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;

JEREMIAH 34:19KJV
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Jeremiah 34:19 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 34:19 mean?

Jeremiah 34:19 lists the leaders and groups in Judah and Jerusalem who took part in a specific ritual, passing between the pieces of a calf as part of a covenant ceremony. The verse highlights that not just the rulers, but also priests, eunuchs, and ordinary people were involved in this solemn agreement.

Jeremiah is speaking God’s message to the people of Judah during a time of crisis, as Babylon threatens Jerusalem. The verse refers to a practice where people would cut an animal in two and walk between the pieces, symbolizing the seriousness of their promise—if they broke it, they accepted a fate like the animal’s. This verse sets up God’s response to their broken covenant in the following verses.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 34:19

  • פָּרָשִׂים (sarim, H8269): This word means "princes" or "officials," showing that the highest leaders were personally involved in the covenant ceremony, not just the common people.
  • סָרִיסִים (sarisim, H5631): Translated as "eunuchs," this term often referred to high-ranking court officials, not just those physically made eunuchs. Their inclusion shows the breadth of responsibility.
  • עָבְרוּ (avru, H5674): Meaning "passed," this verb describes the act of walking between the animal parts, a key part of ancient covenant rituals.
  • בֵּין בִּתְרֵי הָעֵגֶל (bein bitrei ha’egel, H1335, H5695): "Between the parts of the calf," this phrase points to the dramatic, visual act that symbolized the seriousness of their oath.

Why Jeremiah 34:19 matters

  • Jeremiah 34:19 clarifies that the covenant was not just a private agreement among a few leaders, but a public, communal act involving all levels of society.
  • The verse connects the people’s ritual actions to the consequences that follow, helping readers understand why God holds everyone accountable for breaking the covenant.
  • This verse ties into the larger context of Jeremiah 34, where God addresses the people’s failure to keep their promises, especially regarding the release of slaves, showing the seriousness with which God views broken oaths.

Where else these words appear

“parts” Hebrew H1335 · used in 3 verses

  • Genesis 15:10 And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not.
  • Jeremiah 34:18 And I will give the men that have transgressed my covenant, which have not performed the words of the covenant which they had made before me, when they cut the calf in twain, and passed between the parts thereof,

“calf” Hebrew H5695 · used in 35 verses

  • Exodus 32:4 And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
  • 1 Samuel 28:24 And the woman had a fat calf in the house; and she hasted, and killed it, and took flour, and kneaded it, and did bake unleavened bread thereof:
  • Isaiah 11:6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.

“eunuchs” Hebrew H5631 · used in 42 verses

  • Genesis 37:36 And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's, and captain of the guard.
  • 1 Chronicles 28:1 And David assembled all the princes of Israel, the princes of the tribes, and the captains of the companies that ministered to the king by course, and the captains over the thousands, and captains over the hundreds, and the stewards over all the substance and possession of the king, and of his sons, with the officers, and with the mighty men, and with all the valiant men, unto Jerusalem.
  • Isaiah 39:7 And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.