The idolatrous elders answered: though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in a doomed land they would save but their own souls — yet a remnant shall come forth.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
Then came certain of the elders of Israel to me, and sat before me.
verse value 1709
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 32 letters. The shortest word is "to·me" (אֵלַי֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·he·came" (וַיָּב֤וֹא, 5 letters). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·me" (root אל, 204x in Ezekiel); "and·he·came" (root בוא, 175x in Ezekiel); "Israel" (root ישראל, 154x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיָּב֤וֹא [and·he·came] (25) + אֵלַי֙ [to·me] (41) + אֲנָשִׁ֔ים [man] (401) + מִזִּקְנֵ֖י [from·the·elders·of] (207) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל [Israel] (541) + וַיֵּשְׁב֖וּ [and·sat] (324) + לְפָנָֽי [to·my·face] (170) = 1709.
Rashi
“And men came to me.” They all came with one heart for evil; therefore it is stated “came” (singular). And the aggadic midrash says: It is called “came” because the Holy One, blessed be He, first revealed to the prophet’s ear, saying, “Behold, so-and-so and so-and-so will come to you.”
Radak
“And men came to me from the elders of Israel and sat before me.” The prophet said: After this prophecy concluded, men from the elders of the exile came to me and sat before me, as they were presenting themselves as coming to inquire of God, and God revealed to me their hearts. And it says “came” in the singular form regarding a plural group, to inform us that they all came for this purpose with one agreement and with one heart.
Metzudat David
And he came to me. He came to me, a group of men from the elders of Israel:
"And they sat before" – they lingered before.
Malbim
"And there came to me certain men of the elders of Israel" – there is a distinction between the elders of Judah, who sat before him [above, chapter 8], who were righteous, and the elders of Israel, who were wicked.
’Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their mind, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face; should I be inquired of at all by them?
verse value 3378
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 65 letters. The shortest word is "before" (נֹ֣כַח, 3 letters) and the longest is "their·idols" (גִלּֽוּלֵיהֶם֙, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "they·brought·up" (הֶעֱל֤וּ), "upon·their·heart" (עַל־לִבָּ֔ם), "at·all" (הַאִדָּרֹ֥שׁ). The root דרש appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "upon·their·heart" (root על, 272x in Ezekiel); "they·gave" (root נתן, 207x in Ezekiel); "to·them" (root הם, 166x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root נכח ("before") in Ezekiel. First appearance of the root דרש ("at·all") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'their·faces', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 3 words. Full calculation: בֶּן־אָדָ֗ם [son·of·man] (97) + הָאֲנָשִׁ֤ים [man] (406) + הָאֵ֙לֶּה֙ [these] (41) + הֶעֱל֤וּ [they·brought·up] (111) + גִלּֽוּלֵיהֶם֙ [their·idols] (124) + עַל־לִבָּ֔ם [upon·their·heart] (172) + וּמִכְשׁ֣וֹל [and·stumbling·block·of] (402) + עֲוֺנָ֔ם [their·iniquity] (166) + נָתְנ֖וּ [they·gave] (506) + נֹ֣כַח [before] (78) + פְּנֵיהֶ֑ם [their·faces] (185) + הַאִדָּרֹ֥שׁ [at·all] (510) + אִדָּרֵ֖שׁ [I·will·be·resorted·to] (505) + לָהֶֽם [to·them] (75) = 3378.
Rashi
They set their idols upon their heart. Their heart [was set] upon their idols to worship them.
They placed them before their faces. To have idols always as a terror and as a god:
"The inquiry I shall inquire." A warning, for I shall interrogate them and respond to their words with many perplexities that are fulfilled.
Radak
“Son of man, shall I indeed be inquired of by them.” The aleph is with a hireq in the first syllable; its root is with a holam, and the aleph takes the place of a he, for it is burdensome on the tongue to pronounce two he’s together. It is with a holam, on the pattern of “you shall give” (titten). And He said, “And shall I inquire of them?” After their heart has gone after their idols, I will not inquire. And the acceptance of the inquiry is to grant their request.
Metzudat David
"They brought up, etc." This means that they brought up the thoughts of their hearts toward idolatry, and they placed the stumbling block of the sin of idolatry before their faces, as if to say: not only in thought, but they also acted in deed.
Shall I be inquired of? And is it fitting that I should be asked by them to fulfill their requests, with a tone of astonishment?
Metzudat Zion
Nochach. "Before," as in "before his wife" (Genesis 25:21).
Malbim
"These men have set their idols upon their heart" means that the service of idolatry is not for them merely a matter of action, but rather it is engraved in the imagination of their heart, for they believe in and cling to them with all their heart. And "they placed the stumbling block of their sin before their faces," meaning that even regarding the sins they actually commit, it is not only that they sin, but they also place before their faces the stumbling block that causes them to stumble into sin and brings it about, to the extent that they strive to always find the cause that leads them to sin. And since they are so attached to sins, both in thought and in deed, "shall I indeed respond to their inquiry," meaning that after they have become apostates in actual transgression and are heretics by virtue of their thoughts concerning idolatry, there is no longer any hope that they will return.
Therefore speak to them, and say to them: Thus says the Lord Hashem: Every man of the house of Israel that sets up his idols in his mind, and puts the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and comes to the prophet—I Hashem will answer him that comes according to the multitude of his idols;
verse value 6867
Insights
Verse structure: 30 words, 127 letters. Notable word values: "to·them" (אֲלֵיהֶ֜ם) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "to·him" (ל֦וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "his·idols" (אֶת־גִּלּוּלָ֜יו, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 311: man, man. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "speak·to·them" (דַּבֵּר־א֠וֹתָ֠ם), "his·idols" (אֶת־גִּלּוּלָ֜יו), "I·am·afflicted" (נַעֲנֵ֧יתִי). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 24 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "and·you·shall·say" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "that" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root ענה ("I·am·afflicted") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·the·prophet', dividing the verse into phrases of 22 and 8 words.
Rashi
I am answered to him. "Sui respondus" (I am answered) in the vernacular [Old French], even though he comes before Me with many of his idols, so too does the Targum render it.
Radak
Therefore, speak with them. "With them" is like "with you":
I answered him in it with the multitude of his idols. And I answered him, but I did not let Myself be inquired of by him; yet I will answer him and reply to his words in order to reveal the secret of his heart, but I will not let Myself be inquired of by him to grant his request and fulfill his petition. "And I answered him" and "and he was answered" require explanation according to their grammatical construction and according to their meaning, for "I answered" and "he was answered" are from the Nifal conjugation, and God is the active agent in answering the one who cries out to Him, as it says, "Answer me, O Lord, answer me," and "He who answers with fire, He is God." And the person who cries out is the one who is answered, as it says, "Behold, I cry out of violence, but there is no answer." Now, since God is the One who answers, and man is the one who is answered, how can it be said concerning God, blessed be He, "I answered" and "he was answered"? We say that the meaning is that the language of "answering" has two aspects: one is the beginning of speech, as in "And Job answered" and "You shall answer and say"; and the second is the language of replying to speech, which is found in most cases. When it says that the Holy One, blessed be He, is the One who answers, it is so for the one who calls and cries out; and when it says concerning Him "I answered" and "he was answered," it means that He is the one who is answered by the One who answers him, and He is the one who calls and cries out.
