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INTRODUCTION
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Those who have been researching the Bible will know that there are different translations for the word, “Hell.” Hebrew and Greek words such as, “Sheol”, “Hades”, “Gehenna/Genna”, or “Tartarus” are all translated as “Hell” in many Bible translations. But “Hell” is too general and can cause confusion among those who are just starting to read the Bible. For example in Acts 2:27 (KJV) it states, “Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.” The word, “hell” in Acts 2:27 (KJV) actually means, “Hades.” Similarly, the word “hell” in Matt 10:28 (various versions) really means, “Gehenna”. The word, “hell” may be the same for both Acts 2:27 and Matt 10:28, but they are really referring to two very different places.
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To assist readers in their research, we have come up with a brief explanation on each of those words for the English word, “hell” as well as some additional information on other related terms such as, “The Lake of Fire” and “Outer Darkness.”
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SHEOL AND HADES
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In the Old Testament, it is not only the wicked who will go to Sheol, even the righteous anticipate themselves going there. Please see the following verses. Later in this article, we will also discuss how both the righteous and the wicked end up in the same realm, albeit different regions.
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The Righteous in Sheol (Jacob, Job and Herman the Ezrahite)
- Jacob – Gen 37:35 (NASB95) states: (35) Then all his sons and daughters arose to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. And he said, “Surely I wil go down to Sheol in mourning for my son.” So his father wept for him.
- Job – Job 14:13 (NASB95) states: (13) “Oh that You would hide me in Sheol, that You would conceal me until Your wrath returns to You, that You would set a limit for me and remember me!
- Herman the Ezrahite – Psalm 88:3 (NASB95) states: (3) For my soul has had enough troubles, and my life has drawn near to Sheol.
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The Wicked in Sheol
- Psalm 9:17 (NASB95) states: (17) The wicked will return to Sheol, even all the nations who forget God.
- Psalm 31:17 (NASB95) states: (17) Let me not be put to shame, O Lord, for I call upon You; Let the wicked be put to shame, let them be silent in Sheol.
- Isa 14:15 (NASB95) states: (15) “Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol, to the recess of the pit.
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So, is Sheol referring to the eternal hell fire or just symbolic? It is essential to read the whole passage and understand the context in order to find the correct meaning each time it is used. This is because the word, “Sheol” can have a few meanings. Let us discuss some of the verses to understand the various meanings.
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Sheol as the Physical Grave: In Job 17:16 (NASB95), Sheol is meant as the physical grave since Job asked, “Shall we together go down into the dust?” The word, “dust” referred to the ground. In another verse, Isa 14:15 (NASB95), Sheol is also meant as the physical grave because the words, “recesses of the pit” were used. These words essentially described a hole in the ground. Readers might be wondering why Isa 14:12-14 seems to be referring to Satan. Well, in our view, it is because it is also referring to him. Satan was the one influencing the king of Babylon. Nonetheless, Satan will eventually be thrown into the lake of fire when his time comes (Rev 20:10). For the sake of discussion, if we look at Isa 14:12, a man could not have fallen from heaven, but if we also look at Isa 14:16, it is clearly referring to a man. Thus, in Isa 14:4-23, the whole passage is referring to both the king of Babylon, which is a man, and to Satan which is a fallen angel. Although the passage did not explicitly state it, it seems clear to us that the king of Babylon was very likely possessed by Satan. The connection between the king of Babylon and Satan can be seen in verses Isa 14:14 and Isa 14:15 – verse 14 is still referring to Satan and immediately on the next verse, at verse 15, it is referring to the king of Babylon. Similarly, for Jonah 2:1-2, Sheol is meant as the physical grave. Jonah thought he was going to die inside the stomach of the fish, that is, he thought the stomach of that fish was going to be his grave. Therefore, the word Sheol in Job 17:16, Isa 14:15 and Jonah 2:1-2, all meant the physical grave.
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Sheol as a Symbolic Word: In Habakkuk 2:5 (NASB95), the word Sheol is being used symbolically to describe the haughty man’s big appetite. And in Psalm 18:5 (NASB95), we doubt that Sheol has cords to surround a person – not necessary anyway. Hence, the “cords of Sheol” is a phrase being used to describe how David was close to death, but the Lord delivered him from his enemies.
