"Perish" as Defined in Scripture

Here are all 154 times some form of the word perish is used - 118 Scripture texts containing the word perish, 1 text, perishing (Job 33:18), 9 texts, perisheth (Proverbs 11:7, which also contains perish), and 26 texts, perished:

Genesis 41:36             that the land PERISH not through the famine

Exodus 19:21             lest they break through unto the LORD to gaze, and many of them PERISH

Exodus 21:26             if a man smite the eye of his servant…that it PERISH

Leviticus 26:38          ye shall PERISH among the heathen… the land of your enemies shall eat you up

Numbers 16:33          went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they PERISHED

Numbers 17:12          Behold, we die, we PERISH, we all PERISH

Numbers 21:30          Heshbon is PERISHED even unto Dibon, and we have laid them waste

Numbers 24:20          his latter end shall be that he PERISH for ever

Numbers 24:24          he also shall perish for ever  (Alas, who shall live when God doeth this! v. 23)

Deut. 4:26                  ye shall soon utterly perish… ye shall not prolong your days… but shall utterly be destroyed

Deut. 8:19                  I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish

Deut. 8:20                  As the nations which the LORD destroyeth before your face, so shall ye perish

Deut. 11:17                the LORD’s wrath… no rain… and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land

Deut. 26:5                  A Syrian ready to perish was my father

Deut. 28:20                until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly

Deut. 28:22                consumption… a fever… the sword… (etc.) they shall pursue thee until thou perish

Deut. 30:18                ye shall surely perish… ye shall not prolong your days

Joshua 22:20              that man perished not alone in his iniquity (Achan, who was stoned and burned- 7:25)

Joshua 23:13              they shall be snare and traps… until ye perish from off this good land

Joshua 23:16              then shall the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and ye shall perish quickly

Judges 5:31                So let all thine enemies perish, O LORD

1 Samuel 26:10          his day shall come to die; or he shall descend into battle, and perish

1 Samuel 27:1            I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul

2 Samuel 1:27            How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished (Cf. v. 25- slain)

2 Kings 9:8                the whole house of Ahab shall perish: and I will cut off from Ahab

Esther 3:13                 to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews

Esther 4:16                 and if I perish, I perish (Cf. v. 11- to put him to death)

Esther 7:4                   to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish

Esther 8:11                 to destroy, to slay, and to cause to perish

Esther 9:28                 days of Purim should not fail… nor the memorial of them perish

Job 3:3                        Let the day perish wherein I was born (Cf. v.5- Let darkness and the shadow of death stain it)

Job 4:7                        who ever perished, being innocent? or where were the righteous cut off?

Job 4:9                        By the blast of God they perish, and by the breath of his nostrils are they consumed

Job 4:11                      The old lion perisheth for lack of prey

Job 4:20                      They are destroyed from morning to evening: they perish for ever without any regarding it

Job 6:18                      They go to nothing, and perish (Cf. v. 17- they vanish… they are consumed)

Job 8:13                      the hypocrite’s hope shall perish (Cf. v. 12- withereth; v. 14 – cut off; v. 15 – not endure)

Job 18:17                    His remembrance shall perish, and he shall have no name in the street

Job 20:7                      Yet he shall perish for ever like his own dung: they which have seen him shall say, Where is he?

Job 29:13                    The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me

Job 30:2                      whereto might the strength of their hands profit me, in whom old age was perished?

Job 31:19                    If I have seen any perish from want of clothing

Job 33:18                    He keepeth back his soul from the pit, and his life from perishing by the sword

Job 34:15                    All flesh shall perish together, and man shall turn again unto dust

Job 36:12                    they shall perish by the sword, and they shall die without knowledge

Psalm 1:6                    the way of the ungodly shall perish

Psalm 2:12                  Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way

Psalm 9:3                    When my enemies are turned back, they shall fall and perish at thy presence

Psalm 9:6                    a perpetual end… destroyed… their memorial is perished with them (Cf. v. 5- for ever and ever)

Psalm 9:18                  the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever

Psalm 10:16                The LORD is king for ever and ever: the heathen are perished out of his land

Psalm 37:20                the wicked shall perish… they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away

Psalm 41:5                  Mine enemies speak evil of me, When shall he die, and his name perish?

