Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 34:8
[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;
8. had made a covenant ] According to Exo 21:2 [E] a Hebrew male slave was to be set free after six years’ service, and by Deu 15:12 this was extended to female slaves. The conscience-quickening power of impending danger, in meeting which the slaves, if enfranchised, would be more ready to co-operate with their former masters, seems to have induced Zedekiah, naturally too weak-minded a man to have displayed much vigour in urging any such conduct upon his subjects, to make the agreement with them here spoken of. This view of the motive is to be preferred to Du.’s theory that the slaves were turned out of the city during the siege because of the burden of feeding persons whose normal occupation of tillage, etc. was necessarily in abeyance. The narrative on the contrary implies that the action was to the slaves’ advantage (see Jer 34:16), and that it was from motives of selfishness that the edict, though sanctioned by the solemnity of an oath, was cancelled on the temporary withdrawal of the besiegers to meet the approaching army of Pharaoh ( Jer 34:21).
to proclaim liberty unto them ] The same phrase is used of the proclamation made in the year of jubilee (Lev 25:10). “Unto them,” if it be not an insertion, refers to the slaves.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
8 22. Condemnation of the perjury involved in the treatment of the Hebrew slaves
The subsection may be summarized as follows. (i) Jer 34:8-11. Zedekiah induces the people solemnly to bind themselves to release their slaves. They do so, but presently cancel their agreement. (ii) Jer 34:12-16. Jeremiah is bidden to remind the people of the terms of the Law on the subject, and to charge them with perjury in the violation of the covenant they had recently made under solemn sanctions. (iii) Jer 34:17-22. They shall in consequence fall victims to the sword. Their bodies after death shall suffer indignities. The king and his princes shall be taken captive, Jerusalem captured and burnt, and the cities laid waste.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
It is usual with commentators to say that, the laws dealing with the emancipation of the Hebrew slaves, as also that of the land resting during the sabbatical year, were not observed. The narrative teaches us the exact contrary. The manumission of the slaves on the present occasion was the spontaneous act of Zedekiah and the people. They knew of the law, and acknowledged its obligation. The observance of it was, no doubt, lax: the majority let their own selfish interests prevail; but the minority made might give way to right, and Zedekiah supported their efforts though only in a weak way.
Early in January, in the ninth year of Zedekiah, the Chaldaean army approached Jerusalem. The people made a covenant with the king, who appears as the abettor of the measure, to let their slaves go free. Possibly patriotism had its share in this: and as Jerusalem was strongly fortified, all classes possibly hoped that if the slaves were manumitted, they too would labor with a more hearty good-will in resisting the enemy. In the summer of the same year the Egyptians advanced to the rescue, and Nebuchadnezzar withdrew to meet their attack. The Jews with a strange levity, which sets them before us in a most despicable light, at once forced the manumitted slaves back into bondage. With noble indignation Jeremiah rebukes them for their treachery, assures them that the Chaldaean army will return, and warns them of the certainty of the punishment which they so richly merited.
Jer 34:8
As the Chaldaean army swept over the country the wealthier classes would all flee to Jerusalem, taking with them their households. And as the Mosaic Law was probably more carefully kept there than in the country, the presence in these families of slaves who had grown grey in service may have given offence to the stricter classes at the capital.
To proclaim liberty unto them – The words are those of the proclamation of the year of jubile to the people, whereupon it became their duty to set their slaves free.
Jer 34:9
Should serve himself of them – Should make them serve him (see Jer 25:14).
Jer 34:11
They turned, and caused … to return – But afterward they again made the slaves return.
Jer 34:13
The house of bondmen – The miserable prison in which, after being worked in the fields all day in gangs, the slaves were shut up at night.
Jer 34:16
At their pleasure – literally, for themselves.
Jer 34:17
I will make you to be removed into – I will cause you to be a terror unto. Men would shudder at them.
Jer 34:18
The words … – The Jews spoke of cutting a covenant, because the contracting parties cut a calf in twain and passed between the pieces. Thus cutting a covenant and cutting a calf in twain, meant the same thing.
Jer 34:21
Which are gone up from you – i. e., which have departed for the present, and have raised the siege.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 8. The word that came unto Jeremiah] Here the second discourse begins, which was delivered probably a short time, even a few days, after the former.
Zedekiah had made a covenant] We find no account elsewhere of this covenant: “Every man should let his man-servant and his maid-servant go free;” i.e., as we learn from Jer 34:14, on the sabbatical year; for the seventh year was the year of release. See De 15:12.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
This verse plainly beginneth a new prophecy, but at what particular time this revelation or the publication of it was we are not told, only the occasion of it is recorded. God had made a particular law respecting the Jewish nation, that if any had bought an Hebrew servant, he should serve but six years, and in the seventh should go out free, Exo 21:2; Deu 15:12. It came into Zedekiahs mind to make a proclamation for the execution of this law; what moved him to it we have not recorded. The learned author of the English Annotations observeth well, that it was their usual course when they were in some great straits to make some partial reformation, Jdg 10:15,16; Psa 78:34,35; Ho 6 1.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
8. By the law a Hebrew, afterhaving been a bond-servant for six years, on the seventh was to belet go free (Exo 21:22; Deu 15:12).
Zedekiah made a covenantwithsolemn ceremonial in the temple (Jer 34:15;Jer 34:18; Jer 34:19).
thembond-servants (Jer34:9).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
[This is] the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord,…. Here begins a new prophecy, which was delivered some time after the former; that was given out while the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem; this after he had quitted the siege for a while, and was gone to meet the king of Egypt, who was coming to the relief of the city, as appears from Jer 34:21; though the Jews k say this was delivered in the seventh year of Zedekiah, in the first month, and tenth day of the month; at the same time that the elders of Israel came to Ezekiel, to inquire of the Lord by him, Eze 20:1; which was two years before the king of Babylon came against Jerusalem; but this seems not likely. It is said to be
after that the King Zedekiah made a covenant with all the people that [were] at Jerusalem, to proclaim liberty unto them; not unto the people, or to themselves, the king and the people; unless the sense is, that the king and the people entered into an agreement among themselves to make proclamation, that liberty would be granted by them to their servants; for the liberty proclaimed was to the servants, and not to them. This seems to confirm it, that it was while the city was besieged that this covenant was made; since it was made only with the people at Jerusalem, which were pent up in it; for otherwise it would in all probability have been made with all the people of the land; and seems to have been done with this view, to obtain this favour of the Lord, that they might gain their freedom from the enemy, and come not under the yoke and into the servitude of the king of Babylon: and very probable it is that they did not do this of their own accord, but were exhorted to it by Jeremiah; who perhaps, among other sins, had reproved them for the breach of the law respecting the liberty of servants.
k Seder Olam Rabba, c. 26. p. 74.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Threatening because of the Re-enslavement of the Liberated Hebrew Men-and Maid-servants. – Jer 34:8-11 describe the occasion of the word of the Lord, which follows in Jer 34:12-22. It came to Jeremiah “after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem, to proclaim liberty to them, that every one should send away his man-servant, or his maid-servant, being a Hebrew or Hebrewess, so that none should impose servitude on any one of them who was a Jew, his brother. Jer 34:10. And all the princes and all the people who entered into the covenant obeyed, each one setting free his man-servant and his maid-servant, and not imposing servitude on them any more: they obeyed and each one set them free. Jer 34:11. But they turned round afterwards, and brought back the servants and the handmaids whom they had set free, and brought them under subjection, for servants and for handmaids.” The covenant which Zedekiah concluded with all the people at Jerusalem, according to what follows, consisted in a solemn vow made before the Lord in the temple, probably confirmed by sacrifices, to set free the male and female slaves of Hebrew descent, in conformity with the law, Exo 21:1-4; Deu 15:12.
The law required the gratuitous manumission of these after seven years of service. This time, indeed, is not mentioned in our verses, but it is assumed as well known through the law. But, in the general departure of the people from the Lord and His commandments, the observance of this law had probably long been intermitted, so that, in consequence of the solemn engagement to obey it once more, a great number of Hebrew male and female slaves received their freedom, inasmuch as very many had served longer than seven years; however, we need not suppose that all bond men and women were liberated at once. The resolution, Jer 34:9, that every one should liberate his Hebrew man-or maid-servant, and that no one should continue to impose servitude on a Jew, his brother, i.e., compel him any longer to serve as a slave, is conditioned by the law, which is assumed as well known: this also accords with the expression , which is used in a general way of the treatment of Hebrew men-and maid-servants, Lev 25:39. However, it is also possible that a liberation of all bond men and women took place without regard to the duration of their servitude, partly for the purpose of averting, by such obedience to the law, the calamity now threatening the city, and partly also to employ the liberated slaves in the defence of the city; for, according to Jer 34:21., the emancipation took place during the siege of Jerusalem, and after the departure of the Chaldeans the solemn promise was revoked. The expression , “to proclaim liberty,” is taken from Lev 25:10, but it does not prove that the manumission took place on a sabbath-or jubilee-year. refers ad sensum to those who were bondmen and had a right to be set free. The general expression is explained by , and this again is more closely defined by (cf. Lev 25:39). , (that no one should labour) “though a Jew, who is his brother,” i.e., a fellow-countryman; i.e., that no one should impose servitude on a Jew, as being a compatriot. “To enter into a covenant” is to assume its obligation; cf. 2Ch 15:12; Eze 16:8. The Kethib receives, in the Qeri, the vowels of the Kal, since the Hiphil of this verb does not occur elsewhere, only the Kal, cf. 2Ch 28:10; but the alteration is unnecessary – the Hiphil may intensify the active meaning.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
| Transient Reformation; The Servants Re-enslaved. | B. C. 589. |
8 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; 9 That every man should let his manservant, and every man his maidservant, being a Hebrew or a Hebrewess, go free; that none should serve himself of them, to wit, of a Jew his brother. 10 Now when all the princes, and all the people, which had entered into the covenant, heard that every one should let his manservant, and every one his maidservant, go free, that none should serve themselves of them any more, then they obeyed, and let them go. 11 But afterward they turned, and caused the servants and the handmaids, whom they had let go free, to return, and brought them into subjection for servants and for handmaids. 12 Therefore the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, 13 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, 14 At the end of seven years let ye go every man his brother an Hebrew, which hath been sold unto thee; and when he hath served thee six years, thou shalt let him go free from thee: but your fathers hearkened not unto me, neither inclined their ear. 15 And ye were now turned, and had done right in my sight, in proclaiming liberty every man to his neighbour; and ye had made a covenant before me in the house which is called by my name: 16 But ye turned and polluted my name, and caused every man his servant, and every man his handmaid, whom ye had set at liberty at their pleasure, to return, and brought them into subjection, to be unto you for servants and for handmaids. 17 Therefore thus saith the LORD; Ye have not hearkened unto me, in proclaiming liberty, every one to his brother, and every man to his neighbour: behold, I proclaim a liberty for you, saith the LORD, to the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine; and I will make you to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth. 18 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, 19 The princes of Judah, and the princes of Jerusalem, the eunuchs, and the priests, and all the people of the land, which passed between the parts of the calf; 20 I will even give them into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of them that seek their life: and their dead bodies shall be for meat unto the fowls of the heaven, and to the beasts of the earth. 21 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. 22 Behold, I will command, saith the LORD, and cause them to return to this city; and they shall fight against it, and take it, and burn it with fire: and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation without an inhabitant.
We have here another prophecy upon a particular occasion, the history of which we must take notice of, as necessary to give light to the prophecy.
I. When Jerusalem was closely besieged by the Chaldean army the princes and people agreed upon a reformation in one instance, and that was concerning their servants.
1. The law of God was very express, that those of their own nation should not be held in servitude above seven years, but, after they had served one apprenticeship, they should be discharged and have their liberty; yea, though they had sold themselves into servitude for the payment of their debts, or though they were sold by the judges for the punishment of their crimes. This difference was put between their brethren and strangers, that those of other nations taken in war, or bought with money, might be held in perpetual slavery, they and theirs; but their brethren must serve but for seven years at the longest. This God calls the covenant that he had made with them when he brought them out of the land of Egypt,Jer 34:13; Jer 34:14. This was the first of the judicial laws which God gave them (Exod. xxi. 2), and there was good reason for this law. (1.) God had put honour upon that nation, and he would have them thus to preserve the honour of it themselves and to put a difference between it and other nations. (2.) God had brought them out of slavery in Egypt, and he would have them thus to express their grateful sense of that favour, by letting those go to whom their houses were houses of bondage, as Egypt had been to their forefathers. That deliverance is therefore mentioned here (v. 13) as the ground of that law. Note, God’s compassions towards us should engage our compassions towards our brethren; we must release as we are released, forgive as we are forgiven, and relieve as we are relieved. And this is called a covenant; for our performance of the duty required is the condition of the continuance of the favours God has bestowed.
2. This law they and their fathers had broken. Their worldly profit swayed more with them than God’s command or covenant. When their servants had lived seven years with them they understood their business, and how to apply themselves to it, better than they did when they first came to them, and therefore they would then by no means part with them, though God himself by his law had made them free: Your fathers hearkened not to me in this matter (v. 14), so that from the days of their fathers they had been in this trespass; and they thought they might do it because their fathers did it, and their servants had by disuse lost the benefit of the provision God made for them; whereas against an express law, especially against an express law of God, no custom, usage, nor prescription, is to be admitted in plea. For this sin of theirs, and their fathers, God now brought them into servitude, and justly.
3. When they were besieged, and closely shut in, by the army of the Chaldeans, they, being told of their fault in this matter, immediately reformed, and let go all their servants that were entitled to their freedom by the law of God, as Pharaoh, who, when the plague was upon him, consented to let the people go, and bound themselves in a covenant to do so. (1.) The prophets faithfully admonished them concerning their sin. From them they heard that they should let their Hebrew servants go free, v. 10. They might have read it themselves in the book of the law, but did not, or did not heed it, therefore the prophets told them what the law was. See what need there is of the preaching of the word; people must hear the word preached because they will not make the use they ought to make of the word written. (2.) All orders and degrees of men concurred in this reformation. The king, and the princes, and all the people, agreed to let go their servants, whatever loss or damage they might sustain by so doing. When the king and princes led in this good work the people could not for shame but follow. The example and influence of great men would go very far towards extirpating the most inveterate corruptions. (3.) They bound themselves by a solemn oath and covenant that they would do this, whereby they engaged themselves to God and one another. Note, What God has bound us to by his precept, it is good for us to bind ourselves to by our promise. This covenant was very solemn: it was made in a sacred place, made before me, in the house which is called by my name (v. 15), in the special presence of God, the tokens of which, in the temple, ought to strike an awe upon them and make them very sincere in their appeals to him. It was ratified by a significant sign; they cut a calf in two, and passed between the parts thereof (Jer 34:18; Jer 34:19) with this dreadful imprecation, “Let us be in like manner cut asunder if we do not perform what we now promise.” This calf was probably offered up in sacrifice to God, who was thereby made a party to the covenant. When God covenanted with Abraham, for the ratification of it, a smoking furnace and a burning lamp passed between the pieces of the sacrifice, in allusion to this federal rite, Gen. xv. 17. Note, In order that we may effectually oblige ourselves to our duty, it is good to alarm ourselves with the apprehensions of the terror of the wrath and curse to which we expose ourselves if we live in the contempt of it, that wrath which will cut sinners asunder (Matt. xxiv. 51), and sensible signs may be of use to make the impressions of it deep and durable, as here. (4.) They conformed themselves herein to the command of God and their covenant with him; they did let their servants go, though at this time, when the city was besieged, they could very ill spare them. Thus they did right in God’s sight, v. 15. Though it was their trouble that drove them to it, yet he was well pleased with it; and if they had persevered in this act of mercy to the poor, to their poor servants, it might have been a lengthening of their tranquillity, Dan. iv. 27.
II. When there was some hope that the siege was raised and the danger over they repented of their repentance, undid the good they had done, and forced the servants they had released into their respective services again. 1. The king of Babylon’s army had now gone up from them, v. 21. 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. 5. 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. As soon as ever they let their servants go free God let them go free. 2. When they began to think themselves safe from the besiegers they made their servants come back into subjection to them, v. 11, and again v. 16. This was a great abuse to their servants, to whom servitude would be more irksome, after they had had some taste of the pleasures of liberty. It was a great shame to themselves that they could not keep in a good mind when they were in it. But it was especially an affront to God; in doing this they polluted his name, v. 16. It was a contempt of the command he had given them, as if that were of no force at all, but they might either keep it or break it as they thought fit. It was a contempt of the covenant they had made with him, and of that wrath which they had imprecated upon themselves in case they should break that covenant. It was jesting with God almighty, as if he could be imposed upon by fallacious promises, which, when they had gained their point, they would look upon themselves no longer obliged by. it was lying to God with their mouths and flattering him with their tongues. It was likewise a contempt of the judgments of God and setting them at defiance; as if, when once the course of them was stopped a little and interrupted, they would never proceed again and the judgment would never be revived; whereas reprieves are so far from being pardons that if they be abused thus, and sinners take encouragement from them to return to sin, they are but preparatives for heavier strokes of divine vengeance.
III. For this treacherous dealing with God they are here severely threatened. Be not deceived; God is not mocked. Those that think to put a cheat upon God by a dissembled repentance, a fallacious covenant, and a partial temporary reformation, will prove in the end to have put the greatest cheat upon their own souls; for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God. it is here threatened, with an observable air of displeasure against them, 1. That, since they had not given liberty to their servants to go where they pleased, God would give all his judgments liberty to take their course against them without control (v. 17): You have not proclaimed liberty to your servants. Though they had done it (v. 10), yet they might truly be said not to have done it, because they did not stand to it, but undid it again; and factum non dicitur quod non perseverat–that is not said to be done which does not last. The righteousness that is forsaken and turned away from shall be forgotten, and not mentioned any more than if it had never been, Ezek. xviii. 24. “Therefore I will proclaim a liberty for you; I will discharge you from my service, and put you out of my protection, which those forfeit that withdraw from their allegiance. You shall have liberty to choose which of these judgments you will be cut off by, sword, famine, or pestilence;” such a liberty as was offered to David, which put him into a great strait, 2 Sam. xxiv. 14. Note, Those that will not be in subjection to the law of God put themselves into subjection to the wrath and curse of God. But this shows what liberty to sin really–it is but a liberty to the sorest judgments. 2. That, since they had brought their servants back into confinement in their houses, God would make them to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth, where they should live in servitude, and, being strangers, could not expect the privileges of free-born subjects. 3. That, since they had broken the covenant which they ratified by a solemn imprecation, God would bring on them the evil which they imprecated upon themselves in case they should break it. Out of their own mouth will he judge them, and so shall their doom be; the penalty of their bond shall be recovered, because they have not performed the condition; for so some read v. 18, “I will make the men which have transgressed my covenant as the calf which they cut in twain; I will divide them asunder as they divided it asunder.” 4. That, since they would not let go their servants out of the hands, God would deliver them into the hands of those that hated them, even the princes and nobles both of Judah and Jerusalem (of the country and of the city), the eunuchs (chamberlains, or great officers of the court), the priests, and all the people, v. 19. They had all dealt treacherously with God, and therefore shall all be involved in the common ruin without exception. They shall all be given unto the hand of their enemies, that seek, not their wealth only, or their service, but their life, and they shall have what they seek; but neither shall that content them: when they have their lives they shall leave their dead bodies unburied, a loathsome spectacle to all mankind and an easy prey to the fowls and beasts, a lasting mark of ignominy being hereby fastened on them, v. 20. 5. That, since they had emboldened themselves in returning to their sin, contrary to their covenant, by the retreat of the Chaldean army from them, God would therefore bring it upon them again: “They have now gone up from you, and your fright is over for the present, but I will command them to face about as they were; they shall return to this city, and take it and burn it,” v. 22. Note, (1.) As confidence in God is a hopeful presage of approaching deliverance, so security in sin is a sad omen of approaching destruction. (2.) When judgments are removed from a people before they have done their work, leave them, but leave them unhumbled and unreformed, it is cum animo revertendi—with a design to return; they do but retreat to come on again with so much the greater force; for when God judges he will overcome. (3.) It is just with God to disappoint those expectations of mercy which his providence had given cause for when we disappoint those expectations of duty which our professions, pretensions, and fair promises, had given cause for. If we repent of the good we had purposed, God will repent of the good he had purposed. With the froward thou will show thyself froward.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
Vs. 8-11: THE VIOLATION OF A SACRED COVENANT
1. Under the strain of crisis, and quite possibly in an attempt to appease the wrath of God upon the nation’s sin, Zedekiah induced all those to whom their Hebrew brethren had contracted themselves as bondservants to solemnly swear to their liberation, (vs. 8-10, 14,17; comp. 2Ki 23:2-3; Neh 5:1-13; Lev 25:10; Lev 25:39-46).
a. Perhaps God would view their act with such favor that He would cause the siege to be lifted miraculously
b. Beside this, a freedman would be much more apt to fight courageously for the defense of the Holy City
2. Shortly after the release of their bondservants the siege was temporarily lifted – obviously due to the distraction of the Babylonians by the advancing army of Egypt, which appeared to be coming to the defense of Judah and Jerusalem, (Jer 37:3-9).
3. When it appeared that Jerusalem had been miraculously spared, and that danger was past, many former slave-holders revoked
their solemn pledges of liberty to their brethren and forcibly compelled their return to positions of servitude! (vs. 11; comp. Psa 78:34-41; Hos 6:4-7).
4. It should be noted that God expects men to take their vows seriously – regardless of the circumstances under which they are made. (Psa 76:11; Ecc 5:4-6).
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
B. A Shameful Repudiation Jer. 34:8-11
TRANSLATION
(8) The word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, after king Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people which were in Jerusalem to proclaim freedom, (9) so that each man would set free his Hebrew slave or handmaiden, that no one should hold his fellow Jew in bondage. (10) And all the princes and all the people who entered into the covenant to set free his Hebrew slave or maidservant, that they might not enslave them anymore; they hearkened and set them free. (11) But after they had done this they changed their mind and caused the slaves and maidservants whom they had set free to return and forced them once more to become slaves and handmaids.
COMMENTS
Jer. 34:8-11 reveal the background of the blistering denunciation which is contained in the last half of the chapter. Here is recorded one of the most disgusting acts of hypocrisy ever recorded in the Bible. Israel, like other nations of the ancient Near East, had laws which permitted an impoverished man to sell himself into slavery. While this provision may seem harsh by western standards it was certainly a boon for the poor. Numerous invasions, enormous taxation and natural disasters (such as the drought mentioned in Jer. 14:1) would have reduced many Israelitesformer land ownersto abject poverty. The wealth of the nation such as it was seems to have been concentrated in the hands of a relatively few members of the aristocracy. Under such conditions, no doubt many Israelites found slavery an attractive alternative to starvation. However the law of Moses had strict regulations governing the servitude of fellow Hebrews. Such bond-slaves were to be released after six years of service unless, of course, they preferred to remain in this state (Exo. 21:5 f.; Deu. 15:16 f.). The slave owners of Jerusalem had been guilty of violating these regulations, refusing to release their slaves at the end of the legally stipulated period.
When Jerusalem came under siege in January 588 B.C., king Zedekiah took the initiative in securing the release of these Hebrew bondsmen. First came the proclamation; each master proclaimed liberty, i.e., emancipated his slaves. Then, in the Temple in Jerusalem, the king and princes ratified the agreement by participating in ancient and solemn ceremonies. A calf was slaughtered and divided down the middle. One half was laid against the other with a passage between and the covenanters walked between the pieces. The significance of this act was probably that of an implied curse: May the party who breaks this covenant be cut in two even as the calf is divided. Perhaps an oath was actually repeated as the parties passed between the halves of the dead animal. By such a ceremony Gods covenant with Abraham had been ratified many years earlier (Gen. 15:9 f.).
What motivated the slave owners to suddenly comply with the law and release their slaves? Their impulse was born while the Chaldeans were pounding on the gates of Jerusalem. Perhaps the thought was that by correcting this open and flagrant abuse of the law they might influence God to intervene on their behalf and spare the city.[300] Their action might be likened to death-bed repentance or fox-hole religiona sort of last ditch effort in the time of peril. In the present crisis these men were willing to try anything, even the religion of Jeremiah. On the other hand other motives may have influenced the nobles in their, decision. With Jerusalem under siege the slaves might have become economic liabilities rather than assets. They would no longer be able to work the farm lands which lay outside the city walls. With food scarce within the city the slave owners were hard pressed to feed their own families let alone their slaves. Furthermore, freeing the slaves would make more men available for the defense of Jerusalem. A free man has more incentive to fight against the invaders than a slave. Thus Zedekiah probably did not have a great deal of difficulty in persuading the nobles to release their slaves.
[300] Sheldon Blank (op. cit., p. 47) sees a vague hint that this was the motivation in Jer. 34:15 which he translates, you turned today and did what pleased Me. Blank thinks this means, you did what you did in order to please Me.
When the Egyptian forces came to the relief of Jerusalem in the summer of 588 B.C. the siege of Jerusalem was temporarily lifted. The foolish inhabitants of the city thought that the danger was over. The enemy would not return! God had delivered them! Thinking that normal conditions would soon be restored, the nobles issued a new proclamation: they revoked the freedom they had given, broke their solemn pledge, and brought the former slaves into servitude again. Thus is the usual sequel of religious commitments made under duress. This shameful repudiation of a sacred covenant made with God and man incensed Jeremiah and he delivered the stinging rebuke which follows.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(8) After that the king Zedekiah had made a covenant . . .The remainder of the chapter brings before us an historical episode of considerable interest. The law of Moses did not allow in the case of a free-born Hebrew more than a temporary bondage of seven years (Exo. 21:2; Deu. 15:12-18), extended (but under the form of serfage rather than slavery) in the later regulations of Lev. 25:39-40 to the time that might intervene between the date of purchase and the commencement of the next year of jubilee. In 2Ki. 4:1 we have an instance of the working of the law, as bringing even the sons of a prophet into this modified slavery. Only if the man preferred his state as a slave to the risks of freedom could his master retain him after the appointed limit (Exo. 21:5-6). The law had apparently fallen into disuse, and the nobles of Judah, like those of Athens before Solon, and Rome before the institution of the Tribunate, had used the law of debt to bring a large number of their fellow citizens into slavery, just as their successors did after the return from Babylon (Neh. 5:5). Under the pressure of the danger from the Chaldan invasion, and that he might have the ready service of freemen instead of the forced work of slaves, perhaps also in consequence of the revival of the law, that followed on its discovery, probably in the form of the Book of Deuteronomy, in the days of Josiah (2Ki. 22:8), Zedekiah had been led to promise freedom to all the slave population of this class that were within the walls of Jerusalem, either as a celebration of a Sabbatic year, or jubilee, or, irrespective of any such observance, as a reparation for past neglect. The step was probably not without its influence in giving fresh energy to the defenders of the city. The Chaldans, threatened by the approach of an Egyptian army (Jer. 37:5), raised the siege (Jer. 34:21). When the danger was past, however, the princes who had agreed to the emancipation returned to their old policy of oppression (Jer. 34:11), and those who had been liberated were brought under a bondage all the more bitter for the temporary taste of freedom. Against this perfidious tyranny the prophet, stirred by the word of the Lord, bears his protests. His sympathies, like those of true prophets at all times, were with the poor and the oppressed. The phrase proclaim liberty was closely connected with the year of jubilee, as in Lev. 25:10, Isa. 61:1.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
JUDGMENTS DENOUNCED AGAINST THE PEOPLE FOR ANNULLING THE MANUMISSION OF THEIR SLAVES, Jer 34:8-22.
8. Had made a covenant to proclaim liberty By the law, as given in Deu 15:12, and Exo 21:2, Hebrews held as bond-servants were to be emancipated after being held in service for six years. It does not seem that this means the sabbatical year, but only after six years. Their great danger had, doubtless, quickened their consciences in this matter, and the proper observance of this law was one of the reforms which the king sought to institute. It is possible, too, that slaves were liberated without reference to the time of their servitude.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Having Set Free Their Hebrew Slaves In Accordance With The Sinai Covenant The Inhabitants Of Jerusalem Renege On Their Commitment, Bringing Down On Themselves The Wrath Of YHWH And The Certainty Of Babylonian Subjection ( Jer 34:8-22 ).
In the face of the Babylonian threat King Zedekiah managed to persuade the people of Jerusalem that it was in their interests to ‘proclaim freedom’ to their Hebrew slaves, in accordance with the requirements of the Book of the Covenant (Exo 21:2 ff.; see also Deu 15:12-18). The idea of ‘proclaiming freedom’ en masse is usually connected with the year of Yubile where both Israelite bondmen and property were freed (Lev 25:10; Isa 61:1). This may thus have been a year of Yubile, or it may have had the aim of fulfilling such a year which had previously been ignored. This proclamation of ‘freedom’ may have had a number of purposes in Zedekiah’s eyes:
1. In order to impress YHWH with their obedience to His covenant in the hope that He would then unbend towards them (this would explain the solemnity of the covenant into which they entered before YHWH).
2. In order to give the ex-slaves a greater reason to defend Jerusalem as freemen.
3. In order to enable the ex-slaves to fend for themselves in the siege, rather than their being the responsibility of their owners who would have problems enough fending for themselves.
The seriousness of the covenant into which they entered, which was by ‘cutting’ a covenant, that is by binding themselves through the slaughter of a sacrifice, and stepping between the divided parts (compare Gen 15:9-17), suggests that an appeal for YHWH’s clemency was very much in mind. It suggests that it was He Who had to be impressed with their genuineness.
Note on Bondage in Israel.
There were different ways and different reasons why men and women should become bondmen and bondwomen in Israel. The Law in fact distinguished at least two different types of bondage. The first was of ‘Hebrews’. ‘Hebrews’ were originally landless people who had no other way to live. They lived at the time that the Law was given by entering into seven year contracts of ‘bondage’ (they were called Habiru elsewhere, such as at Nuzi), but in Israel were to be released at the end of the sixth year, and sent away fully provisioned for the seventh year (Deu 15:12-18; Exo 21:2 ff). They could thus have one year’s ‘rest’. The second was of Israelite debtors who had to sell themselves into bondage to pay their debts. They were to be treated as servants and not as bondservants, and they automatically received their freedom in the year of Yubile, which came after each forty nine year period (Lev 25:39-42). Thus in Israel, theoretically at least, no Israelite could become a permanent slave. However, over the centuries the practise had no doubt altered, and it would appear that Hebrew bondpersons were at this time being kept in bondage beyond the stipulated six year, perhaps permanently. Furthermore at this time most of these Hebrews, if not all, would be Israelites/Jews. It is possible also that the year of Yubile was being ignored for debtors who had become bondpersons. This would explain why a general ‘proclamation of freedom’ (Lev 25:10) could be made. The idea would be that it was to be a time of setting right the failure to do what should have been done in the past, the effects of which still continued. The aim would be to gain YHWH’s favour and to demonstrate that they were observing the covenant. Had the Law been properly observed in the past it would not have been necessary.
End of note.
The fact that Jeremiah speaks of ‘Hebrews’ only here and nowhere else, and clearly relates it to Deu 15:12-18, suggests that these distinctions between different classes of bondmen had been to some extent maintained. A certain class called ‘Hebrews’ (landless persons) was still recognised, which as a result of land takeovers, and the ignoring of the redemption at the year of Yubile, had become quite large. They had seemingly lost all rights. If the year of Yubile had ceased to apply to debtors they also would be seen as ‘Hebrews’ as they would then have had no family land.
Jer 34:8-9
‘The word that came to Jeremiah from YHWH, after the king Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people who were at Jerusalem, to proclaim freedom to them, that every man should let his man-servant, and every man his maid-servant, who is a Hebrew or a Hebrewess, go free, that none should make bondmen of them, that is, of a Jew his brother.’
With the Babylonians at the gates it would appear that Zedekiah sought to win YHWH’s favour by calling on the people to ‘declare freedom’ for all their bondpersons who would, if the Law had not been observed, at this stage all have been ‘Hebrews’. The people had seemingly agreed, partly because it would relieve them of the responsibility of feeding the bondpersons, partly because it would mean that there were more free persons available to defend the city, and partly because they did hope that it might sway YHWH in their favour.
Jer 34:10
‘And all the princes and all the people obeyed, who had entered into the covenant that every one should let his man-servant, and every one his maid-servant, go free, that none should make bondmen of them any more. They obeyed, and let them go,’
So all the princes and all the people entered into solemn covenant to release their bondpersons, both men and women, and let them go permanently. They did it by means of the ancient custom of dividing an animal and stepping between its parts, probably as an indication that if they went back on their covenant they were to be treated like the slaughtered animal (compare Gen 15:9-17). And having made the covenant they had done precisely what they had agreed, and had let their bondpersons go. So far, so good.
Jer 34:11
‘But afterwards they turned, and made the servants and the handmaids, whom they had let go free, return, and brought them into subjection as servants and as handmaids.’
However, when the Babylonians withdrew from outside the city wall because of the approach of Pharaoh Hophra’s Egyptian army they changed their minds, presumably because they felt that it was no longer necessary. With the siege lifted they felt that they could carry on as before. They had got their way and so obedience was no longer necessary. And so they once again enslaved their bondmen and bondwomen, totally disregarding their covenant.
Jer 34:12
‘Therefore the word of YHWH came to Jeremiah from YHWH, saying,’
Not surprisingly YHWH was not pleased at this, and He sent His word to Jeremiah to make clear His thoughts.
Jer 34:13-14
“Thus says YHWH, 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 bondage, saying, “At the end of seven years you shall let go every man his brother who is a Hebrew, who has been sold to you, and has served you six years, you shall let him go free from you. But your fathers did not listen to me, nor inclined their ear.”
Through Jeremiah He pointed out the law that He had previously made at Sinai about freeing Hebrew bondpersons at the end of seven years, once they had served for six years, and had had a year’s sabbatical, which was to be in the light of the fact that He had delivered His people as a whole from slavery in Egypt. He then pointed out that their fathers had not listened or taken notice, and thus had not observed the law.
Jer 34:15
“And you were now turned, and had done what is right in my eyes, in proclaiming freedom every man to his neighbour, and you had made a covenant before me in the house which is called by my name,”
However, He had noted with pleasure that they themselves had changed their minds and had done what was right in YHWH’s eyes. They had ‘proclaimed freedom’ and had freed their bondpersons without obligation, and they had done it by a solemn covenant made before YHWH in the House that was called by His Name. It was the beginning of an attempt to return to observation of the full covenant. And YHWH had taken them seriously!
Jer 34:16
“But you turned and profaned my name, and made every man his servant, and every man his handmaid, whom you had let go free at their pleasure, return, and you brought them into subjection, to be servants and for handmaids to you.”
But now they had treated His Name lightly by assuming that they could just ignore what they had covenanted. Having released those of their bondservants who had desired freedom, they had once again brought those bondservants into bondage, so that they would have to serve them as bondservants once again. By this they were indicating to YHWH that they had not taken seriously the promises that they had made to Him. They were assuming that they could just ignore the significance of the covenant that they had made simply because circumstances had altered.
How easy it is for us also to make promises to God when we face times of difficulty, only to renege on them when the difficulty is passed. Do we think that we will escape similar condemnation?
Jer 34:17
“Therefore thus says YHWH, you have not listened to me, to proclaim freedom, every man to his brother, and every man to his neighbour. Behold, I proclaim to you a freedom, the word of YHWH, to the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine, and I will cause you to be tossed to and fro among all the kingdoms of the earth.”
As a result their disobedience was even greater than that of their fathers. For they had pretended to ‘declare freedom’ every man to his brother under the most solemn oath, but had in fact prevented that freedom from taking effect. In effect they had insulted YHWH by treating Him in the most casual fashion.
Let them therefore take note that in response YHWH was going to ‘declare freedom’ for them. But this would be the freedom to suffer under the sword, and pestilence and famine, and the freedom to be tossed about among the nations. And ironically this was because He had ‘set them free’ so that they were no longer His servants and under His protection.
Jer 34:18-20
“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 its parts, the princes of Judah, and the princes of Jerusalem, the high official (or eunuchs), and the priests, and all the people of the land, who passed between the parts of the calf. I will even give them into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those who seek their life, and their dead bodies will be for food to the birds of the heavens, and to the beasts of the earth.”
We learn here for the first time the depths of their iniquity and folly. Their iniquity because they had made such a solemn oath and had broken it, and their folly because they had ignored the fact that by doing so they had called for retribution on themselves. By their actions they had actually called on YHWH to slaughter them. Well, He would grant them their request. They would be given into the hands of their enemies and into the hands of those who sought their lives. And they would suffer the further ignominy of having their bodies left unburied to be available to the scavengers who gathered around dead bodies, both birds and beasts. In those days that was seen as the most ignominious of ways to die.
This type of covenant in which an animal was slain and the parties to the covenant passed between the parts, was a common one practised throughout history. We have an example of it as early as Gen 15:9-17. It was a most solemn covenant ceremony and was probably declaring them as worthy of death if they broke it, in the same way as the animal had died to seal the covenant. Compare the similar idea in 1Sa 11:7. In other circumstances it may also have included the thought that both parties to a covenant were being united by joint-participation in the released life of the victim, which they would lose in death if they broke it, but this would hardly have been seen as applying to YHWH Himself. Alternately it may have been seen as uniting the parties to the covenant in a sacrificial meal, although Gen 15:9-17 would appear to be against that interpretation as there is no thought there of such a meal.
We can compare here the prayer offered by the priest to Jupiter in Livy 1:24. His prayer was, ‘O Jupiter, do you on that day (that they break the covenant) so smite the Roman people, as I this day smite this pig, yes so much the more smite them as you are mightier and more prevailing’. This would confirm the idea that the main significance was the death of those who broke the covenant.
The word often translated ‘eunuchs’ probably simply refers to high officials regardless of whether they were eunuchs or not (compare Gen 39:1 where it was used of Potiphar, who was married; 1Sa 8:15; etc.).
Jer 34:21
“And Zedekiah king of Judah and his princes will I give into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those who seek their life, and into the hand of the king of Babylon’s army, which has gone away from you.”
And disaster was also to happen to King Zedekiah and his princes. They would be given into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those who sought their lives, namely into the hands of the King of Babylon’s army whom they had thought that they had seen the backs of. It was true that those armies had gone away to face the Egyptian threat, but they would return. The foolish people of Jerusalem had acted too precipitately.
Jer 34:22
“Behold, I will command, the word of YHWH, and cause them to return to this city, and they will fight against it, and take it, and burn it with fire, and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, without inhabitant.”
For YHWH Himself would command their army to return (this was the sure word of YHWH), and they would fight against the city and burn it and make all the cities of Judah desolate and without inhabitant. (And could anyone deny in view of what had happened here, that they deserved it? They would actually be receiving what they had called down on themselves).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Of The Evil Treatment of Bond-Servants.
v. 8. This is the word that came unto Jeremiah from the Lord, v. 9. that every man should let his man-servant and every man his maid-servant being an Hebrew or an Hebrewess go free, that none should serve himself of them, v. 10. Now, when all the princes and all the people which had entered into the covenant, v. 11. But afterward they turned, v. 12. Therefore the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, v. 13. Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, v. 14. At the end of seven years, v. 15. And ye were now turned, v. 10. and ye had made a covenant before Me in the house which is called by My name, v. 16. but ye turned and polluted My name, v. 17. Therefore, thus saith the Lord, Ye have not hearkened unto Me, in proclaiming liberty, every one to his brother and every man to his neighbor, v. 18. 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, v. 19. The princes of Judah and the princes of Jerusalem, the eunuchs, v. 20. I will even give them into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of them that seek their life, v. 21. 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, v. 22. Behold, I will command, saith the Lord, and cause them to return to this city,
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Jer 34:8. To proclaim liberty unto them, &c. By the law of Moses, Exo 21:2. Deu 15:12 the Israelites were not allowed to detain their brethren of the Hebrew race in perpetual bondage, but were required to let them go free after having served fix years. This law had, it seems, fallen into disuse; but king Zedekiah, upon the approach of the Chaldean army, whether from religious motives, or a political view to employ the men who were set free in the service of the war, engaged the people in a covenant to act conformably to the law; and they released their brethren accordingly. But no sooner were their fears abated by the retreat of the Chaldeans, than, in defiance of every principle of religion, justice, and humanity, they imposed the yoke of servitude anew upon those unhappy persons. Archbishop Usher computes the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign to have been the sabbatical year, and supposes that on this account the covenant of general release was entered into at the beginning of that year. But the sabbatical year, which was every seventh year from that in which the Israelites entered into possession of the land of Canaan, had nothing at all to do with the release of servants. In the year of sabbath they were only restrained from sowing their ground, and pruning their vineyard. But every seventh year from the beginning of their service the Hebrew bond-slaves were to be discharged. Six years they were to serve, and in the seventh they were to go out free. Only the fiftieth year, or year of Jubilee, was also to be a time of general release; Lev 25:39-41. That the sabbatical year was so, I see not the least reason to conclude, but quite the contrary.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
11. HISTORICAL APPENDIX TO THE COLLECTION OF DISCOURSES
(Chap Jer 34:8-22 and Chap 35)
At the close of the collected discourses we find two portions which may be regarded as an appendix, inasmuch as they afford a glaring instance of Israels disobedience towards Jehovah, in contrast with the obedience of a non-Israelitish tribe towards the command of their ancestor. The history of the discharge of servants, ordered in the pressure of distress but taken back when the danger seemed to be past, is a proof how lightly obedience to Jehovahs law sat on the hearts of the Israelites, while the obedience of the Rechabites to their ancestral ordinances was deeply rooted and impregnable. Although the two portions are chronologically far apart, the first belonging to the tenth year of Zedekiah (more exactly to the time of the temporary suspension of the siege), the second to the reign of Jehoiakim (more exactly when the first invasion of the Chaldeans under Nebuchadnezzar was expected); yet it is quite appropriate that they should stand side by side, since, as remarked above, the second serves as a foil to the first.
The reason for placing the older portion last may be that the following chapter (36) belongs to the same period, viz., the fourth year of Jehoiakim.
The division into two parts is very clear and simple. The facts are narrated in Jer 34:8-11. Then in Jer 34:12-16 the facts are recapitulated by the prophet with reference to the legal enactments, finally in Jer 34:17-22 the divine sentence is pronounced on the covenant-breaking Israelites.Chap. 35 is plainly divisible into two halves. In the first (Jer 34:1-11) the facts are again related, in the second the parallel is drawn between the behaviour of the Rechabites and of Israel, and corresponding recompense announced to both.
A. the disobedience of the israelites shown in their behaviour in setting free their servants
Jer 34:8-22
8This 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, to9proclaim liberty unto them;5 That every man should let his man-servant, and every man his maid servant, being an Hebrew or an Hebrewess, go free; that none should10serve himself of them,6 to wit, of a Jew his brother. Now when all the princes, and all the people, which had entered into the covenant, heard that every one should let his man-servant, and every one his maid-servant, go free, that none should serve themselves of them any more, then they obeyed, and let them go.11But afterward they turned, and caused the servants and the handmaids, whom they had let go free, to return, and brought them into subjection for [or compelled12them to be]7 servants and for handmaids.8 Therefore the word of the Lord came13to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel; I made a covenant with your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of14the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondmen, saying, At the end of seven years let ye go every man his brother an Hebrew, which hath been sold [or who hath sold himself] unto thee; and when he hath served thee six years, thou shalt let him go free from thee: but your fathers hearkened not unto me, neither inclined15their ear, And ye were now [to-day] turned, and had done right in my sight, in proclaiming liberty every man to his neighbor; and ye had made a covenant before me in the house which is called by my name [whereupon my name is called]: 16but ye turned and polluted my name, and caused every man his servant, and every man his handmaid, whom he had set at liberty at their pleasure, to return, and brought them into subjection [compelled them], to be unto you for servants and for handmaids.
17Therefore thus saith the Lord [Jehovah], Ye have not hearkened unto me, in proclaiming liberty, every one to his brother, and every man to his neighbor: behold, I proclaim a liberty for you, saith the Lord [Jehovah], to the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine; and I will make you to be removed9 into all the18kingdoms of the earth. And I will give10 [or deliver] the men that have transgressed my covenant, which [who] have not performed the words of the covenant which they had made before me, when they cut the calf in twain, and passed be 19tween the parts thereof, the princes of Judah, and the princes of Jerusalem, the eunuchs, and the priests, and all the people of the land, which passed between the20parts of the calf; I will even give them into the hands of their enemies, and into the hands of them that seek their life: and their dead bodies shall be for meat21unto the fowls of the heaven, and to the beasts of the earth. 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 Babylons22army, which are gone up from you. Behold, I will command, saith the Lord, and cause them to return to this city; and they shall fight against it, and take it, and burn it with fire; and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation without an inhabitant.
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
Jer 34:8-11. This is the word for servants and for handmaids. Though the expression to make a covenant generally means that two persons pledge themselves to a mutual performance, which accrues to the advantage of both parties, the expression here denotes a performance which all do in common in the interest of a third, from which, however, advantage is expected for all. For the setting free was chiefly for the advantage of those set free. It was, however, also hoped that it would be for the general good, account being taken partly of the gratitude of the freedmen and their increased activity in the defence, partly perhaps also of the favor of Jehovah thus to be procured. It is clear that the word covenant is thus employed in essentially the same sense as usual.To proclaim liberty unto them. The expression is found in this sense besides only in Lev 25:10; Isa 61:1; Eze 46:17. Them of course refers to the servants mentioned afterwards. The law on this point is found in Exo 21:1 sqq.; Lev 25:39-41; Deu 15:12. Every servant of Hebrew origin was to be set free after six years service (without respect to the Sabbatical year); according to Leviticus 25 this was to be done in the year of jubilee. This involves no contradiction, for in Leviticus 25 it is the law of the jubilee year which is given. The former enactment is merely supplemented from this point of view, the jubilee year is to end the service unconditionally, wherefore the price was to be determined by the time intervening before the jubilee (Jer 34:50 sqq. where it is the sale of Israelitish servants to heathen inhabitants which is spoken of, but there is no reason to doubt the application of this rule to the purchase by Israelites). Comp. Saalschuetz, Mos. Recht. Kap., 14 and 101, 3.These legal prescriptions had, like so many others, remained unobserved. The reformation under Josiah may have revived the knowledge, but not the observance of them. The pressure of the siege aroused the thought that the observance of this law might be of use in both the ways above indicated. They therefore pledged themselves on the kings demand by mutual agreement to set free the Hebrew servants and maids, and as appears from Jer 34:9, all of them, even those who had not served six years. The supererogation with regard to some was outweighed by their short-comings with respect to the others. Butand this is a striking instance of false conversion, springing from bad motives,when the danger seemed over on the withdrawal of the Chaldeans, they brought the servants again under the yoke.
Jer 34:12-16. Therefore the word for handmaids.In the day. Comp. Jer 7:22; Jer 11:4; Jer 31:32.House of bondmen. Themselves delivered from oppressive servitude, Israel should be kind towards their servants, which is expressly designated in Deu 15:16 as the motive of the law of manumission.At the end of seven years cannot mean at the end of every seven years. This would contradict what follows, after he has served six years, and the similar legal enactments (Exo 21:2; Deu 15:12). It can only signify at the close of a septennium. The preposition then retains its proper signification;from the close, i. e., when the close of the septennium, the seventh year, has begun. Comp. similar expressions in Deu 15:1; Deu 14:28 coll. Jer 31:10.Who hath sold himself. These words are a quotation from memory from Deu 15:12.Turned, Jer 34:15-16. The meaning of the verb is the same in both cases, only the termini a quo and in quem are opposite.Called by my name. Every transgression of the divine commands, but especially a breach of a covenant sworn in His name, is a desecration thereof (comp. Lev 19:12; Lev 20:3).At their pleasure. The expression occurs also in Deu 21:14. It is there used of the captive woman, married but afterwards disapproved. Here the antithesis is evidently not property or family, so that the sense would be, what she possesses belongs to her, but thou shalt set her person at liberty. But the antithesis is the unfreedom of the sold, who must go wherever his master sends him, and the freedom of the dismissed, to go wherever he wishes. The word then=according to, or at, their pleasure, being regarded as the seat of desire, as in the expression if it be your mind, Gen 23:8; 2Ki 9:15.
Jer 34:17-22. Therefore without an inhabitant.Liberty is used the second time in Jer 34:17 ironically; because ye did not proclaim liberty (that which is taken back again directly is as good as none), liberty shall be proclaimed to you, but a liberty of which you will be the victims. [I set you, whom I have hitherto regarded as my servants, free, deliver you over, to your fate, to the sword, etc.Hitzig].The calf. Jer 34:18 seems to me better connected with I will give [make], in which we are grammatically fully justified (comp. Naegelsb. Gr., 69, 3). So also Luther and others. The symbolical meaning of the rite here alluded to appears then immediately applied, in order to present before the covenant breakers the threatening punishment. They themselves are to be the calf cut in two. On this rite comp. Gen 15:10, and Delitzsch thereupon. According to the other explanation, the calf is in opposition to the covenant. Then, however, the similarity in the fate of the transgressor to that of the calf, is only implicitly hinted at, not expressed. The late and anacoluthic resumption I will give, in Jer 34:21, is then also troublesome.In Jer 34:19 chiefs of tribes, city-chiefs (elders of the city), courtiers, priests and common people, are distinguished. When afterwards, verse 21, his princes are again mentioned with the king, we must attribute this to Jeremiahs diffuseness, and emphasize it the less, as it is very common to mention the king and princes together (Jer 24:8; Jer 25:19, etc.).
DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL
1. On Jer 34:8-11. The peculiar difference between hypocritical repentance and true conversion. The hypocrites when they do penance, do it (1) not from faith, but from fear of distress and danger, in which they are at the time; (2) they do not make a change in all points of disobedience, but only in the ethical, as here with the jubilee year, as if there were nothing more to be altered; (3) they do such things as make a show for the people and have a high regard, as the manumission, letting loose the rabble, would have a great noise and show, but meanwhile there were few thoughts of faith, love, fear of God, hope and thanksgiving; (4) such penitence does not last long, but as soon as the distress finds a hole, the devotion goes with it. Cramer.
