) are those who, through fear of persecution or loss, shrink back from faithful allegiance to Christ. Barnes notes they 'afraid to avow themselves as the friends of God.' Gill specifies they 'drop it', their profession, for fear of trouble. The list that follows catalogs sins that mark the unrepentant: unbelief, moral corruption, murder, sexual immorality, sorcery, idolatry, and deception. The phrase 'lake that burns with fire and sulfur' echoes 20:14, 15 and graphically portrays final judgment. The clause 'which is the second death' identifies this lake as the definitive, irreversible separation from God.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Apostasy interpretation: The cowardly are those who renounced Christ under persecution; supported by Barnes, Gill, and the immediate contrast with 'overcomer.'
- General cowardice interpretation: The term includes all who fail to act on their faith due to fear, not just apostates; pointed to by Cambridge and the broader context of NT warnings.
- Text-critical variation view: The inclusion or omission of 'sinners' affects how comprehensive the list appears; resolved by text-critical analysis.
What is clear: Christians throughout history agree that the verse warns against unfaithfulness and unrepentant sin, and that the lake of fire signifies final judgment.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning of 'cowardly' (δειλοῖς) | It refers to a failure of courage related to faith, not simple timidity. | Some see it as apostasy under persecution (Gill, Barnes); others as any failure to act boldly for Christ (Cambridge). |
| Inclusion of 'sinners' (ἁμαρτωλοῖς) | The list describes those excluded from the new creation. | Textual evidence: some early MSS add the word; others omit it. Commentators differ on whether it was original. |
| The nature of the lake of fire | It represents final judgment and eternal separation from God. | Views range from literal fire to symbolic language for divine wrath; readers across traditions interpret the intensity literally or metaphorically. |
Historical & Cultural Context
This verse sits at the climax of Revelation's vision of the new heaven and new earth (21:1, 8). The preceding verses overflow with promise: God dwelling with his people, tears wiped away, death gone. Verse 7 promises inheritance to 'him who overcomes' (τῷ νικῶντι), a phrase John has used repeatedly throughout the book (Rev 2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21). Each church in chapters 2, 3 is urged to overcome, implying faithful endurance through tribulation.
Verse 8's list of the condemned serves as the negative counterpart to the overcomer's blessing. The first item, 'cowardly' (δειλοῖς), carried strong military and civic connotations in the Roman world. A coward, one who deserted in battle or shrank from duty, was disgraceful. In the Old Testament, fearfulness disqualified soldiers from holy war (Deut 20:8; Judg 7:3). Here, cowardice is not a personality trait but a moral failure: the refusal to bear witness to Christ when the cost is high. John's first readers faced real threats: exile, confiscation, death. To 'overcome' meant to remain faithful under such pressure.
The catalog that follows mirrors other New Testament vice lists (1 Cor 6:9, 10; Gal 5:19, 21). It includes both external acts (murder, sexual immorality, idolatry) and inner dispositions (unbelief, lying). 'Sorcerers' (φαρμάκοις, pharmakois) originally meant poisoners, but came to include those who used drugs and incantations to manipulate spiritual powers, a practice tied to idolatry and demonic deception. The list ends with a catch-all: 'all liars', those whose words and lives are shaped by falsehood rather than the truth of God.
The image of the 'lake of fire and sulfur' draws on the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 19:24) and the judgment of Babylon (Rev 18:8). It is not a place of purification but of final, irreversible separation. The phrase 'second death', first used at Rev 20:14, distinguishes this fate from physical death. It is the eternal death of the soul, the opposite of 'the water of life' freely offered in 21:6.
Textual Notes
Adam Clarke notes that 'sinners' (ἁμαρτωλοῖς) is added by about thirty excellent manuscripts and is found in the Syrian, Arabic, some Slavonic copies, and in the commentaries of Andreas and Arethas. Griesbach admitted it into the text. Other early witnesses, such as Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Alexandrinus, lack the word. The omission may reflect an expansion from scribes familiar with other NT vice lists; the inclusion may be original. The difference does not change the overall sense of the verse.
Reception History
This verse has functioned as a warning across Christian traditions, often read during funeral liturgies or in pastoral calls to repentance. Early interpreters like Andreas of Caesarea (6th century) saw the list as describing those who had rejected the faith. During the Reformation, it was used to emphasize the necessity of faith that perseveres. In Orthodox theology, the 'second death' is understood as the eternal state of those who have not been united to Christ. Evangelical preaching has often highlighted the verse's place within the new creation promises, using it as a solemn reminder of God's justice and the urgency of the gospel.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The contrast that frames the text, Verse 7 promises inheritance to the overcomer; verse 8 declares the opposite fate for the cowardly and unbelieving. The hinge is perseverance in faith under trial.
- The catalog of exclusion, The list moves from internal failure (cowardice, unbelief) to outward wickedness (murder, sexual sin, sorcery, idolatry) and culminates in falsehood. Each sin represents a refusal to live under God’s truth.
- The weight of the warning, The 'lake of fire and sulfur' and 'second death' are not scare tactics. They are the sober reality of a life that rejects the free water of life offered in Christ.
Five-point outline
- The cowardly, Not those with temperamental timidity, but those who abandon their confession for fear of cost.
- The unbelieving, Not merely atheists, but all who refuse to trust in God’s promises.
- The abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, Concrete sins that defile human relationships and the worship of God alone.
- All liars, Deception that opposes the God of truth; includes false teaching and false witness.
- The lake of fire and the second death, The end of those who refuse the grace of the Lamb.
Illustration hooks
- A soldier in battle who throws down his weapon and runs, leaving his comrades exposed. The cowardice here is not a feeling but a choice that betrays allegiance.
- A person who knows the truth in a public setting, about a crime, about God, but stays silent to protect personal reputation or comfort.
- An ancient physician who dispensed poison instead of medicine, yet claimed divine guidance: the 'sorcerer' who manipulates spiritual language for selfish ends.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Am I one of the 'cowardly' because I sometimes feel afraid?
- Does this verse mean that any lying at all sends a person to hell?
- Is the lake of fire literal fire? What does the Bible teach about eternal judgment?
Leading a Discussion
Revelation 21:8 is a sobering text. It comes immediately after some of the most glorious promises in Scripture: God dwelling with us, no more death or crying, the water of life given freely. Yet the same voice that says 'Behold, I make all things new' also names those who will not inherit that new world. Why does John pair such hope with such warning? And what does 'cowardice' have to do with the rest of the list?
Discussion questions
- Read Revelation 21:7, 8 together. What is the main contrast between verse 7 and verse 8?
- The Greek word for 'cowardly' (δειλοῖς) is used of the disciples in Matthew 8:26 when they feared the storm. Why do you think the same word appears here as the first item in a list of the condemned?
- How does the surrounding context (v. 1, 7, the new creation) shape the way we understand the warning of v. 8?
- The list includes both specific acts (murder, idolatry) and general dispositions (cowardice, unbelief, lying). Why do you think John groups them together?
- What does 'sorcerers' (φαρμάκοις) mean in the first-century world? How might that apply to modern forms of manipulation or false spirituality?
- The 'second death' is defined as the lake of fire (20:14). How does this imagery affect your understanding of final judgment?
- This verse can feel overwhelming. What Gospel hope does John offer right before and after this verse (21:6, 7, 22:1, 5)?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Deuteronomy 20:8 | The officers shall speak further to the people, and they shall say, “What man is there who is fearful and faint-hearted? Let him go and return to his house, lest his brother’s heart melt as his heart.” |
| Judges 7:3 | Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return and depart from Mount Gilead.’” So twenty-two thousand of the people returned, and ten thousand remained. |
| Proverbs 19:5 | A false witness shall not be unpunished. He who pours out lies shall not go free. |
| Proverbs 19:9 | A false witness shall not be unpunished. He who utters lies shall perish. |
| Isaiah 9:15 | The elder and the honorable man is the head, and the prophet who teaches lies is the tail. |
| Isaiah 51:12 | “I, even I, am he who comforts you. Who are you, that you are afraid of man who shall die, and of the son of man who will be made as grass? |
| Isaiah 57:11 | “Whom have you dreaded and feared, so that you lie, and have not remembered me, nor laid it to your heart? Haven’t I held my peace for a long time, and you don’t fear me? |
| Malachi 3:5 | I will come near to you to judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against the perjurers, and against those who oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and who deprive the foreigner of justice, and don’t fear me,” says Yahweh of Armies. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
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What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke gives each category of sinner in this verse a precise, morally specific definition, from cowards who refuse Christ to liars who deceive by telling only part of the truth. He also notes strong manuscript evidence for adding "sinners" to the list, showing his careful textual judgment.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes draws a sharp contrast: the "fearful" are those who lacked the courage to openly profess their faith in a hostile world, standing opposite those who "overcome." He defines the "abominable" as people whose sins are so detestable that they excite disgust, and insists all such sinners must be shut out of a pure, holy world.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator makes a careful distinction: the condemned “fearful” are not those who act despite natural fear, but those who refuse duty out of cowardice. He also notes that the word for “sorcerers” originally meant poisoners, since sorcery and poisoning were linked in the ancient world.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Notes emphasize that with the declaration "It is done," all God's purposes are now fully accomplished. Christ, as Alpha and Omega, is both the author and finisher of salvation. The water of life is offered freely to every thirsty soul, without cost or merit.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill reads this list of sinners as a specific indictment of the papacy and its followers, not a general catalog.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB stresses that the "fearful" are those who lack courage in the spiritual battle, shrinking back from boldness for God. He also ties "sorcerers" and "liars" together as hallmark traits of the latter times, showing that these sins mark those excluded from eternal life.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry's distinctive point is that the new heaven and earth are not a newly created universe but the present world newly opened and filled with its heirs. This new state covers both bodies and souls, a fresh condition rather than a fresh creation.
Vincent's Word Studies Evangelical 1887
Vincent draws attention to the specific Greek word for "fearful," meaning cowardly or timid, not general fear. He notes that "abominable" refers to being defiled with abominations, and that "whoremongers" is better rendered "fornicators." The phrase "shall have their part" represents an implied verb in the Greek.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley specifies that the fearful and unbelieving belong among the condemned, since their lack of courage and faith keeps them from overcoming. He also observes that whoremongers, sorcerers, and idolaters are linked together because these three sins commonly accompanied one another.