Jeremiah 19 14

Jeremiah 19:14 kjv

Then came Jeremiah from Tophet, whither the LORD had sent him to prophesy; and he stood in the court of the LORD's house; and said to all the people,

Jeremiah 19:14 nkjv

Then Jeremiah came from Tophet, where the LORD had sent him to prophesy; and he stood in the court of the Lord's house and said to all the people,

Jeremiah 19:14 niv

Jeremiah then returned from Topheth, where the LORD had sent him to prophesy, and stood in the court of the LORD's temple and said to all the people,

Jeremiah 19:14 esv

Then Jeremiah came from Topheth, where the LORD had sent him to prophesy, and he stood in the court of the LORD's house and said to all the people:

Jeremiah 19:14 nlt

Then Jeremiah returned from Topheth, the garbage dump where he had delivered this message, and he stopped in front of the Temple of the LORD. He said to the people there,

Jeremiah 19 verses

Jeremiah 19 14 Meaning

Jeremiah 19:14 signifies a critical shift in the prophet’s mission and message delivery. After performing a powerful symbolic act of breaking a potter's jar in the Valley of Hinnom (Topheth), which graphically illustrated Judah’s impending destruction, Jeremiah returns to the heart of public life—the courtyard of the LORD’s house. Here, he reiterates or extends the pronouncement of judgment to all the people, ensuring that the dire consequences of their idolatry and sin are widely heard and understood, confirming the divine origin and widespread implications of the message.

Jeremiah 19 14 Context

Jeremiah chapter 19 serves as a stark prophetic action and message delivered by God through Jeremiah. The preceding verses (Jer 19:1-13) detail God's instruction for Jeremiah to go to Topheth in the Valley of Hinnom with elders and priests. There, Jeremiah performs a vivid object lesson: he breaks a potter’s earthenware jar to symbolize how God will utterly break Judah and Jerusalem, making the city a place of ruin because of their persistent idolatry, particularly the horrific practice of sacrificing their children to Baal. This act in Topheth, a site specifically associated with detestable child sacrifice, signifies the utter defilement of the land and the severity of God's wrath. Verse 14 marks the prophet's return from this somber, illustrative demonstration in a place of abomination, bringing the weight of that message and its underlying reasons directly to the center of Judah’s religious life – the Temple courtyard – to ensure public awareness and underscore the imminence and universality of the judgment. Historically, this period was characterized by political instability and rampant idolatry in Judah, just before the Babylonian invasion and destruction of Jerusalem.

Jeremiah 19 14 Word analysis

• Then (wa-yāḇōʾ - וַיָּבֹ֤א): A simple conjunction ("and") paired with the verb "he came." It marks the direct sequence of events, signifying the immediate movement and transition of Jeremiah from the site of his prophetic act to the site of public proclamation.
• Jeremiah (Yirmĕyāhū - יִרְמְיָ֖הוּ): The prophet, whose name means "Yahweh throws down/casts" or "Yahweh raises." This name, particularly "Yahweh throws down," is resonant with the message he frequently delivered – the throwing down and destruction of Jerusalem. His personal identity is intrinsically linked to his prophetic commission.
• came from: Indicates physical movement away from a specific location, suggesting a change in setting and, implicitly, a shift in the audience's scope.
• Topheth (Tōpheṯ - תֹּֽפֶת): A specific and infamous site in the Valley of Ben-Hinnom, located south of Jerusalem. The name may be related to an Aramaic word for "fireplace" or "hearth." It was where Israelite apostates, particularly during Manasseh and Ahaz’s reigns, practiced child sacrifice, a horrific abomination to the LORD (Jer 7:31). Its presence highlights the deep moral corruption that necessitated such severe judgment.
• where: A connective specifying the purpose or context of the preceding action.
• the LORD (YHWH - יהוה): The covenant name of God, emphasizing His authority, sovereignty, and divine command behind Jeremiah's actions and message. The judgment delivered is not from Jeremiah, but from the one true God.
• had sent him (šǝlāḥō - שְׁלָחֹ֛ו): Expresses divine commissioning. Jeremiah acted under direct divine imperative, underscoring the authenticity and unassailability of his prophetic message. This confirms the prophetic authority.
• to prophesy (ləhin·nāḇēʾ - לְהִנָּבֵ֖א): Purpose of being sent. It refers to speaking God's word, often accompanied by symbolic acts. Here, it refers to the act of breaking the jar as part of the prophetic proclamation.
• and stood (wa-yaʿămad - וַֽיַּעֲמֹד֙): Implies a deliberate posture of authority and readiness to address. Standing often denotes a position of honor or one prepared to deliver a pronouncement, contrasting with the prior actions performed in Topheth.
• in the court (bəḥăṣar - בַּחֲצַ֚ר): The open area surrounding a central structure. In the Temple, these courts served as public gathering places, accessible to different groups of people, thereby ensuring the message could reach a broad audience.
• of the LORD’s house (bêt YHWH - בֵ֥ית יְהוָ֖ה): The Temple in Jerusalem, God’s designated dwelling place. The journey from the defiled Topheth to the sacred Temple highlights the all-encompassing nature of Judah’s sin and God's judgment – impacting both places of abomination and places of supposed worship.
• and said (wa-yōʾmer - וַיֹּ֣אמֶר): Indicates direct verbal communication following the preparatory action of standing.
• to all the people (ʾel-kol-hāʿām - אֶל־כָּל־הָעָֽם): The entire populace present in the Temple court. This signifies the broad reach of the divine warning, making it impossible for anyone to claim ignorance of God's message and impending judgment. It underscores the public and communal aspect of their sin and its consequences.

Jeremiah 19 14 Bonus section

The contrast in locations—Topheth and the Temple court—is deeply significant. Topheth represented the extreme deviation from Mosaic Law and covenant obligations, a place of death and abomination. The Temple court, by contrast, symbolized the presence of God, prayer, and true worship, at least ideally. Jeremiah's journey between these two sites highlights the tragic irony of Judah's spiritual state: while claiming to worship Yahweh, they had simultaneously embraced the horrific practices associated with pagan gods, rendering their worship in the Temple meaningless and even offensive to God. The very "house of the LORD" where they felt secure would not be a sanctuary from the judgment deserved for the abominations committed elsewhere and eventually, within its very precincts. This physical movement and direct proclamation served as a potent, unavoidable declaration of the extent of Judah’s corruption and the certainty of God’s impending, comprehensive judgment.

Jeremiah 19 14 Commentary

Jeremiah 19:14 acts as a pivotal moment, connecting a graphic symbolic act of judgment performed in the privacy of a defiled valley with its universal proclamation in the most sacred public space of the nation. The prophet’s movement from Topheth, a grotesque altar to false gods where children were sacrificed, directly to the courtyard of the Temple underscores the severity and pervasiveness of Judah’s apostasy. It implies that the sins committed in the dark places of Topheth were ultimately corrupting the heart of Israel’s worship, making even the LORD’s house vulnerable to His wrath. By standing in the Temple court, Jeremiah declared God’s message with unparalleled authority, making it clear that judgment was imminent and that no one, regardless of their proximity to sacred spaces, was exempt from accountability for their rebellion against the covenant God. This act served as a public condemnation of national idolatry and a final call to repentance before destruction.