Why Was Jeremias Sanctified in His Mother’s Womb?

St. Joseph’s “confirmation in grace” makes perfect sense to me in light of the Holy Family’s role in the Incarnation, and St. John the Baptist’s similar confirmation is, as far as I’m concerned, downright biblical.  I wonder, though, why does tradition single out Jeremiah, of all the prophets, for a similar honor?  His seeming distance from the Incarnation makes that instance seem more peculiar (and thus piques my curiosity).

“Before I formed thee in the bowels of thy mother, I knew thee: and before thou camest forth out of the womb, I sanctified thee, and made thee a prophet unto the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5, D-R)

“Then Onias answering, said: This is a lover of his brethren, and of the people of Israel: this is he that prayeth much for the people, and for all the holy city, Jeremias, the prophet of God.” (2 Maccabees 15:14, D-R)