The princes of Judah, and the princes of Jerusalem, the eunuchs, and the priests, and all the people of the land, which passed between the parts of the calf;
The princes {H8269} of Judah {H3063}, and the princes {H8269} of Jerusalem {H3389}, the eunuchs {H5631}, and the priests {H3548}, and all the people {H5971} of the land {H776}, which passed {H5674} between the parts {H1335} of the calf {H5695};
the leaders of Y'hudah, the leaders of Yerushalayim, the officials, the cohanim and all the people of the land who passed between the parts of the calf;
The officials of Judah and Jerusalem, the court officials, the priests, and all the people of the land who passed between the pieces of the calf,
the princes of Judah, and the princes of Jerusalem, the eunuchs, and the priests, and all the people of the land, that passed between the parts of the calf;
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Jeremiah 34:10
Now when all the princes, and all the people, which had entered into the covenant, heard that every one should let his manservant, and every one his maidservant, go free, that none should serve themselves of them any more, then they obeyed, and let [them] go. -
Zephaniah 3:3
Her princes within her [are] roaring lions; her judges [are] evening wolves; they gnaw not the bones till the morrow. -
Zephaniah 3:4
Her prophets [are] light [and] treacherous persons: her priests have polluted the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law. -
Daniel 9:6
Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. -
Ezekiel 22:27
Her princes in the midst thereof [are] like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, [and] to destroy souls, to get dishonest gain. -
Ezekiel 22:31
Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord GOD. -
2 Kings 24:15
And he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, and the king's mother, and the king's wives, and his officers, and the mighty of the land, [those] carried he into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon.
Jeremiah 34:19 details the specific groups of people in Judah and Jerusalem who participated in a solemn covenant ritual, which they later broke. These included the ruling elite, religious leaders, royal officials, and the general populace, all of whom committed to a sacred oath before God.
Context
This verse is set during the final siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar's Babylonian army. King Zedekiah, in a desperate attempt to avert complete destruction and perhaps to gain divine favor and manpower, made a covenant with the people to free their Hebrew slaves, as mandated by the Mosaic Law (e.g., Exodus 21:2, Deuteronomy 15:12). The people initially agreed, but once the Babylonians temporarily lifted the siege, they shamelessly reneged on their promise, taking back the freed slaves (Jeremiah 34:8-11). This act of profound disobedience and hypocrisy further provoked God's wrath and sealed Jerusalem's fate, leading to the intensified judgment described later in this chapter.
Key Themes
Linguistic Insights: "Passed between the parts of the calf"
The phrase "passed between the parts of the calf" refers to an ancient Near Eastern covenant-making ritual. In this highly symbolic act, an animal (in this case, a calf) was cut into two halves, and the parties entering into the covenant would walk between the divided pieces. This ritual signified that if either party broke the covenant, they would suffer the same fate as the slaughtered animal—being cut off or destroyed.
This practice is famously illustrated in Genesis 15:10-17, where God Himself, represented by a smoking pot and a flaming torch, passed between the divided animals to solemnize His covenant with Abraham. In that instance, God alone passed through, signifying His unilateral and unbreakable commitment. The stark contrast in Jeremiah 34 is that human beings, despite participating in such a grave ceremony, proved utterly faithless to their word and to God's law.
Practical Application
Jeremiah 34:19 serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of integrity and keeping one's word, especially vows made before God. It highlights the danger of making promises under duress only to abandon them once the immediate pressure is relieved. God takes covenants and commitments seriously, and our actions, particularly those that disregard divine commands or solemn oaths, carry significant consequences. This passage ultimately points to the necessity of a new covenant, where God's law is written not on stone tablets or in temporary agreements, but on the hearts of His people, enabling true and lasting obedience (Hebrews 8:8).