Jeremiah Chapter 34
Jeremiah 34
The Emancipation Revocation
Jeremiah 34:1-3, God Tells Zedekiah of the Soon Fall of Jerusalem
Jeremiah 34:1-3, “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, 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: 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.”
Jeremiah 34 takes place during the final siege of Jerusalem. Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, his army, the kingdoms under his dominion, and the peoples subject to him are fighting against Jerusalem and the remaining cities of Judah. This is not a minor military raid. It is the organized power of Babylon pressing down on Judah in judgment.
The word is directed specifically to Zedekiah king of Judah. Zedekiah was the last king before Jerusalem fell. He was a weak and unstable ruler, often afraid of men, unwilling to obey the LORD, and unwilling to surrender to Babylon even though Jeremiah had repeatedly declared that surrender was the only path of survival.
God’s message is clear, “I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.” Jerusalem would not escape. The city would not be saved by Egypt, by military resistance, by false prophets, or by Zedekiah’s political calculations. The LORD Himself would give the city into Babylon’s hand.
Zedekiah himself would not escape. He would be taken and delivered into Nebuchadnezzar’s hand. His eyes would behold the eyes of the king of Babylon, and Nebuchadnezzar would speak with him mouth to mouth. This is a fearful image of direct confrontation. The king of Judah, who refused the word of the LORD, would have to face the king of Babylon.
The fulfillment was exact.
2 Kings 25:6-7, “So they took the king, and brought him up to the king of Babylon to Riblah, and they gave judgment upon him. And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon.”
Zedekiah saw Nebuchadnezzar, saw his sons killed, and then his eyes were put out. The last thing he saw was the destruction of his own house. The word of the LORD did not fail.
Jeremiah 34:4-5, The Promise That Zedekiah Would Die a Natural Death
Jeremiah 34:4-5, “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: 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.”
Even in judgment, God gives Zedekiah a measure of mercy. He will not die by the sword. He will go to Babylon, but he will die in peace. This does not mean his life will be easy. His fate will be bitter, humiliating, and dark. But he will not be executed in battle.
The LORD also says that they will burn odours for him and lament him, saying, “Ah lord!” This points to some measure of royal mourning or funeral honor. Zedekiah’s reign was a disaster, but God still speaks a word concerning his death and remembrance.
This shows that God’s judgments are precise. Zedekiah will be captured, blinded, and taken to Babylon, but not killed by the sword. Jerusalem will burn, but the king will not die in the burning city. God’s word is exact in both severity and mercy.
Jeremiah 34:6-7, Jeremiah Brings the Word to King Zedekiah
Jeremiah 34:6-7, “Then Jeremiah the prophet spake all these words unto Zedekiah king of Judah in Jerusalem, 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.”
Jeremiah speaks all these words to Zedekiah in Jerusalem. He does not soften the message. He does not adjust the prophecy to make it easier for the king. He speaks the word of the LORD while Babylon is actively fighting Jerusalem and the last fortified cities of Judah.
Only Lachish and Azekah remain among Judah’s defended cities. This shows how far the collapse has already gone. The kingdom is not merely threatened. It is nearly finished. Jerusalem is almost alone.
The mention of Lachish and Azekah emphasizes the historical reality of the siege. Judah’s defenses are falling one by one. Zedekiah may still hope for escape, but the word of the LORD says otherwise.
Jeremiah’s courage is important. The king had power to imprison him, threaten him, or kill him. Yet Jeremiah faithfully delivers the word. A true prophet fears God more than kings.
Jeremiah 34:8-11, Going Back on a Covenant to Release Slaves
Jeremiah 34:8-11, “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; 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. 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. 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.”
The chapter now turns to a specific sin in Jerusalem. Zedekiah had made a covenant with the people to proclaim liberty. Hebrew male and female servants were to be released. No man was to keep his Jewish brother in bondage.
This command was not a new moral invention. It came from the law of Moses. Hebrew servitude was regulated, limited, and never intended to become permanent oppression among covenant brothers.
Exodus 21:2, “If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing.”
