Jeremiah 34:20
I will even give them into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of them that seek their life: and their dead bodies shall be for meat unto the fowls of the heaven, and to the beasts of the earth.
Original Language Analysis
וְנָתַתִּ֤י
I will even give
H5414
וְנָתַתִּ֤י
I will even give
Strong's:
H5414
Word #:
1 of 14
to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etc.)
אוֹתָם֙
H853
אוֹתָם֙
Strong's:
H853
Word #:
2 of 14
properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)
וּבְיַ֖ד
and into the hand
H3027
וּבְיַ֖ד
and into the hand
Strong's:
H3027
Word #:
3 of 14
a hand (the open one [indicating power, means, direction, etc.], in distinction from h3709, the closed one); used (as noun, adverb, etc.) in a great v
וּבְיַ֖ד
and into the hand
H3027
וּבְיַ֖ד
and into the hand
Strong's:
H3027
Word #:
5 of 14
a hand (the open one [indicating power, means, direction, etc.], in distinction from h3709, the closed one); used (as noun, adverb, etc.) in a great v
מְבַקְשֵׁ֣י
of them that seek
H1245
מְבַקְשֵׁ֣י
of them that seek
Strong's:
H1245
Word #:
6 of 14
to search out (by any method, specifically in worship or prayer); by implication, to strive after
נַפְשָׁ֑ם
their life
H5315
נַפְשָׁ֑ם
their life
Strong's:
H5315
Word #:
7 of 14
properly, a breathing creature, i.e., animal of (abstractly) vitality; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or ment
וְהָיְתָ֤ה
H1961
וְהָיְתָ֤ה
Strong's:
H1961
Word #:
8 of 14
to exist, i.e., be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)
נִבְלָתָם֙
and their dead bodies
H5038
נִבְלָתָם֙
and their dead bodies
Strong's:
H5038
Word #:
9 of 14
a flabby thing, i.e., a carcase or carrion (human or bestial, often collectively); figuratively, an idol
לְמַֽאֲכָ֔ל
shall be for meat
H3978
לְמַֽאֲכָ֔ל
shall be for meat
Strong's:
H3978
Word #:
10 of 14
an eatable (including provender, flesh and fruit)
לְע֥וֹף
unto the fowls
H5775
לְע֥וֹף
unto the fowls
Strong's:
H5775
Word #:
11 of 14
a bird (as covered with feathers, or rather as covering with wings), often collectively
הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם
of the heaven
H8064
הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם
of the heaven
Strong's:
H8064
Word #:
12 of 14
the sky (as aloft; the dual perhaps alluding to the visible arch in which the clouds move, as well as to the higher ether where the celestial bodies r
Cross References
Jeremiah 7:33And the carcases of this people shall be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth; and none shall fray them away.Jeremiah 16:4They shall die of grievous deaths; they shall not be lamented; neither shall they be buried; but they shall be as dung upon the face of the earth: and they shall be consumed by the sword, and by famine; and their carcases shall be meat for the fowls of heaven, and for the beasts of the earth.Jeremiah 19:7And I will make void the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem in this place; and I will cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies, and by the hands of them that seek their lives: and their carcases will I give to be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth.Jeremiah 11:21Therefore thus saith the LORD of the men of Anathoth, that seek thy life, saying, Prophesy not in the name of the LORD, that thou die not by our hand:1 Kings 16:4Him that dieth of Baasha in the city shall the dogs eat; and him that dieth of his in the fields shall the fowls of the air eat.Jeremiah 21:7And afterward, saith the LORD, I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, and his servants, and the people, and such as are left in this city from the pestilence, from the sword, and from the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those that seek their life: and he shall smite them with the edge of the sword; he shall not spare them, neither have pity, nor have mercy.Jeremiah 22:25And I will give thee into the hand of them that seek thy life, and into the hand of them whose face thou fearest, even into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of the Chaldeans.1 Kings 14:11Him that dieth of Jeroboam in the city shall the dogs eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat: for the LORD hath spoken it.1 Samuel 17:46This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.1 Samuel 17:44And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field.
Historical Context
This prophecy was fulfilled literally. 2 Kings 25:18-21 records Babylon's execution of Judean leaders at Riblah; Lamentations 4:9-10 describes Jerusalem's siege horrors, including bodies left unburied. Josephus (Wars 5.12.3-4) describes similar scenes during Rome's 70 CE destruction—covenant-breaking Israel repeatedly experienced these curses across centuries. Archaeological excavations at Lachish and other Judean sites reveal mass burials and siege destruction layers from this period, confirming the biblical account's historical accuracy.
Questions for Reflection
- How does understanding that God's judgments fit the crime (measure for measure) reveal His justice rather than arbitrary wrath?
- In what ways does exploiting others' humanity ultimately dehumanize the exploiter?
- Why is denying Christ's covenant (the gospel) ultimately self-dehumanizing rather than just legally punishable?
Related Resources
Explore related topics, people, and study resources to deepen your understanding of this passage.
Analysis & Commentary
I will even give them into the hand of their enemies... and their dead bodies shall be for meat unto the fowls of the heaven, and to the beasts of the earth. The punishment mirrors the covenant ceremony—as they tore animals apart, so God will deliver them to be torn apart. The Hebrew nevelatam ("their dead bodies/corpses") emphasizes disgrace; unburied bodies, food for scavengers, represented ultimate covenant curse (Deuteronomy 28:26). Ancient Near Eastern thought considered proper burial essential for afterlife rest; denial of burial was worse than death itself.
This judgment employs *lex talionis* (law of retaliation)—the punishment fits the crime. They broke covenant sworn over torn animal bodies; God will make their bodies like those animals. They treated Hebrew brothers as animals to be exploited; God treats them as carrion for literal animals. The prophetic pattern consistently shows God's judgments as poetically fitting—the punishment reveals the crime's inherent nature. They dehumanized covenant brothers; judgment dehumanizes them.
The birds and beasts consuming corpses appear repeatedly in Scripture as covenant curse imagery (1 Samuel 17:44-46; 1 Kings 14:11; Psalm 79:2; Ezekiel 29:5; Revelation 19:17-21). This motif climaxes in Revelation's apocalyptic birds gorging on God's enemies at Christ's return. The covenant curses aren't arbitrary divine vindictiveness—they're the natural outworking of rebellion against the Life-Giver. Rejecting the covenant of life brings death; refusing the God of humanity brings dehumanization.