Jeremiah / Chapter 34

Jeremiah 34

22 verses • Westminster Leningrad Codex

Translator's Introduction

What This Chapter Is About

Jeremiah 34 narrates two distinct but thematically connected episodes during the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem. In the first (vv. 1–7), God sends Jeremiah to tell King Zedekiah that Jerusalem will fall and he will be captured — but he will die in peace, not by the sword. In the second (vv. 8–22), the narrative turns to the covenant of liberty: Zedekiah and the nobles proclaimed the release of all Hebrew slaves as required by Torah law (Exodus 21, Deuteronomy 15), but when the Babylonian siege was temporarily lifted (likely by the approach of an Egyptian army), the slave owners seized their freed slaves and re-enslaved them. God's response is devastating: since they violated the covenant of liberty, he will proclaim 'liberty' to them — liberty to the sword, plague, and famine. The covenant-cutting ceremony with the calf (vv. 18–19) explicitly echoes the ritual of Genesis 15, where God himself passed between the halves.

What Makes This Chapter Remarkable

This chapter contains one of the most vivid and terrifying covenant texts in the Hebrew Bible. The wordplay on deror ('liberty, release') in verse 17 is brilliant and savage: because the people refused to proclaim liberty to their slaves, God will proclaim liberty to them — liberty to be consumed by sword, plague, and famine. The covenant-cutting ritual in verses 18–19, where the parties passed between the halves of a slaughtered calf, is the only explicit description of this ceremony outside Genesis 15. The implied threat is unmistakable: those who break the covenant have symbolically invoked the fate of the cut animal upon themselves. We preserved the raw violence of the covenant curse — the bodies given to the birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth — because this is covenant theology at its most visceral. The chapter also reveals the moral calculus of Jerusalem's elite: they freed their slaves when they were desperate for divine favor during the siege, then re-enslaved them the moment the military pressure eased. God sees through the performance.

Translation Friction

The verb shuv in verse 11 ('they turned back and took back') uses the same root that elsewhere means 'repent' — here it means the opposite, turning back from a righteous act to re-enslave. The phrase karat berit (v. 18, 'cut a covenant') is both the standard covenant idiom and a literal description of cutting the calf. We rendered avdu-vam ('they enslaved them,' v. 11) plainly without softening — the Hebrew verb kavash ('to subdue, force into servitude') in verse 16 is even harsher than avad, carrying connotations of forceful subjugation. The phrase 'before me' (lefanai, v. 15) in the temple context means the covenant was made in God's own presence, making the violation a personal affront.

Connections

The slave-release law connects to Exodus 21:2–6 and Deuteronomy 15:12–18, the seventh-year manumission requirement. The covenant-cutting ceremony echoes Genesis 15:9–17, where God passed between the halves as a self-imprecation. The 'liberty' proclamation connects to Leviticus 25:10 (the Jubilee 'liberty throughout the land'). Zedekiah's fate prophecy (vv. 2–5) connects forward to 39:4–7 and 52:7–11. The bodies exposed to birds and beasts echoes the covenant curses of Deuteronomy 28:26. The temporary lifting of the siege connects to 37:5–11, where the Egyptian army's approach caused the Babylonians to withdraw briefly. **Tradition comparisons:** The Septuagint preserves a significantly different text tradition for Jeremiah. MT ch. 34 = LXX ch. 41. See the [LXX Jeremiah comparison](/lxx-jeremiah/34).

Jeremiah 34:1

הַדָּבָ֛ר אֲשֶׁר־הָיָ֥ה אֶֽל־יִרְמְיָ֖הוּ מֵאֵ֣ת יְהוָ֑ה וּנְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּ֣ר מֶֽלֶךְ־בָּבֶ֡ל וְכָל־חֵ֠ילוֹ וְכָל־מַמְלְכ֨וֹת אֶ֤רֶץ מֶמְשֶׁ֙לֶת֙ יָד֔וֹ וְכָל־הָעַמִּ֖ים נִלְחָמִ֥ים עַל־יְרוּשָׁלַ֛͏ִם וְעַל־כָּל־עָרֶ֖יהָ לֵאמֹֽר׃

The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon — with all his army, all the kingdoms of the lands under his rule, and all the peoples — was fighting against Jerusalem and all its surrounding cities:

KJV The word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and all his army, and all the kingdoms of the earth of his dominion, and all the people, fought against Jerusalem, and against all the cities thereof, saying,

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The scope of the Babylonian force is emphasized by the triple kol ('all'): all his army, all the kingdoms, all the peoples. Nebuchadnezzar's empire drew soldiers from vassal kingdoms across the Near East — the siege of Jerusalem was a multinational military operation. The phrase erets memshelat yado ('lands under the rule of his hand') describes Nebuchadnezzar's domain as an extension of his personal grip.
Jeremiah 34:2

כֹּה־אָמַ֣ר יְהוָה֮ אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵל֒ הָלֹ֗ךְ וְאָֽמַרְתָּ֙ אֶל־צִדְקִיָּ֣הוּ מֶֽלֶךְ־יְהוּדָ֔ה וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֵלָ֔יו כֹּ֖ה אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֑ה הִנְנִ֨י נֹתֵ֜ן אֶת־הָעִ֣יר הַזֹּ֗את בְּיַד֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ בָּבֶ֔ל וּשְׂרָפָ֖הּ בָּאֵֽשׁ׃

This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Go and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah. Say to him — This is what the LORD says: I am going to hand this city over to the king of Babylon, and he will burn it with fire.

KJV Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Go and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah, and tell him, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire:

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The double messenger formula — 'This is what the LORD says ... Say to him, This is what the LORD says' — emphasizes the divine origin of the message Jeremiah must deliver personally to the king. The verb noten ('giving, handing over') presents Jerusalem's fall as God's own act — Babylon is merely the instrument. The verb seraphah ('he will burn it') foreshadows 2 Kings 25:9 and Jeremiah 52:13, the historical burning of the city and temple.
Jeremiah 34:3

וְאַתָּ֗ה לֹ֤א תִמָּלֵט֙ מִיָּד֔וֹ כִּ֥י תָפֹ֛שׂ תִּתָּפֵ֖שׂ וּבְיָד֣וֹ תִנָּתֵ֑ן וְעֵינֶ֜יךָ אֶת־עֵינֵ֧י מֶֽלֶךְ־בָּבֶ֛ל תִּרְאֶ֖ינָה וּפִ֥יהוּ אֶת־פִּ֖יךָ יְדַבֵּ֥ר וּבָבֶ֖ל תָּבֽוֹא׃

And you will not escape from his hand. You will certainly be seized and handed over to him. Your eyes will see the eyes of the king of Babylon, and he will speak to you face to face, and you will go to Babylon.

KJV And thou shalt not escape out of his hand, but shalt surely be taken, and delivered into his hand; and thine eyes shall behold the eyes of the king of Babylon, and he shall speak with thee mouth to mouth, and thou shalt go to Babylon.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The emphatic infinitive absolute tafos tittafes ('you will certainly be seized') removes all ambiguity — there is no escape. The phrase 'your eyes will see his eyes' is intimate and terrifying: Zedekiah will stand personally before Nebuchadnezzar. Tragically, according to 39:7 and 52:11, Nebuchadnezzar blinded Zedekiah after forcing him to watch his sons' execution — the last thing his eyes saw was Nebuchadnezzar's face. The phrase piv et-pikha ('his mouth with your mouth,' i.e., face to face) indicates a personal audience, not communication through intermediaries.
Jeremiah 34:4

אַ֣ךְ שְׁמַ֗ע דְּבַר־יְהוָה֙ צִדְקִיָּ֣הוּ מֶֽלֶךְ־יְהוּדָ֔ה כֹּ֥ה אָמַ֛ר יְהוָ֖ה עָלֶ֑יךָ לֹ֥א תָמ֖וּת בֶּחָֽרֶב׃

Yet hear the word of the LORD, Zedekiah king of Judah. This is what the LORD says concerning you: You will not die by the sword.

