Loading…

Looking to help your church and family stay connected to the Word while social distancing?
Check out our free church library, church online resources, and family resources.

Learn more
Valley of Hinnom
Excerpt from the Lexham Bible Dictionary, the most advanced Bible dictionary.
The Greek word for “hell” used in the New Testament. A transliteration of “Valley of Hinnom” (גֵּי הִנֹּם‎, gey hinnom), a boundary marker between Judah and Benjamin (Josh 15:8; 18:16). Jeremiah began to associate the place-name with God’s divine wrath and judgment (Jer 7:32, 19:6) because Kings Ahaz and Manasseh began sacrificing their children to Molech there (2 Kgs 16:3, 21:6).The term “Gehenna” is primarily used in the Synoptic Gospels as a symbol of future eschatological judgment (Matt 23:33). The term is almost always used by Jesus Himself (except in Jas 3:6), and bears the sense of a place of physical and spiritual torment and destruction (Matt 5:29–30, Jas 3:6; Matt 10:28; Luke 12:5).The Gospel writers based their usage on Jeremiah’s reinterpretation of the sacrifices in the Hinnom Valley and Isaiah’s final prophecy of the undying worm and unquenchable fire (Isa 66:24; compare Mark 9:48).
Lexham Bible Dictionary
The most advanced Bible Dictionary
The most advanced Bible dictionary as a part of Biblia Plus, which includes everything you need to take your Bible study to the next level. For less than $1 a week, you'll get devotionals, Bible study guides, thematic studies, and much more!
Expand all
Dictionaries
The Lexham Bible Dictionary
Gehenna
Gehenna (γέεννα, geenna). The Greek word for “hell” used in the New Testament. A transliteration of “Valley of Hinnom” (גֵּי הִנֹּם‎, gey hinnom), a boundary marker between Judah and Benjamin (Josh 15:8; 18:16). Jeremiah began to associate the place-name with God’s divine wrath and judgment (Jer 7:32,
Hinnom Valley
Hinnom, Valley of (גֵּיא הִנֹּם‎, gei' hinnom). A valley stretching along the southwestern side of Jerusalem. Associated in the Bible with idolatry and destruction.
Topheth
Topheth (תֹּפֶת‎, topheth). A site in the Valley of Hinnom just outside of Jerusalem. Associated with child sacrifices to the deity Molech.
The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary
Gehenna (Place)
GEHENNA (PLACE) [Lat Gehenna]. Valley, currently known as the Wadi er-Rababeh, running S-SW of Jerusalem and also a designation for fiery hell, the opposite of the dominion of God and eternal life. The Lat form is derived from the Gk geenna. The Gk is a transcription of the Aram gêhinnām whose Heb
Hinnom Valley (Place)
HINNOM VALLEY (PLACE) [Heb gê hinnôm (גֵּי הִנֹּום)]. A narrow gorge curving along the W and S sides of Jerusalem. The valley begins near the modern Jaffa Gate as a shallow valley, turns S at the gate for approximately a half mile, and winds to the E, deepening to become a gorge as it reaches the Kidron
Topheth (Place)
TOPHETH (PLACE) [Heb tōpet (תֹּפֶת)]. A cult site in the vicinity of Jerusalem. The word tōpet occurs only in Biblical Hebrew (and in rabbinic commentaries on the biblical passages). Its distribution is restricted to a single verse of 2 Kings (23:10) in a section recognized as the work of the Deuteronomistic
Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible
Valley of Hinnom
Valley of Hinnom. Valley on the south side of Jerusalem, called Gehenna in the Greek NT.See Gehenna.
Gehenna
Gehenna. English transliteration of the Greek form of an Aramaic word which in turn is derived from the Hebrew phrase “the Valley of [the son(s) of] Hinnom.” The name properly designates a deep valley delimiting the territories of the tribes of Benjamin and Judah (Jos 15:8; 18:16). It is commonly identified
Hinnom, Valley of
Hinnom, Valley of. Deep, narrow ravine running south of Jerusalem which marked the boundary between Judah and Benjamin’s territories.The Valley of Hinnom.See Gehenna.
