Jeremiah 4:1Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Turn back, O Israel, declares the Lord, return to Me. The Almighty urges the people of Judah to seek repentance while warning them of the severe afflictions that await them from invading nations. If you remove your detestable practices from before Me, meaning if you eliminate idols and unholy deities created by your own hands, and if you rectify your wrongdoings that render you repugnant in My eyes, then you will not be shaken. In other words, you shall not be expelled from your homeland but will stay and reside in your land peacefully.

If you return, O Israel, declares the Lord, you will turn back to Me. Conversely, the LXX rendered it as, If Israel turns, says the Lord, turn back to Me; the implication being that upon returning to Me, they shall also emerge from their captivity; or alternatively, If they offer what they possess: to him who has, more will be given, and it will come to pass; but from him who has not, even what he seems to possess will be taken away, Matthew 25:29. Furthermore, concerning the Hebrew text, it signifies: If you turn back to Me, O Israel, and if you genuinely seek redemption, acknowledging your sins and realizing you have not heeded the voice of the Lord your God, then commit sincerely, place your faith in Him whom you once rejected, and your repentance will be fulfilled.

After instructing them on how to pray, he assures them that they will experience blessings if they turn away from false gods (which he refers to in Jeremiah 4:1 as 'abominations') and instead revere the one true God. They should pledge their loyalty not to idols but to God, speaking only the truth and shunning deceit. For the Prophet declares: