Deuteronomy 12:31
in Deuteronomy 12You must not worship the LORD your God in this way, because they practice for their gods every abomination which the LORD hates. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Thou shalt not do so unto Jehovah thy God: for every abomination to Jehovah, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters do they burn in the fire to their gods.
KJV
Thou shalt not do so unto the Lord thy God: for every abomination to the Lord, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.
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This verse in Deuteronomy 12
Commentary
7 notes on this verseTheir sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire - Almost all the nations in the world agreed in offering human victims to their gods on extraordinary occasions, by which it is evident that none of those nations had any right notion of the Divine nature. How necessary, then, was the volume of revelation, to teach men what that religion is with which God can be well pleased!
This site's exposition
When the LORD your God cuts off before you the nations
on Deuteronomy 12:29-31
The danger named is curiosity, a man asking how these nations serve their gods and deciding to copy them. Verse 31 names the practice that makes their worship abominable, burning sons and daughters in the fire.
This site's exposition
burn their sons and daughters
Verse 31 repeats the sentence of verse 4, so the law of the one place stands between two refusals of the nations' worship. Leviticus 18:21 and 20:2 to 5 made it a capital offence to give sons or daughters to Molech. Clarke notes that almost all nations offered human victims.
The record, by era
The Reformation1 voice
From these words we may gather what it is not to make to one's self the gods of others, viz., to bid farewell to all the inventions of men, and to pay attention to this one thing -- what God commands.
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
Thou shalt not do so unto the Lord thy God,....
They must not so much as enquire into the modes and forms of idolatrous worship. What good would it do to them to know those depths of Satan? It is best to be ignorant of that which there is danger of being infected by.
(3.) Because their idolatrous customs were an abomination to the Lord, and the translating of them into his worship would make even that an abomination and an affront to him by which they should give him honour, and by which they hoped to obtain his favour. The case is bad indeed when the sacrifice itself has become an abomination, Prov. xv.
The words behind it
22 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| לֹא־ | lo'- | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| תַעֲשֶׂ֣ה | taaseh | you will do | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| כֵ֔ן | khen | thus | H3651 → | 771 times |
| לַיהוָ֖ה | layahweh | to Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ | ʾeloheikha | God your | H430 → | 2601 times |
| כִּי֩ | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | every | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| תּוֹעֲבַ֨ת | toavat | <the> abomination of | H8441 → | 117 times |
| יְהוָ֜ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֣ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| שָׂנֵ֗א | sane' | he hates | H8130 → | 146 times |
| עָשׂוּ֙ | ʾasu | they have done | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| לֵאלֹ֣הֵיהֶ֔ם | leloheihem | to gods their | H430 → | 2601 times |
| כִּ֣י | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| גַ֤ם | gam | also | H1571 → | 769 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| בְּנֵיהֶם֙ | beneihem | sons their | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| וְאֶת־ | veet | and <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| בְּנֹ֣תֵיהֶ֔ם | benoteihem | daughters their | H1323 → | 588 times |
| יִשְׂרְפ֥וּ | yisrefu | they burn | H8313 → | 117 times |
| בָאֵ֖שׁ | vaesh | with <the> fire | H784 → | 378 times |
| לֵֽאלֹהֵיהֶֽם׃ | leloheihem | to gods their | H430 → | 2601 times |
לֹא־not
lo'-H3808 →5168 times
תַעֲשֶׂ֣הyou will do
taasehH6213 →2628 times
כֵ֔ןthus
khenH3651 →771 times
לַיהוָ֖הto Yahweh
layahwehH3068 →6520 times
אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָGod your
ʾeloheikhaH430 →2601 times
כִּי֩for
kiH3588 →4482 times
כָּל־every
kol-H3605 →5413 times
תּוֹעֲבַ֨ת<the> abomination of
toavatH8441 →117 times
יְהוָ֜הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
אֲשֶׁ֣רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
שָׂנֵ֗אhe hates
sane'H8130 →146 times
עָשׂוּ֙they have done
ʾasuH6213 →2628 times
לֵאלֹ֣הֵיהֶ֔םto gods their
leloheihemH430 →2601 times
כִּ֣יfor
kiH3588 →4482 times
גַ֤םalso
gamH1571 →769 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
בְּנֵיהֶם֙sons their
beneihemH1121 →4930 times
וְאֶת־and <obj.>
veetH853 →10935 times
בְּנֹ֣תֵיהֶ֔םdaughters their
benoteihemH1323 →588 times
יִשְׂרְפ֥וּthey burn
yisrefuH8313 →117 times
בָאֵ֖שׁwith <the> fire
vaeshH784 →378 times
לֵֽאלֹהֵיהֶֽם׃to gods their
leloheihemH430 →2601 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Jeremiah 7:31They have built the high places of Topheth in the Valley of Hinnom so they could burn their sons and daughters in the fire—something I never commanded, nor did it even enter My mind.
it leads to
- Leviticus 18:21
You must not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molech, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 2 Kings 23:10
He also desecrated Topheth in the Valley of Ben-hinnom so that no one could sacrifice his son or daughter in the fire to Molech.
- 2 Kings 17:17
They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire and practiced divination and soothsaying. They devoted themselves to doing evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger.
- Jeremiah 32:35
They have built the high places of Baal in the Valley of Hinnom to make their sons and daughters pass through the fire to Molech—something I never commanded them, nor had it ever entered…
- 2 Chronicles 28:3
Moreover, Ahaz burned incense in the Valley of Hinnom and sacrificed his sons in the fire, according to the abominations of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.
- Leviticus 18:21
Through
Jeremiah 32:35They have built the high places of Baal in the Valley of Hinnom to make their sons and daughters pass through the fire to Molech—something I never commanded them, nor had it ever entered…
it leads to
- Jeremiah 7:31
They have built the high places of Topheth in the Valley of Hinnom so they could burn their sons and daughters in the fire—something I never commanded, nor did it even enter My mind.
- 2 Chronicles 33:6
He sacrificed his sons in the fire in the Valley of Hinnom. He practiced sorcery, divination, and witchcraft, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did great evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking…
- Jeremiah 19:5–6
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 even enter My mind.
- Jeremiah 7:31
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Deuteronomy
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; John Calvin, Commentaries; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: The Pentateuch and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.