Hades: That which is out of sight, a Greek word used to denote the state or
place of the dead. All the dead alike go into this place. To be
buried, to go down to the grave, to descend into hades, are
equivalent expressions. In the LXX. this word is the usual rendering
of the Hebrew sheol, the common receptacle of the departed
(Genesis 42:38)
(Psalms 139:8; Hosea 13:14; Isaiah 14:9) This term is of comparatively rare
occurrence in the Greek New Testament. Our Lord speaks of Capernaum
as being "brought down to hell" (hades), i.e., simply to the lowest
debasement,
(Matthew 11:23) It is contemplated as a kind of kingdom which
could never overturn the foundation of Christ's kingdom
(Matthew 16:18)
i.e., Christ's church can never die. In
(Luke 16:23) it is most
distinctly associated with the doom and misery of the lost. In
(Acts 2:27-31) Peter quotes the LXX. version of
(Psalms 16:8-11)
plainly for the purpose of proving our Lord's resurrection from the
dead. David was left in the place of the dead, and his body saw
corruption. Not so with Christ. According to ancient prophecy
(Psalms 30:3) he was recalled to life.
