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PART
ONE - HELL IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
Our English word 'hell'
conjures up a myriad of thoughts and images. When people hear of
hell they might think of the images portrayed by Dante's Inferno
where the wicked are presided over by Satan and the demons and
tormented with a pitchfork and every conceivable form of torture.
Others simply maintain that hell is a place of eternal torment
for the wicked, but not the abode of Satan and the demons.
Our English dictionary gives the following primary definition
of hell:
hell
hell (hθl) noun
1. a. Often Hell
. The abode of condemned souls and devils in some
religions; the place of eternal punishment for the wicked
after death, presided over by Satan. b. A state of
separation from God.
This is certainly the popular
definition of our day, but the question we are concerned with
here is, will the Bible support such a definition?
In the Old Testament, the word
hell occurs 32 times and is always translated from the Hebrew
word sheol (sheh-ole'). This same Hebrew word sheol
occurs also another 32 times in the Hebrew text, but of
these the word is translated as 'pit' three times, and
as 'grave' 29 times. A simple study of the word sheol
in an Englishman's Concordance should immediately impress upon
any Bible student that the word has been translated 'hell' in every text where it could be applied to
the wicked. However there are many places where the word sheol
simply cannot mean 'hell' in the traditional sense of
the word, so here the word is translated as 'grave' or
'pit'. Once again our translators have 'helped us
out'. The problem is, the Hebrew word sheol has no
direct equivalent in the English language, and as such should
have been left untranslated as a proper name. As we will see,
neither 'hell', 'grave', or 'pit'
give the fullest sense of the word.
With the exception of those seizing upon the
English word 'hell' to prove a point, it is almost the
unanimous opinion of Biblical scholars that sheol
denotes simply the place or state of the dead. The words 'gravedom' or 'oblivion'
might be more appropriate. By 'gravedom' I simply mean the common grave of
mankind as opposed to a single grave or tomb which is denoted by the Hebrew word
'queber'.
To the Hebrews, sheol received all the dead, good
or bad without any future hope of return or reward. It certainly
did not carry with it the traditional meaning of hell as an
immediate place of torment to which the wicked go. Commenting on
this J. W. Hanson writes:
The Hebrew Old Testament, some
three hundred years before the Christian era, was translated
into Greek, and of the sixty-four instances where Sheol
occurs in the Hebrew, it is rendered Hadees in the Greek
sixty times, so that either word is the equivalent of the
other. But neither of these words is ever used in the
Bible to signify punishment after death, nor should the word
Hell ever be used as the rendering of Sheol or Hadees, for
neither word denotes post-mortem
torment. According to the Old Testament the words
Sheol-Hadees primarily signify only the place, or state of
the dead. In every instance in the Old Testament, the word
grave might be substituted for the term hell, either in a
literal or figurative sense. The word, being a proper name,
should always have been left untranslated. Had it been
carried into the Greek Septuagint, and thence into the
English untranslated Sheol, a world of misconception would
have been avoided, for when it is rendered Hadees, all the
materialism of the heathen mythology is suggested to the
mind, and when rendered Hell, the medieval monstrosities of a
Christianity corrupted by heathen adulterations is suggested.
Sheol primarily, literally, the grave or death; secondarily
and figuratively the political, social, moral or spiritual
consequences of wickedness in the present world, is the
precise force of the term, wherever found.
If we carefully examine every passage in which sheol
has been translated 'hell' we will see that in every
case, without exception 'grave', 'gravedom',
or 'oblivion' can be easily substituted. In many cases
the word simply cannot mean a hell of fire in the traditional
sense of the word. Some of these verses need no explanation. We
will add comments where appropriate
For
a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell,
and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the
foundations of the mountains. Deut 32.22
This is the first occurrence of the
'hell' in the King James Bible. Because it talks about
fire and God's anger, traditionalists seize upon this verse in
order to show that sheol can mean a fiery place of
torment. However this completely ignores the context of this
verse. If we examine the next four verses which follow this we get a
clear picture of exactly what the 'lowest sheol'
entailed.
I will heap mischiefs upon them; I will
spend mine arrows upon them.
They shall be burnt with hunger, and devoured with burning
heat, and with bitter destruction: I will also send the teeth
of beasts upon them, with the poison of serpents of the dust.
The sword without, and terror within, shall destroy both the
young man and the virgin, the suckling also with the man of
gray hairs.
I said, I would scatter them into corners, I would make the
remembrance of them to cease from among men: Deut
32:23-26
Please notice that all the punishments inflicted
from 'the lowest hell' are on earth. These
consist of hunger, heat, the teeth of beasts, the sword, etc. The
punishments mentioned are only those which can be inflicted on living
men, and have absolutely nothing to do with the traditional
use of the word hell. Here the word is simply being used in its
figurative sense of the consequences of sin in this world. Please
notice also that the fire in this verse was a symbol for the
sorrows listed in verses 23-26, not a literal fire which kindled
at the bases of the mountains.
The
sorrows of hell (Heb. sheol the grave, oblivion) compassed
me about; the snares of death prevented me; 2 Sam 2:26
How can a living man be encompassed by the
sorrows of hell in the traditional sense? Here 'hell'
is used to mean the effect of sin in this world which
tend toward the grave and destruction.
It
is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell
(Heb. sheol the grave, oblivion .. deeper than any pit); what canst thou
know? Job 11:8
Hell (Heb.
sheol the grave, oblivion) is naked before him, and destruction hath no
covering. Job 26:6
In Both of the above, 'grave' is easily the substituted for
'hell'.
The
wicked shall be turned into hell (Heb. sheol the grave,
oblivion), and all the nations that forget God. Ps 9:17
Please notice in this verse that the wicked are
'nations'. They are turned into sheol, that
is, they die as nations and go into oblivion.
For
thou wilt not leave my soul in hell (Heb. sheol the grave,
oblivion); neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Ps
16:10
Remember we saw earlier that the soul was a life,
the whole man or sentient being. The soul as a breathing creature
consisted of the body plus the breath of life, but there could be
no soul without either. When a man dies, the body returns to
dust, the breath of life goes back to God, and the man or soul as
we know it goes to gravedom or oblivion. This is the
precise sense of the above verse. No one really believes that
David felt he would go to a literal hell of fire when he died.
The New Testament teaches us that David in this verse was
prophesying about the coming Messiah. Peter reasons that David's
soul was left in hell, and as proof offers the fact that
'his sepulchre is with us to this day' hence sealing
once and for all that sheol simply means the common
grave of mankind. Please see the detailed discussion on
Acts 2:27 for further
information.
The
sorrows of hell (Heb. sheol the grave, oblivion) compassed
me about: the snares of death prevented me. Ps 18:5
Notice here that the sorrows of sheol encompass a
man on this earth. That is the forces of sin death and
destruction in this world which would bring one down to the
grave, ruin, or oblivion.
Let
death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into hell
(Heb. sheol the grave, oblivion): for wickedness is in their dwellings, and
among them. Ps 55:15
Some seem to see here the possibility of men
being alive in sheol, and hence the possibility of immortal souls
being tormented there. For example, the Matthew Henry commentary
states:
The souls of impenitent sinners go down quick, or alive,
into hell, for they have a perfect sense of their miseries, and shall therefore
live still, that they may be still miserable. This prayer is a prophecy of
the utter, the final, the everlasting ruin of all those who, whether
secretly or openly, oppose and rebel against the Lords Messiah.
This is simply reading much more into the text
than what's there. There is no 'immortal soul' in the
passage as usual. The idea is that of whole men, not some
immortal soul. We read of something very similar in Numbers
16:30-33:
If these men die the common death of all
men, or if they be visited after the visitation of all men;
then the LORD hath not sent me.But if the LORD make a new thing, and the earth open her
mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto
them, and they go down quick into the pit
(Heb. sheol); then ye shall understand that these
men have provoked the LORD.
And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all
these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under
them:
And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and
their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah,
and all their goods.
They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into
the pit (Heb. sheol),
and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among
the congregation. Num 16:29-33
Notice how a simple comparison of scripture with
scripture brings out the truth, even though our translators have
obscured the meaning by rendering sheol as
'pit'. The going 'down quick into the pit' is
contrasted with the the 'common death of all men'. That
is, they don't die of natural causes but death seizes upon them
in the middle of life. When they go down alive into sheol they
surely do die, but it is a death which overtakes them in the
middle of life.
Notice here that not only the men, but also their
houses and all their goods went down into sheol and the earth
closed upon them. Do material items also go down preserved
into hell? No they simply do not, and that is the reason why our
translators could not translate sheol as
'hell' in this instance. However if we maintain our definition of 'gravedom' or
'oblivion' there
is simply no difficulty. They were cut off in the middle of life
and 'perished from among the congregation'.
For
great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the
lowest hell (Heb. sheol the grave, oblivion). Ps 86:13
Here a living man is delivered from the lowest
hell. That is, he is delivered from the effects of sin in this
world; debasement, destruction, ruin, evil, and death.
The
sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell (Heb.
sheol the grave, oblivion) gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow. Ps
116:3
Once again referring to the forces of sin and
destruction in this world which bring men down to the grave.
If
I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell
(Heb. sheol the grave, oblivion), behold, thou art there. Ps 139:8
Is God in hell? Did David believe he would be in
'hell' when he died? The sense of the verse is obvious.
God's power is unlimited and extends even to those in the grave.
Her
feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell (Heb.
sheol the grave, oblivion). Prov 5:5
Her feet lead to the grave, destruction and
oblivion
Her
house is the way to hell (Heb. sheol the grave, oblivion), going down to the chambers of
death. Prov 7:27
Her house is the way to ruin, the grave, and
destruction.
But
he knoweth not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the
depths of hell (Heb. sheol the grave, oblivion)..'
J. W. Hanson, commenting on this
verse writes:
'Sheol is here
used as a figure or emblem of the horrible condition and fate
of those who follow the ways of sin. They are dead while they
live. They are already in Sheol or moral death.'
Hell
(Heb. sheol the grave, oblivion) and destruction are before the LORD: how
much more then the hearts of the children of men? Prov 15:11
The
way of life is above to the wise, that he may depart from hell
(Heb. sheol the grave, oblivion) beneath. Prov 15:24
How can a living man 'depart from hell
beneath'? By escaping from the influence and effects of sin
in this life which tend toward ruin, destruction, and the grave.
Thou
shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.(Heb.
sheol the grave, oblivion) Prov 23:14
Here referring either to the grave, or the forces
of sin and destruction which bring one down to ruin.
Hell
(Heb. sheol the grave, oblivion) and destruction are never full; so the eyes
of man are never satisfied. Prov 27:20
Here referring to the common grave of mankind. No
matter how many people death claims, the grave always has room to
receive more.
Therefore hell
(Heb. sheol the grave, oblivion) hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth
without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and
he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it. Isa 5:14
Some use this verse in order to 'prove'
that a literal hell of fire is gradually getting larger and
larger to accommodate the sinners which constantly fall into it.
The verse is simply using a common figure of speech where an
inanimate object is personified. Here it is simply seen as a
symbol of destruction .
Hell
(Heb. sheol the grave, oblivion) from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee
at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead (Heb Rapha) for thee, even all the
chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings
of the nations. All they shall speak and say unto thee, Art thou also become
weak as we? art thou become like unto us? Thy pomp is brought down to the grave
(Heb. sheol the grave, oblivion), and the noise of thy viols: the worm is
spread under thee, and the worms cover thee. Isa 14:9-11
This particular verse is often quoted in order to
prove that there are dead men in hell who can 'speak'.
However, a careful study of the passage will not bear this out at
all. Once again, our translators have done us a tremendous
disservice. Please note in the passage that the translators of
the King James Bible have rendered three proper names into
English words where they would have been much better left untranslated.
First of all, they have rendered sheol
as both 'hell' and 'the grave' in the exact
same context. The English reader will assume that two different
words are used, and hence two different meanings when the Hebrew
text contains no authority whatsoever for doing this.
Furthermore, the bias of the translators is clearly visible in
this passage. The first occurrence of sheol is
translated as 'hell' because they see 'the
dead' there speaking, and assume these to be the departed
immortal souls of the dead. However, the second occurrence of sheol
simply cannot refer to a place a departed spirits because of
the reference to the worms. Worms are material not spirit, and
feed on dead bodies in the grave.
In addition, the reference to the 'the
dead' is not a reference to men at all, but to a specific
race of beings; the 'Rapha'. In Isaiah 26:14 God says
concerning this race of beings:
thou visited and destroyed them, and made
all their memory to perish.
