sheol hebrew lexicon

Sheol in the Hebrew lexicon is the standard Old Testament term for the abode of the dead, often rendered “grave,” “pit,” or “hell,” depending on translation. It combines ideas of a physical grave in the earth with a shadowy, subterranean realm where the dead reside, usually portrayed as a gloomy place of silence and separation from normal life.

Basic lexicon data

• Hebrew: שְׁאוֹל (transliterated she’ol or sheol), Strong’s H7585.

• Core glosses in major lexicons: “underworld,” “grave,” “hell,” “pit,” “world of the dead.”

• Part of speech: feminine noun used without plural in the Hebrew Bible.

Some Bible translations keep “Sheol” as a proper name, while others translate it dynamically as “grave” or “pit,” contributing to different theological readings.

Semantic range and imagery

• Abode of the dead : Sheol is the general destination of the dead, not originally a place only for the wicked; both righteous and wicked are spoken of as going there.

• Place of no return : Texts describe it as a realm from which people do not come back and where normal life activities and praise of God cease.

• Gloom and shadow : It is associated with darkness, silence, weakness, and “shades” (rephaim), emphasizing insubstantial, diminished existence.

Because of this imagery, Sheol functions as the opposite of the land of the living and of covenant blessing.

Etymology and linguistic notes

• The exact root is debated; proposals include:
  • From a root meaning “to ask, demand,” highlighting Sheol as a realm that “demands” or “swallows” its occupants insatiably.

* From a root meaning “to be hollow,” which would fit the idea of a hollowed-out place beneath the earth.

• Many scholars now treat the etymology as uncertain and focus instead on the consistent semantic field in biblical usage.

Related ancient Near Eastern ideas of the underworld (e.g., in Mesopotamia) help explain why Sheol is pictured as a subterranean, dusty, and restrictive domain.

Translation and theological debates

• Older English Bibles (like KJV) often translate Sheol as:
  • “grave” in some contexts
  • “hell” in others, especially where judgment is in view.

• Modern translations increasingly:
  • Either transliterate it as “Sheol” or consistently render it as “grave” or “place of the dead” to avoid importing later concepts of hell too directly.

This variation underlies many forum and scholarly discussions about whether Sheol should be equated with later ideas of hell, with many arguing that Sheol in its original Hebrew context is more neutral and less morally differentiated than later Christian notions of eternal punishment.

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