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Jeremiah 19:13

in Jeremiah 19

The houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah will be defiled like that place, Topheth—all the houses on whose rooftops they burned incense to all the host of heaven and poured out drink offerings to other gods.”

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

and the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses of the kings of Judah, which are defiled, shall be as the place of Topheth, even all the houses upon whose roofs they have burned incense unto all the host of heaven, and have poured out drink-offerings unto other gods.

KJV

And the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses of the kings of Judah, shall be defiled as the place of Tophet, because of all the houses upon whose roofs they have burned incense unto all the host of heaven, and have poured out drink offerings unto other gods.

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This verse in Jeremiah 19

Commentary

7 notes on this verse
Because of all - literally, “with reference to all,” limiting the denunciation to those houses whose roofs had been defiled with altars. Upon whose roofs they have burned incense - See 2Ki 23:12, note.

This site's exposition

Then you are to shatter the

on Jeremiah 19:10-13

The jar is shattered before the witnesses. The LORD will “shatter this nation and this city, like one shatters a potter’s jar that can never again be repaired.” Chapter 18’s soft clay could be reformed on the wheel, but a fired jar once broken stays broken.

This site's exposition

The houses of Jerusalem and the houses

Jamieson, Fausset and Brown note that the houses were to be defiled with dead bodies, as Topheth was. Albert Barnes limits it to houses with rooftop altars. Matthew Henry notes that flat roofs also served the devout as places of prayer, as in Acts 10.

The record, by era

The Church Fathers1 voice

A commentator

Jerome

Commentary on Jeremiah · Written before 420.

proposed

(Ver. 13.) All the houses are unclean, in whose dwellings (or roofs) they sacrificed to the whole heavenly host, and poured out drink offerings to foreign gods. What he said above. This place will no longer be called Topheth or the Valley of the son ((or sons)) of Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter, now he explains more clearly that there will be such a great slaughter in that place, that the people will be buried there in heaps, and the once sacred grove ((or place)) will become a tumult of the dead.

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

), and for the same reason, because of the idolatries that have been committed there; since they will not defile them by a reformation, God will defile them by a destruction, because upon the roofs of their houses they have burnt incense unto the host of heaven. The flat roofs of their houses were sometimes used by devout people as convenient places for prayer ( Acts x.

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation

And the houses of Jerusalem,....

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

proposed

shall be defiled--with dead bodies (Jer 19:12; 2Ki 23:10). because of all the houses--Rather, (explanatory of the previous "the houses . . . and . . . houses"), "even all the houses," &c. [CALVIN]. roofs--being flat, they were used as high places for sacrifices to the sun and planets (Jer 32:29;

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase+unbalanced-parens

How the passage was read

What the Jewish commentators add

On the verses either side of this one

this city like the Topheth All of it will be full of the slain just as the Topheth, where they slay the children for Molech.
Rashi: France, 1040–1105 · Rashi on Jeremiah 19:12:1, via Sefaria, The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg

This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.

Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 6 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.

The words behind it

22 Hebrew words

Every 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.

  • וְהָי֞וּand they will be

    vehayuH1961 →3559 times

  • בָּתֵּ֣י[the] houses of

    bateiH1004 →2046 times

  • יְרוּשָׁלִַ֗םJerusalem

    yerushalimH3389 →643 times

  • וּבָתֵּי֙and [the] houses of

    uvateiH1004 →2046 times

  • מַלְכֵ֣י[the] kings of

    malkheiH4428 →2525 times

  • יְהוּדָ֔הJudah

    yehudahH3063 →819 times

  • כִּמְק֥וֹםlike [the] place of

    kimkomH4725 →401 times

  • הַתֹּ֖פֶת<the> Topheth

    hatofetH8612 →9 times

  • הַטְּמֵאִ֑יםthe unclean [things]

    hatemeimH2931 →

  • לְכֹ֣לto all

    lekholH3605 →5413 times

  • הַבָּתִּ֗יםthe houses

    habatimH1004 →2046 times

  • אֲשֶׁ֨רwhich

    ʾasherH834 →5497 times

  • קִטְּר֜וּpeople made smoke

    kiteruH6999 →116 times

  • עַל־on

    ʾal-H5921 →5755 times

  • גַּגֹּֽתֵיהֶם֙roofs their

    gagoteihemH1406 →30 times

  • לְכֹל֙to all

    lekholH3605 →5413 times

  • צְבָ֣א[the] host of

    tzeva'H6635 →485 times

  • הַשָּׁמַ֔יִםthe heavens

    hashamayimH8064 →421 times

  • וְהַסֵּ֥ךְand they poured out

    vehasekhH5258 →25 times

  • נְסָכִ֖יםdrink offerings

    nesakhimH5262 →64 times

  • לֵאלֹהִ֥יםto gods

    lelohimH430 →2601 times

  • אֲחֵרִֽים׃ פother

    ʾacherimH312 →166 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

18 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

Acts 7:42But God turned away from them and gave them over to the worship of the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets: ‘Did you bring Me sacrifices and offerings forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?10 worksZephaniah 1:5those who bow on the rooftops to worship the host of heaven, those who bow down and swear by the LORD but also swear by Milcom,7 worksJeremiah 32:29And the Chaldeans who are fighting against this city will come in, set it on fire, and burn it, along with the houses of those who provoked Me to anger by burning incense to Baal on their rooftops and by pouring out drink offerings to other gods.6 works2 Kings 23:12He pulled down the altars that the kings of Judah had set up on the roof near the upper chamber of Ahaz, and the altars that Manasseh had set up in the two courtyards of the house of the LORD. The king pulverized them there and threw their dust into the Kidron Valley.6 worksJeremiah 7:18The sons gather wood, the fathers light the fire, and the women knead the dough to make cakes for the Queen of Heaven; they pour out drink offerings to other gods to provoke Me to anger.6 worksDeuteronomy 4:19When you look to the heavens and see the sun and moon and stars—all the host of heaven—do not be enticed to bow down and worship what the LORD your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven.4 works
The other 12 cross-references, with their words ▾
Jeremiah 44:18But from the time we stopped burning incense to the Queen of Heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything and have been perishing by sword and famine.”3 worksEzekiel 7:21–22And I will hand these things over as plunder to foreigners and loot to the wicked of the earth, who will defile them.3 worksPsalms 79:1The nations, O God, have invaded Your inheritance; they have defiled Your holy temple and reduced Jerusalem to rubble.3 works2 Kings 23:10He also desecrated Topheth in the Valley of Ben-hinnom so that no one could sacrifice his son or daughter in the fire to Molech.3 worksPsalms 74:7They have burned Your sanctuary to the ground; they have defiled the dwelling place of Your Name.3 worksJeremiah 8:2They will be exposed to the sun and moon, and to all the host of heaven which they have loved, served, followed, consulted, and worshiped. Their bones will not be gathered up or buried, but will become like dung lying on the ground.3 worksJeremiah 44:17Instead, we will do everything we vowed to do: We will burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and offer drink offerings to her, just as we, our fathers, our kings, and our officials did in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. At that time we had plenty of food and good things, and we saw no disaster.3 worksDeuteronomy 22:8If you build a new house, you are to construct a railing around your roof, so that you do not bring bloodguilt on your house if someone falls from it.3 works2 Chronicles 33:3For he rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had torn down, and he raised up altars for the Baals and made Asherah poles. And he worshiped and served all the host of heaven.3 worksJeremiah 44:5But they did not listen or incline their ears; they did not turn from their wickedness or stop burning incense to other gods.3 worksEzekiel 20:28When I brought them into the land that I swore to give them and they saw any high hill or leafy tree, there they offered their sacrifices, presented offerings that provoked Me, sent up their fragrant incense, and poured out their drink offerings.2 works2 Kings 23:14He smashed the sacred pillars to pieces, cut down the Asherah poles, and covered the sites with human bones.2 works

The walk

8 stops

Each 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

    Deuteronomy 4:19

    When you look to the heavens and see the sun and moon and stars—all the host of heaven—do not be enticed to bow down and worship what the LORD your God has apportioned to…

    it leads to

    • Romans 1:25

      They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is forever worthy of praise! Amen.

    • Deuteronomy 17:3

      and going to worship other gods, bowing down to them or to the sun or moon or any of the host of heaven—which I have forbidden—

    • 2 Kings 21:3

      For he rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had destroyed, and he raised up altars for Baal. He made an Asherah pole, as King Ahab of Israel had done, and he worshiped…

    • 2 Kings 17:16

      They abandoned all the commandments of the LORD their God and made for themselves two cast idols of calves and an Asherah pole. They bowed down to all the host of heaven and served…

    • Genesis 1:16–18

      God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night. And He made the stars as well.

  • Through

    Zephaniah 1:5

    those who bow on the rooftops to worship the host of heaven, those who bow down and swear by the LORD but also swear by Milcom,

    it leads to

    • 2 Kings 17:33

      They worshiped the LORD, but they also served their own gods according to the customs of the nations from which they had been carried away.

    • 2 Kings 23:12

      He pulled down the altars that the kings of Judah had set up on the roof near the upper chamber of Ahaz, and the altars that Manasseh had set up in the two courtyards…

    • 1 Kings 11:33

      For they have forsaken Me to worship Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the Ammonites. They have not walked in My ways, nor…

Where this verse is studied

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About Jeremiah

Jeremiah Lamenting the Destruction of Jerusalem, Rembrandt, 1630. Public domain.
Jeremiah Lamenting the Destruction of Jerusalem, Rembrandt, 1630. Public domain.
Jeremiah: the study guide →Read Jeremiah 19 →

This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Carl Friedrich Keil, The Prophecies of Jeremiah; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Jeremiah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.

Read on in Jeremiah 19 →