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Wikipedia's first sentence called it "hebrew language word denoting the "abode of the dead"". Today it says "underworld place of stillness and darkness which is death". We saved the article's opening at 6 moments between 2005 and 2025, and every claim links the exact revision.

The opening as it read in 2005

Sheol (שאול) is the Hebrew language word denoting the "abode of the dead"; the " underworld ", "grave" or "pit". In the Hebrew Bible it is portrayed as a comfortless place beneath the earth, beyond gates, where both the bad and the good, slave and king, pious and wicked must go after death to sleep in silence and oblivion in the dust. In some sources, for example in Deuteronomy 32:22, Sheol seems to be synonymous with the "depths of the earth". Sheol is generally compared to the gloomy, twilight afterlife of Hades or Tartarus from Greek mythology .¹ Sheol is the common destination of both the righteous and the unrighteous dead; the righteous Job sees it as his destination (Job 3).² In the Book of Job, while Satan is portrayed as tormenting and testing the living, he does not appear to have any particular presidency over Sheol , or to dwell in Sheol . Indeed, Sheol in many cases does not seem to be an afterlife destination or a location at all, but merely "the grave". In Ecclesiastes , for example, it is stated that "...the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even the memory of them is forgotten." and "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave [Sheol], where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom." (Ecc. 9:5-10, NIV ) Jehovah's Witnesses interpret Sheol as an unconscious condition of the dead. Jacob , not comforted at the reported death of Joseph , exclaims: "I shall go down to my son a mourner unto Sheol" ( Genesis 37:35). Sheol may be personified: Sheol is never satiated ( Proverbs 30:20); she "makes wide her soul," ( Isaiah 5:14). Psalms Chapter 18: 5 The breakers of death surged round about me; the menacing floods terrified me. 6 The cords of Sheol tightened; the snares of death lay in wait for me. 7 In my distress I called out: LORD! I cried out to my God. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry to him reached his ears. Psalms Chapter 86:13: "Your love for me is great; you have rescued me from the depths of Sheol." The Hebrew concept is paralleled in the Sumerian Netherworld to which Inanna descends. The English word hell comes from Germanic mythology , now used in Judeo-Christian and senses to translate the Hebrew word "Gehinnom," which was a valley outside Jerusalem used for burning refuse (basically a landfill), and the Greek Hades and Tartarus . The New Testament seems to draw a distinction between Sheol and "Gehinnom", or Gehenna ( Jahannam in Islam ). The most "hellish" notion in Jewish tradition is the Biblical word Gehinnom , later interpreted to refer to a place of condemnation. But the source of the word is most interesting. Gei Hinnom was the valley of Hinnom ( Joshua 15:8, 18:16; II Kings 23:10; Jeremiah 7:31; Nehemiah 11:30), a place where children were sacrificed to the Canaanite god Moloch . In Islam , this same word became Jahannam , an Islamic term for Hell. The prominent Biblical scholar William Foxwell Albright points out that the Hebrew root for SHE'OL is SHA'AL , which normally means "to ask, to interrogate, to question." Sheol therefore should mean "asking, interrogation, questioning." This could refer to the questioning of the human soul, newly arrived in the afterworld, by supernatural entities. John Tvedtnes, also a Biblical scholar, connects this with the common theme in the Near-Death Experience (which see)of the interrogation of the soul after crossing the Tunnel.³

This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 16095973.

The opening as it stood in 2010 21 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear

Sheol (pronounced "Sheh-ol"), in Hebrew שאול (She'ol), is the "grave", or "pit" or "abyss" . In Judaism She'ol is the place of spiritual purification or punishment for the wicked dead in Judaism, a site at the greatest possible distance from heaven. According to most Jewish sources, the period of purification or punishment is limited to only 12 months and every shabbath day is excluded from punishment. After this the soul will ascend to Olam Ha-Ba , the world to come, or will be destroyed if it is severely wicked. The place of spiritual purification or punishment for the wicked dead in Judaism is not called ' Hell ' but referred to either as Gehinnom or She'ol. It is a figurative name for a place where the dead were believed to be forgathered. The word " hades " (= underworld) was substituted for "sheol" when the Hebrew scriptures - by decree - were translated into Greek (see Septuagint ) in ancient Alexandria around 200 BCE (see Hellenistic Judaism ). In the Old Testament Sheol is the common destination of both the righteous and the unrighteous flesh, as recounted in Ecclesiastes and Job . The New Testament (written in Greek) also uses "Hades" to refer to the abode of the dead. (Revelation 20:13) The belief that those in Sheol awaited the resurrection either in comfort (in the bosom of Abraham ) or in torment is reflected in the story of the New Testament of Lazarus and Dives . English translations of the Hebrew scriptures have variously rendered the word Sheol as " Hell " or "the grave". Strong's Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries and Strong's Concordance "Hebrew word of uncertain etymology (see Sheol, Critical View), synonym of "bor" (pit), "abaddon" and "shaḥat" (pit or destruction), and perhaps also of "tehom" (abyss)." SHEOL websourced 02-10-2010. [1] "The place of spiritual punishment and/or purification for the wicked dead in Judaism is not referred to as Hell, but as Gehinnom or She'ol." HELL - Judaism 101 websourced 02-10-2010.

Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 369275735.

