Discovery BoxJeremiah 29:16 
Context29:16 But just listen to what the Lord has to say about 1 the king who occupies David’s throne and all your fellow countrymen who are still living in this city of Jerusalem 2 and were not carried off into exile with you.
Jeremiah 34:14-15
Context34:14 “Every seven years each of you must free any fellow Hebrews who have sold themselves to you. After they have served you for six years, you shall set them free.” 3 But your ancestors did not obey me or pay any attention to me. 34:15 Recently, however, you yourselves 4 showed a change of heart and did what is pleasing to me. You granted your fellow countrymen their freedom and you made a covenant to that effect in my presence in the house that I have claimed for my own. 5
Jeremiah 34:17
Context34:17 So I, the Lord, say: “You have not really obeyed me and granted freedom to your neighbor and fellow countryman. 6 Therefore, I will grant you freedom, the freedom 7 to die in war, or by starvation or disease. I, the Lord, affirm it! 8 I will make all the kingdoms of the earth horrified at what happens to you. 9
1 tn Heb “But thus says the
sn Jeremiah answers their claims that the
2 tn The words “of Jerusalem” are not in the text but are supplied in the translation to identify the referent and avoid the possible confusion that “this city” refers to Babylon.
3 sn Compare Deut 15:12-18 for the complete statement of this law. Here only the first part of it is cited.
4 tn The presence of the independent pronoun in the Hebrew text is intended to contrast their actions with those of their ancestors.
5 sn This refers to the temple. See Jer 7:10, 11, 14, 30 and see the translator’s note on 7:10 and the study note on 10:25 for the explanation of the idiom involved here.
6 tn The Hebrew text has a compound object, the two terms of which have been synonyms in vv. 14, 15. G. L. Keown, P. J. Scalise, and T. G. Smothers (Jeremiah 26-52 [WBC], 189) make the interesting observation that these two terms (Heb “brother” and “neighbor”) emphasize the relationships that should have taken precedence over their being viewed as mere slaves.
7 sn This is, of course, a metaphorical and ironical use of the term “to grant freedom to.” It is, however, a typical statement of the concept of talionic justice which is quite often operative in God’s judgments in the OT (cf., e.g., Obad 15).
8 tn Heb “Oracle of the
9 sn Compare Jer 15:4; 24:9; 29:18.
