New Living Translation
Jeremiah 19:5
5They have built pagan shrines to Baal, and there they burn their sons as sacrifices to Baal. I have never commanded such a horrible deed; it never even crossed my mind to command such a thing!
Jeremiah 19:5 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)They have built also the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings unto Baal, which I commanded not, nor spake it, neither came it into my mind:
- New International Version (NIV)They have built the high places of Baal to burn their children in the fire as offerings to Baal—something I did not command or mention, nor did it enter my mind.
- English Standard Version (ESV)and have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, which I did not command or decree, nor did it come into my mind—
- New King James Version (NKJV)(they have also built the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings to Baal, which I did not command or speak, nor did it come into My mind),
Context of Jeremiah 19:5
3Say to them, ‘Listen to this message from the Lord, you kings of Judah and citizens of Jerusalem! This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: I will bring a terrible disaster on this place, and the ears of those who hear about it will ring! 4“‘For Israel has forsaken me and turned this valley into a place of wickedness. The people burn incense to foreign gods—idols never before acknowledged by this generation, by their ancestors, or by the kings of Judah. And they have filled this place with the blood of innocent children. They have built pagan shrines to Baal, and there they burn their sons as sacrifices to Baal. I have never commanded such a horrible deed; it never even crossed my mind to command such a thing! 6So beware, for the time is coming, says the Lord, when this garbage dump will no longer be called Topheth or the valley of Ben-Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter. 7“‘For I will upset the careful plans of Judah and Jerusalem. I will allow the people to be slaughtered by invading armies, and I will leave their dead bodies as food for the vultures and wild animals.
Read all of Jeremiah 19Jeremiah 19:5 word by word
וּבָנ֞וּ אֶת־בָּמ֣וֹת הַבַּ֗עַל לִשְׂרֹ֧ף אֶת־בְּנֵיהֶ֛ם בָּאֵ֖שׁ עֹל֣וֹת לַבָּ֑עַל אֲשֶׁ֤ר לֹֽא־צִוִּ֙יתִי֙ וְלֹ֣א דִבַּ֔רְתִּי וְלֹ֥א עָלְתָ֖ה עַל־לִבִּֽי׃ פRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- They have builtבָּנָהbânâh · to buildH1129
- also the high placesבָּמָהbâmâh · high placeH1116
- of Baalבַּעַלba‛al · BaalH1168
- to burnשָׂרַףώâraph · to burnH8313
- their sonsבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
- with fireאֵשׁ'êsh · fireH784
- burnt offeringsעֹלָה‛ôlâh ‛ôlâh · burnt offeringH5930
- which I commandedצָוָהtsâvâh · to commandH6680
- not, nor spakeדָבַרdâbar · to speak: speakH1696
- neither cameעָלָה‛âlâh · to ascend: riseH5927
- into my mindלֵבlêb · heartH3820
Cross-references for Jeremiah 19:5
- Numbers 22:41The next morning Balak took Balaam up to Bamoth-baal. From there he could see some of the people of Israel spread out below him.
- Jeremiah 7:31They have built pagan shrines at Topheth, the garbage dump in the valley of Ben-Hinnom, and there they burn their sons and daughters in the fire. I have never commanded such a horrible deed; it never even crossed my mind to command such a thing!
- Deuteronomy 12:31You must not worship the Lord your God the way the other nations worship their gods, for they perform for their gods every detestable act that the Lord hates. They even burn their sons and daughters as sacrifices to their gods.
- 2 Kings 17:17They even sacrificed their own sons and daughters in the fire. They consulted fortune-tellers and practiced sorcery and sold themselves to evil, arousing the Lord’s anger.
- 2 Chronicles 28:3He offered sacrifices in the valley of Ben-Hinnom, even sacrificing his own sons in the fire. In this way, he followed the detestable practices of the pagan nations the Lord had driven from the land ahead of the Israelites.
- Psalms 106:37They even sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons.
- Ezekiel 16:20“Then you took your sons and daughters—the children you had borne to me—and sacrificed them to your gods. Was your prostitution not enough?
- Ezekiel 20:26I let them pollute themselves with the very gifts I had given them, and I allowed them to give their firstborn children as offerings to their gods—so I might devastate them and remind them that I alone am the Lord.
- Jeremiah 32:35They have built pagan shrines to Baal in the valley of Ben-Hinnom, and there they sacrifice their sons and daughters to Molech. I have never commanded such a horrible deed; it never even crossed my mind to command such a thing. What an incredible evil, causing Judah to sin so greatly!
- Leviticus 18:21“Do not permit any of your children to be offered as a sacrifice to Molech, for you must not bring shame on the name of your God. I am the Lord.
- Ezekiel 38:10“This is what the Sovereign Lord says: At that time evil thoughts will come to your mind, and you will devise a wicked scheme.
- Daniel 2:29“While Your Majesty was sleeping, you dreamed about coming events. He who reveals secrets has shown you what is going to happen.
Commentaries on Jeremiah 19:5
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 5Offerings unto Baal - A general name for all the popular idols; Baal, Moloch, Ashtaroth, etc.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. 55. commanded not--nay, more, I commanded the opposite (Le 18:21; see Jr 7:31, 32).Read the comment
Topics related to Jeremiah 19:5
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
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Commentaries