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The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army, all the kingdoms of the earth under his rule, and all the peoples were fighting against Jerusalem and all its cities:
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“Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Go and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah, and say to him: Thus says the LORD: Behold, I am giving this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.
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And you yourself shall not escape from his hand, but shall surely be captured and given into his hand; you shall see the king of Babylon face to face, and he shall speak with you mouth to mouth. Then you shall go to Babylon.
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Nevertheless, hear the word of the LORD, O Zedekiah king of Judah: thus says the LORD concerning you: You shall not die by the sword!
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You shall die in peace. And as a fire was kindled in honor of your fathers, the former kings who were before you, so they shall kindle a fire in your honor, and they shall lament for you, saying: Alas, lord! For I have spoken the word, declares the LORD.”
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Then Jeremiah the prophet spoke all these words to Zedekiah king of Judah in Jerusalem,
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when the army of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and against all the cities of Judah that were still left, namely Lachish and Azekah, for these were the only fortified cities remaining among the cities of Judah.
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The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people who were in Jerusalem to proclaim liberty,
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that each man should set free his Hebrew slave, male or female, so that no one should keep a fellow Judahite, his brother, in bondage.
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So all the officials and all the people who entered into the covenant agreed that each man should set free his male slave and his female slave as free persons, so that no one should keep them in bondage any longer. They agreed, and set them free.
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But afterward they changed their minds and took back the male and female slaves whom they had set free as free persons, and brought them again into subjection as male and female slaves.
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Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying:
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“Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: I myself made a covenant with your fathers when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, saying:
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At the end of seven years each of you must let go his Hebrew brother who has sold himself to you; he shall serve you six years, and then you must let him go free. But your fathers did not listen to Me and did not pay attention to Me.
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Today you have turned back and done what is right in My sight, in that each one proclaimed release to his neighbor, and you have made a covenant before Me in the house that is called by My name.
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But you have changed your minds and profaned My name; each of you has taken back his male servant and his female servant, whom you had set free according to their desire, and have brought them into subjection, so that they would be your male servants and your female servants again.
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Therefore thus says the LORD: You have not listened to Me, to proclaim release each one to his neighbor and to his brother; behold, I proclaim to you a release, declares the LORD, to the sword, to pestilence, and to famine. I will make you a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.
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And I will give the men who have transgressed My covenant and who have not kept the terms of the covenant that they made before Me, when they cut the calf in two and passed between its parts;
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the officials of Judah, the officials of Jerusalem, the court officials, the priests, and all the people of the land who passed between the parts of the calf,
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I will give them into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those who seek their lives, and their dead bodies shall be food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth.
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And Zedekiah king of Judah and his officials I will give into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those who seek their lives, and into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon that has now withdrawn from you.
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Behold, I will command, declares the LORD, and bring them back to this city, and they shall fight against it, take it, and burn it with fire. And I will make the cities of Judah a desolation without inhabitant.”
⚖️🔓🏰 Summary of Jeremiah 34 – The King Who Broke His Promise and Freedom Betrayed
Jeremiah 34 contains the word of God to King Zedekiah, the last king of Judah, as Jerusalem was about to fall into the hands of Babylon. On the one hand, Zedekiah receives the message that he will not die by the sword, but will be taken captive and die in peace. On the other hand, this chapter also exposes the moral betrayal of the nation: they had briefly freed their slaves according to God’s law, but then revoked it — and God is angered by that broken promise. This is a chapter about moral failure in a critical moment, and God demands accountability for a promise that was broken.
📌 1. Prophecy for Zedekiah: A Peaceful Captivity (verses 1–7)
“You shall not die by the sword…”
➡️ Jeremiah delivered the word of the Lord: King Zedekiah would not be killed by Babylon, but would be taken captive and die in peace, though the city would fall.
➡️ Yet he would meet face to face with the king of Babylon, as the fulfillment of the earlier prophecy.
🎯 The Lord still shows mercy, even in the midst of judgment — if a person does not harden his heart.
📌 2. The Release of the Slaves That Was Briefly Obeyed (verses 8–10)
“They made a covenant to set the slaves free…”
➡️ The king and the people agreed to set the Hebrew slaves free, according to the law of Moses (Leviticus 25:10; Deuteronomy 15:12).
➡️ At first they obeyed and let the slaves go, even making a formal covenant in the house of the Lord.
🎯 This step was an early sign of national repentance.
📌 3. Betrayal: The Slaves Were Taken Back (verses 11–16)
“But afterward they turned back… and enslaved them again.”
➡️ The people changed their minds and took the slaves back, enslaving them once more.
➡️ The Lord was angry because they had profaned His name and broken the covenant.
🎯 Breaking a covenant with people is also betrayal against God.
📌 4. God Condemns the Breaking of the Promise (verses 17–22)
“You did not obey Me by setting your fellow servants free…”
➡️ Because they broke the promise, the Lord said:
- Their enemies would be given over to the sword, disease, and famine
- They would become a horror to all the kingdoms
- The Lord remembered the covenant ceremony: the calf was cut in two, a symbol of a curse upon the one who breaks it
➡️ Jerusalem would be handed over to Babylon, and Zedekiah would be seized.
🎯 A promise to the Lord is not a toy — covenant-breaking brings serious wrath.
📖 Main Lessons
- The Lord keeps His promises, and expects His people to do the same
- Half-hearted change and inconsistent obedience are not pleasing in God’s sight
- A release that is only symbolic, without true repentance, does not move the heart of God
- The Lord pays attention to how we treat one another, including those who are oppressed
- A promise broken to another person is also a violation against the Lord
✨ Spiritual Meaning (New Testament)
📖 Matthew 5:37
“Let your ‘yes’ be yes, and your ‘no’ be no…”
➡️ Jesus taught pure commitment, in line with Jeremiah 34.
📖 Galatians 5:1
“Christ has set us free… do not again be burdened with a yoke of slavery.”
➡️ It reminds us that enslaving others after they have been freed is a form of betrayal of the gospel.
📖 James 2:13
“Judgment without mercy for those who have shown no mercy.”
➡️ Those who take back freedom from their fellow human beings will reap God’s wrath.
📖 Hebrews 10:29
“…insulted the Spirit of grace…”
➡️ Just as Judah despised the covenant of the Lord, those who reject God’s grace face a heavier judgment.
🕊️ “You shall not die by the sword…” – Jeremiah 34:4
🕊️ “You have profaned My name…” – Jeremiah 34:16
🕊️ “You did not obey Me by setting your fellow servants free…” – Jeremiah 34:17
🕊️ “I will hand this city over into the hand of the king of Babylon…” – Jeremiah 34:21
