Skip to content

Study 18: Matthew 10:28

"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?

  2. What word does Jesus use for what God does to "both soul and body in hell" -- does He say "torment" or "destroy"?

  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?

Section B: How Matthew Uses "Soul" (Psyche, G5590)

  1. Read Matthew 10:39. This verse is only 11 verses after 10:28, in the same discourse. What word is translated "life" here? (Hint: it is the same Greek word psyche that is translated "soul" in 10:28.) What does "lose his life" mean in this verse?

  2. 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?

  3. 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?

  4. Looking at all these passages together (10:28, 10:39, 16:25-26, 2:20, 6:25), does Matthew use psyche to mean "the whole living self/person" or exclusively "an immaterial soul that survives death"?

Section C: How Matthew Uses "Destroy" (Apollymi, G622)

  1. Read Matthew 10:39 again. What word is translated "lose" in "he that findeth his life shall lose it"? (It is the same Greek word apollymi that is translated "destroy" in 10:28.) What does this tell you about the word pair psyche + apollymi in Matthew?

  2. 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"?

  3. Read Matthew 22:7. What does the king do to the murderers who rejected his invitation? What word is used?

  4. Read Matthew 5:29-30. What does Jesus say is better than having your "whole body cast into hell"? What word does He use for what happens to the member that is cut off? (Hint: it is apollymi -- "perish.")

Section D: How Matthew Uses "Hell" (Gehenna, G1067)

  1. Matthew uses the word gehenna (translated "hell") 7 times -- more than any other NT author. Read Matthew 5:22, 5:29-30, 10:28, 18:9, and 23:33. In any of these passages, does Jesus pair gehenna with the word "torment"? What kinds of words does He pair with gehenna instead?

  2. Read Matthew 18:9. What is the alternative to being "cast into hell fire"? What does the contrast between "enter into life" and "cast into hell fire" suggest about what gehenna represents?

Section E: The Synoptic Parallel

  1. Read Luke 12:4-5, which records the same teaching as Matthew 10:28. What word does Luke use for what God does -- "destroy" or "kill"? Does Luke mention the "soul" at all?

  2. Luke 12:5 describes a two-step sequence: God kills, and then has power to cast into gehenna. What does this sequence suggest about what happens in gehenna -- is it a place of ongoing torment for the living, or a place where the already-dead are cast?

  3. Comparing Matthew 10:28 and Luke 12:4-5, both authors agree on two things about gehenna. What are they? (Hint: think about who has authority over gehenna, and what vocabulary is absent from both accounts.)

Explicit or Inference?

For each statement below, decide: Does the Bible explicitly say this (you can point to a verse), or is it an inference (a conclusion someone draws that no verse directly states)?

A. "God is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." - [ ] Explicit -- the Bible says this - [ ] Inference -- someone concluded this

B. "The soul is immortal and cannot be destroyed." - [ ] Explicit -- the Bible says this - [ ] Inference -- someone concluded this

C. "In Matthew, the same Greek word psyche is translated both 'life' and 'soul.'" - [ ] Explicit -- the Bible says this - [ ] Inference -- someone concluded this

D. "When Jesus says 'destroy' in Matthew 10:28, He really means 'torment forever.'" - [ ] Explicit -- the Bible says this - [ ] Inference -- someone concluded this

E. "'Not able to kill the soul' proves that the soul is a separable, conscious entity that survives bodily death." - [ ] Explicit -- the Bible says this - [ ] Inference -- someone concluded this