Gehenna is the place of punishment for the wicked. It is described as consisting of fire (Matt. 5:22; 18:9; James 3:6), unquenchable fire (Mark 9:43). It is generically translated into the English ‘hell’ (Matt. 5:29-30; 10:28; 23:15, 33; Mark 9:45, 47; Luke 12:5; James 3:6). It is called a judgment (Matt. 23:33) where the whole person is cast into hell (Matt. 5:29-30; 18:9; Mark 9:43, 45, 47) and where there is destruction (Matt. 10:28). It is also related to evil (Matt. 23:15; James 3:6). Notably, in the case of annihilationist thought, Luke 12:5 says that God casts people into hell after they have been killed. But, the majority of conditionalists I’ve encountered teach that when a person is killed (i.e., physical death), he does not exist anymore or is in a condition called soul sleep. But since hell (or gehenna) is described as a place of fire and judgment where a person is after physical death, the implication is that the person is alive since it says that “after God has killed them, he has the authority to cast them into hell (Luke 12:5). This contradicts the majority of annihilationists.
Summary of the meaning of the Greek word γέεννα Gehenna, in all verses where it occurs in the New Testament.
- Evil source and condition
- Matt. 23:15; James 3:6
- Place of Condemnation
- Matt. 5:29-30; 10:28; 18:9; 23:33; Mark 9:45, 47; Luke 12:5
- Place of fire
- Matt. 5:22; Mark 9:43
- Greek word: γέεννα gehenna
- Meaning: hell
- Strong’s #: G1067
- Frequency: 12 occurrences
Hell is the place of punishment for the wicked. It is described as consisting of fire (Matt. 5:22; 18:9; James 3:6), unquenchable fire (Mark 9:43). It is generically translated into the English ‘hell’ (Matt. 5:29-30; 10:28; 23:15, 33; Mark 9:45, 47; Luke 12:5; James 3:6). It is called a judgment (Matt. 23:33) where the whole person is cast into hell (Matt. 5:29-30; 18:9; Mark 9:43, 45, 47) and where there is destruction (Matt. 10:28). It is also related to evil (Matt. 23:15; James 3:6). Notably, in the case of annihilationist thought, Luke 12:5 says that God casts people into hell after they have been killed. But, the majority of conditionalists I’ve encountered teach that when a person is killed (i.e., physical death), he does not exist anymore or is in a condition called soul sleep. But since hell is described as a place of fire and judgment where a person is after physical death, the implication is that the person is alive since it says that “after God has killed them, he has the authority to cast them into hell (Luke 12:5). This contradicts the majority of annihilationists.
Summary of the meaning of the Greek word γέεννα géenna, in all verses where it occurs in the New Testament.
- Evil source and condition
- Matt. 23:15; James 3:6
- Place of Condemnation
- Matt. 5:29-30; 10:28; 18:9; 23:33; Mark 9:45, 47; Luke 12:5
- Place of fire
- Matt. 5:22; Mark 9:43
- Greek word: γέεννα géenna
- Meaning: hell
- Strong’s #: G1067
Frequency: 12 occurrences
| TABLE OF ALL NEW TESTAMENT USEAGES OF γέεννα, gehenna | ||
| Address | Verse | Meaning |
| Matt. 5:22 | “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. | Place of fire |
| Matt. 5:29 | “If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. | Place of condemnation |
| Matt. 5:30 | “If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell. | Place of condemnation |
| Matt. 10:28 |
“Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. | Place of condemnation |
| Matt. 18:9 |
“If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, than to have two eyes and be cast into the fiery hell. | Place of condemnation |
| Matt. 23:15 |
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves. | Evil source and condition |
| Matt. 23:33 |
“You serpents, you brood of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell? | Place of condemnation |
| Mark 9:43 | “If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than, having your two hands, to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire, | Place of fire |
| Mark 9:45 | “If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame, than, having your two feet, to be cast into hell, | Place of condemnation |
| Mark 9:47 | “If your eye causes you to stumble, throw it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell, | Place of condemnation |
| Luke 12:5 | “But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him! | Place of condemnation |
| James 3:6 | And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell. | Evil source and condition |
Dictionaries and Lexicons consulted
| TABLE OF ALL NEW TESTAMENT USEAGES OF γέεννα, gehenna | ||
| Address | “Hell, the place or state of the lost and condemned (Matt. 5:29, 30; 10:28 [cf. Matt. 23:15; James 3:6]). Represents the Hebr. gā-Hinnom (the Valley of Tophet) and a corresponding Aramaic word. Found twelve times in the NT, eleven of which are in the Synoptic Gospels and in every instance spoken by the Lord Himself.”
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