Jeremiah 3:14
“Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →God recalls His covenant marriage with Israel and promises to gather the remnant back to His holy city.
Context
This verse envisions the gathering of the exiled remnant. The 'one of a city, and two of a family' reflects the scattered condition of exile, where Israelites were dispersed across the Assyrian empire. The return to Zion looks beyond Assyrian captivity to the promised restoration. This was later partially fulfilled by the return from Babylonian captivity (586-539 BC), though the language suggests an eschatological fullness as well.
What Does Jeremiah 3:14 Mean?
The address shifts: 'O backsliding children.' No longer are they the unfaithful wife of metaphor; they are children who have wandered. The tone, while still firm, becomes protective. 'I am married unto you'—this is the covenant language. God has not divorced Himself from them; He claims them as His own. The commitment runs deeper than their unfaithfulness can break. From His side, the marriage stands.
'I will take you one of a city, and two of a family'—this is a sober promise. Not all will return. The remnant will be small, gleaned from the scattered populations. Yet they will be gathered and brought to Zion, the holy city, the place of God's dwelling. This remnant theology runs through Isaiah and Jeremiah: God does not restore all, but He restores a faithful few, and through them, His purposes continue. The return is both judgment (not all return) and mercy (some do).
In the Original Language
beth (בית), 'house' or 'family' -- not a large clan but the household unit; the gathering is careful, faithful, not wholesale.
Application
God's covenant with us is not conditional on our faithfulness. He remains committed to us even when we have wandered far. Yet restoration is not automatic; it requires our turning and His gathering. We do not restore ourselves; we are restored. And the remnant imagery teaches that God's purposes persist through the faithful few, not through mass movements. Our role is to be part of that remnant, to turn and be gathered.