where their worm
The phrase "where their worm" draws from the imagery found in Isaiah 66:24, which speaks of the fate of those who rebel against God. The "worm" here is often interpreted as a symbol of the internal torment and decay that accompanies eternal separation from God. In the Greek, the word "σκώληξ" (skōlēx) refers to a worm or maggot, often associated with decay and corruption. This imagery serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of sin and the reality of judgment. It emphasizes the personal nature of this torment, as "their worm" suggests an individual experience of judgment.

never dies
The phrase "never dies" underscores the eternal nature of the consequences described. In the Greek, "οὐ τελευτᾷ" (ou teleutá) conveys the idea of something that does not come to an end or cease. This eternal aspect is crucial in understanding the gravity of the warning Jesus is giving. It reflects the unending nature of the spiritual death that results from a life lived in rebellion against God. The permanence of this state serves as a powerful motivator for repentance and turning towards the life offered in Christ.

and the fire
"and the fire" continues the vivid imagery of judgment. Fire, in biblical literature, often symbolizes purification, judgment, and the presence of God. In this context, it represents the consuming and purifying judgment of God. The Greek word "πῦρ" (pyr) is used here, which is frequently associated with divine judgment throughout Scripture. This fire is not merely destructive but serves as a representation of God's holiness and justice, consuming all that is contrary to His nature.

is never quenched
The phrase "is never quenched" further emphasizes the eternal and unrelenting nature of divine judgment. The Greek "οὐ σβέννυται" (ou sbénnytai) indicates a fire that cannot be extinguished or put out. This unquenchable fire serves as a sobering reminder of the seriousness of sin and the reality of eternal separation from God. It calls believers to a life of holiness and reverence, recognizing the eternal consequences of their choices. The imagery of an unquenchable fire also serves to highlight the urgency of the gospel message and the need for repentance and faith in Jesus Christ as the only means of salvation.

(44) Where their worm dieth not.--The words are taken almost literatim from the closing verse of Isaiah (Isaiah 66:24), where they appear as part of the description of the triumph of Jehovah. The true worshippers should serve in His Temple continually, and they should go forth and see the carcases of the transgressors, "for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched, and they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh." The scenery is, like that of Isaiah 63:1-6, drawn from the slaughter of earthly battles, and the prophet exults in vision over the putrid carcases and the blazing fires that consume them, and thinks of that scene as perpetuated throughout eternity. The imagery was thus already familiar, and it coalesced naturally with the ideas of Gehenna. Possibly the valley of Hinnom, as the great cloaca of Jerusalem, receiving its solid as well as its fluid sewage, with putrid offal and blazing fires consuming them, had become in this way a visible type of the unseen Gehenna; but the authorities are hardly definite enough to warrant the positive statement that it presented such a scene. The interpretation of the symbols (for a literal acceptance of the words is obviously out of the question) is not far to seek. Well-nigh all Christian thinkers have seen in the gnawing worm, the anguish of an endless remorse, the memory of past sins. Fire retains its wonted force as the expression of the righteousness of God (Hebrews 12:29) manifesting itself to the consciousness of the sinner in all its awfulness, purifying where there is any desire, and therefore capacity, for purification, but never altering its essential character, even as the fire "never can be quenched." So much the words declare distinctly, as the law of righteous retribution. They do not absolutely exclude the thought that the fire may consume or destroy that which it cannot purify; still less do they affirm that it will.

Verse 44. - Where their worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched. These words are a quotation from Isaiah 66:24, and they are repeated three times in the Authorized Version. But the best ancient authorities omit them in the two first places, retaining them at ver. 48. The metaphor is very striking as well as awful. Ordinarily the worm feeds upon the disorganized body, and then dies. The fire consumes the fuel, and then itself expires. But here the worm never dies; the fire never goes out. The words of Cornelius a Lapide on the original passage in Isaiah are well worth recording here: "I beseech you, O reader, by the mercies of our God, by your own salvation, by that one little life entrusted to you and committed to your care, that you will ever keep before your eyes the living memory, as of eternity and of eternal torments, so also of the eternal joys on the other side offered to you by God, and concerning which you here cast the die, and that irrevocable. Let these two things never depart from your mind. In this world, 'Vanity of vanities, and all is vanity.' Oh, what a void there is in earthly things! Oh, how vain is all our life without Christ! In the world to come, truth of truths, and all is truth; stability of stabilities, and all is stability; eternity of eternities, and all is eternity. An eternity in heaven most happy, in hell most miserable, ' Where their worm dies not, and the. fire is not quenched.'" St. Bernard says "the worm that never dies is the memory of the past, which never ceases to gnaw the conscience of the impenitent."

Parallel Commentaries ...


where
ὅπου (hopou)
Adverb
Strong's 3699: Where, whither, in what place.

their
αὐτῶν (autōn)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same.

worm
σκώληξ (skōlēx)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 4663: A gnawing worm; gnawing anguish.

{does} not
οὐ (ou)
Adverb
Strong's 3756: No, not.

die,
τελευτᾷ (teleuta)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 5053: To end, finish, die, complete.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

the
τὸ (to)
Article - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article.

fire
πῦρ (pyr)
Noun - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 4442: Fire; the heat of the sun, lightning; fig: strife, trials; the eternal fire.

is not quenched.
σβέννυται (sbennytai)
Verb - Present Indicative Passive - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 4570: (a) to extinguish, quench, (b) to suppress, thwart.


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NT Gospels: Mark 9:44 Where their worm doesn't die and (Mar Mk Mr)