Re: `Hades' is mankind's common grave

Pam

Continuing from "neither does the Bible `clearly' show that hell-fire is real," with this the third part of my response to your

[Above: "Fallen angels in Hell" (i.e. Hades), by John Martin, "Hades," Wikipedia]

comment under my post "Main reasons why Jehovah's Witnessism is false." Your words are bold to distinguish them from my response.

The King James Bible confused many generations by translating Hades, Gehenna and Tartarus all the same, when they are three different things.

This claim by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, of the "mistranslation of sheol and hades by the King James translators is the basis for much of the argumentation in the Witness rejection of the doctrine of eternal punishment." (Gruss, 1970, p.162). But it is fallacious in that if it were true, it would mean that only English-speaking Christianity would be "confused" about "Hades, Gehenna and Tartarus,"and only after 1611 (when the King James Version was first published). And even then, English-speaking Christianity would no longer be confused after 1901 (i.e. 107 years ago), when "the American Standard Version appeared which left "the words [sheol and hades] untranslated" (Gruss, 1970, p.162), i.e. it "transliterated she'ohl' in all 65 of its appearances" and "hai'des ... in all ten of its occurrences," ("Insight on the Scriptures," 1988, p.1086), as did "the Revised Standard Version" of 1952 and does "many modern translations" (Ibid., p.1015). The Watchtower Society apparently has not used this argument based on the KJV since 1979 (Watchtower, August 15, 1979, p.16), which shows it never had any permanent validity.

In fact it never had any validity, period, because Christian theologians base their theology on the original Hebrew and Greek text of the Bible, not on any English translation. Moreover, as we shall see, "Hades, Gehenna and Tartarus," while not exactly "the same" are not "three" completely "different things," because in the New Testament they all share in common a meaning of conscious, painful, punishment after death.

"Hades" is mankind's common grave,

This has been the Society's claim since at least 1950 through to the present:

"Hades'... is the equivalent of the Hebrew word She·ol' ... the common grave of mankind ... mankind rests in the unseen place ... the words contain no thought or hint of pleasure or of pain ..." ("New World Translation," 1950, p.772).

"Since hell means mankind's common grave or the pit of burial, it could not at the same time mean a place of fiery torture ..." ("Let God Be True," 1952, pp.89-90).

"... the place of the dead, mankind's common grave. In Hebrew it was termed Sheol. It was called Hades in Greek. ... the meaning of the original-language terms is not a hot place of suffering but is the grave of the unconscious dead." ("Happiness-How to Find It," 1980, p.117).

"... hell, grave and pit mean one and the same thing. And if hell means the common grave of mankind, it could not at the same time mean a place of fiery torture ... Sheol and Hades refer not to a place of torment but to the common grave of mankind." ("You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth," 1989a, pp.82-83).

"Since, as we have seen, Hades refers to mankind's grave, and not to a place of torment," (Ibid., 1989b, pp.88-89).

"Where do the dead go? To Sheol ... the common grave of mankind. Our dead loved ones are not conscious of anything. They are not suffering ...." ("Knowledge That Leads to Everlasting Life," 1995, pp.82-83).

"Sheol, or Hades ... is the common grave of dead mankind ... where most of mankind sleep in death." ("What Does the Bible Really Teach?," 2005, p.212).

"... Jesus will unlock the gates of Hades and thus release all those being held in mankind's common grave..." ("Come Be My Follower," 2007, p.22).

But here are the definitions of "Hades" in New Testament Greek-English lexicons, none of which include "grave" as a meaning of Hades:

"hades ... the god of the underworld. ... abode of Hades, the underworld; in NT, the abode of departed spirits ... Lk 16:23; Ac 2:27, 31 ..." (Abbott-Smith, 1937, p.9).

"hades... name of god of the underworld), the underworld as the place of the dead Ac 2:27, 31 ...." (Arndt & Gingrich, 1957, p.16).

"hades ... A. ... in Later Judaism. a. ... Sheol, the realm of the dead ... the place of temporary sojourn prior to resurrection (cf. Is. 26:19). b. In this place the good were ... separated from the bad ... Lk. 16:23, 26). ... B. ... in the NT. ...a. There is no soul-sleep. ... The stay is limited (Rev. 20:13). ... believers are in paradise (Lk. 16:9, 23ff.), or with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8), or under the altar (Rev. 7:9). ... Hades is sometimes just the abode of the wicked (Lk. 16:23; Rev. 20:13-14). 2. ... believers are secure from Hades (Mt. 16:18) and go to be with Christ (Lk. 23:43). ... Christ preaches in Hades (1 Pet. 3:19ff.) ...." (Kittel & Friedrich, 1985, p.22).

"'Aides ... Hades ... the god of the lower regions ... Orcus, the nether world, the realm of the dead ...the common receptacle of disembodied spirits: Lk. xvi. 23 ... Hades as a power is personified, 1 Co. xv. 55 ... be thrust down into the depth of misery and disgrace: Mt. xi. 23 ..." (Thayer, 1901, p.11).

and two of which actually deny "grave" is a valid meaning of Hades, i.e. "Hades ... has been unhappily rendered ... `the grave,' ... It never denotes the grave" and " the A.V. wrongly renders `grave' ...... Unfortunately ... the OT ... words have been translated in the KJV as ... the `grave' ... Hades never denotes the physical grave ...It never denotes the grave :

"HADES ... region of departed spirits ... It corresponds to `Sheol' in the O.T. In the AV of the O.T. and N.T., it has been unhappily rendered `Hell,' e.g., Psa. 16:10; or `the grave,' e.g.; Gen. 37:35; or `the pit,' Num. 16:30, 33; in the N.T. the Revisers ... in the O.T. ... usually they have `Sheol' in the text and `the grave' in the margin. It never denotes the grave ... For the condition, see Luke 16:23-31. ... in Rev. 6:8 it is ... the temporary destiny of the doomed ... and is to be cast into the lake of fire, ver. 14. ... In 1 Cor. 15:55 ... the A.V. wrongly renders `grave' ..." (Vine, 1940, pp.II:187-188).

"'ades hades .... the region of departed spirits ... the story of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31) ... two compartments in Hades, distinct from and yet near one another. ... Hades ... expresses the general concept of the ... abode into which the spirits of men are ushered immediately after death. ... Hades ... is cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:14), while the reign of the just becomes paradise (Luke 23:43; 2 Cor. 12:4; Rev. 2:7) ... Unfortunately, both the OT and NT words have been translated in the KJV as `hell' (Ps. 16:10) or the `grave' (Gen. 37:35) or the `pit' (Num. 16:30, 33). Hades never denotes the physical grave ..." (Zodhiates, 1992, pp.81-82).

The first of the above two quotes is also an example of the Watchtower Society's dishonesty, in that it only partially quoted

[Above: Scanned excerpt of "Insight on the Scriptures, Volume 1: Aaron-Jehoshua," Watchtower Bible & Tract Society: Brooklyn NY, 1988, p.1086]

the original (see below) that, "In the A.V" (KJV) "Sheol" was "unhappily rendered `Hell.'" That is, the Watchtower truncated

[Above: Scanned excerpt of "Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words," 1940, Reprinted, 1969, Vol. 2, p.187. I have checked the 1996 single-volume edition of "Vine's Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words," and section "HADES" at page 517 is identical to the above.]

Vine's words "e.g., Psa. 16:10; or `the grave,' ..." without ellipses and replaced them with a period that isn't there in the original:

"Concerning this use of `hell' to translate these original words from the Hebrew and Greek, Vine's Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (1981, Vol. 2, p. 187) says: `HADES . . . It corresponds to `Sheol' in the O.T. [Old Testament]. In the A.V. of the O.T. [Old Testament] and N.T. [New Testament], it has been unhappily rendered `Hell.'" ("Insight on the Scriptures, Volume 1: Aaron-Jehoshua," p.1086)

thereby failing to disclose to its readers that the full quote (compare the two images above), says that "the grave" is as much a wrong translation of Sheol as "Hell" is!

Jehovah's Witnesses are therefore condemned out of the Watchtower's own mouth, in that they "cling to [an] organization... that teach[es] falsehood" and are "associated with a religion that had not been honest with" them:

"Christians may wish to give Jehovah's Witnesses a piece of their own advice by referring them to these words on page 46 of Is This Life All There Is?:

God, who is himself "the God of truth" and who hates lies, will not look with favor on persons who cling to organizations that teach falsehood ... And, really, would you want to be even associated with a religion that had not been honest with you?

(Reed, 1993, pp.137-138. My emphasis).

Each reference above is hyperlinked to its full quote below (emphasis original italics, emphasis bold mine). Continued in "Re: `Gehenna' is a symbol for complete destruction."

Stephen E. Jones
My other blogs: CreationEvolutionDesign & TheShroudofTurin

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"hades, -ou, o, [in LXX chiefly for she'ol ...] 1. in Hom., Hades (Pluto), the god of the underworld. 2. the abode of Hades, the underworld; in NT, the abode of departed spirits, Hades: en t. a., Lk 16:23; Ac 2:27, 31; pulai adou, Mt 16:18; kleis tou a., Re 1:18; metaph., eos a., Mt 11:23; Lk 10:16; personified, Re 6:8; 20:13,14 (Cremer, 67, 610; MM, VGT, s.v.). (Abbott-Smith, G., 1937, "A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament," [1921], T. & T. Clark: Edinburgh, Third edition, Reprinted, 1956, p.9. My transliteration).

"hades, ou, o (w. var. spellings Hem. + ; inscr.; PGM 1, 345; 12, 241; LXX, Philo; Jos., Ant. 6, 332; Test. 12 Patr.; Sib. Or.). 1. Hades (orig. proper noun, name of god of the underworld), the underworld as the place of the dead Ac 2:27, 31 (Ps 15[16]:10; Eccl 9:10; PGM 1, 179; 16, 8; Philo, Mos. 1, 195; Jos., Bell. 1, 596, Ant. 6, 332). In the depths, contrasted w. heaven Mt 11:23; Lk 10:15 (cf. Is 14:11, 15); 16:23. Accessible by gates (but the pl. is also used [e.g. Hom., X., Ael. Aristid. 47, 20 K. = 23 p. 450 D.] when only one gate is meant), hence pulai adou (since Il. 5, 646; Is 38:10; Wsd 16:13; 3 Macc 5:51; PsSol 16, 2) Mt 16:18 (s. on petra lb and pule 1); locked exo tas kleis tou thanatou kai tou adou Rv 1:18 (the genitives are either obj. [Suppl. Epigr. Gr. VIII 574, 3 [III An] to tas kleidas exonti ton kath' `Aidou] or poss.; in the latter case death and Hades are personif.; s. 2). odines tou adou (Ps 17:6 [18:5]) Pol 1:2 (cf. Ac 2:24, where D, Latins, Pesh. also read adou for thanatou). eis adou (sc. domous, Hom. +; Bar 3:11, 19; Tob 3:10) Ac 2:31 v.l.; 1 CI 4:12; 51:4 (Iambl., Vi. Pyth. 30, 179 en adou keisthai ton krisin). 2. personif., w. thanatos (cf. Is 28:15; Job 38:17) Rv 6: 8; 20:13f; 1 Cor 15:55 v.l.-GBeer, D. bibl. Hades: HJHoltzmann Festschr. '02, 1-30; (Stade-) ABertholet, Bibl. Theol. II '11, 397f; ERohde, Psyche4 I 54ff; 309ff; ADieterich, Nekyia '93; Bousset, Rel. 3 285f; 293ff; Billerb. IV 1016-29; JoachJeremias, TW I 146-50; AHeidel, The Gilgamesh Epic and OT Parallels2, '49, 173-91; LESullivan, Theological Studies (Woodstock, Md.) 10, '49, 62ff. S. also s.v. pneuma 2 and 4c. M-1VI. B. 1485." (Arndt, W.F. & Gingrich, F.W., 1957, "A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature," University of Chicago Press: Chicago IL, Fourth edition, 1952, Revised, p.16. My transliteration).

"The mistranslation of sheol and hades by the King James translators is the basis for much of the argumentation in the Witness rejection of the doctrine of eternal punishment. Actually, over half of the chapter dealing with hell in the book Let God Be True, [Ibid., pp.88-99] is built on the mistranslation of these two words and the misunderstanding of orthodoxy. The best way to clear up this problem, and most of the Witnesses' other arguments from Scripture, is to accept the readings of the American Standard Version which leave the words untranslated." (Gruss, E.C., 1970, "Apostles of Denial: An Examination and Expose of the History Doctrines and Claims of the Jehovah's Witnesses," Presbyterian & Reformed: Phillipsburg NJ, Eleventh printing, 1986, p.162).

"hades [Hades] A. hades in Later Judaism. a. Used for the Hebrew Sheol, the realm of the dead, this term came to denote the place of temporary sojourn prior to resurrection (cf. Is. 26:19). b. In this place the good were then seen to be separated from the bad (Eth. En. 22; cf. Lk. 16:23, 26). c. The good were finally thought to be already in bliss (Lk. 16:9, 23ff.). B. hades in the NT. 1. The Link with Judaism. The NT view is close to that of Judaism (cf. Lk. 16). a. There is no soul-sleep. b. One goes down into Hades (Mt. 11:23; 12:40). c. The stay is limited (Rev. 20:13). Sometimes all the dead seem to be in Hades (Acts 2:27), but elsewhere believers are in paradise (Lk. 16:9, 23ff.), or with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8), or under the altar (Rev. 7:9). Hence Hades is sometimes just the abode of the wicked (Lk. 16:23; Rev. 20:13-14). 2. The Early Christian Reconstruction. Faith in the risen Lord gives assurance that believers are secure from Hades (Mt. 16:18) and go to be with Christ (Lk. 23:43). Jesus is the Lord of Hades (Mt. 16:18; Acts 2:31). The descent shows this. Distinctive here is that Christ preaches in Hades (1 Pet. 3:19ff.) and that he has the keys of death and Hades (Rev. 1:18)." (Kittel, G. & Friedrich, G., eds., 1985, "Theological Dictionary of the New Testament: Abridged in one Volume," Bromiley, G.W., transl., Eerdmans: Grand Rapids MI, Reprinted, 1988, p.22).

"Is This Life All There Is? 1974 Simply, clearly, and persuasively this book presents the Watchtower Society's teaching on death and the condition of the dead. It argues that `the human soul is the entire man' (p. 41) and therefore does not live on after death. The spirit `is only a life-force that has no conscious existence apart from a body' (p. 51). So, according to Jehovah's Witnesses, man at death ceases to exist. No part of man survives death. The wicked receive no punishment after death. And even the righteous have no continuity of existence but are `re-created' in the resurrection from a pattern kept in God's memory (p. 172). For a refutation of these teachings and their biblical arguments, please see my book Jehovah's Witnesses Answered Verse by Verse (Baker Book House, 1986). Christians may wish to give Jehovah's Witnesses a piece of their own advice by referring them to these words on page 46 of Is This Life All There Is?: `God, who is himself "the God of truth" and who hates lies, will not look with favor on persons who cling to organizations that teach falsehood.... And, really, would you want to be even associated with a religion that had not been honest with you?'" ( Reed, D.A., 1993, "Jehovah's Witness Literature: A Critical Guide to Watchtower Publications," Baker: Grand Rapids MI, pp.137-138).

"'Aides, 'ades, -ov, o, (for the older 'Aide, which Hom. uses, and this fr. a priv. and idein, not to be seen, [cf. Lob. Path. Element. ii. 6 sq.]) ; in the classics 1. a prop. name, Hades, Pluto, the god of the lower regions; so in Hom. always. 2. an appellative, Orcus, the nether world, the realm of the dead [cf. Theocr. idyll. 2,159 schol. ton tou 'adou krouei pulen tout' estin apothaneitai]. In the Sept. the Hebr. she'ol is almost always rendered by this word (once by thanatos, 2 S. xxii. 6) ; it denotes, therefore, in bibl. Grk. Orcus, the infernal regions, a dark (Job x. 21) and dismal place (but cf. geenna and paradeisos) in the very depths of the earth (Job xi. 8 ; Is. lvii. 9 ; Am. ix. 2, etc.; see abussos), the common receptacle of disembodied spirits: Lk. xvi. 23; eis 'adou sc. domon, Acts ii. 27, 31, acc. to a very common ellipsis, cf. W. 592 (550) [B. 171 (149)] ; (but L T Tr WH in vs. 27 and T WH in both verses read eis 'aden; so Sept. Ps. xv. (xvi.) 10) ; pulai 'adou, Mt. xvi. 18 (puloroi 'adou, Job xxxviii. 17 ; see pule) ; kleis tou 'adou, Rev. i. 18; Hades as a power is personified, 1 Co. xv. 55 (where L T Tr WH read thanate for R G 'ade [cf. Acts ii. 24 Tr mrg.]); Rev. vi. 8; xx. 13 sq. Metaph. 'eos 'adou [katabainein or] katabibazesthai to [go or] be thrust down into the depth of misery and disgrace: Mt. xi. 23 [here L Tr WH katabainein] ; Lk. x. 15 [here Tr mrg. WH txt. katabainein]. [See esp. Boettcher, De Inferis, s. v. 'Aides in Grk. index. On the existence and locality of Hades cf. Greswell on the Parables, App. ch. x. vol. v. pt. ii. pp. 261-406 ; on the doctrinal significance of the word see the BB.DD. and E. R. Craven in Lange on Rev. pp. 364-377.] " (Thayer, J.H., 1901, "A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Being Grimm's Wilke's Clovis Novi Testamenti Translated Revised and Enlarged," T & T. Clark: Edinburgh, Fourth edition, Reprinted, 1961, p.11. My transliteration).

"HADES ('ades) the region of departed spirits of the lost (but including the blessed dead in periods preceding the Ascension of Christ). It has been thought by some that the word etymologically meant the unseen (from a, negative, and eido, to see), but this derivation is questionable; a more probable derivation is from hado, signifying all-receiving. It corresponds to `Sheol' in the O.T. In the AV of the O.T. and N.T., it has been unhappily rendered `Hell,' e.g., Psa. 16:10; or ` the grave,' e.g.; Gen. 37:35; or `the pit,' Num. 16:30, 33; in the N.T. the Revisers have always used the rendering `Hades;' in the O.T. they have not been uniform in the translation, e.g., in Isa. 14:15, `hell' (marg., `Sheol'); usually they have `Sheol' in the text and `the grave' in the margin. It never denotes the grave, nor is it the permanent region of the lost; in point of time it is, for such, intermediate between decease and the doom of Gehenna. For the condition, see Luke 16:23-31. The word is used four times in the Gospels, and always by the Lord, Matt. 11:23; 16:18; Luke 10:15; 16:23; it is used with reference to the soul of Christ, Acts 2:27, 31; Christ declares that He has the keys of it, Rev. 1:18; in Rev. 6:8 it is personified, with the signification of the temporary destiny of the doomed; it is to give up those who are therein, 20:13, and is to be cast into the lake of fire, ver. 14. Note: In 1 Cor. 15:55 the most authentic mss. have thanatos, death, in the 2nd part of the verse, instead of Hades, which the A.V. wrongly renders `grave' ('hell,' in the marg.)." (Vine, W.E., 1940, "An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words: With Their Precise Meanings for English Readers," Oliphants: London, Nineteenth impression, 1969, Vol. II., pp.187-188).

"Matthew 11:23 - `Hades' (ades, Greek; ... She·ol', Hebrew; Shioul', Syriac; in·fer'nus, Latin). This word we have transliterated from the Greek into the English for the ten times it occurs. (Matthew 11:23; 16:18; Luke 10:15; 16:23; Acts 2:27, 31; Revelation 1:18; 6:8; 20:13, 14) It literally means `the unseen place'. Peter's use of it at Acts 2:27, 31 shows it is the equivalent of the Hebrew word She·ol', which occurs 65 times in the Hebrew Scriptures and is applied to the common grave of mankind. With good reason that, for according to the root words from which it may be derived She·ol' means either `the hollow place' or `resting-place'. In the common grave mankind rests in the unseen place or place hollowed out for their burial. The corresponding Latin word in·fer'nus (sometimes in'fe·rus) means `that which lies beneath; the lower region', and it well applies to the grave. It is thus a fit equivalent of the Greek and Hebrew terms. In the inspired Scriptures these words are always associated with death and the dead, never with life and the living. For instance, Revelation 20:13: `Death and Ha'des gave up those dead in them.' In themselves the words contain no thought or hint of pleasure or of pain; which fact befits the Bible description of the dead." (WB&TS, 1950, "New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures," Watchtower Bible & Tract Society of New York: Brooklyn NY, p.772).

"Even in the foreign languages the various translators do not agree among themselves in translating the Hebrew word sheol and its Greek equivalent ha'des. But the very fact that the King James Version renders the one Hebrew word sheol three different ways shows that hell, grave and pit mean one and the same thing. Since hell means mankind's common grave or the pit of burial, it could not at the same time mean a place of fiery torture or a place of two compartments, one of bliss and one of fiery torment." (WB&TS 1952, "Let God Be True," [1946], Watchtower Bible & Tract Society: Brooklyn NY, Second edition, pp.89-90).

"The immediate future for a person after death is in the grave. The languages in which the Bible was written had words for the place of the dead, mankind's common grave. In Hebrew it was termed Sheol. It was called Hades in Greek. These words have been translated in some Bibles by terms such as `grave,' `pit' or `hell.' Regardless of how they are rendered, the meaning of the original-language terms is not a hot place of suffering but is the grave of the unconscious dead. We read: `All that your hand finds to do, do with your very power, for there is no work nor devising nor knowledge nor wisdom in Sheol [hell, Douay Version; the grave, Authorized Version], the place to which you are going.' - Ecclesiastes 9:10. The apostle Peter assures us that upon death even Jesus went to the grave, to Sheol, Hades or hell. - Acts 2:31; compare Psalm 16:10." (WB&TS, 1980, "Happiness-How to Find It," Watchtower Bible & Tract Society of New York: Brooklyn NY, p.117).

"The King James Version of 1611 always uses the word `hell' to translate three distinct Greek words, Hades, Gehenna and Tartarus. Modern translations often differentiate between these words, but not consistently so, as does the New World Translation. Hades, transliterated from the Greek, literally means `the unseen place.' Peter's use of it, as noted at Acts 2:27, shows that it is equivalent to the Hebrew word Sheol (the common grave of mankind), whereas Gehenna, descriptive of the Valley of Hinnom to the southwest of Jerusalem, denotes everlasting destruction. Tartarus occurs but once, at 2 Peter 2:4, and applies only to the fallen angelic spirits." (WB&TS, 1979, "Bible Translations-Does It Matter Which One?," The Watchtower, August 15, p.16).

"The King James Version translates hai'des as `hell' in these texts, but the Revised Standard Version renders it `Hades,' with the exception of Matthew 16:18, where `powers of death' is used, though the footnote reads `gates of Hades.' `Hades' rather than `hell' is used in many modern translations." (WB&TS, 1988, "Insight on the Scriptures, Volume 1: Aaron-Jehoshua," Watchtower Bible & Tract Society: Brooklyn NY, p.1015).

"HELL A word used in the King James Version (as well as in the Catholic Douay Version and most older translations) to translate the Hebrew she'ohl' and the Greek hai'des. In the King James Version the word `hell' is rendered from she'ohl' 31 times and from hai'des 10 times. This version is not consistent, however, since she'ohl' is also translated 31 times `grave' and 3 times `pit.' In the Douay Version she'ohl' is rendered `hell' 64 times, `pit' once, and `death' once. In 1885, with the publication of the complete English Revised Version, the original word she'ohl' was in many places transliterated into the English text of the Hebrew Scriptures, though, in most occurrences, `grave' and `pit' were used, and `hell' is found some 14 times. This was a point on which the American committee disagreed with the British revisers, and so, when producing the American Standard Version (1901) they transliterated she'ohl' in all 65 of its appearances. Both versions transliterated hai'des in the Christian Greek Scriptures in all ten of its occurrences, though the Greek word Ge'en·na (English, `Gehenna') is rendered `hell' throughout, as is true of many other modern translations. Concerning this use of `hell' to translate these original words from the Hebrew and Greek, Vine's Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (1981, Vol. 2, p. 187) says: `HADES ... It corresponds to `Sheol' in the O.T. [Old Testament]. In the A.V. of the O.T. [Old Testament] and N.T. [New Testament], it has been unhappily rendered `Hell.' Collier's Encyclopedia (1986, Vol. 12, p. 28) says concerning `Hell': `First it stands for the Hebrew Sheol of the Old Testament and the Greek Hades of the Septuagint and New Testament. Since Sheol in Old Testament times referred simply to the abode of the dead and suggested no moral distinctions, the word `hell,' as understood today, is not a happy translation." (WB&TS, 1988, p.1086. Ellipses original).

"Webster's Dictionary says that the English word `hell' is equal to the Hebrew word Sheol and the Greek word Hades. In German Bibles Hoelle is the word used instead of `hell'; in Portuguese the word used is inferno, in Spanish infierno, and in French Enfer. The English translators of the Authorized Version, or King James Version, translated Sheol 31 times as `hell,' 31 times as `grave,' and 3 times as `pit.' The Catholic Douay Version translated Sheol 64 times as `hell.' In the Christian Greek Scriptures (commonly called the `New Testament'), the King James Version translated Hades as `hell' each of the 10 times it occurs.-Matthew 11:23; 16:18; Luke 10:15; 16:23; Acts 2:27, 31; Revelation 1:18; 6:8; 20:13, 14. ... The question is: What kind of place is Sheol, or Hades? The fact that the King James Version translates the one Hebrew word Sheol three different ways shows that hell, grave and pit mean one and the same thing. And if hell means the common grave of mankind, it could not at the same time mean a place of fiery torture. Well, then, do Sheol and Hades mean the grave, or do they mean a place of torture? ... Before answering this question, let us make clear that the Hebrew word Sheol and the Greek word Hades mean the same thing. This is shown by looking at Psalm 16:10 in the Hebrew Scriptures and Acts 2:31 in the Christian Greek Scriptures, which verses you can see on the next page. Notice that in quoting from Psalm 16:10 where Sheol occurs, Acts 2:31 uses Hades. Notice, too, that Jesus Christ was in Hades, or hell. Are we to believe that God tormented Christ in a hell of fire? Of course not! Jesus was simply in his grave ... In all the places where Sheol occurs in the Bible it is never associated with life, activity or torment. Rather, it is often linked with death and inactivity. For example, think about Ecclesiastes 9:10, which reads: `All that your hand finds to do, do with your very power, for there is no work nor devising nor knowledge nor wisdom in Sheol [grave, King James Version; hell, Douay Version], the place to which you are going.' So the answer becomes very clear. Sheol and Hades refer not to a place of torment but to the common grave of mankind. (Psalm 139:8)" (WB&TS, 1989a, "You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth," [1982], Watchtower Bible & Tract Society of New York: Brooklyn NY, Second edition, pp.82-83).

"What, then, did Jesus mean when he said in one of his illustrations: `The beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; and in hell [Hades] he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom'? (Luke 16:19-31, King James Version) Since, as we have seen, Hades refers to mankind's grave, and not to a place of torment, it is plain that Jesus was here telling an illustration or a story. As further evidence that this is not a literal account but is an illustration, consider this: Is hell literally within speaking distance of heaven so that such a real conversation could be carried on? Moreover, if the rich man were in a literal burning lake, how could Abraham send Lazarus to cool his tongue with just a drop of water on the tip of his finger? What, then, was Jesus illustrating? ... The rich man in the illustration stood for the self-important religious leaders who rejected Jesus and later killed him. Lazarus pictured the common people who accepted God's Son. The death of the rich man and of Lazarus represented a change in their condition. This change took place when Jesus fed the neglected Lazarus-like people spiritually, so that they thus came into the favor of the Greater Abraham, Jehovah God. At the same time, the false religious leaders `died' with respect to having God's favor. Being cast off, they suffered torments when Christ's followers exposed their evil works. (Acts 7:51-57) So this illustration does not teach that some dead persons are tormented in a literal fiery hell." (WB&TS, 1989b, pp.88-89).

"Jehovah clearly explained what death would mean for the sinner Adam. God said: `In the sweat of your face you will eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For dust you are and to dust you will return.' (Genesis 3:19) Adam would return where? To the ground, to the dust from which he had been created. At death Adam would simply cease to exist! ... In this regard, human death does not differ from that of the animals. They too are souls, and the same spirit, or life force, energizes them. (Genesis 1:24) At Ecclesiastes 3:19, 20, the wise man Solomon tells us: `As the one dies, so the other dies; and they all have but one spirit, so that [in death] there is no superiority of the man over the beast ... They have all come to be from the dust, and they are all returning to the dust.' Man was superior to the beasts in that he was created in God's image, reflecting the qualities of Jehovah. (Genesis 1:26, 27) Yet, at death humans and animals alike return to the dust. ... Solomon further explained what death means, saying: `The living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all.' Yes, the dead know absolutely nothing. In view of this, Solomon urged: `All that your hand finds to do, do with your very power, for there is no work nor devising nor knowledge nor wisdom in Sheol, the place to which you are going.' (Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10) Where do the dead go? To Sheol (Hebrew, she'ohl'), the common grave of mankind. Our dead loved ones are not conscious of anything. They are not suffering, and they cannot affect us in any way." (WB&TS, 1995, "Knowledge That Leads to Everlasting Life," [1984], Watchtower Bible & Tract Society of New York: Brooklyn NY, Second edition, pp.82-83).

"What Are Sheol and Hades? IN ITS original languages, the Bible uses the Hebrew word she'ohl' and its Greek equivalent hai'des more than 70 times. Both words are related to death. Some Bible translations render them as `grave,' `hell,' or `pit.' However, in most languages there are no words that convey the precise sense of these Hebrew and Greek words. The New World Translation therefore uses the words `Sheol' and `Hades.' What do these words really mean? Let us note how they are used in different Bible passages. Ecclesiastes 9:10 states: `There is no work nor devising nor knowledge nor wisdom in Sheol, the place to which you are going.' Does this mean that Sheol refers to a specific, or individual, grave site where we may have buried a loved one? No. When the Bible refers to a specific burial place, or grave, it uses other Hebrew and Greek words, not she'ohl' and hai'des. (Genesis 23:7-9; Matthew 28:1) Also, the Bible does not use the word `Sheol' for a grave where several individuals are buried together, such as a family grave or a mass grave.-Genesis 49:30, 31. To what kind of place, then, does `Sheol' refer? God's Word indicates that `Sheol,' or `Hades,' refers to something much more than even a large mass grave. For instance, Isaiah 5:14 notes that Sheol is `spacious and has opened its mouth wide beyond bounds.' Although Sheol has already swallowed, so to speak, countless dead people, it always seems to hunger for more. (Proverbs 30:15, 16) Unlike any literal burial site, which can hold only a limited number of the dead, `Sheol and the place of destruction themselves do not get satisfied.' (Proverbs 27:20) Sheol never becomes full. It has no limits. Sheol, or Hades, is thus not a literal place in a specific location. Rather, it is the common grave of dead mankind, the figurative location where most of mankind sleep in death." (WB&TS, 2005, "What Does the Bible Really Teach?," Watchtower Bible & Tract Society of New York: Brooklyn NY, p.212).

"Jehovah has entrusted his Son with `the keys of death and of Hades,' granting him the power to resurrect. (Revelation 1:17, 18) With those keys, the glorified Jesus will unlock the gates of Hades and thus release all those being held in mankind's common grave.-John 5:28, 29." (WB&TS, 2007, "Come Be My Follower," Watchtower Bible & Tract Society of New York: Brooklyn NY, p.22).

"'ades hades .... In Homer and Hesiod the word is spelled Haides meaning obscure, dark, invisible. Hades, the region of departed spirits of the lost (Luke 16:23). It corresponds to Sheol in the OT which occurs 59 times. In the NT, Hades occurs only 10 times. It is found nowhere in John's gospel, the epistles of Paul, the Epistle to the Hebrews, or the General Epistles. Three of the occurrences are on Christ's lips (Matt. 11:23 [with Luke 10:15]; 16:18; Luke 16:23). In two of these, the words are obviously used in a figurative sense: in the case of Capernaum to express an absolute overthrow, a humiliation as deep as the former loftiness and pride had been great; in the case of the Church, to express a security which shall be proof against death and destruction. The third occurrence, in the story of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31), is of a different kind and has even been taken to put our Lord's confirmation on the Jewish idea of two compartments in Hades, distinct from and yet near one another. In Acts 2:27, 31, the word Hades occurs in a quotation from Ps. 16:10 in an application of OT faith in the advent of Christ, His death, and His resurrection. Therefore, it has again the meaning of the world of the departed into which Christ passed like other men, but only to transform its nature from a place accommodating both believers and unbelievers to one for unbelievers only (Matt. 11:23; 16:18; Luke 10:15; 1 Cor. 15:55; Rev. 1:18; 6:8; 20:13, 14). In all the NT passages except Matt. 11:23; Luke 10:15, Hades is associated with death. It expresses the general concept of the invisible world or abode into which the spirits of men are ushered immediately after death. The prevalent idea connected with it in its association with death are those of privation, detention, and just recompense. The thought of the relative reward of good is subordinate, if expressed at all, to the retribution of evil and to the penal character pertaining to Hades as the minister of death. In none of the passages in which the word itself occurs have we any disclosures or even hints of purgatorial fires, purifying processes, or extended operations of grace. The state of human beings in Hades is immediate and irreversible after death, although it does not constitute the eternal state, for Hades itself later becomes the exclusive place for unbelievers. It is cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:14), while the reign of the just becomes paradise (Luke 23:43; 2 Cor. 12:4; Rev. 2:7) which is ultimately absorbed into the final heaven (Rev. 21:1). Our Lord conclusively teaches in the story of the rich man and Lazarus that there is no possibility of repentance after death. It is in this light that 1 Pet. 3:18-20 should be viewed (cf. phulake ... prison). Unfortunately, both the OT and NT words have been translated in the KJV as `hell' (Ps. 16:10) or the `grave' (Gen. 37:35) or the `pit' (Num. 16:30, 33). Hades never denotes the physical grave nor is it the permanent region of the lost. It is the intermediate state between death and the ultimate hell, Gehenna (Geenna ...). Christ declares that He has the keys of Hades (Rev. 1:18). In Rev. 6:8 it is personified with the meaning of the temporary destiny of the doomed; it is to give up those who are in it (Rev. 20:13), and is to be cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:14)." (Zodhiates, S. , 1992, "The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament," AMG Publishers: Chattanooga TN, Reprinted, 1994, pp.81-82).