Gehenna is a Greek word that comes from the Hebrew word Ge-Hinnom, which means “Valley of Hinnom” or “Valley of the sons of Hinnom.” In the Old Testament, Gehenna has several other names that include “the high place of Topheth/Tophet,” the “Valley of Ben Hinnom,” and “the Valley of Slaughter.”
In the Bible, the word is used to describe a physical place as well as a spiritual destination. Ancient Israelites used the valley just south of Jerusalem for sacrificing children to Molech. In Jesus’ day, Gehenna was a term used to describe Hell or Purgatory.
(The verses are organized chronologically.)
Gehenna Verses in Joshua
“Then it ran up the Valley of Ben Hinnom along the southern slope of the Jebusite city (Jerusalem). From there it climbed to the top of the hill west of the Hinnom Valley at the northern end of the Valley of Rephaim.”
Joshua 15:8
The boundary went down to the foot of the hill facing the Valley of Ben Hinnom, north of the Valley of Rephaim. It continued down the Hinnom Valley along the southern slope of the Jebusite city and so to En Rogel.
Joshua 18:16
Gehenna and The Kings of Israel
“He [King Ahaz] burned sacrifices in the Valley of Ben Hinnom and sacrificed his children in the fire, engaging in the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites.”
2 Chronicles 28:3
“He [King Manassa] sacrificed his children in the fire in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, practiced divination and witchcraft, sought omens, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the eyes of the Lord, arousing his anger.”
2 Chronicles 33:6
He [King Josiah] desecrated Topheth, which was in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, so no one could use it to sacrifice their son or daughter in the fire to Molek.
2 Kings 23:10
Jeremiah: The Valley of Slaughter
“They have built the high places of Topheth in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to burn their sons and daughters in the fire—something I did not command, nor did it enter my mind.”
Jeremiah 7:31
This is what the Lord says: “Go and buy a clay jar from a potter. Take along some of the elders of the people and of the priests 2 and go out to the Valley of Ben Hinnom, near the entrance of the Potsherd Gate. There proclaim the words I tell you, 3 and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, you kings of Judah and people of Jerusalem. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Listen! I am going to bring a disaster on this place that will make the ears of everyone who hears of it tingle. 4 For they have forsaken me and made this a place of foreign gods; they have burned incense in it to gods that neither they nor their ancestors nor the kings of Judah ever knew, and they have filled this place with the blood of the innocent. 5 They have built the high places of Baal to burn their children in the fire as offerings to Baal—something I did not command or mention, nor did it enter my mind. 6 So beware, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when people will no longer call this place Topheth or the Valley of Ben Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter.
Jeremiah 19:1-6
In Church tradition, Jeremiah 19:1- 6 has been connected to the potter’s field, which the Jewish leaders bought with the silver used to betray Jesus.
(See: What is Gehenna? – “The Valley of Slaughter”)
Isaiah: The Pit of Fire
“Topheth has long been prepared; it has been made ready for the king Its fire pit has been made deep and wide, with an abundance of fire and wood the breath of the Lord, like a stream of burning sulfur, sets it ablaze.”
Isaiah 30:33
“And they will go out and look on the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; the worms that eat them will not die, the fire that burns them will not be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind.”
Isaiah 66:24
Though Isaiah 66:24 does not specifically reference the valley of Hinnom. Jesus in Mark 9:43-46 quotes the verse when describing Gehenna. It is unclear whether or not he was saying Isaiah 66 is talking about Gehenna or if it was simply a quality illustration of God’s judgment.
Nehemiah
“Zanoah, Adullam and their villages, in Lachish and its fields, and in Azekah and its settlements. So they were living all the way from Beersheba to the Valley of Hinnom.”
Nehemiah 11:30
Gehenna Verses in Matthew
“But I tell you that everyone who is angry with his brother without a cause will be in danger of the judgment. Whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ will be in danger of the council. Whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of Gehenna.”
Matthew 5:22
“If your right eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it away from you. For it is more profitable for you that one of your members should perish than for your whole body to be cast into Gehenna.
If your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off, and throw it away from you. For it is more profitable for you that one of your members should perish, than for your whole body to be cast into Gehenna.”
Matthew 5:29-30
“Don’t be afraid of those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul. Rather, fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.”
Matthew 10:2
“If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into the Gehenna of fire.”
Matthew 18:9
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel around by sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of Gehenna as yourselves.”
Matthew 23:15
“You serpents, you offspring of vipers, how will you escape the judgment of Gehenna?”
Matthew 23:33
Gehenna Verses in Mark
43 If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having your two hands to go into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire, 44 ‘where their worm doesn’t die, and the fire is not quenched.’ 45 If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life lame, rather than having your two feet to be cast into Gehenna, into the fire that will never be quenched— 46 ‘where their worm doesn’t die, and the fire is not quenched.’
Mark 9:43-46
Luke: Fear
” But I will warn you whom you should fear. Fear him who after he has killed, has power to cast into Gehenna. Yes, I tell you, fear him.”
Luke 12:5
Gehenna in James
“And the tongue is a fire. The world of iniquity among our members is the tongue, which defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature, and is set on fire by Gehenna.”
James 3:6
Sources
- For a more detailed explanation of the history and theology of Gehenna See: What is Gehenna: “The Valley of Slaughter.”
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