What does γέεννα (géenna) mean in the Bible?
Geenna names hell or Gehenna in New Testament warning contexts. The word is not a loose insult, a symbol for ordinary earthly consequences, or a device for frightening people apart from the fear of God.
Greek · G1067
γέεννα
Valley of (the son of) Hinnom; ge-henna (or Ge-Hinnom), a valley of Jerusalem, used (figuratively) as a name for the place (or state) of everlasting punishment
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γέεννα G1067
Pronunciation géenna
What does γέεννα (géenna) mean in the Bible?
Geenna names hell or Gehenna in New Testament warning contexts. The word is not a loose insult, a symbol for ordinary earthly consequences, or a device for frightening people apart from the fear of God.
Reader summary
Full entry for γέεννα (G1067) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G1067?
The BSB source-word alignment has 12 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include hell (9), of hell (3).
Where does γέεννα (géenna) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 5:22. Its strongest book concentrations include Matthew (7), Mark (3), James (1), Luke (1).
What This Word Actually Means
Geenna names hell or Gehenna in New Testament warning contexts. The word is not a loose insult, a symbol for ordinary earthly consequences, or a device for frightening people apart from the fear of God. Jesus uses it in moral, bodily, and eschatological warnings: contemptuous anger, radical seriousness about sin, the danger facing hypocritical leaders, and the need to fear the One who can judge soul and body.
Mark 9 joins Gehenna to the urgency of entering life rather than keeping what leads into sin. James uses the word to describe the destructive fire of the tongue. The word therefore requires sober teaching: divine judgment is real, sin is dangerous, and the warning is meant to drive repentance, reverent fear, and life before God.
How the Bible Uses It
Geenna appears mainly on the lips of Jesus, especially in Matthew and Mark, with one use in James. It belongs to warning speech about judgment, sin, hypocrisy, and destructive speech. The word should be handled with sobriety, not sensationalism, because Jesus uses it to awaken fear of God and decisive repentance.
- Matt.5.22
But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ will be subject to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be subject to the fire of hell.
Jesus connects contemptuous anger and speech to judgment, ending with the fire of hell. The word enters the Sermon on the Mount as moral warning, not as abstract speculation.
- Matt.10.28
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Jesus tells disciples not to fear those who kill the body, but to fear the One who can destroy soul and body in hell. Gehenna here orders courage under persecution.
- Matt.23.33
You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape the sentence of hell?
Jesus warns hypocritical leaders about the sentence of hell. The word is tied to covenant accountability, false shepherding, and hardened opposition.
- Mark.9.43
If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two hands and go into hell, into the unquenchable fire.
Jesus uses Gehenna in a severe call to remove what causes sin. The warning values entering life over preserving what leads toward destruction.
- Luke.12.5
But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear the One who, after you have been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear Him!
Luke parallels the fear-of-God warning: the One with authority to throw into hell is the One disciples must fear. The word strengthens faithful courage.
- Jas.3.6
The tongue also is a fire, a world of wickedness among the parts of the body. It pollutes the whole person, sets the course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
James says the tongue is set on fire by hell. The word extends warning into ordinary speech, showing that destructive words participate in a deadly moral fire.
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It hell 9× Matthew 5:29, Matthew 5:30, Matthew 10:28, Matthew 18:9
of hell 3× Matthew 5:22, Matthew 23:15, Matthew 23:33
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 5:22 γέενναν to of hell Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular Matthew 5:29 γέενναν to hell Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular Matthew 5:30 γέενναν to hell Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular Matthew 10:28 γεέννῃ to hell Noun - Dative Feminine Singular Matthew 18:9 γέενναν to hell Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular Matthew 23:15 γεέννης to of hell Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular Matthew 23:33 γεέννης to of hell Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular Mark 9:43 γέενναν to hell Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular Mark 9:45 γέενναν to hell Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular Mark 9:47 γέενναν to hell Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Matthew 5:22
Aligned rows 12
Books represented 4
Matthew 7 Mark 3 Luke 1 James 1
Source forms
γέενναν 8x geennan Matthew 5:22, Matthew 5:29, Matthew 5:30, Matthew 18:9
γεέννης 3x geennēs Matthew 23:15, Matthew 23:33, James 3:6
γεέννῃ 1x geennē Matthew 10:28
Parsing patterns
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular 8x Matthew 5:22, Matthew 5:29, Matthew 5:30, Matthew 18:9
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular 3x Matthew 23:15, Matthew 23:33, James 3:6
Noun - Dative Feminine Singular 1x Matthew 10:28
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Teach this word with sobriety, grief over sin, and confidence in Jesus' authority.
