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The Hebrew word Sheol, which means grave, appears 65 times in the Old Testament. In
most modern translations, Sheol is translated grave. In at least one version, it is left
untranslated. The King James Version translates Sheol grave, hell, and pit. Already, you
can see a problem. In modern English hell is not the same as grave or pit. It's true that in
Early English, hell had a different meaning. It meant to conceal or cover. Thus, when the
KJV was originally published in 1611, hell may not have been such a bad choice for
Sheol. But today, check the dictionary definitions for hell and grave:
...Hell The abode of condemned souls and devils in some religions; the place of eternal
punishment for the wicked after death, presided over by Satan.
grave...for the interment of a corpse. b. A place of burial. 2. Death or extinction: faced
the grave with calm resignation.
(American Heritage Dictionary, Fourth Edition, 2000)
Sheol is used in at least three different ways in the Old Testament:
1. As a metaphor for death.
2. As a symbol of destruction, especially national destruction or calamity.
3. To express fear or distress over impending death.
Note that Sheol is not the word used to describe a physical grave or burial plot. The
Hebrews had a different word for that. It is also not a literal place, but rather the state of
the dead and death.
Sheol is nothing like the hell of Christianity described in the above dictionary definition.
But what if I'm wrong? Maybe Sheol really is hell. Okay then, if Sheol is hell, let's take a
look at what the Bible says about hell.
If Sheol is hell.....
Houses go to hell
People die in hell
And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground
clave asunder that was under them: And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed
them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their
goods. They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the
earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation. (Num. 16:31)
Notice that they went down "alive", but then they perished (died).
If Sheol is hell.....
Jacob wanted to go to hell to be with his son
And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be
comforted; and he said, For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus
his father wept for him. (Gen. 37:35)
Hell is a house
You make your bed in hell (you sleep)
If I wait, the grave is mine house: I have made my bed in the darkness. (Job 17:13)
If Sheol is hell.....
There is peace in hell
Hell is silent
Do therefore according to thy wisdom, and let not his hoar head go down to the grave in
peace. (1 Kings 2:6)
Let me not be ashamed, O LORD; for I have called upon thee: let the wicked be
ashamed, and let them be silent in the grave. (Ps. 31:17)
There is rest in hell
They shall go down to the bars of the pit, when our rest together is in the dust. (Job
13:16)
If Sheol is hell.....
Babies go to hell
For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall
consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains.
The sword without, and terror within, shall destroy both the young man and the virgin,
the suckling (infant, baby) also with the man of gray hairs. (Deut. 32:22, 25)
Nations go to hell
The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God. (Ps. 9:17)
The wicked go to hell
The righteous go to hell
Everyone goes to hell
What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the
hand of the grave? (Ps. 89:48)
If Sheol is hell.....
There is no work, knowledge, or wisdom in hell
Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device,
nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest. (Ecc. 9:10)
Only the dead go to hell
But he knoweth not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the depths of hell.
(Pr. 9:18)
Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into hell: for wickedness is in
their dwellings, and among them. (Ps. 55:15)
If Sheol is hell....
Hell is temporary
Hell will be destroyed
I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death,
I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from
mine eyes. (Hos. 13:14)
The Lord can rescue you from hell
The Lord killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up. (1
Sam. 2:6)
For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell.
(Ps. 86:13)
If you go to hell, the Lord will go to hell with you
If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art
there. (Ps. 139:8)
Hell is a hiding place
O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy
wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me! (Job 14:13)
It's also worth pointing out what we don't find in Sheol. In Sheol there is...
no fire
no brimstone
no torture
no torment
no punishment
no condemned souls
no demons
no devils
no conscience
no knowledge
You could look up all 65 verses which contain Sheol and read them in context, and you
would get more of the same. If Sheol is hell, then hell doesn't sound so bad. It's not
exactly heaven, but according to the Bible's description, hell sounds more like a place of
rest than anything else.
We can see from this simple study that the Biblical description of Sheol nothing like the
hell Christians believe in. Furthermore, the doctrine of eternal torment in some fiery
barbecue pit is completely foreign to the Hebrew scriptures.