Study 18: Matthew 10:28 -- Answer Key¶
"Destroy Both Soul and Body in Hell" -- What Does Jesus Mean?
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 examine Matthew 10:28 in detail, paying close attention to how Matthew himself uses the key words in this verse throughout his Gospel. Same-author usage is one of the most reliable tools for determining what a word means in a specific context.
Section A: The Verse Itself¶
1. Read Matthew 10:28. What two things does Jesus contrast in this verse? What can men do, and what can God do?
Jesus contrasts what men can do with what God can do. Men can kill the body but are not able to kill the soul. God is able to destroy both soul and body in gehenna. The contrast is between a limited power (killing the body only) and a total power (destroying the whole person -- soul and body together).
"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
2. What word does Jesus use for what God does to "both soul and body in hell" -- does He say "torment" or "destroy"?
Jesus says "destroy" (apollymi, G622). He does not say "torment" (basanizo). The word apollymi means "to destroy fully" (Strong's). These are two different Greek words with two different meanings. Jesus chose the destruction word, not the torment word.
3. Jesus says men can kill the body but are "not able to kill the soul." Does this verse say the soul is immortal or indestructible? What does it say God can do to the soul?
The verse does not say the soul is immortal or indestructible. It says men cannot kill the soul -- but it immediately adds that God can destroy the soul. If God can destroy it, it is not indestructible. The verse distinguishes between what humans can do (limited) and what God can do (total), not between a mortal body and an immortal soul.
Section B: How Matthew Uses "Soul" (Psyche, G5590)¶
4. Read Matthew 10:39. This verse is only 11 verses after 10:28, in the same discourse. What word is translated "life" here? What does "lose his life" mean in this verse?
The word translated "life" in 10:39 is the same Greek word psyche that is translated "soul" in 10:28. And the word translated "lose" is the same Greek word apollymi that is translated "destroy" in 10:28. So the identical word pair -- psyche + apollymi -- appears in both verses, just 11 verses apart in the same discourse. In 10:39, it means "lose one's life," not "destroy an immaterial soul."
"He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it." -- Matthew 10:39
5. Read Matthew 16:25-26. In verse 25, psyche is translated "life." In verse 26, the same Greek word is translated "soul." What does this tell you about the relationship between "life" and "soul" in Matthew's vocabulary?
The same Greek word (psyche) transitions from "life" to "soul" in consecutive verses of the same discourse. This shows that for Matthew, "life" and "soul" are not two separate concepts -- they are overlapping uses of a single word that means "the living self/person." The English translation changes, but the Greek word does not.
"For whosoever will save his life [psyche] shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life [psyche] for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul [psyche]?" -- Matthew 16:25-26
6. Read Matthew 2:20 and Matthew 6:25. In both verses, psyche is translated "life." What kind of "life" is being discussed -- physical life, or an immaterial soul?
In Matthew 2:20, those who "sought the young child's life [psyche]" were trying to kill Jesus physically -- Herod wanted to destroy the child, not harm an immaterial soul. In Matthew 6:25, "take no thought for your life [psyche]" is about everyday physical needs -- food and drink. In both cases, psyche refers to physical, bodily life.
"Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child's life." -- Matthew 2:20
7. Looking at all these passages together, does Matthew use psyche to mean "the whole living self/person" or exclusively "an immaterial soul that survives death"?
Matthew uses psyche 16 times across 11 verses. Half (8 occurrences) are translated "life" and half (8 occurrences) are translated "soul(s)." The overall pattern is clear: psyche means "the living self/person" -- one's life, one's whole being. It does not exclusively or even primarily refer to an immaterial soul that survives bodily death. The same word refers to physical life being sought (2:20), worried about (6:25), lost or found (10:39; 16:25), and given as ransom (20:28).
Section C: How Matthew Uses "Destroy" (Apollymi, G622)¶
8. Read Matthew 10:39 again. What does this tell you about the word pair psyche + apollymi in Matthew?
In 10:28, psyche + apollymi = "destroy the soul." In 10:39 (same discourse, 11 verses later), psyche + apollymi = "lose one's life." The same two Greek words, used by the same author in the same speech, carry the meaning of losing/forfeiting one's life -- not tormenting an immaterial soul. Matthew's own usage in the immediate context is the strongest evidence for what these words mean in 10:28.
9. Read Matthew 21:41. In this parable, what does the vineyard lord do to the wicked tenants? What word is used? Does it mean "torment" or "destroy"?
The vineyard lord will "miserably destroy" (apollymi) those wicked men. The word means actual destruction -- the tenants are killed, not tormented. This is the same word Jesus uses in 10:28 for what God does in gehenna.
"They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen." -- Matthew 21:41
10. Read Matthew 22:7. What does the king do to the murderers who rejected his invitation? What word is used?
The king "destroyed" (apollymi) those murderers and burned up their city. Again, the word describes actual destruction -- killing and burning, not ongoing torment.
"But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city." -- Matthew 22:7
11. Read Matthew 5:29-30. What does Jesus say is better than having your "whole body cast into hell"? What word does He use?