Psalm 49:10                 he seeth that wise men die, likewise the fool and brutish person perish

Psalm 49:12                 man being in honour abideth not: he is like the beasts that perish

Psalm 49:20                Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish

Psalm 68:2                   as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God

Psalm 73:27                 they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee

Psalm 80:16                 It is burned with fire, it is cut down: they perish at the rebuke of thy countenance

Psalm 83:10                 Which perished at Endor: they became as dung for the earth

Psalm 83:17                Let them be confounded and troubled for ever; yea, let them be put to shame, and perish

Psalm 92:9                   thine enemies shall perish; all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered  

Psalm 102:26               They shall perish, but thou shalt endure (Cf. v. 27- thy years shall have no end)

Psalm 112:10               he shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away: the desire of the wicked shall perish

Psalm 119:92               Unless thy law had been my delights, I should then have perished in mine affliction

Psalm 146:4                 His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish

Proverbs 10:28             the expectation of the wicked shall perish (Cf. v. 27- the years of the wicked shall be shortened)

Proverbs 11:7               When a wicked man dieth, his expectation shall perish: and the hope of unjust men perisheth

Proverbs 11:10             when the wicked perish, there is shouting

Proverbs 19:9               A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall perish

Proverbs 21:28             A false witness shall perish: but the man that heareth speaketh constantly

Proverbs 28:28             When the wicked rise, men hide themselves: but when they perish, the righteous increase

Proverbs 29:18             Where there is no vision, the people perish

Proverbs 31:6               Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish

Ecclesiastes 5:14          those riches perish by evil travail: and he begetteth a son, and there is nothing in his hand

Ecclesiastes 7:15          a just man that perisheth in his righteousness… a wicked man that prolongeth his life

Ecclesiastes 9:6            their love…hatred… envy, is now perished, neither have they any more portion for ever

Isaiah 26:14                  dead, they shall not live… deceased… destroyed them, and made all their memory to perish

Isaiah 27:13                  they shall come which were ready to perish

Isaiah 29:14                  the wisdom of their wise men shall perish

Isaiah 41:11                  ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing: and they that strive with thee shall perish

Isaiah 57:1                    The righteous perish, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away

Isaiah 60:12                  the nation and kingdom… shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted

Jeremiah 4:9                 the heart of the king shall perish

Jeremiah 6:21               the fathers and the sons together shall fall upon them; the neighbor and his friend shall perish

Jeremiah 7:28               truth is perished, and is cut off from their mouth

Jeremiah 9:12               the land perisheth and is burned up like a wilderness

Jeremiah 10:11             even they shall perish from the earth

Jeremiah 10:15             in the time of their visitation they shall perish

Jeremiah 18:18             the law shall not perish from the priest

Jeremiah 27:10             that I should drive you out, and ye should perish

Jeremiah 27:15             that I might drive you out, and that ye might perish

Jeremiah 40:15             wherefore should he slay thee, that all the Jews… and the remnant in Judah perish?

Jeremiah 48:8               the valley also shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed

Jeremiah 48:36             the riches that he hath gotten are perished

Jeremiah 48:46             the people of Chemosh perisheth (Cf. v. 45- a fire… a flame… shall devour)

Jeremiah 49:7                Is wisdom no more in Teman? is counsel perished from the prudent? is their wisdom vanished?

