Word Study for G86 (ᾅδης) | Strong's Concordance

háidēs /hah'-dace/ Ask about this word

Rootfrom Α (as negative particle) and εἴδω · properly, unseen, i.e. "Hades" or the place (state) of departed souls

KJV usagegrave, hell.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of háidēs — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Greek word háidēs, represented by G86, properly means unseen and refers to "Hades" or the place and state of departed souls. It appears 11 times in 11 unique verses, often translated as "hell" or "grave." This term describes the realm of the dead, a concept central to understanding biblical perspectives on life, death, and resurrection.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In scripture, G86 is used to describe several aspects of the afterlife and spiritual authority. It is depicted as a place with gates that will not prevail against the church Matthew 16:18. Christ declares that he holds the keys of hell and of death, signifying his authority over them Revelation 1:18. In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, hell is a place of conscious torment Luke 16:23. It is also described as the state from which Christ's soul was not abandoned, a key part of the apostolic preaching on his resurrection (Acts 2:27, Acts 2:31). Ultimately, both death and hell are shown to deliver up the dead for judgment before being cast into the lake of fire Revelation 20:13-14.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words help clarify the meaning and context of G86:

G2288 thánatos (death): This word for death is frequently paired with G86. Christ holds the keys to both Revelation 1:18, they are personified as riders Revelation 6:8, and they are ultimately destroyed together Revelation 20:14.
G5590 psychḗ (soul): The immortal part of a person. Scripture states that Christ's soul was not left in hell G86, which was a fulfillment of prophecy regarding his resurrection Acts 2:27.
G386 anástasis (resurrection): The concept of resurrection is directly tied to victory over G86. The apostle Peter connects the fact that Christ's soul was not left in hell to his resurrection from the dead Acts 2:31.
G4439 pýlē (gate): A gate symbolizes power and access. The promise that the gates of hell G86 will not prevail against the church establishes Christ's authority over this realm Matthew 16:18.

Theological Significance

The theological significance of G86 is demonstrated in its role within God's redemptive plan.

The Realm of the Departed: G86 functions as the New Testament term for the state of the dead prior to the final judgment. It holds the souls of the departed, as seen in its deliverance of the dead Revelation 20:13.
Christ's Authority: Christ's victory over death is explicitly linked to his power over G86. His resurrection proves he was not held by it Acts 2:31, and he possesses the "keys of hell" Revelation 1:18, showing his absolute sovereignty.
Ultimate Destruction: G86 is not an eternal entity in itself. Its purpose is temporary, and its final end is to be cast into the lake of fire, an event described as "the second death" Revelation 20:14.

Summary

In summary, G86 is a critical term for understanding the biblical view of the afterlife. It is not simply a location but the state of being "unseen" after death. While it is consistently associated with death G2288 and holds the souls of the departed, its power is shown to be finite. The scriptures present Christ as having complete authority over G86, with his resurrection being the ultimate proof, and foretell its final destruction in the consummation of all things.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Greek New Testament, this word appears as a noun across 11 occurrences, inflected in 5 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form.

Genitive Singular Masculine Location 4×
Nominative Singular Masculine 3×
Accusative Singular Masculine Location 2×
Dative Singular Masculine 1×
Vocative Singular Masculine Person Gentilic 1×

Nominative: The subject of the verb.
Genitive: Possession or source — often "of".
Dative: The indirect object — often "to" or "for".
Accusative: The direct object of the verb.
Vocative: Direct address — naming who is spoken to.
Singular: One.
Masculine: Masculine grammatical gender.
Location: The name of a place.
Person: The name of a person.
Gentilic: Naming a people or nationality.

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

Appears in 11 verses across 5 of the 27 books. Most frequent in Revelation (4 verses); never once in the other 22.

Matthew

Luke

Acts

1 Corinthians

Revelation

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.