Sheol appears around sixty-five times in the Hebrew Bible.
Imported citation, not independently checked: Hebrew Bible, Sheol concordance
religion · Shared topic · Revision 0
Is Hell in the Old Testament?
Is Hell in the Old Testament?
You are reading revision 0. Return to the current page. Erased or withdrawn contributions are excluded from historical views.
The current answer
Not in the sense most readers mean. Sheol is the grave that waits for everyone.
What remains uncertain
This starting summary presents the original essay’s position. It has not received independent topic review. Its citations have been imported, not checked. Competing explanations and important objections may still be missing.
Show the work
Claims & evidence
Evidence labels are editorial judgments. Arena wins, votes and purchased items do not set them.
Ecclesiastes 9:10 says there is no work, no planning, no knowledge and no wisdom in Sheol.
Imported citation, not independently checked: Ecclesiastes 9:10
The King James Version translates Sheol as "grave" thirty-one times, as "hell" thirty-one times, and as "pit" three times.
Imported citation, not independently checked: King James Version concordance of Sheol
Isaiah 66:24, the closing verse of the book, describes going out to look at the corpses of those who rebelled, whose worm does not die and whose fire is not quenched.
Imported citation, not independently checked: Isaiah 66:24
The strongest objections
These objections have passed editorial review for relevance. Their inclusion does not settle the disagreement.
No objection has been independently reviewed yet. This is a gap to investigate, not evidence that the answer is settled.
Earn credit by improving knowledge
Choose a useful challenge
Contributions are free. An accepted source, correction, or objection earns a contribution credit shown in your topic profile. Credit cannot buy influence over an answer.
Source scout
Find the original document. Point to the passage that supports or challenges a claim.
Strongest objection
Explain the best relevant counterargument, fairly and precisely.
Clearer answer
Improve the explanation and make its limits easier to understand.
Review queue
Proposed changes are not yet part of the answer. Editors must check the sources and explain their decisions.
No proposals are awaiting review.
What changed, and why
Starting draft · Imported from the original essay. Each accepted change keeps its author, sources and independent review.
No editorial decisions have been recorded yet.