Carried in vision to Jerusalem, Ezekiel sees the Temple's abominations: the idol of jealousy, the elders' secret worship, the women weeping for Tammuz, the sun-worshippers.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I sat in my house, and the elders of Judah sat before me, that the hand of the Lord Hashem fell there upon me.
verse value 5327
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 77 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִֽה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "there" (שָׁ֔ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "sitting" (יוֹשְׁבִ֣ים, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "sixth" (הַשִּׁשִּׁ֗ית), "in·the·sixth" (בַּשִּׁשִּׁי֙), "in·my·house" (בְּבֵיתִ֔י). The root ששי appears 2 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "and·it·was" (root היה, 335x in Ezekiel); "upon·me" (root על, 272x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root יהודה ("Judah") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·my·face', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 6 words.
Rashi
"In the sixth year. In the exile of Jehoiachin:"
Radak
“And it came to pass in the sixth year.” This refers to the sixth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin.
"In the sixth [month]." This is the month of Elul. The author of Seder Olam wrote that this year was a leap year, for behold, he began to prophesy in the fifth year on the fifth of Tammuz, and there were another seven days during which he sat in stunned silence among them, so that was half of Tammuz. At that moment, it was said to him, "Lie on your side," for 430 days. From half of Tammuz of the fifth year until the fifth of Elul of the sixth year, even accounting for the surplus days, there are only four hundred days. How, then, could he say, "And I sat in my house"? Rather, that year was a leap year. And it appears from his words that the lying on the sides was literal in its meaning. But according to our interpretation, which we explained that it was in the prophetic vision, we do not need all this.
And the elders of Judah. They went into exile with Jehoiachin.
The Hand of the Lord. The spirit of prophecy, when it comes with strength, is called “the Hand of the Lord.” Regarding these three visions in which he saw the work of the Chariot, it is stated in them “the Hand of the Lord.” The meaning of these three visions corresponds to the three exiles: the exile of Jehoiakim, the exile of Jehoiachin, and the exile of Zedekiah. This last one corresponds to the exile of Zedekiah, in which he saw the Divine Presence departing from the Temple, and he saw the destruction of the city and the Temple. Therefore, He brought him in these visions of God to Jerusalem, so that he would see the abominations and idols in the house, because of which the Divine Presence departed from its place, and in its departure the Temple was destroyed, as it is stated in the Torah: “And I will hide My face from them,” etc., and it says: “On that day, is it not because My God is not in my midst that these evils have found me?”
Metzudat David
In the sixth year. The exile of Jehoiachin:
On the sixth month. In the sixth month:
"And the elders of Judah." These are the ones who were exiled to Babylonia.
“And it shall fall.” It settled upon me there as the power and strength of prophecy.
Metzudat Zion
“and it shall fall.” The meaning is: encampment.
Malbim
“And it came to pass in the sixth year” – behold, in the fifth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day, he saw the first vision, and after seven days He commanded him to lie on his side; the verse says “day,” and it is necessary that that year was a leap year. And after the 430 days had ended, he sat in his house, as it is stated (Ezekiel 3:26): “And I will glue your tongue to the roof of your mouth, etc., and when I speak with you I will open your mouth, etc.”
Then I beheld, and lo a likeness as the appearance of fire: from the appearance of his loins and downward, fire; and from his loins and upward, as the appearance of brightness, as the colour of electrum.
verse value 4228
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 68 letters. The shortest word is "fire" (אֵ֑שׁ, 2 letters) and the longest is "as·appearance·of·brightness" (כְּמַרְאֵה־זֹ֖הַר, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "and·from·his·loins" (וּמִמׇּתְנָ֣יו), "as·appearance·of·brightness" (כְּמַרְאֵה־זֹ֖הַר), "a shining substance" (הַחַשְׁמַֽלָה). The root מראה appears 3 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·I·saw" (root ראה, 74x in Ezekiel); "as·eye·of" (root עין, 73x in Ezekiel); "and·behold" (root הנה, 56x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'fire', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 5 words. Full calculation: וָאֶרְאֶ֗ה [and·I·saw] (213) + וְהִנֵּ֤ה [and·behold] (66) + דְמוּת֙ [likeness] (450) + כְּמַרְאֵה־אֵ֔שׁ [as·appearance·of·fire] (567) + מִמַּרְאֵ֥ה [sight] (286) + מׇתְנָ֛יו [his·loins] (506) + וּלְמַ֖טָּה [and·downward] (90) + אֵ֑שׁ [fire] (301) + וּמִמׇּתְנָ֣יו [and·from·his·loins] (552) + וּלְמַ֔עְלָה [and·upward] (181) + כְּמַרְאֵה־זֹ֖הַר [as·appearance·of·brightness] (478) + כְּעֵ֥ין [as·eye·of] (150) + הַחַשְׁמַֽלָה [a shining substance] (388) = 4228.
Rashi
From the appearance of His loins, etc. It is forbidden to ponder over this verse:
Radak
And I saw. It is explained above at the beginning of the book:
"Ha-chashmala." The letter heh is added; therefore, the word is accented on the penultimate syllable (mil'el), like "ha-sha'ar" (the gate), "ha-tachtonah" (the lower one), "mevo ha-melech" (the entrance of the king), "ha-chitzonah" (the outer one), and similar words.
Metzudat David
"And behold, a likeness." And behold, before the form, like the appearance of fire; and He returns and explains: "From the appearance of His loins and downward, like the appearance of fire."
Like the chashmalah. It is the pure and clean [light] from the fire, which the eye can only partially perceive, and it alludes to the First Cause, which cannot be grasped. Moreover, “chashmala” is a compound word: “chash” is a word meaning “be silent” and “stop your mouth from speaking about it.”
