Question: Mr. McLemore, Did the Lord Jesus spend time in hell when he died?

Answer: Your question is suggested by the fact that the King James Version translates Greek words which refer to the realm of the dead, viz., hades (Matthew 16:18; Luke 16:23; Acts 2:27, 31) and tartarus (2 Peter 2:4) with the word "hell." First Peter 3:18-22 describes the activity of Jesus in spirit between his death and resurrection. It is said that "...he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison....." The place Jesus is said to have gone during this interval, however, was not gehenna, the hell of fire, but rather the place called hades. Hades is described as the place where the spirits of the dead reside awaiting the final judgment. (See Luke 16:19-31). Hades is the name of this place. The unrighteous dead reside in the part of hades called tartarus, and the spirits of the righteous dead reside in "Paradise" or "Abraham’s bosom." This region of hades is where Jesus’ spirit is said to have gone while he was physically dead. (See Luke 23:43).