Hosea · Chapter 6

“Come, let us return.” They should say: “Come, let us return,” etc. "He shall strike them and bind them up." "He shall strike" is in the present tense; He strikes us, and He binds us up.

יך - a blow. "And he bound it up" – like [the verse] "and they did not bind it up," for the wound requires washing, binding, and finally softening with oil. And the word “terefah” – it is a past-tense verb with a yod-kaf ending, which functions as a future tense, following the pattern of the “standing time” as I explained in my books.

“Come.” The matter is one of urging action, similar to “Come, let us devise [schemes] against Jeremiah” (Jeremiah 18:18), “Come now, let me try myself with mirth” (Ecclesiastes 2:1), and similar expressions, whose meaning is not literal walking but rather the urging of action. And since walking denotes urgency and sitting denotes laziness, the concept of urging is expressed in the language of walking. One person says to another, “Come, let us return to the Lord.” This occurred in the days of Josiah, when they sought the Lord and served Him. "For it is prey." The entire word is spelled with a qamats, and even though it is a past tense verb in the pa'al conjugation, there are many verbs spelled with a qamats, as we have written in the book Mikhlol. And he said, "And we will return to the Lord, for it is prey," just as it says, "I will tear apart" and so on. And he does not save. And if we return to it, it is the one who crushes and it is the one who heals; the matter is repeated in different words, and it says, "He strikes and He binds up." Yod-kaf. In its complete form it is "yakeh" [he will strike] – it is written in the future tense, yet it refers to a past event.

“Come, let us return.” It refers back to the preceding verse, to teach that at the time when the evil inclination arises, they will say to one another: “Come, let us return to the Lord.” For it is prey. And the enemy did not prevail by the strength of his hand: "And He will heal us." That is, He will heal us, for everything is from Him and in His hand. He struck us, and He will place a bandage on the wound. And this matter is repeated in what is stated:

“Come.” This is a matter of the language of urging. Yakh. From the language of striking: "And He will bind us up." The matter refers to the tying of a cloth over a wound or a broken bone, as it is said, "And for the broken you did not bind" (Ezekiel 34:4).

“Come, let us return” — when it says, “For when they are in distress, they will seek the face of the Lord,” the verse expresses what they will say at that time when they seek the Lord, and what answer the Lord will give them. They will say to one another: “Come, let us return to the Lord.” For He is the One who inflicted our plagues; they were not natural occurrences but came from Him. And therefore, only He can heal us. Regarding the internal illness that requires healing, they will say that He was the One who inflicted it, and He will heal us. And regarding the external wound that requires binding for the broken bone, they will say that He struck us and He will bind us, for salvation depends on Him alone, as it is written: “And He will not be able to heal you” (Hosea 5:13).

"He will revive us after two days." He has kept us alive from two days of calamity that passed over us, from two Holy Temples that were destroyed: "On the third day." In the construction of the Third Temple, He will raise it up. From two days. From two times that have passed us: "On the third day." At the third time:

Yehayehanu - Yerpehanu, like "and they anointed the sores, and he lived," until their life. And the meaning of “two days” is a short period of time. Third: “He has turned every broken thing,” for then it will cause pain.

He will revive us from our days. The matter of healing is like “until their life” and like “and they smeared it on the sores, and he lived.” He said: If we have suffered for two days, He will heal us of our illnesses, so that on the third day He will raise us up, and we will live for a long time before Him. That is to say, if our troubles have lasted a long time, and it is as though they were two days, soon He will bring us His salvation, and it is as though it were on the third day. And the sage Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra, of blessed memory, interpreted “on the third day” as the opposite of “every broken thing,” for then there will be pain; and so he said, “on the third day” when they are in pain. And he further interpreted “He will revive us from our days”: this statement refers to the future, and “from our days” is an allusion to two exiles—the exile of Egypt and the exile of Babylon. “On the third day” is an allusion to this third exile, from which He will raise us up, and we will live before Him, so that we will never again be exiled, and we will always live before Him all our days, until we sin no more.

He will keep us alive from days. Behold, He has sent us healing from the two exiles that have passed over us: the exile of Egypt and the exile of Babylon. "On the third day." In the third era of the future redemption, He will raise us from the fall, and we shall live before Him forever, for we shall no longer go into exile.

He will give us life. The matter of healing is like “until they were healed” (Joshua 5:8): From days. That is to say: from times.

“May He revive us from the days” — for the Ten Tribes were exiled by Sennacherib three times, as it is stated: “At the first time He afflicted, and at the last time He afflicted severely” (Isaiah 8:23). Likewise, the tribe of Judah was exiled three times by Nebuchadnezzar, as explained in the Book of Kings and in Jeremiah. Therefore, they pray that He may revive them from the second day, which were the days of decree, and on the third day, which is the third exile, when they fell completely, He will raise us from our fall, and we shall live before Him and serve the Lord.

"To know the Lord." In truth and in sincerity, they are correct, like the dawn, which is correct in its rising. “And it shall come down like rain upon us.” Like rain that comes to bring life to the world, so too it shall come to teach us the life that shall come to us. He shall water the earth. He shall water the earth:

"And let us know" – that we should pursue the knowledge of God, for this is the secret of all wisdoms, and for this alone was man created. However, one cannot know the Name until he has learned much wisdom, which serves as a ladder to ascend to this supreme level. And the meaning of "as the dawn" is that initially, the wise one knows the Holy One, blessed be He, in His works, just as the dawn appears upon its emergence, and moment by moment the light grows, until the truth is revealed. “And it shall come down like rain” – The meaning is that the Holy One, blessed be He, will awaken us and teach us the truth, in the manner of: “My teaching shall drop as the rain.” And others said: That healing shall come to us from the Holy One, blessed be He, like rain, which one does not hope for from a person. And the meaning is: For there is no healing except from Him. "As the rain that falls on the earth" – it is missing a vav, just as "Adam...Seth" [where a letter is likewise elided], such as in "for six days," and so it is: "as the rain that falls on the earth."

“Let us know, let us pursue.” Let our agreement and our understanding be as one, and let us all pursue to know the Lord. “Let us know.” This is akin to “Let us know among ourselves what is good,” meaning to know the Lord by doing justice and righteousness, as it is written, “Is not this the knowledge of Me, says the Lord?” My master and father, of blessed memory, explained: “Let us know Him, and it shall be clarified for us, just as the light of dawn is clarified when there are no clouds.” This is “His rising is sure,” as David said to his son Solomon: “Know the God of your father and serve Him.” First, know Him, and afterward serve Him; for if one does not know the path of His unity, whom will he serve? Therefore, he said, “Let us know”—let us pursue first to know, and afterward let us pursue to know the Lord, meaning to serve Him. And the Sage Rabbi Abraham Ibn Ezra explained: “Let us know”—let us pursue to know, that we pursue to know the Lord, for this is the secret of all wisdoms, and for this alone was man created. Yet one cannot know the Lord until he studies many wisdoms, which are like a ladder to ascend to this supreme level. The meaning of “as the dawn” is that initially the wise man knows the Blessed Name through His actions, like the dawn at its rising, and from moment to moment the light increases until he sees the truth. And the meaning of “He will help us” is that the Name will help us and teach us the truth, according to the path of “He will distill His teaching like rain upon me.” Others said that healing will come to us from the Lord, like rain that does not hope for man, and the reason is that there is no healing except from Him, Blessed be He. According to our explanation, “as the dawn, His rising is sure” means: if we do this, that we pursue to know the Lord, He will be for us like the dawn whose rising is sure, meaning that His light and goodness will shine upon us. Furthermore, he drew another analogy and said, “And He will come to us like rain,” just as rain revives dead seeds, so too a person dwelling in distress is like one dead, and when salvation comes to him, it will seem to him as if he has revived from his death. He repeated the matter again and said, “Like the spring rain that waters the earth.” And he explained: “Like the spring rain” and “that waters”—just as it comes to the earth, so will it come to us. And Jonathan translated it as “like the spring rain that saturates the earth,” and according to his interpretation, “waters” is like “saturates,” the opposite [of merely watering].

"And we shall know." Then we shall know how we are pursued in order to know the Lord: "As the dawn is certain in its rising." This means: Just as in the morning, when a person sees the first light of dawn, he is certain that the sun has risen upon the earth and will be seen, so too, one who pursues the knowledge of God is assured and confident that he will find Him. And he shall come. May abundant good come to us, like the abundance of rainwaters, and like the latter rains that water the land and satisfy it.

Let us pursue the matter. He stated it figuratively, regarding the majority of the exertion: As dawn. It is the light of morning. Correct. Clear and certain: Its emergence. The word is in the form of "exit": Like the latter rain. This is the late rain that falls upon the stalks and the ears of grain, as it is written: “like a cloud of the latter rain” (Proverbs 16:15). Yoreh. The matter of "satiety" [is] like Targum Jonathan, and it is reversed, like "yiroh" [he will satisfy], which is a matter of satiety, as in "like a well-watered garden" (Isaiah 58:11).

“And we shall know.” And afterward we shall know to pursue the knowledge of the Lord; that is to say, we shall strive to attain the truths concerning the Divine providence, to grasp the ways of His providence, His goodness, and His kindnesses, until His providence becomes clear to us like the dawn, whose rising is established. Moreover, it also means that as long as we strive to know Him, His knowledge will be revealed to us all the more, as it is stated: “The path of the righteous is like the shining light, that shines more and more until the full day.” And regarding this, He compares it to the dawn, whose light is revealed gradually until the sun rises; so too, the light of His knowledge and salvation will appear upon us. “And He shall come like rain for us,” just as rain comes through the preparation of the earth: when the moist vapors rising from the earth to the firmament fill the clouds, they pour rain upon the earth; so too, through our deeds, by the arousal from below, He will return to pour upon us the rain of His gifts, the rains of enlightenment and salvation. And even if He does not come immediately like rain that comes in its season, He will come in any case in the end of days, like the latter rain, which waters the earth, and it brings forth and causes to grow.

"What can I do for you? On account of the attribute of justice, how can I bring your judgments to light?" "And your kindness is like the morning cloud." All your goodness and righteousness are nothing.

"What is the meaning of this? The kindness that you have spoken of, that you return to know the Name." Like the morning cloud—so that it does not remain. And the word *mashchim* is not a verb, as in: *mashchim hayu* [they were early risers], as if it were a noun for dawn. And according to my opinion: if *mashchim hayu* applies to each individual, then this too should be so.

“What shall I do for you, Ephraim? How shall I heal you, and how shall I bind up your wounds?”—for your repentance is not complete. For when the kings of Israel did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, they quickly returned to do evil, as did Jehu; and likewise the kings of Judah, who did what was right in the eyes of the Lord during the days of Josiah, returned to do evil in the days of his son and his grandson. And this is what is meant by: “Your kindness is like the morning cloud,”—like the morning cloud or the dew, for when the sun grows hot, it ceases. “Mashkim.” A noun on the pattern of “mashbir” (as in “he shall give food to the buyer”), meaning that it goes early in the morning. And Jonathan translated: “like dew that passes away.”

“What can I do for you?” This means: But you, since you do not return to Me, what good deed or remedy can I perform for you? For you have no merit; rather, your kindness is like the morning cloud that does not bring rain. So too, you display kindness, yet there is nothing of substance. And like dew. Just as the dew that descends in the early morning ceases when the heat of the sun rises, and therefore one hastens in the morning and goes forth immediately; so too, you—even if you do something that is right, you will not cling to it for a long time.

“What shall I do for you, Ephraim? And what shall I do for you, Judah?” And your kindness is like the morning cloud. Now, the fundamental requirement that the Lord demands from you is to practice justice and to love kindness, for the essence is that one should act with kindness toward fellow creatures (and within the category of kindness are also included the commandments performed between man and God, stemming from piety, which are called the “Torah of Kindness,” as stated in another place). But your kindness is like the morning cloud: when the sun rises, the cloud ascends and dissipates, and it does not water the earth. How then can you request that rain come for you, when there is no rain without clouds, and from a morning cloud no rain is produced? Likewise, even when you imagine yourselves like dew, which forms at night from the vapors rising from plants and persists throughout the night, behold, the dawn comes early, and with the rising of the sun there is no dew and no rain upon you. So too, when you rise early to pursue your desires and your ways, the thread of kindness is severed, and there is no kindness and no knowledge of God in the land.

"Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets." This refers to the fact that I hewed upon them My words through the prophets, yet they did not guard themselves against transgressing them; therefore, I killed them by the words of My mouth. This is how Jonathan the Translator rendered it: "For the sake of the words of My mouth." “Al ken” – meaning “because of which,” just as in “ki al ken ra’iti panayikh” (“for therefore I have seen your face,” Genesis 33:10), and “ki al ken lo natatihu le-sheli, beni” (“for therefore I did not give him to you, my son,” Genesis 38:26). "And Your judgments are light" — this is stated in a tone of questioning: "How can I plead your cause before the Attribute of Justice?" This refers back to the question: "What shall I do for you?"

"Upon, I have hewn" – like one who hews in the mountain; the meaning is that He killed some of their prophets, who were misleading them so that they would not return. “You have killed them” – "I have killed them" – "I have killed them" – Because they spoke falsehood, saying, “The words of their mouth,” therefore I too have killed by the words of My mouth, perhaps Israel will return. "And Your judgments are light" – this is like the verse: "And You shall bring forth righteousness as light" and others. Because it says "as the dawn," its source is fitting.

"Therefore I have hewn [the words] through the prophets": Just as one who hews in a mountain cuts stones and removes them. And "therefore" means: Because your kindness is like the morning cloud, I have labored among the prophets day and day, rising early to speak and warn you to stand in the straight path, but you did not listen. And due to my great labor in sending them on their mission, it is as if I had killed them. And all this I did because "Your judgments are light," meaning that "Your judgments" should be like light that has gone forth, meaning at its going forth, as it says, "As dawn, its rising is set." And my master and father of blessed memory explained "I have hewn [the words] through the prophets": I killed them; they died on their mission, like Zechariah and Uriah. "And Your judgments are light" – this is stated in a questioning tone. And the Targum of Jonathan rendered it: "Therefore, these are the things that I warned them, etc."

“Therefore.” Since this is your way, I therefore hewed out for you words through the prophets to straighten you onto the correct path. But it did not avail, for I killed the prophets through the words of My mouth. This means that the prophecy was the cause of their being killed by your hand, for thus they killed Zechariah and Uriah because they prophesied in the matter of the Lord. And Your judgments. How, then, did "Your judgments" come to light to justify You in judgment?

I hewed. A matter of hewing stones, as in “hewing in the mountain” (1 Kings 6); and it is said figuratively, of the cutting of words and the shaping of utterances: Light. It is the manner of Scripture to designate good by the term "light," just as it designates evil by the term "darkness."

(5-6) Therefore, the measure of the verses: “Therefore I have carved them in the prophets” (which you killed by the words of My mouth, for I desired kindness and not sacrifice) — and what is written, “Your judgments are light,” is a parenthetical statement — depicts in his rhetoric sublime matters: The Lord sent His prophets to admonish the people, who thought that through the multitude of sacrifices and burnt offerings that they continually offered, they would give the Lord a bribe and a gift, and He would be appeased, until it was permitted for them to do all evil, as it is stated: “Stealing, murder, and adultery, and swearing falsely, and you come and stand before Me in the House which My Name is called upon, and say, ‘We are delivered!’” And the prophets told them the words of the Lord’s mouth, that the Lord would say, “I desired kindness and not sacrifice,” meaning that He does not desire sacrifices and burnt offerings, but rather that they perform kindness and know the knowledge of God. And the people rose against the prophets and killed them because of this prophecy that they prophesied. And by this, the poet depicts that the Lord killed the prophets by the words of His mouth, that through the words of His mouth that they prophesied on His mission, they were killed, and the Lord was the cause of their killing, as if He killed them. However, in that the prophets were killed through this utterance, and they surrendered their lives to death for this utterance that they spoke, saying, “For I desired kindness and not sacrifice,” this utterance remained established and enduring in the hearts of subsequent generations, like a word engraved with an iron tool on monuments of rock and stone for an eternal remembrance. And by this, the poet depicts that the utterances of the killed prophets became like monuments of rock and tablets of stone upon which the Lord carved these words: “For I desired kindness and not sacrifice.” And this is what it says: “Therefore,” meaning because your kindness is like the morning cloud, and you do not perform kindness and do not know God, therefore I have carved them in the prophets, meaning in the bodies of the prophets whom you killed by the words of My mouth, I have carved and written upon them with an iron tool, saying, “For I desired kindness and not sacrifice,” that the sacrifices and peace offerings that you bring, whose primary purpose was that their flesh be fed to the poor in the Holy Place, My primary desire is kindness, not the sacrifice. And the knowledge of God I desired above burnt offerings. The burnt offering, which is entirely consumed on high, is secondary; primary is that one knows the Lord and is worthy to offer himself entirely upon His altar for acceptance. And the fundamental desire of God is the knowledge of God, not the burnt offering. Thus it remains inscribed and carved in the prophets who were slain: “If Your sword has devoured Your prophet like a destroying lion, how shall Your judgment come to light, and how shall You justify Yourself in Your decree?”

And the knowledge of God. I desired it more than burnt offerings:

"For I desired mercy" – steadfast mercy, not mercy that is like a cloud.

"For kindness." Although they returned to serve the Lord in the Temple during the days of Hoshea son of Elah, who abolished the guards that Jeroboam had stationed on the roads, nevertheless, kindness and knowledge of God were not in them. Similarly, in Judah, they served Him during the days of Josiah, who destroyed the high places and the altars and offered their sacrifices in the Temple. Yet, practicing kindness is the essential matter, and knowledge of God means to do justice and righteousness. And the Targum of Jonathan translates: "and knowledge of God" as "and the service of the Torah of the Lord."

"And not by sacrifice." Thus, you shall not be righteous on account of bringing sacrifices. "More excellent." This means: I desired them more than the burnt-offerings.

Like a human being. Like the first human being: "There they betrayed Him. In the good land in which they were settled, there they betrayed Me, like one who brought him into the Garden of Eden and he transgressed My commandments."

"And they" – refers to the false prophets.

"And they, like a man, have broken the covenant." Just as a man betrays his fellow and transgresses his covenant, so too it was easy for them to betray Me and transgress My covenant. And the phrase "in their land" means: in the place where I bestowed upon them good, there they betrayed Me. And there are those who explain "like a man" as referring to the first man. And Jonathan rendered it in the Targum: "And they were like the former generations," and so on.

“Like a man.” Just as the first man, whom the Omnipresent had brought into the Garden of Eden, transgressed the commandment of the Lord and ate from the Tree of Knowledge, so too they transgressed My covenant and dealt treacherously with Me and with the land that I gave them. And as it is said: “Therefore,” just as I expelled Adam from the Garden of Eden, so too will I expel them from their land.

(Z–Ch) And now the Seer recounts in what manner the prophets were slain in those days, and he depicts it in language that is exceedingly lofty and elevated: “The prophets of the Lord were slain.” They were killed by the kings of Israel on two occasions. A] We find in Kings that all the prophets of the Lord were slain in the days of Ahab by his wife Jezebel. And all the prophets at that time were students of Elijah, as is explained in the verse, “And Elijah was from Tishbe, a Gileadite” (as stated in I Kings, Chapter 17). (And therefore the opinion of our Sages of blessed memory in Midrash is that Elijah was from the descendants of Benjamin, because the men of Benjamin took the women of Jabesh Gilead (as stated in Judges 21:9–10) and settled there, and Elijah was from their descendants and remained a resident of Jabesh Gilead.) From this we know that the sons of the prophets, from Elijah’s yeshiva, who were slain, were killed in Gilead. B] Secondly, they were slain in Shechem in the days of Jeroboam. For when Jeroboam reigned and chose the city of Shechem (which was a city of refuge for the Levites) as his royal capital, certainly prophets were found there who prophesied and rebuked him concerning the calves he had made, and he killed them and destroyed them. Based on this, the Seer combines in his imagination the murder committed in Gilead and in Shechem against the prophets of the Lord with the killings that took place in these two places in ancient times due to the zeal of the Lord, which they zealously guarded against sexual immorality. In Gilead, the children of Israel, in the days of Gibeah, killed the men of Jabesh Gilead because they transgressed the oath and ban that Israel had then decreed against anyone who would not join the assembly of the Lord to avenge the sexual immorality committed in Gibeah. And in Shechem, the sons of Jacob also killed the men of Shechem because of the sexual immorality and the outrage committed against Jacob’s daughter. With this idea, which now examines the Seer’s imagination regarding the ancient times when they killed in Gilead and in Shechem in their zeal for the Lord against adultery, he speaks bitterly about the murder committed in these places against the prophets of the Lord. And it seemed to the murderers that they were also zealous with the zeal of the calves and Baal, which the prophets despised, as if they were zealous against them with the zeal of sexual immorality and transgression of the covenant and oath, as in ancient times. And this is what it says: “And the prophets were likened to them as a man who transgressed the covenant that the children of Israel made in the days of Gibeah to go up to the army, and they (the men of Jabesh Gilead) transgressed the covenant and there betrayed me.” And he explains: “Gilead, city of workers of iniquity.” They were people who transgressed the covenant and oath and betrayed the Lord, and did not go up to Mizpah for war against Gibeah. And through this, it became a place stained with blood, for they were all slain and their blood was shed. And now the prophets were slain there in Gilead, as if they too had transgressed the covenant and betrayed the Lord.

