Is Hell a Place of Separation from God? (2 Thessalonians 1:9)

2 Thessalonians 1:9 ESV They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might,

Second Thessalonians 1:9 is popularly understood to describe Hell as a place of separation from God’s presence. This is largely due to the influence of translations, which render the Greek preposition apo (ἀπό) in this verse as “away from” (ESV, NASB), “shut out from” (NIV), or even “separated from” (NLT).

It is true that the preposition apo could denote separation away from. However, in this passage, it more naturally indicates origin or source. The KJV renders apo more correctly:

Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;

This same Greek phrase for “from the presence of the Lord” is found exactly in Acts 3:20, where Peter encourages the Jews to repent “so that times of refreshing would come from the presence of the Lord.” Surely, Peter did not mean that times of refreshing would come “away from”, “shut out from”, or “separated from” the presence of the Lord! Rather, he meant that times of refreshing would come from the presence of the Lord.

Likewise, 2 Thessalonians 1:9 does not suggest that the “eternal destruction” will be experienced by the unsaved “away from” or “shut out from” the presence of the Lord. Rather, the preposition apo indicates the origin or source of the “eternal destruction”—it will “come from the presence of the Lord”.

This interpretation fits the immediate context better. In the previous verses, the Apostle Paul wrote that “the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus” (vv. 7–8 ESV). This statement does not emphasize that the destruction will happen away from the Lord’s presence, but that the destruction will be done by the Lord.

This interpretation also fits the larger context better. Later on in the same book, he wrote that “the Lord Jesus will kill [the lawless person] with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming.” (2:8 ESV) Again, this statement does not that the destruction will happen away from the Lord’s presence, but that the destruction will come from the Lord.

Therefore, 2 Thessalonians 1:9 does not describe Hell as a place of separation away from the presence of God. Rather, it describes Hell as everlasting destruction that will come from the presence of the Lord Jesus when he comes back to the Earth.