Bible Strands
Jeremiah 34:2
The LORD, the God of Israel, told Jeremiah to go and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah and tell him that this is what the LORD says: “Behold, I am about to deliver this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will burn it down.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The text states that the LORD commands Jeremiah to deliver a message to Zedekiah king of Judah while Nebuchadnezzar’s forces besiege Jerusalem and its surrounding cities. This occurs at the moment of military encirclement, before any fall of the city.
The words — The Hebrew כֹּֽה־אָמַר (koh-'amar) literally means "thus he says," serving as the formal introduction to the divine declaration that follows.
The thread — This pronouncement aligns with the judgment declared in Jeremiah 21:10 and directly precedes the fulfillment detailed in Jeremiah 34:3 where Zedekiah is captured and taken to Babylon.
Why it lands — The text asserts that the impending destruction is a direct act of Yahweh delivering the city into Babylon's hand, requiring the reader to recognize divine sovereignty over political and military outcomes.
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
Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel; Go and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah, and tell him, Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire:
Cross-references
- Jeremiah 21:10 For I have set My face against this city to bring disaster and not good, declares the LORD. It will be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, who will destroy it with fire.’
- Jeremiah 34:22 Behold, I am going to give the command, declares the LORD, and I will bring them back to this city. They will fight against it, capture it, and burn it down. And I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, without inhabitant.”
- 2 Chronicles 36:11 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years.
- Jeremiah 22:1 This is what the LORD says: “Go down to the palace of the king of Judah and proclaim this message there,
- Jeremiah 32:3 For Zedekiah king of Judah had imprisoned him, saying: “Why are you prophesying like this? You claim that the LORD says, ‘Behold, I am about to deliver this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it.
- Jeremiah 37:8 Then the Chaldeans will return and fight against this city. They will capture it and burn it down.
- Jeremiah 21:4 this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I will turn against you the weapons of war in your hands, with which you are fighting the king of Babylon and the Chaldeans who besiege you outside the wall, and I will assemble their forces in the center of this city.
- Jeremiah 32:28 Therefore this is what the LORD says: Behold, I am about to deliver this city into the hands of the Chaldeans and of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, who will capture it.
- Jeremiah 37:1 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made Zedekiah son of Josiah the king of Judah, and he reigned in place of Coniah son of Jehoiakim.
- Jeremiah 38:23 All your wives and children will be brought out to the Chaldeans. And you yourself will not escape their grasp, for you will be seized by the king of Babylon, and this city will be burned down.”