Jeremiah 34:20

Jeremiah 34:20 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)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.
• New International Version (NIV)I will deliver into the hands of their enemies who want to kill them. Their dead bodies will become food for the birds and the wild animals.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And I will give them into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those who seek their lives. Their dead bodies shall be food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth.
• New King James Version (NKJV)I will give them into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those who seek their life. Their dead bodies shall be for meat for the birds of the heaven and the beasts of the earth.

Context of Jeremiah 34:20

18I will punish the people who did not obey the agreement that they made with me. When they made that agreement, they cut a young cow into two pieces and they walked between the pieces. Because they have not obeyed their agreement, I will now cut them into pieces, like the young cow. 19I will punish the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the king's officers and the priests. I will punish all the people of Judah who refused to obey the agreement that they made with me. I will put them under the power of their enemies. Their enemies will kill them. Birds and wild animals will eat their dead bodies as food. 21I will also put King Zedekiah of Judah and his officers under the power of their enemies. Their enemies will want to kill them. The king of Babylon's army has stopped attacking Jerusalem for a time. But I will put King Zedekiah and his officers under their power. 22I will command Babylon's army to return to this city. They will fight against it and they will take it. They will burn the city down. I will also cause the other towns of Judah to become heaps of stones. Nobody will live in them any more.’

Jeremiah 34:20 word by word

וְנָתַתִּ֤י אוֹתָם֙ בְּיַ֣ד אֹֽיְבֵיהֶ֔ם וּבְיַ֖ד מְבַקְשֵׁ֣י נַפְשָׁ֑ם וְהָיְתָ֤ה נִבְלָתָם֙ לְמַֽאֲכָ֔ל לְע֥וֹף הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וּלְבֶהֱמַ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• I will even giveנָתַןnâthan · to give: giveH5414
• them into the handיָדyâd · hand: powerH3027
• of their enemiesאֹיֵב'ôyêb 'ôyêb · enemyH341
• of them that seekבָּקַשׁbâqash · to seekH1245
• their lifeנֶ֫פֶשׁnephesh · soul: lifeH5315
• and their dead bodiesנְבֵלָהnebêlâh · carcassH5038
• shall be for meatמַאֲכָלma'ăkâl · foodH3978
• unto the fowlsעוֹף‛ôph · birdH5775
• of the heavenשָׁמַיִםshâmayim shâmeh · heavenH8064
• and to the beastsבְּהֵמָהbehêmâh · animalH929
• of the earthאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776

Cross-references for Jeremiah 34:20

• Jeremiah 4:30Yes, Jerusalem, an enemy has destroyed you! You tried to make friends, like a woman who wears a beautiful dress. You wore your gold and your jewels. You painted around your eyes. But all that has not helped you. The nations that you wanted to be your lovers have turned against you. Now they want to kill you.
• Jeremiah 11:21The Lord told me that some men in Anathoth wanted to kill me. They said to me, ‘Stop telling us messages from the Lord! If you do not stop, we will kill you.’
• Jeremiah 21:7The Lord also says this: “Then I will put King Zedekiah of Judah under the power of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. I will do the same thing to any of his officers or people who are still alive. Those are the people that war, famine or disease has not already killed. I will give them to King Nebuchadnezzar and to their enemies who want to kill them. He will tell his soldiers to kill them. He will not be kind to them and he will kill them all.”
• Jeremiah 22:25You are afraid of your enemies who want to kill you, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and his army. Now I will let them catch you.
• Jeremiah 38:16But King Zedekiah made a serious promise to Jeremiah. Nobody else knew about it. He said, ‘I promise you that this is true, as surely as the Lord lives. I promise that I will not kill you. And I will not give you to the men who want to kill you.’
• Jeremiah 44:30I tell you now that I will put Hophra, king of Egypt, under the power of his enemies, who want to kill him. That is the same thing that I did to King Zedekiah of Judah. I put him under the power of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, who wanted to kill him.” ’
• Jeremiah 49:37I will make them very afraid of their enemies who want to kill them. I will cause them to have terrible trouble, because I am very angry with them.’ That is what the Lord says. ‘I will send soldiers to attack them, until I have completely destroyed them.
• Jeremiah 7:33Then the bodies of dead people will lie on the ground. Birds and animals will come and eat them. There will be nobody to chase them away.
• Jeremiah 16:4Terrible disease will kill them. Nobody will weep for them. Nobody will bury them. Their bodies will lie on the ground like dung. Either war or famine will kill them. Birds and wild animals will come to eat their dead bodies.’
• Jeremiah 19:7I will spoil all the ideas that the people of Judah and Jerusalem have. In this place I will put them under the power of their enemies. Their enemies will kill them in war. I will give their dead bodies as food to the birds and the wild animals.
• 1 Samuel 17:44The Philistine said to David, ‘Come nearer to me. I will feed the birds and the wild animals with your dead body.’
• 1 Kings 14:11If they die in the city, dogs will eat their bodies. If they die in the country, vultures will eat them. This is what the Lord has said will happen!”
• 1 Kings 16:4If people of your family die in the city, dogs will eat their bodies. If they die in the country, vultures will eat them.’
• 1 Kings 21:23The Lord says this about Jezebel: “Dogs will eat Jezebel's dead body beside the city wall of Jezreel.”
• 2 Kings 9:34Jehu went into the palace and he ate a meal. Then he said, ‘Take away that evil woman's body. She was the daughter of a king, so you should bury her properly.’
• Ezekiel 29:5I will leave you in the wilderness with all your fish. You will lie on the ground in the open fields. Nobody will pick you up or take care of you. I will give you to the wild animals and birds to be their food.

Commentaries on Jeremiah 34:20

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 8-22Verses 8-22 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…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 8-22Verses 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…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 17-20Because they broke their covenant, the Lord would separate them from his protection. This expression refers to a covenant ceremony where they killed and cut a calf into two parts from head to tail. Those making a covenant walked between the pieces to show they agreed to be cut apart if they broke the covenant (see Genesis 15:9–18). All classes of people in Judah broke their oath, so they would all receive the punishment they agreed to.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2020. I will even give--resuming the sentence begun, but not completed (Jr 34:18), "I will give," &c. seek their life--implacably: satisfied with nothing short of their blood; not content with booty. dead bodies--The breakers of the covenant shall be cut in pieces, as the calf between whose parts they passed.Read the comment

Topics related to Jeremiah 34:20

• Covenant
• Sabbatic Year
• Servant

In the dictionaries

• Zedekiah (2)
• Zedekiah

Commentaries on Jeremiah 34

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings