Lectionary Calendar
Thursday, August 14th, 2025
the Week of Proper 14 / Ordinary 19
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Easy-to-Read Version

Jeremiah 19:5

The kings of Judah built high places for the god Baal. They use those places to burn their sons in the fire. They burned their sons as burnt offerings to the god Baal. I did not tell them to do that. I did not ask them to offer their sons as sacrifices. I never even thought of such a thing.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Idolatry;   Instruction;   Offerings;   Thompson Chain Reference - Human;   Sacrifices;   The Topic Concordance - Forsaking;   Idolatry;   Paganism;   Sacrifice;   Violence;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Burnt Offering, the;   Idolatry;   Murder;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Baal;   Molech, Moloch, or Milcom;   Prophets;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Baal;   Hell;   Jerusalem;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Mind/reason;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Baal;   Bottle;   Gehenna;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Baal (1);   Bottle;   Hell;   Moloch;   Phoenice;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Ben-Hinnom;   High Place;   Human Sacrifice;   Jeremiah;   Molech;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Baal (1);   Molech, Moloch;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Baal, Baalim ;   Hinnom, Valley of;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Moloch;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Baal (1);   Firstborn;   High Place;   Jeremiah (2);   Molech;   Mouth;   Sacrifice, Human;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Baal;   Bottle;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - 'AḴedah;   Ba'al and Ba'al-Worship;   Burnt Offering;   High Place;   Moloch (Molech);   Pahlavi Literature, Jews in;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
They have built high places to Baal on which to burn their children in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, something I have never commanded or mentioned; I never entertained the thought.
Hebrew Names Version
and have built the high places of Ba`al, to burn their sons in the fire for burnt offerings to Ba`al; which I didn't command, nor spoke it, neither came it into my mind:
King James Version
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:
English Standard Version
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—
New American Standard Bible
and have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, a thing which I did not command nor speak of, nor did it ever enter My mind;
New Century Version
They have built places on hilltops to worship Baal, where they burn their children in the fire to Baal. That is something I did not command or speak about; it never even entered my mind.
Amplified Bible
and have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, which I never commanded or spoke of, nor did it ever enter My mind (heart);
World English Bible
and have built the high places of Baal, to burn their sons in the fire for burnt offerings to Baal; which I didn't command, nor spoke it, neither came it into my mind:
Geneva Bible (1587)
And they haue built the hie places of Baal, to burne their sonnes with fire for burnt offrings vnto Baal, which I commanded not, nor spake it, neither came it into my minde)
Legacy Standard Bible
and have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, a thing which I never commanded or spoke of, nor did it ever come upon My heart,
Berean Standard Bible
They have built high places to Baal on which to burn their children in the fire as offerings to Baal-something I never commanded or mentioned, nor did it ever enter My mind.
Complete Jewish Bible
They have built the high places of Ba‘al, in order to burn up their children in the fire as burnt offerings to Ba‘al — something I never ordered or said; it never even entered my mind.
Darby Translation
and they have built the high places of Baal, to burn their sons in the fire as burnt-offerings unto Baal, which I commanded not, nor spake it, neither came it up into my mind:
George Lamsa Translation
They have built also the high places of Baal to burn their sons with fire as burnt offerings to Baal, which I did not command; nor did I speak of it, neither came it into my mind;
Good News Translation
and they have built altars for Baal in order to burn their children in the fire as sacrifices. I never commanded them to do this; it never even entered my mind.
Lexham English Bible
and they have built the high places of Baal, to burn their children in the fire, burnt offerings to Baal, which I commanded not, and I ordered not, and it did not come to my mind.
Literal Translation
They have also built the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings to Baal, which I never commanded nor spoke, nor did it come into My heart.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
for they haue set vp an aulter vnto Baal, to burne their children for a burntoffringe vnto Baal, which I nether commaunded, ner charged them, nether thought once there vpon.
American Standard Version
and have built the high places of Baal, to burn their sons in the fire for burnt-offerings unto Baal; which I commanded not, nor spake it, neither came it into my mind:
Bible in Basic English
And they have put up the high places of the Baal, burning their sons in the fire; a thing which was not ordered by me, and it was never in my mind:
JPS Old Testament (1917)
and have built the high places of Baal, to burn their sons in the fire for burnt-offerings unto Baal; which I commanded not, nor spoke it, neither came it into My mind.
King James Version (1611)
They haue built also the high places of Baal, to burne their sonnes with fire for burnt offerings vnto Baal, which I commanded not, nor spake it, neither came it into my minde.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And they haue set vp an aulter vnto Baal, to burne their children for a burnt offring vnto Baal, whiche I neither commaunded nor charged them, neither thought once thervpon.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
and built high places for Baal, to burn their children in the fire, which things I commanded not, neither did I design them in my heart:
English Revised Version
and have built the high places of Baal, to burn their sons in the fire for burnt offerings unto Baal; which I commanded not, nor spake it, neither came it into my mind:
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and bildiden hiy thingis to Baalym, to brenne her sones in fier, in to brent sacrifice to Baalym; whiche thingis Y comaundide not, nether spak, nether tho stieden in to myn herte.
Update Bible Version
and have built the high places of Baal, to burn their sons in the fire for burnt-offerings to Baal; which I didn't command, nor speak it, neither did it come into my mind:
Webster's Bible Translation
They have built also the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire [for] burnt-offerings to Baal, which I commanded not, nor spoke [it], neither came [it] into my mind:
New English Translation
They have built places here for worship of the god Baal so that they could sacrifice their children as burnt offerings to him in the fire. Such sacrifices are something I never commanded them to make! They are something I never told them to do! Indeed, such a thing never even entered my mind!
New King James Version
(they have also built the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings to Baal, which I did not command or speak, nor did it come into My mind),
New Living Translation
They have built pagan shrines to Baal, and there they burn their sons as sacrifices to Baal. I have never commanded such a horrible deed; it never even crossed my mind to command such a thing!
New Life Bible
They have built the high places of the false god Baal to burn their sons in the fire as burnt gifts to Baal. This is a thing which I never told them to do or spoke of. It did not even come to My mind.
New Revised Standard
and gone on building the high places of Baal to burn their children in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, which I did not command or decree, nor did it enter my mind;
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And have built the high places of Baal for burning up their sons in the fire as ascending-sacrifices to Baal, - Which I commanded not, Nor spake, Neither came it up on my heart,
Douay-Rheims Bible
And they have built the high places of Baalim, to burn their children with fire for a holocaust to Baalim: which I did not command, nor speak of, neither did it once come into my mind.
Revised Standard Version
and have built the high places of Ba'al to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Ba'al, which I did not command or decree, nor did it come into my mind;
Young's Literal Translation
and have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons with fire, burnt-offerings to Baal, that I commanded not, nor spake of, nor did it come up on My heart.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
and have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, a thing which I never commanded or spoke of, nor did it ever enter My mind;