Clearly they are in no position to speak to
anyone, but are here personified as speaking. For a
detailed discussion on the identity of the Rapha, please see the
comments on 1 Peter 3:19, in
the chapter 'A Weekend in
Hell or in the Tomb?'
Yet
thou shalt be brought down to hell (Heb. sheol the grave, oblivion), to the sides of the pit. Isa
14:15
Continuing from the passage above,
'hell' here simply means the grave.
Because
ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell
(Heb. sheol the grave, oblivion) are we at agreement; when the overflowing
scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies
our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves: Isa 28:15
And
your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell
(Heb. sheol the grave, oblivion) shall not stand; when the overflowing
scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it. Isa 28:18
In both cases, 'hell' means simply the
grave.
And
thou wentest to the king with ointment, and didst increase thy perfumes, and
didst send thy messengers far off, and didst debase thyself even unto hell.(Heb.
sheol the grave, oblivion) Isa 57:9
Notice that here the living are debased to sheol,
which is used here as a figure of deep degradation and
destruction.
Thus
saith the Lord GOD; In the day when he went down to the grave
(Heb. sheol) I caused a mourning: I covered the deep for him, and I
restrained the floods thereof, and the great waters were stayed: and I
caused Lebanon to mourn for him, and all the trees of the field fainted for
him. I made the nations to shake at the sound of his fall, when I cast him
down to hell (Heb. sheol the grave, oblivion) with them
that descend into the pit (Heb. sheol): and all the trees
of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, shall be
comforted in the nether parts of the earth. They also went down into hell
(Heb. sheol) with him unto them that be slain with the sword; and they that
were his arm, that dwelt under his shadow in the midst of the heathen. Ezek
31:15-17
In the above passage we can see that the Hebrew
word sheol has been translated three different ways in
the same context! How much confusion could have been avoided if
they had simply left the word untranslated. Here, in symbolic
language, Isaiah is talking about the fall of Babylon to
destruction and oblivion.
The
strong among the mighty shall speak to him out of the midst of hell
(Heb. sheol the grave, oblivion) with them that help him: they are gone
down, they lie uncircumcised, slain by the sword. Ezek 32:21
This is a continuation of the same figure used
above. Once again the dead are personified as speaking. Some
might use this verse once again to prove conscious continued
existence in hell. To do so simply ignores a familiar Hebrew
figure of speech and the sense of the original language. This
figure of speech which is called prosopopoeia is well
documented in Dr. Ethelbert Bullinger's work Figures of
Speech Used in the Bible.
This same figure of speech can also be seen in
the following verses:
But ask now the beasts, and they shall
teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they
shall tell thee: Job 12:7
He rebuketh the sea, and maketh it dry,
and drieth up all the rivers: Bashan languisheth, and Carmel,
and the flower of Lebanon languisheth. Nahum 1:4
And he said, What hast thou done? the
voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.
Gen 4:10
'Hell' here is simply used to represent
Egypt's overthrow to join Babylon.
And
they shall not lie with the mighty that are fallen of the uncircumcised,
which are gone down to hell (Heb. sheol the grave, oblivion) with their weapons of war: and
they have laid their swords under their heads, but their iniquities shall be
upon their bones, though they were the terror of the mighty in the land of
the living. Ezek 32:27
Do those in 'hell' take their physical
weapons of war with them? No, once again sheol is used
for destruction and oblivion.
Though
they dig into hell,(Heb. sheol the grave, oblivion) thence
shall mine hand take them; though they climb up to heaven, thence will I
bring them down: Amos 9:2
This verse gives the same sense as Psalms 139:8
which was covered above. Please note here that these men dig into
'hell' to avoid God's wrath! The verse simply
means that even should these men try to escape judgment by hiding
in the grave, God's power extends even to it.
And
said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me;
out of the belly of hell (Heb. sheol the grave, oblivion)
cried I, and thou heardest my voice. Jonah 2:2
In this passage, sheol, or 'hell'
simply cannot mean a hell of fire. The belly of the fish was
simply Jonah's grave.
Yea
also, because he transgresseth by wine, he is a proud man, neither keepeth
at home, who enlargeth his desire as hell (Heb. sheol the
grave, oblivion), and is as death, and cannot be satisfied, but gathereth
unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him all people: Hab 2:5
We see from examining every verse in
which the word 'hell' appears in the Old Testament,
that not one of them will maintain the popular teaching that hell
is a fiery place of torment to which the wicked go at death. The
only verses which would seem to even imply such a thing can only
be done by assuming the very thing you are attempting to prove,
and ignoring the context or sense of the original language. Let
any open-minded reader take all the Old Testament passages which
contain the word 'hell' and attempt to harmonize them
with the popular teaching. It is my contention that this simply
cannot be done. This however is by no means the end of the
matter. The Hebrew word sheol has also been rendered as
'grave' 29 times in the King James Bible. By examining
some of these, all doubt should be removed as to the true meaning
of sheol.
And Jacob rent his clothes, and put
sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.
And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort
him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will
go down into the grave
unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him. Gen
37:34-35
Did Jacob believe his son went to a fiery hell?
Did he himself wish to go there? A translation of
'hell' would make absolute non-sense of this passage.
And he said, My son shall not go down
with you; for his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if
mischief befall him by the way in the which ye go, then shall
ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.
Gen 42:38
And if ye take this also from me, and
mischief befall him, ye shall bring down my gray hairs with
sorrow to the grave.
Gen 44:29
Now therefore when I come to thy servant
my father, and the lad be not with us; seeing that his life
is bound up in the lad's life; It shall come to pass, when he
seeth that the lad is not with us, that he will die: and thy
servants shall bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our
father with sorrow to the grave.
Gen 44:30-31
These three passages continue the sense of the
first. A translation of sheol as 'hell' is
impossible.
O that thou wouldest hide me in the
grave,
that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past
Job 14:13
Notice here that Job prayed to go to Sheol in
order to avoid God's wrath. It would be absolutely
senseless to believe that Job prayed to go to the
'hell' of modern theology. The sense of the verse is
clear; Job wished to go to the grave rather that suffer.
If I wait, the grave
is mine house: I have made my bed in the darkness. Job
17:13
Continues the sense of the above.
Let me not be ashamed, O LORD; for I have
called upon thee: let the wicked be ashamed, and let them be
silent in the grave.
Ps 31:17
Had sheol been here translated as
'hell' it would it would have been rather difficult to
harmonize with the popular notions of eternal torment. We are
told of the constant screams of the damned and the 'weeping,
wailing, and gnashing of teeth'. To say that the wicked are
silent in 'hell' would have created just a bit too much
difficulty, and hence the translation 'grave'
But God will redeem my soul from the
power of the grave: for he
shall receive me. Selah. Ps 49 :15
Let my prayer come before thee: incline
thine ear unto my cry; For my soul is full of troubles: and
my life draweth nigh unto the grave.
Ps 88:2-3
In both of the above, David obviously did not
believe he would go to a fiery hell.
Our bones are scattered at the
grave's
mouth, as when one cutteth and cleaveth wood upon the earth.
Ps 141:7
If the meaning of sheol is not yet clear
to the reader, this verse should seal the matter. Are a man's
bones scattered at the mouth of 'hell' or the grave?
Please notice in the above verses that none of
them will allow for sheol being a place of conscious
torment after death. It should be obvious to anyone the sheol
is simply the common grave of mankind which receives all the
dead. At this point it is important to consider the role which
Bible translation has played in the formation of doctrine. Anyone
should be able to see that if the word sheol had simply
remained untranslated, the unbiased reader would be much more
prepared and equipped to gather all the information concerning it
and draw unbiased conclusions. Our English translations have
obscured the truth even to the point of translating the same word
three different ways in the same context. As it currently stands,
it is only through careful study that these truths can be
determined. Fortunately, in our day many helps have become
available to those who wish check these facts for themselves, but
the responsibility remains upon each believer to take it upon
themselves to discover the truth.
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ILL Jesus torment the immortal souls of countless
billions of men and women for all eternity? The unanimous answer of mainstream
Christendom is yes. That even though God is a God of infinite love, he is also a
God of wrath and justice who must punish those who rebel against Him. They
reason that the justice of God is so awesome and infinite that the only
punishment which could ever satisfy such a being is an infinite one.