Gehenna

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(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 (2Chr 28:3; 2Chr 33:6; Jer 7:31; Jer 19:2ff). 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 Jesus in Mt 5:22, Mt 5:29f; Mt 10:28; Mt 18:9; Mt 23:15, Mt 23:33; Mk 9:43ff; Lk 12:5. In these passages, and also in Jam 3:6, the word is uniformly rendered "hell," the Revised Version placing "Gehenna" in the margin.