you who burn with lust among the oaks, under every green tree, who slaughter your children in the valleys, under the clefts of the rocks?
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse powerfully links illicit desire with horrific sacrifice, showing how deeply ingrained idolatry was in Israel's life. It's not just about worshipping statues; it's about a burning, passionate pursuit of forbidden things, expressed through the ultimate act of offering their own children in secret, desolate places.
you who burn with lust among the oaks, under every green tree, who slaughter your children in the valleys, under the clefts of the rocks?
English Standard Version (ESV)
The prophet Isaiah is directly confronting the people of Judah, specifically those who have turned away from God. He addresses them as "sons of the sorceress" and "seed of the adulterer," condemning their deep-seated corruption and idolatry. This verse vividly portrays the extreme and gruesome practices associated with their false worship, highlighting their spiritual adultery and the shocking sacrifices they made to their idols.
The verse paints a vivid, almost disturbing, picture of religious fervor. What does it mean to be 'enflamed' for an idol?
The Hebrew word here, often translated as 'enflaming yourselves' or 'burning,' carries a strong sense of passionate, even lustful, desire. It’s not just a casual interest; it's an all-consuming passion. The imagery connects this intense religious feeling directly to sexual desire, highlighting how deeply the people were entangled with their idols.
The Allure of the Grove
The most shocking part of this verse is the mention of child sacrifice. What drove people to such extreme acts, and why does the prophet connect it to idolatry?
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The act of 'slaughtering your children' was a literal and horrifying sacrifice offered to pagan gods. This was not a widespread practice among all Israelites throughout history, but it was a significant and damning sin for certain periods, particularly during the reigns of kings like Ahaz and Manasseh.
The Depth of Depravity
Understand the original words
ets · Hebrew Noun
Often associated with Canaanite fertility cults, trees were frequent sites for idolatrous worship, occultic rituals, and sexual immorality in defiance of God's commandment to worship only at the central sanctuary.
shachat · Hebrew Verb
Refers to the ritualistic sacrifice of children to false deities (such as Molech). It is condemned in the Bible as a detestable abomination representing the ultimate expression of rebellion against God, the Creator and giver of life.
The vivid imagery of child sacrifice in valleys and under rocks points to the debased religious practices, particularly during the reigns of kings like Manasseh, that deeply grieved God and prompted His judgment.
Late 8th century BC
Reign of King Ahaz
King Ahaz of Judah actively participated in and promoted idolatrous practices, including child sacrifice in the Valley of Hinnom.
Mid-7th century BC— this verse
Reign of King Manasseh
Manasseh, Ahaz's grandson, reinstated and intensified idolatrous worship, re-establishing the horrific practice of child sacrifice in the Valley of Hinnom.
605 BC
First Babylonian Deportation
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon begins deporting Judeans, including Jehoiachin and elite citizens, to Babylon, marking the start of the Babylonian exile.
586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem
Nebuchadnezzar destroys Jerusalem and the Temple, exiling the remaining population to Babylon, bringing an end to the Southern Kingdom of Judah.
This passage directly parallels the practice of sacrificing children in the valley of Hinnom, emphasizing the depth of idolatrous corruption and the horrific rituals associated with it.
Ezekiel 16:20-21Ezekiel uses similar imagery of spiritual adultery and the horrific sacrifice of children to describe the unfaithfulness of Israel, highlighting the profound betrayal of God through idolatry.
Romans 1:22-25Paul describes how people, having exchanged the truth of God for a lie, became foolish and worshipped created things, leading to 'degrading passions,' which echoes the 'inflaming yourselves with idols' in Isaiah.
Deuteronomy 12:2This verse commands the destruction of pagan places of worship, specifically mentioning 'every green tree' where the nations served their gods, directly correlating to the location of Israel's idolatrous practices described in Isaiah.
Psalm 106:37-38This Psalm recounts how the Israelites 'sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons' and shed innocent blood, mirroring the violent idolatry condemned by Isaiah in this verse.
bensonIsaiah 57:5: "Enflaming yourselves with idols under every green tree, slaying the children in the valleys under the clifts of the rocks?"
Isaiah 57:5-6 . Inflaming yourselves with idols — Hebrew, הנחמים , being inflamed, or growing hot, after idols, as Dr. Waterland renders it. Lusting after them, and mad upon them, as the phrase is, Jeremiah 50:38 . Fervent, both in making and in worshipping them, as was observed Isaiah 44:12 . Under every green tree — Wherever you see an idol erected, which w…
barnesIsaiah 57:5: "Enflaming yourselves with idols under every green tree, slaying the children in the valleys under the clifts of the rocks?"
Inflaming yourselves - Burning, that is, with lust. The whole language here is derived from adulterous intercourse. The sense is, that they were greatly addicted to idolatry, and that they used every means to increase and extend the practice of it. The Vulgate, however, renders this, 'Who console yourselves.' The Septuagint renders it, 'Invoking (παρακαλοῦντ…
This verse powerfully links illicit desire with horrific sacrifice, showing how deeply ingrained idolatry was in Israel's life. It's not just about worshipping statues; it's about a burning, passionate pursuit of forbidden things, expressed through the ultimate act of offering their own children in secret, desolate places.
The prophet Isaiah is directly confronting the people of Judah, specifically those who have turned away from God. He addresses them as "sons of the sorceress" and "seed of the adulterer," condemning their deep-seated corruption and idolatry. This verse vividly portrays the extreme and gruesome practices associated with their false worship, highlighting their spiritual adultery and the shocking sacrifices they made to their idols.
The prophet Isaiah is directly confronting the people of Judah, specifically those who have turned away from God. He addresses them as "sons of the sorceress" and "seed of the adulterer," condemning their deep-seated corruption and idolatry. This verse vividly portrays the extreme and gruesome practices associated with their false worship, highlighting their spiritual adultery and the shocking sacrifices they made to their idols.
"you who burn with lust among the oaks, under every green tree, who slaughter your children in the valleys, under the clefts of the rocks?" — This verse powerfully links illicit desire with horrific sacrifice, showing how deeply ingrained idolatry was in Israel's life. It's not just about worshipping statues; it's about a burning, passiona…
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Last reviewed October 2026