הִנֹּם
Hinnom, apparently a Jebusite
Definition
Hinnom (הִנֹּם) is the name of a valley located south and southwest of ancient Jerusalem, first mentioned in Joshua 15:8 as part of the boundary between the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. It is most famously associated with the worship of foreign gods, particularly the Canaanite deity Molech, to whom child sacrifices were offered by fire (2 Kings 23:10, Jeremiah 7:31). This horrific practice gave the valley the name 'Valley of the Son of Hinnom' (גֵּיא בֶן־הִנֹּם), which later became a symbol for judgment and destruction. In the New Testament, the Greek transliteration 'Gehenna' (from this valley's name) is used by Jesus as a metaphor for hell.
Biblical Usage
The word is used exclusively as a proper noun for a geographical location. It appears 11 times, primarily in historical books (Joshua, 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles, Nehemiah) describing the valley's location. Its most significant usage is in the prophetic book of Jeremiah, where it is the site of condemned idolatrous practices (Jeremiah 7:31-32, 19:6). The pattern shows a shift from a simple geographical marker to a powerful symbol of apostasy and divine judgment.
Etymology
The etymology of הִנֹּם (Hinnom) is uncertain and likely of foreign, possibly Jebusite, origin, as indicated by its first biblical association. No clear Hebrew root is identifiable. The name appears to be a personal name (perhaps of the original Jebusite owner) that was later applied to the valley. Its development into 'Gehenna' (Γέεννα) in the Greek New Testament shows how a place name evolved into a major theological concept.
Semantic Range
Hinnom is theologically significant as the origin of the concept of Gehenna, a key New Testament term for the place of final punishment. It represents the severe consequences of idolatry and rebellion against God, especially the abomination of child sacrifice. Understanding this Hebrew term enriches the reading of both the Old Testament condemnations of false worship and Jesus's grave warnings in the Gospels, connecting a physical location of historical sin to the spiritual reality of eternal judgment.
In its original setting, the Valley of Hinnom was a known, specific place outside Jerusalem. Its association with the fire rituals for Molech made it a culturally understood symbol of defilement, horror, and divine curse. It was not originally a generic term for an afterlife destination; this symbolic development occurred later in Jewish intertestamental literature and was fully realized in the New Testament. For ancient Israelites, it was a stark reminder of the pagan practices from which they were to separate.
גֵיא (gay', H1516) — A general term for 'valley,' of which Hinnom is a specific instance. שְׁאוֹל (she'ol, H7585) — The general Hebrew term for the grave or underworld, distinct from the later, more specific concept of Gehenna as a place of fiery punishment.
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
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