Jeremiah 34
CambridgeCh. Jeremiah 34:1-22. Incidents in connexion with the siege
Jeremiah 34:1-7
1–7. Prophecy of the burning of the city and the captivity of Zedekiah.
Jeremiah 34:3
- thine eyes shall behold the eyes of the king of Babylon] Cp. Jeremiah 32:4. There is no reason to doubt, with Du., that the blinding of Zedekiah, as related in Jeremiah 52:11; 2 Kings 25:7, after his interview with Nebuchadnezzar at Riblah (Jeremiah 39:6 f.), is historical. See Ezekiel 12:13.
Jeremiah 34:4-5
4, 5. Du. challenges the statement in these vv. as not in consonance with the troublous ending of Zedekiah’s life in exile. If the text be sound, “in peace” can only mean a natural death, as opposed to one by violence or by the executioner’s sword. But there is likelihood in Co.’s view that some words may have fallen out, and that the utterance (“Yet hear, etc.”) was conditional on the king’s timely submission to Babylon.
Jeremiah 34:5
- shall they make a burning] Apparently some honorific burning of spices as an accompaniment of burial. See 2 Chronicles 16:14; 2 Chronicles 21:19. Ah lord!] See on Jeremiah 22:18.
Jeremiah 34:7
- all … that were left] The LXX give some support to the probability that this part of the v. is an interpolation, seeing that “all” resolves itself into two only. Lachish] now Tell el-Ḥ ?esy, about 35 miles S.W. of Jerusalem. Azekah has not been identified, but it was probably about 15 miles S.W. of Jerusalem. See Joshua 15:35; 1 Samuel 17:1.
Jeremiah 34:8-22
8–22. Condemnation of the perjury involved in the treatment of the Hebrew slaves The subsection may be summarized as follows. (i) Jeremiah 34:8-11. Zedekiah induces the people solemnly to bind themselves to release their slaves. They do so, but presently cancel their agreement. (ii) Jeremiah 34:12-16. Jeremiah is bidden to remind the people of the terms of the Law on the subject, and to charge them with perjury in the violation of the covenant they had recently made under solemn sanctions. (iii) Jeremiah 34:17-22. They shall in consequence fall victims to the sword. Their bodies after death shall suffer indignities. The king and his princes shall be taken captive, Jerusalem captured and burnt, and the cities laid waste.
Jeremiah 34:9
- serve himself of them] The poverty, arising out of the devastation wrought by repeated wars, must have brought about a large amount of servitude, as was the case e.g. in later times. See Nehemiah 5:5, and on Jeremiah 30:8.
Jeremiah 34:10-11
10, 11. The MT. is somewhat awkward, and the LXX (preferred by Co. and Du.) clearer and briefer. But we cannot accept the latter with entire confidence.
Jeremiah 34:12-16
12–16. See introd. summary to the subsection.
Jeremiah 34:14
- At the end of seven years] As we should say of six (so LXX) years. In Hebrew counting of this kind both the first and the last items were reckoned in. So the jubilee was in strictness the forty-ninth (the seventh Sabbatical) not the fiftieth year. Compare the rite of circumcision administered on the eighth (seventh) day after birth, and our Lord’s Resurrection on “the third (second) day.” The words are quoted somewhat freely from Deuteronomy 15:12, rather than from the parallel passage Exodus 21:2 (“The Book of the Covenant”).
Jeremiah 34:16
- at their pleasure] lit. according to their soul. See on Jeremiah 22:27.
Jeremiah 34:17-22
17–22. See introd. summary to section.
Jeremiah 34:18
- when they cut the calf in twain] This rendering, which simplifies the construction, is obtained from the literal Heb. as given in mg. by transposing two words of the clause in the original. See Genesis 15:10 for a ceremony of this kind as attendant upon a covenant. Its significance is probably that “the parties to the covenant are united by being taken within the life of the same sacred victim.” Pe., who compares the eating of the same sacrifice by the two parties to a covenant.