The bias that lies behind this selection of words may be discerned by comparing such

passages as Job 14: 13 with Psa. 9: 17. The former reads, "Oh that Thou wouldst hide

me in the grave," whereas the latter reads, "The wicked shall be turned into hell." Let the

reader put the word "hell" into the prayer of Job, and its utter absurdity will be evident.

The word translated "turned" (Psa. 9: 17) is really "returned" (see Lange), and the

meaning is that the second death is the final doom of the "wicked" and the "nations" who

forget God. Or again, compare the following:--

The context of these passages confirms the Scriptural meaning ("the grave"), and

refutes the traditional error ("hell"). Psa. 30: 3 reads:--

while Psa. 16: 9, 10 says:--

The Hebrew parallel in both cases proves to all that sheol means the grave, and not the

orthodox hell. Eccles. 9: 10 declares that "there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge,

nor wisdom, in the grave (sheol) whither thou goest." Why did not the translators render

this, "hell"? It certainly would have opened the eyes of many to see that the agony,

torment and gnawing of conscience of the orthodox "hell" were false; so in this place we

have "grave" as the rendering of sheol.

I Sam. 2: 6 bears ample testimony that sheol is to be read as antithetical to life:--

Again in II Sam. 22: 6 the Hebrew parallelism is strongly marked:--

The cords of the grave and the snares of death are a beautiful example of parallelism

in Hebrew poetry, and at the same time confirm the meaning of the words sheol and

muth (death). Sheol is spoken of as a place of darkness and silence; the Psalmist speaks

of "making his bed" there (Psa. 139: 8).  The A.V. reads, "If I make my bed in

hell"--a monstrous distortion, the bed speaking of the sleep of death until resurrection.

This the A.V. itself admits by rendering the parallel passage in Job 17: 13-16 thus:--