Jeremiah 7:33

33 The corpses of these people will become food for the birds of the sky and for the wild animals of the land, with no one to scare them off.^[a]

Jeremiah 7:33 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 7:33

And the carcasses of this people shall be meat for the fowls
of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth
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 left would be so devoid of humanity, as not to do this office for the dead.

Jeremiah 7:33 In-Context

31 They have built the high places of Tophethin the Valley of Hinnomin order to burn their sons and daughters in the fire, a thing I did not command; I never entertained the thought.

32 "Therefore, take note! Days are coming"-the Lord's declaration-"when [this place] will no longer be called Topheth and the Valley of Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter. Topheth will become a cemetery, because there will be no other burial place.

33 The corpses of these people will become food for the birds of the sky and for the wild animals of the land, with no one to scare them off.

34 I will remove from the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem the sound of joy and gladness and the voices of the bridegroom and the bride, for the land will become a desolate waste.

Footnotes

• [a]. Dt 28:26