Verse structure: 4 words, 18 letters. The shortest word is "to·me" (אֵלַ֥י, 3 letters) and the longest is "word·of·Hashem" (דְבַר־יְהֹוָ֖ה, 7 letters). 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "word·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "saying" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "and·it·was" (root היה, 335x in Ezekiel). Full calculation: וַיְהִ֥י [and·it·was] (31) + דְבַר־יְהֹוָ֖ה [word·of·Hashem] (232) + אֵלַ֥י [to·me] (41) + לֵאמֹֽר [saying] (271) = 575.
Radak
And the word of the Lord was:
Malbim
"And the word of the Lord came to me": With this sign, three prophecies are brought: 1. Concerning the great slaughter that will occur in the land of Israel (and this is derived from verse 3 in relation to verse 11); 2. A brief prophecy concerning the destruction of the Holy Temple (verses 11–12); 3. A prophecy concerning the siege of Jerusalem, detailing what will happen during the time of the siege, and how Nebuchadnezzar will turn his face to go to Jerusalem and will consult diviners on his way, whether to go to Jerusalem or to Rabbah of the Ammonites (from verse 13 until verse 30).
’Son of man, set your face toward the South, and preach toward the South, and prophesy against the forest of the field in the South;
verse value 2461
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 47 letters. The shortest word is "put" (שִׂ֤ים, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·south" (אֶל־דָּר֑וֹם, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "to·south" (אֶל־דָּר֑וֹם), "to·forest·of" (אֶל־יַ֥עַר). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·forest·of" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel); "your·face" (root פנים, 150x in Ezekiel); "son·of·man" (root בין, 145x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root תימן ("south") in Ezekiel. First appearance of the root דרום ("to·south") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·south', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 4 words. Full calculation: בֶּן־אָדָ֗ם [son·of·man] (97) + שִׂ֤ים [put] (350) + פָּנֶ֙יךָ֙ [your·face] (160) + דֶּ֣רֶךְ [way] (224) + תֵּימָ֔נָה [south] (505) + וְהַטֵּ֖ף [and·children] (100) + אֶל־דָּר֑וֹם [to·south] (281) + וְהִנָּבֵ֛א [and·prophesy] (64) + אֶל־יַ֥עַר [to·forest·of] (311) + הַשָּׂדֶ֖ה [field] (314) + נֶֽגֶב [south-country] (55) = 2461.
Rashi
The way of the south. The Land of Israel is in the south of Babylonia.
"To the forest of the field" – To My Temple, which is destined to be like a forest and a field, to be plowed up, with foxes walking through it.
Radak
“Son of man, set your face toward the south.” The prophet was in Babylonia, and God told him to turn his face toward the south, which is Jerusalem, for it lies to the south of Babylonia, since Babylonia is north of Jerusalem, as it is stated: “From the north disaster shall break forth” (Jeremiah 1:14). Therefore, Jerusalem is the south of Babylonia.
And proclaim toward the south. The matter of speech; and similarly, "do not preach; yet they will preach."
“And prophesy against the forest of the field, the Negev.” He called Jerusalem “the forest of the wilderness” as a metaphor: just as a forest contains both good and bad trees, so too in Jerusalem there were both righteous and wicked people. The righteous, who were few in number, perished along with the wicked, who were many, as it is said, “For judgment shall return unto righteousness” (Isaiah 1:27). Similarly, the angel said to Lot, “Lest you be swept away in the iniquity of the city” (Genesis 19:15). Jonathan’s Targum translates [the verse] as, “Set your face to receive prophecy.” And he translated “and the Negev” as “the south,” rendering “the Negev” as “the south.” He repeats the idea in different words to strengthen it, as is the custom of prophetic texts everywhere.
Metzudat David
"Set your face." Turn your face toward the south, for the prophet was in Babylonia, which is north of Jerusalem, and He told him to turn his face toward Jerusalem, which is to the south of Babylonia.
And proclaim. Speak against Jerusalem, which is to its south.
“Unto the forest of the field, the South.” This is said of Jerusalem, likening it to a forest of the field, because there are many people in it who differ in rank, just as a forest has many trees that differ in height and importance. The matter is repeated in what is said, “like a prophecy.”
Metzudat Zion
And the dripping. The word is derived from the root meaning "a drop" and "dripping," and it is borrowed in the context of speech, as in the verse, "They shall not drip, they shall drip" (Micah 2:6).
Malbim
“Set your face toward the south”: “Setting one’s face” refers to the manner in which a prophet prepares himself to prophesy in a particular direction. This pertains to the prophecy concerning the siege of Jerusalem, which begins in verse 13 and onward. In that passage, it is related how Nebuchadnezzar cast lots to determine whether he should march to the left, toward Rabbah of the Ammonites, or to the right, toward Jerusalem. The lot fell toward the south, meaning that he was to proceed to the right, as it is stated: “The divination was on his right hand for Jerusalem”.
“And prophesy to the south”: The term “prophesy” refers to a minor and brief prophecy, namely that which prophesies in abbreviated form about the destruction of the Holy Temple, as it is stated, “Groan, with a broken spirit,” etc. And it is called “the south” because the southern direction is so named since it is at the height of the sphere, opposite the north, which is in the lowlands, according to the opinion of the ancients that the sun exerts more influence in the south. Likewise, the Temple stands at the height of the sphere, on the heights of the mountains, in the south of the Land of Israel.
“And prophesy against the forest of the field of the Negev” — this prophecy concerns the slaughter that will occur throughout the Land of Israel, as it is stated, “And you shall say to the forest of the Negev,” and it is explained, “And you shall say to the land of Israel.” He compared it to a forest that is full of various trees; so too, the land was full of people. And it is called “Negev” because the southern region is called so because it is parched and drier due to the greater heat, and the portion of the land of Judah was in the Negev of the Land of Israel.
and say to the forest of the South: Hear the word of Hashem: Thus says the Lord Hashem: Behold, I will kindle a fire in you, and it shall devour every green tree in you, and every dry tree, it shall not be quenched, even a flaming flame; and all faces from the south to the north shall be seared thereby.
verse value 6403
Insights
Verse structure: 23 words, 107 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִ֡ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "fire" (אֵ֡שׁ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·shall·be·seared·by·it" (וְנִצְרְבוּ־בָ֥הּ, 8 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "to·forest·of" (לְיַ֣עַר), "south-country" (הַנֶּ֔גֶב), "kindling·in·you" (מַֽצִּית־בְּךָ֣). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "word·of·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 מצה ("kindling·in·you") in Ezekiel. First appearance of the root כבה ("not·be·quenched") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'word·of·Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 18 words.
Rashi
ונצרבו. The term is akin to the "burning" of a boil (Leviticus 13), as in "upon his lips as a burning fire" (Proverbs 16); it denotes scorching.
“Every face from the south, northward.” All the people who are in the south of Babylonia, which is in the north, are called “Tzerv Retri” in the foreign language.
Radak
And you shall say, "Behold, I will kindle a fire within you." The meaning of kindling and burning is similar to "he kindled a fire in Zion."
“Every green tree and every dry tree.” This is an allegory, as we have explained it regarding the righteous and the wicked. And Jonathan translated: “Behold, I am bringing upon you a people that is strong like fire, and it will destroy in you every wealthy man and every poor man; none will be spared from the flames that consume.” And in some manuscripts it reads: “Behold, I am kindling in you a fire, and it will burn up in you every green tree and every dry tree; none will be spared from the flames that consume.”
"You shall not extinguish the flame, the blaze." The duplication of the matter with different words is to strengthen the statement, for "lahav" is like "shelehet," meaning the fire shall not be extinguished, for at all times the flame shall rise until they are all consumed, both in exile and in destruction.
“And they shall be scorched in it, all faces.” This is derived from the word *tzarbat*, meaning the burning of a boil, as it is written, “Upon his lips as a burning *tzarbat*,” referring to the matter of burning. Its interpretation is that those who do not die shall have their faces burned with shame and disgrace during their exile.
“From the south to the north.” From the south, which is Jerusalem, to the north, which is Babylonia. The phrase “every face” refers to all the faces of the exiles. Alternatively, “every face” may be interpreted as referring to the other nations, in accordance with what is stated below: “My sword shall go forth from its sheath against all flesh.” The meaning of “from the south to the north” is like “from the south toward the north.” Just as Israel was punished from the south to the north, so too will the other nations be punished and exiled like them.
Metzudat David
"Behold, I kindle. Behold, I am He who kindles the fire within you, and it shall burn within you every green wood and every dry wood, and the flame of the fire shall not be quenched; and all the faces of the creatures dwelling in the corners of the Negev, opposite the north, shall be consumed by the flame of the fire." This means that even the righteous shall perish together with the wicked, just as the green wood is consumed through the combination with the dry wood. And the enemy shall destroy all the idolaters dwelling from the Negev to Babylon, which is situated in the north of the world.
Metzudat Zion
Mazit. The matter of kindling is similar to "and it shall kindle among the thickets of the forest" (Isaiah 9:17):
“And it shall eat, and it shall burn up.”
Lakh. The word "lach" denotes moisture and dampness.
"Extinguish." The word is in the form of "extinguished" (kavui).
"Flame, flame." Their meaning is one, and the repetition serves to strengthen the expression.
And they were burned. The meaning is burning, as it is written, “like fire that burns” (Proverbs 16:27).
Malbim
And you shall say to the forest of the Negev: Now, the order of these three prophecies is from below to above. First, he related the prophecy concerning the forest of the Negev, which is the Land of Israel in general: “Behold, I will kindle a fire in you.” The kindling refers to what ignites the entire forest at once with a great fire. “And it shall consume in you every green tree and every dry tree.” First, it will consume the green ones, and afterward the dry ones. For if it were to consume the dry ones first, the green trees would obstruct the fire, and the flame would not spread, because the green ones act as a barrier. But if the green ones are consumed first, there is nothing to obstruct the fire, and consequently, the flame of the fire will not be extinguished. Therefore, “all faces from the south to the north shall be scorched by it.” This means that the fire, which began to burn in the forest on its southern side, will return and spread back toward the north, until from the flame issuing from the south, all faces toward the north shall be scorched.
And all flesh shall see that I Hashem have kindled it; it shall not be quenched.’
verse value 2027
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 30 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 "I·have·kindled·it" (בִּֽעַרְתִּ֑יהָ, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "I·have·kindled·it" (בִּֽעַרְתִּ֑יהָ), "will·quench" (תִּכְבֶּֽה). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "not" (root לא, 213x in Ezekiel); "I" (root אני, 166x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'I·have·kindled·it', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 2 words. Full calculation: וְרָאוּ֙ [and·they·shall·see] (213) + כׇּל־בָּשָׂ֔ר [all·flesh] (552) + כִּ֛י [that] (30) + אֲנִ֥י [I] (61) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + בִּֽעַרְתִּ֑יהָ [I·have·kindled·it] (687) + לֹ֖א [not] (31) + תִּכְבֶּֽה [will·quench] (427) = 2027.
Radak
“And all flesh shall see” – “its flame shall not be quenched.” Jonathan rendered it in one version: “Behold, I, the Lord, am coming and shall not be withheld,” and in another version: “Behold, I, the Lord, have kindled it, and it shall not be extinguished.” Its meaning is: “And all flesh shall see” – all shall recognize that from Me comes the evil that is coming upon Jerusalem. And so the chief of the butchers said to Jeremiah: “The Lord, your God, spoke this evil concerning this place, and the Lord has come and done as He spoke, because you have sinned against the Lord and have not heeded His voice, and this matter has come to pass.”
Metzudat David
"And all flesh shall see": Because of the intensity of the burning, everyone knew that it was done by the Lord and not by chance; therefore, it would not be extinguished until it consumed everything.
Metzudat Zion
"All flesh." Every person.
Malbim
And all flesh shall see that by this they will recognize that I, the Lord, have kindled it through My providence, for fire that burns according to nature consumes dry things first, and then the fire will be extinguished when it reaches the place of the wet wood; but in that I kindled the wet wood first, I kindled it in such a manner that it would not be extinguished.
Then said I: ‘Ah Lord Hashem! they say of me: Is he not a maker of parables?’
verse value 1608
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 40 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "of·me" (לִ֔י, 2 letters) and the longest is "saying" (אֹמְרִ֣ים, 5 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "a·maker·of·parables" (מְמַשֵּׁ֥ל). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "and·I·said" (root אמר, 362x 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 7 words. Full calculation: וָאֹמַ֕ר [and·I·said] (247) + אֲהָ֖הּ [alas!] (11) + אֲדֹנָ֣י [my·lord] (65) + יֱהֹוִ֑ה [Hashem] (26) + הֵ֚מָּה [abundance] (50) + אֹמְרִ֣ים [saying] (291) + לִ֔י [of·me] (40) + הֲלֹ֛א [not] (36) + מְמַשֵּׁ֥ל [a·maker·of·parables] (410) + מְשָׁלִ֖ים [proverbs] (420) + הֽוּא [he] (12) = 1608.
Rashi
He is a maker of parables. When I prophesy to them in the language of parables and riddles, such as “a forest and fire consumes both the moist and the dry.”
Radak
And it says, “Ah, Lord God.” How will You send me to them to speak by way of parable, when behold, they say to me: “When I speak to them the prophecies by way of parable, like the preceding prophecies—such as the prophecy of the great eagle and the prophecy of ‘Your mother is like a vine in your blood’—and likewise the rest, they say on my account:”
Is he not one who delivers parables? He speaks in parables and does not say [his words] according to prophecy, but rather to demonstrate himself, that he knows how to deliver a parable. Therefore, he repeats to him the matter in this sense, explained without a parable. And he said to him: “Set your face toward Jerusalem” in place of “toward the way of the south.” And “prophesy against the sanctuaries” in place of “prophesy toward the south.” And “prophesy against the land of Israel” in place of “prophesy against the forest of the field of the south.” And “say to the land of Israel” in place of “say to the forest of the south.” And “I will bring forth My sword from its sheath” in place of “Behold, I will kindle in you a fire.” And “I will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked” in place of “It will consume in you every green tree and every dry tree.”
Metzudat David
"They" — the people of my nation say concerning Me: "Is He not speaking in a parable? And thus we can reverse the parable according to our own understanding, for the good."
Metzudat Zion
Ah. The matter of the language of a cry of lamentation:
Malbim
And he said, after the prophecy came to him in the form of parables and riddles, he said, “What benefit will I derive from such a prophecy? Will they not say to me that my ways are those of parables and riddles, and words that have no clear explanation, and they will not pay attention to my words?” And the Rambam already explained (in the Guide for the Perplexed and in the Laws of Character Traits) that one of the conditions of complete prophecy is that it will not contain parables and riddles, and an abundance of parables indicates the dominance of the faculty of imagination, and that the prophecy is uttered but rarely, when one sees through windows and veils, like one who gazes at something from afar.
Verse structure: 4 words, 18 letters. The shortest word is "to·me" (אֵלַ֥י, 3 letters) and the longest is "word·of·Hashem" (דְבַר־יְהֹוָ֖ה, 7 letters). 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "word·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "saying" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "and·it·was" (root היה, 335x in Ezekiel). Full calculation: וַיְהִ֥י [and·it·was] (31) + דְבַר־יְהֹוָ֖ה [word·of·Hashem] (232) + אֵלַ֥י [to·me] (41) + לֵאמֹֽר [saying] (271) = 575.
Rashi
“And the word of the Lord came to me, saying.” “Prophesy to them a clear prophecy that I told you: ‘Set your face toward the south.’ I am explaining to you: ‘Set your face toward Jerusalem.’”
Radak
And the word of the Lord was:
Malbim
And the word of the Lord came to me: He explained to him the parable.
’Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem, and preach toward the sanctuaries, and prophesy against the land of Israel;
verse value 2930
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 48 letters. The shortest word is "put" (שִׂ֤ים, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·Jerusalem" (אֶל־יְר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם, 8 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "to·sanctuaries" (אֶל־מִקְדָּשִׁ֑ים). The root איל appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Jerusalem" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel); "Israel" (root ישראל, 154x in Ezekiel); "your·face" (root פנים, 150x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·sanctuaries', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: בֶּן־אָדָ֗ם [son·of·man] (97) + שִׂ֤ים [put] (350) + פָּנֶ֙יךָ֙ [your·face] (160) + אֶל־יְר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם [to·Jerusalem] (617) + וְהַטֵּ֖ף [and·children] (100) + אֶל־מִקְדָּשִׁ֑ים [to·sanctuaries] (525) + וְהִנָּבֵ֖א [and·prophesy] (64) + אֶל־אַדְמַ֥ת [to·ground·of] (476) + יִשְׂרָאֵֽל [Israel] (541) = 2930.
Rashi
And proclaim. And prophesy, and similarly, "Do not prophesy" (Micah 2:6), and "Do not prophesy against the house of Isaac" (Amos 7:16).
"to the sanctuaries." It is the forest of the field:
"Sanctuaries." Two destructions:
Radak
“Son of man, and prophesy against the sanctuaries.” It uses the plural form because the Temple consists of three chambers: the Ulam, the Heichal, and the Devir, apart from the Azarot; or perhaps the term “sanctuaries” alludes to the destruction of the First Temple and the destruction of the Second Temple.
Metzudat David
"Unto Jerusalem." This implies: "Therefore, I shall speak with you a clear prophecy, exactly as it is."
"to the holy places." This refers to the Ulam, the Heichal, and the Holy of Holies.
Malbim
“Set your face toward Jerusalem” – this is an explanation of what is written: “Set your face toward the south”; “and prophesy against the sanctuaries” – this is an explanation of what is written: “and prophesy to the south”; (and he said “sanctuaries” in the plural because there was there the Ulam [the outer chamber], the Heichal [the Holy Place], and the Kodesh HaKodashim [the Holy of Holies], each one more sanctified than the other, and all of them were destroyed); and “and prophesy toward the land of Israel” – this is an explanation of what is written: “and prophesy toward the forest of the field, in the Negev.”
and say to the land of Israel: Thus says Hashem: Behold, I am against you, and will draw forth My sword out of its sheath, and will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked.
verse value 5105
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 65 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "thus" (כֹּ֚ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·will·bring·out" (וְהוֹצֵאתִ֥י, 7 letters). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "and·you·shall·say" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "to·you" (root אל, 204x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·her·razor', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 4 words.
Rashi
“The righteous and the wicked.” This refers to the moist and the dry.
Radak
And you said, "It is the scabbard." It refers to the scabbard of the sword, and Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated it as "mil'danah," which is similar to the Hebrew expression "ve-yashav chervato al nadano" [and sheathed his sword in its scabbard]. Likewise, in Aramaic: "Atkhirit ruḥi ana Daniel be-gav nadana" [My spirit was troubled within me], with the interchange of the letter nun for lamed, as in "neshkha" and "leshkha."
“And I will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked.” As we have written above, that the righteous perish because of the sin of the wicked; and similarly it is said, “You have given the carcass of Your servants as food for the birds of the heavens.” And Rav Saadia interpreted: “righteous” refers to the master, and “wicked” refers to the master. For whoever serves him constantly and with all his heart is called by them “righteous,” and whoever does not serve him constantly is called by them “wicked.” And both are wicked before the Holy One, blessed be He. And similarly He speaks with Jacob, “from good to bad”: “good” was in the eyes of Laban if he were to steal Jacob’s property but not kill him, and “bad” if he were to kill him; and both are bad in the eyes of Jacob. And Jonathan translated: “And I will remove from among you your righteous ones, in order to destroy your guilty ones.”
Metzudat David
"Behold, I am against you." "Behold, I will fight against you."
Metzudat Zion
"מתערה" (mat'arah): It is the scabbard of the sword. And similarly, "and they drew [their swords] from their scabbards" (1 Samuel 17:52).
Malbim
"And you shall say to the land of Israel" – this is the explanation of the parable with which He began: "Behold, I am against you to punish you with a watchful punishment." And "I have drawn My sword from its sheath" – this is the explanation of what He stated, "Behold, I will kindle a fire in you," for the sword will consume people as fire burns a forest. And "I will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked" – this is the explanation of what He stated, "And I will consume in you every green tree and every dry tree," meaning that it will consume the green ones first, and the explanation is that the righteous will be cut off first, so that they will not witness the distress of the generation, and so that they will not intercede for the generation with their righteousness and thereby delay the fire of retribution. For as long as the evil is particular, He will punish only the sinners, and the righteous will be saved, and then there is no complete destruction. But after the Lord has decreed total destruction and it has been finalized, He will cut off the righteous first, and then there is no barrier before the fire. And this is what He said:
Seeing then that I will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked, therefore shall My sword go forth out of its sheath against all flesh from the south to the north;
verse value 4576
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 52 letters. Verse gematria: 4576 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "because" (יַ֛עַן, 3 letters) and the longest is "that·I·have·cut·off" (אֲשֶׁר־הִכְרַ֥תִּי, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 100: from·you, therefore. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "that·I·have·cut·off" (אֲשֶׁר־הִכְרַ֥תִּי), "to·all·flesh" (אֶל־כׇּל־בָּשָׂ֖ר). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·I·have·cut·off" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel); "to·all·flesh" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel); "my·sword" (root חרב, 102x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·wicked', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 7 words. Full calculation: יַ֛עַן [because] (130) + אֲשֶׁר־הִכְרַ֥תִּי [that·I·have·cut·off] (1136) + מִמֵּ֖ךְ [from·you] (100) + צַדִּ֣יק [just] (204) + וְרָשָׁ֑ע [and·wicked] (576) + לָ֠כֵ֠ן [therefore] (100) + תֵּצֵ֨א [it·shall·go·out] (491) + חַרְבִּ֧י [my·sword] (220) + מִתַּעְרָ֛הּ [from·her·razor] (715) + אֶל־כׇּל־בָּשָׂ֖ר [to·all·flesh] (583) + מִנֶּ֥גֶב [from·south] (95) + צָפֽוֹן [north] (226) = 4576.
Rashi
"Because I have cut off from you." And I know that the idolaters will rejoice over your downfall; therefore, I will be angry with them and will bring Nebuchadnezzar upon all of them. This is what I wrote: "And all the southern faces shall be burned therein."
Radak
“Because I have cut off from you the righteous and the wicked.” Because I executed a great vengeance upon you, and your enemies rejoiced over you and aided Me in your harm more than was necessary, therefore they all shall be punished, just as you were punished. This is what is stated: “Therefore, My sword shall go forth from its sheath.”
“Upon all flesh.” “Upon” is like “on,” and similarly there are many [instances]. And when it says “all flesh,” it means the nations upon whom the prophets prophesied.
“From the south to the north.” As we explained above, He said: Just as My sword will cut you down from the south to the north, so too you will be exiled to that place, and you will be cut down by the sword of the king of the north. And likewise, the remainder of the nations will be punished through his hand, and he himself will subsequently be punished by the hands of Media and Persia.
Metzudat David
"Because I will cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked, and I will execute great vengeance upon you, and your enemies will rejoice over you and aid in your evil—therefore, all the idolaters dwelling in the south shall be smitten, as well as Babylon, which stands in the north."
Malbim
“Because I have cut off from you the righteous first and afterward the wicked, and only the dry trees remain, therefore the flame of the blaze will not be extinguished; therefore my sword shall go forth from its sheath toward the south, and it shall go forth to the north; from the Land of Israel it shall go forth again to the nations dwelling in the north, for after he conquered Jerusalem, he returned to conquer all the nations surrounding it, and he also swept away the Israelites who had fled there.”
and all flesh shall know that I Hashem have drawn forth My sword out of its sheath; it shall not return any more.
verse value 3031
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 43 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "that" (כִּ֚י, 2 letters) and the longest is "I·brought·out" (הוֹצֵ֥אתִי, 6 letters). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "not" (root לא, 213x in Ezekiel); "I" (root אני, 166x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·her·razor', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְיָֽדְעוּ֙ [and·they·shall·know] (96) + כׇּל־בָּשָׂ֔ר [all·flesh] (552) + כִּ֚י [that] (30) + אֲנִ֣י [I] (61) + יְהֹוָ֔ה [Hashem] (26) + הוֹצֵ֥אתִי [I·brought·out] (512) + חַרְבִּ֖י [my·sword] (220) + מִתַּעְרָ֑הּ [from·her·razor] (715) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + תָשׁ֖וּב [will·return] (708) + עֽוֹד [again] (80) = 3031.
Radak
“And they shall know,” [meaning that] she shall not return again. She shall not return to her sheath until the nations mentioned in the words of the Prophets are cut off.
Metzudat David
"For I am the Lord who brought it forth." And it did not come by chance:
"You shall not return again." [This applies] until the destruction of all flesh dwelling from the south to Babylon; and it is as if to say: "Not so if it were to come by chance, for a chance occurrence does not persist so much."
Malbim
"And all flesh shall know, and shall recognize, that I, the Lord, have brought forth My sword with providence, and that the sword shall not return [to its sheath], for there is none who can hinder Me. This is the explanation of what is stated: 'For I, the Lord, have kindled it; it shall not be quenched.'"
Sigh therefore, you son of man; with the breaking of your loins and with bitterness shall you sigh before their eyes.
verse value 3211
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 43 letters. Verse gematria: 3211 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "and·you" (וְאַתָּ֥ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·with·bitterness" (וּבִמְרִיר֔וּת, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "sigh" (הֵאָנַ֑ח), "with·breaking·of" (בְּשִׁבְר֤וֹן), "and·with·bitterness" (וּבִמְרִיר֔וּת). The root אנח appears 2 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son·of·man" (root בין, 145x in Ezekiel); "to·their·eyes" (root עין, 73x in Ezekiel); "and·you" (root אתה, 62x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'sigh', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 5 words. Full calculation: וְאַתָּ֥ה [and·you] (412) + בֶן־אָדָ֖ם [son·of·man] (97) + הֵאָנַ֑ח [sigh] (64) + בְּשִׁבְר֤וֹן [with·breaking·of] (560) + מׇתְנַ֙יִם֙ [loins] (540) + וּבִמְרִיר֔וּת [and·with·bitterness] (864) + תֵּאָנַ֖ח [sigh] (459) + לְעֵינֵיהֶֽם [to·their·eyes] (215) = 3211.
Radak
And you, groan with a breaking of the loins. For anyone who groans over a great affliction is as though his loins were broken and he falls from the heaviness of the groaning.
And in bitterness. He means: and with bitterness of heart you shall groan before them, so that they will ask you why you are groaning.
Metzudat David
"He sighed." He made a sigh like that of a person who is distressed.
“With broken loins.” This means a great sigh, as if the loins were broken and collapsed under the weight of the sigh.
And in bitterness. This means: With bitterness of heart you shall sigh before the eyes of Israel.
Malbim
And you, son of man, after having prophesied concerning the Land of Israel, He commanded him to prophesy regarding the destruction of the Holy Temple, about which He said, “and prophesy against the sanctuaries.” He commanded him to groan with a great groan, until his loins should break from the abundance of groaning, and that he should be in great bitterness, and that this should be before their eyes, in such a manner that they would pay attention and inquire about the cause of the groaning.
And it shall be, when they say to you: Wherefore sigh you? that you shall say: Because of the tidings, for it comes; and every heart shall melt, and all hands shall be slack, and every spirit shall be faint, and all knees shall drip with water; behold, it comes, and it shall be done, says the Lord Hashem.’
verse value 5164
Insights
Verse structure: 24 words, 110 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָיָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "you" (אַתָּ֣ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·all·knees" (וְכׇל־בִּרְכַּ֙יִם֙, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 26: and·it·shall·be, Hashem. 10 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "when·they·say" (כִּי־יֹאמְר֣וּ), "upon·what" (עַל־מָ֖ה), "sigh" (נֶאֱנָ֑ח). The root היה appears 2 times in this verse. 20 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "when·they·say" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "and·it·shall·be" (root היה, 335x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'sigh', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 18 words.
Radak
"And it came to pass, upon hearing the report." This is like the verse "upon" and similar instances, where the word "report" (shemua) is used, because they were in Babylonia and this report came to them from Jerusalem.
“And every spirit shall be darkened.” It is shortened, and so too “a darkened spirit,” for “darkened” is an expression of shortening, constriction, and cutting off.
"They shall go out like waters." "They shall go out" like waters that are shaken and tremble from excessive fear.
“Behold, it has come and it has become.” “Behold, the bad news is coming to you soon, and it will be exactly as you hear it.”
Metzudat David
“Al shemua” – on account of the report that came to us from Jerusalem after its destruction. Therefore, all hearts melted, the hands of the people were weakened, the spirit of every person was dimmed and humbled, and the knees of all the people trembled with the terror of alarm, like waters that are stirred and do not rest.
“Behold, it comes.” This means: Behold, it is near, as if it has already come and arrived.
Metzudat Zion
"And they shall be slack." From the language of slackness. And it is said of one who is panicked and has lost hope:
"וכהתה" – the matter is one of cloudiness and darkness, like "כהה" (became dull) regarding the plague (Leviticus 13).
"ונהיתה" (and it came to be). The language of "הָיָה" (was):
Malbim
And you shall say to the news that has come, for the news of the destruction of the Holy Temple came suddenly (as stated below, chapter 33:21), and they always trusted that the Temple would not be destroyed, and through this they hoped that the exiles would return to the Land of Israel. And when the news came that the Temple had been destroyed, every heart melted and all hands grew weak, for from then on they despaired of doing anything that would bring them back to their land, after the House of the Lord had been destroyed. Also, every spirit was dimmed; these are the spiritual faculties that were in the nation, the spirit of wisdom and prophecy. For when the great light sank, from which the abundance of holiness and prophecy emanated, the small lights that sparkled from it were dimmed. And all knees flowed with water due to the great terror concerning the future. Behold, it has come and it has become reality: at the time the news arrived in Babylonia, the event had already occurred and the Temple had already been destroyed, as will be explained below there, and it was no longer possible to exert effort to save or reverse the decree.
Verse structure: 4 words, 18 letters. The shortest word is "to·me" (אֵלַ֥י, 3 letters) and the longest is "word·of·Hashem" (דְבַר־יְהֹוָ֖ה, 7 letters). 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "word·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "saying" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "and·it·was" (root היה, 335x in Ezekiel). Full calculation: וַיְהִ֥י [and·it·was] (31) + דְבַר־יְהֹוָ֖ה [word·of·Hashem] (232) + אֵלַ֥י [to·me] (41) + לֵאמֹֽר [saying] (271) = 575.
Radak
And it came to pass:
Malbim
"And the word of the Lord came to me" – Now he begins the third prophecy, which he indicated in his statement "Set your face toward Jerusalem," wherein he depicted the manner of Nebuchadnezzar's coming with the sword, and how he would set his face toward Jerusalem via the south, and not via the left toward Rabbah of the Ammonites, as it is stated "Take for yourself two ways." And he precedes this with a special discourse to depict the matter of the siege of Jerusalem.
’Son of man, prophesy, and say: Thus says Hashem: Say: A sword, a sword, it is sharpened, And also furbished:
verse value 2131
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 45 letters. The shortest word is "thus" (כֹּ֖ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·also·furbished" (וְגַם־מְרוּטָֽה, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 241: said, say. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "and·also·furbished" (וְגַם־מְרוּטָֽה). The root אמר appears 3 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·you·shall·say" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "my·lord" (root אדון, 222x in Ezekiel); "son·of·man" (root בין, 145x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root מרט ("and·also·furbished") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'my·lord', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 5 words. Full calculation: בֶּן־אָדָ֕ם [son·of·man] (97) + הִנָּבֵא֙ [prophesy] (58) + וְאָ֣מַרְתָּ֔ [and·you·shall·say] (647) + כֹּ֖ה [thus] (25) + אָמַ֣ר [said] (241) + אֲדֹנָ֑י [my·lord] (65) + אֱמֹ֕ר [say] (241) + חֶ֥רֶב [sword] (210) + חֶ֛רֶב [sword] (210) + הוּחַ֖דָּה [is·sharpened] (28) + וְגַם־מְרוּטָֽה [and·also·furbished] (309) = 2131.
