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Writer's pictureEdward D. Andrews
Sep 289 min read

How Should We Understand Gehenna in the Bible?

Updated: 6 days ago

The word Gehenna is often translated as "hell" in various Bible translations, but a deeper examination reveals that this term carries a more specific and symbolic meaning rooted in biblical and historical contexts. Gehenna, or the Valley of Hinnom, was an actual place located outside Jerusalem that later became a powerful symbol of divine judgment. The term Gehenna appears 12 times in the Christian Greek Scriptures, and its usage by Jesus and other biblical writers connects it to the ultimate destruction of the wicked, not to eternal torment. To fully grasp its meaning, it is essential to delve into both the historical significance of Gehenna and its theological implications within the framework of divine judgment.



The Historical Background of Gehenna: The Valley of Hinnom


Gehenna is the Greek form of the Hebrew Geh Hin·nomʹ, meaning "Valley of Hinnom." This valley was situated to the south and southwest of ancient Jerusalem and is identified today with the Wadi er-Rababi. In the Old Testament, the Valley of Hinnom became infamous for the idolatrous practices of the apostate kings Ahaz and Manasseh. These kings engaged in the horrific worship of the Canaanite god Molech, which included making human sacrifices by fire, specifically sacrificing children. Second Chronicles 28:3 records Ahaz’s rebellion against Jehovah by saying, "He himself made sacrificial smoke in the valley of the son of Hinnom and burned his sons in the fire according to the detestable practices of the nations."


Manasseh, who succeeded Ahaz, carried on and even escalated these practices, as seen in 2 Chronicles 33:6: "He made his sons pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom." This act of child sacrifice was utterly condemned by Jehovah, who declared that such practices were "a thing that I had not commanded and that had not come up into my heart" (Jeremiah 7:31). This detestable idolatry brought about a prophecy of severe judgment on the nation of Judah.



King Josiah’s Reforms and the Desecration of Gehenna


In response to these abominable practices, King Josiah, who sought to restore true worship of Jehovah, took decisive action to rid the land of this wickedness. According to 2 Kings 23:10, "He also made unfit for worship Topheth, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, so that no one might make his son or his daughter pass through the fire to Molech." By desecrating this site, Josiah effectively put an end to the practice of human sacrifice in the valley.


As a result of these reforms, the Valley of Hinnom became associated not with idolatrous worship but with a place of defilement and disgrace. In time, it came to be used as a location for the disposal of waste and unclean objects, including the carcasses of animals and criminals. To prevent the spread of disease and to dispose of this waste, fires burned continuously in the valley. It was this image of continual fire and the burning of refuse that Jesus later used to describe the ultimate fate of the wicked.



Gehenna: Not a Symbol of Eternal Torment


Contrary to the popular belief in many Christian circles that Gehenna represents a place of eternal torment for the wicked, the biblical evidence points to a very different understanding. Nowhere in Scripture is Gehenna depicted as a place where souls are tormented forever. Instead, it is used as a symbol of complete destruction—a place where the wicked are utterly consumed with no possibility of resurrection or redemption.


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This view is consistent with God’s character, as expressed in passages like Jeremiah 7:31 and 32:35, where Jehovah clearly condemns the practice of burning human sacrifices in the Valley of Hinnom, saying that such practices were never commanded by Him. Given that God explicitly denounced the association of fire with human sacrifice, it would be entirely inconsistent to interpret Gehenna as a place of eternal torment, which would imply a continuation of the very idolatrous practices that Jehovah condemned.



Gehenna in the Teachings of Jesus


Jesus frequently used the term Gehenna in His teachings to warn of the consequences of unrepentant sin and rebellion against God. However, it is essential to recognize that Jesus used Gehenna figuratively, not literally, to represent the ultimate destruction awaiting the wicked. For example, in Matthew 5:22, Jesus warned, "Whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to the Gehenna of fire." Similarly, in Mark 9:47-48, He said, "It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna, where their maggot does not die, and the fire is not put out."


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In these passages, Jesus employed the imagery of Gehenna to emphasize the seriousness of divine judgment. The fire and maggots represent the total and irreversible destruction of those who fall under God’s condemnation. The reference to "their maggot does not die and the fire is not put out" is a direct allusion to Isaiah 66:24, where the prophet describes the fate of those who rebel against Jehovah: "They will go out and look on the carcasses of the men who have rebelled against me; for their worm will not die, nor will their fire be quenched." This passage clearly describes the destruction of dead bodies, not the torment of living souls.



