Hell and destruction are before the LORD: how much more then the hearts of the children of men?
The word rendered hell in this verse is the Hebrew sheol, standing as one of the Old Testament places where sheol is translated hell.Sheol is generally rendered hell in the Old Testament, but it is also translated grave and pit. It means the grave, the sepulchre, and the underworld. It means also the realm, the state, and the place of the dead, whose New Testament equivalent is hades, which has the same meaning as sheol.
Here hell does not denote a separate place where the wicked are already being punished. Destruction denotes the place of destruction. Both hell and destruction, though hidden realities, are fully known and before the Lord, so the hearts of the children of men are much more open to His knowledge.
The word rendered hell in this verse is the Hebrew sheol, standing as one of the Old Testament places where sheol is translated hell. Sheol is generally rendered hell in the Old Testament, but it is also translated grave and pit. It means the grave, the sepulchre, and the underworld. It means also the realm, the state, and the place of the dead, whose New Testament equivalent is hades, which has the same meaning as sheol.
Here hell does not denote a separate place where the wicked are already being punished. Destruction denotes the place of destruction. Both hell and destruction, though hidden realities, are fully known and before the Lord, so the hearts of the children of men are much more open to His knowledge.