Rashi
Sword, sword. Two swords: the sword of the king of Babylon first, and afterwards the sword of the Ammonites in the hand of Ishmael son of Nethaniah, who would kill Gedaliah and those who had gathered to him from the remnant of the sword, as is explained in Jeremiah (Jeremiah 41:11–12):
Merotah. In the vernacular, it is called "porvia." Menachem associates it with the root meaning "to draw out" or "to pull forth." Similarly, [the verse states], "And he gave it to be polished" (merotah), and likewise [in] all [such instances].
Radak
“Son of man,” He said, “a sword, a sword has been sharpened and also polished.” Say to them: This is the sword mentioned that I spoke of and drew forth; My sword has been sharpened to cut well and quickly, and it has also been polished, meaning the rust has been removed from its surface so that it may gleam and terrify people by its appearance. And this is explained in the subsequent verse: “For the sake of slaughter, for slaughter.” The doubling of the word “sword, a sword” follows the manner of those who are in pain or distress, who repeat their words, such as “my bowels, my bowels,” “my head, my head.” And the Targum of Jonathan translated: “The sword of the king of Babylon shall kill, and the sword of the children of Ammon shall be given and shall devastate.” The explanation is that the sword of the children of Ammon is the sword of Ishmael, because Baalis, the king of the children of Ammon, sent it.
Merotah. The matter of scraping and removing the rust is effective until it shines like polished copper.
Metzudat David
Sword, sword. Regarding the word "sword" (חרב), it is said regarding the sword of Nebuchadnezzar, and the doubling of the word is in the manner of a mourner lamenting; similarly, "My heart, my heart" (Jeremiah 4:19).
Also, "scraped." To file it in order to remove the rust.
Metzudat Zion
Huchadad. From the root chadad, meaning sharpened and honed:
Merotah. The meaning is to polish and refine, as in "polished copper" (1 Kings 7).
Malbim
(14-15) “A sword, a sword” – He depicted in his metaphor the sword that came upon Jerusalem, which was half sharp and honed for slaughter, and the other half blunt, meaning it was blunted and its sharpness removed. And this is what it says, “a sword, a sword,” meaning that the sword consists of two parts: half of it is sharpened, and half of it is blunt, with its sharpness removed. And it explains: “to slaughter a slaughter” – the side that is sharpened is so that it may be keen for slaughter; and the side that is blunt is so that it may have a gleam. For a sword that kills has no gleam, because blood defiles it and it is not polished. Therefore, it is blunted, which is the polishing process, so that its gleam remains. For one who sees a gleaming sword will tremble before it — or shall we rejoice. But if you wish to rejoice and be glad about this, because the sword is blunt and its sharpness is removed, and it cannot kill or slaughter, He answers regarding this: do not rejoice over this, for “the rod of My children despised every wood, and He gave it to the blunter to grasp in the palm.” That which the sword is blunt and its sharpness is removed from one side is not so that it should not slaughter with it, but for another reason. This sword, which was prepared to be a rod for My children, to rule over them and discipline them, despised every wood. It is impossible to make for it a hilt and handle from wood in order to hold it, for it does not accept a wooden hilt. And if it were entirely sharp, one could not hold it in the hand. Therefore, He gave it to be blunted, and to remove the sharpness from one side, so that one could grasp it in the palm and hold it on this side that was blunted and its sharpness removed. And thus, one should not rejoice over its being blunted on one side, since its other side is sharp and prepared for slaughter. Thus, “it is sharpened, a sword” – meaning, the side where it is sharpened, this side is a sword prepared for slaughter. And “it is blunt” – meaning, and the side where it is blunt and its sharpness is removed, this is in order to give it into the hand of the killer, so that on this side the killer can hold it in the hand, since it is impossible to hold it by means of a wooden hilt, for it despises all wood. And this discourse is a vivid parable for what happened in Jerusalem during the siege. It is known that Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem for many days. And if there had not been strife and dispute and war of man against his brother among them, he would not have been able to conquer it. Rather, they themselves fought man against his brother, and there was war among them between the king and the people, and between the factions one against the other, as it is stated (Jeremiah 21:4), “Behold, I turn the weapons of war that are in your hands, with which you fight against the king of Babylon... and I will gather them into the midst of this city.” And as it is stated, “All the kings of the earth have not believed... that a besieger and an enemy should come to the gates of Jerusalem, because of the sin of your prophets and the iniquity of your priests, who shed the blood of the righteous within it.” He explained that because they killed one another, Nebuchadnezzar conquered them. And it is known that this was also the case with the destruction of the Second Temple, which was by the Romans. Titus saw that he could not conquer Jerusalem, and when he began to fight them at the wall, all the factions united and went out as one man against the enemy, and they devastated the Roman people. Therefore, he withdrew from the wall time and again and removed himself from them. Then the factions and the wicked within began to fight one another and kill one another. And through this, he conquered them, until the sword that devoured them was their own sword; they themselves devastated one another. And so did Nebuchadnezzar act: after he saw that he could not defeat them as long as they fought him as one man, he withdrew from the siege in the middle. And thereby the people divided and devastated one another, and great slaughter occurred among them. And according to this, he depicted that Nebuchadnezzar’s sword was sharpened on one side for slaughter, and on one side it was blunt and its sharpness removed, standing only to frighten them and not to slaughter. For he made himself appear negligent in the war and as one seeking peace with them. And the prophet said to them not to rejoice and be glad over this, for all this he does with cunning. For the sword of Nebuchadnezzar, which is prepared to discipline Israel, despises all wood – meaning that Nebuchadnezzar cannot hold the sword because it has no hilt or handle by which one holds the sword. The metaphor is that the siege engines, battering rams, and instruments of siege with which they conquer the city, which are the handle by which the conqueror holds the sword to slaughter, are not sufficient to conquer Jerusalem with them. (And therefore it is called “the rod of My children,” for this sword is in their eyes only like a rod, not like a sword, for they are strong in his estimation. And therefore, just as with a rod, the handle by which one holds it is of the same kind as the rod, so too must one make for this sword a handle of the same kind as the sword, of iron.) And therefore, He gave the sword to be blunted and to remove the sharpness on one side so that one could grasp it in the palm. That is to say, therefore he makes himself appear negligent in the siege and as one seeking peace, so that thereby the inhabitants of the city will fight one another, and the king and his officers will devastate the people. And thereby he will be able to conquer the city, and there will be for his slaughtering sword a handle by which he can hold it, for thereby he conquered Jerusalem and was able to hold his sword and slaughter. And thus, even if the days of the siege are prolonged and Nebuchadnezzar appears negligent and as one seeking peace, nevertheless, know that “it is sharpened, a sword,” for his aim is to slaughter with his sharpened sword. And that it is blunt and appears that he is negligent and seeks peace is only in order to give it into the hand of the killer, for thereby he conquered the city and the killer was able to hold it in the hand. It turns out that the blunt side was the handle of the sword, for by prolonging the days of the siege and it appearing to them that his sword was blunt and not dangerous, they fought one another. And thereby the city was conquered, and he held the sword in his hand. And this is what it says, “a sword, a sword,” for there were two kinds of swords there.
It is sharpened that it may make a sore slaughter, It is furbished that it may glitter— Or shall we make mirth?— Against the rod of My son, contemning every tree.
verse value 2808
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 51 letters. Verse gematria: 2808 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "or" (א֣וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "so·that·it·may·have" (לְמַעַן־הֱיֵה־לָ֥הּ, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 19: slaughter, slaughter. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "so·that·it·may·have" (לְמַעַן־הֱיֵה־לָ֥הּ), "we·will·exult" (נָשִׂ֔ישׂ). The root מען appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "all·tree" (root כל, 129x in Ezekiel); "my·son" (root בן, 54x in Ezekiel); "in·order·to" (root מען, 37x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root טבח ("slaughter") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'was·bared', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 6 words. Full calculation: לְמַ֨עַן [in·order·to] (190) + טְבֹ֤חַ [slaughter] (19) + טֶ֙בַח֙ [slaughter] (19) + הוּחַ֔דָּה [is·sharpened] (28) + לְמַעַן־הֱיֵה־לָ֥הּ [so·that·it·may·have] (245) + בָּרָ֖ק [lightning] (302) + מֹרָ֑טָּה [was·bared] (254) + א֣וֹ [or] (7) + נָשִׂ֔ישׂ [we·will·exult] (660) + שֵׁ֥בֶט [rod] (311) + בְּנִ֖י [my·son] (62) + מֹאֶ֥סֶת [rejecting] (501) + כׇּל־עֵֽץ [all·tree] (210) = 2808.
Rashi
"Her lightning was with her." That is, she had a flashing, dazzling light; in the vernacular, it is called "flandor."
"Or, shall we rejoice." This is an expression of wonder: perhaps we still have cause to rejoice.
“Rod of My children, that despises every tree”: A rod with which I strike My children to discipline them is harsher than all other rods, and it despises the blow of every staff and every tree, for they are nothing in comparison to it.
Radak
"For the purpose of slaughter, he slaughtered." Here, the verb comes together with its object to strengthen the action. Similarly, "for the purpose of gain, he gained"; "the anger of the Lord burned against your fathers, and burned"; "and she committed a trespass against the Lord, a trespass"; "and David fasted a fast," and others like them, as we have written in the book Mikhlol, in the section of grammar thereof.
In order that there might be lightning for her. The word "was" here is used in the sense of "there being," just as in the phrase "look to the right and see."
Maratah. Since the name of its agent is not mentioned, the dagesh in the letter tet is for the beauty of the reading, to strengthen the pronunciation of the tet, for this is the Hebrew way, and this is found in many places in Scripture, as we have written in the book Mikhlol, in its grammatical section.
Or, “The rod of My son despises every tree.” Or perhaps you might say: “We shall be glad and rejoice over this sword, for it has not come out against us, but against our enemies.” Yet we cannot rejoice over it, for it has come out to cut the rod of My son, and ‘every tree’ despises every other tree for cutting now, except the rod of My son. But the “rod of the sons” is Israel. And the Targum renders the verse: “It is like a sword for slaughter; it is drawn, etc.”
Metzudat David
"For the purpose of slaughter, etc." The sharpening was for the purpose that it should be sharp for slaughtering with it, and the polishing was for the purpose that it should have a gleam to terrify people.
Or "shall we rejoice"? Or perhaps you might say, "we shall rejoice" about that sword, meaning that it will not come upon us, but only upon our enemies?
“Shvet b’nei.” This is as if it were saying: “Not so is it; rather, know that the sword will come to cut off the tribe of my children”—meaning, the inhabitants of Israel. And this is a concise verse.
"Despises every tree." Now it despises every tree, and you shall not cut them down. This means that you shall not go forth at this time to destroy the idolaters. And since the verse compared Jerusalem to a forest, it employs the language of a rod (or staff), and it also refers to the idolaters by the term "trees."
Metzudat Zion
Barak. A flash and a gleam, as in “and the flash of the spear” (Nahum 3:3):
Shevet. A staff:
And it is given to be furbished, That it may be handled; The sword, it is sharpened, Indeed, it is furbished, To give it into the hand of the slayer.
verse value 4070
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 52 letters. The shortest word is "it" (אֹתָ֛הּ, 3 letters) and the longest is "it·is·sharpened" (הִֽיא־הוּחַ֤דָּה, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "to·bare" (לְמׇרְטָ֖הֿ), "it·is·sharpened" (הִֽיא־הוּחַ֤דָּה), "into·the·hand·of·the·slayer" (בְּיַד־הוֹרֵֽג). The root נתן appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·gave" (root נתן, 207x in Ezekiel); "sword" (root חרב, 102x in Ezekiel); "it·is·sharpened" (root הוא, 86x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·ladle', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 7 words. Full calculation: וַיִּתֵּ֥ן [and·gave] (466) + אֹתָ֛הּ [it] (406) + לְמׇרְטָ֖הֿ [to·bare] (284) + לִתְפֹּ֣שׂ [to·catch] (810) + בַּכָּ֑ף [in·the·ladle] (102) + הִֽיא־הוּחַ֤דָּה [it·is·sharpened] (44) + חֶ֙רֶב֙ [sword] (210) + וְהִ֣יא [and·it] (22) + מֹרָ֔טָּה [was·bared] (254) + לָתֵ֥ת [to·give] (830) + אוֹתָ֖הּ [it] (412) + בְּיַד־הוֹרֵֽג [into·the·hand·of·the·slayer] (230) = 4070.
Rashi
And He gave it. The tribe:
To smooth it, to grasp it with the palm. To polish it, so that it would be comfortable and fitting to grasp with the palm.
This is the sword that was sharpened. This is the staff, a sharp and polished sword, to be given into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar to kill with it.
Radak
“And He gave her to be polished.” An infinitive with an added heh, like “to bring her near to the work,” for the letter he is weak, meaning that God, blessed be He, who had taken her from her sheath, gave her to be polished.
"To grasp it by the hilt." This means that the one who kills should grasp it by the hilt after they have polished it. The matter is repeated, and it says, "It is a sharpened sword, and it is polished," to indicate that it is given into the hand of the killer. "Polished" here also has a dagesh in the letter tet.
“It is sharpened, a sword.” This is like the verse “it is sharpened, a sword”, where the word order is reversed; and so too, “all many nations” is like “all nations many,” and “many times” is like “times many,” and similar cases.
Metzudat David
And he gave it to be polished. The enemy gave the sword to be polished, so that it would be fit to be grasped in the hand.
“It is a sharpened sword.” This means that this sword was sharpened and honed, so that it might be placed in the hand of the slayer, enabling him to kill many and terrify people.
Metzudat Zion
To grasp. The matter of holding:
In the palm. "In the palm of the hand":
"It is a sharpened sword." Like an inversion: it is [as if written] "a sword, sharpened," and similarly, "all many peoples" (Psalms 89:51).
Cry and wail, son of man; for it is upon My people, it is upon all the princes of Israel; they are thrust down to the sword with My people; smite therefore upon your thigh.
verse value 3566
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 71 letters. The shortest word is "cry" (זְעַ֤ק, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·all·princes·of" (בְּכׇל־נְשִׂיאֵ֣י, 8 letters). 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "cry" (זְעַ֤ק), "and·wail" (וְהֵילֵל֙), "for·it" (כִּי־הִיא֙). The root הוא appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "was" (root היה, 335x in Ezekiel); "to·sword" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel); "Israel" (root ישראל, 154x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 7 words.
Rashi
And wail. A term derived from "yelah," meaning a dirge or lament.
"For she." The sword shall be upon My people, and upon all their princes and their leaders:
“Gathered unto the sword.” Bands of peoples coming to the sword were around my people; so too does the Targum [render it]. “Megurei” is a term of gathering [into a granary], as in “he who gathers in summer is a wise son” (Proverbs 10:5), “He gathers in the harvest” (Proverbs 6:8), “They were destroyed from their granaries” (Joel 1:17), “Is there still seed in the granary?” (Haggai 2:19). And Menachem associates this term with the root meaning “to fear,” as in “Moab was afraid” (Numbers 22).
Therefore, "strike the thigh." [This refers] to wailing and lamentation.
Radak
"Cry out and wail, O man, for she was among my people; this sword shall be among my people. Therefore, cry out and wail, O man." This does not mean that you should rejoice, as it is stated elsewhere, "or shall we rejoice."
It applies to all the leaders of Israel. For Josiah died by the sword, and so did Jehoiakim and the sons of Zedekiah, who were slaughtered before his eyes, and so did those who were exiled because of the sword that passed over them; they were exiled.
"The fears of the sword were upon My people." From the context of "Moab was afraid" (Vayigra Moav), the sense is fear and dread; the fears of the sword were upon My people before the sword came upon them, as it is said, "They feared the sword, and I will bring the sword upon you." And the word "Migorei" (the fears) comes in close connection to the word "Al" (upon), just as the construct state comes in connection with the word "Al" (upon) and with the word "Et" (to/against), as in "And those who walk upon the way of conversation" and "And the joy of the runners." And the Targum renders it similarly: "Thus they cry out and wail," etc.
Therefore. For this sword is upon My people, and upon all the princes of Israel:
“Strike upon the thigh.” The word “al” functions like “upon.”
Metzudat David
"Cry out and lament." Cry out with a loud voice and make a lamentation, for that sword will be against My people, and it will also be against all the prophets of Israel, namely the princes and the governors.
