Information AboutGehenna |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT GEHENNA | |
| christian eschatology | |
| islamic eschatology | |
| jewish mysticism | |
| hebrew bible places | |
| geography of jerusalem | |
| christian cosmology | |
| hell | |
|
''Note: in this article are from the King James Version .'' Gehenna is a word tracing to Greek , ultimately from Hebrew ''Gai-Ben-Hinnom'' meaning '' Valley Of The Son Of Hinnom '', and is still called ''Gai Ben Hinnom'' in Modern Hebrew (גיא בן הינום), though this is sometimes shortened to ''Gai-Hinnom'' in rabbinical texts. An alternate way to transliterate this word is ''Gehinnom''. Originally it referred to a Garbage dump in a deep narrow Valley right outside the walls of Jerusalem (in modern-day Israel ) where fires were kept burning to consume the refuse and keep down the stench. It is also the location where bodies of executed criminals, or individuals denied a proper burial, would be dumped. Today, "Gehenna" is often used as a synonym for Hell . THE STORIES There are stories of Fire s that were kept burning via the adding of brimstone ( Sulfur ). Light a Match and one knows what Sulfur Dioxide smells like. '' Smith’s Dictionary Of The Bible '' Volume I, explains, “It became the common lay-stall Garbage Dump of the city, where the dead bodies of Criminal s, and the Carcasses of Animal s, and every other kind of filth was cast.” The dump was full of rotting garbage which sent up a stench that could be smelled for Mile s. TANAKH (CHRISTIAN OLD TESTAMENT) OBSERVATIONS It is mentioned in the s worshipping Pagan idols and committing Abomination s: "19:2. ''And you shall go out to the Ben-Hinnom Valley which is at the entrance of the Harsith Gate, and you shall call there the words that I will speak to you.'' 19:3. ''And you shall say; Hearken to the word of the Lord , O kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem ; so said the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel ; Behold I am bringing evil upon this place, which whoever hears, his ears will tingle.'' 19:4. ''Because they forsook Me and they estranged this place and burnt Incense therein to other gods, which they had not known, they, their forefathers, and the kings of Judah, and they filled this place with the Blood of innocent people.'' 19:5. ''And they built the high places of Baal to burn their children with fire as burnt offerings to Baal, which I did not command, neither did I speak nor did it enter My mind.'' 19:6. ''Therefore, behold days are coming, says the Lord, when this place will no longer be called Topheth or Ben-Hinnom Valley, but the Valley of Slaughter .''" In Hebrew: "וְיָצָאתָ אֶל-גֵּיא בֶן-הִנֹּם אֲשֶׁר פֶּתַח שַׁעַר החרסות (הַחַרְסִית) וְקָרָאתָ שָּׁם אֶת-הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר-אֲדַבֵּר אֵלֶיךָ: וְאָמַרְתָּ שִׁמְעוּ דְבַר-יְהוָה מַלְכֵי יְהוּדָה וְיֹשְׁבֵי יְרוּשָׁלִָם כֹּה-אָמַר יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הִנְנִי מֵבִיא רָעָה עַל-הַמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר כָּל-שֹׁמְעָהּ, תִּצַּלְנָה אָזְנָיו: יַעַן אֲשֶׁר עֲזָבֻנִי וַיְנַכְּרוּ אֶת-הַמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה וַיְקַטְּרוּ-בוֹ לֵאלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים, אֲשֶׁר לֹא-יְדָעוּם הֵמָּה וַאֲבוֹתֵיהֶם וּמַלְכֵי יְהוּדָה וּמָלְאוּ אֶת-הַמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה דַּם נְקִיִּם: וּבָנוּ אֶת-בָּמוֹת הַבַּעַל לִשְׂרֹף אֶת-בְּנֵיהֶם בָּאֵשׁ עֹלוֹת