’Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel that prophesy, and say you to them that prophesy out of their own heart: Hear you the word of Hashem:
verse value 2418
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 53 letters. Verse gematria: 2418 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "prophesy" (הִנָּבֵ֛א, 4 letters) and the longest is "against·prophets·of" (אֶל־נְבִיאֵ֥י, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "against·prophets·of" (אֶל־נְבִיאֵ֥י), "to·prophets·of" (לִנְבִיאֵ֣י), "from·their·heart" (מִלִּבָּ֔ם). The root נבא appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "word·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "and·you·shall·say" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "Israel" (root ישראל, 154x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'spokesman', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: בֶּן־אָדָ֕ם [son·of·man] (97) + הִנָּבֵ֛א [prophesy] (58) + אֶל־נְבִיאֵ֥י [against·prophets·of] (104) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל [Israel] (541) + הַנִּבָּאִ֑ים [spokesman] (108) + וְאָֽמַרְתָּ֙ [and·you·shall·say] (647) + לִנְבִיאֵ֣י [to·prophets·of] (103) + מִלִּבָּ֔ם [from·their·heart] (112) + שִׁמְע֖וּ [hear] (416) + דְּבַר־יְהֹוָֽה [word·of·Hashem] (232) = 2418.
Radak
"Son of man, the prophets." With a qamats under the bet, and there is nothing else like it.
“Of the prophets from their heart.” The construct state here indicates the instrument, like “weaned from milk” and similar expressions, and its meaning is that they speak the prophecy from their heart, not that they saw it, as it says, “and lest they see.”
Metzudat David
“Concerning the prophets of Israel.” Regarding the false prophets, it says:
“to the prophets from their own heart”: These are those who prophesy fabrications from their own heart, saying, “Hear the word of the Lord,” as if the Lord had sent them.
Malbim
"Prophesy" – He commanded him to prophesy against the false prophets who fabricated false prophecies from their own hearts and encouraged the wicked, so that they would not return from their evil ways.
Thus says the Lord Hashem: Woe to the vile prophets, that follow their own spirit, and things which they have not seen!
verse value 2487
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 55 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "thus" (כֹּ֤ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·the·prophets" (עַל־הַנְּבִיאִ֣ים, 9 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "to·the·prophets" (עַל־הַנְּבִיאִ֣ים), "the·fool" (הַנְּבָלִ֑ים), "go" (הֹלְכִ֛ים). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "said" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "that" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root הוי ("ah!") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·fool', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 6 words. Full calculation: כֹּ֤ה [thus] (25) + אָמַר֙ [said] (241) + אֲדֹנָ֣י [my·lord] (65) + יֱהֹוִ֔ה [Hashem] (26) + ה֖וֹי [ah!] (21) + עַל־הַנְּבִיאִ֣ים [to·the·prophets] (218) + הַנְּבָלִ֑ים [the·fool] (137) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [that] (501) + הֹלְכִ֛ים [go] (105) + אַחַ֥ר [after] (209) + רוּחָ֖ם [their·breath] (254) + וּלְבִלְתִּ֥י [and·so·as·not] (478) + רָאֽוּ [saw] (207) = 2487.
Rashi
The foolish. The fools:
Their spirit. Like their desire:
Radak
"Thus says the Lord: The fools." Men who are inferior and despicable. Just as one of the "fools" [nevelim] is like one of the "foolish women" [nevelot], so too does Jonathan’s Targum translate it as "from the foolish ones," and this Targum likewise translates it as "from the madmen."
"After their spirit." After their desire:
Metzudat David
Woe. One ought to complain about these foolish prophets who follow their own desires, saying whatever suits their whims and whatever they did not see in prophecy.
Metzudat Zion
Woe. It is the matter of the language of lamentation.
"The wicked ones." The lowly and contemptible, as it is written: "And the fool shall speak folly" (ibid. 32:6).
“Ruacham.” The meaning of “retson” (desire):
Malbim
“Woe to the foolish prophets” means that a prophet is defined by his prophecy: first, that he attains true prophecy; second, that the ultimate purpose of his prophecy is to rectify the people. Regarding the first point, it states that they are foolish prophets in whom the Lord did not speak. Now, a true prophet attains his prophecy either through the Spirit of the Lord, which descends upon him and speaks through him. In contrast, it says that they follow their own spirit, meaning the spirit of their imagination, and the Spirit of the Lord did not speak through them. Or, they see great visions, on account of which they are called seers, visionaries, and watchmen; but they see nothing at all.
O Israel, your prophets have been like foxes in ruins.
verse value 1743
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 26 letters. The shortest word is "were" (הָיֽוּ, 3 letters) and the longest is "as·foxes" (כְּשֻׁעָלִ֖ים, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "as·foxes" (כְּשֻׁעָלִ֖ים), "your·prophets" (נְבִיאֶ֥יךָ). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "were" (root היה, 335x in Ezekiel); "Israel" (root ישראל, 154x in Ezekiel); "in·ruins" (root חרב, 102x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·ruins', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 3 words. Full calculation: כְּשֻׁעָלִ֖ים [as·foxes] (470) + בׇּחֳרָב֑וֹת [in·ruins] (618) + נְבִיאֶ֥יךָ [your·prophets] (93) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל [Israel] (541) + הָיֽוּ [were] (21) = 1743.
Rashi
“Like foxes in ruins.” When a man comes to the breach of a ruin, the fox flees through another breach and does not stand in the breach to fight.
Radak
“Like foxes in ruins.” Just as foxes enter through a breach in the vineyard’s fence and destroy the vineyards, so were your prophets, as it is said, “Little foxes that spoil the vineyards.” And the breach is called a ruin, for “ruin” is the place of the breach, as stated in “breaches.” And Israel is called a vineyard. Now, the false prophets, who are like foxes, enter through the breach to destroy the vineyard. The breach is an allusion to those of little faith, whom the false prophets flatter with their words, and they are led astray by them. And they support their hands, expecting that others too will listen to them, and they destroy the vineyard of the Lord of Hosts. And it says “your prophets,” meaning they are your prophets, not God’s prophets.
Metzudat David
“Like foxes in ruins.” Just as foxes in ruins: when a person comes through a breach in the ruin, there is no one standing opposite him to prevent him from entering there; rather, they all flee through another breach. So too were your prophets, O Israel, as will be explained in the subsequent verse.
Metzudat Zion
Like foxes: This is the name of a beast.
In ruins. The word is derived from the root of desolation:
Malbim
“Like foxes,” and regarding the second matter, it is necessary that he repair the breach of the people. He said that your prophets, O Israel, are like foxes in ruins. For the fox prefers the breach to the wall: 1. For through the breach it enters the vineyard to destroy it; 2. For through the breach it flees, for if a man comes against it through this breach, it will flee through the opposite breach due to its cunning; and so were the false prophets, for through the breaches that were in the people they entered them and accepted their words, which flattered them that their way was good; 3. For through the breaches they fled when they were caught in their words and falsehoods, attributing the matter to the breaches of the people.
You have not gone up into the breaches, neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel, to stand in the battle in the day of Hashem.
verse value 3591
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 50 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָֽה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֤א, 2 letters) and the longest is "in·the·breaches" (בַּפְּרָצ֔וֹת, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "you·went·up" (עֲלִיתֶם֙), "in·the·breaches" (בַּפְּרָצ֔וֹת), "and·you·walled·up" (וַתִּגְדְּר֥וּ). The root גדר appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "not" (root לא, 213x in Ezekiel); "for·house·of" (root בית, 159x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root גדר ("and·you·walled·up") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 4 words. Full calculation: לֹ֤א [not] (31) + עֲלִיתֶם֙ [you·went·up] (550) + בַּפְּרָצ֔וֹת [in·the·breaches] (778) + וַתִּגְדְּר֥וּ [and·you·walled·up] (619) + גָדֵ֖ר [fence] (207) + עַל־בֵּ֣ית [for·house·of] (512) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל [Israel] (541) + לַעֲמֹ֥ד [to·stand] (144) + בַּמִּלְחָמָ֖ה [battle] (125) + בְּי֥וֹם [in·day·of] (58) + יְהֹוָֽה [Hashem] (26) = 3591.
Rashi
"You did not ascend through breaches." You did not perform good deeds that could have delayed the evil from coming.
Radak
“You did not ascend through the breaches, nor did you build a wall.” This refers to the princes and leaders of Israel, who had the power to rebuke them. It says: “You did not ascend through those breaches” to stand against the foxes, so that they would not enter alone, and to strike them and destroy them. And likewise, “you did not build a wall,” nor did you repair those breaches through repentance and good deeds, to guard the House of Israel.
"To stand in battle on the day of the Lord." That is to say, on the day of the Lord's anger and His decree. And so did Jonathan translate it: "on the day of the Lord's wrath." For if you had done so, your deeds would have stood for you in battle, and the hand of your enemies would not have dominated you.
Metzudat David
You did not go up in the breaches. You, the worthless prophets, did not stand in the breaches to restrain the enemy from coming; that is to say, you did not stand in prayer to restrain the calamity.
"and you shall fence it." The word "not" serves in two senses: to say, "you did not fence," meaning, "you did not repair the breach," i.e., "you did not restore Israel to goodness by doing repentance."
To stand. In order that they may be able to stand in battle against the enemy at the time of the Lord’s coming to mete out the full recompense for the sin.
Metzudat Zion
In the breaches. The word is from the root *parats* (to break through) and *shavar* (to break).
“And you shall set up a fence.” The meaning is the construction of a wall.
Malbim
“You did not ascend through the breaches” means that the true prophets strive: 1) to erect a fence so that no breach will be found among the people; 2) to stand in the breach, meaning that even in a place where a breach remained unfenced, if the enemy (namely, the accuser of the people) came, they would stand in the breach to fight against the enemy. This means they would argue in favor of merit, pray, turn away wrath, and defend the generation through their merit (as it is stated below [22:30], “And I sought for a man who would set up a wall and stand in the breach before Me”). This is like the parable of a warrior who stands where the wall is breached and fights against the enemy. But you did not ascend through the breaches to wage war yourselves against the enemy. On the contrary, you were like foxes in the ruins, who, when the enemy comes, flee through the breach. And you did not erect a fence for the House of Israel to repair the breach, meaning to rectify the generation. Rather, you were like foxes for whom the breach is beneficial, as they enter through it. To stand in battle by dint of these two things means to stand in battle on the day that God decreed the enemy would come, either by means of a fence that prevents the enemy from entering, or by means of mighty warriors who stand in the breach.
They have seen vanity and lying divination, that say: Hashem says; and Hashem has not sent them, yet they hope that the word would be confirmed!
verse value 1863
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 49 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "utterance·of·Hashem" (נְאֻם־יְהֹוָ֔ה, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 206: and·divination·of, word. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "they·saw" (חָ֤זוּ), "sent·them" (שְׁלָחָ֑ם), "to·confirm" (לְקַיֵּ֥ם). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "utterance·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "who·say" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "not" (root לא, 213x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root קסם ("and·divination·of") in Ezekiel. First appearance of the root כזב ("lie") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'sent·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 3 words. Full calculation: חָ֤זוּ [they·saw] (21) + שָׁוְא֙ [emptiness] (307) + וְקֶ֣סֶם [and·divination·of] (206) + כָּזָ֔ב [lie] (29) + הָאֹֽמְרִים֙ [who·say] (296) + נְאֻם־יְהֹוָ֔ה [utterance·of·Hashem] (117) + וַיהֹוָ֖ה [and·Hashem] (32) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + שְׁלָחָ֑ם [sent·them] (378) + וְיִחֲל֖וּ [and·they·hope] (60) + לְקַיֵּ֥ם [to·confirm] (180) + דָּבָֽר [word] (206) = 1863.
Rashi
"They envisioned." A term of prophecy:
"And they hoped to fulfill the word." How were they thinking to fulfill their words? It is a term of hope; and some say it is "acquired" in the vernacular, meaning one word after another, in a manner of expectation.
Radak
"They saw falsehood and divined a lie." Explanation: "And a deceitful divination" means that their divination, or rather, what they said, was that the prophets of falsehood spoke in two ways: they knew the words of divination to foretell the future. At times, their words came true, as it says, "They declare the new things before they come to pass." But not all of them came true. Therefore, people were seduced by their words. They also claimed that the word of the Lord was with them in a vision. This is what is meant by "a false vision," indicating that they saw a vision, but the vision was false, and the divination was deceitful.
"And they hoped that the word would be fulfilled." The Israelites were hoping to fulfill their words, but it was a hope that was dashed.
Metzudat David
"They saw vanity." In vanity they prophesied, and in falsehood they divined, for even the divination they did not speak truthfully.
"The ones who say" – In their words, they declared, "The utterance of the Lord," but it is not so, for the Lord did not send them.
And they began. This means: How, then, do they give the people hope that what they say will be fulfilled?
Metzudat Zion
And they hoped. From the language of hope and expectation:
Malbim
"They prophesied falsehood": that is to say: 1. The vision that they see is a matter of vanity and emptiness, having no reality except in the spirit of their imagination, and the divination by which they declare the future is a matter of falsehood, such that the event will not be as they have said. Thus, there is no substance in their words, neither from the aspect of the matter itself, which is vanity, nor from the aspect of the benefit that they would know the future through it, for it is falsehood. 2. Furthermore, they attribute this vanity to the word of God, as it says, "And they say, 'Thus says the Lord,'" whereas in truth the Lord did not send them. If so, since their words have no reality, neither from their own aspect nor from the aspect of their sender, how can they hope to fulfill a matter? How will their words be fulfilled?
Have you not seen a vain vision, and have you not spoken a lying divination, whereas you say: Hashem says; albeit I have not spoken?
verse value 2958
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 53 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֥א, 2 letters) and the longest is "a·vain·vision" (מַֽחֲזֵה־שָׁוְא֙, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "a·vain·vision" (מַֽחֲזֵה־שָׁוְא֙), "you·have·seen" (חֲזִיתֶ֔ם), "and·saying" (וְאֹֽמְרִים֙). The root לא appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "utterance·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "you·spoke" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "not" (root לא, 213x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'you·spoke', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 5 words. Full calculation: הֲל֤וֹא [not] (42) + מַֽחֲזֵה־שָׁוְא֙ [a·vain·vision] (367) + חֲזִיתֶ֔ם [you·have·seen] (465) + וּמִקְסַ֥ם [and·divination] (246) + כָּזָ֖ב [lie] (29) + אֲמַרְתֶּ֑ם [you·spoke] (681) + וְאֹֽמְרִים֙ [and·saying] (297) + נְאֻם־יְהֹוָ֔ה [utterance·of·Hashem] (117) + וַאֲנִ֖י [and·I] (67) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + דִבַּֽרְתִּי [I·have·spoken] (616) = 2958.
Radak
Is it not so? He said it in contrast to the prophets:
And they say. And you say:
Metzudat David
A vision. Their prophecy is a false prophecy, for it was not [true] prophecy.
"And a lying divination." This means: Even regarding sorcery, you have stated that it is false.
Malbim
Is it not impossible that they should stand on their own merit, since you have seen a vision of emptiness, and not on the merit of the Sender, for they say, “Thus says the Lord,” whereas I did not speak? This means not only that I did not send them on a mission, but that I did not speak at all.
Therefore thus says the Lord Hashem: Because you have spoken vanity, and seen lies, therefore, behold, I am against you, says the Lord Hashem.
verse value 2158
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 59 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 2158 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "thus" (כֹּ֤ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·you·have·seen" (וַחֲזִיתֶ֖ם, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 100: therefore, therefore. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "your·speaking" (דַּבֶּרְכֶ֣ם), "and·you·have·seen" (וַחֲזִיתֶ֖ם). The root כן appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "said" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "my·lord" (root אדון, 222x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'lie', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 6 words.
Radak
"Therefore, I am against you." This is similar to the verse "And I will set My face against that man," which Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated as: "Behold, I shall send My wrath against you."
Metzudat David
Behold, I am. Behold, I will fight with you:
Malbim
Therefore, it states that they merit a double punishment: 1. For what they prophesize in the name of God, for even if they did not lead the people astray through their prophecy, the death of a false prophet is by strangulation; 2. For what they do in their words, misleading the people from the ways of God. First, it declares their punishment for the false prophecy, and this is what it says: “Because you have spoken falsehood and seen lies, I am against you,” which pertains to My honor.
And My hand shall be against the prophets that see vanity, and that divine lies; they shall not be in the council of My people, neither shall they be written in the register of the house of Israel, neither shall they enter into the land of Israel; and you shall know that I am the Lord Hashem.
verse value 5157
Insights
Verse structure: 23 words, 105 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִֽה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "against·the·prophets" (אֶֽל־הַנְּבִיאִ֞ים, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 31: not, not. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "against·the·prophets" (אֶֽל־הַנְּבִיאִ֞ים), "seer" (הַחֹזִ֣ים), "and·that·practice·divination" (וְהַקֹּסְמִ֣ים). The root היה appears 2 times in this verse. 20 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "and·it·shall·be" (root היה, 335x in Ezekiel); "my·lord" (root אדון, 222x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·will·go·in', dividing the verse into phrases of 18 and 5 words.
Radak
"And My hand was upon the prophets." Like the word "upon":
“In the secret of My people they shall not be, and in the writing of My people Israel they shall not be written.” Its interpretation is as its Targum: “In the hidden treasure that is stored up for My people they shall not be, and in the writing of the life of the World-to-Come that is written for the righteous of the House of Israel they shall not be inscribed.”
"And they shall not come to the land of Israel." This refers to the return from the Babylonian exile.
Metzudat David
My hand. The blow of My hand:
In secret. They shall not be among My people, to enter together with them, to be counted with the Lord, like them.
And regarding the written text, etc.: That it be written together with them, to give life in the World to Come, as it is stated, “All those who are recorded for life in Jerusalem” (Isaiah 4:3).
They shall not come. Among those who will come in the time of the redemption:
"For I am the Lord." The Faithful One to repay recompense:
Metzudat Zion
In the sense of an assembly. The matter of gathering and assembling is like the assembly of mockers (Jeremiah 9:
Malbim
“And My hand” — he contemplates three punishments: 1. “In the secret of My people they shall not be” — that they shall have no portion in the secret of the people of God, which is their Torah and their holiness, because of which they are called “the people of God.” 2. “In the writing of the House of Israel they shall not be written” — that they shall have no portion in the World to Come, for this is alluded to in the words of the Prophets through the term “writing,” as it is stated, “All those who are written for life in Jerusalem” (Isaiah 4:3), “All those who are written for life” (Daniel 12), and “A book of remembrance was written before Him, and they shall be Mine for a special treasure on the day that I make” (Malachi 3:16). 3. That they shall have no portion in the Land, and this is what is stated, “And to the land of Israel they shall not come” (and this corresponds to what is stated: “Three good gifts has the Holy One, blessed be He, given to Israel: Torah, the Land of Israel, and the World to Come. The Land of Israel serves to rectify the life of the body and the national life, the World to Come pertains to the life of the soul, and the Torah is the lamp that illuminates these two completions and binds them together).
Because, even because they have led My people astray, saying: Peace, and there is no peace; and when it builds up a slight wall, behold, they daub it with whited plaster;
verse value 3237
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 57 letters. Notable word values: "and·it" (וְהוּא֙) = 18, chai, 'life'. Verse gematria: 3237 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "because" (יַ֣עַן, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·because" (וּבְיַ֜עַן, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 376: peace, peace. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "and·because" (וּבְיַ֜עַן), "they·have·led·astray" (הִטְע֧וּ), "building" (בֹּ֣נֶה). The root יען appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "and·it" (root הוא, 86x in Ezekiel); "and·they" (root הן, 73x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root עמי ("my·people") in Ezekiel. First appearance of the root טוח ("spreading·over") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'peace', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 7 words.
Rashi
And He builds a wall. And behold, My people are like builders of a partition wall, and the prophets plaster it with plain earth that resembles lime, and it does not withstand the rains.
A "taphil" is an "ottoman" in the language of the nations, and some say a "blatzenye" in the language of the nations.
Radak
"Because, and because." The repetition is to strengthen the punishment. Similarly, "because, and because" they rejected My judgments, and Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated it: "Because they prophesied falsely, and because they led My people astray."
“Have led My people astray.” This alone is written with a tet, for in the Bible, in this context, they use a tav: “My heart has gone astray,” “a spirit of harlotry has led them astray,” and so on, all with a tav. But in the Mishnah and Gemara, they use this context with a tet: “One who goes before the ark and errs,” “He misled the homeowner,” and many others. And so they use this context with a tet, and the tet and the tav are from the same origin, and one comes in place of the other.
And he builds a wall, and behold, they plaster it with untempered mortar. The false prophet, in assuring them with falsehood, is like one who builds a wall, which is a defective partition. This is an allegory: they say that they are building Jerusalem as a lasting structure, saying, “Peace,” when there is no peace. Behold, the building is tafel [untempered], and Israel, who accept their words, are like those who plaster the wall with poor, defective, untempered material that has no durability, as in “Can that which is unsavory [tafel] be eaten without salt?” — because it is something that lacks flavor. And my master and father, of blessed memory, explained that tafel refers to unbaked bricks, and a structure made from them, when rain falls upon it, will collapse. And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated in the Targum: “And they plastered it with raw clay that is without straw.” And it can be explained that “and behold, they plaster it with untempered mortar” refers to the false prophets themselves, who build the wall and then plaster it, meaning that they embellish their words with smooth, flattering speech, like one who builds a house and plasters it to beautify it. And similarly, it is stated below in the passage: “The land is not purified,” and “the prophets plastered it with untempered mortar.”
Metzudat David
“Yean v’biyan.” The repetition serves to strengthen the statement, indicating that on account of this sin alone they were deserving of this punishment.
They deceived My people. They used to deceive them, saying, “Peace shall be yours,” and because of this they clung to their ways and did not repent.
And there is no peace. This means that they falsely assured them of peace, for there is no peace destined for them.
And he builds a partition. Each one of those prophets used to build a partition, which is a wall of poor and weak bricks, and this is the prophecy that they used to say:
"And they." And behold, they plaster the wall with a plain plaster that is not prepared according to its proper procedure to beautify the wall and smooth it out. This means that they beautify the prophecy with pleasant but fabricated rhetoric, so that it may be acceptable to the heart.
Metzudat Zion
The word "הטעו" is derived from the root meaning "deception" and "to deceive."
"Chitz." It is a word from the term "mechitzah" mentioned in the words of our Sages of blessed memory:
Tachim. The matter of smearing is to stop up the hole; and likewise, "and he shall smear the house" (Leviticus 14:42).
Tafel. Any matter that is not properly rectified in all its needs is called tafel. And so it is written: "Can tasteless food be eaten without salt" (Job 6:6).
