This is the best of what I have on hand. I hope this helps you understand God's message.
TOPHETH (תֹּפֶת, topheth). A site in the Valley of Hinnom just outside of Jerusalem. Associated with child sacrifices to the deity Molech.
Etymology
The etymology of the name Topheth is uncertain. Smith suggests that the Hebrew place name is of Aramaic origin and aligns with the word for “fireplace” (תְּפָיָא, tephaya'; Smith, The Religion of the Semites, 378n2. This interpretation has gained the widest following, though the exact origin of the term remains contested. For example, Day traces the Hebrew term to the word for “bake” (אפה, 'ph; Day, Molech, 26–28). The link between the Valley of Hinnom (גֵּי הִנֹּם, gey hinnom) and Gehenna is suggestive of the site’s fiery association (Matt 18:9).
Location
Biblical texts situate Topheth in the Valley of Hinnom (2 Kgs 23:10; Jer 7:31; 19:6). However, the precise location of the site is difficult to determine. The Valley of Hinnom is often associated with the Wadi er-Rababeh, which is southwest of the old city of Jerusalem and runs eastward toward the Kidron Valley. Another possible location is the Tyropoeon Valley (Simmons, Geographical and Topographical Texts, 13–14; Heider, The Cult of Molek, 351–52; Dearman, “The Tophet in Jerusalem,” 64).
Biblical Relevance
Second Kings and Jeremiah mention Topheth as the place where children were “made to pass through fire” or “burned in the fire” as an offering to Molech (2 Kgs 23:10; Jer 7:31–32; 19:6, 11–14). According to 2 Kings 23:10, King Josiah “defiled” this site as part of his religious reforms. Jeremiah 7:31 refers to Topheth as a “high place” (בָּמָה, bamah), a term used in the Old Testament to characterize heterodox practices and places of worship (Jer 19:5; 32:35; for a discussion on the possible connection of the cult to Baal, see Day, Molech, 34–40; Dearman, “The Tophet in Jerusalem,” 66–68). Leviticus forbids the “giving” of one’s offspring to Molech (Lev 18:21; 20:2–5).
Other passages do not explicitly mention Topheth or Molech but contain similar formulaic phrases describing the burning of children. For example, the Judaean kings Ahaz and Manasseh are critiqued for making a son “pass through fire” (2 Kgs 16:3; 21:6)—the exact practice associated with Topheth in 2 Kgs 23:10 (see also Deut 12:31; 18:10; 2 Kgs 16:3; 17:17; 21:6; Ezek 20:31). The function and description of Topheth may be clarified by Isa 30:33, where a similar noun occurs: “burning place” (תָּפְתֶּה, tophteh). In this passage, Isaiah describes a fire pit that awaits the Assyrian king: “its pyre made deep and wide, with fire and wood in abundance; the breath of the Lord, like a stream of sulfur, kindles it” (NRSV).
Scholars disagree whether the biblical texts imply child sacrifice was actually carried out in Judaea at Tophet. Weinfeld argues that the Old Testament passages are figurative, not literal, and that a child was merely dedicated to the deity, not sacrificed (“The Worship of Molech and of the Queen of Heaven,” 140–54). However, other scholars point to polemical biblical texts and signs of the practice in neighboring regions to maintain that some Judaeans may have participated in the rite of sacrifice (Heider, The Cult of Molek, 406–8; Smith, “A Note on Burning Babies”; Day, Molech).
Extrabiblical Evidence
Archaeological and inscriptional evidence stemming from Phoenician burial sites, particularly the one discovered at Carthage, have frequently been compared with biblical texts. Charred remains of children and animals buried in urns at the “Tophet” in Carthage (named after the Jerusalem Tophet) date approximately from the eighth to the second centuries BC. Scholarly opinions of these findings vary. For example, Stager and Wolff suggest that animal bones found near human remains are the likely result of sacrifice, as are associated inscriptions that allude to the fulfillment of a vow made to a deity (Stager and Wolff, “Child Sacrifice at Carthage“; Stager, “Carthage”). Day draws on classical literary sources that affirm child sacrifice as a Phoenician and Carthaginian practice (Day, Molech, 87–91). Benicho-Safar represents an alternative perspective, arguing that the remains of children are the result of death by natural causes (Benicho-Safar, “À propos des ossements humains du tophet de Carthage,” 5–9).
The diverse interpretations of the texts and material remains at Topheth raise questions about the precise nature of Topheth rituals—particularly whether they always involved sacrifice or may have involved cremation as a burial practice. Dearman argues that a range of rituals was likely involved at these sites (Dearman, “The Tophet in Jerusalem”).
Sara Wells, “Topheth,” ed. John D. Barry et al., The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).
Thanks. I read a lot of this material. I'm personally thinking that the tophet was a place of child sacrifice and it was a practice that took centuries to stamp out entirely. I think that we want it to be symbolic because it is so grotesque to our sensibilities.
Of course evidence is still being sifted through and who knows what we'll dig up in the future.
