Revelation 21:4
“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.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Context
This promise follows the announcement that God dwells with His people, describing the blessedness of life in His renewed creation.
What Does Revelation 21:4 Mean?
Revelation 21:4 is one of Scripture's most comforting promises -- God will personally wipe away every tear and bring an end to death, sorrow, crying, and pain. The image is intimate and tender: God Himself stoops to wipe each tear, the gentle act of a loving Father comforting His child. This is not distant consolation but personal nearness.
The verse then lists, one by one, the great enemies of human happiness and declares each one finished: "no more death," no more "sorrow, nor crying," no more "pain." Every grief that has marked human existence is named and abolished. The reason is given in the final phrase: "the former things are passed away." The old order, with all its suffering and loss, belongs to a chapter that has closed forever. In God's renewed creation, the sources of tears no longer exist. For everyone who has wept at a graveside, suffered illness, or carried sorrow, this verse holds out the certain hope of a future where all such pain is gone. It assures the believer that present grief, however deep, is not the final word. The God who wipes away tears is preparing a world where joy is whole and lasting.
In the Original Language
"Wipe away" is "exaleipho" (ἐξαλείφω), to wipe out or blot away completely. "Death" is "thanatos" (θάνατος), the great enemy here declared abolished.
Cross References
“He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it.”
- Isaiah 25:8
“For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.”
- Revelation 7:17
“So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.”
- 1 Corinthians 15:54
Application
This verse comforts grieving hearts with the certain hope that God will one day end all death and sorrow and personally wipe away every tear.