This passage from Jeremiah uses theological poetry to highlight how God has provided for ancient Israel’s survival. It invokes three exile stories: the time of enslavement in Egypt, resolved by exodus into the wilderness; the fall and exile of the Northern Kingdom to Assyria in 722 BCE; and the Babylonian exile of 598–539 BCE.
It’s tricky to read this passage in our context—there is a risk that readers will conflate ancient Israel with the modern state of Israel. A more helpful way to read it is to take the opportunity to review the historical origins of these three exile stories and explore their renewed relevance in later texts.
The text’s exodus imagery recalls the immediately prior enslavement of the Hebrews in Egypt. That was a kind of exile, though it is not usually referred to as such. The Holy One drew the Hebrews both out of Egypt and into the wilderness as an act of divine “favor” (hen in Hebrew, “grace” in the NRSVue). It’s a word that is used frequently in the book of Exodus and is repeated here in Jeremiah.
