Hinnom

Geography

Hinnom was a narrow and deep valley which extended to the South and South-west from the ancient Jerusalem. It starts not far from current Porte of Jaffa and moves towards the South to the South-western angle of the city, it forks suddenly towards the East, skirting the South to join the valleys of the Tyropœôn and the Qidrôn close to the South-eastern angle of the city. Towards the junction of the valleys of the Tyropœôn and Qidrôn , that of Hinnom widens. It is probably at this place that Tophet h. was.

It is current the ouadi er-Rababi .

History

It is in this place that human sacrifices were offered to the god Cananéen Baal and with the god ammonite Moloch (or Molek ).

Thereafter, to prevent that such things reproduce, king Josias (or Yoshiya) particularly acts so that nobody makes pass his son or his daughter by fire, the part called Tophet h. (delivers of the 2 Kings 23:10 in the Old Testament). It had for that to spread bones or refuse, which transformed little by little the place into refuse tip where a fire was maintained permanently. The stink, the smoke and the fire which reigned recalled the inhabitants constantly which was the fate reserved for the things which are not used any more for nothing: destruction.

The tradition locates Akeldama , the “Field of Blood” or “the field of the potter” which was bought with the 30 silver coins of Judas Iscariote on the southern slope of the valley, close to its Eastern end.

The name of this place is at the origin of the name of the hell in the Bible and the Coran: Géhenne or Ge Hinnom (גֵיאבֶן - הִנֹּם).

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