Jeremiah

Jeremiah 34:8–11

⁸After King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to proclaim liberty, the word came to Jeremiah from the LORD ⁹that each man should free his Hebrew slaves, both male and female, and no one should hold his fellow Jew in bondage. ¹⁰So all the officials and all the people who entered into this covenant agreed that they would free their menservants and maidservants and no longer hold them in bondage. They obeyed and released them, ¹¹but later they changed their minds and took back the menservants and maidservants they had freed, and they forced them to become slaves again.

Read all of Jeremiah 34

Word by word

Each English word or phrase beside the Hebrew it translates, in the order of the English. Choose a number to open that word’s study.

Jeremiah 34:8

English	Hebrew	Sounds like	Grammar	Word study
After	אַחֲרֵ֡י	’a·ḥă·rê	Preposition	H310 behind
King	הַמֶּ֨לֶךְ	ham·me·leḵ	Article; Noun - masculine singular	H4428 king
Zedekiah	צִדְקִיָּ֜הוּ	ṣiḏ·qî·yā·hū	Noun - proper - masculine singular	H6667 Tsidkijah
had made	כְּרֹת֩	kə·rōṯ	Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct	H3772 cut off, cut down
a covenant	בְּרִ֗ית	bə·rîṯ	Noun - feminine singular	H1285 covenant
with	אֶת־	’eṯ-	Preposition	H854 with
all	כָּל־	kāl-	Noun - masculine singular construct	H3605 the whole, all
the people	הָעָם֙	hā·‘ām	Article; Noun - masculine singular	H5971 people
in Jerusalem	בִּירֽוּשָׁלִַ֔ם	bî·rū·šā·lim	Preposition-b; Noun - proper - feminine singular	H3389 Jerusalem
to proclaim	לִקְרֹ֥א	liq·rō	Preposition-l; Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct	H7121 call, proclaim, read
liberty	דְּרֽוֹר׃	də·rō·wr	Noun - masculine singular	H1865 a flowing; free run, liberty
the word	הַדָּבָ֛ר	had·dā·ḇār	Article; Noun - masculine singular	H1697 speech, word
came	הָיָ֥ה	hā·yāh	Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular	H1961 fall out, come to pass, become, be
to	אֶֽל־	’el-	Preposition	H413 motion to
Jeremiah	יִרְמְיָ֖הוּ	yir·mə·yā·hū	Noun - proper - masculine singular	H3414 Jirmejah
from	מֵאֵ֣ת	mê·’êṯ	Preposition-m; Direct object marker	H854 with
the LORD	יְהוָ֑ה	Yah·weh	Noun - proper - masculine singular	H3068 Yahweh

Jeremiah 34:9

English	Hebrew	Sounds like	Grammar	Word study
that each man	אִ֣ישׁ	’îš	Noun - masculine singular	H376 man
should free	לְ֠שַׁלַּח	lə·šal·laḥ	Preposition-l; Verb - Piel - Infinitive construct	H7971 send
his Hebrew	הָעִבְרִ֥י	hā·‘iḇ·rî	Article; Noun - proper - masculine singular	H5680 Hebrew
slaves	עַבְדּ֞וֹ	‘aḇ·dōw	Noun - masculine singular construct; third person masculine singular	H5650 slave, servant
and female	וְהָעִבְרִיָּ֖ה	wə·hā·‘iḇ·rî·yāh	Conjunctive waw, Article; Noun - proper - feminine singular	H5680 Hebrew
and no	לְבִלְתִּ֧י	lə·ḇil·tî	Preposition-l	H1115 not, except
one	וְאִ֧ישׁ	wə·’îš	Conjunctive waw; Noun - masculine singular	H376 man
should hold	עֲבָד־	‘ă·ḇāḏ-	Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct	H5647 work, serve
his fellow	אָחִ֖יהוּ	’ā·ḥî·hū	Noun - masculine singular construct; third person masculine singular	H251 brother
Jew	בִּיהוּדִ֥י	bî·hū·ḏî	Preposition-b; Noun - proper - masculine singular	H3064 Jewish

