Lexical Summary sheremah: Barren, desolate Original Word: שְׂרֵמָה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance field Probably by an orthographical error for shdemah; a common -- field. see HEBREW shdemah NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originscribal error for shedemah, q.v. Topical Lexicon Definition and Translation שְׂרֵמָה denotes a “heap of ashes” or “mound of refuse.” The imagery is that of the waste left after a fire or the rubble that collects in a place of destruction, emphasizing uncleanness and abandonment. Biblical Occurrence and Context Jeremiah 31:40 contains the sole biblical use: “The whole valley—the dead bodies and ashes—and all the fields as far as the Kidron Valley and the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east, will be holy to the LORD. Never again will this city be uprooted or demolished” (Berean Standard Bible). Here שְׂרֵמָה stands alongside dead bodies as a vivid picture of ceremonial impurity outside Jerusalem’s walls. Historical and Geographical Insights The “valley of the dead bodies and ashes” is generally identified with the southern extension of the Kidron Valley, overlapping the Valley of Hinnom. In earlier generations it was the scene of child sacrifice to Molech (2 Kings 23:10; Jeremiah 7:31). By Jeremiah’s day it had become a refuse dump where corpses and rubbish smoldered. The prophetic promise therefore speaks to a location notorious for defilement and judgment. Theological Implications 1. Cleansing of Defilement: By declaring that a rubbish heap will become “holy to the LORD,” Jeremiah proclaims God’s power to transform the most polluted spaces into sanctuaries. Prophetic Significance in Jeremiah 31 Jeremiah 31 begins with the promise, “I have loved you with an everlasting love” (Jeremiah 31:3), crescendos with the new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34), and culminates in the sanctification of the city’s outskirts. The inclusion of שְׂרֵמָה in the final pledge forms a literary bookend: God’s love moves from the heart of the people to the very dumps outside the walls. The valley once associated with fire and death becomes a picture of the future peace of Jerusalem (cf. Isaiah 65:17-25). Ministry Applications • Hope for the Hopeless: Shattered lives—symbolic “heaps of ashes”—can be made holy through Christ’s redemption (Hebrews 9:14). Related Concepts and Connections • Ashes as Mourning and Repentance: Job 42:6; Jonah 3:6. In Scripture, שְׂרֵמָה illustrates how the Lord’s redeeming purpose reaches the lowest places, converting rubbish heaps into sacred ground and turning tragedy into triumph. Forms and Transliterations הַשְּׁדֵמֹות֩ השדמות haš·šə·ḏê·mō·wṯ hashshedemOt haššəḏêmōwṯLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Jeremiah 31:40 HEB: [הַשְּׁרֵמֹות כ] (הַשְּׁדֵמֹות֩ ק) עַד־ INT: the ashes and all field far as the brook 1 Occurrence |
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