Bible Strands
Jeremiah 34:17
Therefore this is what the LORD says: You have not obeyed Me; you have not proclaimed freedom, each man for his brother and for his neighbor. So now I proclaim freedom for you, declares the LORD—freedom to fall by sword, by plague, and by famine! I will make you a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — YHWH speaks through Jeremiah to Judah’s leaders and people after they re-enslaved those they had previously freed during the Babylonian siege. This pronouncement follows the rescinded manumission decree and precedes the covenant ceremony described in the surrounding verses.
The words — לָכֵן (lakken) translates as "therefore," structurally binding the coming judgment to their prior actions. שְׁמַעְתֶּם (shema'tem) literally means "you have listened," highlighting their specific failure to heed the divine command.
The thread — The declaration of divine retribution echoes the covenant curses of Deuteronomy 28:25 and anticipates the exile warnings in Jeremiah 29:18. The principle of reciprocal measure appears in Matthew 7:2, where the standard applied to others determines what is applied to the applier.
Why it lands — The text states that God will grant them "freedom" only to fall by sword, plague, and famine, making them an object of horror among the kingdoms. It demands recognition that covenant disobedience triggers inescapable consequences and that proclaimed liberty must be enacted, not revoked.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Therefore thus saith the Lord; Ye have not hearkened unto me, in proclaiming liberty, every one to his brother, and every man to his neighbour: behold, I proclaim a liberty for you, saith the Lord, to the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine; and I will make you to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.
Cross-references
- Matthew 7:2 For with the same judgment you pronounce, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
- Deuteronomy 28:25 The LORD will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You will march out against them in one direction but flee from them in seven. You will be an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.
- Jeremiah 29:18 I will pursue them with sword and famine and plague. I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth—a curse, a desolation, and an object of scorn and reproach among all the nations to which I banish them.
- Galatians 6:7 Do not be deceived: God is not to be mocked. Whatever a man sows, he will reap in return.
- Leviticus 26:34 Then the land shall enjoy its Sabbaths all the days it lies desolate, while you are in the land of your enemies. At that time the land will rest and enjoy its Sabbaths.
- Deuteronomy 28:64 Then the LORD will scatter you among all the nations, from one end of the earth to the other, and there you will worship other gods, gods of wood and stone, which neither you nor your fathers have known.
- Esther 7:10 So they hanged Haman on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the fury of the king subsided.
- Jeremiah 15:4 I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth because of what Manasseh son of Hezekiah king of Judah did in Jerusalem.
- Daniel 6:24 At the command of the king, the men who had falsely accused Daniel were brought and thrown into the den of lions—they and their children and wives. And before they had reached the bottom of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.
- James 2:13 For judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.