Mark 9:49 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

For every one shall be salted— This difficult text has been interpreted very variously: I shall lay before the reader only such explanations of it as appear to me most reasonable. I. The proper translation of this passage, says Dr. Macknight, is, Every one shall be salted for the fire, πας πυρι αλισθησεται, namely, by you my apostles; for πυρι here is the dative, not the ablative; as it is likewise 2 Peter 3:7 where the same construction is found, πυρι τηρουμενοι, reserved for the fire.—"Every one shall be salted for the fire of God's altar;" that is to say, shall be prepared to be offered a sacrifice to God, holy and acceptable: For though the proposition be universal, it must be limited by the nature of the subject, thus, "Every one who is offered a sacrifice unto God, shall be salted for the fire, as every sacrifice is salted with salt;" nor is it any objection against this interpretation, that the word αλισθησεται will thus stand construed with different cases in the same sentence; for both sacred and profane writers make use of such constructions; nay, they often affix different senses to the same word in one sentence. See James 4:8. But the reader will have no doubt of the meaning of the passage, when he considers that our Lord is not giving a reason of the unquenchableness of hell-fire, as is commonly supposed, but a reason why his apostles and followers should cut off their hands, and pluck out their eyes, if these members prove the occasion of sin, either to themselves or others. This I think is plain from the clause that follows: If the salt have lost its saltness; if you, who are the salt of the earth, and whose office it is to season others, have lost your saltness, that is to say, your grace and goodness, wherewith will you season it?—Have salt in yourselves, &c. According to this interpretation, the argument stands thus: "That ye, my apostles, do mortify yourselves, is absolutely necessary, not only on account of your future well-being, but for the sake of mankind, who are to be salted by you for the fire;" that is, seasoned with piety, holiness, and virtue, by means of your doctrine and example, and so put into a fit condition for being offered unto God; in opposition to the condition of the wicked, who, being an abhorrence unto all flesh, must be consumed by the worm that never dies, and the fire that is not quenched. The necessity of men's being thus seasoned with grace, in order to their becoming acceptable sacrifices unto God, you may learn from its being typically represented under the law, by the priest's salting the sacrifices for the fire of the altar with salt. Having therefore this high honour, of salting mankind for the altar of heaven, conferred upon you, it is fit that you contain in yourselves the spiritual salt of all the graces, and particularly the holy salt of love and peace, in order that you may be, as much as possible, free from the corruption of ambition and pride, contention, and every evil work. II. Dr. Doddridge, following many learned commentaries, translates and paraphrases the passage thus: "For as the flesh burned on the altar has salt rubbed upon it, in consequence of which it burns so much the more fiercely; so every one of those unhappy creatures, the victims of divine justice, shall be, as it were, salted with fire; and instead of being consumed by if, shall, in those wretched abodes, continue immortal in the midst of their flames. Whereas every acceptable sacrifice shall be seasoned with another kind of salt, even that of divine grace, which purifies the soul, and preserves it from corruption." Sinners are represented as victims of divine justice, Isaiah 34:6. Jeremiah 12:3; Jeremiah 46:10; Jeremiah 46:28 and good men, as in this place, are exhibited as acceptable sacrifices, consecrated to God. See Romans 12:1; Romans 15:16; Romans 15:33. The version of 1729 translates this verse, Such a one shall be consumed by fire; but the offering that is salted, shall be preserved from corruption: but it does not any where appear that αλισθησεται, bears the sense of consumed. The learned reader will find in Wolfius a multitude of different interpretations of this text.