Jeremiah 31–33; 36–38; Lamentations 1; 3

The Lord referred to the northern tribes of Israel as the children of Rachel, Jacob’s beloved wife. Rachel was the mother of Joseph and grandmother of Ephraim and Manasseh, two of the dominant tribes in the Northern Kingdom. When the Northern Kingdom was conquered by Assyria, many of its people were taken away from their land. This is why Rachel is depicted as weeping for her lost children. Her voice is heard from Ramah, the possible location of her tomb. The Lord spoke of Rachel’s covenant faithfulness and promised that the scattered tribes would one day return. He declared: “There is hope in thine end, … that thy children shall come again to their own border.”

Much of the book of Jeremiah focuses on Jeremiah’s warnings about God’s judgments if the people refused to repent. However, Jeremiah 30–31, sometimes called the “book of consolation,” provides a message of hope for the house of Israel. In Jeremiah 31:31–34, Jeremiah prophesied of a “new covenant” that the Lord would someday make with the house of Israel. In this context, new means that God’s covenant—“the fulness of [the] gospel”—would be revealed anew in the last days. The Lord sometimes calls this covenant the “new and everlasting covenant.” Jeremiah prophesied that the Lord’s people would have His law written in their hearts, symbolizing their true conversion.

Although chapter 32 is positioned in the middle of the book of Jeremiah, it describes one of the final events before the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem. After Jeremiah prophesied that the city would fall to the Babylonians and that King Zedekiah would not escape, he was imprisoned by the king. While confined in the court of the guard, Jeremiah was visited by his cousin, who asked him to buy a piece of family property near Jerusalem. The Lord revealed to Jeremiah that purchasing this land was a symbolic witness that the Jews would someday return from captivity and possess the promised land once again.

The Babylonian siege of Jerusalem occurred while Jeremiah was in prison. Despite the bleak circumstances, the Lord reminded Jeremiah that Israel and Judah would someday be healed and restored. Jeremiah prophesied of the “Branch of righteousness” that would “grow up unto David” and “execute judgment and righteousness in the land.” This is a reference to Jesus Christ, a descendant of David, who will “sit upon the throne of the house of Israel” forever.

Baruch was the faithful scribe and close companion of Jeremiah. He occasionally read Jeremiah’s messages to the public when the prophet was unable to deliver them himself. After Jerusalem’s downfall, Baruch accompanied Jeremiah to Egypt when the prophet was taken there against his will.

The events recorded in Jeremiah 37 occurred during the reign of King Zedekiah, the final king of Judah before Jerusalem fell to Babylon in 586 BC. Zedekiah had been appointed king of Judah in 597 BC by King Nebuchadnezzar after Babylon’s second invasion of Jerusalem. The Book of Mormon teaches that Lehi and his family lived at Jerusalem during the first year of Zedekiah’s reign.

Like Jehoiakim before him, Zedekiah sought to break free from Babylonian control. However, the word of the Lord to Jeremiah was that Judah should surrender and submit to Babylon. This message put Jeremiah in direct conflict with Zedekiah and other political leaders and the false prophets who supported them. The leaders in Jerusalem falsely accused Jeremiah of defecting to the Babylonians, had him beaten, and imprisoned him.

After Jeremiah was arrested, he continued to reiterate the Lord’s message that surrendering to the Babylonians would be the only way for the people to survive. This angered the leaders in Jerusalem, who had him thrown into a muddy cistern, intending for him to die there. Jeremiah was rescued by Ebed-melech, an Ethiopian servant who courageously appealed to King Zedekiah for permission to save the prophet. Later, Zedekiah secretly consulted Jeremiah once more, and the prophet again urged him to surrender. But Zedekiah remained fearful and refused to obey God’s warning.

In fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prophecies, the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem and carried many away into exile. King Zedekiah tried to escape but was captured. He was forced to watch the execution of his sons before being blinded and taken in chains to Babylon. Jeremiah was spared and protected by the Babylonians. Sometime later, a group of remaining Judahites assassinated the Babylonian-appointed governor and fled to Egypt, forcibly taking Jeremiah and Baruch with them. It is believed that Jeremiah died there.

Lamentations is a collection of five poetic laments mourning the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple. Although no author is mentioned by name, this book is traditionally attributed to the prophet Jeremiah, who witnessed the events being described.

The first four chapters of Lamentations follow an acrostic structure—a poetic form in which the first letters of each line or verse form a meaningful sequence. Chapters 1, 2, and 4 each have 22 verses that begin with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Lamentations 3 expands the pattern to 66 verses, with three lines per Hebrew letter. Lamentations 5 contains 22 verses but is not acrostic.

In its poetic expression of the people’s grief, shock, and suffering, Lamentations resembles other poetic books in the Old Testament, such as Job and Psalms. However, unlike many books in the Old Testament, Lamentations does not contain any responses from the Lord. It captures only the suffering and longing that the people felt before the Lord later showed mercy to them.

In Lamentations 1:17, the King James Bible refers to Jerusalem as a “menstruous woman.” Under the law of Moses, a woman was considered ceremonially unclean during her menstrual cycle. In this context, the imagery is symbolic, indicating that Jerusalem had become unclean due to the people’s wickedness. This symbolism reflects ancient purity laws and does not imply that menstruation itself is sinful or shameful.

• Neil L. Andersen, “The Triumph of Hope,” Liahona, Nov. 2024, 4–6

• D. Todd Christofferson, “When Thou Art Converted,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2004, 11–13

• Quentin L. Cook, “Lamentations of Jeremiah: Beware of Bondage,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2013, 88–91