This is the best of what I have on hand. I hope this helps you understand God's message.
TOPHETH (תֹּפֶת, topheth). A site in the Valley of Hinnom just outside of Jerusalem. Associated with child sacrifices to the deity Molech.
Etymology
The etymology of the name Topheth is uncertain. Smith suggests that the Hebrew place name is of Aramaic origin and aligns with the word for “fireplace” (תְּפָיָא, tephaya'; Smith, The Religion of the Semites, 378n2. This interpretation has gained the widest following, though the exact origin of the term remains contested. For example, Day traces the Hebrew term to the word for “bake” (אפה, 'ph; Day, Molech, 26–28). The link between the Valley of Hinnom (גֵּי הִנֹּם, gey hinnom) and Gehenna is suggestive of the site’s fiery association (Matt 18:9).
Location
Biblical texts situate Topheth in the Valley of Hinnom (2 Kgs 23:10; Jer 7:31; 19:6). However, the precise location of the site is difficult to determine. The Valley of Hinnom is often associated with the Wadi er-Rababeh, which is southwest of the old city of Jerusalem and runs eastward toward the Kidron Valley. Another possible location is the Tyropoeon Valley (Simmons, Geographical and Topographical Texts, 13–14; Heider, The Cult of Molek, 351–52; Dearman, “The Tophet in Jerusalem,” 64).
Biblical Relevance
Second Kings and Jeremiah mention Topheth as the place where children were “made to pass through fire” or “burned in the fire” as an offering to Molech (2 Kgs 23:10; Jer 7:31–32; 19:6, 11–14). According to 2 Kings 23:10, King Josiah “defiled” this site as part of his religious reforms. Jeremiah 7:31 refers to Topheth as a “high place” (בָּמָה, bamah), a term used in the Old Testament to characterize heterodox practices and places of worship (Jer 19:5; 32:35; for a discussion on the possible connection of the cult to Baal, see Day, Molech, 34–40; Dearman, “The Tophet in Jerusalem,” 66–68). Leviticus forbids the “giving” of one’s offspring to Molech (Lev 18:21; 20:2–5).
Other passages do not explicitly mention Topheth or Molech but contain similar formulaic phrases describing the burning of children. For example, the Judaean kings Ahaz and Manasseh are critiqued for making a son “pass through fire” (2 Kgs 16:3; 21:6)—the exact practice associated with Topheth in 2 Kgs 23:10 (see also Deut 12:31; 18:10; 2 Kgs 16:3; 17:17; 21:6; Ezek 20:31). The function and description of Topheth may be clarified by Isa 30:33, where a similar noun occurs: “burning place” (תָּפְתֶּה, tophteh). In this passage, Isaiah describes a fire pit that awaits the Assyrian king: “its pyre made deep and wide, with fire and wood in abundance; the breath of the Lord, like a stream of sulfur, kindles it” (NRSV).
Scholars disagree whether the biblical texts imply child sacrifice was actually carried out in Judaea at Tophet. Weinfeld argues that the Old Testament passages are figurative, not literal, and that a child was merely dedicated to the deity, not sacrificed (“The Worship of Molech and of the Queen of Heaven,” 140–54). However, other scholars point to polemical biblical texts and signs of the practice in neighboring regions to maintain that some Judaeans may have participated in the rite of sacrifice (Heider, The Cult of Molek, 406–8; Smith, “A Note on Burning Babies”; Day, Molech).
Extrabiblical Evidence
Archaeological and inscriptional evidence stemming from Phoenician burial sites, particularly the one discovered at Carthage, have frequently been compared with biblical texts. Charred remains of children and animals buried in urns at the “Tophet” in Carthage (named after the Jerusalem Tophet) date approximately from the eighth to the second centuries BC. Scholarly opinions of these findings vary. For example, Stager and Wolff suggest that animal bones found near human remains are the likely result of sacrifice, as are associated inscriptions that allude to the fulfillment of a vow made to a deity (Stager and Wolff, “Child Sacrifice at Carthage“; Stager, “Carthage”). Day draws on classical literary sources that affirm child sacrifice as a Phoenician and Carthaginian practice (Day, Molech, 87–91). Benicho-Safar represents an alternative perspective, arguing that the remains of children are the result of death by natural causes (Benicho-Safar, “À propos des ossements humains du tophet de Carthage,” 5–9).
The diverse interpretations of the texts and material remains at Topheth raise questions about the precise nature of Topheth rituals—particularly whether they always involved sacrifice or may have involved cremation as a burial practice. Dearman argues that a range of rituals was likely involved at these sites (Dearman, “The Tophet in Jerusalem”).
Sara Wells, “Topheth,” ed. John D. Barry et al., The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).
Thanks. I read a lot of this material. I'm personally thinking that the tophet was a place of child sacrifice and it was a practice that took centuries to stamp out entirely. I think that we want it to be symbolic because it is so grotesque to our sensibilities.
Of course evidence is still being sifted through and who knows what we'll dig up in the future.