That explains a lot. Translations need to keep up to date with current language use, otherwise understanding is compromised.
Death to a Jew did not mean heaven or hell. Jesus was Jewish, so he did not teach something different to what all the Hebrew Bible writers had recorded.
If you go back to the beginning of man's creation, Adam was not told that he would go to heaven if he was good and to hell if he wasn't. The only choice Adam had was between life and death. If there was a hell of eternal torment awaiting him for plunging the entire human race into sin and death, then he should have been warned about it. But God simply told him that at death, he would return to the dust from which he was created.....nothing more complicated than that.
Other Bible writers like Solomon spoke about death too. (Solomon's wisdom came from God)
He said in Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10....
"For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing at all, nor do they have any more reward, because all memory of them is forgotten.......Whatever your hand finds to do, do with all your might, for there is no work nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom in the Grave, [sheol] where you are going."
"Sheol" is the Hebrew equivalent of the Greek "hades" (translated "hell" in many Bibles) so it does not mean a place of eternal torment, but a place of rest. We all go to this hell. Jesus confirmed this when he was going to raise his friend Lazarus from the grave. (sheol)
John 11:11-14 says
"After he said these things, he added: “Lazʹa·rus our friend has fallen asleep, but I am traveling there to awaken him.” 12 The disciples then said to him: “Lord, if he is sleeping, he will get well.” 13 Jesus, however, had spoken about his death. But they imagined he was speaking about taking rest in sleep. 14 Then Jesus said to them plainly: “Lazʹa·rus has died"
Lazarus had not gone anywhere....he was still "sleeping" in his tomb.
The other word translated "hell" in the Bible is "gehenna". This does not mean a place of eternal conscious torment either.
It was a word the Jews understood well because it was alluding to the city's garbage dump outside the walls of Jerusalem. (the Valley of Hinnom)
They used to throw the bodies of executed criminals into the flames to get rid of their bodies. What the flames missed, the maggots finished off. To a Jew, this meant someone not worthy of a decent burial tomb, seen by them as a suitable resting place to await the promised resurrection back to life (like Lazarus) under Messiah's kingdom rule. No tomb meant not being remembered by God in the resurrection. No Jew expected to go to heaven. That hope came later after Jesus died and the promised holy spirit anointed his disciples and gave them the hope of heavenly life. The number was limited however because like any government, there are only so many positions. But for mankind in general, their hope is to live on a cleansed earth under the best government, with the best ruler the world will ever have...Jesus Christ.
Have you considered The Complete Tanach, which is a direct Hebrew to English interlinear.
Berei**** - Genesis - Chapter 22 (Parshah Vayeira)
I find it helpful.
Educate yourself and make informed choices....you will not be disappointed. Ask God to help you to find his truth....he will guide you if you are humble and sincere. Throw away all that you have been taught and start again from scratch. Go back to Genesis and ask yourself what God purposed for mankind at the beginning....what went wrong...and how he gets us back to where we were. Find out why Jesus came, and why his sacrifice opened the way for us to gain entry into a new arrangement with vital lessons learned how to use our free will to the benefit of others, rather than selfishly. Ask questions.
The early parts of the Genesis account address so many things and answers so many questions.
Finding out about Abraham and why this man was mentioned so many times in scripture and why his descendants were chosen to be examples to the rest of us....both good and bad, is important too.
The story of the Jews is an interesting lesson in obedience and disobedience. God's blessings and his punishments tell us a lot about God's expectations of us as humans and what we can expect from him as our God. It is very much give and take, but God is by far the superior giver.
I believe that science has gotten carried away with its own importance....it has become a substitute religion for some.
The Bible allows for an old earth and a gradual process of creation over a very long period of time. God's intelligence is seen in the complexity of his systems that all work in perfect harmony. I don't believe for one moment that the natural world (including us) is a gigantic accident.
Then make it your business to know....we live in an information age, so search for understanding and evaluate what you are reading. Your gut should tell you if something rings true or not. Listen to it with an open mind and ask God to guide your thinking. No one should be spiritually "lost" in this day and age. Ask question and listen to the answers......you will know the truth when you hear it. It will liberate you from all falsehood and excite in you a hunger that will demand satisfying.
unfortunately. I have no life and the catch is, I do get out often but wish I could leave my phone at home sometimes.