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Sheol as the Realm of the Dead: In Deu 32:22, the word, “Sheol” is not used symbolically to illustrate something, and neither was it used to describe a grave. Here, it can clearly be seen that Sheol is a place that burns with fire from God. Just as the foundations of a typical house are almost always underground, the words, “foundations of the mountains” indicates that Sheol is located underground. We should be familiar with the fact that molten rocks lie underneath volcanoes all around the earth. Similarly, in Num 16:29-30, these two verses show that when Korah and his group fell into Sheol, it was an actual occurrence. Again, Sheol was not used symbolically to illustrate something nor was it used to describe a grave. Of course, some Bible commentators could argue that they have fallen into a very large hole in the ground and that large hole in itself could represent a grave for all of them. But such an argument fails to satisfy verse 29, where it states that those men will not suffer the same fate as all men. Falling into large holes and then being covered up with soil and earth is not uncommon in natural disasters such as earthquake and landslides. So, Sheol here is not referring to a large hole or a large grave, but another realm beneath the surface of the earth. Korah and his group died in a special way, uncommon to all men, that is, by descending alive into the realm of the dead.
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Sheol for Both the Wicked and the Righteous (I): In this section, we are referring to Sheol as the realm of the dead only. First, we will provide evidence to prove that Sheol in the Old Testament is another name for Hades in the New Testament. Secondly, we will also prove that both the wicked and the righteous go the Sheol (Hades) when the die, but to different regions within the same realm.
Sheol, when referring to the Realm of the Dead is Hades
- Psalm 16:10 (NASB95) states: (10) For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol; Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.
- Acts 2:27 (NASB95) states: (27) Because You will not abandon my soul to Hades, nor allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.
When a parent says he did not abandon his son at the mall, it is implied that his son was at the mall at some point. Hence, when both verses say that the Father did not abandon Christ to Hades, it is implied that Christ was in Hades for a time. Otherwise, the verse will state, “For You will not send my soul to Sheol (or Hades)…” And we all know that He rose again on the third day. Therefore Christ did go the Hades between His death on the cross and His resurrection, so Christians should not get confused when they see the Apostle’s creed – “He descended to the dead” or “He descended to hell” are not wrong, but not quite as accurate because more precisely, He descended to Hades. So is Sheol another name for Hades? When comparing Ps 16:10 to Acts 2:27, it can be easily seen that Sheol in Hebrew is Hades in Greek. Both verses are referring to the same realm of the dead. And in Luke 16:23-26, Jesus offered a glimpse into what happens in Hades (Sheol) after a person dies. Let us take some time to read Luke 16:23-26.
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Sheol for Both the Wicked and the Righteous (II): With regard to Luke 16:23-26, there are Bible commentators who say that Abraham and Lazarus were in heaven, while the rich man was burning in Hades. Firstly, how can Hades be such a short distance from heaven? We agree that in verse 23, Jesus did say that the rich man saw them far away, but how far can it be, given that the rich man was still able to see them? If we have problems recognizing a person standing on top of a skyscraper, how much more if he is standing in heaven? A super-enhanced eyesight given to the rich man from God? Not likely. If Jesus did not mention such an enhancement, we should not assume. Also, we would like to highlight that this story of the Rich Man and Lazarus is not a parable, because parables do not have names. We have already read earlier that Hades (Sheol) is deep under the surface of the earth and if those on the surface cannot see heaven, can anyone in Hades (which is under earth’s surface) see heaven? Obviously, the rich man and both Abraham and Lazarus are all in the same realm of the dead, only that one is burning and the other is a paradise (Abraham’s bosom). Please see our article, “Will Christians go immediately to heaven upon their physical deaths? Anyways, as we were saying, there will always be those who will say that the spiritual realm is different from the physical realm in that, people on the surface of the earth cannot see heaven because it is in the spiritual realm, not the physical realm. This is a valid argument definitely. But if we argue based on that premise, then the rich man should not be suffering since he has died and has become a spirit, and he should also be able to fly across the great chasm since he is a spirit. Why was he complaining about the flames and why was he unable to hover across the chasm? Can a spirit feel water (H2O) and variance in temperature? Yet the three persons, that is, the rich man, Abraham and Lazarus, all seemed to be bound by the same physical laws as those who are alive. So it is either those physical laws apply, or they do not apply. But if readers agree that they do apply, then the ability to see a certain distance in the physical realm should be approximately equivalent in the spiritual realm. We are saying that the rich man could not possibly see a person’s face clearly beyond 100m. And because of that Abraham and Lazarus could not possibly be in heaven because heaven cannot be just about 100m from Hades. If heaven is only about 100m from Hades (which is under the surface of the earth), then heaven is lower than a skyscraper of a tall tree. And if heaven is lower than a tall tree, what is the significance of Psalm 103:11? Therefore, Abraham and Lazarus are not in heaven. All three men had to be in the same realm of the dead (Hades), albeit in different regions.
