Jeremiah 34:8 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;
Jeremiah 34:8 nkjv
This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people who were at Jerusalem to proclaim liberty to them:
Jeremiah 34:8 niv
The word came to Jeremiah from the LORD after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to proclaim freedom for the slaves.
Jeremiah 34:8 esv
The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to make a proclamation of liberty to them,
Jeremiah 34:8 nlt
This message came to Jeremiah from the LORD after King Zedekiah made a covenant with the people, proclaiming freedom for the slaves.
Jeremiah 34 8 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jer 34:8 | "Now when the king and the people had made a covenant to proclaim freedom to their servants..." | God's law for release of Hebrew servants |
| Exod 21:2 | "If you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve six years, and in the seventh he shall go out free..." | The basis of the Mosaic Law for slavery |
| Lev 25:10 | "Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim a release throughout all your land to all its inhabitants..." | The Jubilee Year and general release |
| Lev 25:39-41 | "If your brother becomes so impoverished beside you that he sells himself to you, you shall not rule over him as a slave..." | Restrictions on Hebrew servitude |
| Deut 15:12 | "And if your brother, a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you, he shall serve you six years, but in the seventh year you shall let him go free from you." | Reinforcement of the six-year service |
| 2 Kings 23:3 | "And the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all his heart and all his soul..." | King Josiah's covenant for obedience |
| Neh 10:29 | "They joined with their kinsmen, their prominent among them, and entered into a curse and an oath to walk in God's Law that was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the Lord our Lord and his ordinances and his statutes." | Nehemiah's people covenanting to obey the Law |
| Isa 58:6 | "Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the ropes of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?" | The prophetic call for true social justice |
| Jer 17:19-27 | Parallel passage describing the consequences of disobedience to covenant in Jerusalem. | Foreshadowing consequences of broken covenant |
| Jer 34:17 | "Therefore thus says the Lord: You have not obeyed me by proclaiming liberty each one to his brother and to his neighbor..." | God's judgment for failing to keep the covenant |
| Jer 34:18 | "And when the men of Judah and the men of Jerusalem had cut the calf in two, they passed between its pieces and took the oath." | Description of the covenant ceremony |
| Jer 22:13 | "Woe to him who builds a house by unrighteousness, and his upper rooms by injustice, who makes his neighbor work for nothing and does not give him his wages," | Denunciation of injustice in labor |
| Jer 7:1-7 | Jeremiah's sermon at the Temple, emphasizing justice and righteousness. | Theme of societal responsibility |
| Luke 4:18-19 | "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed," | Jesus applying the prophecy of Isaiah to Himself |
| Gal 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." | Christian call to serve and love |
| Col 3:11 | "...but Christ is all and in all." | Christ encompassing all righteousness |
| Acts 4:32 | "The Lord made their hearts tender so that they would believe in and obey Jesus Christ." | Early church communal spirit |
| Heb 8:6 | "But as it is, he has obtained a more excellent ministry, by as much as he is also the mediator of a better covenant, enacted on better promises." | The New Covenant through Christ |
| Rom 13:8 | "Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law." | The law fulfilled in love |
| Ps 82:3-4 | "Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the afflicted and the needy. Rescue the weak and the poor; deliver them from the hand of the wicked." | Divine command for justice for the vulnerable |
Jeremiah 34 verses
Jeremiah 34 8 Meaning
This verse describes a command given by Jeremiah to the leaders and the people of Jerusalem. It signifies an act of obedience to God's law concerning the release of Hebrew slaves. King Zedekiah and the people had made a covenant to proclaim freedom for their slaves, a practice aligned with the Mosaic Law.
Jeremiah 34 8 Context
This verse is part of Jeremiah's confrontation with Zedekiah, the king of Judah, and the people of Jerusalem during a time of great crisis. Jerusalem was under siege by the Babylonian army. In response to the threat, King Zedekiah and the people of Jerusalem entered into a covenant. They publicly declared the release of their Hebrew slaves, aligning with God's law (Deut. 15:12-15). This action was intended to signify their reliance on God and their obedience to His statutes in a time of desperation. However, as subsequent verses reveal, this act was not from a place of genuine repentance or lasting commitment but a superficial, political, or perhaps even superstitious attempt to gain divine favor in their dire situation. Jeremiah, as God's messenger, announces God's awareness of their covenant and the subsequent reversal of their actions, leading to divine judgment.
Jeremiah 34 8 Word Analysis
- Now (וְעַתָּ֗ה, wəʿatâ)
- Meaning: And now; therefore. Indicates a connection to what preceded and the introduction of a new point.
- Significance: Signals a present action or consequence following previous events or commands.
- when (כִּ֣י, kî)
- Meaning: When; because; for; indeed.
- Significance: Here, it introduces the condition or occasion for the covenant-making.
- the king (מֶ֣לֶךְ, meleḵ)
- Meaning: King.
- Significance: Refers to Zedekiah, the ruler of Judah at this time.
- and the people (וְהָעָ֔ם, wəhā‘ām)
- Meaning: And the people.
- Significance: Indicates a collective agreement and participation of the populace.
- had made (עָשָׂ֗ה, ‘āśâ)
- Meaning: Did; made; acted.
- Significance: A simple past tense verb denoting the completion of the action.
- a covenant (בְּרִ֗ית, bərîṯ)
- Meaning: Covenant; agreement; pact; treaty.
- Significance: A solemn, binding agreement, often involving oath. Here, it was a formal promise made before God and man.
- to proclaim (לִקְרֹ֣א, liqrō‘)
- Meaning: To call out; to read; to proclaim.
- Significance: To announce publicly and officially.
- freedom (חֵ֣רֶם, ḥêr‽em)
- Meaning: Consecrated; devoted; a ban; ransom; liberty.
- Word Level Analysis: This term typically carries connotations of being devoted or set apart, often for destruction or as an offering. In this specific context of slaves, it signifies their release and being set free from bondage, consecrated unto freedom. It's a release that implies setting apart from the prior condition of servitude.
- Significance: The proclamation of liberty for slaves.
- to their servants (לַֽעֲבָדִ֕ים, la‘ăḇāḏîm)
- Meaning: To the servants; to the slaves.
- Significance: Specifies that the proclamation of freedom was for those held in servitude.
Jeremiah 34 8 Bonus Section
The context of this verse relates directly to the social and legal structures of ancient Israel as laid out in the Pentateuch. The covenant described in Jeremiah 34 echoes the principles of the Mosaic Law concerning the humane treatment and eventual release of Hebrew slaves. While not equivalent to chattel slavery in other cultures, Hebrew servitude was a form of debt bondage. God established provisions to prevent permanent oppression among His people. The prophets often critiqued Israel for failing to uphold these just practices, especially concerning the vulnerable. The kings and people of Judah often made covenants with God (and sometimes with foreign powers) when facing existential threats, but their faithfulness was typically short-lived. This particular covenant was made when Nebuchadnezzar was besieging Jerusalem, a critical moment where a demonstration of faithfulness to God's covenantal requirements was desperately needed, but ultimately, it proved to be a superficial gesture.
Jeremiah 34 8 Commentary
Jeremiah 34:8 marks a significant moment where Judah, under King Zedekiah, attempted to appease God and align with His Law during a dire crisis. The act of releasing Hebrew slaves was a direct response to God's commandments, particularly those concerning the sabbatical year and the Jubilee, where slaves were to be set free. This covenant was an outward show of commitment to righteousness, perhaps hoping to avert the Babylonian onslaught. However, the text in Jeremiah makes it clear that this was not a sincere spiritual turning but a last-minute, ultimately hollow, attempt to bargain with God. The Hebrew word "ḥêr‽em" for freedom here emphasizes the sacredness and complete nature of this release they covenanted to. This act highlights the Israelites' history of making covenants and promises to God, often failing to uphold them. The subsequent reversal of this covenant and the re-enslavement of the freed individuals (v. 11) incurred God's severe judgment, as detailed later in the chapter, showing that mere ritual or political action without genuine heart change is unacceptable to God.