The good that the Lord will do for the exiles will not come about because they are good, but because, says the Lord, I will give them a heart to know that I am the Lord, and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.
The Lord will change those in exile in a way that restores their covenant relationship with him. He will cause them to return to him with their whole heart.
This is the wholehearted love for the Lord that was always supposed to form the foundation of Israel’s covenant with the Lord. This change of heart will be described more fully by Jeremiah later in his book (Jeremiah 31:1–32:44). Jeremiah had been calling for this change of heart throughout his ministry without any response from the people. Most references to the heart, in Jeremiah, speak of stubborn rebellion and evil (Jeremiah 3:17; Jeremiah 5:23; Jeremiah 11:8) that bring judgment, but now the Lord himself will bring about a change of heart in his people that brings hope and blessing.1 It would seem also that the renewal needed would be brought about, not despite judgment, but through it. This would have been a great encouragement to the exiles, including those who were taken to Babylon after the final invasion of Jerusalem in 587 BC.2
7 Je leur donnerai un cœur pour qu'ils connaissent que je suis l'Eternel; ils seront mon peuple, et je serai leur Dieu, s'ils reviennent à moi de tout leur cœur.