שְׁאוֺל, שְׁאֹל noun feminine^{Psalm 86:13} (apparently masculine Job 26:6 compare Isaiah 14:9, see Albr^{ZAW xvi(1896), 51}) She®°ôl, underworld (√ dubious; שׁאל, i.e. palce of inquiry (reference to necromancy) Jastr^{Amos. Jsem. Lang. xiv. 170. cf JBL xix (1900), 88 ff.} (Jerem^{Lebenn. d. Tode 109} 'Ort der Entscheidung'); Thes Bö^{De Inf. § 158} Di and others compare √ שׁעל, whence שֹׁעַל hallow hand, etc.; ׳שׁ then = hallow place, 'Hölle', hell; other conjectures see Hup^{Ps. 66} De^{Isaiah 5:14} Beer^{Bibl. Hades} in Holtzmann^{Festgabe,1902, 15}; most now refrain from positive etymology (e.g. Buhl); Old Aramaic שאול, Syriac ; Assyrian šu-alu is dubious: so reads and interprets Dl^{pa 121, Prol.47. 145} Jastr^{Amos. J. Semitic Lang. xiv. 165 ff.} Ency. Bib^s.v.; opposed to by Bertin^{TSBA viii. 269} Jen^{Kosmol.223 ff.} Zim^{KAT 3. 636} and others; see also Muss-Arn^{JBL xi (1892), 169 and references}); — always absolute, שְׁאוֺל Deuteronomy 32:22 52t.,הָ֯ Genesis 42:38; Psalm 9:18; שְׁאֹל 1 Kings 2:6; Job 17:16, הָ֯ Genesis 37:35 7t.; + Isaiah 7:11 (so read for שְׁאָ֫לָה Aq Σ Θ Du Che and now most); —

1 the underworld, תַּחְתִּית ׳שׁ Deuteronomy 32:22, מִתַּחַת Isaiah 14:9; מִ֑טָּה ׳מִשּׁ Proverbs 15:24; "" מָוֶת Proverbs 5:5; Proverbs 7:27; Songs 8:6; Psalm 89:49; whither men descend at death, Genesis 37:35 (E), Genesis 42:38; Genesis 44:29,31 (J), 1 Samuel 2:6; 1 Kings 2:6,9; Job 7:9; Job 21:13; Isaiah 14:11,15; Psalm 88:4, and Korah and associates go down alive by ׳יs judgment, Numbers 16:30,33 (J), compare Psalm 55:16; under mountains and sea Job 26:6 (compare Job 26:5), ׳בֶּטֶן שׁ Jonah 2:3 (compare Jonah 2:7); with bars Job 17:16 (si vera 1.: see ᵐ5 Du); ׳מִּי שׁ Psalm 141:7; ׳שַׁעֲרֵי שׁ Isaiah 38:10; personified Isaiah 28:15,18 ("" מות). as insatiable monster Isaiah 5:14; Habakkuk 2:5; Proverbs 1:12; Proverbs 27:20; Proverbs 30:16; as said (figurative) to have snares, ׳חֶבְלֵי שׁ Psalm 18:6 = 2 Samuel 22:6 compare ׳מְצָרֵי שׁ Psalm 116:3; opposed to (height of) שָׁמַיִם Amos 9:2; Job 11:8; Psalm 139:8 + (opposed to לְמָ֑עְלָה) Isaiah 7:11 (see above); dark, gloomy, without return Job 17:13 (compare Job 17:16; Job 7:9; Job 10:21; Job 16:22; all being alike Job 3:17-19; Job 21:23-26 ); without work or knowledge or wisdom according to Ecclesiastes 9:5,6,10 (compare Job 14:21, and see רְפָאִים below רפה; yet compare Isaiah 14:9f.).

2 condition of righteous and wicked distinguished in ׳שׁ (later than 1 Samuel 28, especially inWisdom Literature):

a. wicked יָשׁוּבוּ לִשְׁא֑וֺלָה Psalm 9:18, ׳יִדְּמוּ לִשׁ Psalm 31:18; death is their shepherd, without power and honour they waste away Psalm 49:15 (twice in verse); ׳שׁ consumes them as drought water Job 24:19; righteous dread it because no praise or presence of God there (as in temple) Psalm 6:6 (compare Psalm 88:5), Isaiah 38:18; deliverance from it a blessing Psalm 30:4; Psalm 86:13; Proverbs 23:14. In Ezek. ׳שׁ is land below, place of reproach, abode of uncircumcised Ezekiel 31:15,16,17; Ezekiel 32:21,27

b. righteous shall not be aban-doned, ׳לשׁ Ezekiel 16:10 ("" שַׁחַת q. v.; opposed to אִרַח חַיִּים etc., Ezekiel 16:11, compare Ezekiel 17:15), is ransomed from ׳שׁ Ezek 49:16 (compare Ezek 73:23; Ezek 73:25; Isaiah 57:1,2); compare Job's expectation and desire Job 14:13; Job 17:13 (compare Job 10:21; Job 19:25f.).

3 later distinction of places in ׳שׁ:

a. depths of ׳שׁ for sensualist Proverbs 9:18.

b. וַאֲבַדּוֺן ׳שׁ Proverbs 25:11, see אֲבַדּוֺן. [שַׁחַת and בּוֺר, q. v., when "" ׳שׁ, are usually in bad sense(Psalm 88:4); probably = pit in ׳שׁ, > ׳שׁ itself as pit; words at least prepare for local distinctions of post-Biblical Judaism and NT.]

4 ׳שׁ figurative of extreme degradation in sin Isaiah 57:9; as place of exile for Israel Hosea 13:14 (twice in verse) (compare Isaiah 26:19).