English Standard Version
Jeremiah 34:9
9that everyone should set free his Hebrew slaves, male and female, so that no one should enslave a Jew, his brother.
Jeremiah 34:9 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)That every man should let his manservant, and every man his maidservant, being an Hebrew or an Hebrewess, go free; that none should serve himself of them, to wit, of a Jew his brother.
- New International Version (NIV)Everyone was to free their Hebrew slaves, both male and female; no one was to hold a fellow Hebrew in bondage.
- New King James Version (NKJV)that every man should set free his male and female slave—a Hebrew man or woman—that no one should keep a Jewish brother in bondage.
- New Living Translation (NLT)He had ordered all the people to free their Hebrew slaves—both men and women. No one was to keep a fellow Judean in bondage.
Context of Jeremiah 34:9
7when the army of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and against all the cities of Judah that were left, Lachish and Azekah, for these were the only fortified cities of Judah that remained. 8The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to make a proclamation of liberty to them, that everyone should set free his Hebrew slaves, male and female, so that no one should enslave a Jew, his brother. 10And they obeyed, all the officials and all the people who had entered into the covenant that everyone would set free his slave, male or female, so that they would not be enslaved again. They obeyed and set them free. 11But afterward they turned around and took back the male and female slaves they had set free, and brought them into subjection as slaves.
Read all of Jeremiah 34Jeremiah 34:9 word by word
לְ֠שַׁלַּח אִ֣ישׁ אֶת־עַבְדּ֞וֹ וְאִ֧ישׁ אֶת־שִׁפְחָת֛וֹ הָעִבְרִ֥י וְהָעִבְרִיָּ֖ה חָפְשִׁ֑ים לְבִלְתִּ֧י עֲבָד־בָּ֛ם בִּיהוּדִ֥י אָחִ֖יהוּ אִֽישׁ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- That every manאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
- should let his manservantעֶ֫בֶד‛ebed · servant/slaveH5650
- his maidservantשִׁפְחָהshiphchâh · maidservantH8198
- an Hebrewעִבְרִי‛ibrîy · HebrewH5680
- goשָׁלַחshâlach · to send: let goH7971
- freeחׇפְשִׁיchophshîy · freeH2670
- that none should serveעָבַד‛âbad · to serveH5647
- of a Jewיְהוּדִיyehûdîy · JewH3064
- his brotherאָח'âch · brother: compatriotH251
Cross-references for Jeremiah 34:9
- Genesis 14:13Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, who was living by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and of Aner. These were allies of Abram.
- Genesis 40:15For I was indeed stolen out of the land of the Hebrews, and here also I have done nothing that they should put me into the pit."
- Exodus 2:6When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby was crying. She took pity on him and said, "This is one of the Hebrews' children."
- Exodus 3:18And they will listen to your voice, and you and the elders of Israel shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him, 'The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us; and now, please let us go a three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.'
- Deuteronomy 15:12"If your brother, a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you, he shall serve you six years, and in the seventh year you shall let him go free from you.
- 1 Samuel 4:6And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shouting, they said, "What does this great shouting in the camp of the Hebrews mean?" And when they learned that the ark of the Lord had come to the camp,
- 1 Samuel 14:11So both of them showed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines. And the Philistines said, "Look, Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have hidden themselves."
- 2 Corinthians 11:22Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I.
- Philippians 3:5circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee;
- Jeremiah 34:10And they obeyed, all the officials and all the people who had entered into the covenant that everyone would set free his slave, male or female, so that they would not be enslaved again. They obeyed and set them free.
- Jeremiah 25:14For many nations and great kings shall make slaves even of them, and I will recompense them according to their deeds and the work of their hands."
- Jeremiah 27:7All the nations shall serve him and his son and his grandson, until the time of his own land comes. Then many nations and great kings shall make him their slave.
- Jeremiah 30:8"And it shall come to pass in that day, declares the Lord of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off your neck, and I will burst your bonds, and foreigners shall no more make a servant of him.
- 1 Corinthians 6:8But you yourselves wrong and defraud—even your own brothers!
Commentaries on Jeremiah 34:9
- 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. 8-22Zedekiah told the people to free their slaves. He wanted to gain favor with God by following the covenant rules about Hebrew slave ownership (Exodus 21:2–4). These rules had been ignored since the time of Moses. However, the order was useless because the people soon broke this new promise. They had also broken their agreement with Nebuchadnezzar (see Ezekiel 21:23–24) and their original covenant with the Lord. The Lord would punish them for their betrayal.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 99. none ... serve himself of a Jew--(Le 25:39-46).Read the comment
Topics related to Jeremiah 34:9
In the dictionaries
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
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Commentaries