Then he called in mine ears with a loud voice, saying: ‘Cause you them that have charge over the city to draw near, every man with his destroying weapon in his hand.’
verse value 3173
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 50 letters. The shortest word is "voice" (ק֤וֹל, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·called" (וַיִּקְרָ֣א, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 317: and·called, and·man. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "his·destruction" (מַשְׁחֵת֖וֹ). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "and·man" (root איש, 84x in Ezekiel); "in·his·hand" (root יד, 75x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root קרב ("midst") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·city', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיִּקְרָ֣א [and·called] (317) + בְאׇזְנַ֗י [in·my·ears] (70) + ק֤וֹל [voice] (136) + גָּדוֹל֙ [loud] (43) + לֵאמֹ֔ר [saying] (271) + קָרְב֖וּ [midst] (308) + פְּקֻדּ֣וֹת [overseers·of] (590) + הָעִ֑יר [the·city] (285) + וְאִ֛ישׁ [and·man] (317) + כְּלִ֥י [vessel·of] (60) + מַשְׁחֵת֖וֹ [his·destruction] (754) + בְּיָדֽוֹ [in·his·hand] (22) = 3173.
Rashi
The appointed ones of the city have drawn near. Bring forth the appointed ones whom I have appointed to destroy the city:
Radak
And He called: “The appointed officers of the city.” These are the men appointed over the men of the army, as it is also written, “And the priest appointed officers over the house of the Lord” (2 Kings 25:18). The verse “And he set the appointed officers of the city” (2 Kings 25:23) indicates that those who came into the city first were the appointed officers, and the army followed them. These are the appointed officers of the city, as it is clear that there were six men, and the seventh among them was the king’s scribe. These are the seven princes who came into the city when it was captured, as stated in the Book of Jeremiah: “Nergal-sharezer, Samgar-nebo, Sarsechim, Rab-saris, Nergal-sharezer, Rab-mag” (Jeremiah 39:3). Although they are eight in number, the first one was the officer over the seven and was not counted among them. And God, blessed be He, showed him in a prophetic vision that in this manner Jerusalem would be captured.
"Each man, his weapon of destruction," The word *keli* is vocalized with a *hireq*, because it is singular; and likewise, *keli* in the phrase "his maul."
"His weapon of destruction." In Tzri, it is a proper name, and similarly, "Shem" is a proper name, but "hu" is with a hireq. "You shall kill" – for the destroyer; "the smiths" – of the destroyer.
Metzudat David
And He called out. A great voice called into my ears:
Draw near, you appointed ones of the city. You, who are appointed over the city to destroy it, draw near and come, and each one should bring in his hand the instrument designated for him to effect its destruction.
Metzudat Zion
"Pekudot." From the word "pekid" and "memuneh":
Malbim
"Approach!" — Draw near, you appointed ones of the city; see that the Lord appointed destroyers to devastate the city, and He called to them to draw near, to guard and to cut off with their instruments of destruction.
And, behold, six men came from the way of the upper gate, which lies toward the north, every man with his weapon of destruction in his hand; and one man in the midst of them clothed in linen, with a writer’s inkhorn on his side. And they went in, and stood beside the brazen altar.
verse value 7359
Insights
Verse structure: 25 words, 112 letters. The shortest word is "six" (שִׁשָּׁ֣ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "from·way·of·gate" (מִדֶּרֶךְ־שַׁ֨עַר, 7 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "from·way·of·gate" (מִדֶּרֶךְ־שַׁ֨עַר), "the·upper" (הָעֶלְי֜וֹן), "turned" (מׇפְנֶ֣ה). The root איש appears 3 times in this verse. 22 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "which" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel); "going·in" (root בוא, 175x in Ezekiel); "in·their·midst" (root תוך, 111x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root שש ("six") in Ezekiel. First appearance of the root בד ("in·linen") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'on·his·loins', dividing the verse into phrases of 20 and 5 words.
