Jeremiah 34:4

Study note

Setting — Jeremiah delivers a direct oracle from Yahweh to Zedekiah, king of Judah, amid the Babylonian siege. The message interrupts the king’s imminent capture to address his specific fate.

The words — The Hebrew conjunction אַ֚ךְ ('akh) means "nevertheless," sharply contrasting the preceding judgment. The imperative שְׁמַ֣ע (she.Ma') commands Zedekiah to "hear" this specific divine declaration.

The thread — The verse functions as the pivot between the capture detailed in Jeremiah 34:3 and the peaceful death promised in Jeremiah 34:5. It anchors the immediate narrative sequence without introducing external themes.

Why it lands — The text states that Zedekiah will not die by the sword, establishing Yahweh’s control over his physical end. It requires the reader to recognize that historical judgment and divine restraint operate concurrently within a single life.

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.