שְׁאוֹל (H7585) — Hebrew Lexicon

שְׁאוֹל

𐤔𐤀𐤅𐤋

Sheol

H7585 noun

SILEX Entry

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 recorded for this word yet.

Root Family

שאל (Sheol) — to ask, request, inquire

Root שאל to ask, inquire, request

Strong's	Lemma	SIBI-P1
H7587	שָׁאוּלִי	the Shaulite
H7592	שָׁאַל	I will ask
H7593	שְׁאֵל	asking one
H7594	שְׁאָל	And-Asked-One
H7596	שְׁאֵלָה	in my petition
H7597	שְׁאַלְתִּיאֵל	I have asked El
H7598	שְׁאַלְתִּיאֵל	I-have-asked El
H847	אֶשְׁתָּאֹל	Eshtaol

Word Forms

10 distinct forms

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2	Occurrences
`H7585-08`	שְׁאֹֽל	sheol	`HNp`	Sheol	the underworld	Sheol	40
`H7585-09`	שְׁא֨וֹלָ/ה֙	sheolah	`HNp/Sd`	to Sheol	the underworld realm	that Sheol	9
`H7585-04`	לִ/שְׁא֑וֹל	lisheol	`HR/Np`	to Sheol	to ask	to Sheol	4
`H7585-06`	מִ֝/שְּׁא֗וֹל	misheol	`HR/Np`	from Sheol	from the underworld	from Sheol	4
`H7585-01`	בִּ/שְׁא֕וֹל	bisheol	`HR/Np`	in Sheol	in the underworld	in Sheol	3
`H7585-03`	כִּ/שְׁא֜וֹל	kisheol	`HR/Np`	like Sheol	like the underworld	like Sheol	2
`H7585-02`	כִ/שְׁא֖וֹל	khisheol	`HR/Np`	as Sheol	like the underworld	like Sheol	1
`H7585-05`	לִ/שְׁא֑וֹלָ/ה	lisheolah	`HR/Np/Sd`	to Sheol	to the underworld	to that Sheol	1
`H7585-07`	שְׁאָ֔לָה	shealah	`HVqc`	it	to the underworld	to the underworld	1
`H7585-10`	בִ/שְׁא֔וֹל	visheol	`HR/Np`	into Sheol	in the underworld	in Sheol	1

Occurrences in Scripture

66 occurrences

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2
`H7585-08`	Proverbs 9:18	שְׁא֣וֹל	sheol	`HNp`	Sheol	the underworld	Sheol
`H7585-08`	Proverbs 15:11	שְׁא֣וֹל	sheol	`HNp`	Sheol	the underworld	Sheol
`H7585-06`	Proverbs 15:24	מִ/שְּׁא֥וֹל	misheol	`HR/Np`	from Sheol	from the underworld	from Sheol
`H7585-06`	Proverbs 23:14	מִ/שְּׁא֥וֹל	misheol	`HR/Np`	from-Sheol	from the underworld	from Sheol
`H7585-08`	Proverbs 27:20	שְׁא֣וֹל	sheol	`HNp`	Sheol	the underworld	Sheol
`H7585-08`	Proverbs 30:16	שְׁאוֹל֮	sheol	`HNp`	Sheol	the underworld	Sheol
`H7585-08`	Job 7:9	שְׁ֝א֗וֹל	sheol	`HNp`	to Sheol	the underworld	Sheol
`H7585-06`	Job 11:8	מִ֝/שְּׁא֗וֹל	misheol	`HR/Np`	than Sheol	from the underworld	from Sheol
`H7585-01`	Job 14:13	בִּ/שְׁא֬וֹל	bisheol	`HR/Np`	in Sheol	in the underworld	in Sheol
`H7585-08`	Job 17:13	שְׁא֣וֹל	sheol	`HNp`	Sheol	the underworld	Sheol
`H7585-08`	Job 17:16	שְׁאֹ֣ל	sheol	`HNp`	of Sheol	the underworld	Sheol
`H7585-08`	Job 21:13	שְׁא֣וֹל	sheol	`HNp`	Sheol	the underworld	Sheol
`H7585-08`	Job 24:19	שְׁא֣וֹל	sheol	`HNp`	Sheol	the underworld	Sheol
`H7585-08`	Job 26:6	שְׁא֣וֹל	sheol	`HNp`	Sheol	the underworld	Sheol
`H7585-02`	Song of Songs 8:6	כִ/שְׁא֖וֹל	khisheol	`HR/Np`	as Sheol	like the underworld	like Sheol
`H7585-01`	Ecclesiastes 9:10	בִּ/שְׁא֕וֹל	bisheol	`HR/Np`	in Sheol	in the underworld	in Sheol

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