What does the word hell (Sheol, Hades) actually mean in the Bible?
In the Bible, hell is the English word corresponding to Sheol in Hebrew and Hades in Greek. The words mean the same thing and refer simply to the abode of those who had departed this life, the place of the departed dead.
Les explains this while going to Luke chapter 16, starting at verse 19, the account of the rich man and Lazarus. The beggar died and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom; the rich man also died, was buried, and was in hell. Les says we have to go through the board here. In the Old Testament the Hebrew word was Sheol, in the Greek it was Hades, and in English it is hell. All three words, he says, simply meant the abode of those who had departed this life. This helps us understand what Paul now teaches with regard to paradise, compared to what it was in the Old Testament and during Christ's earthly ministry.
And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
More Questions
What is the Hebrew and Greek word for hell, and do they mean the same thing?
The word rendered 'hell' was Sheol in the Old Testament Hebrew and Hades in the Greek, and all of them mean the same thing, with 'hell' being the English term.