Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 19:13
And 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.
13. upon whose roofs ] Cp. Jer 32:29; 2Ki 23:12 (in which place the meaning probably is “on the roof [of the Temple]”); Zep 1:5. These were used for festivals (Jdg 16:27), for conference (1Sa 9:25 f.), for exercise (2Sa 11:2), for booths at the feast of tabernacles (Neh 8:16), for public announcements (Mat 10:27), and for prayer (Act 10:9).
14 20:6. See introd. summary to section.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Because of all – literally, with reference to all, limiting the denunciation to those houses whose roofs had been defiled with altars.
Upon whose roofs they have burned incense – See 2Ki 23:12, note.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Under the Judaic law, persons and places were defiled by touching dead bodies, or any unclean, filthy thing: God threateneth in this sense to defile Tophet, as it was said before it should be filled with dead bodies which should be buried or lie unburied there. He showeth that the aforementioned judgment of filling places with dead bodies should not be restrained to Tophet in the valley of Hinnom, but reach to the dwelling-houses in Jerusalem, both their kings houses, and the meaner subjects; the provoking cause of which should be their idolatry, which they had also brought into their dwelling-houses, for they having flat roofs, had upon them, though not burnt children in sacrifice to idols, yet poured out drink-offerings to the sun, moon, and stars, and to other idols.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
13. shall be defiledwith deadbodies (Jer 19:12; 2Ki 23:10).
because of all thehousesRather, (explanatory of the previous “the houses .. . and . . . houses”), “even all the houses,”c. [CALVIN].
roofsbeing flat, theywere used as high places for sacrifices to the sun and planets(Jer 32:29 2Ki 23:11;2Ki 23:12; Zep 1:5).The Nabateans, south and east of the Dead Sea, a nation most friendlyto the Jews, according to STRABO,had the same usage.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And the houses of Jerusalem,…. Where the common people dwelt:
and the houses of the kings of Judah; the palaces of the king, princes, and nobles of Judah, one as well as another:
shall be defiled os Tophet; as that was defiled with the bodies and bones of the slain, and with the faith of the city brought unto it; so the houses of great and small, high and low, should be defiled with the carcasses of the slain that should lie unburied there; their houses should be their graves, and they buried in the ruins of them: or, “the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses of the kings of Judah, which are defiled” s, with the idolatries after mentioned, shall be as Tophet, places of slaughter:
because of all the houses upon whose roofs they have burnt incense to all the host of heaven; the roofs of houses with the Jews were built flat; and, as they sometimes used them for prayer to the God of heaven, as Peter did, Ac 10:9; idolaters used them to burn incense on to the sun, moon, and stars; to which they were nearer, and of which they could have a clearer view upon the house tops, and therefore chose them for this purpose; and so common was this sort of idolatry, that it was practised upon most, if not all, the houses in Jerusalem; see Zep 1:5;
and have poured out drink offerings unto other gods; besides the God of Israel; to Baal, and other Heathen deities.
s “quae pollutae sunt”, Gataker.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
He describes, as I have said, more at large what he had briefly expressed, for he had spoken of the city; but as the belief of that was difficult, he now enumerates particulars, as though he had said, that Jerusalem was a wide city and splendidly built, for there were there many large and elegant houses, and the royal palaces, yet he says, that all these things would not prevent God to demolish the whole city. And this deserves particular notice, for we know that Satan dazzles our eyes whenever he suggests anything that gives a hope of defense, but what God threatens we think is vain, and as it were fabulous, or at least produces no effect on us. Since then so gross an hypocrisy prevailed in the hearts of the people, the Prophet rightly tried to shake off from them whatever might deceive them.
Hence he says, The houses of Jerusalem, etc. — these were many and splendid — and the houses of the kings of Judah, their palaces either within or without the city shall be as the place of Tophet; that is, no house shall be exempt from slaughter, and no palace shall protect its inhabitants. They shall be unclean, he says, that is, on account of dead bodies, for men slain would be found everywhere; and this is, as it is well known, often mentioned in Scripture as a pollution or defilement. With regard to all the houses; some read, “On account of all the houses,” and ל lamed, is often a causal preposition. But it seems rather to be taken here as explanation; and hence I render the words, With regard to all the houses, so that the Prophet speaks of all the houses in, which they made incense. (222) As then there was no house free from sacrilege, he says that God’s vengeance would penetrate into all houses without any exception.
