20, 33, 36) Many scholars consider that Gederothaim is a scribal error for a similar Hebrew term meaning “and her sheepfolds,” that is, ‘the sheepfolds’ of the previously listed site, Gederah. This alteration would drop the total number of cities in the list from fifteen to the stated fourteen. (Vss. 33-36) Since such an expression would be unusual in such lists, others suggest that the text originally read “Gederah or Gederothaim” rather than “Gederah and Gederothaim.”

GEDOR

(Geʹdor) [warlike, wall, fortress, walled enclosure].

1. The son of Jeiel of the town of Gibeon. A member of the tribe of Benjamin, he was a great-uncle of King Saul.—1 Chron. 8:29-31; 9:35-39.

2. A son of Penuel of the tribe of Judah.—1 Chron. 4:4.

3. A son of Jered also of the tribe of Judah.—1 Chron. 4:18

4. A town in the mountainous region of Judah. (Josh. 15:48, 58) It is identified with Khirbet Gedur about seven miles (11.3 kilometers) N of Hebron. It may also be referred to at 1 Chronicles 4:18. The mention, in the same verse, of Soco and Zanoah, both of which appear elsewhere as names of towns, is thought by some to indicate that Gedor is likely also a town of which Jered was the founder or “father”; see, however, ATROTH-BETH-JOAB.

5. A town that apparently belonged to the tribe of Simeon. (1 Chron. 4:24, 39) The Septuagint Version here reads Geʹra·ra.

6. A place in Benjamin. (1 Chron. 12:1, 2, 7) The suggested location is Khirbet el-Gudeira, about ten miles (1.6 kilometers) NW of Jerusalem.

GE-HARASHIM

(Ge-harʹa·shim) [valley of craftsmen].

A valley named for the community of craftsmen living there. (1 Chron. 4:14) The community was ‘fathered’ or founded by Joab, though evidently not the Joab of David’s time. It was settled by Benjamites after the Babylonian exile. (Neh. 11:31, 35) The exact location of the site is uncertain. Some geographers tentatively locate it at Wadi esh-Shellal, a broad valley located a few miles SE of Jaffa; others prefer the identification with Sarafand el-Kharab to the SW of the former.—See ATROTH-BETH-JOAB.

GEHAZI

(Ge·haʹzi) [valley of vision].

The attendant of the prophet Elisha.

When Elisha wondered what could be done for a hospitable Shunammite woman, it was Gehazi who called to his master’s attention that she was childless and that her husband was old. Accordingly, Elisha told her that she would be rewarded with a son. Years later the miraculously given boy became ill and died. The Shunammite thereupon came riding to see Elisha at Mount Carmel, and took hold of his feet. On seeing this, Gehazi tried to push her away but was admonished to let her alone. After she finished speaking Elisha at once sent Gehazi ahead to the boy, while Elisha and the woman followed. On their way there Gehazi met them, bringing back the report that, although he had placed Elisha’s staff on the boy’s face, “the boy did not wake up.” But shortly after arriving, Elisha resurrected the Shunammite’s son.—2 Ki. 4:12-37.

Later, because a seven-year famine was due to come, Elisha recommended that the Shunammite and her household take up alien residence wherever possible. After the famine she returned from Philistia to Israel and approached the king with a plea to have her house and field restored to her. It so happened that at this time Gehazi was relating to the king how Elisha had resurrected this woman’s son. On hearing the Shunammite’s own account of this, the king instructed that everything be returned to her, including all that her field had produced during her absence.—2 Ki. 8:1-6.

Greed for selfish gain proved to be the downfall of Gehazi. This was in connection with the healing of Naaman the Syrian. Though Elisha had refused to accept a gift from Naaman for the healing of his leprosy (2 Ki. 5:14-16), Gehazi coveted a gift and reasoned that it was only proper to receive this. Therefore, he ran after Naaman and, in the name of Elisha, asked for a talent of silver and two changes of garments, on the pretense that this was for two young men of the sons of the prophets who had just arrived from the mountainous region of Ephraim. Naaman gladly gave him, not just one, but two talents of silver, as well as the two changes of garments, and had two of his attendants carry the gift for Gehazi. At Ophel, Gehazi took the gift from the hands of the attendants, dismissed them, deposited the gift in his house and then presented himself empty-handed before Elisha, even denying that he had gone anywhere when asked: “Where did you come from, Gehazi?” As a result Gehazi was stricken with leprosy. So his greed, coupled with his deceptiveness, cost Gehazi his privilege of continuing to serve as Elisha’s attendant, besides bringing leprosy on his offspring.—2 Ki. 5:20-27.

GEHENNA

(Ge·henʹna) [Greek form of the Hebrew Geh Hin·nomʹ, Valley of Hinnom].

This name appears twelve times in the Christian Greek Scriptures and, whereas many translators take the liberty to translate it by the word “hell,” a number of modern translations transliterate the word from the Greek geʹen·na.—Matt. 5:22, Ro, Mo, ED, NW, BC (Spanish), NC (Spanish), JB (French version), also the footnotes of Da and RS.

The deep, narrow Valley of Hinnom, later known by this Greek name, lay to the S and SW of Jerusalem and is the modern-day Wadi er-Rababi. (Josh. 15:8; 18:16; Jer. 19:2, 6; see HINNOM, VALLEY OF.) Judean Kings Ahaz and Manasseh engaged in idolatrous worship there, including the making of human sacrifices by fire to Baal. (2 Chron. 28:1, 3; 33:1, 6; Jer. 7:31, 32; 32:35) Later, faithful King Josiah had the place of idolatrous worship polluted, particularly the section called Topheth, to prevent further such activities there.—2 Ki. 23:10.

NO SYMBOL OF EVERLASTING TORMENT

Jesus Christ associated fire with Gehenna (Matt. 5:22; 18:9; Mark 9:47, 48), as did the disciple James, the only Biblical writer besides Matthew, Mark and Luke to use the word. (Jas. 3:6) Some commentators endeavor to link such fiery characteristic of Gehenna with the burning of human sacrifices that were carried on prior to Josiah’s reign, and, on this basis, hold that Gehenna was used by Jesus as a symbol of everlasting torment. However, since Jehovah God expressed repugnance for such practice, saying that it was “a thing that I had not commanded and that had not come up into my heart” (Jer. 7:31; 32:35), it seems most unlikely that God’s Son, in discussing divine judgment, would make such idolatrous practice the basis for the symbolic meaning of Gehenna. It may be noted that God prophetically decreed that the Valley of Hinnom would serve as a place for mass disposal of dead bodies rather than for the torture of live victims. (Jer. 7:32, 33; 19:2, 6, 7, 10, 11) Thus, at Jeremiah 31:40 the reference to the “low plain of the carcasses and of the fatty ashes” is generally accepted as designating the Valley of Hinnom, and a gate known as the “Gate of the Ash-heaps” evidently opened out onto the eastern extremity of the valley at its juncture with the ravine of the Kidron. (Neh. 3:13, 14) It seems obvious that such “carcasses” and “fatty ashes” are not related to the human sacrifices made there under Ahaz and Manasseh, since any bodies so offered would doubtless be viewed by the idolaters as “sacred” and would not be left lying in the valley.

Therefore, the Biblical evidence concerning Gehenna generally parallels the traditional view presented by rabbinical and other sources. That view is that the Valley of Hinnom was used as a place