Jeremiah 34:1

The word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and all his army, and all the kingdoms of the earth of his dominion, and all the people, fought against Jerusalem, and against all the cities thereof, saying, The prophecy (Jeremiah 34:1) us to Zedekiah is an amplification of that in Jeremiah 32:1, in consequence of which Jeremiah was then shut up in the court of the prison. The prophecy (Jeremiah 34:8) refers to the Jews who, afraid of the capture of the city, had, in obedience to the law, granted freedom to their servants at the end of seven years, but on the intermission of the siege forced them back into bondage. Jerusalem, and...

It is no wonder, nor ought it to be deemed useless, that the Prophet so often repeats the same things, for we know how great was the hardness of the people with whom he had to do. Here, then, he tells us that he was sent to King Zedekiah when the city was besieged by Nebuchadnezzar and his whole army. The Prophet mentions the circumstances, by which we may understand how formidable that siege was, for Nebuchadnezzar had not brought a small force, but had armed many and various people. Hence the Prophet here expressly mentions _the kingdoms of the earth and the nations who were, under his dominion _ Zedekiah was then the king at Jerusalem, and there remained two other cities safe, as we shall hereafter see; but it is evident how unequal he must have been to contend with an army so large and powerful. Nebuchadnezzar was a monarch; the kingdom of Israel had been cut off, which far exceeded...

1-7 Zedekiah is told that the city shall be taken, and that he shall die a captive, but he shall die a natural death. It is better to live and die penitent in a prison, than to live and die impenitent in a palace....

CHAPTER XXXIV _This chapter contains two prophecies: the first, delivered_ _during the siege of Jerusalem, predicts to Zedekiah the taking_ _and burning of the city, with his own peaceful death and_ _honourable burial_, 1-7. _The second was delivered when the Chaldeans had for some time_ _broken up the siege. It reproves the Jews for their conduct_ _towards their brethren of the poorer sort, whom they released,_ _by a solemn covenant, from bondage, in the extremity of their_ _danger; but compelled to return to it when they thought that_...

PEOPLE - Peoples, i. e., tribes, races, under the rule of one man....

EXPOSITION This chapter must be taken in connection with Jeremiah 35:1. The whole section consists of three passages, introduced with a superscription in the same form, but otherwise unrelated. It serves to finish off the earlier prophetic portion of the book, Jeremiah 36:1. opening a series of narratives. The first passage (Jeremiah 34:1) is virtually a postscript to Jeremiah 32:1; Jeremiah 33:1.; it apparently contains the prophecy referred to in...

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 in which they were given out; for the prophecy, in this first part of the chapter at least, was delivered out before that in the thirty second chapter: WHEN NEBUCHADNEZZAR KING OF BABYLON, AND ALL HIS ARMY, AND ALL THE KINGDOMS OF THE EARTH OF HIS DOMINION, AND ALL THE PEOPLE, FOUGHT AGAINST JERUSALEM; when this mighty monarch appeared before Jerusalem with a numerous army, consisting of Chaldeans, the natives of his own kingdom, and with the auxiliary troops of each the kingdoms he had subd

CHAPTER 34:1-7 Jeremiah Warns Zedekiah The besieging army was before the walls of Jerusalem when the prophet is commanded to go to the king and tell him that the city will soon be burned. He announced also Zedekiah's fate. He could not escape, but would be delivered into the hands of the king of Babylon. He would see Nebuchadnezzar eye to eye, speak with him mouth to mouth, and then be taken to Babylon. Ezekiel said he should not see Babylon Ezekiel 12:13. Both statements are true. He saw the king as a prisoner at Riblah and there his eyes were put out 2 Kings 25:6, and then he was taken away to Babylon. Yet he was not to die by the sword, but in peace. And Jeremiah discharged faithfully his message....

THE FATE OF JERUSALEM AND OF ZEDEKIAH. In the course of the siege (588- 6), Jeremiah is sent to Zedekiah to tell him that the city will be taken and destroyed, that he will be brought before Nebuchadrezzar and sent to Babylon, but will obtain the customary royal honours after a peaceful death. At this time, it is said, the only other uncaptured cities were Lachish (Tell-el-Hesy, 35 m. SW. of Jerusalem, see p. 28) and Azekah (Joshua 15:35, probably 15 m. SW. of Jerusalem). For the actual fate of the king, so different from that here promised, see Jeremiah 52:11, and _cf._ Ezekiel 12:13. The present prophecy must be explained as conditional on submission to Babylon, a condition not fulfilled....

THE TWENTY-SEVENTH PROPHECY OF JEREMIAH (see book comments for Jeremiah). The word. This chapter is Ch. Jeremiah 32:1, told over again more fully. NEBUCHADNEZZAR. Not that he was necessarily present. FOUGHT. were fighting, or about to fight....