The Mystery of Gehenna

Is Gehenna a symbol of hell?
Gehenna in the Old Testament
Gehenna in the New Testament
Gehenna in Prophecy

Is Gehenna a symbol of hell?

Most of the references to "hell" in the New Testament are translations of the word "Gehenna," the valley of Hinnom.

For centuries, theologians have claimed Gehenna represents the place of infernal torment of the souls of the wicked.

The valley of Hinnom has a detailed history in the Bible. Below is the account provided in Easton's Bible Dictionary:

Gehenna: (originally Ge bene Hinnom; i.e., "the valley of the sons of Hinnom"), a deep, narrow glen to the south of Jerusalem, where the idolatrous Jews offered their children in sacrifice to Molech (2 Chronicles 28:3; 33:6; Jeremiah 7:31; 19:2-6). This valley afterwards became the common receptacle for all the refuse of the city. Here the dead bodies of animals and of criminals, and all kinds of filth, were cast and consumed by fire kept always burning. It thus in process of time became the image of the place of everlasting destruction. In this sense it is used by our Lord in Matthew 5:22, 29, 30; 10:28; 18:9; 23:15, 33; Mark 9:43, 45, 47; Luke 12:5. In these passages, and also in James 3:6, the word is uniformly rendered "hell," the Revised Version placing "Gehenna" in the margin.

The sacrifice of children to Molech was proscribed in the law of Moses.

Leviticus 18:21
And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD.

Leviticus 20:2
Again, thou shalt say to the children of Israel, Whosoever he be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, that giveth any of his seed unto Molech; he shall surely be put to death: the people of the land shall stone him with stones.

Did Jesus refer to Gehenna as "the place of everlasting destruction," implying hell is a place of infernal torment as the pagans believed?

I suggest Jesus was influenced more by what the law of Moses said, and by the history of Gehenna recorded in the holy scriptures, than by all the traditions and superstitions of men. So we should look in the scriptures for the significance of Gehenna, rather than assume that human tradition and speculation is correct.

Indeed, belief in a subterranean place of torment for the souls of the unrighteous dead was a popular superstition among the Jews in the time of Jesus. The Pharisees believed in the immortality of the soul, according to Josephus, who says they taught "that every soul is imperishable, but that only those of the righteous pass into another body, while those of the wicked are, on the contrary, punished with eternal torment" -Josephus Wars 2.8.14

Also, "they hold the belief that an immortal strength belongs to souls, and that there are beneath the earth punishments and rewards for those who in life devoted themselves to virtue or vileness, and that eternal imprisonment is appointed for the latter, but the possibility of returning to life for the former" -Josephus Ant. 18.1.3

Jesus warned his disciples, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees", referring to their doctrines. [Matthew 16:6, 12]

Gehenna in the Old Testament

Worship of Molech was introduced in Israel under the reign of Solomon.

1 Kings 11:7
Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon.

King Josiah destroyed these pagan shrines:

2 Kings 23:10
And he defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the children of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter to pass through the fire to Molech.

Ahaz introduced the evil practice again:

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.

Manasseh continued the evil practise, sacrificing even his own children.

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 wrought much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.

Jeremiah said it was because of these evils that the city of Jerusalem was taken into captivity by Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon. And Jeremiah wrote that God said for them to do such things 'never came into his mind'.

Jeremiah 32:35
And they built the high places of Baal, which are in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire unto Molech; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.

The judgment of those who did such things was that they were killed and their bodies were thrown into Gehenna, which became known as a place of shame and destruction. Jeremiah wrote.

Jeremiah 7:30-34
For the children of Judah have done evil in my sight, saith the LORD: they have set their abominations in the house which is called by my name, to pollute it. And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my heart. Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that it shall no more be called Tophet, nor the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of slaughter: for they shall bury in Tophet, till there be no place. And the carcases of this people shall be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth; and none shall fray them away. Then will I cause to cease from the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride: for the land shall be desolate.