Malbim
“Because” (Ya'an)—now [the prophet] informs [them] of the punishment, on account of their having misled the people. And this is what is stated: “Because” and “because” (u-ve-ya'an), meaning punishment within punishment, a double punishment for the fruit of the deed, in addition to the deed itself. “Because” they misled My people, saying, “Peace.” They assured them regarding their internal peace—that their ways were good—and regarding external peace—that the enemy would not come upon them. And through this, they strengthened their hands so that they would not return. But in truth, there is no peace; rather, He is building a partition. [The text] depicts the people as building a weak partition of reeds, and the false prophets plaster this partition with unslaked lime—thick plaster that weighs down the wall and does not endure. The metaphor can be understood in terms of internal and external aspects: 1. The wall alludes to the fact that they strengthened and fortified the walls of Jerusalem against the enemy, thinking that [the enemy] could not capture it. But in truth, it was a weak partition. And in their words, they plastered the wall so that it would appear strong. But in truth, it is unslaked plaster that weighs down the wall and will not endure, as will be explained. Furthermore, the wall alludes to the iron wall that the Lord placed between Him and the city (as stated above, section 4). And the meaning is that they placed a partition and a divider between themselves and their God, as it is stated: “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God.” And since the way of a partition of reeds is that it has holes, one can still look at them through the holes, like one peering through the cracks. But they plaster it with [unslaked lime], meaning they cause Divine providence to depart from them entirely, by corrupting the ways of the people.
say to them that daub it with whited plaster, that it shall fall; there shall be an overflowing shower, and you, O great hailstones, shall fall, and a stormy wind shall break forth,
verse value 4657
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 58 letters. The shortest word is "say" (אֱמֹ֛ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "hail" (אֶלְגָּבִישׁ֙, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "to·them·that·daub" (אֶל־טָחֵ֥י), "and·he·shall·fall" (וְיִפֹּ֑ל), "rain" (גֶּ֣שֶׁם). The root נפל appears 3 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "say" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "was" (root היה, 335x in Ezekiel); "to·them·that·daub" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root שטף ("washing") in Ezekiel. First appearance of the root בקע ("shall·break·forth") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·he·shall·fall', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 10 words. Full calculation: אֱמֹ֛ר [say] (241) + אֶל־טָחֵ֥י [to·them·that·daub] (58) + תָפֵ֖ל [plaster] (510) + וְיִפֹּ֑ל [and·he·shall·fall] (126) + הָיָ֣ה [was] (20) + גֶּ֣שֶׁם [rain] (343) + שׁוֹטֵ֗ף [washing] (395) + וְאַתֵּ֜נָה [and·you] (462) + אַבְנֵ֤י [stone] (63) + אֶלְגָּבִישׁ֙ [hail] (346) + תִּפֹּ֔לְנָה [you·will·fall] (565) + וְר֥וּחַ [and·wind·of] (220) + סְעָר֖וֹת [storms] (736) + תְּבַקֵּֽעַ [shall·break·forth] (572) = 4657.
Rashi
"And I will give." Like "And I will give."
"Stones of hail." These are large hailstones. And I say that because they are as bright as all stones of crystal (hail), it compares them to crystal, which is a precious stone, as it is stated: "Topaz and crystal" (Job 28:18). And our Sages said, "As crystal," referring to those that stood in the air upon a person, and this is Moses our teacher, as it is stated: "And the rain did not fall upon the earth" (Exodus 9:33). Those that began to descend did not reach the earth.
They shall fall. Upon the wall:
Radak
"Say to those who plaster it with whitewash, 'It shall fall.'" Those who build are included in the general category. And the Targum of Jonathan rendered it: "He said to the builders of the wall, and he plastered upon it clay without straw — it shall fall."
"And it shall fall." The vav is like a weak peh in the language of Ishmael, like the vav in "And Abraham lifted up his eyes" and its like. That is to say, "this building shall fall," and even if it is strong according to your thoughts, for there will be a flooding rain that will cause it to fall.
"Hayah" (He was): A past tense form used in place of a future tense.
"And I will give hailstones, and they shall fall." This refers to the stones of hail; He speaks to them and says, "Fall." This construction [of the verb] is in the imperative form. And likewise, the wind of tempests that will shatter it. The rain, the stones, and the wind are an allegory for strong enemies.
"And I will give." Like "and I will give," and the heh is an added letter, as in "and I will give." Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated "and I will give" as "and the hailstones shall descend." And in some manuscripts it is written "and stones of hail," and stones of hail are large hailstones. And it is called "algavish," and "algavish" is one word in some books, and in others it is two words. And there are commentators who explain that when it is one word, it has the meaning of two words, similar to "gavish" from "ramot" and "gavish."
Metzudat David
“Speak, etc.” And it shall fall: This means, say to those who plaster with whitewash, “Why do you plaster the building? Do you not know that it will fall and not stand?” In other words, what is the benefit of the beauty of the speech, since there is no substance in the prophecy?
"If there were a torrential rain. Behold, if there were a torrential rain, and likewise if I were to cause hailstones to fall upon it, and also a storm wind to break through the wall—meaning, if a powerful enemy were to come—it would thus appear to all as a nullification of prophecy."
Metzudat Zion
"Hayah" – like "yihyeh":
"Shoteif." Descending with force:
And I will give. Like "and I will give":
"Algavish." It is like two words, "el gavish," meaning that hailstones are similar to crystal. And crystal is a precious stone, like "ramot" and "gavish" (ibid. 28).
Malbim
He said to those who plaster with lime: “That which falls” means that the lime, by its very nature, is prone to fall and is not enduring; all the more so if there is a heavy rain, for surely the rain will wash the lime off the wall. Moreover, in addition to the natural rain, I will bring under My providence something supernatural: hailstones will fall, breaking the wall itself, and a storm wind will split the wall.
and, lo, when the wall is fallen, shall it not be said to you: Where is the daubing wherewith you have daubed it?
verse value 1941
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 38 letters. The shortest word is "fell" (נָפַ֣ל, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·you" (אֲלֵיכֶ֔ם, 5 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "fell" (נָפַ֣ל), "is·said" (יֵאָמֵ֣ר), "where?" (אַיֵּ֥ה). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "is·said" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "that" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel); "not" (root לא, 213x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root אי ("where?") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'wall', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 7 words. Full calculation: וְהִנֵּ֖ה [and·behold] (66) + נָפַ֣ל [fell] (160) + הַקִּ֑יר [wall] (315) + הֲלוֹא֙ [not] (42) + יֵאָמֵ֣ר [is·said] (251) + אֲלֵיכֶ֔ם [to·you] (101) + אַיֵּ֥ה [where?] (16) + הַטִּ֖יחַ [a coating] (32) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [that] (501) + טַחְתֶּֽם [you·spread·over] (457) = 1941.
Rashi
"Where is the plaster?" Thus, when evil comes, He will say to you: "Where is the peace that you promised?"
Radak
And behold. Would He not say to you, “Where is the plaster with which you plastered?” and similarly, “Where is the building which you built?” Rather, He took the latter matter to be brief, or because the builders of the wall will not remain after the collapse of the wall, for the false prophets will finish and cease, and some of the plasterers will remain, and they are Israel. And to those who remain He will say, “Where is the plaster with which you plastered?” And behold, He called the wall a “wall” and said, “And behold, the wall has fallen,” meaning that with the falling of the wall, which is the wall of Jerusalem that was breached, it is known that the wall spoken of metaphorically has fallen.
Metzudat David
And behold, the wall has fallen. When the wall falls, will one not say, “What benefit was there in the plaster?” This means: when prophecy is abolished, will one not say, “What benefit is there in the beauty of speech, in the excellence of discourse?”
Metzudat Zion
“הקיר” – the wall, and it is the partition that was mentioned.
