#daniel 12:2

1a] OT: The Hebrew word seol [l/a.v], "Sheol, " refers to      the grave or the abode of the dead      [Psalm 88:3; Psalm 88:5].

     Through much of the OT period, it was believed that      all went one place, whether human or animal      [Psalm 49:12; Psalm 49:14; Psalm 49:20],      whether righteous or wicked [Ecclesiastes 9:2-3].

Psalm 49:12 | But a man, despite his wealth, cannot endure; he is like the beasts that perish.

Psalm 49:14 | Like sheep they are destined for Sheol. Death will be their shepherd. The upright will rule them in the morning, & their form will decay in Sheol, far from their lofty abode.

Psalm 49:20 | A man who has riches w/out understanding is like the beasts that perish.

Ecclesiastes 9:2-3 | It is the same for all: There is a common fate for the righteous & the wicked, for the good & the bad, for the clean & the unclean, for the one who sacrifices & the one who does not. As it is for the good, so it is for the sinner; as it is for the one who makes a vow, so it is for the one who refuses to take a vow. This is an evil in everything that is done under the sun: There is one fate for everyone. Furthermore, the hearts of men are full of evil & madness while they are alive, & afterward they join the dead.

     No one could avoid Sheol [Psalm 49:9; 89:48],      which was thought to be down in the lowest parts      of the earth

Psalm 49:8-9 | For the redemption of his soul is costly, & never can payment suffice, that he should live on forever & not see decay.

Psalm 89:48 | What man can live & never see death? Can he deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah

     [Deuteronomy 32:22; 1 Samuel 28:11-15;      Job 26:5; Psalm 86:13; Isaiah 7:11;      Ezekiel 31:14-16; Ezekiel 31:18]

Deuteronomy 32:22 | For a fire has been kindled by MY anger, & it burns to the depths of Sheol; it consumes the earth & its produce, & scorches the foundations of the mountains.

1 Samuel 28:11-15 | “Whom shall I bring up for you?” the woman asked. “Bring up Samuel,” he replied. But when the woman saw Samuel, she cried out in a loud voice & said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!” “Do not be afraid,” the king replied. “What do you see?” “I see a god coming up out of the earth,” the woman answered. “What does he look like?” asked Saul. “An old man is coming up,” she replied. “And he is wearing a robe.” So Saul knew that it was Samuel, & he bowed face-down in reverence. Then Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” “I am deeply distressed,” replied Saul. “The Philistines are fighting against me, & GOD has turned away from me. HE no longer answers me, either by the prophets or dreams. So I have called on you to tell me what to do.”

Job 26:5 | The dead tremble—those who dwell beneath the waters.

Psalm 86:13 | For great is YOUR loving devotion to me; YOU have delivered me from the depths of Sheol.

Isaiah 7:11 | “Ask for a sign from the LORD your GOD, whether from the depths of Sheol or the heights of heaven.”

Ezekiel 31:14-16 | This happened so that no other trees by the waters would become great in height & set their tops among the clouds, & no other well-watered trees would reach them in height. For they have all been consigned to death, to the depths of the earth, among the mortals who descend to the Pit.’ This is what the LORD GOD says: ‘On the day it was brought down to Sheol, I caused grief. I covered the deep because of it; I held back its rivers; its abundant waters were restrained. I made Lebanon mourn for it, & all the trees of the field fainted because of it. I made the nations quake at the sound of its downfall, when I cast it down to Sheol w/ those who descend to the Pit. Then all the trees of Eden, the choicest & best of Lebanon, all the well-watered trees, were consoled in the earth below.

Ezekiel 31:18 | Who then is like you in glory & greatness among the trees of Eden? You also will be brought down to the depths of the earth to be w/ the trees of Eden. You will lie among the uncircumcised, w/ those slain by the sword. This is Pharaoh & all his multitude, declares the LORD GOD.’”

     Unlike this world, Sheol is devoid of love, hate, envy,      work, thought, knowledge, & wisdom      [Ecclesiastes 9:6 Ecclesiastes 9:10].

Ecclesiastes 9:6 | Their love, their hate, & their envy have already vanished, & they will never again have a share in all that is done under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 9:10 | Whatever you find to do w/ your hands, do it w/ all your might, for in Sheol, where you are going, there is no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom.

     Descriptions are bleak:

     There is no light      [Job 10:21-22; 17:13; Psalms 88:6; 88:12; 143:3],      no remembrance [Psalm 6:5; 88:12; Ecclesiastes 9:5],      no praise of GOD [Psalm 6:5; 30:9; 88:10-12; 115:17;      Isaiah 38:18] — in fact, no sound at all      [Psalm 94:17; 115:17].

