Jeremiah 19:2

2 And go thou out to the valley of the sons of Hinnom, which is beside the entering of the earthen gate (And go thou out to the Valley of Ben-hinnom, which is before, or in front of, the entrance to the Potsherd Gate); and there thou shalt preach the words which I shall speak to thee;

Jeremiah 19:2 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 19:2

And go forth into the valley of the son of Hinnom
To whom it formerly belonged, and so it was called as early as Joshua's time, ( Joshua 15:8 ) ; from the faith and abomination of the place, and the shocking torments here exercised, "hell", from hence, in the New Testament, is called "Gehenna": here the prophet with the elders were to go, for reasons after mentioned; because here their cruel idolatries were committed, and Jerusalem was to be made like unto it for pollution and bloodshed: which [is] by the entry of the east gate;
the way to it out of Jerusalem lay through the east gate of the city. The Targum calls it "the dung gate"; through which the filth of the city was carried out, and laid near it, and where lay the potter's sherds; hence some render it the "potsherd" gate ^F13; or rather it should be the potter's gate; for that reason, because the potter's field and house lay near it, from whence the prophet had his earthen bottle; others call it the "sun gate" ^F14, because it lay to the sun rising; but seeing the valley of Hinnom was to the south of Jerusalem, this seems rather to be the south gate; and a proper situation this was for the potters to dry and harden their pots. The Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic versions, leave it untranslated, and call it the gate Harsith or Hadsith: and proclaim there the words that I shall tell thee;
for as yet it was not made known to him what he should do with his bottle, or say to the elders, until he came to the place he was ordered to.

---

FOOTNOTES:

F13 (tyorxh rev) "portae fictilis", Munster, Pagninus.
F14 "Portae solaris", Montanus, Piscator, Cocceius; so Ben Melech, and Stockius, p. 389.

Jeremiah 19:2 In-Context

1 The Lord saith these things, Go thou, and take an earthen(ware) pottle of a potter, [and] (some) of the elder men of the people, and of the elder men of the priests. (The Lord saith these things, Go thou, and take the clay jar of a potter, and some of the elders of the people, and some of the elders of the priests.)

2 And go thou out to the valley of the sons of Hinnom, which is beside the entering of the earthen gate (And go thou out to the Valley of Ben-hinnom, which is before, or in front of, the entrance to the Potsherd Gate); and there thou shalt preach the words which I shall speak to thee;

3 and thou shalt say, Kings of Judah, and the dwellers of Jerusalem, hear ye the word of the Lord. The Lord of hosts, God of Israel, saith these things, Lo! I shall bring in torment on this place, so that each man that heareth it, his ears tingle. (and thou shalt say, Kings of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, hear ye the word of the Lord. The Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saith these things, Lo! I shall bring in torment upon this place, so that each person who heareth about it, their ears shall tingle.)

4 For they have forsaken me, and made alien this place, and offered sacrifices to alien gods therein, which they, and the fathers of them, and the kings of Judah, knew not; and they filled this place with the blood of innocents, (For they have deserted me, and made this place strange, or foreign, to me, and offered sacrifices to strange, or foreign, gods there, which they, and their forefathers, and the kings of Judah, did not know; and they filled this place with the blood of innocents,)

5 and builded high things to Baalim, to burn their sons in fire, into burnt sacrifice to Baalim (and built the high places, or the hill shrines, to Baal, to burn their children in the fire, for burnt sacrifices to Baal); which things I commanded not, neither spake, neither those (things) ascended into mine heart.