Mark 9:49

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Mark 9:49 in Multiple Translations

Berean Standard Bible BSB

For everyone will be salted with fire.

King James Version KJV

For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt.

American Standard Version ASV

For every one shall be salted with fire.

Bible in Basic English BBE

Everyone will be salted with fire.

Free Bible Version FBV

Everybody will be ‘salted’ by fire.

Geneva Bible 1599 GNV

For euery man shalbe salted with fire: and euery sacrifice shalbe salted with salt.

Young's Literal Translation YLT

for every one with fire shall be salted, and every sacrifice with salt shall be salted.

World English Bible WEB

For everyone will be salted with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt.

Noah Webster Bible WBS

For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt.

Douay-Rheims 1899 DRV

Salt is good. But if the salt became unsavoury; wherewith will you season it? Have salt in you, and have peace among you.

Translation for Translators T4T

“You must endure difficulties in order that God will be pleased with you. Your difficulties are like a fire that makes things pure [MET]. Your enduring is also like [MET] salt being put on {people putting salt on their} sacrifices to make them pure.

Plain English Version PEV

Jesus also said to them, “God is going to let you have some trouble. He wants to test you to see if you are following him properly. You know how people shake salt on to food to make it good? Well, this trouble will be like God is shaking fire on to you, and it will make you good.

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Berean Amplified Bible — Mark 9:49

BAB

Word Study

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Amplified text is generated using scripting to tie together English translations for comparison. Always refer to the core BSB translation and original Hebrew/Greek text for accuracy. Anomalies may occur.

Mark 9:49 Interlinear (Deep Study)

BIB

GRK πας γαρ πυρι αλισθησεται και πασα θυσια αλι αλισθησεται

πας pas G3956 all Adj-NSM

γαρ gar G1063 for Conj

πυρι pur G4442 fire Noun-DSN

αλισθησεται halizō G233 to salt Verb-FPI-3S

και kai G2532 and Conj

πασα pas G3956 all Adj-NSF

θυσια thusia G2378 sacrifice Noun-NSF

αλι hals G251 salt Noun-DSM

αλισθησεται halizō G233 to salt Verb-FPI-3S

Greek Word Study

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Greek Word Reference — Mark 9:49

πας pas G3956 "all" Adj-NSM

This word means all or every, as in Matthew 3:10 and Romans 7:8, where it refers to everything or all people, emphasizing the universal nature of God's message.

Definition: πᾶς, πᾶσα, πᾶν, genitive, παντός, πάσης, παντός, [in LXX chiefly for כֹּל ;] all, every. __I. As adj., __1. with subst. anarth., all, every, of every kind: Mat.3:10 4:23, Mrk.9:49, Luk.4:37, Jhn.2:1o, Act.27:20, Rom.7:8, Rev.18:17, al. mult.; pl., all, Act.22:15, Rom.5:12, Heb.1:6, al.; of the highest degree, π. ἐξουσία (προθυμία, χαρά), Mat.28:18, Act.17:11, Phi 2:29, al.; also the whole (though in this sense more frequently with art.), Mat.2:3, Act.2:36, Rom.11:26. __2. C. art. (before the art., after the noun, or, denoting totality, between the art. and noun), all, whole: Mat.8:32 13:2, Mrk.5:33, Luk.1:10, Act.7:14, Rom.3:19, Gal.5:14, Eph.4:16, al.; pl., Mat.2:4, Mrk.4:13, Rom.1:5, al. __II. As pron., __1. masc. and fem., every one: Mrk.9:49, Luk.16:16, Heb.2:9; before rel. pron., Mat.7:24, Act.2:21, Gal.3:10, al.; with ptcp. (anarth.), Mat.13:19, Luk.11:4; with ptcp. (with art.), Mat.5:22, Mrk.7:8, Luk.6:47, Jhn.3:8, Rom.1:16, al.; pl., πάντες, absol., all, all men, Mat.10:22, Mrk.13:13, Luk.20:38, Jhn.1:7 3:26, 1Co.8:1, al.; οἱ π. (collectively, as a definite whole), Rom.11:32, 1Co.1:17, Eph.4:13, al.; π. οἱ (ὅσοι), Mat.4:24, Mrk.1:32, Luk.4:40, al. __2. Neut., __(a) sing., πᾶν, everything, all: πᾶν τό, with ptcp., 1Co.10:25, 27, Eph.5:13, 1Jn.2:16 5:4 (sc. ὄν); πᾶν ὅ, Jhn.17:2, Rom.14:23; collectively, of persons (Westc., in l.), Jhn.6:37, 39; with prep., in adverbial phrases, διὰ παντός, always, Mat.18:10, al.; ἐν παντί, in everything, in every way, 2Co.4:8, Phi 4:6, al.; __(b) pl., πάτνα, all things: absol., Jhn.1:3, 1Co.2:10, Heb.2:8, al.; of certain specified things, Mrk.4:34, Luk.1:3, Rom.8:28, 1Th.5:21, al.; accusative, πάντα, adverbially, wholly, in all things, in all respects, Act.20:35, 1Co.9:25, al.; with art., τὰ π., all things (a totality, as distinct from anarth. πάντα, all things severally; cf. Westc, Eph., 186f.), absol.: Rom.11:36, 1Co.8:6, Eph.3:9, Heb.1:3, al.; relatively, Mrk.4:11, Act.17:25, Rom.8:32, al.; πάντα, with ptcp., Mat.18:31, al.; πάντα ταῦτα (ταῦτα π.), Mat.6:32, 33, al.; πάντα, with prep, in adverbial phrases, πρὸ πάντων, above all things, Jas.5:12, 1Pe.4:8; ἐν π́, in all things, in all ways, 1Ti.3:11, 1Pe.4:11, al.; κατὰ πάντα, in all respects, Act.17:22, al. __3. C. neg., πᾶς οὐ (μή) = οὐδείς, see: οὐ and μή, and cf. M, Pr., 245f. (AS)

Usage: Occurs in 1080 NT verses. KJV: all (manner of, means), alway(-s), any (one), X daily, + ever, every (one, way), as many as, + no(-thing), X thoroughly, whatsoever, whole, whosoever See also: 1 Corinthians 1:2; 1 Peter 2:13; 1 Peter 1:15.

γαρ gar G1063 "for" Conj

For is a word used to explain or give a reason, often introducing a justification or clarification, as seen in Matthew 4:18 and Romans 7:1. It's a conjunction that connects ideas and provides additional information.

Definition: γάρ, co-ordinating particle, contr. of γε ἄρα, verily then, hence, in truth, indeed, yea, then, why, and when giving a reason or explanation, for, the usage in NT being in general accord with that of cl.; __1. explicative and epexegetic: Mat.4:18 19:12, Mrk.1:16 5:42 16:4, Luk.11:3o, Rom.7:1, 1Co.16:5, al. __2. Conclusive, in questions, answers and exclamations: Mat.9:5 27:23, Luk.9:25 22:27, Jhn.9:30, Act.8:31 16:37 19:35, Rom.15:26, 1Co.9:10, Php.1:18 (Ellic., in l.), 1Th.2:20, al. __3. Causal: Mat.1:21 2:2, 5, 6, 3:23, Mrk.1:22, 9:6, Luk.1:15, 18, Jhn.2:25, Act.2:25, Rom.1:9, 11, 1Co.11:5, Rev.1:3, al.; giving the reason for a command or prohibition, Mat.2:20 3:9, Rom.13:11, Col.3:3, 1Th.4:3, al.; where the cause is contained in an interrog. statement, Luk.22:27, Rom.3:3 4:3, 1Co.10:29; καὶ γάρ, for also, Mrk.10:45, Luk.6:32, 1Co.5:7, al. id. as in cl. = etenim, where the καί loses its connective force (Bl., §78, 6; Kühner 3, ii, 854f.), Mrk.14:70, Luk.1:66 22:37, 2Co.13:4. The proper place of γάρ is after the first word in a clause, but in poets it often comes third or fourth, and so in late prose: 2Co.1:19. Yet "not the number but the nature of the word after which it stands is the point to be noticed" (see Thayer, see word). (AS)

Usage: Occurs in 1011 NT verses. KJV: and, as, because (that), but, even, for, indeed, no doubt, seeing, then, therefore, verily, what, why, yet See also: 1 Corinthians 1:11; 1 John 2:19; 1 Peter 2:19.

πυρι pur G4442 "fire" Noun-DSN

Fire, literally or figuratively, is used in the Bible to describe flames, lightning, or God's judgment. It appears in Matthew 13:40 and Revelation 8:5. Jesus teaches about fire in Luke 3:9 and John 15:6.

Definition: πῦρ genitive, πυρός, τό, [in LXX chiefly and very frequently for אֵשׁ ;] fire: Mrk.9:22, Luk.3:9, Jhn.15:6, Act.2:10, 1Co.3:13, Jas.3:5, Rev.8:5, al; π. καὶ θεῖον, Luk.17:29; κατακαίειν (ἐν) π., Mat.13:40, Rev.17:16 18:8; καίεσθαι πυρί, Heb.12:18, Rev.8:8 21:8; φλὸξ πυρός, Act.7:30, 2Th.1:8, Heb.1:7, Rev.1:14 2:18 19:12; λαμπάδες πυρός, Rev.4:5; στῦλοι πυρός, Rev.10:1; ἄνθρακες πυρός, Rom.12:20 (LXX); γλῶσσαι ὡσεὶ πυρός, Act.2:3; δοκιμάζειν (πυροῦσθαι) διὰ πυρός, 1Pe.1:7, Rev.3:18; ὡς διὰ. π. (Lft., Notes, 193), 1Co.3:15. Of the fire of hell (cf. Dalman, Words,161): Mrk.9:48 (LXX); τὸ π. τὸ αἰώνιον, Mat.18:8 25:41 (cf. 4Ma.12:12); ἄσβεστον, Mrk.9:43; πυρὸς αἰωνίου δίκην ὑπέχειν, Ju 7; γέεννα τοῦ π., Mat.5:22 18:9; κάμινος τοῦ π., Mat.13:42, 50; ἡ λίμνη τοῦ π., Rev.19:20 20:10, 14-15; πυρὶ τηρεῖσθαι, 2Pe.3:7; βασανισθῆναι ἐν π., Rev.14:10. Metaphorical: βαπτίζειν πυρί, Luk.3:16; of the tongue, Jas.3:5; of strife and discord, Luk.12:49; ἐκ π. ἁρπάζειν, Ju 23; πυρὶ αλίζεσθαι, Mrk.9:49; ζῆλος πυρός, Heb.10:27; of God, π, καταναλίσκον, Heb.12:29 (LXX) (AS)

Usage: Occurs in 73 NT verses. KJV: fiery, fire See also: 1 Corinthians 3:13; Matthew 3:12; 1 Peter 1:7.

αλισθησεται halizō G233 "to salt" Verb-FPI-3S

To salt something, like seasoning food with salt, as Jesus taught in Matthew 5:13, where He said His followers are the salt of the earth, giving flavor and preserving what is good.

Definition: ἁλίζω (ἅλς), [in LXX for מָלַח ;] to salt, season with salt: Mat.5:13, Mrk.9:49.† (AS)

Usage: Occurs in 2 NT verses. KJV: salt See also: Mark 9:49; Matthew 5:13.

και kai G2532 "and" Conj

And or also, a connecting word used to join ideas or words, like in Matthew 2:18 and Hebrews 1:1.

Definition: καί, conj., and __I. Copulative. __1. Connecting single words; __(a) in general: Mat.2:18, 16:1, Mrk.2:15, Luk.8:15, Heb.1:1, al. mult.; repeated before each of the terms in a series, Mat.23:23, Luk.14:21, Rom.7:12, 9:4, al. __(b) connecting numerals (WM, §37, 4): Jhn.2:20, Act.13:20; __(with) joining terms which are not mutually exclusive, as the part with the whole: Mat.8:33, 26:59, Mrk.16:17, Act.5:29, al. __2. Connecting clauses and sentences: Mat.3:12, Act.5:21, al. mult.; esp. __(a) where, after the simplicity of the popular language, sentences are paratactically joined (WM, §60, 3; M, Pr., 12; Deiss., LAE, 128ff.): Mat.1:21, 7:25, Mrk.9:5, Jhn.10:3, al.; __(b) joining affirmative to negative sentences: Luk.3:14, Jhn.4:11, IIIJhn.10; __(with) consecutive, and so: Mat.5:1, 23:32, Heb.3:19, al.; after imperatives, Mat.4:19, Luk.7:7, al.; __(d) = καίτοι, and yet: Mat.3:14, 6:26, Mrk.12:12, Luk.18:7 (Field, Notes, 72), 1Co.5:2, al.; __(e) beginning an apodosis (= Heb. וְ; so sometimes δέ in cl.), then: Luk.2:21, 7:12, Act.1:10; beginning a question (WM, §53, 3a): Mrk.10:26, Luk.10:29, Jhn.9:36. __3. Epexegetic, and, and indeed, namely (WM, §53, 3c): Luk.3:18, Jhn.1:16, Act.23:6, Rom.1:5, 1Co.3:5, al. __4. In transition: Mat.4:23, Mrk.5:1, 21, Jhn.1:19, al.; so, Hebraistically, καὶ ἐγένετο (וַי:הִי; also ἐγένετο δέ), Mrk.1:9 (cf. Luk.5:1; V. Burton, §§357-60; M, Pr., 14, 16). __5. καὶ . . . καί, both . . . and (for τε . . . καί, see: τε); __(a) connecting single words: Mat.10:28, Mrk.4:41, Rom.11:33, al.; __(b) clauses and sentences: Mrk.9:13, Jhn.7:28, 1Co.1:22, al. __II. Adjunctive, also, even, still: Mat.5:39, 40; Mrk.2:28, al. mult.; esp. with pron., adv., etc., Mat.20:4, Jhn.7:47, al; ὡς κ., Act.11:17; καθὼς κ., Rom.15:7; οὑτω κ., Rom.6:11; διὸ κ., Luk.1:35; ὁ κ. (Deiss., BS, 313ff.), Act.13:9; pleonastically, μετὰ κ.. (Bl., §77, 7; Deiss., BS, 265f,), Php.4:3; τί κ., 1 Co 15:29; ἀλλὰ κ., Luk.14:22, Jhn.5:18, al.; καίγε (M, Pr., 230; Burton, §437), Act.17:27; καίπερ, Heb.5:8; κ. ἐάν, see: ἐάν. ἐάν, contr. fr. εἰ ἄν, conditional particle, representing something as "under certain circumstances actual or liable to happen," but not so definitely expected as in the case of εἰ with ind. (Bl., §65, 4; cf. Jhn.13:17, 1Co.7:36), if haply, if; __1. with subjc. (cl.); __(a) pres.: Mat.6:22, Luk.10:6, Jhn.7:17, Rom.2:25, 26 al.; { __(b) aor. (= Lat. fut. pf.): Mat.4:9 16:26 (cf. ptcp. in Luk.9:25; M, Pr., 230), Mrk.3:24, Luk.14:34, Jhn.5:43, Rom.7:2, al.; = cl. εἰ, with opt., Jhn.9:22 11:57, Act.9:2; as Heb. אִם = ὅταν, Jhn.12:32 14:3, I Jhn.2:28 3:2, Heb.3:7" (LXX) . __2. C. indic, (as in late writers, fr. Arist. on; see WH, App., 171; VD, MGr. 2, App., §77; Deiss., BS, 201f., LAE, 155, 254; M, Pr., 168, 187; Bl., §65, 4); __(a) fut.: Mat.18:19 T, Luk.19:40, Act.7:7; __(b) pres.: 1Th.3:8 (see Milligan, in l.). __3. With other particles: ἐ. καί (Bl., §65, 6), Gal.6:1; ἐ. μή (M, Pr., 185, 187; Bl., l.with), with subjc. pres., Mat.10:13, 1Co.8:8, Jas.2:17, 1Jn.3:21; aor., Mat.6:15, Mrk.3:27, Jhn.3:3, Rom.10:15, Gal.1:8 2:16 (see Lft., Ellic., in ll.); ἐ. τε . . . ἐ. τε, [in LXX for אִם . . . אִם, Est.19:13, al.,] Rom.14:8. __4. = cl. ἄν (which see) after relat. pronouns and adverbs (Tdf., Pr., 96; WH, App., 173; M, Pr., 42f.; Bl., §26, 4; Mayser, 152f.; Deiss., BS, 202ff.): ὃς ἐ., Mat.5:19, Mrk.6:22, 23 Luk.17:32, 1Co.6:18, al.; ὅπου ἐ., Mat.8:19; ὁσάκις ἐ., Rev.11:6; οὗ ἐ., 1Co.16:6; καθὸ ἐ., 2Co.8:12; ὅστις ἐ., Gal.5:10. (AS)

