SHEOL IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

In the Old Testament, the most important word that describes the afterlife is “sheol,” which occurs 65 times. The King James Version of the Bible translates sheol as “hell” 31 times, “grave” 31 times, and “pit” three times. In the New Testament, sheol is distinguished from hell, as stated below. You need to look at the context of the word to determine its meaning. It is clear that the Old Testament writers believed that to go to sheol included not only going to the grave, but also to experience a conscious afterlife either in bliss or in torment.

Activity in sheol.

First, there is a clear distinction between the body resting in the grave and sheol, where the sprits of the dead gather and engage in activity. Sheol may be located down under or somewhere in the hollow part of the earth. The prophet Isaiah wrote, “Sheol below is excited about you to meet you when you come; it stirs the spirits of the dead, all the leaders of the earth; it raises all the kings of the nations from their thrones” (Isaiah 14:9 NASB). Accordingly, sheol is a place of activity, not a place where the dead body merely rests.

Sheol is a shadowy place of darkness.

Second, sheol is referred to as a shadowy place of darkness that is not part of this existence. The prophet Ezekiel correctly predicted that Tyre would be “[brought] down with those who go down to the pit, to the people of old, and I shall make you remain in the lower parts of the earth, like the ancient ruins, with those who go down to the pit [sheol], so that you will not be inhabited; but I will put glory in the land of the living” (Ezekiel 26:20 NASB). In addition, Job described that those in sheol were in pain. “The departed spirits are made to tremble under the waters and their inhabitants. Sheol is naked before Him, and Abaddon (place of destruction or realm of the dead) has no covering” (Job 26:5-6 NASB). Therefore, there is an unpleasant part of sheol.

Ancestors will be in sheol.

Third, after death, a person could be united with the person’s ancestors in sheol. After Jacob died, he went down to sheol and was “gathered to his people” (Genesis 49:33 NASB). God assured Abraham that after he died, he would go down to his fathers in peace (Genesis 15:15). Some Bible scholars contend that this refers to the fact that bones of family members were often buried together. However, the more likely implication is that there would be a reunion of some kind after death. So sheol was place for doom for some and for others it was a place where they would dwell with God and deceased family members. As Asaph, the author of many psalms, wrote “Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you” (Psalm 72:23-35 ESV). Asaph expected to see God in heaven after his death.

Different regions of sheol.

Fourth, the Old Testament contains hints that sheol has different regions. Both wicked and righteous people go to sheol. One of God’s people, Jacob, went into sheol, but so did the rebellious people, such as Korah (led a rebellion against Moses; see Numbers 16:1-49) and Dathan (Korah’s brother, who also rebelled against Moses; see Numbers 16:1-49). This explains why sheol has a “lower region.” God warned, “For a fire has flared in My anger, and it burns to the lowest part of Sheol, and devours the earth with its yield, and sets on fire the foundations of the mountains” (Deuteronomy 32:22 NASB). Again, those who accept and follow God are in a different region of sheol than those that rebel against and reject God. “This is the way of those who are foolish … Like sheep they sink down to Sheol; death will be their shepherd; and the upright will rule over them in the morning, and their form shall be for Sheol to consume, so that they have no lofty home. But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol; for He will receive me” (Psalm 49:13-15 NASB). Other Old Testament passages also contrast the different regions of sheol (Job 24:19; Psalm 9:17, 16:10, 31:17, 55:15). One of the clearest expressions of immortality in sheol in the Old Testament is from Daniel. “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt” (Daniel 12:2 NASB). So here we see that Daniel believed that the dead would go to one of the two regions of sheol, but that their bodies would also arise some day, which is consistent with the New Testament doctrine of the resurrection of the body of the dead.

Erwin Lutzer, One Minute After You Die: A Preview of Your Final Destination (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1997), 29-42; Kenneth D. Boa and Robert Bowman Jr., Sense and Nonsense about Heaven and Hell (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2007), chapter 3; Lee Strobel, The Case for Heaven: A Journalist Investigates Evidence for Life After Death (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2021), chapters 7 and 8.