Therefore thus saith the LORD; Ye have not hearkened unto me, in proclaiming liberty, every one to his brother, and every man to his neighbour: behold, I proclaim a liberty for you, saith the LORD, to the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine; and I will make you to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.

JEREMIAH 34:17KJV
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Jeremiah 34:17 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 34:17 mean?

Jeremiah 34:17 says that because the people of Judah did not obey God's command to free their fellow Israelites, God declares a different kind of "freedom" for them—a release to disaster, including war, disease, and famine, and scattering among the nations. The verse is a warning that ignoring God's call for justice brings severe consequences.

In this verse, God is speaking through the prophet Jeremiah to the people and leaders of Jerusalem during a time of crisis. The background is that the people had promised to free their Hebrew slaves but then broke that promise. Instead of granting true liberty (freedom from slavery), they are now given a "liberty" to face destruction and exile. The verse uses a play on the word "liberty" to show the seriousness of breaking God's covenant and the reversal of blessing into judgment.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 34:17

  • "Liberty" (דְּרוֹר, dĕrôr): This word means release or freedom, often used for freeing slaves or captives. Here, God turns the idea upside down—since the people refused to give true liberty, God gives them a "liberty" to calamity.
  • "Removed" (זַעֲוָה, za'avah / נָדַח, nadach): These words together mean being scattered or driven out. The verse emphasizes that the consequence of disobedience is not just local trouble but being uprooted and sent among foreign nations.
  • "Sword" (חֶרֶב, cherev), "pestilence" (דֶּבֶר, dever), "famine" (רָעָב, ra'av): These are the classic trio of disasters in the Old Testament, symbolizing total judgment—military defeat, disease, and starvation.

Why Jeremiah 34:17 matters

  • Jeremiah 34:17 clarifies that God cares deeply about justice and keeping promises, especially regarding the treatment of others.
  • The verse highlights how words and actions can be turned back on people—what was meant to be a blessing (freedom) becomes a curse when misused.
  • This verse connects to the larger theme in Jeremiah of covenant faithfulness and the consequences of breaking trust with God and each other.

Where else these words appear

“removed” Hebrew H2113 · used in 6 verses

  • 2 Chronicles 29:8 Wherefore the wrath of the LORD was upon Judah and Jerusalem, and he hath delivered them to trouble, to astonishment, and to hissing, as ye see with your eyes.
  • Isaiah 28:19 From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report.
  • Jeremiah 24:9 And I will deliver them to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth for their hurt, to be a reproach and a proverb, a taunt and a curse, in all places whither I shall drive them.

“liberty” Hebrew H1865 · used in 7 verses

  • Exodus 30:23 Take thou also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty shekels, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty shekels,
  • Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
  • Jeremiah 34:15 And ye were now turned, and had done right in my sight, in proclaiming liberty every man to his neighbour; and ye had made a covenant before me in the house which is called by my name:

“removed” Hebrew H2189 · used in 7 verses

  • Deuteronomy 28:25 The LORD shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies: thou shalt go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before them: and shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.
  • Jeremiah 15:4 And I will cause them to be removed into all kingdoms of the earth, because of Manasseh the son of Hezekiah king of Judah, for that which he did in Jerusalem.
  • Jeremiah 29:18 And I will persecute them with the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence, and will deliver them to be removed to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a curse, and an astonishment, and an hissing, and a reproach, among all the nations whither I have driven them:

“pestilence” Hebrew H1698 · used in 48 verses

  • Exodus 5:3 And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the LORD our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword.
  • Psalms 91:3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
  • Jeremiah 42:22 Now therefore know certainly that ye shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, in the place whither ye desire to go and to sojourn.