Jeremiah 34:9

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.
• English Standard Version (ESV)that everyone should set free his Hebrew slaves, male and female, so that no one should enslave a Jew, his brother.
• 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.

Context of Jeremiah 34:9

7He did this when the army of the king of Babylon was attacking Jerusalem and the cities of Lachish and Azekah. These were the only fortified cities of Judah that were left. 8The Lord spoke his word to Jeremiah after King Zedekiah and all the people in Jerusalem promised to free their slaves. Everyone was supposed to free his Hebrew slaves, both male and female. No one was supposed to keep another Jew as a slave. 10All the officials and all the people agreed and promised to free their male and female slaves and not to keep them as slaves anymore. So they set them free. 11But afterwards, they changed their minds and took back the men and women they had freed and made them their slaves again.

Jeremiah 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 a soldier who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew what had happened. He was living next to the oak trees belonging to Mamre the Amorite, a brother of Eshcol and Aner. (These men were Abram’s allies.)
• Genesis 40:15I was kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I’ve done nothing to deserve being put in this prison.”
• Exodus 2:6Pharaoh’s daughter opened the basket, looked at the baby, and saw it was a boy. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. She said, “This is one of the Hebrew children.”
• Exodus 3:18“The leaders of Israel will listen to you. Then you and the leaders must go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The Lord God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us travel three days into the desert to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God.’
• Deuteronomy 15:12Whenever Hebrew men or women are sold to you as slaves, they will be your slaves for six years. In the seventh year you must let them go free.
• 1 Samuel 4:6As the Philistines heard the noise, they asked, “What’s ⌞all⌟ this shouting in the Hebrew camp?” The Philistines found out that the Lord’s ark had come into the camp.
• 1 Samuel 14:11So both of them showed themselves to the Philistine troops. The Philistines said, “Look, some Hebrews are coming out of the holes they were hiding in.”
• 2 Corinthians 11:22Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham’s descendants? So am I.
• Philippians 3:5I was circumcised on the eighth day. I’m a descendant of Israel. I’m from the tribe of Benjamin. I’m a pure-blooded Hebrew. When it comes to following Jewish laws, I was a Pharisee.
• Jeremiah 34:10All the officials and all the people agreed and promised to free their male and female slaves and not to keep them as slaves anymore. So they set them free.
• Jeremiah 25:14Many nations and great kings will make slaves of the people of Babylon, and I will pay them back for what they have done.”
• Jeremiah 27:7All nations will serve him, his son, and his grandson until Babylon is defeated. Then many nations and great kings will make him their slave.
• Jeremiah 30:8“On that day,” declares the Lord of Armies, “I will break the yokes off your necks and tear off your ropes. Foreigners will no longer make you serve them.
• 1 Corinthians 6:8Instead, you do wrong and cheat, and you do this to other believers.

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

• Brother
• Constitution
• Covenant
• Emancipation
• King
• Servant

In the dictionaries

• Covenant, in the Old Testament
• Hebrew; Hebrewess
• Jew, Jewess, Jewish
• Slave; Slavery
• 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