Jer 7:29 | KingComments | STEP | The people are called to shave themselves bare ( ). The woman’s long hair – this is about “the daughter of Zion” – is her honor, her ornament, and indicates her dedication to the man, here to the LORD ( ). If she cuts it off, it is a disgrace to her ( ). That disgrace must be borne by the people. The people must cut off the hair and thereby remove and reject the outward sign of dedication to the LORD. Outward dedication has value only if it is the representation of the mind of the heart. It has become clear that the people are no longer dedicated to the LORD in anything, but on the contrary have totally removed themselves from the LORD. In Israel, a person can consecrate himself to the LORD as a Nazirite for a certain period of time. As an outward sign, he must then let his hair grow ( ). The LORD wants His whole people to consecrate themselves to Him. But Jerusalem must be shaved bald because she has defiled herself. She must not pretend to be dedicated to the LORD. The city is not dedicated to God and is no longer an ornament to Him. Jeremiah is instructed to complain that the LORD has rejected and forsaken Jerusalem because the city has aroused His wrath because of her behavior. There are several reasons for this wrath. First, there is the evil of the abominable idols that the Judeans have set up in the temple, “in the house which is called by My name” ( ). God has been tarnished in His honor. The people have defied Him by placing abominations in His house and defiling His house in the grossest way ( ). It is truly rude and deeply offensive to cast Him aside in this way, to dishonor Him in this way. They do with His house what they want. Even beyond that they commit the grossest sins ( ). It is truly awful to note that they did not dedicate their sons and daughters to God, but to idols. This happened during the reigns of Ahaz and Manasseh ( ). None of this has any connection whatsoever with the LORD and what is in His heart. It is totally foreign to Him and to what He asks of His people. The judgment on the abominable practices is poignantly told by the LORD to Jeremiah. The sacrificial valley will be called “the valley of the Slaughter”, where all will be buried who have been affected by God’s judgment ( ). The place where they sacrifice their children will become an open mass grave where their own dead bodies will be thrown away. There they will be food for predators ( ). This is an unprecedented defamation for a Jew. There will be no one left to frighten those beasts away when they feast on the bodies ( ). Then no sound of joy will be heard from the cities of Judah and from the streets of Jerusalem ( ), which are now full of expressions of joy for “the queen of heaven” ( ). The LORD also causes to cease the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride. The joy of a wedding includes the happy prospect of the birth of children. But a people who sacrifice their children to idols have lost any right to such a joyful prospect. There is no hope that Judah and Jerusalem will be repopulated. Any joy has vanished; there is a deadly, terrifying silence, with no prospect of change. By repeating the words “the voice of” over and over again, the prophet makes the message especially poignant.

‏ Jeremiah 7:29

Lamentation About the Desolation of Judah

The people are called to shave themselves bare (Jer 7:29). The woman’s long hair – this is about “the daughter of Zion” – is her honor, her ornament, and indicates her dedication to the man, here to the LORD (1Cor 11:15). If she cuts it off, it is a disgrace to her (1Cor 11:6b). That disgrace must be borne by the people. The people must cut off the hair and thereby remove and reject the outward sign of dedication to the LORD. Outward dedication has value only if it is the representation of the mind of the heart. It has become clear that the people are no longer dedicated to the LORD in anything, but on the contrary have totally removed themselves from the LORD.

In Israel, a person can consecrate himself to the LORD as a Nazirite for a certain period of time. As an outward sign, he must then let his hair grow (Num 6:5). The LORD wants His whole people to consecrate themselves to Him. But Jerusalem must be shaved bald because she has defiled herself. She must not pretend to be dedicated to the LORD. The city is not dedicated to God and is no longer an ornament to Him.

Jeremiah is instructed to complain that the LORD has rejected and forsaken Jerusalem because the city has aroused His wrath because of her behavior. There are several reasons for this wrath. First, there is the evil of the abominable idols that the Judeans have set up in the temple, “in the house which is called by My name” (Jer 7:30). God has been tarnished in His honor. The people have defied Him by placing abominations in His house and defiling His house in the grossest way (2Kgs 21:5 ; 2Kgs 23:4-7). It is truly rude and deeply offensive to cast Him aside in this way, to dishonor Him in this way. They do with His house what they want.

Even beyond that they commit the grossest sins (Jer 7:31). It is truly awful to note that they did not dedicate their sons and daughters to God, but to idols. This happened during the reigns of Ahaz and Manasseh (2Kgs 16:3 ; 2Kgs 21:6). None of this has any connection whatsoever with the LORD and what is in His heart. It is totally foreign to Him and to what He asks of His people.

The judgment on the abominable practices is poignantly told by the LORD to Jeremiah. The sacrificial valley will be called “the valley of the Slaughter”, where all will be buried who have been affected by God’s judgment (Jer 7:32). The place where they sacrifice their children will become an open mass grave where their own dead bodies will be thrown away. There they will be food for predators (Jer 7:33). This is an unprecedented defamation for a Jew. There will be no one left to frighten those beasts away when they feast on the bodies (Deu 28:26).

Then no sound of joy will be heard from the cities of Judah and from the streets of Jerusalem (Jer 7:34), which are now full of expressions of joy for “the queen of heaven” (Jer 7:17-18). The LORD also causes to cease the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride. The joy of a wedding includes the happy prospect of the birth of children. But a people who sacrifice their children to idols have lost any right to such a joyful prospect.

There is no hope that Judah and Jerusalem will be repopulated. Any joy has vanished; there is a deadly, terrifying silence, with no prospect of change. By repeating the words “the voice of” over and over again, the prophet makes the message especially poignant.