As with the rest of the passages in Jeremiah 13:1–27 this passage (Jeremiah 13:20–27) is not linked to the previous passages necessarily by chronology, but by the theme of judgment and exile. The historical background however seems to begin with the defeat of the Egyptians at Carchemish in 605 BC and the rise of Nebuchadrezzar to the throne of Babylon after the death of his father. It was now inevitable that the army of the rising Babylonian empire would invade Judah. The invasion began in 605 BC when Nebuchadrezzar laid siege to Jerusalem and took Daniel and others into exile. In 587 BC they launched another attack and took King Jehoiachin and his mother captive (Jeremiah 13:18–19).1
The command to Lift up your eyes and see
is feminine and is therefore addressed to Jerusalem, which is only identified at the end of the poem (Jeremiah 13:27). Throughout the poem Jerusalem is personified and represents the whole nation.2
Through his prophet the Lord commands the people to see those who come from the north.
The threating enemy from the north that has been mentioned many times already (Jeremiah 1:13–14; Jeremiah 4:6–8; Jeremiah 6:1–8, Jeremiah 6:22–26 etc.) reappears. The later chapters make it clear that the enemy is the Babylonian army.
20 Lève tes yeux et regarde Ceux qui viennent du septentrion. Où est le troupeau qui t'avait été donné, Le troupeau qui faisait ta gloire?