He says also, On the roofs, with the view of condemning them for their effrontery; for they raised their baseness as a standard, that it might be seen at a distance. They indeed thought that God was delighted with such a service; but how came they to entertain such a foolish persuasion, except through their neglect and contempt of the law, and also through a mad presumption in giving more credit to their own fictions than to certain truth. The Prophet then justly condemns them, for they had cast off all shame, and went up to the roofs of their houses, that their doings might be more open. Then he mentions the whole host of heaven; and says further, that they had poured a libation to foreign gods. We see that many kinds of superstitions prevailed among the people; for he spoke of Baal in the singular number, he mentioned also Baalim, patrons, and he now adds, the whole host of heaven; that is, the sun, the moon, and all the stars.
We hence see that the Jews kept no limits as to their sacrileges, which is usually the case with all the ungodly; for as soon as men begin to turn aside from the pure and genuine worship of God, they sink into the lowest depths. It is then this wantonness that the Prophet now refers to, when he intimates that their various forms of worship were so increased, that they had devised as many gods as there are stars in heaven; which is similar to what is said elsewhere,
“
According to the number of thy cities, O Judah, are thy gods,” (Jer 2:28; Jer 11:13.)
(222) On account of all the houses,” is the Septuagint and the Targum; “all the houses,” is the Vulgate and the Syriac, being put in apposition with “the houses of Jerusalem,” etc.
The words which follow are literally, — “which they have burned incense on their roofs,” which we properly render in our language, “on whose roofs they have burned incense;” but the Welsh is literally the Hebrew, Y rhai yr arogldarthasant ar eu pennau, — “which they incensed on their roofs;” but “incensed” in this sense is not used. — Ed.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(13) Defiled as the place of Tophet.A difficulty affecting the construction, but not the sense, of the passage, makes the rendering as the place of Tophet the defiled preferable.
Upon whose roofs they have burned incense.The flat roofs of Eastern houses were used, as for exercise (2Sa. 11:2) so also, as in Peters vision at Joppa (Act. 10:9), for prayer and meditation, and seem from Zep. 1:5 to have been specially chosen, as was natural, for worship addressed to the host of heaven. The two altars on the top of the upper chamber of Ahaz (2Ki. 23:12) were probably so situated. Where men had been wont to keep the holy days of the Feast of Tabernacles (Neh. 8:16) they had celebrated their idolatrous rites. (See Jer. 32:29.) So Strabo (xvi. p. 1, 131) describes the Nabathans as worshipping the sun, and offering incense on an altar on the roof of their houses.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
13. Defiled, etc. Literally, as Tophet the defiled. The article, with the word “defiled,” seems to fix this construction, though “defiled” is plural, while Tophet, its subject, is singular. This is to be explained as a case of attraction to the leading subject, houses. Upon whose roofs, etc. On the worship of the stars from the housetops, see Zep 1:5; 2Ki 21:3 ; 2Ki 23:12.
JEREMIAH’S MESSAGE IN THE TEMPLE, 14, 15.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Jer 19:13 And 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.
Ver. 13. And the houses of Jerusalem. ] Wherein they had their “chambers of imagery,” and their private chapels for idolatrous uses, as Papists also have. Eze 8:12 Zep 1:1-18
Because all the houses upon whose roofs.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
upon whose roofs. Compare Jer 32:29.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
defiled: 2Ki 23:10, 2Ki 23:12, 2Ki 23:14, Psa 74:7, Psa 79:1, Eze 7:21, Eze 7:22
upon: Jer 32:29, 2Ki 23:12, Zep 1:5
have poured: Jer 7:18
Reciprocal: Deu 4:19 – the host Deu 22:8 – thy roof 1Sa 9:25 – the top 2Sa 11:2 – the roof of 2Ch 28:3 – the valley 2Ch 33:3 – the host Neh 8:16 – the roof Isa 15:3 – on the Isa 57:6 – to them Jer 7:32 – for Jer 8:2 – and all Jer 44:5 – burn Jer 44:17 – as we Luk 5:19 – housetop Act 7:42 – the host
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 19:13. Tophet was not the only place where idolatrous worship was practiced. The houses had flat roofs and the people went up there for their services because of the convenience. Also, since they wished to offer devotions to the host of heaven, (the planets) they would have unobstructed view of these false gods, hence their houses were to receive the same fate as Tophet. A drink offering was the offering of something that would have been used for drink by man and hence an article of value.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
19:13 And the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses of the kings of Judah, shall be defiled as the place of Tophet, because of all the {f} houses upon whose {g} roofs they have burned incense to all the host of heaven, and have poured out drink offerings to other gods.
(f) He notes the great rage of the idolaters who left no place free from their abominations, in that they polluted their own houses with it, as we see yet among the papists.
(g) Read De 22:8 .