King James Version

What Does Jeremiah 19:6 Mean?

Jeremiah 19:6 in the King James Version says “Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that this place shall no more be called Tophet, nor The valley of the ...” — study this verse from Jeremiah chapter 19 with commentary, cross-references, and original Hebrew word analysis.

“Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that this place shall no more be called Tophet, nor The valley of the son of Hinnom, but The valley of slaughter.”

Jeremiah 19:6 · KJV

Context

4

Because they have forsaken me, and have estranged this place, and have burned incense in it unto other gods, whom neither they nor their fathers have known, nor the kings of Judah, and have filled this place with the blood of innocents;

5

They have built also the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings unto Baal, which I commanded not, nor spake it, neither came it into my mind:

6

Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that this place shall no more be called Tophet, nor The valley of the son of Hinnom, but The valley of slaughter.

7

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 the hands of them that seek their lives: and their carcases will I give to be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth.

8

And I will make this city desolate, and an hissing; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished and hiss because of all the plagues thereof.

Read Jeremiah 19 full chapter

Commentary

KJV Study Commentary
God announces poetic judgment: "Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that this place shall no more be called Tophet, nor The valley of the son of Hinnom, but The valley of slaughter." Tophet (תֹּפֶת) was the specific site in Hinnom's valley where child sacrifice occurred. God will rename it based on coming judgment—from a place of false worship to a place of divine wrath's execution.

"The valley of slaughter" (Gei ha-Haregah, גֵּי הַהֲרֵגָה) indicates the Babylonian invasion will fill this valley with corpses. The place where Judah slaughtered innocent children will become where God executes judgment on the guilty. This demonstrates lex talionis—poetic justice where punishment mirrors crime. The principle recurs in Scripture: those who shed innocent blood have their blood shed (Gen 9:6, Matt 26:52, Rev 13:10).

The renaming signifies permanent infamy. Names in Hebrew thought represent essence and character. Changing Tophet's name from a worship site to a slaughter site marks the place's permanent association with divine judgment. This warns that places of persistent sin become monuments of judgment. For believers, this underscores that unrepented sin brings certain judgment, while Christ provides the only escape from the Valley of Slaughter we deserve.

KJV Study — Public Domain

Historical & Cultural Context

The Babylonian siege and conquest (588-586 BC) involved massive casualties. Starvation during the siege, battle deaths, and executions after Jerusalem's fall filled valleys with corpses. Lamentations describes the horror (Lam 2:11-12, 19-22, 4:4-10). The prophecy's fulfillment vindicated Jeremiah and demonstrated God's word's certainty. Modern archaeological excavations reveal mass burial sites and destruction layers confirming the biblical account of this period's devastation.

Reflection Questions

  1. How does God's poetic justice—making sites of sin become sites of judgment—reveal His righteousness?
  2. What places in your life might need 'renaming' because they've become associated with persistent sin?
  3. How does Christ's bearing our judgment in the 'valley of slaughter' provide escape from what we deserve?

Original Language Analysis

Hebrew · 19 words
לָכֵ֞ן1 of 19
H3651

properly, set upright; hence (figuratively as adjective) just; but usually (as adverb or conjunction) rightly or so (in various applications to manner

הִנֵּֽה2 of 19
H2009

lo!

יָמִ֤ים3 of 19

“Therefore behold the days”

H3117

a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an asso

בָּאִים֙4 of 19

“come”

H935

to go or come (in a wide variety of applications)

נְאֻם5 of 19

“saith”

H5002

an oracle

יְהוָ֔ה6 of 19

“the LORD”

H3068

(the) self-existent or eternal; jeho-vah, jewish national name of god

וְלֹא7 of 19
H3808

not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles

יִקָּרֵא֩8 of 19

“shall no more be called”

H7121

to call out to (i.e., properly, address by name, but used in a wide variety of applications)

לַמָּק֨וֹם9 of 19

“that this place”

H4725

properly, a standing, i.e., a spot; but used widely of a locality (general or specific); also (figuratively) of a condition (of body or mind)

הַזֶּ֥ה10 of 19
H2088

the masculine demonstrative pronoun, this or that

ע֛וֹד11 of 19
H5750

properly, iteration or continuance; used only adverbially (with or without preposition), again, repeatedly, still, more

הַתֹּ֖פֶת12 of 19

“Tophet”

H8612

topheth, a place near jerusalem

גֵּ֥יא13 of 19

“but The valley”

H1516

a gorge (from its lofty sides; hence, narrow, but not a gully or winter-torrent)

בֶן14 of 19

“of the son”

H1121

a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or

הִנֹּ֑ם15 of 19

“of Hinnom”

H2011

hinnom, apparently a jebusite

כִּ֖י16 of 19
H3588

(by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexed

אִם17 of 19
H518

used very widely as demonstrative, lo!; interrogative, whether?; or conditional, if, although; also oh that!, when; hence, as a negative, not

גֵּ֥יא18 of 19

“but The valley”

H1516

a gorge (from its lofty sides; hence, narrow, but