Jeremiah 7:30 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
Jeremiah 7:30
For the children of Judah have done evil in my sight, saith the LORD: they have set their abominations in the house which is called by my name, to pollute it.
a son (as a builder of the family name) · noun, common masculine plural construct
Judah
יְהוּדָ֥הye.hu.Dah
H3063
Jehudah (or Judah) · proper noun, a place name
done
עָשׂ֨וּ'a.Su
H6213
to do or make · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person common plural
evil
הָרַ֛עha.Ra'
H7451
bad or (as noun) evil (natural or moral) · definite article + adjective, masculine singular absolute
sight
בְּעֵינַ֖יbe.'ei.Nai
H5869
an eye (literally or figuratively) · preposition + noun, common feminine dual construct + pronominal suffix
saith
נְאֻוםne.'u.vm-
H5002
an oracle · noun, common masculine singular construct
LORD
יְהוָ֑הYah.weh
H3068
Jehovah · proper noun, a title
set
שָׂ֣מוּSa.mu
H7760
to put (used in a great variety of applications · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person common plural
abominations
שִׁקּֽוּצֵיהֶ֗םshi.ku.tzei.Hem
H8251
disgusting · noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine plural
house
בַּבַּ֛יִתba.Ba.yit
H1004
a house (in the greatest variation of applications · preposition with the article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
called
נִקְרָאnik.ra'-
H7121
to call out to (i.e. properly · verb, niphal perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
name
שְׁמִ֥יshe.Mi
H8034
an appellation · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix
pollute
לְטַמְּאֽוֹle.ta.me.'O
H2930
to be foul · preposition + verb, piel infinitive construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Jeremiah 32:34 But they set their abominations in the house, which is called by my name, to defile it.
Ezekiel 7:20 As for the beauty of his ornament, he set it in majesty: but they made the images of their abominations and of their detestable things there…
Daniel 9:27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to ceas…
2 Kings 21:4 And he built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD said, In Jerusalem will I put my name.
2 Kings 21:7 And he set a graven image of the grove that he had made in the house, of which the LORD said to David, and to Solomon his son, In this house…
2 Chronicles 33:4-5 Also he built altars in the house of the LORD, whereof the LORD had said, In Jerusalem shall my name be for ever.
2 Chronicles 33:7 And he set a carved image, the idol which he had made, in the house of God, of which God had said to David and to Solomon his son, In this h…
2 Kings 23:4-6 And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, and the priests of the second order, and the keepers of the door, to bring forth out of the…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Jeremiah 7:29–end
Here is, I. A loud call to weeping and mourning. Jerusalem, that had been a joyous city, the joy of the whole earth, must now take up a lamentation on high places (Jer 7:29), the high places where they had served their idols; there must they now bemoan their misery. In token both of sorrow and slavery, Jerusalem must now cut off her hair and cast it away; the word is peculiar to the hair of the Nazarites, which was the badge and token of their dedication to God, and it is called their crown. Jerusalem had been a city which was a Nazarite to God, but now must cut off her hair, must be profaned, degraded, and separated from God, as she had been separated to him. It is time for those that have…
set their abominations in the house-- (Jer 32:34; Kg2 21:4, Kg2 21:7; Kg2 23:4; Eze 8:5-14).
John Gill on Jeremiah 7:30
For the children of Judah have done evil in my sight, saith the Lord,.... Meaning not a single action only, but a series, a course of evil actions; and those openly, in a daring manner, not only before men, but in the sight of God, and in contempt of him, like the men of Sodom, Genesis 13:13,
they have set their abominations in the house which is called by my name, to defile it; that is, set their idols in the temple; here Manasseh set up a graven image of the grove, 2 Kings 21:7 which was done, as if it was done on purpose to defile it.
John Calvin on Jeremiah 7:30
Jeremiah 7:30
30. For the children of Judah have done evil in my sight, saith the Lord: they have set their abominations in the house which is called by my name, to pollute it.
30. Quoniam fecerunt filii Jehudah malum in oculis meis, dicit Jehova: posuerunt abominationes suas in domo, super quam invocatum est nomen meum, ad polluendam ipsam.
Lest the Jews should murmur and complain that God was too rigorous, the Prophet adds, that they were not given up to destruction without the justest reasons. How so? They had done evil To do evil here means, that they had not offended in one thing, but had given themselves up to wickedness and evil doings. It is the same as though he had said, that th…
The Church Fathers
(Verse 30, 31.) Because the sons of Judah have done evil in my sight, says the Lord: they have set up their stumbling blocks in the house where my name is invoked, to defile it. And they have built the high places (or altar) of Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in fire: which I did not command, nor did it come into my mind. We learn in the beginning of Ezekiel that the sons of Judah put a statue of Baal in the Temple of God. However, the high places, which are called Bamoth in Hebrew, or the altar of Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Sons of Hinnom, signify that place which is watered by the springs of Siloam; and it is pleasant and wooded, and even today offers delights of gardens. However, the error of paganism occupied all the provinces, so that they would sacrifice victims on the tops of mountains and in the most beautiful groves, and all the superstitions of corrupt religion would be observed. Topheth, in the Hebrew language, is interpreted as "width"; and it is reported in the book of Joshua the son of Nun concerning this place, which is in the Valley of the Sons of Hinnom, and in Hebrew it is called Gehenna (γέεννα), for it signifies a gorge, that is, a valley; and Hinnom either signifies a man's name or "favor". And the Hebrews report that this place is called Gehenna, because all the people of the Jews will perish there, offending God. In this place they also consecrated their sons with fire to the idols, or offered them as a burnt offering, which God did not command them, nor did the Law prescribe any such thing. If Jephthah offered his virgin daughter to God, it is not the sacrifice that pleases, but the intention of the offerer. And if a dog, or a donkey, or any unclean animal had come first to meet the father returning from the slaughter of the enemies, he should not have offered it to God.
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Condescension Of God · Expostulates with backsliding Israel — Expostulates with backsliding Israel
Impenitence · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
Therefore the Lord has rejected the backsliding people, so that it shall perish shamefully. - Jer 7:29. "Cut off thy diadem (daughter of Zion), and cast it away, and lift up a lamentation on the bald peaked mountains; for the Lord hath rejected and cast out the generation of His wrath. Jer 7:30. For the sons of Judah have done the evil in mine eyes, saith Jahveh, have put their abominations in the house on which my name is named, to pollute it; Jer 7:31. And have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the valley of Benhinnom, to burn their sons and daughters in the fire; which I have not commanded, neither came it into my heart. Jer 7:32. Therefore, behold, the days come, saith Jahveh,…
This message decreed death for the people of Judah. It was finally fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem (586 BC).
7:30-34 The valley of Ben-Hinnom began on the west side of Jerusalem and continued around the south side. This narrow, steep-sided valley opened into the Kidron Valley and was the city’s combined garbage dump and graveyard. The bodies of the poor who were murdered or died of disease were dumped there, and child sacrifice (a practice totally abhorrent to the Lord; see 2 Chr 28:3; 33:6) was performed there. The valley was also known as Topheth (2 Kgs 23:10; Isa 30:33), perhaps referring to the ritual drums (Hebrew top) or to the sacrificial fires (tap) that were used there. I…
So tear off your diadem Heb. גזי נזרך, tear out your hair. Comp. (Num. 11:31) “And He caused quails to fly (ויגז)”; also (Job 1:20), “And he shaved (ויגז) his head.” Another explanation is that נזרך means ‘your diadem,’ an expression of greatness, and so did Jonathan render: רברביך your great ones, and so did Menahem classify it (p. 83).
and abandoned Heb. ויטש.
