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  • From: Ron Rhoades <rrhoades AT jps.net>
  • To: b-hebrew AT franklin.oit.unc.edu, Irene Riegner <iriegner AT concentric.net>
  • Subject: Re: body and soul
  • Date: Mon, 15 Mar 1999 15:02:04 -0800


Hi Irene,

>You wrote:
>The function of Sheol and hell are different. At least in the popular
>>imagination, hell is a place some might go after judgment---not everyone
>>goes there (I guess); Sheol is a place everyone goes after death but no
>>judgement is involved.

Yes, fueled by theological teaching and translating, the popular
*imagination* may believe this. But, where is this taught in the Hebrew
Bible? There are not two places called "hell" and "Sheol" in the HB are
there? From what I can see, they are one and the same place and every
one goes there at death. Only by translating this same Hebrew word in
two different ways can we maintain that the "function is different," or
support the idea that "not everyone goes there." My personal opinion is
that this is misleading the reader. The only purpose in translating
Sheol as "hell" whenever a wicked person goes there and "grave" when
everyone goes there is to support a personal theological bias.

>(BTW, I think the HB, as compendium of many books and hands, has >several
>"solutions" to what happens after death.)

Yes, we differ slightly on this thinking. But I've seen no evidence that
demands "several solutions" inherent in the Hebrew text. If I refrain
from "reading into the text" I see a united belief on what happens at
death. By literally interpreting euphemisms and idiomatic expressions I
can make it appear to contradict. On the other hand, by applying
standard "rules" of interpreting speech we can unify what is said.

>Though both hell and Sheol are located "down," hell and Sheol are two
>entirely different conceptualizations and should be kept separate in
>>translations. The way to do this is by using different words, Sheol and
>>hell, so that the baggage of hell isn't put onto Sheol.

Again, I don't see two different concepts in the one Hebrew word here.
How can you keep them "separate" and still be accurate (not to mention
truthful) in translation? I agree that the baggage of hell shouldn't be
put into Sheol. The only way to do this is to stop translating Sheol
with a term that supports a belief foreign to the original writer.

Ron Rhoades
Nevada City, CA






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