Did Jesus descend into Hell/Hades?

Question 3063

Few statements in the Apostles’ Creed have generated more confusion than the phrase “He descended into hell.” What does it mean? Did Jesus, between His death and resurrection, actually go to the place of the damned? Was He suffering there? Preaching there? Triumphing there? Christians have debated this for centuries, and sorting through the question requires careful attention to the biblical texts and an understanding of what the ancient world meant by terms like “hell,” “Hades,” and “Sheol.”

Understanding the Terms

Part of the confusion comes from the way English translations and theological language use the word “hell” to translate several different biblical terms. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word שְׁאוֹל (Sheol) refers to the realm of the dead, the place where all the deceased go, righteous and wicked alike. It is not primarily a place of punishment but simply the abode of the dead. When Jacob believed Joseph was dead, he said he would “go down to Sheol” mourning (Genesis 37:35). The psalmist prays to be delivered from Sheol (Psalm 86:13). It is a place of shadowy existence, cut off from the land of the living.

The Greek equivalent in the New Testament is ᾅδης (Hades), which the Septuagint uses to translate Sheol. Hades, like Sheol, is the general realm of the dead. When Jesus tells Peter that “the gates of Hades shall not prevail” against the Church (Matthew 16:18), He is speaking of death itself and its power, not specifically the place of punishment.

By contrast, γέεννα (Gehenna), which Jesus uses frequently, refers to the final place of punishment for the wicked. The term comes from the Valley of Hinnom outside Jerusalem, where child sacrifice had once been practised (2 Chronicles 28:3; Jeremiah 7:31) and which came to symbolise divine judgment. When Jesus warns about being thrown into Gehenna “where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:48), He is speaking of final, eternal punishment, what Revelation calls “the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:14-15).

So when the Apostles’ Creed says Jesus “descended into hell,” which of these places is meant? The Latin version of the creed uses inferos or inferna, meaning “the lower regions” or “the underworld”. Essentially the realm of the dead (Hades/Sheol), not specifically the place of punishment (Gehenna). The question is whether Jesus went to this realm and, if so, what He did there.

The Key Biblical Texts

Several passages have been brought into this discussion, though not all of them actually address the question directly.

Ephesians 4:8-10 says that Jesus “descended into the lower regions, the earth” before ascending on high. Some have taken “the lower regions” to mean Hades or the underworld. However, the phrase τὰ κατώτερα μέρη τῆς γῆς (ta katōtera merē tēs gēs) can also be translated “the lower regions, that is, the earth”; this is a reference to the Incarnation (Jesus descending from heaven to earth) rather than a descent into the underworld. Many scholars today favour this reading, seeing Paul’s point as the contrast between Jesus’ humiliation in coming to earth and His exaltation in ascending to heaven.

1 Peter 3:18-20 is the most debated passage: “He was put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah.” This text has generated at least three major interpretations.

The first view holds that Jesus, between His death and resurrection, descended to the place where fallen angels (or the spirits of the wicked dead) were imprisoned and proclaimed His victory over them. This is the “descent into hell” interpretation that many associate with the creed.

The second view argues that the pre-incarnate Jesus proclaimed through Noah to the people of Noah’s day while they were still alive. The “spirits in prison” are those who rejected that message and are now confined in Hades. On this reading, Jesus did not personally descend anywhere; the Spirit of Jesus worked through Noah.

The third view understands the “spirits in prison” as fallen angels from Genesis 6, the “sons of God” who took human wives, and sees Jesus’ proclamation as a triumphant announcement of victory made either at His resurrection or during His ascension. This connects with 1 Peter 3:22, which speaks of Jesus going “into heaven” with “angels, authorities, and powers” subjected to Him.

1 Peter 4:6 adds another layer: “For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does.” Some have read this as Jesus preaching the gospel to the dead in Hades. However, Peter may simply mean that the gospel was preached to people who have since died, they heard it while alive, and though they died physically, they now live spiritually.

Acts 2:27 quotes Psalm 16:10: “For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption.” Peter applies this to Jesus, arguing that David was prophesying the resurrection of the Messiah. The text implies that Jesus’ soul did go to Hades, the realm of the dead, but was not abandoned there. God raised Him before His body could decay.

What Did Jesus Say on the Cross?

One text often overlooked in this discussion is Jesus’ own statement to the thief on the cross: “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43). Παράδεισος (Paradeisos) refers to the place of blessedness; the presence of God. If Jesus went to Paradise that very day, it seems difficult to reconcile with a descent into a place of suffering or torment.

Some have suggested that Paradise was a compartment within Hades. the “Abraham’s bosom” of Luke 16:22. where the righteous dead waited in comfort. On this view, Jesus went to the pleasant section of the realm of the dead, not the tormenting section. This idea of a divided Hades, with a place of comfort for the righteous and a place of torment for the wicked, appears in Jewish intertestamental literature and may lie behind Jesus’ parable of the rich man and Lazarus.

Did Jesus Suffer in Hell?

One view that must be firmly rejected is the idea that Jesus suffered in hell as part of the atonement. that somehow His work on the cross was incomplete and had to be finished by enduring torment at the hands of Satan in the underworld. This teaching, popular in some charismatic circles, has no biblical support and contradicts Jesus’ cry from the cross: Τετέλεσται (Tetelestai), “It is finished” (John 19:30). The price was paid in full at Calvary. There was no additional suffering required.

Similarly, Jesus did not need to “defeat Satan in hell.” Colossians 2:15 tells us that Jesus “disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him”, that is, in the cross. The victory was won at Calvary, not in some underworld battle afterwards.

A Balanced View

Taking the biblical evidence together, we can say the following with reasonable confidence. First, when Jesus died, His body was placed in the tomb, but His spirit continued in conscious existence, as is true for all humans (2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23). Second, Jesus told the thief they would be together in Paradise that very day, which suggests His spirit went to a place of blessedness, not torment. Third, the most likely meaning of Acts 2:27 is that Jesus’ soul went to the realm of the dead (Hades/Sheol) but was not abandoned there, God raised Him on the third day. Fourth, 1 Peter 3:19 may indicate that Jesus made a proclamation of victory to imprisoned spirits, whether fallen angels or the wicked dead, but the timing and nature of this proclamation remain debated.

What we should not say is that Jesus suffered in hell, that His atonement was completed there, or that He “fought Satan” in the underworld. These ideas go beyond Scripture and, in some cases, directly contradict it.

Conclusion

Did Jesus descend into hell? If by “hell” we mean the realm of the dead (Hades/Sheol), then it is possible, in the sense that, like all who die, His spirit departed from His body and entered that realm. But He did so as victor, not as victim. He went to Paradise, not to torment. And He was not abandoned there; God raised Him on the third day. The Apostles’ Creed, properly understood, affirms that Jesus truly died and entered the realm of the dead but it does not teach that He suffered there or that any part of the atonement took place after the cross. The work was finished at Calvary. The resurrection confirmed it. And now He sits at the right hand of the Father, having led captivity captive and received gifts for His people.

“For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.”Acts 2:27-28

Bibliography

• Davids, Peter H. The First Epistle of Peter. New International Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1990.
• Feinberg, John S. “1 Peter 3:18-20, Ancient Mythology, and the Intermediate State.” Westminster Theological Journal 48 (1986): 303-336.
• Grudem, Wayne. “Christ Preaching Through Noah: 1 Peter 3:19-20 in the Light of Dominant Themes in Jewish Literature.” Trinity Journal 7 (1986): 3-31.
• Grudem, Wayne. Systematic Theology. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994.
• O’Brien, Peter T. The Letter to the Ephesians. Pillar New Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999.
• Ryrie, Charles C. Basic Theology. Chicago: Moody Press, 1999.