Deuteronomy 15:12, “And if thy brother, an Hebrew man, or an Hebrew woman, be sold unto thee, and serve thee six years; then in the seventh year thou shalt let him go free from thee.”
The people initially obeyed. The princes and the people released their Hebrew servants. Under pressure from Babylon’s siege, they finally did what they should have done long before.
But afterward they turned back. They forced the servants and handmaids whom they had released to return. They brought them back into subjection.
This was not simple forgetfulness. It was covenant treachery. They had released their servants, then reversed the liberty they had granted. They had made a covenant before God, then profaned it. They treated human beings as disposable property and treated God’s name as something they could use in crisis and ignore in comfort.
The timing likely matters. When Babylon temporarily lifted the siege because of Egyptian movement, the people thought the danger had passed. Their repentance disappeared as soon as the pressure eased. They did not truly love righteousness. They used obedience as emergency religion.
This is a severe warning. Temporary fear is not the same as repentance. A man may change under pressure and then reveal his true heart when the pressure is removed.
Jeremiah 34:12-16, The LORD Reminds Them of the Law of Moses
Jeremiah 34:12-16, “Therefore the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, 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, 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. 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: 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.”
The LORD reminds Judah that He made a covenant with their fathers when He brought them out of Egypt, out of the house of bondmen. This is the moral foundation of the law concerning Hebrew servants. Israel knew what bondage was. They had been slaves in Egypt. Therefore they were not to become cruel masters over their own brothers.
God commanded that after six years of service, a Hebrew servant must go free. The seventh year was to be a year of liberty for that servant. But their fathers did not listen. The current generation inherited a pattern of disobedience and then continued it.
For a moment, they did right in God’s sight. They proclaimed liberty every man to his neighbor. They made a covenant before the LORD in the house called by His name. This means their vow was religiously solemn. It was not merely a political policy. It was done before God.
Then they turned and polluted His name. This is the deepest offense. Their injustice against servants was also blasphemy against God. They used His name in a covenant, then broke the covenant. They proclaimed liberty in His presence, then revoked liberty when it suited them.
The servants had been set at liberty “at their pleasure,” meaning they had been released to live freely. To force them back into bondage was not only illegal and immoral. It was an assault on the liberty God commanded.
This is why oppression is so serious in Scripture. Sin against neighbor is never merely horizontal. It profanes the name of God.
Jeremiah 34:17, God Proclaims Liberty to Judgment
Jeremiah 34:17, “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.”
The irony is severe. They refused to proclaim liberty to their brothers and neighbors, so God proclaims liberty to them. But this liberty is not blessing. It is liberty to the sword, pestilence, and famine.
They would not free their servants, so God frees judgment to come against them. He removes restraint. Sword, disease, and starvation are given liberty to do their work.
This fits the siege context. Sword kills at the wall and in battle. Famine kills inside the city when supplies disappear. Pestilence spreads in crowded, starving, desperate conditions. These are the covenant curses coming upon a covenant breaking people.
The LORD also says He will make them to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth. They forced others back into bondage, so they themselves would be driven into helplessness among the nations.
This is righteous reversal. Men who abused power will be stripped of power. Men who revoked liberty will lose liberty. Men who broke covenant will suffer covenant judgment.
Jeremiah 34:18-22, The Punishment of Those Who Broke the Covenant
Jeremiah 34:18-22, “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, 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; 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. 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. 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.”
The covenant ceremony involved cutting a calf in two and passing between the parts. In biblical covenant making, this symbolized a self curse. Those passing between the pieces were effectively saying, “May I be cut apart like this animal if I break this covenant.”
A similar covenant ceremony appears in Genesis 15.
Genesis 15:9-10, “And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon. And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another, but the birds divided he not.”
Genesis 15:17-18, “And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates.”
In Jeremiah 34, the leaders passed between the parts and then broke the covenant. Therefore God gives them into the hand of their enemies. Their dead bodies will be meat for the birds of heaven and beasts of the earth. The covenant curse they symbolically invoked now falls upon them.
