Jeremiah was the son of the priest Hilkiah. He became a prophet at a young age and prophesied in Judah from 627 BCE (when the Assyrian's power was declining to 586 BCE (when the Babylonians were rising in power). He was dedicated to his work as a prophet, even when imprisoned. He lived an isolated life. It's true that he was never married and never had children. More than that, he never celebrated life's joys with his fellow Israelites or offered them comfort at times of mourning. He focused on his prophecy.
This week's Haftarah portion is one of his final prophecies, discussing the alliance Israel made with Egypt in hopes of defending itself against the Babylonian King, Nebuchadnezzar.
It interplays with this week's Torah portion, Bo, in which God invokes the final three plagues on the Egyptians.
(א) וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהֹוָה֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה בֹּ֖א אֶל־פַּרְעֹ֑ה כִּֽי־אֲנִ֞י הִכְבַּ֤דְתִּי אֶת־לִבּוֹ֙ וְאֶת־לֵ֣ב עֲבָדָ֔יו לְמַ֗עַן שִׁתִ֛י אֹתֹתַ֥י אֵ֖לֶּה בְּקִרְבּֽוֹ׃
Michael Fishbane, JPS Bible Commentary: Haftarot, p.97
Nebuchadnezzar's "coming" against Pharaoh (la-vo) also answers Moses' ancient coming (bo) in supplication before Pharaoh himself.
Proclaim in Noph and Tahpanhes!
Say: Take your posts and stand ready,
For the sword has devoured all around you! (15) Why are your stalwarts swept away?
They did not stand firm,
For the LORD thrust them down; (16) He made many stumble,
They fell over one another.
They said:
“Up! let us return to our people,
To the land of our birth,
Because of the deadly sword.” (17) There they called Pharaoh king of Egypt:
“Braggart who let the hour go by.”-b
(18) As I live—declares the King,
Whose name is LORD of Hosts—
As surely as Tabor is among the mountains
And Carmel is by the sea,
So shall this come to pass.-b (19) Equip yourself for exile,
Fair Egypt, you who dwell secure!
For Noph shall become a waste,
Desolate, without inhabitants.
A gadfly from the north is coming, coming!-d (21) The mercenaries, too, in her midst
Are like stall-fed calves;
They too shall turn tail,
Flee as one, and make no stand.
Their day of disaster is upon them,
The hour of their doom. (22) She shall rustle away like a snake-b
As they come marching in force;
They shall come against her with axes,
Like hewers of wood. (23) They shall cut down her forest
—declares the LORD—
Though it cannot be measured;
For they are more numerous than locusts,
And cannot be counted. (24) Fair Egypt shall be shamed,
Handed over to the people of the north.
How do you understand the metaphors in the text? Why do you think Egypt is described in female terms?
RABBI DENISE L. EGER, The Women's Haftarah Commentary . Turner Publishing.
All of these metaphors—the young female calf, the trees of the forest, and the serpent—are literary images that bring to mind different goddesses of Egypt. The young female calf is the consort of the Egyptian bull god, Apis.2 The trees of the forest to be cut down by the woodcutters are associated with the Egyptian goddesses Hathor, Isis, and Nut, who were often portrayed as trees. And the serpent is the ancient Egyptian goddess Wadjet, the cobraheaded goddess. Thus the prophecy of Jeremiah can also be read as a condemnation of the pagan worship of the Egyptians, and, by association, Israel’s alignment with pagan worshipers will be her undoing.
RABBI DENISE L. EGER, The Women's Haftarah Commentary . Turner Publishing.
If Jeremiah had used a tactic other than harsh words and oracles against Israel and the other nations, would his message have been received differently? Could the nation of Israel actually have repented of its idolatry without such dire language? Could that repentance have staved off the destruction of the Temple and the exile into Babylonia? Most of all, would the people of Israel have understood the value of the Temple, and their own independence as a nation, without the captivity in Babylonia?
Have no fear, My servant Jacob,
Be not dismayed, O Israel!
I will deliver you from far away,
Your folk from their land of captivity;
And Jacob again shall have calm
And quiet, with none to trouble him. (28) But you, have no fear,
My servant Jacob
—declares the LORD—
For I am with you.
I will make an end of all the nations
Among which I have banished you,
But I will not make an end of you!
I will not leave you unpunished,
But I will chastise you in measure.