en found strange. But all that is easily accounted for,
if the new signification, which substantially agreed with the former,
was merely transferred to the word. The identity of Goah and Golgotha
cannot be disputed,--at least, not from the situation. From Heb. xiii.
12, it is certain that Golgotha, as an unclean place, was situated
outside the city; that it was situated on the West side is, it is [Pg
455] true, testified by tradition only; comp. _Krafft_, S. 168 ff.;
_Ritter_, _Erdk._ xvi. 1, S. 422 ff.--We now come to the valley of
carcasses and of ashes. Even from the position, it becomes probable
that this is the valley of Hinnom. The North and West sides are already
done, and hence the South and East sides only remain. But the valley of
Hinnom was situated towards the South, or South-east of Jerusalem,
comp. _Krafft_, S 2; v. _Raumer_, S. 269. The valley of the carcasses
is here brought into immediate connection with _all_ the fields
(_q.d._, all the other fields), unto the brook Kidron, and is hence
designated as a portion of the valley of Kidron. But the valley of
Hinnom was the Southern, or South-eastern continuation of the valley of
Kidron, which extended on the East side. To this it may be added that,
in this context, we must necessarily expect the mention of the valley
of Hinnom, but that otherwise it would be wanting. Among all the
unclean places around Jerusalem, this was the most unclean. There could
be no greater victory of the Kingdom of God over the world, than if
this strictest antithesis to the holy city, this image of hell, was
included within the Holy City. It is only with respect to the cause of
the appellation, that some doubt may exist, [Hebrew: pgr], [Hebrew:
pgriM] is a common designation of dead bodies, of carcasses. There is
not one among the twenty-two passages in which it occurs, where it
refers to deceased righteous ones. It is used of the dead bodies of
animals, of idols, Lev. xxvi. 30; of the dead bodies of those whom the
Lord has smitten in His anger and wrath, Jer. xxxiii. 5; 1 Sam. xvii.
46; Amos viii. 3; Neh. iii. 3; Is. lxvi. 24; of such as are, after
death, treated like beasts, Jer. i. 49. Hence, opinions such as that of
_Venema_ fall to the ground, who supposes that the valley had that
name, because it was the public burying-ground. But there is,
nevertheless, scope for difference of opinion. One may understand by
[Hebrew: pgriM] the carcasses of animals;--the valley of Hinnom would,