Jesus' use of 'Gehenna' as a place of shame, and as symbolic of the fate of those rejected as unfit for the kingdom, shows that they are not in a place of infernal torment. None of those who were thrown into Gehenna in the Old Testament suffered any more after death, although their smoke continued to rise, and their bodies decayed. Worms became flies, they did not die, as Isaiah observed. [Isaiah 66:24]

Since Jeremiah said that for the people to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire as a religious sacrifice had "never come into God's heart," because it was evil, and condemned by the law, how much more, is it unthinkable that God himself would subject his own offspring to such a fate!

It is God's condemnation of that evil practice throughout scripture and in the history of Israel that the scriptures associate with 'Gehenna', and that is why Jesus uses that as a metaphor for the place of the unrighteous dead. It is NOT a place of infernal suffering, as such things 'never came into the mind of God'. It was a place associated with God's condemnation of cruel, inhuman, pagan depravity.

To attribute such behaviour to God is a serious mistake indeed! God's law shows us his character, and his law condemns that sort of cruelty. Why do some Christians say God not only throws people into a fiery hell, but that their suffering there will last forever? Clearly they don't understand that he is a God of love!

Gehenna in the New Testament

In no place where the word Gehenna is used in the New Testament does it have anything to do with torment. There are references to worms that don't die, and fire that cannot be quenched, but nothing about souls suffering torment.

Matthew 5:21-22
Ye have heard that it was said to them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: but I say unto you, that every one who is angry with his brother shall be in danger of the judgment; and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council; and whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of the hell [i.e., Gehenna] of fire.

Jesus associated Gehenna with fire. But what kind of fire? Is it natural fire, or is the 'fire' a metaphor?

Matthew 5:29-30
And if thy right eye causeth thee to stumble, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not thy whole body go into hell. And if thy right hand causeth thee to stumble, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not thy whole body go into hell [i.e., Gehenna].

Matthew 10:28
And be not afraid of them that kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell [i.e., Gehenna].

Notice that Jesus says that when one is cast into Gehenna both the soul and body are destroyed. Therefore, it cannot refer to a place of unending infernal suffering.

Luke 12:4-5
And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will warn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, who after he hath killed, hath power to cast into hell [i.e., Gehenna]: yea, I say unto you, Fear him.

Jesus makes a distinction between death and being cast into Gehenna, as Gehenna is a symbol for the fate of those who are declared unfit for the kingdom of God. They are raised up in the judgment with the people who heard Jesus preach, but rejected him. [Matthew 10:15, Matthew 11:24, Mark 6:11]

Matthew 18:9, Mark 9:43-45
And if thy hand cause thee to stumble, cut it off: it is good for thee to enter into life maimed, rather than having thy two hands to go into hell [i.e., Gehenna], into the unquenchable fire.

This is no natural fire, as the fires of the literal Gehenna have all gone out. I suggest it refers to the "fire" of God's word, in the judgment, which consumes all the false beliefs of man. [Jeremiah 23:29, 2 Peter 3:7]

Matthew 23:15
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he is become so, ye make him twofold more a son of hell [i.e., Gehenna] than yourselves.

Matthew 23:33
Ye serpents, ye offspring of vipers, how shall ye escape the judgment of hell [i.e., Gehenna]?

Jesus associated Gehenna with judgment. In the judgment, the knowledge of God fills the earth, as water covers the sea. [Isaiah 11:9] And it is a 'fire' that destroys all false beliefs.

James 3:6
And the tongue is a fire: the world of iniquity among our members is the tongue, which defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the wheel of nature, and is set on fire by hell [i.e., Gehenna].

None of the above associate hell with Satan; none of the above say that Satan's domain is Gehenna, or hell.

Gehenna in Prophecy

When the prophet Jeremiah described the boundaries of the holy city, he included the area of Gehenna, which he referred to as "the valley of the dead bodies."

Jeremiah 31:38-40
And the whole valley of the dead bodies and of the ashes, and all the fields as far as the Brook Kidron, to the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east, shall be holy to the LORD. It shall not be plucked up or thrown down anymore forever.

Eventually, Gehenna is to become holy to the Lord! Does not this prophecy suggest there is hope for those cast into it?