V. Hell Missing

The doctrine of eternal hell is a fearful Bible truth.  The word itself has from the beginning of the English language had a fixed and established meaning. “The wicked shall be turned into hell and all the nations that forget God” (Psalm 9:17) is plain.  In fact, for many (including preachers and Bible translators) it appears to be too plain. Many today do not mind using the word in their daily conversation, but do not like seeing it in the Bible.

Modern translations seem to have tried to make the Bible more acceptable by taking some of the terror out of the fact that a man or woman who dies outside of faith in Jesus Christ will go to an eternal and conscious hell.  Translators have done this in two ways.  First, the word is often left in its untranslated Hebrew or Greek form (Sheol, Hades), and thus its impact upon an English reader is diminished.  The New American Standard Bible reverts to this practice.  Secondly, some simply translate Sheol as “death” or “grave.”  The Jehovah's Witness “Bible” does this, and (if you can believe it!) so does the New International Version.

In the previous lists, the point at issue has been the underlying Greek text of the New Testament.  The modern versions are based on a different text than the KJV.  This as we will explain in the following chapters is the reason for the many omissions.  Here, though, the issue is generally not the underlying text, but rather the philosophy of the translators.  In the case of the NIV translators, their philosophical choice has been to completely take hell out of the Old Testament!

“Hell” in the KJV (mentioned first) and NIV

Deuteronomy 32:22

For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn into the lowest hell.
For a fire has been kindled by my wrath, one that burns to the realm of death below.

2 Samuel 22:6
The sorrows of hell compassed me about.
The cords of the grave coiled around me. 

Job 11:8
It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell; what canst thou know?
They are higher than the heavens-what can you do? They are deeper than the depths of the grave-what can you know?

Job 26:6
Hell is naked before him.
Death naked before God.

Psalm 9:17
The wicked shall be turned into Hell, and all the nations that forget God.
The wicked return to the grave, all nations that forget God.

Psalm 16:10
For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
Because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.

Psalm 18:5The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me.
The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me.

Psalm 55:15
Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into hell.
Let death take my enemies by surprise; let them go down alive to the grave.

Psalm 86:13
thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell.
you have delivered my soul from the depths of the grave.

Psalm 116:3
The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me.
The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came upon me.

Psalm 139:8
If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

Proverbs 5:5
Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell.
Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave.

Proverbs 7:27
Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.
Her house is a highway to the grave, dealing down to the chambers of death. 

Proverbs 9:18
her guests are in the depths of hell.
her guests are in the depths of the grave.

Proverbs 15:11
Hell and destruction are before the Lord.
Death and Destruction lie open before the Lord.

Proverbs 15:24
The way of life is above to the wise, that he may depart from hell beneath. 
The path of life leads upward for the wise to keep him from going down to the grave. 

Proverbs 23:14
and shalt deliver his soul from hell.
and save his soul from death.

Proverbs 27:20
Hell and destruction are never full.
Death and Destruction are never satisfied.

Isaiah 5:14
Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure.
Therefore the grave enlarges its appetite and opens its mouth without limit.

Isaiah 14:9
Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth.
The grave below is all astir to meet you at your coming; it rouses the spirits of the departed to greet you-all those who were leaders in the world.

Isaiah 14:15
Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
But you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit.

Isaiah 28:15
Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement.
You boast, "We have entered into a covenant with death, with the grave we have made an agreement."

Isaiah 28:18
And your covenant with death shall be disannulled and your agreement with hell shall not stand.
Your covenant with death will be annulled; your agreement with the grave will not stand.

Isaiah 57:9
and didst debase thyself even unto hell.
you descended to the grave itself.

Ezekiel 31:16
I cast him down to hell with them that descend into the pit.
I brought it down to the grave with those who go down to the pit.

Ezekiel 31:17
They also went down into hell.
had also gone down to the grave.

Ezekiel 32:21
The strong among the mighty shall speak to him out of the midst of hell.
From within the grave the mighty leaders will say.

Ezekiel 32:27
which are gone down to hell.
who went down to the grave.

Amos 9:2
Though they dig into hell, thence shall mine hand take them.
Though they dig down to the depths of the grave, from there my hand take them.

Jonah 2:2
out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.
From the depths of the grave I called for help.

Habakkuk 2:5
who enlargeth his desire as hell, and is as death.
because he is as greedy as the grave and like death.

In the New Testament the word hell is found twenty-two times in the Authorised Version, compared with thirteen in the New International Version. But the biggest shock comes when we see how this popular translation completely removes  hell from the Old Testament.  Yes, the Modern Bibles have gotten rid of the “Thee's” and “Thou’s” and a lot else!