4. ( :-). estranged this place—devoted it to the worship of strange gods: alienating a portion of the sacred city from God, the rightful Lord of the temple, city, and whole land. nor their fathers—namely, the godly among them; their ungodly fathers God makes no account of. blood of innocents—slain in honor of Molech (Jeremiah 7:31; Psalms 106:37). read more
5. commanded not—nay, more, I commanded the opposite (Leviticus 18:21; see Jeremiah 7:31; Jeremiah 7:32). read more
6. no more . . . Tophet—from Hebrew, toph, "drum"; for in sacrificing children to Molech drums were beaten to drown their cries. Thus the name indicated the joy of the people at the fancied propitiation of the god by this sacrifice; in antithesis to its joyless name subsequently. valley of slaughter—It should be the scene of slaughter, no longer of children, but of men; not of "innocents" ( :-), but of those who richly deserved their fate. The city could not be assailed without first occupying... read more
7. make void the counsel—defeat their plans for repelling the enemy (2 Chronicles 32:1-4; Isaiah 19:3; Isaiah 22:9; Isaiah 22:11). Or their schemes of getting help by having recourse to idols [CALVIN]. in this place—The valley of Hinnom was to be the place of the Chaldean encampment; the very place where they looked for help from idols was to be the scene of their own slaughter. read more
9. (Deuteronomy 28:53; Lamentations 4:10). read more
10. break . . . bottle—a symbolical action, explained in :-. the men—the elders of the people and of the priests ( :-; compare Jeremiah 51:63; Jeremiah 51:64). read more
11. as one breaketh a potter's vessel—expressing God's absolute sovereignty (Jeremiah 18:6; Psalms 2:9; Isaiah 30:14, Margin; Lamentations 4:2; Romans 9:20; Romans 9:21). cannot be made whole again—A broken potter's vessel cannot be restored, but a new one may be made of the same material. So God raised a new Jewish seed, not identical with the destroyed rebels, but by substituting another generation in their stead [GROTIUS]. no place to bury— (Romans 9:21- :). read more
12. make this city as Tophet—that is, as defiled with dead bodies as Tophet. read more
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Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Jeremiah 19:3
3. The scene of their guilt is chosen as the scene of the denunciation against them. kings—the king and queen (Jeremiah 13:18); or including the king's counsellors and governors under him. tingle—as if struck by a thunder peal (1 Samuel 3:11; 2 Kings 21:12). read more