Excellent question.
Can you tell me?
Since the Hebrew word Sheol, and Greek word Hades, is understood in the light of scripture, and not philosophies...
What does the Bible say about them?
All people - whether good or bad, go to Sheol/Hades (rendered hell in some translations)
Genesis 37:35;
Genesis 42:38;
Numbers 16:30-33;
2 Samuel 22:5-7;
1 Kings 2:6;
Job 14:13-14;
Jonah 2:1-2
Sheol/Hades (rendered hell in some translations) is cast into the Lake of Fire, after being emptied, and the Lake of Fire is the second death, so Hell does not last forever, but is subjected to a death state - gone for good.
Righteous men in Sheol/Hades (rendered hell in some translations)
Sheol
Jacob - a righteous man
Genesis 37:35 And all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted, and he said, “For I shall go down into the grave [Sheol] to my son in mourning.” Thus his father wept for him.
Genesis 42:38 But he said, “My son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he is left alone. If any calamity should befall him along the way in which you go, then you would bring down my gray hair with sorrow to the grave [Sheol].”
Where did Jacob expect to go at death - Sheol.
It's rendered grave in most translation, including... KJV.
Samuel - a righteous man
2 Samuel 22:5-7
“When the waves of death surrounded me, The floods of ungodliness made me afraid.
The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me.
In my distress I called upon the Lord, And cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, And my cry
entered His ears.
Samuel is confronted with death at the hands of wicked men. What would then hold him - Sheol.
Both individuals used expressed sorrow in going there. Isn't that what is associated with dying; death? After all, who want to die be covered with earth?
David's prayer about someone.
1 Kings 2:6 Therefore do according to your wisdom,
and do not let his gray hair go down to the grave [Sheol] in peace.
Job - a righteous man
Job 14:13-14
“Oh, that You would hide me in the grave [Sheol], That You would conceal me until Your wrath is past, That You would appoint me a set time, and remember me!
If a man dies, shall he live
again? All the days of my hard service I will wait, Till my change comes.
This speaks for itself.
Job wants to be remembered by God, when he dies. Why? Easy. Who doesn't want to live forever? Job did, and he had faith in the resurrection.
In fact, though Job, like countless individuals who died, did not know how it would take place, he knew that it was God's will to restore the dead to life.
How would God do that if he did not remember those that died.
This is why I really like the expression used at
John 5:28 - Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the [
μνημεῖον memorial [tombs]] will hear His voice... and come out (verse 29)
God remembers those who died! They are in his memory. So that Jesus tells us, they are in memorial tombs... and God will restore them to life! Isn't that wonderful!
There are many more scriptures where Sheol is used, in the "OT", alluding to the grave of mankind. Any place can become our grave (Sheol). Even the belly of a big fish.
Jonah 2:1-2
Then
Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the fish’s belly. And he said:
“I cried out to the Lord because of my affliction,
And He answered me.
“Out of the belly of Sheol I cried,
And You heard my voice.
That's according to the New King James Version.
How does the KJV render the verses?
Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish's belly,
And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.
Why does the KJV use hell, whereas the vast majority of translation... including the New King James Version, don't.
Is it not interesting also, that Jonah was in the fish's belly, as he did not die, and go to some underworld of the dead, but understood that the fish's belly would become his grave... if God did not answer him, and forgive him.
Hades
Where is
David? Acts 2:25-35 Was David not a righteous man, remembered by God?
Both David and
Christ went the same place - Hades (Hell - KJV).
Lake of Fire
Everything that is to be done away with, goes in the lake of fire - gone.
That's
last for the Devil; the beast; the false prophet; death; man's burial place (grave - Sheol/Hades); whosoever was not found written in the book of life (
Revelation 20:10-15)