Rashi
“Six men.” Our Sages expounded them in Tractate Shabbat: anger, wrath, fury, destruction, breaking, and consuming.
“Mefatz.” It means that He shatters everything, as it is written: “And He shattered your children” (Psalms 137:9).
And the scribe’s inkhorn. They are wax tablets, upon which one writes with a stylus.
“Beside the altar of brass.” This is the altar of stones that Solomon built beneath the altar of brass that Moses made in the wilderness.
Radak
"And behold, six men." We explained it according to its simple meaning and also by way of allegory: they are six screens, and the seventh is among them, who is clothed in linen. It is known that "linen" refers to pressed linen garments. He is the great scribe and the leader of the city, and he is the one who casts fire into the city. These are the officials of the city. And in the words of our Sages of blessed memory: "What are they? The six men are: Shatterer, Destroyer, Devourer, Wrath, Anger, and Fury."
The Upper Gate. Our Sages of blessed memory explained that it is the eastern gate, and it is called "upper" because it is situated above the Court of Israel.
Which faces north. It was northeastern, and we have already explained the reason why the vision was shown in the north, for Babylon is northeastern relative to the Land of Israel.
“מפנה” – a passive form, on the same pattern as מראה in “which you are shown on the mountain” (Exodus 25:40).
“Mafitz.” Like “meshchito” which was mentioned, for “mafitz” is the name of a tool with which rocks are broken, and similarly, “You are my mafitz.” The former is with a tzere, and this one with a qamats.
“And a certain man among them, clothed in linen.” We have already explained this as an allegory, and our Sages of blessed memory interpreted it likewise. They also stated that this is Gabriel, and they said that Gabriel is an angel of fire, because he is the one who hurls fire upon the city. And so Daniel saw him clothed in linen, and his face was like the appearance of lightning, and his eyes like torches of fire.
And the scribe’s inkhorn is at his side. “Inkhorn” is the vessel for ink, and Jonathan [ben Uzziel] rendered it in the Targum as “the scribe’s notebook,” and the notebook is that upon which the scribe writes, whether paper or a tablet. Nevertheless, the matter of the verse concerns the need for ink, not for the tablet, as it says, “And you shall mark a tav.” Perhaps because the paper or tablet and the ink vessel are both attached to the scribe’s side, he included them all under the term “notebook.”
“Clothed in linen.” With a qamats under the bet, in a state of smikhut (construct state); and similarly, “girded with weapons of war,” and its meaning is: clothed in linen.
"And they came and stood by the altar of bronze." This is the altar of the burnt offering that was in front of the sanctuary in the Temple Court, and that altar was made by Solomon, as it is written in Chronicles. And what is the reason that He showed him their standing by the altar of bronze? He saw that by the altar of bronze they would bow down toward the sun. And since they despised the honor of God, blessed be He, in this matter, He showed him that on account of this sin the Divine Presence would depart from above the cherubim.
Metzudat David
And behold. When it says, "Behold, there came the likeness of six men," our Sages of blessed memory taught that they are: anger, fury, wrath, destruction, ruin, and devastation.
The Upper Gate. This is the name of the gate, and so it is stated: “He built the Upper Gate of the House of the Lord” (2 Kings 15).
Facing north. One who faces north:
"And a man." This refers to each one, who had in his hand a vessel of breaking and destruction designated for him.
“And there was one man among them.” Among the six men there was yet another man, dressed in linen garments, and suspended from the belt at his waist was a scribe’s inkhorn, which is a writing implement.
"And they came." These are the six, together with the man clothed in linen:
“The copper altar.” It is the altar whose stones Solomon made, in place of the copper altar that Moses made in the wilderness.
Metzudat Zion
"מפנה" – from the root פ-נ-ה (to turn).
"מפצו" – [It means] to shatter and to crush. And similarly, "You are to Me a breaker" (Jeremiah 51:20).
