Isaiah son of Amos saw all five kinds of punishment in Gehinnom (the place of spiritual purification after death). According to the Chronicles of Jerahmeel, a 12th-century Hebrew chronicle compiled by Jerahmeel ben Solomon, the prophet entered each chamber and asked God to reveal the meaning of what he witnessed.
In the first compartment, two men carried pails of water on their shoulders and poured them endlessly into a pit that never filled. God explained: "These coveted their neighbors' property." In the second, men hung by their tongues. "These were slanderers." In the third, men hung by their organs. "These neglected their own wives and committed adultery." In the fourth, women hung by their breasts. "These uncovered themselves in public to attract men and lead them into sin."
The fifth compartment was different. It was filled with smoke. All the princes, chiefs, and great men were there. And presiding over them, watching at the gate, sat Pharaoh himself. He mocked the other rulers: "Why did you not learn from me when I was in Egypt?" The most powerful tyrant of the ancient world, now serving as Gehinnom's gatekeeper.
The full scope of Gehinnom is staggering. Seven compartments, each containing 7,000 rooms. Each room holds 7,000 windows. Each window contains 7,000 vessels filled with venom. All of this awaits slanderous writers and corrupt judges. The fiery river Dinur flows from beneath the Throne of Glory and crashes down upon the heads of the sinners, its sound traveling from one end of the world to the other.
Yet the chapter ends with mercy. These punishments are prepared for apostates, renegades, and those who deny the resurrection of the dead. But if they repent, study Torah, and perform righteous acts, they can still be saved. "For I will not contend forever," God says. "Neither will I always be angry" (Isaiah 57:16). In the end, the Almighty will have compassion on all His creatures.