Gates of hell lock forever. What does gates of hell mean? Jonah 1:17 Jonah was inside the fish 3 days and nights. Jonah 2:2… Jonah went down to "the land whose gates lock forever" (Todays English Version) &amp; Mat 16:18 (TEV) "not even death will be able to overcome it", (the church). Is the gates of hell (KJV) then death. Do we not fear being locked away, apart from God then if Jesus triumphed over the grave being 3 days and night in the belly of the earth/hell?
The original Hebrew is only two words: "מִבֶּטֶן שְׁאֹול", one meaning "out of the belly" and the other "grave".  Some versions translate the latter word as "Hell", but most leave it alone as "Sheol".

Today's English Version isn't really a translation of the Bible though.  It is a paraphrase.  Its original purpose was to provide a Bible that is very easy for everyone to read and understand.

In many cases they had to take liberties in deciding how to express an idea without leaving it ambiguous.  In other cases, such as Jonah 2:2, they simply got carried away by poetically saying "the land whose gates lock forever" rather than "the grave".

Today's English Version (Good News Bible) is a great introduction for someone just beginning to read the Bible.  It might be compared with a grade-school history book.  For serious study, or even for trivial questions, almost any other version provides a more reliable translation.