Word study · Greek
geenna
Gehenna
Say it: GEH-en-nah (approximate)
γέεννα
What it means
The Greek form of the Hebrew Ge Hinnom, the Valley of Hinnom just south of Jerusalem. In the Old Testament it's where some of Judah's kings sacrificed children, and the prophets spoke of it as a place of judgment. By Jesus' time it had become a name for the place of final judgment. Matthew uses it more than any other Gospel.
Open question Debated
A popular claim says Gehenna was Jerusalem's burning garbage dump. Scholars debate this: the idea isn't found in sources before the Middle Ages, and the Old Testament links the valley with child sacrifice.
Range of meaning
- A valleyThe Valley of Hinnom near Jerusalem.
- JudgmentA picture of final judgment by fire.
In Matthew
- Chapter 18
The fire of Gehenna (18:9).
Every verse (7)
Verses where G1067 is tagged in the Hebrew text: STEPBible Data (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0. About our sources