Revisiting SHEOL (before going to the Pit)

Last week I announced that this week’s word would be the PIT. After diving into the PIT (haha) I found it far too deep to accomplish a full word study with the time I had. It has been a very busy week. I’m a full time university library employee, a part-time Doctoral student, an interim-President of the PEI Genealogical Society, a Worship committee member in my faith family, and a widowed Mum trying to do this parenthood thing on her own.  I sometimes feel (and I’m sure I’m not alone in this) that I’m on the bottom step of a very tall staircase and the more that is thrown upon my back, the more laboured each footstep becomes. The end feels very very far away, but even though it’s a bit of a heavy slog, I’m actually still enjoying the journey very much.

I’m currently working on a paper to be sent in for peer review, which I’m very excited about. I will keep you posted, as things (hopefully) progress. I will admit, this paper has been my main focus this week, at the expense of HebrewWordLessons. I absolutely love blogging on this site and consider it my top priority, but sometimes I have to tip my hat and say, this deserves more time.  As a result, this week I suggest we re-read the posting on Sheol, written quite a few years ago.

Sheol is a synonym to the Pit and Biblical poets and songwriters used both words to highlight YHWH’s saving grace. One of my favourite songs to do this is King Hezekiah’s beautiful melody that he sang after YHWH saved him from dying:

Isaiah 38:17-20

“Behold, for my own welfare I had great bitterness; but You have kept my soul from the pit [mi-shakhat] of nothingness, for You have hurled all my sins behind Your back.

For Sheol cannot thank You, death cannot praise You; those who go down to the pit [vohr ב֖וֹר] cannot hope for Your faithfulness. It is the living who give thanks to You, as I do today.

A father tells his sons about Your faithfulness: YHWH is certain to save me; so we will play my songs on stringed instruments all the days of our life at the house of YHWH.”

You astute readers will have noticed that there are two Hebrew words that have been translated as “pit”, so we’ll see a wide variety of writers dive into one or both words alongside Sheol. So, before we “dive into the Pit” please have a gander at SHEOL, “below”  (pun intended):

SHEOL

Next week: the PIT (I promise… or maybe I should just say, God willing).