The opening as it stood in 2015 13 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear

The parable of the Rich man and Lazarus depicting the rich man in hell asking for help to Abraham by James Tissot She'ol ( / ˈ ʃ iː oʊ l / SHEE -ohl or / ˈ ʃ iː ə l / SHEE -əl ; Hebrew Šʾôl ), in the Hebrew Bible , is a place of darkness to which all the dead go, both the righteous and the unrighteous, regardless of the moral choices made in life, a place of stillness and darkness cut off from life and from the Hebrew God. The inhabitants of Sheol are the "shades" ( rephaim ), entities without personality or strength. Under some circumstances they are thought to be able to be contacted by the living, as the Witch of Endor contacts the shade of Samuel for Saul , but such practices are forbidden (Deuteronomy 18:10). While the Old Testament writings describe Sheol as the permanent place of the dead, in the Second Temple period (roughly 500 BC–70 AD) a more diverse set of ideas developed. In some texts, Sheol is considered to be the home of both the righteous and the wicked, separated into respective compartments; in others, it was considered a place of punishment, meant for the wicked dead alone. When the Hebrew scriptures were translated into Greek in ancient Alexandria around 200 BC, the word " Hades " (the Greek underworld ) was substituted for Sheol, and this is reflected in the New Testament where Hades is both the underworld of the dead and the personification of the evil it represents.

Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 669126883.

The opening as it stood in 2020 2 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear

Underworld in the Old Testament For the Naglfar album, see Sheol (album) . Sheol ( / ˈ ʃ iː oʊ l / SHEE -ohl , /- əl / ; Hebrew : Šəʾōl ), in the Hebrew Bible , is a place of darkness to which the dead go. Under some circumstances they are thought to be able to be contacted by the living. Sheol is also called Hades . While the Hebrew Bible describes Sheol as the permanent place of the dead, in the Second Temple period (roughly 500 BC – 70 AD) Sheol is considered to be the home of the dead wicked, while paradise is the home of the dead righteous until the Last Judgement (e.g. 1 Enoch 22; Luke 16 :19-31). In some texts, Sheol was considered a place of punishment, meant for the wicked dead, and is equated with Gehenna in the Talmud . When the Hebrew scriptures were translated into Greek in ancient Alexandria around 200 BC, the word "Hades" (the Greek underworld ) was substituted for Sheol. This is reflected in the New Testament where Hades is both the underworld of the dead and the personification of it. Morgan Dix , by Joseph Keppler , 1888.

Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 964760386.

The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023 4 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear

Underworld in the Hebrew Bible For the Naglfar album, see Sheol (album) . Biblical text on a synagogue in Holešov , Czech Republic: " Hashem kills and makes alive; He brings down to Sheol and raises up." ( 1 Samuel 2:6) Sheol ( / ˈ ʃ iː . oʊ l , - əl / SHEE -ohl, -⁠uhl ; Šəʾōl , Tiberian: Šŏʾōl ) in the Hebrew Bible is a place of still darkness which lies after death . Although not well defined in the Tanakh , Sheol in this view was a subterranean underworld where the souls of the dead went after the body died. Within the Hebrew Bible, there are few – often brief and nondescript – mentions of Sheol, seemingly describing it as a place where both the righteous and the unrighteous dead go, regardless of their moral choices in life. The implications of Sheol within the texts are therefore somewhat unclear; it can be interpreted as either a generic metaphor describing "the grave" into which all humans invariably descend, or, it may be interpreted as representing an actual state of afterlife within Israelite thought. Though such practices are forbidden, the inhabitants of Sheol can, under some circumstances, be summoned by the living, as when the Witch of Endor calls up the spirit of Samuel for King Saul . While the Hebrew Bible appears to describe Sheol as the permanent place of the dead, in the Second Temple period (roughly 500 BCE–70 CE) a more diverse set of ideas developed. In some texts, Sheol is considered to be the home of both the righteous and the wicked, separated into respective compartments; in others, it was considered a place of punishment, meant for the wicked dead alone, and is equated with Gehenna in the Talmud . When the Hebrew scriptures were translated into Greek in ancient Alexandria around 200 BCE, the word " Hades " (the Greek underworld ) was substituted for Sheol, owing to its similarities to the Underworld of Greek mythology . The gloss of Sheol as "Hades" is reflected in the New Testament where Hades is both the underworld of the dead and the personification of the evil it represents.

Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1165919769.

The opening as it stood in 2025 1 passage from the previous snapshot no longer appear

Underworld in the Hebrew Bible For the Naglfar album, see Sheol (album) . Biblical text on a synagogue in Holešov , Czech Republic: " HaShem kills and makes alive; He brings down to Sheol and raises up." ( 1 Samuel 2:6) Sheol ( / ˈ ʃ iː . oʊ l , - əl / SHEE -ohl, -⁠uhl ; Hebrew : שְׁאוֹל ‎ Šəʾōl , Tiberian Hebrew : Šŏʾōl ) in the Hebrew Bible is the underworld place of stillness and darkness which is death . Within the Hebrew Bible, there are few—often brief and nondescript—mentions of Sheol, seemingly describing it as a place where both the righteous and the unrighteous dead go, regardless of their moral choices in life. The implications of Sheol within the texts are therefore somewhat unclear; it may be interpreted as either a generic metaphor describing "the grave" into which all humans invariably descend, or an actual state of afterlife within Israelite thought. Though such practices are forbidden, the inhabitants of Sheol can, under some circumstances, be summoned by the living, as when the Witch of Endor calls up the spirit of Samuel for King Saul . While the Hebrew Bible appears to describe Sheol as the permanent place of the dead, in the Second Temple period (roughly 500 BCE – 70 CE), a more diverse set of ideas developed. In some texts, Sheol is considered the home of both the righteous and the wicked, separated into respective compartments; in others, it was considered a place of punishment meant for the wicked dead alone. When the Hebrew scriptures were translated into Greek in ancient Alexandria (around 200 BCE), the word " Hades " (i.e., the Greek underworld ) was substituted for Sheol owing to its similarities to the Underworld of Greek mythology . The gloss of Sheol as "Hades" is reflected in the New Testament , wherein Hades is both the underworld of the dead and the personification of the evil it represents.

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