Online Reference For Body, Mind & Spirit

Term: Sheol

DEFINITION:
The ancient Hebrew name for the place all people go to after death. There is no concept of eternal punishment. Only a shadow or “shade” of the living person survives. Later, this was considered a waiting area before resurrection to the “bosom of Abraham.” When the Hebrew was translated into Greek, the term was translated as “Hades,” resulting in giving the term new meaning. There is no “Hell,” in the sense of a place of eternal (or temporary) punishment, in the earliest Jewish or Kabalistic traditions. However, some Christians who believe in this concept have grafted it onto Kabalistic thought.