The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1885-06-19

In Job XII. 8, e. g., there is a very mark
ed advance, and we have a nearer ap-
prosch to the full chronological signif-
cation of hell. e.. deep whose depth
is unfathomable. Il quote in all these
passages the authorized version, only
substituting "sheol'' for hell.') at
1.-THE perfection of the Almighty is as
high as heaven, what canst thou do
deeper than sheol; what canst thou
know?" Then again it signifies the
abode of departed spirits, call it Para
disc, Hades, what you will. Thus in
Isaiah xiv, perhaps the most thrilling
poetry in all the old Testament, where
the entrance of the Son of Man into
the "under world" where, in those
hours between His death and resurrec-
ton, He went and preached unto the
spirits in prison." is pictured in pro.
phetic vision: Sheol from beneath is
moved for Thee to meet Thee at Thy
coming; it stirreth up all the dead for
Thee, even all the chief ones of the
earth; it hath raised up from their
thrones all the kings of the nations.
All they shall speak and say unto
Thee, art Thou also become weak as
we? art Thou become like unto us !?
Thy pomp is brought down to sheol,"
etc. Now this last sheol is translated
in the A. V. as the grave" but it Is
precisely the same word which is rem
dered hell" at the beginning of the
passage. Ps.S6,v. 13. which our present
A. V. authorized version) gives as fol-
lows: "Thou hast delivered my soul
from the loaOeSt HE'LL" seems to convey
an idea of threatened torment which is
entirely absent from the original
from sheol below" is the thought
conveyed. So here we have the ad-
ditional idea of motion downwards
which somehow is even in our Saxon
minds inseparable from the thought of
death. We speak of people going down
to death or down to the grave-never
up, until we learn to look beyond death
to the state to which death is tine en-
trance. Death per Sc is gloomy, dark,
deep, downwards.
Then sheol is viewed POLITICALLY as an
all-destroying monster, greedy, insatia.
BILE, stern and cruel. merciless as fate
nay, even as an active demon laying
snares for its victims. Thus to give
an instance of each Of these character
isticS as they advance in eyer-increas
ing force:
Prov, l., II. Let us swallow them
up alive as the grace (sheol).
Prov. XXX, 16. There are three
things that are never satisfied x
the grace (sheol), etc.
Ib., xvii, 20. He'll and destruction
are never full.
Hab. H., s, X He enlargeth his de-
sire as hell (sheoI and as death and
cannot be satisfied.
lisa. xiv, 5. Sheol hath enlarged her
self and opened her mouth without
measure.
Cant. viii, 6. Jealousy is cruel as
the grace (sheoD.
Ps. xviii, 5, and Sam, xii, 6. The
sorrows (nargiia words) of sheol COM
passed me.
Thus in the vivid style of Hebrew
poetry sheol is almost personified
These examples will show why no one
word will translate it. " HELP is con-
fessedly inadequate because usage has
attached ito it the idea of torment,
of suffering which seldom Ct think,
never) properly belongs to sheol.
" Death" and "the grave" are unsatis.
factory also, because sheol means more
than either of these; e. g., as we have
seen it sometimes means the whole
company of disembodied spirits.
The substitution of sheol for hell
has no bearing whatever on the doc
trine of eternal punishment. That
doctrine rests upon an entirely differ
ent set of texts in which the word
sheol for the word hell in the A.. W
does not once occur. S. J. FRENCH.