Jeremiah 34:3-13

3 And thou shalt not escape from his hand, but thou shalt be taken by taking, and thou shalt be betaken into his hand (and thou shalt be delivered into his hands); and thine eyes shall see the eyes of the king of Babylon, and his mouth shall speak with thy mouth, and thou shalt enter into Babylon.
4 Nevertheless Zedekiah, the king of Judah, hear thou the word of the Lord; the Lord saith these things to thee, Thou shalt not die by sword,
5 but thou shalt die in peace; and by the burnings of thy fathers (and like the burning of incense for thy forefathers), the former kings that were before thee, so they shall burn (incense for) thee, and they shall bewail thee, (and say,) Woe! (my) lord; for I spake a word, saith the Lord.
6 And Jeremy, the prophet, spake to Zedekiah, king of Judah, all these words in Jerusalem.
7 And the host of the king of Babylon fought against Jerusalem, and against all the cities of Judah, that were left; against Lachish, and against Azekah; for why these strong cities were left of the cities of Judah.
8 The word that was made of the Lord to Jeremy, after that king Zedekiah smote bond of peace with all the people in Jerusalem, and preached, (The word of the Lord that was made to Jeremiah, after that King Zedekiah struck a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem, and had proclaimed,)
9 that each man should deliver his servant, and each man his handmaid, an Hebrew man and an Hebrew woman, free, and that they should not be lords of them, that is, in a Jew, and their brother. (that each person should set free their servants, and their servantesses, yea, any Hebrew man or woman, and that they should not be their lords, that is, of a Jew, their brother, or their sister.)
10 Therefore all the princes and all the people heard, which made covenant, that they should deliver each man his servant, and each man his handmaid, free, and should no more be lords of them; therefore they heard, and delivered (them); (And so when all the leaders and all the people, who had made the covenant, had heard that each person should set their servants, and their servantesses, free, and that they should no more be their lords; yea, when they had heard this, they indeed set them free;)
11 and they were turned afterward, and drew again their servants, and handmaids, which they had let go free, and they made them subject (again) into servants, and into servantesses. (but then afterward, they turned back, and drew again to themselves their servants, and servantesses, whom they had let go free, and they made them subject again into servants, and into servantesses.)
12 And the word of the Lord was made of the Lord to Jeremy, and said, (And so the word of the Lord was made to Jeremiah, and said,)
13 The Lord God of Israel saith these things, I smote a bond of peace with your fathers, in the day in which I led them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of servage; and I said, (The Lord God of Israel saith these things, I struck a covenant with your forefathers, on the day when I led them out of the land of Egypt, from the house of servitude, or of slavery; and I said,)

Jeremiah 34:3-13 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JEREMIAH 34

In this chapter is a prophecy of the taking and burning of Jerusalem; of the captivity of Zedekiah king of Judah; and of the destruction of the whole land, because of their breach of covenant to let servants go free. The time of this prophecy is observed, Jer 34:1,6,7; the taking and burning of the city, Jer 34:2; the carrying captive the king, who yet should not die a violent death, but in peace, and should have an honourable funeral, Jer 34:3-5; the covenant the king, princes, and people entered into, to let their servants go free, according to the law of God, which was at first observed, and afterwards retracted, Jer 34:8-11; which conduct is taken notice of and resented, Jer 34:13-16; and they are threatened with the sore judgments of God, sword, famine, pestilence, and captivity, the king, princes, priests, and people; and with the destruction, not on of Jerusalem, but of the rest of the cities of Judah, Jer 34:17-22.

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.