Greek word · G1169

δειλός

deilos

timid

Cowardly, timid, faint-hearted, losing one's nerve. In classical Greek it is the standard opposite of andreios ("brave") and describes the soldier who runs or the man who will not stand his ground. It can also mean "pitiable" or "wretched" in poetry.

Appears 3 times in 3 verses of the Greek New Testament. · Updated October 25, 2026

What it means

δειλός, -ή, όν

(δέος), [in LXX for רַךְ, etc. ;]

cowardly, fearful: Matthew 8:26, Mark 4:40, Revelation 21:8.†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Revelation 21:8

Range of meaning: Cowardly, timid, faint-hearted, losing one's nerve. In classical Greek it is the standard opposite of andreios ("brave") and describes the soldier who runs or the man who will not stand his ground. It can also mean "pitiable" or "wretched" in poetry. In Jewish and Christian Greek it is the timidity that fails to trust God when danger comes.
Against the English: Modern versions (BSB, NIV, ESV, NASB) have "cowardly," and NLT has "cowards." The KJV and YLT have "fearful." In 1611 that meant "timorous, faint-hearted," but to a modern ear it suggests anyone who feels fear or anxiety.
How it drifted: In current English "fearful" means feeling afraid or worried. It describes an emotion, not desertion. The word deilos is about what you do with fear: you run, you give way, you disown.
Used elsewhere in the period: LXX Deuteronomy 20:8: the man who is "fearful and cowardly in heart" is sent home before battle so he does not melt his comrades' courage (compare Judges 7:3). Sirach 2:12–13 puts deilos next to failing trust: "Woe to cowardly hearts and slack hands… Woe to the faint heart, for it does not trust." Jesus calls the disciples deiloi in the storm (Matt 8:26; Mark 4:40), a rebuke but not a damnation. 2 Timothy 1:7: God did not give "a spirit of cowardice" (deilia).

From the study of Matthew 8:26

Range of meaning: Timid, cowardly, faint-hearted; someone who loses nerve in the face of danger. In Greek moral writing it is the opposite of andreios, 'courageous', and it is nearly always a word of blame. It can also mean 'wretched' or 'miserable' in older poetry, but the 'cowardly' sense dominates in the period.
Against the English: KJV, WEB and YLT have 'fearful'; BSB and most modern versions have 'afraid' (BSB 'so afraid'). Both describe an emotion. The Greek describes a character failure: shrinking back, losing heart. Greek had a plain word for being frightened (phobeomai), and Matthew uses it elsewhere (e.g. 14:27, 30), but he does not use it here.
How it drifted: Not so much drift as a gap between the languages. English 'afraid' is morally neutral; nobody is blamed for being afraid in a storm. The Greek word carries reproach, and Jesus' 'why?' only makes full sense with that edge.
Used elsewhere in the period: In the Septuagint (the Greek Old Testament), Deut 20:8 sends home from battle 'the man who is afraid and cowardly (deilos) in heart', so that he will not melt his brothers' courage. Judges 7:3 is similar. Sirach 22:18 speaks of a 'timid heart' that cannot stand. In the New Testament: Mark 4:40 (the parallel); Rev 21:8, where 'the cowardly (deiloi) and faithless (apistoi)' head the list of the condemned; and the related noun deilia in 2 Tim 1:7 ('God did not give us a spirit of timidity'). Aristotle (Nicomachean Ethics book 3) defines the coward as one who fears what he should not, or more than he should.

From the study of Mark 4:40

Range of meaning: Cowardly, timid, faint-hearted, lacking nerve. In classical Greek it can also mean "wretched" or "miserable", but its ethical sense is cowardice: the person who gives way under threat. Aristotle treats deilia (cowardice) as the vice of too much fear, set against andreia (courage).
Against the English: English versions say "afraid" or "fearful", which modern readers hear as a natural emotion anyone might feel. The Greek is closer to "cowardly" or "gutless". It describes a collapse of courage, not just the presence of fear. English also often uses "afraid" or "fear" in v. 41, which hides the fact that Mark changes words there.
How it drifted: Translators soften the word because "cowards" sounds harsh on Jesus' lips. The result is that the moral edge of the question is lost.
Used elsewhere in the period: LXX Deuteronomy 20:8 and Judges 7:3: "the one who is fearful and deilos of heart" is sent home from battle, because his loss of nerve spreads to the others. Sirach 2:12–13: "Woe to timid (deilais) hearts." In the NT, Matthew 8:26 keeps the word in its parallel. Revelation 21:8 puts "the cowardly" (deilois) first in a list of those excluded. The related noun appears in 2 Timothy 1:7 ("a spirit of timidity") and the verb in John 14:27 ("do not let your hearts be cowardly/afraid").

Where it appears

Matthew · 1

Matthew 8:26 δειλοί fearful

“You of little faith,” Jesus replied, “why are you so afraid?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it was perfectly calm.

Here: Not the neutral word for being afraid (that would be phobeomai) but a word for timidity or loss of nerve, normally used as a fault. It names a failure of courage, not just a feeling.

Mark · 1

Mark 4:40 δειλοί fearful

“Why are you so afraid?” He asked. “Do you still have no faith?”

Here: The key word. It does not just mean "feeling scared". It means cowardly, losing your nerve, faint-hearted. That is a character failure in Greek and in the Greek Old Testament, and it is a different word from the "great fear" (phobos) of v. 41.

Revelation · 1

Revelation 21:8 δειλοῖς to [the] cowardly

But 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.”

Here: "To the cowards." This is someone whose nerve fails and who deserts under threat. It stands first in the list as the exact opposite of "the one who conquers" in verse 7.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.