Jesus says it is better for one member to "perish" (apollymi) than for the whole body to be cast into gehenna. The same word -- apollymi -- is paired with gehenna here, just as in 10:28. The consistent pattern: apollymi + gehenna = perishing/destruction, not torment.
"It is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell." -- Matthew 5:29-30
Section D: How Matthew Uses "Hell" (Gehenna, G1067)¶
12. In any of these passages, does Jesus pair gehenna with the word "torment"? What kinds of words does He pair with gehenna instead?
In none of Matthew's 7 gehenna passages does Jesus use the word "torment" (basanizo or basanismos). Instead, He pairs gehenna with destruction and judgment vocabulary:
| Passage | Vocabulary Paired with Gehenna |
|---|---|
| Matt 5:22 | Judgment (krisis) |
| Matt 5:29-30 | Perish (apollymi) |
| Matt 10:28 | Destroy (apollymi) |
| Matt 18:9 | Contrasted with "enter into life" |
| Matt 23:33 | Judgment/damnation (krisis) |
The pattern is consistent: gehenna is associated with destruction and judgment, never with torment.
13. Read Matthew 18:9. What is the alternative to being "cast into hell fire"? What does the contrast suggest?
The alternative to being cast into gehenna fire is to "enter into life." The contrast is life vs. gehenna -- not one kind of ongoing existence vs. another. This is the same pattern found throughout Scripture: life vs. destruction/perishing, not life vs. torment.
"It is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire." -- Matthew 18:9
Section E: The Synoptic Parallel¶
14. Read Luke 12:4-5. What word does Luke use for what God does -- "destroy" or "kill"? Does Luke mention the "soul" at all?
Luke uses "kill" (apokteino) for God's action, not "destroy" (apollymi). Luke does not mention the "soul" at all. Luke's version reads: "Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell." The concept of the "soul" that men cannot kill is entirely absent from Luke's account of the same teaching.
"Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell." -- Luke 12:4-5
15. Luke 12:5 describes a two-step sequence: God kills, and then has power to cast into gehenna. What does this sequence suggest?
Luke's sequence is: first God kills, then God casts the dead into gehenna. The casting into gehenna happens after the killing. This suggests gehenna is where the already-dead are disposed of, not a place where the living are kept alive in torment. Both accounts (Matthew and Luke) describe gehenna as a place of final, total judgment -- neither uses torment vocabulary.
16. Comparing Matthew 10:28 and Luke 12:4-5, both authors agree on two things about gehenna. What are they?
Both authors agree that: (1) God alone has authority over gehenna -- humans cannot replicate what God does there; and (2) neither author uses torment vocabulary (basanizo, basanismos) to describe what happens in gehenna. Matthew uses "destroy" (apollymi); Luke uses "kill" (apokteino) and "cast into" (emballo). Both describe termination, not ongoing suffering.
Explicit or Inference? -- Answers¶
A. "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).
B. "The soul is immortal and cannot be destroyed." - Inference. No verse says this. Matthew 10:28 explicitly says the opposite -- God can destroy the soul. Ezekiel 18:4, 20 says "the soul that sinneth, it shall die." The claim of an indestructible soul must be imported from outside the text.
C. "In Matthew, the same Greek word psyche is translated both 'life' and 'soul.'" - Explicit. This is an observable textual fact. One can verify it by checking every occurrence of psyche (G5590) in Matthew's Gospel: 8 are translated "life" and 8 are translated "soul(s)."
D. "When Jesus says 'destroy' in Matthew 10:28, He really means 'torment forever.'" - Inference. No verse says apollymi means "torment." No lexicon defines it as torment. Matthew's own judgment usages of apollymi (21:41; 22:7) mean actual destruction. The claim requires adding a meaning the word does not carry and overriding the author's own usage pattern.
E. "'Not able to kill the soul' proves that the soul is a separable, conscious entity that survives bodily death." - Inference. The verse says men cannot kill the psyche. Whether psyche refers to "an immaterial soul that survives death" or "the life/self that only God can end" is an interpretive choice. Matthew's own usage pattern (where psyche = "life" in half of his uses, and the same word pair means "lose one's life" in 10:39) supports the second reading. Luke's parallel omits "soul" entirely, suggesting it is not essential to the point.
What the Bible Says vs. What People Say the Bible Teaches¶
| The Bible explicitly says... | People often claim the Bible teaches... |
|---|---|
| God can destroy both soul and body in gehenna (Matt 10:28) | God torments souls forever in hell |
| The same word (psyche) means "life" and "soul" in Matthew | "Soul" refers exclusively to an immaterial, immortal entity |
| The same word pair (psyche + apollymi) means "lose one's life" in 10:39 | In 10:28, it means "torment an immaterial soul" |
| Gehenna is paired with destruction vocabulary, never torment vocabulary | Gehenna is a place of eternal conscious torment |
| Luke's parallel says God kills and casts into gehenna | Gehenna is where the living are kept alive in suffering |
| Men cannot kill the soul; God can destroy it | The soul cannot be destroyed by anyone, including God |