Worm = Soul?

Worm = Soul?

Jesus, when talking about those who would harm children and the innocent who believed in Him said that it would be better for them to be drowned with a mill stone around their neck. Then He talked about if some part of your body caused you to sin you should cut is off, for, “…it is better to enter into life maimed (crippled), rather than having {your full body}, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched – where ‘Their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’”; Mark 9:42-50 NKJV He said this three times. It is a quote from Isaiah 66:22-24, “’For as the new heavens and the new earth which I will make shall remain before Me,’ says the LORD, ‘so shall your descendents and your name remain. And it shall come to pass that from one New Moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, all flesh shall come to worship before Me,’ says the LORD. ‘And they shall go forth and look upon the corpses of the men who have transgressed against Me. For their worm does not die, and their fire is not quenched. They shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.’”

I’ve added the Greek and Hebrew definitions below because there are those who will think that worm means worm and they are right. A worm is a lowly living in the dirt squirmy thing that consumes the dead stuff in or on the ground. It is also a reference to a person of low or trashy character. But, it is always a mortal creature human or otherwise and doomed to eternal death (or never to live again). The difference between actual worms and humans is that worms will just return to dust but humans are a body that will return to dust and a soul that will live forever.

The human soul was created immortal in Adam and Eve; their sin (Eve’s through deception and Adam’s through disobedience) caused them; who had been created immortal to die (become mortal) that very day and all of their descendents (every human ever conceived or who will be conceived) lost that immortality.

So what did the LORD mean when He spoke this to Isaiah and what did He mean when He taught it to His followers?

In Isaiah it is a message to the redeemed of the LORD of the glorious future that awaits those who faithfully serve Him and what will happen to those who do not. In the Gospels it is the same message; this is GOD’s message to humanity throughout history; those who serve GOD in faith (trust) and obedience will be eternally rewarded and those who do not serve GOD will be eternally judged.

So what am I saying? We are not worms but we will be debased and humiliated by those who hate GOD and reject Him. More importantly we are to be humble and servants to GOD, each other and the world.

Study Genesis 3; Jeremiah 7; Matthew 10:27-31; Luke 12; Revelation 19-21

The Hebrew word in Isaiah 66:24 is towla’ - to-law’ (fem.) or towle’ah – to-lay-aw’ or towla‘ath – to-lah’-ath or tola’ath to-lah’-ath: from shephel shay’-fel (a humble rank, low estate [place]); from shaphel shaw-fale’ (a prim. Root; to depress of sink [espec. fig. to humiliate, intrans, or trans.] – abase, bring [cast, put] down, debase, humble [self], be [bring, lay make, put] low [-er]). Towla’ means a maggot (as voracious); spec. (often with the ellips. of shaniy - shaw-nee’) the crimson grub, but used only (in this connection) of the color from it, and cloths dyed therewith: - crimson, scarlet, worm. With all of the root Hebrew words it basically means to be humbled, debased or lowly as a worm.

The Greek word in Mark 9:44,46,48 is skolex sko’-lakes: of uncert. der.; a grub, maggot or earth-worm; worm.