Jeremia 34:8

8 Das Wort, welches von seiten Jehovas zu Jeremia geschah, nachdem der König Zedekia einen Bund mit dem ganzen Volke, das zu Jerusalem war, gemacht hatte, um ihnen Freiheit auszurufen,

Jeremia 34:8 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 34:8

[This is] the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord
Here begins a new prophecy, which was delivered some time after the former; that was given out while the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem; this after he had quitted the siege for a while, and was gone to meet the king of Egypt, who was coming to the relief of the city, as appears from ( Jeremiah 34:21 Jeremiah 34:22 ) ; though the Jews ^F11 say this was delivered in the seventh year of Zedekiah, in the first month, and tenth day of the month; at the same time that the elders of Israel came to Ezekiel, to inquire of the Lord by him, ( Ezekiel 20:1 ) ; which was two years before the king of Babylon came against Jerusalem; but this seems not likely. It is said to be after that the King Zedekiah made a covenant with all the people that
[were] at Jerusalem, to proclaim liberty unto them;
not unto the people, or to themselves, the king and the people; unless the sense is, that the king and the people entered into an agreement among themselves to make proclamation, that liberty would be granted by them to their servants; for the liberty proclaimed was to the servants, and not to them. This seems to confirm it, that it was while the city was besieged that this covenant was made; since it was made only with the people at Jerusalem, which were pent up in it; for otherwise it would in all probability have been made with all the people of the land; and seems to have been done with this view, to obtain this favour of the Lord, that they might gain their freedom from the enemy, and come not under the yoke and into the servitude of the king of Babylon: and very probable it is that they did not do this of their own accord, but were exhorted to it by Jeremiah; who perhaps, among other sins, had reproved them for the breach of the law respecting the liberty of servants.

---

FOOTNOTES:

F11 Seder Olam Rabba, c. 26. p. 74.

Jeremia 34:8 In-Context

6 Und Jeremia, der Prophet, redete zu Zedekia, dem König von Juda, alle diese Worte in Jerusalem,

7 während das Heer des Königs von Babel wider Jerusalem und wider alle übriggebliebenen Städte Judas stritt, wider Lachis und wider Aseka; denn diese waren als feste Städte unter den Städten Judas übriggeblieben.

8 Das Wort, welches von seiten Jehovas zu Jeremia geschah, nachdem der König Zedekia einen Bund mit dem ganzen Volke, das zu Jerusalem war, gemacht hatte, um ihnen Freiheit auszurufen,

9 damit ein jeder seinen Knecht und ein jeder seine Magd, den Hebräer und die Hebräerin, frei entließe, so daß niemand mehr einen Juden, seinen Bruder, zum Dienst anhielte.

10 Und es gehorchten alle Fürsten und das ganze Volk, welches den Bund eingegangen war, daß ein jeder seinen Knecht und ein jeder seine Magd frei entließe, ohne sie ferner zum Dienst anzuhalten; sie gehorchten und entließen sie.