Commenting on various euphemisms used in the Old Testament to describe the dead, such as being asleep, Rachel S. Hallote wrote the following which refutes the common use of such euphemisms by groups who hold to soul sleep/death (psychopannychism and thnetopsychism being the technical terms) as support thereof; instead, the dead were believed to have a conscious existence and could even exercise powers and influence in such a conscious intermediate state:
Today we use many euphemisms to describe the dead: a person has “passed away,” “passed on,” “gone to heaven,” or “is no longer with us.” Not all our euphemisms are pleasant. Some, such as “kicked the bucket” and “pushing up daisies,” play into an urge to disguise death with humor.
The Bible also uses a variety of terms to describe the dead. Pleasant biblical euphemisms for the dead include “souls,” “divine ones,” “healers,” “holy ones,” “knowing ones,” and “those who pass over.” Less pleasant terms include “dead ones,” “mutterers,” “ghosts,” and “corpses.”
Most of these terms are found in a single book, the Book of Isaiah. Isaiah was a prophet who lived in Judah when Israel was destroyed by the Assyrians. His book is a collection of warnings to the Judahites—if they do not stop sinning, they will be destroyed just like their Israelite neighbors were destroyed. Isaiah wrote about death largely in the abstract, poetic language of prophecy, yet he does not shy away from the actuality of death.
Most of the terms Isaiah used for the dead were positive, euphemistic ones. The dead were referred to with such praise because the Judahites (and the Israelites) believed that the dead still had a powerful role in the lives of the living. A dead person could take vengeance on someone who insulted him. The dead demanded praise because they inspired fear.
Another reason for praising the dead was that, if treated properly, they could be helpful. They could heal the sick if they chose, and in at least one biblical instance could even resurrect other dead persons.
The powers of the dead were both awe-inspiring and frightening. Fear of the dead and their powers, and the hope that dead ancestors would help rather than harm, went a long way toward solidifying burial practices and associated death rites. (Rachel S. Hallote, Death, Burial, and Afterlife in the Biblical World: How the Israelites and their Neighbors Treated the Dead [Chicago: Ivan R. Dee, 2001], 28-29, emphasis added)
For more on the state of the dead, see:
