Ch. Jeremiah 34:1-22. Incidents in connexion with the siege

1. The narrative portion of the work which we may ascribe to Baruch here recommences after a partial suspension. As Jeremiah was still at liberty (Jeremiah 34:6), his utterance must have preceded the temporary raising of the siege owing to the threatened approach of the Egyptian army (See on Jeremiah 32:1).

This subsection may be summarized as follows. (i) Jeremiah 34:1-3. Jeremiah is bidden to tell Zedekiah that the result of Nebuchadnezzar’s invasion now taking place will be that the city shall be burned, and the king taken captive to Babylon. (ii) Jeremiah 34:4-7. Zedekiah shall however die in peace with the customary funeral rites and mourning. At the time when Jeremiah spoke thus, two cities only besides the capital remained untaken.

Nebuchadnezzar … and all the peoples] The LXX reading is briefer, omitting “the kingdoms of … and all the peoples,” and probably gives the original form of the v.

1–7. Prophecy of the burning of the city and the captivity of Zedekiah.

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.

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.

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.

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-Ḥesy, 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.

8. had made a covenant] According to Exodus 21:2 [E] a Hebrew male slave was to be set free after six years’ service, and by Deuteronomy 15:12 this was extended to female slaves. The conscience-quickening power of impending danger, in meeting which the slaves, if enfranchised, would be more ready to co-operate with their former masters, seems to have induced Zedekiah, naturally too weak-minded a man to have displayed much vigour in urging any such conduct upon his subjects, to make the agreement with them here spoken of. This view of the motive is to be preferred to Du.’s theory that the slaves were turned out of the city during the siege because of the burden of feeding persons whose normal occupation of tillage, etc. was necessarily in abeyance. The narrative on the contrary implies that the action was to the slaves’ advantage (see Jeremiah 34:16), and that it was from motives of selfishness that the edict, though sanctioned by the solemnity of an oath, was cancelled on the temporary withdrawal of the besiegers to meet the approaching army of Pharaoh (Jeremiah 34:21).

to proclaim liberty unto them] The same phrase is used of the proclamation made in the year of jubilee (Leviticus 25:10). “Unto them,” if it be not an insertion, refers to the slaves.

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.

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.

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.

12–16. See introd. summary to the subsection.

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”).

16. at their pleasure] lit. according to their soul. See on Jeremiah 22:27.

17. I proclaim unto you a liberty] The people, hitherto God’s servants, and secure in that service, shall be cast oft by Him, and shall accordingly, being no longer under His protection as their Owner, become subject to the perils which follow.

tossed to and fro] better, as mg. a terror unto. See on Jeremiah 15:4.

17–22. See introd. summary to section.

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.