Two groups existed in hell before the Resurrection of Jesus Christ:

1 Peter 3:19-20 "By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water."

These were "disobedient" souls in hell were the unsaved and damned souls, such as the rich man who wanted Lazarus to put a drop of water o! n his tounge. The were "preached unto" regarding the truth of their damnation and their eventual judgement. (Luke 16:24)

1 Peter 4:6 :For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.

These are the 2nd group - they were saved out of Abraham's bosom in hell when Christ preached to them - all the righteous souls who died before Christ's resurection.

- M