Jer 19:5-6 | NETfull | STEP | They have built places here for worship of the god Baal so that they could sacrifice their children as burnt offerings to him in the fire. Such sacrifices are something I never commanded them to make! They are something I never told them to do! Indeed, such a thing never even entered my mind!

Jeremiah 19:5-6

5 They have built places here ^{▼▼ The word “here” is not in the text. However, it is implicit from the rest of the context. It is supplied in the translation for clarity.} for worship of the god Baal so that they could sacrifice their children as burnt offerings to him in the fire. Such sacrifices ^{▼▼ The words “such sacrifices” are not in the text. The text merely says “to burn their children in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal which I did not command.” The command obviously refers not to the qualification “to Baal” but to burning the children in the fire as burnt offerings. The words are supplied in the translation to avoid a possible confusion that the reference is to sacrifices to Baal. Likewise the words should not be translated so literally that they leave the impression that God never said anything about sacrificing their children to other gods. The fact is he did. See Lev 18:21; Deut 12:30; 18:10.} are something I never commanded them to make! They are something I never told them to do! Indeed, such a thing never even entered my mind! 6 So I, the Lord, say: ^{▼▼ This phrase (Heb “Oracle of the Lord”) has been handled this way on several occasions when it occurs within first person addresses where the Lord is the speaker. See, e.g., 16:16; 17:24; 18:6.} “The time will soon come that people will no longer call this place Topheth or the Hinnom Valley. But they will call this valley ^{▼▼ Heb “it will no longer be called to this place Topheth or the Valley of Ben Hinnom but the Valley of Slaughter.”} ^{▼▼ See Jer 7:31–32 for an almost word for word repetition of vv. 5–6.} the Valley of Slaughter!