Editing Sheol (section)

==Hebrew Bible==
''Sheol'' is mentioned 66 times throughout the Hebrew Bible.<ref>[https://biblehub.com/hebrew/strongs_7585.htm Strong's Hebrew 7585]</ref> The first mentions of Sheol within the text associate it with the state of death and a sense of eternal finality. [[Jacob]] avows that he will "go down to Sheol," still mourning the apparent death of his son [[Joseph]].<ref>{{bibleverse||Genesis|37:35|HE}}</ref> Later in the [[book of Genesis]], the same formula is repeated when describing the sorrow that would befall Jacob should another of his sons, [[Benjamin]], not return to him with his remaining brothers.<ref>{{bibleverse||Genesis|44:29–31|HE}}</ref>

Sheol makes its next appearance during the episode of [[Korah]] in the [[book of Numbers]]. After Korah attempts to rouse the [[Israelites]] to rebel against [[Moses]], Moses vows that [[Yahweh]] will prove his legitimacy by splitting open the earth to hurl Korah and his conspirators into Sheol. Sure enough, as he finishes his speech, Yahweh splits the earth open, causing Korah, his family, and all of his possessions to, as the text describes it, "enter Sheol alive."<ref>{{bibleverse||Numbers|16:29–33|HE}}</ref> In the [[book of Deuteronomy]], Moses sings that the anger of Yahweh is a flame which burns in the "depths" of Sheol, consuming the entire earth from the bottom up.<ref>{{bibleverse||Deuteronomy|32:22|HE}}</ref>

Subsequent mentions of Sheol in the [[Tanakh]] depict it as a representation of death, suggesting that entry into Sheol is an unavoidable consequence of dying. [[1 Samuel]] describes Yahweh as the one who brings souls down to Sheol,<ref>{{bibleverse||1 Samuel|2:6|HE}}</ref> and [[2 Samuel]] further cements Sheol as humanity's ultimate postmortem destination.<ref>{{bibleverse||2 Samuel|22:6|HE}}</ref> [[1 Kings]] uses "going down to Sheol" as a metaphor for death, describing those who go down to it both "in peace" and "in blood".<ref>{{bibleverse||1 Kings|2:6–9|HE}}</ref>

The prophet [[Isaiah]] expounds on Sheol to great lengths during some of his sermons, personifying it as possessing an ever-increasing hunger for living people,<ref>{{bibleverse||Isaiah|5:14|HE}}</ref> with a great propensity for the souls of sinners,<ref>{{bibleverse||Isaiah|14:9–15|HE}}</ref> and where pleas to Yahweh cannot escape. [[Ezekiel]], during his prophecy of [[Egypt]]'s downfall, describes Egypt metaphorically descending into Sheol as a dead person would, where all the spirits of the dead, as well as other fallen empires, such as [[Assyria]], jeer and mock its fall from might.<ref>{{bibleverse||Ezekiel|32:21–22|HE}}</ref>

The remaining mentions of Sheol lie in the poetic literature of the Hebrew Bible. [[Job (biblical figure)|Job]] mentions Sheol in several of his laments, calling it his "home" as he lies in anguish,<ref>{{bibleverse||Job|17:13|HE}}</ref>  and yearning for death to take him there to put an end to his suffering. Sheol is also mentioned in several [[Psalms]]—again, as the grave of humanity.

Other biblical names for Sheol were {{Transliteration|he|[[Abaddon|’Ăḇaddōn]]}} ({{lang|he|אֲבַדּוֹן}} 'ruin'), found in [[Psalm 88]]:11, [[Job 28]]:22 and [[Proverbs 15]]:11 and {{Transliteration|he|Šaḥaṯ}} ({{lang|he|שַחַת}} 'corruption'), found in [[Isaiah 38]]:17 and [[Ezekiel 28]]:8.<ref name="Kin, Cult p.8">Herbert Chanon Brichto (1973). "Kin, Cult, Land and Afterlife&nbsp;– A Biblical Complex", Hebrew Union College Annual 44, p. 8</ref>