The Meaning of Jeremiah 34:22 Explained

Jeremiah 34:22

KJV: 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.

YLT: Lo, I am commanding -- an affirmation of Jehovah -- and have brought them back unto this city, and they have fought against it, and captured it, and burned it with fire, and the cities of Judah I do make a desolation -- without inhabitant.'

Darby: Behold, I command, saith Jehovah, and I will 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 inhabitant.

ASV: Behold, I will command, saith Jehovah, 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 inhabitant.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does Jeremiah 34:22 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The sovereign Lord was going to command the Babylonian army to go back to Jerusalem, to fight against it, to take it, and to burn it. He would also make the cities of Judah a desolation, without human inhabitants (cf. Jeremiah 10:22). This further breach of covenant was one more nail in the coffin of the Southern Kingdom.
"When Jeremiah redeems his cousin"s land (chap32) and when the Rechabites refuse to drink wine (chap35), they act out of loyalty to ancient obligations in spite of the threatening circumstances of the Babylonian attack. When Judah"s leading citizens take back their slaves, they not only violate covenants old and new; they deny the LORD"s word through Jeremiah that their land had been assigned to Nebuchadrezzar"s control, just as King Jehoiakim had denied it (chap36)." [1]

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 34:22 mean?

Behold I will command says Yahweh and cause them to return to city this and they will fight against it and take it and burn it with fire and the cities of Judah I will make a desolation without inhabitant -
הִנְנִ֨י מְצַוֶּ֜ה נְאֻם־ יְהוָ֗ה וַהֲשִׁ֨בֹתִ֜ים אֶל־ הָעִ֤יר הַזֹּאת֙ וְנִלְחֲמ֣וּ עָלֶ֔יהָ וּלְכָד֖וּהָ וּשְׂרָפֻ֣הָ בָאֵ֑שׁ וְאֶת־ עָרֵ֧י יְהוּדָ֛ה אֶתֵּ֥ן שְׁמָמָ֖ה מֵאֵ֥ין יֹשֵֽׁב פ

הִנְנִ֨י  Behold  I 
Parse: Interjection, first person common singular
Root: הֵן  
Sense: behold, lo, though hypothetical part.
מְצַוֶּ֜ה  will  command 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Participle, masculine singular
Root: צָוָה  
Sense: to command, charge, give orders, lay charge, give charge to, order.
נְאֻם־  says 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: נְאֻם  
Sense: (Qal) utterance, declaration (of prophet).
יְהוָ֗ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
וַהֲשִׁ֨בֹתִ֜ים  and  cause  them  to  return 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive perfect, first person common singular, third person masculine plural
Root: שׁוּב  
Sense: to return, turn back.
הָעִ֤יר  city 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: עִיר 
Sense: excitement, anguish.
הַזֹּאת֙  this 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, feminine singular
Root: זׄאת  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, such.
וְנִלְחֲמ֣וּ  and  they  will  fight 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Nifal, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural
Root: לָחַם 
Sense: to fight, do battle, make war.
עָלֶ֔יהָ  against  it 
Parse: Preposition, third person feminine singular
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
וּלְכָד֖וּהָ  and  take  it 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural, third person feminine singular
Root: לָכַד  
Sense: to capture, take, seize.
וּשְׂרָפֻ֣הָ  and  burn  it 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural, third person feminine singular
Root: שָׂרַף  
Sense: to burn.
בָאֵ֑שׁ  with  fire 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, common singular
Root: אֵשׁ  
Sense: fire.
עָרֵ֧י  the  cities 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct
Root: עִיר 
Sense: excitement, anguish.
יְהוּדָ֛ה  of  Judah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְהוּדָה  
Sense: the son of Jacob by Leah.
אֶתֵּ֥ן  I  will  make 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, first person common singular
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
שְׁמָמָ֖ה  a  desolation 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: שְׁמָמָה 
Sense: devastation, waste, desolation.
מֵאֵ֥ין  without 
Parse: Preposition-m, Adverb
Root: אַיִן 
Sense: nothing, not, nought n.
יֹשֵֽׁב  inhabitant 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: יָשַׁב 
Sense: to dwell, remain, sit, abide.
פ  - 
Parse: Punctuation