שׁאוֹל. This Hebrew name for “the place of departed spirits,” and the “state of the dead,” is used in a variety of senses by the writers of the Old. Test., which it is desirable to investigate, referring to the articles SEE HELL, SEE HADES, etc. for the general opinions of the Jews respecting the continuance of existence after death.
I. Signification of the Word. — The word is usually said to be derived. from שֹׁאֵל, shaal, “to ask or seek,” and may, be supposed to have the same metaphorical signification as the orcus rapax of the Latins, or “the insatiable sepulchre” of English writers. This etymology, however, is rather uncertain, and no aid can be obtained from the cognate Shemitic languages, for, though the word occurs in Syriac and Ethiopic, its use is too indeterminate to afford any clue to its origin. We are therefore left to determine its meaning from the context of the most remarkable passages in which it occurs. s.v.
The first is (Genesis 37:35) “And (Jacob) said, I will go down into the grave (שׁאלָה, sheolah) unto my son mourning.” The, meaning of this passage is obviously given in the translation. There is rather more difficulty in Numbers 16:30, where Moses declares that Korah and his company shall go down alive into sheol (שׁאֹלָה, sheolah), and in ver. 33, which describes the fulfilment of the prophecy. But on referring to Deuteronomy 32:22, we find that sheol is used to signify “the underworld.” “For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and it shall burn to the lowest hell” (שׁאוֹל תּחַתַית, sheol techithith); to which the sequel gives the foilowing parallelism: “It shall set on fire the foundations of the mountains.” Hence it would appear” that, in the description of Korah’s punishment, sheol simply means the interior of the earth, and does, not imply a place of torment. In 2 Samuel 22:6, the English version stands thus: “The sorrows of hell compassed me about; the snares of death prevented me.” The English word “hell” (from the Saxon hela “to conceal”) does not here mean a place of torment, as will at once appear from a literal translation of the passage in which the parallelism of the Hebrew is preserved. “The snares of sheol (חֶבלֵי שׁאוֹל, chebley sheol), encompassed me;” “The nets of death (מוֹקשֵׁי מָיֶת, mokeshey maveth) came upon me.” Thus viewed, it appears that “the snares of sheol” are precisely equivalent to “the nets of death.” In Job 11:8, there seems to be “an allusion to a belief common among ancient nations that there is a deep and dark abysss beneath the surface of the earth, tenanted by departed spirits, but not necessarily a place of torment:
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Author: McClintock and Strong Cyclopedia
Keywords: Sheol
Bible reference(s): 1 Corinthians 15:55, 1 Kings 2:6, 1 Peter 3:19, 1 Samuel 2:6, 2 Samuel 22:6, Acts 2:31, Amos 9:3, Deuteronomy 32:22, Genesis 37:35, Isaiah 14:9, Job 11:8, Job 14:13, Job 17:13, Luke 16:23, Matthew 11:23, Matthew 16:18, Numbers 16:30, Philippians 2:10, Proverbs 23:9, Psalms 139:8, Psalms 9:17, Revelation 20:14, Revelation 5:13, Romans 14:10
Source: John McClintock and James Strong, Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature.
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