A Brighter Day Begins with His Word.

BIBLE DICTIONARY + WORD STUDY

Hades

Original Hebrew / Aramaic / Greek connected to this term

How to read this: there is rarely one magic “true meaning” hidden behind an English word. A lexicon records a word’s semantic range. The intended meaning is narrowed by grammar, sentence, author, historical usage and context.

GREEK · G4102

πίστις

pistis — faith

πίστις, -εως, ἡ (πείθω), [in LXX chiefly for אֱמוּנָה ;] 1. in active sense, faith, belief, trust, confidence, in NT always of religious faith in God or Christ or spiritual things: Mat.8:10, Luk.5:20, Act.14:9, Rom.1:8, 1Co.2:5, 2Co.1:24, 1Ti.1:5, al.; with genitive obj., Mrk.11:22, Act.3:16, Rom.3:22, Gal.2:16, Eph.3:12, Jas.2:1, al.; with prep., ἐν, Rom.3:25, Gal.3:26, Eph.1:15, Col.1:24, 1Ti.1:14 3:13, 2Ti.1:13 3:15, 2Pe.1:1; εἰς, Act.20:21 24:24 26:18, Col.2:5, 1Pe.1:21; πρός, 1Th.1:8, Phm 5; ἐπί, with accusative Heb.6:1; ἐν τῇ π. στήκειν (εἶναι, μένειν), 1Co.16:13, 1Co.13:5, 1Ti.2:15; ὑπακοὴ τῆς π., Rom.1:5 16:26; ὁ ἐκ π., Rom.3:26 4:16, Gal.3:12; διὰ (τῆς) π., Rom.3:30, Gal.2:16, Php.3:9. By meton., objectively, that which is the object or content of belief, the faith: Act.6:7 14:22, Gal.1:23 3:23 6:10, Php.1:26, 27 Ju 3, 20, and perh. also Act.13:8 16:5, Rom.1:5 and 16:26 (see supr.), 1Co.16:13, Col.1:23, 2Th.3:2 (Lft., Notes, 125), 1Ti.1:19 3:9 4:1, 6 5:8 6:10, 12, 2Ti.3:8 4:7 Tit.1:4, 13 3:15, 1Pe.5:9. 2. In passive sense, (a) fidelity, faithfulness: Mat.23:23, Gal.5:22; ἡ π. τοῦ θεοῦ, Rom.3:3; (b) objectively, plighted faith, a pledge of fidelity: 1Ti.5:12. (On the various shades of meaning in which the word is used in NT, see esp. ICC on Rom.1:17, pp. 31ff.; Lft., Ga., 154ff.; Stevens, Th. NT, 422, 515ff.; DB, i, 830ff.; Cremer, see word) (AS)

226 tagged verse occurrences · see every occurrence →

GREEK · G86

ᾍδης

Hadēs — hell: Hades

ᾅδης, -ου, ὁ [in LXX ehiefly for שְׁאוֹל, also for דּוּמָה, מָוֶת, etc. ;] 1. in Hom., Hades (Pluto), the god of the underworld. 2. the abode of Hades, the underivorld; in NT, the abode of departed spirits, Hades: ἐν τ. ᾅ., Luk.16:23; εἰς ᾅ., Act.2:27,31; πύλαι ᾅδου, Mat.16:18; κλεῖς τοῦ ᾅ., Rev.1:18; metaphorically, ἕως ᾅ., Mat.11:23, Luk.10:15; personified, Rev.6:8 20:13,14 (Cremer, 67, 610; MM, VGT, see word). † (AS)

10 tagged verse occurrences · see every occurrence →

GREEK · G5337

φαῦλος

phaulos — evil

φαῦλος, -η, -ον [in LXX: Pro.22:8 (עֶוֶל) Pro.29:9 (אֱוִיל), etc. ;] slight, worthless, of no account, both of persons and things in various shades of meaning (see LS, see word), in NT, as frequently in cl., always with distinct moral reference (see Ellic., Past. Epp., 203; Hort, Ja., 85; Tr., Syn., LXXxiv), worthless, bad: Jhn.3:20, Tit.2:8, Jas.3:16; opposite to ἀγαθός (which see), Jhn.5:29, Rom.9:11, 2Co.5:10.† SYN.: see: ἄθεσμος (AS)

