”THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED” IN MARK 9:48: ITS MEANING AND BACKGROUND (10)

Gehenna in Septuagint

In Septuagint (the earliest translation of the Old Testament from Hebrew into Greek, allegedly by seventy Jewish translators), the word γέεννα is not found. The Hebrew word גּי בֶן־הִנֹּ֗ם  “valley of the son of Hinnom” was translated in various way. There are many ways the Septuagint translates the word of ge-ben-hinnom as presented in the table below.

Table 6

Variant Translation of גֵּ֣י בֶן־הִנֹּ֔ם  in LXX

Verse	Hebrew	LXX
Jos 15:8	גּי בֶן־הִנֹּ֗ם גֵי־הִנֹּם֙	φάραγγα Ονομ φάραγγος Ονομ
Jos 18:16	גֵּ֣י בֶן־הִנֹּ֔ם גֵּי הִנֹּ֜ם	νάπης Ονναμ Γαιεννα
2 Ki 23:10	גֵ֣י בְנֵי־הִנֹּ֑ם	φάραγγι υἱοῦ Εννομ
2 Ch. 28:3	גי בֶן־הִנֹּ֔ם	Γαιβενενομ
2 Ch 33:6	גֵ֣יא בֶן־הִנֹּ֑ם	Γαι-βαναι-εννομ
Neh 11:30	גּיא־הִנֹּֽם	φάραγγα Ονομ
Jer 7:31	גֵ֣יא בֶן־הִנֹּ֔ם	φάραγγι υἱοῦ Εννομ
Jer 7:32	גֵ֣יא בֶן־הִנֹּ֔ם	φάραγξ υἱοῦ Εννομ
Jer 19:2	גֵּ֣יא בֶן־הִנֹּ֔ם	πολυάνδριον υἱῶν τῶν τέκνων
Jer 19:6	גֵ֣יא בֶן־הִנֹּ֑ם	πολυάνδριον υἱοῦ Εννομ
Jer 39:35	גֵיא בֶן־הִנֹּ֗ם	φάραγγι υἱοῦ Εννομ

The closest translation of gehinnom in Septuagint is Γαιεννα in Joshua 18:16. Here, Γαιεννα or gehinnom is used to depicts the tribal boundaries of Israel. It is a boundary between Judah and Benjamin and part of a long list of names that designate the borders of the tribe of Judah after the conquest.