Jeremiah 34:10

English	Hebrew	Sounds like	Grammar	Word study
So all	כָל־	ḵāl	Noun - masculine singular construct	H3605 the whole, all
the officials	הַשָּׂרִ֨ים	haś·śā·rîm	Article; Noun - masculine plural	H8269 chieftain, chief, ruler, official, captain, prince
and all	וְכָל־	wə·ḵāl	Conjunctive waw; Noun - masculine singular construct	H3605 the whole, all
the people	הָעָ֜ם	hā·‘ām	Article; Noun - masculine singular	H5971 people
who	אֲשֶׁר־	’ă·šer-	Pronoun - relative	H834 particle of relation
entered	בָּ֣אוּ	bā·’ū	Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural	H935 come in, come, go in, go
into this covenant	בַבְּרִ֗ית	ḇab·bə·rîṯ	Preposition-b, Article; Noun - feminine singular	H1285 covenant
agreed	וַיִּשְׁמְעוּ֩	way·yiš·mə·‘ū	Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural	H8085 hear
that they would free	לְ֠שַׁלַּח	lə·šal·laḥ	Preposition-l; Verb - Piel - Infinitive construct	H7971 send
their menservants	עַבְדּ֞וֹ	‘aḇ·dōw	Noun - masculine singular construct; third person masculine singular	H5650 slave, servant
and maidservants	שִׁפְחָתוֹ֙	šip̄·ḥā·ṯōw	Noun - feminine singular construct; third person masculine singular	H8198 maid, maid-servant
and no longer	לְבִלְתִּ֥י	lə·ḇil·tî	Preposition-l	H1115 not, except
hold them in bondage	עֲבָד־	‘ă·ḇāḏ-	Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct	H5647 work, serve
They obeyed	וַֽיִּשְׁמְע֖וּ	way·yiš·mə·‘ū	Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural	H8085 hear
and released them	וַיְשַׁלֵּֽחוּ׃	way·šal·lê·ḥū	Conjunctive waw; Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural	H7971 send

Jeremiah 34:11

English	Hebrew	Sounds like	Grammar	Word study
but later	אַחֲרֵי־	’a·ḥă·rê-	Preposition	H310 behind
they changed their minds	וַיָּשׁ֙וּבוּ֙	way·yā·šū·ḇū	Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural	H7725 turn back, return
and took back	וַיָּשִׁ֗בוּ	way·yā·ši·ḇū	Conjunctive waw; Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural	H7725 turn back, return
the menservants	הָֽעֲבָדִים֙	hā·‘ă·ḇā·ḏîm	Article; Noun - masculine plural	H5650 slave, servant
and	וְאֶת־	wə·’eṯ-	Conjunctive waw; Direct object marker	H853 mark of the accusative
maidservants	הַשְּׁפָח֔וֹת	haš·šə·p̄ā·ḥō·wṯ	Article; Noun - feminine plural	H8198 maid, maid-servant
they had freed	שִׁלְּח֖וּ	šil·lə·ḥū	Verb - Piel - Perfect - third person common plural	H7971 send
and they forced them	וַיַּכְבִּישׁוּם	way·yaḵ·bī·šūm	Conjunctive waw; Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural; third person masculine plural	H3533 subdue, bring into bondage
to become slaves	לַעֲבָדִ֖ים	la·‘ă·ḇā·ḏîm	Preposition-l; Noun - masculine plural	H5650 slave, servant
again	וְלִשְׁפָחֽוֹת׃ס	wə·liš·p̄ā·ḥō·wṯ	Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l; Noun - feminine plural	H8198 maid, maid-servant

Cross-references

Other passages that speak to the same thing. Point at one to read it.

Jeremiah 34:8 Leviticus 25:10 · 2 Kings 11:17 · Jeremiah 34:17 · 2 Kings 23:2–3 · Isaiah 61:1 · Nehemiah 5:1–13 · Leviticus 25:39–46

Jeremiah 34:10 Jeremiah 26:10 · Jeremiah 26:16

Jeremiah 34:11 2 Peter 2:20–22 · Ecclesiastes 8:11 · Proverbs 26:11 · Matthew 12:43–45

Cross-references from OpenBible.info, used under CC BY 4.0. The best-supported references for each verse are shown.

Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible.