And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the third month, in the first day of the month, that the word of Hashem came to me, saying:
verse value 2945
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 46 letters. The shortest word is "year" (שָׁנָ֔ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "word·of·Hashem" (דְבַר־יְהֹוָ֖ה, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "in·the·third" (בַּשְּׁלִישִׁ֖י). The root היה appears 2 times in this verse. 8 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). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·the·month', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיְהִ֗י [and·it·was] (31) + בְּאַחַ֤ת [in·one] (411) + עֶשְׂרֵה֙ [ten] (575) + שָׁנָ֔ה [year] (355) + בַּשְּׁלִישִׁ֖י [in·the·third] (652) + בְּאֶחָ֣ד [in·one] (15) + לַחֹ֑דֶשׁ [to·the·month] (342) + הָיָ֥ה [was] (20) + דְבַר־יְהֹוָ֖ה [word·of·Hashem] (232) + אֵלַ֥י [to·me] (41) + לֵאמֹֽר [saying] (271) = 2945.
Radak
And it came to pass,
Metzudat David
"In the eleventh year." This is the year of the Destruction, which is the eleventh year of the exile of Yehoyachin and of the reign of Zedekiah.
In the third month. In the third month:
’Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt, and to his multitude: Whom are you like in your greatness?
verse value 1932
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 43 letters. The shortest word is "say" (אֱמֹ֛ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "king·of·Egypt" (מֶלֶךְ־מִצְרַ֖יִם, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "and·to·his·multitude" (וְאֶל־הֲמוֹנ֑וֹ), "in·your·greatness" (בְגׇדְלֶֽךָ). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "say" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "to·who?" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel); "son·of·man" (root בין, 145x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·to·his·multitude', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. Full calculation: בֶּן־אָדָ֕ם [son·of·man] (97) + אֱמֹ֛ר [say] (241) + אֶל־פַּרְעֹ֥ה [to·Pharaoh] (386) + מֶלֶךְ־מִצְרַ֖יִם [king·of·Egypt] (470) + וְאֶל־הֲמוֹנ֑וֹ [and·to·his·multitude] (144) + אֶל־מִ֖י [to·who?] (81) + דָּמִ֥יתָ [you·was·like] (454) + בְגׇדְלֶֽךָ [in·your·greatness] (59) = 1932.
Rashi
“To whom did you liken yourself in your greatness? In your greatness before Me, to whom did you think to liken yourself?”
Radak
“Son of man, to whom have you likened yourself in your greatness?” To whom are you similar in your greatness, that you boast in your multitude and your greatness, and reckon that you will not descend from your greatness? Behold, Assyria was greater than you and fell into My hand; so too, you will fall. And he began with the greatness of the king of Assyria by way of parable, comparing him to the cedar of Lebanon, which is higher than all the other trees of Lebanon.
Metzudat David
“And to his multitude.” To the multitude of his people.
"Al, etc." – This means: To which of the kings did you liken yourself in your mind, due to the great magnitude that you possess?
Metzudat Zion
demit. From the language of "dimyon" (resemblance) and "heshva'a" (comparison):
Malbim
To whom is he likened? One asks him: “To whom do you wish to liken yourself in your greatness?” Surely he will liken himself to Assyria, for behold, “Assyria is the cedar of Lebanon,” etc. And thus he will trust that he will resemble him in all his matters, until his downfall will be like his, for he too fell due to the abundance of his arrogance. “The cedar of Lebanon” likens him to the cedar, which is greater than all the trees of Lebanon, and it had excellences over the other cedars: its branches were very beautiful in their appearance, and it was like a forest providing shade, like a forest that casts great shade, for it was full of many leaves and branches, like an intertwined forest that provides shade. And it was tall in stature, and its crown, which is the central branch at the top of the tree, was among the thick ones surrounding it—thick and intertwined branches that beautified the head of the tree. In the allegory, the beauty is the order that was in his camps and the wealth that he had, and he provided shade and shelter for all the nations around him, and he was tall in stature, meaning he was king of kings and exalted above them all, and the crown of the cedar, which is the king, was surrounded by the thick ones, namely, great princes, each one exalted in his position and surrounding the crown (as it is said, “Are not my princes altogether kings?” and as it is said, “By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom, for my understanding is with me”).
Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon, With fair branches, and with a shadowing shroud, And of a high stature; And its top was among the thick boughs.
verse value 3797
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 55 letters. The shortest word is "they" (הִנֵּ֨ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·Lebanon" (בַּלְּבָנ֗וֹן, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "in·Lebanon" (בַּלְּבָנ֗וֹן), "and·craftsman" (וְחֹ֥רֶשׁ), "shading" (מֵצַ֖ל). 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "was" (root היה, 335x in Ezekiel); "and·between" (root בין, 145x in Ezekiel); "they" (root הן, 73x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'stature', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 4 words. Full calculation: הִנֵּ֨ה [they] (60) + אַשּׁ֜וּר [Assyria] (507) + אֶ֣רֶז [cedar] (208) + בַּלְּבָנ֗וֹן [in·Lebanon] (140) + יְפֵ֥ה [fair] (95) + עָנָ֛ף [bough] (200) + וְחֹ֥רֶשׁ [and·craftsman] (514) + מֵצַ֖ל [shading] (160) + וּגְבַ֣הּ [and·high·of] (16) + קוֹמָ֑ה [stature] (151) + וּבֵ֣ין [and·between] (68) + עֲבֹתִ֔ים [cords] (522) + הָיְתָ֖ה [was] (420) + צַמַּרְתּֽוֹ [its·treetop] (736) = 3797.
Rashi
"Behold, Assyria." That I have already cast down.
"Cedar of Lebanon." It was:
“And a shading forest.” A forest that provides a canopy of great shade.
"And among the thick trees." Trees of freshness.
Its crown. "Zim" in the vernacular:
Radak
"Behold, Assyria, a fair branch"—that its branches are beautiful.
And a shady forest. A branch that becomes much entangled and makes shade beneath it; "tzal" from the root tzalal, and it is a pi'el form from the hif'il construction, and it comes with a patach, like masav, kalea, and it comes with a tsere, "Behold, I am masav the weapons of war."
"And among the thickets was its crown." The uppermost branch is called the crown. He said that the crown of this cedar was among the thickets, meaning among people who entangle themselves, and it was high above them and appeared beautiful. Or, he said that "thickets" refers to the abundance of leaves on the branches, as our Sages of blessed memory explained regarding the verse, "And the branch of the tree was thick." This is an allegory for the kings of the nations, for he rose above them all. Jonathan translated it as, "And upon the prominent ones he sent forth his roots." And in the homiletical interpretation: From where did he merit this greatness? Because he refrained from the counsel of the Generation of the Dispersion, as it is stated, "From that land came forth Asshur." For all the rulers of the world joined together as one to devise a plan and rebel against Him. At that time, his crown remained separate and was not entangled with them.
Metzudat David
"Behold, Assyria." This implies: Was not Assyria greater than you? For it was a cedar in Lebanon, meaning: it was distinguished among kings, just as the cedar is the tallest of all the trees of Lebanon.
A beautiful branch. One who has a beautiful branch and a tangled shoot is like one who casts much shade.
"And between thick branches." The upper section was between thick branches; these are the spreading branches interwoven with one another, and this is the feature that imparts splendor.
Metzudat Zion
And "choreish." The meaning of the term "se'if" (branch) is as in the verse: "like the forsaken part of the forest and the bough" (Isaiah 17:9), that is to say, a forest with branches.
Mitzal. From the root tzal:
"Thick." The meaning of "plaiting" is similar to that of "a thick branch of a tree" (Leviticus 23:40):
Tzmerato. So too, the upper branch of the tree that rises upward is called a tzemeret, and likewise "the top of the cedar" (above, 17).
The waters nourished it, The deep made it to grow; Her rivers ran round About her plantation, And she sent out her conduits To all the trees of the field.
verse value 5246
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 64 letters. Verse gematria: 5246 is divisible by 86, the value of Elohim. The shortest word is "to" (אֶ֖ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·her·conduits" (וְאֶת־תְּעָלֹתֶ֣יהָ, 9 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "made·it·grow" (גִּדְּל֔וּהוּ), "deep" (תְּה֖וֹם), "made·it·tall" (רֹמְמָ֑תְהוּ). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to" (root אל, 204x in Ezekiel); "all·trees·of" (root כל, 129x in Ezekiel); "around" (root סביב, 112x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'made·it·tall', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 9 words. Full calculation: מַ֣יִם [water] (90) + גִּדְּל֔וּהוּ [made·it·grow] (54) + תְּה֖וֹם [deep] (451) + רֹמְמָ֑תְהוּ [made·it·tall] (691) + אֶת־נַהֲרֹתֶ֗יהָ [her·rivers] (1071) + הֹלֵךְ֙ [going] (55) + סְבִיב֣וֹת [around] (480) + מַטָּעָ֔הּ [her·plantation] (124) + וְאֶת־תְּעָלֹתֶ֣יהָ [and·her·conduits] (1322) + שִׁלְחָ֔ה [send] (343) + אֶ֖ל [to] (31) + כׇּל־עֲצֵ֥י [all·trees·of] (220) + הַשָּׂדֶֽה [field] (314) = 5246.
Rashi
Her canals. "Pusitz" in the vernacular:
“Upon every tree of the field.” To water them. The analogy is as rendered in the Targum of Jonathan: “Behold, Assyria, which resembles the cedar in Lebanon, etc., like a beautiful pillar.”
“Waters increased him, the deep exalted him.” [The Targum:] Among the peoples he grew great; with strength he overpowered the kings whom he subjugated under his kingdom, and his governors he appointed over all the provinces of the earth. And in the aggadic midrash: “And among the oaks was its top” (Ezekiel 31:3) — from where did he merit greatness? Because he refrained from the counsel of the Generation of the Dispersion, as it is stated (Genesis 10:11): “Out of that land he went forth to Assyria.” When all the inhabitants of the world united as one to conspire in rebellion against Him, then his “top” was seen as distinct, and he was not intertwined with them. “Waters increased him, the deep exalted him.” And because he heeded the voice of Jonah, son of Amittai, who descended into the deep, and the men of Nineveh returned from the violence that was in their hands.
Radak
"Waters increased him." He had an abundance of waters; therefore, he grew so much—meaning, he had great success.
“The deep exalted it.” Scripture uses tehom [the deep] in the feminine, and in the masculine, as in “the deep said: It is not in me” (Job 28:14). And he said tehom, which denotes a depth of abundant waters that do not cease, for so too his greatness had no cessation for many days, until his time came.
“Its rivers go round about its plantation.” “The rivers of the deep” – that is to say, each of the rivers that issue from the deep goes round about this cedar, which is the plantation of the deep, as it is said, “The deep raised him up.” And the deep is a metaphor for goodness and great success.
“And she sent her channels to all the trees of the field.” He said that the deep led its rivers around this cedar, which is its plantation, meaning the abundance of its waters and its channels, which are small streams of water, like the channel of the blessing; those channels it sent to water all the trees of the field. And the parable is that the majority of goodness and success was for the king of Assyria, and the little for the rest of the kings of the land. And the Targum interpreted the parable thus in Aramaic: “Great is his support, mighty over the kings whom he subjugated under his kingdom, and his dominion over all the provinces of the land.”
Shelachah. The lamed is lightly pronounced and could have been dagesh-ed. In the midrashic sense: “Waters made it great, the deep exalted it,” because it heeded the voice of Jonah, son of Amittai, who descended into the deep, and the people of Nineveh returned from the violence that was in their hands.
Metzudat David
“Waters increased him.” The waters watered him and caused him to grow, and the deep raised him upward with great magnitude.
“Her rivers.” This means that each and every one of the subterranean channels of the abyss would flow around the planting of the cedar to water it.
"And her channels." The aqueducts, which are small streams of water, that the deep sent forth to all the trees of the field to water them. The meaning of the parable is that Sennacherib was a great king, greater than all the kings of the earth, and he was graced with abundant bounty, and the bounty of all the idolaters was considered as almost nothing in comparison to his bounty.
Metzudat Zion
It raised him up. The term is from the word "exaltation."
Planting. From the language of planting:
Its channels. "Amat ha-mayim" (the water conduit) is like "te'elat ha-berakhah" (the channel of blessing) (Isaiah 7:3):
Malbim
The waters increased him, and there was for the cedar an abundance of waters from above, by which it grew, and the blessing of the deep from below, by which it was elevated even more. And the waters of the deep became many rivers, and each one went around the base of the cedar to water it. And to the trees of the field it sent only canals from the river. The metaphor is that he had great abundance from all the world, which were subjugated under him. And this is the parable of the waters of the rain and the abundance of the deep, which is the wealth of his kingdom and his dominion itself, which surrounded him. And he received this abundance in its essence and first, and all the nations, which are the trees of the field, received only the extract of the abundance through him, which are the canals extending from the rivers.
Therefore its stature was exalted Above all the trees of the field; And its boughs were multiplied, And its branches became long, Because of the multitude of waters, when it shot them forth.
verse value 4897
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 61 letters. The shortest word is "from·all" (מִכֹּ֖ל, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·be or become great" (וַתִּרְבֶּ֨ינָה, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 170: therefore, tree. 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "was·high" (גָּבְהָ֣א), "height" (קֹמָת֔וֹ), "tree" (עֲצֵ֣י). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "therefore" (root על, 272x in Ezekiel); "from·all" (root כל, 129x in Ezekiel); "many" (root רב, 52x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'field', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 7 words. Full calculation: עַל־כֵּן֙ [therefore] (170) + גָּבְהָ֣א [was·high] (11) + קֹמָת֔וֹ [height] (546) + מִכֹּ֖ל [from·all] (90) + עֲצֵ֣י [tree] (170) + הַשָּׂדֶ֑ה [field] (314) + וַתִּרְבֶּ֨ינָה [and·be or become great] (673) + סַֽרְעַפֹּתָ֜יו [its·boughs] (826) + וַתֶּאֱרַ֧כְנָה [and·they·was·long] (682) + פֹארֹתָ֛ו [its·branches] (687) + מִמַּ֥יִם [from·waters] (130) + רַבִּ֖ים [many] (252) + בְּשַׁלְּחֽוֹ [in·its·sending] (346) = 4897.
