Yirmiyahu 3 | Will She Return to Him Again?

From the prophecy in the previous chapter, it already seems that the people are attempting to return to God — at least on some level. We see that the people act as if they’re innocent, claiming they have not sinned: “How can you say that you were never defiled?” (2:23). Likewise, we find an attempt to purify themselves, to which the prophet responds: “Although you scrub yourself with natron and heap soap on yourselves, your guilt is stained before Me, declares the Lord God” (2:22). From the verse “Why do you contend with Me? You have all rebelled against Me, declares the Lord” (2:29), it seems the people are trying to reestablish their relationship with God. We also see their mistaken presumption that they have already atoned for their sins: “Despite all this you dare declare: ‘I am innocent; surely He has turned His anger away from me’” (2:35).

Our chapter opens with a harsh yet clear statement: “If a man sent away his wife, and she walked away from him and married another man, would he return to her again?” The Torah prohibits a divorced woman who has remarried to return to her first husband (Devarim 24:4). Similarly, God declares — after you have been unfaithful with many lovers, it would seem that you cannot return to Me: “You have strayed after many lovers, and yet you dare return to Me? demands the Lord” (3:1). The message to the people, who seemingly present themselves as attempting to return, is that such a return is not possible.

Before continuing with the chapter’s development, it is important to note a significant theme that we encounter here — one that will accompany us throughout Yirmiyahu and Yechezkel. Rebuke against idolatry was already present in Chapter 2, but in Chapter 3, we see the intense use of the metaphor of infidelity and betrayal in marriage to describe Israel’s sins of idolatry and abandonment of God. This metaphor will continue to appear frequently in the prophetic books.
What, then, is the solution? Is it truly impossible for the people of Israel to return to God because they have strayed after idolatry? The chapter seems to offer an intriguing resolution: “Return, wayward children” (3:14, 3:22). At a certain point, the prophecy shifts to the language of father and son. A son remains his father’s child, no matter how much he sins. Replacing the metaphor of husband and wife with that of a father and son allows for a different perspective — one in which the relationship is permanent and always reparable.

Another key theme in the chapter is the relationship between Israel and Yehuda. The prophet rebukes Yehuda precisely by comparing it to Israel. On the surface, the kingdom of Israel — which has already been exiled — was in the lowest religious state. Yet, the prophet declares that Yehuda has become even worse than Israel was in its time: “Wayward Israel was more justified than treacherous Yehuda” (3:11) — a particularly sharp rebuke. The prophecy leverages this point by describing a vision of Israel’s repentance, followed by a stage where Israel and Yehuda will return together: “In those days, the House of Yehuda will join the House of Israel” (3:18).