CHAPTER 4
INTERTEXTUAL STUDY
This section would discuss the
use the expression in Isaiah 66:24 where the quotation is taken by Jesusaddition this section would discuss also the meaning and background of gehenna in the OT.
The use of expression in Isa 66:24
Most scholars[1] believe
that the expression of “their
worm does not die and the fire is not quenched” in Mark 4:48 is a free
quotation from Isa. 66.24. The expression was used by Christ to warn his
disciples of the seriousness of sin. Those who fail to obey this warning or
those unrepentant shall be cast out into gehenna.
However, it is not like in Mark, in Isaiah 66:24 the
word gehenna is not mentioned. The
passage of Isa 66: 24 reads, “Then they
shall go forth and look on the corpses of the men who have transgressed against
me. For their worm shall not die, and their fire shall not be quenched; and
they shall be an abhorrence to all mankind.”
The background of the expression in Isaiah 66 can be
seen from the promise of God for Israelites after their exile. There are two messages of God in these
oracles. First the positive side, where there is a declaration from God that He
would not abandon His people. He assures that the righteous would be given His protection.
John Braun states that in the passage, Isaiah is prophesying the coming
of Cyrus to release Israel from Babylon.[2] Israelites
will return and worship God in Jerusalem. Nichols affirms that Isaiah describes
new heavens and a new earth would be given to Israel and fulfill the divine
purpose of the restoration from captivity.[3]
The second message is negative side. God depicts the
fate of the unrighteous at the end. There would be too many dead people that
they would not be buried and they would be a spectacle (v. 16).
Isaiah mentions that “the worm of the dead bodies
shall not die and fire shall not be quenched” (v. 24), and the righteous would
go out and look upon the dead bodies of those who rebel against God. Thus the
passage tells that the righteous would not be looking people who tormented by
the fire or by worms but they would see the dead bodies of the unbelieving
people who rebelled against God. Thus contextually, one can see that there is
no scene of eternal torment in Isaiah.
Douglas Hare comments on the expression that the dead bodies
are punished before the righteous and has an end. He states, “There is no suggestion that
these evil persons will suffer eternally; their carcasses will remain
indefinitely as a reminder of their rebellion against God.”[4]
In addition Frooms contends that both of the clauses “worm does not die and fire is not quenched” are symbol of death and there
no indication that they are alive and tormented consciously forever. He states:
"So long as the corpse or carcass, which is
completely insensible, is gnawed by the worm, it cannot live again. If the
worms never dies, there will be no possibility of life revitalizing the corpse.
There are no “perpetual torments” or “endless suffering” [5]
Gehenna in OT
The word of gehenna is translated from gê ben
hinnōm “the
Valley of Ben Hinnom,” and then is
transalted into English as “hell.” Geographically, the valley of Ben Hinnom is
located in southeast of Jerusalem.
In Hebrew
Bible the word בֶן־הִנֹּ֗ם “the Valley of Hinnom” appears 14 times in eleven verses. It appears four times
in Joshua and in two verses; five times in Jeremiah and twice in second Chronicles.
It also occurs twice in second Kings once in Nehemiah. Of the 14 times their
occurrences in OT, 11 times called as "valley of the son of Hinnom"
and three times as "valley of Hinnom" (Josh. 15:8; 18:16; Nehemiah
11:30).
The
first appearance and oldest historical reference to the valley is found in Joshua
15:8; 18:16 which describe tribal boundaries of Israel. Joshua describes thatגּי בֶן־הִנֹּ֗ם is part of a long list
of names that designate the borders of the tribe of Judah after the conquest
(Joshua 15:1-12). It was boundary between Judah and Benjamin.
Later in the history of Israel monarchy, the valley of
Hinnom has been a place to sacrifice children to the god Molech by some kings
of Israel. King
Ahaz was one of them. In 2 Kings 16:3 reads, “But he
walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and even made his son pass through
the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD had driven
out from before the sons of Israel.” In this valley Ahaz offered incense, sacrificed his
children in fire, and made idols to Baal, and it “became known as a place of
fire.”[6]
Manaseh
also was one of the Israel’s king who sacrificed his sons in fire in this
valley. In 2 Chronicles 33:6 reads, “And he
made his sons pass through the fire in the valley of Ben-hinnom; and he
practiced witchcraft, used divination, practiced sorcery, and dealt with
mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking
Him to anger.” Thus, it can be perceived that the valley of Hinnom has
been an idolatrious place in the time of some Israel’ kings reign.