“Stained with blood.” It is full of the blood of murder, like “and his heel” (Joshua 8:13) and “he deceived me” (Genesis 27:36).

Gilead, "aqova" – like: "aqov ha-lev" (the heart is deceitful), "asah be-'aqva" (he did it in a pierced manner), "aqova midam" (pierced with blood that was shed).

Gilead. “It is stained with blood.” From the root meaning “to be crooked” or “to scheme,” as in “the heart is deceitful above all things” (Jeremiah 17:9), and Jehu acted with cunning and deceit in his scheme. And so our Sages of blessed memory interpreted it: “It is stained with blood,” meaning that they schemed to kill souls, i.e., they acted with guile. In another place, they interpreted it as: “It is stained,” meaning defiled by the abundance of blood shed there, as stated in the Jerusalem Talmud: “If there is a stain of wine in it, it is forbidden.” And they asked: What is a “stain of wine”? It is like the one that defiles, as it is written: “It is stained with blood.”

Kiryah. A city full of people, workers of iniquity: “Stained with blood.” It is full of ambushes to shed innocent blood.

‘Aqova. The meaning is of lying in wait and watching, as it is said, “and its ambush to the west of the city” (Joshua 8:13).

"And the jawbones of a man who gathers in troops." Just as a man who gathers fish collects them together with a hook, so too the jawbones of their troops—groups of their priests who join together to go on the road—will slay them all there, with one accord. "For they devised a scheme." For it is a plan which they consulted together before their assembly, to which place they should go to murder and plunder spoils. And "chachi" is a term in the vernacular, and even in the language of the Mishnah, "chachi" is a term for sewing (Bava Kamma 119a, see there). And one should not insert more than three stitches; they are the stitches by which the fuller joins two ends of the garment together when they are beaten with sticks. And this expression is my own, and it is fitting in my eyes, and thus is its interpretation: "And when there is a joining in them, a person who gathers together, a companion of priests, is for murder." And the first [explanation] is the words of Rabbi Moshe, the prayer leader, of blessed and holy memory. Sh'kama. A term denoting a single company/band:

And “chachkhei” – the yod is in place of the he, following the pattern of “l’klah” (to the prison), where the aleph is in place of the he; and these two words are foreign forms, for the rule for words containing a he when attached to a prefix is to drop the he, as in “l’chakot” (to wait). The meaning is: just as troops wait for a person to come so that they may plunder him, so too are the company of priests. And behold, the false prophets are mentioned together with the priests. Shchemah – like “to serve him with Shchem.” "And behold, bands" – this is read with a Zayin, indicating that they are like bands, as it says: "In the way they shall slay them all." The reason is that the priests shall take the priestly dues by force.

