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Biblical themes · Afterlife

Descriptions of hell in the New Testament

A contextual reading of biblical language about hell, imagined location and fire—alongside the distinction between religious interpretation, folklore and verifiable evidence.

A dark landscape beneath a changing skyText, tradition
and interpretation.
Essay

What the texts describe

New Testament references translated as “hell” use several images and underlying terms. These include a place or realm associated with the dead, judgment, exclusion, fire and destruction. The passages do not form a single technical map or a uniform description.

Readers should therefore distinguish between the biblical text, later Christian teaching, popular imagery and claims presented as physical evidence. Different Christian communities interpret these materials in different ways.

Reading note“Hell” is an English translation choice. The original-language terms and their settings matter, and a single English word can conceal differences in meaning.

References in the New Testament

The word translated as hell appears in several parts of the New Testament, including Matthew, Mark, Luke, Acts and Revelation. Counts vary with the translation and with whether related terms are included. A numerical count should not be treated as proof of one consistent doctrine.

Some passages are attributed by the Gospel writers to Jesus, while other references occur in letters or apocalyptic literature. Historical readers also consider the literary aims of each work, its audience and the religious vocabulary of its period.

Is hell located beneath the earth?

Several passages use descent, depth or the “lower parts” as spatial imagery. Other passages speak of the dead, judgment or a lake of fire without establishing a physical location. Early readers sometimes understood these images cosmologically, but the texts do not provide a measurable underground site.

Claims about a literal entrance to hell have circulated through sermons, sensational stories and popular culture. One widely repeated “well to hell” story was exposed as a hoax. It is not evidence for a subterranean realm.

Accounts of near-death experiences are personal reports, not controlled measurements of an afterlife location. Medical and psychological explanations remain part of the discussion, and the reports differ across cultures and prior expectations.

Fire, heat and judgment

Fire is among the strongest images used in passages about judgment. Examples include Matthew 13:42, Matthew 25:41, Mark 9:43–48, Luke 16:24 and Revelation 20:13–15. These texts use vivid literary and theological language to communicate danger, accountability or final separation.

Revelation also uses the image of a lake of fire and sulfur. Treating this symbolic imagery as an engineering specification would go beyond what the passage establishes. The texts do not supply a reliable temperature, physical composition or location that can be tested.

How interpretations differ

Christian traditions have developed several positions, including eternal conscious punishment, conditional immortality, annihilation, purification and universal reconciliation. Some readers understand “hell” as separation from God; others treat the language as metaphorical, historical or poetic. This essay records the range rather than selecting one view.

Evidence and beliefThe New Testament contains religious claims and images about judgment. No independently verified physical evidence establishes hell inside or outside the earth. That conclusion does not settle theological questions; it separates empirical claims from matters of faith and interpretation.

References and further reading

  1. The New Testament passages named in this essay, read in a modern translation alongside notes on the underlying terms.
  2. The Apostles’ Creed, as an example of later Christian summary language concerning death and descent.
  3. The historical discussion of hell-related claims in the wider archive.
  4. The archive’s page on salvation for a related discussion of belief, conduct and judgment.
Reader guide

Frequently asked questions

Does the New Testament give one description of hell?

No. It uses several terms, images and literary settings. Later doctrines organize those materials in different ways.

Does “hell” always mean the same original word?

No. English translations may use hell for different underlying terms, so context and translation notes are important.

Does the text prove that hell is underground?

No. Some passages use descent or depth imagery, but they do not establish a physical location that can be measured.

Are reports of near-death experiences evidence?

They are personal accounts. They may be meaningful to the people who report them, but they do not independently verify an afterlife location.

Why is fire such a common image?

Fire can represent judgment, destruction, purification or danger. Its meaning depends on the passage and the interpretive tradition.

Does this page argue against religious belief?

No. It distinguishes theological interpretation from empirical evidence and presents the subject in an educational, comparative way.