The Bible talks about hell in many places, using several different words and images to describe judgment, separation from God, and final punishment for evil.

Key New Testament Passages

Here are some of the clearest New Testament verses people point to when asking “where in the Bible does it talk about hell”:

  • Matthew 10:28 – Jesus warns to “fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (often translated from the Greek word Gehenna).
  • Matthew 25:41, 46 – In the parable of the sheep and goats, Jesus speaks of “eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” and “eternal punishment” contrasted with “eternal life.”
  • Mark 9:43–48 – Jesus says it is better to lose a hand than to be thrown into hell “where the fire never goes out” and where “their worm does not die.”
  • 2 Thessalonians 1:7–9 – Paul describes judgment as “eternal destruction” and being “away from the presence of the Lord.”
  • Revelation 20:10, 14–15; 21:8 – John describes the “lake of fire,” where the devil, death, and those not found in the book of life are thrown, called “the second death.”

These passages are often central in Christian teaching about hell as a real and serious outcome of rejecting God.

Old Testament Background Words

The English word “hell” does not always appear in the Old Testament, but related concepts do.

  • Sheol (Hebrew)
    • Appears often in Psalms, Job, and elsewhere (for example, Psalm 16:10; Job 21:13).
* Usually refers to the realm of the dead, a shadowy place where both righteous and wicked go, not always clearly a place of fiery torment.
  • Hades (Greek)
    • New Testament Greek equivalent of Sheol; used, for example, in Luke 16:23 in the story of the rich man and Lazarus to describe a place of conscious torment.

Some Christians see these terms as earlier, less fully developed pictures of the afterlife that are clarified later by Jesus’ teaching.

Main Biblical Terms for “Hell”

Different passages use different words that English Bibles may translate as “hell.”

  • Gehenna
    • Greek word based on the Valley of Hinnom outside Jerusalem, an infamous place associated with idolatry and burning refuse.
* Jesus uses _Gehenna_ in verses like Matthew 5:22, 29–30; 23:33 as a vivid metaphor for final judgment, often translated “hell.”
  • Hades
    • Used in places like Luke 16:19–31 and Revelation 20:13 as the place of the dead, sometimes with an emphasis on punishment for the wicked.
  • Lake of fire
    • Revelation 19:20; 20:10, 14–15; 21:8 speak of a “lake of fire” or “lake that burns with fire and sulfur” as the final destination of the devil, the beast, and those who reject God.

These terms together form much of the biblical vocabulary that English readers summarize with the word “hell.”

How Hell Is Described

Biblical descriptions of hell are often symbolic and intense, emphasizing the seriousness of rejecting God.

Common images include:

  • Fire and burning
    • “Fiery furnace” and “weeping and gnashing of teeth” in Matthew 13:41–42, 49–50.
* “Lake of fire” in Revelation 20–21.
  • Darkness and exclusion
    • “Outer darkness” where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 8:12; 22:13; 25:30).
  • Punishment and separation
    • “Eternal punishment” and being “away from the presence of the Lord” in Matthew 25:46 and 2 Thessalonians 1:9.

Christians debate how literal or metaphorical these images are, but nearly all agree that the point is to show a state of serious loss, judgment, and separation from God.

Different Christian Views Today

Within Christian theology and modern discussion forums, there are several major ways people interpret these passages.

  • Traditional eternal conscious torment
    • Hell is an everlasting state of conscious suffering apart from God for those who die rejecting Christ.
  • Conditional immortality / annihilationism
    • The wicked are punished and then ultimately destroyed, ceasing to exist rather than suffering forever, reading “destruction” texts quite literally.
  • Restorative / universalist-leaning views
    • A minority view that understands some judgment passages as potentially temporary, with the possibility of eventual reconciliation, though this is controversial.

All of these positions appeal to many of the same key verses, but they emphasize different details and metaphors.

Short list of “where in the Bible does it talk about hell” (for quick reference):

  • Matthew 5:22, 29–30; 10:28; 13:41–42, 49–50; 23:33; 25:41, 46
  • Mark 9:43–48
  • Luke 16:19–31
  • 2 Thessalonians 1:7–9
  • 2 Peter 2:4
  • Jude 6–7
  • Revelation 14:9–11; 19:20; 20:10, 14–15; 21:8

These are the main passages most often cited in sermons, studies, and discussions about what the Bible says regarding hell.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.