Home. It is a word that evokes strong emotions, an idealized place even in the face of harsh reality.

We yearn to feel “home,” a place full of love, security, comfort. Sometimes “home” is found in a domicile, sometimes in a familiar landscape, sometimes even in another person.  Church can feel like home.

This chapter in Jeremiah focuses on the yearning for a home that is far off, a loss of home that has shaken the very identity of the ancient Israelites. The passage offers cool comfort in its prediction that this loss will last a very long time.

The book of Jeremiah reflects the events surrounding the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians in 587 BCE. With this devastation, two diaspora groups were formed: the elite who were exiled to Babylon, and the poorer people who became refugees in places like Egypt. This passage is ostensibly addressed to the first group, those who suffered violent forced migration, and who had become cheap labor for their overlords. But much of what it says could apply to both diaspora groups.

Biblical texts suggest ...