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שְׁאוֹל

𐤔𐤀𐤅𐤋

Sheol

H7585 noun

SILEX Entry

Root שאל to ask, inquire, request

Definition

The underworld, the abode of the dead or the realm of departed spirits; in most biblical contexts, a shadowy region beneath the earth where both the righteous and the unrighteous go after death. The term is not inherently negative or punitive, nor does it connote torment—rather, it describes the state or place of the dead, distant from the world of the living. Sometimes rendered as 'grave' or 'pit,' but encompasses more than a physical burial place; it reflects ancient Israelite understanding of death and the afterlife as a realm of diminished existence.

Semantic Range

underworld, abode of the dead, realm of departed spirits, grave, pit, the collective destiny of the dead, place of diminished existence

Root / Etymology

From the Hebrew root שְׁאֵל or שָׁאַל ('to ask, to inquire') though the precise relationship between the root and the meaning of שְׁאוֹל is obscure and debated. The connection may derive from the underworld as a place that 'claims' or 'asks for' the dead, but the etymology is uncertain.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In Pre-exilic biblical texts (e.g., in poetic and wisdom literature such as Psalms, Job, and Proverbs), שְׁאוֹל is envisioned as a shadowy, undifferentiated realm for the dead, not a place of reward or punishment. It is presented as the inevitable destination for all people, regardless of status or moral standing. There is no clear distinction in these texts between the fate of the righteous and the unrighteous in Sheol. In some prophetic and late biblical texts, there is an emerging sense of distinctiveness or gradation within Sheol, but the term never fully connotes the later Greek concept of Hades or the Christian concept of Hell. Post-biblical literature, especially after the Babylonian exile and in apocalyptic writings, expands on Sheol’s structure and develops associated beliefs about resurrection and afterlife reward or retribution. English translations often use 'grave,' 'pit,' or 'hell' to render שְׁאוֹל, but these do not fully capture the breadth of meaning and the ambivalence in Israelite views of death.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

or שְׁאֹל; from שָׁאַל; Hades or the world of the dead (as if a subterranean retreat), including its accessories and inmates; grave, hell, pit.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.

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Root Family

שאל (š-ʾ-l) — ask, inquire, request

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4861 מִשְׁאָל Asking-town
H4862 מִשְׁאָלָה petitions of
H7586 שָׁאוּל to Shaul
H7587 שָׁאוּלִי the Shaulite
H7592 שָׁאַל I will ask

Word Forms

10 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H7585-08 שְׁא֣וֹל sheol HNp Sheol the underworld 40
H7585-09 שְׁאֹ֑לָ/ה sheolah HNcmsa/Sd to Sheol the underworld realm 9
H7585-06 מִ/שְּׁא֥וֹל misheol HR/Np from Sheol from the underworld 4
H7585-04 לִ/שְׁא֑וֹל lisheol HR/Np to Sheol to ask 4
H7585-01 בִּ֝/שְׁא֗וֹל bisheol HR/Np in Sheol in the underworld 3
H7585-03 כִּ/שְׁא֜וֹל kisheol HR/Np like Sheol like the underworld 2
H7585-10 בִ/שְׁא֔וֹל visheol HR/Np into Sheol in the underworld 1
H7585-02 כִ/שְׁא֖וֹל khisheol HR/Np as Sheol like the underworld 1
H7585-07 שְׁאָ֔לָה shealah HVqc it to the underworld 1
H7585-05 לִ/שְׁא֑וֹלָ/ה lisheolah HR/Np/Sd to Sheol to the underworld 1

Occurrences in Scripture

66 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H7585-09 Genesis 37:35 שְׁאֹ֑לָ/ה sheolah HNcmsa/Sd to Sheol / to the grave the underworld realm
H7585-09 Genesis 42:38 שְׁאֽוֹלָ/ה sheolah HNp/Sd to Sheol the underworld realm
H7585-09 Genesis 44:29 שְׁאֹֽלָ/ה sheolah HNp/Sd to the grave the underworld realm
H7585-09 Genesis 44:31 שְׁאֹֽלָ/ה sheolah HNp/Sd to the grave the underworld realm
H7585-09 Numbers 16:30 שְׁאֹ֑לָ/ה sheolah HNp/Sd to Sheol the underworld realm
H7585-09 Numbers 16:33 שְׁאֹ֑לָ/ה sheolah HNp/Sd into Sheol the underworld realm
H7585-08 Deuteronomy 32:22 שְׁא֣וֹל sheol HNp Sheol the underworld
H7585-08 1 Samuel 2:6 שְׁא֖וֹל sheol HNp Sheol the underworld
H7585-08 2 Samuel 22:6 שְׁא֖וֹל sheol HNp Sheol the underworld
H7585-08 1 Kings 2:6 שְׁאֹֽל sheol HNp to Sheol the underworld
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