Sheol is the dwelling-place of the dead in the Hebrew Bible (or Old Testament). In the Book of Job, it’s portrayed as a place from which the dead never return, as deep as heaven is high. At the same time, it isn’t the same as the later biblical concept of hell, and it isn’t just for the wicked. In his complaints, Job even says he’d prefer to hide in Sheol than continue to suffer affliction from God.
Sheol Quotes in Book of Job
The Book of Job quotes below are all either spoken by Sheol or refer to Sheol. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Get the entire Book of Job LitChart as a printable PDF.
Sheol Term Timeline in Book of Job
The timeline below shows where the term Sheol appears in Book of Job. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 7
...hopeless. Life is as short as a breath, and when someone dies and goes to Sheol, they never return.
(full context)
Chapter 11
Can Job discern God’s wisdom? It is higher than heaven and deeper than Sheol, longer than the earth and broader than the sea. Who can hinder God’s judgment? Zophar...
(full context)
Chapter 14
Job wishes that God would just hide him in Sheol for a while, until God’s wrath has been exhausted. Then Job would wait until God...
(full context)
Chapter 17
...at his plight. Job addresses his friends and asks where he can find hope, if Sheol is to be his dwelling.
(full context)
Chapter 21
...their households live without fear. Their children dance and celebrate, and the wicked descend to Sheol in peace.
(full context)
Chapter 24
...who waits for evening so his actions will be hidden. Such people befriend darkness, and Sheol claims such sinners. Even if God seems to sustain them for a little while, they...
(full context)
Chapter 26
The shades (the dead) and the waters beneath the earth tremble. Sheol is plainly visible to God, who “hangs the earth upon nothing,” collects water in the...
(full context)
