Jeremiah 34 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

Jeremiah 34

Zedekiah to Die in Babylon

34:1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army and all the kingdoms of the earth under his dominion and all the peoples were fighting against Jerusalem and all of its cities: 2 “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Go and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD: Behold, I am giving this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire. 3 You shall not escape from his hand but shall surely be captured and delivered into his hand. You shall see the king of Babylon eye to eye and speak with him face to face. And you shall go to Babylon.’ 4 Yet hear the word of the LORD, O Zedekiah king of Judah! Thus says the LORD concerning you: ‘You shall not die by the sword. 5 You shall die in peace. And as spices were burned for your fathers, the former kings who were before you, so people shall burn spices for you and lament for you, saying, “Alas, lord!”’ For I have spoken the word, declares the LORD.”

6 Then Jeremiah the prophet spoke all these words to Zedekiah king of Judah, in Jerusalem, 7 when the army of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and against all the cities of Judah that were left, Lachish and Azekah, for these were the only fortified cities of Judah that remained.

8 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to make a proclamation of liberty to them, 9 that everyone should set free his Hebrew slaves, male and female, so that no one should enslave a Jew, his brother. 10 And they obeyed, all the officials and all the people who had entered into the covenant that everyone would set free his slave, male or female, so that they would not be enslaved again. They obeyed and set them free. 11 But afterward they turned around and took back the male and female slaves they had set free, and brought them into subjection as slaves. 12 The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah from the LORD: 13 “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: I myself made a covenant with your fathers when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, saying, 14 ‘At the end of seven years each of you must set free the fellow Hebrew who has been sold to you and has served you six years; you must set him free from your service.’ But your fathers did not listen to me or incline their ears to me. 15 You recently repented and did what was right in my eyes by proclaiming liberty, each to his neighbor, and you made a covenant before me in the house that is called by my name, 16 but then you turned around and profaned my name when each of you took back his male and female slaves, whom you had set free according to their desire, and you brought them into subjection to be your slaves.

17 “Therefore, thus says the LORD: You have not obeyed me by proclaiming liberty, every one to his brother and to his neighbor; behold, I proclaim to you liberty to the sword, to pestilence, and to famine, declares the LORD. I will make you a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth. 18 And the men who transgressed my covenant and did not keep the terms of the covenant that they made before me, I will make them like¹ the calf that they cut in two and passed between its parts—19 the officials of Judah, the officials of Jerusalem, the eunuchs, the priests, and all the people of the land who passed between the parts of the calf. 20 And I will give them into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those who seek their lives. Their dead bodies shall be food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth. 21 And Zedekiah king of Judah and his officials I will give into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those who seek their lives, into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon which has withdrawn from you. 22 Behold, I will command, declares the LORD, and will bring them back to this city. And they will fight against it and take it and burn it with fire. I will make the cities of Judah a desolation without inhabitant.”

Footnotes

[1] 34:18 Hebrew lacks them like

Commentary

v1: A historical narrative, through to chapter 45. The end was near, defeat was now certain, but God still spoke to His people.

v2-5: A hard word for the king. Jeremiah reminded Zedekiah of the coming defeat, yet for him there is a measure of mercy, as he will be taken to Babylon. His body would not be cast out as refuse, but given a burial, with funereal lamentation.

One can understand why Jeremiah was accused of discouraging the people, yet the spiritual mind would see the reality of God’s justice being manifested.

v6-7: Only three of Judah’s cities survived at this point. The people had largely gathered inside the cities for protection. Again, the clear evidence is of a nation near defeat. Lachish had previously been the location for resistance against a foreign invader (2 Chr 32.9).

v8-11: Zedekiah made a covenant with the people, that they should release any Jewish slaves. This reflected the expectation of imminent defeat. Yet some then brought them back into subjection. This provided an illustration of Judah breaking covenant with the Lord.

v12-16: God commended them for their obedience in releasing their slaves. This was apparently unusual, as they had not previously obeyed the command to release slaves in the seventh year. This was something of a test; just one of many divine commands. We are expected to obey in all things (James 2.10).

v17-20: “Freedom” for the people, to the sword, pestilence, famine.

The sign of the covenant, the calf cut in two, ‘the Lord make me like this calf if I disobey.’ Many of the leaders had passed between the pieces of the calf (v10). Their subsequent disobedience would be punished.

v21-22: Nebuchadnezzar had retreated, which some had taken to be a permanent withdrawal, but Jeremiah announced that this was only a temporary respite.