Jeremiah 51:18            in the time of their visitation they shall perish

Lamentations 3:18       My strength and my hope is perished from the LORD

Ezekiel 7:26                 the law shall perish from the priest

Ezekiel 25:7                 I will cause thee to perish out of the countries: I will destroy thee

Daniel 2:18                  that Daniel and his fellows should not perish (Cf. v. 13- the wise men should be slain)

Joel 1:11                      the harvest of the field is perished

Amos 1:8                     I will cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod… the remnant of the Philistines shall perish

Amos 2:14                   the flight will perish from the swift

Amos 3:15                   I will smite the winter house… houses of ivory shall perish, and the great houses shall have an end

Jonah 1:6                      if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not

Jonah 1:14                    let us not perish for this man’s life

Jonah 3:9                      Who can tell if God will turn and repent… that we perish not?

Jonah 4:10                    the gourd… came up in a night, and perished in a night (the worm smote it that it withered- v.7)

Micah 4:9                     is there no king in thee? is thy counsellor perished?

Micah 7:2                     The good man is perished out of the earth: and there is none upright among men

Zechariah 9:5               the king shall perish from Gaza, and Ashkelon shall not be inhabited

Matthew 5:29               that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell

Matthew 5:30               that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell

Matthew 8:25               his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish

Matthew 8:32               the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters

Matthew 9:17               else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish

Matthew 18:14             it is not the will of your Father… that one of these little ones should perish

Matthew 26:52             all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword

Mark 4:38                    Master, carest thou not that we perish?

Luke 5:37                     else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish

Luke 8:24                     they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish

Luke 11:51                   From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias which perished

Luke 13:3                     I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish

Luke 13:5                     I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish

Luke 13:33                   it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem (Cf. v. 31- for Herod will kill thee)

Luke 15:17                   How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough… and I perish with hunger!

Luke 21:18                   But there shall not an hair of your head perish

John 3:15                      That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life

John 3:16                      that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life

John 6:27                      Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life

John 10:28                    And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish

John 11:50                    that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not

Acts 5:37                      he also perished (Cf. v. 36- who was slain)

Acts 8:20                      But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee

Acts 13:41                    Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish

Romans 2:12                For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law

1 Corinthians 1:18        the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us… it is the power of God 

1 Corinthians 8:11        And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died?

1 Corinthians 15:18      Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished

2 Corinthians 2:15        in them that are saved, and in them that perish

2 Corinthians 4:16        though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day

Colossians 2:22            Which are all to perish with the using

2 Thessalonians 2:10    with all deceiveableness of unrighteousness in them that perish

Hebrews 1:11               They shall perish; but thou remainest

Hebrews 11:31             By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not

James 1:11                    the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away

1 Peter 1:7                    being much more precious than of gold that perisheth

2 Peter 2:12                  as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed… shall utterly perish in their own corruption

2 Peter 3:6                    Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished

2 Peter 3:9                    not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance

Jude 1:11                      and perished in the gainsaying of Core

Observations:

 1. The wicked shall perish.

 2. The saved shall never perish.

 3. The sincere reader will understand that the primary meaning of perish is to die, to lose life, to come to an end, or to be destroyed.

 4. PERISH is paralleled with die, kill, destroyed, consumed, slain, being eat up, laid waste, go to nothing, be as nothing, vanish, withereth, cut off,  turn again unto dust, deceased, fade away and utterly wasted.  

 5. PERISH is illustrated by dung, turning again to dust, consuming into smoke, melting like wax before a fire, melting away, a vine being burned by fire, breath leaving a body, years being shortened, a city being uninhabited, and bottles breaking. 

 6. PERISH is contrasted to prolonging days, days not failing, enduring, abiding, having no end, living, eternal life, 

everlasting life, being renewed, and  remaining.  

 7. Things that perish are land, an eye, people, weapons of war, dung, beasts, names, expectations, riches, wisdom of wise men, nations, kingdoms, houses, body members, bottles, hair, meat, and money.

 8. That which causes things to perish are famine, God’s wrath, smiting, warring nations, sickness, the sword, battle, fire, want of clothing, evil travail, and hunger.     

 9. As to any secondary meanings of perish, NONE express a continual process without an understood end.

10. As to any secondary meanings of perish, NONE even remotely express the theory of endless torment.