Grafted Biblical Concept · Concept

Sheol

שְׁאוֹל · Sheol · H7585

Sheol is the Hebrew Bible's principal term for the realm or condition of the dead.

64 Scripture references1 lexical sources6 supporting resources

Primary Study

Grafted Bible Dictionary

Definition

Sheol is the Hebrew Bible's principal term for the realm or condition of the dead.
Depending on context, it can refer to:
• the grave
• the realm of the dead
• death itself
• the destination of the deceased
It should not automatically be equated with the later Christian concept of eternal fiery punishment.

Tanakh Usage

Sheol appears throughout:
• Genesis
• Job
• Psalms
• Proverbs
• Isaiah
• Ezekiel
Examples include:
• Genesis 37:35
• Job 7:9
• Psalm 6:5
• Psalm 16:10
• Psalm 88:3
• Isaiah 14:9
• Ezekiel 32:21

Character of Sheol

Biblical descriptions commonly associate Sheol with:
• death
• darkness
• silence
• weakness
• separation from ordinary earthly life
The language is often poetic and should not always be read as a detailed map of the afterlife.

Righteous and Wicked

The Tanakh can speak of both righteous and wicked people going to Sheol.
This is one reason the term should not simply be translated conceptually as "hell."

Hope Beyond Sheol

Several passages express hope that God can rescue from death or Sheol.
See:
• Psalm 16:10
• Psalm 49:15
• Psalm 86:13
• Hosea 13:14
These themes contribute to later resurrection hope.

Septuagint

The Greek Septuagint frequently translates Sheol with Hades.
This relationship is important when comparing the Tanakh with the Apostolic Writings.

Hebrew and Greek Word Study

Hebrew Word Study

שְׁאוֹל

shᵉʼôwl · H7585

Original Word: שְׁאוֹל
Transliteration: shᵉʼôwl
Strong’s: H7585
Pronunciation: sheh-ole'
Meaning: grave, hell, pit.

Unified Lexical Definition

Hades or the world of the dead (as if a subterranean retreat), including its accessories and inmates

Lexical Sources

STRONG'SStrong’s Hebrew and Greek Lexicon

Hades or the world of the dead (as if a subterranean retreat), including its accessories and inmates

View original lexicon entry

{
    "strongs": "H7585",
    "language": "hebrew",
    "lemma": "שְׁאוֹל",
    "transliteration": "shᵉʼôwl",
    "pronunciation": "sheh-ole'",
    "part_of_speech": "",
    "glosses": [
        "grave, hell, pit."
    ],
    "definitions": [
        "Hades or the world of the dead (as if a subterranean retreat), including its accessories and inmates"
    ],
    "administrator_commentary": "",
    "source": {
        "dataset": "Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Lexicon",
        "provider": "Open Scriptures",
        "url": "https://github.com/openscriptures/strongs",
        "license": "CC BY-SA"
    },
    "version": 1,
    "updated_at": "2026-08-05T10:41:47-05:00",
    "strong": "H7585"
}

Hebrew Bible Usage

66 occurrences

View All Hebrew Occurrences

Biblical Usage

Concordance and Scripture Usage

64Exact Lemma6Conceptual Relationship

Torah · 7

Genesis 37:35Exact Lemma Genesis 42:38Exact Lemma Genesis 44:29Exact Lemma Genesis 44:31Exact Lemma Numbers 16:30Exact Lemma Numbers 16:33Exact Lemma Deuteronomy 32:22Exact Lemma

Prophets / Historical Books · 4

1 Samuel 2:6Exact Lemma 2 Samuel 22:6Exact Lemma 1 Kings 2:6Exact Lemma 1 Kings 2:9Exact Lemma

Writings / Wisdom · 34

Prophets · 19

Reference Works

Bible Dictionary, Encyclopedia, and Names

Unified Dictionary Summary

Sheol is the Hebrew Bible's principal term for the realm or condition of the dead.

Easton’s Bible Dictionary (1897)

(Heb., "the all-demanding world" = Gr. Hades, "the unknown region"), the invisible world of departed souls. (See [579]HELL.)

Sources: Easton’s Bible Dictionary (1897)

Hades

Hades is a Greek term used in the New Testament for the realm of the dead.

