To be timid
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δειλιάω means to be timid, cowardly, or afraid, to shrink back from something in fear. ' The command follows Jesus' announcement of his departure and his promise of the Holy Spirit (John 14:26), so the peace in view is not the absence of difficulty; the disciples are about to watch Jesus arrested, tried, and executed.
Reader summary
Full entry for δειλιάω (G1168) · Open the biblical lexicon
δειλιάω means to be timid, cowardly, or afraid, to shrink back from something in fear. ' The command follows Jesus' announcement of his departure and his promise of the Holy Spirit (John 14:26), so the peace in view is not the absence of difficulty; the disciples are about to watch Jesus arrested, tried, and executed.
The BSB source-word alignment has 1 aligned row for this entry. Common renderings include be afraid (1).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at John 14:27. Its strongest book concentrations include John (1).
δειλιάω means to be timid, cowardly, or afraid, to shrink back from something in fear. Its only New Testament occurrence closes Jesus' promise of peace in John 14:27: "Do not let your hearts be troubled; do not be afraid." The word does not describe ordinary caution or healthy concern; it names a fearful shrinking that Jesus explicitly commands his disciples against, on the strength of the peace he is giving them, a peace unlike anything 'the world gives.'
The command follows Jesus' announcement of his departure and his promise of the Holy Spirit (John 14:26), so the peace in view is not the absence of difficulty; the disciples are about to watch Jesus arrested, tried, and executed. The command not to be afraid rests on the character and permanence of Christ's own peace, not on a promise that circumstances will remain calm.
Teachers should keep the command tied to its specific ground, Christ's given peace, rather than presenting it as a bare command to feel differently.
John 14:27 is spoken at one of the most fear-justifying moments in the Gospel: Jesus has just announced his departure, and the disciples are hours from watching him arrested. The command not to be afraid is not denial of the coming difficulty; it is confidence grounded in a specific, given peace, distinct from whatever calm the world can offer.
Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled; do not be afraid.
John 14:27 records Jesus' command, 'do not let your hearts be troubled; do not be afraid,' grounded in the peace he gives, 'not as the world gives.'
But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have told you.
The command follows immediately after Jesus' promise to send the Holy Spirit as Helper (John 14:26), tying the disciples' freedom from fear to the Spirit's coming presence, not merely to a change of circumstance.
Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will surely help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:10 gives Old Testament background for a command against fear grounded in God's own presence, 'Do not fear, for I am with you,' the same pattern of command-grounded-in-presence John 14:27 repeats in Jesus' own words.
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItA compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
Greek word. To shrink back in fear or cowardice rather than face difficulty with courage.
To shrink back in fear or cowardice rather than face difficulty with courage.
(δειλία), [in LXX for חתת ni., פּחד, etc. ;] = the more frequently ἀποδ-, to be cowardly, timid, fearful: Jhn.14:27.
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
1 Greek text appearance shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
I shrink, am fearful
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
How mood, tense, and voice shift the force of this verb in context.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
How this verb appears across 1 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect reflects grammatical form — not authorial emphasis. Participles and infinitives are verbal adjectives and nouns respectively.
Clause data: MACULA Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0) · SBLGNT (Logos/SBL, CC BY 4.0)
δειλιάω is built from this root:
John 14:27 is spoken at one of the most fear-justifying moments in the Gospel: Jesus has just announced his departure, and the disciples are hours from watching him arrested. The command not to be afraid is not denial of the coming difficulty; it is confidence grounded in a specific, given peace, distinct from whatever calm the world can offer. Preachers can use this word to distinguish biblical courage from mere optimism: the disciples' peace does not depend on their circumstances improving, but on the character and presence of the one who gives it.
This word opens a teaching doorway on peace grounded in Christ rather than in circumstances: Jesus commands his disciples not to be afraid at the very moment fear would be most justified, grounding the command in a peace 'not as the world gives.' It equips teachers to address fear honestly, without minimizing real danger or difficulty. It corrects the assumption that biblical peace requires calm circumstances; Jesus gives this command just before his arrest, trial, and crucifixion, the most difficult hours the disciples will face.
Frame δειλιάω as the fearful shrinking Jesus commands against on the strength of his own given peace, not as ordinary caution or a denial of real danger.
John.14.27
Frame δειλιάω as the fearful shrinking Jesus commands against on the strength of his own given peace, not as ordinary caution or a denial of real danger. Linguistically, δειλιάω should be allowed to name to be timid, fearful, cowardly without carrying claims the cited passages do not make.
Scripture consistently grounds commands against fear in God's own presence and character rather than in changed circumstances (Isa 41:10; Ps 23:4), and Jesus' command in John 14:27 continues that pattern, grounding the disciples' freedom from fear in his own given peace just before his arrest and death.
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