Usage: Occurs in 5212 NT verses. KJV: and, also, both, but, even, for, if, or, so, that, then, therefore, when, yet See also: 1 Corinthians 1:1; 1 Corinthians 10:4; 1 Corinthians 16:1.

πασα pas G3956 "all" Adj-NSF

This word means all or every, as in Matthew 3:10 and Romans 7:8, where it refers to everything or all people, emphasizing the universal nature of God's message.

θυσια thusia G2378 "sacrifice" Noun-NSF

A sacrifice is an offering to God, either an animal or a gift, like the sacrifices mentioned in Matthew 9:13 and Mark 12:33. The Greek word for sacrifice is used to describe the act of giving something to God.

Definition: θυσία, -ας, ἡ (θύω) [in LXX chiefly for מִנְחָה, זָבַח ;] __1. actively, an offering, sacrifice (Hdt., al.) __2. Objectively, that which is offered, a sacrifice: Mat.9:13 12:7" (LXX), Mrk.9:49 (WH, mg.), Eph.5:2, Heb.10:5, 26; pl. (as usually in cl.), Mrk.12:33, Luk.13:1, Heb.9:23 10:1, 8, (θ. καὶ προσφοράς); θ. ἀνάγειν, Act.7:41; ἀναφέρειν, Heb.7:27; προσφέρειν, Act.7:42, Heb.5:1 8:3 (δῶρά τε καὶ θ.) Heb.10:11-12 11:4; δοῦναι, Luk.2:24; pass., Heb.9:9; διὰ τῆς θ. αὐτοῦ, Heb.9:26; ἐσθίειν τὰς θ. (Lev.7:15 ff) 1Co.10:18. Metaphorical, Php.4:18, Heb.13:16; θ. πνευματικαί, 1Pe.2:5; θ. ζῶσα, Rom.12:1; θ. αἰνέσεως, Heb.13:15; θ. . . . τ. πίστεως, Php.2:17.† (AS)

Usage: Occurs in 29 NT verses. KJV: sacrifice See also: 1 Corinthians 10:18; Hebrews 10:11; 1 Peter 2:5.

αλι hals G251 "salt" Noun-DSM

This word simply means salt, used in Mark 9 to describe something that adds flavor or preserves.

Definition: ἅλς, ἁλός, ὁ variant for ἅλας (which see): Mrk.9:49, Rec. WH, mg., R, mg.† (AS)

Usage: Occurs in 1 NT verses. KJV: salt See also: Mark 9:49.

αλισθησεται halizō G233 "to salt" Verb-FPI-3S

To salt something, like seasoning food with salt, as Jesus taught in Matthew 5:13, where He said His followers are the salt of the earth, giving flavor and preserving what is good.

Definition: ἁλίζω (ἅλς), [in LXX for מָלַח ;] to salt, season with salt: Mat.5:13, Mrk.9:49.† (AS)

Usage: Occurs in 2 NT verses. KJV: salt See also: Mark 9:49; Matthew 5:13.

Study Notes — Mark 9:49

Show Verse Quote Highlights

Context
Cross References
Mark 9:49 Summary
Frequently Asked Questions
Reflection Questions
Gill's Exposition on Mark 9:49
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Mark 9:49
Matthew Poole's Commentary on Mark 9:49
Trapp's Commentary on Mark 9:49
Ellicott's Commentary on Mark 9:49
Adam Clarke's Commentary on Mark 9:49
Cambridge Bible on Mark 9:49
Whedon's Commentary on Mark 9:49
Sermons on Mark 9:49

Context — Good Salt

47And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, 48where ‘their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched.’

49For everyone will be salted with fire.

50Salt is good, but if the salt loses its saltiness, with what will you season it? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”

Cross References

	Reference	Text (BSB)
1	Leviticus 2:13	And you shall season each of your grain offerings with salt. You must not leave the salt of the covenant of your God out of your grain offering; you are to add salt to each of your offerings.
2	Ezekiel 43:24	You must present them before the LORD; the priests are to sprinkle salt on them and sacrifice them as a burnt offering to the LORD.

Mark 9:49 Summary

[Mark 9:49 tells us that everyone will be 'salted with fire', which means we will all face some kind of testing or refinement in our lives. This can be a difficult process, but it's also an opportunity for us to grow in our faith and become more like Jesus (Romans 8:28-29). As we go through these trials, we can trust that God is working to purify and refine us, making us more effective witnesses for Him (1 Peter 1:7). By embracing this process, we can become the 'salt' that brings flavor and light to a world in need of God's love.]

Frequently Asked Questions

What does it mean to be 'salted with fire' in Mark 9:49?

This phrase is often understood as a metaphor for being purified or refined through trials and tribulations, much like silver is purified in a furnace (Proverbs 17:3, 1 Peter 1:7).

Is the 'fire' in Mark 9:49 the same as the 'fire' in Mark 9:48?

While both verses mention fire, the context suggests they may refer to different types of fire - the fire in Mark 9:48 appears to be a reference to eternal punishment, whereas the fire in Mark 9:49 may symbolize purification or refinement (Isaiah 48:10, Zechariah 13:9).

How does this verse relate to our everyday lives as Christians?

As believers, we are called to be salt and light in a world that often rejects God (Matthew 5:13-16), and being 'salted with fire' may be a reminder that our faith will be tested and refined, helping us to become more effective witnesses for Christ (1 Peter 1:6-7).

Does this verse imply that everyone will be saved?

No, Mark 9:49 does not suggest universal salvation; rather, it emphasizes that every person will face some kind of refining or testing, whether in this life or the next (Romans 14:12, 2 Corinthians 5:10).

Reflection Questions

What are some ways I can allow God to 'salt' me with fire, refining my faith and character?
How can I balance the need for purification and refinement with the comfort and peace that come from being a child of God?
In what ways do I see the 'fire' of trials and tribulations shaping me into a more effective witness for Christ?
What does it mean for me to 'have salt' among myself and with other believers, and how can I cultivate this in my own life?

Gill's Exposition on Mark 9:49

For every one shall be salted with fire,.... That is every one of those that transgress the law of God, offend any that, believe in Christ, retain their sins, and sinful companions; every one of them

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Mark 9:49

For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. For everyone shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt.

Matthew Poole's Commentary on Mark 9:49

The phrase of this text is so difficult, and the sense of it so necessary to be understood, that it hath deservedly exercised the parts of many interpreters, and given them a latitude to abound in interpretations. Those who would rightly understand it, 1. Must have a retrospection to the six verses immediately preceding, where our Lord had persuaded to the mortification of our most beloved and profitable or pleasant lust, under the notion of cutting off the right hand or foot offending, and plucking out the right eye, under the penalty of going into a fire that shall never be quenched: as also to the law, , which runs thus: And every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat offering: with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt. 2. They must next consider the nature of salt and fire. It is of the nature of salt, by drying up the over much moisture in meats, to preserve them from putrefaction; and to cause smart to living flesh. And of fire, to separate things not of the same kind in compounded bodies, and also to cause pain and smart. 3. They must know, that every one in the former part of the verse is the same with every sacrifice in the latter part; for every man and woman living will, or shall, be a sacrifice to God. Godly men are not only priests, ,9 Revelation 1:6 5:10, but sacrifices, . Wicked men, though indeed they be no priests, (voluntarily giving up themselves unto God), yet they shall be sacrifices, like the sacrifice in Bozrah, , or in the north country by the river Euphrates, : see also . The saints are both priests and sacrifices. These things premised, the difficulty of the text is not great. Our Lord had been in the former verses persuading the mortification of men’ s dearest lusts, under the notions of cutting off the right hand or foot, and plucking out the right eye; and pressing this exhortation, from the eligibility of it, rather than (keeping them) to be thrust into hell, where the worm never dies, and where the fire never goeth out. Now saith he in this verse, For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. God hath a fire, and a salt, which every man must endure. He hath a purging fire, to take away men’ s dross and tin. Some he baptizeth with the Holy Ghost, and with fire, . And he hath a consuming, tormenting fire, a fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries, .

Trapp's Commentary on Mark 9:49

49 For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. Ver. 49. For every one shall be salted with fire] The spirit, as salt, must dry up those bad humours in us that breed the never dying worm; and as fire, must waste our corruptions, which else will carry us on to the unquenchable fire.

Ellicott's Commentary on Mark 9:49

(49) Every one shall be salted with fire.—The verse presents considerable difficulties, both as regards the reading and the interpretation. Many of the best MSS. omit the latter clause; one of the best omits the first. It is as if transcribers felt that either clause was more intelligible by itself than the two taken together. Accepting both clauses as, on the whole, sufficiently authenticated, we have to deal with their meaning. (1) The most generally received interpretation of the first clause is that which eliminates from the process of salting the idea of purifying, or preserving from corruption, and sees in it only the symbol of perpetuation. So taken, the words become an emphatic assertion of the endlessness of future punishment—as in Keble’s lines: “Salted with fire, they seem to show How spirits lost in endless woe May undecaying live.” Against this, however, it may be urged (a) that it arbitrarily limits the “every one” of the sentence to those who are finally condemned and are cast into Gehenna; (b) that it is scarcely conceivable that the same word, “salted,” should be used in such contrasted senses in the same verse; (c) that the uniform symbolism of “salt,” as representing the spiritual element that purifies and preserves from taint (see Matthew 5:13; Luke 14:34; Colossians 4:6; Leviticus 2:13), is against this application of it. We have to ask whether “fire” appears with a like symbolism and with an application as universal as that of this verse. And the answer is found partly in “the baptism with the Holy Ghost and with fire,” of which the Baptist spoke (Matthew 3:11); the “fire already kindled” of our Lord’s teaching (Luke 12:49); the “fire” which “shall try every man’s work of what sort it is” of 1 Corinthians 3:13; the “fire that tries men’s faith” of 1 Peter 1:7. In these passages there can be no shadow of doubt that “fire” represents the righteousness of God manifested as punishing and chastising—the discipline, in other words, of suffering. Of that discipline, our Lord says “every one” shall be a partaker. He shall thus be “salted with fire,” for the tendency of that fire, the aim of the sufferings which it represents, is to purify and cleanse. Even when manifested in its most awful forms, it is still true that they who “walk righteously and speak uprightly” may dwell with “everlasting burnings”—i.e., with the perfect and consuming holiness of God (Isaiah 33:14). (2) The second clause is obviously far simpler. The “sacrifice” throws us back upon the ritual of Lev 2:13, which prescribed that salt should be added, as the natural symbol of incorruption, to every sacrifice. Here our Lord speaks of the spiritual sacrifice which each man offers of his body, soul, and spirit (Romans 12:1), and declares that “salt,” the purifying grace of the Eternal Spirit, is needed that it may be acceptable. Punishment, the pain which we feel when brought into contact with the infinite Righteousness represented by fire, may do its work in part; but it requires something more for completeness.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on Mark 9:49