KJV Yet hear the word of the LORD, O Zedekiah king of Judah; Thus saith the LORD of thee, Thou shalt not die by the sword:

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The particle akh ('yet, however, but') introduces an unexpected qualification — despite the dire prophecy, Zedekiah's death will not be violent. The promise is limited but real: he will be a captive, not a casualty. According to 52:11, Zedekiah was imprisoned in Babylon until his death.
Jeremiah 34:5

בְּשָׁל֣וֹם תָּמ֗וּת וּכְמִשְׂרְפ֤וֹת אֲבוֹתֶ֙יךָ֙ הַמְּלָכִ֣ים הָרִאשֹׁנִ֔ים אֲשֶׁר־הָי֖וּ לְפָנֶ֑יךָ כֵּ֣ן יִשְׂרְפוּ־לָ֗ךְ וְה֤וֹי אָדוֹן֙ יִסְפְּדוּ־לָ֔ךְ כִּֽי־דָבָ֥ר אֲנִֽי־דִבַּ֖רְתִּי נְאֻם־יְהוָֽה׃

You will die in peace. And just as they burned spices for your ancestors, the former kings who preceded you, so they will burn spices for you, and they will mourn for you, saying, 'Alas, lord!' For I myself have spoken this word, declares the LORD.

KJV But thou shalt die in peace: and with the burnings of thy fathers, the former kings which were before thee, so shall they burn odours for thee; and they will lament thee, saying, Ah lord! for I have pronounced the word, saith the LORD.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The 'burnings' (misrefot) refer to the burning of spices or incense at royal funerals, a customary honor for deceased kings (cf. 2 Chronicles 16:14, 21:19). The mourning cry hoi adon ('Alas, lord!') parallels the funeral lament in 22:18 for Jehoiakim, though there the lament was denied. The emphatic ani dibbarthi ('I myself have spoken') seals the oracle as irrevocable divine decree.
Jeremiah 34:6

וַיְדַבֵּ֞ר יִרְמְיָ֣הוּ הַנָּבִ֗יא אֶל־צִדְקִיָּ֛הוּ מֶֽלֶךְ־יְהוּדָ֖ה אֵ֣ת כָּל־הַדְּבָרִ֣ים הָאֵ֑לֶּה בִּירוּשָׁלָֽ͏ִם׃

Jeremiah the prophet spoke all these words to Zedekiah king of Judah in Jerusalem,

KJV Then Jeremiah the prophet spake all these words unto Zedekiah king of Judah in Jerusalem,

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The narrative frame confirms that Jeremiah delivered the oracle as commanded. The title hannavi ('the prophet') emphasizes Jeremiah's official role — he is not offering personal opinion but delivering authorized divine speech to the king.
Jeremiah 34:7

וְחֵ֣יל מֶֽלֶךְ־בָּבֶ֗ל נִלְחָמִים֙ עַל־יְר֣וּשָׁלַ֔͏ִם וְעַ֛ל כָּל־עָרֵ֥י יְהוּדָ֖ה הַנּוֹתָר֑וֹת אֶל־לָכִ֣ישׁ וְאֶל־עֲזֵקָ֔ה כִּ֣י הֵ֗נָּה נִשְׁאֲר֛וּ בְּעָרֵ֥י יְהוּדָ֖ה עָרֵ֥י מִבְצָֽר׃

while the army of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and against all the remaining cities of Judah — against Lachish and Azekah, for these were the only fortified cities left among the cities of Judah.

KJV When the king of Babylon's army fought against Jerusalem, and against all the cities of Judah that were left, against Lachish, and against Azekah: for these defenced cities remained of the cities of Judah.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Lachish and Azekah were the last fortified outposts of Judah still holding out. The Lachish Letters — ostraca discovered in the ruins of Lachish — include a message from a military outpost stating 'we are watching for the signals of Lachish, because we cannot see Azekah,' suggesting Azekah had already fallen. This archaeological evidence dramatically confirms the historical situation described here. The phrase arei mivtsar ('fortified cities') indicates cities with defensive walls — the rest of Judah's towns had already been overrun.
Jeremiah 34:8

הַדָּבָר֙ אֲשֶׁר־הָיָ֣ה אֶֽל־יִרְמְיָ֔הוּ מֵאֵ֖ת יְהוָ֑ה אַחֲרֵ֡י כְּרֹ֣ת הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ צִדְקִיָּ֣הוּ בְרִ֡ית אֶת־כָּל־הָעָם֩ אֲשֶׁ֨ר בִּירוּשָׁלַ֜͏ִם לִקְרֹ֥א לָהֶ֛ם דְּר֖וֹר׃

The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD after King Zedekiah had cut a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to proclaim liberty to them —

KJV This is the word that came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, after that the king Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people which were at Jerusalem, to proclaim liberty unto them;

Notes & Key Terms 2 terms

Key Terms

דְּרוֹר deror
"liberty" — liberty, release, freedom, manumission

A technical term for the release of slaves. Its use here connects the slave-release covenant to the Jubilee legislation of Leviticus 25 and the seventh-year manumission laws of Exodus 21 and Deuteronomy 15.

כָּרַת בְּרִית karat berit
"cut a covenant" — to cut/make a covenant, to enter a binding agreement

The idiom 'cut a covenant' preserves the ancient practice of slaughtering an animal and passing between the halves as a self-imprecation: 'May I become like this animal if I break this agreement.' The literal cutting is dramatized in vv. 18–19.

Translator Notes

  1. We render karat berit as 'cut a covenant' rather than 'made a covenant' because the literal cutting is central to the chapter — the covenant-cutting ceremony with the calf (v. 18) makes the etymology visible. The word deror ('liberty, release') is a technical term for the freeing of Hebrew slaves; it appears on the Liberty Bell inscription (Leviticus 25:10). The covenant was public and binding, involving the king and 'all the people' — making the subsequent violation collective, not merely individual.
Jeremiah 34:9

לְ֠שַׁלַּח אִ֣ישׁ אֶת־עַבְדּ֞וֹ וְאִ֧ישׁ אֶת־שִׁפְחָת֛וֹ הָעִבְרִ֥י וְהָעִבְרִיָּ֖ה חָפְשִׁ֑ים לְבִלְתִּ֧י עֲבָד־בָּ֛ם בִּיהוּדִ֥י אָחִ֖יהוּ אִֽישׁ׃

that each person should release his male servant and his female servant — any Hebrew man or Hebrew woman — setting them free, so that no one would enslave a fellow Judean, his own brother.

KJV That every man should let his manservant, and every man his maidservant, being an Hebrew or an Hebrewess, go free; that none should serve himself of them, to wit, of a Jew, his brother.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The law distinguishes Hebrew slaves from foreign slaves — the manumission requirement applied specifically to Israelites enslaved by fellow Israelites. The word achiv ('his brother') is loaded: enslaving a fellow covenant member violates the kinship created by the covenant itself. The term chofshim ('free') is the standard legal term for manumission — a freed slave's legal status changes permanently.
Jeremiah 34:10

וַיִּשְׁמְע֣וּ כָל־הַשָּׂרִ֣ים וְכָל־הָעָ֡ם אֲשֶׁר־בָּ֣אוּ בַבְּרִ֡ית לְ֠שַׁלַּח אִ֣ישׁ אֶת־עַבְדּ֞וֹ וְאִ֤ישׁ אֶת־שִׁפְחָתוֹ֙ חָפְשִׁ֔ים לְבִלְתִּ֥י עֲבָד־בָּ֖ם ע֑וֹד וַֽיִּשְׁמְע֖וּ וַיְשַׁלֵּֽחוּ׃

All the officials and all the people who had entered the covenant obeyed — each releasing his male servant and his female servant, setting them free and no longer enslaving them. They obeyed and released them.