לַבָּעַל אֲשֶׁר לֹא-צִוִּיתִי וְלֹא דִבַּרְתִּי וְלֹא עָלְתָה עַל-לִבִּי: לָכֵן הִנֵּה-יָמִים בָּאִים, נְאֻם-יְהוָה וְלֹא-יִקָּרֵא לַמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה עוֹד הַתֹּפֶת וְגֵיא בֶן-הִנֹּם כִּי אִם-גֵּיא הַהֲרֵגָה: וּבַקֹּתִי אֶת-עֲצַת יְהוּדָה וִירוּשָׁלִַם בַּמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה וְהִפַּלְתִּים בַּחֶרֶב לִפְנֵי אֹיְבֵיהֶם וּבְיַד מְבַקְשֵׁי נַפְשָׁם וְנָתַתִּי אֶת-נִבְלָתָם לְמַאֲכָל לְעוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם וּלְבֶהֱמַת הָאָרֶץ: וְשַׂמְתִּי אֶת-הָעִיר הַזֹּאת לְשַׁמָּה וְלִשְׁרֵקָה כֹּל עֹבֵר עָלֶיהָ יִשֹּׁם וְיִשְׁרֹק עַל-כָּל-מַכֹּתֶהָ: וְהַאֲכַלְתִּים אֶת-בְּשַׂר בְּנֵיהֶם וְאֵת בְּשַׂר בְּנֹתֵיהֶם וְאִישׁ בְּשַׂר-רֵעֵהוּ יֹאכֵלוּ בְּמָצוֹר וּבְמָצוֹק אֲשֶׁר יָצִיקוּ לָהֶם אֹיְבֵיהֶם וּמְבַקְשֵׁי נַפְשָׁם: וְשָׁבַרְתָּ הַבַּקְבֻּק לְעֵינֵי הָאֲנָשִׁים הַהֹלְכִים אוֹתָךְ: וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵיהֶם כֹּה-אָמַר יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת כָּכָה אֶשְׁבֹּר אֶת-הָעָם הַזֶּה וְאֶת-הָעִיר הַזֹּאת כַּאֲשֶׁר יִשְׁבֹּר אֶת-כְּלִי הַיּוֹצֵר אֲשֶׁר לֹא-יוּכַל לְהֵרָפֵה עוֹד וּבְתֹפֶת יִקְבְּרוּ מֵאֵין מָקוֹם לִקְבּוֹר: כֵּן-אֶעֱשֶׂה לַמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה נְאֻם-יְהוָה וּלְיוֹשְׁבָיו וְלָתֵת אֶת-הָעִיר הַזֹּאת כְּתֹפֶת: וְהָיוּ בָּתֵּי יְרוּשָׁלִַם וּבָתֵּי מַלְכֵי יְהוּדָה כִּמְקוֹם הַתֹּפֶת הַטְּמֵאִים לְכֹל הַבָּתִּים אֲשֶׁר קִטְּרוּ עַל-גַּגֹּתֵיהֶם לְכֹל צְבָא הַשָּׁמַיִם וְהַסֵּךְ נְסָכִים לֵאלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים: וַיָּבֹא יִרְמְיָהוּ מֵהַתֹּפֶת אֲשֶׁר שְׁלָחוֹ יְהוָה שָׁם לְהִנָּבֵא וַיַּעֲמֹד בַּחֲצַר בֵּית-יְהוָה וַיֹּאמֶר אֶל-כָּל-הָעָם: כֹּה-אָמַר יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הִנְנִי מֵבִי אֶל-הָעִיר הַזֹּאת וְעַל-כָּל-עָרֶיהָ אֵת כָּל-הָרָעָה אֲשֶׁר דִּבַּרְתִּי עָלֶיהָ: כִּי הִקְשׁוּ אֶת-עָרְפָּם לְבִלְתִּי שְׁמוֹעַ אֶת-דְּבָרָי:" Pagans once sacrificed their forbade the sacrificing of children to Moloch at Gehenna (though Baal is not mentioned in this particular verse). Rashi claims that the Tophet (תופת) was the Molech. Since priests would bang on drums (תופים) so that the father would not hear the groans of the child when he would be burned by the hands of the pagan image, Molech, they called it Topheth. CHRISTIAN NEW TESTAMENT OBSERVATIONS AND MATTERS OF TRANSLATION It is often mentioned in the New Testament of the Christian Bible as the place of condemnation of Unrepentant Sinner s. In the Book of Matthew , 23:33, Jesus observes, Jesus used the word ''gehenna'', not ''hell'', and his audience understood quite well that ''gehenna'' meant a place of condemnation, for in contemporary Jewish belief "gehenna" was a term for a transcendent (or subterranean) place of eternal punishment. We note, the '' King James Bible '' (and other translations as well) speak of ''“ Hellfire ”'' and of being ''“cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched."'' The original Greek scriptures of the New Testament actually used the word ''gehenna'', which tended to become ''hell'' in English translation. ISLAM The word ''gehenna'' (Gehennem) also occurs in the Muslim holy book, the Qur'an , as a place of torment for sinners. IN POPULAR CULTURE The word ''gehenna'' comes up in popular culture, particularly in a number of popular Role-playing Game s; see the main article at Gehenna In Popular Culture . SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS AND REFERENCES
|
|
|