The linen girdle hidden by the Euphrates is marred and profitable for nothing — 'so will I mar the pride of Judah'; every bottle shall be filled with wine; 'can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots?'
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
Thus said Hashem to me: ‘Go, and get you a linen girdle, and put it upon your loins, and put it not in water.’
verse value 3969
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 56 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֜ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 3969 = 63². The shortest word is "to·you" (לְּךָ֙, 2 letters) and the longest is "upon·loins" (עַל־מׇתְנֶ֑יךָ, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "gird" (אֵז֣וֹר), "flax" (פִּשְׁתִּ֔ים), "and·put·it" (וְשַׂמְתּ֖וֹ). 13 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 'upon·loins', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 3 words. Full calculation: כֹּה־אָמַ֨ר [thus·said] (266) + יְהֹוָ֜ה [Hashem] (26) + אֵלַ֗י [to·me] (41) + הָל֞וֹךְ [go] (61) + וְקָנִ֤יתָ [and·you·will·get] (566) + לְּךָ֙ [to·you] (50) + אֵז֣וֹר [gird] (214) + פִּשְׁתִּ֔ים [flax] (830) + וְשַׂמְתּ֖וֹ [and·put·it] (752) + עַל־מׇתְנֶ֑יךָ [upon·loins] (620) + וּבַמַּ֖יִם [and·in·the·water] (98) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + תְבִאֵֽהוּ [bring·it] (414) = 3969.
Rashi
"Ezor" [a girdle]. "Porcint" in the vernacular:
"And in water you shall not bring it." To wash it when it is full of sweat, so that it will hasten to rot.
Radak
"Thus says the Lord." Regarding the matter of the belt, it is possible that it was literal, and Jeremiah did exactly what God commanded him. The great sage and guide of truth, Maimonides, wrote that this entire event occurred in a prophetic dream. As for what was said to him, "Do not bring it in the water," I still do not know its meaning. If his intention was that he should not wash it after wearing it for days, but rather wear it with the sweat, why did he not say, "You shall not wash it"? The rest of the matter is explicit. "In the clefts of the rock" means in the hollows of the rock, and Jonathan (Targum Yonatan) translated it as "in the smoothness of an exposed rock." As for what was said that he should go to the river Euphrates to hide it there, because it is the boundary of the Land of Israel, the meaning is that when they go out from the Land of Israel to Babylonia, their pride will be ruined.
Metzudat David
"A girdle." A linen belt:
"And you shall put it on your waist." In order that it may become saturated with sweat and hasten to rot.
"And you shall not bring it into the waters." [This means:] You shall not wash it to cleanse it from sweat.
Metzudat Zion
Ezor. A belt:
Motnekha (your loins). Your loins:
Malbim
“Go and acquire,” the Lord commanded him with seven matters: 1. That he should go continually to acquire a linen girdle, so that his going would leave an impression; 2. That he should acquire it for money; 3. That he should acquire it for himself, tailored to his measure; 4. That it should be a girdle not tied around the waist, for the girdle is a sign of strength and might; 5. That it should be of linen, for linen is a sign of priesthood and leadership; 6. That he should place it upon his loins, so that it should remain fixed upon his loins; therefore it did not say “and he girded it,” for one cannot gird tightly at all times; 7. That he should not bring it into water, for a linen girdle, which is white, needs to be washed and laundered constantly, as it becomes black. And He commanded him not only that he should not launder it, but also that he should not bring it into water at all, for water is a preparation for washing. The allegory is explained clearly in verse 11: that the clinging of the girdle to the loins of Jeremiah is an allegory for how the Lord attached Israel to Him, and all the details of the allegory are included in this allegorical meaning: 1. That initially he went many journeys to acquire it, corresponding to the missions He sent repeatedly to redeem them from Egypt, with many signs and wonders; 2. That He acquired them for a price, meaning that He performed for their sake signs and wonders and a change in the order of creation, as if He expended His money and other possessions for them, which are the natural order and its laws, which are the Lord’s possession in His world, as it is written, “He who acquires heaven and earth,” and He changed their order for the sake of His people; 3. That He acquired them for Himself, tailored to His measure, as it is written, “And you shall be holy, for I am holy,” and “You shall walk in His ways,” as if they were a garment tailored to Him, through whom His governance, His ways, and His wisdom—called by the name of “garments”—would be seen; 4. That they were likened to this as a girdle, and this was after the acquisition, when He clothed them to be a garment to Him, meaning that His deeds would be revealed through them, and they were likened to a girdle, for just as the girdle clings to the loins, so they clung to Him, for Him to watch over them with particular providence without intermediaries. And just as the girdle, by virtue of being a girdle, indicates strength, and by virtue of being linen, indicates honor and glory, so He attached them to praise, to a name, and to glory, through whom His strength would be seen in the disruption of the natural order, and His glory in His providential deeds. And just as He commanded that it should be continually upon his loins, so this divine attachment was continual; even when He governed by the way of nature and was not girded in strength, nevertheless it was upon His loins, and He was always ready for this governance. And yet, since a linen girdle, by nature, tends to blacken and needs to be laundered in water, so too Israel needs to be laundered from evil through the waters, which are the hearing of the words of Torah and prophecy, as it is written, “Wash your heart from evil” (above, v. 5). And they not only did not wish to be laundered, which is to do the commandments of the Lord, but they also did not wish to be placed in the waters, namely, to hear words of moral instruction.
So I got a girdle according to the word of Hashem, and put it upon my loins.
verse value 1981
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 30 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "as·word·of" (כִּדְבַ֣ר, 4 letters) and the longest is "the·waist-cloth" (אֶת־הָאֵז֖וֹר, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·I·put" (וָאָשִׂ֖ם), "upon·loins" (עַל־מׇתְנָֽי). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "as·word·of" (root דבר, 270x in Jeremiah); "and·I·put" (root שום, 23x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root אזור ("the·waist-cloth") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 2 words. Full calculation: וָאֶקְנֶ֥ה [and·I·got] (162) + אֶת־הָאֵז֖וֹר [the·waist-cloth] (620) + כִּדְבַ֣ר [as·word·of] (226) + יְהֹוָ֑ה [Hashem] (26) + וָאָשִׂ֖ם [and·I·put] (347) + עַל־מׇתְנָֽי [upon·loins] (600) = 1981.
Malbim
"And I bought the girdle, as the word of the Lord had said" – meaning, in accordance with the details that the Lord commanded: that he should go and purchase it several times, that it should be according to his measure, and that it should be made of linen. "And I put it" – meaning, that it was fixedly placed around his loins.
And the word of Hashem came to me the second time, saying:
verse value 1335
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 22 letters. The shortest word is "to·me" (אֵלַ֖י, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·word·of·Hashem" (דְבַר־יְהֹוָ֛ה, 7 letters). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·word·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "saying" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "and·it·was" (root היה, 250x in Jeremiah). Full calculation: וַיְהִ֧י [and·it·was] (31) + דְבַר־יְהֹוָ֛ה [the·word·of·Hashem] (232) + אֵלַ֖י [to·me] (41) + שֵׁנִ֥ית [second] (760) + לֵאמֹֽר [saying] (271) = 1335.
Metzudat David
"A second time." Regarding the matter of the girdle:
Malbim
"And the word of the Lord came to me: 'Take the belt'"—after it became soiled because it was not brought into water, and it was no longer fit for honor to the one who wore it, the Lord commanded him to hide it in Perath [Euphrates], in a cleft of the rock. The moral is that after they did not heed the words of the Lord and His reproofs, and did not wash themselves from their filth, the belt was no longer fit for the Lord to gird Himself with it. They went to Perath, since that is the route by which one travels to Egypt, and there they hid themselves in a cleft of the rock. This is a figurative expression for the fact that they buried their faces in shame, as it is stated, "All shall be ashamed because of a people that does not profit them." And it was like the ruined belt. And He said to him, "The belt that you bought, which is on your loins." This means the two bonds that one has with the belt: one, from the aspect of ownership; two, from the aspect of attachment, that it is on your loins. "You shall take it and remove it from you." For as regards the ownership—that they were Mine as a people, My servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt—they went to Perath and went back to being servants of Pharaoh. And as regards "which is on your loins"—that I clothed them for praise, for a name, and for glory—they hid themselves in a cleft of the rock.
’Take the girdle that you have gotten, which is upon your loins, and arise, go to Perath, and hide it there in a cleft of the rock.’
verse value 4680
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 53 letters. Verse gematria: 4680 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "take" (קַ֧ח, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·waist-cloth" (אֶת־הָאֵז֛וֹר, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 620: the·waist-cloth, upon·loins. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "you·got" (קָנִ֖יתָ), "and·arise" (וְקוּם֙), "and·hide·it" (וְטׇמְנֵ֥הוּ). The root אשר appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah); "there" (root שם, 122x in Jeremiah); "go" (root הלך, 108x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root פרתה ("to·the·Euphrates") in Jeremiah. First appearance of the root טמן ("and·hide·it") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'upon·loins', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 7 words. Full calculation: קַ֧ח [take] (108) + אֶת־הָאֵז֛וֹר [the·waist-cloth] (620) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [that] (501) + קָנִ֖יתָ [you·got] (560) + אֲשֶׁ֣ר [that] (501) + עַל־מׇתְנֶ֑יךָ [upon·loins] (620) + וְקוּם֙ [and·arise] (152) + לֵ֣ךְ [go] (50) + פְּרָ֔תָה [to·the·Euphrates] (685) + וְטׇמְנֵ֥הוּ [and·hide·it] (116) + שָׁ֖ם [there] (340) + בִּנְקִ֥יק [cleft] (262) + הַסָּֽלַע [crag] (165) = 4680.
Metzudat David
"To Perath." To the river Euphrates:
"And hide it there." You shall hide it there, in the cleft of the rock.
Metzudat Zion
"And bury/hide it." The matter of concealment:
“On the cleft of the rock.” On the protruding tooth of the rock. And similarly, “on the clefts of the rocks” (Isaiah 7:19).
So I went, and hid it in Perath, as Hashem commanded me.
verse value 1921
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 30 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "commanded" (צִוָּ֥ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·I·hid·it" (וָאֶטְמְנֵ֖הוּ, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·I·hid·it" (וָאֶטְמְנֵ֖הוּ), "in·Euphrates" (בִּפְרָ֑ת). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "as" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah); "and·I·went" (root הלך, 108x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·Euphrates', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: וָאֵלֵ֕ךְ [and·I·went] (57) + וָאֶטְמְנֵ֖הוּ [and·I·hid·it] (117) + בִּפְרָ֑ת [in·Euphrates] (682) + כַּאֲשֶׁ֛ר [as] (521) + צִוָּ֥ה [commanded] (101) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + אוֹתִֽי [me] (417) = 1921.
And it came to pass after many days, that Hashem said to me: ‘Arise, go to Perath, and take the girdle from thence, which I commanded you to hide there.’
verse value 4444
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 65 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֜ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "go" (לֵ֣ךְ, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·waist-cloth" (אֶת־הָ֣אֵז֔וֹר, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·take" (וְקַ֤ח), "to·hide·it·there" (לְטׇמְנוֹ־שָֽׁם). 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "and·said" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "that" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root קץ ("from·end·of") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'many', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 12 words.
Metzudat Zion
Mikeitz. From the end:
Malbim
"And it came to pass at the end of many days" – this is an allusion, comparable to what is related below (Jeremiah 42, 45), how the Israelites went to Egypt, and Jeremiah sought to bring them back from there, but they had already become corrupt and refused to heed his words. And Nebuchadnezzar came by way of the River Euphrates and struck Pharaoh, and Israel perished with him. And therefore it says that the Lord commanded him to take the belt.
Then I went to Perath, and dug, and took the girdle from the place where I had hid it; and, behold, the girdle was marred, it was profitable for nothing.
verse value 4706
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 65 letters. Verse gematria: 4706 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֥א, 2 letters) and the longest is "where·I·hid·it" (אֲשֶׁר־טְמַנְתִּ֣יו, 9 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·I·dug" (וָאֶחְפֹּ֗ר), "where·I·hid·it" (אֲשֶׁר־טְמַנְתִּ֣יו), "was·destroyed" (נִשְׁחַ֣ת). The root אזור appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "where·I·hid·it" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah); "not" (root לא, 307x in Jeremiah); "to·the·them" (root כל, 167x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root חפר ("and·I·dug") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'name', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 6 words. Full calculation: וָאֵלֵ֣ךְ [and·I·went] (57) + פְּרָ֔תָה [to·the·Euphrates] (685) + וָאֶחְפֹּ֗ר [and·I·dug] (295) + וָֽאֶקַּח֙ [and·I·took] (115) + אֶת־הָ֣אֵז֔וֹר [the·waist-cloth] (620) + מִן־הַמָּק֖וֹם [from·the·place] (281) + אֲשֶׁר־טְמַנְתִּ֣יו [where·I·hid·it] (1016) + שָׁ֑מָּה [name] (345) + וְהִנֵּה֙ [and·behold] (66) + נִשְׁחַ֣ת [was·destroyed] (758) + הָאֵז֔וֹר [waist-cloth] (219) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + יִצְלַ֖ח [will·rush] (138) + לַכֹּֽל [to·the·them] (80) = 4706.
Rashi
It shall not succeed in anything. It is fit for nothing:
Radak
It will not succeed for anything. [Meaning] not for any matter — like [the verse], "You shall do no manner of work," meaning no work at all; "All fat and all blood," meaning no fat at all and no blood at all. [The singular is] with a tzere; therefore, [the plural] is with a qibbuts under the aleph, and a shva.
Metzudat David
"And I dug." For it had become covered over with earth from above.
“Neshachet.” It was spoiled and rotted:
"It shall not be fit for anything" – It was not fit for any purpose.
Metzudat Zion
"And I dug." From the language of digging and quarrying.
“Lekhol” (to all). This means: to any matter. Similarly, “You shall not do any work” (Exodus 20:10) means: any work.
Malbim
“And I went and dug, and behold, it was ruined”—this means that there was no longer any remedy for them.
Thus says Hashem: After this manner will I mar the pride of Judah, and the great pride of Jerusalem,
verse value 2807
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 44 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "thus" (כֹּ֖ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·exaltation" (וְאֶת־גְּא֥וֹן, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "I·will·destroy" (אַשְׁחִ֞ית), "exaltation" (אֶת־גְּא֧וֹן), "and·exaltation" (וְאֶת־גְּא֥וֹן). The root גאון appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "said" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "Judah" (root יהודה, 134x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root ככה ("like this") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 7 words. Full calculation: כֹּ֖ה [thus] (25) + אָמַ֣ר [said] (241) + יְהֹוָ֑ה [Hashem] (26) + כָּ֠כָה [like this] (45) + אַשְׁחִ֞ית [I·will·destroy] (719) + אֶת־גְּא֧וֹן [exaltation] (461) + יְהוּדָ֛ה [Judah] (30) + וְאֶת־גְּא֥וֹן [and·exaltation] (467) + יְרוּשָׁלִַ֖ם [Jerusalem] (586) + הָרָֽב [the·many] (207) = 2807.
Metzudat David
Thus. Just as the ruin of the belt, so will I ruin the pride, etc.
The great one. The one who is exceedingly abundant:
Metzudat Zion
Ga'on. From the word gaavah and romemut:
Malbim
Thus says the Lord: Now He begins to explain the parable. First, He explains the parable of the ruining of the belt, and afterwards (verse 11) He explains the parable of the acquiring of the belt and its wearing. "Thus will I ruin": This means that just as the belt signifies glory and splendor, and is now ruined in the Euphrates River, so too the glory of Jerusalem and Judah, although it was great and abundant, shall be ruined.
even this evil people, that refuse to hear My words, that walk in the stubbornness of their heart, and are gone after other gods to serve them, and to worship them, that it be as this girdle, which is profitable for nothing.
verse value 5950
Insights
Verse structure: 22 words, 100 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִ֣ים) = 86, equal to Elohim. Verse gematria: 5950 is divisible by 50, the years to the Jubilee (yovel). The shortest word is "the·people" (הָעָם֩, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·to·bow·down" (וּלְהִשְׁתַּחֲוֺ֣ת, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 146: refusing, to·serve·them. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "refusing" (הַֽמֵּאֲנִ֣ים), "as·waist-cloth" (כָּאֵז֣וֹר). The root זה appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah); "my·words" (root דבר, 270x in Jeremiah); "and·let·it·be" (root היה, 250x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 16 and 6 words.
Rashi
"And it shall be like this girdle." Their glory shall be like this girdle, which becomes rotten.