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Sheol And Hades – Summary: Sheol is another name for Hades in the New Testament. But it is only true if Sheol is referring to the realm of the dead and not used symbolically to illustrate another truth, or used to describe a physical grave. It is crucial to understand the context of the passage rather than isolating individual sentences or verses. Hades, on the other hand, is always referring to the realm of the dead. All human spirits who have died physically are emplaced temporarily in Hades regardless of whether they are righteous or wicked. But of course, treatment for every person will be different. The righteous will be in Paradise or as we have called it, in (Upper) Hades, while the wicked will be burning in (Lower) Hades. Both regions, that is, both Upper and Lower Hades are separated by a great chasm, of which according to our estimates, should be no more that 100m wide since the rich man was able to recognize Abraham and communicate with him.
All humans who are dead will be there in Sheol (Hades) until the time of the great white throne judgement (Rev 20:11-12) where they will be judged according to their deeds. Those whose names are not written in the book of life will be thrown into the lake of fire (Rev 20:15). Those whose names are written in the book of life will be with their Lord and Savior forever.
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GEHENNA/ GEENNA
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Matt 10:28 (NASB95) states:
(28) Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
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Matt 10:28 Commentary: The Greek word for “hell” in Matt 10:28 is Gehenna. There are commentators who say that Gehenna is just a place outside of Jerusalem. It is true that Gehenna or Ge-hinnom in Hebrew is a place where ancient Israelites sacrificed their children to Canaanite gods and practiced all kinds of evil practices there. It is also true that the place was later used as a city dumping ground where dead animals, corpses of animals, criminals and refuse were burned and consumed in that place. Even today, this place exists in Israel but no longer used for burning. Essentially, these commentators are trying to imply that Gehenna is not so frightening. After all, it is just an ordinary place for burning refuse back in ancient times. But they have missed the whole point that Jesus was trying to make. Can a normal physical fire created by man at a rubbish dump, destroy a person’s soul together with the body? If the said fire is not able to destroy the soul then how can it be referring to the actual Gehenna in Israel today? Clearly, Jesus was trying to convey the message to His listeners and now, readers as well, that those who are sent to Gehenna (hell) are being treated by God as refuse, totally rejected by Him, completely worthless and only fit to be burned and destroyed. Both the physical body and the soul will be destroyed in this place and their destruction will be permanent, there is no more coming back. While we are here, let us digress for a while from Gehenna. If we read Matt 10:28 again, you will see that both the soul and the body are destroyed, not continuously tormented, but destroyed. The word, “destroy” in this verse is the Greek word, “apollymi” which means full and complete destruction, conveying a sense of finality and totality. So does that mean unbelievers will not be tormented forever and ever? For more discussion on this topic, please see our article, “Is eternal conscious torment in hell biblical? Or will sinners be annihilated?” Going back to the topic of Gehenna, let us now take a look at Mark 9:47-48.
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Mark 9:47-48 (NASB95) states:
(47) If your eye causes you to stumble, throw it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell, (48) where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.”
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Mark 9:47-48 Commentary: In Mark 9:47-48, the Greek word for “hell” is also Gehenna. Here we learn that in Gehenna, the worm does not die, and the fire is always burning. There is only one place mentioned in Scripture where its characteristics and function are similar, and that is the lake of fire. Rev 20:10 tells us that the devil, the beast and the false prophet are thrown into the lake of fire. All who are unsaved, including the devil, the beast, the false prophet, death and Hades, are all thrown into the lake of fire – these are all rejected by God. Thus, the function of both Gehenna and the lake of fire, is also to destroy those who are rejected by God. In both places, the fire is always burning and in both places, the rejected are destroyed. Therefore Gehenna has to be referring to the lake of fire – the final place for everything and everyone that is mean for destruction. Before we discuss the next place, allow us to provide a short explanation about the worm of Mark 9:48. There are some commentators who say that the worm in Gehenna (i.e. lake of fire) is not literal but referring to the conscience of man. How such commentators came to this idea is really puzzling. The Greek word for, “worm” in Mark 9:48 is “skolex” which means gnawing worm. As far as we are concerned, if Scripture mentions the presence of such a worm in Gehenna, then it has to be a real worm, that is, a creature that can move about and persistently chewing on it target. We do not think that scolex refers to the guilty conscience of man. With regard to the most likely location of the lake of fire, we will address it under the section titled, “outer darkness.”
