Did the Ancient Hebrews Believe in the Afterlife?

Did the ancient Hebrews believe in the afterlife? Many liberal and secular scholars would argue ‘no.’ They believe that the afterlife, and the immortality of the soul, are Greek ideas that were read into the text hundreds of years later. But the evidence is clear. The ancient Hebrews did, indeed, believe in the afterlife. Belief in the immortality of the soul was found in other ancient societies, most notably ancient Egypt. It would be strange if the ancient Hebrews alone did not believe this reality.

Uncertain Evidence of an Afterlife

Some evidence is variable – it may or may not support belief in an afterlife.

2 Samuel 12:23 – “But now he has died; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.”

It is not clear whether David is saying that he will go into an afterlife, with his child, or if he will merely descend down to death with him.

Job 24:19 – “Drought and heat consume the snow waters, So does Sheol those who have sinned.”

There are many references to ‘sheol’ in the Old Testament. Sometimes these references indicate that all people go there. Other times, the references indicate that it is place that the wicked are specifically destined for. This makes it difficult to know what the Old Testament writers specifically believed about Sheol.

Many believe that the ancient Hebrews thought of Sheol as a cold, lonely place where the ‘shell’ of the person wandered around. It is hard to know for sure. What does seem clear is that it is a place that the wicked are headed to.

The takeaway is that the Old Testament use of ‘Sheol’ probably includes a vague concept of hell, but it is also a more general term for death. Either way, the Old Testament makes it clear that the wicked are heading toward a uniquely ‘bad ending.’ An excellent example of this is found in the following verse:

Psalm 9:17 – “The wicked will return to Sheol, Even all the nations who forget God.”

Ecclesiastes 12:7 “then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.”

Here is possible evidence that the ancient Hebrews thought of the spirit as an immortal substance that does not ‘dissolve’ like the dust but continues with God.

Clear Evidence of an Afterlife

While the above verses are uncertain evidence of belief in an afterlife, there are some passages that make it very clear.

Job 19:26-27 “Even after my skin is destroyed, Yet from my flesh I shall see God; Whom I myself shall behold, And whom my eyes will see and not another. My heart faints within me!”

Job is possibly the oldest book in the Hebrew Bible, and hear is a clear statement of belief in the afterlife. The fact that the ancient Hebrews viewed this passage as ‘Scripture’ indicates that they believed in this reality.

The Story of Samuel and Saul (1 Samuel 28)

In this story, the ‘Witch of Endor’ conjures of Samuel from the dead. The story makes no sense if there is not a belief in the afterlife.

The Stories of Enoch (Genesis 5:23-24) and Elijah (2 Kings 2)

Enoch and Elijah alone avoided death. They were ‘taken away’ by God, but never had to endure the process of dying. These narratives make no sense if they are simply ‘taken away’ to die. Where do they ‘go’ if there is no afterlife? Also of significance, the story of Enoch is in the Torah, indicating an ancient belief in the afterlife.

Psalm 16:9-10 “Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will dwell securely. For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol; Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.”

This is a prophecy of David, and while it applies to the Messiah, we should begin by understanding it as applied to David himself (in hyperbole). It indicates his clear belief in the immortality of the soul.

Psalm 17:15 “As for me, I shall behold Your face in righteousness; I will be satisfied with Your likeness when I awake.”

Here again, David indicates his belief in the immortality of the soul.

Psalm 49:14-15 – “As sheep they are appointed for Sheol; Death shall be their shepherd; And the upright shall rule over them in the morning, And their form shall be for Sheol to consume So that they have no habitation. But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol, For He will receive me. Selah.”

Here we see a strong contrast between the wicked (heading for Sheol) and the righteous. It indicates that, for the righteous, they will end up in a place of hope, not doomed to Sheol.

Psalm 73:23-24 – “Nevertheless I am continually with You; You have taken hold of my right hand. With Your counsel You will guide me, And afterward receive me to glory.”

This is one of the clearest passages in the Old Testament. After pointing out that the wicked live lives of great ease – all the way to the point of their death – the Psalmist still says that they were prepared for ultimate destruction. His case is very different, because God will ‘receive’ him ‘to glory.’

Isaiah 25:8 – “He will swallow up death for all time, And the Lord GOD will wipe tears away from all faces, And He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth; For the LORD has spoken.”

Though this is a poetic passage (and it could be viewed as hyperbole), it still indicates strong evidence in the belief in the immortality of the soul.

Isaiah 26:19 – “Your dead will live; Their corpses will rise. You who lie in the dust, awake and shout for joy, For your dew is as the dew of the dawn, And the earth will give birth to the departed spirits.

Here again, the text is poetic, but indicates belief in an afterlife.

Daniel 12:1-3 – “Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued. “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt. “Those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.

This is a very clear indication of belief in an afterlife. However, in the liberal understanding of the Bible, the book of Daniel is a late production, which was (according to liberal scholars) heavily influenced by Greek thought. This means that while it is strong evidence, it is not an ideal text from which to argue.

Daniel 12:13 – “But as for you, go your way to the end; then you will enter into rest and rise again for your allotted portion at the end of the age.”

As with the previous passage, here is clear evidence of an afterlife, but coming late in the Hebrew canon.

Later Jewish Thinking

Later Jewish thinking indicates that belief in an afterlife was widespread during the first century (though certain groups, such as the Sadducees, denied the resurrection).

John 11:24 – “Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”

Here is Martha, one of the ordinary Hebrews of that day, expressing belief in the afterlife. Of course, liberal scholars would argue that this is simply because of a heavy dose of Greek influence.

The Story of the Seven Sons (2 Maccabees 7)

The Apocrypha recounts a story of seven sons and their mother who are ruthlessly tortured for their adherence to the God of Israel. Despite their sufferings, they go to their deaths in the hope of an ultimate resurrection.

Such a story, of course, could be the result of Greek influence on thinking. However, this is unlikely. In the narrative, these seven sons and their mother are the ‘ultra-orthodox’ Jews of their day, firmly resisting all Greek influence. It is unlikely that they have been heavily influenced by the Greeks in their thinking about the afterlife.

Luke 20:37-38 – “But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him.”

Jesus makes it clear for us that, however ‘Greek thought’ may have influenced the Jews of his time, the concept of the immortality of the soul is found in a proper reading of the Torah (Genesis-Deuteronomy).