As they go forthThis phrase suggests a movement or transition, possibly indicating the people of God leaving a place of worship or judgment. In the context of
Isaiah 66, it follows a description of God's final judgment and the establishment of a new order. The imagery of "going forth" can be seen as a transition from the old world to the new, reflecting the eschatological themes present in the latter chapters of Isaiah.
they will see the corpses of the men who have rebelled against Me
This phrase highlights the consequences of rebellion against God. The "corpses" symbolize the ultimate fate of those who oppose God's will. Historically, this can be linked to the fate of the Assyrians and Babylonians, who were judged for their oppression of Israel. Theologically, it serves as a warning of the final judgment, where those who reject God face eternal separation. This imagery is echoed inRevelation 19:17-21, where the defeat of God's enemies is depicted.
for their worm will never die
The "worm" is often interpreted as a symbol of ongoing decay and corruption. This phrase is a vivid depiction of eternal punishment, suggesting a state of perpetual suffering. It is reminiscent of Jesus' words inMark 9:48, where He describes hell as a place "where their worm does not die." This connection underscores the seriousness of rejecting God's authority and the eternal nature of divine judgment.
their fire will never be quenched
Fire is a common biblical symbol for judgment and purification. In this context, it represents the unending nature of God's judgment on the wicked. The imagery of unquenchable fire is also found in the New Testament, particularly inMatthew 3:12 andMark 9:43, reinforcing the concept of eternal punishment for those who oppose God.
and they will be a horror to all mankind
This phrase indicates the universal recognition of God's judgment. The sight of the corpses serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of rebellion, instilling fear and awe in all who witness it. It reflects the broader biblical theme of God's justice being evident to all nations, as seen in passages likeEzekiel 28:19 andRevelation 14:10-11. This serves as both a warning and a call to repentance for humanity.
Persons / Places / Events
1.
The Rebellious MenThese are individuals who have turned against God, rejecting His commands and authority. In the context of Isaiah, they represent those who have consistently opposed God's will.
2.
The CorpsesSymbolic of the ultimate fate of the rebellious, these corpses serve as a stark reminder of the consequences of defying God.
3.
The Worm and the FireThese elements symbolize eternal judgment and destruction. The "worm" and "fire" are metaphors for unending decay and punishment.
4.
All MankindThis refers to the observers who witness the consequences of rebellion against God, serving as a warning to all people.
5.
The New Heavens and New EarthThe broader context of
Isaiah 66 speaks of God's ultimate plan for renewal and restoration, contrasting the fate of the rebellious with the blessings for the faithful.
Teaching Points
The Seriousness of RebellionRebellion against God is not a trivial matter. It leads to severe and eternal consequences, as depicted by the unending worm and fire.
The Reality of Eternal JudgmentThe imagery of
Isaiah 66:24 serves as a sobering reminder of the reality of eternal judgment. It calls believers to take seriously the warnings of Scripture.
A Call to RepentanceThis verse underscores the importance of repentance and turning back to God. It is a call to examine our lives and ensure we are aligned with God's will.
The Hope of RestorationWhile the verse highlights judgment, it is set within a context of hope for those who remain faithful. God's ultimate plan includes renewal and restoration for His people.
Witness to the WorldThe fate of the rebellious serves as a warning to all mankind. Believers are called to be witnesses, sharing the truth of God's judgment and His offer of salvation.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1.What is the meaning of Isaiah 66:24?
2.How does Isaiah 66:24 illustrate the consequences of rejecting God's authority?
3.What does "their worm will never die" signify about eternal punishment?
4.How can Isaiah 66:24 deepen our understanding of God's justice and mercy?
5.How does Isaiah 66:24 connect with Jesus' teachings on hell in Mark 9:48?
6.How should Isaiah 66:24 motivate us to share the Gospel with others?
7.What does Isaiah 66:24 reveal about the nature of divine judgment and eternal punishment?
8.How does Isaiah 66:24 align with the concept of a loving and merciful God?
9.What historical context influenced the imagery used in Isaiah 66:24?
10.What are the top 10 Lessons from Isaiah 66?
11.What does "the worm does not die" mean?
12.What is the Unquenchable Fire?
13.Is there a hell?
14.Has there been any historical or archaeological evidence to support the fulfillment of Malachi 4:3, where the righteous literally tread on the ashes of the wicked?What Does Isaiah 66:24 Mean
As they go forthIsaiah places this scene after God has created “new heavens and a new earth” (Isaiah 66:22–23). All the redeemed will regularly come to worship, and on leaving that joyous assembly they “go forth” to witness the other side of God’s holiness—judgment.
