• Is Hell Real? What Is Hell According to the Bible?
    Bible Questions Answered

    • Is hell a place of eternal suffering?

      No. The original words translated as “hell” in some older Bible translations (Hebrew, “Sheol”; Greek, “Hades”) basically refer to “the Grave,” that is, the common grave of mankind. The Bible shows that people in “the Grave” are in a state of nonexistence.

      • The dead are unconscious and so cannot feel pain. “Neither work, nor reason, nor wisdom, nor knowledge, shall be in hell.” (Ecclesiastes 9:10, Douay-Rheims Version) Hell is not filled with sounds of pain. Instead, the Bible says: “Let the wicked be ashamed, and let them be silent in the grave [hell, Douay-Rheims].”—Psalm 31:17; King James Version (30:18, Douay-Rheims); Psalm 115:17.

  • Is Hell Real? What Is Hell According to the Bible?
    Bible Questions Answered

    • a Most modern English translations do not use the word “hell” in Acts 2:27. Rather, some use expressions such as “the grave,” (New Century Version); “the realm of the dead,” (New International Version); “the dead” (The Passion Translation). Others simply transliterate the Greek word as “Hades.”​—Holman Christian Standard Bible, NET Bible, New American Standard Bible, English Standard Version.