Jeremiah 34:20
in Jeremiah 34I will deliver into the hands of their enemies who seek their lives. Their corpses will become food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
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 food unto the birds of the heavens, and to 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.
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This verse in Jeremiah 34
Commentary
6 notes on this verseA commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
I will even give--resuming the sentence begun, but not completed (Jer 34:18), "I will give," &c. seek their life--implacably: satisfied with nothing short of their blood; not content with booty. dead bodies--The breakers of the covenant shall be cut in pieces, as the calf between whose parts they passed.
This site's exposition
Therefore this is what the LORD
on Jeremiah 34:17-20
The LORD says, “So now I proclaim freedom for you,” and names it “freedom to fall by sword, by plague, and by famine.” They had sealed the covenant by passing “between the pieces of the calf,” the rite of Genesis 15.
This site's exposition
food for the birds of the air
Jamieson, Fausset and Brown read the enemies who seek their lives as implacable, satisfied with nothing short of blood and never content with plunder alone. They see the men who divided the calf left in pieces themselves. No one would bury them.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
This prophecy concerning Zedekiah was delivered to Jeremiah, and by him to the parties concerned, before he was shut up in the prison, for we find this prediction here made the ground of his commitment, as appears by the recital of some passages out of it, ch. xxxii.
That, since they had emboldened themselves in returning to their sin, contrary to their covenant, by the retreat of the Chaldean army from them, God would therefore bring it upon them again: "They have now gone up from you, and your fright is over for the present, but I will command them to face about as they were; they shall return to this city, and take it and burn it, "
I will even give them into the hand of their enemies,....
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
who have gone up away from you because of the army of Pharaoh that came out of Egypt, as is explained in this Book (37:5).
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 5 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
14 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְנָתַתִּ֤י | venatati | and I will give | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| אוֹתָם֙ | ʾotam | <obj.> them | H853 → | 10935 times |
| בְּיַ֣ד | beyad | in [the] hand of | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| אֹֽיְבֵיהֶ֔ם | ʾoyeveihem | enemies their | H341 → | 282 times |
| וּבְיַ֖ד | uveyad | and in [the] hand of | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| מְבַקְשֵׁ֣י | mevakshei | [those who] seek | H1245 → | 225 times |
| נַפְשָׁ֑ם | nafsham | life their | H5315 → | 754 times |
| וְהָיְתָ֤ה | vehayetah | and it will become | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| נִבְלָתָם֙ | nivlatam | corpse their | H5038 → | 48 times |
| לְמַֽאֲכָ֔ל | lemaakhal | <into> food | H3978 → | 30 times |
| לְע֥וֹף | leof | for [the] bird[s] of | H5775 → | 71 times |
| הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם | hashamayim | the heavens | H8064 → | 421 times |
| וּלְבֶהֱמַ֥ת | ulevehemat | and for [the] animal[s] of | H929 → | 190 times |
| הָאָֽרֶץ׃ | haaretz | the earth | H776 → | 2504 times |
וְנָתַתִּ֤יand I will give
venatatiH5414 →2011 times
אוֹתָם֙<obj.> them
ʾotamH853 →10935 times
בְּיַ֣דin [the] hand of
beyadH3027 →1618 times
אֹֽיְבֵיהֶ֔םenemies their
ʾoyeveihemH341 →282 times
וּבְיַ֖דand in [the] hand of
uveyadH3027 →1618 times
מְבַקְשֵׁ֣י[those who] seek
mevaksheiH1245 →225 times
נַפְשָׁ֑םlife their
nafshamH5315 →754 times
וְהָיְתָ֤הand it will become
vehayetahH1961 →3559 times
נִבְלָתָם֙corpse their
nivlatamH5038 →48 times
לְמַֽאֲכָ֔ל<into> food
lemaakhalH3978 →30 times
לְע֥וֹףfor [the] bird[s] of
leofH5775 →71 times
הַשָּׁמַ֖יִםthe heavens
hashamayimH8064 →421 times
וּלְבֶהֱמַ֥תand for [the] animal[s] of
ulevehematH929 →190 times
הָאָֽרֶץ׃the earth
haaretzH776 →2504 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Jeremiah 19:7And in this place I will ruin the plans of Judah and Jerusalem. I will make them fall by the sword before their enemies, by the hands of those who seek their lives, and…
it leads to
- Jeremiah 16:4
“They will die from deadly diseases. They will not be mourned or buried, but will lie like dung on the ground. They will be finished off by sword and famine, and their corpses will…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Leviticus 26:17
And I will set My face against you, so that you will be defeated by your enemies. Those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee when no one pursues you.
- Jeremiah 16:4
Through
Jeremiah 16:4“They will die from deadly diseases. They will not be mourned or buried, but will lie like dung on the ground. They will be finished off by sword and famine, and their corpses will…
it leads to
- Jeremiah 25:33
Those slain by the LORD on that day will be spread from one end of the earth to the other. They will not be mourned, gathered, or buried. They will be like dung lying…
- Psalms 83:10
who perished at Endor and became like dung on the ground.
- Jeremiah 9:22
Declare that this is what the LORD says: “The corpses of men will fall like dung upon the open field, like newly cut grain behind the reaper, with no one to gather it.”
- Jeremiah 15:2–3
If they ask you, ‘Where shall we go?’ you are to tell them that this is what the LORD says: ‘Those destined for death, to death; those destined for the sword, to the sword;…
- Jeremiah 25:33
Through
Jeremiah 7:33The corpses of this people will become food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and there will be no one to scare them away.
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 28:26
Your corpses will be food for all the birds of the air and beasts of the earth, with no one to scare them away.
- Jeremiah 12:9
Is not My inheritance to Me like a speckled bird of prey with other birds of prey circling against her? Go, gather all the beasts of the field; bring them to devour her.
- Deuteronomy 28:26
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies5
About Jeremiah
This page draws on Carl Friedrich Keil, The Prophecies of Jeremiah; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.