Hell

Companion Bible Ap 131
The Synonymous Words for "Hell"...etc

"'Hell' is the English rendering of two different Greek words in the N.T.
The English word is from the Anglo-Saxon 'hel', Genitive case 'helle' = a hidden place from the Anglo-Saxon 'helan' + to hide.
It is in the N.T. used as the translation of two Greek words.

(1) 'Gehenna', Gr. 'geena'. This is the translation of the Heb. 'Gai Hinnom', i.e. the Valley of Hinnom or "The valley" of [the sons of] Hinnom, where were the fires through which children were passed in the worship of Moloch.
In the O.T. Tophet was the Heb. word used, because it was a place in this valley.
In our Lord's day the idolatry had ceased, but the fires were still continually burning there for the destruction of the refuse of Jerusalem. Hence, 'geena' was used for the fires of destruction associated with the Judgment of God. Sometimes 'geena' of fire.' See 2Kings 23:10; Isa 30:33; Jer 7:31-32; 19:11-14
'Geena' occurs twelve times, and is always rendered 'hell', viz.[ Matt 5:22,29,30; 10:28; 18:9; 23:15,33; Mark 9:43,45,47; Luke 12:5; Jas 3:6]

(2)"Hades. Gr. 'hades', from a (privative) and idein to see, used by the Greeks for unseen world.
The meaning which the Greeks put upon it does not concern us; nor have we anything to do with the imaginations of the heathen, or the traditions of the Jews, or Romanists,or the teachings of demons or evil spirits, or of any who still cling to them.
As 'Hades' is the Divine Scriptural equivalent of Sheol. It may be well to note that while 'Hades' is rendered 'hell' in the N.T. (except once, where the rendering 'the grave' could not be avoided), Sheol, its Heb. equivalent, occurs 65 time, and is rendered 'the grave' 31 times (or 54%); 'hell' 31 times (4 times with margin 'the grave', reducing it to 41.5%); and 'pit' only 3 times (or 4.5%)
'The grave', therefore, is obviously the best rendering, meaning 'the state of death': not the act of dying; as an examination of all the occurances of both words will show.

(a) The rendering 'pit' so evidently means 'the grave' that it may at once be substituted for it. [Num 16:30,33; Job 17,16]

(b) The rendering 'the grave' (not 'a grave' which is Hebrew Keber or bor) exactly expresses the meaning of both Sheol and Hades. For, as to direction, it is always down: as to place, it is in the earth: as to relation, it is always in contrast with the state of the living [Deut 32:22-25; 1Sam 2:6-8]; as to association, it is connected with mourning [Gen 37:34-35]; sorrow [Gen 42:38; 2Sam 22:6; Ps 18:5; 116:3]; fright and terror [Num 16:27,34]; mourning [Isa 38:3,10,17,18]; silence [Ps 6:5; 31:17; Ecc 9:10]; no knowledge [Ecc 9:5,6,10]; punishment [Num 16:29,34; 1Kings 2:6,9,; Job 24:19; Ps 9:17] [R.V. = re turned]; corruption [Ps 16:10; Acts 2:27,31]; as to duration, resurrection is the only exit from it [Ps 16:11; Acts 2:27,31; 13:33-37; 1Cor 15:55; Rev 1:18; 20:5,13,14]

(3)"Tartaroo" (occurs only in 2Pet 2:4) = to thrust down to Tartarus. Tartarus being a Greek word, not used elsewhere or at all in the Sept. Homer describes it as subterranean (cp. Deut 32:22 which may refer to this) The Homeric Tartarus is the prison of the Titans, or giants (cp. Heb. Rephaim) who rebelled against Zeus."