Definition and Etymology:
Tophet, also spelled "Topheth," is a term found in the Hebrew Bible, referring to a location in the Valley of Hinnom, near Jerusalem. The name "Tophet" is believed to derive from the Hebrew root "toph," meaning "drum" or "to burn," suggesting a place where drums were beaten to drown out the cries of children being sacrificed by fire. This etymology reflects the site's association with idolatrous practices and child sacrifice.

Biblical References:
Tophet is mentioned in several passages in the Old Testament, primarily in the context of idolatry and judgment. In 2 Kings 23:10, King Josiah is noted for defiling Tophet to prevent the continuation of child sacrifices: "He also desecrated Topheth, which is in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, so that no one could use it to sacrifice his son or daughter in the fire to Molek" . This action was part of Josiah's broader religious reforms to restore the worship of Yahweh and eliminate pagan practices.

In Jeremiah 7:31-32, the prophet condemns the people of Judah for their abominable practices at Tophet: "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. So behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when it will no longer be called Topheth or the Valley of Ben Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter, for they will bury the dead in Topheth until there is no more room" . This passage underscores the severity of the sin and the impending divine judgment.

Historical and Cultural Context:
Tophet was a site associated with the worship of foreign deities, particularly Molek, a god to whom children were sacrificed by fire. This practice was strictly forbidden in the Mosaic Law, as seen in Leviticus 18:21: "You must not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molek, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the LORD" . Despite this prohibition, the Israelites occasionally adopted the idolatrous customs of surrounding nations, leading to severe consequences.

The Valley of Hinnom, where Tophet was located, later became synonymous with Gehenna, a term used in the New Testament to describe a place of final judgment and eternal punishment. This association reflects the valley's history as a site of abomination and divine wrath.

Theological Significance:
Tophet serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of idolatry and the severe consequences of turning away from God's commandments. It illustrates the extent to which the Israelites strayed from their covenant relationship with Yahweh, adopting detestable practices that provoked divine judgment. The defilement and destruction of Tophet by righteous leaders like Josiah highlight the importance of faithfulness to God's law and the rejection of pagan influences.

The prophetic warnings associated with Tophet also emphasize God's justice and the certainty of His judgment against sin. The transformation of the Valley of Hinnom into a symbol of eternal punishment in the New Testament further underscores the seriousness with which God views idolatry and moral corruption.2 Chronicles 28:3
Moreover he burnt incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burnt his children in the fire, after the abominations of the heathen whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel.
Nave's Topical Index

2 Chronicles 33:6
And he caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom: also he observed times, and used enchantments, and used witchcraft, and dealt with a familiar spirit, and with wizards: he worked much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.
Nave's Topical Index

Tophet

a drum; betraying

Tophet

See HINNOM.

=Topheth, from Hebrews toph "a drum," because the cries of children here sacrificed by the priests of Moloch were drowned by the noise of such an instrument; or from taph or toph, meaning "to burn," and hence a place of burning, the name of a particular p(n.) A place lying east or southeast of Jerusalem, in the valley of Hinnom.8613. Tophteh -- a place of burning, probably the same as Topheth
... Tophet. Probably a form of Topheth; Tophteh, a place of cremation -- Tophet. see
HEBREW Topheth. 8612, 8613. Tophteh. 8614 . Strong's Numbers.
/hebrew/8613.htm - 6k

8612. Topheth -- a place South of Jer.
... NASB Word Usage Topheth (9). Tophet, Topheth. The same as topheth; Topheth, a place
near Jerusalem -- Tophet, Topheth. see HEBREW topheth. 8611, 8612. ...
/hebrew/8612.htm - 6k

Greek and Jew
... Cut off from its neighbor by ancient walls were Ophlas, overlooking Tophet and under
the shadow of the Temple; Mount Zion which the Lord had established, Akra ...
/.../miller/the city of delight/chapter viii greek and jew.htm

Whether that Fire Will Engulf the Wicked?
... into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil," etc., and (Is.30:33):
"Tophet is prepared from yesterday, prepared by the king," etc., where a gloss ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether that fire will engulf.htm

