English Lexicon
English words related to the topics
of Hell and the Afterlife
See also:
A Lexicon of Hebrew and Greek words
on the same topics
Note:
Most of the English words in the
list below are as they appear in the King James Version of the
Bible. Other translations may choose to translate the same
Hebrew and Greek words differently. Some of these variations are
discussed in the articles on this website, and clickable links
may take the reader to such discussions. A few terms are
included that do not appear in the Bible at all but that
are common in commentaries on the historical development
of the doctrine of an ever-burning Hell.
Conventions regarding
capitalization of some of the words below vary.
For purposes of this website, Heaven,
Hell, Sheol, and Hades
are capitalized (unless quoted from a work that does not do
so),
as are the terms the Devil and Satan.
KJV is used
below as the abbreviation for the
King James Version translation of the Bible.
angel
(Greek: aggelos Hebrew:
malak ) A supernatural being, usually
represented in the Bible in the role of a representative
sent by God to humans. (For a detailed overview of the role
of these beings as found in the Bible and in popular
mythology, see the article Answers about Angels.)
Cerberus
Cerberus is the name of the
three-headed dog from Greek mythology who guarded
Hades. Dante
included this mythological creature in his alleged vision of
Hell described in The Inferno.
See the article Pagan Hell for
more information.
Charon
Charon is the name of the
"ferryman" of Greek mythology who transported the dead to
Hades across the river Acheron. Dante included this mythological
character in his alleged vision of Hell described in
The Inferno. See the
article Pagan Hell for more
information.
damned
(from Greek katakrino:
judged against, condemned) The state of being condemned.
Commonly used to describe the fate of those who fail to
receive the promise of eternal life with God.
Dante
Dante Alighieri (1265-1321),
usually referred to simply as "Dante," was a medieval Roman
Catholic Italian author who wrote a three-part extensive
poem describing his alleged "trip" (during a three-day
vision in 1300) to Hell (The
Inferno), Purgatory, and Heaven (or Paradise). See
the article Dante's Hell for more
information.
damnation
(Greek katakrino:
judgement against, condemnation) The sentence of
condemnation. Commonly used to refer to the judgment of God
that someone deserves to be permanently cut off from Him.
demon
(Greek: daimonion) A
supernatural being with powers to torment humans. The KJV uses the English term "devils" to translate
this Greek term, but the word Devil (for
Satan) is from a
different Greek word. (For a detailed overview of the role of
these beings as found in the Bible and in popular mythology,
see the article Answers about
Angels.)
devil
(Greek: daimonion) A
supernatural being with powers to torment humans. The KJV
translates daimonian as "devil," but almost all other
translations choose the English word demon.
The term "the Devil," referring to
Satan, is from a different Greek word
entirely.
Devil
(The)
(Greek diabolos:
slanderer) The supernatural being viewed as the ultimate
enemy of God, and of His people. (Although the KJV uses the term "devils" to describe beings that are
commonly referred to as demons, that term is translated from
a different Greek word entirely.) The title "the
Devil" refers in particular to his role as "the accuser" of
believers. For a detailed overview of the role of the
Devil as found in the Bible and in popular mythology, see
the article
Answers about
Angels.
Diabolos
The Greek term for the being
known as "the Devil" and
Satan.
Furies, The
In Greek mythology, the
Furies were female winged creatures that embodied the notion
of vengeance. Their appearance was horrifying, including
heads ringed with snakes. Although they were believed to be
able to attack living humans, their permanent residence was
in Tartaroo.
Gehenna
(Greek: geenna: The
Valley of Hinnom) The Valley of Hinnom was a location right
outside Jerusalem in the first century, used as a garbage dump, including for the
carcasses of animals and the bodies of executed criminals.
Since there were fires continually burning there to
incinerate the refuse and control the stench, it came to be
used at a metaphor for the final fiery destruction of the
wicked in the "Lake of Fire." It
is believed to have been anciently the location of child
sacrifice to the heathen god Moloch. The Hebrew term
Tophet, believed to have been a
specific spot in the valley, is sometimes used
interchangeably with Gehenna, especially when used as a
synonym for the Lake of Fire in fiction and poetry.
Hades
(Greek hades: "the
place of the unseen") The place in Greek mythology believed to be inhabited by
the "souls" of those humans who had died. It is the
counterpart of the Hebrew Sheol, and usually viewed
as a temporary "holding place" for the dead until final
disposition is made at the time of The Judgment.
The word was used in Greek mythology for both the god of the
Underworld and for the kingdom he ruled.
Harrowing of Hell
This term does not appear in
the English Bible, but is commonly used in Christian circles
to speak of a concept which developed historically from
speculation regarding the passage in I Peter 3:19-20 that
notes that Jesus "preached to the spirits in prison." The
word "harrow" means to pillage or plunder. The concept is
that, during the period between His crucifixion and
resurrection, Jesus went in spirit to Hell and rescued the
righteous saints of Old Testament times, such as Noah and
Daniel, from the Devil and the tortures of Hell. The Bible
does not in any way describe such an event, but this has not
prevented the creation of an elaborate mythology surrounding
it. It was a popular subject of Medieval paintings and
medieval Mystery Plays. See
the article Medieval Hell for
more details.
Heaven
(Greek ouranus, Hebrew
shameh) Both words are used in the Bible to describe
the lower atmosphere of the sky that holds clouds, the
vastness of space where stars and planets are seen, as well
as the unseen realm where God dwells. This same broadness of
definition comes over into English as well, although we
usually use a plural form when describing the visible, such
as "birds flying in the heavens" or "the stars in the
heavens." The singular Heaven in English is most often used
to refer to God's dwelling place.
Hell
An English word used by the
KJV translators to translate a number of Hebrew and Greek
words, all having different nuances of meaning. The common
use of the word in English implies a place of confinement
and never-ending, eternal punishment for those who die
without receiving forgiveness for their sins. All of the
articles on this website explore various facets of the
biblical view of Hell, as well as a number of popular
misconceptions regarding the topic.
Hellmouth
By the Middle Ages, many
artists had begun including literal "Jaws of Hell" in their
scenes of the Afterlife. These would appear as a monstrous
animal-like head with a gaping mouth. Within the jaws could
be seen demons, and the souls of humans who were being
dragged down to Hell for torture. Sometimes this "entrance
to Hell" would be shown in a scene of the
Harrowing of Hell. In this
case, Christ would be depicted standing outside the jaws and
beckoning the righteous ancients such Noah and Daniel to
come forth to freedom from Hell.
And thus in the Medieval
Mystery Plays, the central
prop was most often a "Hellmouth," a mechanical version of
this gateway to Hell. It would be fashioned out of wood,
papier-mâché, and other materials
that would create a realistic monstrous mouth, sometimes as
large as eight feet across. It might be equipped with
actual jaws that could open and shut. And it was positioned
over a trap door, out of which could emerge terrifying
sounds, fire, smoke, horrible smells, people in costumes
representing demons or departed souls, and more. See the
article Medieval Hell for
more details.
immortal
(Greek aphthartos:
undecaying) Not subject to decay: implying never dying,
since dead bodies begin decaying right away.
immortal
soul
The common conception of this
term is a use implying that humans exist as an immaterial
"soul" that is housed in a physical body. This soul is the
true identity of the person, and can never cease existing
(is inherently "immortal"). Once the body dies, the soul
"comes out" of it and, according to most Christian theology,
goes immediately to be with God in Heaven; goes to an
intermediate place called Purgatory
where it will be prepared to eventually go to be with God in
Heaven; or goes immediately to Hell to be tortured for
eternity. However, the term "immortal soul" does not appear in
the Bible. See the article
Immortal Soul for a discussion of this
fact.
immortality
(Greek athanasia; not
subject to death; aphtharsia: not subject to decay)
The same English word is used in the KJV to
translate both of these terms, since they basically imply
the same thing, being in a permanent state that is not
subject to death or decay.
Inferno, The
The Inferno is the
English version of the title of the portion of the fourteenth century
Italian poem The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri
that describes his alleged visit to Hell. The title is
rendered in Italian as L'Inferno. Even after almost 700 years, this poem is the single most
influential source of the details of the common popular
conception of Hell, both in secular and religious circles.
See Dante's Hell for more
details.
Judgment (The)
(Greek krisis:
judgment) A term usually reserved in theology to refer to a
specific time in the future when all mankind who ever lived
will be resurrected to life, and come before God to have
their permanent fate decided.
Lake
of Fire
(Greek limne pur) A
term used only in the Book of Revelation which describes the
ultimate destination of all who reject God.
Lucifer
(Hebrew heylel: the
morning star, i.e., Venus) The English word Lucifer comes
directly from the Latin word lucifer that also means
the morning star. It appears only once in the KJV, and was mistaken by the translators to be a "proper
name" for the Devil when they encountered it in a Latin
translation of the original Greek. It has entered popular
mythology as the name of this being, and has been used in
poetry and theology ever since. (For a detailed overview of
the role of the Devil as found in the Bible and in popular
mythology, and an extended discussion on the topic of the
word Lucifer, see Answers about
Angels.)
malak
A Hebrew term meaning
"messenger." Although it is occasionally used in the Old
Testament to refer to humans, it is most often used to refer
to supernatural representatives of God, and translated
"angel" in the Old Testament.
(For a detailed overview of the role of these beings as
found in the Bible and in popular mythology, see
Answers about Angels.)
Mystery Plays
This is the common label
given by scholars to popular theatrical performances of the
Middle Ages that depicted the key events in the life of
Christ. They were most often produced by members of various
"guilds" such as bakers, carpenters, and so on. The name
comes from the Latin term mysterium, which means
handicraft, and doesn't refer to the way the word mystery is
commonly used today at all--it refers to the fact that they
were produced by the craft guilds. The most popular part of
most of these performances were the depictions of the
Harrowing of Hell, because
these included elaborate "special effects" simulating the
common conception of Hell, with smoke, fire, fireworks,
horrible smells, shrieking, people portraying ghastly
demons, and so on. See Medieval
Hell for more details.
Paradise
(Greek paradeisos: a
park or garden) The Greek is used three times in the New
Testament, and implies there a place of future happiness,
similar to the Garden of Eden, and tends to be used by many
as a synonym for Heaven.
Purgatory
(Latin purgatorium: a
place of purging or purification) This word occurs nowhere
in the Bible. It is the name of a "place" believed by Roman
Catholics to be inhabited after death by the
souls of most people who are ultimately destined by God
to be allowed admittance to eternal life with Him in Heaven.
The theory is that only the most holy of people, such as
Mary the mother of Jesus, are "perfect" enough at death to
be allowed into heaven immediately after death. All others
must spend time submitting to punishment and suffering in
purgatory for their sins to "purge" the guilt of them. (See
the article Purgatory for more information on this topic.)
resurrection
(Greek anastasis:
standing up) The coming back to life of those who have died.
It is sometimes viewed as a restoration and "revival" of a
body that has not yet fully decayed, such as in the case of
Mary and Martha's brother Lazarus. But it most often implies
a future situation in which the "soul" of one who has died
will be put into a new body (whether purely physical, or
supernatural) that has been prepared for it. (See the
article Resurrection for
more information on this topic.)
Satan
(Hebrew ha satan: "the
adversary"; Greek ho satanas: "the accuser")
The name often used to designate the Devil.
Satan
implies one who accuses as an adversary, perhaps even
truthfully, although with an intent to do harm. The Devil
adds the implication of one who invents false accusations, a
slanderer and liar. The terms appear to be used
interchangeably in the New Testament to refer to the same
being.
Sheol
A Hebrew term used to
describe the "world of the dead." It is comparable to the
term Hades in Greek. It is most often translated as
Hell in the KJV. (For more details on Sheol,
see the article Old Testament
Hell.)
soul
A word usually translated in
the KJV from Hebrew nephesh and Greek
psuche. The implication in both languages is "living creature,"
i.e., a conscious animal, as opposed to a plant. It has taken
on a more narrow and spiritually significant meaning in
modern English. See the article
Body, Soul, Spirit, Heart, Mind for more information.
spirit
A word usually translated in
the KJV from Hebrew ruach and Greek pneuma.
Like nephesh and psuche, it is also applied to
both man and beast in the KJV, but more often implies a an
"essence" that characterizes humans and supernatural beings.
It has taken on a more narrow and spiritually significant
meaning in modern English. See the article
Body, Soul, Spirit, Heart, Mind
for more information.
Tartarus
In Greek mythology, Tartarus
was the name of one of the "gods," and also the name of an
area of imprisonment, believed to be under the earth, and
deeper than Hades, to which Zeus
banished many of the Titans who had been involved in a
rebellion against his authority. Peter used the word in 2
Peter 2:4 as a description of a similar place of confinement
where God banished a group of rebellious angels at some time
in the distant past. It is often portrayed as the deepest
reaches of Hell.
Tophet
This location, mentioned in
Isaiah 30:33, is believed by some scholars to be a specific
spot outside Jerusalem, possibly in the Valley of
Gehenna, that was anciently
devoted to child sacrifice. This Hebrew word is often used
interchangeably, particularly in fiction and poetry, with
the words Gehenna and Hell.
unquenchable
Not able to be quenched,
speaking specifically of fire, or of metaphors involving
fire such as anger and passion. Although it is sometimes
thought to mean that a fire will never go out, technically a
fire that is not "quenched" by external means will
eventually burn itself out when the items on fire are
totally consumed. Thus even if no one makes any attempt to
"quench" a fire in a fireplace, it will go out on its own
when the firewood is all reduced to ashes. For an
exploration of the implications of this for the doctrine of
an ever-burning hell, see the article
Unquenchable Fire.
PLEASE NOTE: The simple English definitions of
Hebrew and Greek root words in
the material in the collection of articles on this website are not intended to be
technical expositions, but merely helpful basics. No attempt is
made to sort out the grammatical inflections of the Hebrew and
Greek words as they are used in specific passages. Students who
wish to go into more detail on the technical nuances in the
ancient languages are encouraged to seek scholarly advice on
what reference works would be most useful. [More
info on this]
This site contains a collection
of articles, on the topic of Hell and the Afterlife, that may
each be used independently for research purposes. But it also is
designed as a systematic, sequential overview of the whole
topic, which can be read like a book.
For those who would like to take
advantage of this perspective of the content, the articles are
arranged in the
Reading Guide as they would appear as chapters in a book, along
with a few reference chapters at the end such as would appear in
a book Appendix.
Use the
links below to go to the next article, previous article, or
first article
in the Reading Guide sequence.
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All of the articles on this
Is it true what they say about Hell? website were written by Pam Dewey, with
the support and sponsorship of Common Ground Christian
Ministries. For more of Pam's inspirational and educational
writings, visit her Oasis
website.
All website content
© 2007, Pam
Dewey and Common Ground Christian Ministries
All rights reserved. Material may
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