Rashi
its boughs. its branches:
His branches. His twigs:
“From many waters.” “His branches” – through many waters, “His branches” – meaning, in their growth. And the term “shil’ach” (sending forth) is used in this context, as it is written: “And He sent forth branches” (above 16:10).
Radak
Therefore, His stature was exalted. The aleph is in place of the he.
"And his tresses shall be multiplied, and his locks shall be lengthened." The matter is expressed in a double manner with different words, for "his tresses" (sarefatav), "the branch" (ha-sa'af), and "the lock" (ha-parah) are one and the same thing, merely having different names; and the proof is from the phrase "a branch of a lock" (sa'af parah).
“His branches.” It is written without the yod of the plural, and read with a yod; and similar to it is “rabbim” (many).
His branches. The letter alef precedes the letter resh.
“From many waters” – when He sent forth the deep, many waters surrounded it, as it is stated: “Many waters.” From those “many waters,” his branches extended.
Metzudat David
“Therefore.” Since the majority of waters watered it, therefore its stature grew tall, etc., and its branches multiplied and lengthened to spread far and wide.
“From many waters when He sent them forth.” This means that all of this was due to the abundance of waters that the abyss was sending forth.
Metzudat Zion
Gevaha. An aleph in place of a he:
And they shall multiply. The word is in the sense of multiplication:
His branches. His branches, that is to say, his branches. It is possible that it derives from the expression “in the multitude of my thoughts” (Psalms 94:19), which pertains to the matter of thought, just as the word “branch” is shared by both meanings, as it is written, “I hated branches” (Psalms 119:113).
His branches. This too refers to the matter of a branch, and similarly, "and he lops off the bough" (Isaiah 10).
Malbim
Therefore, its height is raised above all the trees of the field; after it has received the principal flow of abundance, its tendrils shall multiply—they are the branches that bear the thin twigs. In a fruit tree, they are the bearers of the fruit, and they multiply greatly. And these twigs are at the top of the tree, or on the branches growing at their tops, like ornaments and tufts upward, and they give ornamentation to the tree. They are called "ornaments" because they are long and curved, and they beautify the tree. This is what is said: "And its tendrils shall multiply, and its ornaments shall lengthen from abundant waters, when it sends forth." This means: through the spreading by abundant waters, its length and breadth increase.
All the fowls of heaven made Their nests in its boughs, And all the beasts of the field did bring forth their young Under its branches, And under its shadow dwelt All great nations.
verse value 4591
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 63 letters. The shortest word is "all" (כֹּ֖ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "in·its·boughs" (בִּסְעַפֹּתָ֤יו, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 206: nested, all·flying creatures. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "in·its·boughs" (בִּסְעַפֹּתָ֤יו), "nested" (קִֽנְנוּ֙), "its·branches" (פֹּֽארֹתָיו֙). The root כל appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "all" (root כל, 129x in Ezekiel); "nations" (root גוי, 87x in Ezekiel); "they·will·dwell" (root ישב, 64x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'field', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 5 words.
Rashi
In His branches. In His branches:
Their nest. The language of a nest:
Radak
“In its branches” – His branches. The letter aleph precedes the letter resh. And the Targum translates similarly: “with its armies it subdued all mighty fortified cities,” etc.
Metzudat David
"In his branches," etc. All birds have made for themselves a nest and a dwelling place among his branches.
“And beneath his boughs.” These are the branches close to the ground, and beneath them all the beasts of the field gave birth, because it was a covered place.
And in his shadow. Under his shadow shall all the nations sit, that is to say, due to the abundance of his influence, his dominion grew greater than that of all the kings of the earth, and it extended to distant lands, and all the idolaters were subjugated to him.
Metzudat Zion
“their nest.” The term “nest” refers to the dwelling place of birds.
Malbim
Regarding the birds, they do not build nests in the upper branches, which are at the top of the tree, but rather in the spreading branches, which are in the middle of the tree. And the beasts give birth in the place where the shade is closer to the tree, which is beneath the upper branches, which are close to the trunk, because the spreading branches extend far out from the trunk. The metaphor is that the beasts are the powerful kings, like a beast that is a warrior; against the bird, they found refuge in its upper branches, in its wealth and royal honor. And the birds are the nations engaged in commerce and shipping, and likewise the inhabitants of the islands, who sail like birds for trade, brought their merchandise there and found a nest for themselves, and many nations found refuge in the shade of its kingdom. And therefore it says, “And in its shade shall dwell many nations.”
Thus was it fair in its greatness, In the length of its branches; For its root was By many waters.
verse value 2069
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 38 letters. The shortest word is "and·was·bright" (וַיְּיִ֣ף, 4 letters) and the longest is "its·branches" (דָּלִיּוֹתָ֑יו, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "and·was·bright" (וַיְּיִ֣ף), "in·his·greatness" (בְּגׇדְל֔וֹ), "for·was" (כִּֽי־הָיָ֥ה). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for·was" (root היה, 335x in Ezekiel); "many" (root רב, 52x in Ezekiel); "in·length·of" (root ארך, 44x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'its·branches', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיְּיִ֣ף [and·was·bright] (106) + בְּגׇדְל֔וֹ [in·his·greatness] (45) + בְּאֹ֖רֶךְ [in·length·of] (223) + דָּלִיּוֹתָ֑יו [its·branches] (466) + כִּֽי־הָיָ֥ה [for·was] (50) + שׇׁרְשׁ֖וֹ [its·root] (806) + אֶל־מַ֥יִם [sheaf] (121) + רַבִּֽים [many] (252) = 2069.
Rashi
And it is beautiful. The language of beauty:
“His branches.” They too are called “branches” (dlayot), referring to those that extend lengthwise in every direction, like the tendrils of a vineyard, which in the foreign tongue are called “Shtrayvels.”
Radak
And he was beautiful (vayyif). The first yod is one of the eitan [preformative] letters, and the second is the pe of the verb; its root is yafeh. With the eitan letters one would say ipeh, yipeh; and, with the lamed of the root elided, if, yif. And this vayyif is according to the reading of Ben Naftali, with a hireq under the first yod and the second quiescent; according to the reading of Ben Asher it is vayyif with a shva under the first and a hireq under the second. And in some books I have found it with a hireq under the first and a shva under the second for Ben Asher, and this is the correct reading, on the pattern of vayyeshev (and he sat).
“With the stretching out of its branches.” These are the lofty branches, as alluded to in the verse, “I will extol You, O Lord, for You have lifted me up” (Psalms 30:2).
Metzudat David
"And it was beautiful in its size." It was beautiful in its size along with the length of its shoots, for the length of the shoots was considered an attribute of beauty for the large tree, and not one at the expense of the other.
"for its root was." This means that all of this came about because its root was near abundant waters; that is to say, the height of its dominion and the dominion of its officials, due to the abundance of its prosperity.
