36 Bible Verses about Cowardice

Now Peter sat outside in the patio; and a damsel came unto him, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee. But he denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest. And when he was gone out into the porch, another maid saw him and said unto those that were there, This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth. read more.
And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man. And after a while those that stood by came unto him and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them, for thy speech makes thee manifest. Then he began to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately a cock crew.

And as Peter was beneath in the palace, there came one of the maids of the high priest; and when she saw Peter warming himself, looking upon him, said, And thou also wast with Jesus of Nazareth. But he denied, saying, I know him not, neither understand I what thou sayest. And he went out into the porch; and the cock crew. read more.
And the maid seeing him again began to say to those that stood by, This is one of them. But he denied it again. And a little after, those that stood by said again to Peter, Surely thou art one of them, for thou art a Galilaean, and thy speech agrees unto it. And he began to curse and to swear, saying, I do not know this man of whom ye speak. And the second time the cock crew. And Peter called to mind the words that Jesus had said unto him, Before the cock crows twice, thou shalt deny me three times. And thinking on this, he wept.

Then they took him and led him and brought him into the house of the prince of the priests. And Peter followed afar off. And when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the hall and were set down together, Peter sat down among them. But a certain maid beheld him as he sat by the fire and earnestly looked upon him and said, This man was also with him. read more.
And he denied him, saying, Woman, I know him not. And after a little while another saw him and said, Thou art also of them. And Peter said, Man, I am not. And about the space of one hour after, another confidently affirmed, saying, Of a truth this fellow also was with him, for he is a Galilaean. And Peter said, Man, I know not what thou sayest. And immediately while he yet spoke, the cock crew.

But Peter stood at the door without. Then that other disciple, who was known unto the high priest, went out and spoke unto her that kept the door and brought in Peter. Then the damsel that kept the door said unto Peter, Art not thou also one of this man's disciples? He said, I am not.

And Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. They said therefore unto him, Art not thou also one of his disciples? He denied it and said, I am not.

And all the men of Israel when they saw the man fled from him and feared greatly.

was yet the more afraid of David; and Saul became David's enemy continually.

And there we saw giants, the sons of Anak, of the race of the giants; and we were in our own sight as locusts, and so we were in their sight. Then all the congregation lifted up their voice and cried, and the people wept that night.

And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty-six men; for they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them in the going down; therefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water.

And in the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went unto them, walking upon the sea.

So when they had rowed about twenty-five or thirty furlongs, they saw Jesus walking upon the sea and drawing nigh unto the ship, and they were afraid.

For they all saw him and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them and said unto them, Be of good cheer; I AM; be not afraid.

And he said unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then, awake, he rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.

And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they, being afraid, wondered, saying one to another, Who is this! for he even commands the winds and the water, and they obey him.

And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow; and they awoke him and said unto him, Master, dost thou not care that we perish?

Then all the congregation lifted up their voice and cried, and the people wept that night. And all the sons of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, and the whole congregation said unto them, Oh, that we might die in the land of Egypt or that we might die in this wilderness! And why has the LORD brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? Would it not be better for us to return into Egypt? read more.
And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt. Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the sons of Israel.

Notwithstanding ye would not go up, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God; and ye murmured in your tents and said, Because the LORD hated us, he has brought us forth out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorite, to destroy us. Where shall we go up? Our brethren have discouraged our heart, saying, This people is greater and taller than we; the cities are great and walled up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakims there.

And it came to pass when he was come near to enter into Egypt that he said unto Sarai, his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon; therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee that they shall say, This is his wife, and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive. Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister, that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee. read more.
And it came to pass that when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair. The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh, and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house. And he treated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep and oxen and he asses and menslaves and maidslaves and she asses and camels. But the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife. And Pharaoh called Abram and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me? Why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife? Why didst thou say, She is my sister? I might have taken her to me to wife; now, therefore, behold thy wife, take her, and go away.

And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister. And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him, Behold, thou art a dead man, for the woman whom thou hast taken, for she is a man's wife. But Abimelech had not come near her, and he said, Lord, wilt thou slay also a righteous person? read more.
Did he not say unto me, She is my sister? And she, even she herself said, He is my brother; in the simplicity of my heart and cleanness of my hands I have done this. And God said unto him in a dream, Yes, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me; therefore I did not allow thee to touch her. Now therefore restore the man his wife, for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live. And if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou and all that are thine. Therefore Abimelech rose early in the morning and called all his slaves and told all these things in their ears; and the men feared greatly. Then Abimelech called Abraham and said unto him, What hast thou done unto us and in what have I sinned against thee that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom such a great sin? Thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done. And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What didst thou see that thou hast done this thing? And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place, and they will slay me for my wife's sake. And yet indeed, she is also my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.

Then David said unto all his slaves that were with him at Jerusalem, Arise, and let us flee, for we shall not otherwise escape from Absalom; make speed to depart lest he overtake us suddenly and bring evil upon us and smite the city with the edge of the sword.

Nevertheless the people are strong that dwell in that land, and the cities are very great and strong; and moreover we saw the sons of Anak there.

But the men that went up with him said, We are not able to go up against that people, for they are stronger than we. And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had spied out unto the sons of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone through to spy it out, is a land that eats up its inhabitants; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. And there we saw giants, the sons of Anak, of the race of the giants; and we were in our own sight as locusts, and so we were in their sight.

But all this was done that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him and fled.

And it came to pass, when all the kings of the Amorites, who were on the west side of the Jordan, and all the kings of the Canaanites, who were by the sea, heard that the LORD had dried up the waters of the Jordan from before the sons of Israel until we had passed, that their heart melted, and there was no more spirit in them before the sons of Israel.

Hearing this has melted our heart, neither has there remained any more spirit in any man because of you, for the LORD your God is God above in the heavens and in the earth beneath.

And from then on Pilate sought to release him, but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar's friend; whosoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar. Therefore when Pilate heard that word, he brought Jesus forth and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called the Pavement, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha. And it was the preparation of the passover and about the sixth hour; then he said unto the Jews, Behold your King! read more.
But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate said unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The high priests answered, We have no king but Caesar. So that then, he delivered him unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus and led him away.

Nevertheless, even among the princes many believed in him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory of men more than the glory of God.

And the word came to David, saying, The hearts of the men of Israel are after Absalom. Then David said unto all his slaves that were with him at Jerusalem, Arise, and let us flee, for we shall not otherwise escape from Absalom; make speed to depart lest he overtake us suddenly and bring evil upon us and smite the city with the edge of the sword. And the king's slaves said unto the king, Behold, thy slaves are ready to do whatever my lord the king shall choose. read more.
And the king went forth and all his household after him. And the king left ten women, who were concubines, to keep the house. And the king went forth and all the people after him and stopped in a place that was far off.

And the sons of Joseph spoke unto Joshua, saying, Why hast thou given me but one lot and one portion to inherit, seeing I am a great people and that the LORD has blessed me as such until now? And Joshua answered them, If thou art such a great people, then go up to the forest and cut down for thyself there in the land of the Perizzite and of the giants, if mountain of Ephraim is too narrow for thee. And the sons of Joseph said, This mountain is not enough for us, and all the Canaanites that dwell in the land of the valley have chariots of iron, both those who are in Bethshean and her towns, and those who are in the valley of Jezreel. read more.
Then Joshua replied unto the house of Joseph, even to Ephraim and to Manasseh, saying, Thou art a great people and hast great strength; thou shalt not have only one lot; but that mountain shall be thine, for it is a forest, and thou shalt cut it down, and the borders of it shall be thine; for thou shalt drive out the Canaanite, though he has iron chariots and though he is strong.

And Aaron answered, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot; thou knowest the people that they are inclined to evil. For they said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us, for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what is become of him. And I answered unto them, Whoever has any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it to me and I cast it into the fire, and this calf came out.

Now, therefore, cause it to be proclaimed in the ears of the people, saying, Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return and depart early from Mount Gilead. And twenty-two thousand of the people returned, and ten thousand remained.

The sons of Ephraim, being armed and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle.

But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face because he was to be blamed. For before certain ones came from James, he ate with the Gentiles, but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him, insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their hypocrisy. read more.
But when I saw that they did not walk uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, dost live after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why dost thou compel the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?

When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait (for the people were distressed), then the people hid themselves in caves and in thickets and in rocks and in high places and in pits. And some of the Hebrews went over the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. As for Saul, he was yet in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.

After these things, Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore and took the body of Jesus.

There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a prince of the Jews; the same came to Jesus by night and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that thou doest unless God is with him.

And the men of that place asked him of his wife; and he said, She is my sister, for he feared to say, She is my wife, lest, said he, the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah because she was fair to look upon. And it came to pass, when he had been there a long time that Abimelech, king of the Philistines, looking out a window, saw Isaac sporting with Rebekah, his wife. And Abimelech called Isaac and said, Behold, of a surety she is thy wife; and how didst thou say, She is my sister? And Isaac said unto him, Because I said, Lest I die because of her.

But the five kings fled and hid themselves in a cave at Makkedah.

And all the men of Israel when they saw the man fled from him and feared greatly.

And Samuel said, How can I go? If Saul understands it, he will kill me. And the LORD said, Take a heifer with thee and say, I am come to sacrifice to the LORD.

These words spoke his parents because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone did confess that he was the Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue.

And Jacob answered and said to Laban, Because I was afraid; for I said, Peradventure thou would take by force thy daughters from me.

And the keeper of the prison, awaking out of his sleep and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had fled.

But all this was done that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him and fled.

And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.

and for fear of him the guards shook and became as dead men.

And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty-six men; for they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them in the going down; therefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water.

The sons of Ephraim, being armed and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle.

Now, therefore, cause it to be proclaimed in the ears of the people, saying, Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return and depart early from Mount Gilead. And twenty-two thousand of the people returned, and ten thousand remained.