The Valley of Hinnom

The Valley of Hinnom, also known as Gehenna in ancient Greek, is a valley south of Jerusalem, near the Gate of the Har-sheth (Jeremiah 19:2). It begins west of the Jaffa Gate, runs south along what is now called Mount Zion, and meets the Kidron Valley at the southeast corner of the City of David. The name “son of Hinnom” in the original biblical text means “son of lamentation.”In the Hebrew Bible, this was a place where idolaters worshipped Molech by sacrificing their children with fire (Jeremiah 7:31). After the kingdom of Judah was divided, the kings of Judah burned their own children as sacrifices to foreign gods there.

The Valley of Hinnom was originally a deep, wide, steep-sided gorge with rocky banks. It later became the garbage dump for Jerusalem, filled with refuse. The place was considered cursed and was often used as a synonym for “hell.” During the time of Christ, Jews burned the bodies of criminals and all unclean refuse there, so a fire was kept burning continuously. The Valley of Hinnom became a symbol of hell, and the Greek word “Gehenna” is derived from the Hebrew “Gehinnom” (Valley of Hinnom).

In the New Testament, the Valley of Hinnom is used as a metaphor for the fire of final judgment and the eternal punishment of hell. In the Gospels, the Lord Jesus used the Jewish concept of hell, which they were familiar with, to warn those who reject their Creator that they would be cast away like garbage, losing their created purpose and being thrown into the dump to be burned. The Lord Jesus warned several times, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul, but rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28).

We pray that God will cleanse our hearts and keep us far from sin. Let us accept the Lord Jesus as our Savior, so we can be with God forever in His kingdom!

The Bible records:

[Joshua 15:8] And the border went up by the Valley of the Son of Hinnom at the southern shoulder of the Jebusite (that is, Jerusalem). And the border went up to the top of the mountain that lies over against the Valley of Hinnom, to the west, at the northern end of the Valley of Rephaim.

[2 Chronicles 33:6] And he [King Manasseh of Judah] burned his sons in the fire in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom and used fortune-telling and omens and sorcery, and dealt with mediums and necromancers. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger.

[Jeremiah 7:30-33] For the sons of Judah have done evil in my sight, declares the Lord. They have set their detestable things in the house that is called by my name, to defile it. And 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, which I did not command, nor did it come into my mind. Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when it will no more be called Topheth, or the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter; for they will bury in Topheth, because there is no room elsewhere. And the dead bodies of this people will be food for the birds of the air, and for the beasts of the earth, and none will frighten them away.