Thomas Aquinas Commentary Jeremiah 34:1-7

"The word which came unto Jeremiah from Jehovah, when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and all his army, and all the kingdoms of the earth that were under his dominion, and all the peoples, were fighting against Jerusalem, and against all the cities thereof, saying: Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, Go, and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah, and tell him, Thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire: and thou shalt not escape out of his hand, but shalt surely be taken, and delivered into his hand; and thine eyes shall behold the eyes of the king of Babylon, and he shall speak with thee mouth to mouth, and thou shalt go to Babylon. Yet hear the word of Jehovah, O Zedekiah king of Judah: thus saith Jehovah concerning thee, Thou shalt not die by the sword; thou shalt die in peace; and with the burnings of thy fathers, the former kings that were before thee, so shall they make a burning for thee; and they shall lament thee, [saying], Ah Lord! for I have spoken the word, saith Jehovah. Then Jeremiah the prophet spake all these words unto Zedekiah king of Judah in Jerusalem, when the king of Babylon`s army was fighting against Jerusalem, and against all the cities of Judah that were left, against Lachish and against Azekah; for these [alone] remained of the cities of Judah [as] fortified cities." — Jeremiah 34:1-7 (ASV)

Because the Jews were so obstinate, since they were neither frightened by severity nor moved by kindness, he rightly presents his threat and consolation, and, for the third time, the opposition of his listeners:

1. By the transgression of the judgment.
2. By the destruction of the writing: and it came to pass in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, king of Judah (Jeremiah 36:1).
3. In the persecution of the prophet: and king Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, reigned in the stead of Jekoniah, the son of Jehoiakim (Jeremiah 37:1).

Regarding the first point, there are two aspects.

1. They are convicted of their transgression by the facts.
2. And second, by example: the word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD (Jeremiah 35:1).

He shows that they are transgressors because they failed to keep the covenant they had made with God about freeing their slaves according to the Law.

This, in turn, is divided into two parts.

1. First, a certain alleviation of their troubles is given after the ratification of the covenant.
2. Second, the threat is given after they transgressed the covenant they had entered into, at the point where it says, the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD (Jeremiah 34:8).

Regarding the first part, there are two points.

1. First, he gives the title of the prophecy, describing the time: when Nebuchadnezzar.... This relates to the earlier passage: behold, I will call together all the families of the kingdoms of the north, says the LORD, and they shall come, and each one shall place his throne in the entry of the gates of Jerusalem (Jeremiah 1:15).
2. Second, he gives the prophetic word, which begins, thus says the LORD. Here, he makes three points.
   1. First, he gives the threat for past faults regarding the destruction of the city: behold, I will deliver this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn her with fire. As the psalmist says, They have burned your sanctuary with fire, they have defiled the dwelling place of your name on earth (Psalms 73:7). He also speaks of the king's captivity: and you shall not escape. This echoes Lamentations: In the day of the Lord’s wrath there was no one who escaped, and was left (Lamentations 2:22).
   2. Second, he speaks of the reward for the covenant that was made: yet hear . . . you shall not die. This, however, was not fulfilled, because the king did not remain faithful to the covenant. In fact, he died shamefully after taking a laxative at a feast. As it is written, Woe to him who gives drink to his friend, mixing his gall, and making him drunk that he may look upon his nakedness (Habakkuk 2:15). Nevertheless, this promise can be said to have been fulfilled in the sense that he was not killed by the enemy's sword. This relates to the earlier prophecy: they shall not mourn him, ‘Alas, brother!’ and, ‘Alas sister!’ They shall not lament for him, ‘Alas, lord,’ and, ‘Alas, glorious one!’ (Jeremiah 22:18).
   3. Third, he mentions the imminent tribulation, making the promise all the more welcome: for I have spoken the word. As Habakkuk says, He shall laugh at every defense, and will cast up his mound, and take it (Habakkuk 1:10).