In the old testament the word hell is from the Hebrew sheol. It refers to the place where dead people go… which is the grave. A hole dug in the ground into which a body is placed then covered up. It could also refer to a tomb or a burial cave. Sheol is found in the old testament 65 times: 31 times its translated grave, 31 times its translated hell, and 3 times its translated pit. The new testament gets interesting… there are 3 different Greek words that have each been translated hell. Each of these has a different meaning… #1 The GraveThe first Greek word which is often translated hell is hades which refers to the place of the dead. Hades is the closest Greek equivalent of sheol… the place of the dead, the grave. The Greeks had all sorts of their own ideas about afterlife which were attached to the word (Hades is the name of the Greek god of the underworld for example)… but if you were going to write in Greek about a hole in the ground where dead bodies were buried… hades was the word. It means the same thing as sheol, the place where dead people go.The writers of the new testament worked with a version the old testament that had been translated from Hebrew into Greek. Its called the Septuagint. Here’s an example of how the Hebrew word sheol was translated using the Greek word hades: Acts 2:27 the word here is hades (hell in some older translations like KJV). Modern translations now often simply insert the actual Greek word hades… but the meaning is grave. This verse is part of a quotation from the old testament referring to the grave. Psalm 16:10 the word here is sheol (hell in some older translations like KJV). Modern translations now often simply insert the Hebrew word sheol… but the meaning is the grave. This verse was a prophecy speaking of Jesus’ death… Where did Jesus go when He died?Luke 23:46 His spirit returned to God like it does for all humanity upon death.His body went into a tomb, a burial cave, a form of grave. Matthew 12:40 Jesus referred to it as a place in the “heart of the earth”… a hole in the ground where dead bodies are put. He would stay there for 3 days and 3 nights.Also, if hades, or hell, meant some place of torment under the crust of the earth… then you are saying that’s where Jesus was sent when He died. When He died late that afternoon Jesus’ was put in a tomb and He stayed there for 3 days and 3 nights fulfilling the sign of Jonah. He was not alive in heaven, He was not alive in hell… he was dead, until he was raised back to life through resurrection.#2 The Place of Restraint for DemonsThe next word to consider is tartar which is found only once in the new testament in 2 Peter 2:4 and usually translated hell. In Greek literature tartaroo is the name for a mythical abyss where rebellious gods were confined. Under the inspiration of the Spirit of God, Peter uses this word a name for the place where Lucifer and the other rebellious angels were restrained, or imprisoned. Seems appropriate… but where is that place of imprisonment?Isaiah 14:12 [cut down to the earth], Revelation 12:7-11The place of imprisonment is not some dark netherworld… they have been cast out and are confined to earth! Scripture tells us that Satan and demons are active and present on earth. Multiple real encounters with evil spirits on earth are recorded – Matthew 4:1-11; 8:6, 28-33;9:32-33. Satan is spoken of as the ruler of this present age John 12:31, 14:30, 16:11.Tartaroo appears in scripture once and only applies to demons, not humans. #3 The Fires of GehennaThe 3rd word found translated as hell is Gehenna. Gehenna is a Greekified version of the Hebrew phrase Gai Hinnom, meaning Valley of Hinnom located to the south of old Jerusalem. Today it’s a park. During the times of the kings in Judah the place was used for idolatry and horrible practices like human sacrifice. King Josiah made a point of desecrating the place during his attempt to reform the nation of Judah 2 Kings 23:10, 13,14 [defiled with human bones].In Jesus’ day [