“They
will go out, and look at the dead bodies of the men who have transgressed against me; for their worm will not die, nor will their fire be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind.”
Isaiah 66:24
Isaiah 66 [19.] “I will set a sign among them, and I will send those who escape of them to the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, who draw the bow, to Tubal and Javan, to far-away islands, who have not heard my fame, nor have seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the nations. They shall bring all your brothers out of all the nations for an offering to Yahweh, on horses, in chariots, in litters, on mules, and on camels, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, says Yahweh, as the children of Israel bring their offering in a clean vessel into Yahweh’s house. Of them I will also select priests and Levites,” says Yahweh.
Isaiah 66 [22.] “For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me,” says Yahweh, “so your offspring and your name shall remain. It shall happen that from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, all flesh will come to worship before me,” says Yahweh. “They will go out, and look at the dead bodies of the men who have transgressed against me; for their worm will not die, nor will their fire be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind.”
Meaning:
This is the last verse of the book of Isaiah. The preceding verses describe a glorious future: God will create new heavens and a new earth, gather people from all nations to see his glory, and all flesh will come to worship him. But Isaiah ends with a sobering contrast. Those who worship will go out and see the fate of those who rebelled against God. Jesus quoted this verse three times in his warning about Gehenna (Mark 9:43-48).
- “They will go out, and look at the dead bodies”
The worshippers in the renewed Jerusalem see outside the city the bodies of those who “transgressed against me,” that is, who rebelled against God. The picture recalls a battlefield after a great victory, when the enemies of God’s people lie defeated outside the walls. In ancient Israel, unburied bodies were a sign of disgrace and judgement.
- “Their worm will not die, nor will their fire be quenched”
Normally worms and fire destroy a body and then come to an end. Here they never stop. Isaiah uses this image to describe a judgement that is final and lasting. In Jesus’ time this verse was linked with Gehenna, the valley of Hinnom outside Jerusalem, where the kings of Judah had once burned their children in the fire (Jeremiah 7:31-32). Revelation uses similar language: “The smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever” (Revelation 14:11).
- “They will be loathsome to all mankind”
The Hebrew word translated “loathsome” appears in only one other place in the Old Testament, in Daniel’s prophecy of resurrection: some will awake “to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt” (Daniel 12:2). Together, these two passages shaped the Jewish and Christian understanding of the final judgement.
- A book that ends with two destinies
Isaiah closes with both hope and warning side by side: new heavens and a new earth for those who worship God (Isaiah 65:17), and lasting shame for those who rebel against him. The prophet does not soften the contrast. God’s salvation is open to all nations, but those who reject him face a real and terrible end.
The Significance of Isaiah 66:24
- Taking judgement seriously
Jesus did not treat this verse as a figure of speech without meaning; he used it to warn his disciples to deal radically with sin. Believers today are called to take God’s holiness and his final judgement seriously, both in their own lives and in their concern for others.
- Looking forward to the new creation
The same chapter that warns of judgement promises a new creation. Believers live in hope: “But, according to his promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13). The warning is given so that as many as possible may share in that hope.
Cross-References:
Mark 9:48: "where their worm doesn’t die, and the fire is not quenched." Jesus quotes Isaiah’s words in his warning about Gehenna.
Daniel 12:2: "Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt." Daniel uses the same rare word for the shame of the wicked.
Isaiah 65:17: "For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things will not be remembered, nor come into mind." The new creation stands beside the warning of judgement.
2 Peter 3:13: "But, according to his promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells." The Christian hope rests on Isaiah’s promise.
Conclusion: Isaiah ends his book with the worshippers of God going out to see the bodies of those who rebelled against him, “for their worm will not die, nor will their fire be quenched.” The verse sets lasting judgement beside the glorious new creation of the previous verses. Jesus used it to warn his followers to deal radically with sin, and it calls believers to take God’s judgement seriously while holding fast to the hope of new heavens and a new earth.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible