Jeremiah 34:21
in Jeremiah 34And I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah and his officials into the hands of their enemies who seek their lives, to the army of the king of Babylon that had withdrawn from you.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
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, that are gone away 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.
⋯
This verse in Jeremiah 34
Commentary
6 notes on this verseThe king of Babylon’s army, which are gone up from you - Nebuchadnezzar, hearing that there was an Egyptian army coming to the relief of Jerusalem, raised the siege, went out, and met and defeated the Egyptians. It was in the interim this prophecy was delivered.
This site's exposition
And I will deliver Zedekiah king
on Jeremiah 34:21-22
Zedekiah and his officials are handed to “the army of the king of Babylon that had withdrawn from you,” so the lifting is a reprieve. Barnes and Henry connect the withdrawal to chapter 37, where an Egyptian army draws Babylon off for a time.
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.
Pharaoh was bringing an army of Egyptians to oppose the progress of the king of Babylon's victories, upon the tidings of which the Chaldeans raised the siege for a time, as we find, ch. xxxvii. They departed from Jerusalem. See how ready God was to put a stop to his judgments, upon the first instance of reformation, so slow is he to anger and so swift to show mercy.
And Zedekiah king of Judah, and his princes,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
gone up--that is, raised the siege in order to meet Pharaoh-hophra (Jer 37:7-10). The departure of the Chaldeans was a kind of manumission of the Jews; but as their manumission of their bond-servants was recalled, so God revoked His manumission of them from the Chaldeans.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
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).
1 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
Behold I command that Pharaoh’s army return to his land, and the Chaldeans return upon you.
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
18 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְאֶת־ | veet | and <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| צִדְקִיָּ֨הוּ | tzidkiyahu | Zedekiah | H6667 → | 63 times |
| מֶֽלֶךְ־ | melekh- | [the] king of | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| יְהוּדָ֜ה | yehudah | Judah | H3063 → | 819 times |
| וְאֶת־ | veet | and <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| שָׂרָ֗יו | sarav | officials his | H8269 → | 421 times |
| אֶתֵּן֙ | ʾeten | I will give | H5414 → | 2011 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 |
| וּבְיַד | uveyad | and in [the] hand of | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| חֵ֚יל | cheil | [the] army of | H2428 → | 246 times |
| מֶ֣לֶךְ | melekh | [the] king of | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| בָּבֶ֔ל | bavel | Babylon | H894 → | 262 times |
| הָעֹלִ֖ים | haolim | which have gone up | H5927 → | 890 times |
| מֵעֲלֵיכֶֽם׃ | mealeikhem | from on <the> you | H5921 → | 5755 times |
וְאֶת־and <obj.>
veetH853 →10935 times
צִדְקִיָּ֨הוּZedekiah
tzidkiyahuH6667 →63 times
מֶֽלֶךְ־[the] king of
melekh-H4428 →2525 times
יְהוּדָ֜הJudah
yehudahH3063 →819 times
וְאֶת־and <obj.>
veetH853 →10935 times
שָׂרָ֗יוofficials his
saravH8269 →421 times
אֶתֵּן֙I will give
ʾetenH5414 →2011 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
וּבְיַדand in [the] hand of
uveyadH3027 →1618 times
חֵ֚יל[the] army of
cheilH2428 →246 times
מֶ֣לֶךְ[the] king of
melekhH4428 →2525 times
בָּבֶ֔לBabylon
bavelH894 →262 times
הָעֹלִ֖יםwhich have gone up
haolimH5927 →890 times
מֵעֲלֵיכֶֽם׃from on <the> you
mealeikhemH5921 →5755 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 39:6There at Riblah the king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and he also killed all the nobles of Judah.
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 28:34
You will be driven mad by the sights you see.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Jeremiah 52:10
There at Riblah the king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and he also killed all the officials of Judah.
- Jeremiah 34:19–21
The officials of Judah and Jerusalem, the court officials, the priests, and all the people of the land who passed between the pieces of the calf,
- Jeremiah 21:7
‘After that,’ declares the LORD, ‘I will hand over Zedekiah king of Judah, his officers, and the people in this city who survive the plague and sword and famine, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon…
- Deuteronomy 28:34
Through
Ezekiel 17:16‘As surely as I live,’ declares the Lord GOD, ‘he will die in Babylon, in the land of the king who enthroned him, whose oath he despised and whose covenant he broke.
it leads to
- Ezekiel 12:13
But I will spread My net over him, and he will be caught in My snare. I will bring him to Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans; yet he will not see it, and…
- Jeremiah 52:11
Then he put out Zedekiah’s eyes, bound him with bronze shackles, and took him to Babylon, where he kept him in custody until his dying day.
- Ezekiel 12:13
Through
Jeremiah 52:10There at Riblah the king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and he also killed all the officials of Judah.
it leads to
- Jeremiah 22:30
This is what the LORD says: “Enroll this man as childless, a man who will not prosper in his lifetime. None of his descendants will prosper to sit on the throne of David or…
- 2 Kings 25:7
And they slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes. Then they put out his eyes, bound him with bronze shackles, and took him to Babylon.
- Jeremiah 22:30
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies5
About Jeremiah
Who and where
3 names in this verse with a page on the site.
- PersonPatriarchsJudahJacob's fourth son who pledges himself for Benjamin; the tribe that carries the scepter to Shiloh (49:10) and the line to Christ (…
- PersonExileZedekiahJudah's last king, who broke his oath to Babylon against Jeremiah's word; his sons slain before his eyes at Riblah, and the city a…
- PlaceBabil Governorate (archaeological site)BabylonAncient Mesopotamian city and imperial capital; site of the Israelite exile and a recurring biblical symbol of worldly power.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.