Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
Parallel translations
- WEB ‘where their worm doesn’t die, and the fire is not quenched.’
- NKJV where ‘Their worm does not die And the fire is not quenched.’
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Hell is described as where the worm never dies and the fire is never quenched. The line stresses the dreadful, enduring reality of judgment.
Overview
This phrase, echoing Isaiah 66:24, depicts the horror of final judgment. The earliest manuscripts omit this verse, so many translations bracket or footnote it as repeated from verse 48; faithful readers can note the textual point without alarm. Its sober warning drives home why Jesus calls for decisive separation from sin.
Cross-references & the web
No cross-references recorded for this verse.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Mark drives urgently to the cross, showing Jesus the Son of God as the suffering Servant who 'came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'
How Mark 9:44 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.