fire and brimstone

English

Etymology

Calque of Biblical Hebrew גׇּפְרִ֣ית וָאֵ֑שׁ (gofrit va’esh) and Ancient Greek πυρὸς καὶ θείου (puròs kaì theíou), appearing in both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament.

Noun

fire and brimstone (uncountable)

1. The traditional punishments of Hell.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Revelation 14:9–10:

     And the third Angel followed them, ſaying with a lowd voice, If any man worship the beaſt and his image, and receiue his marke in his forehead, or in his hand, / The ſame ſhall drinke of the wine of the wrath of God, which is powred out without mixture into the cup of his indignation, and hee ſhall be tormented with fire and brimſtone, in the preſence of the holy Angels, and in the preſence of the Lambe:

Related terms

• rain fire and brimstone
• hellfire

Translations

punishment of Hell

• Catalan: foc i sofre
• Czech: oheň a síra
• Finnish: tuli ja tulikivi
• German: Strafpredigt (de)

Adjective

fire and brimstone (not comparable)

1. Referencing or emphasizing the power and wrath of God.

   That preacher gave a real fire and brimstone sermon!

   The fire-and-brimstone preacher gave the city council a severe tongue-lashing after they voted on a zoning ordinance allowing a new strip club to open.

Alternative forms

• fire-and-brimstone

Translations

referencing the wrath of God

• Finnish: tulikivenkatkuinen (fi)
• Swedish: eld och svavel