Behold, I will command, saith the LORD, and cause them to return to this city; and they shall fight against it, and take it, and burn it with fire: and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation without an inhabitant.

JEREMIAH 34:22KJV
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Jeremiah 34:22 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 34:22 mean?

Jeremiah 34:22 means that God is declaring He will command enemy forces to return to Jerusalem, fight against it, capture it, and burn it down, leaving the cities of Judah completely deserted. This is a warning of total destruction and desolation as a consequence for the people's actions.

In this verse, God is speaking through the prophet Jeremiah to the people of Judah, specifically warning King Zedekiah and the leaders in Jerusalem. The historical setting is the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem. God announces that He will give the order (not just allow, but actively command) for the Babylonians to return, conquer the city, and destroy it, leaving no one living in the cities of Judah.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 34:22

  • "Command" (צָוָה, tsavah): This word means to give a direct order. Here, it emphasizes that the coming destruction is not just a result of enemy ambition but is something God Himself is actively bringing about.
  • "Desolation" (שְׁמָמָה, shemamah): This word means a complete ruin or wasteland. The use of this term highlights the totality of the devastation God is describing—Judah's cities will be left utterly empty.
  • "Return" (שׁוּב, shuv): This word means to turn back or come again. It suggests that the enemy forces had previously left but will be brought back by God's command to finish the destruction.

Why Jeremiah 34:22 matters

  • Jeremiah 34:22 clarifies that the destruction of Jerusalem and Judah is not just a military defeat but a direct act of divine judgment, making clear that God is in control of the events.
  • The verse connects to the larger message of Jeremiah, where repeated warnings are given to the people and leaders about the consequences of breaking their covenant with God.
  • The strong language of desolation and the absence of inhabitants underscores the seriousness of the situation and the completeness of the judgment being announced.

Where else these words appear

“desolation” Hebrew H8077 · used in 54 verses

  • Exodus 23:29 I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee.
  • Jeremiah 49:2 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will cause an alarm of war to be heard in Rabbah of the Ammonites; and it shall be a desolate heap, and her daughters shall be burned with fire: then shall Israel be heir unto them that were his heirs, saith the LORD.
  • Ezekiel 35:3 And say unto it, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O mount Seir, I am against thee, and I will stretch out mine hand against thee, and I will make thee most desolate.

“burn” Hebrew H8313 · used in 107 verses

  • Genesis 11:3 And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter.
  • Joshua 7:15 And it shall be, that he that is taken with the accursed thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath: because he hath transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he hath wrought folly in Israel.
  • Nehemiah 4:2 And he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What do these feeble Jews? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned?

“take” Hebrew H3920 · used in 112 verses

  • Numbers 21:32 And Moses sent to spy out Jaazer, and they took the villages thereof, and drove out the Amorites that were there.
  • Judges 9:45 And Abimelech fought against the city all that day; and he took the city, and slew the people that was therein, and beat down the city, and sowed it with salt.
  • Psalms 59:12 For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips let them even be taken in their pride: and for cursing and lying which they speak.