Verse 49. For every one shall be salted with fire] Every one of those who shall live and die in sin: but there is great difficulty in this verse. The Codex Bezae, and some other MSS., have omitted the first clause; and several MSS. keep the first, and omit the last clause - and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. There appears to be an allusion to Isaiah 66:24. It is generally supposed that our Lord means, that as salt preserves the flesh with which it is connected from corruption, so this everlasting fire, τοπυρτοασβεστον, this inconsumable fire, will have the property, not only of assimilating all things cast into it to its own nature, but of making them inconsumable like itself. Scaliger supposes, that instead of παςπυρι, πασαπυρια, every sacrifice (of flour) should be read, "Every sacrifice (of flour) shall be salted, and every burnt offering shall be salted." This, I fear, is taking the text by storm. Some take the whole in a good sense, as referring to the influence of the Spirit of God in the hearts of believers, which shall answer the same end to the soul, in preserving it from the contagion that is in the world, as salt did in the sacrifices offered to God to preserve them from putrefaction. Old Trapp's note on the place pleases me as much as any I have seen: - "The Spirit, as salt, must dry up those bad humours in us which breed the never-dying worm; and, as fire, must waste our corruptions, which else will carry us on to the unquenchable fire." Perhaps the whole is an allusion to the purification of vessels, and especially such metallic vessels as were employed in the service of the sanctuary. Probably the following may be considered as a parallel text: - Every thing that may abide the fire, ye shalt make go through the fire, and it shall be clean; and all that abideth not the fire, ye shall make go through the water, Numbers 31:23. Ye, disciples, are the Lord's sacrifice; ye shall go through much tribulation, in order to enter into my kingdom: but ye are salted, ye are influenced by the Spirit of God, and are immortal till your work is done; and should ye be offered up, martyred, this shall be a means of establishing more fully the glad tidings of the kingdom: and this Spirit shall preserve all who believe on me from the corruption of sin, and from eternal perdition. That converts to God are represented as his offering, see Isaiah 66:20, the very place which our Lord appears to have here in view. If this passage be taken according to the common meaning, it is awful indeed! Here may be seen the greatness, multiplicity, and eternity, of the pains of the damned. They suffer without being able to die; they are burned without being consumed; they are sacrificed without being sanctified - are salted with the fire of hell, as eternal victims of the Divine Justice.

Cambridge Bible on Mark 9:49

49. every one shall be salted with fire] Salt and fire have properties in common. Salt, like a subtle flame, penetrates all that is corruptible, and separates that which is decaying and foul, whilst it fixes and quickens that which is sound. Fire destroys that which is perishable, and thereby establishes the imperishable in its purest perfection, and leads to new and more beautiful forms of being. Thus both effect a kind of transformation. Now “every one,” our Lord saith, “shall be salted with fire;” either (1) by his voluntary entering upon a course of self-denial and renunciation of his sins, and so submitting to the purifying fire of self-transformation; or (2) by his being involuntarily salted with the fire of condemning judgment (Hebrews 10:27; Hebrews 12:29), as the victims on the altar were salted with salt (Leviticus 2:13; Ezekiel 43:24). See Lange.

Whedon's Commentary on Mark 9:49

49. Salted with fire — As salt, from its antiseptic qualities, was an ancient emblem of purification, so salted here is equivalent to purified, and “salted with fire” is equivalent to “purified with

Sermons on Mark 9:49

	Sermon	Description
	Lake Geneva Bible Conference 1984-07 1 Peter by William MacDonald	In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the significance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The resurrection demonstrates God's satisfaction with the work of Christ and assures b
	Difficult Passages- Lake Geneva conf.1984 - Part 2 by William MacDonald	In this sermon, the speaker discusses the significance of Christ's resurrection in relation to the forgiveness of sins. He uses the analogy of a friend taking on someone else's jai
	How the Christian Life Begins in Us by St. Theophan the Recluse	St. Theofan the Recluse preaches about the importance of recognizing the beginning of the Christian life and the zeal required to live in communion with God. He emphasizes that tru
	Salt Is Good by H.J. Vine	H.J. Vine preaches on the significance of salt in the Bible, drawing parallels between the use of salt in offerings in the Old Testament and the importance of grace and truth in th