Contextual Overview

1 The Lord said to me, "Jeremiah, go and buy a clay jar from a potter. Take some of the elders of the people and some priests with you. 2 Go out to the Valley of Ben Hinnom, near the front of the Potsherd Gate. I have a message I want you to announce there. 3 Say to those who are with you, ‘King of Judah and people of Jerusalem, listen to this message from the Lord ! This is what the Lord All-Powerful, the God of the people of Israel, says: I will soon make a terrible thing happen to this place! Everyone who hears about it will be amazed and full of fear. 4 I will do these things because the people of Judah have stopped following me. They have made this a place for foreign gods. The people of Judah have burned sacrifices in this place to other gods. The people long ago did not worship those gods. Their ancestors did not worship them. These are new gods from other countries. The kings of Judah filled this place with the blood of innocent children. 5 The kings of Judah built high places for the god Baal. They use those places to burn their sons in the fire. They burned their sons as burnt offerings to the god Baal. I did not tell them to do that. I did not ask them to offer their sons as sacrifices. I never even thought of such a thing. 6 Now people call this place Topheth and the Valley of Hinnom. But I give you this warning. This message is from the Lord : The days are coming, when people will call this place the Valley of Slaughter. 7 At this place, I will ruin the plans of the people of Judah and Jerusalem. The enemy will chase them, and I will let the people of Judah be killed with swords in this place. I will make their dead bodies food for the birds and wild animals. 8 I will completely destroy this city. People will whistle and shake their heads when they pass by Jerusalem. They will be shocked when they see how the city was destroyed. 9 The enemy will bring its army around the city. That army will not let people go out to get food, so the people in the city will begin to starve. They will become so hungry that they will eat the bodies of their own sons and daughters, and then they will begin to eat each other.'

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the high: Numbers 22:41

to burn: Jeremiah 7:31, Deuteronomy 12:31, 2 Kings 17:17, 2 Chronicles 28:3, Psalms 106:37, Psalms 106:38, Ezekiel 16:20, Ezekiel 16:21, Ezekiel 20:26

which: Jeremiah 7:31, Jeremiah 7:32, Jeremiah 32:35, Leviticus 18:21

neither: Ezekiel 38:10, Daniel 2:29

Reciprocal: Genesis 22:12 - Lay Leviticus 10:1 - which Deuteronomy 17:3 - which Jeremiah 11:13 - up altars Jeremiah 18:15 - to walk Ezekiel 20:31 - ye offer Micah 6:7 - shall Romans 11:4 - Baal

Cross-References

Genesis 19:23
Lot was entering the town as the sun came up,
Genesis 19:24
and the Lord began to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. He caused fire and burning sulfur to fall from the sky.
Genesis 19:26
Lot's wife was following behind him and looked back at the city. When she did, she became a block of salt.
Genesis 19:27
Early the next morning, Abraham got up and went to the place where he stood before the Lord .
Leviticus 18:22
"Men, you must not have sexual relations with another man as with a woman. That is a terrible sin!
Leviticus 20:13
"If a man has sexual relations with another man as with a woman, they have committed a terrible sin. They must be put to death. They are responsible for their own death.
Judges 19:22
While the Levite and those who were with him were enjoying themselves, some very bad men from the city surrounded the house. They began beating on the door. They shouted at the old man who owned the house. They said, "Bring out the man who came to your house. We want to have sex with him."
Isaiah 1:9
If the Lord All-Powerful had not allowed a few people to live, we would have been destroyed completely like the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. And that almost happened!
Isaiah 3:9
The look on their faces shows that they are guilty. They are like the people of Sodom; they don't care who sees their sin. But it will be very bad for them. They will get what they deserve.
Jeremiah 3:3
You sinned, so the rain has not come. There has not been any springtime rains. But still you refuse to be ashamed. The look on your face is like that of a prostitute who refuses to be ashamed.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

They have also built the high places of Baal,.... Or, they have even built, c. and so the words explain what is before suggested of their idolatry these were the temples in which they placed his image, and the altars on which they sacrificed to him; as follows:

to burn their sons with fire, [for] burnt offerings unto Baal; the same idol that is sometimes called Moloch, the names being much of the same signification; the one signifying a "lord" or "master"; the other a king; and to the idol under each name they burned their children with fire, and offered them as burnt offerings unto it; which was a most cruel and barbarous way of sacrificing. Some think they only caused them to pass through two fires; but the text is express for it, that they burnt them with fire, and made burnt offerings of them, as they did with slain beasts. It seems very likely that they did both:

which I commanded not; in my law, as the Targum adds; and which was intimation enough to avoid it; though this was not all, he expressly forbad it, Leviticus 20:2;

nor spake [it], neither came [it] into my mind; and it is marvellous it should ever enter into the heart of man; none but Satan himself could ever have devised such a way of worship.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Jeremiah 19:5. Offerings unto Baal — A general name for all the popular idols; Baal, Moloch, Ashtaroth, &c.


 
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