ירמיהו, פרק כ״ב, פסוק כ״ז

The pain of displacement is often softened by the dream of a swift return. For the exiles driven from the land of Israel, led by King Jehoiachin, this dream was a source of deep comfort. They nurtured intense hopes of going back to their homeland and rebuilding their lives exactly as they had been before.

The primary approach among commentators describes how the exiles actively elevated their own spirits, filling themselves with profound longing and self-assurance that their homecoming was imminent [רש״י, מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. This deep yearning to return to their land [מצודת דוד, רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ] did not emerge on its own. False prophets actively fed these illusions, promising the people that their time in Babylon would be short and that the sacred vessels of God's Temple would soon be brought back. Trusting these lies, King Jehoiachin and his people confidently awaited a rapid redemption [רד״ק].

This desperate optimism persisted even as political situations shifted. Later on, when Zedekiah staged a rebellion against the Babylonian king, Jehoiachin clung to the belief that the resulting upheaval would somehow lead to his own restoration to the throne [מלבי״ם].

However, the prophetic message completely shatters these false comforts. Despite the intense longing, the self-assurance, and the empty promises they relied upon, their fate is firmly sealed. The reality they face will be entirely different from their dreams, and they will never return to the land of Israel [מצודת דוד].