Lux Domini
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

What does Revelation 21:4 mean?

The new heaven and the new earth will not be separate from each other; the earth of the saints, their glorified, bodies, will be heavenly. The old world, with all its troubles and tumults, will have passed away.

Key themes

Suffering and trialsJustice and mercyTruthWorship

Read with

Keep this verse inside Revelation 21:1-5 and alongside a few nearby related passages.

Commentary on Revelation 21:4

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes - This will be one of the characteristics of that blessed state, that not a tear shall ever be shed there. How different will that be from the condition here - for who is there here who has not learned to weep? See the notes on Revelation 7:17 . Compare the notes on Isaiah 25:8 . And there shall be no more death - In all that future world of glory, not one shall ever die; not a grave shall ever be dug! What a view do we begin to get of heaven, when we are told there shall be no "death" there!

Key words

sorrow

sorrow. How innumerable are the sources of sorrow here; how constant is it on the earth!

tears

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes,.

eyes

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes,.

Context in Revelation 21

Show chapter context

Revelation 21 belongs to the late movement of the book, especially the section often described as final victory and new creation. Revelation is the New Testament’s climactic apocalyptic prophecy of worship, witness, judgment, cosmic conflict, and the new Jerusalem. Read this chapter with the wider themes of worship, witness, and judgment in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.

worshipwitnessjudgmentperseverance

Explore by topic

Bible verses about grief and loss

Passages for sorrow, bereavement, lament, and the difficult work of hoping in God without denying what has been lost.

Bible verses about hope

A collection of passages on hope under pressure, future inheritance, resurrection expectation, and confidence in God’s final faithfulness.

Bible verses about suffering and trials

Key passages on grief, endurance, lament, divine mystery, and the Christian claim that suffering is neither final nor meaningless.

Bible verses about death and dying

Passages on mortality, the reality of death, comfort in bereavement, resurrection hope, and the defeat of death through Christ.

Bible verses about heaven

What Scripture reveals about heaven, the dwelling place of God, the promise of eternal rest, and the hope of being with Christ forever.

Bible verses about new beginnings

Passages on fresh starts, new creation, restoration, and the biblical promise that God makes all things new.

Bible verses for funerals

Comforting passages for funeral services, memorial cards, and eulogies — verses on eternal life, hope in death, and God’s presence in grief.

Bible verses about justice and mercy

Key texts on public righteousness, neighbor-love, social ethics, compassion, and the prophetic refusal to separate worship from justice.

Bible verses about truth

Passages on the nature of truth, honesty, deception, the word of God as truth, and Jesus' claim to be the truth.

Bible verses about worship

Passages on praising God, singing, prayer, corporate worship, and the spirit in which true worship is to be offered.

Who quoted Revelation 21:4?

Find out who used Revelation 21:4 in their speeches and writings. Which famous people quoted Revelation 21:4?

Quotes found on Wikiquote (match for «wipe away all tears»):

G. K. Chesterton