Topheth, Tophet
Topheth, Tophet. Location within the Valley of Hinnom outside Jerusalem where Israel profaned the Lord by offering human sacrifices to Molech. As part of his religious reform, Josiah defiled Topheth and tore down its altars (2 Kgs 23:10). Josiah’s reforms appear to have had only temporary impact, for
The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised
Gehenna
Gehenna gə-henʹnə [Gk. géenna < Aram gêhinnām < Heb. gê-hinnōm—‘valley of Hinnom’ (Josh. 15:8) < gê beně hinnōm—‘valley of the son of Hinnom’ (Josh. 15:8; 18:16; 2 Ch. 28:3; etc.) or ‹gê benhinnōm—‘valley of the sons of Hinnom’ (2 K. 23:10)]. The English transliteration of the Gk. géenna,
Hinnom, Valley of
Hinnom, Valley of hinʹem, [Heb. gê hinnōm] (Josh. 15:8; 18:16); [gê ḇen-hinnōm, “valley of the son of Hinnom”] (Josh. 15:8; 18:16; 2 Ch. 28:3; 33:6; Jer. 7:31f.; 19:2, 6; 32:35; Q in 2 K. 23:10, read by the NEB); NEB “Valley of Ben-hinnom”; [gê ḇenê-hinnōm, “valley of the sons (AV “children”)
Slaughter, Valley of
Slaughter, Valley of [Heb. gêʾ haharēg̱â] (Jer. 7:32; 19:6). A name given to the Valley of Hinnom because of Israel’s involvement in the cult of Topheth or Molech, which included human sacrifice. See Hinnom, Valley of I.
Topheth
Topheth tōʹfəth [Heb. tōp̱eṯ-‘place of burning’]; AV also TOPHET. A place in the Valley of Hinnom where the devotees of Molech, a Semitic deity, offered their children as human sacrifices (see (Hinnom, Valley of). The name probably derives from Aram tēp̱aṯ (“burning place”), vocalized in Hebrew
Tyndale Bible Dictionary
Valley of Hinnom
VALLEY OF HINNOM Valley on the south side of Jerusalem, called Gehenna in the Greek NT. See Gehenna.
Gehenna
GEHENNA* English transliteration of the Greek form of an Aramaic word, which is derived from the Hebrew phrase “the Valley of [the son(s) of] Hinnom.” The name properly designates a deep valley delimiting the territories of the tribes of Benjamin and Judah (Jos 15:8; 18:16). It is commonly identified
Hinnom, Valley of
HINNOM, VALLEY OF Deep, narrow ravine running south of Jerusalem that marked the boundary between Judah’s and Benjamin’s territories. See Gehenna.
Topheth
TOPHETH Location within the valley of Hinnom outside Jerusalem where Israel profaned the Lord by offering human sacrifices to Molech. As part of his religious reform, Josiah defiled Topheth and tore down its altars (2 Kgs 23:10). Josiah’s reforms appear to have had only temporary impact, for the practice
The HarperCollins Bible Dictionary (Revised and Updated)
Hinnom, Valley Of
Hinnom (hin´uhm), Valley of, a valley known also as the Valley of the Son of Hinnom. It was probably the Wadi er-Rababi, beginning west of Jerusalem, near the present Jaffa Gate, and curving round south of the Old City to join the Kidron Valley. It was entered from the Potsherd Gate (Jer. 19:2, 6) and
Topheth
Topheth (toh´fith), a location in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom (the Valley of Hinnom) south of Jerusalem. It was known as a site where children were sacrificed to Baal and Molech during the time of Isaiah and Jeremiah (Isa. 30:33; Jer. 7:31, 32; 19:6, 11–14; cf. 32:35). Kings Ahaz and Manasseh of
The Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia
Gehenna
GEHENNA. The Gr. form of the Heb. gē–hinnom, “valley of Hinnom” (Josh 15:8; 18:16); also called Topheth (2 Kgs 23:10). The form Gaienna occurs in the LXX in Josh 18:16b. The word is used as the metaphorical name of the place of torment of the wicked after the final judgment. The valley was the place
Hinnom
HINNOM. The valley of Hinnom begins on the W side of Jerusalem at the Joppa (Jaffa) Gate, continuing S until it bends E along the southern limits of the city, joining the valley of the Kidron near the SE corner and the Dung Gate. It is a deep and narrow ravine with steep, rocky sides. See Jerusalem.
