Jeremiah 34:20
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This isn't just about a grim outcome; it highlights God's justice in mirroring the people's own broken promises. By giving their bodies to be devoured, God enacts a public spectacle of their covenant betrayal, making their fate a grim echo of the ritualistic animal sacrifice they perverted.
And I will give them into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those who seek their lives. Their dead bodies shall be food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The people of Jerusalem, including King Zedekiah, had broken their covenant with God by re-enslaving the people they had promised to set free. This verse continues God's judgment on them for this betrayal, emphasizing that their enemies would not only kill them but leave their bodies unburied, exposed to scavengers. This dire fate served as a stark, public sign of God's wrath for their broken promises.
Why would a loving God hand His people over to brutal enemies? It’s a hard truth, but Scripture shows God can use even wicked nations to carry out His justice.
A Divine Mandate for Destruction
Jeremiah 34:20 declares that God will give His people into the hands of their enemies, specifically those who seek their lives. This isn't just a passive observation of war; it's an active divine decree. God sovereignly directs the course of history, and sometimes that means employing hostile nations as His instruments of judgment.
The verse describes a fate worse than death itself – bodies left unburied, a feast for birds and beasts. What does this extreme imagery reveal about the depth of God's judgment?
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A Sign of Divine Wrath Beyond Death
The second part of the verse paints a horrifying picture: 'Their dead bodies shall be food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth.' This is not merely a description of battlefield carnage; it's a profound symbol of God's ultimate judgment.
This verse describes the grim consequences of breaking a covenant with God, specifically highlighted by the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem. The utter desolation, including unburied bodies, served as a stark, visible testament to divine judgment against those who betrayed their solemn oath.
c. 605 BC
First Babylonian Deportation
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon invades Judah and deports thousands of its leading citizens, including members of the royal family, to Babylon. This marks the beginning of Judah's decline.
597 BC
Second Babylonian Deportation
Following a revolt, Jerusalem is besieged, and King Jehoiachin and more prominent citizens are deported to Babylon. Jeremiah continues to prophesy during this time of crisis.
588-586 BC— this verse
Siege and Fall of Jerusalem
Nebuchadnezzar lays siege to Jerusalem after King Zedekiah rebels. During this siege, a brief respite is granted, leading to the release of Hebrew slaves, a covenant later broken.
586 BC
Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple
The Babylonian army breaches Jerusalem's walls, destroys the city and the Temple, and deports the remaining population to Babylon, leaving only the poorest to till the land.
c. 586 BC
Exile and Continued Prophecy
The prophet Jeremiah, who prophesied the destruction, remains in the devastated land for a time before being taken to Egypt. His prophecies continue to speak of judgment and future restoration.
This passage in Deuteronomy directly parallels Jeremiah's prophecy, describing unburied dead bodies becoming food for animals as a curse for disobedience.
Jeremiah 7:33Jeremiah uses the same stark imagery of carcasses becoming food for birds and beasts in another prophetic warning, highlighting the severity of God's judgment.
Ezekiel 29:5This prophecy against Egypt uses identical language to describe the slain being left unburied and consumed by wild animals, showing this was a recognized sign of utter destruction and divine judgment.
Psalm 79:3The Psalmist cries out to God for vengeance, specifically mentioning that the bodies of the slain would be given as food to the beasts, echoing the same theme of desecration as a consequence of sin.
calvinJeremiah 34:20: "I will even give them into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of them that seek their life: and their dead bodies shall be for meat unto the fowls of the heaven, and to the beasts of the earth."
I will even give them into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of them that seek their life: and their dead bodies shall be for meat unto the fowls of the heaven, and to the beasts of the earth.
Et dabo illos in manum inimicorum ipsorum, et in manum quaerenti…
pooleJeremiah 34:20: "I will even give them into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of them that seek their life: and their dead bodies shall be for meat unto the fowls of the heaven, and to the beasts of the earth."
God doth not threaten all the Jews, but those only who had made this covenant, and formally confirmed it, by killing a beast, and passing through the parts of it thus divided and laid opposite one to another. Of these he spareth none, but threatens both the king, and nobles, a…
This isn't just about a grim outcome; it highlights God's justice in mirroring the people's own broken promises. By giving their bodies to be devoured, God enacts a public spectacle of their covenant betrayal, making their fate a grim echo of the ritualistic animal sacrifice they perverted.
The people of Jerusalem, including King Zedekiah, had broken their covenant with God by re-enslaving the people they had promised to set free. This verse continues God's judgment on them for this betrayal, emphasizing that their enemies would not only kill them but leave their bodies unburied, exposed to scavengers. This dire fate served as a stark, public sign of God's wrath for their broken promises.
The people of Jerusalem, including King Zedekiah, had broken their covenant with God by re-enslaving the people they had promised to set free. This verse continues God's judgment on them for this betrayal, emphasizing that their enemies would not only kill them but leave their bodies unburied, exposed to scavengers. This dire fate served as a stark, public sign of God's wrath for their broken promises.
"And I will give them into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those who seek their lives. Their dead bodies shall be food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth." — This isn't just about a grim outcome; it highlights God's justice in mirroring the people's own broken promises. By giving their bodies to be devoured, God enacts a public spectacle of their covenant…
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Last reviewed October 2026
