The Meaning of Isaiah 66:24 Explained

Isaiah 66:24

KJV: 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.

YLT: And they have gone forth, And looked on the carcases of the men Who are transgressing against me, For their worm dieth not, And their fire is not quenched, And they have been an abhorrence to all flesh!

Darby: 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 abhorrence unto all flesh.

ASV: And they shall go forth, and look upon the dead bodies 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.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does Isaiah 66:24 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The worshippers would be able to view the corpses of those whom the Lord will judge. This probably includes those killed in the battle of Armageddon and those sentenced to eternal damnation. The picture is of Jerusalem-dwellers going outside the city to the Hinnom Valley, where garbage and corpses burned constantly, and where worms (corruption) and fire (holy wrath) were always working (cf. Matthew 5:22; Mark 9:43; Luke 12:5). As those who worship God rejoice before Him perpetually, so those who rebel against Him will die perpetually (cf. Matthew 25:46).
"Perhaps the most enduring lessons from the Book of Isaiah are the reminders that (a) there is a God, (b) He is coming back, and (c) our eternal destiny is determined by our response to Him in this life." [1]

Context Summary

Isaiah 66:15-24 - All Flesh Shall Worship The Lord
The prophet makes it clear that, whatever blessings accrue in the golden future, they will be apportioned to those alone, who are the Israel of God, not merely by descent but in heart and life. They must be what the Apostle describes in Philippians 3:3. Those who were bent on practicing idolatrous rites, such as passing in procession, with priests as teachers, through gardens and groves devoted to impurity; or who, by partaking of the flesh of animals forbidden in the Levitical law, had become as Gentiles, must suffer with the heathen.
Isaiah 66:19 suggests that the restored Jewish remnant are to become the future missionaries of the world; and the book closes with a vision of the Holy City as the focus and center of the religious life of mankind. It is as though, like John, Isaiah beheld her descending from God out of heaven, with wide-open gates, through which the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor, Isaiah 66:20. The lot of all enemies of goodness is depicted in the everburning fires of Tophet-the rubbish heaps of which are significant of uselessness, Isaiah 66:24.
For Review Questions, see the e-Sword Book Comments [source]

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 66

1  The glorious God will be served in humble sincerity
5  He comforts the humble by showing the confusion of their enemies
7  With the marvelous growth
10  And the gracious benefits of the church
15  God's severe judgments against the wicked
18  The Gentiles shall have an holy church
24  And see the damnation of the wicked

What do the individual words in Isaiah 66:24 mean?

And they shall go forth and look Upon the corpses of the men who have transgressed against Me for their worm not does die and their fire is quenched and they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh
וְיָצְא֣וּ וְרָא֔וּ בְּפִגְרֵי֙ הָאֲנָשִׁ֔ים הַפֹּשְׁעִ֖ים בִּ֑י כִּ֣י תוֹלַעְתָּ֞ם לֹ֣א תָמ֗וּת וְאִשָּׁם֙ תִכְבֶּ֔ה וְהָי֥וּ דֵרָא֖וֹן לְכָל־ בָּשָֽׂר

וְיָצְא֣וּ  And  they  shall  go  forth 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural
Root: יׄוצֵאת 
Sense: to go out, come out, exit, go forth.
וְרָא֔וּ  and  look 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural
Root: רָאָה 
Sense: to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider.
בְּפִגְרֵי֙  Upon  the  corpses 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: פֶּגֶר  
Sense: corpse, carcass, monument, stela.
הָאֲנָשִׁ֔ים  of  the  men 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
הַפֹּשְׁעִ֖ים  who  have  transgressed 
Parse: Article, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: פָּשַׁע  
Sense: to rebel, transgress, revolt.
בִּ֑י  against  Me 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
תוֹלַעְתָּ֞ם  their  worm 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine plural
Root: תֹּולָע 
Sense: worm, scarlet stuff, crimson.
תָמ֗וּת  does  die 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: מוּת  
Sense: to die, kill, have one executed.
וְאִשָּׁם֙  and  their  fire 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, common singular construct, third person masculine plural
Root: אֵשׁ  
Sense: fire.
תִכְבֶּ֔ה  is  quenched 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: כָּבָה  
Sense: to quench, put out, be put out, be quenched, be extinguished.
וְהָי֥וּ  and  they  shall  be 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
דֵרָא֖וֹן  an  abhorrence 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: דֵּרָאֹון  
Sense: aversion, abhorrence.
לְכָל־  to  all 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
בָּשָֽׂר  flesh 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: בָּשָׂר  
Sense: flesh.