Esilio, diaspora e rimpatrio in Ger 24

Jer 24 announces the return of king Jeconiah and of those who were exiled in Babylonia in 597 B.C. By contrast, Zedekiah and the other survivors of the catastrophe in 587 B.C. are destined to extinction and perpetual loss of identity in the dispersion. The text reveals a conflict between these two groups of Jews. The conflict is resolved in favour of Jeconiah’s group, because this group has had the privilege of experiencing the exile. To explain this result, the text omits any reference to the exile of Zedekiah’s group in 587, and considers it together with those who remained in the Land or went to Egypt. This point of view recalls the way in which the Chronicher presents the relationship between the returnees and those who remained in Judah during the exile. Only the community of those who returned from Golah can be identified as the true Israel, the object of Yhwh’s faithfulness. All the rest are to be excluded from this community.