Revelation 21 · Verse 8

Revelation 21:8

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.
Revelation 21:8, King James Version

Revelation 21:8 in other translations

BSBBut 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.”
WEBBut 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.”
ASVBut 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.
YLTand 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.'
DARBYBut 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.
BBEBut 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.
WebsterBut the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and lewd men, 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.

What does Revelation 21:8 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
8. 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; 22:15. unbelieving--Greek, "faithless." abominable--who have drank of the harlot's "cup of abominations." sorcerers--one of the characteristics of Antichrist's time. all liars--Greek, "all the liars": or else "all who are liars"; compare 1Ti 4:1, 2, where similarly lying and dealings with spirits and demons, are joined together as features of "the latter times." second death--Re 20:14: "everlasting destruction," 2Th 1:9; Mr 9:44, 46, 48, "Where THEIR worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched."

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Barnes' Notes
Verse 8. 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. Mk 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 practise detestable vices; whose conduct is fitted 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. Rom 1:26, seq.

And murderers. Rom 1:29; Gal 5:21.

And whoremongers. Gal 5:19.

And sorcerers. See the word here used--φαρμακευσι--explained in Barnes on "Ga 5:19", under the word witchcraft.

And idolaters. 1Cor 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 towards God, (Acts 5:1-3,) and false toward men. See Rom 1:31.

Shall have their part in the lake which burneth, etc. Barnes on "Re 20:14". That is, they will be excluded from heaven, and punished for ever. 1Cor 6:9-10; Gal 5:19-21.

(a) "fearful" Lk 12:4-9 (b) "unbelieving" 1Jn 5:4,10 (c) "abominable" 1Cor 6:9,10 (d) "murderers" 1Jn 3:15 (e) "whoremongers" Heb 13:4 (f) "sorcerers" Mal 3:5 (g) "idolators" 1Co 10:20,21 (h) "all liars" Rev 22:15, Prov 19:5,9

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 8 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. The abominable - Εβδελυγμενοις· Those who are polluted with unnatural lust. And murderers - Φονευσι· Those who take away the life of man for any cause but the murder of another, and those who hate a brother in their heart. And whoremongers - Πορνοις· Adulterers, fornicators, whores, prostitutes, and rakes of every description. Sorcerers - Φαρμακοις· Persons who, by drugs, philtres, fumigations, etc., pretend to produce supernatural effects, chiefly by spiritual agency. Idolaters - Ειδωλολατραις· Those who offer any kind of worship or religious reverence to any thing but God. All image worshippers are idolaters in every sense of the word. And all liars - Και πασι τοις ψευδεσι· Every one who speaks contrary to the truth when he knows the truth, and even he who speaks the truth with the intention to deceive; i.e., to persuade a person that a thing is different from what it really is, by telling only a part of the truth, or suppressing some circumstance which would have led the hearer to a different end to the true conclusion. All these shall have their portion, το μερος, their share, what belongs to them, their right, in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone. This is the second death, from which there is no recovery.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Revelation 21:1-8

The new heaven and the new earth will not be separate from each other; the earth of the saints, their glorified, bodies, will be heavenly. The old world, with all its troubles and tumults, will have passed away. There will be no sea; this aptly represents freedom from conflicting passions, temptations, troubles, changes, and alarms; from whatever can divide or interrupt the communion of saints. This new Jerusalem is…

Read the full comment on Revelation 21:1-8 →

Revelation 21:8 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

δὲdeButG1161
δειλοῖςdeiloisto [the] cowardlyG1169
καὶkaiandG2532
ἀπίστοιςapistoisto [the] unbelievingG571
καὶkaiandG2532
ἐβδελυγμένοιςebdelugmenoishaving made themselves abominableG948
καὶkaiandG2532
φονεῦσινphoneusinto murderersG5406
καὶkaiandG2532
πόρνοιςpornoisto the sexually immoralG4205
καὶkaiandG2532
φαρμάκοιςpharmakoisto sorcerersG5333
καὶkaiandG2532
εἰδωλολάτραιςeidōlolatraisto idolatersG1496
καὶkaiandG2532
πᾶσινpasinto allG3956
τοῖςtois<the>G3588
ψευδέσιν,pseudesinliars,G5571
τὸtotheG3588
μέροςmerosportionG3313
αὐτῶνautōnof themG846
ἐνen[is] inG1722
τῇtēatheG3588
λίμνῃlimnēlakeG3041
τῇtēawhichG3588
καιομένῃkaiomenēis burningG2545
πυρὶpuriwith fireG4442
καὶkaiandG2532
θείῳ,theiōwith brimstone,G2303
ὅhowhichG3739
ἐστινestinisG1510
ὁhotheG3588
θάνατοςthanatosdeathG2288
ὁho<the>G3588
δεύτερος.¶deuterossecond.G1208

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Revelation 21:8

  • 1 Corinthians 6:9-10

    Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

  • Revelation 2:11

    He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.

  • Ephesians 5:5-6

    For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.

  • Revelation 22:15

    For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

  • Revelation 20:14-15

    And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

  • Galatians 5:19-21

    Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

  • 1 John 3:15

    Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

  • John 12:42-43

    Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.

  • Proverbs 19:9

    A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall perish.

  • 1 Corinthians 10:20-21

    But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils.

  • Malachi 3:5

    And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the Lord of hosts.

  • 1 Timothy 1:9-10

    Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
the fearful.
De 20:8; Jud 7:3; Isa 51:12; 57:11; Mt 8:26; 10:28; Lu 12:4-9
Joh 12:42,43; 1Pe 3:14,15; 1Jo 5:4,5,10
and the.
22:15; Mal 3:5; 1Co 6:9,10; Ga 5:19-21; Eph 5:5,6; 1Ti 1:9,10
Heb 12:24; 13:4; 1Jo 3:15
and idolaters.
1Co 10:20,21
and all.
2:2; Pr 19:5,9; Isa 9:15; Joh 8:44; 2Th 2:9; 1Ti 4:2; 1Jo 2:22
the lake.
19:20; 20:14,15
which is.
20:14

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Revelation 21:7

    He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

  • Revelation 21:8

    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.

  • Revelation 21:9

    And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife.

Read all of Revelation 21

Revelation 21:8 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		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.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Mais quant aux timides, et aux incrédules, et à ceux qui se sont souillés avec des abominations, et aux meurtriers, et aux fornicateurs, et aux magiciens, et aux idolâtres, et à tous les menteurs, leur part sera dans l’étang brûlant de feu et de soufre, qui est la seconde mort.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Den Feigen aber und Ungläubigen und mit Greueln Befleckten und Mördern und Hurern und Zauberern und Götzendienern und allen Lügnern-ihr Teil ist in dem See, der mit Feuer und Schwefel brennt, welches der zweite Tod ist.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Timidis autem, et incredulis, et execratis, et homicidis, et fornicatoribus, et veneficis, et idolatris, et omnibus mendacibus, pars illorum erit in stagno ardenti igne et sulphure: quod est mors secunda.