Lexical Summary geenna: Gehenna, hell Original Word: γέεννα Strong's Exhaustive Concordance gehenna, hell. Of Hebrew origin (gay' and Hinnom); valley of (the son of) Hinnom; ge-henna (or Ge-Hinnom), a valley of Jerusalem, used (figuratively) as a name for the place (or state) of everlasting punishment -- hell. see HEBREW gay' see HEBREW Hinnom HELPS Word-studies 1067 géenna (a transliteration of the Hebrew term, Gêhinnōm, "the valley of Hinnom") – Gehenna, i.e. hell (also referred to as the "lake of fire" in Revelation). Gehenna ("hell"), the place of post-resurrection torment (judgment), refers strictly to the everlasting abode of the unredeemed where they experience divine judgment in their individual resurrection-bodies. Each of the unredeemed receives one at the Great White Throne Judgment (Rev 20:11-15), i.e. a body that "matches" their capacity for torment relating to their (unique) judgment. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originof Hebrew origin gay and Hinnom Definition Gehenna, a valley W. and S. of Jer., also a symbolic name for the final place of punishment of the ungodly NASB Translation hell (12). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 1067: γηνναγηννα (others would accent γηννα, deriving it through the Chaldee. In Mark 9:45 Rec.st γηνα), γηνης (Buttmann, 17 (15)), ἡ, (from הִנֹּם גֵּי, Nehemiah 11:30; more fully בֶּן־הִנֹּם גֵּיא, Joshua 15:8; Joshua 18:16; 2 Chronicles 28:3; Jeremiah 7:32; בְּנֵי־הִנֹּם גֵּי, 2 Kings 23:10 Kethibh; Chaldean גְּהִנָם, the valley of the son of lamentation, or of the sons of lamentation, the valley of lamentation, הִנֹּם being used for נִהֹם lamentation; see Hiller, Onomasticum; cf. Hitzig (and Graf) on Jeremiah 7:31; (Böttcher, De Inferis, i., p. 82ff); accusative to the common opinion הִנֹּם is the name of a man), Gehenna, the name of a valley on the south and east of Jerusalem (yet apparently beginning on the Winer's Grammar, cf. Joshua 15:8; Pressel in Herzog, under the word), which was so called from the cries of the little children who were thrown into the fiery arms of Moloch (which see), i. e. of an idol having the form of a bull. The Jews so abhorred the place after these horrible sacrifices had been abolished by king Josiah (2 Kings 23:10), that they cast into it not only all manner of refuse, but even the dead bodies of animals and of unburied criminals who had been executed. And since fires were always needed to consume the dead bodies, that the air might not become tainted by the putrefaction, it came to pass that the place was called γηννα τοῦ πυρός (this common explanation of the descriptive genitive τοῦ πυρός is found in Rabbi David Kimchi (fl. circa Topical Lexicon Historical Background Gehenna draws its name from the Valley of Hinnom (Hebrew ge ben-Hinnom) south-west of Jerusalem. In the Old Testament the ravine became infamous for child sacrifices to Molech (2 Kings 23:10; Jeremiah 7:31–32; 19:6). After King Josiah defiled the site, Jewish tradition remembered it as a cursed place. By Second Temple times it had become a refuse dump where fires continually smoldered, and so it served as a vivid image for eschatological judgment. When Jesus and James employ the term, their listeners already associated it with divine retribution and uncleanness. Usage in the New Testament Gehenna appears twelve times in the Greek New Testament—eleven times on the lips of Jesus and once by James. The distribution highlights three major themes: 1. Personal moral accountability (Matthew 5:22, 29, 30; 18:9). Even “every careless word” and “looking with lust” can lead to being “thrown into hell.” Mark 9:43–47 gathers these strands into a solemn warning: “It is better for you to enter life crippled than, having two hands, to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire.” James 3:6 applies the image to the tongue’s destructive power: “The tongue is set on fire by hell.” The constant factor is divine, not merely natural, retribution. Relation to Other Biblical Terms Unlike Sheol (Hebrew) and Hades (Greek), which describe the realm of the dead in general, Gehenna always points to final punishment. Revelation later depicts the same reality as “the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:14–15). Gehenna therefore stands at the terminus of moral history, not the temporary intermediate state. Theological Significance 1. Reality of eternal punishment: Jesus treats Gehenna as an objective destiny, not a metaphorical state. Old Testament Roots and Prophetic Echoes Isaiah 66:24 speaks of corpses where “their worm will not die, and their fire will not be quenched,” language Jesus cites in Mark 9. Jeremiah 7 and 19 anticipate a future when the Valley of Hinnom becomes “the Valley of Slaughter,” foreshadowing the eschatological application found in the New Testament. Pastoral and Ministry Implications • Evangelism: Clear preaching about Gehenna gives urgency to the gospel invitation (cf. John 3:16–18). Warnings and Exhortations Matthew 23:33 challenges complacency: “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape the sentence of hell?” The rhetorical force is remedial; Christ’s rebuke invites repentance before final judgment is sealed. Summary Gehenna functions in Scripture as the definitive symbol and reality of God’s retributive justice. Rooted in a historical valley of idolatry and fire, it becomes in Jesus’ teaching the ultimate destiny of unrepentant sin and hypocrisy. Its twelve New Testament occurrences offer sober warnings, undergird gospel proclamation, and shape holy living. The doctrine of Gehenna therefore magnifies the holiness of God, the seriousness of sin, and the gracious deliverance provided through the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Forms and Transliterations γεενναν γέενναν γεεννη γεέννη γεέννῃ γεεννης γεέννης geennan géennan geenne geennē geénnei geénnēi geennes geennēs geénnes geénnēsLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Matthew 5:22 N-AFSGRK: εἰς τὴν γέενναν τοῦ πυρός NAS: [enough to go] into the fiery hell. KJV: in danger of hell fire. INT: to the hell of fire Matthew 5:29 N-AFS Matthew 5:30 N-AFS Matthew 10:28 N-DFS Matthew 18:9 N-AFS Matthew 23:15 N-GFS Matthew 23:33 N-GFS Mark 9:43 N-AFS Mark 9:45 N-AFS Mark 9:47 N-AFS Luke 12:5 N-AFS James 3:6 N-GFS Strong's Greek 1067 |
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