Tophet
TOPHET, TOPHETH. An area in the valley of Hinnom, just S of Jerusalem, where child sacrifices were made to the deity Molech (2 Kgs 23:10; Jer 7:31). The meaning and etymology of the name are uncertain. Some identify it with the root meaning “spittle,” while others explain it as based on the Aramaic root
The New Bible Dictionary, Third Edition
Hinnom, Valley of
HINNOM, VALLEY OF. A valley to the S of Jerusalem, also styled ‘the valley of the son (or sons) of Hinnom’. It was associated in Jeremiah’s time with the worship of Molech. Josiah defiled this shrine, and put an end to the sacrifices offered there. Later the valley seems to have been used for burning
Topheth
TOPHETH (av TOPHET). This was a ‘high place’ in the valley of *Hinnom just outside Jerusalem, where child sacrifices were offered by fire to a deity *Molech. Josiah defiled this idolatrous shrine (2 Ki. 23:10), and Jeremiah prophesied that the place would be used as a cemetery (Je. 7:32f.). The root
Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible
Gehenna
Gehenna (Gk. géenna; Lat. Gehenn.)The “valley of Hinnom” (from Heb. gê hinnōm), a ravine (Wadi er-Rabâbi) S and SW of Jerusalem, meeting with the Kidron Valley at En-rogel. Early traditions locating the valley in the Wadi Kidron are not satisfactory. The English NT usually translates the Greek term
Hinnom (Place)
Hinnom (Heb. hinnōm), VALLEY OFOne of three valleys which cut through the region around Jerusalem. Most scholars believe that the western valley is the one the ancients called Hinnom Valley, which joins the Kidron Valley at the southeast corner of Jerusalem. It is also called the “valley of the son
Topheth
Topheth (Heb. tōp̱eṯ)A location in the Hinnom Valley in Jerusalem where children were burned in sacrifice to Molech (2 Kgs. 23:10). Jeremiah condemns the site and proclaims that one day it will become a mass grave where the slain inhabitants of Jerusalem will be buried (Jer. 7:32; 19:4–14). In the
Eerdmans Bible Dictionary
Gehenna
Gehenna [gə hĕnˊə] (Gk. géenna). Greek form of Heb. gê hinnōm “valley of Hinnom” (Josh. 15:8), designating the narrow valley south of Jerusalem. The place was infamous during the monarchic period for the practice of child sacrifice by fire (cf. 2 Kgs. 23:10; Jer. 7:31). In the Hellenistic period
Topheth
Topheth [tōˊfĕth] (Heb. tōp̱eṯ). A place in the valley of Hinnom, probably near where that valley met the Kidron valley south of Jerusalem. Children were burned as sacrifices to Molech at Topheth (2 Kgs. 23:10; 2 Chr. 28:3; 33:6; Jer. 7:31; KJV “Tophet”). Jeremiah prophesied that Topheth would
The Archaeological Encyclopedia of the Holy Land
Hinnom (Valley Of)
HINNOM (VALLEY OF) A valley on the border between the territories of Benjamin and Judah (Josh. 15:8, etc.), to the south and southwest of Jerusalem a continuation of the Kidron Valley. In Jeremiah (7:32) it is called the ‘valley of slaughter’. At a later period the Valley of Hinnom, also known as Gehinnom,
Catholic Bible Dictionary
Gehenna
GEHENNA (Hebrew, “Valley of Hinnom” or “Valley of the son of Hinnom”) The valley of the son of Hinnom, south of Jerusalem, identified with the modern Wadi er-Rababeh. It became synonymous with a place of eternal torment and suffering for the damned. The name itself is taken perhaps from the original
Topheth
TOPHETH The location of a cultic sanctuary or “high place” in the Valley of Hinnom, south of Jerusalem. Child sacrifices were offered there to the Semitic god Molech. The site was condemned by Jeremiah, who prophesied that it would become a cemetery (Jer 7:32; 19:6–13). King Josiah defiled or destroyed
See also
Topics & Themes
Hinnom Valley