However James Brooks contends sacrificing children in the
valley of Hinnom was not initiated by Israelites but it had been done since to
Molech since pre-Israelite times.[7]
In times of spiritual decline some of Isarel’s kings have adopted the
practices. Robert A. Morey states that “because of these horrible
idolatrous practices, the Valley of Hinnom was hated and considered “unclean”
by pious Jews.”[8]
In the reign of King Josiah’ reign, he did a spiritual
reformations and the valley was desecrated, so no one could use it to sacrifice
his son or daughter in the valley to Molech (cf. 2 Kings 23:10). Spiros
Zodhiates states that “in order to put an end to these abominations, Josiah
polluted it with human bones and other corruptions.”[9]
In the book of Jeremiah, the word
בֶן־הִנֹּ֗ם
appears five times. They appear in Jeremiah 7:31, 32; 19:2, 6; 32:35. According to Spiros
Zodhiates, “the
worship of Molech was revived under Jehoiakim” [10] and the practices
of sacrificing children was done again in the Valley of Hinnom (cf. Jer.
11:10–13). In all of the occurrences of the word בֶן־הִנֹּ֗ם in
Jeremiah, they show that God was angry to Israelites.
Jeremiah
proclaims that God will destroy the apostate Jews in a future war and prophesies
that the valley will one day be called the "valley of slaughter." He
utters that dead will be so many that the place would not be enough to bury
them. This anger was caused by their sin who sacrificed their children in the
valley of ben-hinnom. Jer. 32:35 reads, “And they 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 did not command,
and it did not come into My mind” (Jer. 32:35).
Thus all of the appearances of gehinnmon describe the destruction of
the people of unrepentant Israelites in their future. The prophecy was
fulfilled in the massacre by Nebuchadnezzar when he destroyed Jerusalem and
captive them into Babilonian. Because of the dead bodies unburied, they would
be preyed by the wild animal (Jer. 7:33). It means that the dead bodies in gehinnmon does not depicts that they are
tormented consciously.
In
Nehemiah 11:30, the term is purely a description of geographical terminology to
the exiles returning from Babylon. It refers to one of the limits of the area
that the Jews returning from Babylon settled. In addition the valley of ge-hinnom is described as a place of the
death body where there is not enough man power to bury them. Furthermore Jeremiah
also included a prophecy that Jerusalem itself would be made like gehenna.
Thus, as William Hendriksen concludes the valley of Hinnom in OT is simply a
location. [11] It was located south of Jerusalem and as Merrill Tenney states that the teaching of eternal torment where
the ungodly are punished forever is scarcely mentioned in OT.[12]
[1]For more
discussion, see Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset, A. R. Fausset et al., A
Commentary, Critical and Explanatory, on the Old and New Testaments, On
Spine: Critical and Explanatory Commentary. (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research
Systems, Inc., 1997), Mk 9:48; Robert G. Bratcher and Eugene Albert Nida, A
Handbook on the Gospel of Mark, Originally Published: A Translator's
Handbook on the Gospel of Mark, 1961., UBS handbook series; Helps for
translators (New York: United Bible Societies, 1993], c1961), 303; Allen Black,
Mark, The College Press NIV commentary (Joplin, Mo.: College Press Pub.
Co., 1995), Mk 9:43.
[2]John
A. Braun, Isaiah 40-66, The People's Bible (Milwaukee, Wis.: Northwestern
Pub. House, 2001), 403.
[3]Francis
D. Nichol, The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Volume 4 (Review
and Herald Publishing Association, 1978; 2002), 332.
[4]
Douglas R. A.
Hare, Mark, Westminster Bible
Companion (Louisville: Westminster
John Knox Press, 1996), 117-118.
[5]
Leroy Edwin Froom, The Conditionalist
Faith of Our Fathers, vol 1. (Washinton, D.C.: Review and Herald,1966),
301.
[6]William
Hendriksen and Simon J. Kistemaker, vol. 10, New Testament Commentary :
Exposition of the Gospel According to Mark, Accompanying Biblical Text Is
Author's Translation., New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book
House, 2001), 365.
[7]James
A. Brooks, vol. 23, Mark, electronic ed., Logos Library System; The New
American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001, c1991),
153.
[8]Robert
A. Morey, The Encyclopedia of Practical Christianity (Las Vegas, NV:
Christian Scholars Press, 2004), 205.
[9]Spiros
Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary : New Testament, electronic
ed. (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2000, c1992, c1993), G1067.
[10]Spiros
Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary : New Testament, electronic
ed. (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2000, c1992, c1993), G1067.
[11]William
Hendriksen and Simon J. Kistemaker, vol. 10, New Testament Commentary :
Exposition of the Gospel According to Mark, Accompanying Biblical Text Is Author's
Translation., New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House,
1953-2001), 365.
[12] Merrill
C. Tenney, The Zondervan Pictorial
Encyclopedia of the Bible vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing
House, 1977), 114.
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