Jeremiah 31:40 · Bible study
Jeremiah 31:40 Commentary: God’s Redemption of a Polluted Valley
Hebrew · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Jeremiah 31:40 promises that a valley of corpses and ashes will become holy. Explore how God redeems the most defiled places under the new covenant.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God promises that the Valley of Hinnom, defiled by corpses and ashes, will become holy and permanently part of the restored city.
- Key words: “Valley of the dead bodies” (pegarim) and “ashes” (deshen), terms linked to death, sacrifice refuse, and uncleanness; “holy” (qodesh), set apart for God.
- Main debate: Whether this prophecy refers to a literal post-exilic rebuilding of Jerusalem or symbolizes the church’s holiness extending over all creation (both views present in the supplied commentaries).
- Theological theme: The new covenant (Jer 31:31, 34) extends God’s holiness into the most defiled spaces, guaranteeing permanent restoration.
- Best use: Preach or teach as part of a series on Jeremiah’s new covenant; use to illustrate God’s redemptive reach and the security of believers in Christ.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
The whole valley of the dead bodies and ashes, and all the fields as far as the Kidron Valley, to the corner of the Horse Gate to the east, will be holy to the LORD. It will never again be uprooted or demolished.”
WEB World English Bible 2000
The whole valley of the dead bodies and of the ashes, and all the fields to the brook Kidron, to the corner of the horse gate toward the east, will be holy to Yahweh. It will not be plucked up or thrown down any more forever.”
KJV King James Version 1769
And the whole valley of the dead bodies, and of the ashes, and all the fields unto the brook of Kidron, unto the corner of the horse gate toward the east, shall be holy unto the Lord; it shall not be plucked up, nor thrown down any more for ever.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And the whole valley of the dead bodies and of the ashes, and all the fields unto the brook Kidron, unto the corner of the horse gate toward the east, shall be holy unto Jehovah; it shall not be plucked up, nor thrown down any more for ever.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
And all the valley of the carcases and of the ashes, And all the fields unto the brook Kidron, Unto the corner of the horse-gate eastward, Are holy to Jehovah, it is not plucked up, Nor is it thrown down any more to the age!
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And the whole valley of the dead bodies, and of the ashes, and all the fields unto the torrent Kidron, unto the corner of the horse-gate toward the east, shall be holy unto Jehovah: it shall not be plucked up, nor overthrown any more for ever.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And the whole valley of dead bodies, and of ashes, and all the country of death, even to the torrent Cedron, and to the corner of the horse gate towards the east, the Holy of the Lord: it shall not be plucked up, and it shall not be destroyed any more for ever.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y todo el valle de los cuerpos muertos y de la ceniza, y todas las llanuras hasta el arroyo de Cedrón, hasta la esquina de la puerta de los caballos al oriente, será santo á Jehová: no será arrancada, ni destruída más para siempre.
E todo o vale dos cadáveres e da cinza, e todas os campos até o ribeiro de Cedrom, até a esquina da porta dos cavalos ao oriente, serão consagrados ao SENHOR; nunca mais será arrancada nem derrubada.
Toute la vallée des cadavres et de la cendre,
und das Tal der Leichen und Asche samt dem ganzen Acker bis an den Bach Kidron, bis zur Ecke am Roßtor gegen Morgen, wird dem Herrn heilig sein, daß es nimmermehr zerrissen noch abgebrochen soll werden.
En het ganse dal der dode lichamen en der as, en al de velden tot aan de beek Kidron, tot aan den hoek van de Paardenpoort tegen het oosten, zal den HEERE een heiligheid zijn; er zal niets weder uitgerukt, noch afgebroken worden in eeuwigheid.
E tutta la valle de’ cadaveri e delle ceneri e tutti i campi fino al torrente di Kidron, fino all’angolo della porta de’ cavalli verso oriente, saranno consacrati all’Eterno, e non saranno più sconvolti né distrutti in perpetuo.
I wszystka dolina trupów i popiołu, i to wszystko pole aż do potoku Cedron, aż do węgła bramy końskiej wschodniej, poświęcone będą Panu; nie będzie wykorzenione ani zepsute więcej na wieki.
