Perhaps the most quoted verse in the Bible is John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life.”
When I was a new Christian, I wondered if that was a literal or figurative promise and what “perish” means in the Bible. Certainly, all people die, so is there a distinction between dying and perishing? If, according to the Apostle John, believers don’t perish, does that mean we don’t die on earth but are taken up to heaven like Enoch in the Old Testament? How could we have everlasting life with no dying on earth?
Because no doubt about it, perish means to die. It can mean that your usefulness is destroyed, or ultimate death, destruction, and separation from God.
So, how does the Bible use this serious word?
What Bible Translations Use the Word Perish?
In what Bible translations can we find the word perish? We may not use the word much in everyday language, but we can see the word in many of the popular Bible versions we read today. Just looking at John 3:16 for an example, the word “perish” can be found in:
- The King James Version
- The Revised Standard Version
- The New Revised Standard
- The Message
- The Holman Christian Standard
- The New International Version
- The English Standard Version
When read in various contexts, the Bible can be used to mean being destroyed, causing death, taking someone’s life, being separated from God for eternity, or being utterly ruined. But it always means that the person has chosen something over God, and God has caused them to no longer live because of their unrepentant sin. For instance:
“For behold, those who are far from you shall perish; you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you.” (Psalm 73:27)
“For the nation and kingdom that will not serve you shall perish; those nations shall be utterly laid waste.” (Isaiah 60:12)
What Does Perish Actually Mean When Used in the Bible?
At times in the Bible, God, in His sovereignty, chose that people would immediately perish for their sins (any action that went against God’s law). For example, when King David reclaimed Jerusalem from the Jebusites in the Old Testament, he also reclaimed the Ark of the Covenant from where it was being stored outside Jerusalem. It was kept in the home of Abinadab for twenty years (1 Samuel 7:1). When David came to claim the ark, it was placed on an oxcart, and Abinadab’s two sons walked alongside it. The cart began to tumble, and one of the sons, Uzzah, touched the ark and immediately died because he broke God’s law concerning the ark (2 Samuel 6:1-7).
In the New Testament Book of Acts, the new fellowship of believers in Jesus “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer . . . All the believers were together and had everything in common” (Acts 2:42; 44).
Two of these new followers were a married couple named Ananias and Sapphira. They were landowners and sold a portion of the land to give the proceeds to the disciples. But Ananias, with his wife's knowledge, kept part of the money for himself and gave the rest to the fellowship.
Peter, immediately inspired by the Holy Spirit, challenged Ananias, saying that Satan filled his heart to lie and cheat. He also told him that he wasn't lying to men but to God Himself. He immediately fell dead. When his wife came in later, she was also questioned and fell dead (Acts 5:1-10). But it also means that for those who do not come to faith in Jesus as the sacrifice for their sins, they will perish or be eternally separated from the God they rejected.
What Kind of Things Does the Bible Say Cause People to Perish?
“All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law” (Romans 2:12). Here, Paul is talking about Gentiles who are unaware of God’s law of sin leading to death in the absence of repentance and salvation.
“. . . my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children” (Hosea 4:6). In John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible, he explains that these dire words don’t apply to all of God’s children: “This is to be understood of the people of the ten tribes of Israel, who were nationally and nominally the people of God, were so by profession; they called themselves the people of God; and though they were idolaters, yet they professed to worship God in their idols . . .” But idolatry is disgusting to God, so their ignorance of that fact meant that they would perish.
“A false witness will perish, but a careful listener will testify successfully” (Proverbs 21:28). Bearing false witness or lying about someone–usually in a court of law–is against the Ten Commandments God gave to the Israelites through Moses.
“Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he” (Proverbs 29:18 KJV). Again, this refers to those who keep God’s law and those who do not and then perish in ignorance. It’s interesting to note that the most popular Bible translations today rarely talk about people perishing, preferring wording about people not knowing how to live or “casting off restraint” from God or running amok.
So What Does Perish Mean in John 3:16?
According to John Piper, when the Bible discusses perishing, “The issue is not merely dying, but being judged by God.” As the Apostle John writes in verse 36, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”
Piper writes, “What this shows us is that if we are rescued from perishing, it is because the love of God has rescued us from the wrath of God. To perish means that we remain under the wrath of God because we will not trust Christ. And that is a terrifying place to be.” He goes on to say that perishing means fiery torment for eternity in hell.
How Should the Meaning of the Word Perish Change How We Live?
God is love, but God is also the Judge of the world. He created the sacrificial system that tied rejection of His laws to death (sin = perish). Thanks be to God that He sent Jesus Christ to take our place in that equation so that by believing in Him, we will never perish but have blissful eternal life in His presence.
First and foremost, the meaning of the word should direct us toward committing to Christ because, without that relationship, we have no hope. Secondly, while we are not under the law, we should consider that the “greatest commandment” (love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength—and love your neighbor as yourself.) still applies. If we love God, we will want to please Him and consider those things that displease Him (i.e., bearing false witness, making “idols” of people and things). We would do well to consider how holy God is that one infraction of the law in the Old Testament caused people to drop dead. The word perish teaches us to have a reverent fear of the Lord while at the same time adoring His goodness, mercy, and majesty.
Finally, we must consider all those perishing in their ignorance or disdain of God. We need to pray fervently for those we know who have rejected God, lest they perish in their unbelief. It was not God’s original design or will to be separated from His human creation, so beyond praying, ask the Holy Spirit how to reach people with the gospel, whether at home or across the globe. Step out in faith and share your hope with others in hopes that they wake up to the truth.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/koyu
Mary Oelerich-Meyer is a Chicago-area freelance writer and copy editor who prayed for years for a way to write about and for the Lord. She spent 20 years writing for area healthcare organizations, interviewing doctors and clinical professionals and writing more than 1,500 articles in addition to marketing collateral materials. Important work, but not what she felt called to do. She is grateful for any opportunity to share the Lord in her writing and editing, believing that life is too short to write about anything else. Previously she served as Marketing Communications Director for a large healthcare system. She holds a B.A. in International Business and Marketing from Cornell College (the original Cornell!) When not researching or writing, she loves to spend time with her writer daughter, granddaughter, rescue doggie and husband (not always in that order).
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