Strong's Lexicon: H7585 שְׁאוֹל שְׁאוֹל

Definition / Gloss

Strong's Number:	H7585
Word:	שְׁאוֹל שְׁאוֹל
Part of Speech:	noun fem
Etymology:	from H7592
Language:	Hebrew
Occurrences:	65
Transliteration:	sh'owl
Phonetic Spelling/Pronunciation:	sheh-ole' (or shol {sheh-ole'}) n-f.
Meaning:	1. Hades or the world of the dead (as if a subterranean retreat), including its accessories and inmates
KJV Renderings:	grave, hell, pit.

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Brown-Driver-Briggs Enhanced

BDB8371

שְׁאָ֫לָה Isa 7:11 see שְׁאוֺל 1 below

BDB8375

שְׁאוֺל, שְׁאֹל noun feminine^{Ps 86:13} (apparently masculine Job 26:6 compare Isa 14:9, see Albr^{ZAW xvi(1896), 51}) She®°ôl , underworld (√ dubious; שׁאל, i.e. place of inquiry (reference to necromancy) Jastr^{Amos. Jsem. Lang. xiv.
170. cf JBL xix (1900), 88 ff.} (Jerem^{Lebenn. d. Tode
109} 'Ort der Entscheidung'); Thes Bö^{De Inf. § 158} Di and others compare √ שׁעל, whence שֹׁעַל hallow hand, etc.; ׳ שׁ then = hallow place, 'Hölle', hell; other conjectures see Hup^{Ps. 6⁶} De^{Isa 5:14} Beer^{Bibl. Hades} in Holtzmann^{Festgabe,1902, 15}; most now refrain from positive etymology (e.g. Buhl); Old Aramaic שאול, Syriac [untranscribed source text 5366]; Assyrian šu-alu is dubious: so reads and interprets Dl^{pa 121, Prol.47.
145} Jastr^{Amos. J. Semitic Lang. xiv. 165 ff.} Ency. Bib^s.v.; opposed to by Bertin^{TSBA viii. 269} Jen^{Kosmol.223 ff.} Zim^{KAT 3. 636} and others; see also Muss-Arn^{JBL xi (1892), 169 and references}); — always absolute, שְׁאוֺל Deut 32:22 + 52 t.,הָ֯ Gen 42:38; Ps 9:18 שְׁאֹל 1Kgs 2:6; Job 17:16, הָ֯ Gen 37:35 + 7 t.; + Isa 7:11 (so read for שְׁאָ֫לָה Aq Σ Θ Du Che and now most); —

1. the underworld, תַּחְתִּית ׳ שׁ Deut 32:22, מִתַּחַת Isa 14:9 מִ֑טָּה ׳ מִשּׁ Prov 15:24 || מָוֶת Prov 5:5; Prov 7:27; Song 8:6; Ps 89:49 whither men descend at death, Gen 37:35 ( E ), Gen 42:38; Gen 44:29; Gen 44:31 ( J ), 1Sam 2:6 ; 1Kgs 2:6; 1Kgs 2:9; Job 7:9; Job 21:13; Isa 14:11; Isa 14:15; Ps 88:4, and Korah and associates go down alive by ׳ י's judgment, Num 16:30; Num 16:33 ( J ), compare Ps 55:16 under mountains and sea Job 26:6 (compare Job 26:5), ׳ בֶּטֶן שׁ Jonah 2:3 (compare v.Jonah 2:7 ); with bars Job 17:16 (si vera 1.: see ᵐ5 Du); ׳ פִּי שׁ Ps 141:7 ׳ שַׁעֲרֵי שׁ Isa 38:10 personified Isa 28:15; Isa 28:18 (|| מות). as insatiable monster Isa 5:14; Hab 2:5; Prov 1:12; Prov 27:20 ; Prov 30:16 as said (figurative) to have snares, ׳ חֶבְלֵי שׁ Ps 18:6 = 2Sam 22:6 compare ׳ מְצָרֵי שׁ Ps 116:3 opposed to (height of) שָׁמַיִם Amos 9:2; Job 11:8; Ps 139:8 + (opposed to לְמָ֑עְלָה) Isa 7:11 (see above); dark, gloomy, without return Job 17:13 (compare Job 17:16; Job 7:9; Job 10:21; Job 16:22 all being alike Job 3:17-19; Job 21:23-26 ); without work or knowledge or wisdom according to Eccl 9:5; Eccl 9:6; Eccl 9:10 (compare Job 14:21, and see רְפָאִים below רפה; yet compare Isa 14:9f.).

2. condition of righteous and wicked distinguished in ׳ שׁ (later than 1Sam 28, especially in Wisdom Literature):

a. wicked יָשׁוּבוּ לִשְׁא֑וֺלָה Ps 9:18, ׳ יִדְּמוּ לִשׁ Ps 31:18 death is their shepherd, without power and honour they waste away Ps 49:15 (twice in verse); ׳ שׁ consumes them as drought water Job 24:19 righteous dread it because no praise or presence of God there (as in temple) Ps 6:6 (compare Ps 88:5 ), Isa 38:18 deliverance from it a blessing Ps 30:4; Ps 86:13; Prov 23:14. In Ezek. ׳ שׁ is land below, place of reproach, abode of uncircumcised Ezek 31:15; Ezek 31:16; Ezek 31:17 ; Ezek 32:21 ; Ezek 32:27

b. righteous shall not be abandoned, ׳ לשׁ Ezek 16:10 (|| שַׁחַת q. v.; opposed to אִרַח חַיִּים etc., Ezek 16:11, compare Ezek 17:15 ), is ransomed from ׳ שׁ Ezek 49:16 (compare Ezek 73:23 ; Ezek 73:25 ; Isa 57:1; Isa 57:2); compare Job's expectation and desire Job 14:13; Job 17:13 (compare Job 10:21; Job 19:25f.).

3. later distinction of places in ׳ שׁ:

a. depths of ׳ שׁ for sensualist Prov 9:18.

b. וַאֲבַדּוֺן ׳ שׁ Prov 25:11 , see אֲבַדּוֺן . [שַׁחַת and בּוֺר , q. v., when || ׳ שׁ, are usually in bad sense(Ps 88:4); probably = pit in ׳ שׁ, > ׳ שׁ itself as pit; words at least prepare for local distinctions of post-Biblical Judaism and NT.]

4. ׳ שׁ figurative of extreme degradation in sin Isa 57:9 as place of exile for Israel Hos 13:14 (twice in verse) (compare Isa 26:19 ).

Other Resources

Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament
R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer, and Bruce K. Waltke