Jeremiah 19:7

Translation
King James Version
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 hands of them that seek their lives: and their carcases will I give to be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth.
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KJV (with Strong's)
And I will make void H1238 the counsel H6098 of Judah H3063 and Jerusalem H3389 in this place H4725; and I will cause them to fall H5307 by the sword H2719 before H6440 their enemies H341, and by the hands H3027 of them that seek H1245 their lives H5315: and their carcases H5038 will I give H5414 to be meat H3978 for the fowls H5775 of the heaven H8064, and for the beasts H929 of the earth H776.
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Complete Jewish Bible
I will nullify the plans of Y'hudah and Yerushalayim in this place. I will have them fall by the sword before their enemies and at the hand of those seeking their lives, and I will give their corpses as food for the birds in the air and the wild animals.
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Berean Standard Bible
And in this place I will ruin the plans of Judah and Jerusalem. I will make them fall by the sword before their enemies, by the hands of those who seek their lives, and I will give their carcasses as food to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth.
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American Standard Version
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.
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World English Bible Messianic
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 those who seek their life: and their dead bodies will I give to be food for the birds of the sky, and for the animals of the earth.
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Geneva Bible (1599)
And I will bring the counsell of Iudah and Ierusalem to nought in this place, and I will cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies, and by the hand of them that seeke their liues: and their carkeises will I giue to be meate for ye foules of the heauen, and to the beastes of the fielde.
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Young's Literal Translation
And I have made void the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem in this place, and have caused them to fall by the sword before their enemies, and by the hand of those seeking their life, and I have given their carcase for food to the fowl of the heavens, and to the beast of the earth,
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See also
Leviticus 26:17Jeremiah 16:4Jeremiah 15:2Jeremiah 15:9Jeremiah 7:33Psalms 33:10Psalms 33:11
In the KJVVerse 19,415 of 31,102

Study This Verse

SUMMARY

Jeremiah 19:7 delivers a stark divine pronouncement of judgment against Judah and Jerusalem, declaring that God Himself will utterly nullify their human strategies and alliances, leading to their catastrophic defeat by invading enemies. The verse graphically portrays the profound humiliation awaiting the nation, as their unburied corpses will become carrion for the birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth. This gruesome fate serves as a direct consequence of their persistent rebellion, idolatry, and the abhorrent practice of child sacrifice in the Valley of Hinnom, underscoring God's unwavering justice and the absolute futility of human resistance against His sovereign will.

CONTEXT

  • Literary Context: This verse is a climactic declaration within a highly symbolic and dramatic prophetic act initiated by God through Jeremiah in Jeremiah 19. The chapter opens with God commanding Jeremiah to take an earthenware jar to the Valley of Hinnom (Tophet), a place infamous for the horrific practice of child sacrifice. There, in the presence of the elders and priests, Jeremiah is instructed to smash the jar, a powerful visual metaphor symbolizing the irreversible shattering and devastation that will befall Judah and Jerusalem due to their spiritual adultery and abominable practices. Verse 7 directly follows this symbolic act, detailing the specific and gruesome consequences of their sin, emphasizing the complete destruction and profound lack of dignity that will befall the inhabitants. The preceding verses, particularly Jeremiah 19:4-6, meticulously outline the specific transgressions—forsaking God, burning incense to other gods, and filling the place with innocent blood—that provoke this severe judgment, establishing a clear cause-and-effect relationship between their actions and God's decreed punishment.
  • Historical & Cultural Context: Jeremiah's prophetic ministry unfolded during a tumultuous period in Judah's history, spanning the reigns of Josiah, Jehoiakim, and Zedekiah, culminating in the Babylonian exile. Judah found itself precariously positioned between the ascendant Neo-Babylonian Empire and the declining power of Egypt. Despite Jeremiah's fervent warnings, the people and their leaders frequently sought political and military alliances with foreign powers, particularly Egypt, or placed their trust in their own strategic wisdom and military might, rather than relying on the Lord. The Valley of Hinnom (Gehenna), a literal valley south of Jerusalem, had become tragically defiled by the abhorrent practice of child sacrifice to the pagan deity Molech, as explicitly condemned in 2 Kings 23:10 and Jeremiah 7:31. The imagery of unburied bodies left for scavengers was an ultimate disgrace in ancient Near Eastern culture, signifying utter humiliation, a denial of proper burial rites, and a profound divine curse, standing in stark contrast to the cultural imperative of respectful interment.
  • Key Themes: Jeremiah 19:7 powerfully articulates several foundational themes prevalent throughout the book of Jeremiah. Firstly, it emphatically highlights the theme of Divine Judgment and Retribution, demonstrating God's righteous anger and unwavering justice against persistent sin and entrenched idolatry. The severity of the punishment underscores that God, as a holy and covenant-keeping God, will not tolerate the defilement of His covenant people and land. Secondly, the verse underscores the Futility of Human Counsel and Self-Reliance when pitted against God's sovereign will. Judah's attempts to secure their future through their own political machinations and military alliances are explicitly declared "void," illustrating that no human ingenuity or strength can thwart a divine decree. This theme resonates throughout prophetic literature, finding parallels in passages such as Isaiah 30:1-3. Thirdly, the passage vividly portrays the dire Consequences of Idolatry and Covenant Disobedience. The horrific fate of unburied bodies is a direct, tangible result of their abominable practices, particularly child sacrifice, and serves as a fulfillment of the curses outlined in the Mosaic Covenant for disobedience, as detailed in Deuteronomy 28:26. This gruesome imagery powerfully conveys the defilement and spiritual death brought about by turning away from the living God.

EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

Key Word Analysis

  • void (Hebrew, bâqaq', H1238): Root H1238 signifies "to empty, depopulate, make void." Here, it describes God's active and decisive act of nullifying the plans of Judah and Jerusalem. It implies a divine intervention that renders their human strategies utterly ineffective and barren, emphasizing that their carefully crafted schemes will result in desolation rather than security. This is not merely a failure of their plans, but God's intentional emptying of them.
  • counsel (Hebrew, ʻêtsâh', H6098): Meaning "advice; by implication, plan; also prudence." This term refers to the strategic plans, political schemes, and military alliances that Judah and Jerusalem had devised to ensure their safety and prosperity. The declaration that God will make this "counsel" void underscores the ultimate futility of human wisdom and self-reliance when it stands in opposition to God's ordained judgment. Their most carefully crafted strategies would be dismantled by divine decree.
  • carcases (Hebrew, nᵉbêlâh', H5038): Meaning "a flabby thing, i.e., a carcase or carrion (human or bestial, often collectively); figuratively, an idol." This term graphically depicts the dead bodies of the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem. The use of "carcases" rather than "bodies" emphasizes their abject state of disgrace, dehumanization, and defilement. To be left unburied was a profound curse in ancient Israelite culture, signifying a complete lack of dignity even in death and a stark sign of divine abandonment and judgment.

Verse Breakdown

  • "And I will make void the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem in this place": God declares His direct, sovereign intervention to nullify, render useless, and completely empty all the strategic plans, political alliances, and human wisdom that Judah and Jerusalem have placed their reliance upon. The phrase "in this place" (referring to Tophet/Valley of Hinnom) is profoundly significant, as it is the very location where they committed their abominable acts, and it is here that their self-devised plans will be exposed as utterly futile. This highlights God's absolute sovereignty over all human endeavors.
  • "and I will cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies, and by the hands of them that seek their lives": This clause details the direct means of their destruction: military defeat and violent death. God Himself will orchestrate their downfall, ensuring they are overcome by their adversaries. The repetition "by the sword... and by the hands of them that seek their lives" emphasizes the direct, violent nature of the judgment and the relentless pursuit by their foes, leaving no avenue of escape or mercy.
  • "and their carcases will I give to be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth": This is the most gruesome and humiliating consequence of the judgment. Their dead bodies will not receive proper burial but will be left exposed, becoming carrion for scavenging birds and wild animals. This imagery signifies the ultimate disgrace, a complete lack of dignity even in death, and a profound curse, fulfilling the warnings of the Mosaic Covenant against severe disobedience. It underscores the unparalleled severity of God's judgment and the utter desolation that will befall the land and its inhabitants.

Literary Devices

Jeremiah 19:7 employs several potent literary devices to convey its stark message of impending judgment. Symbolism is deeply embedded, with the "broken jar" (from the broader context of Jeremiah 19) serving as a powerful visual metaphor for the irreversible shattering and destruction of Judah and Jerusalem. The "counsel" of Judah and Jerusalem functions as a metonymy for their human strategies, political alliances, and self-reliant wisdom, which God promises to "make void," emphasizing the absolute futility of human efforts when they oppose divine decree. The phrase "fall by the sword before their enemies" is a straightforward depiction of military defeat, but the subsequent imagery of "carcases... meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth" is a vivid example of gruesome imagery and hyperbole, designed to shock the audience and underscore the extreme nature of the divine curse and the utter lack of dignity in death. This imagery also functions as a form of poetic justice, as the very valley where they offered their children as sacrifices (Tophet) will become a place of widespread death and defilement for their own bodies. The entire verse is infused with strong divine agency, with the repeated "I will make void," "I will cause them to fall," and "I will give," powerfully highlighting God as the active and sovereign orchestrator of this devastating judgment, not merely a passive observer.

THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS

Jeremiah 19:7 profoundly articulates God's unyielding justice, absolute sovereignty, and righteous wrath in the face of human rebellion. It demonstrates that divine judgment is not arbitrary but a direct, inevitable consequence of persistent sin, particularly idolatry and the shedding of innocent blood. The nullification of Judah's "counsel" underscores the theological truth that human wisdom, strength, and self-devised strategies are utterly powerless and ultimately futile when they stand in opposition to God's purposes. This passage serves as a stark reminder that true security, lasting peace, and genuine wisdom are found only in obedience and humble reliance upon the Lord, not in self-devised schemes or worldly alliances. The horrific imagery of unburied bodies emphasizes the profound disgrace, defilement, and curse associated with breaking covenant with the Holy God, illustrating the ultimate spiritual and physical degradation that results from a complete turning away from Him.

REFLECTION AND APPLICATION

Jeremiah 19:7, while a severe prophecy of judgment, offers profound and enduring lessons for contemporary believers. It confronts us with the sobering reality of God's holiness, His righteous response to sin, and the inevitable consequences of rebellion. This verse challenges us to deeply examine our own lives: are we, like ancient Judah, relying on our "own counsel"—our personal plans, accumulated resources, or perceived wisdom—rather than diligently seeking and humbly submitting to God's perfect will? Do we harbor "idols" in our hearts, prioritizing anything (career success, financial security, personal comfort, relationships, or even ministry itself) above our supreme devotion to the Lord? The graphic consequences depicted serve as a powerful warning against spiritual complacency and the deceptive allure of worldly solutions that promise security apart from God. This passage calls us to genuine repentance and a radical reorientation of our priorities, reminding us that true security, flourishing, and peace come only from aligning our lives with God's sovereign purposes and trusting in His unfailing wisdom. It compels us to cultivate a posture of humility and absolute dependence, recognizing that God alone holds ultimate power and that His counsel will always prevail.

Questions for Reflection

  • What "counsel" or human strategies do I tend to rely on instead of seeking God's guidance and wisdom in my life's decisions?
  • In what areas of my life might I be prioritizing something over God, effectively creating an "idol" that subtly competes for my ultimate allegiance?
  • How does the severity of God's judgment in this verse deepen my appreciation for His boundless grace and mercy, which are so richly offered to us through Christ?

FAQ

What does "make void the counsel" mean in practical terms for Judah?

Answer: To "make void the counsel" (Hebrew: H1238, bâqaq' and H6098, ʻêtsâh') means that God would actively render useless, nullify, and completely empty all the strategic plans, political alliances, and military preparations that Judah and Jerusalem had devised for their security and survival. Despite their best human efforts to resist their enemies or forge advantageous treaties, God would ensure that these plans would utterly fail, leading directly to their catastrophic defeat and destruction. It underscores God's absolute sovereignty, demonstrating that no human scheme, no matter how clever or well-intentioned, can thwart His divine purpose or righteous judgment. This is a powerful statement that God's will prevails over all human intentions, as clearly articulated in Proverbs 19:21.

Why is the imagery of bodies being "meat for the fowls... and for the beasts" so significant?

Answer: This imagery (Hebrew: H5038, nᵉbêlâh', H5775, ʻôwph', H929, bᵉhêmâh') is profoundly significant because it represents the ultimate disgrace, curse, and humiliation in ancient Near Eastern culture. Proper burial was of paramount importance, signifying dignity, respect for the deceased, and a peaceful rest for the soul. To be left unburied, with one's corpse exposed to be devoured by scavenging birds and wild animals, was a sign of utter degradation, abandonment by both God and man, and a complete lack of honor even in death. It was a direct fulfillment of the curses for covenant disobedience outlined in the Mosaic Law (e.g., Deuteronomy 28:26). This gruesome fate underscores the severity of Judah's sin, particularly their abhorrent child sacrifices in Tophet, and the depth of God's righteous judgment against their abominations.

CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT

Jeremiah 19:7, with its stark portrayal of divine judgment against human rebellion and the utter futility of self-reliance, finds its ultimate Christ-centered fulfillment not in a similar judgment for believers, but in the profound contrast and redemptive reversal accomplished through Jesus Christ. While Judah's "counsel" was made void, leading to death and disgrace, God's eternal counsel for humanity's salvation was perfectly executed in Christ. The curse of unburied bodies, signifying utter spiritual and physical separation from God due to sin, is decisively overcome by Christ's sacrificial death and glorious resurrection. He bore the full weight of God's righteous wrath, becoming the ultimate "curse for us" (Galatians 3:13), so that all who believe in Him might not face the judgment of being consumed by spiritual death. Instead of their carcases becoming food for scavengers, believers are offered spiritual life, an imperishable body, and the promise of resurrection glory (1 Corinthians 15:42-44). The "counsel" that truly stands is God's eternal plan to reconcile humanity to Himself through the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, a divine purpose that no human or demonic force can make void (Romans 8:31-39). Thus, Jeremiah 19:7, while a terrifying warning of judgment for the unrepentant, ultimately magnifies the glorious and all-sufficient salvation offered in Jesus, who fulfilled the righteous requirements of the law and conquered death itself, securing eternal life and dignity for His people.

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Commentary on Jeremiah 19 verses 1–9

The corruption of man having made it necessary that precept should be upon precept, and line upon line (so unapt are we to receive, and so very apt to let slip, the things of God), the grace of God has provided that there shall be, accordingly, precept upon precept, and line upon line, that those who are irreclaimable may be inexcusable. For this reason the prophet is here sent with a message to the same purport with what he had often delivered, but with some circumstances that might make it the more taken notice of, a thing which ministers should study, for a little circumstance may sometimes be a great advantage, and those that would win souls must be wise.

I. He must take of the elders and chief men, both in church and state, to be his auditors and witnesses to what he said - the ancients of the people and the ancients of the priests, the most eminent men both in the magistracy and in the ministry, that they might be faithful witnesses to record, as those Isa 8:2. It is strange that these great men should be at the beck of a poor prophet, and obey his summons to attend him out of the city, they know not whither and they knew not why. But, though the generality of the elders were disaffected to him, yet it is likely that there were some few among them who looked upon him as a prophet of the Lord, and would pay this respect to the heavenly vision. Note, Persons of rank and figure have an opportunity of honouring God, by a diligent attendance on the ministry of the word and other divine institutions; and they ought to think it an honour, and no disparagement to themselves, yea, though the circumstances be mean and despicable. It is certain that the greatest of men is less than the least of the ordinances of God.

II. He must go to the valley of the son of Hinnom, and deliver this message there; for the word of the Lord is not bound to any one place; as good a sermon may be preached in the valley of Tophet as in the gate of the temple. Christ preached on a mountain and out of a ship. This valley lay partly on the south side of Jerusalem, but the prophet's way to it was by the entry on the east gate - the sun gate (Jer 19:2), so some render it, and suppose it to look not towards the sun-rising, but the noon sun - the potter's gate, so some. This sermon must be preached in that place, in the valley of the son of Hinnom, 1. Because there they had been guilty of the vilest of their idolatries, the sacrificing of their children to Moloch, a horrid piece of impiety, which the sight of the place might serve to remind them of and upbraid them with. 2. Because there they should feel the sorest of their calamities; there the greatest slaughter should be made among them; and, it being the common sink of the city, let them look upon it and see what a miserable spectacle this magnificent city would be when it should be all like the valley of Tophet. God bids him go thither, and proclaim there the words that I shall tell thee, when thou comest thither; whereby it appears (as Mr. Gataker well observed) that God's messages were frequently not revealed to the prophets before the very instant of time wherein they were to deliver them.

III. He must give general notice of a general ruin now shortly coming upon Judah and Jerusalem, Jer 19:3. He must, as those that make proclamation, begin with an Oyes: Hear you the word of the Lord, though it be a terrible word, for you may thank yourselves if it be so. Both rulers and ruled must attend to it, at their peril; the kings of Judah, the king and his sons, the king and his princes and privy-counsellors, must hear the word of the King of kings, for, high as they are, he is above them. The inhabitants of Jerusalem also must hear what God has to say to them. Both princes and people have contributed to the national guilt and must concur in the national repentance, or they will both share in the national ruin. Let them all know that the Lord of hosts, who is therefore able to do what he threatens, though he is the God of Israel, nay, because he is so, will therefore punish them in the first place for their iniquities (Amo 3:2): He will bring evil upon this place (upon Judah and Jerusalem) so surprising, and so dreadful, that whosoever hears it, his ears shall tingle; whosoever hears the prediction of it, hears the report and representation of it, it shall make such an impression of terror upon him that he shall still think he hears it sounding in his ears and shall not be able to get it out of his mind. The ruin of Eli's house is thus described (Sa1 3:11), and of Jerusalem, Kg2 21:12.

