Jeremiah 7 32

Jeremiah 7:32 kjv

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.

Jeremiah 7:32 nkjv

"Therefore behold, the days are coming," says the LORD, "when it will no more be called Tophet, or the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter; for they will bury in Tophet until there is no room.

Jeremiah 7:32 niv

So beware, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when people will no longer call it Topheth or the Valley of Ben Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter, for they will bury the dead in Topheth until there is no more room.

Jeremiah 7:32 esv

Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when it will no more be called Topheth, or the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter; for they will bury in Topheth, because there is no room elsewhere.

Jeremiah 7:32 nlt

So beware, for the time is coming," says the LORD, "when that garbage dump will no longer be called Topheth or the valley of Ben-Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter. They will bury the bodies in Topheth until there is no more room for them.

Jeremiah 7 verses

Jeremiah 7 32 Meaning

This verse declares a coming future judgment where the infamous site of child sacrifice, Topheth, located in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, will be stripped of its cultic name. Instead, it will be renamed "The Valley of Slaughter," reflecting its new horrific function: a burial ground for countless victims of divine wrath, so numerous that there will be insufficient space for their interment. It is a powerful prophecy of reversal and a direct consequence of Israel's abominable practices.

Jeremiah 7 32 Context

Jeremiah 7 forms a powerful sermon delivered at the temple gate, where the prophet confronts the people of Judah regarding their false security in the presence of God's temple. Despite their outward religious rituals, they were deeply engaged in idolatry, social injustice, and abhorrent practices, notably child sacrifice to foreign deities in the Valley of Hinnom. Verses 29-31 detail the grotesque "detestable things" they performed, including building high places in Topheth to burn their children. This verse, Jeremiah 7:32, serves as the divine judgment against such sacrilege. God announces a reversal: the place defiled by their extreme wickedness will not remain a site of ritual burning but will become a literal graveyard of slaughter due to their rebellion, transforming a symbol of their depraved worship into a monument to His wrath. This shift from cultic sacrifice to mass burial underscores the gravity of their sin and the certainty of God's coming retribution, implying a siege or invasion where the dead would overwhelm the city.

Jeremiah 7 32 Word analysis

• Therefore (לָכֵ֞ן - lāḵēn): A crucial conjunctive adverb, it signifies direct consequence, linking the abominable acts detailed previously (Jer. 7:29-31) to the coming divine judgment.
• Behold, the days are coming (הִנֵּ֧ה יָמִ֣ים בָּאִ֗ים - hinnēh yāmîm bāʾîm): A classic prophetic formula, it emphasizes the certainty and imminent arrival of a divinely decreed future event, signaling an irrevocable prophecy.
• declares the Lord (נְאֻם־יְהוָה֙ - nĕʾum YHWH): An emphatic phrase, ne'um YHWH authenticates the statement as a direct, authoritative word from Yahweh, imbuing it with divine weight.
• when it will no more be called (וְלֹא־יֵאָמֵ֤ר עוֹד֙ - wəlōʾ yēʾāmēr ʿôḏ): This expresses a complete and permanent cessation of the old name, signifying a fundamental, irreversible shift in the place's identity and purpose.
• Topheth (הַתֹּ֔פֶת - ha-Topheth): This specific proper noun refers to a cultic site in the Valley of Hinnom, infamous for child sacrifice, likely meaning "fireplace" or "hearth." Its name's reversal highlights God's judgment upon abominable worship.
• or the Valley of the Son of Hinnom (וְגֵ֣יא בֶן־הִנֹּ֑ם - wĕgêʾ ben-hinnōm): The broader geographical area south of Jerusalem where Topheth was located. Later, "Gehinnom" (Gehenna) in the New Testament becomes synonymous with hell, tracing its symbolic roots to this condemned valley.
• but the Valley of Slaughter (כִּ֛י אִם־גֵּ֥יא הַֽהֲרֵגָ֖ה - kî ʾim-gêʾ hahărēgâ): This is the new, prophetic name, with harēgâ signifying massive killing, carnage, and destruction. It contrasts human-initiated, abominable sacrifice with divine-initiated judgment.
• for they will bury in Topheth (כִּֽי־מִקָּרְבָ֥ה בְתֹֽפֶת - kî miqqārəḇâ bətōfěṯ): This clause explains the name change, indicating the Valley of Slaughter will be filled with actual dead bodies, not ritual fires. "They will bury" suggests a desperate, overwhelmed situation for survivors.
• until there is no more room (מֵאֵ֣ין מָקֹֽום - mēʾên māqōm): This hyperbolic expression vividly portrays catastrophic destruction and God's severe wrath, implying an overwhelming number of corpses that exceeds the capacity of an entire valley.

• "Therefore, behold, the days are coming": This opening phrase establishes the pronouncement as an imminent, certain divine judgment, directly resulting from previous egregious sins. It sets a solemn, irreversible tone for the prophecy.
• "Topheth, or the Valley of the Son of Hinnom" vs. "Valley of Slaughter": This juxtaposition marks the central semantic reversal of the passage. The renaming strips the place of its idolatrous, cultic significance and reassigns it a new meaning based on devastating divine judgment, underscoring God's ultimate authority over defiled spaces.
• "for they will bury in Topheth, until there is no more room": This concluding phrase vividly depicts the gruesome scale of the prophecy's fulfillment. The image of overflowing mass graves symbolizes an unparalleled catastrophe, signifying a lack of dignity in death for those whose practices led to such divine wrath.

Jeremiah 7 32 Bonus section

The biblical motif of renaming, often signifying a change in destiny or divine purpose, takes a starkly negative turn in Jeremiah 7:32. Here, the reclaiming of Topheth is a potent theological and ethical polemic, as it redefines a place consecrated to abhorrent rituals by divine judgment. The Valley of Hinnom (Gehenna) serves as a profound historical precursor to the New Testament's imagery of eternal judgment, demonstrating how physical locations can become symbols of enduring spiritual realities. This prophecy not only warned of the immediate devastation of the Babylonian invasion but also provided a lasting object lesson against ultimate apostasy. The overwhelming scale of the predicted slaughter, where "there is no more room," emphasizes God's comprehensive judgment that spares no one involved in such practices, fundamentally challenging any notion that child sacrifice could appease a holy God or provide any advantage.

Jeremiah 7 32 Commentary

Jeremiah 7:32 delivers a chilling prophecy, underscoring the severity of God's judgment against Judah's flagrant idolatry and child sacrifice. The Valley of Hinnom, particularly its area called Topheth, became infamous for this horrific practice, an ultimate act of spiritual rebellion against God. Through Jeremiah, God declares a profound transformation: this site, defiled by their abominations, will no longer carry its pagan associations. Instead, it will earn a new, dreadful name: "The Valley of Slaughter." This renaming isn't merely semantic; it signifies a complete reversal of function and meaning. No longer a place where parents willingly (albeit detestably) offered their children, it will become a site where countless Judahites themselves are slain by divine judgment, overwhelming the capacity for burial. The phrase "until there is no more room" highlights the catastrophic scale of the impending war and pestilence, demonstrating that God's justice far outweighs the false hope they placed in their pagan gods or their mere proximity to the Temple. It serves as a stark reminder that true worship and obedience, not superficial rituals or heinous practices, are what secure divine favor and protection. The transformation of a name of shame to a name of even greater horror demonstrates God's sovereign hand in judgment, turning their chosen site of wickedness into a stark monument of His wrath.