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Thus said the LORD, “Go, and buy a potter’s earthen container, and take some of the elders of the people and of the elders of the priests;
Verse 1. Priests. They were to furnish the vessel, and accompany the prophets. verse 10. Septuagint “and thou shalt take some of,” and so forth Bible.—Words and actions together instruct most powerfully. Saint Jerome Worthington.
and go out to the valley of the son of Hinnom, which is by the entry of the gate Harsith, and proclaim there the words that I will tell you.
Verse 2. Gate, which must have been to the south-east of Jerusalem, leading to the valley. Calmet.—Septuagint “Charseith gate.” Bible.—Here the common people were buried, after the reign of Josias, who contaminated the place where the idol Moloc had been adored.
Say, ‘Hear the LORD’s word, kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: The LORD of Armies, the God of Israel says, “Behold, I will bring evil on this place, which whoever hears, his ears will tingle.
Verse 3. Tingle, as if he had heard a sudden noise or clap of thunder. Calmet.
Because they have forsaken me, and have defiled this place, and have burned incense in it to other gods that they didn’t know—they, their fathers, and the kings of Judah—and have filled this place with the blood of innocents,
Verse 4. Profaned. Lit. “rendered strange.” Bible.—I have no farther regard for it.—Innocents: their own children. verse 5. Calmet. 7:31.
and have built the high places of Baal to burn their children in the fire for burnt offerings to Baal, which I didn’t command, nor speak, which didn’t even enter into my mind.
Verse 5. Mind. Perhaps the people stupidly thought thus to honour him; but God pointedly condemns such sacrifices.
Therefore, behold, the days come,” says the LORD, “that this place will no more be called ‘Topheth’, nor ‘The Valley of the son of Hinnom’, but ‘The valley of Slaughter’.
Verse 6. Valley. Septuagint “burial-place of slaughter.” verse 2. Here the Chaldees slew many.
“‘“I will make the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem void in this place. I will cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies, and by the hand of those who seek their life. I will give their dead bodies to be food for the birds of the sky and for the animals of the earth.
I will make this city an astonishment and a hissing. Everyone who passes by it will be astonished and hiss because of all its plagues.
I will cause them to eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters. They will each eat the flesh of his friend in the siege and in the distress with which their enemies, and those who seek their life, will distress them.”’
Verse 9. Sons, to punish them for their cruel sacrifices. Saint Jerome—This was verified under Sedecias. Lamentations 2:10 and 4:10. Ezekiel 5:10.
“Then you shall break the container in the sight of the men who go with you,
and shall tell them, ‘The LORD of Armies says: “Even so I will break this people and this city as one breaks a potter’s vessel, that can’t be made whole again. They will bury in Topheth until there is no place to bury.
Verse 11. Again. The captives indeed returned, so that this must not be urged too much. Calmet.—Yet the Romans strictly fulfilled this prophecy, (Saint Jerome Sanctius) and the city was built in another place, and styled Ælia. Bible.—God can perform what is impossible to man. Calmet. 18:3. Matthew 19. Worthington.
This is what I will do to this place,” says the LORD, “and to its inhabitants, even making this city as Topheth.
The houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah, which are defiled, will be as the place of Topheth, even all the houses on whose roofs they have burned incense to all the army of the sky and have poured out drink offerings to other gods.”’”
Verse 13. Topheth. This sentence was not in S. Jerom’s Hebrew copy, but in the Septuagint ( Calmet.) with some variations: ( Bible.) “All the houses of the kings of Juda, like the place of Topheth,” is added by the Septuagint Saint Jerome—In Grabe they agree with the present Hebrew and Chal. only rendering, “shall be as a place in ruin, for the defilements in all,” and so forth Bible.—Of heaven: the moon, &chapter 4 Kennicott. 23:12. Josias could not entirely root out this impiety. Calmet. 32:29. His wicked son Joachaz or Sellum, was probably now on the throne, when the prophet went to the potter, and so forth Calmet. 18 to 21.
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 said to all the people:
Verse 14. People. Many still resorted to the temple. Calmet.
“The LORD of Armies, the God of Israel says, ‘Behold, I will bring on this city and on all its towns all the evil that I have pronounced against it, because they have made their neck stiff, that they may not hear my words.’”