Metzudat Zion
Vayif. The word is derived from "beauty":
In length. With length, and the letter bet comes in place of "with." And similarly, the word "only" in the verse concerning Moses (Numbers 12:):
Its branches. The high branches; and similarly, "to clear away its branches" (above 6:7).
Malbim
“Vayyaf begodlo” — that is to say, even though a tree, when it grows larger and puts forth long shoots, which are its drooping branches, and rises higher than its boundary, is not considered beautiful, because for the most part the shoots wither and their leaves fall, and they also weaken the body of the tree; therefore, the shoots are pruned and cut off. But he becomes beautiful in the length of his shoots, for even so the tree also grows, since its root was on abundant waters. That is to say, even though a weak king, when his kingdom extends far, cannot endure, because he must send his armies abroad and is not secure from rebellion within, but he, due to his great strength, even though he spread over the breadth of the land, was rooted and strong in his kingdom.
The cedars in the garden of God Could not hide it; The cypress-trees were not Like its boughs, And the plane-trees were not As its branches; Nor was any tree in the garden of God Like to it in its beauty.
verse value 3658
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 84 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֤א, 2 letters) and the longest is "garden·of·God" (בְּגַן־אֱלֹהִים֒, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 141: garden·of·God, garden·of·God. 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "cedars" (אֲרָזִ֣ים), "not·hid·it" (לֹֽא־עֲמָמֻ֘הוּ֮), "to·its·boughs" (אֶל־סְעַפֹּתָ֔יו). The root גן appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not·were" (root היה, 335x in Ezekiel); "not" (root לא, 213x in Ezekiel); "to·it" (root אל, 204x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'like·bough', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 5 words.
Rashi
“Did not obscure it” — its appearance was not dimmed [by them]; that is to say, none of them was as handsome as it.
"In the garden of God." That is to say, throughout the entire world:
And chestnuts. Kastani in the vernacular (Old French).
Radak
"Cedars did not overshadow him." Just as it is written, "No secret thing shall be hidden from You," meaning a concealed matter and covering—so here, the intent is that the tall cedars, which are in the Garden of God, will not overshadow him nor cover him, for he is above them all. And when it says "in the Garden of God," it is an expression of superlative degree, referring to the garden of which it is stated, "And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden."
And chestnuts. Like “almonds and chestnuts,” where “chestnut” is a tree called “castani” in the vernacular.
"Like the wild animals." Here, the resh precedes the aleph.
Metzudat David
“Cedars did not conceal it.” There were no cedars in the Garden of Eden that could conceal and cover this cedar, for it surpassed all of them and was more exposed and visible than they.
Cypresses. The cypress trees were not like the branches of that cedar tree:
And chestnuts. The chestnut trees were not like the branches of that cedar.
"Every tree" – it did not resemble the other species of trees, etc. This means to say that there was no king in the world greater than him, and his ministers surpassed the kings of the idolaters.
Metzudat Zion
"They concealed him." The term refers to concealment and covering; likewise, "no hidden thing concealed you" (above, 28:3).
"In the garden of God." This refers to the Garden of Eden:
“His likeness.” The word is a noun meaning “likeness.”
Malbim
"Of cedars," [meaning] it grew so greatly that even the cedars which were in the garden of God, which are the cedars planted from the six days of Creation, were not equal to it; "of firs," the tender branches of it were greater than a fir, which is another strong tree besides the cedar (as it is stated, "Wail, O cypress, for the cedar has fallen"); and not only were they not like them, but they did not even resemble them, even in appearance. And "of chestnuts," which grow with great beauty, were not like its splendor; although they resembled it in appearance, they were not exactly like it. And it adds, "every tree in the garden of God," meaning that even the trees which the Lord planted in the Garden of Eden, which He planted every tree pleasant to look upon, and which were made with utmost beauty, did not resemble it in the matter of beauty, for it surpassed them all. And the expression, "there was no king strong and mighty like him," [means] from the days of Creation; and also its branches and its splendor, which are its princes and its mighty men and its wealthy ones, surpassed the kings of the earth in their dominion, their might, and their wealth; not only in this generation, but also the trees which are now in the garden of God, which are the former kings of the earth who boasted vainly and recounted wonders about themselves regarding their might, their dominion, and their strength, did not resemble him.
I made it fair By the multitude of its branches; So that all the trees of Eden, That were in the garden of God, envied it.
verse value 2730
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 46 letters. Verse gematria: 2730 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "fair" (יָפֶ֣ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "all·trees·of·Eden" (כׇּל־עֲצֵי־עֵ֔דֶן, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "I·made·it" (עֲשִׂיתִ֔יו), "and·envied·it" (וַיְקַנְאֻ֙הוּ֙), "in·garden·of" (בְּגַ֥ן). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel); "I·made·it" (root עשה, 214x in Ezekiel); "in·abundance·of" (root רב, 52x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'its·branches', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 5 words. Full calculation: יָפֶ֣ה [fair] (95) + עֲשִׂיתִ֔יו [I·made·it] (796) + בְּרֹ֖ב [in·abundance·of] (204) + דָּלִיּוֹתָ֑יו [its·branches] (466) + וַיְקַנְאֻ֙הוּ֙ [and·envied·it] (178) + כׇּל־עֲצֵי־עֵ֔דֶן [all·trees·of·Eden] (344) + אֲשֶׁ֖ר [that] (501) + בְּגַ֥ן [in·garden·of] (55) + הָאֱלֹהִֽים [God] (91) = 2730.
Rashi
"All the trees of Eden." That is to say, all the distinguished kings:
Radak
I made it beautiful. He said "I have done" to indicate that this greatness came from God, blessed be He, and not as one might say, "By the strength of my hand I have done it."
Metzudat David
“I have made it beautiful.” I have made this cedar beautiful because of the abundance of its branches, and therefore all the trees of Eden, which are in the garden of God planted in the midst of Eden, envied it. That is to say: he ruled over many because of the multitude of his officials, whose hand was strong, and all the kings of the earth envied him.
Metzudat Zion
And they were jealous of him. The word "qan'ahu" is in the sense of jealousy.
Malbim
“I made it beautiful,” and by means of the branches, which are the raised and lifted-up boughs, it was exceedingly beautiful and visible from afar, until the trees of Eden saw it and were jealous of it because of the greatness of its exalted status. Moreover, it may be interpreted as if the trees of Eden and the souls of the ancients were aroused concerning it and were jealous of its dominion. And they, who are close to God, exerted themselves in prayer and supplication to fell this arrogant cedar that boasts contrary to the law, for it is outside the Garden, and its root and its canopy are in a place of impurity. This means that the holy Patriarchs and the righteous ones prayed concerning it, and the upper ministers stood against it, until God heard, and its end came.
Therefore thus says the Lord Hashem: Because you are exalted in stature, and he has set his top among the thick boughs, and his heart is lifted up in his height;
verse value 3778
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 63 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "thus" (כֹּ֤ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "cords" (עֲבוֹתִ֔ים, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "you·was·high" (גָּבַ֖הְתָּ), "in·height" (בְּקוֹמָ֑ה), "and·is·high" (וְרָ֥ם). The root גבה appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "said" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "that" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·height', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 7 words.
Rashi
Because you have exalted yourself in stature. Thus I said to Assyria:
Radak
Therefore. He said, "you were exalted." And He said,
"and He gave." "and He raised." Thus is the manner of Scripture to speak both directly and indirectly, as in "Hear, O all you peoples" and its like.
Metzudat David
Thus said the Lord to the king of Assyria:
And He set his crown. The upper branch was placed between the intertwined branches, which is a matter of splendor:
“And his heart was lifted up.” He became exceedingly proud because of his height.
Malbim
Therefore, thus says the Lord — this addresses the envy of the trees of Eden — and thus He said to it: “Because you were high in stature” (as it is stated, “I will punish the fruit of the proud heart of the king of Assyria”): 1. “He was high in stature” means by his strength and might; 2. And he placed his crown above all the others, and thereby his heart became proud in his height, for he thought that his strength was from himself, and that he had placed his crown among the thick branches (as it is stated, “For he said, ‘By the strength of my hand I have done it’…”).
I do even deliver him into the hand of the mighty one of the nations; he shall surely deal with him; I do drive him out according to his wickedness.
verse value 2891
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 36 letters. Notable word values: "to·him" (ל֔וֹ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "to·him" (ל֔וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·I·will·give·him" (וְאֶ֨תְּנֵ֔הוּ, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "and·I·will·give·him" (וְאֶ֨תְּנֵ֔הוּ), "mighty·one" (אֵ֣יל), "as·his·wickedness" (כְּרִשְׁע֖וֹ). The root עשה appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "mighty·one" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel); "surely" (root עשה, 214x in Ezekiel); "and·I·will·give·him" (root נתן, 207x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'nations', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 5 words. Full calculation: וְאֶ֨תְּנֵ֔הוּ [and·I·will·give·him] (468) + בְּיַ֖ד [in·hand·of] (16) + אֵ֣יל [mighty·one] (41) + גּוֹיִ֑ם [nations] (59) + עָשׂ֤וֹ [surely] (376) + יַֽעֲשֶׂה֙ [will·do] (385) + ל֔וֹ [to·him] (36) + כְּרִשְׁע֖וֹ [as·his·wickedness] (596) + גֵּרַשְׁתִּֽהוּ [I·drive·him·out] (914) = 2891.
Rashi
“Into the hand of a god of the nations.” Into the hand of the strongest among the nations, namely, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, He gave it over. As the Master said: “In the first year, he conquered Nineveh.”
He shall surely do to him. Nebuchadnezzar, according to all my desire:
Radak
"And I will give it into the hand of a god of the nations." "And I will give it" – the vav is a vav hahipuch (reversing vav), indicating that the future tense stands in place of the past tense.
"Al": The easterners write it with a yod, and the westerners write it without a yod. The interpretation of the form with a yod is that it refers to the mighty ones of the nations; similarly, "and the mighty ones of the land" refers to the mighty ones of the land. And it says "to the nations" regarding Nebuchadnezzar, as stated in Seder Olam. And so our Sages of blessed memory said: In the first year, he conquered Nineveh.
“Because of his wickedness, I have driven him out.” In the phrase “because of his wickedness,” the accent is both before and after the word.
Metzudat David
"And I gave it." Therefore, I placed it in the hand of the strongest of the nations, which is Nebuchadnezzar, and he did with it as was in his heart. And because of his wickedness, I exiled him from the world by means of Nebuchadnezzar.
Metzudat Zion
El. The matter of "chazak" (strength) is like "Eli gibborim" (to Me, the mighty ones) (below, 32):
Malbim
“And I gave him into the hand of a god of the nations.” Therefore, He delivered him into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, who is the mighty one of the nations, and the nations consider him as a god. And he will do to him according to his wickedness, on account of which I have driven him away from before Me, and I no longer pay attention to him. And since Isaiah already prophesied concerning him in such words: “Behold, the Lord, the Master of Hosts, will lop off the boughs with terror... and Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one,” he also likened him to a mighty cedar, which was then cut down by the Lord Himself. And “by a mighty one,” which is an angel of the Lord, at that time he had not yet been driven away from His presence, and his kingdom was still standing. But now that I have already driven him away, I have not given him into the hand of a god who is one of the angels of the Lord, but rather into the hand of the god of the nations. And he will do to him according to his wickedness, for he too is wicked like him, and a wicked man will rise against a wicked man, and in accordance with wickedness he will deal with him.
And strangers, the terrible of the nations, do cut him off, and cast him down; upon the mountains and in all the valleys his branches are fallen, and his boughs lie broken in all the channels of the land; and all the peoples of the earth do go down from his shadow, and do leave him.
verse value 6483
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 102 letters. The shortest word is "in·them·of" (בְּכֹל֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·in·all·valleys" (וּבְכׇל־גֵּ֨אָי֜וֹת, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 336: and·cast·him·down, and·left·him. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "and·cut·him·off" (וַיִּכְרְתֻ֧הוּ), "and·in·all·valleys" (וּבְכׇל־גֵּ֨אָי֜וֹת), "and·they·were·broken" (וַתִּשָּׁבַ֤רְנָה). The root נטש appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·the·mountains" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel); "the·land" (root ארץ, 176x in Ezekiel); "in·them·of" (root כל, 129x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·cast·him·down', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 14 words.
Rashi
And they abandoned him. And they cast him to the ground, like "And it spread over the camp" (Numbers 11:31):
Radak
"And strangers shall cut it down." Since the verse compared it to a tree, it uses the language of "cutting down" and "strangers" and "arrogant nations," referring to the Chaldeans, as it is also said of them: "the nation that is cruel and hasty." The matter of the parable is explicit.
Metzudat David
And they cut it down. Strong foreign nations, among the idolaters, cut it down and scattered its branches.
"Upon the mountains." Upon the mountains and in all the valleys, its branches fell, and they became broken in all the ravines of the land, in the place where they fell, for they were trampled underfoot by men.
"And they went down." They no longer sat in its shade and abandoned it.
Metzudat Zion
"And they forsook Him." The term "forsook" (וַיִּטְּשׁוּהוּ) carries the connotation of scattering, similar to [the phrase] "and they spread out" (וַיִּנָּטְשׁוּ) in Judges 15:9:
Gaiyot. From the language of "gay" (valley) and "emek" (valley):
Apikay. So are called the places where the waters flow there with force, like "as channels in the Negev" (Psalms 126:4).
And they forsook Him. The meaning is abandonment, as it is said: "And behold, your father has forsaken" (1 Samuel 10).
Malbim
And it was cut down by the demons, who are the tyrants of the nations, and the strangers who are with them cut it down and forsook it. The long boughs will fall upon the mountains, meaning its army and battalions will fall in the mountains in battle; and the branches will fall into the ravines, meaning its wealthy and its people will be scattered in the ravines in exile; and the peoples of the land who had taken refuge in its shade will go down from its shade and forsake it.
