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Writer's pictureEdward D. Andrews
Sep 289 min read

What is the Biblical Understanding of Sheol?

Updated: Sep 29

The concept of Sheol, often misunderstood and debated among Bible readers, is a significant topic in Scripture. The Hebrew word Sheʹol appears numerous times in the Old Testament and is frequently associated with death, the grave, and the state of the dead. However, the idea of Sheol does not align with the popular notion of hell as a place of eternal torment, but rather it represents the common grave of mankind, where both the righteous and the wicked rest in unconsciousness. To explore this concept comprehensively, we will examine the biblical occurrences of Sheol, its connections to death, and how the Bible uses this term in contrast to later theological and philosophical developments.



The Definition and Meaning of Sheol


The Hebrew word Sheʹol is used approximately 65 times in the Masoretic text of the Old Testament, and it carries the basic meaning of "the common grave of mankind." It is essential to distinguish Sheʹol from the terms used to describe individual burial places, such as qeʹver (grave) and qevu·rahʹ (burial place). While individual graves refer to specific tombs or burial locations, Sheʹol is the broad concept of gravedom, the resting place for all the dead without distinction between the righteous and the wicked.


One of the most insightful derivations of Sheʹol comes from the Hebrew verb sha·ʼalʹ, meaning "ask" or "request." This connection reflects the insatiable nature of the grave, which constantly "asks" for more as people continue to die and are buried. Samuel Pike, in his A Compendious Hebrew Lexicon (1811), describes Sheʹol as “the common receptacle or region of the dead; so called from the insatiability of the grave, which is as it were always asking or craving more.” This understanding highlights the relentless nature of death, which claims all people, whether righteous or wicked.



The Use of Sheol in Bible Translations


In older Bible translations, such as the King James Version (KJV) and the Catholic Douay Version, Sheʹol is often rendered as "hell," "grave," or "pit," depending on the context. For example, the KJV translates Sheʹol as “hell” 31 times, “grave” 31 times, and “pit” 3 times. However, the use of the word "hell" in these instances is misleading because it conveys a modern understanding of hell as a place of eternal torment, which is not the meaning of Sheʹol.


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More recent translations, such as the Revised Standard Version (RS), the American Translation (AT), and the Updated American Standard Version (UASV), often transliterate the word into English as “Sheol” to avoid confusion. This transliteration helps maintain the biblical concept of Sheʹol as the common grave without implying any moral distinctions or eternal suffering.



Sheol as a Place of Unconsciousness and Silence


One of the most important aspects of Sheʹol is that it is consistently described as a place where the dead are unconscious and inactive. Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10 captures this truth: “The living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all. . . . All that your hand finds to do, do with your very power, for there is no work nor devising nor knowledge nor wisdom in Sheʹol, the place to which you are going.” This passage makes it clear that Sheʹol is not a place of punishment or reward but rather a state of death in which all awareness ceases.


This understanding is supported by Psalm 6:4-5, where the psalmist pleads for Jehovah’s deliverance, saying, "Return, O Jehovah, rescue my soul; Save me for the sake of your loving-kindness. For in death, there is no mention of you; in Sheʹol who will give you praise?" The dead in Sheʹol do not worship or acknowledge God, indicating that Sheʹol is a place of silence and inactivity.


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Similarly, Isaiah 38:17-19 speaks of King Hezekiah’s near-death experience and his relief at being spared from Sheʹol: "For you have thrown all my sins behind your back. For Sheʹol cannot thank you, death cannot praise you; Those who go down to the pit cannot hope for your faithfulness. The living, the living, they will thank you, as I do today." This passage further illustrates that Sheʹol is a state where even the righteous cannot praise God, as they are in a state of unconsciousness.



The Location and Nature of Sheol


Biblical references place Sheʹol as being "under" or "beneath" the earth, signifying its position as the grave or the place where the dead are buried. For example, the Encyclopædia Britannica (1971) notes that “Sheol was located somewhere ‘under’ the earth. . . . The state of the dead was one of neither pain nor pleasure.” This description fits the biblical portrayal of Sheʹol as a neutral place where all people—righteous and wicked alike—go after death.


The biblical depiction of Sheʹol as the common grave is consistent throughout Scripture. Psalm 49:7-10, 14-15 speaks of death as the inevitable fate of all humanity: "No man can by any means redeem his brother, Nor give to God a ransom for him . . . That he should live on eternally, That he should not undergo decay. For he sees that even wise men die; The stupid and the senseless alike perish." Verse 14 continues, "Like sheep, they are appointed for Sheʹol; Death will be their shepherd." Again, Sheʹol is described as a common destination for all humanity.


Job 10:21-22 speaks of Sheʹol as “the land of darkness and deep shadow, the land of gloom like thick darkness, like deep shadow without any order, where light is as thick darkness.” This vivid imagery reinforces the idea that Sheʹol is a place of silence and inactivity, where the dead are completely unaware of their surroundings.



Sheol and God’s Sovereignty Over Death


Despite the common belief that Sheʹol is a place where people are separated from God, the Bible affirms that Jehovah’s presence extends even to Sheʹol. Proverbs 15:11 says, “Sheʹol and destruction are in front of Jehovah. How much more so the hearts of men!” This verse reveals that Jehovah is fully aware of and sovereign over Sheʹol, and the dead are not outside of His knowledge or control.


Psalm 139:7-8 similarly acknowledges God’s omnipresence: "Where can I go from your spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there; If I make my bed in Sheʹol, behold, you are there." Even in death, Jehovah’s presence remains, showing that Sheʹol is not a place of spiritual separation from God, but merely the grave where the dead rest.


Amos 9:1-2 emphasizes this point, as Jehovah declares, "If they dig into Sheʹol, from there my hand will take them; and if they climb up to heaven, from there I will bring them down." These verses demonstrate that no one can escape Jehovah’s presence, not even in Sheʹol. He has complete authority over life and death, and His purpose extends even to the grave.



Sheol as a Temporary State: The Hope of Resurrection


While Sheʹol is described as a place of silence and unconsciousness, it is not a place of eternal confinement. The Bible holds out the hope of resurrection from Sheʹol. Job expressed this hope when he prayed for relief from his suffering, asking Jehovah to hide him in Sheʹol until His wrath passed. Job said, "Oh that you would hide me in Sheʹol, that you would conceal me until your wrath turns away, that you would appoint me a set time and remember me!" (Job 14:13) Job’s prayer demonstrates his belief that Sheʹol is not a permanent state, but rather a temporary resting place from which Jehovah can call him forth.


This hope is echoed in Psalm 49:15, where the psalmist declares, "But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheʹol, for He will receive me." The expectation of being redeemed from Sheʹol through resurrection is a central theme in Scripture, pointing to God’s ultimate victory over death.


The New Testament affirms this hope of resurrection. On the day of Pentecost, the apostle Peter quoted Psalm 16:10, applying it to Jesus: "You will not abandon my soul to Hades, nor allow your Holy One to undergo decay" (Acts 2:27). Here, Peter uses the Greek word Hades, which is equivalent to Sheʹol, to show that Jesus, though buried in the grave, was not left in Hades but was resurrected by God. This shows that Sheʹol or Hades is not a place of eternal punishment but a temporary state from which Jehovah can call the dead back to life.


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Revelation 20:13-14 describes the ultimate destruction of Sheʹol during the thousand-year reign of Christ: "The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire." The resurrection of the dead from Hades (or Sheʹol) signifies the final defeat of death, and the casting of Hades into the lake of fire represents its complete destruction. After this, there will be no more death or grave, as Jehovah’s purpose to eliminate death will be fulfilled (Revelation 21:4).


Sheol and the Account of Jonah


The account of Jonah offers a unique insight into the concept of Sheʹol. In Jonah 2:1-2, we read, "Then Jonah prayed to Jehovah his God from the belly of the fish, saying, 'I called out of my distress to Jehovah, and He answered me. I cried for help from the depth of Sheʹol; You heard my voice.'" Jonah uses Sheʹol metaphorically to describe his near-death experience inside the fish. He felt as good as dead, and in his prayer, he likened his situation to being in Sheʹol, the place of the dead.


Jehovah's preservation of Jonah’s life by having him disgorged from the fish illustrates how God can deliver even from the brink of death. Jonah 2:6 says, "You brought up my life from the pit, O Jehovah my God." This verse echoes the hope of being saved from Sheʹol through divine intervention, further reinforcing the biblical teaching that Sheʹol is not a place of eternal punishment but a temporary state from which Jehovah can save.



Jesus and Sheol


Jesus Himself referenced Sheʹol indirectly when He compared His death and burial to Jonah’s experience in the fish. In Matthew 12:40, Jesus said, "For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the huge fish, so the Son of man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." Although Jesus did not use the word Sheʹol directly in this statement, the apostle Peter later made the connection in Acts 2:27, using the Greek word Hades to refer to Jesus’ burial and resurrection.


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Like Jonah, Jesus was in the "belly of the earth"—the grave—but He was not abandoned there. On the third day, He was resurrected, fulfilling the prophetic symbolism of Jonah’s deliverance. This event solidified the hope of resurrection for all those who are in Sheʹol, showing that Jehovah’s power extends even to the grave.



The Misunderstanding of Sheol in Later Jewish and Christian Thought


As the influence of Greek philosophy, particularly the belief in the immortality of the soul, began to infiltrate Jewish religious thought in the centuries following the Old Testament period, the understanding of Sheʹol began to shift. The Greek teaching of the soul’s immortality introduced the idea of conscious existence after death, which was foreign to the Hebrew Scriptures.


However, the Bible itself consistently maintains that Sheʹol is a place of unconsciousness, where both the righteous and the wicked rest in death. As Brynmor F. Price and Eugene A. Nida explain in A Translator's Handbook on the Book of Jonah (1978), "Sheʹol is represented as a dark place, in which there is no activity worthy of the name. There are no moral distinctions there, so ‘hell’ (KJV) is not a suitable translation, since that suggests a contrast with ‘heaven’ as the dwelling place of the righteous after death. . . . Sheʹol is more a mass grave in which all the dead dwell together." This observation helps clarify that Sheʹol should not be confused with later theological concepts of hell as a place of torment.


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About the Author

EDWARD D. ANDREWS (AS in Criminal Justice, BS in Religion, MA in Biblical Studies, and MDiv in Theology) is CEO and President of Christian Publishing House. He has authored over 220 books. In addition, Andrews is the Chief Translator of the Updated American Standard Version (UASV).


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