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.
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For the transliteration system used in this series, click here.
Comments 2
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Thank you for confirming my own studies on the subject. It’s clear “Gehenna” was not meant to be “eternal torture” as misinterpreted today.