Jeremiah 34:1-22

34:1-7 | The promise in verses 4-5 that Zedekiah would die in peace appears to be conditioned on his surrender to the Babylonians as Jeremiah advised.

34:8-14 | In an attempt to gain the Lord’s favor as the Babylonian army besieged Jerusalem, Zedekiah and the people proclaimed a general amnesty and released all of their slaves, something they should have been doing every seventh year (Ex. 21:1-11; Lev. 25:39-46; Deut. 15:12-18).

34:11-16 | Reflecting their true motives, the people took back their slaves when the Babylonians temporarily withdrew from Jerusalem. Jeremiah had called the people to “turn around” (repent) from their wrongdoing, but they actually turned around from their “turning back” to the Lord.