And they built the high places of Baal, which are in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire unto Molech; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.
JEREMIAH 32:35KJVWhat does Jeremiah 32:35 mean?
Jeremiah 32:35 describes how the people of Judah built places of worship for Baal in the Valley of Hinnom and sacrificed their children by fire to Molech, something God never commanded and never even imagined they would do. The verse calls these actions an abomination and says they led Judah into sin.
In this verse, God is speaking through the prophet Jeremiah to the people of Judah, pointing out their extreme disobedience and the seriousness of their idolatry. The historical setting is a time when Judah had turned away from God and adopted the worship practices of surrounding nations, including child sacrifice. God emphasizes that such practices were never part of His instructions and are utterly detestable to Him.
The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 32:35
- "built" (בָּנָה, banah): This word means to construct or establish. Here, it highlights that the people actively set up these forbidden places of worship, not just participated in existing ones.
- "places" (בָּמָה, bamah): This term refers to high places, which were often elevated sites used for worship outside of the temple, usually associated with idol worship.
- "pass" (עָבַר, avar): This word means to cause to pass through, referring specifically to the act of making children pass through fire, a ritual linked to Molech worship.
- "abomination" (תּוֹעֵבָה, to'evah): This word means something detestable or loathsome, especially in a religious sense. It stresses how deeply offensive these actions were to God.
Why Jeremiah 32:35 matters
- Jeremiah 32:35 clarifies that God never commanded or even considered the practice of child sacrifice, directly rejecting any idea that such acts could be part of true worship.
- The verse emphasizes the seriousness of idolatry and how it leads people far from God’s intentions, showing the depth of Judah’s rebellion.
- By naming the specific practices and places, Jeremiah 32:35 connects Judah’s sin to concrete actions and locations, making the accusation clear and undeniable to its original audience.