And it came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month, the tenth day of the month, that certain of the elders of Israel came to inquire of Hashem, and sat before me.
verse value 5078
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 66 letters. The shortest word is "they·went·in" (בָּ֧אוּ, 3 letters) and the longest is "seventh" (הַשְּׁבִיעִ֗ית, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "seventh" (הַשְּׁבִיעִ֗ית), "in·the·fifth" (בַּחֲמִשִׁי֙), "to·seek" (לִדְרֹ֣שׁ). 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "and·it·was" (root היה, 335x in Ezekiel); "they·went·in" (root בוא, 175x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root עשור ("on·the·tenth") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיְהִ֣י [and·it·was] (31) + בַּשָּׁנָ֣ה [in·the·year] (357) + הַשְּׁבִיעִ֗ית [seventh] (797) + בַּחֲמִשִׁי֙ [in·the·fifth] (360) + בֶּעָשׂ֣וֹר [on·the·tenth] (578) + לַחֹ֔דֶשׁ [to·the·month] (342) + בָּ֧אוּ [they·went·in] (9) + אֲנָשִׁ֛ים [man] (401) + מִזִּקְנֵ֥י [from·the·elders·of] (207) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל [Israel] (541) + לִדְרֹ֣שׁ [to·seek] (534) + אֶת־יְהֹוָ֑ה [Hashem] (427) + וַיֵּשְׁב֖וּ [and·sat] (324) + לְפָנָֽי [to·my·face] (170) = 5078.
Rashi
"To seek the Lord." [This teaches that they should pray] for their needs. And if He does not heed us, we too will not be punished for the transgressions in our hands, for we have already sold ourselves [to Him], and He has no claim against us. Just as a slave whom his master has sold, or a woman whom her husband has divorced—does the former have any claim against the latter? From the end of the matter, you learn from the answer He gave them: "And what comes into your mind..." (below, 32).
Radak
“And it came to pass in the seventh year.” In the seventh year of the exile of King Jehoiachin. And in every year the Lord would speak to him one prophecy to admonish them. And even though there were other prophecies between them, in each year there was this prophecy, regarding which it is stated, “In such and such a year.” And in each of them he was with the exiles or with their elders. First, in the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin, as it is written: “And it came to pass in the sixth year, and the elders of Judah were sitting before me.” And now, in the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, men from the elders of Israel came to inquire of the Lord, and they sat before me. The mention of the month and the days of the month is an allusion that at this time Jerusalem was destroyed. And it was from the Lord that the elders came to the prophet on this day, so that they would hear the rebuke on that day, because in their sin and the sin of their fathers the Temple was destroyed. And these elders came to inquire of the Lord, and they were righteous men from those who were exiled with Jehoiachin. And what He said to them, “If I inquire for you because of the sin of your generation,” means perhaps they came to inquire about the exile, whether they would return to the land. And what He said to them, “Is it in the way of your fathers that you defile yourselves,” is against the evil generation. He said, as He said to Moses, our teacher, peace be upon him: “How long will you refuse to keep My commandments and My teachings?” In Seder Olam, who were these elders of Israel? Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were they. And it is possible that they came to inquire of the Name on behalf of those remaining in the land, what would be their end: would they be exiled or not? Therefore He said to them, “Have your fathers not walked in My ways? You have defiled yourselves,” because those who were exiled to Babylon did not serve idolatry after they were exiled.
Metzudat David
"In the seventh year." Of the exile of King Jehoiachin:
On the fifth. In the fifth month:
"To seek the Lord." This means to pray before Him and to supplicate Him concerning Jerusalem, that it not be destroyed.
“And they sat before” – they lingered before.
Malbim
"In the seventh year, on the tenth day of the fifth month," the Abarbanel wrote that Jehoiachin was exiled eleven years before the destruction of the Temple, and at the beginning of the fifth year of his exile he saw the first vision. From then onward until the destruction, he saw one vision each year. Although other prophecies came within the year, nevertheless, at the beginning of the year he would see one prophecy. In the seventh year, it happened that the elders came on the tenth day of the fifth month, which was the day on which the Temple was destined to be destroyed. Their request was to pray for the Temple so that it would not be destroyed, and the Lord answered him that He would not accept their prayer and would not grant them their request. In Seder Olam they said that they were Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, but according to what is written in chapter 14, the elders were wicked, for the righteous are called the elders of Judah. And so I explained according to the plain meaning.
’Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel, and say to them: Thus says the Lord Hashem: Are you come to inquire of Me? As I live, says the Lord Hashem, I will not be inquired of by you.
verse value 4833
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 81 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 "the·elders·of" (אֶת־זִקְנֵ֤י, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 65: my·lord, my·lord. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "the·elders·of" (אֶת־זִקְנֵ֤י), "to·inquire" (הֲלִדְרֹ֥שׁ). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "and·you·shall·say" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "my·lord" (root אדון, 222x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'going·in', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 6 words.
Rashi
"If I should inquire of you": In your request, and at the end of this book, He says, "I will inquire of the house of Israel." This is one of the places that teaches us that the Holy One, blessed be He, repents concerning evil, and similarly regarding this matter, He said, "Has He said, and will He not do it?" (Numbers 23:19). Midrash Tanchuma.
Radak
Son of man. The elders of Israel. Like the words 'with' or 'to':
I will seek. The aleph with a hireq:
Metzudat David
The word "to inquire" (ha-ledrosh). It is with the interrogative heh, as in the question: "Have you come to inquire of Me in prayer?" Know then, I swear by My life that I will not be inquired of by you to accept your prayers.
Metzudat Zion
To inquire. It is a matter of prayer, and likewise I will seek: “I would seek unto God” (Job 5:8):
Malbim
“Is it to inquire of Me that you have come” — this implies that their intention is not to seek the Lord in order to know His ways and to know Him. And if so, as I live, I will not respond to you [to answer your question].
Will you judge them, son of man, will you judge them? cause them to know the abominations of their fathers;
verse value 3995
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 37 letters. The shortest word is "them" (אֹתָ֔ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·abominations·of" (אֶת־תּוֹעֲבֹ֥ת, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "the·abominations·of" (אֶת־תּוֹעֲבֹ֥ת), "cause·them·to·know" (הוֹדִיעֵֽם). The root שפט appears 2 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son·of·man" (root בין, 145x in Ezekiel); "cause·them·to·know" (root ידע, 99x in Ezekiel); "you·will·judge" (root שפט, 40x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'son·of·man', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: הֲתִשְׁפֹּ֣ט [you·will·judge] (794) + אֹתָ֔ם [them] (441) + הֲתִשְׁפּ֖וֹט [you·will·judge] (800) + בֶּן־אָדָ֑ם [son·of·man] (97) + אֶת־תּוֹעֲבֹ֥ת [the·abominations·of] (1279) + אֲבוֹתָ֖ם [their·fathers] (449) + הוֹדִיעֵֽם [cause·them·to·know] (135) = 3995.
Rashi
“Will you judge them?” – This is language of dispute.
Radak
“Will you judge?” Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated: “Will you contend with them? Will you contend, son of man?” That is to say: Do you wish to judge them for their wickedness? Rebuke them for their evil deeds, and also inform them of the abominations of their fathers, for previously they provoked Me to anger through the works of their hands.
Metzudat David
“Will You judge?”—Does this mean that You will argue with them to inform them that the law is on my side? If so, do this: inform them also of the abominations of their fathers, along with what they themselves have added.
Metzudat Zion
"Will you judge?" The matter is a dispute:
Malbim
“Will you judge them” means that their coming to the prophet will be either to inquire of God or for the prophet himself to judge them according to the laws of the Torah. Therefore, it says: If you have not come to inquire of God, but rather [you want] you to judge them, then you shall judge them on the basis that you are a human being—meaning, not according to prophecy, but according to your intellect and your knowledge of the Torah of God—He will inform them of the abomination of their fathers, that they have already deviated from the Torah since the days of their ancestors.
and say to them: Thus says the Lord Hashem: In the day when I chose Israel, and lifted up My hand to the seed of the house of Jacob, and made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt, when I lifted up My hand to them, saying: I am Hashem your God;
verse value 4850
Insights
Verse structure: 24 words, 99 letters. Notable word values: "to·them" (אֲלֵיהֶ֗ם) = 86, equal to Elohim. Verse gematria: 4850 is divisible by 50, the years to the Jubilee (yovel). The shortest word is "my·hand" (יָדִ֗י, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·Israel" (בְיִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 308: and·I·lifted, and·I·lifted. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "when·I·chose" (בׇּחֳרִ֣י), "to·seed·of" (לְזֶ֙רַע֙), "and·I·was·known" (וָאִוָּדַ֥ע). The root אמר appears 3 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "and·you·shall·say" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "my·lord" (root אדון, 222x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root יעקב ("Jacob") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Egypt', dividing the verse into phrases of 17 and 7 words.
Rashi
On the day He chose Israel. This shows that this hatred was suppressed before the Omnipresent for nearly nine hundred years, from when they were in Egypt until the time of Ezekiel. And His love was covering them. But since they now increased in transgression, it was aroused. And regarding this it is said: “Hatred stirs up strife” (Proverbs 10:12).
Radak
And you shall say, “On the day that I chose Israel.” The chet is with a chataf-kamats for the sake of the honor of the reading. The rebuke began from the time that they became a nation in the exile of Egypt, and the day that He chose them is the day that He first sent to them His prophets, and who are they? Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. This is the matter: the rebuke with which He reproached them in Egypt through His prophets—we have not seen it except from the words of Ezekiel in the Midrash. Behold, this hatred was hidden before the Omnipresent for nearly nine hundred years, from when they were in Egypt until Ezekiel. And His love covered over them. And because they now increased in transgression, the hatred was aroused. And regarding this it is said: “Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all transgressions.”
“And I lifted up My hand.” Just as it is stated, “Which I lifted up My hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob,” and here it specifies, “to the seed of Jacob,” for what was given to Abraham and to Isaac was on account of the seed of Jacob. So too, it says there, “And I will give it to you for a heritage; I am the Lord.”
"And I made Myself known to them." I made Myself known to them through the prophets whom I sent to them. "And I lifted up My hand to them," as it is stated, "I am the Lord."
"I am the Lord." A vow; and likewise, "I have lifted up My hand," and "I will lift up My hand." And the Targum [renders it]: "I have sworn by My word." And as it is said: "When I lift up My hand to heaven, and I say: As I live forever."
Metzudat David
"On the day that I chose Israel. Just as I chose Israel when they were in Egypt:"
“And I lifted up my hands.” At that time, I raised my hands in an oath to bring them out from there.
"And I made Myself known to them." I made Myself known to them there through the inspiration of My Divine Presence upon Aaron, and I raised My hand in an oath, saying to them: "I am the Lord your God." This means: I will be your guide and overseer, unlike the nations of antiquity, who were overseen by the intermediate heavenly host and their celestial ministers.
Malbim
“On the day I chose”: This means that the beginning of the choice of the people in Egypt involved two matters: 1. The matter of choice on account of their being Israelites, on account of the exalted qualities of their souls, which rendered them worthy of the divine matter. 2. On account of their being the seed of the House of Jacob and the covenant of the Fathers. And from this aspect, “I lifted up My hand to the seed of the House of Jacob,” He lifted up His hand in an oath to fulfill the oath of the Fathers. And he explains this in relation to what was stated, “On the day I chose Israel,” [by saying] “And I made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt,” whereby the divine matter was revealed to them. And in relation to what was stated, “And I lifted up My hand to the seed of the House of Jacob,” he said, “And I lifted up My hand to them, saying, ‘I am the Lord your God,’” meaning that I am bound to you by covenant from ancient times, to be your God.
in that day I lifted up My hand to them, to bring them forth out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had sought out for them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the beauty of all lands;
verse value 5397
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 75 letters. The shortest word is "my·hand" (יָדִי֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·all·the·lands" (לְכׇל־הָאֲרָצֽוֹת, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 75: to·them, to·them. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "that·I·sought·out" (אֲשֶׁר־תַּ֣רְתִּי). The root הוא appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·I·sought·out" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel); "to·a·land" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel); "from·land·of" (root ארץ, 176x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root חלב ("milk") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Egypt', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 9 words.
Radak
"On that day." Just as it is stated: "Therefore say to the children of Israel: I am the Lord, and I will bring you out."
It is the pride of all the lands. It is the glory and delight of all the lands, for it is the central region, and it is superior to all other regions, and its air is balanced and better than that of all the lands. And likewise it is stated: “Beautiful in elevation, the joy of all the earth.” And Jonathan rendered: “It is the pride, it is the praise, for all the lands.”
Metzudat David
"On that day": This means, on the very day that I swore to them that I would be their leader and overseer, I then swore to bring them out of Egypt to the land that I had sought out for them, which is a land flowing with milk and honey, and which is more glorious than all other lands.
Metzudat Zion
"I searched." The term "searching" is akin to "I searched" in my heart (Ecclesiastes 2:3).
Zavat. The term is derived from the words "zibah" (flowing) and "netifah" (dripping).
Tzvi. The matter of splendor and beauty:
Malbim
"On that day I raised My hand to them," meaning: From then on, He determined that they would be under His providence, and that He would bring them out of the land of Egypt with signs and wonders, and bring them to the land which He had sought out for them. This is like one who says: "I have a fine, choice sapling, and I seek out for it a fertile hillside, a place where it will succeed and become a choice vine." Similarly, He chose the Land of Israel because it is a land flowing with milk and honey, where they would find all their physical needs, so that they could devote themselves to Torah and divine service. Moreover, it is the beauty of all lands in spiritual and metaphysical matters, for the Divine Presence, providence, and prophecy reside there.
and I said to them: Cast you away every man the detestable things of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt; I am Hashem your God.
verse value 2804
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 59 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֥ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "man" (אִ֣ישׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·with·idols·of" (וּבְגִלּוּלֵ֥י, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "detestable·things·of" (שִׁקּוּצֵ֤י), "and·with·idols·of" (וּבְגִלּוּלֵ֥י). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "and·I·said" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "do·not·defile·yourselves" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'do·not·defile·yourselves', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 3 words. Full calculation: וָאֹמַ֣ר [and·I·said] (247) + אֲלֵהֶ֗ם [to·them] (76) + אִ֣ישׁ [man] (311) + שִׁקּוּצֵ֤י [detestable·things·of] (506) + עֵינָיו֙ [his·eyes] (146) + הַשְׁלִ֔יכוּ [cast] (371) + וּבְגִלּוּלֵ֥י [and·with·idols·of] (87) + מִצְרַ֖יִם [Egypt] (380) + אַל־תִּטַּמָּ֑אוּ [do·not·defile·yourselves] (487) + אֲנִ֖י [I] (61) + יְהֹוָ֥ה [Hashem] (26) + אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם [your·God] (106) = 2804.
Rashi
"And I spoke to them." Aaron delivered this prophecy to them before the Holy One, blessed be He, revealed Himself to Moses at the bush. This is what is stated: "To the house of your father I revealed Myself when they were in the land of Egypt" (1 Samuel 2:27).
Radak
"And I said to them." Previously, I had told them through the first prophets who prophesied to them, namely Moses our Teacher, peace be upon him:
"Cast away, each man, the detestable things of his eyes." For the eyes lead a person to sin, as it is stated, "Nor shall you follow after your heart and after your eyes, after which you go astray" (Numbers 15:39). And similarly, it is stated in this very passage, "For their heart went after their idols" (Ezekiel 20:16), and it subsequently states, "And their eyes followed their idols" (Ezekiel 20:24). And our Sages of blessed memory said, "The eye and the heart are the agents of sin."
And the idols of Egypt. As its Targum [renders it]: “And in the worship of the error of the Egyptians you shall not defile yourselves.”
Metzudat David
"And I said to them." Through Aaron, I said to them: "Every man and every man, cast away the abomination and the detestation that his eyes see to him," for the eye is the broker of transgression.
And regarding the idols: "You shall not defile yourselves with the idols of the Egyptians, after whom you shall not go."
"I am the Lord your God." As it says, "And how, therefore, would you exchange Me for idols?"
Metzudat Zion
Shakutzim. From the language of “shakutz and to’evah” (abomination and detestable thing).
Malbim
And I said to them: But He stipulated with them that from now on they are holy to their God, and they are not like all the idolatrous nations. And they need to sanctify themselves both in deeds, as it is said there: “Every man, cast away the detestable things of his eyes,” which refers to matters of idolatry that were connected to the immorality attributed to the eyes; and “Do not defile yourselves with any detestable thing of Egypt,” which refers to matters of idolatry that were for worship and believing in falsehood and vanity (as it is stated: “Do not follow after your heart—this is heresy; and after your eyes, after which you commit immorality—this is immorality”). And all this is because I am the Lord your God, and you shall be holy, for I am holy.
But they rebelled against Me, and would not hearken to Me; they did not every man cast away the detestable things of their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt; then I said I would pour out My fury upon them, to spend My anger upon them in the midst of the land of Egypt.
verse value 6601
Insights
Verse structure: 24 words, 103 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·the·idols·of" (וְאֶת־גִּלּוּלֵ֥י, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 486: and·the·idols·of, to·spend. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "they·was·willing" (אָבוּ֙), "the·detestable·things·of" (אֶת־שִׁקּוּצֵ֤י), "and·the·idols·of" (וְאֶת־גִּלּוּלֵ֥י). The root לא appears 3 times in this verse. 21 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·I·said" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "upon·them" (root על, 272x in Ezekiel); "and·not" (root לא, 213x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·left', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 10 words.
Rashi
“And they rebelled against Me.” These are the wicked, the majority of Israel who died during the three days of darkness, as it is stated, “And the children of Israel went up armed from the land of Egypt” (Exodus 13:18)—one in fifty; and some say one in five hundred.
Radak
And they rebelled against Me. To pour out My fury, to consume My anger: the matter is repeated in different words, for when a person pours out what is in a vessel, he consumes what is within it.
Metzudat David
"And they rebelled against Me." While they were still in Egypt, they rebelled against the Lord.
And it says: "For this reason I thought to pour out My wrath upon them, and to cast upon them the heat of My anger."
Metzudat Zion
And they rebelled. From the language of "meri" and "mered" (rebellion and revolt):
And they refused. And they did not desire, like "And he refused" (Deuteronomy 25:7).
"To consume." The matter of completion:
Malbim
And they rebelled against Me to do that which I commanded them not to do, and they did not wish to listen, in that they did not do that which I commanded them to do. They did not cast away the detestable things of their eyes, for the detestable things indicate evil deeds of sexual immorality that they actually perform, and they ought to have cast them away; yet they did not cast them away. And they did not abandon the idols of Egypt, which indicate heresy, and they ought to have abandoned this path; yet they did not abandon it. And it says, "to pour out My fury upon them," and through the inner fire, My outer anger consumed them. For when the anger and punishment are by means of the inner fire, it brings about a complete destruction; this is the difference between anger (af) and fury (chama).
But I wrought for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, among whom they were, in whose sight I made Myself known to them, so as to bring them forth out of the land of Egypt.
verse value 4920
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 77 letters. Notable word values: "to·them" (אֲלֵיהֶם֙) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "my·name" (שְׁמִ֔י, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·their·eyes" (לְעֵ֣ינֵיהֶ֔ם, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "did·I·make·Myself·known" (נוֹדַ֤עְתִּי). The root עין appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "whom·they" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel); "and·I·made" (root עשה, 214x in Ezekiel); "to·them" (root אל, 204x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·their·midst', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 7 words.
Rashi
“L’baltahachal.” That My Name should not be profaned, for since I have made Myself known to them and promised to bring them forth, and since the Egyptians have come to know that they are My people, if I were to destroy them, their enemies would say that it was due to a lack of power on His part to bring them forth.
Radak
"And I will make," so as not to be profaned. It is from the nifal conjugation, and the chet has a tzere in place of a patach, and similarly "when she profanes herself by whoring." They are a matter of profanation.
"I made Myself known. Through the prophets:"
“Before their eyes.” For the Egyptians used to hear the prophets speaking to them, and the prophets would promise them that they would be taken out from among them, even before our Master Moses, of blessed memory. For when our Master Moses, of blessed memory, came to them on the mission of the Lord they did not persist in their evil deeds. As it is said: “And the people believed; and they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel.” And they believed in Moses because of the signs that He performed before their eyes. And the earlier prophets did not do so. And according to the words of our Sages of blessed memory, even after our Master Moses, of blessed memory, came to them on the mission of the Lord there were wicked ones among them who did not return from their evil ways. And those died during the three days of darkness, so that the Egyptians would not see their downfall and rejoice over them.
Metzudat David
"And I did." But I acted for the sake of My Name, so that it would not be desecrated in the eyes of the Egyptians.
“Who have made Myself known.” That is, I was made known to Israel through Aaron, who would inform them by prophecy, in the sight of Egypt, that I would redeem them from there. And if they had perished in Egypt, the Name of the Lord would have been desecrated, as they would have said, “It is because the Lord lacks the power to bring them out that He has destroyed and perished them.”
Metzudat Zion
He hollowed out. The word is derived from "hollow":
Malbim
"And I acted for My name’s sake": Even though they were deserving of being utterly destroyed, I had regard for the honor of My name, lest it be profaned. Therefore, "I brought them out from the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness," where I taught them the statutes of the Lord and His commandments, and where they saw the Divine Presence and the continuous miracles.
So I caused them to go forth out of the land of Egypt, and brought them into the wilderness.
verse value 1197
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 28 letters. The shortest word is "from·land·of" (מֵאֶ֣רֶץ, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·I·brought·them·out" (וָאוֹצִיאֵ֖ם, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "and·I·brought·them·out" (וָאוֹצִיאֵ֖ם), "and·I·brought·them" (וָאֲבִאֵ֖ם), "to·the·wilderness" (אֶל־הַמִּדְבָּֽר). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·the·wilderness" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel); "from·land·of" (root ארץ, 176x in Ezekiel); "and·I·brought·them" (root בוא, 175x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Egypt', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: וָאוֹצִיאֵ֖ם [and·I·brought·them·out] (154) + מֵאֶ֣רֶץ [from·land·of] (331) + מִצְרָ֑יִם [Egypt] (380) + וָאֲבִאֵ֖ם [and·I·brought·them] (50) + אֶל־הַמִּדְבָּֽר [to·the·wilderness] (282) = 1197.
Radak
“And I will bring them out, and I will bring them in.” It is spelled defectively, lacking a yod.
And I gave them My statutes, and taught them Mine ordinances, which if a man do, he shall live by them.
verse value 4699
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 53 letters. The shortest word is "to·them" (לָהֶם֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·my·ordinances" (וְאֶת־מִשְׁפָּטַ֖י, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 447: them, them. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "my·statutes" (אֶת־חֻקּוֹתַ֔י), "I·made·known" (הוֹדַ֣עְתִּי). The root הם appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "which" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel); "will·do" (root עשה, 214x in Ezekiel); "and·I·gave" (root נתן, 207x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'them', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: וָאֶתֵּ֤ן [and·I·gave] (457) + לָהֶם֙ [to·them] (75) + אֶת־חֻקּוֹתַ֔י [my·statutes] (925) + וְאֶת־מִשְׁפָּטַ֖י [and·my·ordinances] (846) + הוֹדַ֣עְתִּי [I·made·known] (495) + אוֹתָ֑ם [them] (447) + אֲשֶׁ֨ר [which] (501) + יַעֲשֶׂ֥ה [will·do] (385) + אוֹתָ֛ם [them] (447) + הָאָדָ֖ם [man] (50) + וָחַ֥י [and·he·shall·live] (24) + בָּהֶֽם [by·them] (47) = 4699.
