Part 1
54x in the KJV
32x in the NKJV
13x in the NASB
11x in the CSB
0x in YLT
0x in the Complete Jewish Bible
This is a very deep and wide topic, so today we are just going to scratch the surface by just looking at the use of the word HELL in the Bible.
Four different words from the Greek & Hebrew were translated into English as HELL. Let's cut to the chase - none of these 4 words actually mean hell as we understand it today.
Thankfully, the use of the word is starting to fade with newer translations...
The 4 original language words are:
Sheol, Hades, Gehenna, Tartarus
So what do they mean exactly?
SHEOL
Sheol is only used in the Old Testament, and it is a reference to where ALL souls (good and bad) go after their body dies - there is no torment or suffering. Sometimes it is simply referencing the grave. When we read our modern understanding of Hell into these verses, we drastically change the meaning of the passage into something it was never meant to be.
HADES
Hades is used in the NT and is a word borrowed from Greek mythology and the understanding of it was similar to the OT Sheol. A place for souls, but not a place of torment.
GEHENNA
Gehenna is used most often by Jesus, who was echoing His Father's words in Jeremiah when He referenced this well known (to Jewish people) valley of pagan human sacrifice which eventually became the city sewage, open grave, burning trash pit. God renamed it the Valley of Slaughter. Again, it is very misleading to use the word Hell in place of Gehenna. When Father said Valley of Hinnom, the translators left it as is, but when Jesus referenced the Valley, they translated it into HELL. Why? Misleading and inaccurate.
TARTARUS
Tartarus is used once in reference to angels, not humans - and it is borrowed from Greek mythology. It is the place within Hades where the punishment happens.
So, here's something interesting: there was no word in their own language - Hebrew or Greek - that would reference a place of eternal torment, without borrowing it from pagan mythology. It did not exist in their vocabulary, or in their concept of the afterlife. One only needs to go as far as Wikipedia to learn that torment in hell is not a belief of Judaism. (Christians added that!) If eternal torment in 'hell' is actually a thing to God, it is not represented in these 4 words, or even in the language His people spoke. In fact, the word HELL as a place of torment and punishment, did not start showing up in writings until 100's of years after Christ!! 🤯 Prior to that, the word only existed in Norse mythology (Hel is the daughter of Loki, who ruled the underworld). I don't know about you, but to me, this means we need to seriously rethink what we've been taught about hell... Let's start by looking at the history of the actually word.
The concept of a place of doom and punishment for souls can be traced back to ancient Egypt.
first known use of the word seen in it's various forms - Hell, Hel, Hellia - was in Norse ancient religious beliefs, now known as Norse Mythology. Hel was the name of Loki's daughter who rules over the [evil] dead in the lowest underground realm, of the same name. (Sorry folks, Marvel mislead us - "Hela" is really not Thor & Loki's evil sister). Where Sheol & Hades simply refer to the realm of the unalive, the Norse Hel was reserved for the baddest bad guys. This is a significant difference. In the Hebrew, there was ONE place where ALL the dead went. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. They all went to Sheol. To Abraham's Bosom. (We talk about that in the Lazarus & the Rich Man parable). Hel is Norse Mythology was an afterlife prison for the worst offenders, but the Hebrews did not differentiate where their dead went. ALL went to Sheol to rest.
Let's get back to the history of the word... It wasn't until the 1200's that the Icelanders began to write their sagas, which had all been oral tradition and stories told generation after generation about their ancient gods, heros and villains. This is where the reading world learns of Hel - the person and the place. However, the first time period we see the word Hell in writings not related to Norse Mythology, is in 725AD.
Used figuratively for "state of misery, any bad experience" at least since late 14c. As an expression of disgust, etc., first recorded 1670s.
To have hell break loose is from c. 1600. Expression hell in a handbasket is attested by 1867, in a context implying use from a few years before, and the notion of going to Heaven in a handbasket is from 1853, implying "easy passage" to the destination. Hell or high water (1874) apparently is a variation of between the devil and the deep blue sea. To wish someone would go to hell is in Shakespeare ("Merchant of Venice"). Snowball's chance in hell "no chance" is from 1931; till hell freezes over "never" is from 1832.
To do something for the hell of it "just for fun" is from 1921.
See you on the next Quest!
~Tracy
Explore this topic some more!