     Its inhabitants are weak, trembling shades      [Job 26:5; Psalm 88:10-12; Isaiah 14:9-10] who can      never hope to escape from its gates      [Job 10:21; 17:13-16; Isaiah 38:10].

     Sheol is like a ravenous beast that swallows the      living without being sated [Prov 1:12; 27:20; Isaiah 5:14].

     Some thought the dead were cut off from GOD      [Psalm 88:3-5; Isaiah 38:11]; while others believed that      GOD's presence reached even to Sheol [Psalm 139:8].

Psalm 88:3-5 | For my soul is full of troubles, & my life draws near to Sheol. I am counted among those descending to the Pit. I am like a man w/out strength. I am forsaken among the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave, whom YOU remember no more, who are cut off from YOUR care.

Isaiah 38:11 | I said, “I will never again see the LORD, even the LORD, in the land of the living; I will no longer look on mankind w/ those who dwell in this world.

Psalm 139:8 | If I ascend to the heavens, YOU are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, YOU are there.

     Toward the end of the OT, GOD revealed that there will      be a resurrection of the dead [Isaiah 26:19].

     Sheol will devour no longer; instead GOD will swallow      up Death [Isaiah 25:8].

     The faithful will be rewarded with everlasting life while      the rest will experience eternal contempt [Daniel 12:2].

Daniel 12:2 | And many who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, some to everlasting life, but others to shame & everlasting contempt.

     This theology developed further in the inter-testamental period.

The New Testament

     By the time of JESUS, it was common for Jews to      believe that the righteous dead go to a place of      comfort while the wicked go to Hades

     ["Hades" normally translates "Sheol" in the LXX],      a place of torment [Luke 16:22-23].

           Luke 16:22-23 | One day the beggar died & was            carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. And the            rich man also died & was buried.            In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up            & saw Abraham from afar, with Lazarus by his side.

     Similarly, in Christianity, believers who die go      immediately to be with the LORD

     [2 Corinthians 5:8 ; Philippians 1:23].

     Hades is a hostile place whose gates cannot prevail      against the Church [Matthew 16:18].

           Matthew 16:18 | And I tell you that you are Peter, &            on this rock I will build MY Church, & the gates of            Hades will not prevail against it.

     In fact, JESUS HIMSELF holds the keys of Death &      Hades [Revelation 1:18].

           Revelation 1:18 | the Living One.            I was dead, & behold, now I am alive forever & ever!            And I hold the keys of Death & of Hades.

     Death & Hades will ultimately relinquish their dead      & be cast into the lake of fire [Revelation 20:13-14].

           Revelation 20:13-14 | The sea gave            up its dead, & Death & Hades            gave up their dead, & each one            was judged according to his deeds.            Then Death & Hades were            thrown into the lake of fire.            This is the 2nd death—the lake of fire.

     The fact theology develops within the OT &      between the O&NT does not mean the BIBLE      is contradictory or contains errors.

     It only indicates progressive revelation,

     that GOD revealed more of HIMSELF & HIS plan      of salvation as time went on.

     Some OT saints believed in Sheol, while the NT      teaches clearly about heaven & hell, is no more      of a problem than that the OT contains a      system of atonement by animal sacrifice

     Now made obsolete in CHRIST [Hebrews 10:4-10]      or the OT teaches GOD is one [Deuteronomy 6:4]      while the NT reveals a Trinity. #TrinityofGOD

William B. Nelson, Jr. | biblestudytools.com/dictionary/sheol/

Easton, Matthew George. "Entry for Sheol". "Easton's Bible Dictionary" Encyclopedias - International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Sheol

SHEOL

she'-ol (she'ol):

1. The Name 2. The Abode of the Dead

         (1) Not a State of Unconsciousness          (2) Not Removed from God's Jurisdiction          (3) Relation to Immortality

3. Post-canonical Period

1. The Name:

     This WORD is often translated in the KJV "grave"      [e.g. Genesis 37:35; 1 Samuel 2:6; Job 7:9; Job 14:13;      Psalm 6:5; Psalm 49:14; Isaiah 14:11, etc.]

     or "hell" [Deuteronomy 32:22; Psalm 9:17; Psalm 18:5;      Isaiah 14:9; Amos 9:2, etc.];

     in 3 places by "pit" [Numbers 16:30-33; Job 17:16].

           It means really the unseen world, the state or            abode of the dead, & is the equivalent of the            Greek Hades, by which word it is            translated in Septuagint.

