Study 6: Destruction Vocabulary -- Answer Key¶
What Words Does the Bible Use for the Fate of the Wicked?
A Note on How to Study
Throughout this series, we distinguish between what the Bible explicitly says and what people infer from the Bible. These are not the same thing.
- Explicit: You can point to a verse and quote it. The text directly says this.
- Inference: Someone claims the Bible teaches something, but no single verse says it. They have drawn a conclusion -- possibly a good one, possibly not -- but the conclusion itself is not in the text.
In this study, we will look at the actual Hebrew and Greek words the Bible uses when it describes what happens to the wicked. We will ask: what do these words mean in their original languages, and do they match what most people assume the Bible teaches?
Section A: The Old Testament Destruction Words¶
1. Read Psalm 37:20. What two things does this verse say will happen to the wicked? What imagery does it use to describe how they will disappear?
The wicked will (1) perish (abad) and (2) consume away (kalah). The imagery is smoke: "into smoke shall they consume away." The fat of lambs on a sacrifice burns away completely -- it is consumed and gone.
"But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away." -- Psalm 37:20
2. Read Psalm 68:2. What natural substance does the psalmist compare the wicked to? What happens to that substance in the presence of fire?
The wicked are compared to wax. Wax melts before fire -- it dissolves, loses its form, and ceases to exist as wax. The psalmist uses this to describe what happens to the wicked in the presence of God.
"As wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God." -- Psalm 68:2
3. Read Psalm 145:20. What two contrasting actions does God take? What does He do for those who love Him, and what does He do to the wicked?
God preserves those who love Him and destroys (shamad) the wicked. These are opposites: preservation (continued existence) vs. destruction (cessation). The contrast does not say God preserves the righteous in heaven and preserves the wicked in hell -- it says He preserves the one group and destroys the other.
"The LORD preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy." -- Psalm 145:20
4. Read Psalm 104:35. After the sinners are "consumed out of the earth," what does the psalmist say they will be?
"No more." The Hebrew word is ayin, meaning "there is not" -- non-existence. The psalmist does not say they will be tormented forever. He says they will be consumed and then they will be no more.
"Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more." -- Psalm 104:35
5. Read Psalm 37:10. What will you find when you look for the wicked? What will happen to "his place"?
You will not find the wicked at all. "The wicked shall not be." Even the place where the wicked person once stood will be empty -- "thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be." The language is that of non-existence, not ongoing suffering.
"For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be." -- Psalm 37:10
Section B: The New Testament Destruction Words¶
6. Read John 3:16. What two outcomes does this verse present? What is the alternative to everlasting life?
The two outcomes are perish (apollymi) and everlasting life. The alternative to everlasting life is not everlasting torment -- it is perishing. The verse presents continued existence (life) vs. cessation (perish) as the two possible outcomes.
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." -- John 3:16
7. Read Matthew 10:28. What does Jesus say God is able to do to "both soul and body in hell"? Does He say "torment" or "destroy"?
Jesus says God is able to destroy (apollymi) both soul and body in gehenna. The word is "destroy," not "torment." The same word (apollymi) is used for wineskins that burst and are ruined (Matt 9:17) -- they cease to function. Jesus explicitly states that the soul can be destroyed.
"And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." -- Matthew 10:28
8. Read Matthew 7:13-14. What does Jesus call the destination of the broad way? What does He call the destination of the narrow way? What is the contrast?
The broad way leads to destruction (apoleia). The narrow way leads to life. The contrast is destruction vs. life -- not torment vs. life, and not one kind of existence vs. another kind of existence.
"Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life." -- Matthew 7:13-14
9. Read Philippians 3:19. What does Paul say is the "end" (final outcome) of the enemies of the cross?
Their "end" is destruction (apoleia) -- the same Greek word Jesus used in Matthew 7:13. Paul does not say their end is eternal torment. He says their end is destruction.
"Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things." -- Philippians 3:19
10. Read 2 Thessalonians 1:9. What word does Paul use for the punishment of the wicked? Is the word "torment" or "destruction"?
The word is destruction (olethros), not torment. Paul says they will be "punished with everlasting destruction." The Greek word olethros means "ruin, i.e. death, punishment." It is related to the root of apollymi. "Everlasting destruction" means a destruction whose result is permanent -- just as "everlasting salvation" (Heb 5:9) means a salvation whose result is permanent, not an ongoing process of being saved.
"Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power." -- 2 Thessalonians 1:9
Section C: Destruction Similes -- What Pictures Does the Bible Use?¶
11. Read Malachi 4:1, 3. What will the wicked become on the day that burns like an oven? What will be left of them? What will the righteous walk on?
The wicked will be stubble that burns up, leaving "neither root nor branch" -- nothing remains. They will become ashes under the soles of the righteous' feet. Ashes are the inert, lifeless residue left after something has been completely consumed by fire.
"For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch." -- Malachi 4:1
"And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet." -- Malachi 4:3
12. Read Hosea 13:3. List the four things the wicked are compared to. What do all four of these things have in common?
The four similes are: (1) morning cloud, (2) early dew, (3) chaff driven by the whirlwind, and (4) smoke out of a chimney. All four depict things that vanish -- they are present for a moment and then gone. Morning clouds dissipate. Dew evaporates. Chaff blows away. Smoke disperses. Not one depicts something that endures.
"Therefore they shall be as the morning cloud, and as the early dew that passeth away, as the chaff that is driven with the whirlwind out of the floor, and as the smoke out of the chimney." -- Hosea 13:3
13. Read Nahum 1:10 and Isaiah 1:31. What material are the wicked compared to in both passages? What happens to that material when it meets fire?
Both passages compare the wicked to flammable material that is consumed by fire. Nahum says they will be "devoured as stubble fully dry." Isaiah says "the strong shall be as tow [flax fiber], and the maker of it as a spark, and they shall both burn together." Dry stubble and tow are among the most flammable materials in the ancient world -- they catch fire and are consumed almost instantly.
14. Read Obadiah 1:16. What does this verse say the judged nations will be? In your own words, what does "as though they had not been" mean?
"They shall be as though they had not been." This is one of the most explicit cessation statements in the Old Testament. It means the judged will be returned to the state of non-existence -- as if they had never existed at all. This is not the language of ongoing torment; it is the language of total cessation.
"...they shall be as though they had not been." -- Obadiah 1:16
Section D: The "Perish vs. Life" Pattern¶
15. Look at these five passages together. What pattern do you see? Are the two outcomes presented as two kinds of continued existence, or as opposites?
The pattern is consistent across multiple authors:
| Passage | Outcome A | Outcome B |
|---|---|---|
| John 3:16 | Perish | Everlasting life |
| Matthew 7:13-14 | Destruction | Life |
| Romans 6:23 | Death | Eternal life |
| Philippians 3:19 | Destruction | Glory (3:21) |
| Psalm 145:20 | Destroy | Preserve |
In every case, the two outcomes are presented as opposites: one is life/preservation, the other is death/destruction/perishing. None of these passages presents the choice as between two kinds of continued existence. The contrast only works if the two outcomes are genuinely antithetical -- existence vs. non-existence, not heaven vs. hell-as-continued-existence.
16. Read Romans 6:23. If the "gift of God is eternal life," what does that imply about whether eternal life is something humans already possess?
If eternal life is a gift, it is not something humans already possess. A gift must be given -- it is not inherent. This is consistent with 1 Timothy 6:16 (God only has immortality) and Romans 2:7 (immortality must be sought). The opposite of this gift is "the wages of sin is death" -- not ongoing torment, but death.
17. Read Luke 13:3, 5. Jesus gives a warning and a choice. What is the alternative to repentance?
The alternative to repentance is perishing (apollymi): "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." Jesus uses the same word (apollymi) He uses in John 3:16 and that He uses in Matthew 10:28 for the destruction of soul and body. The word means to perish -- to be destroyed.
"I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." -- Luke 13:3, 5
Explicit or Inference? -- Answers¶
A. "The wicked shall perish." - Explicit. Psalm 37:20, Psalm 68:2, Psalm 73:27, and many other verses directly state this using the Hebrew word abad (to perish, to be destroyed).
B. "God is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." - Explicit. Matthew 10:28 directly states this. Jesus uses the word apollymi (to destroy fully).
C. "The destruction words in the Bible really mean ongoing torment, not actual destruction." - Inference. No verse says this. No lexicon defines abad, shamad, kalah, shachath, apollymi, apoleia, or olethros as "torment" or "ongoing conscious suffering." This claim requires adding a meaning that the destruction words do not carry, and overriding their lexical definitions.
D. "The wicked shall be ashes under the soles of your feet." - Explicit. Malachi 4:3 directly states this. Ashes are the inert residue after something has been completely consumed by fire.
E. "When the Bible says 'perish,' it means 'spiritual ruin' -- continued existence in a ruined state." - Inference. No verse defines "perish" this way. The word apollymi means "to destroy fully." When applied to wineskins (Matt 9:17), it clearly means they are ruined and cease to function -- not that they continue to exist in a tormented state. The "spiritual ruin" reading requires adding a concept that no lexicon supports.
What the Bible Says vs. What People Say the Bible Teaches¶
| The Bible explicitly says... | People often claim the Bible teaches... |
|---|---|
| The wicked shall perish (Psa 37:20) | The wicked will exist forever in torment |
| God can destroy soul and body (Matt 10:28) | The soul cannot be destroyed |
| The broad way leads to destruction (Matt 7:13) | The broad way leads to eternal torment |
| The wicked will be ashes (Mal 4:3) | The wicked will burn but never be consumed |
| They shall be as though they had not been (Oba 1:16) | They will be conscious forever |
| The wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23) | The wages of sin is eternal torment |
| Everlasting destruction (2 Thess 1:9) | Everlasting torment |