The Potter and the Broken Jar: Judgment on Jerusalem
Jeremiah 18:1-19:15
Jer.18.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הדבר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- היה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- ירמיהו: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מאת: PREP
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
Parallels
- Jeremiah 1:4 (verbal): Uses the same opening formula — 'The word of the LORD came to me, saying' — a near-verbatim prophetic introduction establishing the divine source of the oracle.
- Hosea 1:1 (verbal): Begins with 'The word of the LORD that came unto Hosea,' paralleling Jeremiah's introductory formula (Heb. 'dabar'/'דבר יהוה') that introduces a prophetic message.
- Micah 1:1 (verbal): Opens with 'The word of the LORD that came to Micah,' a comparable prophetic commissioning/introductory formula marking the oracle's origin.
- Zephaniah 1:1 (verbal): Begins 'The word of the LORD that came unto Zephaniah,' mirroring Jeremiah 18:1's structural/verbal device of attributing the message directly to Yahweh.
- Amos 1:1 (structural): Though phrased 'The words of Amos...' (plural/visions), it functions similarly as an introductory formula announcing oracles from the LORD, paralleling Jeremiah's opening statement of divine speech.
Alternative generated candidates
- The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying:
- The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
Jer.18.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- קום: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,sg
- וירדת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- היוצר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ושמה: CONJ+ADV,loc
- אשמיעך: VERB,hiph,impf,1,_,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- דברי: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,1,c,sg
Parallels
- Jeremiah 18:3-6 (structural): Immediate context: God sends Jeremiah to the potter's house and then explicates the potter-and-clay parable about divine shaping and the possibility of reversal if a nation repents.
- Isaiah 29:16 (verbal): Uses similar potter-and-clay rhetorical imagery ('Shall the potter be regarded as the clay?') to challenge human presumption and highlight God's authority as maker.
- Isaiah 45:9 (thematic): Pronounces woe on one who contends with the Maker, employing the potter/clay motif to affirm God's sovereign right to fashion and judge his works.
- Isaiah 64:8 (thematic): Affirms the relational image of God as potter and Israel (or humanity) as clay—emphasizing dependence on God's shaping and purpose.
- Romans 9:20-21 (allusion): Paul echoes the potter-and-clay motif from the Hebrew prophets to argue for God's sovereign prerogative in shaping destinies, applying the image theologically to election and mercy.
Alternative generated candidates
- Arise and go down to the house of the potter, and there I will let you hear my words.
- Arise and go down to the potter's house; there I will make you hear my words.
Jer.18.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וארד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- היוצר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- והנה: ADV
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- עשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- מלאכה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- על: PREP
- האבנים: NOUN,f,pl,def
Parallels
- Isaiah 64:8 (verbal): Uses the same potter‑and‑clay image—God as potter and Israel/humanity as clay—paralleling Jeremiah’s scene of the potter at work.
- Isaiah 45:9 (verbal): Rhetorical use of the potter/clay motif ('Shall the clay say to him who fashions it...') addressing divine sovereignty over the creature, echoing the point of Jeremiah’s potter episode.
- Isaiah 29:16 (verbal): Similarly reverses roles between potter and clay ('Shall the potter be regarded as the clay?'), thematically linked to Jeremiah’s demonstration of the potter’s authority.
- Romans 9:20–21 (quotation): Paul explicitly applies the potter/clay analogy to argue God’s sovereign right to shape vessels, alluding to the same tradition exemplified by Jeremiah’s vision.
- Genesis 2:7 (thematic): God forming man from the dust/clay provides a broader biblical backdrop for the imagery of shaping and formation found in Jeremiah’s potter scene.
Alternative generated candidates
- So I went down to the house of the potter, and behold, he was making a work on the wheel.
- So I went down to the potter's house, and behold, he was working at the wheel.
Jer.18.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ונשחת: VERB,niphal,perf,3,m,sg
- הכלי: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- עשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- בחמר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ביד: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- היוצר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ושב: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,sg
- ויעשהו: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- כלי: NOUN,m,pl,const
- אחר: PREP
- כאשר: CONJ
- ישר: ADJ,m,sg
- בעיני: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- היוצר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- לעשות: VERB,qal,inf
Parallels
- Isaiah 64:8 (verbal): Explicit potter imagery: 'we are the clay, and thou our potter'—the same metaphor of God shaping people as a potter reshapes clay.
- Isaiah 29:16 (verbal): Uses the potter/clay rhetorical question ('Shall not the potter...') highlighting the maker's authority—parallels Jeremiah's demonstration of divine prerogative to remold vessels.
- Isaiah 45:9 (verbal): Woe against contending with the Maker, employing the clay/potter image ('Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it?')—theological parallel about God's right to fashion and refashion.
- Romans 9:20-21 (allusion): Paul echoes the potter-and-clay motif ('Who art thou that repliest against God?... Hath not the potter power over the clay?') to assert divine sovereignty, closely reflecting Jeremiah's illustration.
Alternative generated candidates
- And the vessel that he made of clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he remade it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make.
- And the vessel that he made of clay was spoiled in the potter's hand; so he remade it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make.
Jer.18.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויהי: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- לאמור: VERB,qal,inf
Parallels
- Jeremiah 1:4 (verbal): Same prophetic introductory formula 'And the word of the LORD came to me, saying,' used to introduce God's direct address and the prophet's commissioning.
- Jeremiah 11:1 (structural): Another occurrence within Jeremiah where the book uses the same formula to introduce an oracle—shows a recurring structural device in Jeremiah's prophetic narrative.
- Ezekiel 7:1 (verbal): Ezekiel likewise opens an oracle with 'Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,' reflecting the shared verbal formula across prophetic books for introducing divine speech.
- Ezekiel 12:17 (structural): Uses the repeated phrase 'the word of the LORD came unto me' to introduce a new message; parallels Jeremiah's use of the formula as a structural marker signaling a divine revelation.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
- Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
Jer.18.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הכיוצר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- אוכל: VERB,qal,part,1,m,sg
- לעשות: VERB,qal,inf
- לכם: PREP,2,m,pl
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נאם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- הנה: PART
- כחמר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ביד: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- היוצר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- כן: ADV
- אתם: PRON,2,m,pl
- בידי: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,suff1s
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Isaiah 64:8 (verbal): Explicit potter-and-clay language—'we are the clay, and thou our potter'—expressing God's sovereign shaping of Israel, closely paralleling Jeremiah's imagery.
- Isaiah 29:16 (verbal): 'Shall the potter be esteemed as the clay?' uses the same potter/clay motif and the rhetorical reversal about maker and made, echoing Jeremiah's theme of divine authority over the people.
- Romans 9:20-21 (quotation): Paul explicitly invokes the potter-and-clay analogy ('Hath not the potter power over the clay?') to argue for God's sovereignty—an explicit New Testament reuse of the OT metaphor.
- Job 10:9 (thematic): Job speaks of being formed by God like clay, highlighting human dependence and God’s formative power, thematically parallel to Jeremiah's portrayal of Israel as clay in God's hand.
Alternative generated candidates
- ‘O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter? declares the LORD. Behold, like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.
- Can I not do with you, O house of Israel, as this potter has done? declares the LORD. Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.
Jer.18.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- רגע: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אדבר: VERB,qal,impf,1,sg
- על: PREP
- גוי: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ועל: CONJ+PREP
- ממלכה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לנתוש: VERB,qal,inf
- ולנתוץ: CONJ+VERB,qal,inf
- ולהאביד: CONJ+VERB,hifil,inf
Parallels
- Jer.18.8 (structural): Immediate continuation/contrast: verse 7 declares God may 'pluck up…destroy,' while v.8 states God will relent if the nation turns—same pericope on divine judgment and reversal.
- Exod.32.14 (thematic): God 'relents' after Moses' intercession—parallels the theme that God can change a planned judgment in response to repentance or petition.
- Amos 9.8 (thematic): Announces divine intent to destroy a sinful kingdom but qualifies the outcome—parallel theme of God deciding judgment upon nations.
- Ezek.18.23 (thematic): Affirms that God does not desire the death of the wicked but desires repentance and life—echoes the conditional character of threatened destruction in Jer 18:7–8.
- Dan.2.21 (thematic): God 'removes kings and sets up kings'—theological parallel to God's sovereign authority to 'pluck up' and 'pull down' nations and kingdoms.
Alternative generated candidates
- At one moment I may speak concerning a nation or a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it;
- At one moment I may speak concerning a nation or kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it;
Jer.18.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ושב: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,sg
- הגוי: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ההוא: DEM,ms,sg
- מרעתו: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- אשר: PRON,rel
- דברתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,c,sg
- עליו: PREP,3,m,sg
- ונחמתי: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- על: PREP
- הרעה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- חשבתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,?,sg
- לעשות: VERB,qal,inf
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Jonah 3:10 (verbal): Nearly identical wording and idea: when a people repent from evil, God 'repents' (נחם) of the disaster He had threatened and does not bring it about.
- Exodus 32:14 (verbal): Moses' intercession leads Yahweh to 'repent' of the disaster He had planned for Israel—uses the same root concept of God relenting from declared judgment.
- Amos 7:3,6 (verbal): In both prophetic episodes Yahweh declares judgment but then 'repents' (נחם) when the intercession or change of circumstance leads to the removal of the threat.
- Ezekiel 18:21-23 (thematic): Develops the theme that turning from wickedness brings life rather than death; like Jeremiah 18:8, God’s punitive intentions are conditional on human repentance.
- Joel 2:13-14 (allusion): Calls Israel to rend their hearts so that God may 'turn' or 'relent' — expresses the same conditional logic that repentance can avert threatened judgment.
Alternative generated candidates
- and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it.
- if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I had planned to do to it.
Jer.18.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ורגע: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אדבר: VERB,qal,impf,1,sg
- על: PREP
- גוי: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ועל: CONJ+PREP
- ממלכה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לבנת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ולנטע: CONJ+VERB,qal,inf
Parallels
- Jeremiah 1:10 (verbal): Uses the same series of divine actions — 'to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant' — language paralleled almost word-for-word with Jeremiah 18:9's announcement about nations and kingdoms.
- Ezekiel 17:22-24 (allusion): God as sovereign planter/uprooter: God takes a sprig, plants it on a high mountain and reverses the fortunes of the low and high—similar imagery of uprooting and planting and divine control over kings and nations.
- Daniel 2:21 (thematic): Speaks of God changing 'times and seasons' and removing and setting up kings; thematically parallels Jeremiah's claim that God will act decisively over nations and kingdoms.
- Psalm 75:7 (thematic): Affirms the motif that God 'puts down one and exalts another,' echoing the Jeremiah theme of God humbling and raising up nations/kingdoms.
Alternative generated candidates
- And at another moment I may speak concerning a nation or a kingdom, to build and to plant.
- And at another moment I may speak concerning a nation or kingdom, to build and to plant it;
Jer.18.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ועשה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- הרע: ADJ,m,sg,def
- בעיני: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- לבלתי: PART,neg
- שמע: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- בקולי: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,1,sg
- ונחמתי: VERB,niphal,perf,1,m,sg
- על: PREP
- הטובה: ADJ,f,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- אמרתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,com,sg
- להיטיב: VERB,qal,inf
- אותו: PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Exodus 32:14 (verbal): Uses the same verb of God 'repenting' (נחם) after Moses' intercession—God relents from an intended punitive act, paralleling Jeremiah's conditional language about reversing promised good or evil.
- 1 Samuel 15:11 (verbal): God declares he 'repents' that he made Saul king because of Saul's disobedience—another instance of divine change of course expressed with the same terminology.
- Jonah 3:10 (verbal): When Nineveh repents, 'God repented of the evil that he said he would do'—a close thematic and verbal parallel showing God reversing threatened judgment in response to human repentance.
- Amos 7:3 (verbal): After Amos' plea the LORD 'repented' and did not bring the disaster—another prophetic example of God relenting from a declared action, matching Jeremiah's conditional pattern.
Alternative generated candidates
- And if it does evil in my sight by not listening to my voice, then I will reconsider the good that I had intended to do to it.
- if it does evil in my sight by not obeying my voice, then I will relent concerning the good that I had spoken to do to it.
Jer.18.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ועתה: CONJ
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- נא: PART
- אל: NEG
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהודה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- ועל: CONJ+PREP
- יושבי: PTC,qal,ptc,mp,cons
- ירושלם: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- כה: ADV
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- הנה: PART
- אנכי: PRON,1,sg
- יוצר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עליכם: PREP+PRON,2mp
- רעה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- וחשב: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- עליכם: PREP+PRON,2mp
- מחשבה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- שובו: VERB,qal,imp,2,pl
- נא: PART
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מדרכו: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- הרעה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- והיטיבו: CONJ+VERB,qal,impv,2,pl
- דרכיכם: NOUN,f,pl,const,2mp
- ומעלליכם: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,abs+2,m,pl
Parallels
- Ezek. 18:30-32 (verbal): Both call for individual repentance—'turn from your evil ways'—and stress that God relents from bringing judgment if people repent.
- Ezek. 33:11 (thematic): Expresses the same divine motive: God does not delight in the death of the wicked but desires that the wicked turn and live, paralleling the call to return.
- Deut. 30:15-20 (structural): Frames a covenantal choice between life/good and death/evil and links obedience/return to life—structurally similar to Jeremiah's summons to change ways to avert disaster.
- Joel 2:12-13 (verbal): A direct call to 'return' to the Lord with heartfelt repentance (rend your heart, not your garments), echoing Jeremiah's imperative to each person to abandon evil ways.
- Jonah 3:10 (thematic): Narrates God relenting from planned judgment after communal repentance, mirroring Jeremiah's warning that judgment is planned but can be averted by repentance.
Alternative generated candidates
- Now therefore say to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem: Thus says the LORD, Behold, I am forming disaster against you; return each from his evil way, and amend your ways and your deeds.
- Now therefore say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: Thus says the LORD: Behold, I am devising disaster against you and planning thoughts against you; return every one from his evil way, and amend your deeds and your ways.
Jer.18.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואמרו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- נואש: ADJ,m,sg
- כי: CONJ
- אחרי: PREP
- מחשבותינו: NOUN,f,pl,abs+1cp
- נלך: VERB,qal,impf,1,pl
- ואיש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שררות: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לבו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- הרע: ADJ,m,sg,def
- נעשה: VERB,qal,impf,1,pl
Parallels
- Jeremiah 7:24 (verbal): Uses nearly identical language about the people not listening but walking 'in the stubbornness of their evil heart,' echoing Jeremiah 18:12's description of following their own plans.
- Deuteronomy 29:19-20 (verbal): Warns of a man whose heart is 'stubborn' and 'reprobate,' whose fate is hopeless—paralleling the motif of hopelessness and obstinate, evil-hearted resolve in Jer 18:12.
- Jeremiah 17:9 (thematic): Declares the heart 'deceitful and desperately sick,' corresponding to Jer 18:12's emphasis on the evil and stubbornness of human hearts that lead people to follow their own counsels.
- Proverbs 14:12 (thematic): 'There is a way that seems right to a man'—captures the theme of people trusting their own plans and judgments, like those who say 'we will follow our own thoughts' in Jer 18:12.
Alternative generated candidates
- But they say, ‘It is hopeless; for we will follow our own plans, and each of us will obey the stubbornness of his evil heart.’
- But they say, 'It is hopeless; for we will follow our own plans, and every one will act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart.'
Jer.18.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- לכן: ADV
- כה: ADV
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- שאלו: VERB,qal,perf,3,pl
- נא: PART
- בגוים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- מי: PRON,interr,sg
- שמע: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- כאלה: DEM,f,pl
- שעררת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- עשתה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- מאד: ADV
- בתולת: NOUN,f,sg,cons
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Isaiah 1:21 (thematic): Both cast the city/people as a once-faithful 'virgin' or 'faithful city' who has become a harlot—expressing shock at Israel/Jerusalem's moral collapse.
- Ezekiel 16:25–34 (thematic): Graphic catalogue of Jerusalem's sexualized unfaithfulness and abominations; parallels Jeremiah's language of Israel as a virgin who has committed a heinous act.
- Ezekiel 23:37–39 (verbal): Uses blunt sexual-imagery and charges of greater filthiness to denounce Israel/Samaria and Judah—echoes Jeremiah's depiction of an outrageously corrupt 'virgin' nation.
- Hosea 2:2–5 (allusion): Hosea portrays Israel as an unfaithful wife/virgin who has prostituted herself to other lovers—same marital/adultery motif of national betrayal found in Jeremiah 18:13.
- Jeremiah 3:6–10 (structural): Same prophet develops the divorce/adultery imagery against faithless Israel, recounting her infidelity and God's judgment—directly related thematic context within Jeremiah.
Alternative generated candidates
- Therefore thus says the LORD: Ask now among the nations—who has heard the like? Has a virgin ever done such a thing? Is Israel a nation made up of such things?
- Therefore thus says the LORD: Ask among the nations—who has heard the like? Has a great abomination been done in the virgin Israel?
Jer.18.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- היעזב: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- מצור: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שדי: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שלג: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לבנון: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אם: CONJ
- ינתשו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- מים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- זרים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- קרים: ADJ,m,pl
- נוזלים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Job 38:22-23 (verbal): God's rhetorical questions about the 'storehouses' of snow and hail mirror Jeremiah's use of snow/water imagery and the interrogative challenge about natural phenomena being withheld.
- Isaiah 55:10 (thematic): Uses snow and rain from the heavens as controlled, purposeful natural agents—parallel theme of snow/waters as ordered phenomena invoked in Jeremiah's rhetorical comparison.
- Psalm 147:16 (verbal): Speaks of God scattering snow like wool, echoing the specific motif of snow (e.g., Lebanon's snow) as a divine, notable natural feature referenced in Jeremiah 18:14.
- Proverbs 25:25 (thematic): Compares cold water to refreshment for the thirsty—connects to the image of 'cold flowing waters' in Jeremiah, where flowing waters function as a vivid natural emblem.
- Amos 4:7 (structural): Describes God withholding or granting rain/water as a form of judgment; structurally parallels Jeremiah's rhetorical question about foreign waters being cut off as an expression of divine control over water.
Alternative generated candidates
- Can the mightiest snow of Lebanon be forsaken from the rock of the field? Or can cold flowing waters, coming from far away, be cut off?
- Will the snow of Lebanon depart from the rock of Sirion, or will cold, flowing waters that come from distant springs be cut off?
Jer.18.15 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- שכחני: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- עמי: NOUN,m,sg,abs+1s
- לשוא: PREP
- יקטרו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- ויכשלום: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- בדרכיהם: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,cs+3,m,pl
- שבילי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- עולם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ללכת: VERB,qal,inf
- נתיבות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- דרך: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- סלולה: ADJ,ptcp,pass,f,sg
Parallels
- Jeremiah 2:13 (quotation): Directly parallels the theme and language of Israel abandoning God for worthless substitutes (the ‘fountain of living waters’ vs. sacrifices/vanity).
- Hosea 13:6 (thematic): Describes Israel’s forgetfulness of God after prosperity — they forget the LORD and turn elsewhere, echoing Jeremiah’s charge of forgetting and vain worship.
- Deuteronomy 8:11-14 (thematic): Warning that when Israel is blessed they must not forget the LORD and pursue other gods — parallels Jeremiah’s critique of forgetting God and turning to vain practices.
- Psalm 106:21 (thematic): Explicitly states Israel ‘forgot God their Savior’ and served the idols of the nations, reflecting the same reproach of spiritual forgetfulness and idolatry.
- Isaiah 44:9 (thematic): Ridicules the making and worship of idols as vain and useless, corresponding to Jeremiah’s condemnation of sacrifices to emptiness/vanity.
Alternative generated candidates
- My people have forgotten me; they burn incense to what is false and are shamed in their ways; they have walked on ancient tracks to go along paths that are not a road.
- My people have forgotten me; they burn incense to emptiness and have been deceived. They walk in the paths of old to follow a road not cast up.
Jer.18.16 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- לשום: VERB,qal,inf
- ארצם: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,pl
- לשמה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- שריקות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- עולם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כל: DET
- עובר: VERB,qal,ptc,act,m,sg
- עליה: PREP,3,f,sg
- ישם: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- ויניד: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- בראשו: PREP,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Lamentations 2:15 (verbal): Passersby deride Jerusalem—'they clap their hands, hiss, and wag their heads'—very similar imagery of onlookers shaking their heads at a desolated land.
- Jeremiah 7:34 (thematic): Speaks of the LORD making the land a perpetual desolation and causing the voice of mirth to cease—same theme of national desolation and public shame.
- Psalm 44:14 (thematic): The nation is made a reproach and derision among its neighbors—parallels the humiliation and shame experienced by the land and its people.
- Ezekiel 26:12-14, 21 (structural): Oracle against Tyre depicts utter destruction and visible desolation (turned into a haunt for fishermen), an image of land ruined so that all who pass by can see and be astonished/ashamed.
Alternative generated candidates
- I will make their land a desolation, an object of perpetual hissing; every passerby will be appalled and will wag his head.
- I will make their land an object of astonishment and a perpetual desolation; every passerby will be appalled and shake his head.
Jer.18.17 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כרוח: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- קדים: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- אפיצם: VERB,qal,impf,1,sg
- לפני: PREP
- אויב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ערף: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- ולא: CONJ
- פנים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- אראם: VERB,qal,impf,1,sg
- ביום: PREP
- אידם: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Deut. 28:64 (verbal): Uses the exact covenant-curse motif 'the LORD will scatter you among all peoples,' closely paralleling Jeremiah's image of dispersal before the enemy and loss of favor.
- Leviticus 26:33 (verbal): God declares 'I will scatter you among the nations' as part of covenant punishment—language and idea parallel Jeremiah's promise to spread them before the foe and not show compassion.
- Deut. 28:25 (thematic): Describes defeat and flight before enemies as a covenant consequence—the theme of being driven/scattered before foes echoes Jeremiah's 'I will spread them before the enemy.'
- Ezekiel 12:15 (thematic): Prophetic pronouncement that God will 'disperse them among the nations,' using scattering as the means of judgment—structurally and theologically close to Jeremiah's verse.
- Amos 9:9 (allusion): God says he will 'sift' (scatter) the house of Israel among the nations; though the metaphor differs (sifting vs. wind‑scattering), the judgmental dispersal motif is parallel.
Alternative generated candidates
- Like an east wind I will scatter them before their enemies; in the day of their calamity I will not show them favor or look upon them.
- I will scatter them before the enemy, like an east wind drives them; I will show them no pity and will not spare them in the day of their calamity.
Jer.18.18 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמרו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,pl
- לכו: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,pl
- ונחשבה: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,1,c,pl
- על: PREP
- ירמיהו: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מחשבות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- כי: CONJ
- לא: PART_NEG
- תאבד: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- תורה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מכהן: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ועצה: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מחכם: PREP+ADJ,m,sg
- ודבר: VERB,qal,fut,3,m,sg
- מנביא: PREP+NOUN,m,sg
- לכו: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,pl
- ונכהו: VERB,qal,perf,1,m,pl+obj3,m,sg
- בלשון: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ואל: CONJ+PREP
- נקשיבה: VERB,qal,impf,1,c,pl
- אל: NEG
- כל: DET
- דבריו: NOUN,m,pl,abs+3m
Parallels
- Jeremiah 20:10–11 (thematic): Jeremiah reports enemies whispering and plotting against him; both passages portray conspiracies to silence and discredit the prophet.
- Jeremiah 38:4–6 (structural): Princes and officials conspire to neutralize Jeremiah (seeking to put him to death or imprison him); a narrative parallel of hostile leaders plotting against the prophet.
- Psalm 64:2–4 (verbal): Enemies 'devise' plots in secret and 'sharpen their tongues'—language and imagery closely echo the idea of devising devices and striking Jeremiah with the tongue.
- Psalm 35:11–12 (thematic): False witnesses and hostile words are marshaled against the righteous; parallels the motif of slander and verbal attack ('let us smite him with the tongue').
Alternative generated candidates
- They said, ‘Come, and let us devise plots against Jeremiah; for the law will not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, let us strike him with the tongue, and let us not pay heed to any of his words.’
- And they said, 'Come, let us devise plots against Jeremiah; the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, and let us strike him with the tongue, and let us not listen to any of his words.'
Jer.18.19 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הקשיבה: VERB,hiph,impv,2,_,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- ושמע: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,sg
- לקול: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יריבי: NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 17:1 (verbal): A direct plea for God to 'hear' the speaker's righteous cause—parallels the petitionary verb and request for divine attention.
- Psalm 5:1–2 (verbal): Begins with 'Give ear to my words, O LORD; consider my meditation'—similar imperative appeal for God to listen to the petitioner.
- Habakkuk 1:2 (thematic): 'O LORD, how long shall I cry, and you will not hear?'—expresses the same anguished theme of crying out to God and seeking his hearing/responsiveness.
- Psalm 35:22 (thematic): 'O LORD, hear and answer me; for I am poor and needy'—a petition asking God to hear against adversaries and to vindicate the sufferer, matching Jeremiah’s concern about enemies.
- Exodus 2:23–25 (structural): The Israelites' cry from bondage and God's hearing/remembering their plight provides a narrative pattern: oppressed plea to God, God hears and acts—structurally analogous to Jeremiah’s appeal for God’s attention amid opposition.
Alternative generated candidates
- Hear me, O LORD, and listen; give heed to my dispute.
- Hear me, O LORD, and give ear to the voice of those who contend with me.
Jer.18.20 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הישלם: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- תחת: PREP
- טובה: ADJ,f,sg,abs
- רעה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- כרו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- שוחה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לנפשי: PREP+NOUN,f,sg+PRON,1,sg
- זכר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עמדי: PREP+1cs
- לפניך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
- לדבר: INF,qal
- עליהם: PREP,3,m,pl
- טובה: ADJ,f,sg,abs
- להשיב: VERB,qal,inf
- את: PRT,acc
- חמתך: NOUN,f,sg,abs,2ms
- מהם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Psalm 35:7 (verbal): Uses the same imagery of enemies digging a pit/net for the psalmist's life — language and idea parallel 'they have dug a pit for my life.'
- Psalm 7:15-16 (verbal): Speaks of one who digs a pit and falls into it himself; closely related imagery about the fate of those who plot evil.
- Proverbs 26:27 (verbal): Proverbial statement that 'whoever digs a pit will fall into it' echoes the moral and proverbial framework behind the pit-imagery in Jer 18:20.
- Exodus 32:11-14 (thematic): Moses stands before the LORD to plead and turn away divine wrath on behalf of the people — parallels Jeremiah's claim that he stood before God to 'speak good for them' and avert anger.
- Romans 12:17-21 (thematic): Paul's exhortation not to repay evil for evil and to overcome evil with good resonates with the moral question in Jer 18:20 about recompensing good with evil and the appeal to righteous treatment.
Alternative generated candidates
- Is it recompense, O LORD, for good to repay evil? For they have dug a pit to take my life; remember that I stood before you to plead for them, to turn away your wrath from them.
- Shall good be repaid with evil? For they have dug a pit for my life. Remember that I stood before you to speak good for them, to turn away your wrath from them.
Jer.18.21 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- לכן: ADV
- תן: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- בניהם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+3,pl
- לרעב: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- והגרם: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- על: PREP
- ידי: NOUN,f,pl,cons
- חרב: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ותהינה: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,3,f,pl
- נשיהם: NOUN,f,pl,abs,prsfx=3mp
- שכלות: ADJ,f,pl,abs
- ואלמנות: CONJ+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- ואנשיהם: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,abs,3mp
- יהיו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- הרגי: NOUN,m,pl,cstr
- מות: VERB,qal,infabs
- בחוריהם: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs,3mp
- מכי: NOUN,m,pl,cstr
- חרב: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- במלחמה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Jeremiah 19:9 (verbal): Very close verbal and thematic parallel — pronounces that people will eat the flesh of their sons and daughters in the siege, a similar imprecation of familial devastation.
- Deuteronomy 28:53-57 (thematic): Part of the covenant curses describing famine, captivity and extreme familial suffering (including eating offspring) as consequences of covenant unfaithfulness — background for Jeremiah’s curse language.
- Isaiah 13:15-16 (thematic): Describes violent defeat in war with families slaughtered and children dashed before their eyes — parallels the image of men killed and young men destroyed by the sword.
- Ezekiel 5:10 (thematic): Announces that some of the city’s people will fall by the sword and others will be consumed by famine and pestilence — similar catalogue of death and bereavement as divine judgment.
- Lamentations 4:10 (thematic): Depicts extreme suffering in the siege, including mothers boiling their children — another lament/description of the horrific domestic consequences of siege and judgment.
Alternative generated candidates
- Therefore give their children to the famine and deliver them into the power of the sword; let their wives be bereaved and become widows; let their men be slain and their young men struck down in battle.
- Therefore give their children to the famine and deliver them over to the power of the sword; let their wives be bereaved and made widows, and let their men be slain—let their young men fall by the sword in battle.
Jer.18.22 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- תשמע: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- זעקה: NOUN,f,sg,const
- מבתיהם: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,3,m,pl
- כי: CONJ
- תביא: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- עליהם: PREP,3,m,pl
- גדוד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- פתאם: ADV
- כי: CONJ
- כרו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- שוחה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ללכדני: PREP+VERB,qal,inf+PRON,1,sg
- ופחים: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- טמנו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- לרגלי: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,cs,1
Parallels
- Psalm 7:15-16 (verbal): Enemy digs a pit to trap another and then falls into it — closely parallels Jeremiah's image of digging a pit to catch the speaker and hidden snares.
- Psalm 35:7-8 (verbal): Speaks of enemies hiding a net in a pit to ensnare the psalmist and calls for sudden destruction — similar language of pits, nets/snares, and sudden assault.
- Psalm 64:5-7 (verbal): Describes adversaries plotting in secret, digging a pit and setting snares for the psalmist’s steps; God thwarts their devices — strong verbal and thematic parallel.
- Proverbs 26:27 (thematic): Proverbial principle that one who digs a pit will fall into it — echoes the motif of hostile schemes turning back on their makers found in Jeremiah 18:22.
Alternative generated candidates
- Let a cry be heard from their houses, because you will bring a troop suddenly upon them; for they have dug a pit to take me and set snares for my feet.
- Let a cry be heard from their houses, when you suddenly bring a troop upon them; for they have dug a pit to catch me and have hidden snares for my feet.
Jer.18.23 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואתה: CONJ+PRON,2,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ידעת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- כל: DET
- עצתם: NOUN,f,sg,abs+3mp
- עלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- למות: VERB,qal,inf
- אל: NEG
- תכפר: VERB,qal,yiqtol,3,f,sg
- על: PREP
- עונם: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,pl
- וחטאתם: NOUN,f,sg,abs,3mp
- מלפניך: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs,2,m
- אל: NEG
- תמחי: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- ויהיו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- מכשלים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- לפניך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
- בעת: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אפך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
- עשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- בהם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Jeremiah 11:18-20 (verbal): Same prophet recounts a plot to kill Jeremiah and petitions Yahweh to execute righteous judgment on the conspirators; closely parallels the complaint about their counsel and the plea that God deal with them.
- Jeremiah 20:10-13 (verbal): Jeremiah again laments that many conspire to harm him and calls for God's vindication; shares words and theme of persecution, pleading for divine retribution in anger.
- Psalm 69:22-28 (thematic): An imprecatory psalm asking God to pour out wrath on enemies, desolate their camp and blot them out of the book of life—parallels the plea ‘do not forgive… do not blot them out’ and appeal for God’s punitive anger.
- Psalm 109:6-20 (thematic): A sustained imprecation calling for adversaries to be appointed wicked judges, brought low and blotted out; thematically parallels Jeremiah’s request that God not pardon the guilty but punish them in his anger.
Alternative generated candidates
- But you, O LORD, know all their counsel against me; do not forgive their iniquity, and do not blot out their sin from before you; let them fall before you in the time of your anger; deal with them as you see fit.
- But you, O LORD, know all their counsel against me to put me to death; do not forgive their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before you. Let them be overthrown before you; deal with them in the time of your anger.
Jer.19.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כה: ADV
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- הלוך: VERB,qal,part,3,m,sg
- וקנית: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,sg
- בקבק: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יוצר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חרש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ומזקני: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,cs
- העם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ומזקני: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,cs
- הכהנים: NOUN,m,pl,def
Parallels
- Jeremiah 18:1-6 (structural): Same potter imagery and prophetic instruction to ‘go down to the potter’s house’ where God will teach through the potter’s work — parallel setting and metaphor of the potter shaping clay.
- Jeremiah 19:11 (structural): Immediate parallel within the same prophetic action: the bought earthen vessel is to be broken as a symbolic sign of coming judgment on Jerusalem and the temple mount.
- Jeremiah 32:6-15 (thematic): Another prophetic purchase (Jeremiah buys a field) used as a sign-act; parallels the use of a transaction as symbolic prophetic communication about land, covenant, and future restoration/judgment.
- Romans 9:20-21 (allusion): New Testament allusion to the potter-and-clay motif (the potter’s authority over clay) echoing the theological background of prophetic potter imagery found in Jeremiah.
Alternative generated candidates
- Thus says the LORD: Go and buy a potter’s flask from the potter, and take some of the elders of the people and some of the elders of the priests.
- Thus says the LORD: Go and buy a potter's earthen flask; take also with you some of the elders of the people and of the elders of the priests,
Jer.19.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויצאת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- גיא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הנם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- פתח: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שער: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- החרסית: NOUN,f,sg,def
- וקראת: VERB,qal,perf,2,ms
- שם: ADV
- את: PRT,acc
- הדברים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- אדבר: VERB,qal,impf,1,sg
- אליך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Jeremiah 18:1-2 (verbal): Both verses open with a prophetic command to 'go' to a potter-related place (house/field) to receive and proclaim God’s message—parallel movement and setting (potter imagery/location).
- Jeremiah 7:31-32 (thematic): Same geographic focus (Tophet/Valley of Ben‑Hinnom) and theme of child sacrifice; Jeremiah condemns the practice and declares the site's destruction, echoing the warning context of 19:2–6.
- Jeremiah 32:35 (verbal): Reiterates the language of burning sons in the Valley of Ben‑Hinnom and God’s denunciation of that practice, closely paralleling the moral accusation and locational imagery of 19:2–6.
- 2 Kings 23:10 (allusion): Refers to Topheth in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom and actions taken regarding cultic child sacrifice at that site—historical/background parallel to Jeremiah’s prophetic use of the location.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then go out to the Valley of the Son of Hinnom at the entrance of the Potsherd Gate and proclaim there the words that I tell you.
- and go out to the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, at the entrance of the Potsherd Gate, and proclaim there the words that I tell you.
Jer.19.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואמרת: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- שמעו: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,pl
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- מלכי: NOUN,pl,m,cons
- יהודה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- וישבי: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ירושלם: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- כה: ADV
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- צבאות: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- אלהי: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הנני: PRT+PRON,1,sg
- מביא: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- רעה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- על: PREP
- המקום: NOUN,m,sg,def
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
- אשר: PRON,rel
- כל: DET
- שמעה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- תצלנה: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,pl
- אזניו: NOUN,f,du,abs+PRON,3,m
Parallels
- Jeremiah 19:7 (verbal): Direct repetition within the same prophetic speech—both verses announce, 'Behold, I will bring a disaster/evil on this place,' using near-identical language and intent.
- Jeremiah 7:14–15 (thematic): Announces judgment on 'this house'/'this place' because of covenant unfaithfulness; both passages declare that God will bring calamity on Jerusalem and remove its inhabitants.
- Jeremiah 25:8–11 (thematic): Similar announcement of divine punishment on Judah and Jerusalem—God declares he will bring the words of judgment upon the land and send the people into exile, echoing the theme of impending disaster on 'this place.'
- Ezekiel 7:6–7 (thematic): Prophetic proclamation of an imminent 'evil day' and sudden calamity on the land; parallels Jeremiah's formulaic announcement of disaster falling on the place because of sin.
Alternative generated candidates
- And say, ‘Hear the word of the LORD, O kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will bring upon this place disaster so that every ear that hears of it shall tingle.
- And say, 'Hear the word of the LORD, O kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will bring such calamity upon this place that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle.'
Jer.19.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- יען: CONJ
- אשר: PRON,rel
- עזבני: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- וינכרו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- המקום: NOUN,m,sg,def
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
- ויקטרו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- בו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- לאלהים: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אחרים: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- לא: PART_NEG
- ידעום: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,pl,OBJ=3,m,pl
- המה: PRON,3,m,pl
- ואבותיהם: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,3,m,pl
- ומלכי: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהודה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- ומלאו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- המקום: NOUN,m,sg,def
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
- דם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נקים: ADJ,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Jeremiah 7:30-34 (verbal): Same prophetic denunciation of Jerusalem/Topheth: the place defiled by child burning and abandonment of YHWH; closely parallels language and theme about filling the place with innocent blood.
- Jeremiah 32:34-35 (verbal): Explicit restatement of the charge: people built high places to other gods and passed their children through the fire, filling the land with innocent blood — essentially the same accusation as 19:4.
- 2 Kings 21:6,11-16 (thematic): Describes Manasseh’s establishment of idolatrous worship and child sacrifice and the shedding of innocent blood in Jerusalem, providing the historical background and royal exemplification of the wrongdoing condemned in Jeremiah 19:4.
- Ezekiel 16:20-21 (thematic): Condemns giving sons and daughters to Molech and profaning the land with blood, echoing the moral/religious outrage against child sacrifice and idolatry found in Jeremiah 19:4.
Alternative generated candidates
- Because they have forsaken me and made this place a thing foreign, they burn incense to other gods whom neither they nor their fathers nor the kings of Judah have known, and they have filled this place with the blood of the innocent.
- Because they have forsaken me and made this place a thing to be spit out; they have burned incense in it to other gods whom neither they nor their fathers nor the kings of Judah have known, and they have filled this place with the blood of the innocent;
Jer.19.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ובנו: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,3,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- במות: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הבעל: NOUN,m,sg,def
- לשרף: INF,qal
- את: PRT,acc
- בניהם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+3,pl
- באש: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- עלות: NOUN,f,sg,cons
- לבעל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- לא: PART_NEG
- צויתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- ולא: CONJ
- דברתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,c,sg
- ולא: CONJ
- עלתה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- על: PREP
- לבי: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1cs
Parallels
- Leviticus 18:21 (verbal): Explicit prohibition against giving children to Molech; parallels Jeremiah’s condemnation of child sacrifice to a foreign deity and the claim that such rites are not commanded by YHWH.
- Leviticus 20:2-5 (thematic): Prescribes capital punishment for offering children to Molech; provides the legal/penal background to the prophet’s denunciation of child sacrifice.
- Deuteronomy 12:31 (verbal): Speaks of the abominable practices of other nations, including burning sons and daughters in the fire to their gods, and stresses that such things are not commanded by YHWH—language closely echoing Jeremiah’s ‘not commanded’ motif.
- 2 Kings 21:6 (thematic): Reports King Manasseh’s practice of sacrificing his sons by passing them through fire (to pagan gods), an historical example of the rite Jeremiah condemns.
- Ezekiel 16:20-21 (allusion): God’s prophetic indictment of Jerusalem for sacrificing children to Molech; echoes Jeremiah’s moral outrage and the image of burning children for a foreign deity.
Alternative generated candidates
- They have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as offerings to Baal, something I did not command or speak of, nor did it enter my mind.
- and they have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as offerings to Baal, which I did not command or speak, nor did it come into my mind.
Jer.19.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- לכן: ADV
- הנה: PART
- ימים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- באים: VERB,qal,part,3,m,pl
- נאם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ולא: CONJ
- יקרא: VERB,niphal,impf,3,m,sg
- למקום: PREP
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
- עוד: ADV
- התפת: NOUN,f,sg,def
- וגיא: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הנם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- כי: CONJ
- אם: CONJ
- גיא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ההרגה: NOUN,f,sg,def
Parallels
- Jeremiah 7:32 (verbal): Nearly identical declaration: the place will no longer be called Tophet or the Valley of Ben Hinnom but the Valley of Slaughter (same wording and prophetic threat).
- Jeremiah 32:35 (verbal): Uses the same Tophet/Valley of Ben Hinnom language while condemning child sacrifice there — links the place-name with the sin that prompts judgment.
- 2 Kings 23:10 (verbal): Describes Josiah defiling Topheth in the Valley of Hinnom to stop child sacrifice; provides historical background for the place-name and its associated abominations.
- Isaiah 30:33 (verbal): Refers to Tophet as a place of fire prepared for judgment, echoing the Tophet/valley imagery tied to punishment.
- Matthew 5:22 (allusion): New Testament use of Gehenna (the Greek term derived from the Valley of Hinnom/Tophet) as a symbol of divine judgment — thematic continuation of the valley as place of doom.
Alternative generated candidates
- Therefore behold, days are coming, declares the LORD, when this place will no longer be called Topheth, or the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter.
- Therefore behold, days are coming, declares the LORD, when this place shall no more be called Topheth or the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter.
Jer.19.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ובקתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,c,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- עצת: NOUN,f,sg,cstr
- יהודה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- וירושלם: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- במקום: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
- והפלתים: VERB,hif,impf,3,m,pl
- בחרב: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לפני: PREP
- איביהם: NOUN,m,pl,suff_3mp
- וביד: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מבקשי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- נפשם: NOUN,f,sg,abs+3,m,pl
- ונתתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- נבלתם: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,pl
- למאכל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg
- לעוף: INF,qal
- השמים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- ולבהמת: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,f,sg,def
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 28:26 (verbal): Part of the covenant curses: 'your carcasses shall be food for all the birds...'—a direct verbal parallel to bodies given as food for birds and beasts.
- Psalm 79:2 (verbal): Speaks of enemies giving the dead bodies of God's servants to the fowls of the air—closely echoes the imagery of desecrated corpses for birds.
- Ezekiel 39:17-20 (thematic): God summons birds and beasts to feast on the fallen of Gog—uses the same prophetic motif of corpses as food for birds and beasts in divine judgment.
- Isaiah 66:24 (verbal): Describes corpses left as food for birds and beasts and as an object of horror—language and theological intent parallel Jeremiah's pronouncement.
- 2 Kings 9:36 (thematic): The fate of Jezebel—her body despoiled and consumed by dogs/birds—illustrates the concrete realization of the prophetic motif of enemies and animals consuming the dead.
Alternative generated candidates
- And I will bring the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem to nothing in this place; I will cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies and by the hands of those seeking their lives. I will give their dead bodies for food to the birds of the heavens and to the beasts of the earth.
- And I will make void the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem in this place; and I will cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies, and by those who seek their life. I will give their dead bodies for food to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the earth.
Jer.19.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ושמתי: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- העיר: NOUN,f,sg,def
- הזאת: DEM,f,sg,def
- לשמה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ולשרקה: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- כל: DET
- עבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עליה: PREP,3,f,sg
- ישם: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- וישרק: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- על: PREP
- כל: DET
- מכתה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Zephaniah 2:15 (verbal): Uses nearly identical language about a city becoming a desolation and every passerby hissing and wagging the hand—same imagery of public derision and ruin.
- Isaiah 47:9–11 (verbal): Speaks of a proud city made a desolation, with those who pass by hissing at it—verbal and thematic overlap in humiliation and public scorn.
- Lamentations 2:15 (verbal): Depicts passersby hissing and wagging heads at Jerusalem, echoing the motif of communal derision directed at a ruined city.
- Deuteronomy 28:37 (verbal): Covenantal curse language: Israel/ a people 'shall become an astonishment' and a byword among nations—parallels the 'make the city an astonishment' theme.
- Ezekiel 26:21 (thematic): God declares he will make a great city a terror/desolation so it will be no more—thematic parallel of divine judgment resulting in the city's ruin and public reproach.
Alternative generated candidates
- And I will make this city a desolation and a hissing; every passerby will be appalled at all its plagues.
- And I will make this city a desolation and a heap; everyone who passes by it will be horrified and will hiss because of all its plagues.
Jer.19.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- והאכלתים: VERB,hiphil,perf,2,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- בשר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בניהם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+3,pl
- ואת: CONJ
- בשר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בנתיהם: NOUN,f,pl,abs+PRON,3,m,pl
- ואיש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בשר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- רעהו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3ms
- יאכלו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- במצור: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ובמצוק: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- יציקו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- להם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- איביהם: NOUN,m,pl,suff_3mp
- ומבקשי: CONJ+PART,ptc,pres,m,pl,cons
- נפשם: NOUN,f,sg,abs+3,m,pl
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 28:53-57 (verbal): Part of the covenant curses predicting siege-induced cannibalism—language about eating the fruit of sons and daughters closely parallels Jeremiah’s description of parents eating their children in distress.
- Leviticus 26:29 (verbal): A priestly-law formulation of the covenant curse that parents will eat their children during siege; closely echoes Jeremiah’s imagery as a punishment motif.
- 2 Kings 6:28-29 (thematic): Narrative account of a siege of Samaria that includes a woman’s plea about cooking her son—an historical illustration of the same horrific siege-cannibalism scenario Jeremiah condemns.
- Lamentations 4:10 (verbal): Poetic depiction of Jerusalem’s suffering in which compassionate women cook their own children—uses similar imagery to portray the extreme famine and horror referenced in Jeremiah 19:9.
- Ezekiel 5:10 (verbal): Prophetic pronouncement that fathers will eat sons and sons will eat fathers as judgment—a close verbal and thematic parallel to Jeremiah’s warning of cannibalism in siege and distress.
Alternative generated candidates
- And I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and each shall eat the flesh of his neighbor in the siege and in the distress with which their enemies and those who seek their lives shall distress them.
- And I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters; and everyone shall eat the flesh of his neighbor in the siege and in the distress with which their enemies and those who seek their life shall distress them.
Jer.19.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ושברת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- הבקבק: NOUN,m,sg,def
- לעיני: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,cons
- האנשים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- ההלכים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- אותך: PRON,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Isaiah 30:14 (verbal): Uses the same image of breaking a potter’s vessel as a metaphor for irreversible judgment—language and imagery closely parallel Jeremiah’s breaking of the jar.
- Jeremiah 19:11 (structural): Immediate continuation of the same prophetic sign-act; the command to break the jar and its explanation of irrevocable destruction occur in the next verse, making it a direct parallel within the same scene.
- Amos 8:1-2 (thematic): Amos employs a concrete object (a basket of summer fruit) as a prophetic sign to symbolize impending national disaster—analogous use of a visible, acted-upon object to dramatize judgment.
- Ezekiel 24:3-5 (structural): Ezekiel is instructed to use a cooking pot and related actions as a symbolic enactment of Jerusalem’s fate; like Jeremiah’s breaking of the jar, this is a prophetic sign-act using pottery/cooking imagery to represent destruction.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then you shall break the flask before the eyes of the men who go with you,
- Then you shall break the flask in the sight of the men who go with you,
Jer.19.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואמרת: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- אליהם: PREP,3,m,pl
- כה: ADV
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- צבאות: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ככה: ADV
- אשבר: VERB,qal,impf,1,_,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- העם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
- ואת: CONJ
- העיר: NOUN,f,sg,def
- הזאת: DEM,f,sg,def
- כאשר: CONJ
- ישבר: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- כלי: NOUN,m,pl,const
- היוצר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- לא: PART_NEG
- יוכל: VERB,qal,impf,3,ms
- להרפה: VERB,inf
- עוד: ADV
- ובתפת: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,f,sg,def
- יקברו: VERB,niphal,impf,3,m,pl
- מאין: ADV,interrog
- מקום: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לקבור: VERB,qal,inf
Parallels
- Jeremiah 18:3-6 (verbal): Potter imagery—God reshapes or breaks clay in the potter's hand; closely related conceptual language to the broken potter's vessel in 19:11.
- Isaiah 30:14 (verbal): Uses the same image of breaking a potter's vessel so it cannot be healed—an explicit parallel for destructive divine judgment.
- Jeremiah 7:31-32 (thematic): Mentions Tophet and burial 'because there is no room to bury,' echoing the same consequence and locale used in 19:11.
- 2 Kings 23:10 (structural): References Topheth in the Valley of Ben‑Hinnom as a site associated with child sacrifice and judgment—background for Jeremiah's Tophet imagery.
- Romans 9:21-23 (allusion): Paul's potter-and-clay discussion echoes the OT potter motif (Jeremiah/Isaiah), reflecting divine sovereignty to shape or break vessels.
Alternative generated candidates
- and say to them, Thus says the LORD of hosts: So will I break this people and this city, as one breaks a potter’s vessel that cannot be restored; and they shall bury them in Topheth, because there is no place to bury.
- and say to them, Thus says the LORD of hosts: So will I break this people and this city, as one breaks a potter's vessel that cannot be healed again; and they shall bury in Topheth because there will be no place for burying.
Jer.19.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כן: ADV
- אעשה: VERB,qal,impf,1,_,sg
- למקום: PREP
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
- נאם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- וליושביו: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs,3ms
- ולתת: VERB,qal,inf
- את: PRT,acc
- העיר: NOUN,f,sg,def
- הזאת: DEM,f,sg,def
- כתפת: NOUN,f,pl,cons
Parallels
- Jeremiah 19:8 (verbal): Same prophetic threat in the same chapter: God will make the city a desolation/heap (uses similar language about rendering the place a ruin).
- Jeremiah 19:11 (verbal): Neighboring verse where the prophet smashes the jar and declares God will break the people and make the city a heap—closely parallel imagery and performative act.
- Leviticus 26:31-33 (thematic): Covenant curse language promising cities become wastes and inhabitants scattered—background motif for Jeremiah's pronouncement of desolation.
- Deuteronomy 28:37 (thematic): Part of the Deuteronomic curse tradition: the nation and its cities become a byword/horror among nations, echoing the disgrace and ruin announced in Jer 19:12.
- 2 Chronicles 36:19-21 (structural): Historical fulfillment account describing Jerusalem made a desolation and people exiled to Babylon—narrative realization of Jeremiah’s prophecy to make the city a heap.
Alternative generated candidates
- Thus I will do to this place, declares the LORD, and to its inhabitants, making this city like Topheth.
- Thus I will do to this place, declares the LORD, and to its inhabitants; and I will make this city like Topheth.
Jer.19.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- והיו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- בתי: NOUN,f,sg,abs,1cs
- ירושלם: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ובתי: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,cs
- מלכי: NOUN,pl,m,cons
- יהודה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- כמקום: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- התפת: NOUN,f,sg,def
- הטמאים: ADJ,m,pl,def
- לכל: PREP
- הבתים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- קטרו: VERB,qal,perf,3,pl
- על: PREP
- גגתיהם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,3,m,pl
- לכל: PREP
- צבא: NOUN,m,sg,const
- השמים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- והסך: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,def
- נסכים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- לאלהים: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אחרים: ADJ,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Jeremiah 7:18-20 (verbal): Same prophetic context condemning people who "burn incense on the roofs" to the host of heaven; repeats motif of rooftop offerings and divine judgment.
- 2 Kings 21:3-5 (thematic): Describes King Manasseh making altars for all the host of heaven and burning incense, showing royal and urban participation in astral/idolatrous cults like Jeremiah condemns.
- Ezekiel 8:16-18 (allusion): Ezekiel's vision exposes houses in Jerusalem filled with worship of the sun/host of heaven and consequent defilement—parallels Jeremiah's charge that Jerusalem's houses became places of pollution.
- Deuteronomy 4:19 (structural): Law forbidding worship of the sun, moon and heavenly host; provides the covenantal background against which prophetic denunciations of astral worship are judged.
- Jeremiah 44:17-19 (thematic): Later Jeremiah passage criticizing Judeans in Egypt for offering cakes and pouring out drink offerings to the 'queen of heaven'—another example of persistent household-level offerings to foreign/heavenly deities.
Alternative generated candidates
- And the houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah shall become like the place of Topheth—defiled to all the houses that burn incense on their roofs to all the host of the heavens and pour out drink offerings to other gods.
- And the houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah shall become defiled like the place of Topheth—those who offer sacrifice on the roofs to all the host of heaven and who pour out drink offerings to other gods.
Jer.19.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויבא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- ירמיהו: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מהתפת: NOUN,f,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- שלחו: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,pl
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- שם: ADV
- להנבא: VERB,qal,inf
- ויעמד: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- בחצר: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- כל: DET
- העם: NOUN,m,sg,def
Parallels
- Jeremiah 7:2 (verbal): Similar imperative/location language — prophet told to stand at the house/gate of the LORD and proclaim to the people (parallel wording and setting).
- Jeremiah 26:2-3 (structural): Same scena of Jeremiah standing in the court of the LORD's house to pronounce a divine warning to all the cities/people; repeats setting and prophetic action from 19:14 onward.
- Jeremiah 1:1 (verbal): Identifies Jeremiah's origin in Anathoth; 19:14 recalls his coming from Anathoth where the LORD had sent him, linking back to his commission/background.
- 2 Chronicles 36:15-16 (thematic): Theme of God sending prophets to warn the people and the people's rejection/persecution of those messengers — echoes the context and outcome of Jeremiah's temple proclamations.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then Jeremiah came from Topheth, where the LORD had sent him to prophesy, and he stood in the court of the LORD’s house and spoke to all the people.
- Then Jeremiah came from Topheth, where the LORD had sent him to prophesy, and he stood in the court of the house of the LORD and said to all the people,
Jer.19.15 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כה: ADV
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- צבאות: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- אלהי: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הנני: PRT+PRON,1,sg
- מביא: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- העיר: NOUN,f,sg,def
- הזאת: DEM,f,sg,def
- ועל: CONJ+PREP
- כל: DET
- עריה: NOUN,f,pl,abs+3f
- את: PRT,acc
- כל: DET
- הרעה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- דברתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,c,sg
- עליה: PREP,3,f,sg
- כי: CONJ
- הקשו: VERB,piel,perf,3,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- ערפם: NOUN,m,sg,suff
- לבלתי: PART,neg
- שמוע: VERB,qal,infc
- את: PRT,acc
- דברי: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,1,c,sg
Parallels
- Jeremiah 11:10-11 (verbal): Close verbal parallel within Jeremiah: God declares He will bring upon them the words/evil He has spoken because they broke the covenant and would not obey.
- Jeremiah 7:26-28 (thematic): Same prophetic theme: people hardened their hearts and would not listen to God's word, so God vows to bring judgment and remove them from the place.
- Deuteronomy 31:16-18 (thematic): Covenant framework behind the threat: God warns that if Israel turns to other gods He will bring disaster on the land and hide His face because they refused to listen.
- Leviticus 26:27-28 (structural): Part of the covenant curse structure — explicit promise that persistent disobedience leads God to bring severe punishments upon the people.
- Ezekiel 7:3 (thematic): Prophetic announcement of imminent disaster because of the people's rebellion; echoes Jeremiah's motif of decisive judgment brought by God for persistent refusal to heed His words.
Alternative generated candidates
- Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will bring upon this city and upon all its towns all the evil that I have pronounced against them, because they have stiffened their necks so as not to hear my words.
- Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will bring upon this city and upon all her towns all the evil that I have pronounced against it, because they have hardened their necks so as not to hear my words.'
The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
Arise, go down to the potter's house; there I will let you hear my words. So I went down to the potter's house, and behold, he was working at the wheel. And the vessel that he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter's hand; so he remade it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make it.
Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
Can I not do with you, O house of Israel, as this potter has done? declares the LORD. Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.
At one moment I may speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom, to pluck up and to pull down and to destroy it,
if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it. And at another moment I may speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant.
If it does evil in my sight by not listening to my voice, then I will repent of the good I intended to do to it. Now therefore say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: Thus says the LORD: Behold, I am devising disaster against you and framing a plan against you; return, each one from his evil way, and amend your deeds and your ways.
They say, "It is useless; for we will follow our own plans, and each of us will act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart."
Therefore thus says the LORD: Ask now among the nations—who has heard the like? Has a virgin nation done so? Has Israel done such a thing, a most detestable thing?
Can the snow of Lebanon be forsaken from the rock of its summit, or can the cold waters that come from afar be cut off?
For my people have forgotten me; they offer incense to worthlessness and are ashamed in their ways; they walk in the ancient paths, to go down a road not cast up.
I will make their land a desolation, a thing for perpetual hissing; every passerby will be appalled and shake his head.
I will scatter them before the enemy, with the east wind; I will show them no favor on the day of their calamity.
They said, "Come, and let us devise plans against Jeremiah; for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, and let us strike him with the tongue and let us not give heed to any of his words."
Hear me, O LORD, and give heed to me; hear the voice of those who contend with me.
Shall evil be repaid for good? For they have dug a pit for my life; remember that I stood before you to speak good for them, to turn away your wrath from them.
Therefore give their children to the famine, and deliver them to the sword; let their wives be bereaved and become widows; let their men be slain and their young men fall by the sword in battle.
Let a cry be heard from their houses, when you bring suddenly on them an assembly; for they have dug a pit to ensnare me and hidden snares for my feet.
Yet you, O LORD, know all their counsel that they have devised against me to take my life. Do not forgive their iniquity, and do not blot out their sin from your sight; let them be overthrown before you; deal with them in the time of your anger. Thus says the LORD: Go and take a potter's earthen flask, and take some of the elders of the people and of the elders of the priests,
and go out to the Valley of Ben Hinnom, at the entrance of the Potsherd Gate, and proclaim there the words that I tell you. And say, Hear the word of the LORD, O kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will bring upon this place such disaster that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle.
Because they have forsaken me and have profaned this place and have made offerings in it to other gods whom neither they nor their fathers nor the kings of Judah have known, and have filled this place with the blood of the innocent,
and have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as offerings to Baal, which I did not command or speak of, nor did it come into my mind,
therefore behold, days are coming, declares the LORD, when this place shall no more be called Topheth or the Valley of Ben Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter. And I will make void the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem in this place, and I will make them fall by the sword before their enemies and by the hands of those who seek their lives; and I will give their dead bodies for food to the birds of the heavens and to the beasts of the earth. And I will make this city a desolation and a hissing; every one who passes by shall be horrified and shall hiss because of all its wounds. And I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters; and each shall eat the flesh of his neighbor in the siege and distress with which their enemies and those who seek their lives shall distress them.
Then you shall break the flask in the sight of the men who go with you,
and you shall say to them, Thus says the LORD of hosts: So will I break this people and this city, as one breaks a potter's vessel that cannot be made whole again; and they shall bury in Topheth, because there will be no place to bury. Thus I will do to this place, declares the LORD, and to its inhabitants, and I will make this city like Topheth. And the houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah shall be like the place of Topheth, of which all the houses on whose roofs they burned incense to all the host of heaven and poured out libations to other gods.
Then Jeremiah came from Topheth, where the LORD had sent him to prophesy; and he stood in the court of the house of the LORD, and said to all the people, Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will bring upon this city and upon all its towns all the disaster that I have declared against it, because they have stiffened their necks so that they will not hear my words.