     The English Revisers have acted somewhat inconsistently      in leaving "grave" or "pit" in the historical books & putting      "Sheol" in the margin, while substituting "Sheol" in the      poetical writings, & putting "grave" in the margin

     ["hell" is retained in Isaiah 14].

     Compare their "Preface."

     The American Revisers more properly use      "Sheol" throughout.

     The etymology of the word is uncertain.

     A favorite derivation is from sha'al, "to ask"      [Proverbs 1:12; Proverbs 27:20; Proverbs 30:15-16;      Isaiah 5:14; Habakkuk 2:5];

     others prefer the sha'al, "to be hollow."

     The Babylonians are said to have a similar word      Sualu, though this is questioned by some.

2. The Abode of the Dead:

     Into Sheol, when life is ended, the dead are gathered in      their tribes & families. Hence, the expression frequently      occurring in the Pentateuch, "to be gathered to one's people,"

     "to go to one's fathers," etc.

     [Genesis 15:15; Genesis 25:8, Genesis 25:17; Genesis 49:33;      Numbers 20:24, Numbers 20:28; Numbers 31:2;      Deuteronomy 32:50; Deuteronomy 34:5].

     It is figured as an under-world      [Isaiah 44:23; Ezekiel 26:20, etc.],

     & is described by other terms, as "the pit"      [Job 33:24; Psalm 28:1; Psalm 30:3; Proverbs 1:12;      Isaiah 38:18, etc.],

     ABADDON [which see] or Destruction      [Job 26:6; Job 28:22; Proverbs 15:11],

     the place of "silence" [Psalm 94:17; Psalm 115:17],

     "the land of darkness & the shadow of death" [Job 10:21].

     It is, as the antithesis of the living condition, the      synonym for everything that is gloomy, inert,      insubstantial [the abode of Rephaim, "shades,"

     [Job 26:5; Proverbs 2:18; Proverbs 21:16;      Isaiah 14:9; Isaiah 26:14].

     It is a "land of forgetfulness," where GOD's "wonders"      are unknown [Psalms 88:10-12].

     There is no remembrance or praise of GOD      [Psalm 6:5; Psalm 88:12; Psalm 115:17, etc.]

     In its darkness, stillness, powerlessness, lack of knowledge      & inactivity, it is a true abode of death [see DEATH];

     hence, is regarded by the living with shrinking,      horror & dismay [Psalm 39:13; Isaiah 38:17-19],

     though to the weary & troubled it may present the      aspect of a welcome rest or sleep      [Job 3:17-22; Job 14:12].

     The Greek idea of Hades was not dissimilar.

   (1) Not Removed from GOD's Jurisdiction.

     It would be yet more erroneous to speak with Dr. Charles      [Eschatology, 35] of Sheol as a region "quite independent      of YAHWE, & outside the sphere of HIS rule."

     "Sheol is naked before GOD," says Job,      "& Abaddon hath no covering" [Job 26:6].

     "If I make my bed in Sheol," says the Psalmist,      "behold thou art there" [Psalms 139:8].

     The wrath of YAHWE burns unto the lowest Sheol      [Deuteronomy 32:22].

     As a rule there is little sense of moral distinctions      in the OT representations of Sheol, yet possibly      these are not altogether wanting

     [on the above & others points in theology of Sheol].

     See ESCHATOLOGY of the OT.

   (2) Relation to Immortality.

     To apprehend fully the OT conception of Sheol one must      view it in its relation to the idea of death as something      unnatural & abnormal for man; a result of sin.

     The believer's hope for the future, so far as this had place,      was not prolonged existence in Sheol, but deliverance      from it & restoration to new life in GOD's presence      [Job 14:13-15; Job 19:25-27; Psalm 16:10,11;      Psalm 17:15; Psalm 49:15; Psalm 73:24-26]

     see IMMORTALITY; ESCHATOLOGY OF THE OT;      RESURRECTION].

     Dr. Charles probably goes too far in thinking of Sheol      in Psalm 49 & 73 as "the future abode of the wicked only;      heaven as that of the righteous" [op. cit., 74];

     but different destinies are clearly indicated.

3. Post-canonical Period:

     There is no doubt, at all events, in the postcanonical      Jewish literature [the Apocrypha & apocalyptic writings]      a very considerable development is manifest in      the idea of Sheol.

     Distinction between good & bad in Israel is emphasized;

     Sheol becomes for certain classes an intermediate state      between death & resurrection;

     for the wicked & for Gentiles it is nearly a synonym for      Gehenna [hell].

     For the various views, with relevant literature on the      whole subject, see ESCHATOLOGY OF THE NT;