And they have built the high places of Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, which I did not command, nor did it come into my mind.
English Standard Version (ESV)
What's striking here is God's direct statement: "nor did it come into my mind." This isn't just about a forbidden act; it's an act so utterly alien to God's nature and will that it never even occurred to Him as a possibility for His people. It reveals how far astray they had wandered, to the point of practicing something so antithetical to His heart that it was, for Him, unimaginable.
And they have built the high places of Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, which I did not command, nor did it come into my mind.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jeremiah is in the midst of a scathing rebuke to the people of Judah, denouncing their corrupt worship and their persistent disobedience. He has just told them to stop bringing sacrifices and listen to God, and now he highlights the horrific depth of their apostasy: building pagan altars in a valley near the Temple to burn their own children alive. This abominable practice, which was never even a remote thought in God's mind, demonstrates how far they have fallen from His commands.
Have you ever wondered why a specific place can become synonymous with evil or horror? Jeremiah names a place that became a byword for depravity.
Jeremiah points to "Tophet, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom." This wasn't just any location; it was a place where horrific acts occurred.
The Meaning of Tophet
Scholars suggest 'Tophet' might not have been its original name but a title of scorn. Some connect it to the sound of drums, used to drown out the cries of children sacrificed to the idol Moloch. This practice was so vile that the name itself became a symbol of utter loathing, much like 'Bosheth' (shame) was substituted for 'Baal' (lord) by prophets.
Gehenna: A Shadow of Hell
The 'Valley of the Son of Hinnom' (Gehenna in Greek) became so associated with these abominations that it later represented hell itself – a place of eternal fire and torment. It was a constant, visible reminder of impurity right outside Jerusalem, a place God had chosen for His presence.
What happens when people twist devotion into something God never asked for? This verse reveals a shocking disconnect between human rituals and divine will.
The core of God's heartbreak in this passage is not just the act itself, but that it was done without His command.
The Absence of Divine Mandate
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'Which I did not command, nor did it come into my mind,' God declares. This is a stark statement. The horrific practice of sacrificing children in the fire was not a misunderstanding of a divine law; it was an invention entirely alien to God's heart and will. While the Law commanded sacrifices, it specifically forbade the burning of children (Leviticus 18:21).
The Danger of 'Zeal Without Knowledge'
Commentators note that people might have felt they were acting out of zeal, perhaps even attempting to emulate Abraham's willingness to sacrifice Isaac. However, Abraham's test was a unique divine command, leading to God's provision of a substitute. The people in Jeremiah's day acted presumptuously, inventing their own path to appease God, a path that led to unimaginable cruelty. This highlights the crucial difference between true obedience and self-generated piety.
Understand the original words
bamah · Hebrew Noun
Elevated platforms or sites used for religious worship, often associated with Canaanite idolatry and forbidden by God in the context of exclusive worship at the Temple.
Topheth · Hebrew Proper Noun
A specific site in the Valley of Hinnom associated with child sacrifice to the god Molech, later used as a symbol of divine judgment.
Ge-ben-Hinnom · Hebrew Proper Noun
A valley south of Jerusalem notorious for the practice of child sacrifice; later, its name (Gehenna) became a metaphor for hell or the place of divine judgment.
The extreme act of child sacrifice described here was a profound betrayal of God's covenant, occurring during a period of increasing national apostasy and escalating divine judgment culminating in exile.
c. 7th century BC
Reign of King Manasseh
During Manasseh's reign, Judah saw a significant resurgence of idolatrous practices, including child sacrifice to pagan deities like Molech. This included practices in the Valley of Hinnom.
c. 640-609 BC
Reign of King Josiah
Josiah initiated a major religious reform, purging the land of idolatry. As part of this, he defiled the high place at Topheth in the Valley of Hinnom, specifically to prevent further child sacrifices.
c. 605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Under King Jehoiakim, Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon besieged Jerusalem and began deporting key citizens and nobility to Babylon. This marked the beginning of Judah's Babylonian exile.
c. 597 BC
Second Deportation to Babylon
Following further rebellion, Nebuchadnezzar deported King Jehoiachin and another large group of Judeans, including the prophet Ezekiel, to Babylon. The temple treasures were also taken.
586 BC— this verse
Fall of Jerusalem and Third Deportation
Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem and its temple, exiling the remaining population (except for the poorest) to Babylon. This event, the culmination of Judah's unfaithfulness, is the backdrop for Jeremiah's prophecies.
This passage directly prohibits the practice of sacrificing children to Molech, highlighting the legal and moral transgression Jeremiah is addressing.
Deuteronomy 18:10This text lists 'passing through fire' as an abomination, directly correlating with the horrific acts described in Jeremiah, reinforcing that these practices were expressly forbidden by God's law.
2 Kings 21:6This historical account shows King Manasseh, who reigned before Jeremiah, engaging in the very same abominable practice of burning his sons, demonstrating the deep historical roots of this sin in Judah.
Micah 6:7Micah questioned the efficacy of such extreme sacrifices, asking if the 'firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul,' would appease God, underscoring the misguided zeal and perversion of worship.
Matthew 5:22Jesus references the 'valley of the son of Hinnom' (Gehenna) as a place of judgment and fire, linking the historical site of child sacrifice to the ultimate consequence of sin and rebellion against God.
clarkeJeremiah 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."
Tophet - in the valley of the son of Hinnom - Tophet was the place in that valley where the continual fires were kept up, in and through which they consecrated their children to Moloch.
calvinJeremiah 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."
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.
Et aedificavit excelsa Topheth, quae in valle filii Hinnom, ut comb…
What's striking here is God's direct statement: "nor did it come into my mind." This isn't just about a forbidden act; it's an act so utterly alien to God's nature and will that it never even occurred to Him as a possibility for His people. It reveals how far astray they had wandered, to the point of practicing something so antithetical to His heart that it was, for Him, unimaginable.
Jeremiah is in the midst of a scathing rebuke to the people of Judah, denouncing their corrupt worship and their persistent disobedience. He has just told them to stop bringing sacrifices and listen to God, and now he highlights the horrific depth of their apostasy: building pagan altars in a valley near the Temple to burn their own children alive. This abominable practice, which was never even a remote thought in God's mind, demonstrates how far they have fallen from His commands.
Jeremiah is in the midst of a scathing rebuke to the people of Judah, denouncing their corrupt worship and their persistent disobedience. He has just told them to stop bringing sacrifices and listen to God, and now he highlights the horrific depth of their apostasy: building pagan altars in a valley near the Temple to burn their own children alive. This abominable practice, which was never even a remote thought in God's mind, demonstrates how far they have fallen from His commands.
"And they have built the high places of Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, which I did not command, nor did it come into my mind." — What's striking here is God's direct statement: "nor did it come into my mind." This isn't just about a forbidden act; it's an act so utterly alien to God's nature and will that it never even *occurr…
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Last reviewed October 2026