But ye turned and polluted my name, and caused every man his servant, and every man his handmaid, whom he had set at liberty at their pleasure, to return, and brought them into subjection, to be unto you for servants and for handmaids.
But you changed your minds and dishonored my name. You forced every servant and maid that you had freed to come back and serve you again as slaves.
God is condemning the people for breaking their promise to free their slaves and then forcing them back into slavery, which dishonored God's name.
📚 Historical Context
During the reign of King Zedekiah in Judah around 588 BC, the nation was facing a Babylonian siege, and God had commanded through Jeremiah that the people free their Hebrew slaves as an act of obedience to His law. The people initially agreed and released their servants, likely as a temporary show of repentance, but they soon reversed this decision and forced the freed individuals back into bondage. This betrayal not only violated the Mosaic laws on slavery but also profaned God's name by demonstrating Israel's unfaithfulness to their covenant with Him.
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