The concept of Sheol (שְ×××Ö¹×, pronounced “sh’ol”) emerges in biblical literature as the primary understanding of the afterlife in ancient Jewish thought. This concept first appears in Genesis during the dramatic encounter between Joseph and Judah, where Judah expresses concern that their father Jacob’s grief would bring him down to Sheol (Genesis 44:31). This reference opens a window into a complex and multifaceted understanding of the afterlife in biblical tradition.
This is the first of many mentions in the Bible of Sheol.
What is Sheol?
Sheol represents the common destination of all souls after death in biblical thought. Unlike later developed concepts of heaven and hell, Sheol was understood as:
- A physical place beneath the earth
- A destination for all deceased, regardless of their righteousness
- A state of existence separate from both the earthly realm and the divine presence
- A domain under God’s ultimate authority, yet characterized by absence of divine praise
Though never explicitly defined, Sheol seems to be referring to a place where the dead go. Psalms 89:49 uses the term to describe the inevitability of the grave:
Psalms describe Sheol as the opposite of heaven, yet God accompanies Man into the depths, nonetheless (Psalms 139:7-8).
Isaiah describes Sheol as having gates, a place to reluctantly pass time after dying (Isaiah 38:10). Sheol is also described as the place where death acts as the shepherd of the dead (Psalms 49:15). As the grave, Sheol is listed as one of the three insatiable things (Proverbs 30:16).
A person in Sheol has no memory of his life nor the ability to praise God (Psalms 6:6). This is reiterated by Isaiah who emphasizes that in Sheol, there is no praising God nor hope (Isaiah 38:10).
Alternatively, Jonah compared the belly of the fish to Sheol (Jonah 2:3). Job gives Sheol another name (Abaddon, translated as āruinā) and states that even in Sheol, there is no hiding from God (Job 26:6).

Samuel notes that it is God who places the man in Sheol, but it is also God who will remove him from Sheol (I Samuel 2:6). It is also the place from which God will redeem the dead (Psalms 49:16, 86:13). Yet Job also describes it as a place of no return (Job 7:9).
The Talmud (Eruvin 19a) equates Sheol with Gehenna. Other biblical names for Sheol were: Abaddon (ruin), found in Psalm 88:11 and Job 28:22, and Proverbs 15:11; Bor (the pit), found in Isaiah 14:15, 24:22, Ezekiel 26:20; and Shakhat (corruption), found in Isaiah 38:17 and Ezekiel 28:8.
