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 32 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jeremiah 7:33 | "The carcasses of this people will become food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and no one will frighten them away." | Consequence of judgment |
| Jeremiah 19:7 | "I will dash them against the rocks, both them and the kings of Judah. I will hand them over to those who seek their lives, and to the power of their enemies. I will not look on them with pity or spare them," declares the LORD." | Similar divine decree of destruction |
| Jeremiah 19:11 | "and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD Almighty says: I will shatter this people and this city as one shatters a potter’s vessel—beyond all repair. They will bury the dead in the Valley of Hinnom, until there is no more room to bury them." | Specificity of burial location |
| Jeremiah 19:6 | "'Therefore,' declares the LORD, 'I am about to punish this place and its king as I punished Pharaoh and the king of Egypt.'" | Historical parallel of judgment |
| Isaiah 30:33 | "Topheth has been prepared for some time; it is made ready for the king. It has been made deep and spacious, a pyre of fire, fueled by wood, kindling, and dry grass. The breath of the LORD, like a flood of burning sulfur, will heave it aside." | Foretelling a fiery judgment site |
| Revelation 20:14 | "Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death." | Symbolic representation of final judgment |
| Ezekiel 39:17 | "As for you, son of man, declare to the birds of every kind and to all the wild animals: ‘Assemble yourselves and come in from all around to the appointed sacrifice I am preparing for you, a great sacrifice on the mountains of Israel. There you will eat flesh and drink blood.'" | Imagery of divine judgment |
| Psalm 69:28 | "May they be erased from the book of life and not be included with the righteous." | Prayer for divine removal |
| Deuteronomy 28:26 | "Your carcasses will be food for every bird of the sky and for the beasts of the earth, and there will be no one to frighten them away." | Prophetic curse for disobedience |
| Jeremiah 7:34 | "Then I will silence the sounds of joy and gladness and the voices of brides and bridegrooms in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem, for the land will become desolate." | Silence of joy, echoing this desolation |
| 2 Kings 23:10 | "He desecrated Topheth, which is in the Valley of Hinnom, so no one could make a son or daughter pass through fire to Molek, or practice fortune-telling or witchcraft, or resort to mediums and spiritists. He cut down the idols and shattered them and sprinkled their dust on the graves of the common people." | Historical context of Hinnom |
| Jeremiah 8:2 | "They will be pulled out and flung on the ground before the sun, moon and all the starry hosts, whom they have loved and served and whom they have followed and consulted and worshiped. They will not be gathered or buried, but will be like dung on the surface of the earth." | Similar fate of rejection |
| Ezekiel 14:4 | "“Son of man, have you seen what the elders of Israel are doing in their own homes, each sitting in the chamber of his idols?" | Idolatry being judged |
| Micah 3:4 | "Then they will cry out to the LORD, but he will not answer them. At that time he will hide his face from them because of the evil they have done." | God's withdrawal of presence |
| Hosea 2:11 | "I will stop all her celebrations: her feast days, her New Moons, her Sabbaths and all her appointed festivals." | Cessation of worship |
| Isaiah 66:24 | "“Then they will go out and look at the corpses of those who rebelled against me; the worms that eat them will not die, nor will their fire be quenched. And they will be abhorrent to all mankind.”" | Eternal shame for rebellion |
| Revelation 14:10 | "they, too, will drink the wine—God’s fury—which is poured full strength into the cup of his anger. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb." | Suffering of the wicked |
| Jeremiah 32:35 | "They built high places for Baal in the Valley of Hinnom, the VALLEY OF BEN HINNOM, to sacrifice their sons and daughters to Molek, though I did not command them nor did it enter my mind that they should do this detestable thing and so make Judah sin." | Idolatrous practices in the valley |
| 1 Samuel 15:23 | "For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has also rejected you as king.”" | Rejection due to rebellion |
Jeremiah 7 verses
Jeremiah 7 32 Meaning
This verse pronounces a severe judgment upon Jerusalem, specifically identifying the Valley of Hinnom as a place where they will be slain and their bodies cast out without burial. This signifies utter disgrace and the complete abandonment of the dead.
Jeremiah 7 32 Context
Jeremiah chapter 7 is a powerful indictment delivered by the prophet Jeremiah outside the Temple in Jerusalem. God, through Jeremiah, pronounces judgment on Judah because of their persistent sin, particularly their idolatry and hypocritical worship. Despite outward displays of devotion, their hearts were far from God, and they practiced abominable rituals, including child sacrifice in the Valley of Hinnom. The verse specifically details the consequences for Jerusalem's sin, foretelling the city's destruction and the utter disgrace of its inhabitants, whose bodies would be left unburied in the very place associated with their vile practices.
Jeremiah 7 32 Word Analysis
- "And" (וְ, ve): Conjunction connecting this pronouncement to the previous one, reinforcing the ongoing judgment.
- "they" (הֵמָּה, hēmmâ): Refers back to the people of Jerusalem and Judah being addressed.
- "shall be" (יִהְיוּ, yihyū): Future tense verb indicating a future consequence.
- "slain" (מֻכִּים, mukkîm): Passive participle of "makah" (to strike, to smite), indicating they will be struck down in battle or through plague.
- "and" (וְ, ve): Another connecting conjunction.
- "their" (פִגְרֵיהֶם, pigrêhem): Possessive pronoun attached to "pěger" (carcass, dead body), emphasizing ownership of the bodies by the slain.
- "carcasses" (פְּגָרִים, pəğārîm): Plural of "pěger" (carcass, dead body), a strong word signifying a corpse, often one that is unburied and decaying.
- "shall become" (וְהָיוּ, wə-hāyū): Future tense verb, meaning "and they will be" or "and they shall become."
- "food" (מַאֲכַל, ma’ăḵal): Noun meaning "food," indicating sustenance for scavengers.
- "for" (לְ, lə): Preposition indicating purpose or recipient.
- "the fowl" (לְעוֹף, lə-‘ôp̄): Noun "‘ôp̄" (bird, fowl, flying creature), signifying birds of prey or carrion birds.
- "of" (הַשָּׁמַיִם, haššāmayim): Article and noun "šāmayim" (sky, heaven).
- "the heavens" (הַשָּׁמַיִם, haššāmayim): Combined phrase meaning "the birds of the heavens" or "birds of the sky."
- "and" (וְ, ve): Another connector.
- "for" (לְ, lə): Preposition again.
- "the beasts" (לְבַהֲמֹות, lə-ḇahămoṯ): Plural of "bahămah" (beast, cattle, domestic animal), referring to land animals, especially wild ones capable of consuming carcasses.
- "of" (הָאָרֶץ, hā’āreṣ): Article and noun "’āreṣ" (earth, land).
- "the earth" (הָאָרֶץ, hā’āreṣ): Combined phrase meaning "the beasts of the earth."
- "and" (וְ, ve): Another conjunction.
- "none" (וְאֵין, wə-’ên): Conjunction and negation "eyn" (there is not), signifying absence.
- "shall" (מְגָרֵשׁ, mǝğārēš): Verb "gērēš" (to drive out, to chase away, to terrify), a Hiphil imperative form meaning "none shall cause them to flee" or "none shall disturb them."
Words Group by Words Analysis:
- "carcasses...food for the fowl of the heavens and for the beasts of the earth": This vivid imagery (as seen in Deut 28:26 and Jer 7:33) emphasizes total defeat and desecration. The unburied dead would be consumed by scavengers, a sign of extreme dishonor and the complete absence of any proper funeral rites, which were highly valued in ancient cultures for social and spiritual reasons.
- "and none shall cause them to flee": This reinforces the totality of the desolation. There would be no one left to care for the dead or to ward off the animals that preyed on them. The city would be so depopulated and devastated that the natural process of decay and scavenging would proceed unchecked.
Jeremiah 7 32 Bonus Section
The Valley of Hinnom (Gehenna) later became a potent symbol in Jewish and Christian thought. Its association with child sacrifice, fire, and uncleanness made it a fitting image for hell or a place of eternal punishment, particularly in the New Testament, where "Gehenna" is used for the place of judgment. This verse foreshadows that potent symbolism by directly connecting the physical valley of death and desecration to the ultimate fate of those who persist in rebellion against God. The lack of burial rights also touches upon an important cultural and theological point in the ancient Near East: a proper burial was crucial for the continuity of family remembrance and for the soul's journey into the afterlife. To be unburied was a profound curse.
Jeremiah 7 32 Commentary
Jeremiah 7:32 is a grim prophecy of judgment upon Jerusalem, linked directly to the idolatrous practices occurring in the Valley of Hinnom. The valley itself, particularly the place called Topheth mentioned in previous verses (Jeremiah 7:31), was where the inhabitants offered their children in the fire to Molech. This verse declares that in the coming destruction, Jerusalem’s inhabitants will become the "food" for carrion birds and wild beasts, their unburied bodies littering the Valley of Hinnom. This is a poetic reversal: those who defiled the place with child sacrifice will be defiled there themselves by their own corpses, left to scavengers, signifying total disgrace and God’s utter abandonment of the disobedient. The phrase "none shall cause them to flee" highlights the absolute devastation; the city will be so empty that no one remains to drive away the scavengers, amplifying the horror of their fate and underscoring the completeness of the judgment.