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Public-domain commentary
Matthew Henry
From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry comments on passages, not single verses — this entry covers Jeremiah 7:29–34. His three-level outline is real structure in the source text, so it is rendered as structure.
Here is, I. A loud call to weeping and mourning. Jerusalem, that had been a joyous city, the joy of the whole earth, must now take up a lamentation on high places (Jer 7:29), the high places where they had served their idols; there must they now bemoan their misery. In token both of sorrow and slavery, Jerusalem must now cut off her hair and cast it away; the word is peculiar to the hair of the Nazarites, which was the badge and token of their dedication to God, and it is called their crown. Jerusalem had been a city which was a Nazarite to God, but now must cut off her hair, must be profaned, degraded, and separated from God, as she had been separated to him. It is time for those that have lost their holiness to lay aside their joy.
II.Just cause given for this great lamentation.
1.The sin of Jerusalem appears here very heinous, nowhere worse, or more exceedingly sinful (Jer 7:30): "The children of Judah" (God's profession people, that came forth out of the waters of Judah, Isa 48:1) "have done evil in my sight, under my eye, in my presence; they have affronted me to my face, which very much aggravates the affront:" or, "They have done that which they know to be evil in my sight, and in the highest degree offensive to me." Idolatry was the sin which was above all other sins evil in God's sight. Now here are two things charged upon them in their idolatry, which were very provoking:
(1.)That they were very impudent in it towards God and set him at defiance: They have set their abominations (their abominable idols and the altars erected to them) in the house that is called by my name, in the very courts of the temple, to pollute it (Manasseh did so, Kg2 21:7, Kg2 23:12), as if they thought God would connive at it, or cared not though he was ever so much displeased with it, or as if they would reconcile heaven and hell, God and Baal. The heart is the place which God has chosen to put his name there; if sin have the innermost and uppermost place there, we pollute the temple of the Lord, and therefore he resents nothing more than setting up idols in the heart, Eze 14:4.
(2.)That they were very barbarous in it towards their own children, Jer 7:31. They have particularly built the high places of Tophet, where the image of Moloch was set up, in the valley of the son of Hinnom, adjoining to Jerusalem; and there they burnt their sons and their daughters in the fire, burnt them alive, killed them, and killed them in the most cruel manner imaginable, to honour or appease those idols that were devils and not gods. This was surely the greatest instance that ever was of the power of Satan in the children of disobedience, and of the degeneracy and corruption of the human nature. One would willingly hope that there were not many instances of such a barbarous idolatry; but it is amazing that there should be any, that men could be so perfectly void of natural affection as to do a thing so inhuman as to burn little innocent children, and their own too, that they should be so perfectly void of natural religion as to think it lawful to do this, nay, to think it acceptable. Surely it was in a way of righteous judgment, because they had changed the glory of God into the similitude of a beast, that God gave them up to such vile affections that changed them into worse than beasts. God says of this that it was what he commanded them not, neither cam it into his heart, which is not meant of his not commanding them thus to worship Moloch (this he had expressly forbidden them), but he had never commanded that his worshippers should be at such an expense, nor put such a force upon their natural affection, in honouring him; it never came into his heart to have children offered to him, yet they had forsaken his service for the service of such gods as, by commanding this, showed themselves to be indeed enemies to mankind.
2.The destruction of Jerusalem appears here very terrible. That speaks misery enough in general (Jer 7:29), The Lord hath rejected and forsaken the generation of his wrath. Sin makes those the generation of God's wrath that had ben the generation of his love. And God will reject and quite forsake those who have thus made themselves vessels of wrath fitted to destruction. He will disown them for his. "Verily, I say unto you, I know you not." And he will give them up to the terrors of their own guilt, and leave them in those hands.
(1.)Death shall triumph over them, Jer 7:32. 33. Sin reigns unto death; for that is the wages of it, the end of those things. Tophet, the valley adjoining to Jerusalem, shall be called the valley of slaughter, for there multitudes shall be slain, when, in their sallies out of the city and their attempts to escape, they fall into the hands of the besiegers. Or it shall be called the valley of slaughtered ones, because thither the corpses of those that are slain shall be brought to be buried, all other burying places being full; and there they shall bury until there be no more place to make a grave. This intimates the multitude of those that shall die by the sword, pestilence, and famine. Death shall ride on prosperously, with dreadful pomp and power, conquering and to conquer. The slain of the Lord shall be many. This valley of Tophet was a place where the citizens of Jerusalem walked to take the air; but it shall now be spoiled for that use, for it shall be so full of graves that there shall be no walking there, because of the danger of contracting a ceremonial pollution by the touch of a grave. There it was that they sacrificed some of their children, and dedicated others to Moloch, and there they should fall as victims to divine justice. Tophet had formerly been the burying place, or burning place, of the dead bodies of the besiegers, when the Assyrian army was routed by an angel; and for this it was ordained of old, Isa 30:33. But they having forgotten this mercy, and made it the place of their sin, God will now turn it into a burying place for the besieged. In allusion to this valley, hell is in the New Testament called Gehenna - the valley of Hinnom, for there were buried both the invading Assyrians and the revolting Jews; so hell is a receptacle after death both for infidels and hypocrites, the open enemies of God's church and its treacherous friends; it is the congregation of the dead; it is prepared for the generation of God's wrath. But so great shall that slaughter be that even the spacious valley of Tophet shall not be able to contain the slain; and at length there shall not be enough left alive to bury the dead, so that the carcases of the people shall be meat for the birds and beasts of prey, that shall feed upon them like carrion, and none shall have the concern or courage to frighten them away, as Rizpah did from the dead bodies of Saul's sons, 2 Sa. 28:26, Thy carcase shall be meat to the fowls and beasts, and no man shall drive them away. Thus do the law and the prophets agree, and the execution with both. The decent burying of the dead is a piece of humanity, in remembrance of what the dead body has been - the tabernacle of a reasonable soul. Nay, it is a piece of divinity, in expectation of what the dead body shall be at the resurrection. The want of it has sometimes been an instance of the rage of men against God's witnesses, Rev 11:9. Here it is threatened as an instance of the wrath of God against his enemies, and is an intimation that evil pursues sinners even after death.
(2.)Joy shall depart from them (Jer 7:34): Then will I cause to cease the voice of mirth. God had called by his prophets, and by less judgments, to weeping and mourning; but they walked contrary to him, and would hear of nothing but joy and gladness, Isa 22:12, Isa 22:13. And what came of it? Now God called to lamentation (Jer 7:29), and he made his call effectual, leaving them neither cause nor heart for joy and gladness. Those that will not weep shall weep; those that will not by the grace of God be cured of their vain mirth shall by the justice of God be deprived of all mirth; for when God judges he will overcome. It is threatened here that there shall be nothing to rejoice in. There shall be none of the joy of weddings; no mirth, for there shall be no marriages. The comforts of life shall be abandoned, and all care to keep up mankind upon earth cast off; there shall be none of the voice of the bridegroom and the bride, no music, no nuptial songs. Nor shall there be any more of the joy of the harvest, for the land shall be desolate, uncultivated and unimproved. Both the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem shall look thus melancholy; and when they thus look about them, and see no cause to rejoice, no marvel if they retire into themselves and find no heart to rejoice. Note, God can soon mar the mirth of the most jovial, and make it to cease, which is a reason why we should always rejoice with trembling, be merry and wise.
Historical interpretation
Two Centuries of Reception
2 surviving comments on this verse. Each one is dated, so this reads as a timeline rather than a list.
Select a marker to jump to its quote. Markers stagger vertically where authors wrote within a few decades of each other.
Last of all he sent to those unbelievers his own Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, whom the wicked husbandmen cast out of the vineyard when they had killed him. For this reason, the Lord God gave it up (no longer hedged around but thrown open throughout all the world) to other tenants, who render the fruits in their seasons—the beautiful elect tower being also raised everywhere. For the illustrious church is now everywhere, and everywhere is the winepress dug. Those who do receive the Spirit are everywhere. Because the former tenants have rejected the Son of God and cast him out of the vineyard when they killed him, God has justly rejected them and given to the Gentiles outside the vineyard the fruits of its cultivation. This is in accordance with what Jeremiah says: “The Lord has rejected and cast off the nation that does these things. The children of Judah have done evil in my sight, says the Lord.”
(Verse 32, 33.) Therefore, behold the days are coming, says the Lord, and it shall no longer be called Topheth, or the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter; for they will bury in Topheth until there is no more room. The corpses of this people will be food for the birds of the air and the animals of the earth, and there will be no one to frighten them away. The time of the siege is indicated, which they endured from the ninth year of King Zedekiah until the eleventh year (2 Kings 25); and the fact that the valley itself should not be called Gehenna, that is, the Valley of Hinnom or the Valley of the Sons of Hinnom, but rather the Valley of Slaughter due to the killing of many. But there will be such a slaughter, that in the place previously dedicated to religion, countless graves will be buried: and those who could not be buried, will be torn apart by birds and devoured by beasts. And let there be no one to drive them away, fearing the same, and the duties of burying the dead. We hurry through the obvious, so that wherever there is a place, we may dwell in darkness. For the magnitude of the book itself can cause disgust to readers, let alone if it is more extensively discussed by us.
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Summary
Jeremiah 7:33 delivers a chilling prophecy of severe divine judgment against the unrepentant people of Judah and Jerusalem. It graphically depicts the utter devastation that will befall them due to their persistent idolatry and rebellion against God, foretelling that their unburied bodies will become carrion for birds of prey and wild beasts, with no survivors or compassionate individuals left to perform the customary rites of burial or even to scare away the scavengers. This vivid imagery underscores the completeness of their disgrace and the finality of God's wrath, serving as a stark warning of the consequences of covenant unfaithfulness.
Context
Literary Context
Jeremiah 7:33 stands as a climactic and horrifying pronouncement within Jeremiah's "Temple Sermon" (Jeremiah 7:1-15), a pivotal message delivered at the gate of the Lord's house. The verses immediately preceding this prophecy detail Judah's egregious sins: their false sense of security in the Temple's presence, their empty ritualism, and their widespread idolatry, including the abhorrent practice of burning their children as offerings in the Valley of Ben Hinnom (Jeremiah 7:31). Jeremiah's message is a direct confrontation of their hypocrisy, arguing that their physical presence in the Temple, while engaging in abominable practices like theft, murder, adultery, perjury, and Baal worship (Jeremiah 7:9), was an affront to God. The prophecy of unburied bodies serves as the ultimate, gruesome consequence for their refusal to "amend their ways and their deeds" (Jeremiah 7:3). This verse, therefore, marks the grim culmination of God's patience and the inevitable outcome of their persistent rebellion against His covenant.
Historical & Cultural Context
The prophecy in Jeremiah 7:33 is set against the tumultuous backdrop of the late 7th and early 6th centuries BCE, a period leading up to the devastating Babylonian exile. Judah, despite witnessing the fall of the Northern Kingdom of Israel due to similar sins, continued in idolatry and moral decline. For ancient Near Eastern cultures, proper burial was a sacred and essential rite, signifying respect for the deceased, a peaceful transition, and the honor of the family and community. To be left unburied was considered the ultimate disgrace, a curse worse than death itself, stripping the deceased of dignity and preventing their spirit from resting. This cultural understanding amplifies the horror of Jeremiah's prophecy: it implies not only widespread death but also a complete societal collapse where no one remains to perform these fundamental duties, leaving the dead exposed to the indignity of being consumed by scavengers. Such a fate was a common motif in ancient Near Eastern curses and served as a powerful deterrent, highlighting the complete abandonment by both divine and human compassion.
Key Themes
Jeremiah 7:33 powerfully contributes to several overarching themes in the book of Jeremiah. Firstly, it highlights the theme of Divine Judgment and Wrath, demonstrating the severe and inevitable consequences of persistent disobedience and idolatry against a holy God. God's patience has limits, and His justice is absolute, particularly when His covenant people repeatedly violate His commands. Secondly, it underscores the Desecration of the Dead as a specific and profound form of judgment, emphasizing the deep shame and dishonor inflicted upon a people who have utterly rejected their covenant Lord. This imagery is a vivid portrayal of complete societal breakdown and the absence of human compassion or survival. This form of curse is also found in other prophetic warnings, such as Deuteronomy 28:26 and Isaiah 34:3. Thirdly, the verse reinforces the theme of Consequences of Disobedience, serving as a stark reminder that ritualistic adherence without genuine repentance and obedience to God's law leads to devastating national and individual ruin, contrasting sharply with the false security Judah placed in the Temple itself (Jeremiah 7:4).