The guilty include princes of Judah, princes of Jerusalem, eunuchs, priests, and all the people of the land. The leadership class and the broader people are both implicated. This was not a private failure by one man. It was public covenant betrayal.
Zedekiah and his princes will also be given into the hand of their enemies, into the hand of the king of Babylon’s army. The army had temporarily gone up from Jerusalem, but that withdrawal would not last. God says, “I will command, and cause them to return to this city.”
This is crucial. Babylon’s return is not merely military strategy. It is commanded by God. The people thought the lifting of the siege meant deliverance. God says the Babylonians will return, fight against the city, take it, and burn it with fire.
The cities of Judah will become a desolation without an inhabitant. The revoked emancipation becomes one more proof that Judah is morally rotten and ready for judgment.
Doctrinal and Practical Notes
Jeremiah 34 teaches that God’s word remains true even when circumstances briefly seem to contradict it. The Babylonian army temporarily withdrew, but God said they would return.
Jeremiah 34 teaches that fear based repentance is not the same as true repentance. Judah released the servants under pressure, then took them back when the pressure eased.
Jeremiah 34 teaches that liberty matters to God. The LORD commanded Hebrew servants to be released after six years, and He judged Judah for refusing that liberty.
Jeremiah 34 teaches that oppression of neighbor profanes the name of God. Judah did not merely mistreat servants. They polluted the LORD’s name by breaking covenant before Him.
Jeremiah 34 teaches that covenant vows are serious. The people cut a calf and passed between the parts, invoking judgment on themselves if they broke their word.
Jeremiah 34 teaches that God’s justice often reverses human cruelty. Those who refused liberty were given liberty to sword, pestilence, and famine.
Jeremiah 34 teaches that religious ceremonies do not protect covenant breakers. They made a covenant in the house called by God’s name, but then broke it and were judged.
Jeremiah 34 teaches that leaders are especially accountable. Princes, priests, eunuchs, and the people are all named in the judgment.
Jeremiah 34 teaches that God controls the movements of empires. The Babylonian army departed for a time, but God commanded it to return.
Jeremiah 34 teaches that the LORD is not fooled by temporary reform. He judges the settled direction of the heart, not emergency displays of obedience.
Summary
Jeremiah 34 begins during the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem. Nebuchadnezzar, his army, the kingdoms under his dominion, and his subject peoples fight against Jerusalem and the remaining cities of Judah. The LORD sends Jeremiah to Zedekiah with a direct word, Jerusalem will be given into the hand of Babylon and burned with fire. Zedekiah will not escape. He will be captured, delivered to Nebuchadnezzar, see him face to face, and go to Babylon. Yet he will not die by the sword. He will die in peace and be lamented.
Jeremiah faithfully speaks these words while Babylon fights Jerusalem, Lachish, and Azekah, the last remaining defended cities of Judah.
The chapter then turns to Zedekiah’s covenant to proclaim liberty. The people of Jerusalem agreed to release their Hebrew male and female servants, obeying the law that Hebrew servants were to go free after six years. At first, the princes and people obeyed and let them go. But afterward they changed their minds, forced the freed servants to return, and brought them back into bondage.
The LORD reminds them that He brought their fathers out of Egypt, the house of bondage, and commanded them to release Hebrew servants after six years. Their fathers had disobeyed, but this generation had briefly done right by proclaiming liberty and making a covenant before God in the house called by His name. Then they turned back, polluted His name, and reenslaved those whom they had set free.
Because they refused to proclaim liberty to their brothers and neighbors, God proclaims liberty to them, liberty to sword, pestilence, and famine. He will remove them into all kingdoms of the earth.
The chapter ends with judgment on those who broke the covenant. They had cut a calf in two and passed between the pieces, but did not perform the words of the covenant. Therefore God gives them into the hand of their enemies. Their dead bodies will become food for birds and beasts. Zedekiah and his princes will be given into the hand of the king of Babylon’s army. Though the Babylonians had temporarily withdrawn, the LORD will command them to return. They will fight against Jerusalem, take it, burn it with fire, and make the cities of Judah desolate without inhabitant.
