Revelation 21:8

21:8 This vice list summarizes sins described throughout Revelation. These sins characterize people who have not experienced adoption by God; their fate is the fiery lake (see Rom 1:29-32; Gal 5:19-21; 2 Tim 3:2-5; cp. Exod 20:13-17; see also study note on Rev 20:10). • all liars: John apparently viewed deception as the root of sin; elsewhere he describes Satan as the “father of lies” (John 8:44; 1 Jn 2:4; see Rev 14:5; 21:27; 22:15; cp. Matt 12:34).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Rev 21:8.[227]Τοῖς[228]) The Dative expresses the Hebrew ì: that is, as far as relates to the fearful, etc. So the word αὐτῶν, their, shortly afterwards, coheres with this.—[229] φαρμακοῖς, sorcerers) φάρμακον is a word of middle signification; but it is often used, together with its derivatives, to signify injurious medicine, witchcraft, which often sets itself off as salutary to men and beasts, but it is most pestilential, whether taken by itself, or even when joined with an express compact or secret intercourse with devils. Hence it is joined with idolatry, Gal 5:20.

[227] 6, 7. διψῶντι—ὁ νικῶν, that thirsteth—he that overcometh) A twofold class of men; a twofold kind of gifts.—V. g.

[228] Supported by AB. But Rec. Text, without authority, omits τοῖς.—E.

[229] δὲ, but) There is the same antithesis, ver. 27, ch. Rev 22:15.—V. g.

—τῆς ζωῆς, of life) No death now remains, ver. 8.—V. g.

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The reverse side of the picture ( cf. Rev 20:12-15 and below on Rev 21:27 ): a black list of those who have not conquered. δειλοῖς = “cowards” or apostates, who deny Christ in the persecution and worship Caesar (Introd. § 6) through fear of suffering; “ δειλία does not of course itself allow that it is timorous, but would shelter its timidity under the more honourable title of εὐλάβεια ” (Trench, Synonyms , § x.). It embraces further all those who draw back under the general strain of ridicule and social pressure (Heb 6:4-8 ; 2Ti 4:16 , etc.), like Bunyan’s Pliable , but unlike his Mr. Fearing ( cf. 1MMal 3:16 ). ἀπίστοις not = incredulous (so e.g. , Dittenberger’s Sylloge , 802 32 , 3 cent. B.C.) but, as in Luk 12:46 ( cf. Sir. ii. 12 f.), = “faithless,” untrustworthy, those who are not πιστός (Rev 1:5 , Rev 2:10 ; Rev 2:13 , 2Ti 2:13 ). All δειλοί are ἄπιστοι ( cf. Introd. § 6), but not all ἄπιστοι are δειλοί . There are more reasons for disloyalty to Christ than cowardice, and some of these are hinted at in the following words, which suggest that ἄπιστοι includes the further idea of immorality (as in Tit 1:15-16 , where it is grouped with βδελυκτοί ). Lack of faith is denounced also in Apoc. Bar. liv. 21, 4 Ezr 9:7 , etc. ἐβδελυγμένοις for βδελυκτοῖς (as εὐλογημένος for εὐλογητός , etc., cf. Field on Gal 2:11 ; Simcox, Lang. N.T. 128, 129), “detestable” because “defiled and fouled” by the impurities of the pagan cults (Rev 17:4 , Rev 18:3 , etc.; cf. Hos 9:10 ; Slav. En. x. 4) including unnatural vice. Murder (and fornication, Jas 2:11 ) in the popular religions of the ancient world caused ritual impurity and disqualified for access to God, unless atoned for. φαρμακοῖς = “poisoners” or “sorcerers” (Rev 22:15 ), cf. Dan 2:27 LXX, and above on Rev 9:21 , where (as here and in Gal 5:21 ) witchcraft or magic is bracketed with idolatry. Idolaters, in Apoc. Pet. 18, have a special place πλείστου πυρὸς γέμων . ψευδέσιν = “liars,” primarily recreant Christians who deny their faith and Lord, or worship false gods (Rom 1:25 ); but also untruthful Christians who cheat (Act 5:3 ) and lie to one another (Col 3:9 , cf. Rev 14:5 ); further perhaps to be taken in its general ethical sense (Slav. En. xlii. 13; cf. Did. Rev 5:2 ) = Oriental duplicity. τοῖς δὲ : as in LXX, the subject of the principal clause is thrown forward into the dative (Viteau, ii. 41, 42). The special standpoint of the Apoc. renders the terms of exclusion rather narrower than elsewhere ( cf. Volz, 313). Thus there is no allusion to sins of omission, especially as regards justice and kindness between man and man (as Slav. En. x., xlii. 8 9, Mat 25:41 f. the former apocalypse finely excluding from heaven all guilty of “evil thoughts” and magic, all harsh or callous men, and finally all idolaters). The parallels with the rest of the Apocalypse, as well as the general style, indicate that Rev 21:1-8 comes from the pen of the prophet himself; there is no evidence sufficient to support the conjecture that Rev 21:5-8 is a Christian editor’s gloss in a Jewish original (Vischer, von Soden, S. Davidson, Rauch = Rev 21:6-8 , Spitta). The catalogue of vices, not unparalleled in ethnic literature ( cf. Dieterich, pp. 163 f., 174 f., Heinrici on 2Co 6:4 f.), diverges from those of Rev 9:20-21 and Rev 22:15 . The second agrees with Sap. 14:22 28 in making idolatry the fontal vice, and with Did. v in putting theft after πορνεία ( cf. Heb 13:4-5 , Eph 5:5 , etc.). Paul, again, invariably starts with the blighting touch of πορνεία or ἀκαθαρσία ( cf. Seeberg’s Catechismus d. Urc. 9 29, and von Dobschütz, pp. 406 f.) as in Rev 22:15 . No special significance attaches to the lists of the Apocalypse beyond the obviously appropriate selection of idolatry (Rev 9:20 ) as the outstanding vice of paganism, with cowardice (Rev 21:8 ) as the foil to victorious confession (Rev 21:7 , Rev 2:13 ; Rev 2:17 , Rev 15:2 ); note the division of Rev 22:15 into the repulsive or filthy (first three) and the wicked (second three), corresponding to Rev 22:11 . The κύνες of Rev 22:15 roughly answer to the “abominable” of Rev 21:8 . Rev 21:1-8 are a summary of what follows: Rev 21:1-2 = Rev 21:9-21 , Rev 21:3-4 = Rev 21:22 to Rev 22:5 , Rev 21:5-8 = Rev 22:16-21 .