KJV Now when all the princes, and all the people, which had entered into the covenant, heard that every one should let his manservant, and every one his maidservant, go free, that none should serve themselves of them any more, then they obeyed, and let them go.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb shama ('heard/obeyed') appears twice, framing the verse with compliance: they heard and they obeyed. The initial obedience was genuine — the covenant was honored, at least temporarily. The phrase ba'u vabberit ('entered the covenant') uses the standard idiom for covenant participation. The repetition of vayyishme'u vayyeshallechu ('they obeyed and released') emphasizes the completeness of the initial compliance, which makes the reversal in v. 11 all the more damning.
Jeremiah 34:11

וַיָּשׁ֙וּבוּ֙ אַחֲרֵי־כֵ֔ן וַיָּשִׁ֗בוּ אֶת־הָֽעֲבָדִ֣ים וְאֶת־הַשְּׁפָח֔וֹת אֲשֶׁ֥ר שִׁלְּח֖וּ חָפְשִׁ֑ים וַיִּכְבְּשׁ֕וּם לַעֲבָדִ֖ים וְלִשְׁפָחֽוֹת׃

But afterward they reversed course and took back the male servants and female servants whom they had set free, and they forced them back into servitude as slaves.

KJV But afterward they turned, and caused the servants and the handmaids, whom they had let go free, to return, and brought them into subjection for servants and for handmaids.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

כָּבַשׁ kavash
"forced them back into servitude" — to subdue, subjugate, force into servitude, trample

A verb of violent domination. In Genesis 1:28 it describes humanity's dominion over creation; here it describes Judeans violently subjugating their own freed brothers and sisters.

Translator Notes

  1. The verb shuv ('turn, return') is used twice with devastating irony: vayyashuvu ('they turned back') and vayyashivu ('they brought back'). The same root that means 'repent' in prophetic usage here means the opposite — turning back from righteousness to wickedness. The verb kavash ('forced into subjection') is violent language — it implies physical coercion, not merely legal re-classification. These are people being physically dragged back into slavery after tasting freedom.
Jeremiah 34:12

וַיְהִ֥י דְבַר־יְהוָ֖ה אֶֽל־יִרְמְיָ֑הוּ מֵאֵ֥ת יְהוָ֖ה לֵאמֹֽר׃

Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah from the LORD:

KJV Therefore the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The reception formula introduces God's furious response to the covenant violation. The double mention of YHWH ('the word of the LORD ... from the LORD') emphasizes the divine origin of what follows — this is not Jeremiah's outrage but God's.
Jeremiah 34:13

כֹּֽה־אָמַ֥ר יְהוָ֖ה אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל אָנֹכִ֗י כָּרַ֤תִּי בְרִית֙ אֶת־אֲב֣וֹתֵיכֶ֔ם בְּי֨וֹם הוֹצִאִ֤י אוֹתָם֙ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם מִבֵּ֥ית עֲבָדִ֖ים לֵאמֹֽר׃

This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I myself cut a covenant with your ancestors on the day I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, saying:

KJV Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; I made a covenant with your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondmen, saying,

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. God speaks in the first person emphatic: anokhi ('I myself'). The phrase beit avadim ('house of slavery/bondage') for Egypt is standard Exodus language (Exodus 13:3, 14; 20:2; Deuteronomy 5:6). The irony is devastating: God freed Israel from slavery in Egypt, and the covenant he made on that day included the requirement that Israelites never permanently enslave one another — yet that is precisely what they have done.
Jeremiah 34:14

מִקֵּ֣ץ שֶׁ֣בַע שָׁנִ֡ים תְּֽשַׁלְּח֡וּ אִ֣ישׁ אֶת־אָחִיו֩ הָעִבְרִ֨י אֲשֶֽׁר־יִמָּכֵ֤ר לְךָ֙ וַעֲבָ֣דְךָ֔ שֵׁ֣שׁ שָׁנִ֔ים וְשִׁלַּחְתּ֥וֹ חָפְשִׁ֖י מֵעִמָּ֑ךְ וְלֹֽא־שָׁמְע֤וּ אֲבוֹתֵיכֶם֙ אֵלַ֔י וְלֹ֥א הִטּ֖וּ אֶת־אָזְנָֽם׃

At the end of seven years, each of you must release his Hebrew brother who has been sold to you; after he has served you for six years, you must send him away free from you. But your ancestors did not listen to me or incline their ear.

