שְׁאוֹל sheol (H7585) is the place of the dead and often translated as grave, hell, pit, or underworld. שְׁאוֹל sheol is from the word שְׁאַל sha’al (H7592) meaning to ask, enquire, or seek something that is not known (cf. Genesis 24:47; Exodus 13:14; Deuteronomy 13:14). Sheol is sometimes written in the feminine form as שְׁאֹלָה sheolah (cf. Genesis 37:35). שְׁאוֹל sheol is equivalent to άδου Hades (G86) in Greek from G1 + G1492 literally meaning “not see” referring to the unseen realm in which all the dead reside.
When a person dies, their soul goes down to Sheol (cf. Psalms 16:10), their spirit returns to Elohim (cf. Ecclesiastes 12:7), and their body decays (cf. Psalms 16:10) and their flesh returns to dust (cf. Genesis 3:19).
In the Bible, Sheol is understood as the realm of the dead where all souls, both righteous and wicked, go after death (cf. 1 Samuel 28:9-15). It is not a place of reward or punishment but rather a neutral dwelling of the departed. According to the Bible, Sheol is a gated place (cf. Isaiah 38:10) guarded by Abaddon (Apollyon in Greek) the angel of the abyss (cf. Job 26:6; Proverbs 15:11; Proverbs 27:20; Revelation 9:11). Sheol is a very far distance under the land and beyond the depth of the sea (cf. Deuteronomy 30:13; Romans 10:7) with separate chambers or rooms (cf. Proverbs 7:27).
Description of Sheol from Enoch 22:1-14; And thence I went to another place, and he showed me in the west ⌈another⌉ great and high mountain [and] of hard rock. 2 And there was in it †four† hollow places, deep and wide and very smooth. †How† smooth are the hollow places and deep and dark to look at. 3. Then Raphael answered, one of the holy angels who was with me, and said unto me: ‘These hollow places have been created for this very purpose, that the spirits of the souls of the dead should assemble therein, yea that all the souls of the children of men should assemble here. And these places have been made to receive them till the day of their judgement and till their appointed period ⌈till the period appointed⌉, till the great judgement (comes) upon them.’ 5. I saw the spirits of the children of men who were dead, and their voice went forth to the heavens and made suit. 6. Then I asked Raphael the angel who was with me, and I said unto him: ‘This spirit–whose is it whose voice goeth forth and maketh suit?’ 7. And he answered me saying: ‘This is the spirit which went forth from Abel, whom his brother Cain slew, and he makes his suit against him till his seed is destroyed from the face of the land, and his seed is annihilated from amongst the seed of men.’ 8. Then I asked regarding it, and regarding all the hollow places: ‘Why as one separated from the other?’ 9. And he answered me and said unto me: ‘These three have been made that the spirits of the dead might be separated. And such a division has been made 〈for〉 the spirits of the righteous, in which there as the bright spring of water. 10. And such has been made for sinners when they die and are buried in the land and judgement has not been executed on them in their lifetime. 11. Here their spirits shall be set apart in this great pain till the great day of judgement and punishment and torment of those who †curse† for ever, and retribution for their spirits. There He shall bind them for ever. 12. And such a division has been made for the spirits of those who make their suit, who make disclosures concerning their destruction, when they were slain in the days of the sinners. 13. Such has been made for the spirits of men who were not righteous but sinners, who were complete in transgression, and of the transgressors they shall be companions: but their spirits shall not be slain in the day of judgement nor shall they be raised from thence. 14. Then I blessed the Lord of glory and said: ‘Blessed be my Lord, the Lord of righteousness, who ruleth for ever.’
2 Baruch 21:22-23 Bring to an end therefore henceforth mortality. 23 And reprove accordingly the angel of death, and let Your glory appear, and let the might of Your beauty be known, and let Sheol be sealed so that from this time forward it may not receive the dead, and let the treasuries of souls restore those which are enclosed in them. 2 Baruch 30:1-5 And it shall come to pass after these things, when the time of the advent of the Messiah is fulfilled, that He shall return in glory. 2 Then all who have fallen asleep in hope of Him shall rise again. And it shall come to pass at that time that the treasuries will be opened in which is preserved the number of the souls of the righteous, and they shall come forth, and a multitude of souls shall be seen together in one assemblage of one thought, and the first shall rejoice and the last shall not be grieved. 3 For they know that the time has come of which it is said, that it is the consummation of the times. 4 But the souls of the wicked, when they behold all these things, shall then waste away the more. 5 For they shall know that their torment has come and their perdition has arrived.
Partial Description of Sheol by Yeshua in Luke 16:19-31; “Now there was a certain rich man, and he was clothed in purple and fine linen, living in luxury every day. 20 A certain beggar, named Lazarus, was taken to his gate, full of sores, 21 and desiring to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. Yes, even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 The beggar died, and he was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Sheol, he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far off, and Lazarus at his bosom. 24 He cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue! For I am in anguish in this flame.’ 25 “But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that you, in your lifetime, received your good things, and Lazarus, in the same way, bad things. But here he is now comforted and you are in anguish. 26 Besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, that those who want to pass from here to you are not able, and that no one may cross over from there to us.’ 27 “He said, ‘I ask you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house— 28 for I have five brothers—that he may testify to them, so they won’t also come into this place of torment.’ 29 “But Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets. Let them listen to them.’ 30 “He said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 “He said to him, ‘If they don’t listen to Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded if one rises from the dead.’ ”