Revelation 21:8

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 Revelation 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 Revelation 22:15. Cf. ἄλλαγμα κυνὸς Deuteronomy 23:18.

φαρμακοῖς. In LXX. φαρμακός always means a dealer in witchcraft φάρμακον witchcraft (poison is always θυμὸς in LXX. except in Psalms 111:3 where, as in the New Testament parallels Romans 3:13, St James 3:8, it is ἰὸς), consequently A. V[859] is right in translating “sorcerers” here and “sorceries” Revelation 9:21 and “witchcraft” Galatians 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.

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