2. On Jer 34:12. Qua locutione mystica (verbum Jov factum esse a Jov) qualis etiam, Gen 19:24, innuitur mysterium Trinitatis juxta regulam Lutheri commendatam nobis in aureo scripto de ultimis verbis Davidis. Insinuatur enim hac et similibus loquendi formulis pluralitas personarum, ut hic Filii et Spiritus sancti. Frster.
3. On Jer 34:15-16. Converted, but not rightly; friendship made when the foot is on the neck, Pharisaic repentance. Yet thus, there is often an interval, a period of rest and of refreshment for the kingdom of Christ. And God has this in view when He extorts conversions of this kind. Zinzendorf.
4. On Jer 34:15-16; Jer 34:18-22. The Jews thus committed a double sin: 1. They did not keep the promise made to each other and to the servants; 2. They desecrated the name of God by their disobedience and breach of the oath sworn in Gods name and house.
HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL
True repentance in distinction from false. 1. The occasion may be the same in both; external distress (comp. ex. gr., Isa 28:19; 1Co 11:32; Tit 2:12). 2. In false penitence the inward disposition remains unchanged; in true penitence man turns inwardly with pain and sorrow from evil and to God. 3. False penitence lasts as long only as the outward need; true penitence is a permanent -condition of the heart, and notwithstanding single backslidings, advances to a more complete subjugation of the old man (the old Adam in us is to be drowned and perish by daily sorrow and repentance).
Footnotes:
[5]Jer 34:8.The construction is ad sensum, and very common in Hebrew. Comp. 2Ki 10:24; Naegelsb. Gr., 95, 2.
[6]Jer 34:9. . Comp. Jer 22:13; Jer 25:14; Jer 30:8.
[7]Jer 34:11.. The Hiphil does not occur elsewhere. The Masoretes therefore read Kal (Jer 34:16; 2Ch 28:10).
[8]Jer 34:11.On the construction comp. Naegelsb. Gr., 95 g., Anm. 5.
[9]Jer 34:17.[A. V. marg.: for a removing; Naegelsb.: for a horror; Henderson: give you up to agitation.S. R. A.]
[10]Jer 34:18.[Naegelsb., Hitzig, Wordsworth: I will make the men who the calf which they cut; i. e. like the calf, etc.Comp. Naegelsb. Gr., 69, 3.S. R. A.]
Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange
Concerning the law for the release of servants, we have it at large, Exo 21:16 . And as this was a beautiful type of the Lord Jesus, in becoming Jehovah’s servant for his Church and people; it was most strictly to be observed; and it should seem that it was very religiously followed, when at anytime trouble was upon Israel: but when the trouble was over, the great ones oppressed their brethren as before. So was it at this time. So was it in the after age of Nehemiah. See Neh 5:1-13 . Oh! what poor wretched unfeeling creatures sin hath made us! without natural affection, sin is among the most awful judgments of the fall. Rom 1:31 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Jer 34:8 [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;
Ver. 8. This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord. ] Here beginneth a new sermon, reckoned the seventeenth; and here ought to begin a new chapter, saith Piscator.
After that the king Zedekiah had made a covenant.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Jer 34:8-11
8The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people who were in Jerusalem to proclaim release to them: 9that each man should set free his male servant and each man his female servant, a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman; so that no one should keep them, a Jew his brother, in bondage. 10And all the officials and all the people obeyed who had entered into the covenant that each man should set free his male servant and each man his female servant, so that no one should keep them any longer in bondage; they obeyed, and set them free. 11But afterward they turned around and took back the male servants and the female servants whom they had set free, and brought them into subjection for male servants and for female servants.
Jer 34:8-11 This paragraph describes one example of the evil and disrespect for YHWH that existed among the leadership of Jerusalem. They made a public commitment to YHWH and His law (i.e., setting slaves/ servants free, cf. Jer 34:14; Exo 21:1-11; Lev 25:39-55; Deu 15:12-18), but when the circumstances seemed to change they reversed their actions.
Jer 34:8 covenant This word (BDB 136, cf. Jer 34:13; Jer 34:15; Jer 34:18; Jer 31:32) is not a Hebrew word. Its etymology is uncertain, possibly
1. to cut, cf. Jer 34:18-19
2. to bind from Akkadian; see Special Topic: Covenant
3. to establish a covenant with an oath from Akkadian
4. to eat a meal together, which sealed the covenant (BDB 136 I, , 1Ki 8:25)
Jer 34:9 Hebrew This word (BDB 720 I, cf. Gen 14:13; Gen 39:14; Gen 39:17) is not used much (i.e., 34 times in all the OT). It reflects the nomadic background of the Jews (BDB 397 I, an ADJECTIVE formed from the NOUN Judah, cf. Jer 32:12; Jer 38:19; Jer 40:11-12; Jer 41:3; Jer 44:1; Jer 52:28; Jer 52:30) and is often associated with servitude more than racial lineage.
Jer 34:10-11 Jeremiah’s poetry often used words that sound alike. Notice
1. hear, Jer 34:10 – (twice)
2. send away, Jer 34:10-11 – (twice)
3. turn, Jer 34:11 – (twice)
If you go back to Jer 34:9, there are eight words from Jer 34:9-11 that begin with .
Jer 34:11 afterward they turned around and took back the servants Jer 37:7-11; Jer 34:21-22 tell us that the Egyptian army was the cause of the siege being broken off briefly.
The Mosiac law allowed a Hebrew to sell himself or herself for a set period of time, six years. They were to be released at the end of one year of rest following the six of labor (cf. Exo 23:10-11; Exo 21:2-11; Lev 25:39-46; Deu 15:1; Deu 15:12-18). The rich people of the city vowed this act to impress God but when the siege was lifted they reneged!
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
The Twenty-Eighth Prophecy of Jeremiah (see book comments for Jeremiah).
a covenant. Note the illustration of the two covenants, (verses: Jer 34:8-10) and (verses: Jer 34:12-15), and compare with the other illustration in (Jer 35:1-11).
to proclaim liberty, &c. Reference to Pentateuch (Exo 21:2. Lev 25:10, Lev 25:39-46. Outside the Pent, the word occurs only in Isa 61:1, and Eze 46:17.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Jer 34:8-11
Jer 34:8-10
SLAVES FREED AND PROMPTLY ENSLAVED AGAIN (Jer 34:8-22)
The word that came unto Jeremiah from Jehovah, after that the king Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people that were at Jerusalem, to proclaim liberty unto them; that every man should let his man-servant, and every man his maid-servant, that is a Hebrew or a Hebrewess, go free; that none should make bondmen of them, [to wit], of a Jew his brother. And all the princes and all the people obeyed, that had entered into the covenant, that every one should let his man-servant, and every one his maid-servant, go free, that none should make bondmen of them any more; they obeyed, and let them go:
As evident later in the chapter, this solemn covenant was entered into in the holy Temple itself, and was witnessed by the priesthood and attested by all of the appropriate ceremonies.
Made a covenant…
(Jer 34:8; Jer 34:10). Evidently, the covenant here resembled that of Gen 15:2, in which one or more birds or animals or both were cut in half, and the contracting parties walked between the divided portions of the living creatures that were slain, thus calling all men and God Himself to witness that any violator of the solemn agreement entered into by this ceremony would himself be destroyed after the manner of the slain creatures.
They obeyed, and let them go free…
(Jer 34:11). In the abbreviated account here, it is not clear whether or not the Jews freed all of their slaves, or only those who were being kept in bondage contrary to the Law of Moses; but, in any case, the number of manumissions must have been very considerable, as all the princes and the people entered into the covenant to do so.
Again the existence of the Pentateuch, and the Jews’ familiarity with its teachings, is emphatically evident in the events of this prophecy. The laws appealed to here were those of Exo 21:2; Exo 21:7 and Lev 25:39-55. The Jews knew all about those laws but simply refused to obey them. What induced the change here?
Early in the final siege of Jerusalem, Nebuchadnezzar’s immense composite army approached the city. It was early January in Zedekiah’s ninth year. The evident danger quickened the conscience of the king and his people; and they at once “cut the covenant” to free their slaves, no doubt praying that, as a reward, God might spare their city.
This good deed was evidently a case of “death-bed repentance,” as indicated in a quotation which Green attributed to Peake. Feinberg called it, “panic piety.”
Since there seems to have been no genuine religious devotion whatever behind this maneuver, we are led to inquire what was behind it?
REASONS FOR THIS MANEUVER
(1) In the approaching siege, by freeing their slaves, the evil masters would be no longer obligated to feed them.
(2) The shortage of defenders of the city might have been somewhat alleviated by making freemen of all the slaves, who then would be expected to fight for “their” city.
(3) The lack of opportunity to employ the slaves on the surrounding farm lands of Jerusalem, due to the occupation of this land by the enemy, could have made the quartering, clothing, and feeding of the slaves a very unwelcome burden.
Whatever the reasons, we can find nothing whatever honorable in this conduct of the Hebrew people.
Jer 34:11
but afterwards they turned, and caused the servants and the handmaids, whom they had let go free, to return, and brought them into subjection for servants and for handmaids.
What caused a reversal like this? It is easy to ascertain. The approach of an Egyptian army led by Pharaoh-Hophra caused a brief interruption of Nebuchadnezzar’s siege of Jerusalem; and the Jews jumped to the conclusion that God had spared the city, even as he had in 701 B.C., when Sennacherib’s army was destroyed in a single night, and Jerusalem was spared. This false appraisal of their true situation occasioned their display of their true colors that exposed the whole people as a heartless group of wicked, selfish men who cared neither for God or mankind.
Harrison made this comment on Jer 34:11, “By breaking their promises the owners not merely disregarded the covenantal oath but also profaned the divine name they had invoked when they made it. This, however, was typical of the casual and irresponsible attitude which had characterized the Chosen People for many generations, and for which stem retribution was now at hand.”
Was the king in on this crooked reversal of the people’s solemn promises? He evidently was, because he had led the way in the making of it.
A Shameful Repudiation Jer 34:8-11
Jer 34:8-11 reveal the background of the blistering denunciation which is contained in the last half of the chapter. Here is recorded one of the most disgusting acts of hypocrisy ever recorded in the Bible. Israel, like other nations of the ancient Near East, had laws which permitted an impoverished man to sell himself into slavery. While this provision may seem harsh by western standards it was certainly a boon for the poor. Numerous invasions, enormous taxation and natural disasters (such as the drought mentioned in Jer 14:1) would have reduced many Israelites-former land owners-to abject poverty. The wealth of the nation such as it was seems to have been concentrated in the hands of a relatively few members of the aristocracy. Under such conditions, no doubt many Israelites found slavery an attractive alternative to starvation. However the law of Moses had strict regulations governing the servitude of fellow Hebrews. Such bond-slaves were to be released after six years of service unless, of course, they preferred to remain in this state (Exo 21:5 f.; Deu 15:16 f.). The slave owners of Jerusalem had been guilty of violating these regulations, refusing to release their slaves at the end of the legally stipulated period.
When Jerusalem came under siege in January 588 B.C., king Zedekiah took the initiative in securing the release of these Hebrew bondsmen. First came the proclamation; each master proclaimed liberty, i.e., emancipated his slaves. Then, in the Temple in Jerusalem, the king and princes ratified the agreement by participating in ancient and solemn ceremonies. A calf was slaughtered and divided down the middle. One half was laid against the other with a passage between and the covenanters walked between the pieces. The significance of this act was probably that of an implied curse: May the party who breaks this covenant be cut in two even as the calf is divided. Perhaps an oath was actually repeated as the parties passed between the halves of the dead animal. By such a ceremony Gods covenant with Abraham had been ratified many years earlier (Gen 15:9 f.).
What motivated the slave owners to suddenly comply with the law and release their slaves? Their impulse was born while the Chaldeans were pounding on the gates of Jerusalem. Perhaps the thought was that by correcting this open and flagrant abuse of the law they might influence God to intervene on their behalf and spare the city. Sheldon Blank sees a vague hint that this was the motivation in Jer 34:15 which he translates, you turned today and did what pleased Me. Blank thinks this means, you did what you did in order to please Me. Their action might be likened to death-bed repentance or fox-hole religion-a sort of last ditch effort in the time of peril. In the present crisis these men were willing to try anything, even the religion of Jeremiah. On the other hand other motives may have influenced the nobles in their, decision. With Jerusalem under siege the slaves might have become economic liabilities rather than assets. They would no longer be able to work the farm lands which lay outside the city walls. With food scarce within the city the slave owners were hard pressed to feed their own families let alone their slaves. Furthermore, freeing the slaves would make more men available for the defense of Jerusalem. A free man has more incentive to fight against the invaders than a slave. Thus Zedekiah probably did not have a great deal of difficulty in persuading the nobles to release their slaves.
When the Egyptian forces came to the relief of Jerusalem in the summer of 588 B.C. the siege of Jerusalem was temporarily lifted. The foolish inhabitants of the city thought that the danger was over. The enemy would not return! God had delivered them! Thinking that normal conditions would soon be restored, the nobles issued a new proclamation: they revoked the freedom they had given, broke their solemn pledge, and brought the former slaves into servitude again. Thus is the usual sequel of religious commitments made under duress. This shameful repudiation of a sacred covenant made with God and man incensed Jeremiah and he delivered the stinging rebuke which follows.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
CHAPTER 34:8-22
The Message of Condemnation
The king had made a covenant that all Hebrew slaves should be released Exo 21:1-36; Deu 15:12-23. The princes and people agreed, but afterwards broke the covenant. The message of condemnation tells them, since they had done this, that the Lord will set them free to fall a prey to the sword, the pestilence and famine. The text explains itself.
Fuente: Gaebelein’s Annotated Bible (Commentary)
had: 2Ki 11:17, 2Ki 23:2, 2Ki 23:3, 2Ch 15:12-15, 2Ch 23:16, 2Ch 29:10, 2Ch 34:30-33, Neh 9:38, Neh 10:1-27
to proclaim: Jer 34:14, Jer 34:17, Exo 21:2-4, Exo 23:10, Exo 23:11, Lev 25:10, Lev 25:39-46, Deu 15:12, Neh 5:1-13, Isa 61:1
Reciprocal: Exo 8:8 – and I will 2Ki 25:1 – in the ninth Neh 5:12 – I called Isa 58:6 – to loose Jer 34:15 – ye had
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 34:8. Zedekiah promised to obey the law of Moses regarding the releasing of servants, and had secured an agreement from the princes to release them. But they broke their agreement and then the Lord gave Jeremiah a message as mentioned in the first part of this verse.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Jer 34:8-22. The Cancelled Liberation of Slaves.In the interval during which the besiegers had withdrawn (Jer 34:21; cf. Jer 21:2, Jer 37:5), Jeremiah is commissioned to condemn the breach of the promises made by king and people during the earlier straits. They had agreed to emancipate all Hebrew slaves, and had solemnly covenanted to this effect. They broke this agreement (when the Babylonian peril seemed to be removed), and in so doing they profaned (Jer 34:16) Yahwehs name, by disregard of His original covenant (Jer 34:18), when the law of emancipation after six years of service was first given (Jer 34:13). So Yahweh proclaims a liberation of His people from Himself to the cruel tyranny of war (Jer 34:17); He will cause the besiegers who have temporarily retired from them (gone up, Jer 34:21) to return, as they have caused their emancipated slaves to return.
Jer 34:14. The original covenant of Yahweh included the law of Deu 15:12 ff., which is here cited; the connexion with this law is not, however, very precise, since the present temporary emancipation is represented as general, apart from the period of six years of service.At the end of seven years (we should say, in the seventh year, or at the end of six years.
Jer 34:18. This division of the victim is usually supposed to symbolise the fate invoked on those who break the covenantbut Robertson Smith (RS2, p. 481) suggested that the parties stood between the pieces, as a symbol that they were taken within the mystical life of the victim (Gen 15:17*).
Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible
34:8 [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, {d} to proclaim liberty to them;
(d) When the enemy was at hand and they saw themselves in danger, they would seem holy, and so began some kind of reformation: but soon after they uttered their hypocrisy.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Treachery against servants 34:8-22
This incident happened during the respite in the siege, as did those recorded in Jer 32:1-15; Jeremiah 37-38; and Jer 39:15-18 (cf. Jer 34:21-22). The year was about 588 B.C.
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
The following message came to Jeremiah from the Lord after Zedekiah had taken an oath with all the Jerusalemites to free their fellow Israelite servants. Israelites sometimes entered into servanthood to pay off a debt they owed to the person who became their master. This seems to have been the most common cause of this condition in Israel.