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Selected Verse: Isaiah 66:24 - Strong Concordance

Verse	Translation	Text
Isa 66:24	Strong Concordance	And they shall go forth [03318], and look [07200] upon the carcases [06297] of the men [0582] that have transgressed [06586] against me: for their worm [08438] shall not die [04191], neither shall their fire [0784] be quenched [03518]; and they shall be an abhorring [01860] unto all flesh [01320].
	King James	And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases 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.

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A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]
go forth, and look--as the Israelites looked at the carcasses of the Egyptians destroyed at the Red Sea (Exo 14:30; compare Isa 26:14-19; Psa 58:10; Psa 49:14; Mal 4:1-3). carcasses, &c.-- (Isa 66:16), those slain by the Lord in the last great battle near Jerusalem (Zac 12:2-9; Zac 14:2-4); type of the final destruction of all sinners. worm . . . not die-- (Mar 9:44, Mar 9:46, Mar 9:48). Image of hell, from bodies left unburied in the valley of Hinnom (whence comes Gehenna, or "hell"), south of Jerusalem, where a perpetual fire was kept to consume the refuse thrown there (Isa 30:33). It shall not be inconsistent with true love for the godly to look with satisfaction on God's vengeance on the wicked (Rev 14:10). May God bless this Commentary, and especially its solemn close, to His glory, and to the edification of the writer and the readers of it, for Jesus' sake!

A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]

go forth, and look--as the Israelites looked at the carcasses of the Egyptians destroyed at the Red Sea (Exo 14:30; compare Isa 26:14-19; Psa 58:10; Psa 49:14; Mal 4:1-3).

carcasses, &c.-- (Isa 66:16), those slain by the Lord in the last great battle near Jerusalem (Zac 12:2-9; Zac 14:2-4); type of the final destruction of all sinners.

worm . . . not die-- (Mar 9:44, Mar 9:46, Mar 9:48). Image of hell, from bodies left unburied in the valley of Hinnom (whence comes Gehenna, or "hell"), south of Jerusalem, where a perpetual fire was kept to consume the refuse thrown there (Isa 30:33). It shall not be inconsistent with true love for the godly to look with satisfaction on God's vengeance on the wicked (Rev 14:10). May God bless this Commentary, and especially its solemn close, to His glory, and to the edification of the writer and the readers of it, for Jesus' sake!

Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834]
And they shall go forth - The sense of this verse evidently is, that the pious and happy worshippers of God shall see the punishment which he will execute on his and their foes, or shall see them finally destroyed. It refers to the time when the kingdom of God shall be finally and perpetually established, and when all the mighty enemies of that kingdom shall be subdued and punished. The image is probably taken from a scene where a people whose lands have been desolated by mighty armies are permitted to go forth after a decisive battle to walk over the fields of the slain, and to see the dead and the putrifying bodies of their once formidable enemies. And look upon the carcasses of the men - The dead bodies of the foes of God (see Isa 66:15-16). For their worm shall not die - This image is evidently taken from the condition of unburied bodies, and especially on a battlefield. The Hebrew word (תולע tôlâ‛) properly refers to the worms which are generated in such corrupting bodies (see Exo 16:20; the notes at Isa 14:11). It is sometimes applied to the worm from which the crimson or deep scarlet color was obtained (the notes at Isa 1:18); but it more properly denotes that which is produced in putrid substances. This entire passage is applied by the Saviour to future punishment; and is the fearful image which he employs to denote the final suffering of the wicked in hell. My views on its meaning may be seen in the notes at Mar 9:44, Mar 9:46. Neither shall their fire be quenched - The fire that shall consume them shall burn perpetually. This image is taken evidently from the fires kindled, especially in the valley of Hinnom, to consume puffed and decaying substances. That was a valley on the south side of Jerusalem, into which the filth of the city was thrown. It was the place where, formerly, an image of brass was raised to Moloch, and where children were offered in sacrifice Kg2 16:3; Ch2 28:3. See a description of this in the notes at Mat 5:22. This place was subsequently regarded as a place of special abomination by the Jews. The filth of the city was thrown there, and it became extremely offensive. The air was polluted and pestilential; the sight was terrific; and to preserve it in any manner pure, it was necessary to keep fires continually burning there. The extreme loathsomeness of the place, the filth and putrefaction, the corruption of the atmosphere, and the lurid fires blazing by day and by night, made it subsequently one of the most appalling and loathsome objects with which a Jew was acquainted. It was called the gehenna of fire, and was the image which the Saviour often employed to denote the future punishment of the wicked. In that deep and loathsome vale it seems to have been the common expectation of the Jews that some great battle would be fought which would establish the supremacy of their nation over all others. Hence, the Chaldee renders this, 'They shall go forth, and shall look upon the dead bodies of the sinners who have rebelled against my word; because their souls shall not die, and their fire shall not be extinguished; and the wicked shall be judged in Gehenna (בגיהנם begēyhı̂nâm from גי gay and הנם hinnôm, hence coming down into Greek as γέεννα geenna), until the righteous shall say, We have seen enough.' It is, however, by no means certain that Isaiah refers here especially to the valley of Hinnom. The image in his mind is evidently that of a vast army slain, and left to putrify on the field unburied, and where fires would be kindled in part to consume the heaps of the slain, and in part to save the air from pestilential influences, All the enemies of God and his church would be like such a vast host strewed on the plains, and the perpetuity of his kingdom would be finally established. And they shall be an abhorring - An object of loathing. So the Hebrew word דראון dêrâ'ôn, means. It is derived from דרא dârâ', an obsolete root, signifying, in Arabic, to thrust away, to repel. Jerome renders it, Ad satietatem visionis - understanding by it, that all flesh should look upon those dead bodies Until they were satisfied. The Septuagint, Εἰς ὅρασιν Eis horasin - 'For a vision;' or that all flesh might look upon them. It is evident that the Septuagint reads the word as if it were derived from the verb ראה râ'âh), "to see." Unto all flesh - (See Isa 66:23). The sense is, that so entire would be their overthrow, and such objects of loathing would they become, that all the friends of God would turn from them in abhorrence. All the enemies of God would be destroyed; the pure religion would triumph, and the people of God would be secure. It may be made a question, perhaps, to what period this refers. The Saviour Mar 9:44, Mar 9:46, applied the language to the future punishment of the wicked, and no one, I think, can doubt that in Isaiah it includes that consummation of worldly affairs. The radical and essential idea in the prophet is, as it seems to me, that such would be the entire overthrow and punishment of the enemies of God; so condign their punishment; so deep their sufferings; so loathsome and hateful would they be when visited with the divine vengeance for their sins, that they would be an object of loathing and abhorrence. They would be swept off as unworthy to live with God, and they would be consigned to punishment - loathsome like that of ever gnawing worms on the carcasses of the slain, and interminable and dreadful like everconsuming and extinguishable fires. This is the consummation of the series of bright visions that passed before the mind of Isaiah, and is an appropriate termination of this succession of wonderful revelations. Where could it more appropriately close than in the final triumph of the true religion, and in the complete and final destruction of all the enemies of Gods. The vision stretches on to the judgment, and is closed by a contemplation of those scenes which commence there, but which never end. The church is triumphant. Its conflicts cease. Its foes are slain. Its Redeemer is revealed; and its everlasting happiness is founded on a basis which can never be shaken. Here I close my labors in endeavoring to elucidate the visions of this wonderful prophet. I thank God - the source of every right feeling and every holy desire, and the suggester of every plan that will in any way elucidate his word or promote his glory - that he ever inclined my heart to these studies. I thank him for the preservation of my life, and the continuance of my health, until I am permitted to bring this work to a close. I record, with grateful emotions, my deep conviction, that if in any way I have been enabled to explain that which was before dark; to illustrate that which was obscure; or to present any views which have not before occurred to those who may peruse this work, it is owing to the gracious influences of his Holy Spirit. And I desire to render thanks to the Great Source of light and truth, if I have been enabled to throw any light on the prophecies recorded here more than 2500 years ago; or to confirm the faith of any in the truth of the inspiration of the Bible by tracing the evidences of the fulfillment of those predictions. And I now commend the work to the blessing of God, and devote it to the glory of his name and to the advancement of the Redeemer's kingdom, with a humble prayer that it may be useful to other minds; but with the deep conviction, that whatever may be its effect on other minds, I have been abundantly compensated for all my labor in the contemplation of the inimitable beauties, and the sublime visions of Isaiah. thanks to God for this book; thanks for all its beauties, its consolations, its promises, its views of the Messiah, its predictions of the certain triumph of truth, and its glowing descriptions of the future conquest of the church, when God shall extend to it 'peace like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream.' Come soon that blessed day, when 'the ransomed of the Lord shall return to Zion, with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads' Isa 35:10; when 'the wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose' Isa 35:1; and when it shall be announced to the church, 'thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself, for Yahweh shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended' Isa 60:20. May I be permitted to close my labors on this book in the beautiful language of Vitringa? 'These words Isa 66:23-24 express the final doom of the two opposite classes of people, the righteous and the wicked, when, after various preparatory judgments of God, the fates of all ages, and our own also, shall be determined; with which also this divine book of Isaiah itself is terminated. Be it our lot, with those who are holy; with those who fear God and love the truth; with the humble, meek, and merciful, and with those who persevere in every good work to the end of life, from the gracious sentence of our great Lord, Saviour, and Judge, Jesus Christ, to obtain, by the will of the Father, the same portion with them. In which hope, I also, now deeply affected, and prostrate before his throne, give humble thanks to God the Father, and his Son Christ Jesus, through the Spirit, for the grace and light with which he has endowed me, his unworthy servant, in commencing and completing the commentary on this book; entreating, with earnest prayer, of his grace and mercy, that, pardoning those errors into which erroneously I may have fallen, he will employ this work, such as it is, to the glory of his name, the use of the church, and the consolation of his people; and to Him be the glory throughout all ages.'

Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834]

And they shall go forth - The sense of this verse evidently is, that the pious and happy worshippers of God shall see the punishment which he will execute on his and their foes, or shall see them finally destroyed. It refers to the time when the kingdom of God shall be finally and perpetually established, and when all the mighty enemies of that kingdom shall be subdued and punished. The image is probably taken from a scene where a people whose lands have been desolated by mighty armies are permitted to go forth after a decisive battle to walk over the fields of the slain, and to see the dead and the putrifying bodies of their once formidable enemies.

And look upon the carcasses of the men - The dead bodies of the foes of God (see Isa 66:15-16).

For their worm shall not die - This image is evidently taken from the condition of unburied bodies, and especially on a battlefield. The Hebrew word (תולע tôlâ‛) properly refers to the worms which are generated in such corrupting bodies (see Exo 16:20; the notes at Isa 14:11). It is sometimes applied to the worm from which the crimson or deep scarlet color was obtained (the notes at Isa 1:18); but it more properly denotes that which is produced in putrid substances. This entire passage is applied by the Saviour to future punishment; and is the fearful image which he employs to denote the final suffering of the wicked in hell. My views on its meaning may be seen in the notes at Mar 9:44, Mar 9:46.

Neither shall their fire be quenched - The fire that shall consume them shall burn perpetually. This image is taken evidently from the fires kindled, especially in the valley of Hinnom, to consume puffed and decaying substances. That was a valley on the south side of Jerusalem, into which the filth of the city was thrown. It was the place where, formerly, an image of brass was raised to Moloch, and where children were offered in sacrifice Kg2 16:3; Ch2 28:3. See a description of this in the notes at Mat 5:22. This place was subsequently regarded as a place of special abomination by the Jews. The filth of the city was thrown there, and it became extremely offensive. The air was polluted and pestilential; the sight was terrific; and to preserve it in any manner pure, it was necessary to keep fires continually burning there. The extreme loathsomeness of the place, the filth and putrefaction, the corruption of the atmosphere, and the lurid fires blazing by day and by night, made it subsequently one of the most appalling and loathsome objects with which a Jew was acquainted.

It was called the gehenna of fire, and was the image which the Saviour often employed to denote the future punishment of the wicked. In that deep and loathsome vale it seems to have been the common expectation of the Jews that some great battle would be fought which would establish the supremacy of their nation over all others. Hence, the Chaldee renders this, 'They shall go forth, and shall look upon the dead bodies of the sinners who have rebelled against my word; because their souls shall not die, and their fire shall not be extinguished; and the wicked shall be judged in Gehenna (בגיהנם begēyhı̂nâm from גי gay and הנם hinnôm, hence coming down into Greek as γέεννα geenna), until the righteous shall say, We have seen enough.' It is, however, by no means certain that Isaiah refers here especially to the valley of Hinnom. The image in his mind is evidently that of a vast army slain, and left to putrify on the field unburied, and where fires would be kindled in part to consume the heaps of the slain, and in part to save the air from pestilential influences, All the enemies of God and his church would be like such a vast host strewed on the plains, and the perpetuity of his kingdom would be finally established.

And they shall be an abhorring - An object of loathing. So the Hebrew word דראון dêrâ'ôn, means. It is derived from דרא dârâ', an obsolete root, signifying, in Arabic, to thrust away, to repel. Jerome renders it, Ad satietatem visionis - understanding by it, that all flesh should look upon those dead bodies Until they were satisfied. The Septuagint, Εἰς ὅρασιν Eis horasin - 'For a vision;' or that all flesh might look upon them. It is evident that the Septuagint reads the word as if it were derived from the verb ראה râ'âh), "to see."

Unto all flesh - (See Isa 66:23). The sense is, that so entire would be their overthrow, and such objects of loathing would they become, that all the friends of God would turn from them in abhorrence. All the enemies of God would be destroyed; the pure religion would triumph, and the people of God would be secure.

It may be made a question, perhaps, to what period this refers. The Saviour Mar 9:44, Mar 9:46, applied the language to the future punishment of the wicked, and no one, I think, can doubt that in Isaiah it includes that consummation of worldly affairs. The radical and essential idea in the prophet is, as it seems to me, that such would be the entire overthrow and punishment of the enemies of God; so condign their punishment; so deep their sufferings; so loathsome and hateful would they be when visited with the divine vengeance for their sins, that they would be an object of loathing and abhorrence. They would be swept off as unworthy to live with God, and they would be consigned to punishment - loathsome like that of ever gnawing worms on the carcasses of the slain, and interminable and dreadful like everconsuming and extinguishable fires.

This is the consummation of the series of bright visions that passed before the mind of Isaiah, and is an appropriate termination of this succession of wonderful revelations. Where could it more appropriately close than in the final triumph of the true religion, and in the complete and final destruction of all the enemies of Gods. The vision stretches on to the judgment, and is closed by a contemplation of those scenes which commence there, but which never end. The church is triumphant. Its conflicts cease. Its foes are slain. Its Redeemer is revealed; and its everlasting happiness is founded on a basis which can never be shaken.

Here I close my labors in endeavoring to elucidate the visions of this wonderful prophet. I thank God - the source of every right feeling and every holy desire, and the suggester of every plan that will in any way elucidate his word or promote his glory - that he ever inclined my heart to these studies. I thank him for the preservation of my life, and the continuance of my health, until I am permitted to bring this work to a close. I record, with grateful emotions, my deep conviction, that if in any way I have been enabled to explain that which was before dark; to illustrate that which was obscure; or to present any views which have not before occurred to those who may peruse this work, it is owing to the gracious influences of his Holy Spirit. And I desire to render thanks to the Great Source of light and truth, if I have been enabled to throw any light on the prophecies recorded here more than 2500 years ago; or to confirm the faith of any in the truth of the inspiration of the Bible by tracing the evidences of the fulfillment of those predictions.

And I now commend the work to the blessing of God, and devote it to the glory of his name and to the advancement of the Redeemer's kingdom, with a humble prayer that it may be useful to other minds; but with the deep conviction, that whatever may be its effect on other minds, I have been abundantly compensated for all my labor in the contemplation of the inimitable beauties, and the sublime visions of Isaiah. thanks to God for this book; thanks for all its beauties, its consolations, its promises, its views of the Messiah, its predictions of the certain triumph of truth, and its glowing descriptions of the future conquest of the church, when God shall extend to it 'peace like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream.' Come soon that blessed day, when 'the ransomed of the Lord shall return to Zion, with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads' Isa 35:10; when 'the wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose' Isa 35:1; and when it shall be announced to the church, 'thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself, for Yahweh shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended' Isa 60:20.

May I be permitted to close my labors on this book in the beautiful language of Vitringa? 'These words Isa 66:23-24 express the final doom of the two opposite classes of people, the righteous and the wicked, when, after various preparatory judgments of God, the fates of all ages, and our own also, shall be determined; with which also this divine book of Isaiah itself is terminated.

Be it our lot, with those who are holy; with those who fear God and love the truth; with the humble, meek, and merciful, and with those who persevere in every good work to the end of life, from the gracious sentence of our great Lord, Saviour, and Judge, Jesus Christ, to obtain, by the will of the Father, the same portion with them. In which hope, I also, now deeply affected, and prostrate before his throne, give humble thanks to God the Father, and his Son Christ Jesus, through the Spirit, for the grace and light with which he has endowed me, his unworthy servant, in commencing and completing the commentary on this book; entreating, with earnest prayer, of his grace and mercy, that, pardoning those errors into which erroneously I may have fallen, he will employ this work, such as it is, to the glory of his name, the use of the church, and the consolation of his people; and to Him be the glory throughout all ages.'

Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78]
They who go on pilgrimage to Jerusalem every new moon and Sabbath, see there with their own eyes the terrible punishment of the rebellious. "And they go out and look at the corpses of the men that have rebelled against me, for their worm will not die and their fire will not be quenched, and they become an abomination to all flesh." They perfects are perf. cons. regulated by the foregoing יבוא. ויצאוּ (accented with pashta in our editions, but more correctly with munach) refers to their going out of the holy city. The prophet had predicted in Isa 66:18, that in the last times the whole multitude of the enemies of Jerusalem would be crowded together against it, in the hope of getting possession of it. This accounts for the fact that the neighbourhood of Jerusalem becomes such a scene of divine judgment. בּ ראה always denotes a fixed, lingering look directed to any object; here it is connected with the grateful feeling of satisfaction at the righteous acts of God and their own gracious deliverance. דראון, which only occurs again in Dan 12:2, is the strongest word for "abomination." It is very difficult to imagine the picture which floated before the prophet's mind. How is it possible that all flesh, i.e., all men of all nations, should find room in Jerusalem and the temple? Even if the city and temple should be enlarged, as Ezekiel and Zechariah predict, the thing itself still remains inconceivable. And again, how can corpses be eaten by worms at the same time as they are being burned, or how can they be the endless prey of worms and fire without disappearing altogether from the sight of man? It is perfectly obvious, that the thing itself, as here described, must appear monstrous and inconceivable, however we may suppose it to be realized. The prophet, by the very mode of description adopted by him, precludes the possibility of our conceiving of the thing here set forth as realized in any material form in this present state. He is speaking of the future state, but in figures drawn from the present world. The object of his prediction is no other than the new Jerusalem of the world to come, and the eternal torment of the damned; but the way in which he pictures it, forces us to translate it out of the figures drawn from this life into the realities of the life to come; as has already been done in the apocryphal books of Judith (16:17) and Wisdom (7:17), as well as in the New Testament, e.g., Mar 9:43., with evident reference to this passage. This is just the distinction between the Old Testament and the New, that the Old Testament brings down the life to come to the level of this life, whilst the New Testament lifts up this life to the level of the life to come; that the Old Testament depicts both this life and the life to come as an endless extension of this life, whilst the New Testament depicts is as a continuous line in two halves, the last point in this finite state being the first point of the infinite state beyond; that the Old Testament preserves the continuity of this life and the life to come by transferring the outer side, the form, the appearance of this life to the life to come, the New Testament by making the inner side, the nature, the reality of the life to come, the δυνάμεις με λλοντος αἰῶνος, immanent in this life. The new Jerusalem of our prophet has indeed a new heaven above it and a new earth under it, but it is only the old Jerusalem of earth lifted up to its highest glory and happiness; whereas the new Jerusalem of the Apocalypse comes down from heaven, and is therefore of heavenly nature. In the former dwells the Israel that has been brought back from captivity; in the latter, the risen church of those who are written in the book of life. And whilst our prophet transfers the place in which the rebellious are judged to the neighbourhood of Jerusalem itself; in the Apocalypse, the lake of fire in which the life of the ungodly is consumed, and the abode of God with men, are for ever separated. The Hinnom-valley outside Jerusalem has become Gehenna, and this is no longer within the precincts of the new Jerusalem, because there is no need of any such example to the righteous who are for ever perfect. In the lessons prepared for the synagogue Isa 66:23 is repeated after Isa 66:24, on account of the terrible character of the latter, "so as to close with words of consolation." (Note: Isaiah is therefore regarded as an exception to the rule, that the prophets close their orations ותנחומים שבח בדברי (b. Berachoth 31a), although, on the other hand, this exception is denied by some, on the ground that the words "they shall be an abhorring" apply to the Gentiles (j. Berachoth c. V. Anf. Midras Tillim on Psa 4:8).) But the prophet, who has sealed the first two sections of these prophetic orations with the words, "there is no peace to the wicked," intentionally closes the third section with this terrible picture of their want of peace. The promises have gradually soared into the clear light of the eternal glory, to the new creation in eternity; and the threatenings have sunk down to the depth of eternal torment, which is the eternal foil of the eternal light. More than this we could not expect from our prophet. His threefold book is now concluded. It consists of twenty-seven orations. The central one of the whole, i.e., the fourteenth, is Isaiah 52:13-53:12; so that the cross forms the centre of this prophetic trilogy. Per crucem ad lucem is its watchword. The self-sacrifice of the Servant of Jehovah lays the foundation for a new Israel, a new human race, a new heaven and a new earth.

Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78]

They who go on pilgrimage to Jerusalem every new moon and Sabbath, see there with their own eyes the terrible punishment of the rebellious. "And they go out and look at the corpses of the men that have rebelled against me, for their worm will not die and their fire will not be quenched, and they become an abomination to all flesh." They perfects are perf. cons. regulated by the foregoing יבוא. ויצאוּ (accented with pashta in our editions, but more correctly with munach) refers to their going out of the holy city. The prophet had predicted in Isa 66:18, that in the last times the whole multitude of the enemies of Jerusalem would be crowded together against it, in the hope of getting possession of it. This accounts for the fact that the neighbourhood of Jerusalem becomes such a scene of divine judgment. בּ ראה always denotes a fixed, lingering look directed to any object; here it is connected with the grateful feeling of satisfaction at the righteous acts of God and their own gracious deliverance. דראון, which only occurs again in Dan 12:2, is the strongest word for "abomination." It is very difficult to imagine the picture which floated before the prophet's mind. How is it possible that all flesh, i.e., all men of all nations, should find room in Jerusalem and the temple? Even if the city and temple should be enlarged, as Ezekiel and Zechariah predict, the thing itself still remains inconceivable. And again, how can corpses be eaten by worms at the same time as they are being burned, or how can they be the endless prey of worms and fire without disappearing altogether from the sight of man? It is perfectly obvious, that the thing itself, as here described, must appear monstrous and inconceivable, however we may suppose it to be realized. The prophet, by the very mode of description adopted by him, precludes the possibility of our conceiving of the thing here set forth as realized in any material form in this present state. He is speaking of the future state, but in figures drawn from the present world. The object of his prediction is no other than the new Jerusalem of the world to come, and the eternal torment of the damned; but the way in which he pictures it, forces us to translate it out of the figures drawn from this life into the realities of the life to come; as has already been done in the apocryphal books of Judith (16:17) and Wisdom (7:17), as well as in the New Testament, e.g., Mar 9:43., with evident reference to this passage. This is just the distinction between the Old Testament and the New, that the Old Testament brings down the life to come to the level of this life, whilst the New Testament lifts up this life to the level of the life to come; that the Old Testament depicts both this life and the life to come as an endless extension of this life, whilst the New Testament depicts is as a continuous line in two halves, the last point in this finite state being the first point of the infinite state beyond; that the Old Testament preserves the continuity of this life and the life to come by transferring the outer side, the form, the appearance of this life to the life to come, the New Testament by making the inner side, the nature, the reality of the life to come, the δυνάμεις με λλοντος αἰῶνος, immanent in this life. The new Jerusalem of our prophet has indeed a new heaven above it and a new earth under it, but it is only the old Jerusalem of earth lifted up to its highest glory and happiness; whereas the new Jerusalem of the Apocalypse comes down from heaven, and is therefore of heavenly nature. In the former dwells the Israel that has been brought back from captivity; in the latter, the risen church of those who are written in the book of life. And whilst our prophet transfers the place in which the rebellious are judged to the neighbourhood of Jerusalem itself; in the Apocalypse, the lake of fire in which the life of the ungodly is consumed, and the abode of God with men, are for ever separated. The Hinnom-valley outside Jerusalem has become Gehenna, and this is no longer within the precincts of the new Jerusalem, because there is no need of any such example to the righteous who are for ever perfect.

In the lessons prepared for the synagogue Isa 66:23 is repeated after Isa 66:24, on account of the terrible character of the latter, "so as to close with words of consolation."

(Note: Isaiah is therefore regarded as an exception to the rule, that the prophets close their orations ותנחומים שבח בדברי (b. Berachoth 31a), although, on the other hand, this exception is denied by some, on the ground that the words "they shall be an abhorring" apply to the Gentiles (j. Berachoth c. V. Anf. Midras Tillim on Psa 4:8).)

But the prophet, who has sealed the first two sections of these prophetic orations with the words, "there is no peace to the wicked," intentionally closes the third section with this terrible picture of their want of peace. The promises have gradually soared into the clear light of the eternal glory, to the new creation in eternity; and the threatenings have sunk down to the depth of eternal torment, which is the eternal foil of the eternal light. More than this we could not expect from our prophet. His threefold book is now concluded. It consists of twenty-seven orations. The central one of the whole, i.e., the fourteenth, is Isaiah 52:13-53:12; so that the cross forms the centre of this prophetic trilogy. Per crucem ad lucem is its watchword. The self-sacrifice of the Servant of Jehovah lays the foundation for a new Israel, a new human race, a new heaven and a new earth.

Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826
For their worm shall not die - These words of the prophet are applied by our blessed Savior, Mar 9:44, to express the everlasting punishment of the wicked in Gehenna, or in hell. Gehenna, or the valley of Hinnom, was very near to Jerusalem to the south-east: it was the place where the idolatrous Jews celebrated that horrible rite of making their children pass through the fire, that is, of burning them in sacrifice to Moloch. To put a stop to this abominable practice, Josiah defiled, or desecrated, the place, by filling it with human bones, Kg2 23:10, Kg2 23:14; and probably it was the custom afterwards to throw out the carcasses of animals there, when it also became the common burying place for the poorer people of Jerusalem. Our Savior expressed the state of the blessed by sensible images; such as paradise, Abraham's bosom, or, which is the same thing, a place to recline next to Abraham at table in the kingdom of heaven. See Mat 8:11. Coenabat Nerva cum paucis. Veiento proxies, atque etiam in sinu recumbebat. "The Emperor Nerva supped with few. Veiento was the first in his estimation, and even reclined in his bosom." Plin. Epist. 4:22. Compare Joh 13:23; for we could not possibly have any conception of it but by analogy from worldly objects. In like manner he expressed the place of torment under the image of Gehenna; and the punishment of the wicked by the worm which there preyed on the carcasses, and the fire that consumed the wretched victims. Marking however, in the strongest manner, the difference between Gehenna and the invisible place of torment; namely, that in the former the suffering is transient: - the worm itself which preys upon the body, dies; and the fire which totally consumes it, is soon extinguished: - whereas in the figurative Gehenna the instruments of punishment shall be everlasting, and the suffering without end; "for there the worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." These emblematical images, expressing heaven and hell, were in use among the Jews before our Savior's time; and in using them he complied with their notions. "Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God," says the Jew to our Savior, Luk 14:15. And in regard to Gehenna, the Chaldee paraphrase as I observed before on Isa 30:33, renders everlasting or continual burnings by "the Gehenna of everlasting fire." And before his time the son of Sirach, 7:17, had said, "The vengeance of the ungodly is fire and worms." So likewise the author of the book of Judith, chap. 16:17: "Wo to the nations rising up against my kindred: the Lord Almighty will take vengeance of them in the day of judgment, in putting fire and worms in their flesh;" manifestly referring to the same emblem. - L. Kimchi's conclusion of his notes on this book is remarkable: - "Blessed be God who hath created the mountains and the hills, And hath endued me with strength to finish the book of salvation: He shall rejoice us with good tidings and reports; He shall show us a token for good: - And the end of his miracles he shall cause to approach us." Several of the Versions have a peculiarity in their terminations: - And they shall be to a satiety of sight to all flesh. Vulgate. And thei schul ben into fyllyng of sigt to all fleshe. Old MS. Bible. And they shall be as a vision to all flesh. Septuagint. And the wicked shall be punished in hell till the righteous shall say, - It is enough. Chaldee. They shall be an astonishment to all flesh; So that they shall be a spectacle to all beings. Syriac. The end of the prophecy of Isaiah the prophet. Praise to God who is truly praiseworthy. Arabic. One of my old Hebrew MSS. after the twenty-first verse repeats the twenty-third: "And it shall come to pass that from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord."

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¹⁰ The same [846] [2532] shall drink [4095] of [1537] the wine [3631] of the wrath [2372] of God [2316], which [3588] is poured out [2767] without mixture [194] into [1722] the cup [4221] of his [846] indignation [3709]; and [2532] he shall be tormented [928] with [1722] fire [4442] and [2532] brimstone [2303] in the presence [1799] of the holy [40] angels [32], and [2532] in the presence [1799] of the Lamb [721]:

³³ For Tophet [08613] is ordained [06186] of old [0865]; yea, for the king [04428] it is prepared [03559]; he hath made it deep [06009] and large [07337]: the pile [04071] thereof is fire [0784] and much [07235] wood [06086]; the breath [05397] of the LORD [03068], like a stream [05158] of brimstone [01614], doth kindle [01197] it.

⁴⁸ Where [3699] their [846] worm [4663] dieth [5053] not [3756], and [2532] the fire [4442] is [4570] not [3756] quenched [4570].

⁴⁶ Where [3699] their [846] worm [4663] dieth [5053] not [3756], and [2532] the fire [4442] is [4570] not [3756] quenched [4570].

⁴⁴ Where [3699] their [846] worm [4663] dieth [5053] not [3756], and [2532] the fire [4442] is [4570] not [3756] quenched [4570].

² For I will gather [0622] all nations [01471] against Jerusalem [03389] to battle [04421]; and the city [05892] shall be taken [03920], and the houses [01004] rifled [08155], and the women [0802] ravished [07901] [07693]; and half [02677] of the city [05892] shall go forth [03318] into captivity [01473], and the residue [03499] of the people [05971] shall not be cut off [03772] from the city [05892].
³ Then shall the LORD [03068] go forth [03318], and fight [03898] against those nations [01471], as when [03117] he fought [03898] in the day [03117] of battle [07128].
⁴ And his feet [07272] shall stand [05975] in that day [03117] upon the mount [02022] of Olives [02132], which is before [06440] Jerusalem [03389] on the east [06924], and the mount [02022] of Olives [02132] shall cleave [01234] in the midst [02677] thereof toward the east [04217] and toward the west [03220], and there shall be a very [03966] great [01419] valley [01516]; and half [02677] of the mountain [02022] shall remove [04185] toward the north [06828], and half [02677] of it toward the south [05045].

² Behold, I will make [07760] Jerusalem [03389] a cup [05592] of trembling [07478] unto all the people [05971] round about [05439], when they shall be in the siege [04692] both against Judah [03063] and against Jerusalem [03389].
³ And in that day [03117] will I make [07760] Jerusalem [03389] a burdensome [04614] stone [068] for all people [05971]: all that burden [06006] themselves with it shall be cut in pieces [08295] [08295], though all the people [01471] of the earth [0776] be gathered together [0622] against it.
⁴ In that day [03117], saith [05002] the LORD [03068], I will smite [05221] every horse [05483] with astonishment [08541], and his rider [07392] with madness [07697]: and I will open [06491] mine eyes [05869] upon the house [01004] of Judah [03063], and will smite [05221] every horse [05483] of the people [05971] with blindness [05788].
⁵ And the governors [0441] of Judah [03063] shall say [0559] in their heart [03820], The inhabitants [03427] of Jerusalem [03389] shall be my strength [0556] in the LORD [03068] of hosts [06635] their God [0430].
⁶ In that day [03117] will I make [07760] the governors [0441] of Judah [03063] like an hearth [03595] of fire [0784] among the wood [06086], and like a torch [03940] of fire [0784] in a sheaf [05995]; and they shall devour [0398] all the people [05971] round about [05439], on the right hand [03225] and on the left [08040]: and Jerusalem [03389] shall be inhabited [03427] again in her own place, even in Jerusalem [03389].
⁷ The LORD [03068] also shall save [03467] the tents [0168] of Judah [03063] first [07223], that the glory [08597] of the house [01004] of David [01732] and the glory [08597] of the inhabitants [03427] of Jerusalem [03389] do not magnify [01431] themselves against Judah [03063].
⁸ In that day [03117] shall the LORD [03068] defend [01598] the inhabitants [03427] of Jerusalem [03389]; and he that is feeble [03782] among them at that day [03117] shall be as David [01732]; and the house [01004] of David [01732] shall be as God [0430], as the angel [04397] of the LORD [03068] before [06440] them.
⁹ And it shall come to pass in that day [03117], that I will seek [01245] to destroy [08045] all the nations [01471] that come [0935] against Jerusalem [03389].

¹⁶ For by fire [0784] and by his sword [02719] will the LORD [03068] plead [08199] with all flesh [01320]: and the slain [02491] of the LORD [03068] shall be many [07231].

¹ For, behold, the day [03117] cometh [0935], that shall burn [01197] as an oven [08574]; and all the proud [02086], yea, and all that do [06213] wickedly [07564], shall be stubble [07179]: and the day [03117] that cometh [0935] shall burn them up [03857], saith [0559] the LORD [03068] of hosts [06635], that it shall leave [05800] them neither root [08328] nor branch [06057].
² But unto you that fear [03373] my name [08034] shall the Sun [08121] of righteousness [06666] arise [02224] with healing [04832] in his wings [03671]; and ye shall go forth [03318], and grow up [06335] as calves [05695] of the stall [04770].
³ And ye shall tread down [06072] the wicked [07563]; for they shall be ashes [0665] under the soles [03709] of your feet [07272] in the day [03117] that I shall do [06213] this, saith [0559] the LORD [03068] of hosts [06635].

¹⁴ Like sheep [06629] they are laid [08371] in the grave [07585]; death [04194] shall feed [07462] on them; and the upright [03477] shall have dominion [07287] over them in the morning [01242]; and their beauty [06697] [06736] shall consume [01086] in the grave [07585] from their dwelling [02073].

¹⁰ The righteous [06662] shall rejoice [08055] when he seeth [02372] the vengeance [05359]: he shall wash [07364] his feet [06471] in the blood [01818] of the wicked [07563].

¹⁴ They are dead [04191], they shall not live [02421]; they are deceased [07496], they shall not rise [06965]: therefore hast thou visited [06485] and destroyed [08045] them, and made all their memory [02143] to perish [06].
¹⁵ Thou hast increased [03254] the nation [01471], O LORD [03068], thou hast increased [03254] the nation [01471]: thou art glorified [03513]: thou hadst removed it far [07368] unto all the ends [07099] of the earth [0776].
¹⁶ LORD [03068], in trouble [06862] have they visited [06485] thee, they poured out [06694] a prayer [03908] when thy chastening [04148] was upon them.
¹⁷ Like [03644] as a woman with child [02030], that draweth near [07126] the time of her delivery [03205], is in pain [02342], and crieth out [02199] in her pangs [02256]; so have we been in thy sight [06440], O LORD [03068].
¹⁸ We have been with child [02029], we have been in pain [02342], we have as it were [03644] brought forth [03205] wind [07307]; we have not wrought [06213] any deliverance [03444] in the earth [0776]; neither [01077] have the inhabitants [03427] of the world [08398] fallen [05307].
¹⁹ Thy dead [04191] men shall live [02421], together with my dead body [05038] shall they arise [06965]. Awake [06974] and sing [07442], ye that dwell [07931] in dust [06083]: for thy dew [02919] is as the dew [02919] of herbs [0219], and the earth [0776] shall cast out [05307] the dead [07496].

³⁰ Thus the LORD [03068] saved [03467] Israel [03478] that day [03117] out of the hand [03027] of the Egyptians [04714]; and Israel [03478] saw [07200] the Egyptians [04714] dead [04191] upon the sea [03220] shore [08193].

²³ And it shall come to pass, that from [01767] one new moon [02320] to another [02320], and from [01767] one sabbath [07676] to another [07676], shall all flesh [01320] come [0935] to worship [07812] before [06440] me, saith [0559] the LORD [03068].
²⁴ And they shall go forth [03318], and look [07200] upon the carcases [06297] of the men [0582] that have transgressed [06586] against me: for their worm [08438] shall not die [04191], neither shall their fire [0784] be quenched [03518]; and they shall be an abhorring [01860] unto all flesh [01320].

²⁰ Thy sun [08121] shall no more go down [0935]; neither shall thy moon [03391] withdraw [0622] itself: for the LORD [03068] shall be thine everlasting [05769] light [0216], and the days [03117] of thy mourning [060] shall be ended [07999].

¹ The wilderness [04057] and the solitary place [06723] shall be glad [07797] for them; and the desert [06160] shall rejoice [01523], and blossom [06524] as the rose [02261].

¹⁰ And the ransomed [06299] of the LORD [03068] shall return [07725], and come [0935] to Zion [06726] with songs [07440] and everlasting [05769] joy [08057] upon their heads [07218]: they shall obtain [05381] joy [08057] and gladness [08342], and sorrow [03015] and sighing [0585] shall flee away [05127].

⁴⁶ Where [3699] their [846] worm [4663] dieth [5053] not [3756], and [2532] the fire [4442] is [4570] not [3756] quenched [4570].

⁴⁴ Where [3699] their [846] worm [4663] dieth [5053] not [3756], and [2532] the fire [4442] is [4570] not [3756] quenched [4570].

²² But [1161] I [1473] say [3004] unto you [5213], That [3754] whosoever [3956] is angry [3710] with his [846] brother [80] without a cause [1500] shall be [2071] in danger [1777] of the judgment [2920]: and [1161] whosoever [3739] [302] shall say [2036] to his [846] brother [80], Raca [4469], shall be [2071] in danger [1777] of the council [4892]: but [1161] whosoever [3739] [302] shall say [2036], Thou fool [3474], shall be [2071] in danger [1777] of [1519] hell [1067] fire [4442].

³ Moreover he burnt incense [06999] in the valley [01516] of the son [01121] of Hinnom [02011], and burnt [01197] his children [01121] in the fire [0784], after the abominations [08441] of the heathen [01471] whom the LORD [03068] had cast out [03423] before [06440] the children [01121] of Israel [03478].

³ But he walked [03212] in the way [01870] of the kings [04428] of Israel [03478], yea, and made his son [01121] to pass through [05674] the fire [0784], according to the abominations [08441] of the heathen [01471], whom the LORD [03068] cast out [03423] from before [06440] the children [01121] of Israel [03478].

⁴⁶ Where [3699] their [846] worm [4663] dieth [5053] not [3756], and [2532] the fire [4442] is [4570] not [3756] quenched [4570].

⁴⁴ Where [3699] their [846] worm [4663] dieth [5053] not [3756], and [2532] the fire [4442] is [4570] not [3756] quenched [4570].

¹⁸ Come now [03212], and let us reason together [03198], saith [0559] the LORD [03068]: though your sins [02399] be as scarlet [08144], they shall be as white [03835] as snow [07950]; though they be red [0119] like crimson [08438], they shall be as wool [06785].

¹¹ Thy pomp [01347] is brought down [03381] to the grave [07585], and the noise [01998] of thy viols [05035]: the worm [07415] is spread [03331] under thee, and the worms [08438] cover [04374] thee.

²⁰ Notwithstanding they hearkened [08085] not unto Moses [04872]; but some [0582] of them left [03498] of it until the morning [01242], and it bred [07311] worms [08438], and stank [0887]: and Moses [04872] was wroth [07107] with them.

¹⁵ For, behold, the LORD [03068] will come [0935] with fire [0784], and with his chariots [04818] like a whirlwind [05492], to render [07725] his anger [0639] with fury [02534], and his rebuke [01606] with flames [03851] of fire [0784].
¹⁶ For by fire [0784] and by his sword [02719] will the LORD [03068] plead [08199] with all flesh [01320]: and the slain [02491] of the LORD [03068] shall be many [07231].

⁸ I will both [03162] lay me down [07901] in peace [07965], and sleep [03462]: for thou, LORD [03068], only [0910] makest me dwell [03427] in safety [0983].

²⁴ And they shall go forth [03318], and look [07200] upon the carcases [06297] of the men [0582] that have transgressed [06586] against me: for their worm [08438] shall not die [04191], neither shall their fire [0784] be quenched [03518]; and they shall be an abhorring [01860] unto all flesh [01320].

⁴³ And [2532] if [1437] thy [4675] hand [5495] offend [4624] thee [4571], cut [609] it [846] off [609]: it is [2076] better [2570] for thee [4671] to enter [1525] into [1519] life [2222] maimed [2948], than [2228] having [2192] two [1417] hands [5495] to go [565] into [1519] hell [1067], into [1519] the fire [4442] that never shall be quenched [762]:

² And many [07227] of them that sleep [03463] in the dust [06083] of the earth [0127] shall awake [06974], some to everlasting [05769] life [02416], and some to shame [02781] and everlasting [05769] contempt [01860].

¹⁸ For I know their works [04639] and their thoughts [04284]: it shall come [0935], that I will gather [06908] all nations [01471] and tongues [03956]; and they shall come [0935], and see [07200] my glory [03519].

¹⁵ And [1161] when one [5100] of them that sat at meat with him [4873] heard [191] these things [5023], he said [2036] unto him [846], Blessed [3107] is he [3739] that shall eat [5315] bread [740] in [1722] the kingdom [932] of God [2316].

²³ Now [1161] there was [2258] leaning [345] on [1722] Jesus [2424]' bosom [2859] one [1520] of his [846] disciples [3101], whom [3739] Jesus [2424] loved [25].

¹¹ And [1161] I say [3004] unto you [5213], That [3754] many [4183] shall come [2240] from [575] the east [395] and [2532] west [1424], and [2532] shall sit down [347] with [3326] Abraham [11], and [2532] Isaac [2464], and [2532] Jacob [2384], in [1722] the kingdom [932] of heaven [3772].

¹⁴ And he brake in pieces [07665] the images [04676], and cut down [03772] the groves [0842], and filled [04390] their places [04725] with the bones [06106] of men [0120].

¹⁰ And he defiled [02930] Topheth [08612], which is in the valley [01516] of the children [01121] [01121] of Hinnom [02011], that no man [0376] might make his son [01121] or his daughter [01323] to pass through [05674] the fire [0784] to Molech [04432].

⁴⁴ Where [3699] their [846] worm [4663] dieth [5053] not [3756], and [2532] the fire [4442] is [4570] not [3756] quenched [4570].