KJV At the end of seven years let ye go every man his brother an Hebrew, which hath been sold unto thee; and when he hath served thee six years, thou shalt let him go free from thee: but your fathers hearkened not unto me, neither inclined their ear.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The law summarized here combines elements from Exodus 21:2 and Deuteronomy 15:12. The phrase 'your brother the Hebrew' (achikha ha'ivri) insists on the kinship dimension — a fellow covenant member cannot be treated as permanent property. God notes that even the ancestors failed to keep this law, establishing a pattern of persistent violation that the current generation has continued.
Jeremiah 34:15

וַתָּשֻׁ֨בוּ אַתֶּ֜ם הַיּ֗וֹם וַתַּעֲשׂ֤וּ אֶת־הַיָּשָׁר֙ בְּעֵינַ֔י לִקְרֹ֥א דְר֖וֹר אִ֣ישׁ לְרֵעֵ֑הוּ וַתִּכְרְת֤וּ בְרִית֙ לְפָנַ֔י בַּבַּ֕יִת אֲשֶׁר־נִקְרָ֥א שְׁמִ֖י עָלָֽיו׃

You yourselves recently turned and did what was right in my eyes by proclaiming liberty to one another, and you cut a covenant before me in the house that bears my name.

KJV And ye were now turned, and had done right in my sight, in proclaiming liberty every man to his neighbour; and ye had made a covenant before me in the house which is called by my name:

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The phrase hayashar be'einai ('what was right in my eyes') is the Deuteronomic evaluation formula used for righteous kings. For a brief moment, Zedekiah and the people acted like faithful covenant partners. The covenant was cut lefanai ('before me') — in the temple, in God's direct presence. The phrase asher niqra shemi alav ('upon which my name is called') indicates God's personal ownership of the temple — violating a covenant made there is a direct affront to the divine name.
Jeremiah 34:16

וַתָּשֻׁ֙בוּ֙ וַתְּחַלְּל֣וּ אֶת־שְׁמִ֔י וַתָּשִׁ֣בוּ אִ֗ישׁ אֶת־עַבְדּוֹ֙ וְאִ֣ישׁ אֶת־שִׁפְחָת֔וֹ אֲשֶׁר־שִׁלַּחְתֶּ֥ם חָפְשִׁ֖ים לְנַפְשָׁ֑ם וַתִּכְבְּשׁ֣וּ אֹתָ֔ם לִהְי֣וֹת לָכֶ֔ם לַעֲבָדִ֖ים וְלִשְׁפָחֽוֹת׃

But then you reversed course and profaned my name. Each of you took back his male servant and his female servant whom you had set free according to their desire, and you forced them into subjection to be your slaves again.

KJV But ye turned and polluted my name, and caused every man his servant, and every man his handmaid, whom ye had set at liberty at their pleasure, to return, and brought them into subjection, to be unto you for servants and for handmaids.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb chillelu ('profaned, desecrated') is sacrilege language — by breaking a covenant made in the temple under God's name, they have desecrated the divine name itself. The phrase lefanai in v. 15 and et-shemi here create a direct link: the covenant was made 'before me' and the violation 'profaned my name.' The phrase lenafshan ('according to their desire/at their will') may modify the freed slaves (who desired their freedom) or the slave owners (who freed them at their own discretion). We follow the reading that the slaves were freed 'according to their desire,' emphasizing that the re-enslavement overrode the freed people's own will.
Jeremiah 34:17

לָכֵ֞ן כֹּה־אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֗ה אַתֶּ֞ם לֹֽא־שְׁמַעְתֶּ֣ם אֵלַ֗י לִקְרֹ֤א דְרוֹר֙ אִ֣ישׁ לְאָחִ֔יו וְאִ֖ישׁ לְרֵעֵ֑הוּ הִנְנִ֣י קֹרֵ֣א לָכֶ֣ם דְּר֡וֹר נְאֻם־יְהוָ֡ה אֶל־הַחֶ֜רֶב אֶל־הַדֶּ֣בֶר וְאֶל־הָרָעָ֗ב וְנָתַתִּ֤י אֶתְכֶם֙ לְזַעֲוָ֔ה לְכֹ֖ל מַמְלְכ֥וֹת הָאָֽרֶץ׃

Therefore this is what the LORD says: You have not obeyed me by proclaiming liberty to one another — each to his brother and each to his neighbor. So now I am proclaiming liberty for you, declares the LORD — liberty to the sword, to the plague, and to the famine. I will make you a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.

KJV Therefore thus saith the LORD; Ye have not hearkened unto me, in proclaiming liberty, every one to his brother, and every man to his neighbour: behold, I proclaim a liberty for you, saith the LORD, to the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine; and I will make you to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

דְּרוֹר deror
"liberty" — liberty, release, manumission, freedom

The same word used in vv. 8 and 15 for the slave release. Here it is turned inside out: the 'liberty' God proclaims is liberation from his protective covenant — exposure to destruction.

Translator Notes

  1. The rhetorical structure is devastating: 'You did not proclaim liberty ... so I am proclaiming liberty for you.' The irony of deror applied to sword, plague, and famine is intentionally horrifying — these forces are 'released' against the people who refused to release their slaves. The triad cherev, dever, ra'av ('sword, plague, famine') is Jeremiah's signature formula for total devastation (cf. 14:12, 21:7, 24:10, 27:8, 29:17-18). The word za'avah ('horror, object of trembling') describes what the exiled people will become — a cautionary spectacle for other nations.
Jeremiah 34:18

וְנָתַתִּ֣י אֶת־הָאֲנָשִׁ֗ים הָעֹֽבְרִים֙ אֶת־בְּרִיתִ֔י אֲשֶׁ֨ר לֹֽא־הֵקִ֜ימוּ אֶת־דִּבְרֵ֣י הַבְּרִ֗ית אֲשֶׁ֤ר כָּרְתוּ֙ לְפָנַ֔י הָעֵ֕גֶל אֲשֶׁ֥ר כָּרְת֖וּ לִשְׁנָ֑יִם וַיַּעַבְר֖וּ בֵּ֥ין בְּתָרָֽיו׃

I will hand over the people who violated my covenant, who did not uphold the terms of the covenant that they cut before me — the calf that they cut in two and passed between its halves —

KJV And I will give the men that have transgressed my covenant, which have not performed the words of the covenant which they had made before me, when they cut the calf in twain, and passed between the parts thereof,

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

בְּתָרִים betarim
"halves" — pieces, halves, portions cut apart

From the root b-t-r ('to cut in two'). The same word appears in Genesis 15:10 for the animals Abraham cut during the covenant ceremony. The between-the-pieces ritual is the origin of the idiom 'cutting a covenant.'

Translator Notes

  1. The verb karat ('cut') appears three times in this verse, creating a cascade of cutting: they cut a covenant, they cut the calf, they cut it in two. The word betarav ('its halves, its pieces') is from the same root as Genesis 15:10 (betarim). The phrase va'ya'avru bein betarav ('they passed between its halves') describes the self-imprecatory ritual: walking between the severed animal invokes its fate upon the oath-taker if the covenant is broken. The people have now triggered that curse.
Jeremiah 34:19

שָׂרֵ֤י יְהוּדָה֙ וְשָׂרֵ֣י יְרוּשָׁלַ֔͏ִם הַסָּרִיסִ֖ים וְהַכֹּהֲנִ֑ים וְכֹ֖ל עַ֥ם הָאָֽרֶץ הָעֹבְרִ֕ים בֵּ֖ין בִּתְרֵ֥י הָעֵֽגֶל׃

the officials of Judah, the officials of Jerusalem, the court officers, the priests, and all the people of the land who passed between the halves of the calf —

KJV The princes of Judah, and the princes of Jerusalem, the eunuchs, and the priests, and all the people of the land, which passed between the parts of the calf;

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The list of participants is comprehensive: sarei Yehudah (officials of Judah), sarei Yerushalayim (officials of Jerusalem), hassarisim (court officers — the Hebrew sarisim can mean 'eunuchs' or 'court officials'; in this context, royal courtiers is the likely sense), hakkohanim (the priests), and kol am ha'arets (all the people of the land). Every social class participated in the covenant and is therefore implicated in its violation. No one is exempt.
Jeremiah 34:20

וְנָתַתִּ֤י אוֹתָם֙ בְּיַ֣ד אֹֽיְבֵיהֶ֔ם וּבְיַ֖ד מְבַקְשֵׁ֣י נַפְשָׁ֑ם וְהָיְתָ֤ה נִבְלָתָם֙ לְמַאֲכָ֔ל לְע֥וֹף הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וּלְבֶהֱמַ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ׃

I will hand them over to their enemies, to those who seek their lives. Their corpses will become food for the birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth.

KJV I will even give them into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of them that seek their life: and their dead bodies shall be for meat unto the fowls of the heaven, and to the beasts of the earth.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The punishment fulfills the self-imprecation of the covenant ritual: those who passed between the halves of the calf will themselves be torn apart like the calf. The phrase nivlatam lema'akhal ('their corpses as food') echoes Deuteronomy 28:26, the covenant curse: 'Your carcasses will be food for all the birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth, and no one will frighten them away.' Denial of burial was considered the ultimate dishonor in ancient Israelite culture — the body left exposed to scavengers.
Jeremiah 34:21

וְאֶת־צִדְקִיָּ֨הוּ מֶֽלֶךְ־יְהוּדָ֜ה וְאֶת־שָׂרָ֗יו אֶתֵּן֙ בְּיַ֣ד אֹֽיְבֵיהֶ֔ם וּבְיַ֖ד מְבַקְשֵׁ֣י נַפְשָׁ֑ם וּבְיַ֗ד חֵ֚יל מֶ֣לֶךְ בָּבֶ֔ל הָעֹלִ֖ים מֵעֲלֵיכֶֽם׃

And Zedekiah king of Judah and his officials I will hand over to their enemies, to those who seek their lives, and to the army of the king of Babylon — the ones who have withdrawn from you.

KJV And Zedekiah king of Judah and his princes will I give into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of them that seek their life, and into the hand of the king of Babylon's army, which are gone up from you.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The participle ha'olim me'aleikhem ('the ones going up from upon you,' i.e., withdrawing from you) reveals the historical moment: the Babylonian army has temporarily lifted the siege (cf. 37:5, when Egypt's army caused a Babylonian withdrawal). This withdrawal is exactly what emboldened the slave owners to re-enslave their freed servants — they thought the crisis was over. God's message is clear: the Babylonians are coming back.
Jeremiah 34:22

הִנְנִ֨י מְצַוֶּ֜ה נְאֻם־יְהוָ֗ה וַהֲשִׁ֨בֹתִ֜ים אֶל־הָעִ֣יר הַזֹּ֗את וְנִלְחֲמ֤וּ עָלֶ֙יהָ֙ וּלְכָד֣וּהָ וּשְׂרָפֻ֣הָ בָאֵ֔שׁ וְאֶת־עָרֵ֥י יְהוּדָ֛ה אֶתֵּ֥ן שְׁמָמָ֖ה מֵאֵ֥ין יֹשֵֽׁב׃

I am about to give the command, declares the LORD, and I will bring them back to this city. They will fight against it, capture it, and burn it with fire. The cities of Judah I will make a desolation without inhabitant.

KJV Behold, I will command, saith the LORD, and cause them to return to this city; and they shall fight against it, and take it, and burn it with fire: and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation without an inhabitant.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb tsivveh ('command') presents the Babylonian return as God's own military order — Nebuchadnezzar's army moves at God's command, not its own initiative. The verb hashivotim ('I will bring them back') uses the same root shuv that described the people's reversal in v. 11 — as they 'turned back' to enslave, God 'turns back' the army to destroy. The chapter ends with the very desolation that chapter 33 promised to reverse, creating a stark contrast: the Book of Consolation's promises stand, but the present generation's covenant violation ensures present judgment.
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