I will even give them into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of them that seek their life: and their dead bodies shall be for meat unto the fowls of the heaven, and to the beasts of the earth.

JEREMIAH 34:20KJV
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Jeremiah 34:20 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 34:20 mean?

Jeremiah 34:20 says that God will hand over certain people to their enemies, and those enemies will kill them; their dead bodies will be left unburied, becoming food for birds and wild animals. This is a warning of severe judgment, showing that those who break their promises to God will face shameful and total defeat.

The verse comes from a message God gave through Jeremiah to the leaders of Jerusalem, who had broken a covenant to free their slaves. God is speaking directly to these leaders, telling them that because they went back on their word, they will be given (not protected) into the power of those who want to kill them. The image of their bodies being eaten by birds and beasts is meant to show utter disgrace and abandonment, a fate considered especially shameful in ancient Israel.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 34:20

  • "give" (נָתַן, nathan, H5414): This word means to hand over or deliver. Here, it stresses that God is actively turning these people over to their enemies, not just allowing it to happen.
  • "hand" (יָד, yad, H3027): Used twice, this word means power or control. The phrase "into the hand of their enemies" means being completely at the mercy of those who wish them harm.
  • "seek" (בָּקַשׁ, baqash, H1245) and "life" (נֶפֶשׁ, nephesh, H5315): "Seek their life" is a Hebrew way of saying "want to kill them." It shows the enemies' intent is deadly, not just hostile.
  • "bodies" (פֶּגֶר, peger, H5038): This word refers to corpses, emphasizing the shame of being left unburied.
  • "meat" (אָכְלָה, okhlah, H3978): Often means food. Here, it highlights the dishonor of the dead being eaten by animals, not given a proper burial.
  • "fowls" (עוֹף, oph, H5775) and "beasts" (בְּהֵמָה, behemah, H929): These words refer to birds and animals, showing that the dead will be left exposed to nature, not cared for by people.

Why Jeremiah 34:20 matters

  • This verse clears up that the judgment is not just military defeat but includes public shame and loss of dignity, which was deeply feared in ancient Israel.
  • It highlights the seriousness of breaking a covenant with God, especially when that covenant involved justice for others (in this case, freeing slaves).
  • The verse connects to the wider passage by showing that God holds leaders accountable for their promises and that religious rituals mean nothing if not backed by faithful action.

Where else these words appear

“meat” Hebrew H3978 · used in 29 verses

  • Genesis 2:9 And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
  • 1 Chronicles 12:40 Moreover they that were nigh them, even unto Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, brought bread on asses, and on camels, and on mules, and on oxen, and meat, meal, cakes of figs, and bunches of raisins, and wine, and oil, and oxen, and sheep abundantly: for there was joy in Israel.
  • Proverbs 6:8 Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.

“bodies” Hebrew H5038 · used in 41 verses

  • Leviticus 5:2 Or if a soul touch any unclean thing, whether it be a carcase of an unclean beast, or a carcase of unclean cattle, or the carcase of unclean creeping things, and if it be hidden from him; he also shall be unclean, and guilty.
  • Leviticus 11:40 And he that eateth of the carcase of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: he also that beareth the carcase of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even.
  • 1 Kings 13:30 And he laid his carcase in his own grave; and they mourned over him, saying, Alas, my brother!

“fowls” Hebrew H5775 · used in 70 verses

  • Genesis 1:20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.
  • Leviticus 7:26 Moreover ye shall eat no manner of blood, whether it be of fowl or of beast, in any of your dwellings.
  • Psalms 79:2 The dead bodies of thy servants have they given to be meat unto the fowls of the heaven, the flesh of thy saints unto the beasts of the earth.