Jeremiah 7:31 Meaning and Explanation
“And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my heart.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →The people have constructed shrines at Tophet to offer their children as sacrifices, a practice the Lord explicitly forbade and never willed.
The Context of Jeremiah 7:31
Jeremiah 7 records the prophet's temple sermon, delivered during the reign of Josiah. He addresses the people gathered for worship, confronting their hypocrisy: they trust in the temple's presence while practicing child sacrifice in the valley outside the city. Tophet (also called the valley of the son of Hinnom, later transliterated Gehenna) became notorious in Judah as a site of abomination.
What Does Jeremiah 7:31 Mean?
The high places of Tophet rise in the valley of Hinnom, a ravine outside Jerusalem. Families bring their young sons and daughters, lay them on stone altars, and offer them to Molech or other gods by fire. The smoke rises, the heat consumes, and what remains is ash. This is not a marginal practice or a fringe excess: it has become structured, built, systematized. Shrines stand ready. Priests know their roles. Communities participate. And yet these same people claim to worship the Lord.
God speaks through Jeremiah with a clarity that cuts through all pretense. He has never commanded this. It never 'came into my heart'—a phrase suggesting not merely disapproval but a deep repugnance, a violation of the divine nature itself. The Lord who gave life abhors the killing of the innocent in His name. When human custom contradicts God's will this severely, when we build monuments to practices He explicitly rejects, we reveal how far we have wandered from His heart. His grief is not abstract; it is personal, specific, and aimed at a people He created and chose.
Jeremiah 7:31 in the Original Language
tophet (topheth), 'burning place' -- a proper noun for the shrine where sacrificial fires burned; also possibly 'shame' or 'spitting' from Hebrew obscurity around the word's origin.
How to Apply Jeremiah 7:31 Today
We too build shrines to practices God forbids. We construct elaborate systems around the worship of comfort, control, or appetite, then invoke God's name over them. The Lord calls us to examine what we have built, what we tend and maintain in secret, and whether it matches His character. True obedience begins with asking: does He actually will this, or have I mistaken my own desire for His voice?
Frequently Asked Questions About Jeremiah 7:31
What does Jeremiah 7:31 mean?
The people have constructed shrines at Tophet to offer their children as sacrifices, a practice the Lord explicitly forbade and never willed.
What is the context of Jeremiah 7:31?
Jeremiah 7 records the prophet's temple sermon, delivered during the reign of Josiah. He addresses the people gathered for worship, confronting their hypocrisy: they trust in the temple's presence while practicing child sacrifice in the valley outside the city. Tophet (also called the valley of the son of Hinnom, later transliterated Gehenna) became notorious in Judah as a site of abomination.
How can I apply Jeremiah 7:31 today?
We too build shrines to practices God forbids. We construct elaborate systems around the worship of comfort, control, or appetite, then invoke God's name over them. The Lord calls us to examine what we have built, what we tend and maintain in secret, and whether it matches His character. True obedience begins with asking: does He actually will this, or have I mistaken my own desire for His voice?