Decoder Terminal
SHEOL
THE UNDERWORLD — REALM OF THE DEAD
LOCATIONSpecs
meaning
Realm of the dead / underworld
N T parallel
Jesus: three days in the heart of the earth (Matt 12:40)
hebrew term
Sheol
Intelligence Brief
Jonah says he cried out from "the belly of Sheol" — the Hebrew term for the realm of the dead. He experienced death or something close enough that the afterlife vocabulary applies. This is not metaphor. The three days in the fish parallel three days in the grave, which is exactly the connection Jesus makes in Matthew 12:40.
Scripture References