A word frequently translated as the grave is the Hebrew שְׁא֣וֹל – sheol, but sheol is far more than just the grave. The grave is a portal into the underworld realm of the dead.
The Grave: שְׁא֣וֹל – sheol
Hell with Benefits
There are benefits to hell being at the center of the Earth. It solves the problem of exponential nuclear decay and renders radiometric dating useless for the development of an ancient Earth narrative.
Direction of Motion
The direction of motion is a clue that we've used to put all of the puzzle pieces together. We could induce a meaning to a passage, or we could compare it to our model and deduce that the pit is lower than the grave.
March 13th
In the text of Genesis, "the ground," is a translation of the Hebrew word הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה - adamah Adam, from whence Adam gets his name since he was made from the dust of the ground.