Gehenna: There is another class of texts in which the word "hell" occurs, which have to be differently understood from those quoted in the foregoing section: in this the original is Gehenna.1 A reference to the passages and notes below will, however, show that they give as little countenance to the hell of popular theology as those in which the word "hell" simply means grave. They refer to the locality in the land of Israel, which was, in past times, the scene of judicial inflictions, and which is again to become so on a larger scale.

And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell2 (Gehenna, valley of Hinnom), into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. (Mark 9:43-44).

Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul (psuche, life), but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul (psuche, life) and body in hell3 (Gehenna). (Matthew 10:28).

As Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.4 (Jude 1:7).

It is the day of the LORD'S vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion. And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch. It shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up for ever: from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever. (Isaiah 34:8-10; see Jeremiah 7:17-20, 27; 2 Chronicles 34:25).

(His) fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. (Matthew 3:12).

The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? (Isaiah 33:14).

Our God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29).

Behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall, and ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts. Malachi 4:1-3).

The fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. (Revelation 21:8).

(Those), knowing the judgement of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. (Romans 1:32).

1 Parkhurst says, "Gehenna is used by the Septuagint for the Hebrew word Gaihenna (Joshua 18:16). So Gehenna in the New Testament is in like manner a corruption of the two Hebrew words gai, a valley, and Hinnom, the name of a person who was once the possessor of it. This valley of Hinnom lay near Jerusalem, and had been the place of those abominable sacrifices in which the idolatrous Jews burned their children alive to Molech, Baal, or the sun. A particular place in this valley was called Tophet, and the valley itself the valley of Tophet, from the fiery stove in which they burned their children to Molech (2 Kings 23:10; 2 Chronicles 28:3). - Greek Lexicon.

In this Gehenna Sennacherib's army was destroyed (2 Kings 19:35). It is written also of this valley, termed also the valley of slaughter, "Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that this place shall no more be called Tophet, nor the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but the valley of slaughter. And I will make void the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem in this place; and I will cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies, and by the hands of them that seek their lives" (Jeremiah 19:5-7; 7:30-34). In this valley of Hinnom (i.e. Gehenna) judgement came upon the armies of Assyria for oppressing Israel (see Isaiah 30:31-33; 10:5, 24-25). And when the Lord shall be revealed from heaven, the valley of Hinnom will become again the scene of judgements; first upon His unfaithful servants (Matthew 25:32-41), and finally on those nations who came up against Jerusalem (Zechariah 12:2-3; Joel 3:2, 12).

2 Parkhurst remarks on this verse, "Our Lord seems to allude to the worms which continually preyed on the dead carcasses that were cast into the valley of Hinnom (i.e. Gehenna) and to the perpetual fire kept to consume them; a place of abominable filthiness and pollution." - Greek Lexicon. Thus Gehenna came to be used as a synonym for total destruction.

3 Matthew, who wrote in the Hebrew idiom, used the term soul and body as comprehending the whole being, which only God could kill so as never to be raised to life again. But Luke 12:4-5, who wrote purer Greek, in relating the same discourse, omits the term soul. W.G. Moncriff, Edinburgh, observes that "The only legitimate mode of interpreting the text is, in our opinion, to understand it as affirming that God only can destroy a soul, a life, a human being's existence for ever; and that this will be the doom of all apostates, and of all the ungodly. Persecutions may destroy a Christian's life now, and for a little, but, at the 'last day' he will be raised to glory, honour, and immortality." When God destroys a man, a soul, a life, or a living being in Gehenna, he is quenched for ever; the second death is to be followed by no resurrection. - Bible verses Tradition.

4 Van der Palm, a learned and orthodox translator of the Bible, says, on Jude, "As this, according to the Greek text, is said of the cities, we must here take the words 'eternal fire' in the sense of a fire which cannot be extinguished until it has consumed everything, and reduced it to ashes."