Is Torment: Literal or Spiritual?
Why This Matters
Many Christians today believe that God will literally and eternally torture the wicked in a fiery hell.
This belief stems from misunderstanding the original language of Scripture—particularly the word “torment.”
But when we examine the Greek words behind our English translations, we find something very different:
Testing, purification, sorrow, distress—but not sadistic torture.
What Does “Torment” Mean in English?
- Standard definition:
“Torment” refers to severe physical or mental suffering. - This includes:
- Mental anguish
- Physical pain
But Scripture’s use of the word—especially in Greek—reveals spiritual depth and symbolic meaning.
The 5 Key Greek Words Behind “Torment”
All of the following words either come from or are related to the root βάσανος (basanos), which originally referred to a touchstone—used to test the purity of gold or silver.
1. Basanos (βάσανος) – Strong’s G931
- Primary meaning:
- A touchstone (black stone used to test metal purity)
- Also came to mean an instrument of truth-extraction (testing, interrogation)
- Translated as “torment” 3 times: Matthew 4:24 –
“They brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments… and he healed them.” Luke 16:23 –
“In hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments…” (Note: part of a parable) Luke 16:28 –
“…lest they also come into this place of torment.” (Also part of the same parable)
2. Basanizō (βασανίζω) – Strong’s G928
- Definition:
- To test with a touchstone
- To vex, distress, or cause pain
- Can refer to physical or mental pressure
- Used in many different ways: Matthew 14:24 –
“The ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves.”
(Could have been translated “tormented” but would sound strange.) Mark 6:48 –
“He saw them toiling in rowing…”
(Tormented would feel out of place.) Revelation 12:2 –
“She… being with child… cried, travailing in birth, and was pained to be delivered.” 2 Peter 2:8 –
“Lot… vexed his righteous soul… with their unlawful deeds.”
This is clearly mental and emotional, not physical, torment. Revelation 9:5 –
“They should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months…”
The torment is like a scorpion’s sting—symbolic and limited in time.
3. Basanismos (βασανισμός) – Strong’s G929
- Definition:
- The act of testing (via touchstone)
- By extension: torment, torture, or distress
- Appears 6 times in Revelation only—a highly symbolic and figurative book: Revelation 9:5 –
“Their torment was as the torment of a scorpion…”Revelation 14:11 –
“The smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever…”- Note: No literal fire is mentioned. No eternal pain is detailed.
- If you say the smoke is literal, then you must also say the torment is literal—but the language is figurative.
4. Basanistēs (βασανιστής) – Strong’s G930
- Definition:
- A person who extracts truth through testing or interrogation
- Used only once:Matthew 18:34 –
“His lord… delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due…”- Again, this is part of a parable, not a literal description of divine justice.
5. Odynaō (ὀδυνάω) – Strong’s G3600
- Definition:
- To cause anguish, pain, or distress
- Can be internal sorrow or emotional suffering
- Examples:Luke 2:48 –
“Your father and I have sought thee sorrowing.”
Mary and Joseph weren’t being burned—just mentally distressed.Luke 16:24 –
“I am tormented in this flame.”- Again, from a parable, not literal teaching.
- Same word used for sorrowing above.
- The flame represents emotional regret, not physical punishment.
Why This Language Matters
All of the torment-related words share a spiritual theme:
Torment in Scripture = Testing, Exposure, Refinement — NOT torture
- The root word basanos is a tool for testing metal.
- Spiritually, it represents the testing of our faith.
1 Peter 1:7 –
“The trial of your faith, being much more precious than gold… though it be tried with fire…”
- The goal is to refine and purify, not to punish forever.
What About Human Torture?
The human heart is desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9), and human history proves it:
- Crucifixion, impalement, the rack, the Judas cradle, the brazen bull…
- These are man-made tortures—horrific, temporary, and condemned even in war.
Yet modern Christianity teaches a worse fate:
Endless divine torture… by a loving God?
That’s not justice. That’s a contradiction.
“If hell is real, then God is worse than the most sadistic men in history—combined.”
But What About “Everlasting Torment”?
- The real problem isn’t just the word torment.
- The issue is how it’s joined with mistranslations like eternal, forever, or hell.
These terms have been twisted by bad translations and carnal interpretations that misrepresent the heart of God.
So, Is Torment Literal? Or Spiritual?
Torment never means literal, eternal, physical torture in any passage of the Bible.
- It speaks of:
- Mental anguish
- Spiritual sorrow
- Purifying fire
- Testing of faith
“1 Corinthians 2:14 – The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God… because they are spiritually discerned.”
If you’re reading these words with carnal lenses, you’ll imagine fire.
But if you’re spiritually discerning, you’ll see the refiner’s fire, not the executioner’s flame.
Conclusion
- Every Greek word translated “torment” has a deeper meaning rooted in testing, sorrow, or purification.
- Not one passage teaches unending physical torture.
- Revelation is symbolic, not literal journalism from hell.
- The translators of the King James Bible used the same Greek words to say “torment,” “pain,” “toiling,” “vexed,” and “sorrowing”—proving that context is everything.
Final Word
If your interpretation of Scripture leads you to believe God burns people forever,
you have misunderstood the language, the genre, and the purpose of God’s judgment.
God refines. God purifies. God restores.
“He that overcomes shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be My son.” (Revelation 21:7)
That is the end goal—not eternal torture, but eternal restoration.