• This movement underscores that salvation and judgment unfold side by side (Revelation 21:1–8).
• The redeemed physically “go forth,” showing the tangible reality of both heaven’s glory and hell’s ruin.
They will see the corpses of the men who have rebelled against MeThe rebels are not anonymous; they are those who defiantly opposed the Lord (Isaiah 1:2; 57:17). Their visible corpses prove that God’s verdict is public, final, and righteous.
• Similar imagery appears when birds feast on the bodies of the beast’s armies (Revelation 19:17–18), portraying undeniable defeat.
•Ezekiel 39:11-16 echoes this mass burial motif after divine victory.
• The sight confronts every worshiper with the cost of rebellion and the grace that spared them.
For their worm will never dieIsaiah chooses decay imagery to stress unending shame. A maggot-consuming corpse normally finishes its work; here the process “never” ends. Jesus cites this phrase verbatim for Gehenna (Mark 9:47-48), affirming eternal, conscious punishment.
•Daniel 12:2 contrasts “everlasting contempt” with “everlasting life,” reinforcing the same dual destiny.
• No hint of annihilation appears; the torment is ongoing, not terminated.
Their fire will never be quenchedFire in Scripture pictures God’s wrath (Hebrews 12:29). It is “unquenchable,” meaning no outside force can lessen or end it (Matthew 25:41;Revelation 20:10).
• The permanence of the fire matches the never-dying worm—dual metaphors underscoring one reality.
• This affirms the literal, eternal nature of hell, a place prepared for the devil and his angels yet shared by all who persist in rebellion.
And they will be a horror to all mankind“Horror” (or “abhorrence,” compareDaniel 12:2) speaks of perpetual disgust and dread. The rebels become an everlasting signpost:
• A reminder to the redeemed of what they deserved but from which they were mercifully delivered (Psalm 52:6-7).
• A witness to God’s uncompromising justice (Revelation 14:10-11).
• A deterrent, displaying that sin’s wages are real and irreversible.
summaryIsaiah 66:24 presents an unblinking look at eternal punishment. After every gathering before the Lord in the new creation, the saved will view the defeated rebels, whose undying worm and unquenchable fire testify forever that God’s holiness avenges sin. The verse answers doubters of eternal judgment, assures believers of God’s final victory, and magnifies the grace that rescues all who trust in Christ.
(24)
And they shall go forth . . .--As at the close of Isaiah 48, 57, each ending a great section of the volume, so here, the vision of restoration and blessedness is balanced by that of the righteous condemnation of the wicked. The outward imagery is suggested, as in
Joel 3:12;
Zechariah 14:12, by that of the great battle of the Lord (
Isaiah 66:15-16). Those who are slain in that battle are thought of as filling the valleys round about Jerusalem, especially the valley of Jehoshaphat ("Jehovah judges "), devoured by worms, or given to the flames. Taken strictly, therefore, the words do not speak of the punishment of the souls of men after death, but of the defeat and destruction upon earth of the enemies of Jehovah. The words that tell us that "the worm shall not die" and that "the fire shall not be quenched" point, however, to something more than this, to be read between the lines. And so those words became the starting-point of the thoughts of later Judaism as to Gehenna (
Ecclesiasticus 8:17;
Judith 16:17, and the Targum on this passage), of the words in which our Lord Himself gave utterance to what, at least, seemed to express those thoughts (
Mark 9:44-48), of the dominant eschatology of Christendom. Even so taken, however, with this wider range, it is still a question whether the words are to be taken literally or figuratively (though this, perhaps, is hardly a question), whether the bodies, which represent souls, are thought of as not destroyed, but only tormented, or as consumed to nothing, by the fire and by the worm, whether those two agents represent sufferings of sense or spirit. The one aspect of the future life which they tend to exclude is that which presents the idea of a suffering that may be purifying. That idea is not without apparent support in other passages of Scripture (
e.g.,Romans 5:17-21;
Romans 11:32;
1Peter 3:19;
1Peter 4:6); but we cannot say that it entered into the prophet's thoughts here. What he emphasises is the eternal antagonism between the righteousness of God and man's unrighteousness, and this involves the punishment of the latter as long as it exists. In any case there is a strange solemnity in this being the last word of the prophet's book of revelation, even as there is a like awfulness in the picture of the final judgment, which appears in
Matthew 25:46, at all but the close of our Lord's public teaching. Cheyne quotes a singular rubric of the Jewish ritual, that when this chapter, or Ecclesiastes 12, or Malachi 3, was read in the synagogue, the last verse but one should be repeated after the last, so that mercy might appear as in the end triumphant after and over judgment. . . .
