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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

From the Greek New Testament onward, the name Gehenna is used as a technical term for the

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.
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.