The end of this chapter delves into the matter of what will happen to
the incorrigibly wicked-those who ultimately refuse to repent of
their sins. Many assume that their fate is eternity in an ever-burning
inferno in a dark underworld called hell, but is that really what the Bible
says?
To answer that question, we need to understand the Hebrew and Greek words
translated "hell" in most versions of the Bible. As we will see, the biblical
view of hell is not one of unending torment.
Two words translated "hell" refer to the grave
Sheol is the Hebrew word translated "hell" throughout the Old
Testament. It refers to "the state and abode of the dead; hence the grave
in which the body rests" (William Wilson, Wilson's Old Testament Word
Studies, "Hell," p. 215). The Expository Dictionary of Bible Words explains, "Thus
there are no references to eternal destiny but simply to the grave as the
resting place of the bodies of all people" (Lawrence Richards, 1985, p.
336).
Reflecting its true meaning, many modern Bible versions translate this
word as simply "the grave" or leave it untranslated as Sheol.
Among those who knew that they themselves were going to sheol were
such men of faith as Jacob (Genesis 37:35), Job (Job 14:13), David (Psalm 88:3) and Hezekiah (Isaiah 38:10). These followers of God would not have
been going to an ever-burning inferno. Clearly, then, sheol must
mean simply the grave, not a place of eternal torment.
