And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
וַיְהִ֥י דְבַר־יְהוָ֖ה אֵלַ֥י לֵאמֹֽר׃
2 Church Fathers comment on this verse
And exist. What else can guide you towards repentance? He highlighted the distinction. What happens if you dwell in your homeland but remain corrupt, while those in exile are inclined towards Me? He acts in this way so they may be transformed and not regard themselves as abandoned for their righteousness.
The Lord revealed to me two baskets. In a vision, the Lord presented Jeremiah with two baskets: one filled with excellent figs and the other with bad figs. When the prophet acknowledged seeing both good and bad figs, the word of the Lord came to him. Jeremiah was instructed to speak of the blessings associated with the good figs and the misfortunes linked to the bad figs, as King Jehoiakim heeded the warnings from the Lord and feared them, ultimately surrendering to King Nebuchadnezzar according to Jeremiah’s counsel. In contrast, King Zedekiah, in his arrogance, resisted the king of the Chaldeans and refused to submit himself and his people, despite having been informed by Jeremiah that he and the remaining Jews would face relocation.
For this resistance, the prophet, using the imagery of a pot filled with worthless figs, foretold destruction, famine, and captivity for the city, the king, and all the Jews who remained, including those who had fled to Egypt; calamities reminiscent of those warned by Moses to the obstinate Israelites of old. This vision subtly highlights the eventual distinction between the righteous and the wicked, indicating that their fates will diverge: the righteous will experience great favor, while the wicked will encounter severe judgment. The prophet reiterates this truth, proclaiming that ‘Good men, indeed good; and wicked men, indeed wicked.’ It is important to note that the prophet does not follow a chronological sequence here, as the events he later describes regarding Jehoiakim’s father occurred many years prior to those currently depicted.
THEOSIS