Jeremiah 34:8

NET Bible® (New English Translation)

The Lord Threatens to Destroy Those Who Wronged Their Slaves The LORD spoke to Jeremiah after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to grant their slaves their freedom.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

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

Transliteration

The dābār which hāyāh to yirmeyāhû from yhwh after kərōt the melek ṣidqiyyāhû bərît ʾet-all-the ʿām which in yərûšālayim to liqrōʾ to them dərôr

Grammar Details

• *dābār*: noun, masculine, singular, definite - the word
• *hāyāh*: verb, qal perfect, 3rd masculine singular - was/happened
• *yirmeyāhû*: proper noun, masculine - Jeremiah
• *yhwh*: proper noun, divine name - YHWH/LORD
• *kərōt*: verb, qal infinitive construct - cutting/making
• *melek*: noun, masculine, singular, definite - the king
• *ṣidqiyyāhû*: proper noun, masculine - Zedekiah
• *bərît*: noun, feminine, singular - covenant
• *ʿām*: noun, masculine, singular, definite - the people
• *yərûšālayim*: proper noun - Jerusalem
• *liqrōʾ*: preposition with qal infinitive construct - to proclaim
• *dərôr*: noun, masculine, singular - liberty/freedom

Word Meanings

• *dābār*: word/matter/thing/command
• *hāyāh*: was/happened/came to pass
• *kərōt*: to cut/to make [covenant]/to establish
• *bərît*: covenant/agreement/treaty
• *liqrōʾ*: to proclaim/to announce/to call
• *dərôr*: liberty/freedom/release

Referenced Verses

• Lev 25:10 : 10 So 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.
• 2 Kgs 11:17 : 17 Jehoiada then drew up a covenant between the LORD and the king and people, stipulating that they should be loyal to the LORD.
• Jer 34:17 : 17 So I, the LORD, say:“You have not really obeyed me and granted freedom to your neighbor and fellow countryman. Therefore, I will grant you freedom, the freedom to die in war, or by starvation or disease. I, the LORD, affirm it! I will make all the kingdoms of the earth horrified at what happens to you.
• Neh 5:1-9 : 1 Nehemiah Intervenes on behalf of the Oppressed Then there was a great outcry from the people and their wives against their fellow Jews. 2 There were those who said,“With our sons and daughters, we are many. We must obtain grain in order to eat and stay alive.” 3 There were others who said,“We are putting up our fields, our vineyards, and our houses as collateral in order to obtain grain during the famine.” 4 Then there were those who said,“We have borrowed money to pay our taxes to the king on our fields and our vineyards. 5 And now, though we share the same flesh and blood as our fellow countrymen, and our children are just like their children, still we have found it necessary to subject our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters have been subjected to slavery, while we are powerless to help, since our fields and vineyards now belong to other people.” 6 I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these complaints. 7 I considered these things carefully and then registered a complaint with the wealthy and the officials. I said to them,“Each one of you is seizing the collateral from your own countrymen!” Because of them I called for a great public assembly. 8 I said to them,“To the extent possible we have bought back our fellow Jews who had been sold to the Gentiles. But now you yourselves want to sell your own countrymen, so that we can then buy them back!” They were utterly silent, and could find nothing to say. 9 Then I said,“The thing that you are doing is wrong! Should you not conduct yourselves in the fear of our God in order to avoid the reproach of the Gentiles who are our enemies? 10 Even I and my relatives and my associates are lending them money and grain. But let us abandon this practice of seizing collateral! 11 This very day return to them their fields, their vineyards, their olive trees, and their houses, along with the interest that you are exacting from them on the money, the grain, the new wine, and the olive oil.” 12 They replied,“We will return these things, and we will no longer demand anything from them. We will do just as you say.” Then I called the priests and made the wealthy and the officials swear to do what had been promised. 13 I also shook out my garment, and I said,“In this way may God shake out from his house and his property every person who does not carry out this matter. In this way may he be shaken out and emptied!” All the assembly replied,“So be it!” and they praised the LORD. Then the people did as they had promised.
• Isa 61:1 : 1 The Lord Will Rejuvenate His People The 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,
• 2 Kgs 23:2-3 : 2 The 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. 3 The king stood by the pillar and renewed the covenant before the LORD, agreeing to follow the LORD and to obey his commandments, laws, and rules with all his heart and being, by carrying out the terms of this covenant recorded on this scroll. All the people agreed to keep the covenant.
• Lev 25:39-46 : 39 “‘If your brother becomes impoverished with regard to you so that he sells himself to you, you must not subject him to slave service. 40 He must be with you as a hired worker, as a resident foreigner; he must serve with you until the year of jubilee, 41 but then he may go free, he and his children with him, and may return to his family and to the property of his ancestors. 42 Since they are my servants whom I brought out from the land of Egypt, they must not be sold in a slave sale. 43 You must not rule over him harshly, but you must fear your God. 44 “‘As for your male and female slaves who may belong to you– you may buy male and female slaves from the nations all around you. 45 Also you may buy slaves from the children of the foreigners who reside with you, and from their families that are with you, whom they have fathered in your land, they may become your property. 46 You may give them as inheritance to your children after you to possess as property. You may enslave them perpetually. However, as for your brothers the Israelites, no man may rule over his brother harshly.
• Deut 15:12 : 12 Release of Debt Slaves If 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.
• Exod 21:2-4 : 2 Hebrew Servants“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. 3 If he came in by himself he will go out by himself; if he had a wife when he came in, then his wife will go out with him. 4 If his master gave him a wife, and she bore sons or daughters, the wife and the children will belong to her master, and he will go out by himself.
• Exod 23:10-11 : 10 Sabbaths and Feasts“For six years you are to sow your land and gather in its produce. 11 But in the seventh year you must let it lie fallow and leave it alone so that the poor of your people may eat, and what they leave any animal in the field may eat; you must do likewise with your vineyard and your olive grove.
• 2 Chr 15:12-15 : 12 They solemnly agreed to seek the LORD God of their ancestors with their whole heart and being. 13 Anyone who would not seek the LORD God of Israel would be executed, whether they were young or old, male or female. 14 They swore their allegiance to the LORD, shouting their approval loudly and sounding trumpets and horns. 15 All Judah was happy about the oath, because they made the vow with their whole heart. They willingly sought the LORD and he responded to them. He made them secure on every side.
• 2 Chr 23:16 : 16 Jehoiada then drew up a covenant stipulating that he, all the people, and the king should be loyal to the LORD.
• 2 Chr 29:10 : 10 Now I intend to make a covenant with the LORD God of Israel, so that he may relent from his raging anger.
• 2 Chr 34:30-33 : 30 The 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. 31 The king stood by his pillar and renewed the covenant before the LORD, agreeing to follow the LORD and to obey his commandments, laws, and rules with all his heart and being, by carrying out the terms of this covenant recorded on this scroll. 32 He made all who were in Jerusalem and Benjamin agree to it. The residents of Jerusalem acted in accordance with the covenant of God, the God of their ancestors. 33 Josiah removed all the detestable idols from all the areas belonging to the Israelites and encouraged all who were in Israel to worship the LORD their God. Throughout the rest of his reign they did not turn aside from following the LORD God of their ancestors.
• Jer 34:14-15 : 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. 15 Recently, however, you yourselves showed a change of heart and did what is pleasing to me. You granted your fellow countrymen their freedom and you made a covenant to that effect in my presence in the house that I have claimed for my own.
• Neh 9:38-10:27 : 38 The People Pledge to be Faithful(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.” 1 On the sealed documents were the following names: Nehemiah the governor, son of Hacaliah, along with Zedekiah, 2 Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah, 3 Pashhur, Amariah, Malkijah, 4 Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch, 5 Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah, 6 Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch, 7 Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin, 8 Maaziah, Bilgai, and Shemaiah. These were the priests. 9 The Levites were as follows: Jeshua son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel. 10 Their colleagues were as follows: Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan, 11 Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah, 12 Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah, 13 Hodiah, Bani, and Beninu. 14 The leaders of the people were as follows: Parosh, Pahath-Moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani, 15 Bunni, Azgad, Bebai, 16 Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin, 17 Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur, 18 Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai, 19 Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai, 20 Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir, 21 Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua, 22 Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah, 23 Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub, 24 Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek, 25 Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah, 26 Ahiah, Hanan, Anan, 27 Malluch, Harim, and Baanah.