שְׁאוֹל
Hades or the world of the dead (as if a subterranean retreat ), including its accessories and inmates
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What does שְׁאוֹל (šə’ôl) mean in the Bible?
שְׁאוֹל (šə’ôl) is a Hebrew word meaning "hades or the world of the dead (as if a subterranean retreat ), including its accessories and inmates". hades or the world of the dead (as if a subterranean retreat), including its accessories and inmates BDB: Shᵉ’ōl Usage: grave, hell, pit. Sheol imagery emphasizes the humiliation and leveling of earthly power. This term runs through the canonical themes of Covenant.
Full entry for שְׁאוֹל (H7585) · Browse the biblical lexicon
Meaning
The subterranean realm where all the dead dwell, without moral differentiation until late Judaism
hades or the world of the dead (as if a subterranean retreat), including its accessories and inmates BDB: Shᵉ’ōl Usage: grave, hell, pit.
Why This Word Matters
Sheol imagery emphasizes the humiliation and leveling of earthly power. Isaiah 14:9-11
Expresses the reality of mortality in Old Testament perspective. Isaiah 38:9-20
Grammatical Forms
How the stem changes the meaning of this verb across the biblical text.
Qal basic active stem — the word in its most common, direct sense 1×
Canonical Themes
Biblical Occurrences
Each occurrence shows the passage reference, the original language term as it appears in that context, its transliteration, and the contextual sense.
Old Testament Witnesses
Additional Occurrences
Showing 8 of 66 occurrences in the biblical text.