Ye were now turned; that is, reformed in this particular, in which you had done the thing which I commanded you, proclaiming a liberty to your servants. And you made a covenant in my presence to that purpose, and that in the temple, where it seemeth this covenant was made. read more
You again licked up your vomit, and profaned my name, swearing by it to do that which you have not done, and forced your servants, though dismissed, to return again unto their former bondage and subjection to you. read more
They had turned and given a liberty, Jeremiah 34:20; how doth God say here they had not? So God accounteth none to have done those good acts which they do in a fit, or merely to serve themselves of God; he saith they had not done it, because they did not persist to do it; in such a case men’s righteousness shall by God never be remembered, but they shall die in the sins they have committed. Seeing you have refused to manumise your servants at my command, I will manumise you, and set you free... read more
CRITICAL AND EXEGETICAL NOTES:—1. Chronology of the Chapter. Section I., Jeremiah 34:1-7, is in subject connected with chap. Jeremiah 32:1-5. These verses, however, seem slightly to antedate that chapter, for observe the words (Jeremiah 34:2), “Go and speak to Zedekiah,” implying that Jeremiah had not yet been imprisoned; whereas in Jeremiah 32:2, Jeremiah is “shut up in the court of the prison.” This section must date at the very beginning of the Chaldean invasion, and follows closely upon the... read more
Chapter 34Now we come to a chronologically new set of prophecies, and this is one that Zedekiah threw him in jail for back in the thirty-first chapter, thirty-second chapter.The word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and all his army, and all the kingdoms of the earth of his dominion, and all the people, fought against Jerusalem, and against all the cities thereof, saying, Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Go and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah,... read more
Jeremiah 34:2 . Go and speak to Zedekiah. This revelation was delivered in the tenth year of his reign, and would have saved the land, when all hopes of safety were fled. Jeremiah 34:4 . Thou shalt not die by the sword. Mercy is mixed with judgment. The king had spared Jeremiah’s life twice, when the priests sought to kill him, and afterwards, when the princes prayed the king to put him to death, because his predictions discouraged the soldiers; now the Lord spared the king’s life.... read more
Jeremiah 34:17Ye have not hearkened unto Me, in proclaiming liberty.The liberty of sinThe Word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah that all bondservants in Israel should be forthwith emancipated. At first the princes obeyed, and the enslaved were allowed to go free. But eventually the princes played falsely, and once more brought their old servants into bondage. Then comes the text with its terrible irony.I. The mutiny against the law. In the first instance the governors felt the reasonableness of... read more
Jer 34:15 And ye were now turned, and had done right in my sight, in proclaiming liberty every man to his neighbour; and ye had made a covenant before me in the house which is called by my name: Ver. 15. And you were now turned. ] Being frightened into a temporary reformation: but all was in hypocrisy, as now well appeareth. Falling stars were never but meteors. In proclaiming liberty every one to his neighbour. ] Your servants were your neighbours, and "their flesh as your flesh," Neh 5:5... read more
Jer 34:16 But ye turned and polluted my name, and caused every man his servant, and every man his handmaid, whom ye had set at liberty at their pleasure, to return, and brought them into subjection, to be unto you for servants and for handmaids. Ver. 16. But ye turned. ] Exprobrat recidivum Iudaeorum scelus, qui scilicet primam virtutem turpiter deluserint et violarint. He upbraideth them, and deservedly, with their apostasy and perjury. Peter also thundereth against such. 2Pe 2:1-22 And... read more
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Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible - Jeremiah 34:8-22
Jeremiah 34:8-Song of Solomon : . The Cancelled Liberation of Slaves.— In the interval during which the besiegers had withdrawn ( Jeremiah 34:21; cf. Jeremiah 21:2, Jeremiah 37:5), Jeremiah is commissioned to condemn the breach of the promises made by king and people during the earlier straits. They had agreed to emancipate all Hebrew slaves, and had solemnly covenanted to this effect. They broke this agreement (when the Babylonian peril seemed to be removed), and in so doing they “... read more