The Core of the Earth as a Symbol of Hell

The notion that hell resides at the earth's core—a fiery cavern beneath our feet—has no direct biblical warrant. Scripture employs varied imagery for the place of final punishment, but nowhere does it locate hell geographically within the planet's interior. This popular conception arises from a conflation of ancient cosmology, medieval imagination, and misreadings of biblical metaphor.

Biblical Terms and Their Meanings

The Old Testament word Sheol denotes "the place of the dead, the unseen world, without deciding whether it be the place of misery or of happiness" ^[1]. In many passages, Sheol simply means "the grave" (Genesis 37:35; 42:38; 1 Samuel 2:6; Job 14:13) ^[1]. The New Testament distinguishes between Hades, corresponding to Sheol as the abode of disembodied spirits ^{[4, 10]}, and Gehenna, the place of eternal punishment ^{[5, 7]}. Gehenna originally referred to the Valley of Hinnom outside Jerusalem, where some kings of Judah practiced child sacrifice by fire (2 Chronicles 28:3; 33:6; Jeremiah 7:31; 32:35) ^[7]. King Josiah destroyed this site (2 Kings 23:10), and it later became a metaphor for hell because of its association with fire and desecration ^[8].

Imagery of Fire and Punishment

When Scripture describes the final state of the damned, it uses vivid but symbolic language. Revelation depicts "the fiery lake of burning sulfur" as a picture of eternal punishment (Revelation 19:20; 20:10, 14-15; 21:8) ^[3]. Jesus speaks of "everlasting fire" (Matthew 25:41), "a furnace of fire" (Matthew 13:42, 50), and "unquenchable fire" (Matthew 3:12) ^[2]. These images draw on Old Testament prophetic language: Isaiah warns of "everlasting burnings" (Isaiah 33:14) and describes God's judgment with fire (Isaiah 66:24) ^[2]. Yet these are metaphors for divine judgment, not geological descriptions. The "fire and brimstone" of Revelation 14:10 ^[2] echoes the destruction of Sodom, a historical event that served as a type of eschatological judgment—not a blueprint for hell's physical location.

The Absence of Spatial Localization

Biblical descriptions of hell emphasize separation from God rather than subterranean placement. Hell is "destruction from the presence of God" (2 Thessalonians 1:9) ^[2]. When Jesus warns that Capernaum will be brought down "to Hades" (Matthew 11:23) ^[4], the language is one of humiliation and judgment, not literal descent into the earth's mantle. The imagery of "deepest darkness and wildfire" associated with God's judgment (Job 20:26; Deuteronomy 4:11; 5:22-23) ^[6] conveys divine wrath, not cartography. Even the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, where the rich man is "in Hades" and "in torment" (Luke 16:23) ^[2], uses spatial language figuratively to depict the gulf between the saved and the lost—not to map the afterlife onto terrestrial geology.

Historical Development of the Imagery

The medieval imagination, influenced by Dante's Inferno and pre-scientific cosmologies, literalized these metaphors into a tiered underworld. Ancient Near Eastern cultures often conceived of the underworld as beneath the earth, and this framework shaped how later readers interpreted biblical language. But Scripture itself resists such literalism. The "sea" and "grave" that give up their dead in Revelation 20:13 ^[9] are best understood as personifications or symbolic representations of all regions where the dead reside, not as geological strata. The "lake of fire" into which death and Hades are thrown (Revelation 20:14) ^[3] signals the abolition of death itself, not the ignition of a planetary core.

The Core Misunderstanding

Attributing hell to the earth's core conflates poetic judgment language with physical cosmology. The Bible's fire imagery serves to communicate the severity and finality of divine judgment, not to provide a location. Jesus' call for "radical separation from sin" (Matthew 5:29-30) ^[7] uses hyperbolic language—gouging out an eye, cutting off a hand—to stress moral urgency, not to endorse self-mutilation. Similarly, the fire of Gehenna underscores the seriousness of eternal consequences without requiring a molten subterranean chamber. The doctrine of hell concerns the fate of the impenitent, not the structure of the planet.

Sources

Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Hell — In the Old Testament this is the word generally and unfortunately used by our translators to render the Hebrew Sheol . It really means the place of the dead, the unseen world, without deciding whether it be the place of misery or of happiness. It is clear that in many passages of the Old Testament Sheol can only mean "the grave," and is rendered in the Authorized Version; see, for example, (Genesis 37:35; 42:38; 1 Samuel 2:6; Job 14:13) In other passages, however, it seems to Involve a notion of punishment, and is therefore rendered in the Authorized Version by”
Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Hell — The place of disembodied spirits -- Ac 2:31. Which Christ visited. -- Lu 23:43; Ac 2:31; 1Pe 3:19. Contains, a place of rest, Abraham's bosom. -- Lu 16:23. Paradise. -- Lu 23:43. And a place of torment. -- Lu 16:23. The place of future punishment Destruction from the presence of God. -- 2Th 1:9. Described as Everlasting punishment. -- Mt 25:46. Everlasting fire. -- Mt 25:41. Everlasting burnings. -- Isa 33:14. A furnace of fire. -- Mt 13:42,50. A lake of fire. -- Re 20:15. Fire and brimstone. -- Re 14:10. Unquenchable fire. -- Mt 3:12. Devouring fire. -- Isa 3”
Revelation (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Revelation 19:20: 19:20 beast . . . false prophet See 13:1-10. • The fiery lake of burning sulfur provides a picture of eternal punishment (see 20:10, 14-15; 21:8; see also Isa 66:24; Matt 13:41, 49-50; Mark 9:43, 48). • God’s enemies are thrown into the fiery lake. The two beasts (Rev 19:20) are followed by the dragon (20:10) and then by death (20:14) and unsaved humans (20:15).”
Matthew (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Matthew 11:23: 11:23 the place of the dead: Greek Hades, which corresponds to the Hebrew term Sheol (see study note on Ps 6:5).”
James (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on James 3:6: 3:6 It is a whole world of wickedness: The tongue acts as an agent of the whole unrighteous world opposed to God (1:27; 4:4). • hell itself: Greek Gehenna, the place of eternal punishment (Matt 5:22, 30; 23:15), in contrast to Hades, the abode of the dead (Luke 16:23; Acts 2:31). The reference to hell is an allusion to the devil (Jas 4:7; Matt 5:22; John 8:44) as the ultimate source of evil speech.”
Job (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Job 20:26: 20:26 Images such as deepest darkness and wildfire are often associated with God’s presence (Deut 4:11; 5:22-23; Heb 12:18) and especially with his judgment (Exod 9:23-24; 10:21-29).”
Matthew (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Matthew 5:29: 5:29-30 good eye . . . gouge it out . . . stronger hand . . . cut it off: These graphic images call for radical separation from sin. But even self-mutilation, radical as it would be, cannot stop a lustful mind. Jesus is calling for the surpassing righteousness that only he can bring. 5:29 hell (Greek Gehenna): Gehenna originally referred to a valley outside Jerusalem where some of the kings of Judah worshiped idols and performed human sacrifice by fire (2 Chr 28:3; 33:6; Jer 7:31; 32:35). The site was eventually destroyed by Josiah (2 Kgs 23:10). In the New Testa”
Luke (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Luke 12:5: 12:5 hell (Greek Gehenna): The Valley of Hinnom was a ravine along the southwestern side of Jerusalem. It became a metaphor for hell because Israelites had offered their children as sacrifices there (Jer 32:35) and later used it as a place to burn garbage (Jer 19:2, 10-13). Jesus’ disciples should never be afraid of enemies who can only take away their life on earth. Instead, they should fear God, who can give eternal punishment.”
Revelation (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Revelation 20:13: death and hell--Greek, "Hades." The essential identity of the dying and risen body is hereby shown; for the sea and grave give up their dead. The body that sinned or served God shall, in righteous retribution, be the body also that shall suffer or be rewarded. The "sea" may have a symbolical [CLUVER from AUGUSTINE], besides the literal meaning, as, in Rev 8:8; Rev 12:12; Rev 13:1; Rev 18:17, Rev 18:19; so "death" and "hell" are personifications (compare Rev 21:1). But the literal sense need hardly be departed from: all the different regions wherei”
Revelation (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Revelation 6:7: 6:7-8 With the fourth seal comes a ghastly looking horse. In the ancient world, pale green was the color for depicting a corpse. • the Grave: Greek Hades. In Greek thought, Hades was the underworld abode of bodiless beings. The Hebrew idea of Sheol, the place of the dead (1 Sam 28:15), was similar. • The killing of one-fourth of those on earth indicates that the final judgment has not yet arrived (contrast Rev 6:16-17). • This fourfold set of woes (sword and famine and disease and wild animals; cp. Ezek 14:21) summarizes the tragedies of earthly existence. The ”

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