The BibleGospel Companion

Topheth

תֹּ֫פֶת · to.phet · H8612תׇּפְתֶּה · toph.teh · H86136 other spellings17 mentions in 7 books, most in Jeremiah (9)
Illustration — not a likeness; generated for Gospel Companion in the app's painting style — Topheth
Illustration — not a likeness; generated for Gospel Companion in the app's painting style

Where it is

NobNobNetophahNetophahSecacahSecacahMozahMozahAlemethAlemethEtamEtamTophethabout 27 km across

31.77° N, 35.23° E · ESV spelling: Valley of Hinnom

Coordinates and map: OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding · CC BY 4.0 · drawn without map tiles

Mentioned most in

Jeremiah · 9Joshua · 22 Chronicles · 22 Kings · 1Nehemiah · 1Psalms · 1+ 1 books
Counted from 17 references · STEPBible, Tyndale House Cambridge · CC BY 4.0

About this place

Topheth was a place located in the Valley of Hinnom (also known as the Valley of Slaughter or Baca Valley), south of Jerusalem, where pagan child sacrifices were performed (2Ki.23.10; Jer.7.31-32; 19:2, 6, 11-14; 32:35; Isa.30.33). The name "Topheth" is believed to derive from the Hebrew word for "fireplace" or "hearth," indicating its association with burning. The Valley of Hinnom was used as a burial ground (Jer.19.11) and a place of idolatrous worship, where people burned their children as offerings to the Canaanite god Molech (2Ch.28.3; 33:6). King Josiah defiled Topheth to put an end to these practices (2Ki.23.10). The valley became a symbol of divine judgment and a metaphor for hell (Isa.30.33). In the New Testament, the Greek word "Gehenna," derived from "Valley of Hinnom," is used to refer to the place of eternal punishment (Matt 5:22, 29, 30; 10:28; 18:9; 23:15, 33; Mrk.9.43, 45, 47; Luke 12:5; Jas.3.6).

Article: STEPBible, Tyndale House Cambridge · CC BY 4.0

Every mention

17 references, counted from STEPBible, Tyndale House Cambridge · CC BY 4.0 · verse text: World English Bible (public domain)
JoshuaChapter 15: 1 mentionChapter 18: 1 mention2 mentions
Joshua 15:8The border went up by the valley of the son of Hinnom to the side of the Jebusite (also called Jerusalem) southward; and the border went up to the top of the mountain that lies before the…Joshua 18:16The border went down to the farthest part of the mountain that lies before the valley of the son of Hinnom, which is in the valley of Rephaim northward. It went down to the valley of…
2 KingsChapter 23: 1 mention1 mention
2 Kings 23:10He defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the children of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter to pass through the fire to Molech.
2 ChroniclesChapter 28: 1 mentionChapter 33: 1 mention2 mentions
2 Chronicles 28:3Moreover he burned incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burned his children in the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom Yahweh cast out before the children of…2 Chronicles 33:6He also made his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom. He practiced sorcery, divination, and witchcraft, and dealt with those who had familiar spirits and…
NehemiahChapter 11: 1 mention1 mention
Nehemiah 11:30Zanoah, Adullam, and their villages, Lachish and its fields, and Azekah and its towns. So they encamped from Beersheba to the valley of Hinnom.
PsalmsChapter 84: 1 mention1 mention
Psalms 84:6Passing through the valley of Weeping, they make it a place of springs. Yes, the autumn rain covers it with blessings.
IsaiahChapter 30: 1 mention1 mention
Isaiah 30:33For his burning place has long been ready. Yes, it is prepared for the king. He has made its pyre deep and large with fire and much wood. Yahweh’s breath, like a stream of sulfur, kindles…
JeremiahChapter 7: 2 mentionsChapter 19: 6 mentionsChapter 32: 1 mention9 mentions
Jeremiah 7:31They have built the high places of Topheth, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, which I didn’t command, nor did it come into my…Jeremiah 7:32Therefore behold, the days come”, says Yahweh, “that it will no more be called ‘Topheth’ or ‘The valley of the son of Hinnom’, but ‘The valley of Slaughter’; for they will bury in Topheth…Jeremiah 19:2and go out to the valley of the son of Hinnom, which is by the entry of the gate Harsith, and proclaim there the words that I will tell you.Jeremiah 19:6Therefore, behold, the days come,” says Yahweh, “that this place will no more be called ‘Topheth’, nor ‘The Valley of the son of Hinnom’, but ‘The valley of Slaughter’.Jeremiah 19:11and shall tell them, ‘Yahweh of Armies says: “Even so I will break this people and this city as one breaks a potter’s vessel, that can’t be made whole again. They will bury in Topheth…Jeremiah 19:12This is what I will do to this place,” says Yahweh, “and to its inhabitants, even making this city as Topheth.Jeremiah 19:13The houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah, which are defiled, will be as the place of Topheth, even all the houses on whose roofs they have burned incense to all the…Jeremiah 19:14Then Jeremiah came from Topheth, where Yahweh had sent him to prophesy, and he stood in the court of Yahweh’s house, and said to all the people:Jeremiah 32:35They built the high places of Baal, which are in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through fire to Molech, which I didn’t command them. It…

What the dictionary says

and once To’phet (place of burning), was in the southeast extremity of the "valley of the son of Hinnom," (Jeremiah 7:31) which is "by the entry of the east…

Smith's Bible Dictionary (1863)
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Sources