Metzudat Zion
Zohar. Illumination and rising:
Like the color of. Like a hue:
Malbim
And I saw: in the first vision, he first attained the vision of the living creatures, and afterwards the wheels, and afterwards the throne, and afterwards the fire. And now he attained them in reverse order: first the fire, and afterwards the throne (below 10:1), and afterwards the wheels (there 10:9), and afterwards the living creatures (there 10:14). Moreover, now he attained the inner essence of the fire, whereas initially he attained only the house surrounding it, as stated there [in the first vision] (1:27), and this is in accordance with what is written, “And behold, the angels of God ascending and descending on it,” meaning that initially they ascend the rungs of the ladder from below to above, from the later to the earlier, and afterwards they descend in their comprehension from the earlier to the later.
And the form of a hand was put forth, and I was taken by a lock of my head; and a spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the gate of the inner court that looks toward the north; where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provokes to jealousy.
verse value 10557
Insights
Verse structure: 27 words, 125 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִ֗ים) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "hand" (יָ֔ד, 2 letters) and the longest is "between·the·earth" (בֵּֽין־הָאָ֣רֶץ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 411: me, me. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "and·took·me" (וַיִּקָּחֵ֖נִי), "by·lock·of" (בְּצִיצִ֣ת), "between·the·earth" (בֵּֽין־הָאָ֣רֶץ). The root בין appears 2 times in this verse. 25 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "where" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel); "to·opening" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel); "and·brought" (root בוא, 175x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root שער ("gate") in Ezekiel. First appearance of the root פנימי ("inner") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'my·head', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 21 words.
Rashi
“On the corners of my head.” “In the hair of my head” – “Ploits” in the vernacular.
"In the visions of God." He showed me, as though carrying me and bringing me to Jerusalem.
The inner gate, which faces north. The gate of the Azarah, which is the inner part of the Temple Mount, and it had gates facing all its directions:
The symbol of jealousy. The form of jealousy is one who provokes and taunts the Holy One, blessed be He, for they have given it the name of jealousy toward the Holy One, blessed be He, to anger Him. And likewise the Targum: "the image of jealousy that provokes anger."
Radak
And he sent. The sender is the Divine Presence, which appears like the chashmal (electrum).
“By the tuft of my head.” This refers to the crown of the head, known in the foreign language as “pluta.” Likewise, “and they shall make for themselves tzitzit” – the tzitzit is like a branch hanging from the garment. All of this was in the vision of prophecy, for Ezekiel did not come to Jerusalem, nor did he leave his place where he was sitting in his house until the prophecy was completed, as it says, “And it brought me to Jerusalem.”
“By the visions of God.” Behold, it is stated that Jerusalem walked by the visions of God, and by that vision which was in Babylon, as it says at the end of the prophecy: “And He brought me to the exile in Babylon, by the vision, in the Spirit of God.” All of this is a sign of the exile. And the reason He brought him to Jerusalem to show him the deeds because of which the Temple was destroyed and the Divine Presence departed was therefore that He took him by the tuft of his hair, as an example: like a person who is angry with his servant and takes him by the tuft of his hair to lead him to prison. But in the vision that was a sign of the return from exile in the days of the King Messiah, He did not take him by the tuft of his hair; rather, He brought him to the Land of Israel and left him there in peace, and seated him on a very high mountain. All of this is a sign of the great exaltation that will be for Israel in that time.
“Unto the door of the inner gate.” The meaning is: the gate of the inner courtyard, which is the Azarah (the Temple Court), as it is stated in Kings: “And he built the inner courtyard.” It is called “inner” because it is inner relative to the Temple Mount, which is called the “outer” one. And in His saying “the inner,” where the adjective is mentioned with the omission of the described noun, it is like “the flock of the ewes” and “his food in health.” And the meaning of “unto the door” is: near the door.
“Turning northward.” This means that the entrance faced the north, for there were entrances in all four directions.
“Moshav” is an allusion to the symbol of jealousy that provokes jealousy. It comes in the form of words with a heh, and its grammatical rule is that “ha-mekania” follows the pattern of “mashgia la-goyim” (Job 12:23), in the sense of “he who provokes jealousy.” Its meaning is that the symbol provokes God to jealousy by being in its house, in the place of the dwelling of His glory, as it is said, “They provoked Me to jealousy with what is no god” (Deuteronomy 32:21).
Metzudat David
"And He sent." The form that he saw extended a pattern of a hand and took me by the tuft of my head:
And it lifted. The wind raised him into the air and brought him to Jerusalem.
"In the visions of God." This means that they did not actually bring them; rather, it appeared to him in the prophetic vision as though they had brought them.
The inner gate. This is the gate of the Temple Court, which is inner to the Temple Mount.
The one who turns northward. For there were four gates to the Azarah, one for each cardinal direction:
The symbol of jealousy that provokes jealousy. The idol of jealousy. And to add further explanation, he said that "that provokes jealousy" means that it provokes jealousy and angers the Omnipresent, so that He would be in the Tabernacle, His house.
Metzudat Zion
Tavnit. A form, like the pattern of the Tabernacle (Exodus 25):
"On the hair of my head." This means the hair on my head, for anything that grows from the body is called a "tzitz" (lock of hair). Similarly, it is written: "Give a tzitz to Moab" (Jeremiah 48:11).
Semel. The matter of a form, and likewise the image of every semel (Deuteronomy 4:16):
“The jealousy that instills.” The matter of anger and provocation is like [the verse]: “They made Me jealous with what is no god” (Deuteronomy 32:21).
Malbim
And He sent [Ezekiel], who saw in the prophetic vision that the Lord had sent the form of a hand and brought him in the vision to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the gate, etc., where the seat of the symbol of jealousy was. We have not found that they set up an idol in the Temple after Manasseh; he alone set up a symbol in the House of the Lord. And this sin was still preserved and not forgiven, because they did not perform complete repentance for it, as I have written (Jeremiah 15; II Kings 23). And the heretics were saying that there is a good agent and an evil agent, and they attributed the north side to the seat of the evil agent. And they brought sacrifices to appease the anger and wrath of the symbol of jealousy. And the Lord commanded to slaughter the sacrifices on the north side of the altar, before the Lord, the Owner of Mercy. And whoever sacrifices to a god shall be utterly destroyed. And as it is written in the Sifra (Leviticus, Chapter 2), it is said, “In every place an offering to the Lord,” so as not to give an opening for the heretics, and as it is stated in the book HaTorah VeHaMitzvah (ibid., Section 14). And Manasseh set up there the symbol of jealousy, and they continued to be drawn after his opinions, and their thoughts were directed toward the symbol of jealousy, which was in the north, to appease it with the sacrifices that were brought. And the Lord said to him that this symbol of jealousy is one who provokes the Lord to jealousy, through whom the Lord, the good agent, is provoked to execute judgments upon them. And the divine radiance appeared from within the fire, to indicate that by fire the Lord judges.
And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, according to the vision that I saw in the plain.
verse value 2592
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 37 letters. Verse gematria: 2592 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁ֥ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·behold·there" (וְהִ֨נֵּה־שָׁ֔ם, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "valley" (בַּבִּקְעָֽה). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel); "Israel" (root ישראל, 154x in Ezekiel); "I·have·seen" (root ראה, 74x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root בקעה ("valley") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְהִ֨נֵּה־שָׁ֔ם [and·behold·there] (406) + כְּב֖וֹד [glory] (32) + אֱלֹהֵ֣י [the·God·of] (46) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל [Israel] (541) + כַּמַּרְאֶ֕ה [as·the·vision] (266) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [that] (501) + רָאִ֖יתִי [I·have·seen] (621) + בַּבִּקְעָֽה [valley] (179) = 2592.
Radak
And behold, the Name. Just as the vision that I saw in the valley is adjacent to the adjacent [phrase], for in the valley it said, “Like the glory that I saw by the Kebar River,” and here it says, “Like the vision that I saw in the valley.”
Metzudat David
"And behold, there." When I came to that gate, I saw there the Glory of the Lord, like the vision that I saw in the valley, and there it is stated: "like the Glory that I saw by the River Chebar" (above 3:23).
Then said He to me: ‘Son of man, lift up your eyes now the way toward the north.’ So I lifted up mine eyes the way toward the north, and behold northward of the gate of the altar this image of jealousy in the entry.
verse value 3577
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 79 letters. The shortest word is "to·me" (אֵלַ֔י, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·said" (וַיֹּ֣אמֶר, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 231: north, north. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "lift·now" (שָׂא־נָ֥א), "in·the·entrance" (בַּבִּאָֽה). The root צפון appears 3 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "to·me" (root אל, 204x in Ezekiel); "in·the·entrance" (root בוא, 175x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'north', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 12 words.
Rashi
“Lift up your eyes and look northward.” This refers to the Temple Mount, outside the Azarah (the Court), for he was standing at the northern gate of the Azarah, on the outside; and “northward” means toward the gate that is outside the Azarah.
North of the altar gate. On the Temple Mount, north of that northern gate of the Court, and I say that this gate was aligned opposite the altar.
“Bavah.” When a person comes to enter the Azarah, he finds there the “Bavah,” which is the term “Alantriah” in the vernacular.
Radak
"And He said to me, 'And behold, north of the gate of the altar.' This is the northern gate, in which is the altar that they built to support this symbol of jealousy; therefore He said, 'the gate of the altar.' And 'from the north' lay to the north of that gate, where this symbol stood."
Regarding "entry": This means upon entering the gate from the outside into the Temple Mount. And the Targum translates it as "the altar" (medbacha). If so, his understanding was that it referred to the altar of the Temple, the altar for the burnt offering, which was located outside the entrance to the Hall. And perhaps opposite that altar was the gate of the Court from the north. And if his understanding had been as we explained, he would have translated it as "the courtyard" (agora). And perhaps his understanding was indeed as we explained, for sometimes he also translates the altar of the idols as "the altar" (medbacha).
Metzudat David
"Towards the north." – In the direction of the north.
North of the gate of the altar. The northern gate is called the gate of the altar because it was aligned opposite the altar, and from the north of the gate, outside it, in the space of the Temple Mount, was the seat of this symbol of jealousy.
“Baba.” When a person comes to enter the Temple Court, they find him on the way of his entrance:
Malbim
This symbol of jealousy, at the entrance – they intended that the image should stand at the entrance, so that it would not enter inside to be jealous of them and to destroy them, for the sacrifices were offered to it in order that it would distance itself from them and not do harm.
And He said to me: ‘Son of man, do you see what they do? even the great abominations that the house of Israel do commit here, that I should go far off from My sanctuary? but you shall again see yet greater abominations.’
verse value 8557
Insights
Verse structure: 24 words, 95 letters. Notable word values: "and·still" (וְעוֹד֙) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "what" (מָ֣ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "abominations" (תּוֹעֵב֨וֹת, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 884: abominations, abominations. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "that·sees" (הֲרֹאֶ֥ה), "to·go·far" (לְרׇֽחֳקָה֙). The root ראה appears 2 times in this verse. 19 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "that" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel); "from·upon" (root על, 272x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root מה ("what") in Ezekiel. First appearance of the root רחק ("to·go·far") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'doing', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 15 words.
Rashi
“To distance it from My sanctuary.” In order that I may be distant from My sanctuary.
Radak
And He said to me, "What are they?" So it is written as one word, but it is read as two words, "What are they." This is one of the fifteen words that are written as one word but are read as two words.
“Lerachoka.” The chet is with a chataf-kamats to facilitate the reading, and its rule is according to the custom: “lerachoka” follows the pattern of nechoshet lerachatzah [bronze, for washing]; and its meaning is “to keep far away,” and its interpretation is: “In order that I may distance Myself from My sanctuaries; they commit the abominations in My sanctuaries, before Me.”
Metzudat David
"Do you see?" — the "he" is a question, for he asked him whether he sees what they are doing.
"Great abominations, etc." This means that the great abominations which they are committing here, namely the setting up of the idol, their intention is to drive Me away from My Sanctuary, for I will not allow My Divine Presence to dwell in a place where an idol stands.
