Revelation 22:15; For Without Are Dogs

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Revelation 22:15 (KJV)  For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. 

The opposite of the blessing promised in v14 is denial of access to the city – For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. 

Jesus continues His proclamation regarding eternal destiny by focusing on those who fail to qualify because they have never washed their robes. The adverb translated “without” refers to the position of those who are “outside” the wall of the city mentioned at the end of v14 (Mounce). To be outside the Holy City means a final destiny in the lake of fire (Revelation 20:15; 21:8) (Beasley-Murray; Johnson). The abruptness caused by the lack of a conjunction to begin v15 adds emphasis to the horror of this future state.

The verbal action implied in v15 is an implied future tense of “I am” because of the future frame of reference of v14. The city is not a reference to the present historical church (contra Caird), but to the new heaven and the new earth. They cannot be commanded to leave, since they are already outside.

“The dogs” is a metaphor for the morally impure as it is throughout Scriptures. They represent male prostitutes (Deuteronomy 23:18), Gentiles (Matthew 15:26), and Judaziers (Philippians 3:2-3), among other things (cf. 2 Kings 8:13; Psalm 22:16, 20; Isaiah 56:10; Matthew 7:6; Mark 7:27).

Deuteronomy 23:18 (KJV)  Thou shalt not bring the hire of a whore, or the price of a dog, into the house of the LORD thy God for any vow: for even both these are abomination unto the LORD thy God. 

Matthew 15:26 (KJV)  But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs.

Philippians 3:2-3 (KJV)  Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. 

2 Kings 8:13 (KJV)  And Hazael said, But what, is thy servant a dog, that he should do this great thing? And Elisha answered, The LORD hath shewed me that thou shalt be king over Syria. 

Psalm 22:16 (KJV)  For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. 

Psalm 22:20 (KJV)  Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog. 

Isaiah 56:10 (KJV)  His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. 

Mark 7:6 (KJV)  He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

Mark 7:27 (KJV)  But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it unto the dogs.

In the orient dogs are scavengers and are objects of great contempt. In this verse they are perhaps not just impure persons, but the impudently impure, those addicted to unnatural vices. This would account for their coming first in the list of other categories of sinners (Moffatt, Kiddle). “The dogs” replace the “abominable” in the last of Revelation 21:8. These are people contaminated through long contact with the base vices that permeated a pagan society (Swete). This promised fate certainly served as a warning to people in the churches not to fall into apostasy with its associated vices.