What is brimstone as in "fire and brimstone"?

DukeDawson

The torments suffered by sinners in hell. Apr 01 06, 8:04 AM

peasypod

....that, yes, and the multivalent nonmetallic element--atomic number 16, of course. Apr 01 06, 8:26 AM

McGruff

Is that sulphur or am I going to have to look it up? Apr 01 06, 8:28 AM

McGruff

Looked it up anyway. http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mbrimstone.html Apr 01 06, 8:30 AM

Baloo55th

I thought the Americans spelled it 'sulfur', unlike us Brits who spell it the proper way 'sulphur'... Apr 01 06, 10:50 AM

xfacilitatorx

I would not be so hasty in saying what is right and what is wrong Baloo (although I agree with you). The IUPAC adopted the spelling "sulfur" in 1990, as did the Royal Society of Chemistry Nomenclature Committee in 1992. http://www.reference.com/browse/wiki/Sulfur http://www.reference.com/browse/wiki/Sulfur Apr 01 06, 12:49 PM

Baloo55th

Didn't you notice the "..." ... Apr 01 06, 1:14 PM

Arpeggionist

Spelling issues. Who originally translated the word as "brimstone" anyway? In the original Hebrew it's very hard to misunderstand. The phrase appears in Genesis as the stuff that God rained down on Soddom. In Deuteronomy it is also linked with other materials at the Dead Sea: "Sulfur and salt, the whole land is ablaze, it can't be planted, it can't produce, no weed will grow there, like the uprooting of S'dom and 'Amorah, Admah and Tz'voyim, which the Lord had overturned in his wrath and his fury..." (Deut. 29:22) Ezekiel uses a similar phrase when he tells of the punishment of Gog: "I will do justice with him by pestilence and blood, and pouring rain, and crystalized stone, fire and sulfur I shall bring upon him and on his flanks, and on many nations with him..." (Ez. 38:22) Apr 01 06, 2:20 PM

xfacilitatorx

I told you I agree with you! I was just making a point that even the Brits. (as you are) have given in and accepted less than what is correct. Apr 01 06, 3:56 PM

peasypod

Gee, McG, I thought a dashing, intelligent guy as yourself would know the periodic table of elements off by heart.. Just to expand a little on Arppy's statement: "The word translated "brimstone" probably referred originally to the pitch of trees, like the cypress. By analogy it has been rendered "brimstone" because of the inflammability of both substances." " In the vicinity of the Dead Sea, even at the present time, deposits of sulphur are being formed. Blanckenhorn (ZDPV, 1896) believes that this formation is due to the action of bituminous matter upon gypsum, as these two substances are found associated with each other in this district. Travelers going from Jericho to the Dead Sea may pick up lumps of sulphur, which are usually encrusted with crystals of gypsum." http://www.searchgodsword.org/enc/isb/view.cgi?number=T1706 Apr 01 06, 4:11 PM

Arpeggionist

Indeed, I can attest, sulfur, gypsum, and common table salt are all among the most common things you can easily pick up at the Dead Sea. My brother always said the area has the smell of sulfur, but as I have no sense of smell (among other reasons), I have always felt very comfortable around there. Apr 02 06, 3:02 AM