Jeremiah 34:17

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. YE HAVE NOT HEARKENED UNTO ME, IN PROCLAIMING LIBERTY. Though the Jews had ostensibly emancipated their bond-servants, they virtually did not do so, by revoking the liberty which they had granted. God looks not to outward appearances, but to the sincere intention. I PROCLAIM A LIBERTY - retribution answering to the offence (Matthew 7:2; Matthew 18:32;...

Here the Prophet shews that a just reward was prepared for the Jews, who robbed their brethren of the privilege of freedom, for they also would have in their turn to serve after the Lord had made them free. But he alludes to the way then in use in which they had granted freedom, and says, _Ye have not proclaimed liberty _They had indeed proclaimed it, as we have seen; but not in sincerity, for they who had been for a short time made free, were soon afterwards constrained to serve. God then makes here no reference to the outward act which the Jews had performed, but shews that faithfulness and integrity are so pleasing to him, that he makes no account of what is merely done outwardly. Hence the promulgation of liberty is not before God the verbal one, but that which is carried into effect. With men it is enough to profess a thing, but God regards as nothing all false professions. He there...

8-22 A Jew should not be held in servitude above seven years. This law they and their fathers had broken. And when there was some hope that the siege was raised, they forced the servants they had released into their services again. Those who think to cheat God by dissembled repentance and partial reformation, put the greatest cheat upon their own souls. This shows that liberty to sin, is really only liberty to have the sorest judgments. It is just with God to disappoint expectations of mercy, when we disappoint the expectations of duty. And when reformation springs only from terror, it is seldom lasting. Solemn vows thus entered into, profane the ordinances of God; and the most forward to bind themselves by appeals to God, are commonly most ready to break them. Let us look to our hearts, that our repentance may be real, and take care that the law of God regulates our conduct....

Verse Jeremiah 34:17. _I PROCLAIM A LIBERTY FOR YOU_] Ye proclaimed _liberty_ to your slaves, and afterward resumed your _authority_ over them; and I had in consequence _restrained_ the sword from cutting you off: but now I give _liberty_ to the _sword_, to the _pestilence_, and to the _famine_, and to the _captivity_, to destroy and consume you, and _enslave_ you: for ye shall be removed to all the kingdoms of the earth. The prophet loves to express the _conformity_ between the _crime_ and its _punishment_. You promised to give _liberty_ to your _enslaved_ brethren; I was pleased, and _bound_ the sword in its sheath. You broke your promise, and brought them again into _bondage_; I gave _liberty_ to the sword, pestilence, and famine, to destroy multitudes of you, and _captivity_ to take the re...

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 poss...

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...

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 did not give the liberty they proclaimed, at least they did not continue so to do; as soon almost as they had granted the favour, they took it away again; and because they did not persevere in well doing, it is reckoned by the Lord as not done at all: BEHOLD, I PROCLAIM LIBERTY FOR YOU, SAITH THE LORD; or rather against them; he dismissed them from his service, care, and protection, and consigned them to other lords and masters: he gave them up TO THE SWORD, TO THE PESTILENCE, AND TO THE FAMINE; to rule over them; and gave them liberty to make havoc of them, and destroy them, that what was lef...

CHAPTER 34:8-22 The Message of Condemnation The king had made a covenant that all Hebrew slaves should be released Exodus 21:1; Deuteronomy 15:12. 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....

THE CANCELLED LIBERATION OF SLAVES. In the interval during which the besiegers had withdrawn (Jeremiah 34:21; _cf._ Jeremiah 21:2; Jeremiah 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 (Jeremiah 34:16) Yahweh's name, by disregard of His original covenant (Jeremiah 34:1

LIBERTY... LIBERTY. Figure of speech _Antanaclasis_, by which the same word is used in two different senses in the same sentence. TO. Some codices, with three early printed editions, Aramaean, Septuagint, and Syriac, read "and to", completing the Figure of speech _Polysyndeton_. MAKE YOU TO BE REMOVED. Reference to Pentateuch (Deuteronomy 28:25; Deuteronomy 28:64). App-92. Compare Jeremiah 24:9....