6 tagged verse occurrences · see every occurrence →

GREEK · G2709

καταχθόνιος

katachthonios — subterranean

κατα-χθόνιος, -ον (χθών, the earth), subterranean, under the earth (in cl., of the infernal gods): of the departed in Hades, opposite to ἐπουράνιος, ἐπίγειος, Php.2:10.† (AS)

1 tagged verse occurrence · see every occurrence →

GREEK · G6134

ἀδάμας

adamas — adamant

1. properly the untamed, unconquerable : 2. as Substantive adamant , i. e. the hardest metal, probably steel : metaphorically of any thing unalterable , ἔπος ἐρέω ἀδάμαντι πελάσσας having fixed it firm as adamant , (Oracle quoted in Herdotus Historicus) 3. the diamond , (Theophrastus Philosophus) 4. as adjective, metaphorically, the inflexible , of Hades, (Theocritus Poeta Bucolicus) (ML)

0 tagged verse occurrences · see every occurrence →

GREEK · G7909

καταρράκτης

katarraktēs — a dungeon

1. as adjective down-rushing , τὸν καταρράκτην ὀδόν (attic for οὐδόν); to the downward entrance [of Hades, Refs 5th c.BC] 2. as Substantive broken water, a waterfall , Lat. cataracta, (Strabo Geographus) 3. a kind of portcullis , (Plutarch) 4. a sea-bird, so called from rushing down upon its prey, a gull , (Aristophanes Comicus) (ML)

0 tagged verse occurrences · see every occurrence →

GREEK · G9404

Τάρταρος

Tartaros — infernal region

Tartarus , a dark abyss, as deep below Hades as earth below heaven, the prison of the Titans, (Iliad by Homer), etc.:—;later, the nether world , like Ἅιδης, (Hesiod) derivation uncertain (ML)

0 tagged verse occurrences · see every occurrence →

GREEK · G9727

χθών

chthōn — soil

1. the earth, ground , (Homer); χθόνα δῦναι to go beneath the earth , i. e. to die, (Iliad by Homer); κατὰ χθονὸς κρύπτειν τινά (Sophocles Tragicus); κούφα σοι χθὼν ἐπάνω πέσοι (Euripides) 2. of the nether world , οἱ ὑπὸ χθονός, i. e. those in the shades below , Lat. inferi, (Aeschulus Tragicus); κατὰ χθονὸς θεαί, i. e. the Erinyes, (Aeschulus Tragicus) 3. earth , i. e. the whole earth, the world , (Aeschulus Tragicus) 4. Earth , as a goddess, (Aeschulus Tragicus) 5. a particular land or country , of Ithaca, (Odyssey by Homer); of Libya, (Pindar); χθὼν Ἀσιᾶτις, Δωρίς, Ἀργεία, Ἑλλάς, Ἰδαία, etc., [variant datesTragica Adespota (ML)

0 tagged verse occurrences · see every occurrence →

Historical dictionary entry

That which is out of sight, a Greek word used to denote the state or place of the dead. All the dead alike go into this place. To be buried, to go down to the grave, to descend into hades, are equivalent expressions. In the LXX. this word is the usual rendering of the Hebrew sheol, the common receptacle of the departed (Gen. 42:38; Ps. 139:8; Hos. 13:14; Isa. 14:9). This term is of comparatively rare occurrence in the Greek New Testament. Our Lord speaks of Capernaum as being “brought down to hell” (hades), i.e., simply to the lowest debasement, (Matt. 11:23). It is contemplated as a kind of kingdom which could never overturn the foundation of Christ’s kingdom (16:18), i.e., Christ’s church can never die. In Luke 16:23 it is most distinctly associated with the doom and misery of the lost. In Acts 2:27-31 Peter quotes the LXX. version of Ps. 16:8-11, plainly for the purpose of proving our Lord’s resurrection from the dead. David was left in the place of the dead, and his body saw corruption. Not so with Christ. According to ancient prophecy (Ps. 30:3) he was recalled to life.

Scripture references

Source: Easton’s Bible Dictionary (1897). Historical dictionary wording reflects the scholarship and language of its era.

Compare other reference traditions

Look up Hades in Smith’s Bible Dictionary and ISBE →