Thursday, June 27 2002

A number of words in the original languages of The Bible have been translated by some English-language versions as hell. While there is definitely an extremely hot end-time lake of fire coming (localized, beginning at The Return Of Jesus Christ, but becoming planet-wide when all has been completed e.g. Matthew 13:41-42, Revelation 19:20, 20:14 for those who refuse to repent and accept the Truth, two of those original words that are sometimes translated as hell, the Hebrew Sheol and the Greek Hades, merely mean death, or the grave – the place where the dead sleep in peaceful unconsciousness in the cool earth (e.g. Ecclesiastes 9:5) until their resurrection .

Sheol

Although translated in some versions as hell e.g. “Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell [original Hebrew word sheol], to the sides of the pit.” (Isaiah 14:15 KJV), sheol literally means the grave, “But you are brought down to Sheol, to the depths of the pit.” (Isaiah 14:15 RSV).

Other examples of its literal translation:

“But if The Lord creates something new, and the ground opens its mouth, and swallows them up, with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into Sheol, then you shall know that these men have despised The Lord…So they and all that belonged to them went down alive into Sheol; and the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly. “ (Numbers 16:30,33 RSV)

“The Lord kills and brings to life; He brings down to Sheol and raises up.” (1 Samuel 2:6 RSV)

“like Sheol let us swallow them alive and whole, like those who go down to the pit” (Proverbs 1:12 RSV)

“Shall I ransom them from the power of Sheol? Shall I redeem them from Death? O Death, where are your plagues? O Sheol, where is your destruction?” (Hosea 13:14 RSV)

“What man can live and never see death? Who can deliver his soul from the power of Sheol?” (Psalms 89:48 RSV)

“Though they dig into Sheol, from there shall my hand take them; though they climb up to heaven, from there I will bring them down.” (Amos 9:2 RSV)

“And they do not lie with the fallen mighty men of old who went down to Sheol with their weapons of war, whose swords were laid under their heads, and whose shields are upon their bones; for the terror of the mighty men was in the land of the living.” (Ezekiel 32:27 RSV)

Hades

Hades also literally means the grave e.g. “For Thou wilt not abandon my soul to Hades, nor let Thy Holy One see corruption.” (Acts 2:27 RSV), although it’s also sometimes translated as hell e.g. “Because Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt Thou suffer Thine Holy One to see corruption.” (Acts 2:27 KJV)

Other examples of its literal translation:

“he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that He was not abandoned to Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption.” (Acts 2:31 RSV)

“and the living one; I died, and behold I am alive for evermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.” (Revelation 1:18 RSV)

“And I saw, and behold, a pale horse, and its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed him; and they were given power over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth.” (Revelation 6:8 RSV)

“And the sea gave up the dead in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead in them, and all were judged by what they had done.” (Revelation 20:13 RSV)

Fact Finder: Will death itself one day be put to death?
Revelation 21:4

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