Jeremiah 34:18

“And I will make the men who transgressed my covenant, who did not carry out the words of the covenant that they made before me, like the calf that they cut in two and passed between its halves:”
Jeremiah 34:18 · direct translation from the Hebrew

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With the Hebrew beneath

And I will makeוְנָתַתִּיthe menאֶת הָאֲנָשִׁיםwho transgressedהָעֹבְרִיםmy covenant,אֶת בְּרִתִיwhoאֲשֶׁרdid notלֹאcarry outהֵקִימוּthe wordsאֶת דִּבְרֵיof the covenantהַבְּרִיתthatאֲשֶׁרthey madeכָּרְתוּbefore me,לְפָנָיlike the calfהָעֵגֶלthatאֲשֶׁרthey cutכָּרְתוּin twoלִשְׁנַיִםand passedוַיַּעַבְרוּbetweenבֵּיןits halves:בְּתָרָיו

Theme · Genesis 15:10

Go to Genesis 15:10

Both texts describe the same covenant rite: animals cut in half. Jeremiah 34:18 says that those who made the covenant passed between the halves, like the fire in Genesis 15:17.

The same term appears in both passages.

בְּתָרָיbetarayH1335בִּתְרbitrH1335“half”

Jeremiah 34:18, word by word

And I will makeנָתַתִּיnatati

make

To make someone something: "I have made you a father".

Where else “natati” appears

the menאֲנָשִׁיםanashim

man

An adult male person; also each man of a people, a trade or a place.

Where else “anashim” appears

who transgressedעֹבְרִיםovrim

transgress

To break a covenant or command.

Where else “ovrim” appears

my covenantבְּרִתִberiti

covenant

The commitment God makes with his people, with promises and commands.

Where else “beriti” appears

carry outהֵקִימוּhekimu

establish

To put something up, or confirm a covenant.

Where else “hekimu” appears

the wordsדִּבְרֵיdivre

word

What someone says or announces, above all what YHWH says.

Where else “divre” appears

they madeכָּרְתוּkartu

make a covenant

Literally "cut": to seal a solemn agreement, splitting animals.

Where else “kartu” appears

before meפָנָfana

before

Literally "to the face of": in sight of someone, or on account of something.

Where else “fana” appears

like the calfעֵגֶלegel

calf

Calf: a young bull.

Where else “egel” appears

in twoשְׁנַיִםshenayim

two

A pair, a quantity of two.

Where else “shenayim” appears

its halvesבְּתָרָיbetaray

half, piece

Half, each of two parts into which something is cut.

Where else “betaray” appears

Translation note

It can be understood that whoever passed between the halves of the animal placed himself under the same fate if he broke the covenant: that is what 34:18-20 announces (cf. Genesis 15:10, 17). In Hebrew, “make a covenant” is literally “cut a covenant.”

The context

17Therefore thus says YHWH: You have not listened to me to proclaim liberty, each one to his brother and each one to his neighbor; look, I am proclaiming to you liberty, declares YHWH, to the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine; and I will make you a terror to all the kingdoms of the earth.

18 · This verse (above)

19the princes of Judah and the princes of Jerusalem, the court officials and the priests and all the people of the land who passed between the halves of the calf;

Read all of Jeremiah 34

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