The first letter of the word גֵּיהִנּוֹם (ge·hi·NOM, “Gehenna”) is a new letter: ג. Called גִּימֶל (GI·mel) in Hebrew, ג is pronounced like the “g” in “big,” never like the “g” in “giraffe.” A GI·mel at the beginning of a word always has a dagesh or dot in the middle of the letter (גּ). Unlike the letters ב, כ and פ, the presence or absence of a dagesh in ג has no effect on its pronunciation.
Paid Content
Premium Members and Friends of JP must be logged in to access this content: Login
If you do not have a paid subscription, please consider registering as a Premium Member starting at $10/month (paid monthly) or only $5/month (paid annually): Register
One Time Purchase Rather Than Membership
Rather than purchasing a membership subscription, you may purchase access to this single page for $1.99 USD. To purchase access we strongly encourage users to first register for a free account with JP (Register), which will make the process of accessing your purchase much simpler. Once you have registered you may login and purchase access to this page at this link:
For the transliteration system used in this series, click here.
Comments 1
Thank you for confirming my own studies on the subject. It’s clear “Gehenna” was not meant to be “eternal torture” as misinterpreted today.