Jeremiah 19

King James Version

Full text for Jeremiah Chapter 19

1¶ Thus saith the LORD, Go and get a potter's earthen bottle, and [take] of the ancients of the people, and of the ancients of the priests;

2And go forth unto the valley of the son of Hinnom, which [is] by the entry of the east gate, and proclaim there the words that I shall tell thee,

3And say, Hear ye the word of the LORD, O kings of Judah, and inhabitants of Jerusalem; Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, the which whosoever heareth, his ears shall tingle.

4Because 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;

5They 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:

6Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that this place shall no more be called Tophet, nor The valley of the son of Hinnom, but The valley of slaughter.

7And I will make void the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem in this place; and I will cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies, and by the hands of them that seek their lives: and their carcases will I give to be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth.

8And I will make this city desolate, and an hissing; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished and hiss because of all the plagues thereof.

9And I will cause them to eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and they shall eat every one the flesh of his friend in the siege and straitness, wherewith their enemies, and they that seek their lives, shall straiten them.

10¶ Then shalt thou break the bottle in the sight of the men that go with thee,

11And shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Even so will I break this people and this city, as [one] breaketh a potter's vessel, that cannot be made whole again: and they shall bury [them] in Tophet, till [there be] no place to bury.

12Thus will I do unto this place, saith the LORD, and to the inhabitants thereof, and [even] make this city as Tophet:

13And the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses of the kings of Judah, shall be defiled as the place of Tophet, because of all the houses upon whose roofs they have burned incense unto all the host of heaven, and have poured out drink offerings unto other gods.

14Then 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,

15Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring upon this city and upon all her towns all the evil that I have pronounced against it, because they have hardened their necks, that they might not hear my words.

AI Analysis

AI Summaries

Short Summary

Jeremiah is commanded to take an earthen bottle and elders to the Valley of Hinnom to prophesy judgment against Judah and Jerusalem. The Lord declares He will bring great evil upon them for their idolatry, child sacrifice, and forsaking Him. As a symbol of irreversible destruction, Jeremiah breaks the bottle, signifying that the city and its people will be broken beyond repair. This judgment will lead to widespread death, desolation, and defilement.

Medium Summary

The prophet Jeremiah is instructed by the Lord to gather elders and priests, and proceed to the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, also known as Tophet. There, he is to proclaim a severe message of impending judgment against the kings of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. The Lord declares that He will bring such evil upon the place that all who hear will be astonished, citing their forsaking Him, worshipping other gods, offering child sacrifices to Baal, and filling the city with innocent blood as the reasons. This valley will be renamed "The valley of slaughter," and the people will fall by the sword, their bodies becoming food for beasts. As a powerful visual prophecy, Jeremiah is commanded to break the earthen bottle, symbolizing that Judah and Jerusalem will be shattered beyond repair, becoming desolate and defiled like Tophet itself. Finally, Jeremiah reiterates this message of unavoidable destruction to all the people in the court of the Lord's house, emphasizing that their hardened hearts have sealed their fate.

Long Summary

The Lord commands Jeremiah to take an earthen bottle, along with elders of the people and priests, to the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, near the east gate, to deliver a solemn prophecy. There, Jeremiah is to declare to the kings of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem that the Lord of hosts will bring such profound evil upon the place that it will cause all who hear to tingle with dread. The reasons for this severe judgment are explicitly stated: they have forsaken the Lord, estranged the holy place, burned incense to unknown foreign gods, and filled Jerusalem with the blood of innocents. Furthermore, they have built high places for Baal, even sacrificing their own sons by fire as burnt offerings, an abomination never commanded or conceived by God. Consequently, the Lord proclaims that the Valley of Hinnom will no longer be called Tophet but "The valley of slaughter," where the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem will be made void. The people will fall by the sword, their carcasses becoming food for birds and beasts, and the city will be made desolate and a cause for hissing. During the siege, they will be driven to such straits that they will consume the flesh of their own children and friends. To visually underscore this irreversible destruction, Jeremiah is instructed to break the earthen bottle before the accompanying men, declaring that just as the potter's vessel is shattered beyond repair, so too will the Lord break this people and city. The dead will be buried in Tophet until there is no more room, and Jerusalem's houses, including those of the kings, will be defiled like Tophet due to their idolatrous practices on the rooftops, burning incense and pouring drink offerings to the host of heaven and other gods. After delivering this message in Tophet, Jeremiah returns to the court of the Lord's house and reiterates the entire prophecy to all the people, affirming that all the pronounced evil will indeed come upon Jerusalem and its towns because they have stubbornly refused to heed the Lord's words.

Core Concepts

  • Symbolic Act of the BottleJeremiah's breaking of the earthen bottle vividly illustrates the Lord's intention to shatter Judah and Jerusalem beyond repair, symbolizing irreversible destruction and desolation.
  • Valley of Hinnom (Tophet)This location, initially a place of abominable child sacrifice to Baal, is prophesied to become "The valley of slaughter" due to the immense number of dead bodies from God's judgment.
  • Idolatry and Child SacrificeThe primary reasons for God's wrath are the people's forsaking of Him, worshipping foreign gods, and the horrific practice of burning their children as offerings to Baal.
  • Irreversible JudgmentThe Lord's judgment is depicted as absolute and final, leading to the city's desolation, the consumption of human flesh during siege, and widespread death with no place left for burial.
  • Defilement of JerusalemThe city and its houses, including those of the kings, are declared defiled, likened to Tophet, due to the pervasive idolatry practiced even on rooftops.
  • Hardened HeartsThe people's refusal to listen to God's words, described as "hardening their necks," is presented as the ultimate cause for the inevitable execution of the pronounced evil.