WORD #1: SHEOL (Hebrew – Old Testament)
Used 65 times in the Hebrew Bible
Translated in the KJV as: hell (31x), grave (31x), pit (3x)
What Is Sheol?
Sheol simply means: the realm of the dead — the grave, death, or the unseen place.
It was not a place of fire or torment.
Righteous men like Jacob, Job, David, and even Jesus spoke of going to Sheol.
“Thou wilt not leave my soul in Sheol; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.”
(Psalm 16:10)
If Sheol is “hellfire,” why would David rejoice that Jesus would go there?
Truth: Sheol = the state of the dead — not a burning torture pit.
WORD #2: HADES (Greek – New Testament)
Equivalent of Sheol in Greek
Used 11 times in the New Testament
Translated as: hell (10x), grave (1x)
What Is Hades?
Hades = unseen, invisible realm of the dead — exactly like Sheol.
It is not a place of eternal torment.
Revelation says Hades itself will be destroyed:
“And death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire.”
(Revelation 20:14)
How can Hades be eternal hell if it gets destroyed?
Hades is temporary — a holding state of the dead before resurrection.
WORD #3: GEHENNA (Greek – New Testament)
Used 12 times in the New Testament
Always translated as “hell” in most English Bibles
Spoken by Jesus — not Paul, Peter, or the apostles
What Is Gehenna?
Gehenna was a real valley outside Jerusalem — the Valley of Hinnom.
Known as the garbage dump where trash and dead animals burned.
In the Old Testament, it was a place of pagan child sacrifice (Jeremiah 7:31).
When Jesus used “Gehenna,” He was prophesying the coming judgment on Jerusalem — not eternal hell.
“Your whole body be cast into Gehenna.” (Matthew 5:30)
This happened in 70 A.D. — Jerusalem was burned, bodies thrown into the valley.
Jesus used Gehenna as a symbol of national judgment, not cosmic damnation.
WORD #4: TARTARUS (Greek – New Testament)
Used only once in the Bible
2 Peter 2:4 — “...cast them down to hell [Tartarus]...”
What Is Tartarus?
Greek mythology: Tartarus was a dark abyss where fallen angels were held.
In Scripture, it's a temporary prison for rebellious angels, not humans.
No one is said to be “burning” there.
Tartarus = angelic holding place, not a human afterlife of torment.
The Conclusion:
There is no single word in the Bible that means what the religious world teaches as eternal hell.
Sheol = grave
Hades = unseen realm of the dead
Gehenna = a valley used for local judgment imagery
Tartarus = angelic prison, not human punishment