Hell or Hades or Sheol or the Grave?

Hell or Hades or Sheol or the Grave?

The doctrine of Hell is getting a lot cooler in the modern versions.

In fact, a lot of theologically important words in the Holy Bible are being toned down or even lost entirely. As examples, here is a partial list of the frequency of certain words comparing the King James Bible Old Testament, with the NKJV, the NASB, ESV and the NIV Old Testament.

TRUTH KJB - 118 times; NKJV - about same; NASB - 92; ESV - 44; NIV - 41

GRACE KJB -38 times; NKJV - 20; NASB - 9; ESV - 7; NIV - 8

MERCY, MERCIFUL KJB - 288 times; NKJV -same; NASB - 51; ESV - 132; NIV - 85

SOUL KJB - 478 times; NKJV - same; NASB - 255; NIV - 110

LUCIFER KJB - 1 time; NKJV - 1 time; NASB - 0; ESV - 0; NIV - 0

JEHOVAH KJB - 7 times; NKJV - 0; NASB - 0; ESV - 0; NIV - 0

HELL KJB - 31 times; NKJV - 19; NASB - 0; ESV - 0; NIV - 0

Examples of other words in the whole Bible, both testaments.

DOCTRINE KJB - 56 times; NKJV - 42; NASB - 14; ESV - 13; NIV - 7

FORNICATION KJB - 44 times; NKJV - 21; NASB - 8; ESV - 0; NIV - 0

DAMNATION, DAMNED KJB - 9 times; NKJV - 0; NASB - 0; ESV - 0; NIV - 0

HELL (whole Bible) KJB - 53 times; NKJV - 32; NASB -13; ESV - 14; NIV - 13

The words still translated as hell in the N.T. of these modern versions (NKJV, NIV, NASB, ESV) are geenna 12 times (Matthew 5:22, 29, 30; 10:28; 18:9; 23:15,33; Mark 9:43,45,47; Luke 12:5 and James 3:6) and tartaros 1 time (2 Pet. 2:4). However the 2001 - 2011 ESVs still translates hades as "hell" in Matthew 16:18 "the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." The NIV editions of 1973 and 1984 translated hades as "hell" in Luke 16:23 "in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments", but the 2011 "new" New International Version now has "hades". The ISV (International Standard Version) has translated hades as "hell" in Matthew 16:18 "the gates of hell". Petterson's 2002 The Message has translated hades as "hell" in Matthew 16:18, Luke 16:23, Revelation 6:8, and Revelation 20:13 and 14.

It is also interesting to compare and contrast the ever changing Catholic bible versions. The other Greek word that is often translated as "hell" in the King James Bible and many others is hades. In the older Catholic Douay-Rheims version, every time the KJB has hades as "hell", so did this older Catholic bible - See Matthew 11:23; 16:18; Luke 10:15; 16:23; Acts 2:27,31; Rev. 1:18; 6:8 and 20:13 and 14. But the New Jerusalem bible of 1985 has translated the Greek word hades as "hell" in Matthew 11:23 and Luke 10:15, as "the underworld" in Mat. 16:18, and as Hades in Mat. 11:23; Luke 16:23, Acts 2:27,31, and in Rev.1:18; 6:8 and 20:13,14. So we see that all these modern versions are consistently inconsistent.

This particular study will focus on the word Hell and how it is being air conditioned by degrees in many modern versions. There are many who criticize the King James Bible as being wrong for translating certain Hebrew and Greek words as Hell.

In the King James Old Testament the Hebrew word Sheol is variously translated as HELL - 31 times; THE GRAVE - 31 times, and as THE PIT - 3 times.

The various modern versions disagree among themselves and have little room in which to criticize the KJB.

The NKJV translates this same word Sheol 18 times and as HELL 19 times, rather than the 31 times as in the KJB. It also has translated the word as the GRAVE and the PIT.

The NIV never translates it as hell or even as Sheol, but instead has the GRAVE 55 times, DEATH 6 times, the DEPTHS 2 times, the DEPTHS OF THE GRAVE 2 times, and as THE REALM OF DEATH once.

The NASB on the other hand, transliterates rather than translates this word every single time as SHEOL. How many Christians know what Sheol is? It strikes fear in the heart, doesn't it?

What we see here is that the very scholars who criticize the King James Bible for translating the word at times as HELL can't seem to agree even among themselves as to what the word means in various contexts.

Let's look at a few examples.

Psalm 9:17

King James Bible - "The wicked shall be turned into HELL, and all the nations that forget God."

NIV - "The wicked RETURN TO THE GRAVE, all the nations that forget God."

There are two big problems with the NIV rendering here. First, you can only RETURN TO someplace you have already been before. Does the NIV teach reincarnation? You can teach it using the NIV, but you cannot get the doctrine of reincarnation from the King James Bible.

Second, most everyone, the wicked and the righteous, go to the grave. So what else is new? The context is the fate of the wicked, and it is not the same as that of the righteous. The NIV rendering is silly at best, and diabolical at worst.

NASB, ESV 2001 - "The wicked will RETURN TO SHEOL, even all the nations who forget God."

The NASB, ESV have two similar problems. How do people return to someplace if they have not been there before? Also what in the world is Sheol? Many criticize the KJB for being hard to understand, but how many of them know what Sheol is? And again there is no distinction between the wicked and the righteous in the NASB rendering. The liberal RSV has: "The wicked shall depart to Sheol", the ESV 2011 is similar with "the wicked shall RETURN to Sheol" and the Catholic New Jerusalem bible of 1985 has: "May the wicked turn away to Sheol."

The Jewish translations differ among themselves as well. The 1917 JPS (Jewish Publication Society) says: "The wicked shall return to THE NETHER-WORLD, even all the nations that forget God." The 1936 The Holy Scriptures, Hebrew Publishing Company, says: "The wicked shall be turned into HELL" and the Complete Jewish Bible says: "The wicked will return to SH'OL, all the nations that forget God."

The NKJV - "The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God." = the KJB here. Also agreeing with the King James Bible are Wycliffe 1395, Coverdale 1535, the Great Bible 1540, Matthew's Bible 1549, the Bishops' Bible 1568, the Geneva Bible 1587, the Douay-Rheims Bible of 1610 and the Douay of 1950, the Catholic Public Domain Version of 2009, (Though the 1970 St. Joseph NAB says "to the NETHER WORLD" and the New Jerusalem bible 1985 says "turn away to SHEOL") the Lesser Bible 1853, the KJV 21st Century Version 1994 and the Third Millenium Bible 1998.

In 1395 Wycliffe wrote: "Synneris be turned togidere in to helle; alle folkis, that foryeten God."

And the 2002 Message paraphrases it in this way: "The wicked bought a one-way ticket to hell."

The Portuguese de Almeida of 1681, and the Portuguese La Biblia Sagrada and the 2000 O Livro all read exactly like the KJB saying: "Os ímpios seräo lançados no inferno, e todas as naçöes que se esquecem de Deus." , as does the French Ostervald of 1996 - "Les méchants reculeront jusqu'aux enfers, et toutes les nations qui oublient Dieu.", the Italian Diodati of 1649 - " Andranno in volta nell’inferno." and the Conferenza Episcopale Italiana Bible - "ornino gli empi negli inferi", and the Spanish Cipriano de Valera of 1602, 1865, 1909 and the 2004 Reina-Valera Gomez Bible - "Los malos serán trasladados al infierno."

John Calvin translated it just as it stands in the King James Bible and comments on Psalm 9:17 saying: "rest assured that the hand of God, although it is unseen, is very near, which can turn them back in the midst of their course in which they aim at reaching heaven, and make them tumble into hell in a moment. The meaning of the Hebrew word שאולה, sheolah, is doubtful, but I have not hesitated to translate it hell."

Likewise Baptist Bible commentator John Gill states: "The wicked shall be turned into hell,.... Some render it, "shall return to the grave", to the earth, the original dust from whence they came; but this is common to all men, to the righteous as well as the wicked; rather lwav here signifies the place of torment, commonly called hell, where devils and damned spirits are; hither the souls of the wicked go immediately upon their departure from their bodies, Luke 16:23; and after the judgment is over, they will be remanded thither in soul and body; and their damnation is called the destruction of soul and body in hell;... this is true of all the wicked, the beast and false prophet, who shall be cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone, Revelation 19:20"

Jamieson, Faussett and Brown note: "the wicked shall be turned into hell - "under God's vengeance, and driven by Him to the extreme of destruction, even hell itself."

Matthew Henry comments on Psalm 9:17 saying: " The wicked shall be turned into hell, as captives into the prison-house, even all the nations that forget God. Hell will, at last, be the portion of such, a state of everlasting misery and torment—Sheol, a pit of destruction, in which they and all their comforts will be for ever lost and buried. Though there be nations of them, yet they shall be turned into hell, like sheep into the slaughter-house (Ps. 49:14)"

And finally Charles H. Spurgeon comments on Psalm 9:17 - "these must all have their own portion with the openly wicked in the hell which is prepared for the devil and his angels. There are whole nations of such; the forgetters of God are far more numerous than the profane or profligate, and according to the very forceful expression of the Hebrew, the nethermost hell will be the place into which all of them shall be hurled headlong."

The Hebrew word Sheol communicates nothing to us in the English language. There are many different views among the scholars themselves as to what this word signifies and it seems to vary with different contexts. Many Hebrew and Greek words have multiple meanings which change their sense according to the context and scholars argue over them all the time.

(more to come)

The 1987 Amplified Bible (Lockman Foundation) translates Psalms 9:17 as: "The wicked shall be turned back [headlong into premature death] into Sheol (the place of the departed spirits of the wicked), even all the nations that forget or are forgetful of God." But we know from the New Testament that the place of the departed spirits of the wicked is called HELL!

The 2012 ISV (International Standard Version) translates Psalms 9:17 differently than most, saying: "The wicked will turn back TO WHERE THE DEAD ARE."

There are times when the word simply means the GRAVE, as in Genesis 42:38 where Jacob says: "My son shall not go down with you (into Egypt)...if mischief befall him...then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to THE GRAVE."

At other times the word means HELL, as the place of the dead in the heart of the earth. Scripture tells us in both the Old and New Testaments that there are compartments or degrees of hell. Both Deuteronomy 32 and Psalm 86 speak of THE LOWEST HELL. In Deuteronomy 32:22 God says: "For a fire is kindled in mine anger and shall burn unto the lowest hell", and in Psalm 86:13 David says to God: "For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell."

Shoel as HELL in the Old Testament

Among the various Bible versions that sometimes translate the Hebrew word sheol as "hell" are the following: Wycliffe 1395, Coverdale 1535, the Great Bible 1540, Matthew's Bible 1549, the Bishop's Bible 1568, the Geneva Bible 1599, Douay-Rheims 1610, Webster's 1833 translation, Living Oracles 1835, the Lesser Bible 1853, the Revised Version 1881, the Jewish 1936 Hebrew Publishing Company translation by Alexander Harkavy into English, Luther's German Bible 1545, Brenton's translation of the Septuagint, the Spanish Reina Valera 1569, 1602, 1909, the Italian Diodati 1602, the Portuguese de Almeida 1681, Portuguese O Livro of 2000, Rotherham's Emphasized Bible 1902, the Douay 1950, the Bible in Basic English 1961 (2 Sam.22:6; Psalm 18:5), New Life Version 1969 (Pro. 5:5, 7:27, 19:18, 15:24,23:14), God's Word Translation 1995, the KJV 21st Century Version 1994, New Living Translation, J.P. Green's 'literal', the NKJV 1982, Third Millenium Bible 1998, and the 2002 version called The Message in 2 Samuel 22:6; Job 26:6, Psalm 9:17, 16:10, 18:5, 31:17, 49:14, 55:15, 88:3, 89:68, 116:3, 141:7, Proverbs 5:5, 7:27, 9:18, 15:24, 27:20, and Isaiah 57:9!!!

In the New Testament the same confusion among the various bible versions is seen in the manner in which they translate or not the word Hades. There are many Bible critics who tell us the King James Bible is in error for translating the word Hades as Hell. Yet, as we shall see, the "scholars" are in total disagreement among themselves regarding this.

Luke 16:19-31 is the classic case showing the division that existed in hell before the resurrection of Christ from the dead. There we see the beggar Lazarus in Abraham's bosom being comforted and in contrast we see the rich man IN HELL being tormented. There was a great gulf fixed between the two sections dividing the righteous from the wicked.

The Greek word used here is hades. The King James Bible translated it as hell, while the NKJV and NASB have Hades. The NIV is interesting in that it has variously translated this same word as "Hades -5 times, depths - 2 times, grave - 1 time; and as Hell only once and that is here in Luke 16:23! Oh, but wait. Apparently that one time as "hell" in Luke 16:23 in the NIVs of 1973 and 1984 was one time too many. Now the late$t NIV revi$ion of 2010 has come out and they have now decided that this should "Hades".



Hell itself is not the final state of the wicked. After the great white throne judgment we are told in Revelation 20:14 "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death."

Those who complain about this word being translated as "hell" should check out some other bible versions to see what others, who have just as much education as they do, have done with these passages.

Hades as HELL in the New Testament

Not only does the King James Bible translate the Greek word hades as "hell" but so do the following Bible versions: Wycliffe 1395, Tyndale 1525, Coverdale 1535, the Great Bible 1540, Matthew's Bible 1549, the Bishop's Bible 1568, Geneva Bible 1599, John Wesley 1755, Webster's 1833 translation, Luther's German Bible 1545 (Luke 16:23) -"in der Hölle", the Spanish Reina Valera 1909, and 2004 Reina Valera Gomez Bible (infierno), the Portuguese de Almeida 1681 "E no inferno, ergueu os olhos", the Italian Diodati of 1649 and the New Diodati of 1991 "essendo tra i tormenti nell'inferno", the French Martin 1744 and the French Ostervald of 1996 - "Et étant en enfer", the Douay 1950, New Life Version 1969, the Living Bible, the New Living Translation 1996 (Mat. 16:18), Today's English Version 1992 (Mat.11:23, Luke 10:15), Good News Bible 1992 (Mat. 11:23; Luke 10:15), Bible in Basic English 1961 (Mat. 11:23; 16:18, Luke 10:15, 16:23, Acts 2:27,31, and the 4 in Revelation), God's Word Translation 1995 (Mat. 11:23, 16:18, Luke 10:15, 16:23, Rev.1:18, 6:8, 20:13-14), KJV 21st Century, Third Millenium Bible, and The Message of 2002 (Mat. 16:18, Luke 10:15, 16:23, Rev. 1:18, 6:6, 20:13-14).

Wordsmyth Dictionary defines Hades as:

1. in Greek mythology, the underworld inhabited by the dead, or the god who rules there; Pluto. 2. in the New Testament, the state or home of the dead. 3. the place of punishment for the wicked after death; hell.

The American Heritage Dictionary 200 defines Hades as:

1. Greek Mythology a. The god of the netherworld and dispenser of earthly riches. b. This netherworld kingdom, the abode of the shades of the dead. 2. also hades Hell.

Notice that the first definitions given refer to Hades as myth, or merely as the place of the dead, without any reference to suffering or torment. For a preacher to say: "Repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ or you will go to Hades" seems to lack the visceral impact of "or you will go to Hell." What do you think?

The American Heritage dictionary defines hell as: 1. Hell - The abode of condemned souls and devils in some religions; the place of eternal punishment for the wicked after death. b. A state of separation from God; exclusion from God's presence. 2. The abode of the dead, identified with the Hebrew Sheol and the Greek Hades; the underworld.

The New KJV is not the same as the King James Bible. Here are some examples:

Matthew 16:18

KJV: "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of HELL shall not prevail against it."

NKJV: "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of HADES shall not prevail against it." Luke 16:23

KJV: "And in HELL he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom."

NKJV: "And being in torments in HADES, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom."

The New KJV is inconsistent in the Old Testament in that it does render the word sheol as "hell" 19 times, yet it transliterates this same word as Shoel 18 times to match the NASB rendering. The word Hell is removed in 2 Samuel 22:6, Job 11:8, 26:6, Psalm 16:10, 18:5, 86:13, 116:3, Isaiah 5:14, 14:15, 28:15,18, 57:9, Jonah 2:2, Matt. 11:23, 16:18, Luke 10:15, 16:23, Acts 2:27, 31, Rev. 1:18, 6:8, 20:13,14.

Some Bible critics, mockers and others who would try in vain to do away with the doctrine of hell appeal to the book of Jonah where Jonah prays to God from the whale's belly saying: "out of the belly of HELL cried I, and thou heardest my voice." "See", they say, "Jonah wasn't literally in HELL, so no such place really exists. It is just a figure of speech." Well, in part, they are right. It is a figure of speech here. Most older and more correct Bibles have the word "hell" here, like Wycliffe, Coverdale, Great Bible, Matthew's Bible, the Bishops' Bible, the Geneva Bible and even the Douay Rheims bible. Newer versions like the RSV, NKJV, ESV, NASB have "Sheol" while the NIV has "the grave", but Jonah was not literally in Sheol (the realm of the dead) nor in a literal grave.

The story of Jonah (real history, not an allegory) is a type or prophetic picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. In Jonah the "type" is figurative, but in the anti-type or the fulfilled reality, the language is literal. Jonah pre-figured the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Himself tells us in Matthew 12:40 "For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." Jesus Christ did literally die, spent three days and nights in a literal HELL and was then literally raised from the dead. "He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that His soul was not left in HELL, neither his flesh did see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses." Acts 2:31-32.

As a side note, I personally wish there were no such place a hell or such a thing as the eternal torment of the damned. I really wish no such place or condition existed. BUT, if I really believe God's words, then I have to also believe that such a place exists. I see no way of getting around what the Bible itself seems to clearly teach. Jesus Christ Himself talked about the reality of a place called Hell more than He talked about a place called Heaven. The Lord Jesus tells us in Luke 12:5 "But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him." The Lord also told of the rich man in Luke 16 who lived a wicked life and then died, and was buried. "And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments" and was further told "remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented." Luke 16:23-25.

Likewise I find no way that I can reasonably get around or explain away the verses found in the book of the Revelation where we read "If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; AND HE SHALL BE TORMENTED WITH FIRE AND BRIMSTONE in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of THEIR TORMENT ASCENDETH UP FOR EVER AND EVER: AND THEY HAVE NO REST DAY NOR NIGHT, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name." Revelation 14:9-11

Notice the text here does NOT say "the smoke of their extinction" or the "smoke of their annihilation" or "the smoke of their obliteration" but "the smoke of their TORMENT".

Coupled with what we read in Revelation 20:10 "And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, WHERE THE BEAST AND THE FALSE PROPHET ARE, AND SHALL BE TORMENTED (the verb is plural, and includes the beast and the false prophet) DAY AND NIGHT FOR EVER AND EVER." These are extremely sobering verses and I have to take them at face value. After all, I am not God and He is and this is what He says in His words of absolute truth.

In view of these stern warnings, if you have not done so already, I urge you to repent of your sins and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ to save you from ever having to hear these awful words that shall be spoken to those who did not believe the gospel - "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels...And these shall go away into EVERLASTING PUNISHMENT: but the righteous into life eternal." Matthew 25:41, 46.