INTRODUCTION TO JEREMIAH 34 In this chapter is a prophecy of the taking and burning of Jerusalem; of the captivity of Zedekiah king of Judah; and of the destruction of the whole land, because of their breach of covenant to let servants go free. The time of this prophecy is observed, Jeremiah 34:1;... [ Continue Reading ]
THE WORD WHICH CAME UNTO JEREMIAH FROM THE LORD,.... This prophecy came to Jeremiah, and was delivered by him, when he was at liberty, and before his imprisonment, and was the occasion of it, as appears from Jeremiah 32:2; compared with Jeremiah 34:2; the prophecies not standing in the proper order... [ Continue Reading ]
THUS SAITH THE LORD, THE GOD OF ISRAEL,.... Who, though the covenant God of Israel, yet provoked by their sins, sends the following message to their king: GO AND SPEAK TO ZEDEKIAH KING OF JUDAH, AND TELL HIM: alone; and tell it to no other but him, at least at present; the message being more peculi... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THOU SHALT NOT ESCAPE OUT OF HIS HAND,.... Though he would, and did attempt to do it, Jeremiah 52:8; BUT SHALL SURELY BE TAKEN, AND DELIVERED INTO HIS HAND; he was taken on the plains of Jericho, and delivered into the hands of the king of Babylon at Riblah; as may be seen in the place just ref... [ Continue Reading ]
YET HEAR THE WORD OF THE LORD, O ZEDEKIAH KING OF JUDAH,.... Which, though a king, he ought to hearken to; and, besides, what follows was for comfort, being a mitigation of his sentence, and containing in it mercy, as well as judgment: THUS SAITH THE LORD OF THEE, THOU SHALT NOT DIE BY THE SWORD: o... [ Continue Reading ]
[BUT] THOU SHALL DIE IN PEACE,.... Upon his bed, a natural death, and in good friendship with the king of Babylon; and, it may be, in peace with God; for before his death, some time in his captivity, he might be brought to true repentance for his sins: AND WITH THE BURNINGS OF THY FATHERS, THE FORM... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN JEREMIAH THE PROPHET SPAKE ALL THESE WORDS,.... The threatening, as well as the consolatory ones; he kept back no part of the message he was sent with, but faithfully delivered the whole: UNTO ZEDEKIAH KING OF JUDAH IN JERUSALEM; though he knew it would displease him, and bring himself into tr... [ Continue Reading ]
WHEN THE KING OF BABYLON'S ARMY FOUGHT AGAINST JERUSALEM,.... Had laid close siege to it, and still continued it: AND AGAINST ALL THE CITIES OF JUDAH THAT WERE LEFT; unconquered by him; when he invaded the land, he fought against, and took, and ravished all the cities that lay in his way; and it se... [ Continue Reading ]
[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 w... [ Continue Reading ]
THAT EVERY MAN SHOULD LET HIS MANSERVANT, AND EVERY MAN HIS MAIDSERVANT, [BEING] AN HEBREW, OR AN HEBREWESS, GO FREE,.... This is the proclamation that was agreed to be made, that every manservant and maidservant, that serve six years an apprenticeship, should be freed from their servitude, accordin... [ Continue Reading ]
NOW WHEN ALL THE PRINCES, AND ALL THE PEOPLE, WHICH HAD ENTERED INTO THE COVENANT,.... The king had made with the people. Here the princes are mentioned, who were not before, but included in the people; they and the rest of the people are here meant, who having agreed to the covenant, HEARD THAT EV... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT AFTERWARDS THEY TURNED,.... From the law of God, and their own agreement, and returned to their former usage of their servants; they changed their minds and measures. This seems to be done, when the king of Babylon, hearing the king of Egypt was coming to break up the siege of Jerusalem, quitted... [ Continue Reading ]
THEREFORE THE WORD OF THE LORD CAME TO JEREMIAH FROM THE LORD,.... The word of Jehovah the Son, from Jehovah the Father, because of this transgression of the princes and people, and as soon as it was committed by them; for it is plain, from Jeremiah 34:21, that it was before the Chaldean army return... [ Continue Reading ]
THUS SAITH THE LORD, THE GOD OF ISRAEL,.... The covenant God of Israel, their Creator, Redeemer, and Benefactor: I MADE A COVENANT WITH YOUR FATHERS; gave them a system of laws, among which was that of release of servants: IN THE DAY THAT I BROUGHT THEM FORTH OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT; that is, at... [ Continue Reading ]
AT THE END OF SEVEN YEARS,.... Not when seven years were elapsed and fully completed; but within the compass of seven years, or as soon as the seventh year was began; for this term of seven years is the term of the seventh year coming in, and not going out, as appears from the law itself, Exodus 21:... [ Continue Reading ]
AND YE WERE NOW TURNED,.... Or, "today indeed ye were turned" r some little time ago, indeed, it must be owned, that ye turned from the evil ways of your fathers, for which you were to be commended, as having acted a better part than they: AND HAD DONE RIGHT IN MY SIGHT; what was acceptable to the... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT YE TURNED AND POLLUTED MY NAME,.... Changed their minds, and turned from their resolutions they had entered into, and the good ways they were walking in, and returned to their former evil practices; and so polluted the name of God by taking it in vain, and breaking the covenant they had agreed t... [ Continue Reading ]
THEREFORE THUS SAITH THE LORD,.... This being the case, and this their crime, which was provoking to the Lord; YE HAVE NOT HEARKENED UNTO ME IN PROCLAIMING LIBERTY EVERYONE TO HIS BROTHER, AND EVERYONE TO HIS NEIGHBOUR; for though they did proclaim liberty, they did not act according to it; they di... [ Continue Reading ]
AND I WILL GIVE THE MEN THAT HAVE TRANSGRESSED MY COVENANT,.... The covenant the king, princes, and all the people made, to let their servants go free, is called the Lord's covenant, because made in his name, in his presence, and before him as a witness; and very probably the calf that was cut in pi... [ Continue Reading ]
THE PRINCES OF JUDAH, AND THE PRINCES OF JERUSALEM,.... Here is a particular enumeration of the persons that had made the covenant, and transgressed it, and that should suffer for so doing; the princes of Judah, distinguished from the princes of Jerusalem, design such princes as lived without Jerusa... [ Continue Reading ]
I WILL EVEN GIVE THEM INTO THE HAND OF THEIR ENEMIES,.... The Chaldeans, who were the enemies of the Jews, that were come from a far country to invade, dispossess, ravage, and plunder them; and what can be a greater punishment than to be given up into an enemy's hand, to be in his power, and at his... [ Continue Reading ]
AND ZEDEKIAH KING OF JUDAH, AND HIS PRINCES,.... These were either the princes of the blood, the sons of Zedekiah, and his nobles and courtiers, as distinct from the princes in Jeremiah 34:19; these shall not be spared, neither the king, nor his sons, nor those of the privy council: but those WILL... [ Continue Reading ]
BEHOLD, I WILL COMMAND, SAITH THE LORD, AND CAUSE THEM TO RETURN TO THIS CITY,.... The Lord of hosts, or armies, was "Generalissimo" of Nebuchadnezzar's army, had it at his command, and could direct if as he pleased, and order it to march and countermarch as he thought fit: it was under the directio... [ Continue Reading ]