B. It is written with a he and read with an aleph, for the letters aleph, he, vav, and yod are interchangeable. Its meaning is: "Because he comes with a multitude of his idols, I will answer him," in order to reveal the hidden thoughts of his heart. And this is what is stated immediately afterward:
Metzudat David
"Speak to them." Speak with them:
And he came to the prophet: to inquire from him a matter of the Lord.
I answered him. I will take it upon Myself to give him the answer that is due to him, even though he came to inquire with thoughts of his many idols:
Metzudat Zion
"I answered." The term "answering" is akin to the phrase "And from the Lord comes an answer" (Proverbs 16:1), and its meaning is that I will accept his answer. A similar expression is "And He will be entreated by them" (Isaiah 19:22), which means that He will accept their supplication.
Malbim
"Therefore, speak: any man..." — I, the Lord, answered him. That is to say, he does not come to the prophet in order to inquire and to know the truth; rather, he wishes to make of it a business and a matter of concern. Since he comes with his many idols, he does not come with the intention of abandoning his idols. On the contrary, by virtue of his multitude of idols, he comes to the prophet to dispute with him and to refute his words.
that I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all turned away from Me through their idols.
verse value 3528
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 43 letters. Verse gematria: 3528 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "take·hold·of" (תְּפֹ֥שׂ, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·house·of·Israel" (אֶת־בֵּֽית־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל, 10 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "take·hold·of" (תְּפֹ֥שׂ), "in·their·heart" (בְּלִבָּ֑ם), "they·were·consecrationed" (נָזֹ֙רוּ֙). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "because" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel); "from·Me" (root על, 272x in Ezekiel); "the·house·of·Israel" (root בית, 159x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·their·heart', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 5 words. Full calculation: לְמַ֛עַן [so·that] (190) + תְּפֹ֥שׂ [take·hold·of] (780) + אֶת־בֵּֽית־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל [the·house·of·Israel] (1354) + בְּלִבָּ֑ם [in·their·heart] (74) + אֲשֶׁ֤ר [because] (501) + נָזֹ֙רוּ֙ [they·were·consecrationed] (263) + מֵֽעָלַ֔י [from·Me] (150) + בְּגִלּוּלֵיהֶ֖ם [through·their·idols] (126) + כֻּלָּֽם [all·of·them] (90) = 3528.
Rashi
"To take hold of the house of Israel, etc." – In order to bring the house of Israel close, so as to provide them with repentance in their hearts.
“Nazoru.” Like “his brother the Nazirite” (Genesis 49:26). In the vernacular, it is called “Purint” or “Ashiberitz.”
Radak
"In order that You may seize the House of Israel by their hearts." This teaches that they cover their hearts from Me, and I will seize them by their hearts, so that I may reveal to them the idols of their hearts and their evil thoughts. And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated: "I, the Lord, have answered him in it, in the multitude of his idols." I, the Lord, am asked by him through My word: "He who comes to seek instruction from before Me, even though he mixes in many idolatrous practices." And he translated "in order that You may seize" as "in order to draw near," to bring the House of Israel to receive refutation in their hearts, for they turned after idolatrous practices and became entrenched in the worship of their error. And our Sages of blessed memory explained "in order that You may seize the House of Israel by their hearts": For with regard to idolaters, the Holy One, blessed be He, joins their evil thought to the deed. For they did not worship idols after they went into exile; rather, because they were still thinking about them, He considered it as if they had worshipped them.
“Nazoru.” Is it possible that the nun is part of the root, and it would be from the light root, of the pa'ul pattern, and it would mean “they will not be able” from the context of “they shall not be able to approach the holy things of the children of Israel”? Or is it from the nifal construction from the root zayin-resh, from the context of “stranger”?
Metzudat David
“Lema’an tafosh” – This means that I will not answer to fully satisfy his question, but rather in order to grasp them in their hearts, to draw them near to Me, since they have all turned away from Me in their thoughts concerning their idols. For when they see that I accept their response and answer them, they will know that there is a God in Israel.
Metzudat Zion
Tefos. The matter of grasping:
"Let them be separated." The meaning of the passage is like "Let them be separated backward" (ibid. 1:1):
Malbim
So that they might seize hold of the hearts of the House of Israel, for until now the House of Israel had already been estranged from Me through all their idols, through the making of idols; and these elders wished to seize them even in their hearts, so that even in their thoughts they would distance themselves from the Lord. And through this they came to the prophet to argue with him. And it can be said that among these elders there were false prophets themselves, who came to hear the word of the prophet and to twist it according to their desire, as it is stated (Jeremiah 23:30): "Stealing each other's words."
Therefore say to the house of Israel: Thus says the Lord Hashem: Return you, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations.
verse value 4271
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 73 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 "all·your·abominations" (כׇּל־תּוֹעֲבֹתֵיכֶ֖ם, 10 letters). Words sharing gematria 241: say, said. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "and·from" (וּמֵעַ֥ל), "all·your·abominations" (כׇּל־תּוֹעֲבֹתֵיכֶ֖ם), "your·face" (פְנֵיכֶֽם). The root שוב appears 3 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "say" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "from" (root על, 272x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·fetishes', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 4 words.
Rashi
“Return.” From your ways:
"And turn back." Your heart:
“From your idols.” Which you have brought up into your heart:
“Turn your faces.” That which you have placed as a stumbling block of your iniquities before them.
Radak
Therefore, return and restore. To the elders of Israel it says: Return and restore your wives and your young men.
“Turn your faces.” [This means] that the idols should not be before your faces, as they were.
Metzudat David
“Return.” You yourselves:
And turn back: “Your wives and your sons.”
“Turn away your faces,” so that you will not gaze at them; and as if to say: “If so, let them do it, and then I will respond to their plea and fulfill it.”
Malbim
Therefore, He said to the House of Israel: After He had responded to the elders, He commanded him with a prophecy and a warning to the House of Israel: “Return yourselves, and turn others away from your idols—which is idolatry—and from all your abominations, the additional abominations that you commit in your actions.”
For every one of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, that separates himself from Me, and takes his idols into his heart, and puts the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and comes to the prophet, that he inquire for him of Me—I Hashem will answer him by Myself,
verse value 6082
Insights
Verse structure: 26 words, 114 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּי֩, 2 letters) and the longest is "that·sojourns" (אֲשֶׁר־יָג֣וּר, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 311: man, man. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "and·from·the·sojourner" (וּמֵהַגֵּר֮), "that·sojourns" (אֲשֶׁר־יָג֣וּר), "and·will·be·dedicated" (וְיִנָּזֵ֣ר). The root איש appears 2 times in this verse. 22 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "that·sojourns" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel); "into·his·heart" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root גר ("and·from·the·sojourner") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·face', dividing the verse into phrases of 18 and 8 words.
