Heaven and Hell: The Geography of Sheol (Part 5 of ?)
As we have previously seen from Genesis 37:35, Jacob said, after the loss of his son, that he would "go down" to sheol. Many other passages in the Bible also suggest that Sheol is "below" the earth. Job 21:13 states that the "wicked" go down to sheol. Proverbs 15:24 says that the wise may avoid Sheol that is below. [Psalm 30:3] "Yahweh, you have brought my soul up from Sheol, you have kept me alive by keeping me from going down into the pit." In this passage, and others, Sheol is likened to a pit, a hole in the ground" In Numbers chapter 16 (28-33) we find Korahh challenging Moses' authority. Moses tells the people, "[28] this is how you will know that Yahweh has sent me to do all these works... [29] ...if these men die a natural death, then Yahweh did not send me... [30] but if Yahweh does something unique and opens the mouth of the ground and swallows them up and they go down into Sheol, then you will know that they despised Yahweh." Once Moses finished his speaking, [31-33] "the mouth of the ground opened and the ground split apart and they went down alive into Sheol." While sheol is below the earth, a few passages describe the entrance into Sheol as the grave. In Isaiah 38:10 death and the grave is described as the "gates of Sheol." In Psalm 141:7 we read, "Our bones will be scattered at the mouth of Sheol." Another description of Sheol found in the Bible is its opposition to the heavens. Just as the heavens, or sky, is above the earth, so Sheol is below it. RSV Job <b>...</b>