Radak
"The deniers." [This is] a descriptive noun. The singular form is "ma'en" (מָאֵן) with a tzere; therefore, [the plural] is written with a qibbuts under the aleph, a shva, and a patach.
“And it shall be as a girdle.” And the explanation is: “And it shall be” refers to their glory, namely, that He mentioned the glory of Judah and the glory of Jerusalem.
Metzudat David
"This people." This means that because this people is evil, they are the ones who refuse to heed the word of the Lord.
“According to the stubbornness of their heart.” This refers to what their heart indicates to them and for which they crave.
"And it shall be." Therefore, the people will be like this belt:
Metzudat Zion
Those who refuse. From the language of refusal and rejection:
In the matter of stubbornness. In the matter of appearance:
Malbim
"This wicked people"—now he specifies in detail: just as the belt was not brought into the water and therefore became soiled to the point that it was no longer fit for wearing, so too they refuse to heed My words. And just as you went to hide the belt in the River Euphrates—where going to a specific place by a distant road indicates that one does this with knowledge and intent—so too they walk according to the stubbornness of their heart, not sinning out of desire but rather with willful intent of the heart. 3. Just as I hid it in the cleft of the rock, so they buried their faces in shame and went after other gods. And just as the belt was completely ruined, so too "it shall become like this belt, etc."
For as the girdle cleaves to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave to Me the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah, says Hashem, that they might be to Me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory; but they would not hearken.
verse value 7833
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 101 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֡י, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·loins·of·man" (אֶל־מׇתְנֵי־אִ֗ישׁ, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 521: as, I·caused·to·cleave. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "to·loins·of·man" (אֶל־מׇתְנֵי־אִ֗ישׁ), "I·caused·to·cleave" (הִדְבַּ֣קְתִּי), "all·house·of" (אֶת־כׇּל־בֵּ֨ית). The root דבק appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "says·Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "as" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah); "for" (root כי, 318x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root דבק ("it·shall·cling") in Jeremiah. First appearance of the root תהלה ("and·to·praise") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·to·glory', dividing the verse into phrases of 19 and 2 words.
Metzudat David
"Ki kasher yidbak" – This means: For this reason, I compared them to a belt, for just as a belt is attached to a man's waist, so too, etc.
"And for a name." – That this matter should be for them a good name, etc.
"And they did not listen." And they did not heed My words; therefore, they shall be ruined like this belt.
Metzudat Zion
And for praise. From the language of praise and laudation:
Malbim
For just as [this]—now he explains the beginning of the parable, how they were initially likened to all the details of the matters that he [Jeremiah] was commanded at the time of the acquisition of the belt—for just as the belt clings to a man's loins, so I attached them to Me regarding four matters: 1. To be to Me a people, which is the parable of ownership, that He acquired them for Himself, for His need, as a people; and just as the belt, when worn, acquires a name and renown for its wearer, so they became a name; and just as the belt is a sign of strength, so they became a praise; and just as the linen is a sign of glory, so they became a glory; but just as you did not bring the belt into the water, so they did not listen.
Moreover you shall speak to them this word: Thus says Hashem, the God of Israel: ‘Every bottle is filled with wine’; and when they shall say to you: ‘Do we not know that every bottle is filled with wine?’
verse value 3395
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 81 letters. Notable word values: "to·them" (אֲלֵיהֶ֜ם) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·word" (אֶת־הַדָּבָ֣ר, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 132: every·bottle, every·bottle. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "we·will·know" (נֵדַ֔ע). The root אמר appears 3 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); "for" (root כי, 318x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root יין ("wine") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'wine', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 9 words.
Rashi
"Nevel." It is an earthenware vessel, made to hold wine within it.
Radak
And you shall say, "Let every jar be filled with wine." Tell them this parable as well: the jar is an earthenware vessel, and the jar served them as a metaphor for two things. The first is that just as the jar is filled with wine—meaning it is filled within, and the wine is absorbed into its walls—so too shall they be filled with intoxication from every side. And intoxication is a metaphor for an abundance of troubles, for just as a drunkard, who lacks sense, does not know what to do, so too one who is overwhelmed by troubles is panicked and stunned, and does not know what to do. The second matter in which they are compared to a jar is that when one strikes a jar against another jar, its shards are shattered. And so it is written using the term "shattered" regarding jars, as it is written, "and their jars shall be smashed." So too, there will be strife among them due to the abundance of their troubles; even fathers will be smashed against sons, each man against his brother. And behold, they will be ruined both by their enemies and by themselves.
Metzudat David
"This matter" refers to the verse: "Thus says the Lord..."
"Every jar." Every wineskin shall be full of wine:
"And they shall say." And when they say to you, "Do we not know that the nature of every jar is to be filled with wine?"
Metzudat Zion
Nevil. A wineskin; and likewise, "and a nevil of wine" (1 Samuel 1:24).
Malbim
"Every jar shall be filled with wine"—meaning: every jar is made only for wine, and for nothing else. 2. That every jar will be filled with the wine—that even the vessel itself and its clay/potsherds absorb the wine and become filled with it. And "they will say to you, 'Do we not surely know?'"—meaning: why do you say this in the name of the Lord? Do we not know this ourselves already?
Then shall you say to them: Thus says Hashem: Behold, I will fill all the inhabitants of this land, even the kings that sit upon David’s throne, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, with drunkenness.
verse value 6876
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 106 letters. Notable word values: "to·them" (אֲלֵיהֶ֜ם) = 86, equal to Elohim. Verse gematria: 6876 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "and" (וְאֵ֛ת, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·the·kings" (וְאֶת־הַמְּלָכִ֣ים, 9 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "filling" (מְמַלֵּ֣א), "all·inhabitants·of" (אֶת־כׇּל־יֹשְׁבֵ֣י), "and·the·kings" (וְאֶת־הַמְּלָכִ֣ים). The root ישב appears 3 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "and·you·shall·say" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "and·the·kings" (root מלך, 253x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root דוד ("of·David") in Jeremiah.
Metzudat David
“Behold, I will fill, etc.”: This means that these words are an analogy, to say that just as the jar is fit for wine, so too I will fill all the inhabitants of the land of Judah, etc., with intoxication. “Intoxication” means that they will be confused by their troubles, like a drunkard who is confused by his wine, for this is what they deserve, and so it shall be.
"Those who sit for David." This means the descendants of David who sit on the throne of kingship.
The priests. The priests of Baal:
The prophets. The false prophets:
Malbim
And you shall say to them, “The intent of the Lord is that He depicts the entire nation and its individual members as earthenware vessels unfit to be filled with anything other than wine (which is an allegory for intoxicating wine and drunkenness), for they are not worthy to be filled with wisdom and knowledge, nor with the Spirit of the Lord and His Divine Presence dwelling within them. Their very bones are hollow, until the wine and drunkenness are absorbed into their bones; and therefore, they will require being shattered, like a broken vessel.”
And I will dash them one against another, even the fathers and the sons together, says Hashem; I will not pity, nor spare, nor have compassion, that I should not destroy them.
verse value 3038
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 67 letters. The shortest word is "man" (אִ֨ישׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·I·will·dash·them" (וְנִפַּצְתִּים֩, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·I·will·dash·them" (וְנִפַּצְתִּים֩), "and·the·children" (וְהַבָּנִ֛ים), "not·I·will·pity" (לֹֽא־אֶחְמ֧וֹל). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "says·Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "and·not" (root לא, 307x in Jeremiah); "to·brother" (root איל, 293x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root נפץ ("and·I·will·dash·them") in Jeremiah. First appearance of the root חמל ("not·I·will·pity") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'says·Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 5 words. Full calculation: וְנִפַּצְתִּים֩ [and·I·will·dash·them] (676) + אִ֨ישׁ [man] (311) + אֶל־אָחִ֜יו [to·brother] (56) + וְהָאָב֧וֹת [and·the·fathers] (420) + וְהַבָּנִ֛ים [and·the·children] (113) + יַחְדָּ֖ו [together] (28) + נְאֻם־יְהֹוָ֑ה [says·Hashem] (117) + לֹֽא־אֶחְמ֧וֹל [not·I·will·pity] (116) + וְלֹא־אָח֛וּס [and·not·I·will·spare] (112) + וְלֹ֥א [and·not] (37) + אֲרַחֵ֖ם [I·will·show·compassion] (249) + מֵהַשְׁחִיתָֽם [from·destroying·them] (803) = 3038.
