Study 5: Four "Hell" Words — Answer Key¶

Sheol, Hades, Gehenna, Tartaroo — What Do They Actually Mean?

A Reminder from Study 1

We are learning to distinguish between what the Bible explicitly says and what people infer from the Bible.

Explicit: You can point to a verse and quote it. The text directly says this.

Inference: Someone claims the Bible teaches something, but no single verse says it. They have drawn a conclusion that may or may not be correct — but the conclusion itself is not in the text.

This distinction becomes especially important when we examine what the Bible actually says about "hell" — because the English word hides four different words with different meanings.

Section A: Sheol — The Old Testament Word¶

1. The Hebrew word sheol (H7585) appears about 67 times in the OT. The KJV translates it "grave" 31 times and "hell" 27 times. If the same word is translated both ways, what does that tell you about whether sheol inherently means "a place of torment"?

It tells you sheol does not inherently mean "a place of torment." If translators themselves rendered the same Hebrew word as "grave" in some places and "hell" in others, the word's meaning is broader than either English translation. The inconsistency is a translation problem, not a textual one.

2. Read Genesis 37:35. Jacob expects to go to sheol mourning for Joseph. Read Psalm 16:10. David trusts God will not leave his soul in sheol. Read Psalm 9:17. The wicked are turned into sheol. If both righteous and wicked go to sheol, is it a punishment venue for the wicked only?

No. Both righteous persons (Jacob, David, Christ himself — Acts 2:27,31) and wicked persons go to sheol. It is the universal destination of all the dead, not a punishment venue reserved for the wicked.

"I will go down into the grave [sheol] unto my son mourning." — Genesis 37:35

"Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell [sheol]; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption." — Psalm 16:10

3. Read Ecclesiastes 9:10. What does this verse say exists in sheol — work, knowledge, wisdom?

None of them. "There is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave [sheol], whither thou goest." Sheol is characterized by the absence of all activity and consciousness.

"There is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest." — Ecclesiastes 9:10

4. Read Psalm 6:5 and Psalm 115:17. Is there remembrance of God in death? Do the dead praise the LORD?

No to both. "In death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave [sheol] who shall give thee thanks?" (Ps 6:5). "The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence" (Ps 115:17). Multiple authors describe sheol as a place of silence, not activity.

5. Read Job 10:21-22 and Job 17:13-16. How does Job describe sheol? What imagery does he use — light and activity, or darkness and rest?

Darkness and rest. Job calls sheol "the land of darkness and the shadow of death... where the light is as darkness" (Job 10:21-22). He describes it as a house, with a bed in darkness, resting together in the dust (Job 17:13-16). The imagery is consistently unconsciousness and inactivity.

Section B: Hades — The New Testament Equivalent¶

6. Read Acts 2:27, 31. Peter quotes Psalm 16:10, which uses sheol in Hebrew. What Greek word does Peter use in its place? What does this tell you about the relationship between the two words?

Peter uses hades. This directly demonstrates that sheol and hades are equivalent — they refer to the same concept. The LXX (Greek OT) confirms this, translating sheol as hades in 58 of approximately 65 instances.

"Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell [hades], neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption." — Acts 2:27

7. Read Revelation 20:13-14. What happens to death and hades? Are they permanent or temporary?

Temporary. "Death and hell [hades] delivered up the dead which were in them... and death and hell were cast into the lake of fire." Hades gives up the dead for judgment and is then destroyed. It is a holding state, not a final destination.

"Death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death." — Revelation 20:13-14

8. Read Revelation 1:18. Who holds the keys of hades and death? What does this suggest about hades — is it a realm under Satan's control, or under Christ's authority?

Christ holds the keys. "I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell [hades] and of death." Hades is under Christ's authority.

9. Read 1 Corinthians 15:55 (compare Hosea 13:14). Paul pairs hades with death in a celebration of victory. What is the "sting" and "victory" that are overcome?

Death's sting and hades' victory are both overcome through the resurrection. "O death, where is thy sting? O grave [hades], where is thy victory?" Paul quotes Hosea 13:14 to celebrate that death and hades are defeated — not eternal realities, but conquered enemies.

Section C: Gehenna — The Place of Destruction¶

10. Read Joshua 15:8 and 2 Kings 23:10. Gehenna comes from ge-Hinnom (Valley of Hinnom). What happened in this valley historically?

It was a real geographic location southwest of Jerusalem. It became the site of child sacrifice to Molech — parents burned their children there. King Josiah defiled it to stop the practice (2 Ki 23:10). Its associations are death, sacrifice, and abomination.

11. Read Jeremiah 7:31-32 and Jeremiah 19:6. What did Jeremiah rename this valley? What did he say would happen there — ongoing torment or slaughter and burial?

Jeremiah prophetically renamed it "the valley of slaughter." He said they would "bury in Tophet, till there be no place" (Jer 7:32). The prophetic imagery is death, slaughter, and burial — not ongoing torment of the living.

"Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that it shall no more be called Tophet, nor the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of slaughter." — Jeremiah 7:32

12. Read Matthew 10:28. What does Jesus say God is able to do to "both soul and body" in gehenna? Does He use a word meaning "torment" or "destroy"?

Destroy. The Greek word is apollumi, meaning to destroy or to cause to perish. Jesus does not say God will torment soul and body — He says God can destroy them. This is destruction vocabulary, not torment vocabulary.

"Fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell [gehenna]." — Matthew 10:28

13. Read Mark 9:43-48. Jesus quotes Isaiah 66:24. Now read Isaiah 66:24 itself. The "worm" and "fire" act on what — living people or "carcases" (dead bodies)?

Dead bodies. Isaiah 66:24 says "they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me." The Hebrew word peger means corpse or dead body. The worm and fire act on the dead, not on living, conscious beings.

"They shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched." — Isaiah 66:24

14. Read Luke 12:5. What does God do first (kill), and then what does He have power to do (cast into gehenna)? What is the sequence?

The sequence is: God kills first, then casts into gehenna. Death comes before gehenna — the person is already dead. This is consistent with Isaiah 66:24 (corpses) and Matthew 10:28 (destroy).

"Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell [gehenna]." — Luke 12:5

Section D: Tartaroo — Angels Only¶

15. Read 2 Peter 2:4. Who is cast into tartaroo — humans or angels? Is this a permanent destination or a temporary holding ("reserved unto judgment")?

Angels only — specifically "the angels that sinned." It is temporary: they are "delivered into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment." Tartaroo is a holding place for fallen angels awaiting judgment, not a destination for humans.

"God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell [tartaroo], and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment." — 2 Peter 2:4

16. Read Jude 1:6. What parallel does Jude give for the same event? Are the angels in their final state or waiting for something?

Jude describes the same angels "reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day." They are waiting — this is not their final state but an interim imprisonment. Neither Peter nor Jude applies tartaroo to human beings.

Section E: Comparing the Four Words¶

17. Based on what you have read: (a) Who goes to sheol/hades — only the wicked, or everyone? (b) What vocabulary does Jesus use for gehenna — "torment" or "destroy"? (c) Who is tartaroo applied to — humans or angels?

(a) Everyone — both righteous and wicked go to sheol/hades. (b) Destruction vocabulary — apollumi (destroy, perish). No gehenna passage applies torment vocabulary (basanizo, basanismos, kolasis) to human beings. (c) Angels only — tartaroo is never applied to humans.

18. The KJV translates all four words as "hell." If a reader only has the English KJV, can they tell these words apart? What problem does this create?

No. The KJV reader encounters "hell" 54 times and naturally infers a single unified concept of torment. But the original languages contain three distinct concepts: (1) the general abode of all the dead (sheol/hades), (2) eschatological destruction (gehenna), and (3) angel imprisonment (tartaroo). Translating all four as "hell" creates a unified concept in English that does not exist in the source texts.

Explicit or Inference? — Answers¶

A. "Both righteous and wicked go to sheol." - Explicit. Jacob (Gen 37:35), David (Ps 16:10), Christ (Acts 2:27,31), the wicked (Ps 9:17), and Korah (Num 16:33) all go to sheol. Multiple texts demonstrate this directly.

B. "In sheol there is no work, no knowledge, no wisdom." - Explicit. Ecclesiastes 9:10 directly states this. And it is confirmed by Psalm 6:5 (no remembrance), Psalm 115:17 (silence), and Job 10:21-22 (darkness).

C. "Gehenna is a place of eternal conscious torment for all the wicked." - Inference. No verse says this. Jesus uses apollumi (destroy) for gehenna, not basanizo (torment). The OT source He quotes (Isa 66:24) describes corpses. The claim requires reading destruction vocabulary as torment vocabulary and dead bodies as living beings.

D. "God is able to destroy both soul and body in gehenna." - Explicit. Matthew 10:28 directly states this — Jesus' own words.

E. "The four 'hell' words all describe the same concept — a place of eternal torment." - Inference. The four words have distinct semantic ranges, distinct subjects, and distinct temporal scopes. Treating them as one concept requires the KJV translation choice to override the original languages.

Summary Comparison Table¶

Word	Language	Occurrences	Who Goes There	Characteristics	Permanent?
Sheol (H7585)	Hebrew	~67 OT	All the dead (righteous and wicked)	No work, knowledge, wisdom; silence; darkness; rest	No — deliverance = resurrection (Hos 13:14)
Hades (G86)	Greek	11 NT	Equivalent to sheol	Same as sheol; paired with death	No — cast into lake of fire (Rev 20:14)
Gehenna (G1067)	Greek	12 NT	The wicked (eschatological)	Destruction (apollumi); fire acting on corpses (Isa 66:24)	Final destruction, not ongoing torment
Tartaroo (G5020)	Greek	1 NT	Fallen angels only	Chains of darkness; temporary imprisonment	No — "reserved unto judgment" (2 Pet 2:4)