Isaiah 66:24

“And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcasses 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.” — KJV

Part of the Nature of Hell study.

The Common Reading

This is the source passage for Jesus’ warning in Mark 9:43-48. The undying worm and unquenchable fire prove eternal conscious torment — the wicked suffer endlessly, with worms consuming their flesh and fire burning them forever.

What the Passage Actually Says

The Word Is “Carcasses”

H6297 peger — a carcass, a corpse, a dead body. This word is unambiguous. It does not mean “living souls.” It does not mean “conscious beings.” It means dead bodies.

Every other use of peger in the OT confirms this:

• Gen 15:11 — birds of prey came down on the carcasses (peger)
• 1 Sam 17:46 — “I will give the carcasses (peger) of the host of the Philistines… unto the fowls”
• Isa 14:19 — “cast out of your grave like an abominable branch… as a carcass (peger) trodden underfoot”
• Isa 34:3 — “their slain also shall be cast out, and their stink shall come up out of their carcasses (peger)”

These are DEAD BODIES. Not conscious beings in torment. Dead bodies on the ground, being consumed by natural processes.

The Living LOOK AT the Dead

“They shall go forth, and LOOK UPON the carcasses.” The observers are alive; the observed are dead. The scene is a battlefield aftermath — the living viewing the fallen. There is no description of the dead experiencing anything. They are corpses being viewed.

Worm and Fire: Natural Decomposition

H8438 tola — a worm, specifically the crimson/scarlet worm (the same word used for the scarlet dye in the tabernacle). Worms consume dead flesh. That is what worms do. A worm on a corpse is not torturing the corpse — the corpse feels nothing.

“Their worm shall not die” — the decomposition is THOROUGH. The worm does not die before finishing its work. The fire is not quenched — it cannot be stopped. Both images describe COMPLETE consumption of dead bodies, not eternal torment of conscious souls.

Compare Jer 17:27: “I will kindle a fire in the gates [of Jerusalem], and it shall not be quenched.” Jerusalem’s gates burned. That fire is not still burning. “Not quenched” means the fire cannot be stopped from finishing its work — not that it burns forever.

H1860 Dera’on — The Rarest Word

“They shall be an abhorring” — H1860 dera’on, appearing only TWICE in the entire OT: here and Dan 12:2 (“everlasting contempt”). This word describes how the LIVING view the DEAD — with permanent abhorrence. The disgrace is everlasting. The corpses are not.

The two occurrences illuminate each other:

• Isa 66:24 — the living look at carcasses with abhorrence (dera’on)
• Dan 12:2 — some awake to everlasting contempt (dera’on)

Both describe the verdict of others upon the dead — permanent disgrace, lasting reputation of shame. Neither describes the dead experiencing conscious torment.

Harmony

1. H6297 peger = carcasses — dead bodies, unambiguously. Not conscious souls.
2. The living look at the dead — observers view corpses. No description of the dead experiencing anything.
3. Worm and fire = natural decomposition — thorough, complete consumption of dead flesh. Not torture of conscious beings.
4. “Not quenched” = cannot be stopped — like Jer 17:27 (Jerusalem’s gates). The fire finishes its work. It is not still burning.
5. H1860 dera’on = abhorrence FROM the living — the rarest word in the OT, linking this passage to Dan 12:2. Both describe how the dead are VIEWED, not what they experience.
6. Jesus quotes this verse in Mark 9:43-48 — the Hebrew gospel of Mark replaces “worm” with “venomous creatures” and “quenched” with “does not rest (nuach).” Both versions describe the SAME thing: complete, thorough, uninterruptible destruction of the dead.

Hebrew Reference