Jeremiah 7:31 · Bible study
Jeremiah 7:31 Commentary: God's Repudiation of Child Sacrifice
Hebrew · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why does God say child sacrifice 'never entered my mind'? Study the meaning of Topheth, Gehenna, and God's emphatic denial.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God utterly denies any connection to child sacrifice; it is a human invention that He abhors.
- Key words: Topheth (place of fire/drum); Hinnom (valley of lamentation); “did not come into my mind” (strong idiom of non-intent).
- Main debate: Whether the phrase “did not come into my mind” is a literal statement or a rhetorical idiom, both conclude God does not command it.
- Theological theme: The distance between divine command and human tradition; God’s character repudiates religious violence.
- Best use: To correct the idea that God requires harm or suffering as true worship; to affirm the sanctity of human life.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
They have built the high places of Topheth in the Valley of Hinnom so they could burn their sons and daughters in the fire—something I never commanded, nor did it even enter My mind.
WEB World English Bible 2000
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.
KJV King James Version 1769
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.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And 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 commanded not, neither came it into my mind.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
And have built the high places of Tophet, That are in the valley of the son of Hinnom, To burn their sons and their daughters with fire, Which I did not command, Nor did it come up on My heart.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And 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 commanded not, neither did it come up into my mind.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And they have built the high places of Topheth, which is in the valley of the son of Ennom, to burn their sons, and their daughters in the fire: which I commanded not, nor thought on in my heart.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y han edificado los altos de Topheth, que es en el valle del hijo de Hinnom, para quemar al fuego sus hijos y sus hijas, cosa que yo no les mandé, ni subió en mi corazón.
E edificaram os altos de Tofete, que ficam no vale do filho de Hinom, para queimarem no fogo seus filhos e suas filhas, o que eu nunca mandei, nem pensei em meu coração.
Ils ont bâti des hauts lieux à Topheth dans la vallée de Ben-Hinnom,
und bauen die Altäre des Thopheth im Tal Ben- Hinnom, daß sie ihre Söhne und Töchter verbrennen, was ich nie geboten noch in den Sinn genommen habe.
En zij hebben gebouwd de hoogten van Tofeth, dat in het dal des zoons van Hinnom is, om hun zonen en hun dochteren met vuur te verbranden; hetwelk Ik niet heb geboden, noch in Mijn hart is opgekomen.
Hanno edificato gli alti luoghi di Tofet, nella valle del figliuolo di Hinnom, per bruciarvi nel fuoco i loro figliuoli e le loro figliuole: cosa che io non avevo comandata, e che non m’era mai venuta in mente.
Nadto pobudowali wyżyny Tofet, które jest w dolinie syna Hennomowego, aby palili synów swych i córki swe ogniem, czegom nie rozkazał, ani wstąpiło na serce moje.
и устроили высоты Тофета в долине сыновей Енномовых, чтобы сожигать сыновей своих и дочерей своих в огне, чего Я не повелевал и что Мне на сердце не приходило.
他們在 欣嫩 子 谷 建築 陀斐特 的邱壇，好在火中 焚燒自己的 兒 女。這 並不是 我所吩咐的，也不是 我心 所起的意。」
And they have put up the high place of Topheth in the valley of the son of Hinnom, burning their sons and their daughters there in the fire; a thing which was not ordered by me and never came into my mind.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Jeremiah 7:31
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that God here issues an absolute repudiation of child sacrifice. Calvin says Jeremiah “inveighs against those superstitions” that corrupted worship. Barnes notes that the children were likely slain before being burned, but the practice remains an abomination. Gill points out that God “did not command” in His law or by any prophet. The phrase “nor did it come into my mind”, literally, “it did not come up on my heart”, is an idiom expressing that God never even entertained such a thing. The Cambridge Bible observes that the law required the redemption, not the sacrifice, of firstborns, and that the influence of neighboring nations may have led to a tragic misinterpretation. The consensus is clear: child sacrifice has no place in the worship of the God of Israel. The emphatic denial rebuts any claim that He commanded it. This verse confronts us with the distance between God's heart and human cruelty, inviting us to trust a God who never desired such offerings.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: God emphatically denies commanding child sacrifice; the practice is an abomination that never originated from Him.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| God's command and child sacrifice | All traditions agree that God never commanded child sacrifice and that it is an abomination. | Some commentators (e.g., Matthew Henry) see the verse as a rhetorical denial emphasizing God's horror; others (e.g., Gill) take the literal meaning that it never even occurred to God. Both affirm that God rejects it. |
| Etymology and significance of Topheth | All agree Topheth is a specific place in the Valley of Hinnom used for child sacrifice. | Some (Wesley, Poole) connect the name to the root 'toph' (drum), beaten to drown children's cries. Others (Cambridge Bible) derive it from an Aramaic word for 'fireplace.' Both readings underscore the horror. |
| The meaning of 'did not come into my mind' | All agree it is a strong idiom of denial: God never intended or desired child sacrifice. | Some interpret it as a literal statement about God's lack of thought on the matter; others see it as a figure of speech meaning 'I never commanded it.' The practical effect is identical. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Topheth was located in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom (Ge Hinnom), southwest of Jerusalem. The name “Topheth” likely derives either from an Aramaic word for “fireplace” (Cambridge Bible) or from the Hebrew toph, meaning “drum”, a reference to drums beaten to drown the screams of children as they were burned (Wesley, Gill). The “high places” were artificial mounds on which altars to the god Molech stood.
Child sacrifice to Molech is explicitly condemned in Leviticus 18:21: “You shall not give any of your children as a sacrifice to Molech.” The practice grew under King Manasseh, who even set up pagan altars in the temple (2 Kings 21:3-5). King Josiah later defiled Topheth to end the practice (2 Kings 23:10). Jeremiah's oracle, delivered around 606 BC, charges the people with rejecting God's instruction (v.28) and polluting the temple (v.30). The surrounding context (vv.32-34) warns that the same valley will become a “valley of slaughter”, a place of poetic justice where those who killed their children will themselves be slain.
This historical reality makes God's denial all the more piercing. He utterly distances Himself from the practice, showing that any religion that harms children is false. The valley's name, Ge Hinnom, would later be taken over into the New Testament as “Gehenna,” a term for hell, forever linking the memory of this place with the consequences of rebellion against God.
Textual Notes
The supplied sources note no significant textual variants for this verse. The Masoretic text is stable across manuscripts, and the ancient versions (Septuagint, Targum, Vulgate) reflect the same reading.
Reception History
Ancient Jewish tradition (Targum) understood Topheth as a place of fire, and the prophets used the Valley of Hinnom as a symbol of divine punishment. Calvin notes that the prophets purposely adopted the names Tophet and Gehenna to make the place detestable, and that these names later came to designate the torments of the wicked in the age to come. The New Testament borrows the term Gehenna (e.g., Matthew 5:22) as a name for hell, linking the historical valley to the final judgment. In Christian ethical reflection, this verse has consistently been used to argue for the sanctity of human life and to condemn any form of religious violence. The stark denial, God did not command this, remains a powerful check against the human tendency to justify cruelty in the name of faith.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The Depth of Human Depravity: The people built high places and burned their own children.
- The Clarity of Divine Denial: God says plainly, “I didn’t command, nor did it enter my mind.”
- The Certainty of Divine Judgment: Topheth becomes the Valley of Slaughter; the place of sin becomes the place of penalty.
Five-point outline
- The offense, building altars for Molech in the valley.
- The victims, sons and daughters burned in the fire.
- The self-deception, the people thought God commanded this.
- The refutation, God never thought of such a thing.
- The consequence, the same valley becomes their graveyard.
Illustration hooks
- A parent who pushes a child toward success at the cost of the child's wellbeing, a quiet, modern equivalent of sacrificing what is precious on an altar of ambition.
- The stark contrast between this practice and God’s words in Psalm 127:3: “Children are a heritage of Yahweh.” God gives life; He does not demand its destruction.
- A Christian who claims God's authority for a harmful action (e.g., abusive discipline, financial exploitation in the name of faith). The question becomes: does this practice reflect the character of God revealed in Scripture?
Questions your congregation is asking
- How could God’s own people ever think He wanted child sacrifice?
- Are there things I do in the name of God that He actually hates?
- How do I tell the difference between true worship and self-deception?
