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how did ancient israelites understand 'heaven' and 'sheol' in relation to god's presence?

Adds the setting and its conversation across both testaments.

Psalm 139:7-10

“Where could I go from your Spirit? Or where could I flee from your presence? If I ascend up into heaven, you are there. If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, you are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and settle in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand will lead me, and your right hand will hold me.”

This psalm, traditionally attributed to King David, is a meditation on God's omnipresence, omniscience, and intimate involvement with humanity. The psalmist expresses awe at God's inescapable knowledge and presence throughout all creation and even beyond life.

What does God's inescapable presence mean for how you approach your own life's hidden corners or greatest fears?

Then — the setting

In ancient Israelite thought, 'heaven' (שָׁמַיִם, shamayim) was understood primarily as the abode of God and celestial beings, the sky above. 'Sheol' (שְׁאוֹל, sheol) was the common destination for all the dead, a shadowy, undifferentiated realm beneath the earth, often depicted as a place of silence and inactivity. While these realms were distinct, and Sheol was often associated with separation from the living, Israelite tradition, especially in wisdom literature and psalms, maintained that God's sovereignty extended even there. This passage from Psalm 139 stands as a powerful testament against any notion that God's presence or power had limits, even in the most distant or seemingly 'god-forsaken' places of their cosmology.

Across the Testaments

The Old Testament firmly establishes God's presence and authority over both heaven and Sheol, emphasizing his omnipresence. The New Testament builds upon this, particularly through the person of Jesus. While 'heaven' remains God's dwelling, Jesus' resurrection and 'descent into Hades' (the Greek equivalent for Sheol/the realm of the dead, mentioned in Acts 2:27, 31, drawing from Psalm 16) further underscore God's triumph over death and his presence even in the deepest parts of the underworld. This redefines Sheol not as a permanent barrier from God, but as a realm subject to Christ's authority, paving the way for the Christian hope of resurrection and eternal life in God's presence.

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Read alongside it

Job 26:6
Describes Sheol as 'naked before him, and Abaddon has no covering,' emphasizing God's sight even into the depths.
Amos 9:2
Prophetically states that even if one digs into Sheol or climbs to heaven, God's hand will find them.
Jeremiah 23:23-24
God asks, 'Am I a God at hand, says Yahweh, and not a God far away?' asserting omnipresence across all space.

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