Home › Glossary › Letter T

Tophet

Biblical
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Tophet is a place in the Valley of Hinnom associated with forbidden sacrifice and judgment.

Detailed Definition
Tophet is condemned by the prophets as a site of child sacrifice and later becomes an image of divine punishment. Its name carries the horror of a community turning violence into ritual and calling the result sacred. In poetry, Tophet can signify the furnace of ideological cruelty, the moral abyss beneath public piety, or a warning against systems that consume the innocent for promised prosperity.
Example
Example in poetry:
Tophet, the Valley of Hinnom, can evoke a place of fire and judgment in prophetic poetry; “Tophet burned beyond the city gate” creates an image of moral and physical desolation; Poets may use the name as a warning against violence and corruption; The term can represent an inner hell produced by destructive choices.
Additional Notes
Tophet, in the Valley of Hinnom near Jerusalem, is associated in Jeremiah with child sacrifice and later with severe judgment. Its imagery contributes to the development of Gehenna as a symbol of punishment. The term therefore carries historical, prophetic, and strongly condemnatory associations.
Also Known As
Gehenna Valley of Hinnom Valley of Tophet
Skip to main content