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Revelation 21:8

in Revelation 21

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.”

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

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.

KJV

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.

This verse in Revelation 21

Commentary

17 notes on this verse
But the fearful,.... Not the timorous sheep and lambs of Christ, the dear children of God, who are sometimes of a fearful heart, on account of sin, temptation, and unbelief; but such who are of cowardly spirits, and are not valiant for the truth, but who, through fear of men, either make no profession of Christ and his Gospel, or having made it, drop it, lest they should be exposed to tribulation and persecution; these are they that are afraid of the beast, and live in servile bondage to him.

This site's exposition

will inherit all things

on Revelation 21:7-8

The promises to the seven churches gather here: The one who overcomes will inherit all things. I will be his God, and he will be My son applies 2 Samuel 7:14. The list of eight against it opens with the cowardly, whose end is the second death of 2:11.

This site's exposition

the cowardly

The list opens with the cowardly, set against the one who overcomes in verse 7. Their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, the lake of 20:14, and this is the second death.

The record, by era

The Church Fathers4 voices

A commentator

Tertullian

Scorpiace · Written before 220.

proposed

"But the fearful," says John-and then come the others-" will have their part in the lake of fire and brimstone." Thus fear, which, as stated in his epistle, love drives out, has punishment.

A commentator

Tertullian

On Modesty · Written before 220.

proposed

In short, this Apocalypse, in its later passages, has assigned "the infamous and fornicators," as well as "the cowardly, and unbelieving, and murderers, and sorcerers, and idolaters," who have been guilty of any such crime while professing the faith, to "the lake of fire," without any conditional condemnation.

A commentator

Tertullian

On Flight in Persecution · Written before 220.

proposed

Last of all, in the Revelation, He does not propose flight to the "fearful," but a miserable portion among the rest of the outcast, in the lake of brimstone and fire, which is the second death.

A commentator

Oecumenius

Commentary on Revelation · Written before 550.

proposed

But as for the cowardly and unbelieving and these and those, there will be a portion in the lake of fire. He calls cowardly those who are weak in every good work through voluntary misery. And he says false to all liars. He did not …

The Medieval Church1 voice

A commentator

Bonaventure

Collations on the Hexaemeron, Collation 17 · Written in the 13th century.

proposed

Likewise, Scripture enlightens from below by showing forth the torments of hell. In the Psalm: He rains upon the wicked fiery coals and brimstone; a burning blast is their allotted cup. In the Apocalypse: Their portion shall be in the pool that burns with fire …
9 more voices on this verse

The Medieval Church4 voices

A commentator

Andreas of Caesarea

COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 21:8 · Written before 614.

proposed

The God who thirsts after our salvation urges us in every way, both through kindness and through anger, toward the inheritance of his blessings. He brings now before our eyes the brightness of the heavenly Jerusalem and the dark, painful wrathfulness of the fiery Gehenna, …

A commentator

Alcuin of York

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS MANUAL ON REVELATION · Written before 804.

proposed

THERE FOLLOWS: But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, etc. ANSWER: He always mixes pleasant words with severe ones to instill carefulness into us. As the Psalmist says, The Lord keepeth all them that love him; but all the wicked he will destroy. [Ps. …

A commentator

Bede

Commentary on Revelation · Written before 735.

proposed

But for the cowardly, and unbelieving, and abominable, etc. He always mixes harsh warnings with soothing words to instill caution. Thus, Psalm 145, while abundantly declaring the grace of the Lord's mercy, suddenly introduces His strict judgment, saying: The Lord preserves all who love Him, …

A commentator

Bede

Commentary on Revelation · Written before 735.

proposed

And for all liars, their part will be in the lake burning with fire. He shows that there are many kinds of lies, but the most dangerous and detestable are those that sin against religion, as mentioned above. They say, he says, that they are …

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

A commentator

John Wesley

1703–1791

Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)

But the fearful and unbelieving - Who, through want of courage and faith, do not overcome. And abominable - That is, sodomites. And whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters - These three sins generally went together; their part is in the lake.

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. 24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.

quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — verbatim-scripture

The Nineteenth Century3 voices

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

But the fearful - Δειλοις· Those who, for fear of losing life or their property, either refused to receive the Christian religion, though convinced of its truth and importance; or, having received it, in times of persecution fell away, not being willing to risk their lives. And unbelieving - Those who resist against full evidence. And sinners, και ἁμαρτωλοις, is added here by about thirty excellent MSS., and is found in the Syrian, Arabic, some of the Slavonic, and in Andreas and Arethas. On this evidence Griesbach has admitted it into the text.

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

proposed

the fearful--Greek, "the cowardly," who do not quit themselves like men so as to "overcome" in the good fight; who have the spirit of slavish "fear," not love, towards God; and who through fear of man are not bold for God, or "draw back." Compare Re 21:27;

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase

But the fearful - Having stated, in general terms, who they were who would be admitted into that blessed world, he now states explicitly who would not. The “fearful” denote those who had not firmness boldly to maintain their professed principles, or who were afraid to avow themselves as the friends of God in a wicked world. They stand in contrast with those who “overcome,” Rev 21:7. And unbelieving - Those who have not true faith; avowed infidels; infidels at heart; and all who have not the sincere faith of the gospel. See the notes on Mar 16:16. And the abominable - The verb from which this word is derived means to excite disgust; to feel disgust at; to abominate or abhor; and hence the participle - “the abominable” - refers to all who are detestable, to wit, on account of their sins; all whose conduct is offensive to God. Thus it would include those who live in open sin; who practice detestable vices; whose conduct is suited to excite disgust and abhorrence. These must all, of course, be excluded from a pure and holy world; and this description, alas! would embrace a lamentably large portion of the world as it has hitherto been. See the notes on Rom 1:26 ff. And murderers - See the Rom 1:29 note; Gal 5:21 note. And whoremongers - See the notes on Gal 5:19. And sorcerers - See the word used here - φαρμακεῦσι pharmakeusi - explained in the notes on Gal 5:19, under the word “witchcraft.” And idolaters - 1Co 6:9; Gal 5:19. And all liars - All who are false in their statements, their promises, their contracts. The word would embrace all who are false toward God Act 5:1-3, and false toward human beings. See Rom 1:31. Shall have their part in the lake which burneth, ... - notes on Rev 20:14. That is, they will be excluded from heaven, and punished for ever. See the 1Co 6:9-10 notes; Gal 5:19-21 notes.

The words behind it

36 Greek words

Every Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

The walk

8 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    Revelation 22:15

    But outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

    it leads to

    • Galatians 5:19–21

      The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery;

    • Philippians 3:2

      Watch out for those dogs, those workers of evil, those mutilators of the flesh!

    • 1 Corinthians 6:9–10

      Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who submit to or perform homosexual…

    • Revelation 21:27

      But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who practices an abomination or a lie, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

    • Revelation 9:20–21

      Now the rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the works of their hands. They did not stop worshiping demons and idols of gold, silver, bronze,…

  • Through

    Revelation 2:11

    He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who overcomes will not be harmed by the second death.

    it leads to

    • Revelation 20:6

      Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection! The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with Him…

    • Revelation 20:14

      Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death—the lake of fire.

    • Revelation 2:7

      He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will grant the right to eat from the tree of life in the…

Where this verse is studied

About Revelation

The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, Jan and Hubert van Eyck, about 1430 to 1432. Public domain.
The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, Jan and Hubert van Eyck, about 1430 to 1432. Public domain.
This page draws on 15 works. Open the list of works

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Alcuin of York, QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS MANUAL ON REVELATION; Andreas of Caesarea, COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 21:8; Bede, Commentary on Revelation; Bonaventure, Collations on the Hexaemeron, Collation 17; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament; John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Oecumenius, Commentary on Revelation; Tertullian, Scorpiace; Tertullian, On Modesty and Tertullian, On Flight in Persecution.