Beadim. [The word] "beadim" [is derived from] "pishtim" [i.e., flax], as it is written: "medo bad" (Leviticus 6:28).
And the qasht. It is a writing implement:
Malbim
And behold, six men he saw, six destroyers who were appointed over the city, coming from the way of the Upper Gate, where the King’s House is, and each man had a weapon of destruction in his hand to devastate, and one man among them was clothed in linen, who is the angel who teaches in their merit, and the scribe’s inkhorn was at his waist, to write their merits in the Book of Remembrance. The allusion here is that the six officials of the city, who were among those who saw the King’s face, were the ones who corrupted the people and killed much slaughter (according to their decree) at the end of the days of the siege, as if six destroying angels had clothed themselves in these [officials] to swallow up and devastate. And they came from the King’s House because they were among those who saw his face. And Jeremiah was a priest clothed in linen garments to serve in the Holy Place, and the scribe’s inkhorn was at his waist to write his prophecies upon a scroll, as the Lord told him to write upon a scroll the words of comfort which he saw (Jeremiah 30), and he was occupied in calming the people and advising them with counsel of peace and truth.
And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon it was, to the threshold of the house; and He called to the man clothed in linen, who had the writer’s inkhorn on his side.
verse value 5784
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 82 letters. The shortest word is "to" (אֶ֖ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·the·man" (אֶל־הָאִישׁ֙, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: which, who. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "lifted" (נַֽעֲלָה֙), "the·clothed" (הַלָּבֻ֣שׁ), "pot" (קֶ֥סֶת). The root על appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "which" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel); "was" (root היה, 335x in Ezekiel); "from·upon" (root על, 272x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root כרוב ("cherub") in Ezekiel. First appearance of the root מפתן ("threshold") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·house', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 8 words.
Rashi
"From above the cherub": From above the kapporet, where the Divine Presence had been resting until now, and it began to withdraw and go out to the outside, little by little, ten journeys. This is the first journey (see Amos 9:1 in Rashi, and see Yeshu'ot Ya'akov). From the cherub to the threshold of the Holy of Holies.
Radak
“Unto the threshold of the house.” This indicates that the Divine Presence departed from the Temple. And in His saying “from above the cherub” and not “from the cherubim,” since there were two cherubim, our Sages of blessed memory taught that it moved from cherub to cherub, and from the cherub to the threshold. And they said that the Divine Presence made ten journeys. And it is possible that the phrase “from above the cherub” is a metaphorical expression. And the Targum [renders it]: “It departed with the cherub that was stationed above the Holy of Holies.” And in His saying “in the cherub” and not “from the cherub,” the meaning is that it ascended together with the cherub; that is to say, the one for whom the cherub served as a likeness, and this is the seraph that flew to the man. This alludes to the departure of prophecy from Israel: only Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi remained, who prophesied during the building of the Second Temple, and with them prophecy ceased.
"And the glory of the God of Israel" — this is clear:
The garment of linen. The one mentioned, who was clothed in linen, and came with the definite article for both the attribute and the thing described.
Metzudat David
"And the glory..." The Divine Presence withdrew from the cherub that was upon the Ark Cover, and descended to the threshold of the Temple of the Holy of Holies, and from there It called to the man, etc.
Metzudat Zion
It went up. The meaning of "removal" is like "and the cloud ascended" (Numbers 9).
"The cherub." They are the cherubim that were upon the Ark-cover, and Scripture referred to them by the collective term "cherub." And so too, "the spirit of the living creature" (above, 1:20).
Miftan. A threshold, as in “the one who leaps over the threshold” (Zephaniah 1:9):
Malbim
“And the glory of the God of Israel” — behold, the Divine Presence began to depart from the Temple, which is a sign that the Temple is destined to be destroyed; and He called out to the man clothed in linen, who is the one who teaches in favor of Israel (i.e., who argues for their merit).
And Hashem said to him: ‘Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that are done in the midst thereof.’
verse value 7331
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 91 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "desire" (תָּ֜ו, 2 letters) and the longest is "all·the·abominations" (כׇּל־הַתּ֣וֹעֵב֔וֹת, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 428: in·midst·of, in·midst·of. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "and·mark" (וְהִתְוִ֨יתָ), "desire" (תָּ֜ו), "upon·foreheads·of" (עַל־מִצְח֣וֹת). The root תוך appears 3 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "and·said" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "for" (root על, 272x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root אנח ("sigh") in Ezekiel. First appearance of the root אנק ("and·cried") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Jerusalem', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 10 words.
Rashi
And You inscribed a letter. And You engraved an engraving:
“Upon the foreheads of the men.” The righteous, in order that it serve as a sign that the destroyers will not harm them.
Radak
And the Lord said, "If only." It is written with a vav and read with a yod and a vav, and it is like "and upon Him in the heavens He thunders" and its like. And after he said "within the city," he said "within Jerusalem," even though it is known that the city mentioned is Jerusalem, for he mentioned in the matter of the passage the House of the Lord, the sanctuary, the porch, and the altar; nevertheless, he added and said "Jerusalem," meaning: the city that I chose to cause My Name to dwell in it—they have driven Me away from it due to the multitude of their sins.
“And He marked with a Taw.” The matter of the sign and the writing: He said that he would mark with ink on the foreheads of the men who were sighing and groaning, as a sign that the destroyers would not touch them. And this matter is like the matter of the blood of the Passover in Egypt, as a sign and a token; only that this was in a prophetic vision. And our Sages of blessed memory explained: “Taw,” the letter called Taw. The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to Gabriel: “Write on the foreheads of the righteous a Taw of ink, and on the foreheads of the wicked a Taw of blood.” And they asked: Why a Taw? Rav said: “Taw” for “Tachyeh” (you shall live), “Taw” for “Tamut” (you shall die). And Shmuel said: “Tamah” (it is finished) — the merit of the fathers is exhausted. And these men were the righteous ones in Jerusalem, who were sighing and groaning over all the abominations being committed within it.
"And the groanings." This refers to the matter of crying out and shouting, like "groan silently" (האנק דום), where the verb is in the nifal form, which is mostly passive, and similarly "those who speak in you" (הנדברים בך).
Metzudat David
“Within the city.” And to add to the explanation, it says “within Jerusalem.”
And You shall mark a mark. You shall inscribe a sign upon the foreheads of the righteous who are groaning and suffering because of all the abominations being committed within her.
Metzudat Zion
"And you shall mark a mark." The meaning is "engraving" and "sign," as in "and they marked on the doors of the gate" (1 Samuel 21:14).
Foreheads. The word is derived from the root meaning "forehead."
And the groanings. It too refers to the matter of sighing, like “the groaning of the prisoner” (Psalms 102):
Malbim
And He said to him: “Command him that he should pass through first, and mark a mark and a sign upon the foreheads of the righteous men of the city, who are groaning over the abominations being committed in the city, so that the angels of destruction shall not have dominion over them.”
And to the others He said in my hearing: ‘Go you through the city after him, and smite; let not your eye spare, neither have you pity;
verse value 2715
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 56 letters. The shortest word is "not" ((על), 2 letters) and the longest is "and·do·not·pity" (וְאַל־תַּחְמֹֽלוּ, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "pass·on" (עִבְר֥וּ), "do·not·spare" (אַל־תָּחֹ֥ס), "your·eye" (עֵינְכֶ֖ם). The root עין appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "said" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "not" (root על, 272x in Ezekiel); "do·not·spare" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·smite', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 5 words. Full calculation: וּלְאֵ֙לֶּה֙ [and·to·these] (72) + אָמַ֣ר [said] (241) + בְּאׇזְנַ֔י [in·my·ears] (70) + עִבְר֥וּ [pass·on] (278) + בָעִ֛יר [in·the·city] (282) + אַחֲרָ֖יו [after·him] (225) + וְהַכּ֑וּ [and·smite] (37) + (על) [not] (100) + אַל־תָּחֹ֥ס [do·not·spare] (499) + (עיניכם) [eye] (200) + עֵינְכֶ֖ם [your·eye] (190) + וְאַל־תַּחְמֹֽלוּ [and·do·not·pity] (521) = 2715.