Rashi
He answered him: "By Me." When he inquires of Him through My word, I will respond to him.
Radak
"For a man, and a stranger who sojourns among Israel." The mention of converts appears to be that they returned from the Chaldeans to the knowledge of Israel when Israel was exiled among them, for they saw that the God of Israel was among them, a true God, and that He had brought upon them all that He had spoken concerning their abandonment of His Torah.
And he came to the prophet to inquire of him for me. To inquire of the prophet on my behalf, so that I would grant his request.
"I am the Lord" – I will answer him through Me. "I am the Lord" – I will answer him for the sake of My Name, in order that I may reveal to him the hidden evil of his heart. But I will not grant him what he asked for; rather, I will give him the opposite of his request, for I will turn My face against him.
Metzudat David
To expound to him through Me: To expound the prophet through My words:
I will answer him, through Me: “I will accept the response that is due to be given to Him, for the sake of His honor.”
Metzudat Zion
I will answer. I will accept the answer:
Malbim
For when a man comes to the prophet to inquire of Me, meaning that the prophet should inquire of Me to know the future for his sake, I, the Lord, answer him through Me, meaning that it appears to him that he is answered through Me, that he occupies himself with Me and creates for himself a matter to know the future through this, not to listen to My words and return from his sins, for the image of his idols is still upon his heart.
and I will set My face against that man, and will make him a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of My people; and you shall know that I am Hashem.
verse value 4881
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 64 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָֽה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "my·face" (פָנַ֜י, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·I·will·make·him" (וַהֲשִׂמֹתִ֙יהוּ֙, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "in·the·man" (בָּאִ֣ישׁ), "and·I·will·make·him" (וַהֲשִׂמֹתִ֙יהוּ֙), "and·to·proverbs" (וְלִמְשָׁלִ֔ים). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "and·I·will·give" (root נתן, 207x in Ezekiel); "that·I" (root אני, 166x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root כרת ("and·I·will·cut·him·off") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'My·people', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְנָתַתִּ֨י [and·I·will·give] (866) + פָנַ֜י [my·face] (140) + בָּאִ֣ישׁ [in·the·man] (313) + הַה֗וּא [that] (17) + וַהֲשִׂמֹתִ֙יהוּ֙ [and·I·will·make·him] (772) + לְא֣וֹת [to·sign] (437) + וְלִמְשָׁלִ֔ים [and·to·proverbs] (456) + וְהִכְרַתִּ֖יו [and·I·will·cut·him·off] (647) + מִתּ֣וֹךְ [from·midst·of] (466) + עַמִּ֑י [My·people] (120) + וִידַעְתֶּ֖ם [and·you·shall·know] (530) + כִּי־אֲנִ֥י [that·I] (91) + יְהֹוָֽה [Hashem] (26) = 4881.
Rashi
"And I will set My face against that man." Thereafter, if he does not heed the words of the prophet:
panim. mishaver: In the vernacular:
And I will make him desolate. The Targum of Jonathan renders it: And I will destroy him.
Radak
"And I will set My face." This is like a person who says, "I will turn away from all my other affairs and devote myself to this matter." Alternatively, it is in accordance with its Targumic translation, "And I will give My anger," similar to [the verse] "and her face was no longer for her" (I Samuel 1:18), [where the phrase] "I will appease His face" [is used].
"And I will make it a sign and a proverb." From the great evil that I will bring upon it, it will become a sign and a proverb, in the manner of the expression "we became a byword" among the nations.
Metzudat David
"And I will set My face." This means: Rather than to fulfill his request, on the contrary, I will set My face against that man, and I will deliver him to desolation, to serve as a warning to the rebellious sons, so that they will not be like him, seeking from God with the thought of idolatry in mind.
"And for a parable." From the desolation that will come upon it, they will take a parable to liken other desolations to it.
For I am the Lord. Faithful to repay reward:
Metzudat Zion
"Pani" (face). The matter of anger is like [the verse] "I will appease his face" (Genesis 32:21); see there that the anger is evident on a person's face.
And I will lay it waste. The term is derived from the word *shammon* (desolation).
Malbim
"And I will set My face against that man": I will direct My attention to punish him and make him a sign and a portent. In this generation, he himself will be a sign, so that people will see the afflictions upon him and he will serve as a sign to the rebellious. After his death, he will be a proverb, so that they will say that what happened to this wicked man will happen to the wicked. And subsequently, in future generations, "I will cut him off from among My people," and his name and memory will perish.
And when the prophet is enticed and speaks a word, I Hashem have enticed that prophet, and I will stretch out My hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of My people Israel.
verse value 5414
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 77 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "a·word" (דָּבָ֔ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·I·will·destroy·him" (וְהִ֨שְׁמַדְתִּ֔יו, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "and·the·prophet" (וְהַנָּבִ֤יא), "when·he·is·enticed" (כִֽי־יְפֻתֶּה֙), "I·have·enticed" (פִּתֵּ֔יתִי). The root נביא appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "upon·him" (root על, 272x in Ezekiel); "I" (root אני, 166x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root שמד ("and·I·will·destroy·him") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'that', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 7 words.
Rashi
"And when the prophet is deceived and speaks a word" — that is, a word that is not true.
"Pittiti" (I enticed). I opened for him an opening to whichever place he desires; and from here one may say: if one comes to become impure, we open for him.
Radak
“And the prophet, when he seduces.” He said: And thus shall be the punishment of the prophet when he seduces. This matter is analogous to the case of “Who shall seduce Ahab?” (1 Kings 22:20), which is an allusion to the spirit of desire. For that false prophet was liable to death for his words, because he would perform them in secret, as we saw in the case of Achav ben Koliah and Zedekiah ben Maaseiah, who were committing adultery with the wives of their fellows, and likewise they were performing other evil deeds in secret. And in order to expose them to people, God, blessed be He, brings ruin upon them through their own actions, and through those who transgress in secret in many matters. And one of them is this matter: the false prophets who were boasting of prophecy. And God stirred up their desires in this way, in order to reveal their falsehood and their rashness. And when the punishment comes upon them from God, blessed be He, people will vindicate the judgment against them. And this is what He said: “I, the Lord, seduced that prophet” (Ezekiel 14:9). And this is the meaning of “And God caused it to come to his hand” (Exodus 21:13). And so my master and father, of blessed memory, explained. And similar to this is “And I hardened Pharaoh’s heart” (Exodus 9:12). And Rabbi Saadia, of blessed memory, explained “seduced” as “I clarified and exposed him, that he is a seducer.”
Pititi. The taf has a tzere; it is the ayin (middle root letter) of the verb.
Metzudat David
"And the prophet, when he is seduced": The intended meaning is that he will be seduced from his heart, and he will speak his words from his soul, in order to answer the inquirer and fulfill his request.
