the Third Week after Easter
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Bible Lexicons
Old Testament Hebrew Lexical Dictionary Hebrew Lexicon
Strong's #8612 - תֹּפֶת
- Brown-Driver-Briggs
- Strong
Tophet or Topheth = “place of fire”
- Book
- Word
תֹּפֶת f.
(I) prop. spittle (from the root תּוּף); hence that which is spit upon; Job 17:6, תֹּפֶת לְפָנִים אֶהְיֶה “I am become as one in whose face they spit,” i.e. the most base and despised of mortals; comp. ῥακά, Matthew 5:22, i.e. רַקָּא from the root רָקַק to spit out.
(II) With the art. הַתֹּפֶת pr.n. of a place in the valley of the sons of Hinnom (see page 168, A ), near Jerusalem, well known from the human sacrifices there offered to Moloch, which were at length abolished by Josiah, 2 Kings 23:10; Jeremiah 7:32, 19:6, 13 Jeremiah 19:13, 14 Jeremiah 19:14בָּמוֹת הַתֹּפֶת Jerem. 7:31 (artificial) mounds on which those sacrifices were offered. As to the etymology, תֹּפֶת is commonly taken as prop. a place to be spit upon, i.e. abhorred; but this place appears to have borne this name amongst all, even the idolators themselves. I prefer therefore (with Noldius in Vind. p. 948, Lorsbach, and others), to take תֹּפֶת as i.q. תָּפְתֶּה (which see), and as signifying place of burning (the dead), and even place of graves.
