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Cited by 0Biblical Studies and InterpretationFolklore, Mythology, and Literature StudiesHistorical, Religious, and Philosophical Studies

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 19 of the 19 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Sheol as a Monster

Hays, Christopher B.·2025·The Oxford Handbook of Biblical Monsters
DOI 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197565056.013.0011
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Abstract

Sheol is the paradigmatic monster in the Hebrew Bible. As an embodiment of Death, it lurks at the margins of life and unsettles its certainties. Its origins can be seen most clearly in the myths of the deity Mot from Late Bronze Age Ugarit; there and in the Bible, Sheol is portrayed as a mighty swallower. Its threat can also be portrayed in the terms of plague, drowning, grasping, swarming, and slaughter. The Bible further includes imagery of an afterlife judgment, with consignment to Sheol for the guilty. More positively, Sheol could be regarded as a place of refuge or holding in a kind of Limbo. Finally, the chapter explores the idea of Death/Sheol as a “monstrous mother,” who inebriates with milk and then destroys in wrath (Isa 28); comparisons include Jael, Tiamat, Lilith, Medea, and Grendel’s mother.

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Crossref · 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197565056.013.0011

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19 of 19 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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Cites

Show all 19 references

Research works printed but not linked: 19

  1. 1918, The Etymology of Šeʾôl., American Journal of Semitic Languages and Literatures
  2. 1980, The Nether World and Its Denizens at Ugarit., Mesopotamia: Copenhagen Studies in Assyriology
  3. 2015, Grave Matters: Sheol in the Hebrew Bible., Jewish Bible Quarterly
  4. 1999, Sheol., Dictionary of Demons and Deities in the Bible,
  5. 2009, De-Demonizing the Old Testament: An Investigation of Azazel, Lilith, Deber, Qeteb and Reshef in the Hebrew Bible.
  6. 1902, The Annals of the Kings of Assyria.
  7. 1996, Monster Theory.
  8. 2013, The Cuneiform Alphabetic Texts from Ugarit, Ras Ibn Hani and Other Places
  9. 2018, Swallowing Death at Tel ʿEton., Journal of Northwest Semitic Languages
  10. 1999, Mot., Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible
  11. 2016, Ägyptische Amulette aus Palästina/Israel Band IV: Von der Spätbronzezeit IIB bis in römische Zeit
  12. 2016, Middle Bronze Age Burials in the Southern Levant: Spartan Warriors or Ordinary People?, Oxford Journal of Archaeology
  13. 2010, The Neo-Assyrian Myth of Ištar’s Descent and Resurrection.
  14. 1992, Dead, Abode of the., The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary
  15. 1970, Nightmare and Human Conflict.
  16. 2006, ‘God Will Redeem My Soul from Sheol’: The Psalms of the Sons of Korah., Journal for the Study of the Old Testament
  17. 1987, Death in Jeremiah ix, 20,, UF
  18. 1986, Beatific Afterlife in Ancient Israel and in the ANE
  19. 1970, Mot, the God of Death, at Ugarit and in the Old Testament

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Metadata

Authors
Hays, C. B.
Affiliations
Fuller Theological Seminary (US)
Corresponding author
Hays, Christopher B.
ORCID
Hays, Christopher B.
Venue
The Oxford Handbook of Biblical Monsters
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Published
2025-06-24
Pages
217-236
DOI
10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197565056.013.0011
OpenAlex
W4411604854
Cited by
0
References
19
FWCI
0.00
Type
book chapter
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
Oxford University Press eBooks (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Religious studies › Biblical Studies and Interpretation
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Literature and Literary Theory › Folklore, Mythology, and Literature Studies
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Religious studies › Historical, Religious, and Philosophical Studies
Keywords
Sheol, monsters, Hebrew Bible, death, Ugaritic mythology, Mot, limbo, monstrous mother, Jael, Tiamat, Lilith, Medea, Grendal's mother, plague, drowning

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CoChat. (2026). Citation check: Sheol as a Monster. https://app.cochat.ai/papers/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197565056.013.0011
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Hays, C. B. (2025). Sheol as a Monster. The Oxford Handbook of Biblical Monsters. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197565056.013.0011