The Use of Gehenna by James


The only New Testament writer besides the Gospel authors to use the word Gehenna is James, the brother of Jesus. In James 3:6, he writes, "The tongue is also a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by Gehenna." Here, James uses Gehenna metaphorically to illustrate the destructive power of the tongue. Just as the fires of Gehenna consumed the refuse and dead bodies in the Valley of Hinnom, so the misuse of the tongue can lead to devastating consequences for both the speaker and those affected by their words.



Gehenna and the Lake of Fire in Revelation


The concept of Gehenna is closely related to the "lake of fire" mentioned in the book of Revelation. Revelation 20:14-15 says, "Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire." The lake of fire, like Gehenna, symbolizes complete destruction and the final judgment upon sin and death. Those who are cast into the lake of fire face the second death, meaning eternal destruction from which there is no return.


It is important to note that Revelation 21:8 describes the lake of fire as the "second death," reinforcing the idea that it represents destruction, not torment. This interpretation aligns with the biblical use of Gehenna as a symbol of utter and final judgment, where the wicked are completely destroyed and will not be resurrected.



The Connection Between Gehenna and the Valley of Hinnom


The biblical use of Gehenna as a symbol of destruction is rooted in the historical and prophetic significance of the Valley of Hinnom. In the Old Testament, the valley became a place of disgrace and judgment due to the idolatrous practices that occurred there. As mentioned earlier, the prophet Jeremiah foretold that the valley would be renamed "the Valley of Slaughter" because of the judgment that would befall the people of Judah for their rebellion against Jehovah. Jeremiah 19:6 says, "Therefore, behold, days are coming, declares Jehovah, when this place shall no longer be called Topheth, or the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter."


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The prophetic image of the Valley of Hinnom as a place of mass burial and destruction carried over into the teachings of Jesus, who used Gehenna to represent the ultimate fate of those who reject God’s righteousness. In this way, the valley, once associated with idolatry and human sacrifice, became a powerful symbol of divine judgment and destruction.



Gehenna and the Wicked: No Resurrection


One of the key aspects of Gehenna as used by Jesus is that it signifies a judgment from which there is no hope of resurrection. In Matthew 10:28, Jesus warned His disciples, "Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna." The destruction in Gehenna is total and irreversible, meaning that those who are subject to this judgment will not be resurrected to life.


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This idea is further supported in Luke 12:4-5, where Jesus says, "I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into Gehenna. Yes, I tell you, fear him!" The casting into Gehenna represents the final and irrevocable judgment of God, where the wicked are completely destroyed, and there is no hope of resurrection or eternal life.



The Figurative Use of Gehenna: Purity and Holiness


In addition to its use as a symbol of destruction, Jesus employed Gehenna figuratively to stress the importance of moral purity and the avoidance of sin. In Matthew 18:9, He instructed His followers, "If your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the Gehenna of fire." This figurative language highlights the severity of sin and the lengths to which one must go to avoid the judgment of Gehenna. Jesus was not advocating self-mutilation but rather urging His followers to take drastic action to remove sinful influences from their lives.


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Similarly, in Matthew 5:22, Jesus warned against harboring anger and contempt for others, saying, "Whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the Gehenna of fire." Here, Gehenna serves as a reminder of the ultimate consequences of unrepented sin and the importance of seeking reconciliation and righteousness.



The Eternal Significance of Gehenna in Biblical Theology


In conclusion, Gehenna represents not a place of eternal torment, but a symbol of complete and final destruction for the wicked. The historical roots of Gehenna in the Valley of Hinnom, where idolatry and human sacrifice once took place, provide the foundation for its use by Jesus as a warning of divine judgment. Throughout the New Testament, Gehenna is consistently used to emphasize the seriousness of sin and the irreversible consequences of rejecting God’s righteousness.


The Valley of Hinnom, once a place of shame and disgrace, became a powerful symbol of the fate awaiting those who oppose God. The fires of Gehenna serve as a metaphor for the total annihilation of the wicked, and the biblical evidence clearly shows that this judgment leads to destruction, not eternal torment. Therefore, Gehenna stands as a sobering reminder of the need for repentance and the pursuit of righteousness in the sight of Jehovah.


About the Author

EDWARD D. ANDREWS (AS in Criminal Justice, BS in Religion, MA in Biblical Studies, and MDiv in Theology) is CEO and President of Christian Publishing House. He has authored over 220 books. In addition, Andrews is the Chief Translator of the Updated American Standard Version (UASV).


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