Jeremiah 34:18 kjv
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,
Jeremiah 34:18 nkjv
And I will give the men who have transgressed My covenant, who have not performed the words of the covenant which they made before Me, when they cut the calf in two and passed between the parts of it?
Jeremiah 34:18 niv
Those who have violated my covenant and have not fulfilled the terms of the covenant they made before me, I will treat like the calf they cut in two and then walked between its pieces.
Jeremiah 34:18 esv
And the men who transgressed my covenant and did not keep the terms of the covenant that they made before me, I will make them like the calf that they cut in two and passed between its parts ?
Jeremiah 34:18 nlt
Because you have broken the terms of our covenant, I will cut you apart just as you cut apart the calf when you walked between its halves to solemnize your vows.
Jeremiah 34 18 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jeremiah 34:18 | "And I will give those who have transgressed my covenant, who have not performed the words of the covenant which they made before me, when they cut the calf in two and passed between its parts,— | Breach of Covenant Consequences |
| Leviticus 26:33 | "I will scatter you among the nations and will draw out a sword after you, and your land shall be desolate and your cities uninhabitable." | National Dispersion and Devastation |
| Deuteronomy 28:64 | "The LORD will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other, and there you shall serve other gods, made of wood and stone, which you nor your fathers have known." | Exile and Idolatry |
| Jeremiah 17:27 | "But if you do not obey me to keep the Sabbath day holy, and if you do not bear a burden but carry it on the Sabbath day, then I will kindle a fire in its gates, and it shall devour all the palaces of Jerusalem and shall not be quenched." | Disobedience to Divine Commands |
| Ezekiel 20:43 | "There you shall remember your ways and all your deeds with which you have defiled yourselves, and you shall loathe yourselves for all the evils that you have committed." | Remembrance of Sin and Repentance |
| 2 Chronicles 36:16 | "But they constantly mocked the messengers of God, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, until there was no remedy." | Rejection of God's Word |
| Psalm 106:39 | "Thus they became disgraced by their actions and mocked by their deeds." | Shame for Ungodly Actions |
| Jeremiah 19:10 | "Then I shall break this people and this city, as one breaks a potter's vessel, so that it cannot be mended. And they will bury them in Topheth till there is no place to bury." | Utter Destruction |
| Jeremiah 25:9 | "behold, I will send for all the tribes of the north,' declares the LORD, 'and for Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants, and against all these nations round about; and I will utterly destroy them and make them a horror, a hissing, and an everlasting desolation." | Invocation of Foreign Powers |
| Amos 3:2 | "You only have I chosen of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities." | Divine Accountability |
| Malachi 2:16 | "For I hate divorce," says the LORD, the God of Israel, "and he who covers his wife with violence as with a garment," says the LORD of hosts. "So guard yourselves in your spirit, and do not let any one break faith." | Covenant Fidelity |
| 1 Corinthians 7:23 | "You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men." | Freedom in Christ |
| Romans 2:1-3 | "Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, every one of you who infects; for in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, do the same things. We know that God's judgment on those who do such things is in accordance with the truth." | Hypocrisy and Judgment |
| Luke 6:46 | "Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?" | Obedience over Proclamation |
| Matthew 7:24-27 | "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the ruin of it." | Hearers and Doers of the Word |
| Isaiah 58:6 | "Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?" | True Fasting and Justice |
| Galatians 5:13 | "For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another." | Freedom Used in Love |
| 1 Samuel 15:22 | "And Samuel said, "Has the LORD as great a delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obedience to the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams." | Obedience as True Worship |
| Acts 17:24-25 | "The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by hand, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all.»" | God's Self-Sufficiency |
| Romans 12:1 | "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship." | Living Sacrifice |
Jeremiah 34 verses
Jeremiah 34 18 Meaning
This verse describes the consequences of breaking a covenant. Those who consecrated themselves to the Lord but then violated their vows, treating their servants as property once more, would be subject to God's judgment and dispersion. Their actions essentially nullified their consecrated status, leading to a loss of freedom and security.
Jeremiah 34 18 Context
Jeremiah 34 takes place during the final siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar. King Zedekiah had made a covenant with the people, prompted by Jeremiah's prophecy, to proclaim liberty for all their Hebrew slaves. This was a response to the temporary lifting of the Babylonian siege. However, once the Babylonians retreated temporarily, the Judean nobility revoked this proclamation and returned the slaves to their former bondage, thus violating their covenant with God and the people. This verse specifically addresses the unfaithfulness of these nobles and the consequences they will face for breaking their solemn oath, an oath sealed with a symbolic act similar to covenant ceremonies described elsewhere. The wider context is God's impending judgment on Judah for its persistent sinfulness and unfaithfulness.
Jeremiah 34 18 Word Analysis
וְנָתַתִּי (və·nā·ta·tî): "And I will give." This is the Hiphil (causative) imperfect first-person singular of the verb נָתַן (nā·tan), meaning "to give." It signifies God's active involvement in bringing about the consequence.
אֶת־הַמְחַלְּלִים (’eṯ·ham·ḥal·lîm): "those who have transgressed." The definite article "ha-" prefixed to the participle מחללים (ma·ḥă·lîm), which is derived from the verb חָלַל (ḥā·lal), meaning "to profane," "desecrate," or "violate." Here, it specifically refers to those who have profaned or broken the covenant.
בְּרִיתִי (bə·rî·ṯî): "my covenant." From בְּרִית (bə·rîṯ), meaning "covenant," "agreement," or "league," with the first-person possessive suffix. This emphasizes God's direct relationship and agreement with His people.
אֲשֶׁר (’ă·šer): "which." A relative pronoun introducing the clause that specifies the covenant.
כָּרְתוּ (kar·ṯû): "they made." The Qal perfect third-person plural of the verb כָּרַת (kā·raṯ), meaning "to cut," "to make a covenant," or "to cut off." Covenant-making often involved cutting animals in two (Genesis 15:10).
אֹתָם (’o·ṯām): "them." The direct object pronoun, referring to the calf that was cut.
לְפָנַי (lə·p̄ā·nay): "before me." The preposition "le-" (to/for) with the noun פָּנִים (pā·nîm), "face," and the first-person singular possessive suffix. This indicates the covenant was made in God's presence and awareness.
הָעֵגֶל (hā·‘ê·ḡel): "the calf." The definite article "ha-" prefixed to the noun עֵגֶל (‘ê·ḡel), meaning "calf." This refers to the animal sacrificed in the covenant ceremony.
אֲשֶׁר (’ă·šer): "which." A relative pronoun introducing the description of the act.
בֵּין (bên): "between." A preposition indicating separation or the space between two things.
חֲלָקָיו (ḥă·lā·qāw): "its parts." From חֵלֶק (ḥê·leq), meaning "part," "portion," or "piece," with the third-person singular possessive suffix. This describes the state of the calf after being cut.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "those who have transgressed my covenant, who have not performed the words of the covenant which they made before me": This entire phrase emphasizes the grave sin of covenant infidelity. The repetition of "covenant" underscores its sanctity and the seriousness of breaking it. "Made before me" highlights the solemnity of the vow taken in God's presence.
- "when they cut the calf in two and passed between its parts": This describes the ritualistic manner of making the covenant, symbolizing that the covenant breakers would be cut in two and their parts dispersed, mirroring the fate of the sacrificed animal.
Jeremiah 34 18 Bonus Section
The practice of cutting an animal in two and walking between its parts as a covenant ritual is also seen in Genesis 15:10, where God Himself passes between the pieces of the sacrificed animals with Abram, signifying His unconditional commitment to His covenant with Abraham. Jeremiah uses this familiar imagery to pronounce judgment on Zedekiah and the nobles, turning the very symbol of their sacred vow into an emblem of their impending doom. This act of violation highlights not only their treachery towards their people but also their profound disrespect for God, who was the witness and guarantor of their covenant. The dispersion and judgment described are characteristic of the consequences outlined in the Law for covenant unfaithfulness (Leviticus 26, Deuteronomy 28).
Jeremiah 34 18 Commentary
Jeremiah 34:18 denounces the Judean nobility's blatant disregard for their solemn covenant to free Hebrew slaves. Their superficial observance of the covenant rite, involving cutting a calf in two and walking between its pieces, a potent symbol of divine commitment and consequence, was hollow due to their subsequent violation. God declares He will treat them as they treated their broken covenant and their enslaved brethren: divided, dispersed, and subjected to judgment. Their hypocrisy—claiming liberty for slaves only to reclaim them when the immediate threat receded—provokes God's righteous anger. The verse is a stark reminder that true covenant faithfulness is demonstrated through action and adherence to its terms, not mere ritual. It points to a spiritual reality where broken commitments to God and man lead to profound and destructive consequences, reflecting divine justice.