И вся долина трупов и пепла, и все поле до потока Кедрона, до угла конских ворот к востоку, будет святынею Господа; не разрушится и не распадется вовеки.
拋屍 的全 谷 和倒灰之處，並一切 田地，直到 汲淪 溪，又直到 東方 馬 門 的拐角，都要歸耶和華 為聖，不 再拔出，不 再 傾覆，直到永遠。」
And all the valley of the dead bodies, and all the field of death as far as the stream Kidron, up to the angle of the horses' doorway to the east, will be holy to the Lord; it will not again be uprooted or overturned for ever.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Jeremiah 31:40
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that Jeremiah 31:40 describes the transformation of a notoriously defiled area, the Valley of Hinnom, where child sacrifice to Molech and the disposal of corpses and altar ashes took place, into holy ground. This change is part of the comprehensive restoration promised in the new covenant (Jer 31:31, 34). Calvin notes that places once associated with carcasses and ashes become “holiness to Jehovah,” while Clarke sees them absorbed into an expanded holy city. Matthew Henry and Gill interpret the verse as pointing to the church of Christ, which cannot be “plucked up or thrown down” (Gill). The threefold repetition of “all” (all the valley, all the fields, to the corner) emphasizes that no part of the polluted area is left out. Both Jewish and Christian traditions understand the promise to mean that God’s redemptive work extends to every defiled corner of life and land.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Literal historical restoration: Points to the post-exilic rebuilding of Jerusalem (Nehemiah's walls) and the inclusion of previously unclean areas within the holy city (supported by Keil and JFB, citing the precise geography).
- Symbolic eschatological fulfillment: Sees the passage as a type of the church or the new Jerusalem (Revelation 21), where what was once defiled becomes holy, and the city cannot be destroyed (Matthew Henry, Gill, Wesley).
- Both literal and spiritual: Holds that the physical restoration in the return from exile prefigures the complete redemption of creation under the new covenant (Calvin, Cambridge Bible).
What is clear: God promises that the most defiled area associated with death and idolatry will become holy to Him and will never again be destroyed, demonstrating the comprehensive and permanent nature of His restoration under the new covenant.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Identity of the valley | All commentators identify the valley as part of the Valley of Hinnom (Gehenna), a place notorious for child sacrifice and later used as a garbage dump for corpses and ashes. | Some (e.g., Gill, Jarchi) connect the 'dead bodies' specifically to the Assyrian army of Sennacherib; most others (Cambridge, Ellicott) see it as the general place where criminals' carcasses and temple ashes were disposed. |
| Literal vs. symbolic fulfillment | The verse describes a future transformation of an unclean area into holiness, tied to God’s new covenant promises. | Matthew Henry, Gill, and Wesley read it as a figure of the church under the new covenant, which cannot be destroyed. Others (Keil, JFB) allow for a literal restoration of Jerusalem in the post-exilic period, though they acknowledge the ultimate fulfillment in the eschatological new Jerusalem. |
| Permanence of the promise | The verse states that the area will never again be plucked up or thrown down, indicating a permanent state of holiness. | If taken literally of the rebuilt Jerusalem, critics note that the city was later destroyed by Romans and Hadrian. Thus many commentators (Gill, Matthew Henry) conclude the promise applies to the church, which is built on Christ and endures forever. The debate hinges on whether 'forever' means literal perpetuity for physical Jerusalem or a spiritual reality. |
Historical & Cultural Context
The “valley of the dead bodies and of the ashes” is universally identified by the commentators as the Valley of Hinnom (Gehenna), just south of Jerusalem. This valley had an infamous history. There, worshipers of Molech burned children in fire (Jer 7:31). Later, it became a dumping ground for corpses of criminals and for the ashes of temple sacrifices (Cambridge Bible, Gill). The nearby brook Kidron was where King Josiah destroyed idols and cast their dust (2 Kgs 23:6,12), a place of purging but also of ongoing defilement. The horse gate, mentioned also in 2 Kings 11:16 and Nehemiah 3:28, was at the southeast corner of the temple courts, the exit through which kings led horses to water (Calvin, JFB). Together, these landmarks define the southern and eastern boundaries of the city.
Jeremiah delivers this promise in a context of judgment and renewal. Just after describing the new covenant (Jer 31:31, 34) and guaranteeing Israel’s lasting existence by the fixed order of creation (vv. 35, 37), the prophet describes the rebuilt city (vv. 38, 40). The measuring line (v. 39) goes out to include areas previously considered unclean. The Hebrew word for “fields,” she_demot, likely refers to terraced farmlands in the Kidron valley, once used for pagan rites or rubbish. The point is that no boundary of shame or pollution limits God’s restoration.
This transformation overturns the valley’s identity. What was a place of death, judgment, and uncleanness under the law becomes part of “holy to the Lord.” The phrase “not be plucked up or thrown down any more forever” echoes the permanence of the new covenant, contrasting with the earlier temple’s destruction.
Textual Notes
The supplied commentary sources note no significant textual variants that affect the interpretation of Jeremiah 31:40. The Cambridge Bible mentions an alternative reading in the Masoretic Text for the word “fields” (she_demot), with a very slight spelling difference, but the preferred reading is the one reflected in most English translations. The meaning is unchanged. The verse is well preserved across manuscripts.
Reception History
Jeremiah 31:40 has been received in Christian tradition primarily as a promise of the new covenant’s transformative power. Early church fathers like Jerome associated Gehenna with the Valley of Hinnom, linking it to final judgment, but also saw Jeremiah’s prophecy as showing that even that place would be redeemed. Matthew Henry and other Reformed commentators interpreted the verse as a figure of the church’s holiness and indestructibility. In Jewish exegesis, the Targum paraphrases “valley of the dead bodies” as where the Assyrian army fell, highlighting God’s deliverance. Medieval rabbis like Kimchi and Jarchi also emphasized the miracle of God turning a place of judgment into a holy precinct. The verse has been invoked in hymns about God’s transforming grace, and modern readings often connect it to urban renewal and ecological redemption.
Preaching This Verse
Three-Point Outline
- God reclaims the most defiled places. The Valley of Hinnom was a place of child sacrifice and death. Yet God promises to make it holy. No personal or corporate failure is too deep for His redeeming power.
- The new covenant penetrates every boundary. The verse lists specific landmarks that once framed a polluted area. Christ’s new covenant writes the law on hearts (Jer 31:33) and consecrates every corner of our lives.
- Permanent security belongs to God’s restored people. “It shall not be plucked up or thrown down any more forever.” The church built on Christ is immovable (Matthew Henry, Gill). Even when we fail, God’s restoration holds.
Five-Point Outline
- The valley of death: identifying the specific location and its history of defilement (Jer 7:31; 2 Kgs 23:10).
- The ashes of judgment: the altar ashes and the remains of idolatry. What seems permanently polluted God can clean.
- The fields of the Kidron: the terraced slopes used for pagan cults. God’s redemption covers agricultural and economic life.
- The horse gate: the entrance for royal horses, a place of daily routine. Holiness extends to ordinary life.
- “Holy to the Lord, forever”: the promise of eternal stability, fulfilled in the new creation (Rev 21:27).
Illustration Hooks
- Think of a landfill turned into a community garden. The land’s past doesn’t limit its future use.
- A former red-light district now houses a church. What was once a place of shame becomes a sanctuary.
- Restoring a vandalized building, the process is costly, but the result is better than new.
Questions Your Congregation Is Asking
- “My past includes things I’m ashamed of. Can God ever use me again?”
- “Does the new covenant change how I should view my city’s most broken neighborhoods?”
- “How can I be sure that God’s restoration in my life will last?”
Leading a Discussion
Jeremiah 31:40 paints a surprising picture: the very valley where Judah committed its worst sins becomes “holy to the Lord.” This small-group guide will help you explore how God’s new covenant transforms not only people but places and communities.
Discussion Questions
- Read Jeremiah 31:31, 40. What promises surround our verse? How do they set the context for verse 40?
- What do you know about the Valley of Hinnom (Gehenna) from the Old Testament? Why would naming it “dead bodies and ashes” be disturbing to Jeremiah’s audience?
- The verse lists specific locations: valley, fields, brook Kidron, horse gate. Why do you think God gives such precise geography? What does this say about His concern for physical spaces?
