Lange Commentary - Jeremiah 34:8

Lange Commentary - Jeremiah 34:8 - 34:22

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Lange Commentary - Jeremiah 34:8 - 34:22

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11. HISTORICAL APPENDIX TO THE COLLECTION OF DISCOURSES

(Chap Jer_34:8-22 and Chap 35)

At the close of the collected discourses we find two portions which may be regarded as an appendix, inasmuch as they afford a glaring instance of Israel’s disobedience towards Jehovah, in contrast with the obedience of a non-Israelitish tribe towards the command of their ancestor. The history of the discharge of servants, ordered in the pressure of distress but taken back when the danger seemed to be past, is a proof how lightly obedience to Jehovah’s law sat on the hearts of the Israelites, while the obedience of the Rechabites to their ancestral ordinances was deeply rooted and impregnable. Although the two portions are chronologically far apart, the first belonging to the tenth year of Zedekiah (more exactly to the time of the temporary suspension of the siege), the second to the reign of Jehoiakim (more exactly when the first invasion of the Chaldeans under Nebuchadnezzar was expected); yet it is quite appropriate that they should stand side by side, since, as remarked above, the second serves as a foil to the first.

The reason for placing the older portion last may be that the following chapter (36) belongs to the same period, viz., the fourth year of Jehoiakim.

The division into two parts is very clear and simple. The facts are narrated in Jer_34:8-11. Then in Jer_34:12-16 the facts are recapitulated by the prophet with reference to the legal enactments, finally in Jer_34:17-22 the divine sentence is pronounced on the covenant-breaking Israelites.—Chap. 35 is plainly divisible into two halves. In the first (Jer_34:1-11) the facts are again related, in the second the parallel is drawn between the behaviour of the Rechabites and of Israel, and corresponding recompense announced to both.

A. the disobedience of the israelites shown in their behaviour in setting free their servants

Jer_34:8-22

⁸This is the word that came unto Jeremiah, from the Lord, after that the king Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people which were at Jerusalem, to⁹proclaim liberty unto them; That every man should let his man-servant, and every man his maid servant, being an Hebrew or an Hebrewess, go free; that none should¹⁰serve himself of them, to wit, of a Jew his brother. Now when all the princes, and all the people, which had entered into the covenant, heard that every one should let his man-servant, and every one his maid-servant, go free, that none should serve themselves of them any more, then they obeyed, and let them go.¹¹But afterward they turned, and caused the servants and the handmaids, whom they had let go free, to return, and brought them into subjection for [or compelled¹²them to be] servants and for handmaids. Therefore the word of the Lord came¹³to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel; I made a covenant with your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of¹⁴the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondmen, saying, At the end of seven years let ye go every man his brother an Hebrew, which hath been sold [or who hath sold himself] unto thee; and when he hath served thee six years, thou shalt let him go free from thee: but your fathers hearkened not unto me, neither inclined¹⁵their ear, And ye were now [to-day] turned, and had done right in my sight, in proclaiming liberty every man to his neighbor; and ye had made a covenant before me in the house which is called by my name [whereupon my name is called]: ¹⁶but ye turned and polluted my name, and caused every man his servant, and every man his handmaid, whom he had set at liberty at their pleasure, to return, and brought them into subjection [compelled them], to be unto you for servants and for handmaids.

¹⁷Therefore thus saith the Lord [Jehovah], Ye have not hearkened unto me, in proclaiming liberty, every one to his brother, and every man to his neighbor: behold, I proclaim a liberty for you, saith the Lord [Jehovah], to the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine; and I will make you to be removed into all the¹⁸kingdoms of the earth. And I will give [or deliver] the men that have transgressed my covenant, which [who] have not performed the words of the covenant which they had made before me, when they cut the calf in twain, and passed be ¹⁹tween the parts thereof, the princes of Judah, and the princes of Jerusalem, the eunuchs, and the priests, and all the people of the land, which passed between the²⁰parts of the calf; I will even give them into the hands of their enemies, and into the hands of them that seek their life: and their dead bodies shall be for meat²¹unto the fowls of the heaven, and to the beasts of the earth. And Zedekiah, king of Judah, and his princes will I give into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of them that seek their life, and into the hand of the king of Babylon’s²²army, which are gone up from you. Behold, I will command, saith the Lord, and cause them to return to this city; and they shall fight against it, and take it, and burn it with fire; and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation without an inhabitant.

EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL

Jer_34:8-11. This is the word … for servants and for handmaids. Though the expression “to make a covenant” generally means that two persons pledge themselves to a mutual performance, which accrues to the advantage of both parties, the expression here denotes a performance which all do in common in the interest of a third, from which, however, advantage is expected for all. For the setting free was chiefly for the advantage of those set free. It was, however, also hoped that it would be for the general good, account being taken partly of the gratitude of the freedmen and their increased activity in the defence, partly perhaps also of the favor of Jehovah thus to be procured. It is clear that the word “covenant” is thus employed in essentially the same sense as usual.—To proclaim liberty unto them. The expression is found in this sense besides only in Lev_25:10; Isa_61:1; Eze_46:17. Them of course refers to the servants mentioned afterwards. The law on this point is found in Exo_21:1 sqq.; Lev_25:39-41; Deu_15:12. Every servant of Hebrew origin was to be set free after six years’ service (without respect to the Sabbatical year); according to Leviticus 25 this was to be done in the year of jubilee. This involves no contradiction, for in Leviticus 25 it is the law of the jubilee year which is given. The former enactment is merely supplemented from this point of view, the jubilee year is to end the service unconditionally, wherefore the price was to be determined by the time intervening before the jubilee (Jer 34:50 sqq. where it is the sale of Israelitish servants to heathen inhabitants which is spoken of, but there is no reason to doubt the application of this rule to the purchase by Israelites). Comp. Saalschuetz, Mos. Recht. Kap., 14 and 101, § 3.—These legal prescriptions had, like so many others, remained unobserved. The reformation under Josiah may have revived the knowledge, but not the observance of them. The pressure of the siege aroused the thought that the observance of this law might be of use in both the ways above indicated. They therefore pledged themselves on the king’s demand by mutual agreement to set free the Hebrew servants and maids, and as appears from Jer_34:9, all of them, even those who had not served six years. The supererogation with regard to some was outweighed by their short-comings with respect to the others. But—and this is a striking instance of false conversion, springing from bad motives,—when the danger seemed over on the withdrawal of the Chaldeans, they brought the servants again under the yoke.

Jer_34:12-16. Therefore the word … for handmaids.—In the day. Comp. Jer_7:22; Jer_11:4; Jer_31:32.—House of bondmen. Themselves delivered from oppressive servitude, Israel should be kind towards their servants, which is expressly designated in Deu_15:16 as the motive of the law of manumission.—At the end of seven years cannot mean at the end of every seven years. This would contradict what follows, “after he has served six years,” and the similar legal enactments (Exo_21:2; Deu_15:12). It can only signify at the close of a septennium. The preposition îֵï then retains its proper signification;—from the close, i. e., when the close of the septennium, the seventh year, has begun. Comp. similar expressions in Deu_15:1; Deu_14:28 coll. Jer_31:10.—Who hath sold himself. These words are a quotation from memory from Deu_15:12.—Turned, Jer_34:15-16. The meaning of the verb is the same in both cases, only the termini a quo and in quem are opposite.—Called by my name. Every transgression of the divine commands, but especially a breach of a covenant sworn in His name, is a desecration thereof (comp. Lev_19:12; Lev_20:3).—At their pleasure. The expression occurs also in Deu_21:14. It is there used of the captive woman, married but afterwards disapproved. Here the antithesis is evidently not property or family, so that the sense would be, what she possesses belongs to her, but thou shalt set her person at liberty. But the antithesis is the unfreedom of the sold, who must go wherever his master sends him, and the freedom of the dismissed, to go wherever he wishes. The word then=according to, or at, their pleasure, ðֶëֶּùׁ being regarded as the seat of desire, as in the expression “if it be your mind,” Gen_23:8; 2Ki_9:15.

Jer_34:17-22. Therefore … without an inhabitant.—Liberty is used the second time in Jer_34:17 ironically; because ye did not proclaim liberty (that which is taken back again directly is as good as none), liberty shall be proclaimed to you, but a liberty of which you will be the victims. [I set you, whom I have hitherto regarded as my servants, free, deliver you over, to your fate, to the sword, etc.—Hitzig].—The calf. Jer_34:18 seems to me better connected with I will give [make], in which we are grammatically fully justified (comp. Naegelsb. Gr., § 69, 3). So also Luther and others. The symbolical meaning of the rite here alluded to appears then immediately applied, in order to present before the covenant breakers the threatening punishment. They themselves are to be the calf cut in two. On this rite comp. Gen_15:10, and Delitzsch thereupon. According to the other explanation, “the calf” is in opposition to “the covenant.” Then, however, the similarity in the fate of the transgressor to that of the calf, is only implicitly hinted at, not expressed. The late and anacoluthic resumption “I will give,” in Jer_34:21, is then also troublesome.—In Jer_34:19 chiefs of tribes, city-chiefs (elders of the city), courtiers, priests and common people, are distinguished. When afterwards, verse 21, his princes are again mentioned with the king, we must attribute this to Jeremiah’s diffuseness, and emphasize it the less, as it is very common to mention the king and princes together (Jer_24:8; Jer_25:19, etc.).

DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL

1. On Jer_34:8-11. “The peculiar difference between hypocritical repentance and true conversion. The hypocrites when they do penance, do it (1) not from faith, but from fear of distress and danger, in which they are at the time; (2) they do not make a change in all points of disobedience, but only in the ethical, as here with the jubilee year, as if there were nothing more to be altered; (3) they do such things as make a show for the people and have a high regard, as the manumission, letting loose the rabble, would have a great noise and show, but meanwhile there were few thoughts of faith, love, fear of God, hope and thanksgiving; (4) such penitence does not last long, but as soon as the distress finds a hole, the devotion goes with it.” Cramer.

2. On Jer_34:12. “Qua locutione mystica (verbum Jovæ factum esse a Jovæ) qualis etiam, Gen_19:24, innuitur mysterium Trinitatis juxta regulam Lutheri commendatam nobis in aureo scripto de ultimis verbis Davidis. Insinuatur enim hac et similibus loquendi formulis pluralitas personarum, ut hic Filii et Spiritus sancti.” Förster.

3. On Jer_34:15-16. “Converted, but not rightly; friendship made when the foot is on the neck, Pharisaic repentance. Yet thus, there is often an interval, a period of rest and of refreshment for the kingdom of Christ. And God has this in view when He extorts conversions of this kind.” Zinzendorf.

4. On Jer_34:15-16; Jer_34:18-22. The Jews thus committed a double sin: 1. They did not keep the promise made to each other and to the servants; 2. They desecrated the name of God by their disobedience and breach of the oath sworn in God’s name and house.

HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL

True repentance in distinction from false. 1. The occasion may be the same in both; external distress (comp. ex. gr., Isa_28:19; 1Co_11:32; Tit_2:12). 2. In false penitence the inward disposition remains unchanged; in true penitence man turns inwardly with pain and sorrow from evil and to God. 3. False penitence lasts as long only as the outward need; true penitence is a permanent -condition of the heart, and notwithstanding single backslidings, advances to a more complete subjugation of the old man (the old Adam in us is to be drowned and perish by daily sorrow and repentance).

Footnotes:

Jer_34:8.—The construction is ad sensum, and very common in Hebrew. Comp. 2Ki_10:24; Naegelsb. Gr., § 95, 2.

Jer_34:9.— òáø áí . Comp. Jer_22:13; Jer_25:14; Jer_30:8.

Jer_34:11.— åéëáéùׁåí . The Hiphil does not occur elsewhere. The Masoretes therefore read Kal (Jer_34:16; 2Ch_28:10).

Jer_34:11.—On the construction ìְַòַáַãִéí å comp. Naegelsb. Gr., § 95 g., Anm. 5.

Jer_34:17.—[A. V. marg.: for a removing; Naegelsb.: for a horror; Henderson: give you up to agitation.—S. R. A.]

Jer_34:18.—[Naegelsb., Hitzig, Wordsworth: I will make the men who … the calf which they cut; i. e. like the calf, etc.—Comp. Naegelsb. Gr., § 69, 3.—S. R. A.]