Skip to content
mannafest.faith
Read

Jeremiah 34:8

in Jeremiah 34

After King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to proclaim liberty, the word came to Jeremiah from the LORD

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

The word that came unto Jeremiah from Jehovah, after that the king Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people that were at Jerusalem, to proclaim liberty unto 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;

⋯

This verse in Jeremiah 34

Commentary

5 notes on this verse

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

The word that came unto Jeremiah - Here the second discourse begins, which was delivered probably a short time, even a few days, after the former. Zedekiah had made a covenant - We find no account elsewhere of this covenant: “Every man should let his man-servant and his maid-servant go free;” i.e., as we learn from Jer 34:14, on the sabbatical year; for the seventh year was the year of release. See Deu 15:12.

This site's exposition

to proclaim liberty unto them

on Jeremiah 34:8-12

Under the pressure of the siege, king and people struck a covenant to let every Hebrew slave go free, the ancient release law kept for once, and for a moment they did as commanded and let them go. The turn comes at once, afterward they turned, and the freed men and women were seized back into service; the word of the Lord comes to Jeremiah while that reversal is still fresh. Gill and Henry both read the timing as the tell, obedience produced by fear rather than conviction, dropped the moment the danger seemed to ease.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice

This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord,....

The Nineteenth Century2 voices

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

proposed

By the law a Hebrew, after having been a bond-servant for six years, on the seventh was to be let go free (Ex 21:22; Zedekiah made a covenant--with solemn ceremonial in the temple (Jer 34:15, 18, 19). them--bond-servants (Jer 34:9).

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens

It is usual with commentators to say that, the laws dealing with the emancipation of the Hebrew slaves, as also that of the land resting during the sabbatical year, were not observed. The narrative teaches us the exact contrary. The manumission of the slaves on the present occasion was the spontaneous act of Zedekiah and the people. They knew of the law, and acknowledged its obligation. The observance of it was, no doubt, lax: the majority let their own selfish interests prevail; but the minority made might give way to right, and Zedekiah supported their efforts though only in a weak way. Early in January, in the ninth year of Zedekiah, the Chaldaean army approached Jerusalem. The people made a covenant with the king, who appears as the abettor of the measure, to let their slaves go free. Possibly patriotism had its share in this: and as Jerusalem was strongly fortified, all classes possibly hoped that if the slaves were manumitted, they too would labor with a more hearty good-will in resisting the enemy. In the summer of the same year the Egyptians advanced to the rescue, and Nebuchadnezzar withdrew to meet their attack. The Jews with a strange levity, which sets them before us in a most despicable light, at once forced the manumitted slaves back into bondage. With noble indignation Jeremiah rebukes them for their treachery, assures them that the Chaldaean army will return, and warns them of the certainty of the punishment which they so richly merited. Jer 34:8 As the Chaldaean army swept over the country the wealthier classes would all flee to Jerusalem, taking with them their households. […]

The words behind it

20 Hebrew words

Every 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.

  • הַדָּבָ֛רthe word

    hadavarH1697 →1440 times

  • אֲשֶׁר־which

    ʾasher-H834 →5497 times

  • הָיָ֥הit came

    hayahH1961 →3559 times

  • אֶֽל־to

    ʾel-H413 →5510 times

  • יִרְמְיָ֖הוּJeremiah

    yirmeyahuH3414 →147 times

  • מֵאֵ֣תfrom with

    meetH854 →929 times

  • יְהוָ֑הYahweh

    yahwehH3068 →6520 times

  • אַחֲרֵ֡יafter

    ʾachareiH310 →715 times

  • כְּרֹת֩made

    kerotH3772 →288 times

  • הַמֶּ֨לֶךְthe king

    hamelekhH4428 →2525 times

  • צִדְקִיָּ֜הוּZedekiah

    tzidkiyahuH6667 →63 times

  • בְּרִ֗יתa covenant

    beritH1285 →284 times

  • אֶת־with

    ʾet-H854 →929 times

  • כָּל־all

    kol-H3605 →5413 times

  • הָעָם֙the people

    haamH5971 →1873 times

  • אֲשֶׁ֣רwhich

    ʾasherH834 →5497 times

  • בִּירֽוּשָׁלִַ֔ם[was] in Jerusalem

    birushalimH3389 →643 times

  • לִקְרֹ֥אto proclaim

    likro'H7121 →733 times

  • לָהֶ֖םto <the> them

    lahem

  • דְּרֽוֹר׃liberty

    derorH1865 →8 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

17 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

Isaiah 61:1The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners,24 worksLeviticus 25:10So you are to consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty in the land for all its inhabitants. It shall be your Jubilee, when each of you is to return to his property and to his clan.11 worksJeremiah 34:15Recently you repented and did what pleased Me; each of you proclaimed freedom for his neighbor. You made a covenant before Me in the house that bears My Name.6 worksJeremiah 34:17Therefore this is what the LORD says: You have not obeyed Me; you have not proclaimed freedom, each man for his brother and for his neighbor. So now I proclaim freedom for you, declares the LORD—freedom to fall by sword, by plague, and by famine! I will make you a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.4 works2 Kings 23:2–3And he went up to the house of the LORD with all the people of Judah and Jerusalem, as well as the priests and the prophets—all the people small and great—and in their hearing he read all the words of the Book of the Covenant that had been found in the house of the LORD.4 works2 Kings 11:17Then Jehoiada made a covenant between the LORD and the king and the people that they would be the LORD’s people. He also made a covenant between the king and the people.4 works
The other 11 cross-references, with their words ▾
Leviticus 25:39–46If a countryman among you becomes destitute and sells himself to you, then you must not force him into slave labor.3 worksNehemiah 5:1–13About that time there was a great outcry from the people and their wives against their fellow Jews.3 worksJeremiah 34:14–15Every seventh year, each of you must free his Hebrew brother who has sold himself to you. He may serve you six years, but then you must let him go free. But your fathers did not listen or incline their ear.2 worksNehemiah 9:38In view of all this, we make a binding agreement, putting it in writing and sealing it with the names of our leaders, Levites, and priests.”2 works2 Chronicles 29:10Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the LORD, the God of Israel, so that His fierce anger will turn away from us.2 worksExodus 21:2–4If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six years. But in the seventh year, he shall go free without paying anything.2 worksExodus 23:10–11For six years you are to sow your land and gather its produce,2 worksDeuteronomy 15:12If a fellow Hebrew, a man or a woman, is sold to you and serves you six years, then in the seventh year you must set him free.2 works2 Chronicles 15:12–15Then they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and soul.2 works2 Chronicles 34:30–33And he went up to the house of the LORD with all the people of Judah and Jerusalem, as well as the priests and the Levites—all the people small and great—and in their hearing he read all the words of the Book of the Covenant that had been found in the house of the LORD.2 works2 Chronicles 23:16Then Jehoiada made a covenant between himself and the king and the people that they would be the LORD’s people.2 works

The walk

8 stops

Each 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

    Leviticus 25:10

    So you are to consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty in the land for all its inhabitants. It shall be your Jubilee, when each of you is to return to his property and…

    it leads to

    • Isaiah 63:4

      For the day of vengeance was in My heart, and the year of My redemption had come.

    • 1 Peter 2:16

      Live in freedom, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.

    • Leviticus 25:13

      In this Year of Jubilee, each of you shall return to his own property.

    • Isaiah 61:1–3

      The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty…

    • Galatians 5:13

      For you, brothers, were called to freedom; but do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh. Rather, serve one another in love.

  • Through

    Jeremiah 34:17

    Therefore this is what the LORD says: You have not obeyed Me; you have not proclaimed freedom, each man for his brother and for his neighbor. So now I proclaim freedom for you, declares…

    it leads to

    • Matthew 7:2

      For with the same judgment you pronounce, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

  • Through

    2 Kings 11:17

    Then Jehoiada made a covenant between the LORD and the king and the people that they would be the LORD’s people. He also made a covenant between the king and the people.

    it leads to

    • 2 Samuel 5:3

      So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, where King David made with them a covenant before the LORD. And they anointed him king over Israel.

    • 2 Chronicles 15:12–14

      Then they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and soul.

Where this verse is studied

About Jeremiah

The Prophet Jeremiah, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
The Prophet Jeremiah, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
Jeremiah: the study guide →Read Jeremiah 34 →

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); 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.

Read on in Jeremiah 34 →