bible verses about hell

Bible Verses About Hell: 12 Scriptures and Passages on Hell

Bible verses about hell: 12 scriptures and passages on what the Bible says about hell, Gehenna, and the second death, beside the hope of heaven.

Illustrated portrait of Christopher McAllister

By Christopher McAllister

Founder of theBibleand.Love

Published September 30, 2026Updated October 20, 20267 min readMatthew 10:28 (NIV)

An open village gate frames a luminous valley at dawn.

"Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell."

— Matthew 10:28 (NIV)

People who search bible verses, scriptures, or passages about hell want Scripture for judgment, Gehenna, and the second death — not only the heaven list (God's presence and prepared place). This page is a numbered list of twelve passages with the NIV text and a short note on each. Related lists: Bible verses about heaven, Love and heaven, Bible verses about salvation, Bible verses about justice, Bible verses about mercy, Bible verses about forgiveness, Bible verses about repentance, and Bible verses about eternal life. Hell here means final judgment and Gehenna language — distinct from heaven's hope of dwelling with God.

Word study (lead theme). In Greek, "hell" in Jesus' warning often translates γέεννα geenna (Strong's G1067; Bible Hub G1067) — Gehenna, the place of final punishment. Another word is ᾅδης hadēs (Strong's G86; Bible Hub G86) — Hades, the realm of the dead. In Hebrew, שְׁאוֹל šĕʾôl (Strong's H7585; Bible Hub H7585) is Sheol, the grave / underworld. Scripture warns with these words so people turn — not so curiosity can gawk.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Matthew 10 presses that the fear of man who kills the body must yield to the fear of God who can destroy soul and body in hell — right fear that steadies courage (Bible Hub commentaries on Matthew 10:28; Bible Hub MHC Matthew 10; Blue Letter Bible, Matthew Henry on Matthew 10). On Revelation 20 he marks death and Hades thrown into the lake of fire — the second death as the end of death's reign for those not found in the book of life (Bible Hub commentaries on Revelation 20:14; Bible Hub MHC Revelation 20; Blue Letter Bible, Matthew Henry on Revelation 20).

What does the Bible say about hell?

Most of what the Bible says about hell comes from Jesus himself. He warns about it in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:22, 5:29-30), when sending out the Twelve (Matthew 10:28), in his teaching on stumbling (Mark 9:43-48), and in his parables of judgment (Matthew 13:41-42, Matthew 25:31-46, Luke 16:19-31). Paul (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9), Jude (Jude 1:7), and Revelation (Revelation 20:14-15 and 21:8) carry the same warning.

Scripture describes hell in a few repeated ways:

  • Fire. "The eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matthew 25:41).
  • Darkness. People "thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matthew 8:12).
  • Separation from God. "Shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might" (2 Thessalonians 1:9).
  • The second death. "The lake of fire is the second death" (Revelation 20:14).

The warnings are not the last word. Peter says the Lord is "not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9), and Paul writes, "there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1). For the way of rescue, read Bible verses about salvation and Bible verses about repentance.

12 Bible verses about hell

  1. Matthew 10:28. "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell." Right fear of God outranks fear of people who can only kill the body. See Bible verses about faith.

  2. Matthew 25:41. "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.'" Eternal fire is prepared for the devil — human destiny turns on the King's verdict. See Bible verses about justice.

  3. Matthew 25:46. "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life." Eternal punishment stands opposite eternal life — two destinies, not one fog. See Bible verses about eternal life.

  4. Mark 9:43. "If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out." Gehenna's seriousness makes costly repentance wiser than clinging to a stumbling hand. See Bible verses about repentance.

  5. Revelation 20:14-15. "Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire." The second death is the lake of fire — and the book of life is the dividing line. See Bible verses about salvation.

  6. Revelation 21:8. "But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death." The second death is named again with a sober list — warning that drives people to mercy. See Bible verses about mercy.

  7. Luke 16:23-24. "In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'" The rich man's agony in Hades is a parable warning — pity asked too late.

  8. 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9. "He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might" Everlasting destruction includes shut-out from the Lord's presence — the opposite of heaven.

  9. Matthew 13:41-42. "The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." The blazing furnace is the King's weed-out — not random cruelty.

  10. Matthew 5:29. "If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell." Jesus uses extreme image language so hell's weight lands — better lose than be thrown in.

  11. Jude 1:7. "In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire." Eternal fire has an Old Testament example Jude still presses.

  12. Isaiah 66:24. "And they will go out and look on the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; the worms that eat them will not die, the fire that burns them will not be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind." Unquenched fire and undying worm close Isaiah with a warning — then turn readers back toward forgiveness and hope.

How to use these verses

Pick one verse for sober teaching, a warning that drives repentance, or clarity beside heaven's hope — not twelve as scare theater. If you need right fear of God over fear of people, start with Matthew 10:28. If you need eternal punishment named beside eternal life, start with Matthew 25:46. If you need the second death / lake of fire, start with Revelation 20:14-15. For God's presence and prepared place (not judgment), see Bible verses about heaven and Love and heaven. For the way out, see Bible verses about salvation, Bible verses about repentance, and Bible verses about mercy. For a daily verse, open Bible verse of the day.

Questions people ask

What is a good Bible verse about hell?

Matthew 10:28 (destroy soul and body in hell), Matthew 25:46 (eternal punishment / eternal life), and Revelation 20:14-15 (lake of fire / second death) are clear starting places.

Where in the Bible does it talk about hell?

Jesus speaks about hell most often: Matthew 5:22 and 5:29-30, Matthew 10:28, Matthew 25:41-46, Mark 9:43-48, and Luke 12:5. Outside the Gospels, see 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9, Jude 1:7, and Revelation 20:14-15 and 21:8.

How does the Bible describe hell?

The Bible describes hell as eternal fire (Matthew 25:41), outer darkness with weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 8:12), being shut out from the presence of the Lord (2 Thessalonians 1:9), and the lake of fire called the second death (Revelation 20:14).

How do Bible verses about hell differ from heaven verses?

Heaven pages center God's dwelling, wiped tears, and prepared place; hell focuses Gehenna, judgment, and the second death. Cross-link Bible verses about heaven.

What is Gehenna?

Geenna (G1067) is the usual New Testament word behind "hell" in Jesus' warnings — final judgment language, not a metaphor to shrug off.

Why does the Bible talk about hell?

Warnings aim at repentance and right fear of God (Matthew 10:28; Mark 9:43) — and they sit beside salvation, mercy, and heaven's hope for those who turn.

Where can I read more about heaven, salvation, and mercy?

Start with Bible verses about heaven and Love and heaven, then Bible verses about salvation, Bible verses about mercy, and Bible verses about repentance.

Sources

An open village gate frames a luminous valley at dawn.

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