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

Grammatical and Syntactical Analysis 

This section attempts to analyze the grammar of Mark 9:48. The grammatical analysis contains the investigation in areas such as observing the grammatical construction, noting the clauses, searching the logical and temporal connectives.

Table 5

Grammatical Analysis of Luke 23:43

ὅπου	ὅπου is a relative adverb from ὅπου, where
ὁ	ὁ is a definite article nominative masculine singular from ὁ, the.
σκώληξ	σκώληξ is noun nominative masculine singular from σκώληξ, worm
αὐτῶν	αὐτῶν is personal pronoun genitive masculine plural from αὐτός, he, she, it
οὐ	οὐ is a particle from οὐ, no, not.
τελευτᾷ	τελευτᾷ is a verb indicative present active 3rd person singular from τελευτάω, come to an end, die.
καὶ	καὶ is conjunction from καί and, also
τὸ	τὸ is a definite article nominative neuter singular from ὁ the
πῦρ	πῦρ noun nominative neuter singular from πῦρ fire
σβέννυται	σβέννυται is a verb indicative present passive 3rd person singular from σβέννυμι to quench. put out

The expression comprises two clauses. First is ὁ σκώληξ αὐτῶν οὐ τελευτᾷ “where their worm does not die” and second is τὸ πῦρ οὐ σβέννυται “the fire is not quenched.” Both of them are relative clauses which are introduced by a relative adverb and connected by conjunction καὶ “and.” However, they can be categorized as independent clause because they have nucleus: subject-verb-(object). Moreover, the first clause has a definite article ὁ to agree with nominative masculine singular noun σκώληξ and the second clause has article τὸ to agree with nominative neuter singular πῦρ.

The expression is preceded by an adverb ὅπου “where” which functions as conjunctive adverb to the preceding noun γέενναν and also as a reference to a position in space[1] but “mark an indefinite and unrestricted position.”^[2]

The noun σκώληξ “worm,” is in nominative case and functions as a subject to the verb τελευτᾷ “come to an end.”  However even though the noun σκώληξ is singular number, it “does not mean a single worm.”^[3] The pronoun αὐτῶν depicts that the worm is in plural number.

The two clauses are equivalent and independent.[4] The second clause τὸ πῦρ οὐ σβέννυται “the fire is not quenched” is an apposition to the first clause ὁ σκώληξ αὐτῶν οὐ τελευτᾷ “where their worm does not die.”

The expression has two verbs and both of them are present indicative. Robert Morris states that a verb in present tense is “a reference to what is happening at the time of the speaking or recording what is happening.”^[5] However, analyzing the syntax of the text shows that they are not a customary present but gnomic present. It is a verb that describing a general statement. Daniel Wallace states that if a “customary present refers to a regularly recurring action, the gnomic present refers to a general, timeless fact.”[6]

Even though they have the same tenses, but their voices are different. The first verb τελευτᾷ is active voice and the second verb σβέννυται is passive. It means that in the first clause the subject describes an action and in the second clause indicates that the subject receives the action. Thus, in the first clause σκώληξ is doing an action meanwhile in the second clause the noun πῦρ “fire” is the object which receives the action by an agent.

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[1] The adverb ὅπου has at least four functions. It can function as a reference to a position in space, a relative reference to a set of circumstances, a marker of cause or reason (with special reference to a set of relevant circumstances), and markers of an area of activity which bears some relation to something else. For more discussions, see Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament : Based on Semantic Domains, electronic ed. of the 2nd edition. (New York: United Bible societies, 1996), 1:712, 777, 781, 816.

^[2]Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament : Based on Semantic Domains, electronic ed. of the 2nd edition. (New York: United Bible societies, 1996, c1989), 1:712, 777, 781, 816.

^[3]Robert G. Bratcher and Eugene Albert Nida, A Handbook on the Gospel of Mark, Originally Published: A Translator's Handbook on the Gospel of Mark, 1961., UBS handbook series; Helps for translators (New York: United Bible Societies, 1993], c1961), 304.

[4] An independent clause is a clause that is not subordinate to another clause. For more discussion of the clause syntax see Daniel B. Wallace, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics - Exegetical Syntax of the New Testament (Zondervan Publishing House and Galaxie Software, 1999; 2002), 657-665.

^[5]Robert L. Morris, Hellenika A Beginning Greek Textbook Based on The Koine Greek of the New Testament (Indiana: Bethel College, 2005), 30.

[6] Daniel B. Wallace, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics - Exegetical Syntax of the New Testament (Zondervan Publishing House and Galaxie Software, 2002), 523.