Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 19:6
Therefore, 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.
For this God, by his prophet, threateneth that this place, anciently, in Joshuas time, called
The valley of the son of Hinnom, and more lately Tophet, from the noise of drums and tabrets there, whilst children were burning, should have a new name, and be called
The valley of slaughter, from the multitude of dead bodies which upon the taking of the city should be slain and thrown into this valley. It was expounded Jer 7:32,33, For they shall bury in Tophet till there be no place; and the carcasses of this people shall be meat for the fowls of the heavens, and for the beasts of the earth, and none shall fray them away.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
6. no more . . . TophetfromHebrew, toph, “drum”; for in sacrificing children toMolech drums were beaten to drown their cries. Thus the nameindicated the joy of the people at the fancied propitiation ofthe god by this sacrifice; in antithesis to its joyless namesubsequently.
valley of slaughterItshould be the scene of slaughter, no longer of children, but of men;not of “innocents” (Jer19:4), but of those who richly deserved their fate. The citycould not be assailed without first occupying the valley of Hinnom,in which was the only fountain: hence arose the violent battle there.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord,…. Or, “are coming” o; a little while and it will come to pass, what follows; to which a “behold” is prefixed, as calling for attention and admiration, as well as to assure of the certain performance of it:
that this place shall no more be called Tophet: as it had been, from the beating of drums in it, that the cries and shrieks of infants burnt in the fire might not be heard by their parents:
nor the valley of the son of Hinnom; which was its name in the times of Joshua, and long before it was called Tophet; but now it should have neither names:
but the valley of slaughter; or, “of the slain”, as the Targum; from the multitude of those that should be killed here, at the siege and taking of Jerusalem; or that should be brought hither to be buried; see
Jer 19:11 and
[See comments on Jer 7:32].
o “dies (sunt) venientes”, Montanus, Schmidt.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
We saw in the last Lecture that the Prophet was sent by God’s bidding to the house of the potter, that he might there take an earthen bottle, carry it to Topher, and there explain the judgment of God, which was nigh at hand on account of his worship being violated. And he shewed why the Jews deserved reproof, even because they made incense to Baal, built groves and high places for themselves, and committed their sons and daughters to the fire: they were not only profane towards God, but also cruel towards innocent souls. Now, lest they pretended an excuse, he also added, that such a thing never came to God’s mind; and this is worthy of notice, because God by this one expression fulminates against all those inventions with which men delight themselves. As then there is no command, it follows that whatever is thus attempted is frivolous and useless.
He now denounces punishment, The days are coming, or shall come, in which this place shall no more be called Tophet, nor The valley of the son of Hinnom, but The valley of slaughter. This seemed incredible to the Jews; for they had chosen that place for themselves to perform their superstitions: they thought therefore that a great part of their safety depended on their false worship.
As to the word Tophet, some think that it is to be taken simply for hell, or for eternal death; but this cannot by any means be admitted. More probable is their opinion who derive it from תף, teph, which means a drum; for they think that they did beat drums when infants were killed, that their cries might not be heard. But as this is only a conjecture, I know not whether another reason may be given. Some derive the word from יפה iphe, which signifies to be decorous or beautiful; and this etymology has something apparently in its favor. And perhaps it ought to be so taken in Job 17:6, where the holy man complains that he was become a proverb, and that he had been תפת Tophet, in the presence of all. There are indeed some who explain the word there as signifying something monstrous, and thus take it in a bad sense. But it seems rather to have been put in contrast with the former clause, — he had been a pleasant spectacle, but he was now become detestable. But they who take the word there as meaning hell, do so entirely without any reason, for that Job perished, seeing and knowing his perdition, as they say, is a forced view. I doubt not then but that he said, that he had been תפת Tophet; that is, an object of joy and of praise, but that he was then a sad and mournful spectacle. And it is certain that his name, תפת, Tophet, was given to the valley of Hinnom, because of the hilarity and joy which thence arose to the people; for they thought that God was propitious to them, when they so sedulously offered there their sacrifices, and yet they provoked his wrath. Then Tophet is to be taken in a good sense, when we regard the origin of the word. It is indeed true that in Isa 30:33, Tophet is to be taken for Gehenna; but it may be that the prophets had now begun so to execrate the place as to call hell indiscriminately Gehennon and Tophet; for the word Gehenna, as we have stated elsewhere, had its origin from the same place; it is indeed corrupted, but its origin is not doubtful. Now, the reason why the prophets and other faithful men called the place hell, was plainly this, — because the devil reigned in that place, when God’s worship became vitiated, and the whole of true religion was subverted; and especially, because superstition became so deeply fixed in the hearts of the people, that it could not be rooted up except by an extraordinary force and power.
However this may have been, we may conclude from this passage, as well as from other passages, that this name was given on account of the joy experienced there, even because they thought themselves altogether happy, as God was pacified towards them. But what does Jeremiah say? This place shall be no more called Tophet, nor The valley of the son of Hinnom, but The valley of slaughter. This seemed, as I have said, incredible to the Jews. But it however behoved the Prophet boldly to declare what was to be. It afterwards follows, —
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(6) Tophet.See Notes on Jer. 7:31-32.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Jer 19:6 Therefore, 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.
Ver. 6. This place shall no more. ] See Jer 7:32 . Things are repeated, that they may be the better observed.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Tophet . . . Hinnom. Compare Jer 7:31.
The valley of slaughter. Compare Jer 7:32.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Jer 19:6-7
Jer 19:6-7
therefore, behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that this place shall no more be called Topheth, nor The valley of the son of Hinnom, but The valley of Slaughter. And 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 hand of them that seek their life: and their dead bodies will I give to be food for the birds of the heavens, and for the beasts of the earth.
Tophet…
(Jer 19:6). The exact meaning of this word is not known; but, It comes from an Aramaic root that indicates ‘fireplace.’ It was one of the names given to the valley of Ben-hinnom that contained the shrine of Molech.
I will make void…
(Jer 19:7). The literal meaning of the Hebrew here is, I will pour out; and such writers as Cheyne and Barnes suppose that, Jeremiah carried that bottle full of water and emptied it in the presence of the witnesses as he spoke these words. We are not inclined to accept this speculation because the flask was new; God had not commanded Jeremiah to fill it with water, and there’s nothing in the text to support the speculation, interesting as it is.
The Valley of Slaughter…
(Jer 19:6). It was in this very valley that the Chaldean army encamped, making the very place where they looked for help from their idols to be the scene of their slaughter.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
this: Jer 19:2, Jer 19:11, Jer 7:32, Jer 7:33, Jos 15:8, Isa 30:33
Reciprocal: Jos 18:16 – the valley of the son 2Ki 23:10 – Topheth Neh 11:30 – the valley Jer 7:31 – the high Jer 14:16 – be cast Jer 20:3 – hath Jer 32:35 – they built
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 19:6, Tophet was a spot In the famous valley of Hinnom near Jerusalem. This place bad been used as a disposal plant for the waste materials of the city and for that reason there were fires kept burning continually. The idolatrous worshipers got to using the place for their abominable practices until Josiah defiled it in his great reformative work (2Ki 23:10). The people of Judah went bo far as to use their children as sacrifices to the false gods that were represented in the valley. No more be called Tophet does not mean the name will be forgotten, but the place will not be referred to merely as one that was known by sucb a name. But the great work of the Lord in destroying the enemies of righteousness who assembled in that place will be so outstanding it will be remembered because of such a great slaughter.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Jer 19:6-9. Therefore, behold, the days come And are at no great distance; that this place shall no more be called Tophet, &c. In Joshuas time it was called The valley of the son of Hinnom; in after ages, it had the name of Tophet, from the noise of drums and tabrets sounding there while children were burning. Here it is foretold that it should have a new name and be called, The valley of Slaughter. See note on Jer 7:32-33. I will make void the counsel, &c., in this place They shed innocent blood in this place, and in this place God would discomfit them, and cause their blood to be shed by the hands of the Chaldeans. And I will cause them to eat the flesh of their sons and daughters A terrible judgment threatened by Moses, Deu 28:53; and actually fulfilled in the siege of Jerusalem. See Lam 4:10.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
19:6 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that this place shall no more be called {d} Tophet, nor The valley of the son of Hinnom, but The valley of slaughter.
(d) Read Jer 7:31, 2Ki 23:10, Isa 30:33 .
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Because of these sins, the Lord predicted that the place would receive a new name: the Valley of Slaughter. It’s previous names were the Valley of the Son of Hinnom and Topheth (lit. fireplace or hearth; cf. Jer 7:31-32; Isa 30:33). A change of name in the Old Testament frequently signified a change of function (cf. Gen 17:5; Gen 17:15; et al.).