Rashi
"And to these He spoke in my hearing." [This refers] to the six destroyers.
Radak
"And to these He said in my hearing." "And to these" refers to the six who were mentioned; He told them that they should come after this marker and strike.
Regarding "you shall spare." Thus it is written and read: the written text says "you shall spare," while the vocalized reading says "do not spare." The verse intends to say: "and you shall strike" concerning those whom your eyes spare, and all the more so concerning others. And the vocalized reading is according to its plain meaning: it warned them not to show mercy to the person, nor to pity him.
"Your eyes." It is written in the plural form, whereas the reading is "your eye" in the singular form, just as in "your eye shall not spare" (Deuteronomy 13:9). The singular form serves as a generalization.
Metzudat David
"And to these." They are the six individuals who come with their weapon of destruction:
He said, "In my ears." This means: I heard it when He was speaking to them.
After him. After the one clothed in linen garments:
"And they shall strike." Against the men of the city:
Malbim
(5-6) And concerning these six destroyers, He said in my hearing that they should pass through the city after him and strike all of them. And He commanded that they not approach the righteous ones, upon whom was the mark and the sign. And He commanded that they begin to strike at the Temple. And so it was, that they began to strike the men, the elders, who stood before the Temple; they were appointed there or engaged in the Temple service. The parable refers to the leaders of the people, who are the officials of the city; in the sins of the generation, God gave them permission to kill in the city. Only, God commanded Jeremiah to pass through the city to bring them back in repentance, and to mark a sign on the foreheads of the men who would heed His voice, as it is written: “He who goes out and falls to the Chaldeans shall have his soul as plunder and shall live.” And to the destroyers He said that they should kill in the city, as it is written: “Behold, I am turning the weapons of war that are in your hands, with which you fight, against the Chaldeans…” and “I will gather them to the city and I will fight against you” (Jeremiah 21:5). This means that they will fight man against his brother by means of God, Who placed a sword of war between them. And there He said that he who goes out and falls to the Chaldeans shall live. And this is what it says: “And on every man upon whom is the mark, do not approach,” meaning that he will be saved from their hands. And it says, “And from My sanctuary you shall begin,” because the rebellion and the killing began at the Temple at the time when the people gathered there. And there they began to strike the elders who were before the Temple.
slay utterly the old man, the young man and the maiden, and little children and women; but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at My sanctuary.’ Then they began at the elders that were before the house.
verse value 7667
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 95 letters. The shortest word is "old" (זָקֵ֡ן, 3 letters) and the longest is "but·upon·every·man" (וְעַל־כׇּל־אִ֨ישׁ, 8 letters). 14 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "old" (זָקֵ֡ן), "youth" (בָּח֣וּר), "and·maiden" (וּבְתוּלָה֩). The root זקן appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·upon·him" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel); "do·not·draw·near" (root איל, 238x in Ezekiel); "the·house" (root בית, 159x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root בחור ("youth") in Ezekiel. First appearance of the root הרג ("you·will·kill") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'you·shall·begin', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 6 words.
Rashi
"And from My sanctuaries you shall begin." [This means] from those standing before My sanctuaries. And our Sages said: Do not read "mimikdashai" [from My sanctuaries] but rather "mimukdashai" [from My sanctified ones], [meaning] from those sanctified to Me. They are those inscribed with the Tav, regarding which He had warned [Israel] not to harm them, yet He returned and commanded to injure them. This is because the Attribute of Justice said before Him: "In what way are these different from those? Behold, they did not protest against them," as it is stated in the tractate Shabbat.
