Jeremiah 34:5 kjv
But thou shalt die in peace: and with the burnings of thy fathers, the former kings which were before thee, so shall they burn odours for thee; and they will lament thee, saying, Ah lord! for I have pronounced the word, saith the LORD.
Jeremiah 34:5 nkjv
You shall die in peace; as in the ceremonies of your fathers, the former kings who were before you, so they shall burn incense for you and lament for you, saying, "Alas, lord!" For I have pronounced the word, says the LORD.' "
Jeremiah 34:5 niv
you will die peacefully. As people made a funeral fire in honor of your predecessors, the kings who ruled before you, so they will make a fire in your honor and lament, "Alas, master!" I myself make this promise, declares the LORD.'?"
Jeremiah 34:5 esv
You shall die in peace. And as spices were burned for your fathers, the former kings who were before you, so people shall burn spices for you and lament for you, saying, "Alas, lord!"' For I have spoken the word, declares the LORD."
Jeremiah 34:5 nlt
but will die peacefully. People will burn incense in your memory, just as they did for your ancestors, the kings who preceded you. They will mourn for you, crying, "Alas, our master is dead!" This I have decreed, says the LORD.'"
Jeremiah 34 5 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jeremiah 34:5 | "You shall die in peace. And as they made your fathers, the former kings who were before you, burn incense for themselves, so they shall burn incense for you..." | Refers to peaceful death and ancestral burial rites. |
| 2 Chronicles 16:14 | "So he lay down with his fathers and was buried in his burial place that he had dug for himself in the city of David. And they laid him on a bed full of spices and various kinds of perfumes prepared by the apothecaries..." | Shows a king buried with elaborate preparations, indicating peace. |
| Jeremiah 22:18-19 | "Therefore thus says the Lord concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah: ‘They will not lament for him, saying, “Alas, my brother!” or “Alas, my sister!” He will be buried with the burial of a donkey, dragged and cast out beyond the gates of Jerusalem.’" | Contrasts Jehoiakim's dishonorable death with Zedekiah's peaceful burial. |
| Jeremiah 52:31 | "In the thirty-seventh year of the deportation of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-fifth day of the month, Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, granted favor to Jehoiachin king of Judah and brought him out of prison." | Hints at eventual deliverance or change in circumstances for Judean royalty, though Zedekiah's end is different. |
| Isaiah 57:1-2 | "The righteous perishes, and no one lays it to heart; devout men are taken away, while no one understands. Out of the way of evil the righteous perishes; he is received into peace; they take their rest in their beds, each one who walks in his uprightness." | Connects death in peace with righteousness, although Zedekiah’s peace is described within a context of national unfaithfulness. |
| Lamentations 4:20 | "The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the Lord, was captured in their pits, of whom we said, ‘Under his shadow we shall live among the nations.’" | Refers to Zedekiah's capture and the subsequent demise of their hopes. |
| 2 Kings 24:18 | "Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah." | Provides basic biographical details about Zedekiah. |
| Jeremiah 34:1-7 | The entire passage concerns Zedekiah's covenant to free his slaves, his failure to keep it, and the ensuing judgment. | Sets the immediate context for verse 5. |
| Romans 1:30 | "... Stout-hearted, high-minded, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents," | Describes unfaithfulness which Zedekiah exemplifies through breaking his covenant. |
| Galatians 3:21 | "Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Far be it from us! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law." | Underscores the importance of faithfulness to covenants, whether human or divine. |
| Deuteronomy 28:30 | "You shall betroth a wife, but another man shall enjoy her. You shall build a house, but you shall not dwell in it. You shall plant a vineyard, but you shall not enjoy its fruit." | Describes curses that can befall a disobedient nation, reflecting Judah's future. |
| Jeremiah 21:7 | "And afterward, declares the Lord, I will give Zedekiah king of Judah and his officials and the people who are left in this city from the pestilence, from the sword, and from the famine into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon." | Predicts Zedekiah's fate being handed over to Babylon. |
| Jeremiah 39:7 | "Moreover, Zedekiah’s sons he put out his eyes before him, and the king of Babylon bound him with bronze chains and took him to Babylon to be punished." | Contrasts the prophet's specific word of personal peace in death with the brutal physical reality of Zedekiah's end (blinded, captured). This highlights the nuance: his death itself might be peaceful, meaning not violent in his final moments or burial, but his later years were marked by captivity and suffering. |
| Isaiah 14:11 | "Your pomp is brought down to Sheol, the music of your harps; you are laid like a corpse on the refuse." | Captures the contrast between royal status and eventual lowliness, relevant to royal burials. |
| Ecclesiastes 6:3 | "If a man fathers a hundred children and lives for many years, so that the days of his years are many and his offspring enjoys good, but he himself does not get the benefit of the good things, even a miscarriage is better than he." | Reflects on the complexities of life and death, and the disconnect between one's lifetime enjoyment and their legacy. |
| Matthew 7:1-2 | "Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured." | This proverb highlights divine judgment which is more profound than human understanding of justice. |
| Jeremiah 17:11 | "Like a partridge that broods on eggs which it has not laid, so is he who gets riches but not by right. It will leave him in the midst of his days, and at his end he will be a fool." | Illustrates how ill-gotten gains and unfaithfulness lead to ultimate loss. |
| Jeremiah 25:10 | "Moreover, I will banish from them the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones and the light of the lamp." | Describes the totality of desolation to come upon Judah, against which Zedekiah's personal peace stands out. |
| Psalm 37:37 | "Mark the blameless man, and behold the upright, for there is a future for the man of peace." | Connects uprightness and peace, offering a contrast to the king's covenant-breaking. |
| Jeremiah 29:11 | "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." | While these are God's plans for the exiles, it speaks to God's ultimate intention amidst judgment, a future that may include peace for some individuals. |
Jeremiah 34 verses
Jeremiah 34 5 Meaning
Jeremiah 34:5 states that King Zedekiah of Judah will die in peace and be remembered kindly by his people, with funeral pyres prepared for him just as his ancestors had. This signifies a death free from the violent circumstances expected to befall his nation, a peace marked by royal burial customs. It speaks to a personal respite amidst widespread national judgment.
Jeremiah 34 5 Context
Jeremiah 34 occurs during the final siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonian army under Nebuchadnezzar. The city is facing imminent destruction. In a desperate attempt to secure divine favor and potentially strengthen the city's defenses, King Zedekiah proclaims that all Hebrew slaves are to be freed, renewing a covenant to do so, possibly in response to a temporary withdrawal of the Babylonian forces (Jeremiah 34:8-11). However, once the immediate threat seems to subside, Zedekiah and the princes break this covenant and re-enslave the people they had just released (Jeremiah 34:11-16).
Verse 5 is part of God's message delivered through Jeremiah, condemning this betrayal. It is spoken to Zedekiah personally. God announces a judgment on Zedekiah and his household. Yet, amidst the severe judgment for breaking covenant and for other transgressions like oppressing people (Jeremiah 34:12-17), God makes a specific pronouncement about Zedekiah's death: he will die in peace and be buried with honor. This personal pronouncement stands in stark contrast to the nation's impending doom and the more severe consequences for other kings of Judah who died without such honors or faced worse fates. The surrounding verses in chapter 34 details the coming desolation and Zedekiah's eventual capture (Jeremiah 34:17, 21-22).
The historical context is critical. Zedekiah was a vassal king placed on the throne by Nebuchadnezzar, who had previously captured Jerusalem and deported many of its people, including King Jehoiachin. Zedekiah himself rebelled against Babylon, seeking alliance with Egypt, which proved disastrous. The prophecy about his "peaceful" death is thus quite specific and needs to be understood within the broader narrative of national catastrophe and personal responsibility. The reference to burning incense signifies funeral rites and remembrance.
Jeremiah 34 5 Word Analysis
- "You shall die" (אָנֹכִים - anokhim): The singular masculine form "you" directly addresses King Zedekiah. This indicates a personal pronouncement from God.
- "in peace" (בְּשָׁלֹם - bishalom): This signifies a peaceful end, not violently killed in battle or during the ravaging of the city, but likely dying of old age or illness in his palace. It is an antonym to violent death.
- "and as" (וּכְ--likh): Connects his peaceful death to the practice of funeral rites.
- "they made your fathers" (עָשׂוּ לַאֲבֹתֶיךָ - asu la'avotecha): "They" refers to the people or the royal court who carried out the burial rites. "Your fathers" (אֲבֹתֶיךָ - avotecha) emphasizes succession and lineage, linking Zedekiah to previous kings.
- "the former kings who were before you" (מַלְכֵי אֲשֶׁר לְפָנֶיךָ - malkhey asher lefaneycha): Reinforces the comparison with royal predecessors.
- "burn incense for themselves" (מַקְטִירִים לָהֶם - maktirim lahem): This phrase usually refers to the burning of incense during worship or as a sacrifice. In the context of burial, it refers to the customary burning of aromatic substances during funeral ceremonies and as part of the mourning and honoring process for a deceased ruler. It signifies respect and remembrance. This was a practice associated with royalty, indicating his status even in death.
- "so they shall burn incense for you" (כֵּן יַקְטִירוּ לָךְ - ken yakteru lach): This confirms the continuation of the same honor for Zedekiah, highlighting that despite his failures and the coming destruction of his kingdom, his personal demise will be marked by accustomed royal dignity and remembrance.
- "they shall lament" (סָפְדוּ - sapdu): This verb denotes mourning, weeping, and lamenting, a common ritual in ancient Israel for deceased loved ones, especially for important figures. This expresses the respect his people would still show him, despite his actions.
- "Alas, lord!" (הוֹי אָדוֹן - hoy adon): An expression of deep sorrow and distress, typically used to mourn a significant loss, here specifically for their ruler. "Adon" signifies 'master' or 'lord.'
Word Group Analysis:
- "You shall die in peace. ... so they shall burn incense for you": This pairing emphasizes a significant duality: while the nation faces judgment and likely violent destruction, Zedekiah, the king, is guaranteed a personal peace in death and customary royal honors. This isn't absolution for his sins, but a specific, conditional outcome of his end. It could relate to his promise to return the freed slaves.
- "they shall burn incense for you": This specific phrase links to established burial traditions for kings, indicating that despite the impending chaos and judgment upon Judah, Zedekiah will be accorded the funeral rites expected of a monarch, contrasting sharply with the potential desecration or hasty disposal of others during wartime.
Jeremiah 34 5 Bonus Section
The prophecy of Zedekiah’s peaceful death contrasts sharply with the brutal details of his capture described in Jeremiah 39:7, where his sons were killed before his eyes and his own eyes were gouged out by the Babylonians. This stark difference suggests that "dying in peace" refers to the manner of his death and burial in his final moments or in his confinement, not necessarily a life free of suffering. It may mean he was not killed in the immediate battle or sacking of Jerusalem, but died later, perhaps in exile in Babylon, and his passing was accompanied by formal mourning. The reference to burning incense alludes to the established royal burial rites, a form of honor that was not extended to all, signifying that even within judgment, distinctions were maintained, and God’s pronouncements, however difficult to reconcile with immediate circumstances, held true. This specific prophecy demonstrates the nuanced way God interacts with individuals, even during widespread national chastisement.
Jeremiah 34 5 Commentary
Jeremiah 34:5 offers a striking personal prophecy within a chapter detailing severe national judgment. God declares that King Zedekiah will die peacefully, to be mourned and honored with funeral pyres and lamentations, much like his royal ancestors. This assurance of a dignified end and remembrance is given despite Zedekiah's profound unfaithfulness in breaking the covenant to free his slaves and his broader role in Judah's decline.
This prophecy highlights that God's judgment is not always monolithic; individuals within a condemned nation can experience different outcomes based on various factors, possibly including a partial fulfillment of a promise he was trying to enact, or perhaps a specific personal destiny distinct from the general catastrophe. However, it’s crucial to understand that this "peace" does not erase his responsibility or negate the judgment upon the nation. It signifies his personal death would not be a violent, public spectacle, unlike the fate of some other kings. Later historical accounts suggest Zedekiah was blinded by the Babylonians and taken to Babylon, implying his final years were indeed filled with suffering before his death, but perhaps his actual death in Babylon was in relative peace, without being executed violently on the spot, allowing for the prediction of mourning. The incense ritual points to enduring custom, signifying that even in judgment, established social and royal protocols could still be observed for him. This offers a complex picture of God's justice, where national judgment coexists with individual circumstances and even moments of prescribed honor.