’Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable to the house of Israel,
verse value 1872
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 29 letters. Notable word values: "propose·a·riddle" (ח֥וּד) = 18, chai, 'life'. Verse gematria: 1872 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "propose·a·riddle" (ח֥וּד, 3 letters) and the longest is "son·of·man" (בֶּן־אָדָ֕ם, 5 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "propose·a·riddle" (ח֥וּד), "riddle" (חִידָ֖ה). The root משל appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·house" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel); "Israel" (root ישראל, 154x in Ezekiel); "son·of·man" (root בין, 145x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'parable', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 2 words. Full calculation: בֶּן־אָדָ֕ם [son·of·man] (97) + ח֥וּד [propose·a·riddle] (18) + חִידָ֖ה [riddle] (27) + וּמְשֹׁ֣ל [and·rule] (376) + מָשָׁ֑ל [parable] (370) + אֶל־בֵּ֖ית [to·house] (443) + יִשְׂרָאֵֽל [Israel] (541) = 1872.
Rashi
A unique and novel point: The prophecy in this matter is in the language of a riddle, in that it compares Nebuchadnezzar, to an eagle, and the kings of Judah to the treetops of cedars.
Radak
"Son of man, propound a riddle." The riddle is a concealed matter from which one understands another matter, and the parable is a likeness of one thing to another, like this parable that the angel likened to the eagle, and it is a riddle that no person will understand except the wise ones.
Metzudat David
Propound a riddle. Deliver the prophecy in the language of a riddle and state it in an allegory:
Metzudat Zion
Ḥod ḥidah. Its meaning is a matter that is obscure and difficult to understand:
Malbim
The propounding of the riddle and the solution to the riddle shall be a parable for the House of Israel:
and say: Thus says the Lord Hashem: A great eagle with great wings And long pinions, Full of feathers, which had divers colours, Came to Lebanon, And took the top of the cedar;
verse value 5043
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 86 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "went·in" (בָּ֚א, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·Lebanon" (אֶל־הַלְּבָנ֔וֹן, 8 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "eagle" (הַנֶּ֤שֶׁר), "the·wings" (הַכְּנָפַ֙יִם֙), "pinion" (הָאֵ֔בֶר). The root אמר appears 2 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); "which·he·had" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root צמרת ("top·of") in Ezekiel. First appearance of the root ארז ("cedar") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'variegated stuff', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 5 words.
Rashi
"Length of the limb." Just as it says "wing," but rather in the vernacular it is another term, according to its plain meaning, the language of limbs literally.
The embroidery. Its feather is beautiful and decorated:
"The top of the cedar." Every tree's crown is called "tsumma" in the vernacular. This is an allegory for the exile of Jehoiakim and his mighty men.
Radak
"And you shall say." The great eagle is great in wings. The explanation is: In what does its greatness consist? And it says that it is great in wings. And it further says:
“The length of the wing is full of feathers.” This means that the body of the wing is long, and it further states “full of feathers,” indicating that the wing is densely packed with feathers. All of this serves to indicate that it is a very strong flier. Thus far, the description has detailed its size and strength for flight. Additionally, it describes its splendor and beauty. It says, “whose feathers are variegated,” meaning that its feathers differ in color from one another, rendering it beautiful in appearance, each feather distinct from the others, like the feathers of a peacock. For “variegated” (רקמה) refers to the work of a weaver in fabric, or the work of a needle with threads of different colors, which is the craft of an embroiderer, as in “a variegation of many colors.”
“Come to Lebanon.” Lebanon is a place of many trees, as it is said, “The forest of Lebanon.” The cedar is the tallest of trees, and the topmost branch is the highest part of the tree, called “cima” in the vernacular. The eagle is an allegory for Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, for just as the eagle is the king of birds, so too Nebuchadnezzar was king over all the kings of the earth, and he rose exceedingly high, just as the eagle soars in the heights of the air above all other birds.
“Come to Lebanon.” Lebanon is the Land of Israel, for there is a good forest called Lebanon, and likewise the Land of Israel is named after it, Lebanon. Just as the cedar is the tallest of all trees, so too Jerusalem is exalted above all lands.
“And the top of the cedar”: This is an allegory for Mount Zion, which is the royal palace. The eagle takes its prey to a high place so that other birds will not see it there. Similarly, Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem so that the other kings could not conquer it. Even Sennacherib, who ruled over all the lands, conquered the royal palace in Jerusalem, deposing one king and appointing another.
Metzudat David
"The great eagle." And he returned to explain that it was called "great" because it was large in wings, meaning that the span of its feathers was large in measure.
The length of the limb. The body of the wing was long:
"Full of feathers." The body of the wing was full of feathers.
"whose was the embroidery" – meaning that the appearance of the feathers was like the color of embroidery, with a shifting of hues, like the feathers of a peacock. And regarding Nebuchadnezzar it is said:
"To Lebanon" — to the forest of Lebanon, and from there he took the high branch from the cedar tree, which is the tallest of trees. This is an allusion to Nebuchadnezzar, who came to Jerusalem and took away its king.
Metzudat Zion
The wing. It is the body of the wing; and similarly, “wings like a dove” (Psalms 55:7):
The embroidery. Like the work of an embroiderer, in the changing of the colors:
Lebanon. A name for a forest:
Tzameret. So too, the uppermost branch that rises above all others is called a tzemeret; and similarly, “and among the thickets was its tzemeret” (below, 31).
Malbim
"The great eagle" refers to the king of Babylon, who is likened to an eagle that towers over all other birds and is the king among birds; therefore, it says, "it flew high, to the heights of the mountains of Lebanon, to the top of the lofty cedars." And it depicts it with four characteristics: 1. "Great of wings" — meaning that the feathers of the limb with which it flies are large and long, so that by means of them it flies with ease. 2. That the limb of the wing to which the feathers are attached is long. 3. That its body and limbs are full of feathers. 4. "That had its plumage" — meaning it has beautiful feathers, depicted in all kinds of colors. And the corresponding traits of the metaphor are: 1. That it flies with ease to the ends of the earth. 2. That the limb is long, indicating strength and power [unlike the second eagle, which will be mentioned later, where the length of the limb is not mentioned, because Pharaoh did not possess strength and power]. 3. That it is full of feathers, meaning that its land is full of people and multitudes [unlike the second eagle, which is depicted as having "many feathers," implying that while it has many people, they do not fill its land]. 4. That it has glory and splendor and all desirable beauty, which is symbolized by the "plumage" (which is also not said about the second eagle). And this eagle, which is Nebuchadnezzar, came to Lebanon and took the head of the cedar, meaning that he exiled Jehoiachin, who was the head of the nation, along with the officials and the mighty men.
He cropped off the topmost of the young twigs thereof, And carried it into a land of traffic; He set it in a city of merchants.
verse value 3163
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 44 letters. The shortest word is "head" (רֹ֥אשׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "his·young·twigs" (יְנִיקוֹתָ֖יו, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "his·young·twigs" (יְנִיקוֹתָ֖יו), "he·cropped·off" (קָטָ֑ף), "and·he·brought·him" (וַיְבִיאֵ֙הוּ֙). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·land" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel); "and·he·brought·him" (root בוא, 175x in Ezekiel); "name" (root שם, 67x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root רכל ("merchants") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'he·cropped·off', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 6 words.
Rashi
“It plucked off the head of its sucklings.” It humbled his greatness and his kingdom; his “sucklings” are like his branches.
And he brought him into the land of Canaan. "Into the land" refers to the land of merchants, which is Babylonia.
Radak
"He plucked the head of its tender shoots." The tender branches, which are the upper ones, are called "tender shoots" (yeniqot), like a nursing child who is tender, as we have explained. For "top" (tzemeret) is an allegory for the royal house, and from the "top" (tzemerah), which is the high branch, many branches emerged, called "tender shoots." So too in the royal house, there were many sons, and the eldest of the sons is the king; he is the "head of the tender shoots." This is an allegory for Jehoiachin, who was a tender youth in his kingship, for he was eighteen years old when he became king, and Nebuchadnezzar plucked him from his kingdom.
“and he brought him into the land of Canaan.” “Land of Canaan” – this is a general term, and the specific detail is “a city of merchants.” Just as Canaan had false scales in his hand, so too is Canaan described as a merchant. The nobles of the land were merchants, and Babylonia was like a great city in which merchants from all lands traded. It is called “the pride of kingdoms, the splendor of the glory of the Chaldeans.” Nebuchadnezzar brought Jehoiachin to Babylonia, along with his people, his wives, and his officials. Jonathan rendered this in the Targum as follows: “He took the top of its branches and brought it to a land idle from service, to the land of Canaan; before the House of Israel would enter it, he set it in a city of merchants.” This implies that “Babylonia” means “free from servitude,” indicating that it did not serve or pay tribute to any other king; rather, other kings served it and paid tribute to it. Similarly, the land of Canaan was in this state before Israel came to it, for it was a tranquil land and did not serve any other king. Therefore, the land of Canaan is compared to Babylonia. However, after Israel came to the land of Canaan, it began to pay tribute and serve other kings when they turned away from the Lord.