Rashi
"And you shall shatter them, each against his brother." This means: strike one against the other until they are broken into fine fragments, as it is said, "And You shall shatter them like the vessels of a potter" (Psalms 2:9), and "And He has shattered Your children" (Psalms 137:9). So too is every instance of "shattering" in Scripture.
"And the fathers and the sons." I will crush them one against another:
Metzudat David
"And I will shatter them." I will break them one after another, each one immediately following the last.
Metzudat Zion
"And I will shatter them." The meaning of "shatter" is akin to "crush," and similarly, "and the pitchers were shattered" (Judges 7:19).
"Every man against his brother": This means one after the other. Similarly, "and all the kings of the north, etc., each against his brother" (below, 25).
"Achos." The term denotes compassion, akin to "yachas" in the verse "He takes pity on the poor" (Psalms 72:13). And the matter is doubled here, in different words.
Malbim
"And I will shatter them," like one who shatters the [clay] vessel into small fragments; so too they will be shattered and separated, each from his brother, and even the fathers from the sons. And I will not have mercy. See there [אה"מ].
Hear you, and give ear, be not proud; For Hashem has spoken.
verse value 1210
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 27 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·give·ear" (וְהַאֲזִ֖ינוּ, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·give·ear" (וְהַאֲזִ֖ינוּ), "not·be·proud" (אַל־תִּגְבָּ֑הוּ). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "for" (root כי, 318x in Jeremiah); "not·be·proud" (root איל, 293x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'not·be·proud', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: שִׁמְע֥וּ [hear] (416) + וְהַאֲזִ֖ינוּ [and·give·ear] (85) + אַל־תִּגְבָּ֑הוּ [not·be·proud] (447) + כִּ֥י [for] (30) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + דִּבֵּֽר [has·spoken] (206) = 1210.
Radak
Hear, do not be haughty. Do not become arrogant and consider yourselves as though instruction and wisdom are already in your possession, such that you have no need to hear God’s instruction through His prophets; do not do this.
Metzudat David
"Do not be haughty." Do not be proud of heart, so as not to submit yourselves to the Omnipresent.
"For the Lord has spoken." Do not be haughty.
Metzudat Zion
And you shall hearken. Incline your ear to listen:
Malbim
"Hear," so that you may submit to Nebuchadnezzar, and do not exalt yourselves to rebel against him, for the Lord has spoken.
Give glory to Hashem your God, Before it grow dark, And before your feet stumble Upon the mountains of twilight, And, while you look for light, He turn it into the shadow of death, And make it gross darkness.
verse value 6685
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 84 letters. The shortest word is "give" (תְּנוּ֩, 3 letters) and the longest is "your·God" (אֱלֹהֵיכֶ֤ם, 6 letters). 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "it·grows·dark" (יַחְשִׁ֔ךְ), "they·stumble" (יִֽתְנַגְּפ֥וּ), "your·feet" (רַגְלֵיכֶ֖ם). The root טרם appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "upon·mountains·of" (root על, 276x in Jeremiah); "give" (root נתן, 141x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'twilight', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 7 words.
Rashi
They shall be smitten. They shall stumble. Azzufir in the language of the gentiles.
"Mountains of twilight." Mountains of darkness, when they go into exile.
"And [it] is turned into thick darkness." Just as [in the phrase] "and to turn the light into thick darkness."
Radak
"Give unto the Lord your God honor." And do not dishonor Him by not heeding His words, but rather give Him honor.
Before it grows dark. "The sun shall grow dark upon you"—that is to say, the day shall seem to you like night on account of the multitude of troubles.
And before your feet stumble upon the mountains of twilight — upon the mountains of darkness: "Nesheph" means night. And he said "mountains" [to indicate that] just as when you think to secure yourselves like a man who is made safe in the mountains, so too you think to secure yourselves with the help of Egypt; or [alternatively,] your feet will stumble on the mountains themselves, like one who walks in darkness and his foot strikes a stone — as Isaiah prophesied concerning them, "The Burden of the Beasts of the Negev," as we have explained.
"And you shall wait for the light." By means of Egypt:
And He will set her for darkness. God will place that hope into darkness.
"And He shall place [it] into thick gloom." [This is] a repetition of the same idea in different words: it is written [Ketiv] as "yashit," explained like "yasim" (he will place); and the Qere is "veshit," which is an infinitive. And the meaning is one.
Metzudat David
“Give, etc.” – Honor the Lord and humble yourselves before Him.
"Before it grows dark." Before the light of day grows dark upon you, on account of the multitude of troubles.
"Your feet shall be smitten." Your feet shall be struck by stumbling stones when you go into exile upon the mountains of darkness.
"And you shall wait for the light." When you expect that there will be prosperity for you, then the Omnipresent will place it in darkness, and it will be set in gloom. And the matter is doubled in what is written:
Metzudat Zion
"They shall be struck." The meaning is "to strike," and similarly, "lest you dash your foot against a stone" (Psalms 91:12).
"Neshaf." The meaning is darkness, as in "surely darkness will envelop me" (Psalms 139:11).
“L’tzalmoth.” The shadow of death, which is the darkness of the grave.
"Veshith." The meaning is placement, similar to "He made darkness His hiding place" (ibid. 18:12).
"La'arafel" [to the thick cloud]. The thickness of the cloud.
Malbim
“Give to the Lord the glory due His name”: so that he not transgress what Nebuchadnezzar had made him swear by God. “Before it grows dark”: A. That God will bring darkness through His providence; B. That you will ascend upon the mountains of darkness, and there your feet will stumble. This refers to their going to seek help from Pharaoh, for what they hoped would be light will become darkness, for he will not help you. And God will turn this hope into gloom and obscurity.
But if you will not hear it, My soul shall weep in secret for your pride; And mine eyes shall weep sore, and run down with tears, Because Hashem’S flock is carried away captive.
verse value 4902
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 66 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָֽה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 4902 is divisible by 86, the value of Elohim. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "will·weep·my·soul" (תִּבְכֶּֽה־נַפְשִׁ֖י, 8 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "you·will·hear·it" (תִשְׁמָע֔וּהָ), "will·weep·my·soul" (תִּבְכֶּֽה־נַפְשִׁ֖י), "pride" (גֵוָ֑ה). The root דמע appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "for" (root כי, 318x in Jeremiah); "not" (root לא, 307x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root מסתר ("in·secret·places") in Jeremiah. First appearance of the root שבה ("taken·captive") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'pride', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 9 words.
Rashi
"Because of pride." Because of your greatness, which will be nullified. Another explanation: Because of the arrogance of the Kingdom of Heaven, which will be given to the idols of the Chaldeans.
Radak
"And if you will not heed." The prophet said: "If you do not heed this prophecy that I speak to you from the mouth of God, blessed be He, in secret, my soul shall weep, for I see your end. And the weeping of the soul in secret is worry."
"Because of pride." Because of your arrogance, in that you do not wish to humble yourselves to hear the word of the Lord, as it is said to them: "And do not be haughty."
"Gevah" — like "ga'ah" [haughtiness]. And Targum Yonatan [renders]: "because your glory shall pass away from you."
"And my eyes shall flow with tears." My soul shall weep in secret, and my eyes shall flow with tears openly, for I see that the flock of the Lord has been taken captive; He who was their Shepherd has now forsaken them, because they did not heed Him, and He has left them in the hands of their captors.
"And it shall go down." So much shall my eye weep that it shall go down in tears.
Metzudat David
“And if you will not heed it.” If you do not accept My words, then My soul will weep in secret, in a place that is within the innermost chambers of the body, for I see the evil that will befall you.
Because of pride. Because of the arrogance that is in you, and you refuse to humble yourselves before the Omnipresent:
"And it shall stream, yes stream." In addition to the weeping of the soul, there is also the flowing of tears, and he repeats and explains: "And my eye shall shed a tear," because the flock of the Lord, namely Israel, the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand, were taken captive.
Metzudat Zion
"Gevah." Like "ga'ah" (proud), with the vav (ו) taking the place of the aleph (א). And similarly: "When they cast you down, you shall say: 'There is lifting up'" (Job 22:29). And it means exaltation.
And "damua." It is the tear of weeping.
"Nishbah." From the term "shivyah" (captivity).
Malbim
And if you will not heed, then My spiritual soul will weep in secret because of [your] arrogance, that is, because of hidden and concealed matters — namely, concerning the exile of the Divine Presence and the desecration of the honor of the Lord, which the soul will feel. And besides this, "it shall surely stream" – the soul shall weep inwardly; and "my eye shall shed a tear" – the tears shall go out from the eye and descend, because the flock of the Lord has been taken captive.
Say you to the king and to the queen-mother: ‘Sit you down low; For your headtires are come down, Even your beautiful crown.’
verse value 4437
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 48 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֤י, 2 letters) and the longest is "your·head-tires" (מַרְאֲשׁ֣וֹתֵיכֶ֔ם, 9 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·to·the·queen-mother" (וְלַגְּבִירָ֖ה), "humble·yourselves" (הַשְׁפִּ֣ילוּ), "he·went·down" (יָרַד֙). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "say" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "for" (root כי, 318x in Jeremiah); "to·the·king" (root מלך, 253x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'dwell', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: אֱמֹ֥ר [say] (241) + לַמֶּ֛לֶךְ [to·the·king] (120) + וְלַגְּבִירָ֖ה [and·to·the·queen-mother] (256) + הַשְׁפִּ֣ילוּ [humble·yourselves] (431) + שֵׁ֑בוּ [dwell] (308) + כִּ֤י [for] (30) + יָרַד֙ [he·went·down] (214) + מַרְאֲשׁ֣וֹתֵיכֶ֔ם [your·head-tires] (1017) + עֲטֶ֖רֶת [crown·of] (679) + תִּֽפְאַרְתְּכֶֽם [your·glory] (1141) = 4437.
Rashi
To the king and to the queen mother: Jehoiachin and his mother.
"[Your crown] has come down from your heads." And "Ostria" in the foreign tongue means your ascent, as it is stated (2 Kings 24:12): "And Jehoiachin went out to him, he and his mother and his servants, and he led them all into exile."
Radak
"Speak to the king and to the queen mother." This command is not directed to a specific individual, but to whoever occupies that role — similar to [the generic phrasing of] "See, the scent of my son" (Genesis 27:27), "A voice that says, 'Proclaim!'" (Isaiah 40:6), "Say to the hasty of heart" (Isaiah 35:4), and others like them. And the king and the queen mother are Jehoiachin and his mother, who were exiled first, together with the mighty men, the craftsmen, and the smiths.
"Humble yourselves, sit." This is as if it said, "sit in a low place," for "they were humbled" (השפילו) is an intransitive verb, as in "for they were humbled" — [addressing] pride (גוה) itself; or it may be a transitive verb, in which case its meaning is: "lower your throne and sit upon the ground."
"For your headdresses have come down." [This word] is on the pattern of "ממלכותיכם" [your kingdoms]; the singular, from its root, is on the pattern of "ממלכה" [kingdom], and it is a term for both dominion and kingdom. And it says "have come down" (ירד, masculine singular) yet says "your headdresses" in the plural — meaning, no dominion at all remains to you, but everything is coming down. For even in their exile they were not treated according to the custom of kings, since they placed Jehoiachin in the prison house like any commoner.
"Your beautiful crown." The matter is repeated in different words. And it says "came down" (ירד) in the masculine, while "your headdresses" and "crown" are in the feminine — meaning, [the implied subject is] a [masculine] "word/matter" concerning your headdresses. And so too: "if there shall be (יהיה) a young woman (נערה)" [Deut. 22:23, masculine verb with a feminine subject]; "he shall do work" [masculine verb with the feminine noun "work," cf. Exodus 12:16/31:15]; "the like of which has never been done" [masculine pronoun referring to the feminine "outcry," cf. Exodus 11:6]; and others like them. And by this we can also account for the plural form. But the interpretation we have written is a good one.
Metzudat David
"Speak." The Lord said to the prophet: "Speak to Yehoiachin and to his wife the queen: 'Lower yourselves, sit'—meaning, sit in a lowly place, cast down to the ground, and do not sit upon thrones."
"For it has come down from your heads." This means: your greatness. And he goes on to explain: "the crown of your glory."
Metzudat Zion
"And to the noblewoman" – this refers to the queen.
“From your head.” This is from the language of “head,” meaning your greatness.
Malbim
“Say” – Now he will explain what the Lord commanded him to say to them, namely, that he should say to the king and to the Gevirah [the queen mother] that they should lower their standing and submit to Nebuchadnezzar, and that they should sit still and not fight, for the matter upon which you relied has already fallen from your heads – meaning, the portion of the land which was your main support has already fallen and been destroyed, and the crown of your glory, namely, the officers, the craftsmen, and the smiths.
The cities of the South are shut up, And there is none to open them; Judah is carried away captive all of it; It is wholly carried away captive.
verse value 2551
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 40 letters. The shortest word is "cities·of" (עָרֵ֥י, 3 letters) and the longest is "recompenses" (שְׁלוֹמִֽים, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 438: was·uncovered, was·uncovered. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "they·were·shut" (סֻגְּר֖וּ), "recompenses" (שְׁלוֹמִֽים). The root גלה appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "her·them" (root כל, 167x in Jeremiah); "Judah" (root יהודה, 134x in Jeremiah); "cities·of" (root עיר, 117x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root נגב ("south-country") in Jeremiah. First appearance of the root שלם ("recompenses") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'opening', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: עָרֵ֥י [cities·of] (280) + הַנֶּ֛גֶב [south-country] (60) + סֻגְּר֖וּ [they·were·shut] (269) + וְאֵ֣ין [and·nothing] (67) + פֹּתֵ֑חַ [opening] (488) + הׇגְלָ֧ת [was·uncovered] (438) + יְהוּדָ֛ה [Judah] (30) + כֻּלָּ֖הּ [her·them] (55) + הׇגְלָ֥ת [was·uncovered] (438) + שְׁלוֹמִֽים [recompenses] (426) = 2551.
Rashi
The cities of the Negev were closed. Before those who came upon them from the north, the cities of the Land of Israel were closed out of fear of Nebuchadnezzar.
The exile of peace [shelomim]. Jehoiachin did not wage war, for he went out in peace and was exiled; another interpretation: "shelomim" is a foreign term, "guerdonemenz," meaning the payment of their iniquity; and so too Targum Yonatan: "איתקבלו תושלמת חוביהון" — the recompense for their sins was accepted.
Radak
"Cities of the Negev." Targum Yonatan [renders]: "towns of the south." And regarding the cities of Judah, he says that the portion of Judah was in the south of the Land of Israel, as is written. And it is mentioned with this term because of the verse that follows it, which mentions the north: "those coming from the north," for the destroyers and those who exile [the people] will come from the north.
"Sealed and not opened." This means that they were destroyed, for in a destroyed city there is neither one who goes out nor one who comes in, no one who seals and no one who opens. And in saying "seals," it means that no person enters there. And so it is stated in this way regarding the destruction of the land in the prophecy of Isaiah: "every house is shut up, so that none can enter" [Isaiah 24:10].
“The exile of Judah was complete.” And even though not all of Judah went into exile until the time of Zedekiah, once their king, Jehoiachin, went into exile, it was as if all of Judah had gone into exile, because their ultimate fate was to go into exile shortly thereafter, and the prominent members of Judah went into exile together with Jehoiachin.
"Exiled completely." The matter is doubled in different words, for "shlumim" is like "kulam" (all of them), meaning "complete/whole ones." And similarly, "the chastisement of our wholeness (שלומנו) was upon him" [Isaiah 53:5] is like "the chastisement of all of us." And Targum Yonatan treats the word "shlumim" as an amplification, and includes within it two ideas: "they were exiled completely; they have received the recompense of your deeds."
"[She was] exiled" (הגלת). Its proper form is "הגלתה" [with the additional letter heh], like [the defective] "והרצת את שבתותיה" [Lev. 26], whose proper form is "והרצתה."
Metzudat David
The cities of the Negev. These are the cities of Judah that are in the south of the Land of Israel.
"Sealed up and not opened." This means that they are desolate, and therefore they are sealed up and there is no one to open them, for since there is no person there, who will open the gates of the city?
The exile of all Judah. All of Judah went into exile.
“Exiled completely.” This means a complete exile, for when Yechanyah was exiled, many of the officials and all the common people remained. Therefore, it says that now, in the exile of Tzidkiyah, there will be a complete exile, for they will all be exiled.
Metzudat Zion
"Shlomim." From the language of "shalem" (whole), meaning: entirely.
Malbim
"The cities of the Negev": Jerusalem was located in the north of the land of Judah, and from there Nebuchadnezzar came from the north. However, in the midst of the siege, Pharaoh's army went out from Egypt to aid Judah, and the Chaldeans withdrew from above Jerusalem (as stated below, section 37), meaning they went out to meet Pharaoh's army, for Pharaoh came from Egypt, which is in the south of the Land of Israel, and then the Chaldean army came to the south. All the cities of the Negev were then closed off by the enemy who conquered them. Moreover, all of Judah had already been exiled, for he had conquered all the fortified cities. Furthermore, the exile of "Shalom" — the covenant of peace that you had with Nebuchadnezzar — was taken away from you. Now, when Nebuchadnezzar went out to meet Pharaoh, Zedekiah thought that he would not return to Jerusalem anymore. In contrast to this, it says, "Lift up your eyes and see those who come from the north." Behold, those who come from the north have come again; namely, Nebuchadnezzar's army, which is from the north relative to the Land of Israel. They have come to you, not Pharaoh's army, who comes from the south. Where is the flock that was given to you? Will not Nebuchadnezzar take an accounting from you? Where is the flock? That is, the remnant that he left behind after the exile of Jehoiakim and gave to you to rule over them.
Lift up your eyes, and behold Them that come from the north; Where is the flock that was given you, Your beautiful flock?
verse value 3659
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 51 letters. The shortest word is "lift" ((שאי), 3 letters) and the longest is "your·eyes" (עֵֽינֵיכֶם֙, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "lift" ((שאי)), "your·eyes" (עֵֽינֵיכֶם֙), "flock" (הָעֵ֙דֶר֙). The root נשא appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "who·came" (root בוא, 211x in Jeremiah); "was·given·to·you" (root נתן, 141x in Jeremiah); "and·see" (root ראה, 71x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'north', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 5 words. Full calculation: (שאי) [lift] (311) + שְׂא֤וּ [lift] (307) + עֵֽינֵיכֶם֙ [your·eyes] (200) + (וראי) [and·see] (217) + וּרְא֔וּ [and·see] (213) + הַבָּאִ֖ים [who·came] (58) + מִצָּפ֑וֹן [north] (266) + אַיֵּ֗ה [where?] (16) + הָעֵ֙דֶר֙ [flock] (279) + נִתַּן־לָ֔ךְ [was·given·to·you] (550) + צֹ֖אן [flock·of] (141) + תִּפְאַרְתֵּֽךְ [your·glory] (1101) = 3659.
Rashi
Lift up your eyes and see. Those who come upon you from the north:
"Where is the flock that was given to you?" After they are exiled, this will be said to Jerusalem:
Radak
"Lift up your eyes." It is written sha'i and ur'i (with a yod, feminine singular), corresponding to the congregation [addressed as one], as at the end of this verse and the two verses following it. But it is read sha'u and ur'u (without a yod, plural), corresponding to the many, the individuals. In my opinion, "lift up and see" was said to the king and the queen mother mentioned [earlier], because the flock was theirs, for they were the shepherds. And what is stated in the feminine [form] corresponds to the group of the great officers who were exiled with Jehoiachin — the craftsmen and the smiths — for the flock was theirs too, and they are included among the shepherds. He said: "Lift up your eyes and see those coming from the north" — see the Chaldeans coming from the north to exile you.
“Where is the flock that was given to you?” See, the flock that was given to you to shepherd them, and they were your glorious flock—where are they now, since you no longer shepherd them?
Metzudat David
“Lift up your eyes.” You, O King and Queen Mother, lift up your eyes and behold the might of the Chaldeans coming from the north:
Where is the flock? Where is the people of Judah, who were given to you to be their shepherd and king? And where is the pride of your flock? Have they not gone into exile?
What will you say, when He shall set the friends over you as head, Whom you thyself have trained against you? Shall not pangs take hold of you, As of a woman in travail?
verse value 4184
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 64 letters. The shortest word is "and" (וְ֠אַ֠תְּ, 3 letters) and the longest is "what?·will·you·say" (מַה־תֹּֽאמְרִי֙, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 130: upon·you, upon·you. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "what?·will·you·say" (מַה־תֹּֽאמְרִי֙), "when·he·will·set" (כִּֽי־יִפְקֹ֣ד), "head" (לְרֹ֑אשׁ). The root על appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "what?·will·you·say" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "shall·not" (root לא, 307x in Jeremiah); "upon·you" (root על, 276x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root אלף ("cattle") in Jeremiah. First appearance of the root חבל ("pangs") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'head', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 6 words.
Rashi
What can you say when the Holy One, blessed be He, takes account of you?
"You taught them, over you, [to be] chiefs, at the head." You sent messengers to the Chaldeans to bring their idols from there, to worship them, as it is stated (Ezekiel 23:16): "And she doted on them at the sight of her eyes, and she sent messengers to them, to Chaldea." Another interpretation: "You taught them, over you, [to be] chiefs" refers to Hezekiah, who showed the envoys of Merodach-Baladan all his house of treasures (Isaiah 39:1):
Radak
What will you say when He visits upon you? The enemy will visit upon you, meaning that he will come upon you to exile you and to destroy you. What will you say then? And the Targum renders: "ari yisar alakh chovekh" [for your guilt shall storm upon you], meaning that God will visit [punishment upon you, through your own guilt]. But regarding the sense of the verse, it appears as we have explained, for it says, "And you have taught them to be rulers over you, to be your head." And it says, "What will you say when the enemy visits upon you, because you have taught them to be rulers over you and to be your head?" For Ahaz sent to the king of Assyria, saying, "I am your servant and your son; come up and save me from the hand of the king of Aram and from the hand of the king of Israel who are rising against me." He said: "You have brought this upon yourself, that these will exile you and destroy you, because you accustomed them to rule over you, for they were distant from your land. What will you say when they come to destroy you, since they have already come to save you?"
"Shall not pains seize you." When you see this, pains will seize you, like a woman in childbirth — the woman who is about to give birth. And this matter is inverted, for it is said [elsewhere]: "Pangs and pains shall seize you."
"They shall seize you." The chet has a chataf segol:
Regarding "leidah": It is possible that the word functions as a noun, similar to "melidah" (from birth) and "mibeten" (from the womb), in which case "eshet" [in "eshet leidah"] would be in construct state (semikhut) with it. Alternatively, it is possible that "leidah" serves as an adjective, similar to the phrase "vechoach ein leleidah" (and there is no strength for giving birth), in which case "eshet" would be in the independent/absolute state (mukheret), like "ishah yefat to'ar" (a woman of beautiful appearance).
Metzudat David
What will you say? In what way will you find deliverance when the enemy sets his gaze upon you to take you into captivity?
"And you have taught them:" You yourself accustomed the Babylonians to be overlords over you, to be heads over you, because since Hezekiah showed the envoys of Merodach-Baladan, king of Babylon, all the treasures of his house, he stirred their hearts to wage war against Israel from time to time, to seize the treasures.
“Pangs shall seize you.” When the enemy comes, pangs and pains will seize you, like a woman bent over in childbirth.
Metzudat Zion
"He will take note." The matter of providence:
"You have learned." The matter of habituation; and so too, "a wild donkey accustomed to the wilderness" (above, ch. 2):
"Princes." Rulers; and so too, "[one who is base] estranges a close friend" (Proverbs 16):
“Pains.” [These are] the pains of a woman in childbirth; and likewise, “the pains of a woman in childbirth” (Hosea 13:13).
Malbim
What will you say when he reckons with you? If he reckons with you and asks you, "Where is the flock that was given to you?" — why did you destroy them all through rebellion? What will you say? (As it is written, "and he spoke with him in judgments.") Did you not teach them to be leaders over you, since he swore to him that he would not rebel against him, and accepted his sovereignty upon himself? What will you say when he executes judgment upon you? Will not pangs seize you?
And if you say in your heart: ‘Wherefore are these things befallen me?’— For the greatness of your iniquity are your skirts uncovered, And your heels suffer violence.
verse value 2431
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 51 letters. Notable word values: "and·for" (וְכִ֤י) = 36, double chai. Verse gematria: 2431 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "and·for" (וְכִ֤י, 3 letters) and the longest is "you·will·say" (תֹֽאמְרִי֙, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 36: and·for, these. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "in·your·heart" (בִּלְבָבֵ֔ךְ), "they·befell·me" (קְרָאֻ֣נִי), "for·the·greatness·of" (בְּרֹ֧ב). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "you·will·say" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "and·for" (root כי, 318x in Jeremiah); "they·befell·me" (root קרא, 66x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'these', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: וְכִ֤י [and·for] (36) + תֹֽאמְרִי֙ [you·will·say] (651) + בִּלְבָבֵ֔ךְ [in·your·heart] (56) + מַדּ֖וּעַ [why?] (120) + קְרָאֻ֣נִי [they·befell·me] (361) + אֵ֑לֶּה [these] (36) + בְּרֹ֧ב [for·the·greatness·of] (204) + עֲוֺנֵ֛ךְ [your·iniquity] (146) + נִגְל֥וּ [were·revealed] (89) + שׁוּלַ֖יִךְ [skirt] (366) + נֶחְמְס֥וּ [they·were·wronged] (164) + עֲקֵבָֽיִךְ [your·footsteps] (202) = 2431.
Rashi
שוליך. The hanging edges of the garments, "tissu" and "orles" in the vernacular. When a woman is stripped in a manner of disgrace, they turn her tunic over, from the bottom to the top.
"Your heels are crushed." Your paths have been cut off; "crushed" [נחמסו] is like "stripped" [וַיַּחְמֹס] in "And He has stripped His Booth like a garden" (Lamentations 2:6).
“Your heels.” In the vernacular, *tertsi*—they are called so because travelers break them.
Radak
“And if you say: ‘Your skirts are revealed’—these are the lower edges of the garment, and when they are turned upward, they become exposed, and the wearer is thereby exposed. Similarly, it says, ‘And I will expose your skirts before your face.’ And behold, after the skirts are turned up, the heels are exposed.”
“Nechamusu.” Like “negalu” [they were revealed], and similarly “vayachmos ka-gan sukkah” [he violently stripped it, like a garden’s booth], and “vayaglem” [and he exiled them]. This is an allegory for the Congregation of Israel, who was previously concealed beneath the wings of the Almighty and honored in her land, but now she is exiled, her covering has been removed from her, and behold, she is exposed, and her disgrace is revealed before the eyes of all in foreign lands.
Metzudat David
"And if you were to say" — if you were to ponder in your heart, "Why have these troubles befallen me?" — know that it is because of the multitude of your sins that great disgrace has come upon you, like a harlot whose tunic is stripped off and turned inside out from bottom to top as a sign of disgrace, exposing the hem of the tunic by lifting it upward.
“Your heels have been uncovered.” The heels of your feet were exposed and stripped of the covering that was upon them; that is to say, you have accepted much disgrace. And since the verse employs a simile comparing her to a harlot, it uses language applicable to a harlot, whose tunic is stripped off and who is led away naked and barefoot.
Metzudat Zion
"[These things] have befallen me." From the term "mikreh" (occurrence):
"Your skirts." These are the lower parts of the garment, as in the phrase "upon the hem of the robe" (Exodus 28):
"They were despoiled." The meaning is removal, as in "He stripped His booth like a garden" (Lamentations 2:6):
Your heels. The heels of the foot:
Malbim
And if you should say in your heart, "Why have these things befallen me?"—you would think that this matter is a coincidence and that evil has befallen you through the accidents of the world, and you would ask, "Why have these accidents called you, and why did the Lord not save you?" He answers her first, "Why did this happen, and what is the cause?" "In the multitude of your iniquities, your skirts have been uncovered." He depicts the sin in her heart as the impurity of a niddah, wherein the impure blood within her goes out to the outside, and her impurity is on the edges of her garments; and when the edges of the garments are uncovered, the blood of her impurity is seen. And this is what it says, "your skirts have been uncovered." Moreover, when the woman walks while sick and blood flows from her flesh, her heels are uncovered, for in the place where she walked, drops of blood are found. And this is the depiction: through her sin of not believing in God, they went to seek help from Egypt, and her tracks were uncovered through the flow of her impurity.
Can the Ethiopian change his skin, Or the leopard his spots? Then may you also do good, That are accustomed to do evil.
verse value 3233
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 48 letters. The shortest word is "to·do·evil" (הָרֵֽעַ, 3 letters) and the longest is "his·spots" (חֲבַרְבֻּרֹתָ֑יו, 8 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "will·turn" (הֲיַהֲפֹ֤ךְ), "Ethiopian" (כּוּשִׁי֙), "his·skin" (עוֹר֔וֹ). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "also·you" (root גם, 24x in Jeremiah); "you·will·prevail" (root יכל, 22x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root כושי ("Ethiopian") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·spots', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: הֲיַהֲפֹ֤ךְ [will·turn] (120) + כּוּשִׁי֙ [Ethiopian] (336) + עוֹר֔וֹ [his·skin] (282) + וְנָמֵ֖ר [and·leopard] (296) + חֲבַרְבֻּרֹתָ֑יו [his·spots] (828) + גַּם־אַתֶּם֙ [also·you] (484) + תּוּכְל֣וּ [you·will·prevail] (462) + לְהֵיטִ֔יב [to·do·good] (66) + לִמֻּדֵ֖י [taught] (84) + הָרֵֽעַ [to·do·evil] (275) = 3233.
Rashi
Cushite: The name of a black man, and they call him "Moor" in the vernacular.
And "leopard." In the foreign tongue, it is "liaprat."
חברבורותיו. The leopard is spotted [menumar]; and they [the spots] are the "chavarburot," "taches" in the vernacular; and it is impossible for them to change.
"Doing evil." Like "to do evil" [with the prefixed lamed].
Radak
"Can it change?" For it is a natural trait for a Kushite to be black; it is not an accidental occurrence, and it will never depart from him. Likewise, the spots on a leopard [are natural]. So too, wickedness cannot depart from you — as if it has become so natural to you. You have learned and accustomed yourselves to evil deeds to such an extent that it has become a natural trait for you.
"Limmudei" (practiced). Like "lamud midbar" [accustomed to the wilderness] — [meaning] habituated.
"Hara" is an infinitive, like "ve'im hare'a tare'a" [if you indeed act wickedly]. And the Targum renders "Cushite" as "the Hindu" [identifying Cush with India].
"His spots" (chavarburotav). [Meaning] his stains. And the Targum renders it: "shiltei rikmatah" [the shield-like patches of its variegated pattern].
Metzudat David
"Can it be reversed? Can the Ethiopian change his skin from blackness to whiteness? Can the leopard change the spots on its skin so that it will not have spots? Surely this is something impossible, for they are natural to them."
“Even you.” Yes, even you will not be able to improve, on account of the bad habit to which you are accustomed, which has become for you like a natural thing. That is to say: just as the Ethiopian and the leopard cannot change, so too can you not change. And this is a matter of exaggeration and hyperbole, to say that with great difficulty you will change from your deeds.
Metzudat Zion
A Kushite. They are the black-skinned people.
"And the leopard." The name of an animal:
"Its spots." The matter of discolorations, and similarly "a bruise for a bruise" (Exodus 21:25), for in the place of the wound there appears something like a discoloration.
"They are accustomed." The matter of habituation:
Malbim
"Can it be changed?" — I have also seen that it is impossible for you to return from your evil way, which has become for you like [an inborn] nature. Just as it is impossible for the Cushite to change his black skin to white, and even though they say that the blackness of the Cushite is caused by the burning sun there in the land of Africa, and that it might be imagined that the children of the Cushites, if they were in cold lands, would change their skin—yet it is impossible for the leopard to change its spots, for the color of its skin is a nature encompassing the entire species and all leopards. So too, it is impossible for you to be able to improve, you who are practiced in evil, since evil has already become natural to you. Therefore, "And I will scatter them like chaff driven by the wind"—this is not an accident, as it is said, "Why have these things befallen me?" For I will scatter them. And this is what it says: "This is your lot, the portion measured out to you from Me," meaning that this comes to you from Me, not from chance, and it comes to you as a measure for a measure according to your sin. Because you have forgotten Me and trusted in falsehood, as it is written, "Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, and they trust in chariots," and they did not heed the Lord.
Therefore will I scatter them, as the stubble that passes away By the wind of the wilderness.
verse value 1415
Insights
Verse structure: 4 words, 21 letters. The shortest word is "at·the·breeze·of" (לְר֖וּחַ, 4 letters) and the longest is "like·stubble·passing" (כְּקַשׁ־עוֹבֵ֑ר, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·scatter·them" (וַאֲפִיצֵ֖ם), "like·stubble·passing" (כְּקַשׁ־עוֹבֵ֑ר). 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "like·stubble·passing" (root עבר, 31x in Jeremiah); "wilderness" (root מדבר, 21x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'like·stubble·passing', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַאֲפִיצֵ֖ם [and·scatter·them] (227) + כְּקַשׁ־עוֹבֵ֑ר [like·stubble·passing] (698) + לְר֖וּחַ [at·the·breeze·of] (244) + מִדְבָּֽר [wilderness] (246) = 1415.
Radak
And I will scatter them. Therefore, I will scatter them quickly and easily, like straw carried by the wind in the wilderness. The explanation is: just as straw is carried quickly because of the wind blowing upon it, so too will I scatter them in the wilderness; that is to say, I will drive them out from their cities to a distant place, such as the wilderness. Moreover, there is a wilderness between Jerusalem and Babylon.
Metzudat David
And I will scatter them. Therefore, I will scatter them throughout Egypt with great speed, like straw that is easily displaced from its place by the wind coming from the direction of the desert, where there is nothing to stand against the wind and hinder it.
Metzudat Zion
And I will scatter them. The meaning of "scatter":
This is your lot, the portion measured to you from Me, Says Hashem; Because you have forgotten Me, And trusted in falsehood.
verse value 4086
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 46 letters. Verse gematria: 4086 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "this" (זֶ֣ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "portion·of·your·measures" (מְנָת־מִדַּ֛יִךְ, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "your·lot" (גוֹרָלֵ֧ךְ), "portion·of·your·measures" (מְנָת־מִדַּ֛יִךְ), "you·forgot" (שָׁכַ֣חַתְּ). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "says·Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "that" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah); "this" (root זה, 123x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'says·Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: זֶ֣ה [this] (12) + גוֹרָלֵ֧ךְ [your·lot] (259) + מְנָת־מִדַּ֛יִךְ [portion·of·your·measures] (564) + מֵאִתִּ֖י [from·me] (451) + נְאֻם־יְהֹוָ֑ה [says·Hashem] (117) + אֲשֶׁר֙ [that] (501) + שָׁכַ֣חַתְּ [you·forgot] (728) + אוֹתִ֔י [me] (417) + וַֽתִּבְטְחִ֖י [and·you·trusted] (435) + בַּשָּֽׁקֶר [in·the·lie] (602) = 4086.
Rashi
"Your portion, your measure." A part of your measures — measure for measure.
Radak
"This is your lot, the portion allotted to you." Just as "your measures" (midosayich), or perhaps "a measure" is connected in the masculine language and in the feminine language, like "its four corners" and it is gathered in the masculine language like "the gate of the front," so it says from "measure" (medah) "measures" (midos), and it also says "midim," and from it "mideich," and its meaning is: "With the measure with which you measured, I have measured for you: you have forgotten Me, and I have forgotten you; you have turned your back to Me and not your face, and I have hidden My face from you; and you have become food, and many troubles and evils will find you, and this is your lot and your portion from Me."
Metzudat David
"This is your lot." This is the recompense that will be your portion, and this is the measure given to You by Me, measure for measure, because You forgot Me and trusted in Egypt, which is falsehood; therefore, I too will forget You.
Metzudat Zion
Your lot. Your portion, because for the most part, when people divide by lot, the portion is called a lot.
"Portion." This too is a matter of a portion, as it is written: "They shall be a portion for foxes" (Psalms 63:11).
"Your measure." From the language of "measure" (middah):
Therefore will I also uncover your skirts upon your face, And your shame shall appear.
verse value 2002
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 32 letters. Verse gematria: 2002 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "I·stripped" (חָשַׂ֥פְתִּי, 5 letters) and the longest is "and·also·I" (וְגַם־אֲנִ֛י, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·also·I" (וְגַם־אֲנִ֛י), "upon·your·face" (עַל־פָּנָ֑יִךְ), "and·he·shall·appear" (וְנִרְאָ֖ה). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "upon·your·face" (root פנים, 126x in Jeremiah); "and·he·shall·appear" (root ראה, 71x in Jeremiah); "and·also·I" (root אני, 52x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'upon·your·face', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 2 words. Full calculation: וְגַם־אֲנִ֛י [and·also·I] (110) + חָשַׂ֥פְתִּי [I·stripped] (798) + שׁוּלַ֖יִךְ [skirt] (366) + עַל־פָּנָ֑יִךְ [upon·your·face] (260) + וְנִרְאָ֖ה [and·he·shall·appear] (262) + קְלוֹנֵֽךְ [your·shame] (206) = 2002.
Rashi
"I have exposed your skirts." I have uncovered the hem of your garments to turn them over your face:
Radak
“And also I.” It is clear:
Metzudat David
"And I also uncovered your skirts." This means: Because you went astray after idols, therefore I will bring upon you great disgrace, in the manner in which a harlot is disgraced. And since He compared her to a harlot, He used the language of the disgrace of a harlot, whose garment they strip off and turn from below to above, exposing the hem of the garment by lifting it upward over her face.
"And your disgrace shall be seen." Your humiliation will be visible to all.
Metzudat Zion
"I have exposed." The matter is one of exposure, as in "with bared buttocks" (Isaiah 20:4).
"Your skirts." The lower parts of the garment:
"Your disgrace." From the language of disgrace and humiliation:
Malbim
And I also exposed your skirts before you, the impurity that was in you in secret; in the skirts of the garments I exposed them before you, until your disgrace became visible to all, until your adulteries became visible to all—the adultery itself, and your shouting out to the adultery, which is the publicity of the adultery, and also the depravity of your harlotry, which are the deep thoughts you have regarding harlotry: the deed, the thought, and the publicity. Yet even on the hills in the field I saw your abominations; even after you went out from the city into exile and dwelled in the field, you did not leave your abominations behind, and even there I saw your abominations on the hills in the field in public, just as they used to offer sacrifices to Molech in Egypt. If so, woe to you, Jerusalem! Will you not be purified? After how much time? Surely even after the destruction you will not be purified. When then will you be purified?
Your adulteries, and your neighings, the lewdness of your harlotry, On the hills in the field have I seen your detestable acts. Woe to you, O Jerusalem! you will not be made clean! When shall it ever be?
verse value 5788
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 71 letters. The shortest word is "to·you" (לָךְ֙, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·your·neighings" (וּמִצְהֲלוֹתַ֙יִךְ֙, 9 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "your·adulteries" (נִאֻפַ֤יִךְ), "and·your·neighings" (וּמִצְהֲלוֹתַ֙יִךְ֙), "plan" (זִמַּ֣ת). 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 307x in Jeremiah); "Jerusalem" (root ירושלם, 93x in Jeremiah); "after" (root אחר, 78x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·detestable·things', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 8 words.
Rashi
"Your neighing." Like the neighing of adulterous stallions:
"After how much longer." Will you be pure again:
Radak
"Your adulteries." We have already explained that the entire matter of adultery is an allegory for idolatry.
And your neighing. That you rejoiced in your evil deeds:
"You shall not be purified—how much longer?" You will not be purified after you have become defiled; and if you say that you will be purified, [the response is], "how much longer?"—since you will not be purified before you go into exile. And Jonathan translated: "You shall not be purified any longer; from now, you have a length of many days [remaining]."
Metzudat David
"Your adulteries." The majority of the adulteries that are in you, and the raising of a voice of joy in frivolity, and the thoughts of your harlotry—namely, behold, all these are still with you, and you have not abandoned them.
"Your abominations." The idols are as detestable as a sheketz [an impure creature].
"You shall not purify yourself." This means: You do not wish to purify yourself after having become impure, because it is difficult for you to abstain from impurity. And if you were to say that you will purify yourself, one would still say: "After how much longer will you purify yourself—is it perhaps only after you go into exile?"
Metzudat Zion
"Your harlotries." The matter of prostitution:
"And your shouts of joy." The matter concerns raising the voice in the joy of merriment; and similarly, "a man shall shout to his neighbor's wife" (above 5:8).
Zimat. The matter of an evil thought:
"Your abominations." From the language of "detestable and abhorrent."
"When." The matter of the question concerns the time, and similarly, "When will You comfort me?" (Psalms 119:82).
Rashi
Radak
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim