Valley of Hinnom (Gehenna)
Painting of ridgetop city of Jerusalem
with Hinnom and Kidron Valleys
Two Israelite kings in Jerusalem sacrificed a son in Hinnom Valley. That's the name in the Hebrew language of the Old Testament. In the Greek language of the New Testament, the name is Gehenna Valley.Ahaz
"Ahaz was 20 years old when he became king. He lived in Judah’s capital city of Jerusalem. He was not a good king in God’s eyes because he didn’t follow in the footsteps of his ancestor, David, who obeyed the LORD. Ahaz lived like the idol-worshiping kings of Israel. He even burned his son as a sacrifice, which is despicable to God. Other nations used to do that, too, but God drove them off the land. Ahaz sacrificed at shrines set up on hilltops and under shade trees in the valleys" (2 Kings 16:2-4, Casual English Bible).Manasseh
King Hezekiah’s boy, Manasseh, was 12 years old when he became king of Judah. He reigned 55 years. [1] His mother was Hephzibah. 2Manasseh was a poor excuse of a king, in God’s eyes. Manasseh reverted to some of the old, pagan religions of nations God drove off the land. This king practiced repulsive worship rituals. Jesus later used the valley as a metaphor to describe God's punishment for sin. English translators of the Bible coined a word for that metaphor: Hell. When Jesus spoke of a place translated as "hell," he was more literally referring to the valley that apparently later became the city dump.... Manasseh sacrificed his own son and burned the body on an altar. [6] He consulted sorcerers, wizards, fortunetellers, along with mediums who tried to contact the dead. [7] These sins made the LORD angry" (2 Kings 21:1-2, 6, Casual English Bible).For more Bible features
Jerusalem with Hinnom, Kidron Valleys