Rev 21:9 to Rev 22:5 : the new Jerusalem (resuming the thought of Rev 21:2 , cf. Rev 19:7 ), corresponding to the new universe (Rev 21:1 ). The fall of Jerusalem accentuated the tendency to rise from the expectation of a new or renovated city on earth to the hope of a heavenly, transcendent city ( cf. Apoc. Bar. iv. 2 6, etc.), though the passionate desire for a restoration of city and temple in the messianic age was still strong ( cf. R. J. 226 f., Volz, 334 f.). John introduces the definitely Christian identification of the heavenly Jerusalem with the bride of the messiah, and combines the various features of a renovated, a heavenly, and a pre-existent city features which occasionally reflect the mythological background of such earlier ideas in Judaism. The whole conception, if not the passage itself, is satirised by Lucian ( Vera Hist . ii.) in his account of the golden city with its emerald wall, its river, and the absence of night, to say nothing of vines δωδεκαφόροι καὶ κατὰ μῆνα ἕκαστον καρποφοροῦσιν . Rev 21:11-21 describe the exterior, Rev 21:22-27 the interior.

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Their lot, and inheritance as it were.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

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 Rev 21:27; Rev 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 Ti1 4:1-2, where similarly lying and dealings with spirits and demons, are joined together as features of "the latter times."

second death-- Rev 20:14 : "everlasting destruction," Th2 1:9; Mar 9:44, Mar 9:46, Mar 9:48, "Where THEIR worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched."

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

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, καιαμαρτωλοις, 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, c., 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's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(8) But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable . . .—Better, But for the cowardly and unfaithful (or, unbelieving) and defiled with abominations, and murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and for all the false, their part (is) in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone; which thing is the second death. The list here given points to those classes of character which cannot find a place in the Holy City. Nothing that defileth shall enter in. The less glaring faults stand first, the cowardly and unbelieving. There is a high and holy fear in which the Christian passes the time of his sojourn here (1Pe_1:17); but there is a base and selfish fear, a fear of man, which brings a snare; those who have faith enter boldly the strife, following the Lamb whithersoever He goeth, and conquering by faith. The cowardly sink into companionship with the faithless and unbelieving, with the workers of iniquity. The abominations spoken of here have reference to those mentioned in Rev_17:4. The characters, it has been thought, form four pairs. Fear and unbelief go hand in hand (Deu_20:1-8; Mat_8:26); the workers of abomination and the murderers, the fornicators and the sorcerers are united as those who sin in secret; the idolaters and the false, as those who change God’s truth into a lie. (Comp. Eph_5:5; Col_3:5; Php_3:19.) These who are thus shut out from the heavenly city stand in contrast to those who are admitted; yet among those admitted arc such who have sinned through fear, faithlessness, and fleshliness. Sin indeed excludes from the city, but it is sin loved sin unrepented of, which alone can close the gate of the city whose gates lie open day and night.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

