“Durst” is an old English word that simply means “dared,” and it shows up several times in the King James Version. If you have come across it while reading and wondered whether it is a typo or some obscure term, it is not. It is an ordinary word from an earlier stage of the English language, doing a job modern English now hands to “dared” or “was bold enough to.”
What Does “Durst” Mean?
“Durst” is the archaic past tense of “dare.” In everyday 1611 English, when the King James translators were doing their work, “I durst” meant exactly what “I dared” means today. It was a common, unremarkable verb form, not a special theological term. Over the following centuries English speakers gradually stopped using “durst” and settled on “dared” instead, which is why the word now sounds unfamiliar even though it appears throughout the Old and New Testaments in the KJV.
Because “durst” always describes a choice not made, it almost always appears with “not,” as in “durst not,” meaning “did not dare.” Understanding that one detail unlocks nearly every verse where the word shows up.
Where “Durst” Appears in the Bible
The word turns up in several well-known Gospel scenes. After the resurrection, when Jesus stood on the shore and shared breakfast with His disciples, John writes that “none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord” (John 21:12). The disciples already recognized Jesus, and their silence was not confusion but a kind of stunned reverence.
A similar pattern shows up after Jesus silenced the religious leaders who kept trying to trap Him with questions. Matthew records that “no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions” (Matthew 22:46). Luke describes the same moment from another angle: “after that they durst not ask him any question at all” (Luke 20:40). In both cases, “durst” marks the exact point where confident opposition turned into silence.
The word also appears outside the Gospels. In the book of Acts, as the early church grew and its miracles became public knowledge, Luke notes that “of the rest durst no man join himself to them: but the people magnified them” (Acts 5:13), describing a mix of respect and hesitation among onlookers. And in the short letter of Jude, even the archangel Michael is described this way: contending with the devil over the body of Moses, he “durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee” (Jude 1:9).
What These Verses Are Really Saying
Once the vocabulary is out of the way, a common thread appears. Every use of “durst” in scripture marks a moment when someone who might otherwise have spoken up, pushed back, or asked a question chose restraint instead, usually out of respect, fear, or a sense that they were in over their heads. The disciples’ silence in John 21 comes from awe. The religious leaders’ silence in Matthew 22 comes from having run out of arguments. Michael’s restraint in Jude 1 comes from recognizing a limit even an archangel respects. In each case, “durst not” says something about the size of who or what the person was facing, not about a lack of courage in the ordinary sense.
Key Bible Verses
John 21:12
“Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord.”
Matthew 22:46
“And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.”
Jude 1:9
“Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Is “durst” still used in English today?
Not in everyday speech. “Durst” faded out of common use over the centuries after the King James Version was translated, and “dared” took its place. It survives today mainly in older literature, poetry, and the KJV itself.
Do newer Bible translations still use the word “durst”?
Generally not. Most modern translations, including the NKJV and NIV, replace “durst” with “dared” so the meaning is immediately clear to today’s readers, without changing what the verse is saying.
Related Bible Topics
What Does “Edify” Mean in the Bible? | What Is “The Flesh” in the Bible? | What Does It Mean to “Witness” in the Bible?
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