The Different Conceptions of Hell According to the Bible
When the word "hell" is mentioned in the Bible, it does not refer to just a single place or concept. In the original biblical languages (Hebrew and Greek), there are three distinct words that are often translated as "hell" in modern translations.
In this article, we will unpack these three distinct terms:
1. Sheol or Hades – Refers to the grave or the realm of the dead.
2. Tartaros – Refers to the current prison or confinement of Satan and fallen angels.
3. Gehenna – Refers to the consuming fire that historically burned waste, animal carcasses, and the bodies of criminals.
1. The Realm of the Dead – Sheol or Hades
The first type of hell mentioned in the scriptures is known as Sheol in Hebrew (Old Testament) and Hades in Greek (New Testament).
According to Wilson's Old Testament Word Studies, Sheol is defined as "the state and abode of the dead; hence the grave where the body rests."
Furthermore, The Expository Dictionary of Bible Words adds, "Thus there is no reference to eternal destiny but only the grave as a resting place for the body of all people."
In short, the first definition of hell is simply the grave or the realm of the dead. In the Old Testament, the word Sheol is variously translated as "hell," "the grave," or "the pit," and sometimes left untranslated.
Here are examples of how Sheol is used in the Old Testament, using the NET (New English Translation):
Psalm 9:17 (NET): "The wicked are turned back and sent to Sheol; this is the destiny of all the nations that ignore God."
Psalm 55:15 (NET): "May death destroy them! May they go down alive to Sheol! For evil resides in their dwellings and in their hearts."
The New Testament counterpart to Sheol is the Greek word Hades. It also refers to the grave, the pit, or the world of the dead. Here are some examples:
Luke 10:15 (NET): "And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will be thrown down to Hades!"
Acts 2:31 (NET): "David by foreseeing this spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did his body experience decay."
In the scriptures, we see several faithful servants of God expecting to go to Sheol or the realm of the dead upon passing away. Who were they? Let us examine the following verses:
Hezekiah in Isaiah 38:10 (NET):"I thought, 'In the prime of my life I must go to the gates of Sheol; I am deprived of the rest of my years.'"
Job in Job 14:13 (NET): "O that you would hide me in Sheol, and conceal me till your anger has passed! O that you would set a time for me and remember me!"
Jacob in Genesis 37:35 (NET): "All his sons and daughters stood by him to console him, but he refused to be consoled. 'No,' he said, 'I will go to the grave mourning for my son.' So his father wept for him."
David in Psalm 88:3 (NET): "For my life is filled with troubles as I approach Sheol."
Naturally, these faithful individuals did not enter a place of active torment, nor was their stay there eternal, especially following the resurrection of Christ. Therefore, the only logical conclusion is that they went to the realm of the dead just as everyone does when physical life ends.
While Greek mythology uses the concept of Hades as a mystical, conscious netherworld, the Bible never uses it in that pagan context. Whenever the New Testament quotes an Old Testament verse that contains Sheol, the translators of the Septuagint and the New Testament writers used Hades.
This is further demonstrated in passages such as:
Matthew 11:23 (NET): "And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will be thrown down to Hades! For if the miracles done among you had been done in Sodom, it would have continued to this day."
Luke 10:15 (NET): "And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will be thrown down to Hades!"
This indicates that both Sheol and Hades fundamentally point to the realm of the dead or the grave. We see additional confirmation of this when Peter highlights that Christ did not remain in Hades:
Acts 2:27-31 (NET): "Because you will not leave my soul in Hades, nor permit your Holy One to experience decay. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of joy with your presence. Brothers, I can speak confidently to you about the patriarch David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. So then, because he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn an oath to him to seat one of his descendants on his throne, David by foreseeing this spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did his body experience decay."
2. The Prison of Demons – Tartaros
Another Greek word translated as "hell" is Tartaros (appearing as a verbal form tartaroō). This term is used only once in the entire Bible and is found in 2 Peter 2:4:
2 Peter 2:4 (NET): "For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but threw them into hell and locked them up in chains in utter darkness, to be kept until the judgment;"
According to The Expository Dictionary of Bible Words, "Tartarus was the Greek name for a mythological deep abyss where rebellious gods were confined." Peter utilized this term as an appropriate metaphor to describe the place where fallen angels were cast, bound in chains of darkness, and reserved for future judgment.
It is important to emphasize that Tartaros applies exclusively to fallen spiritual beings (demons) and never to human beings.
3. The Lake of Fire – Gehenna
Finally, the Greek word Gehenna is the other term translated as "hell" in the New Testament. It is this word that most closely connects with the traditional, mainstream view of hellfire.
Gehenna is a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew Gai Hinnom, meaning the "Valley of Hinnom." Historically, this valley outside Jerusalem was infamous for idolatry and human sacrifice. To bring an end to these horrific practices, King Josiah defiled the valley, turning it into a municipal dump for garbage, animal carcasses, and the bodies of executed criminals.
To consume the trash and prevent pestilence, fires were kept burning continuously in Gehenna. When Jesus Christ used the word Gehenna, His audience immediately visualized the literal Valley of Hinnom where fires actively destroyed refuse.
It is worth noting, however, that the fire of Gehenna was not an inherently unquenchable fire that burns nothingness forever; once the fuel or refuse was entirely consumed, the fire would go out. Christ used Gehenna as a powerful illustration to warn people that the ungodly would be thrown into a judgment of destruction akin to the fires of Gehenna.
Let us review how Jesus used the word Gehenna in the NET:
Matthew 5:22 (NET): "But I say to you that anyone who is angry with a brother will be subjected to judgment. And whoever insults a brother will be brought before the council, and whoever says 'Fool' will be sent to fiery hell."
Matthew 10:28 (NET): "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the one who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."
Matthew 18:9 (NET): "And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into fiery hell."
Matthew 23:33 (NET): "You snakes, you offspring of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?"
In the Book of Revelation, this definitive judgment is described as the "lake of fire":
Revelation 19:20 (NET): "Now the beast was seized, and along with him the false prophet who had performed the signs on his behalf – signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur."
Revelation 20:10-15 (NET): "And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet are too, and they will be tormented there day and night forever and ever. Then I saw a large white throne and the one who was seated on it; the earth and the heaven fled from his presence, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne. Then books were opened, and another book was opened—the book of life. So the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to their deeds. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and Death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each one was judged according to his deeds. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death—the lake of fire. If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, that person was thrown into the lake of fire."
Revelation 21:8 (NET): "But as for the cowards, unbelievers, detestable persons, murderers, the sexually immoral, and those who practice magic spells, idol worshipers, and all those who lie, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. That is the second death.”
By: Awan (Andreas Hermawan)