Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. An extremely unpleasant or painful condition or place.
- n. Hell.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A place situated at the southeastern extremity of Gehenna, or Valley of Hinnom, to the south of Jerusalem. It was there that the idolatrous Jews worshiped the fire-gods and sacrificed their children. In consequence of these abominations the whole valley became the common laystall of the city, and symbolical of the place of torment in a future life.
Wiktionary
- n. biblical A location near Jerusalem in the valley of Gehenna where children were burned alive as sacrifice.
- n. A hellish place.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. A place lying east or southeast of Jerusalem, in the valley of Hinnom.
Etymologies
- From Hebrew תופת. (Wiktionary)
- Middle English, from Hebrew tōpet, a place where children were burned in sacrifice; see wtp in Semitic roots. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“The spot was sometimes entitled Tophet, a place of abhorrence; its name being derived, as some think, from a word meaning to vomit with loathing, or, as others suppose, from a word signifying drum, because drums were beaten to drown the shrieks of the burning children.”
The Destiny of the Soul A Critical History of the Doctrine of a Future Life
“This was done in Tophet, to signify two things: -- (1.)”
“Even so will I break this people and this city, as one breaketh a potter's vessel, that cannot be made whole again: and they shall bury them in Tophet, till there be no place to bury.”
“Now" (says God) "since that blessed reformation, when Tophet was defiled, did not proceed as it ought to have done, nor prove a thorough reformation, but though the idols in Tophet were abolished and made odious those in Jerusalem remained, therefore will I do with the city as Josiah did by Tophet, fill it with the bodies of men, and make it a heap of rubbish.”
“Tophet, nor the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of slaughter: for they shall bury in Tophet, till there be no place.”
“33 For Tophet is ordained of old; yea, for the king it is prepared; he hath made it deep and large: the pile thereof is fire and much wood; the breath of the Lord, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it.”
“In the latter sense Tophet is the receptacle "prepared for the devil (antitype to the king, Isa 14: 12-15) and his angels," and unbelieving men (Mt 5: 22;”
““They have built high places in Tophet, which is in the valley of the children of Hinnom, in order to pass their sons and daughters through the fire.””
“Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that it shall no more be called Tophet, nor the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of slaughter: for they shall bury in Tophet, till there be no place.”
“And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my heart.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘Tophet’.
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Mobying Along
looks like there's not an open Moby Dick list. So now there is.
hypos, Manhattoes, circumambulate, mole, grapnels, bowsprit, asphaltic, mazy, tranced, cataract, ungraspable, judgmatically and 227 more...
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The Whiteness of the Whale
Words in Melville's "Moby Dick"
grapnels, spile, pea coffee, farrago, grego, bosky, bombazine, brevet, cenotaph, cupidity, kelson, obliquity and 164 more...
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Hells
Tartarus, Hel, avichi, barathrum, Malebolge, Hades, abyss, Abaddon, Gehenna, pandemonium, Tophet, hellhole and 10 more...
Tweets
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