God’s Word Translation
Jeremiah 19:4
4“The people, their ancestors, and the kings of Judah have abandoned me. They have made this place unrecognizable by burning incense as an offering to other gods that they hadn’t heard of. They have filled this place with the blood of innocent people.
Jeremiah 19:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Because they have forsaken me, and have estranged this place, and have burned incense in it unto other gods, whom neither they nor their fathers have known, nor the kings of Judah, and have filled this place with the blood of innocents;
- New International Version (NIV)For they have forsaken me and made this a place of foreign gods; they have burned incense in it to gods that neither they nor their ancestors nor the kings of Judah ever knew, and they have filled this place with the blood of the innocent.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Because the people have forsaken me and have profaned this place by making offerings in it to other gods whom neither they nor their fathers nor the kings of Judah have known; and because they have filled this place with the blood of innocents,
- New King James Version (NKJV)“Because they have forsaken Me and made this an alien place, because they have burned incense in it to other gods whom neither they, their fathers, nor the kings of Judah have known, and have filled this place with the blood of the innocents
Context of Jeremiah 19:4
2Go to the valley of Ben Hinnom at the entrance to Potsherd Gate. Announce there the things I plan to do. 3Say, “Listen to the Lord’s word, you kings of Judah and those who live in Jerusalem. This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: I’m going to bring such a disaster on this place that the ears of everyone who hears about it will ring. “The people, their ancestors, and the kings of Judah have abandoned me. They have made this place unrecognizable by burning incense as an offering to other gods that they hadn’t heard of. They have filled this place with the blood of innocent people. 5They have built worship sites to burn their children as sacrifices to Baal. I didn’t ask them or command them to do this. It never entered my mind. 6“That is why the days are coming, declares the Lord, when this place will no longer be called Topheth or the valley of Ben Hinnom. Instead, it will be called Slaughter Valley.
Read all of Jeremiah 19Jeremiah 19:4 word by word
יַ֣עַן׀ אֲשֶׁ֣ר עֲזָבֻ֗נִי וַֽיְנַכְּר֞וּ אֶת־הַמָּק֤וֹם הַזֶּה֙ וַיְקַטְּרוּ־בוֹ֙ לֵאלֹהִ֣ים אֲחֵרִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֧ר לֹֽא־יְדָע֛וּם הֵ֥מָּה וַאֲבֽוֹתֵיהֶ֖ם וּמַלְכֵ֣י יְהוּדָ֑ה וּמָֽלְא֛וּ אֶת־הַמָּק֥וֹם הַזֶּ֖ה דַּ֥ם נְקִיִּֽם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Because they have forsakenעָזַב‛âzab · to leave: forsakeH5800
- me, and have estrangedנָכַרnâkar · to alienateH5234
- this placeמָקוֹםmâqôm mâqôm meqômâh meqômâh · placeH4725
- and have burned incenseקָטַרqâţar · to offer: offerH6999
- in it unto otherאַחֵר'achêr · anotherH312
- godsאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- whom neither they nor their fathersאָב'âb · fatherH1
- have knownיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
- nor the kingsמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
- of Judahיְהוּדָהyehûdâh · JudahH3063
- and have filledמָלֵאmâlê' mâlâ' · to fillH4390
- with the bloodדָּםdâm · bloodH1818
- of innocentsנָקִיnâqîy nâqîy' · innocentH5355
Cross-references for Jeremiah 19:4
- Jeremiah 2:13“My people have done two things wrong. They have abandoned me, the fountain of life-giving water. They have also dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that can’t hold water.
- Jeremiah 5:6That is why a lion from the forest will attack them. A wolf from the wilderness will destroy them. A leopard will lie in ambush outside their cities. All who leave the cities will be torn to pieces, because they rebel so often and they become more and more unfaithful.
- Jeremiah 15:6You have left me,” declares the Lord. “You have turned your back on me. So I will use my power against you and destroy you. I’m tired of showing compassion to you.
- Jeremiah 16:11Then say to them, ‘It’s because your ancestors abandoned me, declares the Lord. They followed other gods, served them, worshiped them, and abandoned me. They didn’t obey my teachings.
- Jeremiah 17:13O Lord, the Hope of Israel, all who abandon you will be put to shame. Those who turn away from you will be written in dust, because they abandon the Lord, the fountain of life-giving water.
- Deuteronomy 28:20The Lord will send you curses, panic, and frustration in everything you do until you’re destroyed and quickly disappear for the evil you will do by abandoning the Lord.
- Deuteronomy 31:16The Lord said to Moses, “Soon you are going to lie down in death with your ancestors. When these people enter the land and are living among the foreigners there, they will chase after foreign gods as though they were prostitutes. They will abandon me and reject the promise I made to them.
- Deuteronomy 32:15Jeshurun got fat and disrespectful. (You got fat! You were stuffed! You were gorged!) They abandoned the God who made them and treated the rock of their salvation like a fool.
- 2 Kings 22:16‘This is what the Lord says: I’m going to bring disaster on this place and on the people living here according to everything written in the book that the king of Judah has read.
- Isaiah 65:11You have abandoned the Lord and forgotten my holy mountain. You have prepared a table for the god of good fortune and offered cups full of spiced wine to the goddess of destiny.
- Daniel 9:5We have sinned, done wrong, acted wickedly, rebelled, and turned away from your commandments and laws.
- 2 Kings 21:4He built altars in the Lord’s temple, where the Lord had said, “I will put my name in Jerusalem.”
- 2 Kings 23:11He removed the horses that Judah’s kings had dedicated to the sun god at the entrance of the Lord’s temple. They were in the temple courtyard near the room of the eunuch Nathan Melech. He also burned the chariots of the sun god,
- 2 Chronicles 33:4He built altars in the Lord’s temple, where the Lord had said, “My name will be in Jerusalem forever.”
- Jeremiah 7:9You steal, murder, commit adultery, lie when you take oaths, burn incense as an offering to Baal, and run after other gods that you do not know.
- Jeremiah 11:13Judah, you have as many gods as you have cities. You have set up many altars ⌞in Jerusalem⌟ to sacrifice to Baal. You have as many altars as there are streets in Jerusalem.
Commentaries on Jeremiah 19:4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4Estranged this place - Ye have devoted my temple to a widely different purpose from that for which it was erected.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4Have estranged this place - They have not recognized the sanctity of this place, but have treated it as a strange place, by worshipping in it strange gods. Innocents - i. e., guiltless persons.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4-5The have burned incense: In the Sinai covenant, only priests should offer incense when worshiping the Lord (Exodus 30:8). Offering incense to idols was a serious insult to the Lord. the blood of the innocent: Child sacrifice occurred in Baal worship and sometimes by the kings of Judah (2 Kings 17:17; Psalm 106:37–38).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. (Is 65:11). estranged this place--devoted it to the worship of strange gods: alienating a portion of the sacred city from God, the rightful Lord of the temple, city, and whole land. nor their fathers--namely, the godly among them; their ungodly fathers God makes no account of. blood of innocents--slain in honor of Molech (Jr 7:31; Psa 106:37).Read the comment
Topics related to Jeremiah 19:4
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Jeremiah 19
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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