Malbim
And behold, by this reasoning, the wall itself would collapse. Would he not then say to you, "Where is the plaster with which you plastered it?" For if the wall falls, all the more so would the plaster not remain intact. And now he explains his words:
Therefore thus says the Lord Hashem: I will even cause a stormy wind to break forth in My fury; and there shall be an overflowing shower in Mine anger, and great hailstones in fury to consume it.
verse value 3871
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 69 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "thus" (כֹּ֤ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "wind·of·storms" (רוּחַ־סְעָר֖וֹת, 8 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "and·I·will·burst·forth" (וּבִקַּעְתִּ֥י), "wind·of·storms" (רוּחַ־סְעָר֖וֹת), "in·my·wrath" (בַּחֲמָתִ֑י). The root חמה appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "said" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "it·will·be" (root היה, 335x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·my·wrath', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 8 words.
Radak
Therefore, "and I will break through." The verb is transitive, acting upon a third party, for the wind will break through.
Metzudat David
"And I will shatter." This means: Thus will I act, and I will shatter the wall in My anger by means of a storm wind, and in My wrath there shall be a flooding rain upon it, and I will bring down hailstones upon it in heat to consume it. This means: I will bring a strong enemy, and the prophecy will be nullified.
Malbim
Thus says the Lord: “And I will break forth a stormy wind in My anger.” There is a distinction between *chama* (heat/anger) and *af* (wrath/face). *Chama* is the internal anger stored in the heart, whereas *af* is the manifestation of that anger through punishment. When *af* occurs without internal *chama*, it is not evil; but *af* that emerges from internal *chama* is evil. Nevertheless, at times, after the *af* has been expressed and punishment administered, the *chama* subsides, for then the mind of the angry one cools by virtue of having punished, and his anger is exhausted. But if, after the *af* has been expressed, the *chama* remains intact, there is no hope. This is what the verse states: “By the internal *chama* I will break forth a stormy wind.” And when the *chama* goes outward to become external *af*, it will materialize as a torrential rain. This means not ordinary rain, but rain that will wash everything away through the *af*. And even so, the *chama* will not subside thereby; rather, it will be aroused a second time, until the rain solidifies and hardens, transforming into hailstones through the *chama*, and this will be for destruction.
So will I break down the wall that you have daubed with whited plaster, and bring it down to the ground, so that the foundation thereof shall be uncovered; and it shall fall, and you shall be consumed in the midst thereof; and you shall know that I am Hashem.
verse value 5628
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 76 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָֽה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "whitewash" (תָּפֵ֛ל, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·I·will·bring·it·down" (וְהִגַּעְתִּ֥יהוּ, 8 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "and·I·will·tear·down" (וְהָ֨רַסְתִּ֜י), "the·wall" (אֶת־הַקִּ֨יר), "that·you·daubed" (אֲשֶׁר־טַחְתֶּ֥ם). The root נפל appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "that·you·daubed" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel); "to·the·ground" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root הרס ("and·I·will·tear·down") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·foundation', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 6 words. Full calculation: וְהָ֨רַסְתִּ֜י [and·I·will·tear·down] (681) + אֶת־הַקִּ֨יר [the·wall] (716) + אֲשֶׁר־טַחְתֶּ֥ם [that·you·daubed] (958) + תָּפֵ֛ל [whitewash] (510) + וְהִגַּעְתִּ֥יהוּ [and·I·will·bring·it·down] (505) + אֶל־הָאָ֖רֶץ [to·the·ground] (327) + וְנִגְלָ֣ה [and·will·be·uncovered] (94) + יְסֹד֑וֹ [his·foundation] (80) + וְנָֽפְלָה֙ [and·shall·fall·away] (171) + וּכְלִיתֶ֣ם [and·you·will·accomplish] (506) + בְּתוֹכָ֔הּ [in·her·midst] (433) + וִידַעְתֶּ֖ם [and·you·shall·know] (530) + כִּֽי־אֲנִ֥י [that·I] (91) + יְהֹוָֽה [Hashem] (26) = 5628.
Rashi
The wall. It is Jerusalem:
Radak
"And I will destroy, and it will fall." Jerusalem.
"Within it": Within Jerusalem, for the false prophets were put to death there; when the wall fell, not a single one escaped.
Metzudat David
"And I will bring it down." [This means:] I will bring the wall down to the ground, so that it will fall downward.
"And its foundation shall be revealed." This is because when the wall above collapses, the foundation upon which it stood will thus be exposed.
"And it shall fall." Just as the wall will fall, so too you, the plasterers of whitewash, shall be consumed within it. This means that when the enemy comes and prophecy is abolished, those prophets shall be destroyed.
"For I am the Lord." The Faithful One who repays reward.
Metzudat Zion
And I will destroy. The language of destruction and demolition.
And it was revealed. From the language of "revealed":
Malbim
“And I will destroy” – this phrase contains three matters: 1. The destruction of the wall, which is crumbling so that it will not remain intact, and this is the breaching of the city; 2. And I will bring them down to the ground, which is the complete collapse; 3. And its foundation will be laid bare, meaning that no remnant will remain down to its foundation. And do not think that only the wall will fall and the people will not be harmed; therefore it says, “and it will fall, and you shall perish in its midst,” indicating that the wall will fall upon the people. And by this you shall know that I am the Lord.
Thus will I spend My fury upon the wall, and upon them that have daubed it with whited plaster; and I will say to you: The wall is no more, neither they that daubed it;
verse value 3898
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 54 letters. The shortest word is "it" (אֹת֖וֹ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·I·will·spend" (וְכִלֵּיתִ֤י, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 407: it, it. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "and·spreading·over" (וּבַטָּחִ֥ים), "that·spread·over" (הַטָּחִ֥ים). The root קיר appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·I·will·say" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "whitewash" (root נפל, 58x in Ezekiel); "my·fury" (root חמה, 33x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'whitewash', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 7 words. Full calculation: וְכִלֵּיתִ֤י [and·I·will·spend] (476) + אֶת־חֲמָתִי֙ [my·fury] (859) + בַּקִּ֔יר [in·the·wall] (312) + וּבַטָּחִ֥ים [and·spreading·over] (75) + אֹת֖וֹ [it] (407) + תָּפֵ֑ל [whitewash] (510) + וְאֹמַ֤ר [and·I·will·say] (247) + לָכֶם֙ [to·you] (90) + אֵ֣ין [nothing] (61) + הַקִּ֔יר [wall] (315) + וְאֵ֖ין [and·nothing] (67) + הַטָּחִ֥ים [that·spread·over] (72) + אֹתֽוֹ [it] (407) = 3898.
Radak
And I will finish, and I will say to you. And then I will say to you: there is no wall, and there are no plasterers plastering it. And they are the prophets of Israel who prophesy from their own hearts, as this parable is stated about them. And also Israel, who support them with their hands and accept their words, will be consumed within it—either by the sword, or by famine, or by pestilence.
Metzudat David
And I will finish. I will complete My wrath against the wall, meaning: I will annul all the words of prophecy.
And they trusted. This means that they placed their trust in the prophets who embellished the false prophecy with pleasing and fabricated rhetoric.
"And I say to you." Then I say to you: "There is no wall"—that is to say, behold, the prophecy has not been fulfilled, and there is no hope for the plasterers, who are those prophets, for then they too shall perish.
Metzudat Zion
And I will complete. The matter of completion:
Malbim
And I will spend My fury — this indicates that the remainder of the fury was consumed only upon the wall and among the plasterers, which is in Jerusalem and among the false prophets therein, not all of Israel.
to wit, the prophets of Israel that prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and that see visions of peace for her, and there is no peace, says the Lord Hashem.
verse value 2510
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 57 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִֽה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "to·her" (לָ֖הּ, 2 letters) and the longest is "concerning·Jerusalem" (אֶל־יְר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 370: peace, peace. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "and·that·seer" (וְהַחֹזִ֥ים). The root שלום appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "concerning·Jerusalem" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel); "my·lord" (root אדון, 222x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root לה ("to·her") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'peace', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 5 words. Full calculation: נְבִיאֵ֣י [prophets·of] (73) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל [Israel] (541) + הַֽנִּבְּאִים֙ [spokesman] (108) + אֶל־יְר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם [concerning·Jerusalem] (617) + וְהַחֹזִ֥ים [and·that·seer] (76) + לָ֖הּ [to·her] (35) + חֲז֣וֹן [vision] (71) + שָׁלֹ֑ם [peace] (370) + וְאֵ֣ין [and·nothing] (67) + שָׁלֹ֔ם [peace] (370) + נְאֻ֖ם [utterance] (91) + אֲדֹנָ֥י [my·lord] (65) + יֱהֹוִֽה [Hashem] (26) = 2510.