Radak
"And I will give, and they shall live by them." As its Targum renders it: "And they shall live by them for the life of the World to Come." And so did Onkelos translate: "And they shall live by them, I am the Lord."
Metzudat David
"Which he shall do, etc." – This means that those statutes and judgments are capable of giving life to the person who performs them, both in this world and in the World to Come.
Malbim
“And I gave them and I devised plans to repair their affairs: in what pertains between man and the Divine, I gave them the statutes, most of which are from the aspect of the soul and are connected with God, and therefore their reasons are not known; and in what pertains between man and his fellow, I made known to them the ordinances, for the ordinances have reasons that can be stated, and most of them are the Torah of man from the aspect that he is a creature of matter and lives the life of the community. And both of these a person shall do, from the aspect that he is a man composed of body and soul, and he lives by them in two kinds of life, the physical and the spiritual.”
Moreover also I gave them My sabbaths, to be a sign between Me and them, that they might know that I am Hashem that sanctify them.
verse value 4691
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 56 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 "my·sabbaths" (אֶת־שַׁבְּתוֹתַי֙, 8 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "who·sanctify·them" (מְקַדְּשָֽׁם). The root בין appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "to·be" (root היה, 335x in Ezekiel); "I·gave" (root נתן, 207x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·between', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 5 words. Full calculation: וְגַ֤ם [and·also] (49) + אֶת־שַׁבְּתוֹתַי֙ [my·sabbaths] (1519) + נָתַ֣תִּי [I·gave] (860) + לָהֶ֔ם [to·them] (75) + לִהְי֣וֹת [to·be] (451) + לְא֔וֹת [to·sign] (437) + בֵּינִ֖י [between] (72) + וּבֵינֵיהֶ֑ם [and·between] (123) + לָדַ֕עַת [to·know] (504) + כִּ֛י [that] (30) + אֲנִ֥י [I] (61) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + מְקַדְּשָֽׁם [who·sanctify·them] (484) = 4691.
Rashi
"To be a sign." A great sign is it for them that I gave My day of rest to them for rest. Behold, this is a great token that I have sanctified them to Me.
Radak
“And also My Sabbaths.” The verse states “and also” because it is a good gift that God gave to His people Israel, so that they might remember through it the day of rest that He granted them, and that He brought them out from servitude to freedom. And this is the sign that is between God and Israel, which sanctifies them and distinguishes them from the nations, and separates them from the idols of Egypt, and He gave them a holy Torah, with righteous statutes and ordinances. And He said “My Sabbaths” in the plural, thereby including the rest of the Festivals, for they too are a remembrance of the Exodus from Egypt. And because the commandment of the Sabbath is great and is considered as equal to all the commandments, the Torah mentions profaning the Sabbath many times in the portion of the Admonitions.
Metzudat David
"To be a sign, etc." In that which I have inherited to them, the day of My rest, for rest, it is a sign between Me and them, to know thereby that I, the Lord, sanctify them to be My people.
Malbim
“And also I gave My Sabbaths unto them,”—for the Sabbath is a testimony to the act of creation and to the particular providence that is established with Israel, to perform for them wonders by suspending the natural order, so that it may serve as a sign between Me and them, attesting to My providence and divine permission over them from My side, and to know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them; for on their part, they are required to sanctify themselves, ascending from corporeal matters to spiritual ones and to holiness, in which the divine aspect cleaves to them.
But the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness; they walked not in My statutes, and they rejected Mine ordinances, which if a man do, he shall live by them, and My sabbaths they greatly profaned; then I said I would pour out My fury upon them in the wilderness, to consume them.
verse value 8196
Insights
Verse structure: 22 words, 107 letters. The shortest word is "which" (אֲשֶׁר֩, 3 letters) and the longest is "house·of·Israel" (בֵֽית־יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 526: in·my·statutes, to·consume·them. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "to·consume·them" (לְכַלּוֹתָֽם). The root מדבר appears 2 times in this verse. 21 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·I·said" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "which" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel); "upon·them" (root על, 272x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'very', dividing the verse into phrases of 16 and 6 words.
Rashi
"In My statutes they did not walk." They tested Me with the incident of the golden calf and at Rephidim, refusing to accept the Torah, and they left some of the manna.
"And they profaned My Sabbaths." They went out from among the people to gather manna.
Radak
And they rebelled against Me, in My statutes they did not walk. For He commanded them at Marah, as it is written there: "He set for them a statute and a judgment."
They profaned it greatly. For they profaned the first Sabbath by going out to gather the manna; therefore it says "greatly." And they also transgressed the statutes and ordinances, as it is stated: "How long will you refuse to keep My commandments and My laws?"
And it is stated. It is clear:
Metzudat David
"Which he shall do them." As if to say: Although the statutes and ordinances are capable of giving life to the person who performs them, they did not concern themselves with them.
They profaned it exceedingly. This is because on the first Sabbath they profaned it, as it is stated, "And it came to pass on the seventh day that some of the people went out to gather" (Exodus 16:27); and on the second Sabbath, the wood-gatherer profaned it with utter contempt.
Malbim
“And the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness” – this includes all the sins they committed in the wilderness, up to the sin of the spies. They sinned against the statutes and ordinances, which comprise all the commandments, and against the commandment of the Sabbath, which testifies to matters of faith. And He desired to destroy them in the wilderness.
But I wrought for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I brought them out.
verse value 2939
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 47 letters. The shortest word is "my·name" (שְׁמִ֑י, 3 letters) and the longest is "I·brought·them·out" (הוֹצֵאתִ֖ים, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "and·I·did" (וָאֶעֱשֶׂ֖ה), "I·brought·them·out" (הוֹצֵאתִ֖ים). The root עין appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "whom" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel); "and·I·did" (root עשה, 214x in Ezekiel); "the·nations" (root גוי, 87x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'my·name', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 7 words. Full calculation: וָאֶעֱשֶׂ֖ה [and·I·did] (382) + לְמַ֣עַן [for·the·sake·of] (190) + שְׁמִ֑י [my·name] (350) + לְבִלְתִּ֤י [so·as·not] (472) + הֵחֵל֙ [be·profaned] (43) + לְעֵינֵ֣י [to·eyes·of] (170) + הַגּוֹיִ֔ם [the·nations] (64) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [whom] (501) + הוֹצֵאתִ֖ים [I·brought·them·out] (552) + לְעֵינֵיהֶֽם [to·their·eyes] (215) = 2939.
Metzudat David
"so as not to profane [My name]" – so that it would not be profaned in the eyes of the nations, for I brought Israel out in their sight, and they are Egyptians; thus they would say, "Because the Lord was unable to bring them into the land of Canaan, He has destroyed and killed them in the wilderness."
Malbim
“And I acted for the sake of My name” – He also acted so that the Divine Name would not be desecrated, as it is stated, “Lest they say, ‘It was with evil intent that He brought them out’,” and the nations would say, “He was not able.”
Yet also I lifted up My hand to them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the beauty of all lands;
verse value 5504
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 73 letters. Notable word values: "to·bring" (הָבִ֨יא) = 18, chai, 'life'. Verse gematria: 5504 is divisible by 86, the value of Elohim. The shortest word is "my·hand" (יָדִ֛י, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·all·the·lands" (לְכׇל־הָאֲרָצֽוֹת, 9 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "to·bring" (הָבִ֨יא). 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "which·I·gave" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel); "to·the·land" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel); "to·all·the·lands" (root ארץ, 176x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·wilderness', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 11 words.
Radak
“And I also raised My hand against them”—regarding the matter of the spies, as it is stated: “But as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord.”
Metzudat David
"I lifted up My hands." In an oath upon them:
“Lest they bring…” This was because of the sin of the spies, for then it was decreed upon them that they would not enter the Land.
Malbim
And I too, at the time of the sin of the spies, swore that I would not bring them into the land. The reason for this was that, since they despised My judgments, for after their hearts went after their idols, I saw that the cause of their despising My judgments was not due to lust and the evil inclination, but rather due to heresy, for their hearts went after strange beliefs and idols, and they did not believe in God, as was the case with the spies, who did not believe in God’s power. And the sin that stems from denial [of God] is exceedingly great.
Nevertheless Mine eye spared them from destroying them, neither did I make a full end of them in the wilderness.
verse value 3134
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 38 letters. The shortest word is "all" (כָּלָ֖ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·not·I·did" (וְלֹא־עָשִׂ֧יתִי, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "and·pitied" (וַתָּ֧חׇס), "from·destroying·them" (מִֽשַּׁחֲתָ֑ם), "and·not·I·did" (וְלֹא־עָשִׂ֧יתִי). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "upon·them" (root על, 272x in Ezekiel); "and·not·I·did" (root עשה, 214x in Ezekiel); "all" (root כל, 129x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·destroying·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַתָּ֧חׇס [and·pitied] (474) + עֵינִ֛י [my·eye] (140) + עֲלֵיהֶ֖ם [upon·them] (155) + מִֽשַּׁחֲתָ֑ם [from·destroying·them] (788) + וְלֹא־עָשִׂ֧יתִי [and·not·I·did] (827) + אוֹתָ֛ם [them] (447) + כָּלָ֖ה [all] (55) + בַּמִּדְבָּֽר [in·the·wilderness] (248) = 3134.
Radak
And My eye had pity on them, and I did not make them a desolation. For I left their children after them, to bring them into the land:
Metzudat David
"And My eye had pity." This means that they were even liable for utter destruction, but My eye had compassion on them, sparing them from being destroyed; therefore, I did not destroy them in the wilderness.
Metzudat Zion
“and He will spare.” From the language of “חס” meaning mercy and compassion.
Malbim
"And My eye had pity on them, from destroying them": Nevertheless, even though He had sworn not to bring them into the land, He did not put them to death immediately, for then the entire nation would have been destroyed; and My eye had pity on them — for "pity" (chasah) is used regarding something for which there is still a need. Whereas initially He stated that He did not destroy them completely for the sake of His Name, He now says that, after seeing that the cause of their sin was heresy and a deficiency in faith, He realized that if He were to detain them in the wilderness for forty years, and they would witness the continuity of miracles and Divine providence, they would come to recognize the Lord. As it is stated (Deuteronomy 29:1): "You have seen all that the Lord did before your eyes in the land of Egypt... and the Lord has not given you a heart to know... and I have led you through the wilderness... in order that you may know that I am the Lord your God." This was the "pity," for He knew that over the course of time they would learn and believe. As our Sages of blessed memory said about this: "A person does not fully grasp his teacher's view until forty years."
And I said to their children in the wilderness: Walk you not in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their ordinances, nor defile yourselves with their idols;
verse value 4212
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 67 letters. Verse gematria: 4212 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "and·I·said" (וָאֹמַ֤ר, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·their·ordinances" (וְאֶת־מִשְׁפְּטֵיהֶ֖ם, 10 letters). Words sharing gematria 487: do·not·walk, do·not·defile. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "to·their·children" (אֶל־בְּנֵיהֶם֙), "in·statutes·of" (בְּחוּקֵּ֤י), "do·not·walk" (אַל־תֵּלֵ֔כוּ). The root איל appears 4 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·I·said" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "to·their·children" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel); "and·their·ordinances" (root משפט, 43x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'do·not·observe', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 2 words. Full calculation: וָאֹמַ֤ר [and·I·said] (247) + אֶל־בְּנֵיהֶם֙ [to·their·children] (138) + בַּמִּדְבָּ֔ר [in·the·wilderness] (248) + בְּחוּקֵּ֤י [in·statutes·of] (126) + אֲבֽוֹתֵיכֶם֙ [your·fathers] (479) + אַל־תֵּלֵ֔כוּ [do·not·walk] (487) + וְאֶת־מִשְׁפְּטֵיהֶ֖ם [and·their·ordinances] (891) + אַל־תִּשְׁמֹ֑רוּ [do·not·observe] (977) + וּבְגִלּוּלֵיהֶ֖ם [and·with·their·idols] (132) + אַל־תִּטַּמָּֽאוּ [do·not·defile] (487) = 4212.
