Jeremiah 3:11Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

And the Lord addressed me, saying, Defend your soul, O wayward Israel, more than the sinner of Judah. He commends the children of Israel, not for achieving righteousness, but for having sinned to a lesser extent in the past, and labels these as the most wretched for failing to improve despite this warning. Then He extensively warns Judah, highlighting that in light of the complete devastation of the kingdom of Israel, she did not revile the iniquity of her sister. The ten tribes warrant some form of excuse when compared to the tribe of Judah, as they continued to engage in the very actions that led to their calamity, having observed the suffering of their brethren. Thus, the prophet is instructed to proclaim a message to them as well.

This corresponds to what the prophet Ezekiel expressed during one of his messages, where he draws a comparison between the daughter of Jerusalem (the city of Jerusalem) and Gomorrah and Samaria, addressing her with the words: ‘Thou hast surpassed thy sisters in wickedness, in... in your iniquities you have defiled more than they, and justified them more than you’ (Ezekiel 16:47, 51-52). The prophets declare that the folly of Judah outstrips the wickedness of Samaria for two reasons. Firstly, the Jews witnessed the severe judgment of God upon the Samaritans and understood that God abhors idolatry, yet they failed to honor the supremacy of God, who prohibited such evil, nor did they have reverence for the righteousness of God, who metes out harsh punishment to the wicked.

The Lord spoke to me, declaring that the wayward Israel has vindicated herself in contrast to the unfaithful Judah. He asserts that Israel is more upright than Judas, for the former met her end swiftly, at the outset, while the latter had the opportunity to gain wisdom through her trials. Let the new revelation from the old error highlight that Israel is deemed justified when measured against Judah. This is not astonishing considering the shared lineage of both nations; even Sodom, in juxtaposition to Jerusalem, is referred to as righteous, as stated by the Lord through Ezekiel: ‘Sodom is made righteous because of thee’ (Ezek. 16:55). Moreover, the tax collector is deemed justified when compared with the Pharisee (Lk. 18:18).