In the Bible, the word Sheol refers to the grave or the abode of the dead. Through much of the Old Testament period, it was believed that all went one place, whether human or animal, whether righteous or wicked. No one could avoid Sheol, which was thought to be down in the lowest parts of the earth.
Unlike this world, Sheol is devoid of love, hate, envy, work, thought, knowledge, and wisdom. Descriptions are bleak: There is no light, no remembrance, no praise of God — in fact, no sound at all. Its inhabitants are weak, trembling shades who can never hope to escape from its gates. Sheol is like a ravenous beast that swallows the living without being sated. Some thought the dead were cut off from God; while others believed that God's presence reached even to Sheol.