And further, etc. And besides this, it is important to behold great abominations greater than this:
Malbim
"Do you see" – this means to say that the abominations they perform here, they do so in order to distance them from My sanctuary, so that the evil deed may be removed; and for this purpose their service here is to remove jealousy. And by this they truly distance the Lord. Moreover, you will see again that they perform great abominations for other purposes, to draw down upon themselves goodness and abundance from the system, according to their understanding.
And He brought me to the door of the court; and when I looked, behold a hole in the wall.
verse value 2064
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 34 letters. Verse gematria: 2064 is divisible by 86, the value of Elohim. The shortest word is "me" (אֹתִ֖י, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·opening" (אֶל־פֶּ֣תַח, 5 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "hole·one" (חֹר־אֶחָ֖ד). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·opening" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel); "and·brought" (root בוא, 175x in Ezekiel); "and·I·saw" (root ראה, 74x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root חצר ("court") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'court', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיָּבֵ֥א [and·brought] (19) + אֹתִ֖י [me] (411) + אֶל־פֶּ֣תַח [to·opening] (519) + הֶחָצֵ֑ר [court] (303) + וָאֶרְאֶ֕ה [and·I·saw] (213) + וְהִנֵּ֥ה [and·behold] (66) + חֹר־אֶחָ֖ד [hole·one] (221) + בַּקִּֽיר [in·the·wall] (312) = 2064.
Rashi
“Unto the door of the court.” He brought me even to the door of that very gate itself.
One hole in the wall. The wall of the Azarah (Court):
Radak
"And He brought me to the entrance of the courtyard." This is the entrance that was previously mentioned; however, initially He brought him close to the gate from the outside, and now He brought him within the entrance. He [Ezekiel] saw in the wall of the chamber adjacent to the gate entrance, from the inside, a single hole in the wall. He [Ezekiel] dug through the wall until the hole became an opening through which a person could enter. He saw the images engraved on the wall, to whom they were worshiping. This vision serves as an allegory: the digging through the wall signifies the breaching of the city. Due to the sin of the gentiles who worshiped there, the enemies will dig through the walls of Jerusalem’s fortifications and breach them, so that they may enter. The matter of the hole that existed prior to the digging alludes to the siege and the trench that were constructed against it beforehand.
Metzudat David
“Unto the door.” In the space of the door; for initially they brought it to the door from the outside, and now they brought it into the space of the door.
"Upon the wall." There was a hole in one of the walls of the Temple Court.
Metzudat Zion
Hole. Viper (Isaiah 11):
In a wall. In a wall:
Malbim
"And He brought me to the gate of the courtyard" – this is the gate of the Temple Mount; "and he saw a hole in the wall."
Then said He to me: ‘Son of man, dig now in the wall’; and when I had dug in the wall, behold a door.
verse value 2860
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 41 letters. Notable word values: "one" (אֶחָֽד) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). Verse gematria: 2860 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "to·me" (אֵלַ֔י, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·said" (וַיֹּ֣אמֶר, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 312: in·the·wall, in·the·wall. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "dig·now" (חֲתׇר־נָ֣א), "and·I·dug" (וָאֶחְתֹּ֣ר). The root חתר appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "to·me" (root אל, 204x in Ezekiel); "son·of·man" (root בין, 145x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root חתר ("dig·now") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·wall', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֣אמֶר [and·said] (257) + אֵלַ֔י [to·me] (41) + בֶּן־אָדָ֖ם [son·of·man] (97) + חֲתׇר־נָ֣א [dig·now] (659) + בַקִּ֑יר [in·the·wall] (312) + וָאֶחְתֹּ֣ר [and·I·dug] (615) + בַּקִּ֔יר [in·the·wall] (312) + וְהִנֵּ֖ה [and·behold] (66) + פֶּ֥תַח [opening] (488) + אֶחָֽד [one] (13) = 2860.
Rashi
“Dig, I pray you, into the wall, and enlarge the hole.”
And behold, there was one opening. Through the hole I saw an entrance to a single chamber:
Metzudat David
“Dig, I pray, in the wall.” Now, dig in the wall at the place of the hole to enlarge the hole.
And behold, there was one opening. This means: I found that there was one opening leading into a single chamber.
Metzudat Zion
"חתר" (chatar): The meaning is digging, as in "they dig through houses in the dark" (Job 24:16).
Na. Now:
Malbim
And I dug: it appeared to him that by means of his digging an opening was made.
And He said to me: ‘Go in, and see the wicked abominations that they do here.’
verse value 3535
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 39 letters. The shortest word is "go" (בֹּ֤א, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·abominations" (אֶת־הַתּוֹעֵב֣וֹת, 9 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "wicked" (הָרָע֔וֹת). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "that" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel); "doing" (root עשה, 214x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·me', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 8 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֖אמֶר [and·said] (257) + אֵלָ֑י [to·me] (41) + בֹּ֤א [go] (3) + וּרְאֵה֙ [and·see] (212) + אֶת־הַתּוֹעֵב֣וֹת [the·abominations] (1290) + הָרָע֔וֹת [wicked] (681) + אֲשֶׁ֛ר [that] (501) + הֵ֥ם [abundance] (45) + עֹשִׂ֖ים [doing] (420) + פֹּֽה [here] (85) = 3535.
Metzudat David
Come: The way of the entrance, and see, etc.
Malbim
"And He said to me" indicates that this generation performed their deeds in darkness and served idolatry in secret, and the Lord revealed their secrets to him, as if he had tunneled through a subterranean passage and found the entrance to see their deeds. Regarding this, [Jeremiah] alluded, saying, "I did not find them in a subterranean passage" (Jeremiah 2:34), because it seemed to them that the prophet was tunneling to discover their hidden inner thoughts.
So I went in and saw; and behold every detestable form of creeping things and beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, portrayed upon the wall round about.
verse value 4099
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 66 letters. The shortest word is "creeping·things" (רֶ֤מֶשׂ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·all·idols·of" (וְכׇל־גִּלּוּלֵ֖י, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 74: around, around. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "all·pattern" (כׇל־תַּבְנִ֜ית), "creeping·things" (רֶ֤מֶשׂ), "something·detestable" (שֶׁ֔קֶץ). The root סביב appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·I·came" (root בוא, 175x in Ezekiel); "the·house·of" (root בית, 159x in Ezekiel); "Israel" (root ישראל, 154x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root רמש ("creeping·things") in Ezekiel. First appearance of the root בהמה ("and·cattle") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 4 words. Full calculation: וָאָבוֹא֮ [and·I·came] (16) + וָאֶרְאֶה֒ [and·I·saw] (213) + וְהִנֵּ֨ה [and·behold] (66) + כׇל־תַּבְנִ֜ית [all·pattern] (912) + רֶ֤מֶשׂ [creeping·things] (540) + וּבְהֵמָה֙ [and·cattle] (58) + שֶׁ֔קֶץ [something·detestable] (490) + וְכׇל־גִּלּוּלֵ֖י [and·all·idols·of] (135) + בֵּ֣ית [the·house·of] (412) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל [Israel] (541) + מְחֻקֶּ֥ה [utterlied·destroy] (153) + עַל־הַקִּ֖יר [upon·the·wall] (415) + סָבִ֥יב [around] (74) + סָבִֽיב [around] (74) = 4099.
Rashi
"Detestable thing." [Images] made for the abomination of idol-worship.
Engraved: "Engraved on the wall:"
Radak
And I came, [to find them] scratching on the wall. Just as it says "engraved," for "chakak" and "chakah" mean the same thing, and it says "mechukah" in the singular form referring to the collective, and included in this are all the idols of the House of Israel, namely the men who scratch on the wall, the images of the Chaldeans, which are mentioned below in the portion of the two women.
Metzudat David
“Every form.” This means every species of creeping thing, etc.
"And all their idols." And all the other idols of the House of Israel that they shall serve to them:
"Machokah." Each of them was inscribed on the wall surrounding that chamber:
Metzudat Zion
Tavnit. Likeness:
Remes. Thus, small creatures with short legs, whose gait is not discernible, are called "remes." And similarly, "every creeping thing that lives" (Genesis 9:3).
"Shakets." It is like "sheretz."
Mechukah. From the language of "engraving":
Malbim
"And I came" is likened to one who enters through the doorway and sees that each of them had inscribed on the wall all kinds of idolatry and all kinds of graven images.
And there stood before them seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel, and in the midst of them stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan, every man with his censer in his hand; and a thick cloud of incense went up.
verse value 6196
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 83 letters. The shortest word is "man" (אִ֣ישׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "house·of·Israel" (בֵֽית־יִ֠שְׂרָאֵ֠ל, 8 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "seventy" (וְשִׁבְעִ֣ים), "and·Jaazaniah" (וְיַאֲזַנְיָ֨הוּ), "son·of·Shaphan" (בֶן־שָׁפָ֜ן). The root איש appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "house·of·Israel" (root בית, 159x in Ezekiel); "before·them" (root פנים, 150x in Ezekiel); "son·of·Shaphan" (root בין, 145x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root קטרת ("cloud·of·the·incense") in Ezekiel. First appearance of the root עלה ("going·up") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·his·hand', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 3 words.
Rashi
And Jaazaniah son of Shaphan. He was a distinguished man, and the scholars of his generation learned from him; therefore, he was strict with himself.
And the cloud of incense was abundant. [The word עתר is] equivalent to the smoke of the cloud of incense, and the term עתר means abundance, as in, "and you have multiplied your words against Me" (below 35), and likewise, "and the kisses of an enemy are profuse" (Proverbs 24), and so did Menachem link all three together as one, and their meaning is abundant, though each is expressed according to human idiom.
Radak
“And seventy men.” [This refers to] the Seventy [Member] Sanhedrin, to show him what God had originally granted them, that there should be over them seventy elders to teach them the good way. Yet they were misleading them, as Isaiah said: “My people, those who call you blessed are misleading you” (Isaiah 3:12).
And Jaazaniah son of Shaphan. He was the greatest among them all:
"His censer." The fire pan is called a censer because incense is kindled in it.
"And the cloud of the incense." The thickness of the cloud was due to the many censers of the priests, who were numerous, and also due to the many worshippers, who were likewise numerous, as it is stated, "And the cloud of smoke was thick because of the multitude." Similarly, "Your supplication" refers to the thickness and multitude of your words.
Metzudat David
"Jaazaniah." He was the head over all of them.
They were standing. They used to stand before those forms, and each man had in his hand the fire pan with which he would offer incense, and the greater part of the smoke of the incense would ascend upward.
Metzudat Zion
“His censer.” The pan in which they burn incense.
And "u'tater." The meaning is one of abundance, as in "the abundance of peace" (Jeremiah 33:6):
Cloud. Smoke:
Malbim
And seventy men, who are the Sanhedrin, and Jaazaniah, who was the head of the Sanhedrin, were standing before them, before the idols, and burning incense before them.
Then said He to me: ‘Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in his chambers of imagery? for they say: Hashem sees us not, Hashem has forsaken the land.’
verse value 6566
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 89 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "house·of·Israel" (בֵֽית־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 26: Hashem, Hashem. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "in·the·darkness" (בַּחֹ֔שֶׁךְ), "in·the·chambers·of" (בְּחַדְרֵ֣י), "his·imagery" (מַשְׂכִּית֑וֹ). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "and·said" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "what" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root חשך ("in·the·darkness") in Ezekiel. First appearance of the root עזב ("he·forsook") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·imagery', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 9 words.