Radak
The prophets of Israel who prophesy [הנבאים]. With a sheva under the bet. And Jonathan's Targum rendered the first “wall” as kotla [wall] and the remaining ones as karta [the city]. And it rendered “the wall which you plastered” as “the city in which they prophesied false prophecies,” and likewise in “and they that plaster it” and “and it has no plasterers.”
Metzudat David
The prophets of Israel. He expounds his words to say that the builders and the plasterers are the prophets of Israel, etc.
Vision of peace. Prophecy from the promise of peace:
And there is no peace. This means that they promise in vain, for peace is not destined for them.
Malbim
The prophets of Israel: This means that this punishment will come through the prophets of Israel, because they prophesied to Jerusalem and the seers saw for her visions of peace, and therefore they do not return in repentance, and there is no peace.
And you, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people, that prophesy out of their own heart; and prophesy you against them,
verse value 2898
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 48 letters. Verse gematria: 2898 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "put" (שִׂ֤ים, 3 letters) and the longest is "who·prophesy" (הַמִּֽתְנַבְּא֖וֹת, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "against·daughters·of" (אֶל־בְּנ֣וֹת), "who·prophesy" (הַמִּֽתְנַבְּא֖וֹת), "from·their·heart" (מִֽלִּבְּהֶ֑ן). The root נבא appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "against·them" (root על, 272x in Ezekiel); "against·daughters·of" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel); "your·face" (root פנים, 150x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·their·heart', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 2 words. Full calculation: וְאַתָּ֣ה [and·you] (412) + בֶן־אָדָ֗ם [son·of·man] (97) + שִׂ֤ים [put] (350) + פָּנֶ֙יךָ֙ [your·face] (160) + אֶל־בְּנ֣וֹת [against·daughters·of] (489) + עַמְּךָ֔ [your·people] (130) + הַמִּֽתְנַבְּא֖וֹת [who·prophesy] (904) + מִֽלִּבְּהֶ֑ן [from·their·heart] (127) + וְהִנָּבֵ֖א [and·prophesy] (64) + עֲלֵיהֶֽן [against·them] (165) = 2898.
Radak
"And you." After He had told him to prophesy against the false prophets, He told him to prophesy against the false prophecies.
Those who prophesy from their own heart, and say that the Spirit of the Lord spoke through them, and foretell the future, saying, “This one will live, and this one will die; this one will receive such-and-such, for good or for evil,” and they perform acts of sorcery, claiming that this came to them through prophecy.
Metzudat David
Those who prophesy from their own heart—those who devise [words] from their own heart and speak them in prophecy:
and say: Thus says the Lord Hashem: Woe to the women that sew cushions upon all elbows, and make pads for the head of persons of every stature to hunt souls! Will you hunt the souls of My people, and save souls alive for yourselves?
verse value 9515
Insights
Verse structure: 22 words, 111 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "upon" (עַ֣ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·those·who·sew" (לִֽמְתַפְּר֨וֹת, 7 letters). 12 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "to·those·who·sew" (לִֽמְתַפְּר֨וֹת), "cushions" (כְּסָת֜וֹת), "all·elbows·of" (כׇּל־אַצִּילֵ֣י). The root נפש appears 3 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "and·you·shall·say" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "upon" (root על, 272x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root צוד ("to·hunt") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'souls', dividing the verse into phrases of 16 and 6 words.
Rashi
"Woe to those who sew pads." "Kotera" in the vernacular refers to small pouches that they sewed and hung on the wrists of those who consulted them, and they would divine for them using those pouches with false divination. For those whom they wished to favor, they would declare a favorable omen; for those they wished to disfavor, they would declare an unfavorable omen.
Elbows. In the vernacular: "Ishil."
“Elbows of hands.” This is akin to “elbows of hands” and like “the furrows of the field” (Hosea 11:7).
And they make the "maspichot." Upon the heads of men, they too cast spells with them. And I do not know what they are. From the fact that it is stated, “And I will tear them,” I say that they are made of cloth. And Jonathan rendered it in the Targum as “bread of the priests.” And so did he translate in the verse “spotted high places,” rendering “covering them” as “bread of the priests.”
The word "ha-mesafachot" (the appendages). It is akin to "sefacheni na" (1 Samuel 2:36), meaning "attach me, I pray." In the vernacular, it is called "lisagmenetz," and some gloss it as "platrayesh."
"To ensnare souls." In them, the souls are ensnared for Gehinnom, for they strengthen the hands of the wicked to divine peace for them, and they weaken the hands of the righteous to divine evil for them.
"The souls shall be hunted, etc." This is a matter of wonder:
"And the souls shall live for you." "For you" is like "to you," meaning that you receive reward for this and sustain yourselves through it.
Radak
And you shall say, "Woe to those who sew pillows." A "keset" is a pillow that one places under the head when a person lies down, and at times a person sits upon it. These women performed this matter through sorcery; they would sew pillows for all the joints of the hand of those who inquired of them, and they would prepare "attachments" upon the head of every "standing figure" who inquired of them. They would tell them that through those deeds and words that they were uttering, they would inform them of the future. And the reason it says "standing figure" is that they would cause them to stand on their feet while they were performing the act.
“Joints of the hand.” Just as “hands” is plural, so too “and they weave the holes” is like “holes,” and “and he made for him windows” is like “windows.” And “elbows” refers to the armpits, as it is written, “on all the elbows of his hands,” and the elbow is the armpit, as our Sages of blessed memory said in the Mishnah: “in his mouth and in his elbow.”
The word *maspichot* is akin to *metafachot*, and they are the veils with which women cover their faces.
To hunt down souls. For the souls of the righteous, the innocent, are as if caught in your snares — for you say concerning them that they shall die, even though these righteous ones do not inquire of you, knowing that it is a sin; yet even so, they are frightened by your words and suppose that you know the future. But to the wicked, who cling to you, inquire of you, and give you their reward, you say that their souls shall live and that good shall come to them.
“Shall the souls hunt My people?” The letter heh is used as an interrogative, similar to [the usage in] “Can My ways be unknown?” (Isaiah 40:27). And do you think that souls will hunt for My people, whereas they are the innocent ones?
“And the souls shall live for you.” The souls that are yours — namely the souls of the wicked — shall live for them, as if the souls hung on your words, to kill and to give life. And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated: “The souls of My people you have the power to destroy and to sustain; but your own souls, which are yours, you do not have the power to sustain.” And there are those who explain, “And the souls shall live for you,” as a reward for what they took through their deeds.
Metzudat David
Woe to those who make amulets. One should complain about those who make amulets, etc. This was their custom: they would sew small amulets and hang them on the wrists of those who inquired of them. With those amulets, they would practice divination; to those whom they desired, they would proclaim a favorable omen, and to those whom they did not desire, they would proclaim an unfavorable omen.
"Concerning all..." – concerning those who are asked:
"And they make charms." They made things like amulets to cast spells, to place them on the head of every "qumah." That is to say, on the head of every person who came to inquire about their spells. (The verse says "the person" [ha-adam] is a "qumah," because he alone walks upright in a standing posture, unlike the rest of living creatures.)
