hell and the holy city

Joshua 15:1-12 (JDV)

Joshua 15:1 Now the allotment for the tribe of the descendants of Judah by their clans was in the southernmost region, south to the Wilderness of Zin and over to the border of Edom.
Joshua 15:2 Their southern border began at the tip of the Dead Sea on the south bay
Joshua 15:3 and went south of the Scorpions’ Ascent, proceeded to Zin, ascended to the south of Kadesh-barnea, passed Hezron, ascended to Addar, and turned to Karka.
Joshua 15:4 It proceeded to Azmon and to the Brook of Egypt and so the border ended at the Mediterranean Sea. This is your southern border.
Joshua 15:5 Now the eastern border was along the Dead Sea to the mouth of the Jordan. The border on the north side was from the bay of the sea at the mouth of the Jordan.
Joshua 15:6 It ascended to Beth-hoglah, proceeded north of Beth-arabah, and ascended to the Stone of Bohan son of Reuben.
Joshua 15:7 Then the border went up to Debir from the Valley of Achor, turning north to the Gilgal that is opposite the Ascent of Adummim, which is south of the ravine. The border proceeded to the Waters of En-shemesh and ended at En-rogel.
Joshua 15:8 From there the border went up Ben Hinnom Valley to the southern Jebusite slope (that is, Jerusalem) and ascended to the top of the hill that faces Hinnom Valley on the west, at the northern end of Rephaim Valley.
Joshua 15:9 From the top of the hill the border curved to the spring of the Waters of Nephtoah, went to the cities of Mount Ephron, and then curved to Baalah (that is, Kiriath-jearim).
Joshua 15:10 The border turned westward from Baalah to Mount Seir, went to the northern slope of Mount Jearim (that is, Chesalon), went down to Beth-shemesh, and proceeded to Timnah.
Joshua 15:11 Then the border reached to the slope north of Ekron, curved to Shikkeron, proceeded to Mount Baalah, went to Jabneel, and ended at the Mediterranean Sea.
Joshua 15:12 Now the western border was the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea. This was the boundary of the descendants of Judah around their clans.

hell and the holy city

Verse 8 mentions, in passing, two places that would become very significant spiritually and eschatologically. The Ben Hinnom valley would become so attached to the idea of destruction and mortality that the Greek translation (Gehenna) would become one of the New Testament words for final punishment. Then, there is “the southern Jebusite slope” which would become the place for the holy city, Jerusalem.

I think it is significant that these two places are so close to each other that they can be mentioned in the same sentence.

We look forward to the holy city — New Jerusalem, which will come down from the sky after all things defiled and destructible will have been destroyed in Gehenna.