Verse 24. -
And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases, etc. Here is more imagery, which it is impossible to understand literally. The carcases could not remain always to be looked at, nor while they remained could the sight of them be otherwise than loathsome to God's redeemed saints. Again, they could not be at the same time burnt with fire and eaten by worms. "The prophet, by the very mode of description adopted by him, precludes the possibility of our conceiving of the thing 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" (Delitzsch). Does he mean more than this - that the redeemed shall have in their thoughts, at any rate from time to time, the fact that, while they have by God's great mercy been saved and brought into His kingdom, there are those who have not been saved, but lie for ever under the awful sentence of God's wrath? This is a knowledge which the redeemed must have, and which may well produce a salutary effect on them, intensifying their gratitude and maintaining in them a spirit of reverent fear
. Their worm shall not die, neither shalltheir fire be quenched (comp.
Mark 9:44, 46, 48). It cannot be by chance that the evangelical prophet concludes his glorious prophecy with this terrible note of warning. Either he was divinely directed thus to terminate his teaching, or he felt the need that there was of his emphasizing all the many warnings dispersed throughout his "book" by a final, never-to-be-forgotten picture. The undying worm and the quenchless fire - images introduced by him - became appropriated thenceforth to the final condition of impenitent sinners (Jud. 16:17; Ecclus. 7:17), and were even adopted by our Lord himself in the same connection (
Mark 9.). The incongruity of the two images shows that they are not to be understood literally; but both alike imply everlasting continuance, and are incompatible with either of the two modern heresies of universalism or annihilationism.
They shall be an abhorring unto all flesh (comp.
Daniel 12:2, where the word
deraon is rendered "contempt"). The Jewish rabbis regarded it as anomalous that any portion of Scripture should conclude with words of ill omen. When, therefore, this chapter was read in the synagogue, or the last of Ecclesiastes, or Lamentations, or Malachi, they directed that after the reading of the last verse, the last verse but one should he repeated, to correct the sad impression that would otherwise have been left upon the mind. But Isaiah thought it salutary to leave this sad impression (comp.
Isaiah 48:22;
Isaiah 57:21).
Parallel Commentaries ...
Hebrew
“As they go forth,וְיָצְא֣וּ(wə·yā·ṣə·’ū)Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 3318:To go, bring, out, direct and proximthey will seeוְרָא֔וּ(wə·rā·’ū)Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 7200:To seethe corpsesבְּפִגְרֵי֙(bə·p̄iḡ·rê)Preposition-b | Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 6297:A carcase, an idolatrous imageof the menהָאֲנָשִׁ֔ים(hā·’ă·nā·šîm)Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 376:A man as an individual, a male personwho have rebelled against Me;הַפֹּשְׁעִ֖ים(hap·pō·šə·‘îm)Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural
Strong's 6586:To break away, trespass, apostatize, quarrelforכִּ֣י(kî)Conjunction
Strong's 3588:A relative conjunctiontheir wormתוֹלַעְתָּ֞ם(ṯō·w·la‘·tām)Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 8438:The crimson-grub, of the color, from it, cloths dyed therewithwill neverלֹ֣א(lō)Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808:Not, nodie,תָמ֗וּת(ṯā·mūṯ)Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 4191:To die, to killtheir fireוְאִשָּׁם֙(wə·’iš·šām)Conjunctive waw | Noun - common singular construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 784:A firewill neverלֹ֣א(lō)Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808:Not, nobe quenched,תִכְבֶּ֔ה(ṯiḵ·beh)Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 3518:To be quenched or extinguished, to go outand they will beוְהָי֥וּ(wə·hā·yū)Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 1961:To fall out, come to pass, become, bea horrorדֵרָא֖וֹן(ḏê·rā·’ō·wn)Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1860:An object of aversionto allלְכָל־(lə·ḵāl)Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605:The whole, all, any, everymankind.”בָּשָֽׂר׃(bā·śār)Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1320:Flesh, body, person, the pudenda of a, man
Links
Isaiah 66:24 NIVIsaiah 66:24 NLTIsaiah 66:24 ESVIsaiah 66:24 NASBIsaiah 66:24 KJV
Isaiah 66:24 BibleApps.comIsaiah 66:24 Biblia ParalelaIsaiah 66:24 Chinese BibleIsaiah 66:24 French BibleIsaiah 66:24 Catholic Bible
OT Prophets: Isaiah 66:24 They shall go forth and look (Isa Isi Is) 