IV. He must plainly tell them what their sins were for which God had this controversy with them, Jer 19:4, Jer 19:5. They are charged with apostasy from God (They have forsaken me) and abuse of the privileges of the visible church, and which they had been dignified - They have estranged this place. Jerusalem (the holy city), the temple (the holy house), which was designed for the honour of God and the support of his kingdom among men, they had alienated from those purposes, and (as some render the word) they had strangely abused. They had so polluted both with their wickedness that God had disowned both, and abandoned them to ruin. He charges them with an affection for and the adoration of false gods, such as neither they nor their fathers have known, such as never had recommended themselves to their belief and esteem by any acts of power or goodness done for them or their ancestors, as that God had abundantly done whom they forsook; yet they took them at a venture for their gods; nay, being fond of change and novelty, they liked them the better for their being upstarts, and new fashions in religion were as grateful to their fancies as in other things. They also stand charged with murder, wilful murder, from malice prepense: They have filled this place with the blood of innocents. It was Manasseh's sin (Kg2 24:4), which the Lord would not pardon. Nay, as if idolatry and murder, committed separately, were not bad enough and affront enough to God and man, they have put them together, have consolidated them into one complicated crime, that of burning their children in the fire to Baal (Jer 19:5), which was the most insolent defiance to all the laws both of natural and revealed religion that ever mankind was guilty of; and by it they openly declared that they loved their new gods better than ever they loved the true God, though they were such cruel task-masters that they required human sacrifices (inhuman I should call them), which the Lord Jehovah, whose all lives and souls are, never demanded from his worshippers; he never spoke of such a thing, nor came it into his mind. See Jer 7:31.

V. He must endeavour to affect them with the greatness of the desolation that was coming upon them. He must tell them (as he had done before, Jer 7:32) that this valley of the son of Hinnom shall acquire a new name, the valley of slaughter (Jer 19:6), for (Jer 19:7) multitudes shall fall there by the sword, when either they sally out upon the besiegers and are repulsed or attempt to make their escape and are seized: They shall fall before their enemies, who not only endeavour to make themselves masters of their houses and estates, but have such an implacable enmity to them that they seek their lives; they thirst after their blood, and, when they are dead, will not allow a cartel for the burying of the slain, but their carcases shall be meat for the fowls of the heaven and beasts of the earth. What a dismal place will the valley of Tophet be then! And as for those that remain within the city, and will not capitulate with the besiegers, they shall perish for want of food, when first they have eaten the flesh of their sons and daughters, and dearest friends, through the straitness wherewith their enemies shall straiten them, Jer 19:9. This was threatened in the law as an instance of the extremity to which the judgments of God should reduce them (Lev 26:29, Deu 28:53) and was accomplished, Lam 4:10. And, lastly, the whole city shall be desolate, the houses laid in ashes, the inhabitants slain or taken prisoners; there shall be no resort to it, nor any thing in it but what looks rueful and horrid; so that every one that passes by shall be astonished (Jer 19:8), as he had said before, Jer 18:16. That place which holiness had made the joy of the whole earth sin had made the reproach and shame of the whole earth.

VI. He must assure them that all their attempts to prevent and avoid this ruin, so long as they continued impenitent and unreformed, would be fruitless and vain (Jer 19:7): I will make void the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem (of the princes and senators of Judah and Jerusalem) in this place, in the royal palace, which lay on the south side of the city, not far from the place where the prophet now stood. Note, There is no fleeing from God's justice but by fleeing to his mercy. Those that will not make good God's counsel, by humbling themselves under his mighty hand, shall find that God will make void their counsel and blast their projects, which they think ever so well concerted for their own preservation. There is no counsel or strength against the Lord.

Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 1–9. Public domain.
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JeromeAD 420
Commentary on Jeremiah
(Verse 7 and following) And I will scatter the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem in this place, and I will overthrow them with the sword in the presence of their enemies and those who seek their lives, and I will give their dead bodies as food to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth. And I will make this city a horror, a hissing, and everyone who passes by it will be astonished and hiss because of all its wounds. And I will feed them with the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and everyone shall eat the flesh of his neighbor in the siege and in the distress, with which their enemies and those who seek their lives shall distress them. Although we know that these things also happened to the people in the Babylonian captivity, they are more fully related to the times of the Savior, when they were besieged by Vespasian and Titus, and their city, in the times of Hadrian, collapsed into eternal ashes, so that those who had offered their children to idols were themselves later compelled by the necessity of famine to turn them to the use of food, and the flesh of all creatures of the sky and of the earth was given to them, so that those who had abused the gifts of the Lord into impiety and had sacrificed their own entrails to idols, would make graves of their own children's bellies.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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