The covenant to proclaim liberty
King Zedekiah and the people in Jerusalem made a covenant to release Hebrew men and women who were being held as servants. They initially obeyed and allowed them to go free.
The command reflected the law given through Moses, which required the release of a Hebrew servant after the appointed period. Israel’s own deliverance from Egyptian bondage was part of the moral background to that command.
Why their reversal was serious
After releasing the servants, the people turned and brought them back into subjection. The act was not merely a change in economic policy. They had made a covenant before God and then profaned His name by reversing it.
Their temporary obedience may have been influenced by the military crisis surrounding Jerusalem. Whatever their motive, the later reversal demonstrated that their repentance was not genuine or enduring.
The judgment announced
Because they refused liberty to their brethren, God proclaimed a different kind of liberty for them: liberty to the sword, pestilence, and famine. Jeremiah’s wording uses their own action against them and exposes the seriousness of covenant unfaithfulness.
The passage warns against outward promises that are abandoned when circumstances change. True obedience requires treating others justly and honouring commitments made before God.