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.’
- BSB where ‘their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched.’
- NKJV where ‘Their worm does not die And the fire is not quenched.’
- NASB where their worm does not die, and the fire is not extinguished.
- NLT ‘where the maggots never die and the fire never goes out.’
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Hell is where their worm never dies and the fire is never quenched. Jesus solemnly affirms the lasting reality of God's judgment.
Overview
Quoting Isaiah 66:24, Jesus describes the final state of the unrepentant in unforgettable terms. This verse, unlike 44 and 46, is firmly attested in the manuscripts. Its gravity is not meant to terrify needlessly but to awaken hearers to seek refuge in Christ, who alone delivers from coming wrath.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- Isa 66:24And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.
- Matt 25:41Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
- Mark 9:43–45And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 9:48 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.