- How does the promise “holy to the LORD” change the meaning of holiness? In what ways does the new covenant expand what can be considered holy?
- The verse ends with “it shall not be plucked up, nor thrown down any more forever.” Contrast this with the earlier destruction of Jerusalem. What kind of security does this promise?
- Christians have sometimes interpreted this verse as referring to the church (Matthew Henry, Gill). Others see a future restored Jerusalem. How do both readings emphasize God’s faithfulness to His covenant?
- What “polluted valleys” in your own life or community might God be promising to reclaim? How can you participate in that transformation?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| II Samuel 15:23 | All the country wept with a loud voice, and all the people passed over. The king also himself passed over the brook Kidron, and all the people passed over toward the way of the wilderness. |
| II Kings 11:16 | So they seized her; and she went by the way of the horses’ entry to the king’s house, and she was slain there. |
| II Kings 23:6 | He brought out the Asherah from Yahweh’s house, outside of Jerusalem, to the brook Kidron, and burned it at the brook Kidron, and beat it to dust, and cast its dust on the graves of the common people. |
| II Kings 23:12 | The king broke down the altars that were on the roof of the upper room of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars which Manasseh had made in the two courts of Yahweh’s house, and beat them down from there, and cast their dust into the brook Kidron. |
| II Chronicles 23:15 | So they made way for her. She went to the entrance of the horse gate to the king’s house; and they killed her there. |
| Nehemiah 3:28 | Above the horse gate, the priests made repairs, everyone across from his own house. |
| Isaiah 51:22 | Your Lord Yahweh, your God who pleads the cause of his people, says, “Behold, I have taken out of your hand the cup of staggering, even the bowl of the cup of my wrath. You will not drink it any more. |
| Jeremiah 7:31 | They have built the high places of Topheth, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, which I didn’t command, nor did it come into my mind. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
10 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke sees the inclusive boundaries — valley of dead bodies to the horse gate — as describing a much larger Jerusalem, consecrated entirely to God. This expanded city suits the promised time when the law is written on hearts and the land is full of people and animals.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes interprets the valley of dead bodies as a place that was once unclean but is now made holy to God. He reads Jeremiah's vision as spiritual rather than literal, comparing it to the New Jerusalem where nothing impure enters.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin reads these specific place names as intentional memorials of God's mighty acts. The valley of carcasses recalls a great enemy slaughter in Hezekiah's time, and the valley of ashes marks where sacrificial ashes were dumped. Both names were meant to preserve the memory of God's favor for future generations.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentary emphasizes that this verse completes the picture of Jerusalem's future boundaries by including the southern side. The point carries a striking transformation: the valley of Hinnom, defiled by dead bodies, ashes, and Molech sacrifices, will be enclosed within the holy city, sanctifying its most unclean spaces.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Notes observe that even the most defiled parts of Jerusalem, including the valley of dead bodies and ashes, will be made holy and never again uprooted or destroyed. This promise assures a complete and permanent restoration of the entire land.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill reads the passage as a figurative prophecy of the church, not a literal description of Jerusalem's future. Where the text promises that even defiled places around the city will become holy and never again be destroyed, he applies this to Christ's church, which is built on the Rock and will stand forever.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB identifies the specific polluted sites that will fall within the restored city: Tophet, where criminals' bodies were dumped, and the fields toward Kidron. His point is that Jerusalem's expansion to include even these defiled places confirms the prophecy: the entire city will be holy to the Lord and remain so forever.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange stresses that the new covenant is qualitatively different from the old, not merely an improvement. Its essence is an inward union with God that makes external instruction unnecessary, grounded entirely in God's forgiving love. This covenant is as unshakable as the laws of nature, and it will sanctify even the unholy parts of Jerusalem.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry draws a direct parallel between the unshakable laws of nature—the sun, moon, and stars keeping their appointed courses—and the certainty of God’s promise to preserve a church for himself. As long as creation holds, God will have a people; the church may be brought low but can never be destroyed.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley sees these place names as pointing beyond their literal origin. The valley named from the slain Assyrian army and the place of sacrificial ashes will become part of the holy city. He interprets the promise of for ever as referring to the church, which the gates of hell will never overcome.