"I." Like the word "ha'ani" [the I], with the letter heh of wonder omitted - and there are many similar examples. That is to say: Did I, the Lord, entice the prophet to speak falsehood? [asked] in astonishment - is not the choice free? And therefore I will stretch out My hand against him to strike him and destroy him from among My people, Israel.
Metzudat Zion
Yafatah. The word is from the root meaning seduction and incitement:
"And I will utterly destroy him." The meaning is destruction and annihilation.
Malbim
And when the prophet is seduced—meaning that his evil inclination or his companions seduce him to utter false prophecies—and he says, “The Lord seduced me,” implying that he was led to go forth on a mission to prophesy, then I will stretch out My hand against him to punish him.
And they shall bear their iniquity; the iniquity of the prophet shall be even as the iniquity of him that inquires;
verse value 1428
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 30 letters. The shortest word is "their·iniquity" (עֲוֺנָ֑ם, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·they·shall·bear" (וְנָשְׂא֖וּ, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 146: as·iniquity·of, as·iniquity·of. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "that·resorts·to" (הַדֹּרֵ֔שׁ). The root עון appears 3 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "it·will·be" (root היה, 335x in Ezekiel); "and·they·shall·bear" (root נשא, 76x in Ezekiel); "their·iniquity" (root עון, 44x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'their·iniquity', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 5 words. Full calculation: וְנָשְׂא֖וּ [and·they·shall·bear] (363) + עֲוֺנָ֑ם [their·iniquity] (166) + כַּעֲוֺן֙ [as·iniquity·of] (146) + הַדֹּרֵ֔שׁ [that·resorts·to] (509) + כַּעֲוֺ֥ן [as·iniquity·of] (146) + הַנָּבִ֖יא [the·prophet] (68) + יִהְיֶֽה [it·will·be] (30) = 1428.
Rashi
Like the guilt of one who comes to inquire [of a prophet] but does not learn [the truth], so is the guilt of the false prophet, so shall it be.
Radak
And [they] bore, as the sin of the inquirer is like the sin of the prophet. Just as [the sin] of the people is like [that] of the priest, [the sin] of the servant is like [that] of his master; and the inquirer is the one mentioned above who consults the true prophets, yet his heart is evil. And the Targum of Jonathan rendered it: "as the sin of the inquirer is like the debt of one who comes to learn but does not learn."
Metzudat David
“And they shall bear their iniquity.” They shall endure the retribution for their iniquity, one just as the other.
“Like the sin of the one who seeks [to interpret]—just as the reward for the sin of the one who seeks [to interpret] the matter of the Lord in the thought of idolatry is so, so too is the reward for the sin of the false prophet.”
Metzudat Zion
And they bore. The language of burden and load:
The iniquity of the inquirer is like the iniquity of the prophet. The phrase comes in the construct chain of two *kaf* letters of simile to indicate a complete similarity, and similarly, "like you, like Pharaoh" (ibid. 44).
Malbim
And they shall bear their iniquity; and with all this, even those who received his prophecy shall bear their iniquity. They have no defense that he misled them, for the sin of the inquirer will be like the sin of the prophet. They should not have inquired of false prophets. And this I will do so that the House of Israel shall no longer be led astray in matters of faith, and they shall not defile themselves through transgressions by means of false prophets. Therefore, I will punish the false prophets. And this alludes to Achav ben Kolai, whom the king of Babylon roasted in fire, and they became a sign and a proverb.
that the house of Israel may go no more astray from Me, neither defile themselves any more with all their transgressions; but that they may be My people, and I may be their God, says the Lord Hashem.’
verse value 3407
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 83 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִֽה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "anymore" (ע֤וֹד, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·all·their·transgressions" (בְּכׇל־פִּשְׁעֵיהֶ֑ם, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 80: anymore, anymore. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "not·go·astray" (לֹא־יִתְע֨וּ), "and·not·defile·themselves" (וְלֹא־יִטַּמְּא֥וּ), "in·all·their·transgressions" (בְּכׇל־פִּשְׁעֵיהֶ֑ם). The root עוד appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "and·be·to·Me" (root היה, 335x in Ezekiel); "my·lord" (root אדון, 222x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root תעה ("not·go·astray") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·all·their·transgressions', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 9 words.
Radak
For the sake of. It is explained:
Metzudat David
"Lest they go astray, etc." – When they see that I recompense [them].
"And they shall be to Me a people." Then they will be called "My people."
To God. To save them and to deliver them:
Metzudat Zion
"יתעו" - The word is derived from "תועה" (to stray), and its meaning is one who walks on a path that is not straight.
’Son of man, when a land sins against Me by trespassing grievously, and I stretch out My hand upon it, and break the staff of the bread thereof, and send famine upon it, and cut off from it man and beast;
verse value 4812
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 80 letters. The shortest word is "when" (כִּ֤י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·I·will·send·against·it" (וְהִשְׁלַחְתִּי־בָ֣הּ, 9 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "sins·against·Me" (תֶֽחֱטָא־לִי֙), "by·trespassing·grievously" (לִמְעׇל־מַ֔עַל), "and·I·will·send·against·it" (וְהִשְׁלַחְתִּי־בָ֣הּ). 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "on" (root על, 272x in Ezekiel); "land" (root ארץ, 176x in Ezekiel); "son·of·man" (root בין, 145x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'staff·bread', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 6 words.
Rashi
“Staff of bread.” A staff for bread:
Radak
"Son of man, when the land sins against Me by committing a trespass, a trespass." Not for every sin will I bring upon them the great punishment, but only when the sin is a trespass, a trespass, to deny Me and My power, so that they will say, "There is no justice and no Judge," like the men of Sodom and Gomorrah.
And I will stretch out My hand against it. [This refers to] mildew and rust; or, [it means] I will command the clouds and withhold rain from falling upon them.
"Man and beast." The beast [is mentioned] for the sake of man's punishment:
Metzudat David
"למעל מעל" – This means: If the sin is to cheat Me and to lie to Me.
“And I will incline.” Then I will raise My hand against her to strike her, and I will break for her the support of bread. And to add further explanation, it says, “And I will send famine upon her, and I will cut her off, for they shall die of hunger.”
Metzudat Zion
“Lema’al me’al.” The Targum translates: “He will speak a lie.”
"Staff of bread." Because bread supports and sustains the heart of humanity, it is described with the term "staff" in a metaphorical (borrowed) sense:
Malbim
“‘When the land transgresses against Me’ — behold, in the commentary of the Sifra, it enumerates four sequences of types of evils, and all of them are included in the four bad judgments enumerated here, in which all the evils of the world are encompassed. For the evils will either be from heaven, namely plague and famine, or they will come through creatures with desire, namely wild beasts, or through human beings who possess free choice, namely the sword. And if you examine carefully there [in the Sifra], you will see that in the first sequence it enumerates the offspring of plague, which are various diseases, and the offspring of the sword, ‘and you shall fall before your enemies’; and in the second sequence it enumerates the offspring of famine, ‘and your land shall not yield its produce’; and in the third sequence it enumerates wild beasts; and afterwards, in the fourth sequence, it enumerates again the sword, and afterwards plague, and afterwards famine. Thus, famine is the most severe of all the admonitions. And with this he begins here: ‘When the land transgresses against Me’ — ‘transgresses’ meaning when they commit a grave sin, which is when they walk with Him in keri four times. Then all the sequences of plagues will come upon them, until He hides His face from them and breaks for them the staff of bread, and sends upon them famine, as stated in the fourth sequence, in these words: ‘And I will break your staff of bread’ etc. And I will cut off from it man and beast, as stated in the fifth sequence: ‘And you shall eat the flesh of your sons,’ which is the greatest of all curses. (And although it has already been said, ‘All these things God may bring twice or thrice upon a man,’ yet in the fourth instance there is no remedy, as it is stated, ‘But for the fourth I will not revoke it.’)”
though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, says the Lord Hashem.
verse value 3724
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 68 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִֽה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "Noah" (נֹ֖חַ, 2 letters) and the longest is "man" (הָאֲנָשִׁ֤ים, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "Noah" (נֹ֖חַ). 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "and·they·shall·be" (root היה, 335x in Ezekiel); "my·lord" (root אדון, 222x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root דנאל ("Daniel") in Ezekiel. First appearance of the root דניאל ("Daniel") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·Job', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 7 words.
Rashi
Noah, Daniel, and Job. Because these three saw three worlds: Noah saw the world built, destroyed, and built again; Daniel saw the Temple—or himself—first as commander over all the commanders, then cast into the lion’s den, and finally restored to his greatness; and likewise Job saw himself settled, destroyed, and settled again. Therefore, they are brought as an example for the generation of Jehoiachin, who saw the Temple in its building, its destruction, and its second building. And so the Holy One, blessed be He, said to them: “I am showing you special favor. You, Jehoiachin and his exile, if you were to sin against Me, even one of the nations of the world, and I decreed upon them one of the four judgments—famine, wild beast, sword, or pestilence—as they are arranged in this passage one after the other—these three righteous men within it would not save either son or daughter. But I will bring all four upon Jerusalem, and I will leave for you from your sons those who are there. And even though you are not among them, and not that they are worthy of salvation, but to comfort you when they are exiled to you, and you will see their evil deeds, and you will be comforted regarding the evil that I have brought upon them, for you will see that they were not worthy to endure them any longer.”
(Here is the course of the order of this entire passage. This wording cannot be resolved, and it appears that it is not the language of the Rav. Furthermore, it appears that in this book one of the four judgments is missing: “from then until then”; another text reads: “from ‘or’ until ‘or’.”)
Another explanation: “When a land sins against Me, etc., and these three men were within it—Noah, Daniel, and Job.” Because the Holy One, blessed be He, saved these three men from these three (or: from the four) judgments, Scripture mentions these three. Noah escaped from three of them. From the wild beast: From where do you say this? At the time he entered the ark, all the animals sought to enter, but the Holy One, blessed be He, did not permit them, as it is written: “And the Lord shut him in” (Genesis 7:16). “And the Lord shut him in” implies [protection] from animals, as it is said: “And He shut the mouth of the lions, and they did not harm me” (Daniel 7:6). The lion came to enter, and its teeth were yellowed; the bear came to enter, and its feet were weakened, etc., as stated in Bereshit Rabbah.
From famine: From where? As it is stated: “From the ground which I have cursed” (Genesis 5:29). Come and learn in Bereshit Rabbah, in the place where it enumerates ten famines that descended upon the world, and you will find that in the days of Noah was one of them, and it brings proof from “the ground which I have cursed.”
From the sword: This is the Flood. Furthermore, his generation sought to harm him, saying, “We will not let him enter,” but the Holy One, blessed be He, saved him. The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “I will not let him enter except at midday, and I will speak to him.” Hence it is said: “On the very same day Noah entered” (Genesis 7:13)—in the very midst of the day.
Daniel: At the time Nebuchadnezzar entered the Temple in the days of Jehoiakim, and killed Jehoiakim, he spared Daniel and exiled Daniel with the exile of Shalom, because he found him full of the spirit of wisdom.
From famine: For behold, before Jerusalem was conquered in the days of Jehoiakim, Nebuchadnezzar besieged it for three years, as it is stated: “And the famine was great in the city” (2 Kings 25:3), and also [in Jeremiah 52:6]: “And the famine prevailed.”
From wild beasts: From where? “And He shut the mouth of the lions” (Daniel 7:6), “and they did not harm me.” And so you find Job, who escaped from three of them.
From famine: From where? According to those who say that Job lived in the days of Jacob, we find that there was a famine in his days.
From wild beasts: From where? As it is written: “And his livestock broke out into the land”—he broke the fence of the world.
From the sword: From where? “He will pierce my kidneys and spare not.”
And these three men were within it: Noah, Daniel, and Job; they by their righteousness shall deliver their souls. Why, in the death by famine, were sons and daughters not mentioned — for it is not said of them "they shall deliver sons or daughters," as is mentioned in the latter two judgments? This serves as an analogy to Daniel, who is one of them. He was of the generation of Jeconiah, yet neither sons nor daughters were saved with him. And concerning him Isaiah prophesied (Isaiah 56:4): "Thus says the Lord to the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths."
Radak
“And the three men who were in their midst—Noah, Daniel, and Job.” Daniel is spelled without the yod, and so is the other one mentioned in the passage: “Behold, you are wiser than Daniel.” The yod is called a yod even though it is not written, like the yod in “Jerusalem,” and the aleph rests because the tsere is under the yod, and the yod is dagesh. These three righteous ones are mentioned because each of them saw three worlds: built, destroyed, and rebuilt. Noah saw the world built, saw it destroyed in the Flood, and saw it rebuilt. Daniel saw the Temple built, saw it destroyed, and saw it rebuilt, even though he did not see its destruction with his own eyes, for he was in exile, having been exiled with Jehoiakim. Nevertheless, it was destroyed in his days, and afterward he saw it rebuilt when Cyrus commanded its rebuilding. Job saw himself built up with sons and daughters, wealth, and property, and saw himself destroyed of sons and daughters and of all his property, and afflicted with suffering. They are mentioned in this matter because the destruction of the land will be due to the sin of those dwelling in it, and they, by their righteousness, saved only themselves. For Noah alone was righteous in his generation, along with his sons, as it is said, “For you I have seen righteous before Me in this generation,” and he saved from all the people of his generation only himself and his sons alone, who were righteous. And Daniel likewise did not save by his righteousness except himself, and from exile he could not save himself, for how could he remain in the land alone, or he and his fellow righteous ones like Ezekiel and Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah? How could it be that they remain alone in the desolate land? For their good, the first ones were exiled so that they would not see the destruction of the city and the Temple. And even though in the destruction of the city pious ones were killed and did not save themselves, as it is written, “You have given the carcasses of your servants as food to the birds of the heavens,” it is possible that that pious person was alone among many at the time of the killing, and it is said that “judgment will return to righteousness.” But when there are three or more, their merits will join together and they will save themselves. And Job likewise saved only himself from death, and did not save his sons and daughters, for they were not righteous, as it is said, “If your sons have sinned against Him, and He has sent them away for their transgression.” And so our Sages of blessed memory said, “there is none who delivers from My hand,” meaning Abraham does not save Ishmael, Isaac does not save Esau, and Job did not save himself from suffering, for it was for his good, to atone for some sins that were in him, even though he did not know them himself. Furthermore, these three are mentioned because all three stood firm in their righteousness in trials and were saved. For regarding Noah, there is no greater trial than this: since the Lord, blessed be He, said to him, “Make yourself an ark of gopher wood,” he made it before the eyes of all the people of his generation, and that deed was contrary to their understanding and indicated the scoffers. He remembered them and trusted in the Lord, blessed be He, and did not fear that they would kill him. And likewise Daniel stood in a great trial when they threw him into the lions’ den, and he trusted in the Lord, blessed be He, that He would save him, and he did not deny Him out of fear of death, and he was saved. And likewise Job stood in the trial when the Satan struck him with a severe sore from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head, and he stood in the trial and did not sin with his lips by speaking words that were not true against the Lord, blessed be He, and he was saved. Therefore, the righteousness of these three righteous ones is mentioned. Nevertheless, they, by their righteousness, saved only themselves and not others with them.
"They shall deliver their lives." This alone is the dagesh-marked (doubled) form in this matter.
Metzudat David
"And they shall be." And even if those three righteous men—Noah, Daniel, and Job—were to be in that land:
"They shall be saved by their righteousness." This means that the strict requirement of justice is that they save themselves through their righteousness, so that they not be cut off by famine. However, the strict requirement of justice does not obligate them to protect everyone. (And these three are mentioned because Noah alone remained from the Flood, and he did not protect all the people of his generation; and Daniel did not protect all the members of his people, for he alone held a position of honor in Babylonia; and Job did not protect even his household, for they were all lost and he alone remained. Therefore, it is said that even if all three were together, the strict requirement of justice does not obligate them to protect others.)
Malbim
And these three men were in it, for Noah, Daniel, and Job were in a generation that was unworthy, yet they were righteous in that generation: Noah in the generation of the Flood, Daniel in the generation of the Destruction, and Job in the generation when the Satan came to accuse, as it is written, “He walks to and fro on the earth and paces back and forth through it.” And these four judgments also befell them: the Flood was a heavenly calamity; Job was punished by the elements of wind and fire, which were also a heavenly calamity; and by the sword that came with the Chaldeans. And Daniel was saved from the sword and from a wild beast. “They shall save their lives by their righteousness.” Here it states a novel idea: even though the most severe rebuke came, nevertheless their righteousness would serve to save their lives. And it is needless to say here that they would not save their children, for that is obvious.
If I cause evil beasts to pass through the land, and they bereave it, and it be desolate, so that no man may pass through because of the beasts;
verse value 3050
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 48 letters. Verse gematria: 3050 is divisible by 50, the years to the Jubilee (yovel). The shortest word is "evil" (רָעָ֛ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·it·will·bereave·it" (וְשִׁכְּלָ֑תָּה, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "if·beast" (לוּ־חַיָּ֥ה), "I·will·make·pass" (אַעֲבִ֥יר), "and·it·will·bereave·it" (וְשִׁכְּלָ֑תָּה). The root עבר appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·shall·be" (root היה, 335x in Ezekiel); "in·the·land" (root ארץ, 176x in Ezekiel); "from·face·of" (root פנים, 150x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·it·will·bereave·it', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 6 words. Full calculation: לוּ־חַיָּ֥ה [if·beast] (59) + רָעָ֛ה [evil] (275) + אַעֲבִ֥יר [I·will·make·pass] (283) + בָּאָ֖רֶץ [in·the·land] (293) + וְשִׁכְּלָ֑תָּה [and·it·will·bereave·it] (761) + וְהָיְתָ֤ה [and·it·shall·be] (426) + שְׁמָמָה֙ [devastation] (385) + מִבְּלִ֣י [from·without·of] (82) + עוֹבֵ֔ר [transgressing] (278) + מִפְּנֵ֖י [from·face·of] (180) + הַחַיָּֽה [the·beast] (28) = 3050.
Rashi
"Lu chayah" — [lu means] "if": if wild beasts:
Radak
"An evil beast I will bring upon the land, and it shall bereave it." The word "לו" is like "if," as in: "If you have given life to them."
“and it shall bereave.” The verb is transitive, for the land does not “bereave” them, since it is like a mother to those dwelling in it; rather, the animal “bereaves” the land.
"I will cause to pass through the land." Just as it says, "Behold, I am sending against you."
“And it shall be a desolation without a passerby because of the beast.” He did not say this in the case of famine, sword, or pestilence, for even if the land were desolate of its inhabitants, people from other lands would pass through it, and the beasts would not multiply there. But when the land is desolate because of a released beast that God, blessed be He, has sent upon it, as it is said, “And I will send among you the beasts of the field,” even other people would be afraid to pass through it because of the beast, for its numbers would increase there.
Metzudat David
“Lest a wild beast destroy it.” This means: If the retribution for sin were to be that I would cause packs of predatory beasts to pass through the land, to devour them, and it would become a desolation, with no one passing through it out of fear of the beasts.
Metzudat Zion
Lo. Its meaning is like "if," and similarly, "if you had kept them alive" (Judges 8:19):
“And you shall be destroyed.” The meaning is death and destruction.
Malbim
If I send a wild beast through the land — and even though I bring a harmful beast, it is one that is less severe than famine, and it comes before it. And it is said that in this way their righteousness will be effective in saving others.
though these three men were in it, as I live, says the Lord Hashem, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters; they only shall be delivered, but the land shall be desolate.
verse value 4384
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 78 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "utterance" (נְאֻם֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "nor·daughters" (וְאִם־בָּנ֖וֹת, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "not·sons" (אִם־בָּנִ֥ים), "nor·daughters" (וְאִם־בָּנ֖וֹת). The root אם appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "it·will·be" (root היה, 335x in Ezekiel); "my·lord" (root אדון, 222x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'will·deliver', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 6 words.
Radak
Three: whether sons or daughters, they will not be saved. Young boys and young girls are like “either a son shall be dashed in pieces, or a daughter shall be dashed in pieces,” meaning that even the young ones, who are without sin, will not save themselves, for they will be punished for the guilt of their fathers. And even the young children of the righteous will die, as it says, “they alone shall be saved,” implying that it is sufficient for them to save themselves, for they had the guilt of dwelling among the wicked.
Metzudat David
"Three." This means that even if these three men mentioned above are found within it.
"Live I am." I hereby swear: Live I am, if the strict law requires that they be saved by their merit, whether sons or daughters, only they alone shall be saved.
Malbim
Three — and even though the three men would be together, nevertheless, as for sons and daughters, they will not save them. And he states a greater point: even if there are many sons and daughters, it is more likely that they will be saved from the beast, for "a lion does not fall upon two fathers" (i.e., a lion does not attack two men at once). Nevertheless, only they themselves will be saved. And likewise, regarding the sword: although it is even more lenient, in that it comes first in the order of the rebukes, nevertheless, they will not save others.
Or if I bring a sword upon that land, and say: Let the sword go through the land, so that I cut off from it man and beast;
verse value 3359
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 54 letters. The shortest word is "or" (א֛וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "upon·the·land" (עַל־הָאָ֣רֶץ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 210: sword, sword. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "and·I·say" (וְאָמַרְתִּ֗י), "passes" (תַּעֲבֹ֣ר). The root חרב appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·I·say" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "upon·the·land" (root ארץ, 176x in Ezekiel); "I·will·bring" (root בוא, 175x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root או ("or") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'that', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 8 words. Full calculation: א֛וֹ [or] (7) + חֶ֥רֶב [sword] (210) + אָבִ֖יא [I·will·bring] (14) + עַל־הָאָ֣רֶץ [upon·the·land] (396) + הַהִ֑יא [that] (21) + וְאָמַרְתִּ֗י [and·I·say] (657) + חֶ֚רֶב [sword] (210) + תַּעֲבֹ֣ר [passes] (672) + בָּאָ֔רֶץ [in·the·land] (293) + וְהִכְרַתִּ֥י [and·I·will·cut·off] (641) + מִמֶּ֖נָּה [from·it] (135) + אָדָ֥ם [man] (45) + וּבְהֵמָֽה [and·cattle] (58) = 3359.
Rashi
Sword. Armies for war:
Radak
“Or I will bring a sword upon the land.” This instance alone refers to the land in this context. Similarly, the tradition holds that from the beginning of Sifra up to “and the young children,” all of them refer to the land, except for one: “upon the land,” and “or I will bring a sword upon the land.”
And I said, “A sword shall pass through the land.” He did not say “by beast and by plague,” the interpretation of it is not that I said to them through My prophets to warn them, for a prophet is not sent to Sodom and Gomorrah to warn them, for reason itself warns against such transgressions, as reason indicates them. Rather, the interpretation of “And I said” is that regarding a sword, there are those who say and announce before its arrival, announcing that travelers pass along the roads of such-and-such a king who is coming upon this land. And those who announce are as if God, blessed be He, said, like “And I will cut off,” meaning that the army coming upon them are the ones cutting them off, only that God stirred their spirit to come upon them. But a beast that He sends into the land, there is no one who says or announces before its arrival, and likewise a plague, there is no one who announces before its arrival.
Metzudat David
Or the sword. If the recompense of the sin will be that which I will bring upon the land—wielders of the sword:
"And I said, etc." The repetition of the matter is to strengthen it.
though these three men were in it, as I live, says the Lord Hashem, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they only shall be delivered themselves.
verse value 3257
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 65 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֥א, 2 letters) and the longest is "man" (הָאֲנָשִׁ֣ים, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "and·three" (וּשְׁלֹ֨שֶׁת). The root נצל appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "my·lord" (root אדון, 222x in Ezekiel); "not" (root לא, 213x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root בת ("and·daughters") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·daughters', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 4 words.
Radak
"And three." It is explained:
Metzudat David
They shall not save them. This means that the strict line of justice does not obligate one to save sons and daughters on their merit.
Or if I send a pestilence into that land, and pour out My fury upon it in blood, to cut off from it man and beast;
verse value 3238
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 54 letters. The shortest word is "or" (א֛וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·the·land" (אֶל־הָאָ֣רֶץ, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "I·will·let·go" (אֲשַׁלַּ֖ח), "in·blood" (בְּדָ֔ם). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "on" (root על, 272x in Ezekiel); "to·the·land" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel); "pestilence" (root דבר, 101x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'that', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 8 words. Full calculation: א֛וֹ [or] (7) + דֶּ֥בֶר [pestilence] (206) + אֲשַׁלַּ֖ח [I·will·let·go] (339) + אֶל־הָאָ֣רֶץ [to·the·land] (327) + הַהִ֑יא [that] (21) + וְשָׁפַכְתִּ֨י [and·I·will·pour] (816) + חֲמָתִ֤י [My·wrath] (458) + עָלֶ֙יהָ֙ [on] (115) + בְּדָ֔ם [in·blood] (46) + לְהַכְרִ֥ית [to·cut·off] (665) + מִמֶּ֖נָּה [from·it] (135) + אָדָ֥ם [man] (45) + וּבְהֵמָֽה [and·cattle] (58) = 3238.
Radak
“Pestilence, and I will pour out My wrath upon her in blood.” The meaning is that the pestilence will come about by God’s will through the corruption of the air by unusual heat or cold contrary to custom. The air and the blood resemble each other in their two qualities, which are heat and moisture. The blood is the soul and the breath of life, which is dependent on the air in the heart. And if the air is corrupted, then the blood too is corrupted, and many will die in a single moment. Therefore it says, “and I will pour out My wrath in blood.”
Metzudat David
Or a plague. If the recompense of the sin is that I will send a plague upon the land:
"By blood." To render it invalid, for the essence of the matter is that the blood is spoiled by the corrupted air.
Malbim
(19-20) "Or a plague I will send forth — they would not save a son or a daughter" (here he grasps a further stringency: they would not save even a single son, for the plague spreads more strongly when many people are together). "They, through their righteousness, will save their lives" — meaning that even to save their own lives, they will need to rely on the majority of their righteousness, for since permission has been given to the Destroyer, it does not distinguish.
though Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, as I live, says the Lord Hashem, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness.
verse value 2947
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 69 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "and·Noah" (וְנֹ֨חַ, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·their·righteousness" (בְצִדְקָתָ֖ם, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 146: will·deliver, will·deliver. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "and·Noah" (וְנֹ֨חַ), "neither·son" (אִם־בֵּ֥ן), "nor·daughter" (אִם־בַּ֖ת). The root נצל appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "my·lord" (root אדון, 222x in Ezekiel); "living·I" (root אני, 166x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'will·deliver', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 4 words.
Radak
And Noah, whether a son or a daughter. Not many nor one, for the first [verse] says “whether sons and whether daughters,” and the second [verse] says “sons and daughters,” and this [verse] says “whether a son and whether a daughter.” Rather, each of the three varies according to the custom of Scripture, which varies words in a duplicated matter.
Metzudat David
"If a son, etc." – This means that if the strict law requires saving them on account of their merit, whether it be a son or a daughter.
For thus says the Lord Hashem: How much more when I send My four sore judgments against Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the evil beasts, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast.
verse value 5167
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 82 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּי֩, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·Jerusalem" (אֶל־יְרוּשָׁלִָ֑ם, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "when·four" (כִּֽי־אַרְבַּ֣עַת), "my·judgments" (שְׁפָטַ֣י), "I·sent" (שִׁלַּ֖חְתִּי). The root רע appears 2 times in this verse. 19 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "said" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "to·Jerusalem" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·Jerusalem', dividing the verse into phrases of 16 and 4 words.
Rashi
"Even though" is a term of a fortiori reasoning, meaning "all the more so." This is the case throughout Scripture, for example: "Behold, we are here in Judah, afraid" (1 Samuel 23:3), "and even though we go to Keilah" [we will be in greater danger]. And similarly in this passage (Ezekiel 15:5): "Behold, when it was whole, it was not fit for any work; how much less, when fire has consumed it..."
Shoftim. Mishgoshetish"sh in the vernacular:
Radak
For so it says, “Even though” the four evil judgments. This means “all the more so,” just as in “Even though I will answer them” and similar verses. It says: “In the land of the nations, in one of the four judgments, I will make her desolate.” All the more so in a place where I bring all four [judgments], she deserves to be made desolate. Yet to Jerusalem I sent the four, and despite all this, I did not make her desolate as God, blessed be He, had threatened them. And you, I will not make desolate.
"To destroy from it man and beast. It was sufficient that man and beast be destroyed from it, but I had mercy upon it and left a remnant from it."
Metzudat David
For thus says the Lord: Just as the Lord has indeed said that, all the more so is it the case that I will send upon Jerusalem, as recompense for their iniquity, the four evil judgments to destroy them; how much more so is it that the strict line of justice does not require that any of them be saved by the merit of the righteous ones.
Metzudat Zion
Even though. Its meaning is like "all the more so" and a kal va-chomer. And so, "Even though this house" (I Kings 8).
Malbim
And even though the four evil judgments, as they were in Jerusalem, were sent—all four judgments at one time (and the order was: sword, famine, wild beast, and pestilence; for in this order they came to Jerusalem, that by the sword of the enemy famine was made in the city, and the wild beast ate the dead outside, and pestilence within)—behold, a remnant remained therein, namely, sons and daughters who were taken into exile. And why did these remain? He said that this was by Divine Providence for two reasons: 1) To justify the judgment of Heaven, so that the people of Babylonia would not say, “Why did the Lord pour out His wrath upon them so greatly?” Therefore, they go out to you, and you will see their ways, and then you will be comforted regarding the evil that I brought, for you will see that it was according to justice and judgment. (Reason 2) The exiles of Yehoyachin were distressed that He had exiled them earlier; but now you will be comforted, for you will see their ways and know that I did not act without cause, for it was for a great benefit that He took you out earlier, for if they had remained in the land, they too would have corrupted their ways, for the generation of Zedekiah was wicked, as our Sages of blessed memory stated that it was for the good that the exile of Yehoyachin, the smiths, and the carpenters was taken out earlier.
And, behold, though there be left a remnant therein that shall be brought forth, both sons and daughters; behold, when they come forth to you, and you see their way and their doings, then you shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, even concerning all that I have brought upon it;
verse value 8298
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 111 letters. Verse gematria: 8298 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "behold·they" (הִנָּם֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·their·doings" (וְאֶת־עֲלִילוֹתָ֑ם, 10 letters). Words sharing gematria 418: I·brought, I·brought. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "is·left·in·it" (נֽוֹתְרָה־בָּ֜הּ), "escape" (פְּלֵטָ֗ה), "behold·they" (הִנָּם֙). The root על appears 3 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel); "concerning·the·evil" (root על, 272x in Ezekiel); "to·you" (root אל, 204x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·their·doings', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 9 words.
Rashi
“Notera” (It remained). In the vernacular: “Irreremai.”
"Those who lead them out. Into captivity, and they bring them here:"
Their deeds. Their deeds:
Radak
And behold, those who found sons and daughters. Those who were taken from Jerusalem into exile in Babylon, and it says “sons and daughters,” corresponding to what it said: “If sons and daughters are saved.” He said: In Jerusalem, sons and daughters will be saved—even from the wicked who will die there—not all of them, for some of the young were also killed there and died of famine, and even among the adults, some were saved from death and went into exile.
"They are coming out to you." This is said in reference to the exiles: "Behold, those who were saved in Jerusalem are going out into exile and coming to you in Babylonia, so that you may see them and recognize that they were punished justly. And that I left some of them was according to the measure of mercy that is in Me, because you will still see them in their wickedness, that they did not humble themselves from all that they did. And they are the remnant that remained with Johanan son of Kareah and his faction, who remained in their wickedness, still not having heeded the words of Jeremiah from the mouth of the Lord, and went to Egypt."
“And you shall be comforted for the evil.” Your seeing them in their wickedness shall be a comfort to you, for I have brought upon Jerusalem all that I have brought upon it in accordance with justice.
And you shall be comforted. From the nifal conjugation:
Metzudat David
"And behold, a remnant shall remain in her" means that nevertheless, through His kindness, a remnant will remain in her, namely the sons and daughters who are taken out of Jerusalem to go into exile.
"They are going out to you." This is said in reference to the exiles: "Behold, they are going out from Jerusalem to come to you in Babylon."
Their ways. Which are not good:
"And you shall be comforted." You shall have consolation for the mourning you endured over the evil that I brought upon Jerusalem, for when they come, you will see that they were deserving of destruction.
"All of them." This means: Regarding all the types of calamities that I have brought upon them, concerning all of them you shall have consolation.
Metzudat Zion
Pilita. "Remnant," like the phrase "survivors and remnant" (Lamentations 2:22).
“Sons and daughters.” This means minor sons and minor daughters. Similarly, the verse states, “or if a son gores [a person], or if a daughter gores” (Exodus 21:31), and this refers to those who are not accustomed to committing transgression, unlike adults.
Their deeds. Their deeds, as it is said: “And deal with them” (Lamentations 1:22):
and they shall comfort you, when you see their way and their doings, and you shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, says the Lord Hashem.’
verse value 6276
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 74 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִֽה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "that" (כִּי֩, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·their·doings" (וְאֶת־עֲלִילוֹתָ֑ם, 10 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "and·they·will·comfort" (וְנִחֲמ֣וּ), "when·you·see" (כִּֽי־תִרְא֥וּ), "freely" (חִנָּ֤ם). 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "all·that·I·did" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel); "my·lord" (root אדון, 222x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·their·doings', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 11 words.
Radak
"And they will comfort you." From the pi'el binyan with dagesh:
Metzudat David
"And they shall comfort you." Those who come here will comfort you concerning the evil, for you will see their evil ways. And the matter is doubled for the sake of additional clarification:
"And you shall know." Then you will know that I did not do all the evil that I did to her for no reason, but rather as a recompense for the sin.
Rashi
Radak
Metzudat David
Malbim