Metzudat David
“You shall take the head, etc.” – He cut off the head of its tender upper branches; these are the princes.
“Unto the land of Canaan.” It should have stated, “Unto the land of the Chaldeans,” which is a land of merchants, as it is written: “Unto the land of Canaan, [he was] a Chaldean” (above, ch. 16).
"In a city of merchants." This refers to Babylonia:
Metzudat Zion
Its young twigs (yenikotav): its tender, small branches, as in 'he grew like a tender shoot before Him' (Isaiah 53:2).
Kataph. The meaning is cutting off, as it says, “While it is yet in its freshness, it is not cut off” (Job 8:12).
Canaan. Its meaning is a peddler and merchant, as it is written: “Canaan in his hand is a deceitful balance” (Hosea 12:8).
Merchants. Traders, like "the merchants of the nations" (below 27):
Malbim
“Who cut off the head of his nursing infants,” the nursing infants are the shoots that grow on the sides of the cedar, which draw nourishment from it. This is an allegory for the princes and nobles of Judah, the craftsmen and the smiths, who were taken from the Land of Israel, and they brought him to the land of Canaan. This means the land of the Chaldeans, where the Canaanites and merchants gather, and they placed him in a city of merchants, namely in Babylonia, as if he was delivered there into the hands of the merchants who carried him from house to house, for they used them there for their needs, each man in his own house.
He took also of the seed of the land, And planted it in a fruitful soil; He placed it beside many waters, He set it as a slip.
verse value 3043
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 44 letters. The shortest word is "willow" (קָ֚ח, 2 letters) and the longest is "in·field·of·seed" (בִּשְׂדֵה־זָ֑רַע, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "in·field·of·seed" (בִּשְׂדֵה־זָ֑רַע), "a kind of willow" (צַפְצָפָ֖ה). The root לקח appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·planted·it" (root נתן, 207x in Ezekiel); "the·land" (root ארץ, 176x in Ezekiel); "name" (root שם, 67x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root זרע ("from·seed·of") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·field·of·seed', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיִּקַּח֙ [and·took] (124) + מִזֶּ֣רַע [from·seed·of] (317) + הָאָ֔רֶץ [the·land] (296) + וַֽיִּתְּנֵ֖הוּ [and·planted·it] (477) + בִּשְׂדֵה־זָ֑רַע [in·field·of·seed] (588) + קָ֚ח [willow] (108) + עַל־מַ֣יִם [upon·waters] (190) + רַבִּ֔ים [many] (252) + צַפְצָפָ֖ה [a kind of willow] (345) + שָׂמֽוֹ [name] (346) = 3043.
Rashi
"And he took from the seed of the land." This refers to Zedekiah, his son.
"In a field of sown seed." In Jerusalem, in the royal city:
"Take upon yourself many waters." "He took root upon many waters," meaning that He granted him greatness and dominion over those around him.
Tzfatzafah. A species of willow tree whose branches are numerous, called "alkeka" in the vernacular.
Radak
“And he took of the seed of the land.” This is an allegory for Zedekiah, who was of the royal lineage, meaning that no king from another nation had been appointed there, for he would not have known the law of the land, just as one who sows foreign seed in a land will not succeed with that seed, because the nature of that land is not suited for that grass or that tree to grow in it. So too, Nebuchadnezzar, who was of the seed of the land, appointed a king there, and it was fitting that he should succeed and produce fruit and grain if he had walked in the good way. And this is what is stated: “And he set him in a field of seed,” in a field that is suitable for sowing and in which whatever a person sows will succeed. So too, Jerusalem was fitting to have good men in it, men of truth who serve the Lord, blessed be He. But their opposite is foreign to the land, as it is stated: “A god of a foreign land,” and it is stated: “And the land shall not vomit you out, as it vomited out the nation that was before you.”
"Take upon many waters." "Take" is a past-tense verb, like "he took," and it has a qamats, as in "A lion has roared; who would not fear?" and its companions. Alternatively, it comes to distinguish between this and "Take the Levites" and others, which are imperative commands. Its meaning is: "He took upon many waters," namely, when he took from the seed of the land, he took a field that was fit to sprout quickly, for it was upon many waters—the field that was placed there, meaning in the place where Zedekiah was, who was successful if he wished, like a planting planted by many waters. And Jonathan translated: "They set up a planting," from the translation of "and he planted" and "and he set up."
Its name is Tzafztzaphah. Our Sages of blessed memory explained that it is a species of the inferior type of willow. This is also the interpretation of the verse: “I made them like a willow that grows by abundant waters,” whereas they made themselves like a Tzafztzaphah that grows among the mountains. According to their explanation, [the word] “shemo” [its name] means that Israel named itself so. And the Targum of Jonathan rendered it as “He made it a crushed vine,” meaning that even though He took seed and sowed it there, He established it as a planted vine, namely, because it grows quickly, for the seed that is sown will not sprout and grow quickly like a planted vine.
Metzudat David
“From the seed of the land.” From that very land in which it was sown.
In a field of sowing. In a field that is good for sowing:
He took [it]. He took it and planted it near abundant waters, so that it would draw upon the majority of the moisture.
Its name is "poplar." The eagle places the seed in such a manner that it will grow to have a branch like a poplar tree. This means that he made king from it one of the royal lineage.
Metzudat Zion
"Take." From the language of taking:
Tzfatzpah. It is a species of willow, and our Sages of blessed memory stated: “And the tzfatzpah is disqualified” (Sukkah 33b).
Malbim
“And he took of the seed of the land” – this means that he took that which is fit to be grafted onto another tree, for this is called “seed” in the case of trees; “and planted it in a field of seed” – this means that he grafted it into another seed. “He took [it] beside abundant waters” – he took from the seed of the land whose initial growth was upon abundant waters. “He set it as a willow” – he placed it and grafted it into a willow, which is a type of willow that grows in the mountains without water. The metaphorical meaning is that he took Zedekiah, who was of the royal seed, and made him king, so that he would be under him; thereby he grafted him into a field of seed, meaning that he would rule under his hand, like a grafted branch that is bent under the tree from which it draws nourishment. And even though in Babylon willows grew [as it is written: “Upon the streams of the willows they raised them up; upon willows within it we hung our harps”], he grafted him into a willow, which is an inferior type of willow. This means that, despite the abundance of prosperity he had in the Land of Israel, he placed him in a state of desolation and dryness, and he dwelled in ruins, without goodness and blessing.
And it grew, and became a spreading vine Of low stature, Whose tendrils might turn toward him, And the roots thereof be under him; So it became a vine, and brought forth branches, And shot forth sprigs.
verse value 7580
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 82 letters. The shortest word is "and·it·was" (וַיְהִי֩, 4 letters) and the longest is "his·branches" (דָּֽלִיּוֹתָיו֙, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 163: to·vine, to·vine. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "and·sprouted" (וַיִּצְמַ֡ח), "going·free" (סֹרַ֜חַת), "low" (שִׁפְלַ֣ת). The root היה appears 3 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·was" (root היה, 335x in Ezekiel); "and·did" (root עשה, 214x in Ezekiel); "toward·him" (root אל, 204x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root שפל ("low") in Ezekiel. First appearance of the root קומה ("stature") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·will·be', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 6 words.
Rashi
"Hanging over." As it is said (Exodus 26:12): "And the excess of the tent-cover shall hang over."
“Of low stature”: To serve the king of Babylon.
Its tendrils. Its pruned branches:
To Him. To the King of Babylon:
"Under him." Under the king of Babylon:
Poles. “Bars”:
And she sent. And she grew:
Peraot. Many branches:
Radak
And he sprouted. For until Zedekiah rebelled, he succeeded in his deeds and grew rapidly. His rebellion was of the kind that occurred in the fifth year of his reign, for in the fourth year of his reign he went to Babylon, as it is written at the end of the Book of Jeremiah: “And he went to pay respects to the king of Babylon.” When the king of Babylon had made him king, he gave him dominion over all the kings surrounding him, namely the king of Edom, the king of Moab, the king of the children of Ammon, the king of Tyre, and the king of Sidon. For so it is written in the Book of Jeremiah: “These kings sent envoys to Zedekiah, king of Judah.” And there we explained the matter. And the meaning of “And he sprouted” is that the seed that was sown sprouted.
“And it became a spreading vine.” Just as it says, “And the excess rotted,” the seed became a vine that was excessive and great. And behold, they compared it to a vine and not to a cedar, as it was initially, because the monarchy was weakened from the time that Manasseh reigned. For initially, it was likened to a cedar, which is higher than all trees, whereas the vine is slender and withered among all trees, lowly in stature. Even though the King of Babylon granted greatness to Zedekiah, he desired that he remain lowly before him and not become arrogant toward him, as explicitly stated in the parable: “to be a lowly kingdom,” so that its tendrils would turn toward him. For the vine, which is lowly in stature, does not raise itself up, and its tendrils, which are the branches, do not rise but rather turn toward the vine. So too, Nebuchadnezzar desired that Zedekiah serve him and turn toward him as a servant toward his master.
“And its roots shall be beneath it.” This teaches that the roots of the vine should not spread far away, but rather remain beneath the vine in its place, not distant from it. The tendrils are an allegory for bribery and labor, and the roots are an allegory for kingship. And in order that this should be established, He made a covenant with him and made him swear by God. The word “vine” is mentioned in the passage in both masculine and feminine forms; in the majority of cases it is feminine, but it is also found in the masculine form: “A luxuriant vine is Israel” (Hosea 10:1), and “They shall gather from it the clusters of the field.”
"And she became a vine." Just as it says, "And you shall become a man."
“And she made for herself arms and sent forth branches.” It is written as “praoth” (wildness/branches), with the resh preceding the aleph. The “badim” (arms) are the thick, sturdy ones, and the “pa’rot” (branches) are the offshoots that emerge from them. Similarly, Zedekiah’s dominion extended over his surroundings, and the kings heeded him, as long as he remained faithful to his oath. And no fruit is mentioned for her, because his sons were not established, for they were slaughtered.
Metzudat David
"And it sprouted." That seed sprouted and became a vine tree that spreads widely and is low in stature.
“Lifnot.” That its branches turn toward it, not like the manner of other trees, whose branches ascend upward in height, but rather like the manner of the branches of a vine, which descend downward to face the body of the tree.
“and its roots.” The roots of that tree took root beneath the tree, like the vine, and did not spread far away as other trees do. That is to say, it was likened only in its place, but opposite it it will bow down.
“And she was like a vine.” This means that he also possessed the praises of the vine, for it produced and grew many shoots, and its tender branches spread far and wide. And like the vine tree—this means that in his place he had great dominion.
Metzudat Zion
"Overhanging." The matter of "excess" and "abundance" is similar to [the verse] "and the back of the neck overhung" (Exodus 27:20):
"dliyotav" (his hanging branches). Thus are called the branches that have a tendency to grow upward, from the word "dalu" (hung) in "My eyes hung upward" (Isaiah 38:14). And similarly, "in the length of his hanging branches" (below, 31).
Baddim. These are the thick branches, and likewise "badeha" (below, 19):
"And she sent." The term denotes spreading out, as in "She sends forth her branches" (Psalms 80:16).
Paret. It is the reverse of parot, which are the slender branches; and likewise [the verse states], "the branch of His glory" (Isaiah 10:12).
Malbim
And it shall sprout: The graft inserted into the poplar sprouted and became a vine. Whereas it had been a majestic cedar, it was transformed into a vine. And the vine is not tall; rather, it is lowly and of short stature, for its stature trails along the ground until it becomes lowly, spreading in breadth rather than in height. As it is stated, “And the mighty of the land He took away, that it might become a lowly kingdom, so that it should not exalt itself.” This means that He took away the mighty ones so that there would no longer be a majestic cedar, but rather it would be like a vine that bears fruit but is not strong. This implies that it would pay heavy tribute and would not be vigorous in its kingdom, but rather would be submissive and humbled, turning its tendrils toward Him and its roots under Him. The tendrils, which are the branches that reach upward, would be humbled and turn toward the poplar, and even the roots would be bent beneath it. As it is stated, “To keep His covenant that it might stand, and it became a vine and produced shoots.” However, it became a vine on its own, without being grafted, until it sent forth shoots (which is the branch that emerges from the tree near its root, level with the tree, and it is strong and thick). And it sent forth wild branches bearing fruit, meaning that Zedekiah strengthened himself in his kingdom.
There was also another great eagle with great wings And many feathers; And, behold, this vine did bend Its roots toward him, And shot forth its branches toward him, from the beds of its plantation, That he might water it.
verse value 5889
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 89 letters. Verse gematria: 5889 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "and·it·was" (וַיְהִ֤י, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·his·branches" (וְדָֽלִיּוֹתָיו֙, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 43: great, great. 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "eagle·one" (נֶֽשֶׁר־אֶחָד֙), "and·much·plumage" (וְרַב־נוֹצָ֑ה), "vine" (הַגֶּ֨פֶן). The root גדול appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·was" (root היה, 335x in Ezekiel); "toward·him" (root על, 272x in Ezekiel); "and·behold" (root הנה, 56x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root מטע ("its·plantation") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·much·plumage', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 12 words.
Rashi
And there was one eagle. The king of Egypt.
“כפנה שרשיה” – The term “כפנה” denotes hunger, as in “לשוד ולכפן” (Job 5:5), [meaning] “they hungered and craved.” The roots of this vine hungered and craved for that eagle.
Tosafot: And there is another interpretation of “כפנה” as “gathered,” which is the opposite [sense]. And in the words of our Sages there is something similar to this, for they call a gathering of people a “כנופיא” [knofiah]; and “כפנא” is like “כנפה” [knafah] "amassa" in the vernacular.
And she sent him her tendrils. And she sent her messengers to him to come to her and to water her:
"The garden-beds of its planting." [It refers] to the water-beds that the first eagle made for him.
Radak
"And there was one eagle." This is an allegory for the king of Egypt; although he was powerful for his time, he was not like the first [king], nor was he described with strength and splendor like the first.
And behold, this vine bent its roots toward him. "Kafanah" means it gathered them; it is the opposite of "kenupiah" in the words of our Sages of blessed memory: "Zedekiah hung his kingdom on the king of Egypt."
"And he sent him his branches." [This teaches] that he sent him a bribe and served him.
To water her from the beds of deceit. “He helped him with his people and his mighty army,” greater than the King of Babylon—this is “from the beds of deceit,” for the King of Babylon, who planted her, made beds for her to water her through those beds; that is to say, he granted him dominion to establish his kingdom with honor. And Zedekiah sought from the King of Egypt that he should help him, as Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him king, had been helping and raising him up.
Metzudat David
"Great of wings." This is the explanation of the term "great" that they used:
"And abundant of plumage." “It had much feathering, but it was not full of feathers, and it lacked the length of the limbs and the embroidery like the first eagle.” And concerning Pharaoh it says:
As she turned her roots toward him. She gathered all her roots upon that eagle, to rely on him:
And she sent her tendrils to him. She extended her tendrils to that eagle, which was to water her from the waters collected in the garden beds made for the purpose of her planting, which the first eagle had made for her (for such is the custom to make around the planting something like garden beds). This means that he sent his messengers to Pharaoh to strengthen his hand in kingship, which Nebuchadnezzar had established for him.
Metzudat Zion
"כִּפְנָה" – the meaning is "gathering." And our Sages of blessed memory say: "כְּנוּפְיָה" (Shabbat 60a), which is its reverse.
She sent. The meaning of “hoshetah” is that it was extended:
"Me'arugat." These are the furrows of the plow, resembling the flowerbeds of perfume (Shir HaShirim 5).
"her planting." The term is derived from the root of "planting" (neti'ah).
Malbim
"And there was one eagle" — this is Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who was also great of wing (but not long of pinion, as stated above in verse 3). And behold, this vine turned its roots toward him; the roots of the vine desired to attach and cling to the second eagle. It sent out its tendrils to him so that he would water it more than the garden-beds of its planting, thinking that whereas the first eagle had bent its tendrils so that they would trail along the ground and prevented it from receiving water by joining with the poplar, it would find favor with the second eagle, where its tendrils would be raised up and where it would drink abundant water. That is to say, it thought that through Pharaoh it would raise its head and be satisfied with abundance and blessing.
It was planted in a good soil By many waters, That it might bring forth branches, and that it might bear fruit, That it might be a stately vine.
verse value 4739
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 54 letters. The shortest word is "good" (טּ֛וֹב, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·field" (אֶל־שָׂ֥דֶה, 5 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "to·field" (אֶל־שָׂ֥דֶה), "and·to·take" (וְלָשֵׂ֣את), "glory" (אַדָּֽרֶת). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·be" (root היה, 335x in Ezekiel); "to·field" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel); "to·do" (root עשה, 214x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root טוב ("good") in Ezekiel. First appearance of the root שתל ("planted") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'planted', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 7 words. Full calculation: אֶל־שָׂ֥דֶה [to·field] (340) + טּ֛וֹב [good] (17) + אֶל־מַ֥יִם [sheaf] (121) + רַבִּ֖ים [many] (252) + הִ֣יא [it] (16) + שְׁתוּלָ֑ה [planted] (741) + לַעֲשׂ֤וֹת [to·do] (806) + עָנָף֙ [bough] (200) + וְלָשֵׂ֣את [and·to·take] (737) + פֶּ֔רִי [fruit] (290) + לִהְי֖וֹת [to·be] (451) + לְגֶ֥פֶן [to·vine·of] (163) + אַדָּֽרֶת [glory] (605) = 4739.
Rashi
“Unto a good field, etc.” That is to say, she did this for nothing, for she was planted in a good field.
“Of the vine, a majestic one.” “Of the vine, a strong one”:
Radak
"To a good land, to abundant waters." Just as it is said, "Why was it necessary to do this? Was not Zedekiah in good standing and honor with Nebuchadnezzar, and was he not successful with him, being a mighty king and ruler? Why did he rebel against him and transgress his oath? Had he not done so, he would have produced branches and borne fruit, and his sons would have been established for him."
Metzudat David
"Unto a good field." This is as if it were saying: "Behold, this vine has greatly erred, for was it not planted by the first eagle in a good field, close to abundant waters, so that it might produce branches and grow fruit, becoming a great and strong vine of its own accord, without relying on the second eagle and without being watered by the waters that come as the actual deed of the first eagle?" That is to say: Could it not have stood in kingship without Pharaoh?
Metzudat Zion
“to the field.” Just as in “in the field,” and the word *el* (“to”) comes in place of the letter *bet* (“in”), as in “and to the ark” (Exodus 25).
"Planted." It means "planted," as in: "And he shall be like a tree planted" (Psalms 1:3).
And to lift. This means to grow, and it is a term derived from the words "burden" and "load."
Aderet. Great and strong, like "the mighty ones have plundered" (Zechariah 11:2):
Malbim
“[He shall plant] in a good field” — this refers to the act of planting (transplanting, with respect to trees, means that one uproots the tree from its place and replants it in another place). He desired to plant the vine in a good field, namely, in Egypt, where he would find abundant waters. This signifies leaving the dominion of Nebuchadnezzar and entering the dominion of Pharaoh, in order to produce branches and bear fruit, becoming a vine of splendor; that is to say, that the kingdom would be independent and not subjugated or enslaved to Nebuchadnezzar.
Say you: Thus says the Lord Hashem: Shall it prosper? Shall he not pull up the roots thereof, And cut off the fruit thereof, that it wither, Indeed, wither in all its sprouting leaves? Neither shall great power or much people be at hand When it is plucked up by the roots thereof.
verse value 8132
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 99 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "thus" (כֹּ֥ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "her·roots" (אֶת־שׇׁרָשֶׁ֨יהָ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 241: say, said. 11 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "will·prosper" (תִּצְלָ֑ח), "her·roots" (אֶת־שׇׁרָשֶׁ֨יהָ), "shall·pull·up" (יְנַתֵּ֜ק). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "say" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "my·lord" (root אדון, 222x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root יבש ("and·it·is·dry") in Ezekiel. First appearance of the root טרף ("all·prey") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'will·prosper', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 15 words.
Rashi
"Speak." All the aleph-bet in the Scripture—and I wonder that it is not counted in the Masorah.
He shall sever. The first eagle:
“Her fruit shall be cut off.” Just as it says “shall be cut off” (יקוצץ), so too were the sons of Zedekiah, whom he slaughtered before his eyes.
Trefi. In Old French: "A poyleya."
"And not with a mighty arm and with a great multitude." The second eagle shall come to her aid.
"To carry it from its roots." In light of those who uproot it and remove it from its roots:
Radak
He said, "Thus said the Lord." "You shall succeed?"—in a tone of astonishment.
Does it not mean that it will uproot its roots? The first eagle, which is Nebuchadnezzar, will uproot and tear out the roots, which are an allegory for the kingdom of Zedekiah, which he uprooted from everything.
"And its fruit shall be devoured". This refers to the fact that they slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes.
Yiqasses. It means “it shall be cut off,” like the word yikkotz, written with a tzadi instead of a kaf.
“And it withered.” As soon as the fruit is cut from its place, it withers of itself. So too, the sons of Zedekiah: as soon as they died, their memory withered and ceased, for they had no sons, and the kingship returned to Jehoiachin and his sons.
“All the leaves of its growth have withered.” The Targum renders “leaf of the olive” (Genesis 8:11) as “taraf zeita,” and so all the leaves of the plant shall wither. And behold, the vine withers; once its fruit and leaves have withered, the vine itself also withers. For Zedekiah died in Babylonia, and with his death his memory dried up and ceased. And the “leaves of the plant” are the princes of Judah, whom the King of Babylonia slaughtered.
"And not with a mighty arm, and not with a great multitude." He will not be rescued from His hand by Pharaoh's mighty arm, for although Pharaoh intended to rescue him from His hand, he could not do so; nor will he be rescued by a great multitude, for they too would be unable to rescue him from His hand.
To carry her away from her roots. When the king of Babylon comes to uproot this vine and to tear it out from its roots, Pharaoh will not be of help, nor will he save her.
“L’misa’ot” (for carrying): Here, a noun is used in place of a root, in the sense of “for being carried,” just as “l’hasi’a” (to elevate) is derived from the root. Similarly, “l’masa’ et ha-machanot” (to move the camps) is akin to “l’hasi’a” (to remove/transport). And the Targum [renders it]: “And they will not come with many armies and with a great people to uproot it from its root.” This means that the King of Babylon will not need to come with great might and a large army to uproot this vine from its roots, for he will uproot it with a small people. For although Nebuchadnezzar came with all his army, he did not remain in Jerusalem throughout the days of the siege. The siege lasted from the ninth year of Zedekiah until the eleventh year. In the meantime, Nebuchadnezzar went to Riblah in the land of Hamath, leaving part of his army with Nebuzaradan at their head. It was this remaining force that conquered Jerusalem, captured Zedekiah, and brought him up to the King of Babylon at Riblah.
Metzudat David
Say. Regarding that vine:
“Tatzlakh.” Like *hatztlakh*, with the heh omitted. That is to say: And even if you succeed, relying on the second eagle, surely the first eagle will uproot and tear out its roots and cut off its fruit, and consequently it will dry up, since it has been severed from the tree, it has no nourishment to bring moisture into it. That is to say: Nebuchadnezzar will uproot the kingdom and slaughter the sons of Zedekiah.
"All the leaves that it grew." All the leaves that have sprouted from it will wither, since its roots have been uprooted. That is to say: The people will be exiled.
"And not with a mighty arm, etc." – This means that the second eagle [Egypt] will not come to her aid with a mighty arm and a great multitude to stand in battle against the first eagle [Babylon], which comes to uproot and remove her from the place where her roots are established. This means that Pharaoh will not help him against Nebuchadnezzar.
Metzudat Zion
Yinattek. The matter of uprooting and transferring:
"Yiqasses." The matter is of cutting off, and it is like "yiqatsets," for the letters zayin, samekh, shin, resh, and tsadi are interchangeable.
“Terfei.” [The verse states:] “Leaves, as the leaves of the fig tree” (Genesis 3:7). The Targum [translates it as]: “Terfei of the fig tree.”
“With his arm.” This means with strength, for it is placed in the arm.
Regarding "for carrying": The matter refers to taking and transporting, as it is written, "and houses, and they shall carry" (Micah 2:2).
Malbim
He said, etc., “it shall prosper” — and how can it prosper? Will not the first eagle uproot its roots? Will he not uproot the roots? And its fruit will be cut off and dried up, and also its fresh leaves will wither. That is to say, the kingdom will be uprooted and all its people will be destroyed. And it will not be with a mighty arm, for he does not need great strength for this, nor a strong hand to lift it (that is to say, to remove it) from its roots, for Pharaoh will not come to their aid, and they will easily conquer them and destroy Jerusalem.
Indeed, behold, being planted, shall it prosper? Shall it not utterly wither, when the east wind touches it? In the beds where it grew it shall wither.’
verse value 4901
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 52 letters. Notable word values: "not" (הֲלֹא֩) = 36, double chai. Verse gematria: 4901 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "in·it" (בָּ֜הּ, 2 letters) and the longest is "on·beds·of" (עַל־עֲרֻגֹ֥ת, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 712: will·make·dry, will·make·dry. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "will·rush" (הֲתִצְלָ֑ח), "as·touching" (כְגַ֨עַת), "on·beds·of" (עַל־עֲרֻגֹ֥ת). The root יבש appears 3 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "on·beds·of" (root על, 272x in Ezekiel); "not" (root לא, 213x in Ezekiel); "and·behold" (root הנה, 56x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'will·rush', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 10 words. Full calculation: וְהִנֵּ֥ה [and·behold] (66) + שְׁתוּלָ֖ה [planted] (741) + הֲתִצְלָ֑ח [will·rush] (533) + הֲלֹא֩ [not] (36) + כְגַ֨עַת [as·touching] (493) + בָּ֜הּ [in·it] (7) + ר֤וּחַ [wind·of] (214) + הַקָּדִים֙ [east] (159) + תִּיבַ֣שׁ [will·make·dry] (712) + יָבֹ֔שׁ [utterly] (312) + עַל־עֲרֻגֹ֥ת [on·beds·of] (773) + צִמְחָ֖הּ [her·growth] (143) + תִּיבָֽשׁ [will·make·dry] (712) = 4901.
Rashi
And behold: now, it is planted according to its own wish.
“Will it prosper?” Is it possible that this one that betrayed the one who first planted it will prosper?
Radak
And behold, it is planted—will it succeed?. And indeed, she thought that she was planted and would not be uprooted, because Zedekiah did not wish to go out to the Chaldeans, as Jeremiah the prophet had been telling him, for he reasoned that the city would not be given into the hands of the Chaldeans.
"Will it succeed?" And how could he calculate that "the matter will succeed"? How was Zedekiah calculating that he would escape from the hands of the Chaldeans, while he was despising the oath and violating the covenant?
Is it not so that when the east wind touches it, it dries up completely? The King of Babylon is compared to the east wind, because Babylon is to the northeast of the Land of Israel. Furthermore, the east wind is hot and drying. Thus it is said: “The east wind has dried up its fruit,” and it is said: “Let the east wind come, a wind of the Lord, rising from the wilderness, and it shall dry up its source and parch its fountain.”
“Tibash yavesh.” The other [forms] are from the root [yod-bet-shin], and it comes thus to strengthen the action, like “vayevarekh barukh etkhem” (He blessed, blessed you).
"On the bed of its growth it will wither." In the place where it was hoped that the King of Egypt would water it.
Metzudat David
"And behold, it is planted." This means: Even if it remains planted and its roots are not uprooted, and even if it were to sprout through the watering of the second eagle, surely when the east wind touches it, would it not wither?
“Upon the beds it grew, it dried up.” This means: Even though it stands adjacent to the beds, from which water is gathered for its growth, and there is a place there where water is collected, nevertheless it will dry up, because nothing withstands the east wind, for it will destroy even the water collected between the beds. It is as if saying: Is there not for the second eagle any place to water it except from the waters between the beds? And if the east wind dries up even that, from where will it have water to water it? What, then, is the assurance? This means: Even if Nebuchadnezzar does not do evil to him, but only withholds good from him, he will not be sustained by the evil.
Metzudat Zion
As you touch. The word is in the form of "touching":
Malbim
And behold, is it transplanted—will it thrive? He adds to say: Even if the eagle does not come to uproot it, once it is planted—having been uprooted from this place and planted in another place—how can it succeed, since it is not in its proper place? For when the east wind touches it, it will wither, for the wind will uproot it. He further adds that even without the east wind, even if it stands on the bed of its own growth, it will wither, for it lacks the strength to endure, as will be explained regarding the allegory subsequently.
’Say now to the rebellious house: Know you not what these things mean? tell them: Behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, and took the king thereof, and the princes thereof, and brought them to him to Babylon;
verse value 4738
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 79 letters. Notable word values: "not" (הֲלֹ֥א) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "not" (הֲלֹ֥א, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·her·princes" (וְאֶת־שָׂרֶ֔יהָ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 124: king·of·Babylon, and·took. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "say·now" (אֱמׇר־נָא֙), "you·know" (יְדַעְתֶּ֖ם), "behold·he·came" (הִנֵּה־בָ֨א). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "say·now" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "not" (root לא, 213x in Ezekiel); "to·him" (root אל, 204x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'what·these', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 11 words.
Rashi
"What are these?"—What is this riddle? And He explained it to them:
"And he took his queen and his princes." These are the "top of the cedar," Jehoiakim and his princes.
To Babylon. It is the city of merchants:
Metzudat David
To the house of rebellion. To the house of Israel who rebel against Me.
“Do you not know?” – Do you not have the ability to know and understand what these matters are, to what they allude?
"Speak, etc." – This means: "Speak" the interpretation of the matter:
The king of Babylon. And this is the interpretation of the first great eagle:
Jerusalem. This is the interpretation of Lebanon:
"And her king and his princes." This is the interpretation of "the top of the cedar" and "the gathering of the young ones," and it refers to Jehoiachin and his princes, that they were taken captive by the Babylonians into exile.
Malbim
He said to the House of Rebellion, the subject of the parable: “Behold, the King of Babylon came to Jerusalem.” This is the subject of the parable, the great eagle that came to Lebanon. And he took its king—this is what is written, “And he took the top of the cedar.” And its princes—this is what is written, “He plucked off the head of its tender shoots.” And he brought them to himself, to Babylon—this is what is written, “He placed them in a city of merchants.”
and he took of the seed royal, and made a covenant with him, and brought him under an oath, and the mighty of the land he took away;
verse value 3558
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 51 letters. The shortest word is "with·him" (אִתּ֖וֹ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·mighty·of" (וְאֶת־אֵילֵ֥י, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 407: with·him, him. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "kingship" (הַמְּלוּכָ֔ה), "and·he·cut" (וַיִּכְרֹ֥ת), "in·curse" (בְּאָלָ֔ה). The root לקח appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·mighty·of" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel); "the·land" (root ארץ, 176x in Ezekiel); "and·brought" (root בוא, 175x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'covenant', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיִּקַּח֙ [and·took] (124) + מִזֶּ֣רַע [from·seed·of] (317) + הַמְּלוּכָ֔ה [kingship] (106) + וַיִּכְרֹ֥ת [and·he·cut] (636) + אִתּ֖וֹ [with·him] (407) + בְּרִ֑ית [covenant] (612) + וַיָּבֵ֤א [and·brought] (19) + אֹתוֹ֙ [him] (407) + בְּאָלָ֔ה [in·curse] (38) + וְאֶת־אֵילֵ֥י [and·mighty·of] (458) + הָאָ֖רֶץ [the·land] (296) + לָקָֽח [took] (138) = 3558.
Rashi
“Of the royal seed.” Zedekiah:
"Eilei ha'aretz" – the princes of the land.
Radak
"And he took of the seed of the royal house." This is Zedekiah, as we have explained.
“And he took the princes of the land.” In addition to the oath and the covenant, he also took the princes of the land, namely the nobles, in order to have a mixed group under his control, so that they would not rebel against him, but would be submissive to him, and so that they would not become arrogant and haughty toward him.
Metzudat David
“From the seed of the kingship.” This is the interpretation of “from the seed of the land,” and it refers to Zedekiah, saying that he was a son of Josiah, for Nebuchadnezzar made him king in place of Jehoiachin.
"And He made a covenant with him." [This was] so that he would not rebel against him.
And he brought him in an oath. He made him swear concerning this:
"And he took the princes of the land." He took the leaders of Jerusalem to be in his hand as a guarantee that Zedekiah would not rebel against him.
Metzudat Zion
“With these.” By an oath:
"Ili." The matter of "strength" is like [the phrase] "by the hand of the mighty one of the nations" (below, 31):
Malbim
"And he took from the seed of the kingdom" refers to what is stated, "And he took from the seed of the land." "And he cut a covenant with him" refers to what is stated, "And he gave it into a field of seed." "And he took the mighty ones of the land" refers to what is stated, "He set it as a willow."
that his might be a lowly kingdom, that it might not lift itself up, but that by keeping his covenant it might stand.
verse value 3967
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 40 letters. The shortest word is "low" (שְׁפָלָ֔ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "his·covenant" (אֶת־בְּרִית֖וֹ, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "lift·itself·up" (הִתְנַשֵּׂ֑א), "to·keep" (לִשְׁמֹ֥ר), "for·it·to·stand" (לְעׇמְדָֽהּ). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·be" (root היה, 335x in Ezekiel); "lift·itself·up" (root נשא, 76x in Ezekiel); "for·it·to·stand" (root עמד, 37x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'lift·itself·up', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. Full calculation: לִֽהְיוֹת֙ [to·be] (451) + מַמְלָכָ֣ה [kingdom] (135) + שְׁפָלָ֔ה [low] (415) + לְבִלְתִּ֖י [so·as·not] (472) + הִתְנַשֵּׂ֑א [lift·itself·up] (756) + לִשְׁמֹ֥ר [to·keep] (570) + אֶת־בְּרִית֖וֹ [his·covenant] (1019) + לְעׇמְדָֽהּ [for·it·to·stand] (149) = 3967.
Rashi
For the standing. In order that it may be fulfilled:
Radak
To be. To guard His covenant. To stand by it in covenant:
Metzudat David
To be. He took the pledge so that there would be only a lowly kingdom, submissive to Him, lest it become arrogant and rebel against Him; rather, to keep the covenant He made with it, so that it might have stability and endurance. And this is the interpretation of “a spreading vine, of low stature,” etc. And the meaning is that He granted it dominion, but only in its own land and in its own place, and it would be submissive to Babylon.
Malbim
"To be a lowly kingdom" refers to what is written: "And it became a spreading vine." "So as not to become haughty" refers to what is written: "Of lowly stature." "To keep His covenant" refers to what is written: "To turn its branches toward Him."
But he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors into Egypt, that they might give him horses and much people. Shall he prosper? shall he escape that does such things? shall he break the covenant, and yet escape?
verse value 4174
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 67 letters. Notable word values: "these" (אֵ֔לֶּה) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "these" (אֵ֔לֶּה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·he·rebelled·against·him" (וַיִּמְרׇד־בּ֗וֹ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 380: Egypt, that·does. 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "and·he·rebelled·against·him" (וַיִּמְרׇד־בּ֗וֹ), "to·send" (לִשְׁלֹ֤חַ), "his·messengers" (מַלְאָכָיו֙). The root מלט appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·does" (root עשה, 214x in Ezekiel); "to·give·him" (root נתן, 207x in Ezekiel); "and·people·much" (root עם, 58x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root מלאך ("his·messengers") in Ezekiel. First appearance of the root מצרים ("Egypt") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·people·much', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 7 words. Full calculation: וַיִּמְרׇד־בּ֗וֹ [and·he·rebelled·against·him] (268) + לִשְׁלֹ֤חַ [to·send] (368) + מַלְאָכָיו֙ [his·messengers] (107) + מִצְרַ֔יִם [Egypt] (380) + לָתֶת־ל֥וֹ [to·give·him] (866) + סוּסִ֖ים [horses] (176) + וְעַם־רָ֑ב [and·people·much] (318) + הֲיִצְלָ֤ח [will·rush] (143) + הֲיִמָּלֵט֙ [will·slip·away] (94) + הָעֹשֵׂ֣ה [that·does] (380) + אֵ֔לֶּה [these] (36) + וְהֵפֵ֥ר [and·shall·he·break] (291) + בְּרִ֖ית [covenant] (612) + וְנִמְלָֽט [and·will·slip·away] (135) = 4174.
Radak
"And he rebelled against Him." "And he escaped." In a tone of astonishment:
Metzudat David
"And he rebelled against him." After this, Zedekiah rebelled against him, and he sent his envoys to Egypt to provide him with horses and a great multitude to be his support against Babylon. This is the interpretation of "the second eagle" and "the sending of the branches to water them from the waters between the beds," meaning: to strengthen his hand in the kingship that Nebuchadnezzar had established for him.
“Will he succeed? Will he escape?” Meaning: will he succeed relying on the safety of the king of Egypt, and will he — the man who does these things — be delivered from the hand of Nebuchadnezzar?
“And he broke the covenant.” Does one who breaks a covenant deserve to be saved?
Malbim
And he rebelled against Him: this is what it says, “And it became a vine, and it bore branches.” And he sent his messengers to Egypt: this refers to the explanation of the parable of the second eagle, to give him horses and a great multitude. This is what it says, “To water it from the beds of its plantation.” Will he succeed? Meaning: Will he really succeed? No, he will not succeed, for two reasons: 1. Will he escape the consequences of his actions? No, Nebuchadnezzar will fight against him and conquer him. This is what it says, “Will it not break its roots?” 2. Will he break the covenant and escape? Even if Nebuchadnezzar does not fight against him, he will not escape punishment because he broke the covenant, and the Lord will punish him. This is what it says in the parable, “On the beds it grew, it will dry up.”
As I live, says the Lord Hashem, surely in the place where the king dwells that made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he broke, even with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die.
verse value 5657
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 78 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִה֒) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "utterance" (נְאֻם֮, 3 letters) and the longest is "his·covenant" (אֶת־בְּרִית֑וֹ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 407: him, with·him. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "who·made·king" (הַמַּמְלִ֣יךְ), "his·oath" (אֶת־אָ֣לָת֔וֹ), "in·midst·of·Babylon" (בְתוֹךְ־בָּבֶ֖ל). The root מלך appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "that" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel); "my·lord" (root אדון, 222x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root בזה ("he·despised") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·covenant', dividing the verse into phrases of 15 and 3 words.
Radak
"As I live"—this is a formula of an oath, as in "if not, many houses" and "if not, as I have likened."
Metzudat David
If not. It is a matter of the language of an oath:
“who has despised his oath.” He has despised the oath by which he was sworn and transgressed it.
"Along with him." With the king who made him king, he will die in Babylon. (And since the text already stated "in the place of the king," it returns to say again "along with him within Babylon" because the matter was lengthened in its saying "which he despised, etc.," and this is the manner of Scripture.) And this is the detached interpretation: "the roots" etc., meaning that Nebuchadnezzar will uproot from Zedekiah the roots of kingship, for no one from his seed will reign anymore; and he will cut off the fruit of his womb, for he slaughtered his sons and exiled the people.
Malbim
"As I live," and the explanation of what is stated, "Will he who does these things escape," is that Nebuchadnezzar will come against him in war, and he will die in Babylon.
Neither shall Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company succour him in the war, when they cast up mounds and build forts, to cut off many souls;
verse value 4969
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 68 letters. The shortest word is "great" (רָ֗ב, 2 letters) and the longest is "battle" (בַּמִּלְחָמָ֔ה, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 125: battle, mound. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "in·army" (בְחַ֨יִל), "in·casting·up" (בִּשְׁפֹּ֥ךְ), "and·building" (וּבִבְנ֣וֹת). The root רב appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "will·do" (root עשה, 214x in Ezekiel); "and·not" (root לא, 213x in Ezekiel); "great" (root רב, 52x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root חיל ("in·army") in Ezekiel. First appearance of the root פרעה ("Pharaoh") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'bulwark', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 3 words.
Rashi
“On pouring out a ramp.” When Nebuchadnezzar will come and pour out a ramp against Jerusalem:
To eradicate many souls. To kill the inhabitants of the city:
Radak
"And not with a great army shall he do it." "Shall he do it" means that Pharaoh will not assist him with a great army, as he had agreed with him during the war when the king of Babylon fought against Jerusalem.
Regarding the verse “When he poured out a rampart and built a dike,” [the meaning is]: When they poured out a rampart and built a dike to capture the city, in order to annihilate the many souls that had been killed in the city when it was captured—through all of this, Pharaoh did not help.
A rampart and a siege wall. We have already explained this at the beginning of the book. And the meaning of "for the king of Babylon" is that he said that Pharaoh would not make war against him.
Metzudat David
"And not with a mighty army, etc." This means that Pharaoh will not deal with them by coming with a mighty army and a large multitude, for he will not fulfill his promise to Israel to do with them what he said; and this is the interpretation of "not with a mighty arm, etc."
"In war." At the time when the war of Babylon comes upon him, when he will heap up a mound opposite the city to subdue it, and when he will build a rampart to encircle it, in order to slaughter many souls therein—then Pharaoh will not fulfill his promise to come to the aid of Israel.
Metzudat Zion
Sullah: It is the earthen ramp that they heap up from outside the city, in order to ascend upon it and wage war against it.
A "dik" is the tower built opposite the city to capture it, as it is written: "And they built a dik against it" (Jeremiah 52:4).
Malbim
"And not with a great army" means that Pharaoh will not assist them with a great army at the time when Nebuchadnezzar heaps up a mound to destroy lives. And this is the explanation of what is stated in the parable, "and not with a mighty arm, and with a great multitude of people, to lift it up from its roots," the intent being that Nebuchadnezzar will not need a mighty arm for this, for even Pharaoh, who is the second eagle, will not come with a mighty arm to assist him.
seeing he has despised the oath by breaking the covenant, when, lo, he had given his hand, and has done all these things, he shall not escape.
verse value 2156
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 40 letters. Notable word values: "curse" (אָלָ֖ה) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֥א, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·all·these" (וְכׇל־אֵ֥לֶּה, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 20: and·he·despised, his·hand. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "and·he·despised" (וּבָזָ֥ה), "and·all·these" (וְכׇל־אֵ֥לֶּה), "will·slip·away" (יִמָּלֵֽט). The root אלה appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "did" (root עשה, 214x in Ezekiel); "not" (root לא, 213x in Ezekiel); "gave" (root נתן, 207x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'covenant', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 7 words. Full calculation: וּבָזָ֥ה [and·he·despised] (20) + אָלָ֖ה [curse] (36) + לְהָפֵ֣ר [to·break] (315) + בְּרִ֑ית [covenant] (612) + וְהִנֵּ֨ה [and·behold] (66) + נָתַ֥ן [gave] (500) + יָד֛וֹ [his·hand] (20) + וְכׇל־אֵ֥לֶּה [and·all·these] (92) + עָשָׂ֖ה [did] (375) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + יִמָּלֵֽט [will·slip·away] (89) = 2156.
Rashi
He gave his hand. He guaranteed it with faith and raised his hand in a covenant.
Radak
And in this, "and behold, he gave his hand." For the giving of the hand is the fulfillment of love and peace, as we have seen that Jehu said to Jehonadab, "Give me your hand."
Metzudat David
“And he despised the oath.” Behold, Zedekiah, who despised the oath in order to violate the covenant that he had made with Nebuchadnezzar.
"And behold, he put forth his hand." At first, he put forth his hand, which is the striking of the palm to confirm the matter, and afterwards he committed all these acts of rebellion; therefore, he shall not escape from the hand of Nebuchadnezzar.
Malbim
He despised the oath—now he explains “and broke the covenant and fled,” meaning that after he had despised the oath and broken the covenant, and further than this, behold, he has given his hand—meaning that he has also already withdrawn his hand from the war, i.e., after the city had fallen—and despite all this, he did all these things because he stood firm in his rebellion and wished to flee to Egypt. And how can he escape? And this is the meaning of what is said in the parable: “Behold, though transplanted, will it thrive?” How can he succeed when he uproots himself from his place to flee to Egypt?
Therefore thus says the Lord Hashem: As I live, surely Mine oath that he has despised, and My covenant that he has broken, I will even bring it upon his own head.
verse value 4369
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 59 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִה֮) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "therefore" (לָכֵ֞ן, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·My·covenant" (וּבְרִיתִ֖י, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: that, that. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "my·oath" (אָֽלָתִי֙), "and·My·covenant" (וּבְרִיתִ֖י), "brings·to·nought" (הֵפִ֑יר). The root אשר appears 2 times in this verse. 13 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 'brings·to·nought', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 2 words. Full calculation: לָכֵ֞ן [therefore] (100) + כֹּה־אָמַ֨ר [thus·says] (266) + אֲדֹנָ֣י [my·lord] (65) + יֱהֹוִה֮ [Hashem] (26) + חַי־אָ֒נִי֒ [living·I] (79) + אִם־לֹ֗א [if·not] (72) + אָֽלָתִי֙ [my·oath] (441) + אֲשֶׁ֣ר [that] (501) + בָּזָ֔ה [he·despised] (14) + וּבְרִיתִ֖י [and·My·covenant] (628) + אֲשֶׁ֣ר [that] (501) + הֵפִ֑יר [brings·to·nought] (295) + וּנְתַתִּ֖יו [and·I·will·make·him] (872) + בְּרֹאשֽׁוֹ [in·his·head] (509) = 4369.
Rashi
"And I will place it upon his head." This refers to one who is blind.
Radak
Therefore. If not. The language of an oath, as we have written:
"Elati. For by God he made him swear:"
"And My covenant." For He made him a covenant by His Name.
“And I will place it upon his head.” That sin, I will give it to his head, like “I will repay him his recompense upon his head,” or perhaps he said “upon his head” referring to the blinding of his eyes.
Metzudat David
Therefore. Since he acted thus, therefore thus says the Lord:
If not, it is a matter of an oath.
“My oath which he despised.” This means: the oath which he despised is considered as if he had sworn to Me and despised it; and this is because he swore by the name of the Lord.
And My covenant. The covenant that he broke is as though he broke the covenant that he made with Me.
"And I will place it on his head." Therefore, I will give the punishment for this sin upon his head.
And I will spread My net upon him, and he shall be taken in My snare, and I will bring him to Babylon, and will plead with him there for his treachery that he has committed against Me.
verse value 6301
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 64 letters. The shortest word is "there" (שָׁ֔ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·I·will·bring·him" (וַהֲבִיאוֹתִ֣יהוּ, 10 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "my·net" (רִשְׁתִּ֔י), "and·I·will·bring·him" (וַהֲבִיאוֹתִ֣יהוּ), "he·trespassed·against·me" (מָעַל־בִּֽי). The root על appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel); "upon·him" (root על, 272x in Ezekiel); "and·I·will·bring·him" (root בוא, 175x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·My·snare', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 8 words. Full calculation: וּפָרַשְׂתִּ֤י [and·I·will·spread] (996) + עָלָיו֙ [upon·him] (116) + רִשְׁתִּ֔י [my·net] (910) + וְנִתְפַּ֖שׂ [and·will·be·caught] (836) + בִּמְצוּדָתִ֑י [in·My·snare] (552) + וַהֲבִיאוֹתִ֣יהוּ [and·I·will·bring·him] (451) + בָבֶ֗לָה [to·Babylon] (39) + וְנִשְׁפַּטְתִּ֤י [and·I·will·be·judged] (855) + אִתּוֹ֙ [with·him] (407) + שָׁ֔ם [there] (340) + מַעֲל֖וֹ [his·trespass] (146) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [that] (501) + מָעַל־בִּֽי [he·trespassed·against·me] (152) = 6301.
Rashi
"And I spread my net over him." Just as I explained above at the beginning of the book (above, 12), that the deer was invited to go up to the roof of the cave.
And I will contend. And I will plead with Him:
Radak
"And I will spread [My net]:" That I would place it in the heart of the Chaldeans to pursue after him and to catch up with him. And in the Midrash: there was a cave from the house of Zedekiah to the plains of Jericho, and he fled through the cave. And the Holy One, blessed be He, prepared a deer for him, as we wrote above regarding the verse, "Make for yourself vessels of exile."
“And I will judge him there.” For he will be there in Babylon in prison, and it will be as if I am judging and disputing with him, because this trouble came upon him due to the transgression he committed against Me. And he will confess to this. And the Targum: “And I will take vengeance from him there.”
They have been unfaithful. It is lacking the letter bet of the preposition, like "that was found [in] the house of the Lord," and its like.
Metzudat David
"And I spread My net upon him." Our Sages of blessed memory said: When Zedekiah fled through a cave, the Holy One, blessed be He, prepared a deer to walk over the cave from above, and the Chaldeans pursued the deer to capture it. And when they arrived at the entrance of the cave, they found Zedekiah emerging from the cave, and they captured him.
"And I will judge him there." In Babylonia, I will dispute with him concerning the trespass he committed against me by violating the oath, for there he sat in prison; and this will be considered a dispute with him, for by this I will inform him that he transgressed against Me.
Metzudat Zion
In my snare. This is the net in which one hunts:
"And I will be judged." The meaning is "to dispute," as it is said, "For by the fire of the Lord shall He judge" (Isaiah 66:16).
They have encroached. This refers to the matter of sin and transgression:
Malbim
And I will spread [My net]: when he fled through the cave, a deer happened to present itself to the Chaldeans, who spread a net over it, and thereby Zedekiah was caught in the snare.
And all his mighty men in all his bands shall fall by the sword, and they that remain shall be scattered toward every wind; and you shall know that I Hashem have spoken it.
verse value 3968
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 65 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "that" (כִּ֛י, 2 letters) and the longest is "all·wing" (בְּכׇל־אֲגַפָּיו֙, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "all·fugitive" (כׇּל־מִבְרָחָ֤ו), "all·wing" (בְּכׇל־אֲגַפָּיו֙), "and·those·who·remain" (וְהַנִּשְׁאָרִ֖ים). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "I" (root אני, 166x in Ezekiel); "that" (root כי, 114x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·will·be·spread', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 5 words. Full calculation: וְאֵ֨ת [and·(object marker)] (407) + כׇּל־מִבְרָחָ֤ו [all·fugitive] (306) + בְּכׇל־אֲגַפָּיו֙ [all·wing] (152) + בַּחֶ֣רֶב [in·the·sword] (212) + יִפֹּ֔לוּ [they·will·fall] (126) + וְהַנִּשְׁאָרִ֖ים [and·those·who·remain] (612) + לְכׇל־ר֣וּחַ [to·every·wind] (294) + יִפָּרֵ֑שׂוּ [they·will·be·spread] (596) + וִידַעְתֶּ֕ם [and·you·shall·know] (530) + כִּ֛י [that] (30) + אֲנִ֥י [I] (61) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + דִּבַּֽרְתִּי [have·spoken] (616) = 3968.
Rashi
"And all his fugitives." As its Targum [renders it]: "And all his mighty men." And Menachem, his colleague, [interprets it] in connection with "Flee, my beloved" (end of Song of Songs), and thus is its interpretation: "And all who flee."
"In all their limbs" – "In all their wings," meaning: in all their strength, they shall fall by the sword.
"Yafreshu" – "Sharonafendon" in the language of the gentiles:
Radak
"And all who flee from him." It is written without a yod and read with a yod, and there are many similar cases. It is an adjective, and its meaning is "the ones who fled, whether they fled with him or without him."
"In all his wings" – In all his forces, as we explained above.
“By the sword they shall fall.” Those whom the Chaldeans will overtake; and the remainder, whom they will not overtake.
"To every wind they shall be scattered." Let them be dispersed in every corner.
Yifreshu. From the Nifal conjugation, meaning "to be scattered," and similarly it is used in this context from the heavy conjugation, as it says, "For I have scattered you to the four winds of heaven."
“For I, the Lord, have spoken.” Know that I have fulfilled what I spoke, for I am the Lord who speaks and acts, decrees and fulfills.
Metzudat David
"And all his fugitives." All those who flee from him, in all his hosts, shall fall by the sword of the enemy, for he will overtake them; and those who remain of them shall be scattered throughout the world, in all the winds of the earth.
"And you shall know." Then, when the matter comes to pass, you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken these words, and the prophet did not devise them from his own heart.
Metzudat Zion
His fugitives. The word is in the form of "fleeing" (from the root ב.ר.ח):
His wings. His wings. And our Sages of blessed memory said: "Even between the wings" (Hullin 46a). And regarding the spreading of his forces it says: "And all his wings" (above 12).
Malbim
“And all his fugitives”—the troops that will flee with him; “in all his wings”—all his wives and those attached to him will fall by the sword, as stated above.
Thus says the Lord Hashem: Moreover I will take, even I, of the lofty top of the cedar, and will set it; I will crop off from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and I will plant it upon a high mountain and eminent;
verse value 6598
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 78 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 "his·young·twigs" (יֹֽנְקוֹתָיו֙, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 61: I, I. 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "from·top·of" (מִצַּמֶּ֧רֶת), "the·Ramah" (הָרָמָ֖ה), "from·head·of" (מֵרֹ֤אשׁ). The root אני appears 2 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "said" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "upon" (root על, 272x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·I·will·give', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 9 words.
Rashi
"And I will set." As its Targum [translates it]: "And I will establish him." "And I Myself will take." The King Messiah.
“Soft, I will pluck.” There is no way to graft [the cluster] except from the soft shoots that grew last year, which they call “grape-eyes” in the vernacular.
And "tallul." The language of a "tel" (mound), for it is the way of a "tel" to be high and steep; "Aumenzli" in the vernacular.
Radak
Thus says the Lord: “And I will take from the top of the cedar, and set it.” From that very top of the cedar which was cut off and removed from its place, I will again take from it. This is not like that taking which the King of Babylon took, as it is stated, “He took the top of the cedar,” for he took it in order to remove and abolish it. But I will take it from the place of exile and set it in its place. This is what is meant by the verse, “And I will set it.”
“From the head of his sucklings, I will take a tender shoot.” “The head of his sucklings” refers to Jehoiachin, as we explained above. “I will take a tender shoot” means that I will plant it in its place. This is what is stated: “And I planted it.” When I take it from its place, which is there for its benefit, I take it in order to plant it in its land; this tender shoot is Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, son of Jehoiachin.
“On a high and lofty mountain.” The word “lofty” (tallul) is derived from “tall,” meaning that the summit of the mountain resembles a tall (a mound or heap), and this refers to Mount Zion. In the foreign tongue, it is called “emulent.”
Metzudat David
"And I will take for myself" – I will take a branch from the uppermost shoot of the lofty cedar tree, and I will place it in its place. This means that in the days of the Messiah, I will take from the seed of David and make him king in Jerusalem.
“From the head of its suckling branches.” From the tender branches that are at the top of the uppermost branch, I will cut a tender branch that will thrive for planting.
"And I will plant them." I will plant it on a high and lofty mountain, so that it may be seen from afar. This refers to the Messiah, as the matter is repeated in the verse that says:
Metzudat Zion
And "tullul." The meaning is height, and it is from the word "tel."
Malbim
(22-23) Thus says the Lord: “Prophesy,” meaning that afterward He will take from the top of the cedar and give it to him, so that he may have an independent existence. This is what Evil-Merodach will do, namely, release Jehoiachin from the prison house. And afterward, “From the top of its tender shoots, a tender one I will pluck,” referring to Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, from his lineage. And “I will plant him,” meaning that he will be transferred from Babylon to the Land of Israel, and that from his lineage will emerge the Branch for the House of David, to establish a lamp for David in the end of days.
in the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it; and it shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a stately cedar; and under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing, in the shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell.
verse value 6723
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 80 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָיָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "all" (כֹּ֚ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "his·branches" (דָּלִיּוֹתָ֖יו, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 200: bough, all·wing. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "I·will·plant·it" (אֶשְׁתֳּלֶ֔נּוּ), "to·cedar" (לְאֶ֣רֶז), "great" (אַדִּ֑יר). The root שכן appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·shall·be" (root היה, 335x in Ezekiel); "and·will·do" (root עשה, 214x in Ezekiel); "Israel" (root ישראל, 154x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root מרום ("height") in Ezekiel. First appearance of the root צפור ("bird") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'great', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 8 words.
Rashi
Teshkonah. The dagesh in the nun serves in place of a second nun, as if it were written teshkonnah.
Radak
“On the high mountain of Israel.” “High” refers to the Land of Israel, for Jerusalem is higher than all the Land of Israel, and the Land of Israel is higher than all the lands. And the Targum [renders it]: “On the holy mountain of Israel.”
It is written: "Ashotlanu." The tav has a chataf qamats for the sake of the beauty of the reading.
"And He shall bring forth fruit." In the case of Zedekiah, the text does not mention "fruit," because his sons died, as we have already stated.
“And he shall be like a lofty cedar.” Just as he was originally a cedar, as it is stated: “The top of the cedar,” and not like a vine, as it is stated concerning Zedekiah:
“And it shall dwell beneath it” – Israel will dwell in its shade.
“tishkonah.” The dagesh in the nun indicates a nun that was dropped from the root, and the meaning of “tishkonah” is that the birds will dwell; and this is an allegory for Israel, that they will dwell in the shadow of Zerubbabel.
Metzudat David
“On the high mountain of Israel.” On the highest mountain in all of Eretz Yisrael, which is Jerusalem, there we shall be planted.
“And it shall bear a branch.” It shall grow branches, produce fruit, and be like a strong cedar; that is to say, it shall have much goodness and greatness.
“And they shall dwell beneath it.” Beneath this tree, every bird and every winged creature will dwell in the shade of its great branches. This means that all the nations will listen to him and submit to his service.
And all the trees of the field shall know that I Hashem have brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, have dried up the green tree, and have made the dry tree to flourish; I Hashem have spoken and have done it.’
verse value 6338
Insights
Verse structure: 22 words, 85 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "that" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·I·have·made-flourish" (וְהִפְרַ֖חְתִּי, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 160: tree, tree, tree, tree. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "I·have·brought-low" (הִשְׁפַּ֣לְתִּי), "I·have·exalted" (הִגְבַּ֙הְתִּי֙), "low" (שָׁפָ֔ל). The root עץ appears 4 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "and·I·will·make" (root עשה, 214x in Ezekiel); "I" (root אני, 166x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'dry', dividing the verse into phrases of 18 and 4 words.
Rashi
"I have humbled the lofty tree." This refers to the Chaldeans, who were ruling over Israel.
I have made the moist tree wither. Zedekiah and his seed:
“And I will make the dry tree blossom.” Jehoiachin, who was exiled without children, will father Zerubbabel in Babylonia, and he will be the governor of Judah to rule.
Radak
"And all the trees of the field shall know." Since He compared the kingdom of the House of David to the cedar, He compared the kings of the nations to the other trees of the forest.
“And they shall know that I am the Lord: I have brought down the high tree, I have exalted the low tree.” “I have brought down the high tree” refers to the king of Babylon. “I have exalted the low tree” refers to the king of Judah, who is Zerubbabel. And likewise, “I have withered the moist tree and I have made the dry tree blossom” is an allegory that also applies to them. And there are those who explain that “the high tree” and “the moist tree” refer to Zedekiah, while “the low tree” and “the dry tree” refer to Jehoiachin, who was in exile, in a lowly state, and God, blessed be He, exalted him, when Evil-Merodach brought him out of the prison house and set his throne above the thrones of the kings who were with him. And he was “a dry tree” because he had no children during his exile; afterward, he had children in the prison house, Asir and Shealtiel. Behold, this is the return of “the moist tree.” And there are those who explain this passage as referring to the Messiah. And so it appears to be the opinion of Jonathan ben Uzziel, who translated: “And I shall take from the top of the cedar, and I shall bring near the kingdom of the House of David, which is like a cedar, etc.”
Metzudat David
"All the trees of the field." They are the kings of the earth.
"I have brought low the tall tree." These are the princes of Babylonia.
"I have exalted a lowly tree." These are the kings of the House of David.
"I have dried up, etc." The matter is repeated in what is stated:
"I am the Lord." The Faithful One in His word:
Metzudat Zion
"I was dried up." The word is from the root of "dryness" (y-b-sh).
"Lach." From the language of moistness and wetness.
And I will make it blossom. The matter of the sprouting of the blossom:
Malbim
"And they shall know" — all shall know that everything was under Divine providence: He humbled Zedekiah, who was like a tall, moist tree, and He exalted Jehoiachin, who was like a low, dry tree. For it was written concerning him in the decree of Babylon that none of his descendants would rule over the House of Israel (as stated in Jeremiah 23). "I, the Lord, have spoken and done" — in contrast to what is stated in verse 21, "I, the Lord, have spoken," here it says "I have spoken and done." For when He speaks good, He does not retract from it, and with the speech the deed is accomplished and completed. Not so with evil: with the speech, the deed is not yet bound, for He awaits that they will return in repentance and that the decree will be annulled.
Radak