Upon his carcass all the fowls of the heaven do dwell, and upon his branches are all the beasts of the field;
verse value 3180
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 43 letters. The shortest word is "all" (כֹּ֖ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "god" (וְאֶל־פֹּרֹאתָ֣יו, 9 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "upon·carcass" (עַל־מַפַּלְתּ֥וֹ), "they·will·settle·down" (יִשְׁכְּנ֖וּ), "god" (וְאֶל־פֹּרֹאתָ֣יו). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "were" (root היה, 335x in Ezekiel); "god" (root אל, 204x in Ezekiel); "all" (root כל, 129x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'heaven', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 5 words. Full calculation: עַל־מַפַּלְתּ֥וֹ [upon·carcass] (656) + יִשְׁכְּנ֖וּ [they·will·settle·down] (386) + כׇּל־ע֣וֹף [all·flying creatures] (206) + הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם [heaven] (395) + וְאֶל־פֹּרֹאתָ֣יו [god] (734) + הָי֔וּ [were] (21) + כֹּ֖ל [all] (50) + חַיַּ֥ת [beast] (418) + הַשָּׂדֶֽה [field] (314) = 3180.
Rashi
"Upon his defeat, they shall dwell upon him, etc." – As its Targum renders it: "Upon the downfall of his slain."
Radak
“Concerning his downfall.” The Targum: “Concerning the downfall of his slain, all the birds of the heavens dwelt, and upon the corpses of his army, all the beasts of the field rested.”
And to his branches. The resh comes before the aleph.
Metzudat David
“Upon his overthrow.” Regarding the branches that fell to the ground, the birds and the beasts of the field shall dwell upon them. This means: Because he boasted in the abundance of his dominion, I have given him into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar and destroyed him and his people. Some of them went into exile, and some fell by the sword upon the field, and they became food for the birds of the heavens and the beasts of the earth. And he shall no longer rule over the nations, nor shall they be subjugated to him anymore.
Malbim
Regarding its downfall: the birds and the beasts will not nest there, nor will they give birth there; rather, they will dwell upon its downfall, meaning that by virtue of its downfall they will dwell in its vicinity. That is to say, the islands that trade there will pass through that place on their way to other locations, and the nobles, princes, and kings of the nations will divide its land among themselves.
to the end that none of all the trees by the waters exalt themselves in their stature, neither set their top among the thick boughs, nor that their mighty ones stand up in their height, even all that drink water; for they are all delivered to death, to the nether parts of the earth, in the midst of the children of men, with them that go down to the pit.
verse value 8736
Insights
Verse structure: 24 words, 121 letters. Notable word values: "their·mighty·ones" (אֵלֵיהֶ֛ם) = 86, equal to Elohim. Verse gematria: 8736 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁר֩, 3 letters) and the longest is "all·trees·of·water" (כׇּל־עֲצֵי־מַ֗יִם, 8 letters). 10 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "not·be·high" (לֹא־יִגְבְּה֨וּ), "in·their·height" (בְקוֹמָתָ֜ם), "all·trees·of·water" (כׇּל־עֲצֵי־מַ֗יִם). The root גבה appears 2 times in this verse. 20 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel); "to·land" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel); "and·not·give" (root נתן, 207x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'water', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 10 words.
Rashi
“Trees of water.” They are soft and weak, only that their branches are soft and long due to the moisture of the water. They have no basis to compare themselves to the cedars of Eden; namely, he should not have boasted over Israel, and they will not stand against them.
"Among the thick boughs." They should not boast, equating their strength, which is like one who drinks water, with the thickly-branched trees.
Radak
"For the sake of." This refers to what I did for him, so that the other great kings would not become arrogant.
"All who drink water." "All the cedars" means those who drink water, for they are of tall stature, drawing from the abundance of waters that are beneath them. And it means, by way of parable, their success in kingship, as we have explained.
“And their terebinths shall not stand in their height.” Eleihem, with a tsere, is from [the same word as] “like a terebinth (elah) and like an oak (allon)” (Isaiah 6:13) and “of the terebinths (elim) which you desired” (Isaiah 1:29). It may be a general term for all trees, or it may be the name of the tree called in the vernacular ulmo [elm]. And the Targum rendered it as if it were aleihem, with a shva and patach under the aleph: “and all the servants of the kingdom shall not exalt themselves in their strength.”
Among human beings. In the general category of human beings, kings too will die, just like the rest of human beings.
“Those who descend into a pit.” This refers to those who descend into a pit, which is the grave. And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] rendered it in the Targum: “With those who descend into the pit, the house of destruction.”
Metzudat David
"For the sake of..." – This means that this judgment was executed upon it so that they might take a lesson, and all the trees that drink water would not become haughty and lift up their hearts on account of their great stature.
"And they shall not give." This means: They shall not become arrogant, because their tufts are placed between thick locks.
"And they shall not stand up against them." This means that there will be no standing firm or enduring strength in their power, on account of the height of the trees that drink water. It is as though it says: They will see that strength is removed because of excessive arrogance. That is to say, all rulers who are abundant in wealth will take a lesson and no longer become arrogant, for they will see that arrogance removes strength.
"For they are all [alike]." Since they are all destined to die, to descend to the netherworld, which is the grave, and to be among the rest of mankind, resembling them; and in order to add further explanation, He said, "to those who descend into the pit." It is as though He were saying: Since they are all destined for death, what is the relevance of boasting in the abundance of dominion and wealth?
Metzudat Zion
"Upon them." The term "strength" (or "might") is similar to the expression "and the mighty ones of the land He took" (above, 17:13).
Those who drink water. For the waters quench them:
Malbim
"For the sake of" — this is a warning to the kings of Egypt and Assyria (in contrast to what was stated, "Because you exalted yourself in stature"): let all the trees of water take heed not to exalt themselves in their stature, and let them know that the waters of abundance come from the Lord, who humbles, and also exalts. (In contrast to what was stated, "And He set its crown among the thickets") it says, "And they shall not set their crown," meaning that their kings shall not exalt themselves over other kings. (In contrast to what was stated, "And his heart was exalted in his height") it says, "And they shall not stand up to them," meaning their gods (from the phrase "god of the nations"), namely their kings who made themselves like sons of gods and deities, shall not stand in their haughtiness. For all who drink water, namely those who receive the abundance, shall not exalt themselves in their hearts like sons of gods, for they are all given over to death. That is to say, the conditions of divinity — that one be eternal, that one be exalted above the lower world, and that one be exalted above material human beings — are not met by them, for they are all given over to death and are not eternal. They go down to the lower earth, not to the heavens and above the stars of God, and among human beings, not among the gods and angels, for they go down to those who descend into the pit, to the grave.
Thus says the Lord Hashem: In the day when he went down to the nether-world I caused the deep to mourn and cover itself for him, and I restrained the rivers thereof, and the great waters were stayed; and I caused Lebanon to mourn for him, and all the trees of the field fainted for him.
verse value 5937
Insights
Verse structure: 22 words, 103 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "water" (מַ֣יִם, 3 letters) and the longest is "her·rivers" (נַהֲרוֹתֶ֔יהָ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 116: for·him, for·him, for·him. 10 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "his·going·down" (רִדְתּ֤וֹ), "I·caused·to·mourn" (הֶאֱבַ֜לְתִּי), "I·covered" (כִּסֵּ֤תִי). The root על appears 3 times in this verse. 20 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "thus·said" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "for·him" (root על, 272x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root שאולה ("to·Sheol") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'great', dividing the verse into phrases of 15 and 7 words.
Rashi
On the day of his descent to Sheol. When I humbled the king of Assyria by the hand of his enemy:
“I mourned and covered him.” Many mourners who were dependent on him:
“I covered over him the Abyss.” I covered for him the Abyss, which was accustomed to water and nurture him, as stated above: “The Abyss raised him up.” On that day, I covered it over so that it would not rise and extinguish his burning, meaning: I cut off his helpers.
And I will withhold her rivers. That they went around its plantation:
"And the great multitude of waters were withheld." This teaches that they lengthened their tendrils, as it is stated above, "and their tendrils were lengthened," from a great multitude of waters.
And I will darken it. For his sake Lebanon:
"And I will darken it." A term denoting blackness:
"And all the trees of the field." His channels were extended to them, as stated above.
"Upon him fell swooning." On his account, the flow of moisture ceased, like a person who swoons and his spirit departs, *peschmir* in the German tongue.
Radak
“Thus He said: ‘I mourned for him; I covered him with the deep.’” This implies that the deep, which had nurtured him, mourned for him when he was cut off, since he had already been compared to a cedar, and it was said of him, “The deep exalted him.” Now, therefore, it mourns for him and covers itself with sackcloth, similar to this:
"I mourned." The verb is transitive, taking two objects:
"I covered." The verb is transitive, taking a third object. "I covered" is written with a tsere under the samekh.
"And I will withhold His rivers." The rivers of the abyss, which were mentioned above as flowing around its plantation, I withheld from it, and they dried up and perished. We have already explained the parable above.
“And I will make Lebanon dark for him.” Because he compared him to the cedar of Lebanon, it says that when he fell, the trees of Lebanon became darkened over him. And in saying “I mourned, I covered myself, I abstained, and I made dark,” it is to inform us that the evil that befell him came from God, blessed be He.
“Alpah” – an adjective derived from *vayit’alef* (“and he swooned”), as in “the virgins shall swoon” (*tita’alefna habatolot*); its sense is great exertion and panic, to the point that a person cannot stand on his own. In the words of our Sages of blessed memory, “lest she swoon” (*she’ma yit’alefah*), the term *alpah* is an adjectival form of the *pa’al* stem, whose verbal form is not mentioned with the addition of a final *he*; rather, it is said as *alef* without the added *he*, as in “he ate” (*akhal*) and “he took” (*lakach*). The added *he* in it is like the added *he* in the word *ishah* (“woman”) in “to her, pure” (*lah’ tzahah*) and “fasting” (*tzomah*). And when it is stated in the singular, *alpah*, it means each and every one of the trees of the field.
Metzudat David
"On the day of his descent." On the day that I cast down Assyria into the pit of the grave, I caused the people and the abyss, which were accustomed to water him, to mourn for him. I covered him with sackcloth to mourn for him. And this is by way of a metaphor.
And I withheld. The rivers of the deep that used to water it, I withheld them, so that they would not draw [water], since there is no longer any need for them.
"And they were held back, etc.". The waters of the abyss were confined to their place and did not flow out any longer.
And I will darken it. The trees of Lebanon were blackened on account of its downfall:
“Upon him is fainting.” Because of his downfall, each of the trees fainted from the magnitude of the terror. And since he was compared to a cedar, it says that the trees of Lebanon mourned for him, meaning that all his princes and mighty men mourned for his downfall.
Metzudat Zion
Sheol. The pit of the grave:
"I mourned." The term is derived from the word for mourning (avelut).
And they imprisoned. The meaning is [of] imprisonment, and similarly [the verse states], "Imprisoned and not coming out" (Psalms 88:9).
And I will darken. The meaning is blackness, as it is written: "The sun and the moon are darkened" (Joel 2:10).
Olefa. The matter of lack of sensation and weakness, as it is said: “Your children have fainted” (Isaiah 51:20).
Malbim
Thus says the Lord: “Behold, Nebuchadnezzar conquered Nineveh in the first year of his reign, and from then on he began to conquer many nations, and they all fell into his hand, until finally he conquered Egypt and destroyed it, and this was the culmination of his wars.” The verse depicts that on the day he destroyed Assyria, it was decreed by the Lord to destroy all the kingdoms of the land that had initially been subjugated under the Assyrian monarchy. And it depicts that then, on the day of its descent to Sheol, “I mourned, I covered the deep over it.” Then the deep went into mourning; just as a mourner does not go out in public and covers his head, so too the Lord covered the face of the deep so that it would no longer go out to water the trees. And consequently, “I withheld its rivers,” which had flowed around its plantation, and “many waters were held back,” as it is stated, “And its channels were sent out to all the trees of the field.” And consequently, “I made Lebanon go dark over it”; all of Lebanon became darkened due to the scorching heat, because there were no waters, and “all the trees of the field fainted over it” due to extreme thirst, like a person who faints from heat and thirst. This means that then the flow of sustenance ceased for all the kings who had taken refuge under the shadow of Assyria, for there was no one to protect them from their oppressors.
I made the nations to shake at the sound of his fall, when I cast him down to the nether-world with them that descend into the pit; and all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, were comforted in the nether parts of the earth.
verse value 6827
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 87 letters. The shortest word is "him" (אֹת֛וֹ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·best·of·Lebanon" (וְטוֹב־לְבָנ֖וֹן, 9 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "his·fall" (מַפַּלְתּוֹ֙), "I·made·quake" (הִרְעַ֣שְׁתִּי), "in·my·casting·down" (בְּהוֹרִדִ֥י). The root ירד appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·land" (root ארץ, 176x in Ezekiel); "nations" (root גוי, 87x in Ezekiel); "water" (root מים, 38x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'pit', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 8 words.
Rashi
“And they were comforted in the land of the lower parts.” The rest of those who had descended to Gehinnom received consolation; they said, “Even this one is like us.”
Radak
“From the noise,” and they were comforted in the lower earth. They found comfort in him when he too descended to Sheol, in accordance with what Isaiah said concerning the king of Babylon: “You also have been made weak like us.”
"Choice and good from Lebanon." A construct chain attached to a construct chain, like "the number of the census of the people" and similar cases.
Metzudat David
“From the sound of his downfall”: From the hearing of the sound of his downfall, I caused the nations to tremble, for they feared that what happened to him might happen to them.
“בהורידי” – Here he explains what the downfall is, and says: “At the time of My bringing him down to Sheol, with the rest of those who descend into the pit, and he is like them.”
“And they comforted.” They received consolation in the grave: all the trees of Eden, etc. This means that the princes, who are abundant in splendor, received consolation over their death when they saw that even Ashur was smitten like them (for such is the way: when a person sees that the affliction that has befallen him has also befallen those greater than him, it is considered for him as consolation).
Metzudat Zion
"I caused trembling." The word is derived from the expression "trembling and fear."
“Those who drink water.” This means that the water waters them.
Malbim
(16-17) (Now he explains the tenor of the allegory:) “At the sound of his downfall I made the nations tremble,” for from the time that Nebuchadnezzar began to shake the land and to stir up kingdoms, “and all the trees of Eden were comforted in the nether world.” He depicts that the nations upon the earth were shaken, and the “trees of Eden” are the kings who died by the hand of the destroyer; they were comforted in the nether world (see Rashi and Radak). And he explains, “The choicest and best of Lebanon, all who drank of the waters, went down with him to Sheol,” meaning that from that time all the trees went down to Sheol, i.e., all the kingdoms were conquered and their lands were laid waste. Moreover, “the arm of Assyria,” meaning his helpers who dwelt in his shadow among the nations, they all went down to Sheol and became corpses by the sword.
They also went down into the nether-world with him to them that are slain by the sword; indeed, they that were in his arm, that dwelt under his shadow in the midst of the nations.
verse value 2598
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 46 letters. The shortest word is "with·him" (אִתּ֛וֹ, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·slain·of·sword" (אֶל־חַלְלֵי־חָ֑רֶב, 9 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "to·slain·of·sword" (אֶל־חַלְלֵי־חָ֑רֶב), "and·his·arm" (וּזְרֹע֛וֹ), "in·his·shadow" (בְצִלּ֖וֹ). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·slain·of·sword" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel); "in·midst·of" (root תוך, 111x in Ezekiel); "nations" (root גוי, 87x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·slain·of·sword', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: גַּם־הֵ֗ם [also·they] (88) + אִתּ֛וֹ [with·him] (407) + יָרְד֥וּ [they·went·down] (220) + שְׁא֖וֹלָה [to·Sheol] (342) + אֶל־חַלְלֵי־חָ֑רֶב [to·slain·of·sword] (319) + וּזְרֹע֛וֹ [and·his·arm] (289) + יָשְׁב֥וּ [they·dwelt] (318) + בְצִלּ֖וֹ [in·his·shadow] (128) + בְּת֥וֹךְ [in·midst·of] (428) + גּוֹיִֽם [nations] (59) = 2598.
Rashi
“And His arm shall dwell in His shadow.” And His helpers, who dwell in His shadow:
Radak
“Also they.” The kings who were with him were slain by the sword like him, and it says “they,” for he remembered the trees of Eden and those who drink water, and this is an allegory for kings, and it says “all who went down before him were comforted through him,” and at his death, they too died with him.
“And his arm shall dwell in his shadow, among the nations.” Those kings who were his arm and his helpers, who dwelled in his shadow among the nations, descended with him to Sheol, to the depths of the sword. And the Targum [translates]: “And his arm and his dominion were scattered from their strength, within the kingdom.”
Metzudat David
"And they too are with him." This means that the consolation should be: "Since they too have gone down to Sheol with him, among the other victims of the sword, and not they alone, for they are like him, and he is like them."
“And his arm.” Likewise, the men of his arm, his helpers, and all those who sat in his shadow and took refuge in him from among all the idolaters—they all descended to Sheol.
Metzudat Zion
And his arm. The matter of strength, meaning, his mighty ones:
To whom are you thus like in glory and in greatness among the trees of Eden? yet shall you be brought down with the trees of Eden to the nether parts of the earth; you shall lie in the midst of the uncircumcised, with them that are slain by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his multitude, says the Lord Hashem.’
verse value 6711
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 100 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִֽה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "like this" (כָּ֛כָה, 3 letters) and the longest is "with·slain·of·sword" (אֶת־חַלְלֵי־חֶ֔רֶב, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 45: like this, and·in·greatness. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "in·glory" (בְּכָב֥וֹד), "and·in·greatness" (וּבְגֹ֖דֶל), "in·trees·of·Eden" (בַּעֲצֵי־עֵ֑דֶן). The root איל appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "to·who?" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel); "my·lord" (root אדון, 222x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·trees·of·Eden', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 14 words.
Rashi
To whom are you likened? You, Pharaoh, to whom are you likened? To whom, among the trees of Eden, are you likened, that you would be so great as Assyria in honor and in stature? And yet you saw that I brought him down to Sheol, and so too will I bring you down, along with the trees of Eden, with the rest of the mighty kings.
"To a lower land": Gehinnom.
Radak
To whom are you comparable? He said, addressing Pharaoh: To whom are you comparable among all the trees of Eden? If you think that you are comparable to the king of Assyria in your greatness, who was a cedar in Lebanon, behold, Assyria has fallen; you too shall fall.
“And you shall bring down the trees of Eden.” Just as the other kings fell and descended, so too shall you descend to the lower earth.
“Among uncircumcised peoples.” They are uncircumcised in heart, and in this sense the Targum renders it as “those subject to punishment.”
It is Pharaoh. As if it said, “You are Pharaoh,” but it is the way of Scripture to speak both directly and indirectly, as in “Hear, all you peoples” (Micah 1:2) and similar verses.
Metzudat David
“Unto whom wilt thou be like?” This phrase is construed as referring back to the beginning of the matter, which stated to Pharaoh, “Unto whom wilt thou be like in thy greatness?” It is as if saying, “Was not Assyria greater than you, and what became of it?” And now it says to Pharaoh, “Unto whom wilt thou be like?”—that is, to be thus, like him, in excessive honor and great magnitude, among the trees of Eden. It is as if saying, “Even if you were compared to Assyria, which was the greatest of all, did not it too fall?”
"And you shall bring down." Therefore, you too will descend to the grave with the trees of Eden, who are the remnants of the kings.
“Among the uncircumcised.” This means among the wicked, and it is comparable to them.
You shall lie down. In the grave you shall lie down with the rest of the slain by the sword, and you will be like them.
It is Pharaoh. That one who is lying there is Pharaoh, along with all the multitude of his people.
Metzudat Zion
Thus. Likewise:
Malbim
“To whom will you be compared?” Now He concludes His words, which He said, “To whom will you be compared in your glory?” etc. “To whom will you be compared?” If you compare yourself to Assyria, for thus it was in honor and in glory among the trees of Eden; just as it was in honor and greatness among the trees of Eden, so are you in honor and greatness among the trees of Eden. This means the kings who died and are in Eden. And you shall be brought down together with the trees of Eden to the netherworld. Therefore, in this matter too, you will be compared to Assyria, that you will descend with it to the netherworld, together with all the trees of Eden. And there you will lie among the uncircumcised, and they will all recognize you and say, “This is Pharaoh and all his multitude,” for you will descend there with all your multitude. This is why He began, “To whom will you be compared in your glory?” Does He mean that you will be compared to Assyria only in your glory? No, you will be compared to it in all its circumstances: like it, you will lie among a great multitude in Sheol, and like it, you will be inscribed among them, saying, “This is Pharaoh and all his multitude,” just as Assyria is inscribed in Sheol.
Radak
Metzudat David