Mark 9:48

“Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.] This is repeated again, not only to assure the truth of the thing, but to raise the attention of the mind unto it, and fix an awful impression upon it: the Persic version renders it, “from whence thou shall never find redemption”: there is no redemption from hell, as Origen and others have thought.”

“See the notes at Matthew 18:7-9. Millstone. See Matthew 18:6. Mark 9:44-46 Their worm - This figure is taken from Isaiah 66:24. See the notes at that passage. In describing the great prosperity. of the kingdom of the Messiah, Isaiah says that the people of God “shall go forth, and look upon the carcasses of the men who have transgressed against God.” Their enemies would be overcome. They would be slain. The people of God would triumph. The figure is taken from heaps of the dead slain in battle; and the prophet says that the number would be so great that their worm - the worm feeding on the dead - would not die, would live long - as long as there were carcasses to be devoured; and that the…”

“9:48 The eternality of hell is emphasized by the phrases never die and never goes out (cp. 9:43). The horror of hell is emphasized by its portrayal as a place of everlasting fire, and of decay and corruption where maggots eternally eat everything away. The putrid smell of decay and the presence of maggots in the Valley of Hinnom may lie behind this imagery (see study note on 9:43). This imagery is a powerful warning for people to repent in order to escape the punishment of hell.”

“Mar 9:44, Mar 9:46 Mark 9:49”