where ‘Their worm does not die, And the fire is not quenched.’
Parallel translations
- WEB ‘where their worm doesn’t die, and the fire is not quenched.’
- KJV Where their worm dieth not, 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
The refrain about the undying worm and unquenchable fire is repeated. The repetition hammers home the permanence of judgment.
Overview
Like verse 44, this line is absent from the earliest manuscripts and is omitted or footnoted in many translations as a repetition of verse 48. Where included, it intensifies the warning through solemn repetition. The threefold drumbeat underscores that the stakes Jesus describes could not be higher.
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 9:46 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.