Exposition and Analysis
Key Word Analysis
This word (H5038) refers to a "flabby thing," specifically a dead body or carrion, whether human or animal, often used collectively. Its use here emphasizes the utter lack of dignity and respect that will be afforded to the deceased. The people will be reduced to mere decaying flesh, indistinguishable from animal carcasses, a stark contrast to the sacredness of human life and burial customs in ancient Israel. It underscores the severity of the judgment, where even the basic human right to a proper burial is denied, signifying total dishonor.
Derived from the root "to eat," this term (H3978) denotes "eatable" things, including food, provisions, flesh, or fruit. In this context, it chillingly describes the bodies of the people as becoming literal sustenance for scavengers. It highlights the complete reversal of natural order and human dignity, where the very people who once offered sacrifices and feasted in God's presence will become the 'food' for wild creatures, symbolizing their utter abandonment and the desolation of the land.
This verb (H2729) is a primitive root meaning "to shudder with terror," "to fear," or "to hasten (with anxiety)." In its Hiphil stem, as used here, it means "to cause to tremble" or "to scare away." The phrase "none shall fray them away" signifies the absolute absence of any survivors, or indeed, any human presence capable or willing to perform the basic act of scaring off the birds and beasts from the dead bodies. This paints a picture of complete and utter desolation, where the land is depopulated and abandoned, leaving the dead exposed without any human intervention or compassion.
Verse Breakdown
"And the carcases of this people shall be meat for the fowls of the heaven,"
This clause delivers the core of the prophecy: the dead bodies of the inhabitants of Judah will not receive proper burial. Instead, they will be left exposed, becoming a food source for birds of the sky. This is a profound curse in ancient cultures, symbolizing utter disgrace, divine abandonment, and the complete collapse of social order and human dignity. The imagery is visceral and designed to evoke horror, highlighting the reversal of God's covenant blessings.
"and for the beasts of the earth;"
This expands the scope of the scavengers to include wild animals on the ground. The combined mention of "fowls of the heaven" and "beasts of the earth" emphasizes the comprehensive nature of the judgment – the dead will be consumed by every kind of carrion-eater, leaving nothing untouched. It reinforces the idea of total desolation and the absence of human intervention to prevent such a gruesome fate, indicating a land utterly consumed by chaos and death.
"and none shall fray [them] away."
This final phrase intensifies the horror and confirms the totality of the disaster. "Fray away" means to scare off or drive away. The declaration that "none shall fray them away" signifies that there will be no one left alive, or no one able or willing, to perform even this most basic act of preventing the desecration of the dead. This implies not only widespread death but also the complete absence of survivors, compassion, or the social structures necessary to perform burial rites, leaving the land utterly desolate and abandoned, a testament to God's complete withdrawal of protection.
Literary Devices
Jeremiah 7:33 employs powerful Imagery to convey the horrific nature of God's judgment. The vivid depiction of unburied bodies becoming food for "fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth" creates a visceral and disturbing mental picture, designed to shock the audience into recognizing the severity of their sin and the impending doom. This imagery functions as a form of Hyperbole or Exaggeration to underscore the extreme nature of the impending judgment, emphasizing the complete societal collapse and the utter lack of human dignity that will result from their rebellion. The phrase "none shall fray them away" serves as a form of Litotes (a deliberate understatement) to amplify the sense of abandonment and desolation; it's not just that no one will scare them away, but that there will be no one left to do so, highlighting the comprehensive nature of the destruction. The entire verse functions as a Prophetic Curse, a direct pronouncement of divine judgment that reverses the blessings of the covenant and brings about the ultimate shame and dishonor upon the disobedient people.
Theological and Thematic Connections
Jeremiah 7:33 serves as a stark theological declaration of God's unwavering holiness and His righteous judgment against persistent sin, particularly idolatry and covenant unfaithfulness. It reveals that God's patience, though immense, is not infinite, and His justice will ultimately prevail when His people obstinately refuse to repent. The desecration of the dead, a profound cultural curse, underscores the depth of God's displeasure and the complete reversal of the covenant blessings promised for obedience. It illustrates that true security lies not in religious rituals or physical structures like the Temple, but in genuine obedience and a transformed heart. This verse stands as a powerful testament to the gravity of rebellion against the living God and the devastating consequences that follow when His warnings are ignored, emphasizing the principle that "the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23).
Reflection and Application
Jeremiah 7:33, while rooted in a specific historical context, carries profound and timeless lessons for all who seek to live faithfully before God. It serves as a sobering reminder that a superficial faith, one that relies on outward religious observance without genuine heart transformation and obedience, is an affront to a holy God. We are called to examine our own lives, ensuring that our worship is not merely ritualistic but flows from a sincere desire to honor God in all our ways, in spirit and in truth. The horrific imagery of this verse compels us to take the gravity of sin seriously, recognizing its devastating consequences not only on a personal level but also on a societal one. It challenges us to heed God's warnings found in Scripture, understanding that His patience, while vast, is accompanied by His unwavering justice. Ultimately, this passage calls for authentic repentance, a turning away from anything that dishonors God, and a wholehearted commitment to His commands, for true security and blessing are found only in Him, not in false assurances or empty traditions.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What was the "Temple Sermon" and why was it significant?
The "Temple Sermon" (Jeremiah 7:1-15) was a powerful and confrontational message delivered by the prophet Jeremiah at the gate of the Jerusalem Temple. Its significance lay in its direct challenge to the people of Judah's false sense of security. They believed that merely possessing the Temple guaranteed God's protection, regardless of their sinful behavior. Jeremiah exposed their hypocrisy, detailing their abominations (theft, murder, adultery, idolatry, child sacrifice) and declaring that God would not protect a people who defiled His house and broke His covenant. The sermon served as a final, urgent call to repentance, warning that continued disobedience would lead to the Temple's destruction and their exile, just as God had abandoned Shiloh (Jeremiah 7:12-14).
Why was being left unburied considered such a severe punishment in ancient times?
In ancient Near Eastern cultures, proper burial was profoundly important, carrying deep religious, social, and cultural significance. It was an act of honor and respect for the deceased, a means of ensuring peace for the departed, and a fundamental duty of the living. To be left unburied and exposed to scavengers was considered the ultimate disgrace, a horrific curse worse than death itself. It signified complete dishonor, utter defeat, and the absence of any survivors or compassionate individuals to perform the necessary rites. This punishment was often associated with divine judgment and was a powerful symbol of a people's complete abandonment by both God and humanity, as seen in other prophetic warnings like Deuteronomy 28:26.
Christ-Centered Fulfillment
While Jeremiah 7:33 pronounces a terrifying judgment upon unrepentant Judah, its ultimate Christ-centered fulfillment lies in the profound contrast it presents to the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. The verse vividly portrays the consequences of humanity's rebellion against a holy God: death, shame, and utter abandonment. Yet, the New Testament reveals that God, in His infinite mercy, provided a solution to this inescapable judgment through His Son. Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, willingly bore the full weight of humanity's sin and the divine wrath it deserved. He experienced a death that was, in a sense, a public humiliation and abandonment by man, though not ultimately by God, for He cried out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" as He bore the sin of the world. His body, though taken down from the cross, was laid in a tomb, not left for scavengers, and crucially, He conquered death through His glorious resurrection on the third day (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Through faith in Him, believers are spared the ultimate judgment of eternal separation from God and are promised not a desecrated carcass but a glorious resurrection body (Philippians 3:20-21). Thus, Jeremiah 7:33 underscores the terrifying reality of sin's wages, while Christ's sacrifice and resurrection offer the glorious hope of life and reconciliation, transforming the curse of unburied bodies into the promise of eternal life and a glorious future with God (Romans 6:23).