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Study 5: Four "Hell" Words

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"?

  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?

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

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

  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?

Section B: Hades — The New Testament Equivalent

  1. 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?

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

  3. 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?

  4. 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?

Section C: Gehenna — The Place of Destruction

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

  2. 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?

  3. 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"?

  4. 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)?

  5. 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?

Section D: Tartaroo — Angels Only

  1. 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")?

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

Section E: Comparing the Four Words

  1. 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?

  2. 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?

Explicit or Inference?

For each statement below, decide: Does the Bible explicitly say this, or is it an inference?

A. "Both righteous and wicked go to sheol." - [ ] Explicit — the Bible says this - [ ] Inference — someone concluded this

B. "In sheol there is no work, no knowledge, no wisdom." - [ ] Explicit — the Bible says this - [ ] Inference — someone concluded this

C. "Gehenna is a place of eternal conscious torment for all the wicked." - [ ] Explicit — the Bible says this - [ ] Inference — someone concluded this

D. "God is able to destroy both soul and body in gehenna." - [ ] Explicit — the Bible says this - [ ] Inference — someone concluded this

E. "The four 'hell' words all describe the same concept — a place of eternal torment." - [ ] Explicit — the Bible says this - [ ] Inference — someone concluded this