Jeremiah 7:33

Old Testament Major Prophet ASV (1901)

What does Jeremiah 7:33 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And the dead bodies of this people shall be food for the birds of the heavens, and for the beasts of the earth; and none shall frighten them away.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And the dead bodies of this people shall be food for the birds of the heavens, and for the beasts of the earth; and none shall frighten them away.
Jeremiah 7:33 — American Standard Version

Context — Jeremiah 7

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
33And the dead bodies of this people shall be food for the birds of the heavens, and for the beasts of the earth; and none shall frighten them away.

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And the carcasses of this people shall be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth, etc.] That is, those which remain unburied, for which there will be found no place to bury them in; all places, particularly Tophet, being so full of dead bodies; not to have a burial, which is here threatened, was accounted a great judgment: and none shall fray them away; or frighten them away; that is, drive away the fowls and the beasts from the carcasses. The sense is, either that there should be such a vast consumption of men, that there would be none left to do this, and so the fowls and beasts might prey upon the carcasses without any disturbance; or else that those that were…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“fray--scare or frighten (Deu 28:26). Typical of the last great battle between the Lord's host and the apostasy (Rev 19:17-18, Rev 19:21).”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Jeremiah summons the people to lament over the miserable consequences of their rejection of God. In the valley of Hinnom, where lately they offered their innocents, they shall themselves fall before the enemy in such multitudes that burial shall be impossible, and the beasts of the field unmolested shall prey upon their remains. Jeremiah 7:29 The daughter of Zion, defiled by the presence of enemies in her sanctuary, and rejected of God, must shear off the diadem of her hair, the symbol of her consecration to God, just as the Nazarite, when defiled by contact with a corpse, was to shave his crowned head. Take up a lamentation ... - Or, lift up a “lamentation on the bare hill-sides” Jeremiah…”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Jer 8:1, Jer 8:2, Jer 9:22, Jer 12:9, Jer 16:4, Jer 22:19, Jer 25:33, Jer 34:20; Deu 28:26; Psa 79:2, Psa 79:3; Eze 39:4, Eze 39:18-20; Rev 19:17, Rev 19:18 Jeremiah 7:34”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification