NOTES for Jer 40:1-41:18
The prophet finds himself in a strange situation: the enemies of his city and people set him free, give him provisions and protection, and invite him either to go with them to Babylon or to remain in his homeland. Friends and enemies change places, and it is no longer possible to tell who belongs and who is a stranger. We know little about Jeremiah’s conduct at this time or the thoughts that came to him during this period of despair. At moments like these, when faith in friends, homeland, and humanity itself collapses, God remains as the final and immediate reality in which Meaning is preserved—the Meaning without which no one can live on earth.