Jeremiah 4:1-4·~1 min
A Plea to Return
Israel is told that true return means removing what is detestable and standing steady before the LORD in truth, justice, and righteousness. Judah and Jerusalem are then urged to break new ground and circumcise their hearts before anger erupts because of their evil.
“1If you will return, O Israel, 2and if you can swear, ‘As surely as the LORD lives,’ 3For this is what the LORD says to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: 4Circumcise yourselves to the LORD,
Section summaryThe chapter opens with a conditional call for Israel to return truly, not superficially, by putting away abominations and speaking truth under the LORD's name. The appeal then narrows to Judah and Jerusalem, urging them to break up hard ground and undergo a deeper circumcision of the heart before divine wrath breaks out.
Role in the chapterThis section sets the moral terms of the whole chapter. Before the warnings gather force, it states plainly that the needed change is inward, covenantal, and urgent rather than ceremonial or delayed.