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Sheol

Sheol

1 9.9
A place where the dead live in ancient Hebrew belief
  • noun
  • /ˈʃiːoʊl/
  • Literature
translation icon : Sheol
  • In ancient beliefs, Sheol was seen as a dark place where souls awaited judgment.

If I make my bed in the depths of the Sheol, you are there.

Examples

  • The poet described Sheol as a shadowy abode, separating the living from the departed.

  • Soon enough we must all go down to Sheol.

  • If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!

    Blog text (16)
  • O LORD, you have brought up my soul from Sheol; you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit.

    Blog text (27)
  • David talked of not being able to praise Yah from Sheol.

    Blog text (23)
  • All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted and said, "No, I shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning."

    Blog text (23)
  • The Hebrews thought that Sheol was a pit deep under the earth (cf. Deut 32:22) where the righteous and unrighteous went after death - a "land of forgetfulness."

    Blog text (14)
  • Even the bravest warriors fear going down to Sheol, for it is the realm of the dead.

Synonyms

hell
vsSheol
581 2.1

A place after death where the dead are punished in some religions

is the ancient Hebrew notion of the dead without emphasis on punishment
underworld
vsSheol
  • Literature
51 7.2

A place where souls go after death in myths

is the ancient Hebrew version naming the neutral abode of the dead
netherworld
vsSheol
  • Literature
10 8.8

A dark world below the earth where the dead live

is the term from ancient Hebrew belief rather than general myth traditions
infernal region
vsSheol
  • Literature
1 9.9

A place of suffering for the dead in religious stories

is the ancient Hebrew idea of the dead as a neutral dwelling not torment
Hades
vsSheol
  • Literature
8.4

The place of the dead in Greek myths where souls go after death

is the ancient Hebrew belief about the dead rather than the Greek ruled realm

Surface Forms

Sheol singular
Sheols plural

Etymology

Sheol comes from ancient Hebrew and originally meant a 'pit' or 'place of the dead', a deep, dark grave where people thought souls went. So in the Bible it refers to the underworld or the place where souls go after death.