The Meaning of Jeremiah 34:16 Explained

Jeremiah 34:16

KJV: But ye turned and polluted my name, and caused every man his servant, and every man his handmaid, whom ye had set at liberty at their pleasure, to return, and brought them into subjection, to be unto you for servants and for handmaids.

YLT: And -- ye turn back, and pollute My name, and ye cause each his man-servant and each his maid-servant, whom he had sent forth free, (at their pleasure,) to return, and ye subdue them to be to you for men-servants and for maid-servants.

Darby: but ye have turned and profaned my name, and caused every man his bondman, and every man his bondmaid, whom ye had set at liberty at their pleasure, to return, and ye have brought them into subjection, to be unto you for bondmen and for bondmaids.

ASV: but ye turned and profaned my name, and caused every man his servant, and every man his handmaid, whom ye had let go free at their pleasure, to return; and ye brought them into subjection, to be unto you for servants and for handmaids.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

But ye turned  and polluted  my name,  and caused every man  his servant,  and every man  his handmaid,  whom ye had set  at liberty  at their pleasure,  to return,  and brought them into subjection,  to be unto you for servants  and for handmaids. 

What does Jeremiah 34:16 Mean?

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 34

1  Jeremiah prophesies the captivity of Zedekiah and the city
8  The princes and the people having dismissed their bond-servants,
11  contrary to the covenant of God, re-assume them
12  Jeremiah gives them and Zedekiah into the hands of their enemies

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 34:16 mean?

And you turned around and profaned - My name and brought back every one of you his male and female slaves whom he had set at liberty at their pleasure and brought back into subjection them to be your male and female slaves -
וַתָּשֻׁ֙בוּ֙ וַתְּחַלְּל֣וּ אֶת־ שְׁמִ֔י וַתָּשִׁ֗בוּ אִ֤ישׁ עַבְדּוֹ֙ וְאִ֣ישׁ שִׁפְחָת֔וֹ אֲשֶׁר־ שִׁלַּחְתֶּ֥ם חָפְשִׁ֖ים לְנַפְשָׁ֑ם וַתִּכְבְּשׁ֣וּ אֹתָ֔ם לִֽהְי֣וֹת לָכֶ֔ם לַעֲבָדִ֖ים וְלִשְׁפָחֽוֹת ס

וַתָּשֻׁ֙בוּ֙  And  you  turned  around 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, second person masculine plural
Root: שׁוּב  
Sense: to return, turn back.
וַתְּחַלְּל֣וּ  and  profaned 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Consecutive imperfect, second person masculine plural
Root: חָלַל 
Sense: to profane, defile, pollute, desecrate, begin.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
שְׁמִ֔י  My  name 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: שֵׁם  
Sense: name.
וַתָּשִׁ֗בוּ  and  brought  back 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, second person masculine plural
Root: שׁוּב  
Sense: to return, turn back.
אִ֤ישׁ  every  one  of  you 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
עַבְדּוֹ֙  his  male 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: עֶבֶד  
Sense: slave, servant.
שִׁפְחָת֔וֹ  female  slaves 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: שִׁפְחָה  
Sense: maid, maid-servant, slavegirl.
אֲשֶׁר־  whom 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
שִׁלַּחְתֶּ֥ם  he  had  set 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, second person masculine plural
Root: שָׁלַח  
Sense: to send, send away, let go, stretch out.
חָפְשִׁ֖ים  at  liberty 
Parse: Adjective, masculine plural
Root: חָפְשִׁי  
Sense: free.
לְנַפְשָׁ֑ם  at  their  pleasure 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine plural
Root: נֶפֶשׁ  
Sense: soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion.
וַתִּכְבְּשׁ֣וּ  and  brought  back  into  subjection 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, second person masculine plural
Root: כָּבַשׁ  
Sense: to subject, subdue, force, keep under, bring into bondage.
לִֽהְי֣וֹת  to  be 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
לָכֶ֔ם  your 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine plural
לַעֲבָדִ֖ים  male 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine plural
Root: עֶבֶד  
Sense: slave, servant.
וְלִשְׁפָחֽוֹת  and  female  slaves 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l, Noun, feminine plural
Root: שִׁפְחָה  
Sense: maid, maid-servant, slavegirl.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation