New English Translation
Jeremiah 34:9
9Everyone was supposed to free their male and female Hebrew slaves. No one was supposed to keep a fellow Judean enslaved.
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 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. 8The Lord spoke to Jeremiah after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to grant their slaves their freedom. Everyone 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. 11But later they had changed their minds. They had taken back their male and female slaves that they had freed and forced them to be slaves again.
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 14:13A fugitive came and told Abram the Hebrew. Now Abram was living by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, the brother of Eshcol and Aner. (All these were allied by treaty with Abram.)
- Genesis 40:15for I really was kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews and I have done nothing wrong here for which they should put me in a dungeon.”
- Exodus 2:6opened it, and saw the child – a boy, crying! – and she felt compassion for him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.”
- Exodus 3:18“The elders will listen to you, and then you and the elders of Israel must go to the king of Egypt and tell him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. So now, let us go three days’ journey into the wilderness, so that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’
- 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.
- 1 Samuel 4:6When the Philistines heard the sound of the shout, they said, “What is this loud shout in the camp of the Hebrews?” Then they realized that the ark of the Lord had arrived at the camp.
- 1 Samuel 14:11When they made themselves known to the Philistine garrison, the Philistines said, “Look! The Hebrews are coming out of the holes in which they hid themselves.”
- 2 Corinthians 11:22Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I.
- Philippians 3:5I was circumcised on the eighth day, from the people of Israel and the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews. I lived according to the law as a Pharisee.
- Jeremiah 34:10All 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 25:14For many nations and great kings will make slaves of the king of Babylon and his nation too. I will repay them for all they have done!’”
- Jeremiah 27:7All nations must serve him and his son and grandson until the time comes for his own nation to fall. Then many nations and great kings will in turn subjugate Babylon.
- Jeremiah 30:8When the time for them to be rescued comes,” says the Lord who rules over all, “I will rescue you from foreign subjugation. I will deliver you from captivity. Foreigners will then no longer subjugate them.
- 1 Corinthians 6:8But you yourselves wrong and cheat, and you do this to your brothers and sisters!
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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