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TARTARUS
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2 Peter 2:4 (NASB95) states:
(4) For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment;
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2 Pet 2:4 Commentary: The English word, “hell” in 2 Pet 2:4 is “Tartarus” in Greek. This word is used only once in the New Testament. Like Hades is to human spirits, Tartarus is a temporary holding place for angels who have sinned against God. Both Jude 1:6 and 2 Pet 2:4 tells us that Tartarus is a place of darkness. In Greek mythology, it is supposed to be located in the deepest part of Hades. But because we do not believe in Greek mythology we would have to depend on the description from Scripture to roughly guess its location. Verse 4 tells us that Tartarus is a dark place and the words, “pits of darkness” tells us that it is dark and likely deep underground. Thus based on reasonable assumption, it is likely located either very deep inside Hades or even below Hades itself, since in Hades, human spirits can still see and have conversations (Luke 16:23-24). Human spirits are not held Tartarus, only fallen angels. Dark as the place is, it is to be distinguished from another hellish place called, “outer darkness.”
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OUTER DARKNESS AND THE LAKE OF FIRE
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The term, “outer darkness” is found only in Matt 8:12, Matt 25:30 and Matt 22:13. Let us take a look at these verses:
- Matt 8:12 states: (12) but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
- Matt 25:30 states: (30) Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
- Matt 22:11-14 states: (11) “But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed in wedding clothes, (12) and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?’ And the man was speechless. (13) Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ (14) For many are called, but few are chosen.”
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Matt 8:12, Matt 25:30, Matt 22:13 Commentary: In all three verses, outer darkness is always associated with the weeping and gnashing of teeth. Who gets thrown into this place? In Matt 8:12, the sons of the kingdom, in Matt 25:30, the worthless slave and in Matt 22:13, the man without wedding clothes. The phrase, “sons of the kingdom,” seems ambiguous, but it is likely referring to the Jews who rejected Christ. The phrase, “worthless slave” tells us that this person is rejected as worthless. Now, let us take a closer look at the person who was without wedding clothes in Matt 22:11-14 – Please see our commentary below. It is important to note that in all three verses, none of them who were thrown into outer darkness seem like they are God’s chosen elect.
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Matt 22:11-14 Commentary(I): In Matt 22:14 Jesus said, “For many are called, but few are chosen.” Clearly, those who are not chosen will be thrown into outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Active evangelism is ongoing throughout the world, even today. There is more evangelism today compared to the time of the early church. The estimated number of those who identify as Christians (both Protestants and Catholics) is 2.64 billion as at year 2025, making up nearly one-third of the global population. Are all truly saved? Many who are called will come and join into local churches, participate in church activities, participate in communal meals, mingle among true believers, etc. But they may not be truly saved. Some of them, their actions bring shame as they persistently live in a lifestyle of sin and disobedience to their Lord. They bring shame upon themselves, their local churches and especially to their King, Christ Himself. The man in the parable who was without wedding clothes knew it was a wedding feast, yet he was not dressed appropriately for the occasion to show honor and respect to the wedding couple, bringing shame to himself and especially to the king in the story. The audacity of that man to come into the king’s premises without even bothering to dress for his son’s special occasion shows contempt and disregard for the king. In the parable, the king seems angry enough to order him bound so that he does not escape after he is thrown into that place called outer darkness. To live a lifestyle of sin all the while mingling among the righteous, these people knew that their King was holy, yet they refuse to pursue holiness in their lives, can they blame Him for feeling insulted? They have in fact trampled underfoot the Son of God and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace (Heb 10:26-29). Seriously, this is no trifling matter. God can deliver us from the most terrible and dreadful of situations, but if He turns against us, who is able to deliver us from Him (Heb 10:31)?
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Matt 22:11-14 Commentary (II): Christians are saved by grace through faith, where even their faith that they have to believe came from God. They did nothing and could do nothing to earn their salvation. But this is where many are misled by false teachers who would tell them that since their salvation is not earned by good works, they can continue with their lifestyle of sin and they will still be saved. No, the person who is truly saved will conform to the image of His Son over time (Rom 8:29) and he will be holy because his Father in heaven is holy (1 Pet 1:16). Those who are chosen will invariably be more Christ-like as each day passes. But those who persistently live a life of sin are not Christians even if they think they are Christians. People who are serving in the ministry, mingling among Christians, sharing food and fellowship, but persistently living a life of sin are exactly similar to the man without wedding clothes in the parable. They were never saved because they were never chosen. For many are called but few are chosen. Not chosen means their names are not written in the book of life. Now this is an important clue to finding out about what really is the “outer darkness.” In Rev 21:8, we read that all unbelievers and everyone else who is not chosen are sent to the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, and in Rev 20:15 we also read that those whose name is not written in the book of life are thrown into the lake of fire. Comparing Matt 22:13 with Rev 21:8 and Rev 20:15, if those who are not chosen are thrown into outer darkness, and those whose names are not in the book of life (who are also not chosen) are thrown into the lake of fire, then outer darkness must be the lake of fire. That is, outer darkness is another name for the lake of fire, just as Gehenna is also referring to the lake of fire. So, essentially, outer darkness, lake of fire and Gehenna are all different names of the same place.
But to some, it may seem a bit odd to call the lake of fire, “outer darkness” like how can fire be dark? Looking at Rev 21:8, it tells us that the lake of fire burns with fire and brimestone. Brimstone is sulphur, so fire and brimstone means fire and burning sulphur. If readers wish, they could so some research and they will see that this type of fire burns with a dim electric blue flame, not with the usual much brighter orange-yellow flame. In bright daylight, burning sulphur is hardly visible. But at night in the dark, it is highly visible and even spectacular. Hence, the description of darkness (of outer darkness) fits the lake of fire – fire does not necessarily mean it has to be bright. But what about the word, “outer?” Why outer darkness? To explain this, we would have to look at Jude 1:12-13.
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Jude 1:12-13 (NASB95) states:
(12) These are men who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, caring for themselves; clouds without water, carried by along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted; (13) wild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam; wandering stars, for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever.
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Jude 1:12-13 Commentary: Of course, people will argue that the words, “wandering stars” are only used as a metaphor and that these so-called believers are not actual wandering stars. That is obviously true, but they should also note that the phrase, “black darkness” was used to describe their final destination. Like wandering stars, their final end will be the black darkness in the darkness of outer space. Black darkness coupled with the earlier mentioned blue fire that is hardly visible in bright daylight, indicates to us that the location of this lake of fire is likely going to be either a star (probably like a neutron star) or on a fiery planet, except instead of burning brightly, it burns with a dim blue color visible only in darkness. Important words that links Jude 1:12-13 to the lake of fire are the words, “doubly dead” because they mean the second death, and the second death is the lake of fire. And since Jude 1:12-13 tells us that the doubly dead (those not chosen to be saved) are going to be like wandering stars in the black darkness, the lake of fire is going to be located out there, in deep space, far out into the black darkness of outer space, away from His people and His presence. Hence, “outer darkness.”
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CONCLUSION AND SUMMARY
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In summary, outer darkness is the lake of fire and the lake of fire is Gehenna. They are all referring to the same place. The reason why Scripture gave us different names for the same place is because they are meant to inform us of its location, purpose and overall description. As the name suggests, the lake of fire (that burns with fire and brimstone) informs us of its overall description and colour of the flames. Gehenna informs us that those who are sent there, God is treating them as refuse (garbage) to be discarded. They are totally rejected by Him, completely worthless and only fit to be burned and destroyed. Finally, outer darkness tells us that God is going to put this dim bluish burning star or planet far away into outer space, away from His presence and His people. Since God is light, the further the distance away from Him, the darker that place will be both physically and spiritually.
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For additional information, firstly, if readers would notice, Hades (Sheol) is always described as somewhere downwards, that is, below the surface of the earth (see Matt 11:23, Luke 10:15 and Matt 12:40), whereas the lake of fire is never described as somewhere below. Secondly, there is a place on earth that has burning sulphur (fire and brimstone). Readers who are interested can google the words, “Blue lava volcano.” The blue flames around that volcano is spectacular at night. To us, it gives an idea of how the lake of fire might look in the future when He has prepared it, or maybe He has already prepared it.