Rashi
"Within the chambers of its sanctuary." Covered (mesukhah) with a pavement of marble stones, as in "ve-sakkoti khappi" (and I will cover you with My hand, Exodus 33:22):
Radak
“And He said, ‘In darkness.’” For they used to think that the Divine does not see what they do in the darkness of their inner chambers. In response to this, David said, “Even the darkness is not dark to You.” Furthermore, they used to say, “The Lord has forsaken the land,” meaning that He does not attend at all to the lower realms, but only to the upper realms, namely the celestial spheres and the angels. However, regarding the affairs of the land, He does not attend at all, for He has abandoned it to human beings, so that they may do in it as they please. This is similar to what the wicked of the world used to say: “Thick clouds are a hiding place for Him, and He does not see; He walks about in the vault of heaven.”
Metzudat David
Have you seen? If you had seen, it is as if one were to say: you would have been even more astonished if you had seen what they do in the dark, meaning, in secret, in a concealed place, each in the inner chamber of his dwelling. For since these are most indecent deeds, they hide themselves from human beings at the time they perform them, yet they do not fear the Lord, for they say that the Lord does not see the deeds of mankind, for He has abandoned the earth into the hands of the celestial host and does not oversee it.
Metzudat Zion
משכיתו. The word is related to סכך (to cover), and it means paved with a stone floor. And similarly, “And the wall is raised up with its paving” (Proverbs 18:11), for the way is to make a stone floor in a hidden chamber, for there one hides the treasure.
Malbim
Have you seen what each one does in his house in secret, thinking that the Lord has abandoned the land to the heavenly host and does not see or pay attention? And therefore they will serve idols to gain favor from the princes of the heavenly host and the armies of the celestial sphere:
Then He brought me to the door of the gate of Hashem’S house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat the women weeping for Tammuz.
verse value 5581
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 61 letters. The shortest word is "me" (אֹתִ֗י, 3 letters) and the longest is "toward·the·north" (אֶל־הַצָּפ֑וֹנָה, 8 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "toward·the·north" (אֶל־הַצָּפ֑וֹנָה), "the·women" (הַנָּשִׁ֣ים), "sitting" (יֹשְׁב֔וֹת). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "house·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "which" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel); "to·opening" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root בכה ("weeping") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'toward·the·north', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיָּבֵ֣א [and·brought] (19) + אֹתִ֗י [me] (411) + אֶל־פֶּ֙תַח֙ [to·opening] (519) + שַׁ֣עַר [gate] (570) + בֵּית־יְהֹוָ֔ה [house·of·Hashem] (438) + אֲשֶׁ֖ר [which] (501) + אֶל־הַצָּפ֑וֹנָה [toward·the·north] (267) + וְהִנֵּה־שָׁם֙ [and·behold·there] (406) + הַנָּשִׁ֣ים [the·women] (405) + יֹשְׁב֔וֹת [sitting] (718) + מְבַכּ֖וֹת [weeping] (468) + אֶת־הַתַּמּֽוּז [Tammuz] (859) = 5581.
Rashi
“Unto the gate of the house of the Lord.” Within the open space of the Temple Court, at the entrance to the Sanctuary which was in the north. As the Master said: There were two small doors in the Chamber of the Exchange, one in the north and one in the south.
“From the weeping of Tammuz.” The image of one who heats it from within, and the eyes of the idol were of lead, and they melted from the heat of the burning, and it appeared as though it were weeping, and it says: “He asks for a near-offering.”
Tammuz. A term denoting heating, as in “as was fit to heat it” (Daniel 3:19), and “and the furnace was heated” (ibid.).
From the weeping for Tammuz. Poyshent florir l'al kalpits in the foreign language:
Radak
“And He brought me to the gate of the House of the Lord which faces north.” This is the gate of the cell, which is also called the side-chamber and the gallery, which is in the outer wall of the Temple, as we have explained in the Book of Kings. And those [cells] that were in the northern wall were open to the north of the Temple Court, which is the inner courtyard.
“Mevakot et Tammuz.” Some explain that “mevakot” is a euphemism, meaning that they rejoiced Tammuz; in the month of Tammuz they would hold a festival for idolatry, and the women would come to rejoice him. And there are those who say that they devised schemes to bring tears to the eyes of the idolatry called Tammuz, and he would weep, meaning that he would ask that they serve him. And there are those who explain that “Tammuz” refers to the burned one, from the phrase “lamza la’atona,” meaning that they would weep for the one who was burned, for they would burn their sons and daughters in fire, and the women would weep for them.
"Tammuz" – from the root meaning "to mourn," like Rachel weeping for her children. The great, wise rabbi, our master Moses ben Maimon, of blessed memory, wrote that it is recorded in the books of the ancient idolatrous works that there was a man among the prophets of the nations, and his name was Tammuz. He summoned a certain king and commanded him to worship the seven wandering stars and the twelve zodiac signs. That king put him to death in an unusual manner. On the night of his death, all the idols from the ends of the earth gathered to the temple in Babylon, to the golden image, which was an image of the sun. This image was suspended between heaven and earth, and it fell into the temple, with all the idols around it. It told them what had happened to the prophet Tammuz, and all the idols wept and mourned all night long. When morning came, all the idols flew back to their temples at the ends of the earth. This became for them an eternal statute: at the beginning of the first day of the month of Tammuz, every year, they would mourn and weep for Tammuz. Some commentators explain that Tammuz is the name of a beast whose image they worshipped. The Targum translates [the verse] "wildcats shall meet the hyenas" as "the Tammuzim shall encounter among the dens." In most manuscripts, Tammuz is written with two vavs. And what He showed him in these visions, "the door of the north," hinted to him that evil would come upon them from the north.
Metzudat David
"The gate of the House of the Lord." This is the gate of the Temple, and it goes on to explain "which is toward the north," meaning toward the northern recess, for the great gate had two recesses, one in its north and one in its south.
“Mevakot et ha-Tammuz” – This is the name of a pagan deity. Women would heat it from within, and its eyes were made of lead; the heat of the heating would melt them, so it appeared to onlookers as though it were weeping and shedding tears. And they would say that it was asking for sacrifices.
Metzudat Zion
From weeping. The word is derived from the root "bakiya" (weeping).
Tammuz. This is its name, named after the heating that is done in it, like “to the furnace” (Daniel 3).
