'Hear the words of this covenant' — the conspiracy of Judah returns to the iniquities of their forefathers; the men of Anathoth seek the prophet's life: 'and I was like a docile lamb that is led to the slaughter.'
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
The word that came to Jeremiah from Hashem, saying:
verse value 1772
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 29 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·Jeremiah" (אֶֽל־יִרְמְיָ֔הוּ, 8 letters). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "saying" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "that" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah). Full calculation: הַדָּבָר֙ [the·word] (211) + אֲשֶׁ֣ר [that] (501) + הָיָ֣ה [was] (20) + אֶֽל־יִרְמְיָ֔הוּ [to·Jeremiah] (302) + מֵאֵ֥ת [from] (441) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + לֵאמֹֽר [saying] (271) = 1772.
Radak
“The matter.” To say that they should say it to the man of Judah. And what is “the matter” that he should say? “Hear the words of this covenant.” And the words of the covenant are written in the Torah of Moses: blessings and curses, if you listen, if you do not listen. And it is written at the end: “These are the words of the covenant which the Lord commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, besides the covenant which He made with them at Horeb.” And at Horeb it said: “And he took the book of the covenant and read in the hearing of the people, and they said, ‘All that the Lord has spoken we will do.’” And it said: “And Moses took the blood and threw it upon the people, and they said, ‘All that the Lord has spoken we will do and we will obey.’” And it is said: “Behold the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you concerning all these words.” And the words of the covenant are that they should listen to the voice of the Lord and do His commandments, and He will be to them as God, and they will be to Him as a people. And in His saying “this,” as it is written in the Torah.
’Hear you the words of this covenant, and speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem;
verse value 4101
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 48 letters. The shortest word is "hear" (שִׁמְע֕וּ, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·to·inhabitants·of" (וְעַל־יֹשְׁבֵ֖י, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 617: words·of, covenant. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·you·shall·speak" (וְדִבַּרְתֶּם֙), "to·man" (אֶל־אִ֣ישׁ). The root דבר appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·man" (root איל, 293x in Jeremiah); "words·of" (root דבר, 270x in Jeremiah); "hear" (root שמע, 184x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'this', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 5 words. Full calculation: שִׁמְע֕וּ [hear] (416) + אֶת־דִּבְרֵ֖י [words·of] (617) + הַבְּרִ֣ית [covenant] (617) + הַזֹּ֑את [this] (413) + וְדִבַּרְתֶּם֙ [and·you·shall·speak] (652) + אֶל־אִ֣ישׁ [to·man] (342) + יְהוּדָ֔ה [Judah] (30) + וְעַל־יֹשְׁבֵ֖י [and·to·inhabitants·of] (428) + יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם [Jerusalem] (586) = 4101.
Radak
"And you shall speak." You and the other true prophets with you, for Zephaniah, who prophesied in the days of Josiah, and perhaps there were others [who also prophesied truly] — He [God] told him [Jeremiah] that they should say the words of the covenant to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. He reminded them of the covenant because the covenant is a matter of permanence; even between one person and another, if they make conditions between them, they make a covenant to keep the conditions between them. How much more so between God and human beings, that it is fitting to keep the covenant.
“to a man of Judah.” This includes all of them as one, and so too is the usage of employing singular language to denote a collective, such as “and I had an ox and a donkey,” and “a man of Israel approached,” and many like them.
And regarding "upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem": Just as it is written "and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem," and similarly, "and Elkanah went to Ramah, to his house," which is equivalent to "to his house"; and "and she prayed to the Lord," which is equivalent to "to the Lord"—and similar cases. And the Targum renders "ve-dibbartem" (ודברתם) as "ve-tmalelun" (ותמללון). It appears that he read "ve-dibbartem" with a qamats under the tav, whereas we have found in all the precise manuscripts "ve-dibbartem" with a segol under the tav.
Metzudat David
"Hear." You and the rest of the prophets—this means, pay attention to understand the words of this covenant, namely, the well-known covenant mentioned in the Torah, which are the blessings and curses in the plains of Moab, upon which He made a covenant with them, as it is stated there: "These are the words of the covenant" (Deuteronomy 28:69).
"And you shall speak." You, the prophets, shall speak the words of the covenant to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
Metzudat Zion
Hear. The matter of understanding:
"A man of Judah." The men of Judah; and similarly, "a man of Israel saw" (1 Samuel 13).
And upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And to the inhabitants of Jerusalem:
Malbim
"Hear the words of the covenant" refers to the general content of the Torah, with which He made a covenant, as it is stated, "to pass into the covenant of the Lord your God, and into His oath." "Hear" implies that initially you shall remind them, so that they will listen of their own accord, out of love. And "you shall speak" means that you, along with all those who listen out of love, shall address the rest of the people and frighten them with the fear of punishment, lest they fail to listen.
and say you to them: Thus says Hashem, the God of Israel: Cursed be the man that hears not the words of this covenant,
verse value 4934
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 60 letters. Notable word values: "to·them" (אֲלֵיהֶ֔ם) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "words·of" (אֶת־דִּבְרֵ֖י, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 617: words·of, covenant. The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "and·you·shall·say" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "that" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root ארר ("cursed") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 8 words. Full calculation: וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ [and·you·shall·say] (647) + אֲלֵיהֶ֔ם [to·them] (86) + כֹּֽה־אָמַ֥ר [thus·says] (266) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + אֱלֹהֵ֣י [the·God·of] (46) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל [Israel] (541) + אָר֣וּר [cursed] (407) + הָאִ֔ישׁ [man] (316) + אֲשֶׁר֙ [that] (501) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + יִשְׁמַ֔ע [he·hears] (420) + אֶת־דִּבְרֵ֖י [words·of] (617) + הַבְּרִ֥ית [covenant] (617) + הַזֹּֽאת [this] (413) = 4934.
Radak
“And you shall say.” You shall further say to them these words in the form of a curse, with the word “accursed,” just as they were stated in the Torah at Sinai and in the plains of Moab. You shall speak to them again in the language of “accursed,” perhaps they will be frightened and return.
Metzudat David
"Which will not hear."—Which will not desire to listen.
Metzudat Zion
Accursed. The matter of a curse:
Malbim
"And you shall say" – to inform of the punishment, for cursed is the man who is cursed by his own hand, for when he abandons the words of the covenant, the Lord will abandon him.
which I commanded your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the iron furnace, saying: Hearken to My voice, and do them, according to all which I command you; so shall you be My people, and I will be your God;
verse value 7952
Insights
Verse structure: 23 words, 115 letters. The shortest word is "to·me" (לִי֙, 2 letters) and the longest is "bring·them·out" (הוֹצִיאִֽי־אוֹתָ֣ם, 10 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "bring·them·out" (הוֹצִיאִֽי־אוֹתָ֣ם), "from·land·of·Egypt" (מֵאֶֽרֶץ־מִצְרַ֩יִם֩), "from·the·furnace" (מִכּ֨וּר). The root אשר appears 2 times in this verse. 19 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "that" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah); "and·you·shall·be" (root היה, 250x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'you', dividing the verse into phrases of 16 and 7 words.
Radak
"Which on the day I brought them out." [Meaning] Mount Sinai, at the time that I brought them out from the land of Egypt, for fifty days after they went out from Egypt this covenant was made.
"On the day." Explanation: in place of "time" and "moment," as in "and it shall come to pass on that day, [that] the root of Jesse [stands as a banner to peoples]," and "and My anger shall be kindled against him on that day."
"From the iron furnace." For they were in the refining crucible, just as silver and gold are refined in a furnace.
"And you shall do them." [These are] the commandments, and this is [the meaning of] "Hear My voice" — the commandments that He commands them.
Metzudat David
"From the iron furnace." This means that you were refined there through the refining of troubles, just as gold is refined in a furnace of iron.
"To say, 'Hear, etc.'": This means that the ultimate purpose of that covenant was entirely to say, "Hear My voice and observe the commandments, according to all," etc.
“And you shall be to Me a people.” And I will not exchange you for another nation.
Metzudat Zion
"מכור" – this is the vessel in which gold is refined, as it is written: "a crucible for gold" (Proverbs 17:3).
Malbim
"Which" – he explains four reasons for the obligation to guard the covenant: 1. "Which I commanded your fathers" – the sons are obligated to observe the commandments that their fathers accepted upon themselves and upon their descendants after them; 2. That the commandment was given on the day I brought them out of the land of Egypt, and from this aspect they became obligated to observe My statutes, for when I brought them out of the house of bondage, they became My servants, and on this condition I brought them out; 3. That I established this condition: that by means of your heeding My voice, you shall be a people to Me, and it is clear that upon abandoning the covenant, "you are not My people, and I am not your God."
that I may establish the oath which I swore to your fathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as at this day.’ Then answered I, and said: ‘Amen, O Hashem.’
verse value 5517
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 74 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָֽה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 5517 is divisible by 613, the number of the commandments (mitzvot). The shortest word is "to·give" (לָתֵ֤ת, 3 letters) and the longest is "that·I·swore" (אֲשֶׁר־נִשְׁבַּ֣עְתִּי, 9 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "the·oath" (אֶת־הַשְּׁבוּעָ֜ה), "that·I·swore" (אֲשֶׁר־נִשְׁבַּ֣עְתִּי), "and·I·answered" (וָאַ֥עַן). 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "and·I·said" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "that·I·swore" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root זוב ("flowing") in Jeremiah. First appearance of the root דבש ("and·honey") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'this', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 4 words.
Rashi
Amen, the Lord. May he be cursed:
Radak
"For the purpose of." And I will answer and say, "Amen, O Lord." This is true: that he who does not heed the words of this covenant shall be cursed. And "the Lord" is a term of calling and prayer, meaning: May the Lord indeed make it so.
Metzudat David
"In order to fulfill." This means: and this is for their benefit, "in order to fulfill," etc.
“Zavat.” From the abundance of milk and honey, it flows and descends upon the land.
As on this day. That you are, as on this day, in the land flowing with milk and honey:
And I answered. Jeremiah said: I answered and said, "You, O Lord, are true." Thus it is believed that the matter will be so: "Cursed is the man who does not heed..."
Metzudat Zion
To establish. The word is in the sense of establishment:
"Zavat." The sense is flowing/dripping, as in "your valley overflows" (below, chapter 49).
Malbim
4. "In order to establish the oath," etc., "to give them a land flowing with milk and honey." The oath concerning the land was conditional: if they keep the words of the covenant, but if they do not keep them, they will inevitably be exiled from the land. And I answered and said, "Amen, O Lord." The prophet answered "Amen," as one who accepts upon himself to fulfill the words of the covenant. His meaning is that even if Israel abandons Your covenant, I will fulfill it. And thus the oath was not nullified, [the promise] to be our God and to give us the land, as long as there is found even one among the children of their fathers who does not violate the covenant but rather fulfills it.
And Hashem said to me: ‘Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying: Hear you the words of this covenant, and do them.
verse value 6395
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 83 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "to·me" (אֵלַ֔י, 3 letters) and the longest is "all·the·words" (אֶת־כׇּל־הַדְּבָרִ֤ים, 10 letters). Words sharing gematria 617: words·of, covenant. The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "and·said" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "all·the·words" (root דבר, 270x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'saying', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 6 words.
Radak
"And he said." He added further and warned him to proclaim to them all the matters, and explained to him that what he said to the man of Judah—that he should not wait for them until they come to Jerusalem—but rather that he should go himself into the cities of Judah and proclaim in their ears all the matters, and speak to them in the language of a curse, and warn them, perhaps they will return. And likewise, what he will say to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, he will say to them in the streets, in public, before all the people.
Metzudat David
All the matters that I am speaking to you:
"And you shall make them." Perform the commandments for the sake of which I have established the covenant.
Metzudat Zion
And in the streets. In the marketplaces:
Malbim
And the Lord said: Now He made him an envoy to proclaim this in the streets of Jerusalem, in public, like one who calls out and warns about the punishment that is destined.
For I earnestly forewarned your fathers in the day that I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, even to this day, forewarning betimes and often, saying: Hearken to My voice.
verse value 4259
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 72 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּי֩, 2 letters) and the longest is "in·your·fathers" (בַּאֲבֽוֹתֵיכֶ֗ם, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "witness" (הָעֵ֨ד), "I·warn" (הַעִדֹ֜תִי), "in·your·fathers" (בַּאֲבֽוֹתֵיכֶ֗ם). The root עוד appears 3 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "for" (root כי, 318x in Jeremiah); "from·land·of" (root ארץ, 245x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'saying', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 2 words.
Rashi
"I have surely warned." [This is] a term of warning.
Radak
"For I warned your ancestors when I brought them up from the land of Egypt, and likewise in every generation until this day, I hastened and warned them by sending them prophets to admonish them every morning, every morning, every day, day after day, continually."
Metzudat David
"For I have surely warned." From then, I warned about this among your fathers, on the day I brought them up from Egypt, and from there onward until this day:
“Rise early and proclaim.” I rise early and admonish through the prophets, saying: “Hear My voice.”
Metzudat Zion
"I have surely warned." The sense is a warning, for usually one warns in the presence of witnesses so that they [the ones warned] cannot [later] deny it.
השכם. The word is from the noun *hashkama* (early rising), and it means with alacrity.
Malbim
For the witness, for I have already testified against your fathers, and this warning was immediate on the day I brought them up, and it continued until this day, and do not say that it was only from time to time, but rather early and late I testified, and despite all this, they did not hear, meaning they did not accept the words, nor did they incline their ear, and I will bring upon them, etc., comes to inform of the difference between the rebellion of the earlier generations and the rebellion of this generation, and the difference in their punishment, for the generation before him was rebelling by abolishing the Torah through passive inaction [lit. "sitting and not doing"], meaning they did not wish to listen to the words of the Torah and did not wish to fulfill its commandments, and their punishment was for that which I commanded to do and they did not do, and they did not fulfill the commandments of the Torah, and in this way the sin of the generation of Jeremiah is worse, as will be explained:
Yet they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked every one in the stubbornness of their evil heart; therefore I brought upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, but they did them not.’
verse value 6965
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 86 letters. The shortest word is "and·not" (וְלֹ֤א, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·covenant·this" (הַבְּרִית־הַזֹּ֛את, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 72: and·walked, their·heart. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "in·the·stubbornness·of" (בִּשְׁרִיר֖וּת), "the·covenant·this" (הַבְּרִית־הַזֹּ֛את), "that·I·commanded" (אֲשֶׁר־צִוִּ֥יתִי). The root לא appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·I·commanded" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah); "and·not" (root לא, 307x in Jeremiah); "upon·them" (root על, 276x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·evil', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 8 words.
Rashi
“And I will bring upon them all the words of the covenant.” These are the curses stated in the covenant regarding the matters that I commanded them to do, but they did not do.
Radak
"And they did not heed all the words of the covenant." The curses, which are the conditions of the covenant if they do not heed, this is what is stated: "which I commanded to do, and they did not do." I commanded them to fulfill the words, and they did not fulfill them. And included in the fulfillment of the covenant are positive and negative commandments; and the fulfillment of the covenant is called "deed."
Metzudat David
"And they did not hear." And they are not heeding:
"And they went, each man..." Each one goes according to what his evil inclination shows him and what he desires.
"And I will bring." And therefore, I will bring upon them all the words of this covenant, which are the curses mentioned in the covenant.
"As I commanded to be done." Because I commanded them to perform My commandments, and they did not do so.
And Hashem said to me: ‘A conspiracy is found among the men of Judah, and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
verse value 2364
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 40 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "to·me" (אֵלָ֑י, 3 letters) and the longest is "is·found·conspiracy" (נִֽמְצָא־קֶ֙שֶׁר֙, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "is·found·conspiracy" (נִֽמְצָא־קֶ֙שֶׁר֙), "man" (בְּאִ֣ישׁ), "and·dwelling" (וּבְיֹשְׁבֵ֖י). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "and·said" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "to·me" (root אל, 204x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·me', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֥אמֶר [and·said] (257) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + אֵלָ֑י [to·me] (41) + נִֽמְצָא־קֶ֙שֶׁר֙ [is·found·conspiracy] (781) + בְּאִ֣ישׁ [man] (313) + יְהוּדָ֔ה [Judah] (30) + וּבְיֹשְׁבֵ֖י [and·dwelling] (330) + יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם [Jerusalem] (586) = 2364.
Radak
And the Lord said to me, “A conspiracy has been found.” It is inferred from the analogous case that this prophecy was uttered in the days of Jehoiakim, and this is what “A conspiracy has been found” means: namely, that they rebelled against Me after they had returned [to God] in the days of Josiah.
Metzudat David
"A conspiracy is found." There is found a band of rebellion among the men of Judah, etc.
Metzudat Zion
"Qesher." Its meaning is a band of conspirators, as in, "and she cried, 'Treason, treason!'" (2 Kings 11).
"ba'ish" – like "ba'anshei":
Malbim
"And the Lord said to me" – the Lord showed him [Jeremiah] that this generation is worse, for conspiracy is found among them. For they not only returned to the sins of their first ancestors, who refused to heed My words; they added to them. For the first ones sinned only through passive inaction [lit. "sitting and not doing"], whereas they went after other gods to serve them, which is active transgression [lit. "arising and doing"]. And besides the fact that they did not celebrate the festivals of the Lord and did not give His tithes, they make festivals for idolatry and give heave-offerings and tithes to the priests of the idol. And by this they violated My covenant, in that not only did they no longer fulfill it, but they violated it and abolished it completely, after they chose other gods for themselves.
They are turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers, who refused to hear My words; and they are gone after other gods to serve them; the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken My covenant which I made with their fathers.
verse value 9173
Insights
Verse structure: 22 words, 108 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִ֥ים) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "turned·back" (שָׁ֩בוּ֩, 3 letters) and the longest is "house·of·Israel" (בֵֽית־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: that, that. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "upon·iniquities·of" (עַל־עֲוֺנֹ֨ת). The root אשר appears 2 times in this verse. 19 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah); "my·words" (root דבר, 270x in Jeremiah); "to·hear" (root שמע, 184x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root פרר ("have·broken") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·serve·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 8 words.
Radak
"Return to the sins of their first ancestors." The generation of Amon, Manasseh, and Ahaz, and all the verses up to "What is there for My beloved" are clearly explained. The meaning of "and the cities of Judah shall go" is that the inhabitants of the cities of Judah shall go, and likewise "and all the land came to Egypt." The verse "And you, do not pray for them" we explained above, and above it says, "For I will not hear you." And now it says, "For I will not hear them when they call to Me." He added to say that even if they call to Me, I will not heed them, but rather I will take vengeance upon them. So greatly did they multiply in doing evil in My sight to provoke Me, that I cannot save them from the retribution.
Metzudat David
"They returned." They reverted to the sins of their fathers, etc., for they clung to this path.
And they. Moreover, they added to go after other gods:
They annulled. If so, they all together annulled the covenant: just as the House of Israel, so too the House of Judah.
Metzudat Zion
Ma'anu. From the word mi'un:
"They have broken." They have annulled:
Therefore thus says Hashem: Behold, I will bring evil upon them, which they shall not be able to escape; and though they shall cry to Me, I will not hearken to them.
verse value 2945
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 66 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "thus" (כֹּ֚ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "not·will·be·able" (לֹא־יוּכְל֖וּ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 86: to·them, to·them. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "not·will·be·able" (לֹא־יוּכְל֖וּ). The root אל appears 3 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "said" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "that" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root זעק ("and·they·will·cry") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·her', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 5 words.
Metzudat David
"Which they will not be able to." By the strength of the arm:
And they cried out to Me. To save them:
Malbim
Therefore, I will bring upon them evil from which they will not be able to escape; that is to say, that the Lord always places the remedy before the affliction, for the ultimate purpose of the affliction is not merely to strike, but to bring them to repentance, and upon their return, He will heal them. This applies only to one who sins out of desire. Not so with them: He will bring upon them an affliction for which there is no remedy, because they have formed a conspiracy and chosen other gods, such that they will not return in repentance. For if He were to bring chastisements upon them, they would attribute this to the fact that they did not serve the idolatry properly, as it is stated: "Even if they cry out to Me, I will not listen to them." They would claim that the service of idolatry punished them for not serving it as it ought to be served, and they would go to cry out to the idolatry.
Then shall the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem go and cry to the gods to whom they offer; but they shall not save them at all in the time of their trouble.
verse value 4699
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 74 letters. The shortest word is "abundance" (הֵ֥ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·God" (אֶל־הָ֣אֱלֹהִ֔ים, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 75: to·them, to·them. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·they·went" (וְֽהָלְכ֞וּ), "to·God" (אֶל־הָ֣אֱלֹהִ֔ים), "Hosea" (וְהוֹשֵׁ֛עַ). The root הם appears 3 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah); "to·God" (root איל, 293x in Jeremiah); "and·dwelling" (root ישב, 147x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 5 words.
Rashi
The cities of Judah. From the cities of Judah:
Metzudat David
The cities of Judah. The inhabitants of the cities of Judah:
"And save." But they will not be able to save them when the evil comes upon them.
Malbim
And the cities of Judah: every city and city in Judah will go to cry out to its pagan deities; and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: every neighborhood and neighborhood of Jerusalem, each on its own, will go to cry out to the pagan deity assigned to it. And this is what is meant by “and they will cry out to the gods to whom they have been offering incense,” and then they will see that they will not save them, even though they cried out to all of them.
For according to the number of your cities are your gods, O Judah; and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem have you set up altars to the shameful thing, even altars to offer to Baal.
verse value 5212
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 66 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֚י, 2 letters) and the longest is "Jerusalem" (יְרוּשָׁלִַ֗ם, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 463: altars, altars. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·number·of" (וּמִסְפַּ֞ר), "streets·of" (חֻצ֣וֹת), "to·the·shame" (לַבֹּ֔שֶׁת). The root מספר appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for" (root כי, 318x in Jeremiah); "were" (root היה, 250x in Jeremiah); "your·God" (root אלהים, 140x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root מזבח ("altars") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Judah', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 9 words.
Metzudat David
Number. Just as the number of the cities, so too the number of their idols.
And the number. "As the number of the streets of Jerusalem" – just as that number, so you have made altars. "To shame" – this refers to idolatry, which is a source of shame to its worshippers, because they cry out to it and are not answered.
Malbim
"For the number" [of your cities]: he explains the reason why all the cities of Judah will go, for each city has a different idol. And "the number of streets" — this is the reason why the inhabitants of Jerusalem will go to the altars of shame. They had two types of idolatry: Baal was in the form of a male, and Boshet was in the form of a female, and her nakedness and shame were exposed, for such was her worship.
Therefore pray not you for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them; for I will not hear them in the time that they cry to Me for their trouble.’
verse value 5422
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 65 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "not·pray" (אַל־תִּתְפַּלֵּל֙, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "they·call" (קׇרְאָ֥ם). The root בעד appears 3 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for" (root כי, 318x in Jeremiah); "not·pray" (root איל, 293x in Jeremiah); "to·me" (root אל, 204x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·prayer', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 8 words.
Rashi
"A cry and a prayer." [I.e.,] a plea and a prayer.
Radak
"Because of their evil." On account of their evil. And similarly, "through the weapon they shall fall," and there are many like this.
Metzudat David
"And you." [This is said] to Jeremiah, [teaching that] he should not pray on their behalf.
"For I do not [listen], etc." The meaning is: Even if they themselves were to call out and pray to Me concerning the evil that is coming upon them, in order to remove it from upon them, and without repentance and remorse for their sins, I would not heed them; and all the more so since they are not praying before Me, how then should I heed you in what you pray on their behalf?
Metzudat Zion
On behalf of. For the sake of:
Tissa. The matter of raising the voice:
Rinnah. It is a matter of prayer:
Malbim
And you, the Lord says to Jeremiah: “I will not accept their prayer.” And you, whose prayer is accepted before Me, I command you: do not pray on behalf of this generation, and do not intercede for them. Just as a prayer leader who prays and lifts up song and prayer together with the congregation, and they respond after him—since I do not listen when they call out to Me, I do not want you to intercede on their behalf.
What has My beloved to do in My house, Seeing she has wrought lewdness with many, And the hallowed flesh is passed from you? When you do evil, then you rejoice.
verse value 4697
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 60 letters. The shortest word is "what?" (מֶ֣ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·flesh·of·holiness" (וּבְשַׂר־קֹ֖דֶשׁ, 7 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "to·My·beloved" (לִידִידִ֞י), "in·my·house" (בְּבֵיתִ֗י), "purpose" (הַֽמְזִמָּ֙תָה֙). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for" (root כי, 318x in Jeremiah); "from·upon·you" (root על, 276x in Jeremiah); "her·doing" (root עשה, 147x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root מזמה ("purpose") in Jeremiah. First appearance of the root אז ("then") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·upon·you', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 4 words. Full calculation: מֶ֣ה [what?] (45) + לִידִידִ֞י [to·My·beloved] (68) + בְּבֵיתִ֗י [in·my·house] (424) + עֲשׂוֹתָ֤הּ [her·doing] (781) + הַֽמְזִמָּ֙תָה֙ [purpose] (497) + הָרַבִּ֔ים [the·many] (257) + וּבְשַׂר־קֹ֖דֶשׁ [and·flesh·of·holiness] (912) + יַעַבְר֣וּ [pass·away] (288) + מֵעָלָ֑יִךְ [from·upon·you] (170) + כִּ֥י [for] (30) + רָעָתֵ֖כִי [your·evil] (700) + אָ֥ז [then] (8) + תַּעֲלֹֽזִי [you·will·exult] (517) = 4697.
Rashi
"What is my beloved to me in my house? What is my chosen people to me in coming again into my house?"
"Her doing the scheme" – [meaning] she carries out the scheme, the counsel of her sins.
The many. In them:
"And the flesh of the holy things shall pass away from you." Even circumcision was abolished from their flesh, through which they were sanctified to Me.
"For your evil shall be your joy." When you transgress a sin, you rejoice.
Radak
"What is my beloved doing in my house?" The prophet said: "What is my beloved doing in my house?" God called him "my beloved" because he was among those who loved God. He said: "What does he still have in my house?" That is to say, in the Temple, namely, to cause His Divine Presence to dwell there.
"Her doing her designs with the many." Just as it says, "The assembly of Israel has committed abomination with the multitude," meaning with other gods, as stated above: "For the number of your cities were your gods, O Judah." And since she abandoned the One and made designs with the multitude, serving them, [Scripture says] "What does My beloved have in My house?" And it says "in My house" just as it says "My beloved" — for the beloved spoken of belongs to the prophet, not to them; and likewise, the Temple is the house of the prophet, and not their house.
“And the flesh of the sacred offerings shall pass away from you.” This refers back to the Congregation of Israel, saying to her: “You are bringing sacrifices for the many, who are other gods. And ‘the flesh of the sacred offerings’—that is, the flesh of the altar of the Lord, which is holy—those sacred sacrifices shall pass away from you, as if they are not incumbent upon you to offer them.”
"Because of your evil, you shall rejoice." This does not mean that you have shame and evil in your heart from this matter; rather, at the time that you do evil, then you shall rejoice and be glad. And some say that "flesh of holiness" is like "men of holiness," and like "all flesh shall come to bow down," whose meaning is human beings, namely the pious, the men of holiness, have passed away from you; therefore, you do evil.
"Her scheme." The doubling is to strengthen the matter; and so too "her salvation," "her help" [are doubled in the same way].
"Your misery." The yod is added, like the yod in "your youth" and "your sicknesses." And the Targum renders the verse: "What is it for the people who were dear to Me, etc." And in the Midrash: When the Temple was destroyed, the Holy One, blessed be He, found Abraham standing in the Temple, and He said to him: "What does My beloved want in My house?" He replied: "I have come concerning the affairs of my children." He said to him: "Your children have sinned and been exiled." He replied: "Perhaps they sinned unintentionally." He said to him: "Her scheme was deliberate." He replied: "Perhaps only a minority of them sinned." He said to him: "The majority." He replied: "Should you not have remembered the flesh of the circumcision?" He said to him: "And holy flesh shall pass away from you." He replied: "Perhaps if You had waited for them, they would have returned in repentance." He said to him: "Because of your evil, you shall rejoice." He replied: "Perhaps, God forbid, there is no remedy for them." He said to him: "A green olive tree, etc."
Metzudat David
"What to My Beloved in My house?" Israel, who were of old My treasured people, why should they come to the Temple to perform there the very many wicked schemes?
"And the flesh of the holy things." This means: the sacrifices that you offer there shall pass away from you, for I do not desire them.
"Because of your evil": When you are engaged in evil, then you will rejoice and not worry about them. What concern do I then have with the sacrifices, and why do you come into the Temple?
Metzudat Zion
To my beloved. My beloved:
"Hamzimatah" [the scheme]. The matter of an evil deed, like "zimah hi" ["it is depravity"] (Leviticus 18):
Your evil. From the word “evil”:
"t'aluzi." The matter of joy, as in "the pious shall rejoice" (Psalms 149:5):
Malbim
"What do I have with My friend in My house?" The LORD says to Jeremiah: "Do not pray for this people." And what are you doing in My house? Why have you come to pray on their behalf and to offer sacrifices for them? For Jeremiah was a priest who performed the Temple service. "Who executes so many vile designs, and the sacral flesh shall pass away from you" — behold, the congregation devises much plotting and great abominations. How then can you pray on their behalf? He turns His face toward the congregation and says: "And shall the sacral flesh pass away from you?!" Do you think that by bringing sacral flesh, namely the sacrifices, the plotting and abominations will thereby pass away from you? Do you think that by this you will be cleansed from the plotting? No, for you do not return in repentance at the time you bring the sacral flesh. For "because of your evil, then you exult" — you will not rejoice over the sacrifice that you bring, but rather over the evil that you do. And after the sacrifice, you will rejoice a second time to commit the evil with joy.
Hashem called your name A leafy olive-tree, fair with goodly fruit; With the noise of a great tumult He has kindled fire upon it, And the branches of it are broken.
verse value 4423
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 60 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "fire" (אֵשׁ֙, 2 letters) and the longest is "his·branches" (דָּלִיּוֹתָֽיו, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 301: called, fire. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "olive" (זַ֤יִת), "fair" (יְפֵ֣ה), "fruit·shape" (פְרִי־תֹ֔אַר). 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "on" (root על, 276x in Jeremiah); "your·name" (root שם, 122x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·name', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 8 words.
Rashi
"To the sound of tumult." This is the language of a great uproar that will come upon them.
"And its boughs are broken." [Meaning:] they crushed its branches.
Radak
“An olive tree full of sap.” The verse compares it to an olive tree, because it is fresh at all times, and throughout the days of the year its leaves are moist.
"Fair is the fruit, fair is the appearance." He explained: "fair is the fruit" and "fair is the appearance" — and "fair" is stated once but stands in the place of two, meaning that its fruit is fair and its appearance is fair. He said to the Congregation of Israel: At first the Lord called your name "a verdant olive tree" — when you were doing His will you were like a verdant olive tree, "its leaf does not wither," meaning that success was continually with you, and you performed good and beautiful deeds, similar to the fruit of the olive, by whose richness — that is, its oil — God and men are honored.
"To the sound of a great tumult." And now your sins have caused many nations to come; they will hear the sound of their tumult, which is great, and through them fire was kindled upon her — as if it had said "upon you" — for such is the way of Scripture: to speak within a single verse both in direct address and not in direct address, such as "Hear, all you peoples," "for they shall be ashamed of the terebinths which you desired," and "the Lord has made me know" — "then You showed me," and there are many similar cases.
"And its boughs are broken." And those nations will break the boughs of the olive tree to which you were likened. And my master and father, of blessed memory, interpreted "aleha" [in "He kindled fire upon her"] like "leaf of the olive" — meaning that fire was kindled among its leaves, that is, among the leaves of the olive tree, which were fresh and moist; now fire would be kindled among them. And he referred to the olive (zayit) in the feminine, even though it is [grammatically] masculine, as shown by "ra'anan" and by "delayotav" [its boughs, with the masculine suffix]. And behold, we find "vine" (gefen) in the masculine — "Israel is a luxuriant vine" — and we find it in the feminine — "to be a stately vine." So too will "olive" be like it. And furthermore, since he likened to it the Congregation of Israel, which is [grammatically] feminine, he referred to the olive — which is a metaphor for her — likewise in the feminine, as if he were referring to the Congregation; and afterward he returns to speak in the masculine, in its own [true] language, and said "delayotav" [its boughs].
"Hamullah" [tumult]. It is written with a vav bearing a dagesh, and few similar cases are found among the letters alef-heh-vav-yod [the 'weak' letters] with a dagesh; we have noted them in the book Mikhlol, in the grammar section. And the meaning of "hamullah" is like "millah" [word], as in "there is no word on my tongue"; and likewise "the sound of a tumult" is like "the sound of a camp." And the meaning of "hitsit" is "he kindled," as in "and He kindled a fire in Zion," and its like. And "ra'u" means "they broke," as in "may it shatter your skull," and "they shall break the land of Ashur at its gates."
Its boughs. The meaning is its branches. And it called them by this term because [it is related] to the expression "I will extol You, O LORD, for You have drawn me up [dilitani]" (Psalms 30:2), whose meaning is "You have raised me up." And it mentioned the branches with this term to indicate that even the high branches will be broken. This is an allegory for Jerusalem and the Temple. And Jonathan [Targum Yonatan] rendered the verse thus: "Behold, like an olive tree," etc., as printed above.
Metzudat David
“An olive tree, fresh and green.” Opposite the Temple, He said: “Behold, from the time that the Lord called you by the name ‘olive tree, fresh and green,’ which is a magnificent tree.”
Beautiful. In you is found the beauty of a fruit with a splendid attribute:
"To the sound of tumult." But now, at the time of the coming of the great sound of the noise of the army of the Chaldeans who come to war, then the Omnipresent, blessed be He, Himself is like an olive tree, whose leaf is fresh and moist in summer and in winter.
He was handsome in appearance,
“Fruit of comeliness,” and the tenor of the simile is the fresh olive tree, whose leaves that guard the fruit—which is wealth and success—are always fresh and full of the abundance of the Lord. “Comely of form” is an allegory for the strength of the people, their multitude, and their might, and “fruit of comeliness” is an allegory for their good deeds and their Torah, which is the acceptable fruit.
"To the sound of a great tumult": afterward, a great noise was heard, that a decree was pronounced against you — by the decree of the Watchers is the sentence — and consequently
He kindled a fire.
"Its leaves" (ba'aleha): for the leaves of the olive tree, which are oily, they kindled fire in them; and this is an allegory for their having plundered their wealth and their treasures.
"Ve-ra'u": [i.e.,] they shall be broken.
"Its boughs," which are the branches of the olive tree: the one who kindles and sets fire upon it, its branches shall break. And since they were likened to an olive tree, it is stated in the language fitting for a tree:
Metzudat Zion
Re'anan. Moist and saturated with moisture, like [the verse] states, "They shall be full of sap and richly green" (Psalms 92:15):
Toar. Adorned/beautiful:
The tumult. The matter of commotion and uproar; and likewise, “the voice of tumult” (Ezekiel 1:24).
"Daliotav" [its branches]. Large branches, as in, "to turn its branches toward it" (Ezekiel 17:6):
And it shall be broken. The meaning of "breaking" is similar to "they shall dash your skull" (above 2):
"Daliotav" [its branches]. Large branches, as in, "to turn its branches toward it" (Ezekiel 17):
Malbim
“An olive tree, fresh and flourishing”: At the time that the Lord planted you, He called your name “an olive tree, fresh and flourishing, beautiful in fruit and appearance,” which comprises three levels. The highest level is that of which He said “beautiful in appearance,” [referring to those] who broke the people themselves and led them into exile.
For Hashem of hosts, that planted you, has pronounced evil against you, because of the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah, which they have wrought for themselves in provoking Me by offering to Baal.
verse value 5513
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 77 letters. The shortest word is "spoke" (דִּבֶּ֥ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "house·of·Israel" (בֵּֽית־יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל, 8 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "that·plants" (הַנּוֹטֵ֣עַ). The root בית appears 2 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "that" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah); "upon·you" (root על, 276x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root גלל ("because·of") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'evil', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 11 words.
Radak
"And the Lord of Hosts, who planted you" — Since He compared her to an olive tree, He used concerning her the language of planting, that is, that He caused you to dwell in a good land. Just as He did good to you when you did good, so now He has spoken to you through the prophets concerning what is destined to come upon you because of the evil of the House of Israel and the House of Judah. Concerning the House of Israel He decreed evil, and it came upon them; and concerning you also He has decreed evil, and it shall come upon you.
Metzudat David
“Who plants you.” The One who builds the house and dwells within it with His Divine Presence has decreed the evil, and it will not come by the might of the arm of the Chaldeans (and because He likened them to an olive tree, He used the language of planting, which is applicable to a tree).
"Evil." It is [the worship of] Baal:
They made for themselves. They made for themselves in order to provoke Me to anger by offering incense to Baal.
Metzudat Zion
"Because of." "On account of," as in "because of this matter" (Deuteronomy 15:10):
Malbim
“And the Lord of Hosts, who planted you, has spoken evil against you.” The “evil” that was decreed against you with a mighty voice of tumult—this is the Lord of Hosts who has spoken against you; He Himself decreed to kindle fire within you. And this was not because His intention toward you changed at the time He kindled the fire from what it was when He planted you. Rather, the very fact that He spoke evil against you was precisely because He had planted you. For the ultimate purpose of the planting was that you should produce holy, joyful fruit, yet you produced fruit of death and destruction. And this is what the verse states: “Because of the evil of the house of Israel.” Just as the owner of a garden will uproot a planting that he himself planted if he sees that it has become corrupted by the actions they performed for themselves—meaning, first they did evil for their own benefit, then they did it to provoke Me to anger, and finally they did it to offer incense to Baal, whereby they subsequently clung to Baal and believed in him.
And Hashem gave me knowledge of it, and I knew it; Then You showedst me their doings.
verse value 1182
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 33 letters. Notable word values: "and·I·knew" (וָאֵדָ֑עָה) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "then" (אָ֖ז, 2 letters) and the longest is "made·known·to·me" (הוֹדִיעַ֖נִי, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "made·known·to·me" (הוֹדִיעַ֖נִי), "and·I·knew" (וָאֵדָ֑עָה), "You·have·made·me·see" (הִרְאִיתַ֥נִי). The root ידע appears 2 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "made·known·to·me" (root ידע, 71x in Jeremiah); "You·have·made·me·see" (root ראה, 71x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·I·knew', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיהֹוָ֥ה [and·Hashem] (32) + הוֹדִיעַ֖נִי [made·known·to·me] (155) + וָאֵדָ֑עָה [and·I·knew] (86) + אָ֖ז [then] (8) + הִרְאִיתַ֥נִי [You·have·made·me·see] (676) + מַעַלְלֵיהֶֽם [their·deeds] (225) = 1182.
Rashi
"And God informed me." Thus said the prophet: The Holy One, blessed be He, made known to me their punishment.
Radak
"And the Lord informed me." My father, of blessed memory, explained: "[He] informed me" — that they were planning to feed me deadly poison, as is indicated in the verse after this one. [Jeremiah in effect] said: "Let Him inform me, that I may know" — then I knew, for I had not known [it before], since it had not occurred to me, because I had not done them harm; [even] if I rebuke them, I do so for their own good.
"Then You showed me their deeds." For by this — "You showed me their deeds" — [it means] their evil deeds: if they wanted to do so to me, then how much more so to others. And it says "He informed me" and it says "You showed me" — not in direct address and in direct address, together as one; and there are many such cases in Scripture, as we wrote above.
Metzudat David
"And the Lord made it known to me." The Lord made known to me the impending evil, and therefore I knew it.
Then. When He informed me of the evil, He revealed to me their deeds, which were not good, and in retribution the evil will come.
Metzudat Zion
Their deeds. Their actions:
Malbim
And the Lord informed me, its meaning being: "And the Lord spoke evil against you," and "the Lord informed me." That is, at the time He spoke evil against you, He also informed me of the decree, so that I would know. And then He also showed me their deeds, and I saw that they were deserving of this decree according to the measure of their evil deeds. And even then He showed me what they intended to do to me, for then I saw that I was like a tame lamb. Whereas I had striven to pray on their behalf, they desired to kill me. I was like a lamb trained to follow its master; when it is time to be slaughtered, it goes of its own accord, without knowledge, because it is accustomed to follow its master and does not guard against him. So too, I did not know that they had plotted against me to kill me. And they desired to kill me in such a way that no one would know at all that I was killed by their hand, for they said, "Let us destroy the tree with its fruit" — [meaning:] let us put into his bread a destroying stick, i.e., the poison of death. And by this means they would cut him off from the land of the living, and his name would no longer be remembered. For a prophet who is killed by the sword, his name is remembered in every generation because he was killed for the sanctification of the Name. But he would be killed in such a way that no person would know.
But I was like a docile lamb that is led to the slaughter; And I knew not that they had devised devices against me: ‘Let us destroy the tree with the fruit thereof, And let us cut him off from the land of the living, That his name may be no more remembered.’
verse value 5222
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 85 letters. Notable word values: "in·his·bread" (בְּלַחְמוֹ֙) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "tree" (עֵ֤ץ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·not·I·knew" (וְלֹֽא־יָדַ֜עְתִּי, 8 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "as·lamb" (כְּכֶ֥בֶשׂ), "will·be·brought" (יוּבַ֣ל), "and·not·I·knew" (וְלֹֽא־יָדַ֜עְתִּי). 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for·upon·me" (root כי, 318x in Jeremiah); "from·land·of" (root ארץ, 245x in Jeremiah); "and·his·name" (root שם, 122x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root כבש ("as·lamb") in Jeremiah. First appearance of the root טבח ("to·slaughter") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·slaughter', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 13 words.
Rashi
And I am like a tame lamb, which is led to the slaughter:
"Yuval" [he is led]. Since I inform them of the evil, they talk of killing me.
"Like a lamb, aluf." Donash and Yehudah ben Qorish interpreted it [to mean]: like a lamb and a bull/ox that is led to the slaughter; and "aluf" is like [the word in] "the offspring of your cattle" (Deuteronomy 28:4). And even though the word "aluf" itself is not stated there, we have a similar case: "the sun, the moon, stood still in its habitation" (Habakkuk 3:11); "like a swallow, [or] a crane, so do I chatter" (Isaiah 38:14). And Menachem interpreted "like a lamb, aluf" as "a great lamb" (see Psalms 58, in Rashi's commentary there). And Targum Yonatan supports him, for he translated it "like a chosen ram."
"Let us destroy the tree with its fruit." [Targum:] "Nirmei sama demota bemakhleih" – Let us cast the poison of death into his food.
Radak
"And I was like a docile lamb." Like [the phrase] "ve-aluf" (and a choice one), lacking the connecting vav — and so too "sun, moon," "Reuben, Simeon," and words similar to them [nouns placed in apposition without a conjunctive vav]. And "aluf" also means an ox, as in "aluphenu mesubalim" (our oxen are laden, Ps. 144:14). And similarly, in a different grammatical pattern, "seger alafekha" (the increase of your cattle, Deut. 7:13). And Targum Yonatan renders it "ke-immar bechir" (like a chosen lamb), explaining that "aluf" is a descriptive term for the lamb, meaning that it was chosen, as in "aluf Teiman" (the chief of Teman, Gen. 36:15). The prophet said: I was among them before God informed me of this — like the lamb or the ox that is led to the slaughterhouse to be slaughtered: when it is being led, it does not know that it is being led to be slaughtered. So too, my relatives and acquaintances were leading me to eat with them; I did not know that they were leading me to kill me. And behold, had God not informed me, they would have killed me. And what were they thinking about me, and saying, "Let us destroy the tree with its food"? And its meaning, as in the Targum: "nirmei sama de-mota be-mikhaleih" (let us put the poison of death in his food). And it says "let us destroy" in place of "let us put," because this putting [of poison] was in effect a destruction. And "tree" means a tree of death, that is, a tree that is a poison of death. And likewise, "And the Lord showed him a tree" (Ex. 15:25) — they said that it was a bitter tree. And it was a miracle within a miracle.
“With his bread.” With his food, for “bread” is a general term for all food.
“From the land of the living.” From this world; and the Targum: “From the land of Israel.”
"He shall not be mentioned again." He explained this to mean "among the living" — tying back to "the land of the living" mentioned above — and thus he repeated the matter in different words:
Metzudat David
"And I" means: It is not of my own will that I go to prophesy evil against them, for the hand of the Lord was strong upon me to go to them and to prophesy. And I am like a lamb and an ox [alluf], each of which is brought to be slaughtered not of its own will, for it is not my desire to prophesy evil against them.
And I do not know, nor will I know, what is my offense in this matter, that they have conceived evil thoughts against me and say, "Let us destroy his food with the tree of death" — meaning: let us put deadly poison in his food — and by this let us cut him off from the land of the living, for he will die and have no one, and his name will no longer be remembered.
Metzudat Zion
"Aluf." [Read] like "aluf" with the vav removed [i.e., "elef"], meaning "the ox," as in "the increase of your cattle" (ibid. 6).
"Yuval." [Meaning] "is brought," as in "a gift is brought" (Isaiah 18):
"To slaughter." To slaughter:
"Etz belachmo" – like "ba'etz lachmo," and "etz" refers to a type of tree that is a deadly poison, concerning which it is stated, "And the Lord showed him a tree" (Exodus 15:25). And it was a miracle within a miracle, as our Sages of blessed memory stated.
"With his bread." Every type of food is called by the name "bread."
But, O Hashem of hosts, that judge righteously, That try the reins and the heart, Let me see Your vengeance on them; For to You have I revealed my cause.
verse value 3747
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 56 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "my·cause" (אֶת־רִיבִֽי, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "judging" (שֹׁפֵ֣ט), "justice" (צֶ֔דֶק). 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "for" (root כי, 318x in Jeremiah); "to·you" (root אל, 204x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root כליה ("kidneys") in Jeremiah. First appearance of the root נקמה ("your·vengeance") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·heart', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 7 words. Full calculation: וַיהֹוָ֤ה [and·Hashem] (32) + צְבָאוֹת֙ [hosts] (499) + שֹׁפֵ֣ט [judging] (389) + צֶ֔דֶק [justice] (194) + בֹּחֵ֥ן [testing] (60) + כְּלָי֖וֹת [kidneys] (466) + וָלֵ֑ב [and·heart] (38) + אֶרְאֶ֤ה [I·will·see] (207) + נִקְמָֽתְךָ֙ [your·vengeance] (610) + מֵהֶ֔ם [from·them] (85) + כִּ֥י [for] (30) + אֵלֶ֖יךָ [to·you] (61) + גִּלִּ֥יתִי [I·revealed] (453) + אֶת־רִיבִֽי [my·cause] (623) = 3747.
Rashi
"Let me see Your vengeance upon them." He would curse the men of Anathoth.
Radak
And the Lord of Hosts judges with righteousness. Judge me against them, for You are the Judge of righteousness.
"Who searches the kidneys and the heart." For You have tested their heart and their kidneys, and You have made known to me their thoughts, so that I may guard myself against them.
"I will behold Your vengeance." That is to say, I shall not die until I see that You take vengeance upon them.
"Because to You I have revealed my dispute." I have no brother or relative to whom I can reveal my dispute, for they plotted to kill me; therefore, to You I have revealed my dispute, and You shall take up my case against them. And when it says "I have revealed," the Torah speaks in the language of human beings, for [the matter] is revealed and known before Him. And so too Targum Yonatan renders "I have revealed" (gilliti) as "I have said" (amarit).
Metzudat David
And the Lord of Hosts. But you, O Lord of Hosts, are you not the One who judges with righteousness and examines the thoughts of the kidneys and the heart? And you will know that there is no joy in my heart concerning the evil that I prophesy to them.
I will see. Therefore, I will see the vengeance that You will take from their hand:
"For unto Thee." Only to Thee do I reveal the dispute that I have with them, but I reproved them on this matter to inform them that I know their thoughts.
Metzudat Zion
Bochan. A word denoting examination and testing.
Kidneys. In them is the place of counsel:
I revealed. From the root G-L-Y (to reveal):
Malbim
"And the Lord of Hosts, You who judge with righteousness and examine the kidneys and the heart"—this means that it is impossible for a judgment to issue from You that is crooked due to a bias in the judgment itself, for You judge with righteousness; nor is it possible due to Your not knowing the truth of the matter because it was only in their thoughts, for You examine the kidneys. I beseech You, let me see Your vengeance upon them. I am not seeking my own vengeance, but rather Your vengeance, for I have revealed my dispute to You, for my dispute was toward You and for Your sake. Likewise, what they desired—to kill me—was in my dispute because I had prophesied in Your name; and thus, in this matter, You shall take vengeance upon them for Your vengeance.
Therefore thus says Hashem concerning the men of Anathoth, that seek your life, saying: ‘You shall not prophesy in the name of Hashem, that you die not by our hand’;
verse value 5205
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 65 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֤א, 2 letters) and the longest is "who·sought" (הַֽמְבַקְשִׁ֥ים, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 26: Hashem, Hashem. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "who·sought" (הַֽמְבַקְשִׁ֥ים), "in·our·hand" (בְּיָדֵֽנוּ). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "thus·said" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "not" (root לא, 307x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'saying', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 7 words.
Radak
Therefore, "and you shall not die by our hands." And how could Jeremiah say, "And the Lord made me know," when they were telling him to his face that they would kill him if he prophesied? Rather, Jeremiah did not fear what they were saying to his face, for he reasoned that this was merely a tactic of intimidation and exaggeration, since it was not feasible for them to kill him openly, and he was not afraid of that. However, he was concerned that they might kill him secretly by means of poison, for this was a possibility, as it was not common knowledge that there existed a poison which, when administered to a person, would not cause immediate death, but rather would take effect after eight or ten days. And if he were to die in this manner, people would not say that he died by means of poison.
Metzudat David
"Those who seek" – namely, those who seek to take your soul.
"To say: Those who tell you, 'Do not prophesy in the name of the Lord, and then you will not die at our hands.'"
Malbim
Therefore, thus says the Lord concerning the men of Anathoth who seek your life, not because they have any quarrel with you, but because they said, “You shall not prophesy in the name of the Lord”:
therefore thus says Hashem of hosts: Behold, I will punish them; The young men shall die by the sword, Their sons and their daughters shall die by famine;
verse value 3640
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 65 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֣ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 3640 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "thus" (כֹּ֤ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·their·daughters" (וּבְנ֣וֹתֵיהֶ֔ם, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 456: they·shall·die, they·shall·die. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "the·young·men" (הַבַּחוּרִים֙), "and·their·daughters" (וּבְנ֣וֹתֵיהֶ֔ם). The root מות appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "said" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "upon·them" (root על, 276x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'upon·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 7 words.
Radak
Therefore, thus says the Lord: The young men shall die by the sword. The young men who rely on their strength and go out to battle shall die by the sword.
Their sons and daughters shall die of famine. In the city: The verse mentions the sons but not the fathers, because if the fathers were to obtain any food, they would eat it themselves, for their lives take precedence over the lives of their children. Moreover, they would even eat the flesh of their sons and daughters due to the famine.
Metzudat David
"[I] reckon" [with them]. I will remember their iniquity against them, to repay recompense.
The young men: those who go to war.
Their sons. The minors:
Metzudat Zion
Poked. The matter is remembrance:
Malbim
Therefore, behold, I will visit [punishment] upon them, for it is the Lord's quarrel; the young men are those who go out to fight, while their sons who remain in the city will die by the famine of the siege.
And there shall be no remnant to them; For I will bring evil upon the men of Anathoth, Even the year of their visitation.
verse value 4454
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 43 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֥א, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·remnant" (וּשְׁאֵרִ֕ית, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·remnant" (וּשְׁאֵרִ֕ית). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 307x in Jeremiah); "to·men·of" (root איל, 293x in Jeremiah); "it·will·be" (root היה, 250x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 6 words. Full calculation: וּשְׁאֵרִ֕ית [and·remnant] (917) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + תִהְיֶ֖ה [it·will·be] (420) + לָהֶ֑ם [to·them] (75) + כִּי־אָבִ֥יא [for·I·will·bring] (44) + רָעָ֛ה [evil] (275) + אֶל־אַנְשֵׁ֥י [to·men·of] (392) + עֲנָת֖וֹת [Anathoth] (926) + שְׁנַ֥ת [year·of] (750) + פְּקֻדָּתָֽם [their·reckoning] (624) = 4454.
Rashi
"To the men of Anathoth" [אל]. [Understand this] like "against the men of Anathoth" [על].
Radak
And the remnant. The men of Anathoth will be punished more than the rest of Israel, because they should have supported Jeremiah, since they were his relatives and fellow townspeople, yet they said that he should be put to death if he prophesied in the name of the Lord.
“The year of their visitation.” The year of the destruction, which was the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar, when God visited their iniquity upon them, the land was desolated, and the survivors from the sword and the famine were exiled. It is stated that the men of Anathoth would have no remnant. Although a decree had been pronounced against them that they would have no remnant at the time the decree fell upon them, when the enemies captured the city, they did repentance, and they did have a remnant. And so our Sages of blessed memory said: “And we also found that in the return from the Babylonian exile, there were one hundred and twenty-eight men of Anathoth.”
Metzudat David
The year of their reckoning. The year in which I shall remember their iniquity upon them, to return recompense.
Metzudat Zion
And the remnant. The matter of a remnant:
Malbim
"And there shall be no remnant," for the elders, because I will bring upon them a unique calamity at the time of the Destruction.
Radak