Jeremiah 34:8

Jeremiah 34:8 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)This is the word that came unto Jeremiah from the Lord, after that the king Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people which were at Jerusalem, to proclaim liberty unto them;
• New International Version (NIV)The word came to Jeremiah from the Lord after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to proclaim freedom for the slaves.
• English Standard Version (ESV)The 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,
• New King James Version (NKJV)This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people who were at Jerusalem to proclaim liberty to them:

Context of Jeremiah 34:8

6The prophet Jeremiah told all this to King Zedekiah of Judah in Jerusalem. 7He did this while the army of the king of Babylon was attacking Jerusalem and the cities of Lachish and Azekah. He was attacking these cities because they were the only fortified cities of Judah which were still holding out. The Lord spoke to Jeremiah after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to grant their slaves their freedom. 9Everyone was supposed to free their male and female Hebrew slaves. No one was supposed to keep a fellow Judean enslaved. 10All the people and their leaders had agreed to this. They had agreed to free their male and female slaves and not keep them enslaved any longer. They originally complied with the covenant and freed them.

Jeremiah 34:8 word by word

הַדָּבָ֛ר אֲשֶׁר־הָיָ֥ה אֶֽל־יִרְמְיָ֖הוּ מֵאֵ֣ת יְהוָ֑ה אַחֲרֵ֡י כְּרֹת֩ הַמֶּ֨לֶךְ צִדְקִיָּ֜הוּ בְּרִ֗ית אֶת־כָּל־הָעָם֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר בִּירֽוּשָׁלִַ֔ם לִקְרֹ֥א לָהֶ֖ם דְּרֽוֹר׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• the wordדָּבָרdâbâr · wordH1697
• that came unto Jeremiahיִרְמְיָ֫הוּyirmeyâh yirmeyâhû · JeremiahH3414
• from the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• afterאַחַר'achar · afterH310
• that the kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
• Zedekiahצִדְקִיָּ֫הוּtsidqîyâh tsidqîyâhû · ZedekiahH6667
• had madeכָּרַתkârath · to cut: make(covenant)H3772
• a covenantבְּרִיתberîyth · covenantH1285
• with all the peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
• at Jerusalemיְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵםyerûshâlaim yerûshâlayim · JerusalemH3389
• to proclaimקָרָאqârâ' · to call: call outH7121
• libertyדְּרוֹרderôr · libertyH1865

Cross-references for Jeremiah 34:8

• 2 Kings 11:17Jehoiada then drew up a covenant between the Lord and the king and people, stipulating that they should be loyal to the Lord.
• 2 Kings 23:2The king went up to the Lord’s temple, accompanied by all the people of Judah, all the residents of Jerusalem, the priests, and the prophets. All the people were there, from the youngest to the oldest. He read aloud all the words of the scroll of the covenant that had been discovered in the Lord’s temple.
• 2 Chronicles 15:12They solemnly agreed to seek the Lord God of their ancestors with their whole heart and being.
• 2 Chronicles 23:16Jehoiada then drew up a covenant stipulating that he, all the people, and the king should be loyal to the Lord.
• 2 Chronicles 29:10Now I intend to make a covenant with the Lord God of Israel, so that he may relent from his raging anger.
• 2 Chronicles 34:30The king went up to the Lord’s temple, accompanied by all the people of Judah, the residents of Jerusalem, the priests, and the Levites. All the people were there, from the oldest to the youngest. He read aloud all the words of the scroll of the covenant that had been discovered in the Lord’s temple.
• Nehemiah 9:38(10:1) “Because of all of this we are entering into a binding covenant in written form; our leaders, our Levites, and our priests have affixed their names on the sealed document.”
• Nehemiah 10:1On the sealed documents were the following names: Nehemiah the governor, son of Hacaliah, along with Zedekiah,
• Jeremiah 34:14“Every seven years each of you must free any fellow Hebrews who have sold themselves to you. After they have served you for six years, you shall set them free.” But your ancestors did not obey me or pay any attention to me.
• Exodus 21:2“If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six years, but in the seventh year he will go out free without paying anything.
• Exodus 23:10“For six years you are to sow your land and gather in its produce.
• Leviticus 25:10So you must consecrate the fiftieth year, and you must proclaim a release in the land for all its inhabitants. That year will be your jubilee; each one of you must return to his property and each one of you must return to his clan.
• Deuteronomy 15:12If your fellow Hebrew – whether male or female – is sold to you and serves you for six years, then in the seventh year you must let that servant go free.
• Nehemiah 5:1Then there was a great outcry from the people and their wives against their fellow Jews.
• Isaiah 61:1The spirit of the sovereign Lord is upon me, because the Lord has chosen me. He has commissioned me to encourage the poor, to help the brokenhearted, to decree the release of captives, and the freeing of prisoners,

Commentaries on Jeremiah 34:8

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 8The word that came unto Jeremiah - Here the second discourse begins, which was delivered probably a short time, even a few days, after the former. Zedekiah had made a covenant - We find no account elsewhere of this covenant: "Every man should let his man-servant and his maid-servant go free;" i.e., as we learn from Jeremiah 34:14, on the sabbatical year; for the seventh year was the year of release. See Deuteronomy 15:12.Read the comment
• 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. 88. By the law a Hebrew, after having been a bond-servant for six years, on the seventh was to be let go free (Ex 21:22; De 15:12). Zedekiah made a covenant--with solemn ceremonial in the temple (Jr 34:15, 18, 19). them--bond-servants (Jr 34:9).Read the comment

Topics related to Jeremiah 34:8

• Constitution
• Covenant
• Emancipation
• King
• Liberty
• Servant

In the dictionaries

• Jeremiah
• Jerusalem
• Zedekiah
• Covenant, in the Old Testament
• Creditor
• Slave; Slavery
• Zedekiah (2)

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