The Biblical Words for “Hell” (Hebrew & Greek)

One of the biggest misunderstandings in Bible study is that “hell” is a single word or idea. In reality, the Bible uses several different words, each with its own history and meaning.

Let’s break them down.

HEBREW TERMS (Old Testament)

A. שְׁאוֹל — Sheol

Meaning: the grave, the realm of the dead, the underworld. Pronunciation: “SHE-ol”

Sheol is not originally a place of torment. It is the shadowy realm of the dead, where both righteous and wicked go.

Key ideas:

• A place of silence
• A place of darkness
• A place where no one praises God
• A place from which God can rescue

Key passages:

• Genesis 37:35 — Jacob says he will go down to Sheol mourning
• Psalm 16:10 — God will not abandon His holy one to Sheol
• Job 14:13 — Job wishes God would hide him in Sheol

Sheol is neutral, not heaven or hell — more like the “grave-world.”

B. אֲבַדּוֹן — Abaddon

Meaning: destruction, ruin, the place of the dead. Pronunciation: “ah-BAD-don”

Often paired with Sheol.

Key passages:

• Job 26:6
• Proverbs 15:11

Later Jewish writings treat Abaddon as a place of destruction or even a being (Revelation picks this up).

GREEK TERMS (New Testament)

A. ᾅδης — Hades

Meaning: the realm of the dead. Pronunciation: “HAH-dees”

Hades is the Greek equivalent of Sheol.

Key ideas:

• Temporary holding place
• Not the final judgment
• Both righteous and wicked can be described as going there

Key passages:

• Luke 16:23 — the rich man is in torment in Hades
• Acts 2:27 — Jesus was not abandoned to Hades
• Revelation 20:13–14 — Hades gives up the dead and is destroyed

Hades is temporary, not the final hell.

B. Γέεννα — Gehenna

Meaning: the Valley of Hinnom; symbol of final judgment. Pronunciation: “geh-HEN-na”

This is the actual word Jesus uses for “hell.”

Background:

• A valley south of Jerusalem
• Site of child sacrifice in the OT
• Later became a symbol of divine judgment
• By Jesus’ time, it represented final punishment

Key passages:

• Matthew 5:22, 29–30
• Matthew 10:28 — God can destroy both body and soul in Gehenna
• Mark 9:43–48 — “where the worm does not die”

Gehenna = final, irreversible judgment.

C. Τάρταρος — Tartarus

Meaning: the deepest abyss; a prison for rebellious angels. Pronunciation: “TAR-tar-os”

Appears only once:

• 2 Peter 2:4 — God cast fallen angels into Tartarus

This is not the human hell — it’s a cosmic prison for supernatural beings.

D. λίμνη τοῦ πυρός — the lake of fire

Meaning: the final place of judgment. Pronunciation: “LEEM-nay too PEE-ros”

Found only in Revelation.

Key passages:

• Revelation 19:20
• Revelation 20:10, 14–15

This is the final hell, after judgment.

Timeline of the Concept of Hell from Genesis to Revelation

Stage 1: Sheol — the shadowy realm of the dead (Genesis–Malachi)

Everyone goes to Sheol. It is not punishment — it is simply death’s domain.

Stage 2: Development of afterlife ideas (Intertestamental period)

Jewish writings (1 Enoch, 2 Esdras, Wisdom of Solomon) begin to describe:

• separate destinies for righteous and wicked
• resurrection
• judgment
• fiery punishment for the wicked

This is where the idea of hell as punishment begins to take shape.

Stage 3: Jesus’ teaching — Gehenna as final judgment (Gospels)

Jesus uses Gehenna to describe:

• final destruction
• irreversible judgment
• separation from God
• imagery of fire, worms, darkness

Jesus is the one who gives hell its moral and eternal dimension.

Stage 4: Apostolic teaching — judgment and destruction (Epistles)

Paul and others describe:

• wrath
• destruction
• exclusion from God’s presence
• eternal consequences

The NT emphasizes finality and justice.

Stage 5: Revelation — the lake of fire (Apocalypse)

Revelation gives the final picture:

• Satan, death, Hades, and the wicked are thrown into the lake of fire
• This is the second death
• After this, there is no more death or evil

Hell becomes the final, cosmic removal of evil.

Comparison of “Hell” in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam

Judaism

Judaism does not have a single doctrine of hell. Key ideas:

• Sheol is the realm of the dead
• Later Judaism speaks of Gehinnom
• Gehinnom is often temporary (up to 12 months)
• It is a place of purification, not eternal torment
• Only the extremely wicked are destroyed or cut off

Judaism emphasizes restoration more than eternal punishment.

Christianity

Christianity has the most developed doctrine of hell.

Key ideas:

• Hell is the final judgment for the wicked
• It is separation from God
• It is described with imagery of fire, darkness, destruction
• Interpretations vary:
  • eternal conscious punishment
  • annihilation (the wicked cease to exist)
  • restorative judgment (minority view)

Christianity emphasizes justice, holiness, and the seriousness of rejecting God.

Islam

Islam teaches Jahannam, a place of punishment after judgment.

Key ideas:

• Multiple levels of punishment
• Some people eventually leave (Muslim sinners)
• Others remain forever (unbelievers, hypocrites)
• Described with fire, boiling water, chains, darkness
• God is just but also merciful

Islam emphasizes accountability, justice, and God’s sovereignty.