Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that it shall no more be called Tophet, nor the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of slaughter: for they shall bury in Tophet, till there be no place.

JEREMIAH 7:32KJV
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Jeremiah 7:32 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 7:32 mean?

Jeremiah 7:32 warns that a time is coming when the place called Tophet, in the valley of the son of Hinnom, will be renamed the "valley of slaughter" because so many people will die there that there will be no room left to bury the dead. The verse is a prophecy of coming judgment and devastation.

In this verse, God speaks through the prophet Jeremiah to the people of Judah, warning them about the consequences of their persistent disobedience and idolatry. The valley of Hinnom (Gehenna) was known for child sacrifices, and God declares that it will become a place of mass death instead of its former use. The message is meant to shock the hearers and show the seriousness of their actions.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 7:32

  • טֹפֶת (Tophet, transliterated "Tophet"): This was a specific site in the valley associated with child sacrifice. Mentioning it by name highlights the horror of what had happened there and the reversal of its purpose.
  • גֵּיא (gê', transliterated "valley"): The word emphasizes the physical location, grounding the prophecy in a real, known place rather than a symbolic or distant one.
  • שְׁחִיטָה (shechitah, transliterated "slaughter"): This word means "slaughter" or "mass killing," stressing the scale and violence of the coming judgment, not just defeat but overwhelming death.
  • קָבַר (qavar, transliterated "bury"): The verb for "bury" points to the aftermath of the slaughter—so many bodies that there will be no space left, underlining the totality of the disaster.

Why Jeremiah 7:32 matters

  • Jeremiah 7:32 clarifies that the judgment is not just spiritual or symbolic but will have real, physical consequences for the people and the land.
  • The verse connects the people's past sins (especially child sacrifice at Tophet) to the coming punishment, showing the seriousness with which God views these actions.
  • Understanding the specific place names and terms helps readers see how Jeremiah's prophecy was rooted in the actual practices and geography of ancient Judah, making the warning more immediate and real to his original audience.

Where else these words appear

“slaughter” Hebrew H2028 · used in 5 verses

  • Jeremiah 12:3 But thou, O LORD, knowest me: thou hast seen me, and tried mine heart toward thee: pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, and prepare them for the day of slaughter.
  • Jeremiah 19:6 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that this place shall no more be called Tophet, nor The valley of the son of Hinnom, but The valley of slaughter.
  • Zechariah 11:4 Thus saith the LORD my God; Feed the flock of the slaughter;

“Tophet” Hebrew H8612 · used in 8 verses

  • 2 Kings 23:10 And 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.
  • Jeremiah 19:6 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that this place shall no more be called Tophet, nor The valley of the son of Hinnom, but The valley of slaughter.
  • Jeremiah 19:12 Thus will I do unto this place, saith the LORD, and to the inhabitants thereof, and even make this city as Tophet:

“Hinnom” Hebrew H2011 · used in 11 verses

  • Joshua 15:8 And the border went up by the valley of the son of Hinnom unto the south side of the Jebusite; the same is Jerusalem: and the border went up to the top of the mountain that lieth before the valley of Hinnom westward, which is at the end of the valley of the giants northward:
  • 2 Chronicles 28:3 Moreover he burnt incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burnt his children in the fire, after the abominations of the heathen whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel.
  • Jeremiah 7:31 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.

“no” Hebrew H369 · used in 29 verses

  • Genesis 2:5 And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.
  • 1 Chronicles 22:4 Also cedar trees in abundance: for the Zidonians and they of Tyre brought much cedar wood to David.
  • Isaiah 40:16 And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering.