I proclaim a liberty for you. Judah is henceforth to be "lord of himself—that heritage of woe;" or rather, he is to become the slave of Sword, Pestilence, and Famine. The "liberty" now proclaimed does not profit Judah, who so much desires it. I will make you to be removed; rather, I will make you a shuddering (as Jeremiah 15:4 ). read more
Liberal punishment for illiberal conduct. The Jews will not set free their enslaved fellow citizens; God therefore liberates sword, pestilence, and famine upon them. If they are illiberal in their conduct, God will not be stinted in his punishment of them. I. THE EVILS OF LIFE ARE UNDER THE RESTRAINT OF GOD . They appear to be uncontrolled, but they are really God's slaves. He holds in the hounds of retribution with his leash. They would fain tear their victim. But... read more
Slavery. "Ye have not hearkened unto me," etc. The Jews had become shamefully guilty of this sin of enslaving their brethren. They who had once been slaves themselves, but redeemed by God; they whose whole Law was a protest against it in its real forms of permanence and cruelty; they who were on no higher level than those they enslaved, all being on the same equality with God, members of the same race, worshippers of the same God;—the slavery they were now practising was abhorrent indeed.... read more
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 their own selfish interests prevail; but the... read more
Jeremiah 34:15-17. And ye were now turned That is, reformed in this particular; and had done right in my sight In proclaiming liberty to your servants. And ye had made a covenant before me Had entered into solemn engagements in my presence and temple to that purpose. This was probably such a covenant as Josiah and all the people had made formerly, (2 Kings 23:2-3,) whereby they obliged themselves to serve God, and obey his laws in general, and this concerning giving freedom to their... read more
Treacherous slave-owners (34:1-22)Again Jeremiah tells King Zedekiah that Jerusalem will fall to the Babylonians. Zedekiah himself will be taken to Babylon but will not be executed. When he eventually dies he will be given a fitting royal funeral (34:1-7).Earlier, when the Babylonians laid siege to Jerusalem, Zedekiah issued a command that slave-owners were to release all their Hebrew slaves. He no doubt hoped that his action would win God’s favour, and he probably thought it had succeeded when... read more
polluted My name. Reference to Pentateuch (Leviticus 19:12 , the same word). App-92 . he = every man. at their pleasure = for their own soul. Hebrew. nephesh ( App-13 ): "soul" being put for the affections of the person. read more
liberty . . . liberty. Figure of speech Antanaclasis , by which the same word is used in two different senses in the same sentence. to. Some codices, with three early printed editions, Aramaean, Septuagint, and Syriac, read "and to", completing the Figure of speech Polysyndeton . make you to be removed. Reference to Pentateuch (Deuteronomy 28:25 , Deuteronomy 28:64 ). App-92 . Compare Jeremiah 24:9 . read more
"Therefore thus saith Jehovah: Ye have not hearkened unto me, to proclaim liberty every man to his brother, and every man to his neighbor: behold, I proclaim unto you a liberty, to the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine; and I will make you to be tossed to and fro among all the kingdoms of the earth."What a proclamation is this! God says, "Very well, I make a proclamation for you, freeing you from my love and protection, and giving you your liberty to be destroyed by the ravages of... read more
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The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 34:8-22
A right act done in a wrong spirit. I. CONSIDER THE ACT ITSELF . It was emphatically a right act in itself. It did not become right or necessary merely by becoming a covenanted thing. It was an act that meant the attainment of liberty to a very considerable number of people who were not their own masters. God is always on the side of liberty, for only to the free individual is full opportunity given of serving God. And yet this must be said with qualification. External liberty is... read more