Radak
"And it says, 'In My statutes.' With a vav and dagesh, and the entire matter is clear."
Metzudat David
“to their children.” The children of the generation that went out from Egypt are those who entered the Land:
"According to the statutes of your fathers": They invented in their hearts that which the Lord did not command.
Malbim
(18-20) And He said to their sons: He warned the sons not to follow the statutes of their fathers, for they had not yet purified themselves from the idols of Egypt and their customs; and He commanded that they should keep the statutes of the Lord and His judgments.
and hallow My sabbaths, and they shall be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am Hashem your God.
verse value 3336
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 51 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 "and·my·sabbaths" (וְאֶת־שַׁבְּתוֹתַ֖י, 9 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "hallow" (קַדֵּ֑שׁוּ), "and·between·you" (וּבֵינֵיכֶ֔ם). The root בין appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "and·they·shall·be" (root היה, 335x in Ezekiel); "I" (root אני, 166x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'hallow', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 9 words. Full calculation: וְאֶת־שַׁבְּתוֹתַ֖י [and·my·sabbaths] (1525) + קַדֵּ֑שׁוּ [hallow] (410) + וְהָי֤וּ [and·they·shall·be] (27) + לְאוֹת֙ [to·sign] (437) + בֵּינִ֣י [between] (72) + וּבֵינֵיכֶ֔ם [and·between·you] (138) + לָדַ֕עַת [to·know] (504) + כִּ֛י [that] (30) + אֲנִ֥י [I] (61) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם [your·God] (106) = 3336.
Metzudat David
“And they shall be for a sign.” “That they may be for a sign”:
But the children rebelled against Me; they walked not in My statutes, neither kept Mine ordinances to do them, which if a man do, he shall live by them; they profaned My sabbaths; then I said I would pour out My fury upon them, to spend My anger upon them in the wilderness.
verse value 8879
Insights
Verse structure: 24 words, 112 letters. Verse gematria: 8879 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "in·them" (בָּ֖ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·my·ordinances" (וְאֶת־מִשְׁפָּטַ֨י, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 447: them, them. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "not·kept" (לֹֽא־שָׁמְר֜וּ). The root עשה appears 2 times in this verse. 22 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·I·said" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "which" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel); "upon·them" (root על, 272x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'profaned', dividing the verse into phrases of 16 and 8 words.
Rashi
“And the children rebelled against Me.” This refers to the tribe of Dan, as well as those who attached themselves to Baal-Peor (Numbers 25:5), after the generation of the wilderness had died.
Metzudat David
"And they rebelled" etc. These are those who attached themselves to Baal Peor, as well as Korah and his company.
Malbim
“And the children rebelled against Me,” yet even the children rebelled against the Lord in the incident of Peor, and God’s wrath was aroused against them as well.
Nevertheless I withdrew My hand, and wrought for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I brought them forth.
verse value 4489
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 60 letters. Verse gematria: 4489 = 67². The shortest word is "my·name" (שְׁמִ֑י, 3 letters) and the longest is "whom·I·brought·out" (אֲשֶׁר־הוֹצֵ֥אתִי, 9 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "whom·I·brought·out" (אֲשֶׁר־הוֹצֵ֥אתִי). The root עין appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "whom·I·brought·out" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel); "and·I·made" (root עשה, 214x in Ezekiel); "the·nations" (root גוי, 87x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'my·name', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 7 words. Full calculation: וַהֲשִׁבֹ֙תִי֙ [and·I·withdrew] (723) + אֶת־יָדִ֔י [my·hand] (425) + וָאַ֖עַשׂ [and·I·made] (377) + לְמַ֣עַן [for·the·sake·of] (190) + שְׁמִ֑י [my·name] (350) + לְבִלְתִּ֤י [so·as·not] (472) + הֵחֵל֙ [be·profaned] (43) + לְעֵינֵ֣י [to·eyes·of] (170) + הַגּוֹיִ֔ם [the·nations] (64) + אֲשֶׁר־הוֹצֵ֥אתִי [whom·I·brought·out] (1013) + אוֹתָ֖ם [them] (447) + לְעֵינֵיהֶֽם [to·their·eyes] (215) = 4489.
Metzudat David
And I turned back My hand. I restrained My hand from striking them.
Malbim
And I turned back My hand, for by then the plague had already gone forth and had begun to strike them; and the Lord turned back His hand from destroying them. And He did even this for the sake of His honor. And here it is mentioned three times that He acted for the sake of His Name, (as it is stated, “Surely all these things God may deal with a man twice, thrice”). And they are: 1. In Egypt, when they had not yet received the Torah; 2. In the wilderness, at the beginning of their departure from Egypt, for although they had received the Torah, they had not yet purified themselves from the idols of Egypt that were among them, like leavened dough that has become sour; 3. The generation of the children, after forty years, who had not yet entered the Land of Israel, which is prepared for holiness. And in all these times, until then, He had not completed His work of bringing them to the Land. And it would have been a desecration of the Name if He had not fulfilled His word and His oath to the Fathers.
I lifted up My hand to them also in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the nations, and disperse them through the countries;
verse value 4125
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 52 letters. The shortest word is "to·them" (לָהֶ֖ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·to·disperse" (וּלְזָר֥וֹת, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "to·scatter" (לְהָפִ֤יץ), "and·to·disperse" (וּלְזָר֥וֹת). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·the·lands" (root ארץ, 176x in Ezekiel); "also·I" (root אני, 166x in Ezekiel); "to·them" (root הם, 166x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·wilderness', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 6 words. Full calculation: גַּם־אֲנִ֗י [also·I] (104) + נָשָׂ֧אתִי [I·lifted] (761) + אֶת־יָדִ֛י [my·hand] (425) + לָהֶ֖ם [to·them] (75) + בַּמִּדְבָּ֑ר [in·the·wilderness] (248) + לְהָפִ֤יץ [to·scatter] (215) + אֹתָם֙ [them] (441) + בַּגּוֹיִ֔ם [among·the·nations] (61) + וּלְזָר֥וֹת [and·to·disperse] (649) + אוֹתָ֖ם [them] (447) + בָּאֲרָצֽוֹת [in·the·lands] (699) = 4125.
Rashi
to scatter them. From the time that I promised to scatter them, as it is said: “When you beget children and children’s children, and have grown old in the land” (Deuteronomy 4:25).
Radak
I too raised My hand against them in the wilderness to scatter them among the nations and to disperse them in the lands. And so David, peace be upon him, said: “He raised His hand against them to overthrow them in the wilderness and to scatter their seed among the nations and to disperse them in the lands.” This we did not find explained in the Torah. And it appears to me that this is what is stated: “And the Amalekite and the Canaanite who dwelt in the hill country came down and struck them and beat them down as far as Hormah.” And likewise what is said: “And the Canaanite, the king of Arad, heard... and he took some of them captive.” This is [what is meant by] “to disperse them in the lands,” for in that captivity their captors drove them far away and sold them to the other nations of the lands. And in the Midrash it is said that he spoke concerning the future, that He decreed upon their seed that they would be exiles from their land and disperse them in the lands. And this is what He said: “When you beget children and children’s children... and the Lord shall scatter you among the peoples...” And they said that what is stated, “And the people wept that night,” refers to the night of the Ninth of Av. The Holy One, Blessed be He, said: “You wept a weeping for naught; I will establish for you a weeping for generations, for on the Ninth of Av the Temple was destroyed the first time and the second time.”
Metzudat David
“Also I”: This means that just as they betrayed Me, so I repaid them in kind and swore to them in the wilderness to scatter them into exile. For on the night of the weeping of the spies, which was on the ninth of Av, that night was established as a night of weeping for all generations, corresponding to the destruction of the First Temple and the Second Temple, as our Sages of blessed memory stated.
Metzudat Zion
And regarding the word *lezorot*: The meaning of *pazor* is like that of *vazoriti*, as it is explained in Malachi 2.
Malbim
"I too raised My hand," meaning that although I withheld My hand from them because of the desecration of God's Name, nevertheless I saw that the time for rectification had not yet arrived, and that by their nature they were prone to sin. Therefore, I saw that the Redemption from Egypt was not the ultimate, everlasting redemption, and that they were destined to go into exile again many times, to put an end to transgression and to finish off sin, and that they would suffer many falls until the time for rectification would come. And I raised My hand to scatter them among the nations, and from there they would be sown into various lands, and there they would be refined in the refiner's fire and smelted in the furnace, time after time.
because they had not executed Mine ordinances, but had rejected My statutes, and had profaned My sabbaths, and their eyes were after their fathers’idols.
verse value 4171
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 60 letters. The shortest word is "because" (יַ֜עַן, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·my·sabbaths" (וְאֶת־שַׁבְּתוֹתַ֖י, 9 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "not·did" (לֹֽא־עָשׂוּ֙), "idols" (גִּלּוּלֵ֣י). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "were" (root היה, 335x in Ezekiel); "not·did" (root עשה, 214x in Ezekiel); "their·eyes" (root עין, 73x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'profaned', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 5 words. Full calculation: יַ֜עַן [because] (130) + מִשְׁפָּטַ֤י [my·ordinances] (439) + לֹֽא־עָשׂוּ֙ [not·did] (407) + וְחֻקּוֹתַ֣י [and·my·statutes] (530) + מָאָ֔סוּ [rejected] (107) + וְאֶת־שַׁבְּתוֹתַ֖י [and·my·sabbaths] (1525) + חִלֵּ֑לוּ [profaned] (74) + וְאַֽחֲרֵי֙ [and·after] (225) + גִּלּוּלֵ֣י [idols] (79) + אֲבוֹתָ֔ם [their·fathers] (449) + הָי֖וּ [were] (21) + עֵינֵיהֶֽם [their·eyes] (185) = 4171.
Radak
Because. It is clear:
Metzudat David
"Because of this, etc." – This means: However, the destructions did not occur solely on account of this sin, but also because they did not carry out at that time the ordinances, etc.
"The idols of their fathers." These are the loathsome and detestable things, like a clod of dung:
Malbim
"Because" (from here until "that I might render them desolate" [verse 26] is a parenthetical remark, and the proper parsing of the verse is: "to scatter them among the nations, that I might render them desolate," and it states that the punishment is fitting for them, because they did not observe My judgments, and their eyes were after the idols of their fathers.)
Wherefore I gave them also statutes that were not good, and ordinances whereby they should not live;
verse value 1898
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 40 letters. Verse gematria: 1898 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·ordinances" (וּמִ֨שְׁפָּטִ֔ים, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 31: not, not. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "statutes" (חֻקִּ֖ים), "good" (טוֹבִ֑ים), "and·ordinances" (וּמִ֨שְׁפָּטִ֔ים). The root הם appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 213x in Ezekiel); "I·gave" (root נתן, 207x in Ezekiel); "and·also·I" (root אני, 166x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'good', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְגַם־אֲנִי֙ [and·also·I] (110) + נָתַ֣תִּי [I·gave] (860) + לָהֶ֔ם [to·them] (75) + חֻקִּ֖ים [statutes] (158) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + טוֹבִ֑ים [good] (67) + וּמִ֨שְׁפָּטִ֔ים [and·ordinances] (485) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + יִֽחְי֖וּ [live] (34) + בָּהֶֽם [by·them] (47) = 1898.
Rashi
“I gave them statutes that were not good.” I delivered them into the hand of their evil inclination to stumble in their sins. And so too does the Targum render: “And I delivered them into the hand of their foolish inclination, and they went and performed their decrees which they had not established, and their ordinances by which they would not live.”
Radak
“And I also gave them statutes that were not good.” Once they rejected My statutes, I handed them over to the hands of their enemies, who imposed upon them statutes that were not beneficial to them, unlike the statutes that would have been beneficial to them had they observed them. The statutes that the enemies imposed upon them were the fixed taxes that they levied upon them as a regular annual obligation, along with other forms of forced labor.
“And by ordinances they shall not live.” This means that their enemies will impose judgments and decrees upon them, so that they will not live by them but rather die by them. However, if they were to observe the judgments, they would live by them, as it is written: “Which if a man do, he shall live by them.”
Metzudat David
“I gave them over.” [This means] I handed them over into the hands of the nations to enact upon them statutes that are not good, and ordinances by which they cannot attain life, but only destruction and ruin. And regarding the decrees and persecutions that occurred at the time of the destruction of the Temple, it says:
Malbim
And furthermore, by their detesting My statutes, they thought that I had given them statutes that were not good, for they would say that I had given bad statutes, and that they could not live by the laws that I had given in the life of the state.
and I polluted them in their own gifts, in that they set apart all that opens the womb, that I might destroy them, to the end that they might know that I am Hashem.
verse value 4258
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 59 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָֽה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "womb" (רָ֑חַם, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·their·gifts" (בְּמַתְּנוֹתָ֔ם, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: that, that. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "and·I·defiled" (וָאֲטַמֵּ֤א), "in·their·gifts" (בְּמַתְּנוֹתָ֔ם), "all·firstborn" (כׇּל־פֶּ֣טֶר). The root מען appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "that" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel); "I" (root אני, 166x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root מתנה ("in·their·gifts") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'womb', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 8 words. Full calculation: וָאֲטַמֵּ֤א [and·I·defiled] (57) + אוֹתָם֙ [them] (447) + בְּמַתְּנוֹתָ֔ם [in·their·gifts] (938) + בְּהַעֲבִ֖יר [in·causing·to·pass] (289) + כׇּל־פֶּ֣טֶר [all·firstborn] (339) + רָ֑חַם [womb] (248) + לְמַ֣עַן [so·that] (190) + אֲשִׁמֵּ֔ם [guilt] (381) + לְמַ֙עַן֙ [so·that] (190) + אֲשֶׁ֣ר [that] (501) + יֵדְע֔וּ [they·shall·know] (90) + אֲשֶׁ֖ר [that] (501) + אֲנִ֥י [I] (61) + יְהֹוָֽה [Hashem] (26) = 4258.
Rashi
And I made them impure through their gifts. Those gifts which I had decreed for them to sanctify to Me every firstborn, I delivered them into the hand of their evil inclination to transfer them to those firstborns of Molech. Behold, these are bad statutes.
“That I may make them desolate.” I will make them desolate and destroy them; “ashmam” is in the sense of desolation. He who interprets it as “guilt” is mistaken, for the aleph is not part of the root of the word.
that they might know. When I bring upon them the evil:
Radak
"And I defiled them." Perhaps this refers to their clinging to Baal-Peor, for they attached themselves to him with a strong attachment, to the extent that they diverted from Me all firstborns whom I had commanded them to take for sanctity, as it is stated, "Sanctify unto Me all the firstborn." Now, they diverted them from Me and gave them to idolatry. This is their defilement, the opposite of sanctity. The meaning of "And I defiled them" is that I rendered them defiled and distanced them from Me, in exchange for having sanctified them, but they refused to do so; therefore, I made them defiled and distant from Me. This is why the tribe that clung to Baal-Peor is not mentioned in the blessing of Moses, our Teacher, peace be upon him.
“That I might render them desolate.” They acted contrary to His will, so that I might render them desolate, for I had already warned them that if they transgress My commandments, they would become desolate, and desolation came upon them immediately after their sin.
"That they may know that I am the Lord." And just as I said, so I did, and I punished them for their iniquity, and twenty-four thousand of the people fell. "I will make them desolate" (אשימם) is from the hif'il conjugation, of the doubled-root verbs; its rule in its complete form is "I will make them desolate" (אשיממם).
Metzudat David
"And I defiled them." I distanced them from Me as something unclean because of their offerings. And He subsequently explains in what manner they caused their offspring to pass through Molech: all firstborns, namely those who opened their mother's womb.
"That I might render them desolate." This means that the distance from Me was so that they would become desolate, and the benefit of their desolation would be so that they would know and recognize that I am the true Lord.
Metzudat Zion
Petter. The meaning of petter is “opening,” as in the phrase “one who lets out water” (Proverbs 17:14).
Ashmem. From the root sh-m-m:
Malbim
“And I made them unclean.” And according to their understanding, not only did I not sanctify them through My commandments, but I even made them unclean through their gifts, in that which I commanded them to pass over every firstborn to the Lord. For as they were accustomed to worship the sun, they would dedicate the firstborn, who is holy, to the worship of Molech, which belonged to the sun. This was for them holiness and worship, and what I commanded them to dedicate to Me and not to sacrifice to idolatry was for them uncleanness, as if thereby they had departed from their holiness. Until My commandments, which I gave to benefit them, to sustain their lives, and to sanctify them, were considered in their eyes as being for their detriment, to cause their death, and to make them unclean, for they said, “They call evil good, and good evil.” “That I might render them desolate.” Therefore, the parenthetical statement comes. Now it returns to what was said above: to scatter them among the nations and to disperse them in the lands, “that I might render them desolate.” That is to say, the exiles (which they deserve according to their deeds) will serve two purposes: 1. That I may make them desolate because of their sins; 2. That they may know that I am the Lord, for through the exiles they will recognize My divinity and return to Me in the end of days.
Therefore, son of man, speak to the house of Israel, and say to them: Thus says the Lord Hashem: In this moreover have your fathers blasphemed Me, in that they dealt treacherously with Me.
verse value 4288
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 75 letters. Notable word values: "to·them" (אֲלֵיהֶ֔ם) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "thus" (כֹּ֥ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "your·fathers" (אֲב֣וֹתֵיכֶ֔ם, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "blasphemed" (גִּדְּפ֤וּ), "in·their·unfaithfulness" (בְּמַעֲלָ֥ם). 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); "to·house·of" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 8 words.
Rashi
Furthermore. They added to do when I brought them into the land:
Radak
Therefore. He further informed them of the abominations of their forefathers from the time they entered the land:
Metzudat David
"Moreover, this too": This means that even in this matter, in that you have reproached Me, your forefathers also reproached Me at the time of their transgression against Me.
Metzudat Zion
“גדפו” – The term denotes cursing or reviling, as in “the youths of the king cursed” (2 Kings 19:6).
In their treachery. The matter of transgression:
Malbim
Therefore, speak: this means that after they had sinned three times up until their entry into the Land, He commanded him to speak again, to remind them of what they did after they entered the Land, for then they rebelled a fourth time, and regarding these four sins I will not forgive them. Furthermore, your fathers blasphemed Me; blasphemy refers to one who curses the Name of the Lord publicly, and who spurns Him with loathing, willful intent, and denial, as it is stated: “And the soul that acts presumptuously against the Lord, that person is a blasphemer.”
For when I had brought them into the land, which I lifted up My hand to give to them, then they saw every high hill, and every thick tree, and they offered there their sacrifices, and there they presented the provocation of their offering, there also they made their sweet savour, and there they poured out their drink-offerings.
verse value 8988
Insights
Verse structure: 25 words, 123 letters. The shortest word is "there" (שָׁ֗ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·they·sacrificed·there" (וַיִּזְבְּחוּ־שָׁ֤ם, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 340: there, there. 12 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "and·I·brought·them" (וָאֲבִיאֵם֙), "and·they·saw" (וַיִּרְאוּ֩), "thick" (עָבֹ֗ת). The root נתן appears 2 times in this verse. 20 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "which" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel); "to·the·land" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel); "to·give" (root נתן, 207x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root נסך ("and·they·poured·out") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 17 words.
Radak
“And I brought them into the land, and they offered there their anger as their offering.” This means that they angered Me with their offerings, which they sacrificed to the gods of the nations, according to the statutes of the nations whom I had dispossessed before them.
Metzudat David
"And I brought them." This means: "And it is when I brought them into the land which I swore to give them, and when they saw every high and lofty hill, etc., that they sacrificed there to idolatry, and there they offered their offering that provokes My anger, and there they placed the fragrance of incense intended to be a pleasing aroma, and there they poured out the wine libation."
Metzudat Zion
Thick. Abundant in branches and intertwined with one another:
Their fragrance. From the term "nachat ruach" (pleasure, satisfaction):
And they poured. The matter of pouring the wine for the offering:
Malbim
"And I brought them" — after I brought them into the land, and they saw every high place — meaning, there they saw what the Canaanites were doing, offering sacrifices on high places to idolatry. And behold, throughout the entire Torah, the term "high place" is not found in reference to the Divine, for whenever the term "high place" is mentioned in the Torah, it is in reference to idolatry. For the Torah stated, "An altar of earth you shall make for Me," and warned against offering sacrifices in every place, and warned against planting an Asherah, any tree, beside the altar, as was the custom of idolaters. And they, when they came into the land, began to offer sacrifices on high places, and they made high places on every lofty hill, and also beside every thick tree, as was the custom of idolaters. And they served in a manner of association, to the Lord and to the name of idolatry. And this is what it says: "And they sacrificed there their sacrifices to the Lord" — yet "they placed there also the anger of their offering to idolatry," to provoke the Lord to anger; "and they set there the pleasing odor of their offerings to the Lord" — as a pleasing odor; "and they poured out there their drink-offerings to idolatry," for their practice was to pour out libations, as it is stated, "They drink their libation wine."
Then I said to them: What means the high place whereunto you go? So the name thereof is called Bamah to this day.
verse value 2621
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 47 letters. The shortest word is "what" (מָ֣ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "that·you" (אֲשֶׁר־אַתֶּ֥ם, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "the·high·place" (הַבָּמָ֔ה), "that·you" (אֲשֶׁר־אַתֶּ֥ם), "who·came" (הַבָּאִ֖ים). The root במה appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·I·said" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "that·you" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel); "to·them" (root אל, 204x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'there', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 6 words. Full calculation: וָאֹמַ֣ר [and·I·said] (247) + אֲלֵהֶ֔ם [to·them] (76) + מָ֣ה [what] (45) + הַבָּמָ֔ה [the·high·place] (52) + אֲשֶׁר־אַתֶּ֥ם [that·you] (942) + הַבָּאִ֖ים [who·came] (58) + שָׁ֑ם [there] (340) + וַיִּקָּרֵ֤א [and·was·called] (317) + שְׁמָהּ֙ [her·name] (345) + בָּמָ֔ה [Bamah] (47) + עַ֖ד [until] (74) + הַיּ֥וֹם [day] (61) + הַזֶּֽה [this] (17) = 2621.
Rashi
And He called her name "Bamah." This is a term of contempt, meaning: "In what is she considered?"
Radak
And He says to them, “What is the high place?” When I saw that they were offering sacrifices to idolatry in every place, I designated for them a specific place for My Name. Yet they acted contrary to My commandment in two ways: first, by making a high place in every location, even for My Name; and second, by offering sacrifices there to other gods. Therefore, I said to them, “What is the high place? Who commanded you to make a high place? Did I not command you, ‘You shall make for Me an altar of earth’? Rather, you learned from the deeds of the nations to make a high altar, which is called a ‘high place’ due to its height, or because it is situated on high mountains. For the term ‘high place’ denotes height, as it is written, ‘He set him upon the heights of the earth’ and ‘I will ascend upon the heights of clouds.’ And just as you learned from the nations to make a high place like theirs, so too you learned from them to make them in every place, and furthermore, to worship other gods through them.”
“Which you are coming there.” He said this in contrast to those who serve them: “You are the ones coming there,” not the keepers of My commandments, who do not come except to the place designated for Me.
"And he called its name Bamah [high place], to this day." For the term "high place" (bamah) is applied even to that which is built for the sake of Heaven, as it is stated in the words of Samuel the Ramathite, and as it is stated regarding the words of Solomon: "the high place that was at Gibeon," and it is stated: "Only the high places were not removed." What they had initially built for the sake of idolatry, they did not cease to use, even in the days of the kings who did what was right in the eyes of the Lord; they would use them for the sake of Heaven.
Metzudat David
"And I said to them": This means that when they would gather to go and offer sacrifices to the idols and would say, "Let us go to the high place," I said to them: "What is the distinction of this high place that it is called by the name 'high place'? Is it because you are the ones who come there? For surely one should not call an altar by the name 'high place,' which is a term denoting exaltation and elevation, except also because the divine fire came there from heaven, and not because you come there. For what exaltation and elevation is there in that?"
And it was called. Nevertheless, they did not hearken to Me, and it was called by their mouths by the name "Bamah" until this very day, and they did not repent.
Malbim
And He said to them, "What is this high place where you go?" The meaning is: At the time that you began to offer sacrifices on the high places, I rebuked you, saying, "What is this high place where you go? Is it not fitting for idolatry, not for you?" Nevertheless, you called it by the name "high place," and this matter became entrenched among you until this day. For you will find that the term "high place" is not found for the sake of the Lord, neither in the book of the Torah nor in the books of Joshua and Judges, until the days of Samuel, when the Tabernacle of Shiloh was destroyed and they began to offer sacrifices on the high places. From then on, this practice remained among them, even after the Temple was built, until the days of Hezekiah, who abolished the high places.
Wherefore say to the house of Israel: Thus says the Lord Hashem: When you pollute yourselves after the manner of your fathers, and go after their abominations,
verse value 4307
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 69 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "thus" (כֹּ֤ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "your·fathers" (אֲבוֹתֵיכֶ֖ם, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 441: you, you. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "to·the·way·of" (הַבְּדֶ֥רֶךְ), "straying" (זֹנִֽים). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "say" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "to·house·of" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'defile·yourselves', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 4 words.
Rashi
“The way of your fathers, etc.” The language is one of astonishment: “Is it fitting that you become impure in the manner of your fathers, and should I let Myself be sought by you, to answer your question?”
Radak
Therefore, say to the House of Israel. Regarding those who were still in the Land of Israel, He said, as we have explained: "How can I respond to your inquiry, when you are still in your wickedness?"
"Those who became impure." The mem has a shva, just as in the word found in Shushan.
Metzudat David
The way. And is it because you defile yourselves by going in the way of your fathers and after their idols you go astray to serve them, like a harlot who is unfaithful under her husband?
Malbim
Therefore He said, "The way" – meaning: How shall I respond to your inquiry, since on the path of your fathers you have become defiled by idolatry and sexual immorality?
and when, in offering your gifts, in making your sons to pass through the fire, you pollute yourselves with all your idols, to this day; shall I then be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live, says the Lord Hashem, I will not be inquired of by you;
verse value 5840
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 95 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "in·the·fire" (בָּאֵ֜שׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·all·your·idols" (לְכׇל־גִּלּֽוּלֵיכֶם֙, 10 letters). Words sharing gematria 90: to·you, to·you. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "your·gifts" (מַתְּנֹתֵיכֶ֡ם), "your·sons" (בְּנֵיכֶ֨ם), "to·all·your·idols" (לְכׇל־גִּלּֽוּלֵיכֶם֙). The root אני appears 2 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "my·lord" (root אדון, 222x in Ezekiel); "and·I" (root אני, 166x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 6 words.
Rashi
“And when you bring your gifts” – [this means] when you take the gifts that were due to be given to Me, and you take them from Me in order to transfer your firstborns to idolatry.
Radak
“And when you take your gifts”: The matter of the taking and the heave-offering.
Metzudat David
And when you lift up. And because of the tribute of your gifts, and He goes back and explains: In that you pass your children through the fire to all your idols, by this you become defiled until this day.
"And I." And is it because of this that I will be sought by you to accept your prayer?
"I live! I swear by my life that I will not be asked by you:"
Metzudat Zion
And a gift. The matter of a gift and a present, like "the gift of Benjamin" (Genesis 43:34):
Malbim
“And when you bring your gifts, and also when you lift up your offerings, are you not defiled until this day by passing your children through the fire?” And since the Rambam stated in Moreh Nevukhim, Part 3, that the imprint of Molech worship still remained in his time, in that the women had the custom of passing the newborn over fire and priests, which is a branch of the service of Molech, and likewise they practiced this in the days of the prophet, how then shall I respond to your inquiry, O house of Israel?
and that which comes into your mind shall not be at all; in that you say: We will be as the nations, as the families of the countries, to serve wood and stone.
verse value 5049
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 64 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "upon·your·mind" (עַל־ר֣וּחֲכֶ֔ם, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "upon·your·mind" (עַל־ר֣וּחֲכֶ֔ם), "we·become" (נִֽהְיֶ֤ה), "as·the·nations" (כַגּוֹיִם֙). The root היה appears 3 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "that" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel); "surely" (root היה, 335x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root שרת ("to·minister") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'it·will·be', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 10 words.
Rashi
"And what comes to your mind." That which comes to your understanding:
We will be like the nations. We will remove His yoke from our neck, since He has sent it away from Him.
“Were” instead of “will be.” For you have already accepted upon yourselves, of your own accord, in the days of Joshua, as it is stated (Joshua 24:1): “And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel,” and the entire matter.
Radak
"And whatever comes into your mind, it shall not be." The evil thought that comes into your mind shall not be, and it shall not be fulfilled.
“Upon your spirit.” This is like “upon your heart,” as Jonathan translated, for the spirit dwells in the heart.
That which you say, “We will become like the nations.” You think to exit from My dominion and that you will not be a people to Me. You see that the idolaters succeed in their idolatrous worship, as Ahaz said, “For the gods of the kings of Aram are helping them; therefore I will sacrifice to them, that they may help me.” But this is not so, for the idolaters do not watch over them due to their lowliness in My sight, like beasts. Rather, only when they have a grievance against Israel do I appoint them to punish Israel for their iniquity when Israel does My will. But when they transgress My commandments, I strengthen the idolaters over them for their success, not for their own benefit, but for the detriment of Israel. But as for them themselves, I do not watch over them, unless there is great wickedness, like the generation of the Flood and Sodom and Gomorrah. And so we find in the words of our Sages of blessed memory that I, regarding idolaters, do not strictly enforce the law against them. But Israel, whom I took from the house of slavery to be to Me a treasured people, etc., and I will be to them a God—My eyes are always upon them for good and for evil, as it is said in the prophecy of Amos, “Only you have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will visit upon you all your iniquities.” And if you desire to exit from My service, I will not grant you permission in this matter. For even though you will be many days in exile among the idolaters, you will not cease from being a nation. For even if a few of them exit from the collective, the entirety of you will be a nation before all the days, and with strength I will reign over you, and I will refine you when I bring you out from exile, and when I remove from among you the rebels and the transgressors against Me.
Metzudat David
And that which comes to mind. Nevertheless, the matter that rises to your thoughts will not be established, namely, what you are saying: "Since the Omnipresent has sent us away from His presence, we shall thus become like idolaters, serving wooden and stone graven images like them, and we shall no longer truly be under His supervision, but rather be abandoned to the accidents of time and the constellations of the heavens, like the nations."
Metzudat Zion
Your spirit. The matter of desire and thought:
Malbim
"And what comes up in your mind": Indeed, despite all this, whatever comes up in your thoughts after I have distanced myself from you, and I do not wish to be sought by you—thus you have gone out from under My providence, and you will be like the nations and the families of the land. For every portion of the earth is placed under the dominion of a specific star, and for every family dwelling in that land, it can be said that there is a specific service according to the minister who rules there. Likewise, every nation has a specific governance under the system of stars and constellations, as it is written: “Which the Lord your God has allotted to all the nations.” And based on this, you will intend to serve wood and stone, which will be like talismans and instruments of the celestial work, to draw down the spirituality and abundance of the star or constellation that rules over this land. But this shall not be, for despite all this, you are assigned to My portion, and you are not under the influence of a star, constellation, or minister ruling in the celestial sphere.
As I live, says the Lord Hashem, surely with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out, will I be king over you;
verse value 1579
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 58 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "utterance" (נְאֻ֖ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "arm" (וּבִזְר֧וֹעַ, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "I·will·reign" (אֶמְל֥וֹךְ). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "over·you" (root על, 272x in Ezekiel); "my·lord" (root אדון, 222x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 9 words. Full calculation: חַי־אָ֕נִי [living·I] (79) + נְאֻ֖ם [utterance] (91) + אֲדֹנָ֣י [my·lord] (65) + יֱהֹוִ֑ה [Hashem] (26) + אִם־לֹ֠א [if·not] (72) + בְּיָ֨ד [hand] (16) + חֲזָקָ֜ה [strong] (120) + וּבִזְר֧וֹעַ [arm] (291) + נְטוּיָ֛ה [outstretched] (80) + וּבְחֵמָ֥ה [and·in·fury] (61) + שְׁפוּכָ֖ה [poured·out] (411) + אֶמְל֥וֹךְ [I·will·reign] (97) + עֲלֵיכֶֽם [over·you] (170) = 1579.
Radak
"Live I, and in poured-out wrath, to destroy the sinners and the rebels:"
Metzudat David
If not, it is a matter of an oath that He swore, saying that He would reign over them against their will.
With a mighty hand. This means that He will compel them, with abundant wrath, to serve the Lord.
Malbim
"I live, says the Lord, if not with a mighty hand"—meaning that although the overt Divine providence that performs open miracles and causes the light of the face of the Lord to shine upon you with goodness and blessing has been withdrawn, nevertheless, regarding this matter—that My kingdom shall remain over you—My mighty hand is extended to compel you with the force of punishments and afflictions, so that you remain under My sovereignty and servitude. And I will bring it about, until finally, the pains of childbirth shall come upon you in great distress at the end of days. And I will bring you out with a mighty hand from the neighboring nations, and I will also gather you from the distant lands where you were scattered in great dispersion; and this too shall be accomplished with a mighty hand, etc.
and I will bring you out from the peoples, and will gather you out of the countries wherein you are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out;
verse value 5283
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 75 letters. The shortest word is "in·them" (בָּ֑ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "from·the·lands" (מִן־הָ֣אֲרָצ֔וֹת, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 461: you, you. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "you·were·scattered" (נְפוֹצֹתֶ֖ם). 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "which" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel); "from·the·lands" (root ארץ, 176x in Ezekiel); "and·will·bring·out" (root יצא, 75x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 6 words.
Radak
“And I will bring out those who are scattered among them.” The pe is vocalized with a cholam, and it also occurs with a shuruk, as in “and by my wisdom, for I have understanding” (Isaiah 10:13).
Metzudat David
"And I will bring you out." This means that I will bring you out from among the nations in which you have become absorbed through this thought.
With a strong hand. I will lay My heavy hand upon them and pour out My wrath upon them, by putting it into the heart of the nations to expel them and drive them out of their land.
and I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there will I plead with you face to face.
verse value 3374
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 44 letters. The shortest word is "there" (שָׁ֔ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·I·will·be·judged" (וְנִשְׁפַּטְתִּ֤י, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 461: you, with·you. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "to·wilderness·of" (אֶל־מִדְבַּ֖ר), "to·face" (אֶל־פָּנִֽים). The root פנים appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·wilderness·of" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel); "and·I·will·bring" (root בוא, 175x in Ezekiel); "face" (root פנים, 150x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·peoples', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 5 words. Full calculation: וְהֵבֵאתִ֣י [and·I·will·bring] (424) + אֶתְכֶ֔ם [you] (461) + אֶל־מִדְבַּ֖ר [to·wilderness·of] (277) + הָעַמִּ֑ים [the·peoples] (165) + וְנִשְׁפַּטְתִּ֤י [and·I·will·be·judged] (855) + אִתְּכֶם֙ [with·you] (461) + שָׁ֔ם [there] (340) + פָּנִ֖ים [face] (180) + אֶל־פָּנִֽים [to·face] (211) = 3374.
Rashi
“The wilderness of the peoples.” This refers to the wilderness in which they walked for forty years, as it is also prophesied (Hosea 2:16): “And I will lead her into the wilderness.”
Radak
"And I will bring you into the wilderness of the nations." When I take you out from among the nations, I will not bring you to the land of Israel until I judge you in the wilderness of the nations. There I will take judgment from you, and I will destroy the rebels and transgressors that I find among you. I will take judgment from you in the wilderness, in a place where there is no person, neither passerby nor traveler, so that the nations will not see your evil deeds and rejoice over you. This is what is stated: "And I will judge you there, face to face," meaning between Me and you, in seclusion, without an intermediary. Similarly, "And the Lord spoke to Moses face to face" means without an intermediary. And the meaning of "And I will judge you" is that I will inform you of your evil deeds that you committed against My Torah during the exile, and I will take My vengeance from you there, in the wilderness.
Metzudat David
"To the wilderness of the peoples." This means to a place that will be desolate, without finding there any of the nations who will not see in the downfall of the transgressors and the rebels.
“And I will judge.” There I will contend with you face to face, to make known your transgressions:
Metzudat Zion
"And I will contend." The matter is one of dispute:
Malbim
(35-36) And I will bring an explanation of how this will be: first, I will bring you into the wilderness of the nations. The lands of the nations will be like a wilderness in which one cannot find his needs, and a person there lacks everything; so too, the land of the nations will be for you like a wilderness. There you will be far from settled habitation, separated from human beings who dwell in cities, like sheep wandering in the wilderness, lacking all food and sustenance. They will not allow you to buy houses, fields, and gardens, as if you were dwelling in parched places in the wilderness. And there I will judge you face to face. There you will recognize that these are punishments of Divine providence, as if He were speaking His judgments with you face to face, just as you saw and recognized the providence of the Lord and His punishments in the wilderness of the land of Egypt. And it can be interpreted that this means that from every land and land from which they go out of exile, they will walk in the wilderness of that land, because it is conceivable that their going out at the end of days will resemble the Exodus from Egypt, where there was one wilderness, since they were in exile in one land. But then there will be many wildernesses, the wilderness of each nation and nation. And there you will see the revelation of the Divine Presence and the speech of the Lord face to face, and His disputing with you concerning your sins, as it was at the time of the Exodus from Egypt, when you saw the deeds of the Lord, for they are awesome.
Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I plead with you, says the Lord Hashem.
verse value 4272
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 53 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִֽה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "so" (כֵּ֚ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "with·your·fathers" (אֶת־אֲב֣וֹתֵיכֶ֔ם, 9 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "I·was·judged" (נִשְׁפַּ֙טְתִּי֙), "with·your·fathers" (אֶת־אֲב֣וֹתֵיכֶ֔ם). The root שפט appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "as" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel); "my·lord" (root אדון, 222x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Egypt', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: כַּאֲשֶׁ֤ר [as] (521) + נִשְׁפַּ֙טְתִּי֙ [I·was·judged] (849) + אֶת־אֲב֣וֹתֵיכֶ֔ם [with·your·fathers] (880) + בְּמִדְבַּ֖ר [in·wilderness·of] (248) + אֶ֣רֶץ [land] (291) + מִצְרָ֑יִם [Egypt] (380) + כֵּ֚ן [so] (70) + אִשָּׁפֵ֣ט [I·will·be·judged] (390) + אִתְּכֶ֔ם [with·you] (461) + נְאֻ֖ם [utterance] (91) + אֲדֹנָ֥י [my·lord] (65) + יֱהֹוִֽה [Hashem] (26) = 4272.
Radak
As it is. It is explained:
Metzudat David
"As I contended with your fathers in the wilderness near the land of Egypt, so will I contend with you:"
And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant;
verse value 4482
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 38 letters. Verse gematria: 4482 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "under" (תַּ֣חַת, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·I·will·make·pass" (וְהַעֲבַרְתִּ֥י, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 461: you, you. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "and·I·will·make·pass" (וְהַעֲבַרְתִּ֥י), "rod" (הַשָּׁ֑בֶט), "bond" (בְּמָסֹ֥רֶת). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·I·will·bring" (root בוא, 175x in Ezekiel); "and·I·will·make·pass" (root עבר, 40x in Ezekiel); "under" (root תחת, 23x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'rod', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְהַעֲבַרְתִּ֥י [and·I·will·make·pass] (693) + אֶתְכֶ֖ם [you] (461) + תַּ֣חַת [under] (808) + הַשָּׁ֑בֶט [rod] (316) + וְהֵבֵאתִ֥י [and·I·will·bring] (424) + אֶתְכֶ֖ם [you] (461) + בְּמָסֹ֥רֶת [bond] (702) + הַבְּרִֽית [covenant] (617) = 4482.
Rashi
“Under the rod”: That you shall be submissive to Me and to My admonitions.
In the tradition of the covenant. In the covenant that I have transmitted to you:
Radak
"And I will pass you under the rod." This is in accordance with the principle of "all that pass under the rod," meaning just as sheep, when counted, are held by the shepherd who grasps a rod in his hand and counts them one by one, and the tenth is separated out as the tithe; so too, I will count you, and the sinner will perish. And this counting is by way of a parable. And so Jeremiah said: "Again the flocks shall pass under the hand of the One who counts them," says the Lord. And Jonathan rendered it: "And I will place upon you the decree of My judgment, and I will bring you into a fixed tradition."
In the bond of the covenant. The aleph is missing; it is the first letter of the verb, and its rule is in the ma'asoret, and it is a name in the shkal pattern, like "chagoret" (belt) and "shak" (sack), and its meaning is: "I will bind you in a covenant from which you shall never depart."
Metzudat David
And I will pass over. I will pass you over one by one, like the manner of one who counts sheep, passing them one after the other under the rod, as it is stated, "Every one that passes under the rod" (Leviticus 27:32). And this is by way of a metaphor.
In the bond of the Covenant. Regarding the bonds of the tie of the Covenant, that you shall not depart from it any longer:
Metzudat Zion
The rod. The scepter:
In the bond. Just as in the word *ma'aseret*, and it is from the language of *ma'asar* and binding:
The covenant. The severings of the covenant:
Malbim
“And I will pass over to count them, as a shepherd passes over his flock with the rod to count them for the tithe; so the tenth shall be holy, and they shall remain in their faithfulness, and those He shall bring into the bond of the new covenant that He mentioned above (chapter 16), that it shall be an everlasting covenant, that they shall not return to sin, and He shall not remove His Divine Presence from them.”
and I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against Me; I will bring them forth out of the land where they sojourn, but they shall not enter into the land of Israel; and you shall know that I am Hashem.
verse value 4462
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 78 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָֽה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "against·Me" (בִּ֔י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·that·rebel" (וְהַפּֽוֹשְׁעִים֙, 8 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "and·I·will·purify" (וּבָרוֹתִ֣י), "that·rebel" (הַמֹּרְדִ֤ים), "and·that·rebel" (וְהַפּֽוֹשְׁעִים֙). 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "not" (root לא, 213x in Ezekiel); "from·land·of" (root ארץ, 176x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'will·go·in', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 3 words.
Rashi
“and I will choose.” This is the language of selection.
From the land of their sojournings. From the land of their exile I will bring them out, and I will put them to death in the wilderness.
Radak
And I will separate. Its root is *barar*, meaning that I will select from among you the rebels and the transgressors, in order to destroy them in the wilderness.
“From the land of their exile I will bring them out.” From the land of their exile, so that I will not consume them among their enemies, [and] so that their enemies will not rejoice over them.
"He shall not come." This is a general rule, like the phrase "they shall not come," and in the Masorah, fourteen [such instances] are noted whose conjectured reading (sevirin) is the plural.
Metzudat David
And I will choose. I will select from among you the rebels against Me, to destroy them in the wilderness.
“From the land of their sojourn.” From the place where they dwelled among the nations.
"For I am the Lord. The Faithful One in His word:"
Metzudat Zion
"Uvareti": From the language of clarity and purity, as it says, "According to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me" (II Samuel 22:21).
Malbim
"And I will purge," and then He will select out the rebels, and even the transgressors who are less [culpable] than the rebels, for He will expel them from the land of their sojourning, and they will not come to the soil of Israel; rather, they will perish in the wilderness and there they will die. And the entire matter is understood as analogous to the Redemption from Egypt, in which He ruled over them with a strong hand and through the hardship of bondage, and He brought them out to the wilderness, and He cut His covenant with them, and the evil generation perished and were cut off there in the wilderness and did not enter the Land.
As for you, O house of Israel, thus says the Lord Hashem: Go you, serve every one his idols, even because you will not hearken to Me; but My holy name shall you no more profane with your gifts, and with your idols.
verse value 6030
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 97 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 6030 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "in·your·gifts" (בְּמַתְּנוֹתֵיכֶ֖ם, 9 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "work" (עֲבֹ֔דוּ), "and·after the following part" (וְאַחַ֕ר), "if·you·are·not" (אִם־אֵינְכֶ֖ם). The root גלול appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "thus·says" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "my·lord" (root אדון, 222x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root עבד ("work") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·me', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 6 words.
Rashi
“Come, serve Him.” And do not appear to the nations as though you are called by My name when you go to the prophet to inquire of him for Torah, and yet, since he tells you My words, you do not listen to Me, as it is stated below (33): “And you shall be to them like a song of love,” etc., “they hear your words but do not perform them.”
"In your gifts and in your idols." This means that you separate the firstborn animals in the name of the firstborn, as I commanded you, but once My name is invoked upon the matter, you offer them up to idolatry.
Radak
"And you." Since up to this point He spoke concerning their children who are destined to emerge from the exile, He returns to reprove that generation, who were in Jerusalem, through this verse; therefore He said, "And you."
“Each [of you] his idols, go, serve.” This commandment is not in the manner of a voluntary mitzvah, but rather in the manner of a decree, like “Rejoice, young man, in your youth,” meaning: rejoice and see what will be your portion in your latter days. Or, a good explanation is that you should serve your idols alone, and not that you should bring your gifts to Me and serve your idols, for that is a desecration of God. And the explanation of “and afterward,” if you do not heed Me, the vav in “and afterward” is like the vav in “And Abraham lifted up his eyes.” And if so, the “if” is like “until,” as in “until I have spoken my words,” and Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated: “And after you have returned, you will not be willing to receive My words.”
Metzudat David
“Go, serve.” This means: Serve the idols only through sacrifices and meal-offerings, but do not add to serving Me.
"And afterwards." This means: "Since, if you do not listen to Me, it is better to serve the service of idolatry alone."
"In your gifts and in your idols." This means: In that which you contribute as gifts to the House of the Lord, and in that which you serve the service of idolatry—behold, through this comes the profanation of the Name of the Lord. For inevitably, retribution will come because of the service of idols, and people will say, "Why has the Lord done thus to this land?" And what is the reason? Are they not contributing gifts to the House of the Lord? Therefore, it is preferable to serve idolatry alone, so that there will no longer be a profanation of the Name of the Lord through the bringing of retribution.
Metzudat Zion
And afterward. Its meaning is like "since," and similarly, "After God had revealed" (Genesis 41:39):
Malbim
“And you, House of Israel” — return to speak to this generation, who were engaged in idolatry and yet came to inquire of the prophet; they served idols and set aside gifts for the Most High, setting aside the firstborn for the Lord and passing him over to Molech, as it is written: “When you bring your gifts, when you pass your children through the fire.” He said to them: Since you do not heed Me, go, each of you, and serve his idols. It is better that you serve only the idols and not serve the Name at all, rather than the severe desecration of the Name that exists now, when you profane My holy name through your gifts and your idols, giving gifts to the Most High while also serving idols to pass them over to Molech. This is a greater desecration of the Name, for the nations think that they are servants of the Lord, and when He punishes them, they will say: “These are the people of the LORD, yet they have gone out of His land.”
For in My holy mountain, in the mountain of the height of Israel, says the Lord Hashem, there shall all the house of Israel, all of them, serve Me in the land; there will I accept them, and there will I require your heave-offerings, and the first of your gifts, with all your holy things.
verse value 9410
Insights
Verse structure: 22 words, 106 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "your·heave-offerings" (אֶת־תְּרוּמֹֽתֵיכֶ֗ם, 10 letters). Words sharing gematria 541: Israel, Israel. 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "in·mountain·of·my·holiness" (בְהַר־קׇדְשִׁ֞י), "they·will·work·me" (יַעַבְדֻ֜נִי), "land" (אֶרְצֵ֔ם). The root שם appears 3 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "my·lord" (root אדון, 222x in Ezekiel); "in·the·land" (root ארץ, 176x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root רצה ("land") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·land', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 8 words.
Rashi
"Your burdens" – like "your provisions," in the language of sustenance, as it is stated: "Her food, her clothing, and her conjugal rights shall not be diminished" (Exodus 21:10). And so too did Menahem, his colleague, interpret it.
Radak
"For on My holy mountain": I do not desire your gifts now, but when Israel will be on My holy mountain, upon their return from exile to their land, then [I will accept them].
“There I will accept them.” “I will place them there” through your sacrifices and their good deeds. And the reason it says “on the high mountain of Israel” is because the Temple Mount is higher than all of the Land of Israel, and the Land of Israel is higher than all the lands.
"There, all the house of Israel shall serve Me, in the land." Since it was stated above, "And I will cut off from you the rebels and those who transgress against Me," it now says, "Behold, all the house of Israel, all of it." Therefore, it says "in the land": those who merit to repent in the land will not lack a single one; rather, all of them shall serve Me there. And it says "all the house of Israel" and it says "complete" (kolah); this duplication of the matter serves to strengthen it. Similarly, "And all" requires "all of them": "All the kings of the nations, all of them," and similar expressions. The strengthening of the matter in this way is to say that even so, in the war of Gog and Magog, not one of them shall die, even though they will be in distress. And the Targum translates "in the land" as "in the land of the living."
“And there I will seek [to inquire].” I desire that they bring before Me [their offerings], as if I were seeking their sacrifices; for when their deeds are good, their burnt offerings and their gifts will be pleasing to Me.
"And the beginning of your offerings." What you shall carry and lift up to Me at the beginning of the firstfruits and the dough, and the Targum: "And the beginning of your gifts."
Metzudat David
"For on the mountain..." Rather, [it means] "on My holy mountain," and it goes on to explain: "on the mountain of elevation" of Israel, which is the site of the Temple; there they shall serve Me, all the House of Israel, namely, all those who come to the Land. This refers to the righteous who uphold the faith of God, those who come to the Land in the days of the Messiah.
There, in their land. There I will accept their offerings with favor, and there I will seek to receive your heave-offerings and the best of your gifts, which are due to Me from all your holy things, namely, the sacred items of the altar designated for burnt offerings.
Metzudat Zion
I will accept them. From the language of "desire" (ratson):
"Beginning." The matter of "the best" is like "the beginning of their strength" (Jeremiah 49):
"Your gifts." The term refers to a gift or present, similar to "a meal" and "a gift" (ibid. 40).
Malbim
“‘For on My holy mountain’—this means that the gifts you give to Me are not acceptable before Me now that you engage in idolatry. But a time will come when they will be acceptable before Me, and that is the time of redemption, when it will be ‘on My holy mountain,’ on the exalted mountain of Israel, as it is stated: ‘The mountain of the House of the Lord shall be established as the head of the mountains.’ There, all the House of Israel shall serve Me entirely in the land. This means that then there will be three distinctions for the good: Now, they do not serve ‘entirely’—meaning all of the service—because they associate My service with foreign worship; but there they shall serve Me ‘entirely’—meaning all of the service will be for My Name. [Secondly:] Now, only some of them serve Me; but there, all the House of Israel shall serve Me. [Thirdly:] Now, they serve in the Diaspora, where the place is not prepared for holiness; but there they shall serve Me in the land. And therefore, ‘there I will accept them’—meaning that I will find favor in them, in themselves. And through this, ‘there I will seek out your contributions, and the first of your gifts’—namely, the firstborn, the dough offering, and the first fruits—along with all your holy things and the remaining consecrated items. [Specifically, because tithes and contributions in the Diaspora are only rabbinic in origin, and our Sages of blessed memory stated that the hint for this is found in the verse: ‘And I also gave you statutes that are not good’].”
With your sweet savour will I accept you, when I bring you out from the peoples, and gather you out of the countries wherein you have been scattered; and I will be sanctified in you in the sight of the nations.
verse value 6123
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 82 letters. Verse gematria: 6123 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "in·them" (בָּ֑ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "from·the·lands" (מִן־הָ֣אֲרָצ֔וֹת, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 461: you, you, you. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "the·odor·of" (בְּרֵ֣יחַ), "when·I·brought·out" (בְּהוֹצִיאִ֤י), "you·were·scattered" (נְפֹצֹתֶ֖ם). 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "wherein" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel); "from·the·lands" (root ארץ, 176x in Ezekiel); "nations" (root גוי, 87x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 4 words.
Radak
"A covenant of a pleasing aroma, and I will be sanctified among you in the sight of the nations." This will be in the war of Gog and Magog, as it is stated: "And I will make My holy name known in the midst of My people Israel."
Metzudat David
A fragrant incense. Because of the bringing of the fragrance of the incense, which comes as a pleasing aroma, I will be pleased with you. And this will be at the time when I bring you out from among the nations, etc.
"And I shall be sanctified among you." Through you I will be sanctified in the sight of the nations, for they will see that My hand is dominant for Me.
Metzudat Zion
“Your scattering.” The meaning of “scattered”:
Malbim
“An aroma of pleasing odor shall I accept from you.” The aroma of pleasing odor that is for a favorable acceptance will not be from the sacrifices, but rather from you yourselves shall I accept an aroma of pleasing odor, so that there will be delight before Me when I bring you out from among the nations, and I will be sanctified through you in the eyes of the nations, so that they will see your good deeds and see My strength, My power, and My providence.
And you shall know that I am Hashem, when I shall bring you into the land of Israel, into the country which I lifted up My hand to give to your fathers.
verse value 5920
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 70 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "which" (אֲשֶׁ֤ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·your·fathers" (לַאֲבוֹתֵיכֶֽם, 8 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "to·your·fathers" (לַאֲבוֹתֵיכֶֽם). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "which" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel); "to·the·land" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 7 words. Full calculation: וִֽידַעְתֶּם֙ [and·you·shall·know] (530) + כִּֽי־אֲנִ֣י [that·I] (91) + יְהֹוָ֔ה [Hashem] (26) + בַּהֲבִיאִ֥י [when·I·bring] (30) + אֶתְכֶ֖ם [you] (461) + אֶל־אַדְמַ֣ת [to·ground·of] (476) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל [Israel] (541) + אֶל־הָאָ֗רֶץ [to·the·land] (327) + אֲשֶׁ֤ר [which] (501) + נָשָׂ֙אתִי֙ [I·lifted] (761) + אֶת־יָדִ֔י [my·hand] (425) + לָתֵ֥ת [to·give] (830) + אוֹתָ֖הּ [it] (412) + לַאֲבוֹתֵיכֶֽם [to·your·fathers] (509) = 5920.
Radak
"And you shall know." It is clear:
Metzudat David
"I am the Lord." The Faithful One in His word:
"When I bring you, etc." – This means: Then you will know that I am the Lord.
“Which I have lifted up,” etc. – to swear an oath concerning the matter.
Malbim
"And you shall know" – the verse states this matter three times: "And you shall know that I am the Lord." This means that then they will recognize the Lord on account of three matters: 1. At the time that He will bring them out from the exiles with a strong hand and will separate from them the transgressors and the mixed multitude, and this is what it says in verse 38: "And you shall know that I am the Lord." 2. Here it says that they will know and recognize the Lord in that He will bring them to the Land of Israel and His oath, which He swore to the Fathers, will be fulfilled again.
And there shall you remember your ways, and all your doings, wherein you have polluted yourselves; and you shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for all your evils that you have committed.
verse value 6790
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 71 letters. The shortest word is "in·them" (בָּ֑ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "all·wantonness" (כׇּל־עֲלִיל֣וֹתֵיכֶ֔ם, 11 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: wherein, that. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "and·you·shall·remember·there" (וּזְכַרְתֶּם־שָׁ֗ם), "all·wantonness" (כׇּל־עֲלִיל֣וֹתֵיכֶ֔ם), "you·have·defiled·yourselves" (נִטְמֵאתֶ֖ם). The root כל appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "wherein" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel); "you·have·done" (root עשה, 214x in Ezekiel); "before·you" (root פנים, 150x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 5 words. Full calculation: וּזְכַרְתֶּם־שָׁ֗ם [and·you·shall·remember·there] (1013) + אֶת־דַּרְכֵיכֶם֙ [your·ways] (695) + וְאֵת֙ [and] (407) + כׇּל־עֲלִיל֣וֹתֵיכֶ֔ם [all·wantonness] (666) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [wherein] (501) + נִטְמֵאתֶ֖ם [you·have·defiled·yourselves] (540) + בָּ֑ם [in·them] (42) + וּנְקֹֽטֹתֶם֙ [and·you·will·be·loathed] (605) + בִּפְנֵיכֶ֔ם [before·you] (202) + בְּכׇל־רָעוֹתֵיכֶ֖ם [in·all·your·evils] (798) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [that] (501) + עֲשִׂיתֶֽם [you·have·done] (820) = 6790.
Rashi
And their quarreling. A term of strife. Alternatively, as its Targum: "ve-tidankun" (and you shall groan); and so Jonathan rendered "those who sigh" — "demoniier" in Old French.
Radak
"And you shall remember, and you shall be cut off in your own eyes." The matter of "cutting off" (keritah) is like [the verse] "whose cistern is cracked" (yikot keslo), and its interpretation is: "You shall be considered as cut off in your own eyes," meaning that you shall reckon in your own eyes, when you remember your evils, that you are deserving of being cut off from the world. And the Targum [translates]: "And you shall be judged, and you shall be seen in all your wickedness that you have done."
Metzudat David
“And you shall remember there.” In that land:
And you shall loathe yourselves in your own sight. You shall be cut off in your own eyes, meaning: you shall judge the cutting off upon yourselves on account of the evils that you have done.
Metzudat Zion
"Your intrigues." Your deeds:
And you shall be cut off. The matter of cutting off is like "and they shall cut off before you" (above 7):
Malbim
(43-44) 3. And you shall remember, for then they will recall all the evil deeds they committed in the past, and they will repent and be ashamed of their wickedness. For then, when He gives them a new heart to serve the Lord, they will recognize the evil they have done. Through this, they will know that the Lord has acted toward them for the sake of His great name, and in His abundant kindnesses He did not destroy them according to their evil ways. And through this, they will also recognize and know the Lord. These are three recognitions: A. through His punishments; B. through His power; C. through His goodness and kindnesses.
And you shall know that I am Hashem, when I have wrought with you for My name’s sake, not according to your evil ways, nor according to your corrupt doings, O you house of Israel, says the Lord Hashem.’
verse value 6052
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 83 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "not" (לֹא֩, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·as·your·deeds" (וְכַעֲלִילוֹתֵיכֶ֤ם, 11 letters). Words sharing gematria 91: that·I, utterance. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "as·your·ways" (כְדַרְכֵיכֶ֨ם), "and·as·your·deeds" (וְכַעֲלִילוֹתֵיכֶ֤ם), "destroyed" (הַנִּשְׁחָתוֹת֙). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "my·lord" (root אדון, 222x in Ezekiel); "when·I·deal" (root עשה, 214x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root עלילה ("and·as·your·deeds") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'my·name', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 10 words.
Radak
"And you shall know." It is clear:
Metzudat David
"For I am the Lord": The One who is faithful to His word.
“For My name’s sake.” For the honor of My name.
"Not according to your ways. Not according to the recompense of your ways, which are evil and corrupt:"
Rashi
Radak
Metzudat David
Malbim