Leading a Discussion
Child sacrifice is one of the most disturbing practices recorded in the Bible. But Jeremiah 7:31 forces us to ask a harder question: how could God’s own people come to believe He commanded such a thing? And what does that mean for us? This passage warns that sincere religious practice can still be deeply wrong, and that God is not shaped by our assumptions, He has spoken clearly in His Word. As you discuss, look honestly at your own tendency to redefine God in your own image.
Discussion questions
- Read Jeremiah 7:27-31. What is the progression of sin described here?
- Why do you think the people of Judah practiced child sacrifice? What might have led them to believe it was acceptable?
- God says child sacrifice “did not come into my mind.” What does this tell you about His character?
- The people continued to worship in the temple while also sacrificing children. How can religious activity and moral evil coexist in the same person?
- In what ways might Christians today “sacrifice” something precious, a child, a relationship, integrity, in the name of religion?
- How does this passage help you distinguish between a command from God and a tradition of human origin?
- What does this teach you about God’s heart for children and the vulnerable?
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)
| Leviticus 18:21 | “‘You shall not give any of your children as a sacrifice to Molech. You shall not profane the name of your God. I am Yahweh. |
| Leviticus 20:1 | Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, |
| Leviticus 20:5 | then I will set my face against that man and against his family, and will cut him off, and all who play the prostitute after him to play the prostitute with Molech, from among their people. |
| Deuteronomy 12:31 | You shall not do so to Yahweh your God; for every abomination to Yahweh, which he hates, they have done to their gods; for they even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods. |
| Deuteronomy 17:3 | and has gone and served other gods and worshiped them, or the sun, or the moon, or any of the stars of the sky, which I have not commanded, |
| Joshua 15:8 | The border went up by the valley of the son of Hinnom to the side of the Jebusite (also called Jerusalem) southward; and the border went up to the top of the mountain that lies before the valley of Hinnom westward, which is at the farthest part of the valley of Rephaim northward. |
| II Kings 17:17 | They caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, to provoke him to anger. |
| II Kings 23:10 | He defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the children of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter to pass through the fire to Molech. |
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 identifies Tophet as the specific site within the Valley of Hinnom where a perpetual fire burned. This fire was used for the pagan rite of consecrating children to the god Moloch.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes highlights that Jeremiah calls for the daughter of Zion to shear off her hair, interpreting this as the symbol of her consecration to God being broken, like a defiled Nazarite. He observes that Jeremiah deliberately uses "Tophet" (meaning abhorrence) instead of "Baal," creating an ironic contrast: where they sacrificed children, they will themselves be slaughtered.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin observes that the prophets deliberately used the place names Tophet and the valley of Hinnom to make these sites detestable, and these names later came to signify hell and eternal punishment. He draws a parallel to Paradise, which metaphorically represents the blessed state prepared for God's children.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge Bible Schools note that the name Topheth was probably given a deliberately distorted vocalisation, similar to the way Molech was formed from Melech, in order to mark the pagan rite as shameful. The original word likely came from an Aramaic root meaning fireplace.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Notes stress that burning children as sacrifices was not merely forbidden, it was something so foreign to God's nature that it had never even entered His mind. The phrase "neither came it in mine heart" makes the horror of the practice unmistakable: God never conceived of such a command, let alone gave it.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill corrects the common error that Tophet was the name of an idol. He insists it was a place, not Moloch himself, and stresses that God never commanded child sacrifices, nor did such a thing ever enter His heart.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB identifies the high places of Tophet as altars built to the god Molech in the valley south of Zion, where children were burned as sacrifices. The commentator stresses this practice was absolutely forbidden: God gave an express prohibition against it in the law.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch stress that the "diadem" the daughter of Zion is told to cut off is not ordinary hair but a consecrated crown. They draw a parallel to the Nazirite vow, where long hair marked dedication to God. Cutting it off dramatizes the loss of Jerusalem's consecrated status because of her sins.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry focuses on the Nazarite imagery: Jerusalem had been a city dedicated to God like a Nazarite, but now must cut off her hair as a sign of being profaned and degraded. For Henry, this act of mourning on the very high places where idols were served proves that when holiness is lost, joy must also be laid aside.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley traces the name Tophet to the drum beaten to drown out children's screams during sacrifices to Moloch. He notes the location was a pleasant valley near Jerusalem, once belonging to Hinnom's descendants.