- Let the warning press repentance and reverent fear, not fascination with judgment imagery.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that every detail of hell doctrine can be derived from the word Gehenna alone.
- Do not claim that Gehenna warnings are incompatible with the mercy of Christ; in context, the warning is part of His faithful call to life.
Evidence Summary
Canonical Anchor
Greek word. valley of (the son of) Hinnom; ge-henna (or Ge-Hinnom), a valley of Jerusalem, used (figuratively) as a name for the place (or state) of everlasting punishment
Strong's G1067
Lexical occurrences 12 verses Greek text appearances 12 times Word forms 3 forms 12 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link James 3:1–6 Source Gloss
valley of (the son of) Hinnom; ge-henna (or Ge-Hinnom), a valley of Jerusalem, used (figuratively) as a name for the place (or state) of everlasting punishment
Extended definition
:--hell.
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
12 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Matthew 5:22 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
γέενναν geennan
Gehenna
Read verse Matthew 5:29 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
γέενναν. geennan
Gehenna
Read verse Matthew 5:30 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
γέενναν. geennan
Gehenna
Read verse Matthew 10:28 Noun Dative Singular Feminine
γεέννῃ. geennh
Gehenna
Read verse Matthew 18:9 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
γέενναν geennan
Gehenna
Read verse Matthew 23:15 Noun Genitive Singular Feminine
γεέννης geennhv
Gehenna
Read verse Matthew 23:33 Noun Genitive Singular Feminine
γεέννης; geennhv
Gehenna
Read verse Mark 9:43 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
γέενναν, geennan
Gehenna
Read verse Mark 9:45 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
γέενναν, geennan
Gehenna
Read verse Mark 9:47 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
γέενναν geennan
Gehenna
Read verse Luke 12:5 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
γέενναν· geennan
Gehenna
Read verse James 3:6 Noun Genitive Singular Feminine
γεέννης. geennhv
Gehenna
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 3 case and number patterns. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Form patterns 3 Aligned forms 12 Case pattern Accusative (8) Number pattern Singular (12)
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Genitive · Singular · Feminine Matt 23:15 · Matt 23:33 · Jas 3:6 3×
Dative · Singular · Feminine Matt 10:28 1×
Accusative · Singular · Feminine Matt 5:22 · Matt 5:29 · Matt 5:30 · Matt 18:9 · Mark 9:43 · Mark 9:45 · Mark 9:47 · Luke 12:5 8×
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
New Testament Witnesses
place of judgment
Gehenna
place of final judgment
Additional Occurrences
Luke 12:4–7 γέενναν géenna
Gehenna
Mark 9:42–48 γέεννα géenna
Gehenna; place of final judgment
Showing 5 selected witnesses from 12 lexical occurrence verses.
Why This Word Matters
Affirms the reality of eternal punishment. James 3:1–6
Affirms the reality of final judgment. Luke 12:4–7
Highlights the severe destructive influence of sinful speech. Mark 9:42–50
Canonical Themes
Canonical Anchor
Cross-Language Connections
Hebrew roots and equivalents that share conceptual or etymological ground with this Greek word.
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
For the Preacher and Teacher
Geenna presses the seriousness of sin under the authority of Jesus. It is not a preacher's decorative threat and not a doctrine to be handled with curiosity detached from repentance. Jesus uses the word to expose contempt, warn hypocrites, strengthen persecuted disciples, and call for radical seriousness about what leads into sin. That means the pastoral tone must be sober, restrained, and clear.
The word serves life because Jesus uses warning as mercy. When taught well, Gehenna language does not make God seem erratic or cruel. It shows that holy judgment is real, that sin is not safe, and that fearing God is wiser than fearing man.
Anchor passage
Matt.10.28
Doctrinal connections
- G2920 Krisis: judgment language supplies the legal and moral frame for Gehenna warnings.
- G5401 Phobos: fear of God in Matthew 10 and Luke 12 governs courage and reverence.
- Matthew 5:21-30: Gehenna appears in warnings about anger, contempt, lust, and radical removal of sin.
- Mark 9:43-48: entering life is the positive horizon behind the severe warning.
- James 3:6: destructive speech participates in a hellish fire and requires disciplined wisdom.
- Revelation 20:11-15: final judgment texts should inform doctrine without replacing the specific Gehenna passages.
Geenna is the Greek form connected with Gehenna, associated with the Valley of Hinnom background. In New Testament use, the word functions as a warning term for hell or final judgment, and its meaning must be governed by the immediate teaching context.
From Old to New Testament
The Old Testament background of Hinnom language carries associations of idolatry, defilement, and judgment. Jesus takes that freight into direct moral warning. The New Testament does not let judgment remain distant background; it places final accountability before hearers so that they turn from sin, fear God, and seek life.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain