There their worm that eats them does not die, and the fire is not quenched.
This saying is drawn from images of prophetic judgment and emphasizes the reality of eternal punishment. The “worm” is a symbol of the unceasing torment of inner conscience and decay, and the “unquenchable fire” is the endless power of God’s righteous judgment. The Lord does not say these words merely to frighten people in vain, but to awaken them, so that they will take sin seriously. The person who treats his temptations as a small matter has understood neither the terror of Gehenna nor the value of life.