18 Bible Verses about Cowardice
Most Relevant Verses
Yet for all that, even among the leading men, many came to believe in him, but on account of the Pharisees they would not acknowledge it, for fear of being excluded from the synagogues, for they cared more for the approval of men than for the approval of God.
His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews, for the Jews had already made an agreement that if anyone acknowledged Jesus as the Christ, he should be excluded from the synagogues. That was why his parents said, "He is grown up; you must ask him."
After this, Joseph, of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but a secret one, because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him remove Jesus' body, and Pilate gave him permission. So Joseph went and took the body down.
When it was evening on that first day after the Sabbath, and the doors of the house where the disciples met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came in and stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you!"
And while he wanted him killed, he was afraid of the people; for they considered him a prophet.
But if we say, 'From men,' we have the people to fear, for they all consider John a prophet."
But this has all taken place in fulfilment of the writings of the prophets." Then all the disciples left him and made their escape.
Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard, and a maid came up to him, and said, "You were with Jesus the Galilean, too!" But he denied it before them all, and said, "I do not know what you mean." And he went out into the gateway, and another maid saw him, and said to the men there, "This fellow was with Jesus the Nazarene!"read more.
He denied it again, with an oath, and said, "I do not know the man!" A little while after the bystanders came up to Peter and said, "You are certainly one of them too, for your accent shows it!" Then he started to swear with the strongest oaths, "I do not know the man!" And at that moment a cock crowed.
While Peter was down in the courtyard, one of the high priest's maids came up, and seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, "You were with this Jesus of Nazareth too!" But he denied it, saying, "I do not know or understand what you mean." He went out into the gateway.read more.
And the maid saw him there and began again to tell the bystanders, "This fellow is one of them!" But he denied it again. And again a little while after, the bystanders said to Peter, "You certainly are one of them, for you are a Galilean!" But he began to swear with the strongest oaths, "I do not know this man that you are talking about!"
But he denied it, and said, "I do not know him." Shortly after, a man saw him and said, "You are one of them too!" But Peter said, "I am not!" About an hour later, another man insisted, "This man was certainly with him too, for he is a Galilean!"read more.
But Peter said, "I do not know what you mean." And immediately, just as he spoke, a cock crowed.
But Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. This other disciple was an acquaintance of the high priest, and he went on with Jesus into the high priest's courtyard, while Peter stood outside at the door. So this other disciple, the acquaintance of the high priest, went out and spoke to the woman at the door and brought Peter in. The maid at the door said to Peter, "Are you also one of this man's disciples?" He said, "No, I am not."read more.
As it was cold the slaves and attendants had made a charcoal fire, and stood about it warming themselves. And Peter also was among them, standing and warming himself.
But Simon Peter still stood warming himself. So they said to him, "Are you also one of his disciples?" He denied it and said, "No, I am not." One of the high priest's slaves, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, said, "Did I not see you with him in the garden?" Peter again denied it, and at that moment a cock crowed.
Then all the people of the neighborhood of Gerasa asked him to go away from them, for they were terribly frightened. And he got into a boat and went back.
For until some people came from James, he used to eat with the heathen, but after they came, he began to draw back and hold aloof, for fear of the party of circumcision.
But before all this, men will arrest you and persecute you, and hand you over to synagogues and prisons and have you brought before kings and governors on my account. It will all lead to your testifying. So make up your minds not to prepare your defense,read more.
for I will give you such wisdom of utterance as none of your opponents will be able to resist or dispute. You will be betrayed even by your parents and brothers and kinsmen and friends and they will put some of you to death, and you will be hated by everyone because you bear my name. Yet not a hair of your head will perish! It is by your endurance that you will win your souls.
On the next day the leading members of the council, the elders, and the scribes met in Jerusalem, with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and all who belonged to the high priest's family. They had the apostles brought before them and demanded of them, "By what power or authority have men like you done this?"read more.
Then Peter, filled with the holy Spirit, said to them, "Leaders of the people and members of the council, if it is for a benefit conferred upon a helpless man, and as to how he was cured, that we are called to account here today, you and the people of Israel must all know that it is through the power of Jesus Christ of Nazareth whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that he stands here before you well.
But the cowardly, unfaithful, and polluted??urderers, immoral people, those who practice magic or idolatry, and all liars will find themselves in the burning lake of fire and brimstone. This is the second death."
From Thematic Bible
Cowardice » Instances of » Peter, in denying the lord
Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard, and a maid came up to him, and said, "You were with Jesus the Galilean, too!" But he denied it before them all, and said, "I do not know what you mean." And he went out into the gateway, and another maid saw him, and said to the men there, "This fellow was with Jesus the Nazarene!" read more.
He denied it again, with an oath, and said, "I do not know the man!" A little while after the bystanders came up to Peter and said, "You are certainly one of them too, for your accent shows it!" Then he started to swear with the strongest oaths, "I do not know the man!" And at that moment a cock crowed.
While Peter was down in the courtyard, one of the high priest's maids came up, and seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, "You were with this Jesus of Nazareth too!" But he denied it, saying, "I do not know or understand what you mean." He went out into the gateway. read more.
And the maid saw him there and began again to tell the bystanders, "This fellow is one of them!" But he denied it again. And again a little while after, the bystanders said to Peter, "You certainly are one of them, for you are a Galilean!" But he began to swear with the strongest oaths, "I do not know this man that you are talking about!" At that moment for the second time a cock crowed. And Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, "Before the cock crows twice, you will disown me three times!" And at that, he wept aloud.
Then they arrested him and led him away and took him to the house of the high priest. And Peter followed at a distance. And they kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat about it, and Peter sat down among them. A maid saw him sitting by the fire and looked at him and said, "This man was with him too." read more.
But he denied it, and said, "I do not know him." Shortly after, a man saw him and said, "You are one of them too!" But Peter said, "I am not!" About an hour later, another man insisted, "This man was certainly with him too, for he is a Galilean!" But Peter said, "I do not know what you mean." And immediately, just as he spoke, a cock crowed.
while Peter stood outside at the door. So this other disciple, the acquaintance of the high priest, went out and spoke to the woman at the door and brought Peter in. The maid at the door said to Peter, "Are you also one of this man's disciples?" He said, "No, I am not."
But Simon Peter still stood warming himself. So they said to him, "Are you also one of his disciples?" He denied it and said, "No, I am not."
Cowardice » Cowardice, examples of » Israel before goliath
Cowardice » Cowardice, examples of » The ten spies
Cowardice » Instances of » The disciples » When they saw jesus walking on the sea
When they had rowed three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and approaching the boat, and they were terrified.
for they all saw him and were terrified. But he immediately spoke to them and said, "Take courage, it is I. Do not be afraid."
Cowardice » Instances of » The disciples » During the storm at sea
And he said to them, "Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!" Then he got up and reproved the wind and the sea, and there was a great calm.
And he said to them, "Where is your faith?" But they were frightened and amazed, and said to one another, "Who can he be? For he gives orders even to the winds and the water, and they obey him!"
He was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him up and said to him, "Master, does it make no difference to you that we are sinking?"
Cowardice » Instances of » The israelites » In fearing to attempt the conquest of canaan
Cowardice » Instances of » Abraham, in calling his wife his sister
Cowardice » Cowardice, examples of » David at the time of absalom's rebellion
Cowardice » Instances of » The ten spies
Cowardice » Cowardice, examples of » The disciples
But this has all taken place in fulfilment of the writings of the prophets." Then all the disciples left him and made their escape.
Cowardice » Instances of » Canaanites
Cowardice » Instances of » Pilate, in condemning jesus, through fear of the people
This made Pilate try to find a way to let him go, but the Jews shouted, "If you let him go, you are no friend of the emperor's! Anyone who calls himself a king utters treason against the emperor!" When Pilate heard that, he had Jesus brought out and had him sit in the judge's seat in the place they call the Stone Platform, or in Hebrew, Gabbatha. It was the day of Preparation for the Passover, and it was about noon. And Pilate said to the Jews, "There is your king!" read more.
At that they shouted, "Kill him! Kill him! Have him crucified!" Pilate said to them, "Am I to crucify your king?" The high priests answered, "We have no king but the emperor!" Then Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus,
Cowardice » Instances of » Early converts among the rulers
Yet for all that, even among the leading men, many came to believe in him, but on account of the Pharisees they would not acknowledge it, for fear of being excluded from the synagogues, for they cared more for the approval of men than for the approval of God.
Cowardice » Instances of » David, in fleeing from absalom
Cowardice » Instances of » Ephraimites and manassehites
Cowardice » Instances of » Aaron, in yielding to the israelites, when they demanded an idol
Cowardice » Cowardice, examples of » The followers of gideon
Cowardice » Cowardice, examples of » Ephraim
Cowardice » Instances of » Peter and other Christians, at antioch (of syria)
But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, for his own conduct condemned him. For until some people came from James, he used to eat with the heathen, but after they came, he began to draw back and hold aloof, for fear of the party of circumcision. The other Jewish Christians followed his example in concealing their real views, so that even Barnabas was carried away by their pose. read more.
But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the good news, I said to Cephas, right before them all, "If you live like a heathen, and not like a Jew, though you are a Jew yourself, why should you try to make the heathen live like Jews?"
Cowardice » Instances of » The israelites » To fight with the philistines
Cowardice » Instances of » Joseph of arimathaea, secretly a disciple
After this, Joseph, of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but a secret one, because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him remove Jesus' body, and Pilate gave him permission. So Joseph went and took the body down.
Cowardice » Instances of » Nicodemus, in coming to jesus by night
Among the Pharisees there was a man named Nicodemus, a leader among the Jews. This man went to Jesus one night, and said to him, "Master, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can show the signs that you do, unless God is with him."
Cowardice » Instances of » Isaac, in calling his wife his sister
Cowardice » Instances of » Amoritish kings
Cowardice » Instances of » The israelites » To meet goliath
Cowardice » Instances of » Samuel, fearing to obey God's command to anoint a king in saul's place
Cowardice » Instances of » Parents of the blind man, who was restored to sight
His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews, for the Jews had already made an agreement that if anyone acknowledged Jesus as the Christ, he should be excluded from the synagogues.
Cowardice » Instances of » Jacob, in flying from laban
Cowardice » Instances of » The philippian jailer
It woke up the jailer, and when he saw that the doors of the jail were open, he drew his sword and was just going to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped.
Cowardice » Instances of » The disciples » When jesus was apprehended
But this has all taken place in fulfilment of the writings of the prophets." Then all the disciples left him and made their escape.