“They are gathered to the sword.” The people were gathered together by the sword with My people, to smite them; therefore he struck his palm upon his thigh, as a sign of grief and mourning.
Metzudat Zion
And "wail" – from the word "yillah" (lamentation):
Miguro. The matter of "gathering" and "assembling" is like [the verse]: "He who gathers in the summer" (Proverbs 10:5):
"אל חרב" – like "בחרב" (with the sword), and similarly "ואל הארון" (Exodus 25) – that is to say: "and in the ark."
"My people." With My people:
"Sefek." The matter of striking is like "and he shall strike his hands" (Numbers 24:10):
Thigh. It is the side of a person:
Malbim
"Cry out and lament, O man" – He commanded him to cry out regarding the aspect of the sword sharpened for slaughter, and to lament regarding the aspect of the polished part, by which the sword was held, and it was the cause of their subjugation. Namely, it was the sword of Israel themselves, who killed one another, which was the cause of all the evil. And regarding this it says, "For it was among my people," meaning that the sword was among my people; there was shield and sword and war among them, and the factions killed one another. And so it was with all the leaders of Israel; it was the sword that was between the king and his officers, and between God. For "the terrors of the sword were upon my people," meaning that the leaders and officers of the people were the fear and terror of the sword, for they killed many among the people. And there was among them the fear of the internal sword, which devastated them more than the external enemy devastated them through the siege. Therefore, "beat upon the thigh," meaning that primarily the sword that you should beat upon and clap your hands over in lamentation and wailing is the sword that is placed on the thigh, where the sword is hung (as it is written, "Gird your sword upon your thigh, O mighty one"). Namely, the sword of Israel themselves, which they hang on their thighs, is the very one that devastated them, and over it you should clap your hands to lament and wail, not over the sword of the enemy.
For there is a trial; and what if it contemn even the rod? It shall be no more, says the Lord Hashem.
verse value 1280
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 36 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִֽה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "if·even·rod" (אִם־גַּם־שֵׁ֥בֶט, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 30: for, it·will·be. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "trial" (בֹ֔חַן), "and·what" (וּמָ֕ה), "if·even·rod" (אִם־גַּם־שֵׁ֥בֶט). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "it·will·be" (root היה, 335x in Ezekiel); "my·lord" (root אדון, 222x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'it·will·be', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 3 words. Full calculation: כִּ֣י [for] (30) + בֹ֔חַן [trial] (60) + וּמָ֕ה [and·what] (51) + אִם־גַּם־שֵׁ֥בֶט [if·even·rod] (395) + מֹאֶ֖סֶת [rejecting] (501) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + יִֽהְיֶ֑ה [it·will·be] (30) + נְאֻ֖ם [utterance] (91) + אֲדֹנָ֥י [my·lord] (65) + יֱהֹוִֽה [Hashem] (26) = 1280.
Rashi
For He searches. For He searches greatly in times of distress; many other calamities have tested them: judgment, pestilence, famine, and beast.
And if so, even the despising tribe will not be. And what will befall the children if this very despising tribe will come upon him along with the rest of the test?
“Let there not be.” “Still, my children are in the world.” And likewise the Targum translates: “They shall not endure.” But the rest of the verse he did not translate in this manner. And so it appears to me. And I have heard many expressions regarding this, and I have seen explanations in books, but they did not settle for me. And the poet who composed the Yotzer prayer for Chanukah (on the first Shabbat) — “the one that despises every rod, that pierces the wanton” — supports me, for he called the sword “the despiser of every rod.” And Jonathan likewise translated: “Or ‘Neshish’…” – “Upon the tribes of the House of Judah and Benjamin, for the tribes of Israel, when they went into exile because they served idols, and they returned to stray after images of wood.” He too explains “o nasis” as an expression of wonder.
For He examines. And if so, even a despised tribe will not be. For the prophets prophesied against them, and they did not return; meaning that the matter is already out in the open that they will not return. And what will be their end?
If even the despising rod shall be no more. He said: And even the tribes of the House of Judah and Benjamin will surely be exiled, and in their evil deeds they will not endure. The kingship of the tribe, which despised its companions and mocked them and the evil that came upon them, even it will not be and will not arise. I will yet explain it in another sense: “Or shall we rejoice and finish,” or perhaps “shall we rejoice,” for you might say to Me: the rod of My son despises every tree — the kings of Judah are despisers of idolatry, as we find in Abijah, who said (2 Chronicles 13:8): “And with you are the golden calves.” And Asa, Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah, and Josiah burned all idolatry in the world that was under their control. And even these will return in repentance.
“Cry out and wail.” And do not rejoice over this, for it will befall My people. And why? Because I have already examined and scrutinized the matter beforehand, that they will not return with a proper repentance. And if even a despised tribe will not [be spared], what more should I wait for? Even if they come to repent and detest idolatry, the matter will not endure in their hands, for they will hasten to return to their wickedness. And this is what He said to Jeremiah: “If they return, they will not return.”
Radak
For it has been tested and what? For this sword was brought forth to test people with it, and every polishing that was done to it was to make it gleam and to terrify people with it, so that people would return to the good path; and it was honed to cut with it if they do not return.
And if even the rod that despises will not come to be, what will become of this examiner? If even the rod of My son also despises cutting them, just as it despises every tree, what will be of this examiner? Behold, it is in vain that she is polished, and the shining and the gleaming of the sword is an allegory for the warnings of the prophets. And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated: “If the prophets prophesied against them and they did not return, etc.”
Metzudat David
"For He searches out": The sword was strengthened by the matter of its sharpness and its gleam. Why was it strengthened so greatly? If it were to become disgusted with cutting off the staff of My children, they are the inhabitants of Israel; and just as it becomes disgusted with every tree, they are the inhabitants of the idolaters. Thus, there would be no need at all for the sword. So why, then, was it strengthened?
Metzudat Zion
Bochan. The meaning of chatq is like "a stone of testing" (Isaiah 28:16).
And what? Its meaning is like "why," and similarly, "Why should a living man complain" (Lamentations 3:39).
Malbim
"For it is a test" – this means: Why do I command you to strike upon your thigh? For this will be the test: when you test and try to strike upon your thigh, you will find there the sword that destroys. And you will discern that upon their thigh is found the destroyer, not the sword of Nebuchadnezzar, which is external. And if so, even if the rod of disdain were not to be – meaning: what would they gain even if there were no rod of Nebuchadnezzar, which is the rod that despises every tree? For it was not the rod that consumed them, but rather the sword that was attached to their thigh, for they are destroying themselves: either in actuality through bloodshed, or through their sins that lay waste to the city.
You therefore, son of man, prophesy, and smite your hands together; and let the sword be doubled the third time, the sword of those to be slain; it is the sword of the great one that is to be slain, which compasses them about.
verse value 3982
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 66 letters. The shortest word is "palm" (כַּ֣ף, 2 letters) and the longest is "third" (שְׁלִישִׁ֙תָה֙, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 210: sword, sword, sword. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "and·strike" (וְהַ֖ךְ), "palm" (כַּ֣ף), "to·palm" (אֶל־כָּ֑ף). The root חרב appears 3 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·palm" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel); "to·them" (root הם, 166x in Ezekiel); "son·of·man" (root בין, 145x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·palm', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 11 words.
Rashi
Prophesy and strike palm to palm. In the manner of mourners, and what is the prophecy?
“And the sword shall be doubled threefold.” I said: the sword of Nebuchadnezzar, to destroy Jerusalem; and the sword of the sons of Ammon [against] Gedaliah. Yet there is a third sword, which is doubled, because these two are “a sword of slaughter,” and it is the great sword of slaughter that casts down many slain.
“The sword that pierces them.” In every place to which you go, it will pursue you, even into the innermost chambers. Thus, Yochanan ben Kareach and the military commanders will flee to Egypt, where the sword will overtake them. Likewise, in all the places to which they escape—such as fortified cities—as it is stated regarding this matter: “Upon all their gates I have set the stroke of the sword.”
Radak
"And you, son of man." And it shall double the sword a third time. It is accented mil'el (on the penultimate syllable), and the heh is added, and it is like "third," meaning it shall double three times; therefore the sword is called "third," implying that the troubles shall be diverse and triple upon them. There are those who explain that "third" means great, like the "third" which belongs to the king, and the "thirds" over all of it.
"The Great Slain." In general terms, this means that many great slain, kings and princes, will fall there.
“that pierces them”: [This refers to one who] strikes them in the inner chambers of their houses, or [to a woman] who was secluded in a chamber with them until now and has now emerged on their account. And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated “her third part” as “the third portion,” and he translated “that pierces them” as “that causes them to tremble.” And his translation is akin to the meaning of “piercing” as denoting trembling.
Metzudat David
And striking palm to palm is an expression of distress and mourning.
"Vetichapel." It is stated in the prophecy that the third sword will be double and more than the two swords that preceded it; namely, the exile of Zedekiah will be more severe than the exiles of Jehoiakim and Jehoiachin.
“[It is] a sword of the slain.” That sword will cause many slain, and it will also cause the great slain. And concerning King Zedekiah it is said, for he too was taken into exile and was imprisoned. But in the first two exiles, although the kings were taken captive, they did not greatly strike the people.
“that pierces them.” This means: that sword which is kept in a special chamber to come upon them.
Metzudat Zion
And "hah" – the word for a strike.
"ותכפל" – the verb is from the root כפל (to double).
"Shelishatah." The word is derived from the root of "sheloshah" (three).
ha-choderet. The word is derived from the root ch-d-r:
Malbim
And you, son of man, prophesy and strike palm against palm as a sign of distress, and double the breadth of its third part. This means that the sword of Nebuchadnezzar is not prepared to devour only a third of the people, but two parts of the people, which are double the third, will be destroyed by the internal sword that will destroy themselves within the city. And this is clear from what was stated above (section 5) that the Lord commanded him to shave the hair of his head and beard and divide it into three parts, and explained to him the allegory that a third of the people will die in the city by plague and famine during the days of the siege, and a third will fall by the sword at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, and a third will be scattered to every wind and a sword will brandish after them. It turns out that by Nebuchadnezzar only a third fell, and two-thirds fell by themselves, either by famine and plague and sword within the city during the days of the siege, or afterwards when Gedaliah son of Ahikam was killed and they went to Egypt against the warning of the Lord and there they were completely destroyed by terrors. And to this it says that the sword of its third part, namely the sword of Nebuchadnezzar that will kill a third, will double, meaning that two-thirds are still prepared to fall. And it explains by whom the two parts will fall, saying: it is a sword of slain, by the sword of the slain themselves, that the sword of Israel who are prepared to become slain, the sword of the slain, will destroy double the third. And likewise the sword of the great slain, namely the sword of the king who is destined to become a slain one, by which this slain one destroyed the people with his sword, piercing into you, meaning that this sword is found in your inner chambers. The sword found in your inner chambers will destroy two-thirds.
I have set the point of the sword against all their gates, that their heart may melt, and their stumblings be multiplied; ah! it is made glittering, it is sharpened for slaughter.
verse value 4125
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 62 letters. The shortest word is "heart" (לֵ֗ב, 2 letters) and the longest is "all·their·gates" (כׇּל־שַׁ֣עֲרֵיהֶ֔ם, 8 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "to·melt" (לָמ֣וּג), "and·abundant" (וְהַרְבֵּה֙), "the·stumblings" (הַמִּכְשֹׁלִ֔ים). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "against" (root על, 272x in Ezekiel); "made" (root עשה, 214x in Ezekiel); "I·gave" (root נתן, 207x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'point·of·the·sword', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 5 words. Full calculation: לְמַ֣עַן [in·order·to] (190) + לָמ֣וּג [to·melt] (79) + לֵ֗ב [heart] (32) + וְהַרְבֵּה֙ [and·abundant] (218) + הַמִּכְשֹׁלִ֔ים [the·stumblings] (445) + עַ֚ל [against] (100) + כׇּל־שַׁ֣עֲרֵיהֶ֔ם [all·their·gates] (675) + נָתַ֖תִּי [I·gave] (860) + אִבְחַת־חָ֑רֶב [point·of·the·sword] (621) + אָ֛ח [brother] (9) + עֲשׂוּיָ֥ה [made] (391) + לְבָרָ֖ק [to·lightning] (332) + מְעֻטָּ֥ה [wrap] (124) + לְטָֽבַח [for·slaughter] (49) = 4125.
Rashi
To melt (lamug): an expression of quaking; another interpretation: an expression of a thing dissolving.
"And many are the obstacles." "And the many obstacles"—and so too every instance of "harbeh" (many) in Scripture is in the language of "harbot" (multiplicity); it is a passive participle form.
“Abchat cherev.” Some explain it as “tebachat” (slaughter), with a tet in place of the aleph, by the alef-tet bet-chet [letter-substitution] scheme. Others explain it as “avet,” from the root “be’ah” (to be in distress), but this is untenable, because the tet in “abchat” is not a root letter but serves only as a supporting letter, whereas the tet in “be’ah” is a root letter. I say that “abchat cherev” means the sound of the slain by the sword, from the word “nevi’ah” (barking), “glafei” in the language of the nations (German), because the nun in “nevi’ah” is a root letter that drops out, like the nun in “neshikhah” (biting), and an aleph comes in its place, as in “and my declaration (achavati) in your ears” (Job 13:17), and “a pot (asukh) of oil” (2 Kings 4:2). Menachem interpreted it as “fear of the sword,” but this has no parallel; rather, its interpretation should be according to its context.
“Ah, it is made to flash.” Woe and alas, for it is made to be a blazing, polished, and flashing fire.
“Covered for the slaughter.” And she is wrapped in a garment until she grasps the butcher’s knife on the day of battle. And there are those who interpret “covered” in the sense of diminution, that she is diminished when they recite her; but this is an error on their part, for the absence of the vav and the dagesh in the tet indicate that the mem is not a root letter in the word, like the mem of me’onah, meshunah, me’utah, and “me’ulefet sappirim” (overlaid with sapphires, Song of Songs 5:14). And Menachem associates “me’atah” with the language of thought, like (Daniel 2:14) “hateiv etah”; but Donash interpreted it like “clothed with light” (Psalms 104:2).
Radak
"For the heart to be softened." Here, the word of the reason and the letter of the reason are stated, for it would have sufficed to say "so that the heart may be softened" or "for the heart to be softened" without mentioning "so that." This is an addition to the matter and to strengthen the statement, and its interpretation is: in order that their hearts may melt and their stumbling blocks may increase.
And many. An infinitive on the pattern of “and keep them alive”; likewise “haznah hiznu.”
“Upon all her gates I have set the stroke of the sword.” Explanation: The matter of the word “avach” is like “avet” (terror), thus the commentators explained it according to its context, like “the flash of the sword” and similar expressions. And there are those who explain that “avach” means “massacre,” through the interchange of the letter aleph for the letter tet, as in the interchange of the letters aleph, tet, bet, and chet. And Jonathan rendered it: “the slaughter of the sword.”
“‘Ach’ is made to flash [like lightning].” Alas! And so it says “ach,” and so did Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translate it: “vai.” And my master, Rabbi Moses of blessed memory, explained that the matter of “anachah” [a sigh] and “nafalah” [it fell]—the nun in “nafalah” is like the nun in “amen,” [meaning] “truly he said that this sword is made to flash [like lightning],” referring to the incident in which it fell, namely the polishing that was done to it, so that it flashes. “To flash” means to serve as a lightning-bolt, i.e., to frighten people with it.
“a covering for the butcher” – according to its context, it is like “sharpened,” as it says, “for slaughter, the butcher has sharpened,” and this word has no synonym in this sense. And my master and father, of blessed memory, wrote that its meaning is from the language of “and he was clothed in a robe,” but “me’atah” is from the pi’el binyan with dagesh, like “megulah” from “galah” (to uncover), “mekusah” from “kasa” (to cover), and its meaning is like the meaning of “lotah” in a garment, namely, “clothed until now,” implying that she has been uncovered for the butcher. And Jonathan translated: “Woe, the sword is drawn for slaughter; it is sharpened for destruction.”
Metzudat David
“For the sake of their heart melting.” The coming [of the enemy] will be in order to melt the hearts of the people and to multiply obstacles, and upon all the gates of their cities I will give a slaughter by the sword, for in all their cities they will be killed by the sword.
It is made to flash. The sword is made to be scabbarded in order to have a gleam to dazzle people, and it is wrapped in a cloth so that its sharpness will not be dulled, thereby remaining ready for slaughter with it.
Metzudat Zion
To the word "mug." The matter of the "melting":
The obstacles. The matter of exhaustion and the collapse of strength:
Avchat. Its meaning is like "tavchat," with an interchange of aleph for tav by "Atbash."
Akh. Like the word "akh" (alas), and it is a matter of the language of lamentation.
"Me'utah." The matter of wrapping and binding is like "ma'ateh tehillah" (Isaiah 61):
Malbim
“For the purpose of frightening the heart,” etc. This means that the sword-stroke of Nebuchadnezzar that I brought, which caused them to fear, was only in order to frighten their hearts, and in order to increase the obstacles even at all their gates. For his sword was extended throughout all the gates of the land and the cities surrounding Jerusalem — only for this purpose did I bring the sword-stroke of Nebuchadnezzar. However, it was not that the main slaughter would be carried out by Nebuchadnezzar's sword, for the verse says, “Ah! It is made for flashing, meager for slaughter” — the word “Ah” is an expression of joy, because the sword that is made for flashing and frightening — namely, Nebuchadnezzar's sword — is meager for slaughter; it will slaughter only the minority, which is the one-third. And one should rejoice over its being made for flashing, because its slaughter will be little compared to the two-thirds that the sword of the slain will devour, which is the sword of Israel themselves.
Go you one way to the right, or direct thyself to the left; whither is your face set?
verse value 2039
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 34 letters. The shortest word is "where?" (אָ֖נָה, 3 letters) and the longest is "gather·yourself" (הִתְאַחֲדִ֥י, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "gather·yourself" (הִתְאַחֲדִ֥י), "direct·yourself" (הָשִׂ֣ימִי), "go·left" (הַשְׂמִ֑ילִי). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "your·face" (root פנים, 150x in Ezekiel); "gather·yourself" (root אחד, 104x in Ezekiel); "direct·yourself" (root שום, 38x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'go·left', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: הִתְאַחֲדִ֥י [gather·yourself] (428) + הֵימִ֖נִי [right] (115) + הָשִׂ֣ימִי [direct·yourself] (365) + הַשְׂמִ֑ילִי [go·left] (395) + אָ֖נָה [where?] (56) + פָּנַ֥יִךְ [your·face] (160) + מֻעָדֽוֹת [fixed] (520) = 2039.
Rashi
Unite. To one place, either to the right or to the left:
Moedot. Muzmanot:
Radak
“Be united, turn right; set, turn left.” The word “the left” (hashmali) is spelled with a deficient aleph, as “left” (shmal), because it is not the primary direction, but rather serves to extend the meaning. He said, “Unite with one of the sides,” because it is not known to you which way your face is directed—whether to the right, which is Jerusalem, or to the left, which is Babylon. Its interpretation is: “The left” (hashimi) means “direct your face to the north,” and “the left” (hashmali) is the name thereof. Or, the interpretation of “the left” (hashmali) is to include the children of Ammon, as it is stated afterward, “Rabbath of the children of Ammon.” And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] rendered it in the Targum: “Draw yourself out and slay from the south, and destroy from the north. To which side shall you turn your face?”
Metzudat David
“Unite yourself.” It is as if he said to the sword: “You, sword that emerges from Babylon, go forth by one of the ways, or turn yourself to the right—that is, toward Judah, which lies to the right—or position yourself to the left—that is, toward Rabbath of the Ammonites, which lies to the left.”
"Where are your faces appointed?"—and they are prepared to go.
Metzudat Zion
"Be united." The word is derived from the root of "one."
“Heshimi.” From the root *s-y-m* (to place):
Hashamali. From the word "shmal" (left):
"Anah. Where?"
Moadot. They are appointed, like the festivals, before the Temple of the Lord (Jeremiah 24:
Malbim
"Be united" — now [the prophet] begins to depict the coming of the sword upon Jerusalem: that when the king of Babylon set out, he stood at the fork of the road and was in doubt whether to go to the right toward Jerusalem, or to go to the left toward Rabbah of the Ammonites. And as it is stated (in verse 26), 'He spoke to the sword, that it should choose its way, whither it should go.' Either 'Be united, turn right,' meaning that you should unite all your camps to go to the right side toward Jerusalem; or 'Set, turn left,' meaning that you should set your way to the left toward Rabbah of the Ammonites. 'Whither are your faces directed?' That is to say: Are you not standing in doubt, not knowing where to direct your faces to go?
I will also smite My hands together, and I will satisfy My fury; I Hashem have spoken it.’
verse value 2037
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 40 letters. Notable word values: "I·will·strike" (אַכֶּ֤ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "I·will·strike" (אַכֶּ֤ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·I·will·satisfy" (וַהֲנִיחֹתִ֖י, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 110: and·also·I, My·hand. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "I·will·strike" (אַכֶּ֤ה), "to·palm" (אֶל־כַּפִּ֔י), "and·I·will·satisfy" (וַהֲנִיחֹתִ֖י). The root אני appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "to·palm" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel); "and·also·I" (root אני, 166x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'My·wrath', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְגַם־אֲנִ֗י [and·also·I] (110) + אַכֶּ֤ה [I·will·strike] (26) + כַפִּי֙ [My·hand] (110) + אֶל־כַּפִּ֔י [to·palm] (141) + וַהֲנִיחֹתִ֖י [and·I·will·satisfy] (489) + חֲמָתִ֑י [My·wrath] (458) + אֲנִ֥י [I] (61) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + דִּבַּֽרְתִּי [I·have·spoken] (616) = 2037.
Rashi
“And I also will strike palm to palm.” I say to you: “Strike palm to palm,” and I, like you, lament over them and strike palm to palm; yet my anger boils within me, and I have not let it go.
Radak
“And I also will clap my hand against my hand.” He said: Since the prophet said, “Strike hand against hand,” God, blessed be He, said to him: “I too, like you, will clap my hand against my hand.” He said: By way of parable, I will clap my hand against my hand concerning Jerusalem and Israel, for against them the face of this sword is set, and they are in the flash of it as it is brandished before their faces; therefore they shall be smitten by it.
“And I will lay down My anger.” And with this, My anger will be appeased after I have taken vengeance upon them, in the manner of the verse: “and the king's wrath subsided” (Esther 7:10).
"I am the Lord; I have spoken." And it is in My power to fulfill what I have spoken. And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] rendered it in the Targum: "And even I will bring calamity, etc."
Metzudat David
“And I also, etc.” This is to say: Just as I commanded you, the prophet, to strike palm against palm, so too I will strike my palms together, for I know that the sword will go forth against Judah, and with this my anger will be appeased, from which I was angered against them.
"I am the Lord, I have spoken." And so it shall be:
Metzudat Zion
"and I will be quiet." From the language of "rest," and it is said regarding the calming of anger; similarly, "and I will be quiet with My anger toward you" (above 16:42).
Malbim
"And I will also clap My hands," says the Lord, that He will decree then that [the sword] shall go to Jerusalem, and then He will clap hand upon hand regarding the decree of judgment. And "I will satisfy My fury," [meaning] to spend the fury that is upon Israel, for "I am the Lord, I have spoken" and decreed that he shall choose his way to go to Jerusalem, as it is stated (Jeremiah 10:23): "I know, O Lord, that the way of man is not his own," etc.; see there.
Verse structure: 4 words, 18 letters. The shortest word is "to·me" (אֵלַ֥י, 3 letters) and the longest is "word·of·Hashem" (דְבַר־יְהֹוָ֖ה, 7 letters). 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "word·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "saying" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "and·it·was" (root היה, 335x in Ezekiel). Full calculation: וַיְהִ֥י [and·it·was] (31) + דְבַר־יְהֹוָ֖ה [word·of·Hashem] (232) + אֵלַ֥י [to·me] (41) + לֵאמֹֽר [saying] (271) = 575.
Radak
And the word of the Lord was:
Malbim
“And the word of the Lord came to me” – after He saw how the sword was undecided as to which way it would go, the Divine utterance came to Him to indicate to me how Nebuchadnezzar cast lots to determine which way he would go, and according to the decree of the Lord the lot fell upon Jerusalem. “Set for yourself two ways” – He commanded him to draw two divided paths, prepared for the sword of the King of Babylon to come through them. And he should draw that both paths emerge from one land, namely the land of Babylonia. “And a marker, clear it” – at the end of each path he should draw an open space. “At the head of the way, a city, clear it” – at the head of each of the two paths he should designate one city and uproot it, so that it would become an open space for the camp of Nebuchadnezzar, as a sign that wherever he would come via one of the two paths, he would uproot and clear the city and make there a hand and a place for his camp.
‘Now, you son of man, make you two ways, that the sword of the king of Babylon may come; they twain shall come forth out of one land; and mark a signpost, mark it clear at the head of the way to the city.
verse value 4245
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 71 letters. Notable word values: "one" (אֶחָ֖ד) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "sword" (חֶ֣רֶב, 3 letters) and the longest is "king·of·Babylon" (מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶ֔ל, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 400: make·for·yourself, two. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "make·for·yourself" (שִׂים־לְךָ֣), "ways" (דְּרָכִ֗ים), "two" (שְׁנֵיהֶ֑ם). The root שנים appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "from·land" (root ארץ, 176x in Ezekiel); "to·come" (root בוא, 175x in Ezekiel); "son·of·man" (root בין, 145x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root ברא ("son") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'two', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 5 words.
Rashi
Make for yourself two paths. Just as it concludes the verse:
"And you shall make for yourself a way out at the head of the road of the city." Set aside for yourself a place at the entrance of the road on which you are situated; construct for yourself a sort of forked path for the purpose of diverting your way, with one branch turning to the right and the other turning to the left.
Both of them are excluded. The two ways:
"Vayad va'ra" (And he went and cleared). A place cleared of thorns and brambles (Aischart in the vernacular). Its parallel is in the Book of Joshua (17:15): "Go up to the forest, and clear it for yourself there," and further: "For the mountain shall be yours, for it is a forest, and you shall clear it" (ibid.). Menachem associates all of them with the root meaning selection, like "Choose for yourselves a man" (1 Samuel 17:8), *bara* in the Aramaic tongue (in the vernacular).
Radak
"And you, son of man, set for yourself" — consider in your heart that there are two ways, or prepare for yourself and make two ways, as in the verse: "Take a brick" (Ezekiel 4:1), and all of this was in the vision of prophecy.
To come, the sword of the King of Babylon. the sword of the King of Babylon will come by one of two ways, and it is the sword that I brought forth from Te'areh, whetted, sharpened, and placed in the hand of the slayer, and the slayer is the King of Babylon.
They both came out from one land. The two ways came out from one land, and it is Babylon. And Jonathan translated: “From one province they both came out.” And he mentioned “land” in the masculine form and said “one,” and it is like “the land could not bear them” or the explanation of “one” is regarding the king, as if it said “from the land of one king.”
And the hand created at the beginning, the way of the city at the beginning. And "hand" means place, as it is said: "And there shall be a place for you outside the camp."
“Bara” – from the root of “beru lachem ish,” which is a matter of choice. However, the word “barukh” is from the light form and belongs to the class of words with a heh, whereas “bara” is from the emphatic form and belongs to the class of words with an aleph. A similar case is “ve’virata lachah shem,” which means: Choose for yourself a place to which two paths lead. For thus does the king of Babylon act: he stands at the junction of the road to see which path one will take. And it also says: “This place is bara” – “bara” at the head of the road of the city; it established it as a road that serves as the entrance to the city. And Jonathan translated: “And the place was established at the head of the divisions of the way of the city; the place was established.” “Perashot” (divisions) – as we find in the words of our Sages of blessed memory, in the matter of “perashot derech” (divisions of the road).
Metzudat David
"Set for yourself": Make for yourself two paths, to come by one of them: "The sword of the king of Babylon."
From one land. It is Babylon:
"And mark out a signpost." Clear a designated place on those roads; and at the beginning of the road that leads out from the city, there clear it — that is, mark this place out clearly.
Metzudat Zion
And "hand" [means] place, like "the hand of Absalom" (II Samuel 18:18):
Bera. The word is in the sense of "selection," as in "Choose for yourselves a man" (1 Samuel 17:8).
You shall make a way, that the sword may come to Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and to Judah in Jerusalem the fortified.
verse value 3782
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 46 letters. The shortest word is "to" (אֵ֖ת, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·to·Judah" (וְאֶת־יְהוּדָ֥ה, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "and·to·Judah" (וְאֶת־יְהוּדָ֥ה), "fortified" (בְּצוּרָֽה). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·come" (root בוא, 175x in Ezekiel); "way" (root דרך, 105x in Ezekiel); "sword" (root חרב, 102x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root עמון ("children·of·Ammon") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'children·of·Ammon', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 3 words. Full calculation: דֶּ֣רֶךְ [way] (224) + תָּשִׂ֔ים [you·shall·set] (750) + לָב֣וֹא [to·come] (39) + חֶ֔רֶב [sword] (210) + אֵ֖ת [to] (401) + רַבַּ֣ת [Rabbah] (602) + בְּנֵֽי־עַמּ֑וֹן [children·of·Ammon] (228) + וְאֶת־יְהוּדָ֥ה [and·to·Judah] (437) + בִירוּשָׁלִַ֖ם [in·Jerusalem] (588) + בְּצוּרָֽה [fortified] (303) = 3782.
Rashi
“The way you will take to enter...” This is an indication that these two paths were before the king of Babylon when he departed from his land, intending to go either to Jerusalem or to Rabbath of the Ammonites; whichever of the two his divination would indicate for him, as is explicitly stated: “For the king of Babylon stood...”
Radak
“Set a path”—[toward] Rabbah of the children of Ammon: [here] the word “et” functions like “el” (to). Likewise, “ve’et Yehudah” (and Judah) is like “ve’el Yehudah” (and to Judah); and likewise “vehareihu et hakohen” (and he shall show it to the priest) is like “el” (to).
In Jerusalem, which is a fortified city. Judah, who dwells in Jerusalem, which is a fortified and strong city, and they consider it to be exalted, said: "The sword that will come, let it come to one of these two cities." And he remembered Rabbah and Jerusalem, which are the royal cities. And Jonathan translated: "A path has been prepared for them to enter, with the slaughter of the sword, etc."
Metzudat David
"The way you shall take." There shall be one way to enter through it: the sword against Rabbah, the city of the children of Ammon.
"And to Judah." This means: And you shall also make a way to Judah, who dwells in fortified Jerusalem, and plans to exalt himself therein.
Metzudat Zion
"At Rabah." [The phrase] "to Rabah," and similarly "and to Judah," is like [the verse] "and they pursued to Midian" (Judges 7:25).
Fortified. The word is derived from "fortress."
Malbim
“Set out a way” – this explains that you should set out one way that the sword will come to Rabbath of the Ammonites, and set out another way that it will come to Judah in Jerusalem. “In a figure” – this means that you should set out the way in a figure, in a figure that you will draw; you will draw the way to Rabbath of the Ammonites in one figure, and at the end of the way you will draw the figure of the city of Rabbath of the Ammonites, and at the end of the second way you will draw the figure of the city of Jerusalem, and you will draw them as a city that has been laid waste, namely, a city that has been cleared out and destroyed.
For the king of Babylon stands at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination; he shakes the arrows to and fro, he inquires of the teraphim, he looks in the liver.
verse value 3848
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 64 letters. Verse gematria: 3848 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "two·of" (שְׁנֵ֥י, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·divine·a·divination" (לִקְסׇם־קָ֑סֶם, 7 letters). 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "for·stands" (כִּֽי־עָמַ֨ד), "to·mother" (אֶל־אֵ֣ם), "the·ways" (הַדְּרָכִ֖ים). The root דרך appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·mother" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel); "way" (root דרך, 105x in Ezekiel); "saw" (root ראה, 74x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root חץ ("in·the·arrows") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·divine·a·divination', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 6 words. Full calculation: כִּֽי־עָמַ֨ד [for·stands] (144) + מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶ֜ל [king·of·Babylon] (124) + אֶל־אֵ֣ם [to·mother] (72) + הַדֶּ֗רֶךְ [way] (229) + בְּרֹ֛אשׁ [in·head·of] (503) + שְׁנֵ֥י [two·of] (360) + הַדְּרָכִ֖ים [the·ways] (279) + לִקְסׇם־קָ֑סֶם [to·divine·a·divination] (430) + קִלְקַ֤ל [whets] (260) + בַּֽחִצִּים֙ [in·the·arrows] (150) + שָׁאַ֣ל [asked] (331) + בַּתְּרָפִ֔ים [in·the·teraphim] (732) + רָאָ֖ה [saw] (206) + בַּכָּבֵֽד [in·the·liver] (28) = 3848.
Rashi
"If the path [is such that]..." Karpofer in the language of the gentiles:
"He shook the arrows." [It means] he made the arrows flash [in divination]: he cast an arrow upward, and it turns of its own accord to the right or to the left, and the place to which it turns is the lot.
"Kalkel ba-chatzot" – He spoiled the arrows. Menachem connected it with the phrase nechoshet kalal, burnished bronze (as stated above, 1:7), and it is not "panim kalkel" (Ecclesiastes 10:5). And there is an interpretation that "kalkel" is a term of spoiling, like "vechol ha-gvayot hitkalkelu" – and all the hills were spoiled (Jeremiah 4:23). And there are those who say that "kalkel" is "traject" in the foreign tongue, and likewise the Targum translates "kalkel keshet ba-chatzot" – "bagirria" – he spoiled the bow with arrows.
“Consulting with teraphim.” This refers to an image that speaks through sorceresses, and there is a specific time designated such that if one performs the act at that time, the image will speak forever.
"See in the liver." There are experts who practice divination by means of the liver:
Radak
“For the king of Babylon stood at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways.” The word “im” (אם) here is used in the same sense as “al” (על, meaning “at” or “upon”), and there are many similar instances. It is called “im ha-derech” (head of the way) because the roads turn to it; it is to them like a mother, and they are to it like daughters.
"to enchant an enchantment" – to see through his enchantments which way he will go, whether to the way that leads to Jerusalem or to the way that leads to Rabbath of the children of Ammon. And in saying "to enchant an enchantment," the verbal noun appears together with the object in order to strengthen the action, like "for the sake of slaughter, he slaughtered" and others like it that we have written. And after he said "to enchant" in a general sense, he explained what the enchantment is, and said:
“Kalkel” with arrows, inquired of teraphim, and divined by the liver. And all of these are among the practices of sorcery. The meaning of “kalkel” is akin to “he did not mar the face”, that is, they sharpen and polish the iron head of the arrow until it becomes very bright, and practitioners of sorcery gaze into it, just as one looks into the thumbnail of the hand, due to the brightness of the nail. Likewise, they gaze into a sword, and likewise into a mirror. And likewise, they gaze into the liver, for it possesses brightness. And teraphim are idols, and they saw the future in them. Nebuchadnezzar consulted these three types of sorcery to determine whether he should go to Jerusalem, which was to his right, or to Rabbath of the Ammonites, which was to his left. And the omen fell for Jerusalem. And my master and father, of blessed memory, wrote that “kalkel” denotes the matter of lightness, meaning that he shot the arrows and sent them flying into the air to see in which direction they would fall. And so did Jonathan render it: “keshet” as “girria.”
Metzudat David
“for he stood...” – This means that this matter comes to allude that the king of Babylon, upon his departure from his land, stood on the road, which is the place from which the roads branch out in this direction and that, all of which are considered to face toward that place.
"At the head." At the beginning of the two paths that branch out:
"To enchant, he enchanted." His standing there was in order to enchant, to know where he would go and succeed.
He polished the arrows. He polished and refined the iron of the arrows until they were extremely shiny, so that anyone who looked at them could see their reflection as in a mirror, and it was the custom of sorcerers to look into them and perform sorcery.
“Ask the teraphim.” They are fashioned in the form of a human being and reveal future events through sorcery.
"See in the liver." For it has clarity when it is removed from the body of a living creature, and the observer can see in it, and it was the way of sorcerers to practice sorcery with it.
Metzudat Zion
"Le-qasem qasem" – "To cast a spell, [he] cast a spell." The matter is that of sorcery.
Kalkel. The matter of polishing and burnishing, as in “and he did not sharpen the edge” (Ecclesiastes 10:10), and it is from the word “bronze,” as in “bronze” (above, 1).
"Teraphim." Idols that reveal the future through sorcery, as it is stated: "And Rachel stole the teraphim" (Genesis 31:19).
Malbim
"Ki amad" – that is to say, these forms allude to the fact that the King of Babylon stood at a fork in the road, where two paths diverge. There he stood to perform divination, to divine which way he should go. And the divination was done through three means: 1. By casting arrows to see in which direction they would fall; 2. By consulting teraphim (household idols); 3. By examining the livers of slaughtered animals, which was a form of divination practiced by them.
Cross-references: I Samuel 15:23; Zechariah 10:2; Psalms 74:4
In his right hand is the lot Jerusalem, to set battering rams, to open the mouth for the slaughter, to lift up the voice with shouting, to set battering rams against the gates, to cast up mounds, to build forts.
verse value 6105
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 82 letters. The shortest word is "mouth" (פֶּה֙, 2 letters) and the longest is "against·the·gates" (עַל־שְׁעָרִ֔ים, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 376: to·put, to·put. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "in·his·right·hand" (בִּימִינ֞וֹ), "divination" (הַקֶּ֣סֶם), "with·crushing" (בְּרֶ֔צַח). The root שום appears 2 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "was" (root היה, 335x in Ezekiel); "against·the·gates" (root שער, 86x in Ezekiel); "mouth" (root פה, 52x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·shouting', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 7 words.
Rashi
In his right hand was the divination pointing to Jerusalem. All his lots were magical for him to come to Jerusalem:
To appoint officers. These are the rulers, the appointed ones, the heads of the legions:
"To appoint captains at the gates. You and your troops, sit at so-and-so’s gate."
"To pour a ramp." They pour earth, construct a ramp, and heap up a high mound, and they compact it, similar to how they compact the mounds of siege towers, in order to stand upon it and fight against the inhabitants of the city.
Radak
"In his right hand." It is clear from the verse above this one:
"To appoint cushions." [These are] the commanders, the officers of the armies; and similarly, "and he put cushions upon them." And my master and father, of blessed memory, explained that "cushions" means lambs, like [in the verse] "with the fat of lambs and rams," and it is that they make iron rams to batter down the wall.
"To open his mouth in slaughter." That Nebuchadnezzar should open his mouth with it, and likewise the officers of the army in slaughter against the people, meaning that they should slaughter everyone found in the city.
"To raise a voice with a teruah blast." They should all raise their voice with a teruah blast to terrify the people who are in the city.
"To place cushions on the gates." When the men of the city close the gates, they place cushions on them in order to break them and enter through them. This applies to each of the interpretations we expounded for the word "cushions," according to its context.
"To build up a mound." As Targum Jonathan renders it, "to heap up earth," meaning that they gather earth against the wall and make a mound higher than the wall, to fight from there and to enter the city.
"To construct a *dik*: it is a wooden tower that is built opposite the city to batter it."
Metzudat David
"In his right hand" was the divination [pointing to] Jerusalem. The divination directed him to go, by his right hand, to Jerusalem:
“to set up rams” – to station battering rams opposite the walls, in order to shatter and demolish them.
To open one’s mouth to murder. To incite the people so that they will murder the inhabitants of the city:
"To raise the voice with a teruah blast: to alarm the people."
"Al sha'arim": To break down the gates.
"To pour out, etc." – These are matters of war.
Metzudat Zion
Kerim: They are like rams, made of iron, with which they batter the wall to bring it down, as mentioned in Josephus. And similarly, "And place upon it kerim" (above, 4).
Sullah. It is the mound of earth built up against the wall, in order to ascend upon it and fight against the city.
Dayek. It is like a tower made of wood, positioned opposite the city, and it is one of the stratagems of war.
Malbim
In his right hand was the divination, and each time the divination indicated that he should go to Jerusalem, which is on the right, and the divination came concerning seven matters: 1. Jerusalem—that he should go to Jerusalem and not to Rabbath of the children of Ammon; 2. To place rams [siege engines] in which warriors would stand to breach the wall; 3. To open his mouth with slaughter—that he should not open with words of peace and tranquility, but rather that he should open with slaughter; 4. To raise his voice with a blast [of the shofar], which was for them a sign of victory; 5. To place rams against the gates, so that afterward he would place the rams on the side where the gates were, in order to break the gate; 6. To pour out a mound, from where they would shoot arrows into the city; 7. To build a rampart, constructing a wall around the city wall, so that the people would not be able to exit from the siege.
And it shall be to them as a false divination in their sight, who have weeks upon weeks! but it brings iniquity to remembrance, that they may be taken.
verse value 3512
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 55 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָיָ֨ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "to·them" (לָהֶ֤ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "but·it·reminds" (וְהוּא־מַזְכִּ֥יר, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 75: to·them, to·them. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "as·a·divination·of·falsehood" (כִּקְסׇם־שָׁוְא֙), "in·their·eyes" (בְּעֵ֣ינֵיהֶ֔ם), "oaths·of" (שְׁבֻעֵ֥י). The root הם appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·shall·be" (root היה, 335x in Ezekiel); "to·them" (root הם, 166x in Ezekiel); "but·it·reminds" (root הוא, 86x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 3 words.
Rashi
“And it shall be for them.” For Israel, that which Nebuchadnezzar did:
Like a deceptive illusion. And they will not believe that he will succeed. But the truth is that for seven weeks, that is, forty-nine times, Nebuchadnezzar cast spells upon them, and all the spells were aligned with one another.
And he recalls the sin, to be seized. Nebuchadnezzar, when he was casting his divinations, would recall the sins that were in the hands of Israel, for Ammon and Moab, their neighbors, who heard the reproofs of the prophets, would inform him.
To be grasped. So that Israel shall be grasped in His hand:
Radak
“And it shall be to them as a false divination in their eyes.” “Kekasum” is written with a vav but read without a vav, with a chataf-kamatz; it is an infinitive. He says that in the eyes of Israel, Nebuchadnezzar's divination was as if it were a false divination — as if it were a vain divination — for they trusted in the words of the false prophets who deceptively promised them that the city would not be given into the hand of the king of Babylon.
“Shavua shavuos” – as if the Chaldeans had sworn many oaths to them, meaning as if they had sworn to them numerous oaths.
And it recalls the sin of being seized. This matter was reminding them of the sin in which they were seized, for behold, their king Zedekiah did not keep his oath to the king of Babylon, as it is said, “And he also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God.” How then could they think that the Chaldeans would keep their oath to them? Even if they had sworn to them, they do not keep their oaths, as it says, “Therefore the land has devoured them.” And similarly it says, “Murder, adultery, and swearing falsely.” “Shebua” is a noun denoting a description, akin to “shekel” and “shakhnei” in “the tents.” My master and father, of blessed memory, explained: “And it was to them like a false divination in their eyes”—the Chaldeans thought to themselves that the divination was a lie, for their intention was toward the children of Ammon. And God, blessed be He, brought them to Jerusalem because He did not wait for the desecration of the Name that Zedekiah desecrated. And this is “shebua”—oaths to them. And it recalls the sin of being seized; it recalled their other sins. And Jonathan rendered: “And their divinations were to them,” etc. He translated “shebua” as “oaths,” like “seven weeks.”
Metzudat David
"And it shall be for them." For Israel, in their eyes, it was like an empty omen; that is to say, what had risen in his omens to ascend to Jerusalem was, in their eyes, futile, for they thought that it would not be able to capture it, as if the Chaldeans had sworn to them many oaths that they would not capture it.
And he recalls the sin. But each and every one of the men of Jerusalem would recall the sin before the Omnipresent, whenever he committed it, so that it would serve as a cause for him to be captured by the enemy.
Metzudat Zion
Weeks of weeks. From the word "shevuah" (oath):
Malbim
And their divination would be to them a vain thing in their eyes; and for the men of Jerusalem, all this was in their eyes like a vain divination, having no truth in it. “Weeks of weeks to them” means: even though the divination came upon the seven things mentioned in the preceding verse, and for every matter the lot was cast seven times (for the number of seven was customary among them in such matters, as is well known), and even though the divination came precisely seven times seven, nevertheless it was in their eyes like a vain divination. And He mentions the sin to be grasped, meaning: in truth, the fact that the divination came in the number of seven recalls their sin, in that they abolished the Sabbath and the Sabbatical year, and desecrated the number of seven. On account of this, they became liable for the seventy-year exile, as it is stated in the rebuke: “Then the land shall enjoy its Sabbaths” (Leviticus 26:34). And this is what is written: “the divination recalls the sin of the seventh,” which is also grasped, as explained in the sign following this one. And behold, “I have struck My hand upon Your plunder and upon Your blood.” It is clear that the striking of the hand, which signifies the final decree, was on account of the sin of plunder and robbery, and on account of bloodshed. Therefore, what was stated above, “And I also will strike My hand upon My hand, and I will cause My anger to rest”, which is the final decree that the divination would fall upon Jerusalem, was on account of robbery and bloodshed. And when you count, you will see that among the sins enumerated in the chapter following this one, concerning the abominations of Jerusalem, there are seven that are of the type of robbery and bloodshed: 1. “The princes of Israel in you have shed blood” (verse 6); 2. “Oppressing the stranger” (verse 7); 3. “Defrauding the orphan and the widow” (ibid.); 4. “Men of slander were in you to shed blood” (verse 9); 5. “They took bribes in you to shed blood” (verse 12); 6. “Usury and excessive interest” (ibid.); 7. “And you have plundered your neighbor by oppression” (ibid.). And in all the curses of the Torah portion of the rebuke, it counts seven times seven times seven for your sins. And I have explained in the commentary there how the sequences came seven times seven, corresponding to the seven sins. And this is what is meant by “weeks of weeks to them,” and He mentions the sin to be grasped.
Therefore thus says the Lord Hashem: Because you have made your iniquity to be remembered, in that your transgressions are uncovered, so that your sins do appear in all your doings; because that you are come to remembrance, you shall be taken with the hand.
verse value 5545
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 85 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִה֒) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "therefore" (לָכֵ֗ן, 3 letters) and the longest is "your·deeds" (עֲלִילֽוֹתֵיכֶ֑ם, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 292: your·causing-to-remember, your·being·remembered. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "your·iniquity" (עֲוֺ֣נְכֶ֔ם), "in·being·uncovered" (בְּהִגָּל֣וֹת), "your·transgressions" (פִּשְׁעֵיכֶ֗ם). The root יען appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "thus·said" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "my·lord" (root אדון, 222x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·deeds', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 4 words.
Rashi
“Because I have remembered your iniquities.” This means that you are renewing transgressions from day to day, and your earlier iniquities are recalled on account of them.
"When your iniquities are revealed." The new ones:
"To show your sins." The old ones:
"Because I have remembered you." Before [the decree] of evil, therefore:
"By the hand you shall be seized. In the hand of the king of Babylon you shall be delivered:"
Radak
Therefore, "Thus says [the Lord]: Because you have caused it to be recalled" — your iniquity, as it is stated, "one who reminds of iniquity."
“Hizkerchem.” It is an infinitive of the hifil conjugation and comes with a patach, like “haftzar” in “and iniquity and teraphim” (1 Samuel 15:23). He said: Because you bring to remembrance before Me your iniquity—and it is the sin of a false oath—how do you remember them? By exposing your transgressions, to show your sins in all your deeds, for in all your actions there are transgressions and sins that are visible and exposed to all, and all the more so to Me. And by this you remember the old sins together with the new, and the severe together with the light. “Yaan hizkerchem”—because you are remembered before Me as sinful and transgressing people—therefore, “be-kaf titfasu.” And the explanation of “be-kaf” with a patach under the bet indicates the definite article, meaning “in the known hand,” which is the hand of the king of Babylon. And so Jonathan the Targumist translated: “In the hand of the king of Babylon you will be delivered.”
Metzudat David
“Because you recall your sins” – your iniquity, because you remember your former sins by exposing your new transgressions to commit them publicly.
To show. So that your sins may be seen, which have been since then on account of all your new sins; and the matter is doubled in what is said:
“Because you recall your sins.” Because you recall your sins, therefore you will be seized by the hand of the king of Babylon.
Metzudat Zion
"Your intrigues" – your deeds.
Malbim
Therefore, thus says the Lord: "Because You have remembered Your iniquity" — meaning that you are not like one who admits and abandons [his sin]. This applies both to the iniquities (avonot) that stem from denial and rejection, most of which are hidden in the heart, yet you bring them to mind; and likewise to your transgressions (pesha'im), which are acts of rebellion, as they are public, since you rebel openly; and likewise to your sins (chatatot), which stem from desire, as they are visible to all in all your deeds. These deeds are the actions that emerge from the moral dispositions of the soul. Your traits and dispositions, which are the root of all these deeds, are evil and sinful. Therefore, "Because You have remembered Your iniquity" — just as you bring your iniquity to mind, so too are you remembered for evil in the matter of the sorcery that came upon the number seven, as stated above. Therefore, "By the hand you shall be seized," and the divination came through the hand of Nebuchadnezzar against Jerusalem.
And you, O wicked one, that are to be slain, the prince of Israel, whose day is come, in the time of the iniquity of the end;
verse value 3306
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 36 letters. The shortest word is "end" (קֵֽץ, 2 letters) and the longest is "Israel" (יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל, 5 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "his·day" (יוֹמ֔וֹ). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·is·come" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel); "Israel" (root ישראל, 154x in Ezekiel); "his·day" (root יום, 112x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: וְאַתָּה֙ [and·you] (412) + חָלָ֣ל [slain] (68) + רָשָׁ֔ע [wicked] (570) + נְשִׂ֖יא [chieftain·of] (361) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל [Israel] (541) + אֲשֶׁר־בָּ֣א [that·is·come] (504) + יוֹמ֔וֹ [his·day] (62) + בְּעֵ֖ת [in·time·of] (472) + עֲוֺ֥ן [perversity] (126) + קֵֽץ [end] (190) = 3306.
Rashi
"A slain, wicked one." It must be slain because of your wickedness:
The prince of Israel. Zedekiah:
"At the time of the iniquity, the end." At the time when the measure was filled, and the final iniquity arrived, which completes the measure.
Radak
"Profane is the wicked." "Profane" as in its Targumic translation, meaning he is liable to be put to death; and one may interpret it according to its plain meaning, like "a harlot and a profane woman."
The prince of Israel. He is Zedekiah:
“Whose day has come.” His time has arrived to remove the kingship from him.
"At the time of iniquity, the end." At the time that his iniquity brought about his end, which was his appointed time and conclusion in kingship. And what he said, "iniquity, end," by juxtaposing iniquity with end, means to say: the iniquity on account of which his end came, and it was the iniquity of a false oath, with which Nebuchadnezzar made him swear by God, and he rebelled against him. And by this he came to violate the covenant; therefore, Nebuchadnezzar rose against him, blinded his eyes, exiled him, and destroyed the land. And Jonathan translated: "When the day of his destruction arrived, the time of the completion of his guilt." They interpreted it as if it were reversed.
Metzudat David
"And you, a profane and wicked man." You are a wicked man who is profaned from holiness. And regarding Zedekiah it will say:
“His day has come.” This means that his sun has set, and his success [is lost] at the time he commits the sin that completes the end and fills up the measure.
Metzudat Zion
"Chalal." It means "made impure," and it is the opposite of holiness.
Ba. The matter of the setting of the sun, as it is written: "when the sun had set" (Genesis 28:11):
His day. The sun is called "day," as in "the cool of the day" (Genesis 3:8), and the meaning is his success, which shines like the sun.
Qetz. End:
Malbim
"And you, O slain, wicked one" — now he prophesies concerning Zedekiah, and calls him "slain" on account of his end (as it is stated, "the sword of the great slain one"), for his day has come at the time of the final iniquity; for the last iniquity with which the measure was filled is the end of his kingdom, and through it his day has come to receive his punishment.
thus says the Lord Hashem: The mitre shall be removed, and the crown taken off; this shall be no more the same: that which is low shall be exalted, and that which is high abased.
verse value 3575
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 60 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 3575 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "thus" (כֹּ֤ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "turban" (הַמִּצְנֶ֔פֶת, 6 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "turban" (הַמִּצְנֶ֔פֶת), "and·take·off" (וְהָרִ֖ים), "crown" (הָעֲטָרָ֑ה). The root זאת appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "said" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "my·lord" (root אדון, 222x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'crown', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 6 words. Full calculation: כֹּ֤ה [thus] (25) + אָמַר֙ [said] (241) + אֲדֹנָ֣י [my·lord] (65) + יֱהֹוִ֔ה [Hashem] (26) + הָסִיר֙ [remove] (275) + הַמִּצְנֶ֔פֶת [turban] (665) + וְהָרִ֖ים [and·take·off] (261) + הָעֲטָרָ֑ה [crown] (289) + זֹ֣את [this] (408) + לֹא־זֹ֔את [not·this] (439) + הַשָּׁפָ֣לָה [the·low] (420) + הַגְבֵּ֔הַּ [shall·be·exalted] (15) + וְהַגָּבֹ֖הַּ [and·the·high] (21) + הַשְׁפִּֽיל [shall·be·abased] (425) = 3575.
Rashi
“He removed the mitznefet, etc.”—As its Targum renders: “He removed the mitznefet from the High Priest, and he abolished the crown from Zedekiah the king.” It says: “This and this shall not be established in their place.”
“Lift up your voice.” Gedaliah, son of Ahikam, since it was not his [inheritance], would take it; and Zedekiah, since it was his [inheritance], it would be removed from him.
Radak
Thus says the Lord GOD: Remove the turban and lift up the crown. “Remove” and “lift up” is an infinitive form; and likewise “exalt” and “humble,” as if it were said, “I will remove the turban and I will lift up the crown from the head of the king,” meaning that He will remove from the head of the king the kingship of Judah, that King Zedekiah will be exiled to the land of his enemies. And the Targum translates: “I will remove the turban from Seraiah the High Priest, and I will abolish the crown from Zedekiah the king.” And I am astonished: why did it mention Seraiah? For it is his son, Yozadak, who was exiled together with Zedekiah.
"This is not that." The crown that exists today will not be that [very same crown] as Zedekiah imagines, namely that his kingdom will endure; rather, it will not be that crown for him, but for whom will it be?
"The humiliation of the exalted." Jehoiachin, who had already been exiled and was humbled, I will exalt him, because his son Zerubbabel was king upon his return from the Babylonian exile. Moreover, even during his exile, Evil-Merodach elevated him and placed his throne higher than the thrones of the kings who were with him in Babylon, etc.
"And the high shall be brought low." This refers to Zedekiah, who was exalted and became arrogant, rebelling against the king of Babylon, who had made him swear by God. Therefore, I will humble him, so that there will no longer be a king from his lineage. For the king of Babylon slaughtered Zedekiah's sons before his eyes, and the monarchy continued through Jehoiachin.
Humiliation. The final he in the word is added because the word is accented on the penultimate syllable (mil'el), and it is like "hashpal," as it says, "and the high, the low" (hashpal). Furthermore, if it were feminine, it would say "hashpalah" with the shin in a shva.
Metzudat David
Remove the turban. You are Zedekiah; remove the turban and lift the crown from your head, for you shall reign no more, nor shall you rule over Israel.
"This is not that." The meaning is: This evil that came upon Jehoiakim and Jehoiachin was not like this evil that is coming upon you. For when Jehoiakim was exiled, his son Jehoiachin reigned; and when Jehoiachin was exiled, Zedekiah, his father's brother, from his family, reigned. But after Zedekiah was exiled, there remained no one from his family to reign and rule.
“Humiliation.” Jehoiachin, who had already been exiled and humbled, I will exalt, for from his offspring will emerge Zerubbabel, the Messiah King.
"And the exalted one": Zedekiah, who is currently reigning in honor and majesty, I will humble, for he will be exiled from his land, and none of his descendants will reign.
Metzudat Zion
The mitznefet. A special hat worn by dignitaries and rulers:
Malbim
Thus says the Lord: Behold, in the time when the kings of Israel were righteous, they would elevate the honor of the Temple and the honor of the High Priest who stands to serve in the House of the Lord. And they would entrust the priesthood to a righteous man worthy of it, and his honor would be great like that of the king. But in the time when they were wicked, they would degrade the honor of the priesthood and the honor of the Temple and the service of the Lord therein. And truly, the honor of the monarchy was dependent on the honor of the priesthood; for if they elevated the honor of the priesthood and the honor of the House of the Lord, the Lord would also watch over the honor of the monarchy, that it should be lifted up, exalted, and greatly raised. And in the time that the honor of the priesthood was despised, the despisers of the Lord would be slighted, and the Lord would degrade the honor of the crown that the king wore. Now, the mitznefet (turban) was placed on the head of the High Priest and indicated the crown of the High Priesthood, and the crown was placed on the head of the king. In the time that the mitznefet was in importance on the head of the High Priest, the crown was in importance on the head of the king (as our Sages of blessed memory stated in Gittin, page 7). He says to him: Remove the mitznefet and raise the crown? Do you think in your mind to remove the mitznefet from the High Priest and to degrade the honor of the priesthood and the Temple, and to raise the crown of the king, to magnify the honor of the monarchy and to degrade the honor of the priesthood? This, not this? Meaning: Do you want this to be so and that not to be so? Meaning: That the crown should endure and the mitznefet should not endure? (And how is it possible for this to be without that, since the honor of the monarchy derives from the honor of the priesthood?) Exalt the low: You want to exalt the crown, which is lowly in its rank, and to degrade the mitznefet, which is truly high, inasmuch as it is the honor of the Lord.
A ruin, a ruin, a ruin, will I make it; this also shall be no more, until he come whose right it is, and I will give it him.
verse value 3071
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 45 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "I·will·make·it" (אֲשִׂימֶ֑נָּה, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 81: distortion, distortion, distortion. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "I·will·make·it" (אֲשִׂימֶ֑נָּה), "also·this" (גַּם־זֹאת֙), "until·comes" (עַד־בֹּ֛א). The root עוה appears 3 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·to·him" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel); "was" (root היה, 335x in Ezekiel); "not" (root לא, 213x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root עוה ("distortion") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'I·will·make·it', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 7 words. Full calculation: עַוָּ֥ה [distortion] (81) + עַוָּ֖ה [distortion] (81) + עַוָּ֣ה [distortion] (81) + אֲשִׂימֶ֑נָּה [I·will·make·it] (406) + גַּם־זֹאת֙ [also·this] (451) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + הָיָ֔ה [was] (20) + עַד־בֹּ֛א [until·comes] (77) + אֲשֶׁר־ל֥וֹ [that·to·him] (537) + הַמִּשְׁפָּ֖ט [judgment] (434) + וּנְתַתִּֽיו [and·I·will·make·him] (872) = 3071.
Rashi
"Oy, oy." This is the language of "the ruin of the field," meaning destruction after destruction. Twice and three times will I make it a ruin—already it was taken from Jeconiah and given to Zedekiah, and from Zedekiah it will be given to Gedaliah; behold, that makes two. And Menachem connects the word "ruin" (oy) with "utah" in "and Queen Vashti" (Esther 1:16), and with "we have committed iniquity and acted wickedly" (Psalms 106:6).
This too did not occur. Even for Gedaliah it will not endure, until Ishmael son of Nethaniah comes.
"Whose is the judgment." That upon Whom I have set My vengeance and My judgment to take revenge.
“And I will put it.” In his hand:
Radak
"Evil, evil, evil, I will place it." The meaning of "evil" is like "the perverting of the face of the Lord". He said, "This crown I will place as evil," meaning that it will not return to its uprightness and proper order for a long time. And He said "evil" three times because for three generations the crown was abolished after the exile, namely Asir, Shealtiel, and Pediah. And in the fourth generation, which was Zerubbabel's, the crown was restored to its former state.
This too was not the case. This too, the humiliation that occurred, did not result in the removal of the crown; for although the sons of Josiah—Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, and Jehoiachin—were deserving of punishment, and although each of them was punished individually, the crown was not removed until Zedekiah, when Nebuchadnezzar came.
“Which is His judgment, and I will give it.” Into His hand, because He took the judgment from Tzidkiyahu, who was liable for it. This is what is stated: “Until comes He whose judgment is His, and I will give it.”
Metzudat David
"Twisted, twisted, twisted, I will make it." That kingdom I will make twisted and crooked, and regarding Tzidkiyahu it says, and the word is repeated three times to say that forevermore no one from his lineage will reign.
"Even this was not so." This means that even this exaltation—that Jehoiachin, from whose seed Zerubbabel emerged, would receive exaltation—would not be complete exaltation until the coming of the Messiah from his seed, and to Him shall be given complete exaltation.
Metzudat Zion
"Avah." The word is related to "ot" and "akum":
"I will place her." From the term "shimah" (placing):
Malbim
“Ruin, ruin, ruin will I make it.” Therefore, I will make the crown a ruin three times, because three times did Nebuchadnezzar overturn the crown, from Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah, until even this ceased, until even the crown would no longer exist, because the monarchy would cease and no longer be, until He to whom the judgment belongs comes, until in the end of days the man destined for the judgment will come to bear the crown, and he is the Messiah King. And I will give it to Him, I will return the crown to Him, for he will wear it in righteousness, inasmuch as he will be worthy of it.
And you, son of man, prophesy, and say: Thus says the Lord Hashem concerning the children of Ammon, and concerning their taunt; and say you: O sword, O sword keen-edged, Furbished for the slaughter, To the uttermost, because of the glitterings;
verse value 5057
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 85 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 5057 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "thus" (כֹּ֤ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·concerning·their·reproach" (וְאֶל־חֶרְפָּתָ֑ם, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 647: and·you·shall·say, and·you·shall·say. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "and·concerning·their·reproach" (וְאֶל־חֶרְפָּתָ֑ם), "open" (פְּתוּחָה֙). The root אמר appears 3 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "and·you·shall·say" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "to·sons·of" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·concerning·their·reproach', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 9 words.
Rashi
“Against the children of Ammon and against their reproach.” This refers to those who rejoiced when Nebuchadnezzar’s lot fell, through his divinations, to go up against Jerusalem, and they reproached Me and My people, saying, “The hand of their idolatrous gods has triumphed.”
"To hold many slain, so that the flash may shine, so that the appearance of its flame may not be darkened among the slain:"
Radak
“And you, son of man, prophesy against them and speak to their reproach.” They reproached and blasphemed Israel, and they rejoiced over their exile and their departure from their land. Therefore, prophesy against them and against their reproach, for the sword that was sharpened against Israel is also sharpened against them. And if it does not come now through Nebuchadnezzar, it will come through Media and Persia. For initially, the King of Babylon conquered them, and they became his servants; afterward, they rebelled against him, as Zedekiah rebelled. Since his intentions were directed toward the children of Ammon and toward Jerusalem, and his lot fell upon Jerusalem, he destroyed it and returned to his land, and did not go against the children of Ammon. Therefore, the children of Ammon reproached Israel regarding their exile and their disgrace. And it is also stated in the prophecy of Zephaniah: “I have heard the reproach of Moab and the blasphemies of the children of Ammon.”
“Open.” The sword that was open to Israel shall likewise be open to the children of Ammon. And it says “open” because it was drawn from its sheath, for when it is within its sheath it is closed, and when it is drawn from its sheath it is open. And there are those who explain that “open” is like “sharpened,” and similarly, “The wicked have drawn the sword” [Psalm 37:14]. There is no need to derive it from the context of “drawn.” And so Jonathan rendered it: “It was drawn out.”
"To slaughter polished. It is clear:"
"To contain for the sake of lightning." The explanation is that the sword was sharpened and polished to endure and bear a great slaughter, and in order to display its gleam, to terrify the nations.
"to contain." Like [the verse], "and very awesome, and who can contain Him?" And my master and father, of blessed memory, explained "to contain" as "to feed," and similarly, "I will feed" [azone] is like "I will listen" [aezine]; and "not dwell" [lo yehal] is like "not dwell" [lo yehal] [in the sense of inhabiting]. And the man who holds the sword is the one who feeds, and the sword eats, and the slain are eaten. "To feed" [lehaakheil]—it was sharpened [lehadah] in order to have a gleam [barak], [i.e.,] a polished gleam. And the meaning of "in order to have a gleam" is "in order that it may have a gleam," as we said above, "in order that it may have a polished gleam." And in this manner Jonathan [the Aramaic translator] rendered it: "It was sharpened so that it might come forth with a polish, to have a gleam." He rendered "to contain" [lehakheil] as "so that it might come forth."
Metzudat David
"And concerning their reproach." [This refers] to their reproach, namely that they reproached Israel because Nebuchadnezzar went against Jerusalem on account of sorcery.
Sword, sword. The repetition of the word is for emphasis:
"Open." It is drawn from its sheath, for slaughter, as if to say, "Behold, upon you too shall it pass."
“Smoothed to contain.” Furthermore, it is polished to hold and endure great slaughter, and in order to increase its emptiness and its luster, to terrify people.
Metzudat Zion
“Open.” [It is] drawn out from its sheath, for when it is in its sheath, it is as if it were closed.
To contain. The meaning of *chazakah* and *sevel* is like [the verse] “for the altar was too small to contain” (I Kings 8:64).
Malbim
And you, son of man, prophesy against the children of Ammon: Prophesy against the children of Ammon, who rejoiced that Nebuchadnezzar withdrew from fighting them, and the sword fell upon Jerusalem, and they reviled Israel, as it is stated, “I have heard the reviling of Moab and the taunting of the children of Ammon.” Moreover, Baalis, king of the children of Ammon, sent Ishmael son of Nethaniah to kill Gedaliah son of Ahikam, so that there would be no remnant left in the Land of Israel. But this very act caused Nebuchadnezzar to come afterward and take vengeance upon them and destroy the children of Ammon. And you shall say: “A sword, a sword, unsheathed!” Meaning: Do not think that Nebuchadnezzar’s sword will not come upon you, for the sword has already been drawn from its sheath and is unsheathed, and it will not return to its sheath again. “To sharpen it for slaughter”: Although it is now blunted, meaning its edge has been removed, because it will not come upon you immediately, nevertheless, He blunted it so that it would be prepared afterward for slaughter. For when He conquers Jerusalem, the sharpness of its edge will return upon you. And it is blunted “to hold” and “for brightness,” which has two meanings, as stated above regarding the blunting of the sword: 1. “To hold,” so that the blunted side serves as a handhold by which to grasp and hold the sword, as it is stated, “he gave it to be smoothed, to grasp by the hilt.” 2. “For brightness,” because by blunting it, it gains a gleam and terrifies those who see it, as it is stated, “To give it a gleam, it is blunted.” And the meaning is that by withdrawing now from the children of Ammon, He will have the strength afterward to grasp the sword after He defeats Jerusalem: 1. For if He had fought first against the children of Ammon and Israel together, He would not have had the strength to fight against two nations. 2. And thereby, His terror fell upon all the neighbors of the Land of Israel, and He conquered them more easily.
While they see falsehood to you, while they divine lies to you, to lay you upon the necks of the wicked that are to be slain, whose day is come, in the time of the iniquity of the end!—
verse value 4742
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 59 letters. The shortest word is "to·you" (לָךְ֙, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·necks·of" (אֶֽל־צַוְּארֵי֙, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "in·seeing" (בַּחֲז֥וֹת), "in·divining·to·you" (בִּקְסׇם־לָ֖ךְ), "to·necks·of" (אֶֽל־צַוְּארֵי֙). 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·is·come" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel); "to·give" (root נתן, 207x in Ezekiel); "their·day" (root יום, 112x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'lie', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 10 words.
Rashi
"In the vision that you see is falsehood." The diviners of Ammon saw a false vision for them, saying, "He will no longer come upon us."
"To give you into the necks of the slain of the wicked." To mislead you and to give your necks like the necks of the slain of the wicked ones of Israel:
“Which come by day, etc.” – Their day:
Radak
"In the vision of you, vanity." It was said with reference to the children of Ammon, and it uses the feminine form with reference to the congregation. It says: "At the time when your seers and your diviners shall see and divine for you vanity and falsehood, assuring them that the sword will not come upon you, yet they do not know that the sword is open."
“To give you over to the necks of the slain of the wicked.” This is like the phrase “with,” meaning “with the necks of the slain by the sword.” And so did Jonathan render it: “To deliver your neck to the necks of the slain of the wicked.” And these “slain” refer to the slain of the wicked of Israel who fell by the sword. He says: “For even the sons of Ammon shall fall by the sword,” just as the sons of Israel fell when their day came, at the time of the end of their iniquity. And I have already explained above the phrase “the end of their iniquity.” And Jonathan rendered it: “When the day of their destruction arrives, the time of their severe distress, their evil.”
Metzudat David
“By appearance.” Because the star-gazers gazed for you in vain, and because the diviners divined for you falsehood, saying that the sword of the king of Babylon would not reach you; therefore the Lord commanded to give you over, along with the necks of the slain of the wicked of Israel, to be like them, whose sun has set and whose prosperity has ended, at the time they committed the sin that completes the appointed end and fills the measure.
Metzudat Zion
In the vision. The matter of seeing the stars, like those who look at the stars (Isaiah 47:13):
“Upon my neck.” “With my neck”—this implies that they are similar to them.
Ba. The matter of sunset:
“By day.” So you shall call the sun, that is to say, the sun of their success.
Malbim
In the matter of “vision,” indeed, from the fact that you sent your sword to kill Gedaliah, and this came about because false vision was shown to you, to deliver you into the necks of the corpses of the wicked—they said to you that your sword is prepared to kill the remainder of the remnant that remained from Israel, for they are already corpses and deserving of death due to their wickedness, for their day has already come, the time of the end of iniquity, when their measure was filled, and you need only to place your sword upon their necks without any battle at all, for thus they were killed by deceit without any battle.
Cause it to return into its sheath!— In the place where you were created, in the land of your origin, will I judge you.
verse value 4155
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 40 letters. The shortest word is "put·back" (הָשַׁ֖ב, 3 letters) and the longest is "that·you·were·created" (אֲשֶׁר־נִבְרֵ֛את, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "put·back" (הָשַׁ֖ב), "to·its·sheath" (אֶל־תַּעְרָ֑הּ), "that·you·were·created" (אֲשֶׁר־נִבְרֵ֛את). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·you·were·created" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel); "to·its·sheath" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel); "in·land·of" (root ארץ, 176x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·its·sheath', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 6 words. Full calculation: הָשַׁ֖ב [put·back] (307) + אֶל־תַּעְרָ֑הּ [to·its·sheath] (706) + בִּמְק֧וֹם [in·place·of] (188) + אֲשֶׁר־נִבְרֵ֛את [that·you·were·created] (1154) + בְּאֶ֥רֶץ [in·land·of] (293) + מְכֻרוֹתַ֖יִךְ [your·origins] (696) + אֶשְׁפֹּ֥ט [I·will·judge] (390) + אֹתָֽךְ [thee] (421) = 4155.
Rashi
The word "Hishav" (He will return) is like "Hishav" (He will restore), for the Shin is unaccented (soft). Wait until the sword that is upon Israel is withdrawn; and afterward, when He completes His vengeance upon Israel, He will return to you, "in the place where you were created," and so on.
Radak
"Return it to its sheath." [Hashev] is an infinitive form; the Shin has a patach in place of a tzere, and its meaning is in a tone of wonder, namely: You think that I will return the sword to its sheath after having cut off Israel? Not so. I will not return it to its sheath until I judge you with it.
"In the place where you were created, in the land of your origins, I will judge you." This means: In the land of the sons of Ammon, where they were created from the beginning and have dwelt there until this day, there I will bring the sword upon them, and there I will judge them, so that they will not go forth from it to other lands due to their excessive security that no enemy’s sword will come upon them.
“Your origin.” Like “your dwelling place.”
Metzudat David
"Return the sword to its sheath." And should I return the sword to its sheath so that it no longer kills? Truly, it shall not be so; rather, in the place where you were created, in the land of your dwelling, there I will judge you with the sword of the King of Babylon.
Metzudat Zion
Tearah. It is the scabbard of the sword:
“Your origin.” “Your dwelling places,” just as it says “your origins” and “your places of birth” (above, 15):
Malbim
"Return!" I say to you that it is a vain vision, and I command you to return your sword to its sheath. And Ishmael and his men will return to dwell in Rabbah of the Ammonites, and there I will judge you for this murder. For because of this, Nebuchadnezzar will come to your land, which is in the place where it was created; there he will kill the children of Ammon, for there the sword was created, and also Ishmael and his men, for there is the land of their origin, where they dwelt.
And I will pour out My indignation upon you, I will blow upon you with the fire of My wrath; and I will deliver you into the hand of brutish men, skillful to destroy.
verse value 5188
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 58 letters. The shortest word is "in·fire·of" (בְּאֵ֥שׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·I·will·pour" (וְשָׁפַכְתִּ֤י, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 130: upon·thee, upon·thee. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "I·will·blow" (אָפִ֣יחַ), "brutish" (בֹּעֲרִ֔ים), "craftsmen·of" (חָרָשֵׁ֖י). The root על appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "upon·thee" (root על, 272x in Ezekiel); "and·I·will·give·you" (root נתן, 207x in Ezekiel); "man" (root איש, 84x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root זעם ("my·indignation") in Ezekiel. First appearance of the root חרש ("craftsmen·of") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'upon·thee', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 6 words. Full calculation: וְשָׁפַכְתִּ֤י [and·I·will·pour] (816) + עָלַ֙יִךְ֙ [upon·thee] (130) + זַעְמִ֔י [my·indignation] (127) + בְּאֵ֥שׁ [in·fire·of] (303) + עֶבְרָתִ֖י [my·wrath] (682) + אָפִ֣יחַ [I·will·blow] (99) + עָלָ֑יִךְ [upon·thee] (130) + וּנְתַתִּ֗יךְ [and·I·will·give·you] (886) + בְּיַד֙ [in·hand·of] (16) + אֲנָשִׁ֣ים [man] (401) + בֹּעֲרִ֔ים [brutish] (322) + חָרָשֵׁ֖י [craftsmen·of] (518) + מַשְׁחִֽית [destruction] (758) = 5188.
Rashi
"I will blow upon you." This is the language of blowing fire with a bellows:
"Men who are brutish." They guide themselves with madness to harm and to destroy:
“Smiths of destruction.” Artisans skilled in killing. (For many days I expounded this passage as written above; now I see, from the variations in its language, that the prophet speaks only of the sword.) “To give you to the necks of the corpses of the wicked,” etc.; “Turn back to the sheath,” etc.; “I will blow upon you,” etc.—this language applies only to metal. Likewise, “smiths of destruction.” It appears to me that this prophecy was spoken concerning Nebuchadnezzar, and so too the prophet’s words imply: “And you shall say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: Concerning the children of Ammon and their taunting’”—that is, concerning Nebuchadnezzar (because of Nebuchadnezzar), for the children of Ammon taunt Israel because Nebuchadnezzar destroyed them.
When the sword is a drawn sword. The sword of Nebuchadnezzar, which was doubled to go forth by two paths—against Jerusalem and against the children of Ammon, as in the preceding passage—behold, this is the retribution for the children of Ammon.
"In the sight of you is vanity; by your divination is falsehood." You imagine that through your empty, vain, and false divinations you succeed, so that your sword is placed at the necks of the wicked corpses whose day has come by decree from before Me, at the time of the fulfillment of their allotted portion.
“Return to the sheath.” This means that a time will come when you will return to the sheath, and you will receive your punishment of the sword at the hands of the kings of Media. Then I will blow upon you with a consuming fire, and you will be placed in the hands of foolish smiths, who are the craftsmen of destruction, who will come to sharpen you and to polish you as before, and they will ruin you.
Radak
“And I will pour out My wrath upon you” – I will blow upon you. This is from the root meaning “to blow,” as in blowing on coals to kindle a fire. Although these are two distinct roots, similarly it says below: “And I will blow upon you with the fire of My wrath,” meaning “I will set fire to you,” just as one blows on a fire to ignite it. And Jonathan the Targumist rendered it: “With the fire of My wrath I will be strong against you.”
“Consuming.” Fools and hasty men who will be killed suddenly, as it is said, “Understand, you brutish among the people” [Psalm 94:8]. And there is an interpretation that “consuming” is related to the phrase “like fire that consumes a forest,” meaning they destroy and burn up. And so the Masorah noted regarding “Understand, you brutish among the people” that it occurs in two forms; and the Targum renders “consuming” as “their wickedness.”
"Craftsmen of destruction." That they are skilled in destruction.
"משחית" – a noun, like "השחתה" (destruction); and likewise, "למשחית" in the phrase "תהרגו למשחית" (you shall kill for destruction).
To corrupt: Destruction. A noun, like *hashchat* (corruption). And similarly, “You shall kill them for destruction.”
Metzudat David
And I will pour out. There I will pour out upon you My wrath.
“With the fire of My wrath.” With the fire of the burning [anger] that I shall bring upon you, I shall blow upon it to kindle it and to intensify its flames; the meaning is: at every instance, the wrath and the fury shall grow stronger.
Men who are burning. They know how to kindle the fire:
"Craftsmen of destruction." Artisans skilled in the craft of destruction.
Metzudat Zion
"Zemi." The matter of anger:
"My wrath." From the language of "wrath and fury".
Afiach. The matter of blowing air to ignite the fire:
“Burning.” They kindle a fire.
"Craftsmen of destruction." Artisans of destruction:
Malbim
“And I will pour out” — there, “I will pour out upon you the wrath of punishment upon the sinners,” and “I will blow upon you with the fire of My anger” to destroy the entire nation, and I will depict you as one who hands over the sword into the hands of raging men, who, when the fire of anger blows upon it, will ruin the sword, for they are skilled in ruining and destroying, until it itself becomes fuel for the fire, and your blood that you have shed will be within the land, there in your land He will take vengeance from you, and He will shed your blood and will not exile you into captivity in such a way that a remembrance of you remains, but rather He will kill and destroy you, until you are remembered no more.
You shall be for fuel to the fire; Your blood shall be in the midst of the land, You shall be no more remembered; For I Hashem have spoken it.’
verse value 3056
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 48 letters. Notable word values: "for·food" (לְאׇכְלָ֔ה) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "for·food" (לְאׇכְלָ֔ה, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 30: it·will·be, for. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "your·blood" (דָּמֵ֥ךְ). The root היה appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "shall·be" (root היה, 335x in Ezekiel); "not" (root לא, 213x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·land', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 6 words. Full calculation: לָאֵ֤שׁ [to·the·fire] (331) + תִּֽהְיֶה֙ [shall·be] (420) + לְאׇכְלָ֔ה [for·food] (86) + דָּמֵ֥ךְ [your·blood] (64) + יִהְיֶ֖ה [it·will·be] (30) + בְּת֣וֹךְ [in·midst·of] (428) + הָאָ֑רֶץ [the·land] (296) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + תִזָּכֵ֔רִי [you·will·be·remembered] (637) + כִּ֛י [for] (30) + אֲנִ֥י [I] (61) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + דִּבַּֽרְתִּי [I·have·spoken] (616) = 3056.
Radak
“it shall be for fire.” He said “shall be” in the masculine form that is found, and He said “your blood,” and He said “you shall remember” in the feminine form that is found. For such is the manner of Scripture, as we have written many times: that when it speaks in the masculine form, it speaks regarding the people, and when it speaks in the feminine form, it speaks regarding the Congregation and the Community, which is feminine in form; and both refer to one and the same matter.
"Your blood shall be within the land." This is the reverse of the verse: "The earth shall not cover the blood." This means that your blood shall not be avenged. This is what is stated: "You shall not remember."
Metzudat David
To the fire. That the Chaldeans would kindle it:
Within the land. It will be swallowed up by the land so that it will not be visible to the eyes, and therefore it will not be mentioned, [as it is stated:] "From whom did I take your vengeance?"
"For I, the Lord, have spoken." Therefore, so shall it be:
Radak
Malbim