To ensnare souls. That is to say, to deceive them into bringing upon themselves guilt and transgression by believing in sorcery.
“The souls.” And is it fitting to entice the souls of the people to cause them to sin with the sin of sorcery, and thereby to sustain your own soul, to take a wage for this in order to make a living from it? And is it proper that for the sake of the wage you would cause people to sin?
Metzudat Zion
For those who are sewing. The word is derived from the root "sewing":
Kisot: [These are] like cushions made for the mattress of the bed. And our Sages of blessed memory said: “He came to cover [the bed] with cushions and kisot” (Sukkah 3a).
"Armpits." They are the armpits, beneath the arms; and likewise, "beneath the armpits of your hands" (Jeremiah 31:9).
Yad. Like yadayim, and the final mem has fallen away; similarly, "and He tore for him the windows" (ibid. 22:14)
The word "maspichot" is akin to "mitpachot" (veils), which are a type of scarf, as in the verse "and the veils and the purses" (Isaiah 3:20). Since they cling and adhere to the head, the term "maspichot" is derived from the root of "sefacheni na" (1 Samuel 2:36).
To hunt/trap. From the words *tzidya* and *likhida*:
To you. Yours:
Malbim
“Woe to those who sew pads” — for just as in holiness one places tefillin on the hand opposite the heart, to subjugate the desires and thoughts of the heart to the Lord, and places them on the head opposite the brain, to subjugate the power of intellect and thought to Him, blessed be He; so too the sorceress-women would sew pads on the joints of the arm in place of the hand-tefillin, and they practiced divination, meaning that they would hunt there the living souls of the people and the power of their hearts, so that they would be held captive under their authority, to follow after lewdness and every evil desire. And they made bonnets on the head of every stature, to hunt there the powers of thought, so that the people would turn to false thoughts, to deny the Lord and His Torah. Regarding the first [practice], it says, “Can you hunt down lives among My people?”—as if to say, will it be within your power to hunt the souls of My people under your authority? And through this, the souls belonging to them shall be kept alive for you as food and sustenance. And regarding the second [practice], by which they turned their thoughts to heresy and denial, it says, “And they shall profane Me to My people”—that you shall bring forth the holiness of My Name into profanity, that you shall cause the desecration of My Name. And this you shall do because of the handfuls of barley and the morsels of bread that they shall give you, to kill souls with the death of the soul, and thereby to keep alive your own souls; or that you shall prophesy concerning the souls of the righteous that they shall die, and concerning the wicked that they shall live, by deceiving My people with words of falsehood and false beliefs, and they shall listen to falsehood and accept your words of deceit.
And you have profaned Me among My people for handfuls of barley and for crumbs of bread, to slay the souls that should not die, and to save the souls alive that should not live, by your lying to My people that hearken to lies.
verse value 8860
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 95 letters. The shortest word is "me" (אֹתִ֜י, 3 letters) and the longest is "not·shall·die" (לֹֽא־תְמוּתֶ֔נָה, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 836: souls, souls. 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "and·you·profaned" (וַתְּחַלֶּלְ֨נָה), "to·my·people" (אֶל־עַמִּ֗י), "for·handfuls·of" (בְּשַׁעֲלֵ֣י). The root מות appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel); "to·my·people" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel); "and·you·profaned" (root חלל, 67x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'not·shall·live', dividing the verse into phrases of 15 and 4 words.
Rashi
“For handfuls of barley.” Just as it says, “Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand?” (Isaiah 40:12), [where the word] “in His hand” is rendered in the vernacular as *ungialonia*; another interpretation: it is a term denoting a measure.
"And morsels of bread." This refers to "Iantsa" in the vernacular, which are the portions that you take as your wages.
"To kill souls that shall not die." This means: to say of souls that shall not die, "These shall die," and to say of those that shall not live, "They shall live," for your divinations are false, and My people accept the deceptive omens of your divination.
Radak
“And they profaned Me among My people.” The word “el” (to/among) here functions like “be” (in), and likewise “ve’el ha’aron” (and to the ark) is like “ba’aron” (in the ark). And the profanation is that they remove their trust from Me and place their trust in your words, which are like a lie.
“With barley in their hands and morsels of bread.” The reward for their deeds, which they inquire about, is given to them: a handful of barley or a piece of bread. And there are those who explain that the barley and the bread were placed inside the cushions, and with them they performed the deed.
"To kill souls that shall not die." These are the souls of the righteous.
“And to give life to souls that they shall not give life to.” These are the souls of the wicked, for because of these matters they shall not be given life, nor shall they die; but you deceive them, saying to those who are of My people: “Hearers of falsehood.”
“By your lying.” The zayin is spelled with a segol.
Metzudat David
"And they shall profane Me." You are profaning Me before My people, to remove from their hearts trust in the Lord and to turn to sorcery; and this you shall do in return for a handful of barley and pieces of bread.
To cause the death of souls. To practice false divination, to judge death upon souls that in truth shall not die, and to judge life upon souls that in truth shall not live; and it shall not be, therefore, as your words say.
"By your lying" – this means: These words you shall speak and judge at the time when you lie to My people, who hear falsehood and believe it.
Metzudat Zion
And they profaned. The word is from the root "chull" (profanation) and disgrace.
“With a handful.” So is the fist called a handful, and so too: “Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand?” (Isaiah 40:12).
And in breaking. The matter is of pieces and breaking, as it is stated: “He shall break it into pieces” (Leviticus 2:6).
Wherefore thus says the Lord Hashem: Behold, I am against your cushions, wherewith you hunt the souls as birds, and I will tear them from your arms; and I will let the souls go, even the souls that you hunt as birds.
verse value 12582
Insights
Verse structure: 23 words, 118 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 12582 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "there" (שָׁ֤ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "against·your·cushions" (אֶל־כִּסְּתוֹתֵיכֶ֙נָה֙, 11 letters). Words sharing gematria 1242: the·souls, the·souls. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "against·your·cushions" (אֶל־כִּסְּתוֹתֵיכֶ֙נָה֙), "you" (אַ֠תֵּ֠נָה), "to·fly" (לְפֹ֣רְח֔וֹת). The root נפש appears 3 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "thus·says" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "that" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·arms', dividing the verse into phrases of 16 and 7 words.
Rashi
"לפורחות" – to be flying by means of your hands into Gehinnom.
"And I will send out the souls." As its Targum [reads]: "And I will rescue the souls whom you have ensnared, [causing] their souls to be destroyed."
"Nefashim" — [meaning] people; [called souls] because the souls are made to fly away:
Radak
Therefore, “Behold, I am against your cushions.” Similar to “Behold, I am against you,” which is explained [elsewhere]; and the samekh in “your cushions” is marked with a dagesh for euphony in reading, like the qof in “the Sanctuary of the Lord.”
“Le’porachot” [to be flying ones] – to become flying [souls], because of your words in which you said that they would die.
“And I will tear them from your arms.” These are the “joints of the hands”, which He mentioned and said, “your arms.” If they were on the arms of those who inquired of them, they were as if they were their arms, for they performed the action through them. And there are those who say that these cushions were hanging on the arms of the sorceresses.
"And I will send out the souls." I will send them forth free from your hands, which you have ensnared them with.
"nefesh" (souls). It occurs in a collected [plural] form in the masculine gender, like "pilegesh" (concubines):
Metzudat David
"Behold, I will turn to the cushions of yours, with which you entice souls to cause men to sin, to bring out and to scatter their souls from them."
"And I will tear." For I will tear them off from the arms upon which you have placed them—those cushions—meaning that Jerusalem will be destroyed and all the schemes and falsehoods will be nullified, as if they were torn off from the arms and became as though they had never existed.
“And I will send out.” Then I will send forth freely the souls that you are hunting; that is to say, then you will no longer be able to deceive and cause to err.
