Sheol is the Hebrew term
used in the Old Testament for
the realm of the dead.
It is the place to which people go at death,
often translated as
“the grave,”
“the pit,” or
“the realm of the dead.”
Sheol is the Old Testament counterpart to
the New Testament term Hades.
In the Old Testament, Sheol is portrayed as:
While the Old Testament does not give a detailed picture of different experiences in Sheol for the righteous and the wicked, it does express hope that God is present even there (Psalm 139:8) and that He will ultimately redeem His people from Sheol (Psalm 16:10; 49:15; Hosea 13:14).
The Old Testament concept of Sheol is further developed in the New Testament:
Sheol represents the Old Testament understanding of the realm of the dead. While the picture is less detailed than the New Testament teaching, it still affirms that death is not the end of existence and that God remains sovereign over the grave. The fuller revelation in Christ brings clarity and hope: for the believer, to die is to be with the Lord, and the final victory over death and Sheol belongs to Jesus Christ.
Entry compiled for the JESUSaves.com Bible Glossary. Optimized for wiki.js Visual Editor.