Radak
An old man and a young man—kill them unto destruction. There, he means to say: for the corruption that will corrupt everything.
"And you shall begin from My sanctuaries." This teaches that [you are to begin] from My sanctuaries, because they are more liable [to punishment], for idolaters serve [their idols] in My sanctuaries in order to provoke Me to anger.
“Among the men who are old.” These are the seventy men, elders of Israel, who were remembered as having served idolatry in the chamber in the Temple Court before the Sanctuary. And our Sages of blessed memory expounded: Do not read “from My sanctuary” (ממקדשי) but rather “from My sanctified ones” (ממקודשי)—these are people who observed the entire Torah, from aleph to tav. And they said: No good decree issued from the Holy One, blessed be He, and He retracted it for evil, except for this matter. For He initially said, “And you shall mark tav” (והתוית תיו), and He said, “And on every man upon whom is the tav, do not approach” (ואמר ועל כל איש אשר עליו התיו אל תגשו), and afterward He said, “From My sanctified ones you shall begin” (וממקדשי תחלו).
Metzudat David
"To the destroyer." To destroy from the world:
"And upon every man." But regarding any person upon whom the sign is found, do not approach him to strike him.
"And you shall begin from My sanctuary." You shall begin to strike from among the men who stand before My sanctuary:
And they began. They began to strike the elders who stood before the Temple, who had offered incense to idols, as it is stated: “And seventy men of the elders of Israel” and “each with his censer in his hand” (above 8).
Metzudat Zion
“Tachalu, veyichalu.” From the language of “beginning.”
And He said to them: ‘Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain; go you forth.’ And they went forth, and smote in the city.
verse value 3057
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 54 letters. Notable word values: "to·them" (אֲלֵיהֶ֜ם) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "go·out" (צֵ֑אוּ, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·courts" (אֶת־הַחֲצֵר֛וֹת, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "the·courts" (אֶת־הַחֲצֵר֛וֹת), "go·out" (צֵ֑אוּ). The root יצא appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "to·them" (root אל, 204x in Ezekiel); "the·house" (root בית, 159x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'go·out', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֨אמֶר [and·said] (257) + אֲלֵיהֶ֜ם [to·them] (86) + טַמְּא֣וּ [defile] (56) + אֶת־הַבַּ֗יִת [the·house] (818) + וּמַלְא֧וּ [and·fill] (83) + אֶת־הַחֲצֵר֛וֹת [the·courts] (1110) + חֲלָלִ֖ים [slain] (118) + צֵ֑אוּ [go·out] (97) + וְיָצְא֖וּ [and·they·went·out] (113) + וְהִכּ֥וּ [and·smote] (37) + בָעִֽיר [in·the·city] (282) = 3057.
Radak
And he said to them: “Defile the House.” Do not fear lest you be killed in the Temple and defile the House with corpses, for they had already defiled it first with idols.
"and they filled." This is a command from the intensive (Piel) conjugation, even though the lamed does not take a dagesh, for we find similar plain-looking forms belonging to the dageshed (Piel) conjugation, such as "and they sought in her streets" and "for they did not fill after" and "and they were jealous of him," and others like them.
"The courtyards." The courtyards of the Temple: the Court of the Men and the Court of the Women, and the Temple Mount itself, for they were all considered courtyards.
Metzudat David
"They defiled the House." This is to say: Do not be concerned about the impurity of the Temple; fill the courtyards of the Temple with the corpses, and afterward, go out and strike the city.
"And they went out." After they had struck them in the courtyards, they went out and struck them in the city.
Malbim
And it says, "And He said," afterward He commanded that they defile the Holy Temple itself by filling the Temple courtyards with the slain of the sword, and afterward they would go out to kill in the city. And so they did, and they struck in the city. And the implication is that after the rebellion began around the Temple, the killing would spread among them in the Temple courtyards, and from there they spread into the city and killed one another.
