The way we translate and understand the words of the Bible significantly influences our theological views on the afterlife. In particular, our understanding of terms related to “hell” can lead us to conclusions that differ dramatically from those held by the first-century Jewish Christians.
The Power of Words: How Bible Translation Shapes Our Understanding
Language and Context Matter:
Biblical terms such as Gehenna, Hades, and the adjective aionios (often mistakenly rendered as “eternal”) carry layered meanings that reflect historical, cultural, and linguistic contexts. A translator who is sensitive to these nuances can offer interpretations that emphasize the biblical narrative of new creation rather than a simplistic binary of heaven versus hell.
Example – Gehenna as a Metaphor
In the original context, Gehenna (often mistakenly rendered as “hell”) referred to a physical valley in Jerusalem associated with idolatrous practices and ritual impurity. Instead of viewing it as a literal fiery pit, a careful translation recognizes Gehenna as a powerful metaphor warning Israel against the consequences of rejecting God’s way and Messiah.
From Medieval Dichotomy to New Creation:
Traditional Western imagery, often influenced by medieval literature (such as Dante’s Inferno), portrays hell as a place of eternal, conscious torment (ECT). However, a translation that is attuned to the biblical message shows that the New Testament envisions a radical future—a “new heavens and a new earth”—where the primary conflict is not between two fixed afterlife destinations (heaven and hell) but between the present fallen state and the promised redemption.
Language and Multiple Layers of Meaning
Translators aware of the subtleties in language caution against reducing complex terms to singular, static images. For instance, while many English speakers have come to think of “hell” as an unchanging destination of torment, the original Greek and Hebrew terms actually suggest otherwise, including the resting place of the dead and a dynamic purification process of separation and eventual restoration with God.
The Augustinian-Calvinist notion of hell as a place of Eternal Conscious Torment (ECT) draws heavily on ancient pagan, Greek and Platonic ideas, which posited that the soul was immortal and existed independently of the physical body. Such views are markedly different from the biblical perspective, which emphasizes the body-soul union and that immortality is a gift from God and not an inherent human trait.
Platonic thought divides existence into a realm of pure, unchanging forms and a transient, physical world. This dualistic framework has led to a view of hell as an eternal state of conscious suffering for those who reject the divine. In contrast, the Bible presents a holistic vision where the destiny of humanity is intimately connected with the restoration of all creation—a new reality that transcends simple categories of heavenly reward vs. a sadistic punishment.
The Eternal Conscious Torment model of Hellfire, confirmed by most Fundamentalist denominations, is problematic because it often misrepresents the original biblical intent. Instead of depicting hell as a place of perpetual agony, many biblical passages point to a state of profound loss—a self-imposed separation from God’s blessings. When translators insist on reading the language of “eternal punishment” into the text and do so in purely literal terms, they inadvertently import extra-biblical, pagan notions that obscure the Bible’s transformative message.
By moving away from the inherited images of medieval hell and challenging modern translations, believers can see the afterlife not as a dichotomy of eternal bliss versus eternal torment but as the culmination of God’s redemptive plan—a process where the “tossing and turning” occurs between the fallen state of our current world and the fully restored, new creation. This perspective aligns more closely with the New Testament’s emphasis on restoration rather than mere meaningless retribution.
Conclusion
A careful, context-sensitive Bible translation1 does more than merely convert words from one language to another—it shapes our entire understanding of core theological concepts like hell. When we pay close attention to the original meanings and cultural contexts of biblical terms and ancient Jewish metaphors, we are led to a view of the afterlife that centers on renewal and restoration rather than the punitive legacy of pagan and Platonic thought. This reorientation challenges the fundamentalist model of Eternal Conscious Torment (hellfire) and invites a more nuanced understanding of what the gospel is all about.
Let’s continue this conversation in my new book on hell: HELL: A Jewish Perspective on a Christian Doctrine
