Reference: Gehenna
American
See HINNOM.
Easton
(originally Ge bene Hinnom; i.e., "the valley of the sons of Hinnom"), a deep, narrow glen to the south of Jerusalem, where the idolatrous Jews offered their children in sacrifice to Molech (2Ch 28:3; 33:6; Jer 7:31; 19:2-6). This valley afterwards became the common receptacle for all the refuse of the city. Here the dead bodies of animals and of criminals, and all kinds of filth, were cast and consumed by fire kept always burning. It thus in process of time became the image of the place of everlasting destruction. In this sense it is used by our Lord in Mt 5:22,29-30; 10:28; 18:9; 23:15,33; Mr 9:43,45,47; Lu 12:5. In these passages, and also in Jas 3:6, the word is uniformly rendered "hell," the Revised Version placing "Gehenna" in the margin. (See Hell; Hinnom.)
See Verses Found in Dictionary
He burned sacrifices in the valley of Ben Hinnom. He sacrificed his son by burning him alive. This was one of the disgusting things done by the nations that Jehovah had driven out from the land Israel possessed.
He burned his son as a sacrifice in the valley of Ben Hinnom, he consulted fortunetellers, and he cast evil spells. He also practiced witchcraft, and appointed royal mediums and psychics. He did many things that made Jehovah furious.
They have built the high places of Topheth, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire. I did not command this. I would never think of such a thing. (It would not come from my heart.)
Then go out to the valley of Ben-hinnom (Hinnom Valley), which is by the entrance of the potsherd gate, and proclaim there the words that I tell you. Say: Hear the word of Jehovah, O kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: thus says Jehovah of Hosts, the God of Israel, 'Behold I am about to bring adversity upon this place. The ears of everyone who hears of it will quiver with fear. read more. This is because they have forsaken me. They have made this an alien place and have burned sacrifices in it to other gods. These are gods that neither they nor their forefathers nor the kings of Judah had ever known. They have filled this place with the blood of the blameless (innocent).' They have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal. This is not something I commanded or spoke of, nor did it ever enter my mind (heart) (conscience).' Therefore days are coming, declares Jehovah, when this place will no longer be called Topheth or the valley of Ben-hinnom, but rather the valley of Slaughter.
Now I tell you that everyone who is angry with his brother [without cause] shall be guilty before the court. Whoever speaks to his brother with words of contempt shall receive condemnation before the Sanhedrin [Supreme Court]. Curse your brother and you will be guilty enough to be destroyed by fire, with the burning trash, at the Valley of Hinnom, outside of Jerusalem (Greek: Gehenna).
If your right eye causes you to sin, take it out and throw it away! It is better to lose a part of your body then to have your whole body destroyed in the ever-burning fires of the Valley of Hinnom. If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better to lose part of your body, than for your whole body to be destroyed in the ever-burning fire. (Figuratively: lose prospect for everlasting life; ever-burning fire means total destruction.)
Do not fear those who kill the body. They are not able to take away your [everlasting] life. Instead, fear him who is able to destroy both life and body in the ever-burning fires. (Greek: Gehenna: continuously burning trash fires in the valley of Hinnom.)
If your eye causes you stumbling, take it out and throw it away. It is better for you to go into life with one eye than, having two eyes, to be destroyed in ever-burning fires in the Valley of Hinnom (Greek: Gehenna).
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You travel on both sea and land to make one convert. When this happens, you make him twice as deserving of destruction in the trash fires of the valley of Hinnom (Greek: Gehenna).
You serpents! You offspring of vipers! How will you escape from being destroyed in the ever-burning fires of the Valley of Hinnom? (Greek: Gehenna, the trash fires in the valley just outside of Jerusalem)
If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It would be better to enter into life maimed then, having two hands to be destroyed in the ever-burning trash fires in the Valley of Hinnom. (Greek: Gehenna)
If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is good for you to enter into life with only one foot, rather than having two feet to be cast into the ever-burning fires of Hinnom. (Greek: Gehenna: symbolic of total destruction)
If your eye causes you to stumble, cast it out. It is good for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be destroyed in the ever-burning trash fires in the valley of Hinnom.
I will show you the one to fear. Fear the one who, after he has killed, has power to destroy you (throw into the ever-burning trash fires of the valley of Hinnom) (Greek: Gehenna). This is one you should fear.
The tongue is like fire, the place of iniquity among our members. It defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of our life. It is set ablaze like the ever-burning fires in the Valley of Hinnom (Greek: Gehenna: symbolic of total destruction).
Hastings
A word derived from Ge-Hinnom, the valley on the west of Jerusalem. In this valley it is possible that Molech and Tammuz were worshipped (2Ki 23:18; 2Ch 28:3; 33:6; Jer 7:31; 32:35). The recollection of this terrible worship gave to the valley a sinister character, and led to its being defiled by Josiah (2Ki 23:6,10), for the purpose of preventing these rites. Thereafter it became the place for the burning of the refuse of the city, along with dead animals and the bodies of criminals. It was natural, therefore, that the name should become a synonym of hell (cf. Mt 5:29; 10:28). In its eschatological force Gehenna was the place of punishment. It generally was conceived of as being under the earth, but it was very much vaster in extent than the earth. It was believed to be filled with fire intended for the punishment of sinners, who apparently went there immediately after death. Late Rabbinic thought would seem to imply that men who are neither great saints nor great sinners might be purified by the fire of Gehenna. Only those who had committed adultery or shamed or slandered their neighbours were believed to be hopelessly condemned to its fires, while the Jews were not to be permanently injured by them. According to the later belief, Gehenna was to be destroyed at the final consummation of the age. There is no clear evidence that Gehenna was regarded as a place for the annihilation of the wicked, although there are some passages which give a certain support to this opinion. No systematic eschatological statement has, however, been preserved for us from Jewish times, much less one which may be said to represent a general consensus of opinion. The NT writers employ the word in its general force as a synonym for the idea of endless punishment for sinners, as over against 'heaven'
See Verses Found in Dictionary
He removed the pole dedicated to the goddess Asherah from the temple. He took it to the Kidron Valley outside Jerusalem. There he burned it in the Kidron Valley, ground it to dust, and threw its ashes on the tombs of the common people.
Josiah also made Topheth in the valley of Ben Hinnom unclean so that people would never again sacrifice their sons or daughters by burning them to the god Molech.
He said: Let him be. Do not move his bones. So they let his bones be with the bones of the prophet who came from Samaria.
They have built the high places of Topheth, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire. I did not command this. I would never think of such a thing. (It would not come from my heart.)
In the valley of Ben Hinnom they built worship sites for Baal to sacrifice their sons and daughters to Molech. I did not ask them to do this. It never entered my heart (mind). I did not make Judah sin.'
If your right eye causes you to sin, take it out and throw it away! It is better to lose a part of your body then to have your whole body destroyed in the ever-burning fires of the Valley of Hinnom.
Do not fear those who kill the body. They are not able to take away your [everlasting] life. Instead, fear him who is able to destroy both life and body in the ever-burning fires. (Greek: Gehenna: continuously burning trash fires in the valley of Hinnom.)
Morish
Gehen'na
See HELL.
Smith
Gehen'na.
[HINNOM]
See Hinnom