“Souls to be set free.” This is stated to add an explanation: the souls that are seized in your hands, to release them and set them free from the body, so that they may be lost due to their sins—those I will send away in freedom.
Metzudat Zion
There. This means: in them.
"לפורחות" – from the root meaning to fly and to flutter.
And I will send forth. Thus it is said concerning something that is abandoned to its own will; and likewise, "a scattered nest" (Isaiah 16:2).
Malbim
Therefore, thus says the Lord concerning the cushions: Behold, I will be against your cushions, etc., and I will send forth the souls which you have ensnared—namely, the souls. This means that you have ensnared souls by means of souls; that is to say, by the permission of the forces of impurity, which are called "souls," namely the demons and harmful spirits that fly through the air.
Your pads also will I tear, and deliver My people out of your hand, and they shall be no more in your hand to be hunted; and you shall know that I am Hashem.
verse value 4097
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 68 letters. Notable word values: "in·your·hand" (בְּיֶדְכֶ֖ן) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "anymore" (ע֛וֹד, 3 letters) and the longest is "your·pads" (אֶת־מִסְפְּחֹֽתֵיכֶ֗ם, 10 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "your·pads" (אֶת־מִסְפְּחֹֽתֵיכֶ֗ם), "in·your·hand" (בְּיֶדְכֶ֖ן), "for·prey" (לִמְצוּדָ֑ה). The root יד appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "and·not·they·shall·be" (root היה, 335x in Ezekiel); "that·I" (root אני, 166x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'for·prey', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְקָרַעְתִּ֞י [and·I·will·tear] (786) + אֶת־מִסְפְּחֹֽתֵיכֶ֗ם [your·pads] (1059) + וְהִצַּלְתִּ֤י [and·I·will·deliver] (541) + אֶת־עַמִּי֙ [my·people] (521) + מִיֶּדְכֶ֔ן [from·your·hand] (124) + וְלֹא־יִהְי֥וּ [and·not·they·shall·be] (68) + ע֛וֹד [anymore] (80) + בְּיֶדְכֶ֖ן [in·your·hand] (86) + לִמְצוּדָ֑ה [for·prey] (175) + וִידַעְתֶּ֖ן [and·you·will·know] (540) + כִּֽי־אֲנִ֥י [that·I] (91) + יְהֹוָֽה [Hashem] (26) = 4097.
Radak
“And I will tear your kerchiefs.” Likewise, “I will tear your kerchiefs,” which you used to place upon the head of every stature; and the tearing of the cushions and the kerchiefs signifies the destruction and death of the sorceress women. And once they are abolished, their deeds will be abolished.
Metzudat David
"And I will tear..." This means that even the remedy of the veils will be nullified, as if I had torn them and they were as if they never existed.
"And I will save..." — so that they not be ensnared in your hands, to lead them astray through the sin of sorcery. And to add further clarification, it says, "and they shall no longer be in your hands," meaning to be hunted down.
"For I am the Lord." That everything is in My hand.
Metzudat Zion
As prey. The word is derived from the root meaning "to capture" and "to seize."
Malbim
"And I will tear, and against the patches of the head I will tear your patches, and I will save My people so that you not mislead them with false beliefs, and you shall know that I am the Lord, and you shall recognize My divinity."
Because with lies you have cowed the heart of the righteous, when I have not grieved him; and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, that he be saved alive;
verse value 4469
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 63 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "not·to·return" (לְבִלְתִּי־שׁ֛וּב, 8 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "you·have·grieved" (הַכְא֤וֹת), "inner man·just" (לֵב־צַדִּיק֙), "lie" (שֶׁ֔קֶר). 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 213x in Ezekiel); "and·I" (root אני, 166x in Ezekiel); "from·his·way" (root דרך, 105x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'I·grieved·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 7 words. Full calculation: יַ֣עַן [because] (130) + הַכְא֤וֹת [you·have·grieved] (432) + לֵב־צַדִּיק֙ [inner man·just] (236) + שֶׁ֔קֶר [lie] (600) + וַאֲנִ֖י [and·I] (67) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + הִכְאַבְתִּ֑יו [I·grieved·him] (444) + וּלְחַזֵּק֙ [and·to·repair] (151) + יְדֵ֣י [hand] (24) + רָשָׁ֔ע [wicked] (570) + לְבִלְתִּי־שׁ֛וּב [not·to·return] (780) + מִדַּרְכּ֥וֹ [from·his·way] (270) + הָרָ֖ע [the·evil] (275) + לְהַחֲיֹתֽוֹ [to·save·him·alive] (459) = 4469.
Rashi
"Because the heart of the righteous is stricken with falsehood": When they prophesy evil to him, he is distressed, and his heart is pained.
Radak
“Because the heart of the righteous is struck by falsehood, and I did not strike him.” The righteous one was frightened by their words, as we have explained, and they were causing him pain in My name, falsely, for I did not speak to them.
"To strengthen the hand of the wicked." Similarly, they used to say to him, "May he live."
The blows. The matter of pain is like [the verse] “and the broken-hearted.”
From his evil way. Similarly, one finds at times that the word "way" is in the masculine form, like this: "This is the way, go in it."
Metzudat David
"Because." Because they broke the heart of the righteous man, causing him sorrow, by the false words they said to him, "You shall surely die."
"And I." But I did not break his heart, for I did not decree death upon him.
And to strengthen. They were engaged in strengthening the hands of the wicked, assuring him of peace; and this was a cause for him not to return from his evil way to attain life through repentance. And thus they did evil both to the righteous and to the wicked.
Metzudat Zion
The word "hikkot" (striking). The meaning is "breaking," as in the verse "and the brokenhearted" (Psalms 109:16).
"I made him suffer." The word is derived from the term for pain and illness.
Malbim
“Because, besides this, because you have pierced the heart of the righteous with falsehood, by frightening him with your sorceries, causing evil to befall him, even though I have not afflicted him; and you have strengthened the hand of the wicked, by prophesying good things for him.”
therefore you shall no more see vanity, nor divine divinations; and I will deliver My people out of your hand; and you shall know that I am Hashem.’
verse value 3733
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 60 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָֽה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "not·divine" (לֹא־תִקְסַ֣מְנָה, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "you·will·see" (תֶחֱזֶ֔ינָה), "not·divine" (לֹא־תִקְסַ֣מְנָה). The root קסם appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "not" (root לא, 213x in Ezekiel); "that·I" (root אני, 166x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'anymore', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 6 words. Full calculation: לָכֵ֗ן [therefore] (100) + שָׁ֚וְא [emptiness] (307) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + תֶחֱזֶ֔ינָה [you·will·see] (480) + וְקֶ֖סֶם [and·divination] (206) + לֹא־תִקְסַ֣מְנָה [not·divine] (686) + ע֑וֹד [anymore] (80) + וְהִצַּלְתִּ֤י [and·I·will·deliver] (541) + אֶת־עַמִּי֙ [my·people] (521) + מִיֶּדְכֶ֔ן [from·your·hand] (124) + וִידַעְתֶּ֖ן [and·you·will·know] (540) + כִּֽי־אֲנִ֥י [that·I] (91) + יְהֹוָֽה [Hashem] (26) = 3733.
Radak
“Therefore... vanity [shav].” This is self-explanatory. And there are those who explain this matter in the context of consulting the dead, whereby women who were mediums of the *ov* would raise the souls of the dead through their words. They explain the term “flying” (porachot) with reference to those souls, which they say were raised from their graves and flew through the air.
Metzudat David
"לא תחזינה" – They shall no longer prophesy falsehood.
And a soothsayer, etc. This is dependent upon "vanity," to say: "And a soothsayer of vanity you shall not soothsay."
"And I will deliver them, etc." — so that they not be captured in your hands.
"For I am the Lord." That everything is in My hand.
Malbim
Therefore, you will not see falsehood, for it has consumed you:
Radak