”THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED” IN MARK 9:48: ITS MEANING AND BACKGROUND (5)

CHAPTER 3

EXEGETICAL STUDY

This chapter contains literary analysis of Mark 9:49 within its context. The investigation of the this chapter will be carried out in the area such as the texts, translations, grammatical and syntactical analysis.

Variants of the Text

The passage of the immediate context shows some variation in uncial manuscripts. The oldest manuscripts such as Codex Sinaiticus(‌א), Codex Ephraemi (C), Codex Vaticanus (B) and Codex Regius (L) do not contain verses 44 and 46 but are present in later codex such as Codex Alexandrinus  (A), Codex Bezae (D), Codex Nanianus I (U), Codex Cyprius, Latin and Syriac Peshita. Kenneth Wuest states that the present of the verses 43 and 46 are a mere repetition of verse 48^[1] and were added later by copist.[2]  

In addition, the phrase γέενναν τοῦ πυρὸς in v. 47also has a slight variation in some manuscripts. In Textus Receptus (TR), τοῦ πυρὸς is added. The comparison texts of Mark 9:42-50 presented in the table below.

Table 3

Variation of Texts 

TEXT IN EARLIER MSS [3]

TEXT IN LATER MSS [4]

42  Καὶ ὃς ἂν σκανδαλίσῃ ἕνα τῶν μικρῶν τούτων τῶν πιστευόντων, καλόν ἐστιν αὐτῷ μᾶλλον εἰ περίκειται μύλος ὀνικὸς περὶ τὸν τράχηλον αὐτοῦ καὶ βέβληται εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν.  43  Καὶ ἐὰν ⸂σκανδαλίσῃ⸃ σε ἡ χείρ σου, ἀπόκοψον αὐτήν· καλόν ἐστίν σε κυλλὸν εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν ζωὴν ἢ τὰς δύο χεῖρας ἔχοντα ἀπελθεῖν εἰς τὴν γέενναν, εἰς τὸ πῦρ τὸ ἄσβεστον.  44    45  καὶ ἐὰν ὁ πούς σου σκανδαλίζῃ σε, ἀπόκοψον αὐτόν· καλόν ἐστίν σε εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν ζωὴν χωλὸν ἢ τοὺς δύο πόδας ἔχοντα βληθῆναι εἰς τὴν γέενναν.  46    47  καὶ ἐὰν ὁ ὀφθαλμός σου σκανδαλίζῃ σε, ἔκβαλε αὐτόν· καλόν σέ ἐστιν μονόφθαλμον εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ ἢ δύο ὀφθαλμοὺς ἔχοντα βληθῆναι εἰς⸆ γέενναν,  48  ὅπου ὁ σκώληξ αὐτῶν οὐ τελευτᾷ καὶ τὸ πῦρ οὐ σβέννυται·  49  πᾶς γὰρ πυρὶ ἁλισθήσεται.  50  Καλὸν τὸ ἅλας· ἐὰν δὲ τὸ ἅλας ἄναλον γένηται, ἐν τίνι αὐτὸ ἀρτύσετε; ἔχετε ἐν ἑαυτοῖς ἅλα, καὶ εἰρηνεύετε ἐν ἀλλήλοις.

42  Καὶ ὃς ἂν σκανδαλίσῃ ἕνα τῶν μικρῶν τῶν πιστευόντων εἰς ἐμέ καλόν ἐστιν αὐτῷ μᾶλλον εἰ περίκειται λὶθος μύλικὸς περὶ τὸν τράχηλον αὐτοῦ καὶ βέβληται εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν  43  Καὶ ἐὰν σκανδαλίζῃ σε ἡ χείρ σου ἀπόκοψον αὐτήν· καλόν σοι ἐστίν κυλλὸν εἰς τὴν ζωὴν εἰσελθεῖν ἢ τὰς δύο χεῖρας ἔχοντα ἀπελθεῖν εἰς τὴν γέενναν εἰς τὸ πῦρ τὸ ἄσβεστον  44  ὅπου ὁ σκώληξ αὐτῶν οὐ τελευτᾷ, καὶ τὸ πῦρ οὐ σβέννυται.  45  καὶ ἐὰν ὁ πούς σου σκανδαλίζῃ σε ἀπόκοψον αὐτόν· καλόν ἐστίν σοι εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν ζωὴν χωλὸν ἢ τοὺς δύο πόδας ἔχοντα βληθῆναι εἰς τὴν γέενναν εἰς τὸ πῦρ τὸ ἄσβεστον,  46  ὅπου ὁ σκώληξ αὐτῶν οὐ τελευτᾷ, καὶ τὸ πῦρ οὐ σβέννυται. 47  καὶ ἐὰν ὁ ὀφθαλμός σου σκανδαλίζῃ σε ἔκβαλε αὐτόν· καλόν σοι ἐστιν μονόφθαλμον εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ ἢ δύο ὀφθαλμοὺς ἔχοντα βληθῆναι εἰς τὴν γέενναν τοῦ πυρὸς,  48  ὅπου ὁ σκώληξ αὐτῶν οὐ τελευτᾷ καὶ τὸ πῦρ οὐ σβέννυται  49  πᾶς γὰρ πυρὶ ἁλισθήσεται καὶ πᾶσα θυσία ἀλὶ ἁλισθήσεται,  50  Καλὸν τὸ ἅλας· ἐὰν δὲ τὸ ἅλας ἄναλον γένηται ἐν τίνι αὐτὸ ἀρτύσετε ἔχετε ἐν ἑαυτοῖς ἅλας· καὶ εἰρηνεύετε ἐν ἀλλήλοις

  Variant Translations

Most of English Bible translates ὅπου ὁ σκώληξ αὐτῶν οὐ τελευτᾷ καὶ τὸ πῦρ οὐ σβέννυται “where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.” However there are a few translations such as New Living Translation (NLT), The Tyndale New Testament (TNT), New International Reader's Version (NIRV), New Jerusalem Bible (NJB) which translates them differently. The table below show variant translations of the passage.

Table 3

Variant Translation of Mark 9:48

New American Standart Bible (NASB)	where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.
New International Version (NIV)	where "'the worms that eat them do not die, and the fire is not quenched.'
King James Version (KJV)	Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched
Young's Literal Translation (YLT)	where their worm is not dying, and the fire is not being quenched;
New English Translation (NET)	where their worm never dies and the fire is never quenched.
New King James Version (NKJV)	"where`Their worm does not die, And the fire is not quenched.'
New Living Translation(NLT)	'where the maggots never die and the fire never goes out.'
The Tyndale New Testament (TNT)	where there worme dyeth not and the fyre never goeth oute.
New Revised Standard Version Bible.   (NRSV)	where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched.
New International Reader's Version (NIRV)	In hell, " 'The worms do not die. The fire is not put out.' Ra { prsupa/rsup Isaiah 66:24 }
New Jerusalem Bible (NJB)	where their worm will never die nor their fire be put out.

Today's New International Version (TNIV)	where " 'their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.'

 

---

^[1]Kenneth S. Wuest, Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament : For the English Reader (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997, c1984), Mk 9:46.

[2] Bruce Manning Metzger and United Bible Societies, A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament, Second Edition a Companion Volume to the United Bible Societies' Greek New Testament (4th Rev. Ed.) (London; New York: United Bible Societies, 1994), 86.

[3] The earlier manuscript are Codex Sinaiticus(‌א), Codex Vaticanus (B), Codex Ephraemi (C) and Codex Regius (L).

[4]  The later manuscripts are Codex Alexandrinus  (A), Codex Bezae (D), Codex Nanianus I (U), Codex Cyprius, Latin and Syriac Peshita.