Pro tempore, No. 19, 2024.
Professional paper
Old Testament Depictions of Death and the Underworld (Summary)
Patrik Smolak
Abstract
Death, as a universal human experience, has been described in a multitude of ways in different cultures. By studying the ways that death is depicted in the Old Testament, we can uncover the social and theological beliefs of the ancient Israelites and their relationship to life, such as the importance of a long life and progeny. The depictions of death also explain the relationship between God and his people since Yahweh is primarily portrayed as a god of life and a god of history. A concept closely associated with death is that of the underworld, which was quite unique when comparing Israelite and polytheistic Middle Eastern perspectives. The monotheistic view of the underworld is superficial in its definition, but is usually presented as a land of no return where God’s presence is absent. The Old Testament authors used several ways to denote the underworld, sometimes by using the word „pit“, but most commonly called it Sheol, which was always used to represent the underworld. Sheol can be described as a punishment for sinners and heathens, a fate that unfairly befell the righteous or pious, and is rarely depicted as the fate of all people regardless of a person’s moral dimension.
Keywords
Old Testament; death; underworld; Sheol; monotheism
Hrčak ID:
335687
URI
Publication date:
17.9.2025.
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