Hinnom

Hinnom, also known as the Valley of Ben-Hinnom, is a geographic valley located immediately southwest of the ancient city of Jerusalem. The name derives from a Hebrew phrase meaning "son of Hinnom" and is rendered Ge-Hinnom in some biblical translations. The valley runs along the western edge of the ancient city and enters into the topography that descended toward the Kidron Valley. In antiquity it acquired a dark association in biblical literature.

In the Hebrew Bible, the valley is notorious for idolatrous rites practiced there, including the burning of offerings to Molek at a precinct called Topheth. Passages such as 2 Kings 23:10 and 2 Chronicles 33:6 describe kings desecrating or employing the site for child sacrifice; Jeremiah 7:31-32 condemns it and Jeremiah 19:6 refers to the area in prophetic rhetoric. The reforms of Josiah included the removal or defilement of Topheth to end these practices.

From the Greek New Testament onward, the name Gehenna is used as a technical term for the place of final punishment after death, a metaphorical "hell" outside Jerusalem. The term thus preserves the memory of the valley's biblical associations with death and impurity while functioning as a theological symbol in Christian tradition.