New Exodus and No Exodus in Jeremiah 26-45: Promise and Warning to the Exiles in Babylon

Abstract

Seeking to contribute to the discussion of the book of Jeremiah as a literary unity, this study examines the contrast between the promise of new exodus in Jeremiah 30–33 and the experience of the remnant in Judah after the fall of Jerusalem that is recounted in Jeremiah 40–43 as a reversal of the exodus. This contrast of ‘new exodus’ and ‘no exodus’ serves as both a promise and warning to the exilic community in Babylon – the promise that they are to be the recipients of the blessings of restoration and a warning that continued disobedience to YHWH will bring further judgement.