Gehenna

Gehenna is a New Testament term derived from the Valley of Hinnom near Jerusalem.

Resurrection

Resurrection is God's act of raising the dead to bodily life.

Death

Death is the cessation of mortal life and, in biblical theology, one of the central consequences associated with humanity's rebellion against God.

Olam Haba

Olam HaBa, "the age to come," is a Jewish expression referring to the future age of God's completed rule, restoration, resurrection, and judgment.

Day of the Lord

The Day of the LORD is a prophetic expression describing decisive divine intervention in history for judgment, deliverance, kingship, and restoration.

Hell

Hell is an English theological term used in many Bible translations for several different Hebrew and Greek concepts.

SHEOL

Nave’s Topical Bible references for SHEOL.

Destruction

In Job 26:6, 28:22 (Heb. abaddon) is sheol, the realm of the dead.

Hades

That which is out of sight, a Greek word used to denote the state or place of the dead. All the dead alike go into this place. To be buried, to go down to the grave, to descend into hades, are equivalent expressions. In the LXX. this word is the usual rendering of the Hebrew sheol, the common receptacle of the departed (Gen. 42:38; Ps. 139:8; Hos. 13:14; Isa. 14:9). This term is of comparatively rare occurrence in the Greek New Testament. Our Lord speaks of Capernaum as being "brought down to hell" (hades), i.e., simply to the lowest debasement, (Matt. 11:23). It is contemplated as a kind of kingdom which could never overturn the foundation of Christ's kingdom (16:18), i.e., Christ's church can never die. In Luke 16:23 it is most distinctly associated with the doom and misery of the lost. In Acts 2:27-31 Peter quotes the LXX. version of Ps. 16:8-11, plainly for the purpose of proving our Lord's resurrection from the dead. David was left in the place of the dead, and his body saw corruption. Not so with Christ. According to ancient prophecy (Ps. 30:3) he was recalled to life.

Hell

Derived from the Saxon helan, to cover; hence the covered or the invisible place. In Scripture there are three words so rendered: (1.) Sheol, occurring in the Old Testament sixty-five times. This word sheol is derived from a root-word meaning "to ask," "demand;" hence insatiableness (Prov. 30:15, 16). It is rendered "grave" thirty-one times (Gen. 37:35; 42:38; 44:29, 31; 1 Sam. 2:6, etc.). The Revisers have retained this rendering in the historical books with the original word in the margin, while in the poetical books they have reversed this rule. In thirty-one cases in the Authorized Version this word is rendered "hell," the place of disembodied spirits. The inhabitants of sheol are "the congregation of the dead" (Prov. 21:16). It is (a) the abode of the wicked (Num. 16:33; Job 24:19; Ps. 9:17; 31:17, etc.); (b) of the good (Ps. 16:10; 30:3; 49:15; 86:13, etc.). Sheol is described as deep (Job 11:8), dark (10:21, 22), with bars (17:16). The dead "go down" to it (Num. 16:30, 33; Ezek. 31:15, 16, 17). (2.) The Greek word hades of the New Testament has the same scope of signification as sheol of the Old Testament. It is a prison (1 Pet. 3:19), with gates and bars and locks (Matt. 16:18; Rev. 1:18), and it is downward (Matt. 11:23; Luke 10:15). The righteous and the wicked are separated. The blessed dead are in that part of hades called paradise (Luke 23:43). They are also said to be in Abraham's bosom (Luke 16:22). (3.) Gehenna, in most of its occurrences in the Greek New Testament, designates the place of the lost (Matt. 23:33). The fearful nature of their condition there is described in various figurative expressions (Matt. 8:12; 13:42; 22:13; 25:30; Luke 16:24, etc.). (See [269]HINNOM.)

Sheol

(Heb., "the all-demanding world" = Gr. Hades, "the unknown region"), the invisible world of departed souls. (See [579]HELL.)

Definition

Tanakh Usage

Character of Sheol

Righteous and Wicked

Hope Beyond Sheol

Septuagint

Hebrew and Greek Word Study

Unified Lexical Definition

Lexical Sources

Hebrew Bible Usage

Unified Dictionary Summary

Hades

Gehenna

Resurrection

Death

Olam Haba

Day of the Lord

Hell

SHEOL

Destruction

Hades

Hell

Sheol

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