Jeremiah 34:11
But afterward they turned around and took back the male and female slaves they had set free, and brought them into subjection as slaves.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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This wasn't just a casual reversal; they actively caused the freed slaves to return, highlighting their deliberate cruelty. It wasn't simply a passive forgetting of their promise, but an active re-enslavement, twisting a moment of obedience into a deeper betrayal.
King Zedekiah and the people of Jerusalem had just made a covenant to proclaim freedom for their Hebrew slaves, a step that seemed to align with God's law. However, this moment of apparent obedience was short-lived, as they quickly reversed their decision and forced the freed individuals back into servitude. This betrayal of their covenant and of God's command sets the stage for a harsh judgment to come.
The people of Jerusalem made a solemn promise to set their slaves free, a moment of hope and change. But that promise quickly evaporated.
In Jeremiah 34, King Zedekiah and the people of Jerusalem entered into a covenant to proclaim liberty to their slaves. This wasn't just a casual agreement; it was a public commitment, made in the very house of God. It was a step towards obedience, a recognition of God's law that mandated freedom after a period of service.
The Moment of Righteousness
This act was right in God's eyes. They were finally aligning with His command to let Hebrew slaves go free after six years of service (Deuteronomy 15:12-14). It was a chance for them to show compassion and uphold justice.
The Swift Reversal
But the text makes it clear: this righteousness was temporary. "Afterward they turned... and brought them into subjection." Their commitment to freedom was shallow, easily discarded when it became inconvenient or when circumstances seemed to change. Their repentance was a facade, not a transformation.
Their broken promise wasn't just a personal failure; it was a public insult to the very One they claimed to honor.
The people of Jerusalem didn't just break a covenant with each other; they broke it before God, in His house. This wasn't a private matter; it was a public declaration that desecrated God's name.
The Covenant in God's House
Making a covenant in the house where God's name was called (the Temple) meant they were invoking His authority and presence. It was a solemn oath, meant to be unbreakable. By violating it, they treated God's name lightly.
The Consequence of Disregard
When they forced their freed slaves back into bondage, they weren't just acting cruelly; they were demonstrating contempt for God's law and His covenant. This misuse of God's name, treating it as a triviality to be invoked and then ignored, brought severe judgment upon them.
This verse captures a moment of profound hypocrisy: the people of Jerusalem, facing imminent destruction, make a solemn promise of freedom to their slaves, only to snatch it back when they momentarily believe they've escaped God's judgment. This betrayal of their covenant, both with God and their fellow humans, seals their doom.
c. 605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon conquers Judah and deports some of its elite, including the prophet Daniel, marking the beginning of the Babylonian exile.
597 BC
Second Deportation to Babylon
Following a rebellion, Nebuchadnezzar deports King Jehoiachin and thousands more of Judah's leading citizens to Babylon. Jeremiah had prophesied this.
589-587 BC
Siege of Jerusalem
Nebuchadnezzar's armies lay siege to Jerusalem. The city is eventually starved into submission, leading to its destruction.
c. 587 BC— this verse
Pharaoh Hophra's Egyptian Army Arrives
An Egyptian army, led by Pharaoh Hophra, arrives to relieve the siege of Jerusalem, causing the Babylonian forces to temporarily withdraw.
This passage lays out the original law concerning Hebrew servants serving for a limited time, making Jeremiah 34 a case study of how that law was later violated and then partially, and insincerely, restored.
Deuteronomy 15:12This reiterates the law for freeing Hebrew servants after six years, highlighting that the actions in Jeremiah 34 were a direct contravention of God's established commands for justice and release.
Nehemiah 5:1-5This shows a similar pattern of social injustice and debt bondage among God's people, demonstrating that the failure to uphold freedom and fairness was a recurring issue.
Luke 12:47-48Jesus' teaching here about servants who know their master's will but do not do it facing severe punishment directly applies to the people in Jeremiah 34, who knew God's law regarding liberty but chose to disobey, showing their culpability was greater.
Philemon 1:15-16This New Testament example, where a runaway slave is sent back to his master but with a plea for him to be treated as a brother, offers a contrast in how freedom and restored relationships are viewed within God's redemptive plan.
calvinJeremiah 34:8-17: "This is the word that came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, after that the king Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people which were at Jerusalem, to proclaim liberty unto them;"
Ut dimitteret quisque servum suum, et quisque ancillam suam (vir, vir, ad verbum, sed significat quisque indefinite) Hebraeum vel Hebraeum liberos, ut ne ultra servirent ipsis (vel, transitive, ut alii malunt et bene quadrat, ut non haberent cos servos) inter Judaeos vir fratrem suum.
Now…
pooleJeremiah 34:11: "But afterward they turned, and caused the servants and the handmaids, whom they had let go free, to return, and brought them into subjection for servants and for handmaids."
Like a company of wretched hypocrites, they reformed this abuse only to serve a turn, which when it was served they returned again to their old oppression; and in this thing not the people alone, but the government, was to be blamed, for their judges in the courts of justice ought to have executed the law o…
This wasn't just a casual reversal; they actively caused the freed slaves to return, highlighting their deliberate cruelty. It wasn't simply a passive forgetting of their promise, but an active re-enslavement, twisting a moment of obedience into a deeper betrayal.
King Zedekiah and the people of Jerusalem had just made a covenant to proclaim freedom for their Hebrew slaves, a step that seemed to align with God's law. However, this moment of apparent obedience was short-lived, as they quickly reversed their decision and forced the freed individuals back into servitude. This betrayal of their covenant and of God's command sets the stage for a harsh judgment to come.
King Zedekiah and the people of Jerusalem had just made a covenant to proclaim freedom for their Hebrew slaves, a step that seemed to align with God's law. However, this moment of apparent obedience was short-lived, as they quickly reversed their decision and forced the freed individuals back into servitude. This betrayal of their covenant and of God's command sets the stage for a harsh judgment to come.
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The freedom they denied to others was quickly replaced by a terrifying freedom they would soon experience themselves.
Jeremiah's message, triggered by their betrayal of freedom, is stark. After the people violated their covenant and profaned God's name by re-enslaving those they had freed, God declared that He would proclaim a different kind of liberty for them.
A Perverse Exchange
They refused to proclaim liberty to their fellow humans, defying God's law. So, God announced He would proclaim liberty to them – liberty for the sword, the pestilence, and the famine. This is not freedom from judgment, but freedom for destruction to come upon them.
The Consequence of Cruelty
Their inability to grant freedom to their slaves was met with God granting destructive forces the freedom to run rampant over them. This judgment would lead to their dispersion among the nations, a bitter irony for a people who refused to uphold the principles of justice and mercy that God had established for them.
c. 587 BC
Release of Slaves and Subsequent Re-enslavement
In response to Jeremiah's prophecy and the temporary lifting of the siege, King Zedekiah and the people proclaim liberty for their slaves, but quickly revoke it when the Babylonian army returns.
586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem and Third Deportation
The Babylonians return, breach the walls, and destroy Jerusalem and the Temple. Most of the remaining population is deported to Babylon.
"But afterward they turned around and took back the male and female slaves they had set free, and brought them into subjection as slaves." — This wasn't just a casual reversal; they actively caused the freed slaves to return, highlighting their deliberate cruelty. It wasn't simply a passive forgetting of their promise, but an active re-…