As the Foam Upon Water
... "They say he climbed to the summit of the outer wall overlooking Tophet and remains
there a target for the Roman arrows, which rebound from him!" cried one. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/miller/the city of delight/chapter xx as the foam.htm

Korah, Dathan, and Abiram
... molten and the valleys cleft as wax before the fire, like water poured down a steep
place; and discovered that beneath their very feet was Tophet, the pit of ...
/.../kingsley/the gospel of the pentateuch/sermon xiii korah dathan and.htm

The Morning of Good Friday.
... Down into the horrible solitude of the Valley of Hinnom, the Tophet' of old, with
its ghastly memories, the Gehenna of the future, with its ghostly associations ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter xiv the morning of.htm

Sinners Bound with the Cords of Sin
... To bring torment to the guilty, there is little need that God should, literally
in the world to come, pile up Tophet with its wood and much smoke, nor even ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 16 1870/sinners bound with the cords.htm

The Fourth Part.
... Behold also hee is a consuming fire, a zealous God, hating lukewarmnesse not onely
destroying Sodome with fire and brimstone, and providing Tophet for his ...
/.../ward/a coal from the altar to kindle the holy fire of zeale/the fourth part.htm

The Tangled Web
... At this ravine and that debouching upon Golgotha, the Vale of Hinnom and the
Valley of Tophet, whole legions of besiegers were stationed. ...
/.../miller/the city of delight/chapter xvii the tangled web.htm

The Faithful Servant
... spirit of a Roman and the traditions of a soldier even could not prevent the young
man from weakening at times before the charnel pit in Tophet where countless ...
/.../miller/the city of delight/chapter xxi the faithful servant.htm

"And the Life. " How Christ is the Life.
... And finally, as to what is future of this kind, they are, being fuel for Tophet,
obnoxious to that malignant, sinful, blasphemous, and desperate rebellion ...
/.../brown/christ the way the truth and the life/chapter xix and the life.htm

Tophet (8 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary. (n.) A place lying east or southeast of Jerusalem, in
the valley of Hinnom. Multi-Version Concordance Tophet (8 Occurrences). ...
/t/tophet.htm - 9k

Topheth (9 Occurrences)
... etymology uncertain; the most probable is its connection with a root meaning
"burning"-the "place of burning"; the King James Version, Tophet, except in 2 ...
/t/topheth.htm - 11k

Hinnom (11 Occurrences)
... Moloch and Baal. A particular part of the valley was called Tophet, or the
"fire-stove," where the children were burned. After the ...
/h/hinnom.htm - 18k

Affirmation (335 Occurrences)
... Jeremiah 7:32 Therefore, lo, days are coming, An affirmation of Jehovah, And it
is not said any more, 'The Tophet,' And 'Valley of the son of Hinnom,' But ...
/a/affirmation.htm - 39k

Tophel (1 Occurrence)

/t/tophel.htm - 7k

Rooftops (1 Occurrence)
... Jeremiah 19:13 and the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses of the kings of Judah,
have been -- as the place of Tophet -- defiled, even all the houses on whose ...
/r/rooftops.htm - 6k

Dunggate
... south-west quarter. "The gate outside of which lay the piles of sweepings
and offscourings of the streets," in the valley of Tophet. ...
/d/dunggate.htm - 6k

Dung-gate (4 Occurrences)
... "The gate outside of which lay the piles of sweepings and offscourings of the
streets," in the valley of Tophet. Multi-Version Concordance ...
/d/dung-gate.htm - 8k

Brim (9 Occurrences)
... Isaiah 30:33 For Tophet is ordained of old; yea, for the king it is prepared; he
hath made it deep and large: the pile thereof is fire and much wood; the ...
/b/brim.htm - 10k

Oblations (24 Occurrences)
... Jeremiah 19:13 and the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses of the kings of Judah,
have been -- as the place of Tophet -- defiled, even all the houses on whose ...
/o/oblations.htm - 15k

What is Gehenna? | GotQuestions.org

What does the Bible say about child sacrifice? | GotQuestions.org

What is hadephobia? | GotQuestions.org

Tophet: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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