In the Bible, “heaven” names more than one thing at once: the sky overhead, the dwelling place of God, and — beyond both — the destiny of the redeemed.
The usual Hebrew word, shamayim, means “the heights.” It can point to the firmament where the birds fly, to the starry sky, or to “the heaven of heavens” — the “third heaven” Paul describes being caught up to (2 Corinthians 12:2). The same word stretches from the physical sky to the throne of God.
In its fullest sense heaven is where God dwells and where the faithful are promised a share. This fuller picture — heaven as the destiny of the faithful — is developed chiefly in the New Testament; the Hebrew Bible speaks far more of Sheol, the shadowy realm of the dead. Scripture reaches for it with images rather than a map: Jesus’ “Father’s house” (John 14:2), paradise (Luke 23:43), the New Jerusalem that comes down renewed (Hebrews 12:22; Revelation 21).
Jewish and Christian traditions have pictured it in many ways — the presence of God, a restored creation, life beyond death — and the texts of the end often describe it as much by what it ends (suffering, death, separation) as by what it is. In the Gospel of John it is not only a state but a “place prepared” (John 14:2–3).
Explore Heaven and related terms in the full glossary → a.fortt.com/glossary-app
How this is made · A Fortt Media project, created & edited by Jon Fortt. Grounded in a curated Scripture database and carefully drafted and audited with the help of AI — described plainly, and written to assume no particular denomination or doctrine. Read the full approach → · Report a correction →
