Places & biblical world
Hades
A Greek New Testament term concerning death and the realm of the dead.
Also called · realm of the dead
What it means
In Acts 2, Peter quotes the Psalm about not being abandoned in Hades to explain Jesus’ resurrection. In Matthew 16, Jesus says the gates of Hades will not prevail against his assembly.
In Luke 16, the rich man suffers in Hades and asks Abraham to send Lazarus. Abraham replies that the great gulf cannot be crossed and that the man’s brothers should listen to Moses and the prophets.
How it appears in the Bible
In Revelation 20’s judgment scene, Death and Hades give up their dead, who are judged according to their works. Death and Hades are then thrown into the lake of fire; the scene describes Hades and the lake as distinct.
Translation note
The selected World English Bible retains Hades. Acts’ quotation links this Greek term with the Psalm’s Hebrew Sheol; resurrection, warning, and judgment remain distinct contexts.