"And like the ambush of a band of men." The yod is in place of a heh, [a form] of "chakah" [to wait, to lie in ambush], and it is an infinitive. He states: just as bands of robbers wait for a man passing on the road to plunder him, so too is the company of priests—meaning the priests of the high places—who join together to plunder travelers. "The way they will kill him is as follows: they will kill him all together, with one accord, for if one were to rob him, he would kill him if the owner of the money were to stand against him." “For they committed abomination.” This refers to every evil deed and abomination they performed, as it is stated: “They devised abominations,” meaning that they did not only commit this single act, but rather “abomination” encompasses all their deeds. Alternatively, one may interpret “abomination” (zimmah) as “thought” or “design,” implying that just as they planned in their hearts, so too did they act. Jonathan the Aramaic translator likewise rendered it as “u-chachkhi,” which relates to the concept of “wait for me” (chakhi li). He translated it as “u-kama d-mesabbar inshana le-mesharayan,” meaning “and as a person waits for raiding bands,” etc. Some commentators derive “u-chachkhi” from the root “v’ba-chakaa hala” (and he drew up with a hook), interpreting it as “they formed detachments” from the phrase “mimale al kol gedotav” (overflowing on all its banks). Their explanation is that just as fishers cast their hooks to draw fish from the river, and the fishermen, when casting their hooks, stand on the banks of the river or stream and from there catch the fish, so too the company of priests “catches” people. This is also the interpretation of Rav Saadia Gaon, of blessed memory. And my master and father, of blessed memory, explained that “priests” refers to princes and great men, as it is stated: “And the sons of David were priests.”

"And the cunning ones..." – Just as bands of bandits lie in wait for a traveler on the road to plunder him, so too a group of priests will murder him on the road, all with one shoulder and one mind. "For they have committed an abomination." This is as if to say: It was not actual murder with their own hands, for they will cause death through their detestable and shameful deeds, and by means of these deeds they bring about the loss of lives.

And "they shall hope." The meaning of "hope" is similar to "and I waited for the Lord" (Isaiah 8:17). “Hosts.” A large number of people gathered together is called a “host.” Ḥaver. From the word ḥavurah, meaning a group or faction. Shekhmah. This means one side and one opinion, as in “to serve Him with one accord” (Zephaniah 3:9). Zimmah. An act of abhorrence and disgrace:

And the wisdom of a man: likewise, the murder that was committed against the prophets in Shechem appeared to be as if the prophets had committed adultery and harlotry, for it was on account of this matter that the men of Shechem were slain in ancient times. And this is what it says, “And as a man lies in wait for his brother and hopes”: if one sees bands of fellow priests going along the way, he will murder them, for they are going on the road to Shechem to murder souls there. Surely every man will assume that these priests, who are going to murder souls in Shechem, are doing so because the men of Shechem have committed adultery, and the priests are acting out of jealousy over the harlotry, just as the sons of Jacob acted out of jealousy over the adultery that was committed in Shechem in ancient times. And so it appeared in their eyes that the priests of the calves went to kill the prophets of the Lord as if they had committed adultery and abomination in Israel. But it was not the prophets who committed adultery; rather, the opposite was the case.

"Sh'erurah." The Targum interprets it as a term denoting a change, meaning that they changed their ways; similarly, "shemah" and "sh'erurah" (Jeremiah 5:30).

In the house, a scandal—the meaning is: a disgusting matter, like the figs that are rotten. "The name of harlotry to Ephraim" – this alludes to the calves [idols] at Bethel, which belonged to Ephraim.

In the house of Israel, I saw a disgrace. In Bethel and in Dan, for there were the calves, which are a disgrace—a term denoting ugliness and filthiness, as it is written: “like the rotten figs that cannot be eaten” and “a horrible thing has been done.” "The name of harlotry [is given] to Ephraim. The calves that Jeroboam made from the tribe of Ephraim, and he committed harlotry after them." Israel became impure. Israel became impure through them, for the Ten Tribes served them, and it is explained there in Bethel and in Dan, and the Targum [renders it] “in the house of Israel,” etc.

A scandal. A disgraceful and detestable matter: "The name of harlotry to Ephraim" means that there I saw harlotry in Ephraim, who committed harlotry after the golden calves, and there Israel became defiled, for all of them were drawn after the calves.

Sh'erurah. A matter of something disgraceful and loathsome, as in the phrase "shemah ve-sh'erurah" (Jeremiah 8:13).

In the house of Israel I saw a scandal, for there was harlotry in Ephraim; Ephraim committed harlotry, in that they committed harlotry with idolatry, and through them Israel became defiled, in that through the harlotry of Ephraim, which is the ruling tribe, the other tribes became defiled. It is found in them that there was harlotry, but not among the prophets who were slain.

"Even Judah." He too, since he had sinned: "Shat" (He set). He appointed a time of retribution for her: “Katzir.” The time of its removal and exile, as it is said, “Yet a little while, and the time of harvest will come” (Jeremiah 51:33), referring to the calamity of Babylonia, as stated in the book of Jeremiah. "When I bring back the captivity of My people." This refers to when He reproves them so that they return from their transgressions. "Shivut ami" – the language of "shuvah" (returning) is "n'arim" (children) and "yoladot" (daughters), which in the vernacular is called "unwizor" (likely a transliteration of a foreign term for children or offspring). And similarly, "banim shovvim" (returning sons) (ibid. 3), "ha-bat ha-shovvah" (the returning daughter) (ibid. 31).

“Even Judah” — After having mentioned Ephraim, it says “your harvest,” just as it says “his harvest,” similar to “his planting.” The meaning is: “Your harvest” is for you, and your helper is to serve Baal in Bethel, as was in my heart to restore the captivity of My people, so that they would say: “Come, let us return to the Lord.” But because of Judah, who abandoned My house and your helper, I will not restore your captivity.

“Also Judah, a harvest is appointed for you.” They interpreted this to mean that Judah, too, devoted himself to serving idolatry, like Ephraim, even though the Temple was located in his territory. And the phrase “has appointed a harvest” is explained as “made a harvest,” akin to “planted,” meaning: he, too, planted a foreign (idolatrous) plant, just like Ephraim. "When I intended to restore the captivity of My people": When I considered restoring the captivity of My people, because they were not all united in one direction to serve foreign gods. But after Judah also served foreign gods, I left them in the hands of their enemies. And according to my understanding, "Judah" is read like "Judah, you—your brothers will praise you," meaning: You, Judah, also have a share in the harvest of the One who restores the captivity of My people. And he is Jeroboam son of Joash, king of Israel. For even though Israel and Judah were acting wickedly, as he stated earlier, "When I intended to restore the captivity of My people," through Jeroboam, because I saw the affliction of Israel, it indicates greatly that you too, Judah, have a share in the harvest. And a good planting is Jeroboam, who restored Damascus and Hamath to Judah. And nevertheless, you did not return to what is good—neither Israel nor Judah. And this is what he says after this: "When I healed Israel, then the iniquity of Ephraim was revealed," etc. And this is the healing, as it is written: "He restored the border of Israel from Lebo-Hamath to the Sea of the Arabah." And this is the explanation of "When I intended to restore the captivity of My people," and the explanation of "When I healed Israel." And Jonathan [the Aramaic translator] rendered: "Even though the House of Judah," etc.

“Also Judah.” This means: It is not enough that you, Israel, have sinned; rather, Judah also added to the transgressions by bringing in a harvest and a branch to increase the sins. This means that he too followed in your ways. When it was in My heart to bring back from exile the children of the captivity of My people, as if to say, “Although it was in My heart to have mercy on them, behold, I will not have mercy on them, because the children of Judah have kindled My anger by following in the ways of Israel to serve idolatry like them, and they were the cause of this.”

Shat. A matter of placing: Qatzir. Branch and bough, as in “and it puts forth boughs” (Job 14:9): Shevut. From the language of “shevi” (captivity), the captivity of the exile:

Even Judah: This is dependent on what was stated above, “What shall I do for you, Ephraim? What shall I do for you, Judah? Your kindness is like the morning cloud.” Since He spoke also to Judah, He first explained the sin of Ephraim, that they killed the prophets, and now He returns to Judah, saying, “Even Judah, your kindness is like the morning cloud.” He returns to say, “Take your harvest for yourself, O returning exile of My people.” For you, kindness will provide the harvest, as in the verse, “Sow for yourselves in righteousness, and reap according to kindness.” You will reap the fruit of kindness at the time when I bring back the exile of My people, namely in the days of Hezekiah, when the Lord brought back their exile and they were saved through the Lord. Then kindness produced its harvest, as it is written, “And the remnant of the house of Judah that remains shall take root below and bear fruit above” (Isaiah 37:31).