The Lord had been calling the kingdom of Judah "Israel" (Jeremiah 2:1–3:5), highlighting their identity as His people. Now, the Lord differentiates between Israel, the northern kingdom that was destroyed (2 Kings 17), and the kingdom of Judah. The people of the southern kingdom did not learn from the northern kingdom's downfall, so they were destined to face the same fate.
Josiah, who reigned from 640 to 609 BC, encouraged a return to traditional faith and practices in 621 BC (2 Chronicles 34:29–33).