What is the context of the verse(below) in the novel "Beloved" by Toni Morrison?

Question

I will call them my people,

Which were not my people;

and her beloved,

which was not beloved.

Answer 1

I know that's a quote from the beginning of the book, but it's been awhile since I've read it. The verse is talking about the Israelites who had countless times turned their back on God, and God is stating that though they have sinned and suffered the consequences of that, He will bring them back and call them a name that until then they were not. He brought suffering to them which made them feel forsaken, yet they were still His "beloved."

In the story "Beloved," the irony is that the girl called Beloved was killed as a baby, and comes back longing to be precious to the mother that killed her. Her mother loved her and did what she thought was best, yet it brought her much pain that death could not erase. The pain inflicted on Beloved is comparable to the pain God brought onto the Israelites: both acting on what was seen as in the best interest of their "beloved."