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Sheol

According to Hebrew tradition, Sheol—which means the pit—was a realm beneath the earth where the spirits of the dead resided. It was in many ways the opposite of the world of the living. While light shone on the earth, darkness veiled Sheol. On earth the living had solid bodies, but in Sheol the dead existed as shadows.

The souls of all people went to Sheol, regardless of their behavior during life. As a result, it was not considered a place of punishment for wickedness. In fact, a person who was properly mourned by his relatives after death was believed to join his ancestors in Sheol. In some accounts the souls in Sheol slept, while in others they experienced hopelessness or fear.