And it came to pass, while they were smiting, and I was left, that I fell upon my face, and cried, and said: ‘Ah Lord Hashem! will you destroy all the residue of Israel in Your pouring out of Your fury upon Jerusalem?’
verse value 7085
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 91 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 7085 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "I" (אָ֑נִי, 3 letters) and the longest is "upon·Jerusalem" (עַל־יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם, 8 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "while·they·smote" (כְּהַכּוֹתָ֔ם), "and·remained" (וְנֵֽאשְׁאַ֖ר), "and·I·fell" (וָאֶפְּלָ֨ה). 19 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "and·I·said" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "and·it·was" (root היה, 335x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root זעק ("and·I·cried") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'I', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 15 words.
Rashi
“And I alone remained.” “And I was left alone.”
Radak
"And it came to pass when they were smiting them." With a kaf: "when they were smitten" in the courtyards, for there the prophet was in the vision.
“And I remained.” I remained among them, for they did not strike me. And this word is a compound of *venish’ar*, which is the past tense of the nifal stem, and of *esh’ar*, which is a strong form of the kal stem. The meaning of the compounding is that he said: “When they were striking, I cast my eyes about to see who remained in the courtyards unstruck, and I saw that none remained but I.” This is the sense of *venish’ar*. And he expressed two meanings in one word in order to be concise, following the style of elegance, as we explained regarding the word *mish’tachavim*. And he came to inform us that there was no one in the courtyards of the House of the Lord upon whom the tav was placed, except for him alone.
And I cried out and said: Concerning Jerusalem, for it was the remnant of all Israel, for all Israel went into exile, except for Jerusalem, and they had already died of famine, or by the sword, or in exile.
Metzudat David
"And I am left alone." – None remained except Me, for He did not place a mark even on one [person], because He found no righteous individual. And our Sages of blessed memory stated that they were punished for not having protested against them.
The Destroyer. For You will destroy them all when You pour out Your wrath upon Jerusalem.
Metzudat Zion
And I remained. Like "and I remained":
Ah. The matter of the term "cry of wailing":
Malbim
"And it came to pass when they struck them" — I saw that there would remain only me alone, since there were no righteous ones among them. And I said, "Are You destroying..." — in your pouring out your wrath upon Jerusalem. This means: After you have desired to pour out your wrath upon Jerusalem, the city itself, to burn it with fire, and thereby your wrath will be appeased and exhausted upon the wood and stones, this suffices; do not destroy Israel.
Then said He to me: ‘The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceeding great, and the land is full of blood, and the city full of wresting of judgment; for they say: Hashem has forsaken the land, and Hashem sees not.
verse value 4214
Insights
Verse structure: 22 words, 91 letters. Notable word values: "and·Judah" (וִֽיהוּדָה֙) = 36, double chai. Verse gematria: 4214 is divisible by 86, the value of Elohim. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "house·of·Israel" (בֵּֽית־יִשְׂרָאֵ֤ל, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 26: Hashem, Hashem. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "and·Judah" (וִֽיהוּדָה֙), "and·was·filled" (וַתִּמָּלֵ֤א). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 427x in Ezekiel); "and·said" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "to·me" (root אל, 204x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root מאד ("very") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'staff', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 8 words.
Rashi
Full of perverseness. A crooked law:
Radak
"And He said to me, 'And the land shall be filled with blood.' The Land of Israel and Judah; therefore the land was desolate because of them. And even though there were other sins among them, the great punishment is because of violence, for no settlement can endure with violence. And the Flood came because of violence. And in some precise manuscripts, 'and the land shall be filled with blood' is explained as 'shedders of blood.'"
“And the city is full of perversity.” And even this city, Jerusalem, which was filled with justice, now it is filled with twisted and crooked judgment, and this is the violence. However, since Jerusalem was the place of justice, and all of Israel came to it for judgment, the memory of the perversion of justice that occurred there remains. And all of this was caused by their evil belief.
For they said, “The Lord has forsaken the land, and the Lord does not see.” And He will not punish for evil, nor reward for good. And we have already explained this matter above.
Metzudat David
"House of Israel." These are those who remained in their land after the exile of the Kingdom of Ephraim, and who attached themselves to the Kingdom of Judah.
"Blood." Men who shed blood:
Motah. The inclination of a judgment:
"Hashem has forsaken." By the hand of the celestial host:
See. What is done in the land:
Metzudat Zion
Perversion. The word is derived from the root meaning “to incline.”
Malbim
And He said to me, "He answered that their sin is exceedingly great, for the entire land is full of bloodshed and murder, and the city where the judges sit to administer justice in the land is full of perverted judgment, for they deny Divine Providence, claiming that the Lord does not watch over the land. Therefore:"
And as for Me also, Mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity, but I will bring their way upon their head.’
verse value 2538
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 36 letters. Verse gematria: 2538 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "and·not" (וְלֹ֣א, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·also·I" (וְגַ֨ם־אֲנִ֔י, 6 letters). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·not" (root לא, 213x in Ezekiel); "I·give" (root נתן, 207x in Ezekiel); "and·also·I" (root אני, 166x in Ezekiel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'I·will·spare', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְגַ֨ם־אֲנִ֔י [and·also·I] (110) + לֹא־תָח֥וֹס [not·shall·spare] (505) + עֵינִ֖י [my·eye] (140) + וְלֹ֣א [and·not] (37) + אֶחְמֹ֑ל [I·will·spare] (79) + דַּרְכָּ֖ם [their·way] (264) + בְּרֹאשָׁ֥ם [in·their·head] (543) + נָתָֽתִּי [I·give] (860) = 2538.
Radak
And I too: Just as they did not spare or have pity on the poor, so too I will not spare them, measure for measure.
Metzudat David
And also "I." Just as they say that "I" do not see, so shall My eyes not see to have mercy upon them.
Their ways. “I will repay their deeds upon their heads.”
Malbim
Also, I will not spare My eyes [from them], just as they do not spare one another; so too is their way. I have placed upon their heads measure for measure.
And, behold, the man clothed in linen, who had the inkhorn on his side, reported, saying: ‘I have done according to all that You have commanded me.’
verse value 5626
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 61 letters. The shortest word is "clothed·in" (לְבֻ֣שׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "on·his·loins" (בְּמׇתְנָ֔יו, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: who, that. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezekiel. Unique to this verse in Ezekiel (hapax): "pot" (הַקֶּ֙סֶת֙), "answering" (מֵשִׁ֥יב), "you·commanded·me" (צִוִּיתָֽנִי). The root אשר appears 3 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 362x in Ezekiel); "who" (root אשר, 341x in Ezekiel); "I·did" (root עשה, 214x in Ezekiel). First appearance of the root צוה ("you·commanded·me") in Ezekiel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'saying', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 5 words.
Radak
"And behold the man." God concluded His answer to me:
And behold, the man was clothed in linen. He answers him, saying that he fulfilled the commandment to pass through the city and to form the letter tav.
The linen garments. With a shva, as is the rule for words written in contiguity (semikhut):
"As You commanded me." There is a written and read variant: it is written "as all that You commanded me," meaning that he did not omit anything from all that He commanded him.
Metzudat David
He answers a matter. He was answering a reply to the Lord who sent him:
"I have done, etc." This is to say: "Behold, I commanded to inscribe only on the foreheads of the righteous, and not on others; and behold, I have done so, for I did not inscribe on the foreheads of others. And among the righteous, behold, I found none."
Malbim
And behold, the angel who advocates for merit came to assist me, and said that he had acted as he was commanded, and that he found there righteous individuals worthy of being saved. And the parable is that Jeremiah came in his prayer, and informed [God] that he had admonished the people, and that there were also righteous ones who listened to his voice, as is explained in Jeremiah, where it is also found that there were princes who saved him, and who believed his words.
Rashi
Radak
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim