These words deliberately mirror Jeremiah 8:16 with the same selection of words containing the s
sound to emphasis the hisses of scorn from those who witness Jerusalem’s destruction when the Lord’s judgment comes.1 It is also clear here that the pagan worship that has taken place at Topheth is representative of what has happened throughout the city and the land. In the same way, the judgment that is spoken of in Jeremiah 19:3–8 is not limited to Topheth but is indicative of what will happen to the whole of Judah.
8 And I will make this city a horror, a thing to be hissed at. Everyone who passes by it will be horrified and will hiss because of all its wounds.