8. But the fearful] The cowards would express the sense more accurately, at least in modern English. Those condemned are those who are afraid to do their duty, not those who do it, though timidly and in spite of the fears of nature: still less those who do it “with fear and trembling” in St Paul’s sense.

unbelieving] It is, as usual, questionable whether this word or “unfaithful” expresses the sense most accurately. He who believes God’s Word is “faithful” to God: the character here condemned is the exact opposite.

abominable] Lit. abominated; probably alluding to crimes yet fouler than those named.

sorcerers] Not the same word as that applied to Simon and Bar-jesus in the Acts, but cognate with that used above, Rev_9:21, and rendered “witchcrafts” in Gal_5:20. The natural meaning of the word would rather be “poisoners;” and in fact in St John’s days the two generally went together, and no line could be drawn between them. It is therefore no wonder that both the Apostles speak of it as a real crime connected with murder and other “works of the flesh,” as well as with idolatry. For of course professed sorcery involved devil-worship, the basest idolatry of all, even if the devil had no more direct communication with the sorcerers than he has with all liars and impostors.

liars] The word is a little more general, all the false.

shall have] Lit. But to the fearful, &c. their portion [shall be] in the lake &c.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

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.

And unbelieving; meaning not merely atheists, who do not believe there is a God, or deists only, that do not believe in Christ; but such who profess his name, and are called by it, and yet do not truly believe in him, nor embrace his Gospel and the truths of it, but believe a lie; these are condemned already, and on them the wrath of God abides, and they will be damned at last; though it may have a regard to such also who are infidels as to the second coming of Christ to judgment, and who are scoffers and mockers at it:

and the abominable: every sinful man is so in the sight of God; but here it denotes such who are the worst of sinners, given up to sinning; who are abominable, and to every good work reprobate; who are addicted to the worst of crimes, as were the Sodomites and others; the Ethiopic version renders it, "who pollute themselves" with unnatural lusts. The Syriac and Arabic versions express it by two words, "sinners and polluted", filthy sinners; the character well agrees with Babylon, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth, and to all that adhere to her, and join with her in her abominable idolatries.

And murderers; of the saints, and prophets, and martyrs of Jesus, with whose blood Babylon, or the whore of Rome, has made herself drunk, and in whom it will be found.

And whoremongers; all unclean persons, that indulge themselves in impure lusts, in fornication, adultery, and all lewdness; as the clergy of the church of Rome, who being forbidden to marry, and being under a vow of celibacy, and making great pretensions to chastity and singular holiness, give up themselves to all lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

And sorcerers; conjurers, dealers with familiar spirits, necromancers, and such as use the magic art, as many of the popes did to get into the chair, and poisoners of kings and princes; whoredoms and witchcrafts go together sometimes, as they did in Jezebel, an emblem of the Romish antichrist.

And idolaters; that worship devils, idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, representing God, and Christ, and the virgin Mary, and saints departed, Rev 9:20.

And all liars; in common, and particularly such who speak lies in hypocrisy, as the followers of the man of sin, and who are given up to believe a lie, that they might be damned; all lies being of the devil, and abominable to God. All and each of these

shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone. The Jews (a) speak of several distinct places in hell, for several sorts of sinners, as particularly for sabbath breakers, adulterers, and liars; and say of the wicked, that when he is condemned he shall take "his part" in hell (b); See Gill on Rev 19:20.

which is the second death; See Gill on Rev 2:11.

(a) Raya Mehimna in Zohar in Lev. fol. 7. 2. (b) T. Bab. Chagiga, fol. 15. 1.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

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.

Ver. 8. But the fearful] Cowardly recreants, white livered milk sops, that pull in their horns for every pile of grass that toucheth them, that are afraid of every new step, saying as Caesar at Rubicon, "Yet we may go back;" that follow Christ afar off, as Peter; that tremble after him, as the people did after Saul, 1Sa 13:7, and the next news is, "They were scattered from him," 1Sa 13:11. These lead the ring dance of this rout of reprobates; and are so hated of Christ, that he will not employ them so far as to break a pitcher, or to bear a torch, Jdg 7:3-7.

And unbelieving] Therefore fearful, because unbelieving, for faith fears no fray bugs; {a} but why do ye fear, ye little faiths? saith our Saviour.

{a} An object of fear; a bogy, spectre. ŒD

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

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.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

All those who are without the church invisible, whether protime persons, (such are murderers, whoremongers, sorcerers, liars), or idolaters, or unbelievers and hypocrites, shall all be cast to hell.

The fearful, who, through fear of losing their reputation, estates, honours, or lives, deny me, or shall not dare to own me.

And unbelieving; such as will not agree to the proposition of my gospel; or will not come to me that they might have life.

The abominable; sodomites, and such as live in beastly lusts.

Murderers; such as, without any warrant from God, take away men’s lives wilfully,

Whoremongers; such as defile their neighbours’ wives.

Sorcerers; such as exercise witchcraft, consult the devil, and trade with familiar spirits.

Idolaters; whether they commit the idolatry of Ahab, giving Divine adoration to the creatures, as the term of their worship; or the idolatry of Jeroboam, worshipping the true God by images.

And all liars; and all such as are liars with their tongues, speaking what they know to be false; or liars in practice, that is, hypocrites, seeming to be what they are not.

Shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death: all these, and all such like, shall be eternally damned.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

8. The fearful—The moral coward who overcometh not, because he shrinks from fight. Thousands are lost for want of exercising moral courage against the persecutions and contempt of the world.

Unbelieving—Who deny the reality of the battle and reward, and so never overcome.

Abominable—Guilty of unnameable vices.

Sorcerers— Seducers, who win to crime by guilty fascinations.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

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; but for the fearful, etc. The construction is changed in the middle of the verse. The fearful are those who, through cowardice, have not overcome (cf. ver. 7). Abominable; those defiled with abominations. (cf. Rev_17:4) And murderers, and fornicators. (cf. Rev_14:4 Rev_17:1, Rev_17:2) And sorcerers; (cf. Rev_9:21 Rev_18:23) those who deceived the heathen. And idolaters; the heathen who were deceived by them. All liars; all who are false in any way. Their part is in the lake, etc.. (see on Rev_20:10) These took no part in the first, spiritual, resurrection; (Rev_20:6) they now, therefore, inherit "the second death."

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

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.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

second death

Second death, Summary: "The second death" and the "lake of fire" are identical terms Rev 20:14 and are used of the eternal state of the wicked. It is "second" relative to the preceding physical death of the wicked in unbelief and rejection of God; their eternal state is one of eternal "death" (i.e. separation from God) in sins Joh 8:21; Joh 8:24. That the second death is not annihilation is shown by a comparison of; Rev 19:20; Rev 20:10. After one thousand years in the lake of fire the Beast and False Prophet are still there, undestroyed. The words "forever and forever" ("to the ages of the ages") are used in Heb 1:8 for the duration of the throne of God, eternal in the sense of unending.

The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

After a description given of the celestial happiness of the righteous at the day of judgment, here follows the eternally miserable condition of the wicked; and eight several sorts of sinners are here summed up, who shall be excluded out of heaven, and cast into hell, namely,

the fearful, such as dare not own Christ, or for fear of suffering, have disowned him, or apostatized and revolted from him;

unbelievers, such especially as have sat under the dispensation of the gospel, but have rejected our Lord Jesus Christ, and have refused to come unto him that they might have life;

the abominable, such as live in the practice of sins against nature, sodomy, and such uncleanness as renders them abominable in the sight of God and man, Rom 1:26;

murders, such as destroy either the soul, body, or good name, of their neighbours, especially persecutors; the whore and her followers, who are drunk with the blood of the saints;

whoremongers of all sorts, both spiritual and corporal, particularly such as are guilty of uncleanness in a conjugal state;

sorcerers, such as exercise witchcraft, consult with the devil, and trade with familiar spirits;

idolators of all sorts and kinds, such as worship false gods, or the true God after a false manner; covetous persons, who make the world their god; and sensual persons, who make their belly their god; lastly,

all liars, those which lie with the lip, and talk falsely; those that lie in their lives, as all hypocrites do, whose practice gives their profession the lie; those who are the inventors of the doctrine of lies, which is no better than the doctrine of devils;

these, all these, shall have their part in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone, that is, in exquisite torments, and everlasting.

From the whole note, 1. How the timorous and fearful stand in the front of all those vile sinners, whose ways lead down to the chambers of death and hell.

Behold here! God’s martial law executed upon cowards and renegadoes, whose fear makes them revolt from Christ in time of danger. Think of this, all you timorous and faint-hearted professors! who cannot bear the thought of lying in a nasty dungeon for owning Christ, how will you endure to lie in a lake of fire and brimstone for disowning of him! Is not the little finger of an angry God heavier than the loins of all the tyrants and persecutors in the world?

Note, 2. That although eight sorts of sinners only are here reckoned up, yet all others who live and die impenitently in any known sin, besides these, of what kind soever, are certainly included, and their damnation implied also, as well as these: for whoever lives in the habitual practice of any known sin, without converting from from it unto God, is certainly in a state of damnation.

Note lastly, That the sins here mentioned must not be understood copulatively, but disjunctively; we must not suppose that such as are guilty of all the before-mentioned sins, are the persons threatened with hell-fire; but such as are with allowance guilty of any one of these, or of any other besides these, and continuing impenitently in them.

William Burkitt's Expository Notes on the New Testament (1700–1703) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

8. But the fearful and unbelieving. Those wedded to sin have no place in the glorious home prepared for the saints. “The fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars,” have undergone the second death, the death that has no resurrection, and can never enter or disturb the holy peace of the glorious city.

B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.

8. δειλοῖς. Primas[819] dubiis.

[819] Primasius, edited by Haussleiter.

ἀπίστοις. B2 adds καὶ ἁμαρτώλοις.

καὶ ἐβδ. 1 omits καἰ.

ψευδέσιν. A has ψεύσταις.

ὁ θάν. ὁ δεύτ. P has only θάνατος.

8. τοῖς δέ δειλοῖς. “The cowards” would express the sense more accurately, at least in modern English, than “the fearful” of A. V[857] Those condemned are those who are afraid to do their duty, not those who do it, though timidly and in spite of the fears of nature: still less those who do it “with fear and trembling” in St Paul’s sense.

[857] Authorised Version.

ἀπίστοις. It is, as usual, questionable whether “unbelieving” (A. V[858]) or “unfaithful” expresses the sense most accurately. He who believes God’s Word is “faithful” to God: the character here condemned is the exact opposite.

[858] Authorised Version.

ἐβδελυγμένοις may mean “polluted with idols” or “abominations,” see note on Rev 21:27; perhaps more probably alludes to crimes yet fouler than those named.

πόρνοις. The versions give this word a sense not attested in ordinary Greek, where when masculine it equals κύνες Rev 22:15. Cf. ἄλλαγμα κυνὸς Deu 23:18.

φαρμακοῖς. In LXX. φαρμακός always means a dealer in witchcraft φάρμακον witchcraft (poison is always θυμὸς in LXX. except in Psa 111:3 where, as in the New Testament parallels Rom 3:13, St Jas 3:8, it is ἰὸς), consequently A. V[859] is right in translating “sorcerers” here and “sorceries” Rev 9:21 and “witchcraft” Gal 5:20; venefici and veneficia in the Vg[860] are no argument to the contrary for the same persons dealt in both witchcraft and poison and the names apply to both. φαρμακός in ordinary Greek, with the possible exception of a passage in Hipponax, means vile persons such as were in early times pampered for a season at public expense and then sacrificed for the public good.

[859] Authorised Version.

[860] Vulgate.

ψευδέσιν. It is uncertain whether this word was chosen deliberately as more general than ψεύσταις.

Rev 21:9 to Rev 22:5. THE VISION OF THE NEW JERUSALEM

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The fearful [δειλοις] . The dative case. Hence, as Rev., for the fearful. Only here, Mt 8:26, and Mr 4:40.

Abominable [εβδελυγμενοις] . See on abomination, Mt 24:15. Properly, defiled with abominations.

Whoremongers [πορνοις] . Much better, as Rev., fornicators.

Sorcerers. See on sorceries, ch. 9 21.

Shall have their part [το μερος αυτων] . Lit., the whole passage reads : to the fearful, etc., their part. shall be is supplied.

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.