and have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, which I did not command or decree, nor did it come into my mind—
English Standard Version (ESV)
The most shocking thing here is not just the horrific act of child sacrifice, but that God explicitly states it "neither came into my mind." This isn't just a sin of disobedience; it's a profound perversion so alien to God's very nature that the thought of it never even occurred to Him.
and have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, which I did not command or decree, nor did it come into my mind—
English Standard Version (ESV)
The prophet Jeremiah is sent with a stark message and a symbolic act to confront the people of Judah and their leaders. He's told to get a potter's flask and then, with elders and priests, go to the Valley of Hinnom, a place now associated with horrific child sacrifice. This shocking act is meant to illustrate the impending, irreversible destruction God will bring upon Jerusalem due to their pervasive sin and abandonment of His commands.
How can seemingly devout actions become an offense to God? Jeremiah 19:5 reveals a horrifying reality where religious practices twist into outright rebellion.
The core of God's complaint here is not just what the people were doing, but that they were doing it at all. God makes it crystal clear: this practice of sacrificing children to Baal was not just unapproved; it was unthinkable.
Not a Suggestion, but a Command
When we turn to worship, we must be certain we are following God's prescribed way, not our own invented methods or traditions that lead us away from Him. True worship acknowledges God's authority to define Himself and how He is to be approached.
The practice described in Jeremiah 19:5 is shocking. What does it reveal about the depth of human sin and God's reaction?
Ask a follow-up
The horrific act of offering children to the idol Baal is a stark illustration of how far people can fall when they abandon God.
Baal and Moloch: A Twisted Devotion
Understand the original words
bamot · Hebrew Noun
Local sanctuaries or elevated sites where worship—often idolatrous—was practiced. They were frequently condemned because they were unauthorized and often involved the worship of false gods.
Ba'al · Hebrew Proper Noun
A prominent Canaanite fertility god associated with storm and agricultural success; in the Bible, he represents the ultimate rival to the worship of the one true God.
'olot · Hebrew Noun
A sacrifice consumed entirely by fire, symbolizing total devotion and the surrender of the life of the victim to God. In this context, it refers to the horrific perversion of human sacrifice.
Jeremiah's prophecy in this chapter comes as Jerusalem faces its final destruction. The horrific practice of child sacrifice, deeply condemned by God, had become rampant, representing a complete abandonment of His covenant and a descent into brutal idolatry, ultimately sealing the city's fate.
c. 732 BC
Reign of Ahaz begins
King Ahaz of Judah introduces child sacrifice, possibly influenced by surrounding nations, an act explicitly forbidden by God's law.
c. 697 BC - 642 BC
Reign of Manasseh
Manasseh continues and intensifies the practice of child sacrifice, building high places for idols and leading Judah further into idolatry.
622 BC
Josiah's Reforms
King Josiah discovers the Book of the Law and initiates sweeping religious reforms, destroying the high places of Baal and defiling the Valley of Hinnom (Topheth).
c. 609 BC
Josiah's death in battle
Josiah is killed fighting the Egyptians, leading to a period of political instability and a resurgence of idolatrous practices.
605 BC
First Babylonian Deportation
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon deports Judean elites, including Daniel, to Babylon, marking the beginning of the end for the southern kingdom.
597 BC
Second Babylonian Deportation
Jerusalem falls to Nebuchadnezzar, and King Jehoiachin along with thousands more Judeans are exiled to Babylon.
586 BC— this verse
Fall of Jerusalem and Temple Destruction
Nebuchadnezzar destroys Jerusalem and its Temple, ending the southern kingdom of Judah and exiling the remaining population to Babylon.
This passage explicitly forbids the sacrifice of children to any deity, highlighting God's complete opposition to such practices and the severe consequences for those who engage in them.
Jeremiah 7:31This verse is a parallel passage, also from Jeremiah, that directly mentions the horrific practice of sacrificing sons and daughters in the valley of Hinnom, reinforcing the severity and context of Jeremiah 19:5.
Psalm 106:37-38This psalm recounts Israel's history, specifically mentioning how they sacrificed their sons and daughters to idols, leading to the land being defiled with innocent blood, aligning with the sin described in Jeremiah.
Ezekiel 16:20-21Ezekiel accuses Jerusalem of taking her own children, born of God, and sacrificing them to idols by fire, a powerful parallel that underscores the betrayal and abomination of the act.
Deuteronomy 12:30-31God warns the Israelites against inquiring how the nations served their gods, particularly forbidding them from doing so with their sons and daughters, echoing the sentiment that such practices were utterly foreign to God's will.
clarkeJeremiah 19:5: "They have built also the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings unto Baal, which I commanded not, nor spake it, neither came it into my mind:"
Offerings unto Baal - A general name for all the popular idols; Baal, Moloch, Ashtaroth, etc.
calvinJeremiah 19:4-5: "Because they have forsaken me, and have estranged this place, and have burned incense in it unto other gods, whom neither they nor their fathers have known, nor the kings of Judah, and have filled this place with the blood of innocents;"
- Because they have forsaken me, and have estranged this place, and have burnt incense in it unto other gods, whom neither they nor their fathers have known, nor the kings of Judah, and have filled this place with the blood of innocents;
4.…
The most shocking thing here is not just the horrific act of child sacrifice, but that God explicitly states it "neither came into my mind." This isn't just a sin of disobedience; it's a profound perversion so alien to God's very nature that the thought of it never even occurred to Him.
The prophet Jeremiah is sent with a stark message and a symbolic act to confront the people of Judah and their leaders. He's told to get a potter's flask and then, with elders and priests, go to the Valley of Hinnom, a place now associated with horrific child sacrifice. This shocking act is meant to illustrate the impending, irreversible destruction God will bring upon Jerusalem due to their pervasive sin and abandonment of His commands.
The prophet Jeremiah is sent with a stark message and a symbolic act to confront the people of Judah and their leaders. He's told to get a potter's flask and then, with elders and priests, go to the Valley of Hinnom, a place now associated with horrific child sacrifice. This shocking act is meant to illustrate the impending, irreversible destruction God will bring upon Jerusalem due to their pervasive sin and abandonment of His commands.
"and have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, which I did not command or decree, nor did it come into my mind—" — The most shocking thing here is not just the horrific act of child sacrifice, but that God explicitly states it "neither came into my mind." This isn't just a sin of disobedience; it's a profound per…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026