Jeremiah 34:13 meaning summary explained with word-by-word analysis enriched with context, commentary and Cross References from KJV, NIV, ESV and NLT.
Jeremiah 34:13 kjv
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,
Jeremiah 34:13 nkjv
"Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: 'I made a covenant with your fathers in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, saying,
Jeremiah 34:13 niv
"This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I made a covenant with your ancestors when I brought them out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. I said,
Jeremiah 34:13 esv
"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,
Jeremiah 34:13 nlt
"This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I made a covenant with your ancestors long ago when I rescued them from their slavery in Egypt.
Jeremiah 34 13 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Exod 19:5 | Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice... you shall be My treasured possession. | Covenant condition for obedience. |
| Deut 5:6 | 'I am the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.' | Foundation of the Ten Commandments. |
| Deut 6:12 | then take care lest you forget the LORD, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. | Warning against forgetting deliverance. |
| Deut 8:14 | do not forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. | Exhortation to remember God's deliverance. |
| Josh 24:17 | for it was the LORD our God who brought us... out of the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery. | Joshua reminds Israel of God's redemptive act. |
| Psa 78:42-43 | They did not remember His power... how He had performed His signs in Egypt. | Israel's forgetfulness despite past acts. |
| Neh 9:9-11 | "You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt and heard their cry... You divided the sea before them." | Recounting God's deliverance in prayer. |
| Isa 51:10 | Was it not You who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, who made the depths of the sea a way for the redeemed to pass over? | God's power as Redemeer. |
| Jer 2:6 | They did not say, "Where is the LORD Who brought us up from the land of Egypt?" | Israel's ingratitude and forgetting God. |
| Jer 7:22-23 | For I did not speak to your fathers... concerning burnt offerings... But this command I gave them: "Obey My voice." | Covenant emphasized obedience, not just ritual. |
| Jer 11:2-4 | "Hear the words of this covenant... 'Cursed be the man who does not hear the words of this covenant which I commanded your fathers in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt...'" | Emphasizes the consequences of covenant-breaking. |
| Ezek 20:5-6 | "In the day when I chose Israel... and swore to them, 'I am the LORD your God,' in the day when I lifted up My hand to them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt..." | God's election and bringing forth from Egypt. |
| Hos 12:9 | But I am the LORD your God from the land of Egypt; I will again make you dwell in tents. | God's identity tied to Exodus deliverance. |
| Mic 6:4 | For I brought you up from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery. | God's historical redemption of Israel. |
| Amos 2:10 | Also I brought you up from the land of Egypt and led you forty years in the wilderness. | God's guiding hand after the Exodus. |
| Matt 2:15 | Out of Egypt I called My Son. | Fulfilment: Jesus as true Israel, typology. |
| 1 Cor 10:1-2 | For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud... and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. | Exodus as a spiritual type for new covenant believers. |
| Gal 3:17-19 | The law, which came 430 years later, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God. | The Mosaic Covenant in context of Abrahamic and New Covenant. |
| Heb 8:9 | not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out from the land of Egypt. | New Covenant contrasted with the Old (Mosaic). |
| Heb 11:27-28 | By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king... By faith he kept the Passover. | Moses' faith in the context of Exodus. |
| Rev 15:3 | "Great and amazing are Your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the nations! Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. All nations will come and worship You, for Your righteous acts have been revealed." | Final deliverance echoes Exodus, worship for God's deeds. |
Jeremiah 34 verses
Jeremiah 34 13 meaning
Jeremiah 34:13 conveys the solemn declaration from the LORD, the God of Israel, recalling the foundational covenant He established with their ancestors. This covenant was forged on the very day He delivered them from their enslavement in the land of Egypt, which is emphatically described as the "house of bondage." This verse serves as a crucial reminder of God's character as a deliverer and the historical basis of His relationship and expectations for His chosen people, directly preceding a sharp rebuke for their current unfaithfulness.
Jeremiah 34 13 Context
Jeremiah 34:13 is spoken during the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem, specifically targeting King Zedekiah and the people of Judah. The immediate historical backdrop is their recent hypocritical act: after making a covenant to free their Hebrew slaves in accordance with the Mosaic Law (Exod 21:2-6, Deut 15:12-18) when Nebuchadnezzar's army initially withdrew, they later re-enslaved those same people once the siege briefly lifted. This verse reaches back to the very origins of Israel as a nation. It serves as God's severe indictment, reminding them that their very existence and identity were predicated upon God's gracious act of delivering them from slavery. By oppressing their own countrymen, they directly defied the fundamental principle of freedom and justice that God Himself established through their original liberation and the subsequent covenant. The original audience would have acutely felt the weight of this historical remembrance, juxtaposed with their present betrayal of those foundational principles.
Jeremiah 34 13 Word analysis
- Thus says the LORD (כה אמר יהוה, Koh amar YHWH): This is a standard prophetic formula. It declares the divine authority and infallible source of the message. YHWH is the covenant name of God, emphasizing His personal relationship with Israel.
- the God of Israel (אלהי ישראל, Elohei Yisrael): Specifically identifies the unique covenant relationship. This God is not a generic deity but the particular God of this chosen nation. It underscores His singular claim and special expectations for Israel.
- I made a covenant (כרתי ברית, karati berit): The Hebrew phrase literally means "cut a covenant." This refers to ancient Near Eastern practices, often involving the cutting of animals, signifying the seriousness, binding nature, and sometimes, the self-maledictory aspect of an agreement. God Himself initiated this binding agreement with Israel.
- with your fathers (את־אבותיכם, et-avoteikhem): Refers to the generation that experienced the Exodus and stood at Mount Sinai. This directly links the present generation to the foundational commitment of their ancestors and their inheritance of that covenantal responsibility.
- in the day that I brought them forth (ביום הוציאי אותם, be'yom hotzi'i otam): Pinpoints the exact moment of the covenant's establishment. This refers to the momentous and defining event of the Exodus. It highlights God's initiative and power in creating Israel as a free nation.
- from the land of Egypt (מארץ מצרים, me'eretz Mitzrayim): Specifies the place from which they were delivered. This geographical detail roots the covenant in a historical reality of intense bondage.
- from the house of bondage (מבית עבדים, mi'beit avadim): An idiomatic, emphatic expression for a state of deep, oppressive slavery. "House" suggests a system or permanent condition. It underscores the complete and utter dependence of Israel on God's liberating power from severe oppression, reminding them of the true nature of their former state.
- "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel": This phrase combines to powerfully assert the absolute, unique authority of the message coming directly from Israel's specific and covenant-keeping God. It leaves no room for doubt about the divine origin.
- "I made a covenant with your fathers... in the day that I brought them forth from the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage": This comprehensive statement encapsulates the entire historical narrative of redemption that defines Israel. It stresses God's initiative, His unique act of deliverance from oppressive slavery, and the establishment of a sacred bond. The covenant was not merely an agreement; it was born out of God's redemptive work, laying the groundwork for Israel's identity and law as a people freed by divine power.
Jeremiah 34 13 Bonus section
- The covenant at the Exodus, referenced here, formed the Mosaic Law. A key aspect of this law was its emphasis on social justice, particularly regarding the vulnerable, including slaves. The command for Hebrew slaves to be released after six years (Exod 21:2, Deut 15:12) was designed to constantly remind Israel of their own history and God's liberating act.
- By specifying "your fathers," God directly contrasts their ancestors' initial reception of the covenant (however imperfectly observed) with the present generation's flagrant disregard.
- This verse underscores a recurrent theme throughout Jeremiah: the nation's failure to remember and live out the foundational principles of their relationship with God, leading inevitably to divine judgment. They were living in a way that fundamentally contradicted their very identity as a freed people of God.
Jeremiah 34 13 Commentary
Jeremiah 34:13 serves as a pivotal theological grounding for God's stern rebuke against Judah's injustice. God invokes the very foundation of Israel's national existence: His mighty act of delivering them from the "house of bondage" in Egypt and establishing a covenant with them. This covenant, formalized in the immediate aftermath of their liberation, was not merely a set of rules, but a gracious response to His redemption. The laws regarding the release of Hebrew slaves were direct echoes of Israel's own past experience. By failing to uphold this fundamental aspect of justice and reneging on their commitment to free their own, the people of Judah demonstrated a profound and hypocritical forgetfulness of God's character and the covenant principles that define them. It was a direct affront to the very Giver of their freedom.