Malbim
“The entrance of the gate” – Rashi explains: “In the northern chambers of the Temple Court.” And so forth, “weeping for Tammuz” – he explained in the Guide that he found in the books of the Sabians that there was a man among the prophets of idolatry named Tammuz, who called upon one king to worship the planets and the constellations, and they commanded that he be put to death by a strange death. And on the night of his death, all the idols from all the ends of the earth gathered to the temple in Babylon to the golden statue, which was the statue of the sun, and they mourned for Tammuz. And this became for them a statute to weep on the first of Tammuz for the death of the prophet Tammuz. And also, because they showed him the service of the king, which was also for the sun, for they heated the statue with fire, and “Tammuz” is the Aramaic term for heating, and they place their children upon the statue, and they weep at the sound of their children’s cries.
Then said He to me: ‘Have you seen this, O son of man? you shall again see yet greater abominations than these.’
verse value 3808
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 44 letters. The shortest word is "to·me" (אֵלַ֖י, 3 letters) and the longest is "abominations" (תּוֹעֵב֖וֹת, 6 letters). The root ראה appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "to·me" (root אל, 204x in Ezekiel); "son·of·man" (root בין, 145x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'son·of·man', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֥אמֶר [and·said] (257) + אֵלַ֖י [to·me] (41) + הֲרָאִ֣יתָ [you·saw] (616) + בֶן־אָדָ֑ם [son·of·man] (97) + ע֣וֹד [again] (80) + תָּשׁ֥וּב [you·will·return] (708) + תִּרְאֶ֛ה [you·shall·see] (606) + תּוֹעֵב֖וֹת [abominations] (884) + גְּדֹל֥וֹת [great] (443) + מֵאֵֽלֶּה [than·these] (76) = 3808.
Radak
And He said, “Greater than these.” He came, as above, and did not say “greater than these” because those abominations were equal; rather, these were greater than the others, for these had their backs toward the Temple of the Lord and their faces eastward, and they were acting contrary to the Divine design. For it was with this intention that God commanded the entrance of the Tabernacle to face east and the Holy of Holies to face west, in order to nullify the sun worship that was customary at that time, so that upon entering the Tabernacle, their backs would be toward the sun, thereby erasing that belief from their hearts. And likewise, He commanded this for the eternal Temple. But now they abolished the commandment and its intent, and turned their faces away from the service of God and from prostrating themselves opposite His Holy House, and returned to sun worship and prostrating themselves to it. And in the words of our Sages of blessed memory: From the mere implication of the verse “and their faces were eastward,” I would not know that their backs were toward the Temple of the Lord; rather, it teaches that they were sticking out their backs downward.
Metzudat David
"Have you seen?" With a questionative heh, for they asked whether He had taken heed to see.
From these. Which you have already seen:
Malbim
And he brought me into the inner court of the House of the Lord, which is the entrance to the Temple. And behold, their backs were toward the Temple of the Lord, for the Lord commanded that the entrance of the Temple be in the east and the Holy of Holies in the west, so that they would worship toward the west, thereby nullifying the views of the sun-worshippers who bow toward the east. But they turned their faces toward the east, toward the worship of the sun, and their backs toward the Temple of the Lord. This was the greatest abomination, for they had completely abandoned the Lord, turning their backs away. The word "they were bowing" is a compound of "bowing" and "corruption," for they were corrupting their ways by facing eastward, since the worship of the sun also involved the worship of Peor and sexual immorality, to corrupt.
And He brought me into the inner court of Hashem’S house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of Hashem, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of Hashem, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east.
verse value 6826
Insights
Verse structure: 24 words, 118 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "me" (אֹתִ֗י, 3 letters) and the longest is "bowing·down" (מִשְׁתַּחֲוִיתֶ֥ם, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 149: east, east. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "and·behold·opening·of" (וְהִנֵּה־פֶ֜תַח), "palace" (הֵיכַ֣ל), "about·twenty" (כְּעֶשְׂרִ֥ים). The root יהוה appears 3 times in this verse. 19 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "house·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "into·court" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel); "and·brought" (root בוא, 175x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root היכל ("palace") in Ezekiel. First appearance of the root אולם ("porch") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'man', dividing the verse into phrases of 15 and 9 words.
Rashi
"And He brought me to the inner court of the House of the Lord." This is the Azarah, for the Temple Mount is called the Outer Court, and until now he had been standing within it; rather, he entered through the northern gate, and He showed him in the Chamber of the Changes the form of the image of Tammuz, and then He turned and led him to the east, before the Temple and the Altar.
"And their faces were toward the east, etc." From the implication of what is stated, "And their faces were toward the east," I would know that their backs were toward the Temple; rather, the verse comes to inform us that their backs were exposed, for they were exposing themselves and defecating downward.
"mishchatvim" – It serves in two words as a term of destruction and as a term of prostration. So it is in the Jerusalem Talmud: "They destroyed the Temple and prostrated themselves to the sun." And so does the Targum: "And they were destroying and worshipping." And Menachem linked it to the word "shachuch," like "shachah" and "ne'evrah" (Isaiah 51:23).
Radak
“And He brought me to the inner court of the House of the Lord.” This is the same court that was mentioned earlier, but He moved him from one place to another within the court, because previously he was on the northern side, at the entrance of the chamber, as we have explained; and now He brought him to the east of the Temple, and he saw outside the entrance of the Temple, between the Ulam (porch) and the altar, for the altar of the burnt-offering was situated in front of the Ulam in the Azarah (Court).
“mishṭaḥaviytem” – This word is a compound of “mishṭaḥavim” and “hishṭaḥavitem.” The meaning of this compound is that the prophet said: “For I found these people prostrating themselves toward the east to the sun,” and he said to those entering, “Have you prostrated yourselves?” in the form of a question. And Yonatan interpreted the compound word as being composed of “meshḥitim” and “mishṭaḥavim,” which he rendered as “metḥavlan v’sagidin” (those who destroy and those who prostrate). Similarly, in the words of our Sages: “They destroy the Temple and they prostrate themselves to the sun.”
Metzudat David
“Into the inner courtyard of the House of the Lord.” This means the inner courtyard of the House of the Lord, which is the Court of the Priests.
“the entrance of the Temple of the Lord.” This means opposite the entrance of the Temple, in the open space of the Temple Court, between the porch and the altar.
"About twenty." This means that approximately twenty-five men stood.
You shall prostrate yourselves. This is a compound word, consisting of "destruction" and "prostration," and the meaning is that they were destroying the Temple to desecrate it, for they turned their backs toward it and broke wind, and they were prostrating themselves to the sun.
Then He said to me: ‘Have you seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here in that they fill the land with violence, and provoke Me still more, and, lo, they put the branch to their nose?
verse value 7532
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 103 letters. The shortest word is "to·me" (אֵלַי֮, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·abominations" (אֶת־הַתּוֹעֵב֖וֹת, 9 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "is·it·slight" (הֲנָקֵל֙), "from·doing" (מֵעֲשׂ֕וֹת), "they·commit·here" (עָשׂוּ־פֹ֑ה). The root עשה appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "which" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel); "to·their·nose" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root כעס ("to·provoke·me") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·commit·here', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 9 words.
Rashi
"The matter is light in the house of Judah." Is it a small matter for them? And the other transgressions in their hand were light in their eyes.
“From doing the abominations. If they had ceased from doing all the abominations that they did in My house here:”
For they have filled the land with violence. And that sin was light in their eyes, and they returned to provoke Me to anger within My house with these abominations.
And they send the branch to their nose. And behold, they send to their nostrils the foul odor of this branch which they are pruning with the breath that comes forth from their mouth, namely, their shame; this shall return upon their faces. And Menachem explains: “And they send the branch to their nose” denotes a matter of defect and disgrace. According to his interpretation, he equates “the smell of their incense” and “the anger of their sacrifice” with “a pleasing odor” as referring to the work of defect, perforations, and their backs toward the Temple of the Lord, which indicates the matter.
Radak
“And He said... Is it a light thing [hanakel].” With a tsere, it is a nifal past-tense verb or an adjective. He says: Is it considered light in their eyes to commit the abominations that they have committed here?
"For they filled the land with violence. Until they returned to provoke Me in My house:"
And behold, they send the branch to their nose. And behold, they burn incense in My house and send the smoke of their incense to My face, besides the disgrace they do to Me by turning their backs to My Temple.
"The branch." The interpretation is that it refers to a foul odor, and this is a euphemism for the incense that they burned, which is a sneeze from below. Therefore, the Targum renders it as "they bring shame to their faces," and the translation Jonathan renders it as "they were ashamed in their faces," which is the place of shame.
“Even their wrath.” The verse intends to say “My nostril,” but the Scripture euphemistically wrote it as “their wrath”; this is one of the eighteen scribal emendations (tikkun sofrim).
Metzudat David
"Have you shown." With a questionative he:
The easy matter. This means that it was easy for the House of Judah regarding the deeds they had committed before, without committing these abominations that they committed here, as if to say, was it not enough for them what they had done before?
And they returned to provoke Me. In these abominations:
“And they shall send.” And behold, now they send to their nostrils the foul odor of the wind that issues from the anus when they fart, and this is the correction of the Scribes, which is fitting for My nostrils.
Metzudat Zion
The easy matter. The letter he comes in place of "asher" (that/which), and similarly, "halekhah oto" (Joshua 10:24).
"From doing." With the mem of negation, and it means "without doing." And similarly, "from raining upon him rain" (Isaiah 5:6).
The branch. From the root zamar:
Their nose. Their nostrils:
Malbim
And it says, “Is it a light thing for the house of Judah,” meaning that this sin is considered light in their estimation, for they added to their sin also between man and his fellow, in that they filled the land with violence and returned to provoke Me with further transgressions. And behold, they send forth [the branch]; besides this, they are killing one another in anger and fury, as will be explained (in chapter 21) that most of those slain among them were killed by one another during the siege, when there was hatred and war among them. And “to their anger and fury” they send forth the vine, namely, the sword that prunes and cuts off all the branches of the forest. And in the next chapter, the matter will be explained as to how they pruned and cut down one another.
Therefore will I also deal in fury; Mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity; and though they cry in Mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them.’
verse value 2759
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 59 letters. The shortest word is "and·not" (וְלֹ֣א, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·also·I" (וְגַם־אֲנִי֙, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 37: and·not, and·not. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "I·will·hear" (אֶשְׁמַ֖ע). The root לא appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "I·will·do" (root עשה, 214x in Ezekiel); "and·not" (root לא, 213x in Ezekiel); "and·also·I" (root אני, 166x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root קרא ("and·they·proclaimed") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'I·will·spare', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 7 words. Full calculation: וְגַם־אֲנִי֙ [and·also·I] (110) + אֶעֱשֶׂ֣ה [I·will·do] (376) + בְחֵמָ֔ה [in·wrath] (55) + לֹא־תָח֥וֹס [not·shall·spare] (505) + עֵינִ֖י [my·eye] (140) + וְלֹ֣א [and·not] (37) + אֶחְמֹ֑ל [I·will·spare] (79) + וְקָרְא֤וּ [and·they·proclaimed] (313) + בְאׇזְנַי֙ [in·my·ears] (70) + ק֣וֹל [voice] (136) + גָּד֔וֹל [loud] (43) + וְלֹ֥א [and·not] (37) + אֶשְׁמַ֖ע [I·will·hear] (411) + אוֹתָֽם [them] (447) = 2759.
Radak
And I as well. It is clear:
Metzudat David
“And I also, etc.” – The meaning is: Just as they act improperly, so too I will act improperly in wrath, for I will not spare, etc.
And they shall call it in My ears. At the time when the judgment of retribution comes upon them:
Malbim
And I too will act in fury, just as they act in anger and fury, so will I act.
Rashi
Radak
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim