The words concerning the droughts: the nobles send their little ones for water and the vessels return empty; sword and famine; the prophets prophesy lies in My name — and the prophet is forbidden to pray for this people.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
The word of Hashem that came to Jeremiah concerning the droughts. .
verse value 2074
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 33 letters. The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁ֨ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·Jeremiah" (אֶֽל־יִרְמְיָ֔הוּ, 8 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "the·droughts" (הַבַּצָּרֽוֹת). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·word·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "that" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah); "to·Jeremiah" (root איל, 293x in Jeremiah). Full calculation: אֲשֶׁ֨ר [that] (501) + הָיָ֤ה [was] (20) + דְבַר־יְהֹוָה֙ [the·word·of·Hashem] (232) + אֶֽל־יִרְמְיָ֔הוּ [to·Jeremiah] (302) + עַל־דִּבְרֵ֖י [upon·words·of] (316) + הַבַּצָּרֽוֹת [the·droughts] (703) = 2074.
Rashi
"Words of the droughts." [Meaning] that He would bring famine upon them. And Menachem links it to the term "fortress" [מבצר], as in, "the fortified stronghold of your walls" (Isaiah 25:12):
Radak
“Which was, the droughts.” One [interpretation] is that it refers to a time of distress, and others say that this refers to times of distress. The bet is a root letter, and its meaning is the high price of food, which is famine. In another grammatical form, “in a year of drought,” it is from the term “nothing shall be withheld from them,” denoting the concept of prevention, for famine is due to the prevention of rains. And when it says in the plural, “droughts,” it means the high price of money and the high price of produce. And the word of the Lord came to him before the droughts occurred, for they would be, and He said to him in prophecy thus:
Metzudat David
On the words: “Concerning the matter of withholding the rains.”
Metzudat Zion
"Concerning the words of." [Meaning] concerning the matter; and likewise, "concerning the matter of Peor" (Numbers 25).
"The droughts." The matter is one of prevention, as in "they shall not be hindered" (Genesis 11:6), and here it means the withholding of rains; so too in "a year of drought" (below, 17:8).
Malbim
Concerning the matters of the droughts: that Jeremiah prayed then about the withholding of rain.
Judah mourns, and the gates thereof languish, They bow down in black to the ground; And the cry of Jerusalem is gone up.
verse value 2998
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 43 letters. The shortest word is "mourninged" (אָבְלָ֣ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·her·gates" (וּשְׁעָרֶ֥יהָ, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "they·languish" (אֻמְלְל֖וּ), "they·mourned" (קָדְר֣וּ), "to·the·land" (לָאָ֑רֶץ). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·the·land" (root ארץ, 245x in Jeremiah); "Judah" (root יהודה, 134x in Jeremiah); "Jerusalem" (root ירושלם, 93x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·the·land', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: אָבְלָ֣ה [mourninged] (38) + יְהוּדָ֔ה [Judah] (30) + וּשְׁעָרֶ֥יהָ [and·her·gates] (591) + אֻמְלְל֖וּ [they·languish] (107) + קָדְר֣וּ [they·mourned] (310) + לָאָ֑רֶץ [to·the·land] (321) + וְצִוְחַ֥ת [and·outcry] (510) + יְרוּשָׁלִַ֖ם [Jerusalem] (586) + עָלָֽתָה [went·up] (505) = 2998.
Rashi
"And her gates." [Understand this as] her cities/towns:
"And the outcry of Jerusalem." The cry of Jerusalem, as in, "They shall cry out from the tops of the mountains" (ibid. 42):
Radak
"Judah is desolate." The term denotes destruction, like "the new wine fails, the oil languishes" [cf. Joel 1:10]; and the Targum [renders it]: "The house of Judah has mourned."
“And her gates languish.” According to the interpretation of “All her gates are desolate,” it means that there is neither one going out nor one coming in through them; or that the elders ceased from sitting in the gates, as it is stated, “The elders have ceased from the gate.” And the Targum translates it as “and their towns are laid waste.”
“Kadru la’aretz [they are darkened to the ground].” [This refers to] the gates, in a figurative manner; or he explains it as “those who sit in the gates,” along the lines of “they sat on the ground, they were silent” [cf. Lamentations 2:10]. And the Targum renders: “Their faces were covered with blackness, like a pot, and they were dashed to the ground.”
“And the cry of Jerusalem went up.” In the manner of “the outcry of the city went up to heaven,” meaning: the inhabitants of the city of Jerusalem.
Metzudat David
"Judah is in mourning." The nation of Judah shall mourn.
"And her gates." The gates of the cities of Judah were broken down and destroyed, so as to resemble the darkness of the land. This is a figure of speech, indicating that there was distress in the world due to the withholding of rain.
"And Jerusalem cries out." Although she was a princess among the provinces, her bread and her water were lacking, and the outcry of her people rose on high.
Metzudat Zion
"They have languished." The matter is one of being cut off, akin to "For I am wretched" (Psalms 6:3):
"They have darkened." The matter is one of blackness and darkness, as it is said, "The sun and the moon are darkened" (Joel 2:10).
And the outcry. From the language of "a shout" and "a cry":
Malbim
“Judah is in mourning” refers to the entire land; “and its gates are in desolation” refers to its fortified cities; “and the outcry of Jerusalem has risen” refers to Jerusalem, the royal city, which had already been destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar; and in addition to this, there was the added distress of withheld rains.
And their nobles send their lads for water: They come to the pits, and find no water; Their vessels return empty; They are ashamed and confounded, and cover their heads.
verse value 3817
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 76 letters. The shortest word is "they·went·in" (בָּ֣אוּ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·their·nobles" (וְאַדִּ֣רֵיהֶ֔ם, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 308: they·returned, they·were·ashamed. 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·their·nobles" (וְאַדִּ֣רֵיהֶ֔ם), "younger·of" ((צעוריהם)), "little" (צְעִֽירֵיהֶ֖ם). The root צעיר appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "upon·pits" (root על, 276x in Jeremiah); "they·went·in" (root בוא, 211x in Jeremiah); "they·returned" (root שוב, 106x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root אדיר ("and·their·nobles") in Jeremiah. First appearance of the root צעיר ("younger·of") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·the·water', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 11 words.
Rashi
"To the cisterns." Pits in which water gathers:
"Their vessels returned empty." Because no rain had fallen:
"And they covered [their heads]." This is an expression of covering:
Radak
And their nobles. The great ones, who sent their young men outside the city to see if they would find water, came to the cisterns/pits, which is the customary place to find water in them—the rainwater that gathers there—or [because] there might be a source of water there due to the depth of the place. And behold, they did not find water; therefore they were ashamed, for their vessels returned empty; that is, they returned empty-handed, as it is said in Job: "They were ashamed, for they had trusted" [Job 6:20]. And [he] explains "shavu keleihem" [their vessels returned] [to mean] "they returned with their vessels"; or he explains that "shavu" [returned] applies to the vessels themselves, meaning by means of a carrier; and likewise, "the ephod came down in his hand" [1 Samuel 23:6]—[teaching that] the vessels do not come [by themselves, without a carrier].
Tze’uriam. The written text (ketiv) and the vocalized text (qere) differ in the spelling with a yod; both are correct according to the pattern of nouns. However, the qere is more clear, for we find the word tze’ir spelled with a yod, but we do not find tze’ur spelled with a vav.
Metzudat David
"And their mighty men": The princes sent their young men to fetch water to drink, and they came to the cisterns but found no water in them, and they returned their vessels empty, without water.
"They were ashamed." And for this reason the young men were ashamed, and also they were humiliated and covered their heads, as a sign of grief and mourning, because they had not found water to bring to their masters.
Metzudat Zion
And their mighty ones. From the language of mighty and strong, and the meaning is, the princes.
"their young ones." A matter of smallness and lowliness. And similarly, "I am young and despised" (Psalms 119:141).
Gibbim. Cisterns, as it is said: "and to uncover water from the gibba" (Isaiah 30:14).
And they covered. The meaning is covering, and similarly, "And the face of Haman was covered" (Esther 7:8):
Malbim
"And their mighty ones" – the wealthy sent their young servants to seek water, for they had not brought water to sell for money. They also went to the cisterns, the excavations where one is accustomed to find water. "But their vessels returned" [empty] — the young men themselves did not return, for they died of thirst; only their vessels returned, empty and without water. Through this, they were shamed by the distress, and they covered their heads in mourning for their sons.
Because of the ground which is cracked, For there has been no rain in the land, The plowmen are ashamed, they cover their heads.
verse value 2679
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 42 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֛י, 2 letters) and the longest is "for·the·sake·of" (בַּעֲב֤וּר, 5 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "for·the·sake·of" (בַּעֲב֤וּר), "they·covered" (חָפ֥וּ). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for" (root כי, 318x in Jeremiah); "not·there·was" (root היה, 250x in Jeremiah); "in·the·land" (root ארץ, 245x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root אכר ("husbandmen") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·land', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 4 words. Full calculation: בַּעֲב֤וּר [for·the·sake·of] (280) + הָֽאֲדָמָה֙ [ground] (55) + חַ֔תָּה [was·shattered] (413) + כִּ֛י [for] (30) + לֹא־הָיָ֥ה [not·there·was] (51) + גֶ֖שֶׁם [rain] (343) + בָּאָ֑רֶץ [in·the·land] (293) + בֹּ֥שׁוּ [they·were·ashamed] (308) + אִכָּרִ֖ים [husbandmen] (271) + חָפ֥וּ [they·covered] (94) + רֹאשָֽׁם [their·head] (541) = 2679.
Rashi
"Farmers." In the vernacular, it is called "Bouvier."
Radak
“Because the ground was dismayed.” This “because” serves to explain the end of the verse: “Why did they cover their heads?”—because the ground was dismayed and cracked, since there was no rain in the land. Alternatively, this “because” serves to explain the end of this verse, which states: “The plowmen were ashamed, they covered their heads.”
"Hayah." Accented on the final syllable:
"In the land." This means: In the Land of Israel.
Farmers. They are those who till the fields:
Metzudat David
Because of. For the land was broken and ruined, because there was no rain in the land; therefore, the tillers of the soil were ashamed and covered their heads, because their labor was in vain.
Metzudat Zion
Chatah. The meaning is "to break," as in: "And My righteousness shall not be broken" (Isaiah 51:6).
"Farmers." They are the tillers of the soil, engaged in plowing and the like. And similarly, "And I will break in you the farmer and his yoke-fellow" (below, 51).
Malbim
“Because of this,” and even the farmers, the tillers of the soil, were ashamed and covered their heads, because the ground was parched and did not yield its produce, due to the fact that there was no rain in the land, and consequently they are destined to suffer also the disgrace of famine.
Indeed, the hind also in the field calves, and forsakes her young, Because there is no grass,
verse value 1351
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 31 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֤י, 2 letters) and the longest is "also·Elath" (גַם־אַיֶּ֙לֶת֙, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 30: for, for. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "also·Elath" (גַם־אַיֶּ֙לֶת֙), "bore" (יָלְדָ֖ה), "and·forsakes" (וְעָז֑וֹב). The root כי appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for" (root כי, 318x in Jeremiah); "not·was" (root היה, 250x in Jeremiah); "bore" (root ילד, 25x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·forsakes', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. Full calculation: כִּ֤י [for] (30) + גַם־אַיֶּ֙לֶת֙ [also·Elath] (484) + בַּשָּׂדֶ֔ה [in·the·field] (311) + יָלְדָ֖ה [bore] (49) + וְעָז֑וֹב [and·forsakes] (91) + כִּ֥י [for] (30) + לֹֽא־הָיָ֖ה [not·was] (51) + דֶּֽשֶׁא [grass] (305) = 1351.
Rashi
"She gave birth and forsook [her young]." [She forsook] her offspring, in order to seek pasture for herself:
Radak
“For even the hind.” Even the hind gave birth to her fawns and abandoned them due to a lack of pasture, because there was no grass, and she left her young to seek pasture in another land, and she did not care for her young, even though she is compassionate, and she went to sustain her own life.
"And forsook." The infinitive is used in place of the past tense, as if it said, "and she forsook." Similarly, "and the living creatures ran and returned" is as if it said, "they ran and they returned."
Metzudat David
"The hind is in the field." The female of the hart that is in the field — when she gave birth to her offspring, she abandoned it and went her way, because there was no grass for her to eat; therefore she left her young to seek pasture in another land.
Malbim
For even the hind in the field, although she has given birth and loves her offspring, nevertheless she abandons her young, because there is no grass.
And the wild asses stand on the high hills, They gasp for air like jackals; Their eyes fail, because there is no herbage.
verse value 2812
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 45 letters. The shortest word is "air" (ר֖וּחַ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·wild ass" (וּפְרָאִים֙, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·wild ass" (וּפְרָאִים֙), "panted" (שָׁאֲפ֥וּ), "as·the·jackals" (כַּתַּנִּ֑ים). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for·nothing" (root אין, 88x in Jeremiah); "their·eyes" (root עין, 52x in Jeremiah); "stood" (root עמד, 26x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'as·the·jackals', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 4 words. Full calculation: וּפְרָאִים֙ [and·wild ass] (337) + עָמְד֣וּ [stood] (120) + עַל־שְׁפָיִ֔ם [upon·bareness] (530) + שָׁאֲפ֥וּ [panted] (387) + ר֖וּחַ [air] (214) + כַּתַּנִּ֑ים [as·the·jackals] (520) + כָּל֥וּ [all] (56) + עֵינֵיהֶ֖ם [their·eyes] (185) + כִּי־אֵ֥ין [for·nothing] (91) + עֵֽשֶׂב [herb] (372) = 2812.
Rashi
On the springs. Streams of water; "rivieres" in French.
Radak
“Wild asses” – “high places.” The plural yod is missing from the written text, and we have already explained that its meaning is the high places, and their standing there to see from there if they would see grass in any place, and they would go there. “Sniffing the wind” – he explained in the verse “A wild ass accustomed to the wilderness” that he said regarding the wild ass: “sniffing the wind” without leaning on another. And behold, he connected them to the jackals; it appears that the primary sniffing is characteristic of jackals. And likewise the Targum added there and said “khyruda.” And in his saying “they sniffed the wind,” it means that they derived no benefit from their standing on the high places, except for the sniffing of the wind.
"their eyes were consumed." When they saw that there was no vegetation, it was as though their eyes were consumed from gazing excessively into the distance, yet they saw no vegetation. This occurred as a punishment for their sins, both in the Land of Israel and in the wilderness. The other nations had their fill, but this happened to them among the nations as a sign to receive the punishment for their sins from God, as it is stated: "And they shall be in you for a sign and for a wonder."
Metzudat David
They stood on the heights. They stood on the high places to see from there if perhaps they would find grass:
“Sha’afu ruach.” This refers to the fact that when they ran to seek their pasture, they panted for air, for such is the way of those who run swiftly.
"Katanim." The nature of jackals is to inhale much air:
"כלו עיניהם" – One who awaits something and does not attain it is called "the wasting away of the eyes" in the language of the Bible.
Metzudat Zion
And wild asses. It is the wild donkey.
Shafim: high places.
"Sha'afu." The matter of drawing forth into the house of swallowing; and likewise, "She'afah ruach" (above, 2).
ruach. The air:
Ketanim. A species of snake:
Malbim
"And the wild asses," although they roam over the mountains from their pastures and seek after every green herb, nevertheless they pant for breath because there is not even a single blade of grass.
Though our iniquities testify against us, O Hashem, work You for Your name’s sake; For our backslidings are many, We have sinned against You.
verse value 2544
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 48 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֕ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "to·you" (לְךָ֥, 2 letters) and the longest is "if·our·iniquities" (אִם־עֲוֺנֵ֙ינוּ֙, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "if·our·iniquities" (אִם־עֲוֺנֵ֙ינוּ֙), "for·they·are·many" (כִּי־רַבּ֥וּ), "our·backslidings" (מְשׁוּבֹתֵ֖ינוּ). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "do" (root עשה, 147x 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 4 words. Full calculation: אִם־עֲוֺנֵ֙ינוּ֙ [if·our·iniquities] (233) + עָ֣נוּ [they·answered] (126) + בָ֔נוּ [in·us] (58) + יְהֹוָ֕ה [Hashem] (26) + עֲשֵׂ֖ה [do] (375) + לְמַ֣עַן [for·the·sake·of] (190) + שְׁמֶ֑ךָ [your·name] (360) + כִּי־רַבּ֥וּ [for·they·are·many] (238) + מְשׁוּבֹתֵ֖ינוּ [our·backslidings] (814) + לְךָ֥ [to·you] (50) + חָטָֽאנוּ [we·have·sinned] (74) = 2544.
Rashi
"[Our iniquities] testify against us." They testified against us:
“Do it for the sake of Your name.” Do whatever You will do with us, for the sake of Your great name that has gone forth for You, that You rule over all, and we are Your people and the flock of Your pasture; and it is not fitting that You should give the name of Your victories to idols. And there is an aggadic midrash on “for the sake of Your name,” etc.
Radak
"If our iniquities testify against us," the prophet said, upon seeing in prophecy the evil that would befall, that he would say to God, and he included himself within the general category of Israel. And even though he himself was not included in that iniquity, he said: "If our iniquities testify against us, O LORD, act for the sake of Your Name." And similarly, Moses our teacher said: "And forgive our iniquity and our sin, and take us for Your own." He said: "If our iniquities testify against us" — they have testified against us, for when the withholding of rain occurs in our land but not in the lands of the nations, they have testified against us that we are being punished for them [our sins]. And nevertheless, act for the sake of Your Name that is called upon us.
“For our transgressions against You are many, we have sinned.” Indeed, the judgment is Yours to punish us, for our transgressions are many: we rebelled against You in many matters, because of other gods, and in the multitude of violence, and in heeding false prophets rather than true prophets. Therefore it says, “For our transgressions are many.” Nevertheless, act for the sake of Your Name that is called upon us, for we are called the people of the Lord. “Our iniquity” is written defective, lacking the yod of the plural.
Metzudat David
"Though our iniquities." And because of this affliction, the prophet prayed and said, "Though our iniquities," meaning: they have testified against us, to bring accusations upon us.
"Act for the sake of Your name." Deal with us in righteousness for the sake of Your name, lest it be profaned among the nations, for lest they say, "This is because the Lord is unable to save His people."
"For our transgressions are many." For truly we have rebelled greatly and sinned against You, and we are not worthy of salvation; therefore, act for the sake of Your Name.
Metzudat Zion
Anu. They testified, just as it is stated: "You shall not bear false witness" (Exodus 20:13).
Our rebellion. The matter of rebellion is like [the verse] "This rebellious people" (above, 8:5):
Malbim
If, after he has related the account of the distress, he begins to pray to the Lord, he says: "If our iniquities have testified against us," meaning that even though we are deserving of punishment from our side, because our iniquities testify against us, nevertheless, "act for the sake of Your name." He explains his words ("if our iniquities have testified against us"): for our transgressions are many. One, that our transgressions are numerous; two, from the perspective of against whom the sin was committed: "Against You we have sinned," against a great King, exalted and lofty, and from this aspect we are deserving of punishment. Nevertheless ("act for the sake of Your name"), because Your name is [involved].
O You hope of Israel, The Saviour thereof in time of trouble, Why should you be as a stranger in the land, And as a wayfaring man that turns aside to tarry for a night?
verse value 3317
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 47 letters. The shortest word is "in·time·of" (בְּעֵ֣ת, 3 letters) and the longest is "savior·of·him" (מוֹשִׁיע֖וֹ, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "savior·of·him" (מוֹשִׁיע֖וֹ), "as·sojourner" (כְּגֵ֣ר), "and·as·a·wayfarer" (וּכְאֹרֵ֖חַ). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "shall·be" (root היה, 250x in Jeremiah); "in·the·land" (root ארץ, 245x in Jeremiah); "Israel" (root ישראל, 110x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root מקוה ("hope·of") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'trouble', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 7 words. Full calculation: מִקְוֵה֙ [hope·of] (151) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל [Israel] (541) + מוֹשִׁיע֖וֹ [savior·of·him] (432) + בְּעֵ֣ת [in·time·of] (472) + צָרָ֑ה [trouble] (295) + לָ֤מָּה [why] (75) + תִֽהְיֶה֙ [shall·be] (420) + כְּגֵ֣ר [as·sojourner] (223) + בָּאָ֔רֶץ [in·the·land] (293) + וּכְאֹרֵ֖חַ [and·as·a·wayfarer] (235) + נָטָ֥ה [turns·aside] (64) + לָלֽוּן [turns·aside·to·lodge] (116) = 3317.
Rashi
"Mikveh." [Meaning] hope, expectation:
Radak
“Hope of Israel.” For even though they have turned away from Your ways, they [still] hope in You, and in every generation You are the hope of Israel and their Savior in times of distress. Even though the distress comes upon them because of their sins, You will save them and have mercy on them. Likewise, now at this time, save them and have mercy on them, so that they do not perish by the famine.
"Why should You be like a sojourner in the land." In many places, the Torah speaks of the Creator using human language, attributing to Him seeing, hearing, smell, hand, and foot, as humans do. All of this is by way of metaphor, to enable human beings to understand. In every instance, Onkelos, who translates the Torah, and Jonathan ben Uzziel, who translates the Prophets, distanced themselves from attributing such characteristics to the Creator. The matter of this verse and the one following it is likewise so: Jonathan redirected the statement made about God to refer to Israel, seeing fit to distance the Blessed One even from figurative implication. Thus he translated: "Israel expected," etc., "like one who remains."
Metzudat David
"Mikveh Yisrael" – You are the hope of Israel, for they hope in You, and You are the One who saves in times of distress. Why then do You act like a sojourner in a land who does not care for the welfare of the land? For similarly, You do not care for the famine of the land.
"He inclined to lodge." [Referring to] one who turns aside to lodge at an inn, who is not concerned for its welfare. And the matter is stated doubly in what was said:
Metzudat Zion
Mikveh. Its grammatical form is that of "tikvah" (hope):
And like a traveler who goes on his way:
Malbim
“G-d is the hope of Israel,” meaning that Israel always hopes in You, and You always save them in times of distress. This is Your name. If so, save us now as well. Why do You act like a stranger? That is to say, the impediment to saving us now could be attributed either to a lack of desire, or to a lack of knowledge, or to a lack of power contrary to the desire. He says, “Why do You act like a stranger in the land?” For a stranger does not take strict account of what happens in the land, since he is not among its residents, but rather like a traveler who has come to lodge for the night. Even though the traveler is a citizen of the land, he does not pay attention to what happens in the land, since he does not reside there permanently. The meaning is that it appears as though You do not desire to attend to the land. Or perhaps it is because You have entrusted its governance to the celestial constellations, which rule here in the land, and You act like a stranger. Or perhaps it is because You do not examine its governance continuously, but only from time to time and for a moment.
Why should you be as a man overcome, As a mighty man that cannot save? Yet You, O Hashem, are in the midst of us, And Your name is called upon us; Leave us not.
verse value 3900
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 66 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 3900 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "why" (לָ֤מָּה, 3 letters) and the longest is "not·leave·us" (אַל־תַּנִּחֵֽנוּ, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "astonished" (נִדְהָ֔ם), "in·our·midst" (בְקִרְבֵּ֣נוּ), "and·Your·name" (וְשִׁמְךָ֛). 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "not·leave·us" (root איל, 293x in Jeremiah); "upon·us" (root על, 276x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·save', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 7 words. Full calculation: לָ֤מָּה [why] (75) + תִֽהְיֶה֙ [shall·be] (420) + כְּאִ֣ישׁ [as·man] (331) + נִדְהָ֔ם [astonished] (99) + כְּגִבּ֖וֹר [like·a·mighty·man] (231) + לֹא־יוּכַ֣ל [not·can] (97) + לְהוֹשִׁ֑יעַ [to·save] (421) + וְאַתָּ֧ה [and·you] (412) + בְקִרְבֵּ֣נוּ [in·our·midst] (360) + יְהֹוָ֗ה [Hashem] (26) + וְשִׁמְךָ֛ [and·Your·name] (366) + עָלֵ֥ינוּ [upon·us] (166) + נִקְרָ֖א [is·called] (351) + אַל־תַּנִּחֵֽנוּ [not·leave·us] (545) = 3900.
Rashi
He was dumbfounded. In the vernacular, it is called "rekruts," meaning one who withdraws his hand from battle; and some say "rekriants" in the vernacular.
"And Your Name is called upon us." Therefore, there is no honor to You in that [forsaking us].
"You shall forsake us [tanniḥenu]." Explanation: this is like "You shall abandon us" [ta'azvenu].
Radak
"Why do You act like one who is stunned? Why does Your anger fall upon us..." and so on. Just as the verses are straightforward, so too is the meaning: "Why do You act like a sojourner in the land?" For one who is a sojourner in the land, not among its citizens or its residents, does not concern himself with the affairs of the land or what will become of it, for if he is in it today, he will not be in it tomorrow. All the more so is this true of a traveler who has turned aside into a city only to lodge there for the night, for he is a passing traveler who does not concern himself with its welfare or its distress. Yet You resemble them in this regard, in that You hide Your face from the land and do not concern Yourself with its distress. "To You belongs the land, and we are sojourners and residents with You." Or, in this regard, You resemble a stunned and terrified man who does not know what to do. Or like a mighty man—it says "like a mighty man"—for salvation is in His hand, yet there is a time when He cannot save through His might.
"And You, O Lord, are in our midst. How can You avert Your eyes from our afflictions?"
"And Your name shall be called upon us." For we are called by Your name, the people of the Lord; therefore, do not forsake us. And in the Midrash: "Your name is shared with our name, Israel." "Nidham"—its meaning, according to its context, is "startled" (nivhal). And my master and father, of blessed memory, wrote that he interprets it from the Arabic, meaning one whose heart is covered [clouded] due to illness, mudham.
Metzudat David
“Like a man who is stunned.” Like a man who is terrified, who is not mindful of anything due to the terror that has seized him.
"Like a mighty man who cannot save." The way of a mighty man is to estimate and measure his strength, to see how great it is. And when he understands that the matter which has overtaken him is greater than his strength and he cannot save, then he withdraws his hand and no longer performs acts of might, as it were saying, "Is one of these things in you?"
"And you." Is it not so that You dwell in our midst, and Your Name is invoked upon us, for we are called the people of the Lord? Therefore, do not abandon us, lest Your Name be profaned, for the nations will say, "It is because of [His] inability that He has hidden His eye from His people."
Metzudat Zion
Nedham. Its meaning is like that of "navehal" (panic-stricken), and it has no exact equivalent:
Tanichenu (You will forsake us). From the language of leaving and abandonment:
Malbim
Why? And in response to the lack of knowledge, it says that you appear like a stunned man whose senses and feelings have been abolished, and he feels nothing at all; and in response to the lack of power, it says, why should you be like a mighty man who is unable to save from one who is stronger than him? And you, in our midst, O Lord, are the opposite of a wayfarer who turns aside to lodge, and Your name is called upon us is the opposite of a stranger, for You have not handed us over to the celestial order, but rather we are under Your providence. (And in response to the lack of knowledge and power, there is no need to reply.) Therefore, do not abandon us.
Thus says Hashem to this people: Even so have they loved to wander, They have not refrained their feet; Therefore Hashem does not accept them, Now will He remember their iniquity, And punish their sins.
verse value 3271
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 68 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֜ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "so" (כֵּ֤ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "their·feet" (רַגְלֵיהֶ֖ם, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 31: not, not. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "to·quiver" (לָנ֔וּעַ), "their·feet" (רַגְלֵיהֶ֖ם), "they·withholded" (חָשָׂ֑כוּ). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "thus·says" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "not" (root לא, 307x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·withholded', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 8 words.
Rashi
Just as they loved to wander, so too, regarding the exile that I decreed upon them in Egypt and Babylon, they loved to be exiles there in order to serve their distant idols.
Radak
Thus says the Lord: "They loved to wander." Just as they loved to wander, so will I do to them, for they go to Egypt and to Assyria to seek help from their enemies, and they did not trust in Me, and their feet did not refrain from going, even though the prophets would reprove them, as it was said to them: "And now, what have you to do on the way to Egypt, to drink the waters of the Sihor? And what have you to do on the way to Assyria, to drink the waters of the river?" And even so, you did not restrain your feet from going. And since they loved to wander, I will make them wander, and I will scatter them among the nations. And if you were to say, "What answer was this to the words of Jeremiah, for he was praying regarding the famine?" It is said that even though there was a withholding of rains, if they had been able to go out to the lands of the nations to bring in grain, the famine would not have been so great. But the enemies were coming upon them every day, and they were unable to go out. Therefore, the famine was severe. Therefore, God answered him concerning the enemies ruling over them and exiling them, and between this [the exile] and the famine and the sword upon them, therefore He said, "Now He will recall their iniquity," meaning: now, before the exile, He will recall their iniquity through the famine, and will punish their sin through the sword.
Metzudat David
To this people. Concerning this people:
Thus they love to wander. Just as they are now wandering because of the famine, seeking food in other lands, so too they have loved from of old to wander, and their feet did not refrain from going at times to Egypt and at times to Assyria to seek help from them; as it were, saying: "Therefore they shall wander even now."
"Lo ratzam" – He is not pleased with them; and behold, now He will remember their iniquity and mete out the retribution.
Metzudat Zion
Lanua. From the language of "na va-nad" (wandering to and fro):
"Chasachu" – The meaning is "prevention," as in "and you did not withhold" (Genesis 22:12).
Ratzam. From the language of "ratzuy" (to be pleasing/acceptable):
And He will call to account. The matter is one of remembrance:
Malbim
Thus says the Lord (the Lord's answer): What you are saying, that our transgressions have increased—behold, even so they love to wander; they continue to stray, moving from one path to another. It cannot be conceived that the decree will change, except if they alter their deeds. But they have not restrained their feet; they are still going astray, not on the proper path. Nor can it be conceived that it will happen through the Lord's will changing toward them for the good, but the Lord has not desired them. Therefore, their iniquity will be remembered, and thereby their sins will be visited upon them to punish them.
And Hashem said to me: ‘Pray not for this people for their good.
verse value 1555
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 33 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 "not·pray" (אַל־תִּתְפַּלֵּ֛ל, 7 letters). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "and·said" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "not·pray" (root איל, 293x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·me', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֥אמֶר [and·said] (257) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + אֵלָ֑י [to·me] (41) + אַל־תִּתְפַּלֵּ֛ל [not·pray] (971) + בְּעַד־הָעָ֥ם [for·the·people] (191) + הַזֶּ֖ה [this] (17) + לְטוֹבָֽה [for·good] (52) = 1555.
Radak
And He said, “For good.” This is because he had prayed against some of them for evil, and they had sought to kill him. He said, “I shall see Your vengeance upon them,” and he said, “Drag them out like sheep for the slaughter, and consecrate them for the day of slaughter.” Therefore, He said to him, “For good”—do not pray against them.
Metzudat David
For their good. To do good with them:
Malbim
And He said, "The Lord," because Jeremiah desired to pray again, the Lord said to him, "Do not pray for this people for good." This means that sometimes the Lord punishes by hiding His countenance, and then the punishment comes of its own accord; when people pray regarding this, they pray for good, meaning that He should not hide the countenance of His providence, but rather do good with them. And sometimes the punishment is providential, meaning that the Lord Himself punishes, and then they pray that He should not harm them. In such cases, fasting and sacrifice are of no avail, for the decree has been sealed, and a great repentance is required. Jeremiah thought that the punishment came through the hiding of His countenance, as it is stated, "Your name is called upon us; do not forsake us," meaning that He should not leave them under the hand of chance. The Lord said to him, "Do not pray for good," for the punishment will be by the Lord Himself. Therefore, "When they fast, I will not hear their cry"; neither fasting nor sacrifice will be of avail, for "with sword and famine I will consume them"—by My own hand, not through the hiding of My countenance.
When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt-offering and meal-offering, I will not accept them; but I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence.’
verse value 3604
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 71 letters. Notable word values: "and·for" (וְכִ֧י) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·ringing cry" (אֶל־רִנָּתָ֔ם, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 121: nothing, nothing. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "they·will·abstain·from·food" (יָצֻ֗מוּ), "to·ringing cry" (אֶל־רִנָּתָ֔ם), "they·offer" (יַעֲל֛וּ). The root כי appears 3 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for" (root כי, 318x in Jeremiah); "to·ringing cry" (root איל, 293x in Jeremiah); "and·in·the·pestilence" (root דבר, 270x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root צום ("they·will·abstain·from·food") in Jeremiah. First appearance of the root מנחה ("and·grain·offering") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'accepting·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 7 words.
Radak
"When they fast." When they proclaim a fast and afflict themselves and pray, I will not heed their rejoicing—meaning, their cry, as it is said, "Arise, cry out in the night" (Lamentations 2:19). And it says, "I will not heed their rejoicing." He did not mention prayer and crying out, but only fasting, because there is no fast without prayer and crying out.
"Ratzam." [Its root meaning is] "He will accept them"; that is to say, [combined with the verse's negation,] their burnt-offerings and their meal-offerings will not be acceptable before Him.
Metzudat David
"When they fast." Even if they fast, I will not heed their prayers which they will pray on the day of the fast. And even if they bring up a burnt-offering and a meal-offering, I am not pleased with them as long as they cling to their deeds.
"For with the sword." Rather, [it means]: I will consume them by the sword, etc.
Metzudat Zion
They shall fast. The matter of fasting:
Their song. It refers to prayer.
Then said I: ‘Ah, Lord Hashem! behold, the prophets say to them: You shall not see the sword, neither shall you have famine; but I will give you assured peace in this place.’
verse value 3753
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 77 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "alas!" (אֲהָ֣הּ, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·prophets" (הַנְּבִאִ֜ים, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 90: to·you, to·you. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "you·shall·not·see" (לֹא־תִרְא֣וּ), "for·peace" (כִּֽי־שְׁל֤וֹם). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "and·I·said" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "not·will·be" (root היה, 250x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·you', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 6 words.
Radak
And it says: What can Israel do if the prophets mislead them and tell them, "You shall not see sword or famine"?
"True peace." Peace that is enduring:
Metzudat David
And I said, "Ah!" I said, "Woe is me! Why should they perish? Is it not that they have no guilt? For behold, the false prophets are misleading them and saying to them, 'You shall not see the sword,' etc. And because of this, they think that their deeds are pleasing to God. And it is fitting to bring the punishment upon those prophets alone."
"True peace." Peace that is enduring and abiding:
"In this place." For you shall not go into exile from it:
Metzudat Zion
Ahah. Its meaning is like "woe":
Malbim
And he says: To this Jeremiah replied: Such a punishment would only be justified if they were rebelling with deliberate intent and in order to provoke anger. But they are being misled by the false prophets, who tell them in the name of the Lord that there will be no sword or famine. And if they had not been misled, they would have heeded the rebuke of the true prophets.
Then Hashem said to me: ‘The prophets prophesy lies in My name; I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spoke I to them; they prophesy to you a lying vision, and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their own heart.
verse value 7528
Insights
Verse structure: 25 words, 109 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֜ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֤א, 2 letters) and the longest is "are·prophesying" (מִֽתְנַבְּאִ֥ים, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 600: lie, lie. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·divination" (וְקֶ֤סֶם), "of nought" (וֶאֱלִיל֙), "and·treachery" (וְתַרְמִ֣ית). The root לא appears 3 times in this verse. 19 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "and·said" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "not" (root לא, 307x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root קסם ("and·divination") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 11 words.
Rashi
"And an idol [ĕlil]." [Related to] the term "ĕl" [nothing/naught] — a thing that does not exist:
Radak
And He said, "A false vision." For they did not see this in prophecy, yet they claim that they saw it in prophecy.
And divination, and an idol, and the deceit of their heart. Regarding "divination" (kesem), the great sage Maimonides, of blessed memory, wrote that there are people to whom the intellectual power flows into the faculty of imagination to such an extent that they speak of future events and dream accurate dreams. From this category came the prophets of Baal, and because of this people believed in them. This matter is called "divination" (kesem), and its practitioner is called a "diviner" (kosem). And some say that one who observes the stars is called a "diviner" (kosem).
"Ve'elul veTarmot" [the ketiv form]. It is written with a vav and read with a yod [ve'elil ve'tarmit], and the meaning is the same: "elil" is something that does not exist. And this is [what is meant by] their saying, "Sword and famine shall not be"—this is something that does not exist, for in truth there will be famine and sword.
"And the deceit of their heart." They devise deceit in their hearts, thinking: Since they [the people] consider us to be right in our words, just as they tested us regarding some future matters, let us tell them not to fear the words of Jeremiah, for we have seen in prophecy that we did not see sword and famine, and we will make their deeds appear good to them, so that we may be honored in their eyes and beloved by them. This is [the meaning of] "the deceit of their heart": that they scheme to deceive the people with their words.
"They prophesy to you." He [God] said "to you," thereby including the [false] prophets together with them [the people] — just as he [the prophet] would include himself within the collective of Israel, as when he says, "For our transgressions are many," etc.
Metzudat David
"Lies, etc." – This means: Do they not have understanding, seeing that they prophesy falsely? For I never sent them, nor did I command them any commandment, nor did I speak to them at all without a commission. And thus, they have no power to produce any sign or wonder. On what basis, then, do they hold them to be prophets?
"A false vision." That is to say, if so, you should have known that they prophesy either through a false vision—what they saw in the dream of the night through deceptive illusions—or through sorcery—what they saw in the stars—or from what they heard from the teraphim, which are things that have no substance at all—or they devise falsehoods with the deceit of their hearts.
Metzudat Zion
Vision. The appearance of the dream; and so too, "he understood in every vision" (Daniel 1:17).
And "divination by stars"—this refers to the observation of the stars:
"ואליל" – the term refers to something that has no substance or reality; similarly, "רופאי אליל" (Job 13:4) – physicians of vanity.
"And deceit." The meaning is craftiness, like "for their deceit is a lie" (Psalms 119:118):
Malbim
And He said (the response of the Lord): “I did not send them on a mission to the people, nor did I command them to do any deed. Moreover, I did not speak to them at all, not even in a mere utterance. Rather, it is a false vision, a deceitful prophecy through the power of the imagination, and divination through visions of the stars or lots. Furthermore, it is an idol, something that has no reality, such as carved images and teraphim. Moreover, it is a deception of their heart; they prophesy to them by fabricating words of deceit from their own hearts.”
Therefore thus says Hashem: As for the prophets that prophesy in My name, and I sent them not, yet they say: Sword and famine shall not be in this land, by sword and famine shall those prophets be consumed;
verse value 4659
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 95 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֥א, 2 letters) and the longest is "upon·the·prophets" (עַֽל־הַנְּבִאִ֞ים, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 108: spokesman, the·prophets. The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "thus·says" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "not" (root לא, 307x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'this', dividing the verse into phrases of 16 and 5 words.
Radak
Therefore, those prophets shall be consumed. That is to say: first, they shall be punished with the sword and with famine, because they caused Israel to sin.
Metzudat David
Therefore, etc. Since the prophets prophesy from one of these:
They shall perish. They shall be removed from the world:
Metzudat Zion
They shall be consumed. They shall come to an end, like the phrase “the silver came to an end” (Genesis 47:15).
Malbim
Therefore, thus says the Lord: This means that they will receive a double punishment: 1. For prophesying in My name when I did not send them; for even if their prophecy were to fulfill the words of the Torah, one who prophesies falsely is liable to death. 2. Because they say, “There shall be no sword or famine in this land,” thereby misleading the people so that they will not heed the words of the true prophets who say the opposite, and so that they will not return in repentance. Therefore, they shall perish by sword and famine.
and the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword; and they shall have none to bury them, them, their wives, nor their sons, nor their daughters; for I will pour their evil upon them.’
verse value 6743
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 102 letters. Verse gematria: 6743 is divisible by 613, the number of the commandments (mitzvot). The shortest word is "to·them" (לָהֶ֡ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·their·daughters" (וּבְנֹתֵיהֶ֑ם, 7 letters). 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "thrown" (מֻשְׁלָכִים֩), "in·streets·of" (בְּחֻצ֨וֹת), "and·the·sword" (וְהַחֶ֗רֶב). The root הם appears 3 times in this verse. 19 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·they" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah); "upon·them" (root על, 276x in Jeremiah); "they·will·be" (root היה, 250x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·their·daughters', dividing the verse into phrases of 18 and 3 words.
Radak
“And the people” – Even though the false prophets were deceiving them, they should have examined and distinguished between the prophets of truth and the false prophets. For the prophet of truth establishes them upon the Torah of Moses, whereas the false prophets make idolatry attractive to them, which is a denial of the Torah. And even though they were correct in some of their words regarding future events, you should have regarded this as sorcery and not as prophecy, since their words lead to the denial of the Torah, and this is idolatry. For even if they perform signs and wonders, the Torah states that they shall be put to death, for they speak rebellion. And regarding the fulfillment of the signs and wonders, the verse provides the reason: “For the Lord your God is testing you.”
"And they shall have none to bury them." This will be the additional punishment for their iniquity, added to the sufferings and death.
Their wives. For they were more inclined to listen to words of falsehood than were the men.
"And their sons and their daughters." The minors are punished for the sins of their fathers, for such is the judgment of God, blessed be He, Who is a God of faithfulness, and there is no injustice.
Metzudat David
Because of the famine. That they shall die because of the famine and the sword:
And there is no burial. For when they become exceedingly numerous, there will not be sufficient means to bury them.
"They. They shall be cast out, and their wives, etc.:"
“And I will pour out.” I will repay them the recompense of their evil.
Malbim
And the people too will receive punishment for having believed the words of the false prophets, and they will be cast down because of famine and sword. Regarding the matter of their perishing, he placed sword before famine, for death by famine is more severe than death by sword, as it is stated: "Better are the slain of the sword than the slain of the famine." And regarding the matter of their being cast down without burial, he placed famine before sword, meaning that because of the famine, the sword of the enemy will not allow them to bury their dead. And "I will pour out upon them their wickedness," meaning that the measure has already been filled and I will pour it out upon the people, so that their own evil will punish them.
And you shall say this word to them: Let mine eyes run down with tears night and day, And let them not cease; For the virgin daughter of my people is broken with a great breach, With a very grievous blow.
verse value 5698
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 84 letters. Notable word values: "to·them" (אֲלֵיהֶם֙) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "for" (כִּי֩, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·not·cease" (וְאַל־תִּדְמֶ֑ינָה, 9 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "they·shall·go·down" (תֵּרַ֨דְנָה), "and·by·day" (וְיוֹמָ֖ם), "and·not·cease" (וְאַל־תִּדְמֶ֑ינָה). The root שבר appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·you·shall·say" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "for" (root כי, 318x in Jeremiah); "the·word" (root דבר, 270x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·not·cease', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 9 words.
Rashi
"A very grievous [wound]." The term for sickness/illness:
Radak
"And you shall say": You shall say to them: "This is the matter for which you are weeping and grieving over their destruction, which you see coming upon them through prophecy. And you shall say to them that you also see corpses of the sword from without, and the diseases of famine from within. And this is to frighten them, perhaps their hearts will be broken and they will submit upon hearing these words."
"Virgin, daughter of my people." Until she goes into exile, she is like a virgin who has not known a man, nor has anyone had dominion over her. And so she is comparable to a virgin, meaning that the nations did not have dominion over her to exile her from her land until now; and she will be subjugated to them in her exile, just as a virgin is when she is violated.
"A blow that brings on grievous illness." A severe blow resulting in a major illness.
Metzudat David
"This matter." And it is: "May my eyes flow with tears without ceasing."
"Ki shavar." I see in prophecy that a great breaking has occurred, etc.
“Virgin daughter of my people.” She is called a virgin because no king had yet conquered her, like a virgin who has not come under the dominion of a husband.
"Very grievous." Extremely painful.
Metzudat Zion
"Be still." The matter is silence and cessation, akin to "give yourselves no rest" (Isaiah 62:6):
"Daughter of my people." [Means] the congregation of my people. "Grievous" is from the language of illness:
Malbim
"And you shall say to them" — despite all this, He commanded him to say to them that the Lord shares in their pain, as if, so to speak, tears were to fall from His eyes. For a great breaking has been broken—the outer breaking—and joined to it is a very severe plague within the inner dimension. He explains the nature of this breaking: "For if I go out into the field to escape the famine — as it is said, 'If there is famine in the city, scatter your feet [flee],' — and behold, there are the slain of the sword; and if I come into the city to escape the sword, and behold, there are the slain of the famine." Added to this is a very severe plague within the inner dimension, for even the prophet and the priest, who were required to teach the people Torah and prophecy — [the verse says] they "trafficked to a land," meaning they made merchandise for the land, like a merchant who sells his wares for monetary gain. So too, they sold Torah and prophecy for money, and they did not know what their end would be. This is the severe plague, for by means of this the breaking will not be healed, since there is no one to teach them and to bring them back in repentance.
If I go forth into the field, Then behold the slain with the sword! And if I enter into the city, Then behold them that are sick with famine! For both the prophet and the priest are gone about to a land, and knew it not.
verse value 3735
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 75 letters. The shortest word is "and·if" (וְאִם֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "for·also·prophet" (כִּֽי־גַם־נָבִ֧יא, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 66: and·behold, and·behold. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "if·I·go·out" (אִם־יָצָ֣אתִי), "slain·by·the·sword" (חַלְלֵי־חֶ֔רֶב), "I·came" (בָּ֣אתִי). The root הנה appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·not" (root לא, 307x in Jeremiah); "to·land" (root איל, 293x in Jeremiah); "I·came" (root בוא, 211x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'famine', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 6 words.
Rashi
"They roamed." They went about, seeking rescue:
To a land, and they did not know. To another land, and they did not know in it until now:
Radak
"If," "the sicknesses of famine." It is an adjective on the pattern of "ve-ta'alulim yimshelu bam" [Isaiah 3:4, "and capriciousness/mischief-makers shall rule over them"], and it mentions the sick on account of the famine but does not mention the dead from the famine, because the sick were more numerous than the dead.
For even a prophet, even a priest. A prophet from among the false prophets, and a priest from among the priests of the Levites, in whom there were wicked ones, as it is stated: "For even your brothers and the house of your father, even they have betrayed you."
"They roam to a land and know not [where]." They went about, to go into exile to another land, and they did not know — they did not sense it in themselves until they were exiled. For even though it had been prophesied concerning the [false] prophets that they would perish by sword and by famine, some of them were exiled with Jehoiachin, as it is written that they were prophesying there in the exile. And it says "also" [גם] — meaning "also they" — that they were the great ones of the people, for they were exiled with Jehoiachin: the craftsmen and the smiths. In saying "they roam," [the point is] that one who travels a long way cannot help but go roundabout, for the whole way is not a straight path. And Targum Yonatan [renders]: "ari af sefar," etc., as [printed] in the column.
Metzudat David
"Behold, the slain by the sword; behold, the slain by the sword are cast out."
And behold, the diseases of famine. The sick lie down, afflicted by the distress of hunger:
"For also a prophet." This means: it is just that they did evil, for even the false prophet and the priest of Baal went about from city to city to prophesy to them, and they did not know what the Lord was speaking, for they prophesied falsely.
Metzudat Zion
"The slain." [This refers to] those who are killed.
Tachluei. The word is derived from "choli" (illness):
"They roamed." The term denotes "circulation" or "going around," and by this very name the merchant is called a "merchant," because he goes around in search of merchandise to purchase it.
Have you utterly rejected Judah? Has Your soul loathed Zion? Why have you smitten us, and there is no healing for us? We looked for peace, but no good came; And for a time of healing, and behold terror!
verse value 4851
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 82 letters. Notable word values: "to·us" (לָ֖נוּ) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "to·us" (לָ֖נוּ, 3 letters) and the longest is "Judah" (אֶת־יְהוּדָ֗ה, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 321: health, health. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "utterly?" (הֲמָאֹ֨ס), "you·rejected" (מָאַ֜סְתָּ), "if·in·Zion" (אִם־בְּצִיּוֹן֙). The root מאס appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·nothing" (root אין, 88x in Jeremiah); "your·soul" (root נפש, 61x in Jeremiah); "good" (root טוב, 38x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'health', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 8 words.
Rashi
"If Your soul has loathed Zion" — [meaning: was it] so that You would not return to it? But if Your intention is to return [to it], why have You struck it with a wound that has no cure?
Radak
"Have You indeed rejected?" The prophet returned to pray once more, and even though God had said to him, "Do not pray for this people," he returned to pray on behalf of part of the people.
"If in Zion." [This means] "If among the inhabitants of Zion," as the Targum renders it, for until now he has not spoken concerning the destruction [of the city], but rather concerning the distress of those dwelling within it.
"Have You struck us?" – With the plague of famine.
And we have no remedy, for there is no rain.
"We hoped for peace." [קוה is] an infinitive [form], [as if to say]: if we hope for peace from the nations, our neighbors, we will go and buy grain in their land.
And there is no good. No good will come to us from any side:
And for the time of healing. Healing from the distress of famine and from the distress of the enemy:
"And behold, terror." And behold, we are terrified by the distress of both of them [famine and enemy]. And Jonathan [Targum Yonatan] rendered [the phrase]: "and for a time of forgiveness of debts" [for "a time of healing"], and that [i.e., "behold, terror"] is [rendered as] "the retribution of sins." And part of this verse is written above, in the portion [beginning] "אסף אסיפם" [I will utterly sweep them away] (Jeremiah 8:13), and there is a slight difference between them: there it is written "לעת" [without a vav], and here "ולעת" [with a vav]; there "מרפה" is spelled with a heh, and here "מרפא" is spelled with an aleph.
Metzudat David
"Have You rejected?" The prophet said: "Have You rejected Judah? Does Your soul loathe Zion? Why have You struck us, and there is no healing for our wound?"
Kavveh. When we hope for peace, yet it is not improved from what it was; and when we hope for a time of healing, behold, another terror comes.
Metzudat Zion
"Loathed." The meaning is abhorrence, like "and My soul shall abhor you" (Leviticus 26:30):
"Terror." Dread and trembling:
Malbim
“Hama'as” (the third prayer): After he heard that the Lord shares in their sorrow and has not rejected them, he argues: “Have You rejected Judah? Is Your love not still toward them? And even if You have rejected Judah, has Your soul spurned Zion? Is not Your Divine Presence still in Zion? If so, why have You struck us, and there is no healing for us?” The meaning is that the Holy Name always precedes the wound with its remedy, just as a bloodletter first prepares the medicines to stop the bleeding after the bloodletting and to restore the patient's vitality; this serves as a sign that his intention in the bloodletting is not to harm him but to heal him. Likewise, the striking that comes upon Israel—if it is providential, the primary purpose of the striking is so that they may return in repentance and be healed—therefore He precedes it and prepares the remedy. Regarding this, he asks: If the striking is providential, why have You struck us and there is no healing for us? Why did You not precede it with a remedy? And if it is through natural causes and through the hiding of His face, surely this can only occur if nature demands it. How then could it be otherwise? For I hoped for peace, which according to nature ought to be peace. Why is there no good? Moreover, even after the striking, according to nature, we would have hoped for the time of healing. How then is it that, instead, "behold, terror" came? Thus, the striking is not natural. So why did You not precede it with a remedy?
We acknowledge, O Hashem, our wickedness, Even the iniquity of our fathers; For we have sinned against You.
verse value 1547
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 33 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֛ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 1547 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "our·fathers" (אֲבוֹתֵ֑ינוּ, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "our·wickedness" (רִשְׁעֵ֖נוּ). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "for" (root כי, 318x in Jeremiah); "we·know" (root ידע, 71x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'our·fathers', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. Full calculation: יָדַ֧עְנוּ [we·know] (140) + יְהֹוָ֛ה [Hashem] (26) + רִשְׁעֵ֖נוּ [our·wickedness] (626) + עֲוֺ֣ן [perversity] (126) + אֲבוֹתֵ֑ינוּ [our·fathers] (475) + כִּ֥י [for] (30) + חָטָ֖אנוּ [we·have·sinned] (74) + לָֽךְ [to·you] (50) = 1547.
Radak
We have known. We have known our iniquity, and we have also known the sin of our fathers:
"For we have sinned against You." [Meaning] we and they, and it is right for You to reckon against us both their iniquity and our iniquity, for we have taken hold of their evil deeds with our own hands. And he mentioned in the verse the acts of rebellion, which is what he means by "our wickedness"; and he mentioned the deliberate sins, which is what he means by "iniquity"; and he also mentioned the unwitting sins, which is what he means by "for we have sinned against You."
Metzudat David
"We know. We acknowledge that we have acted wickedly, and we also acknowledge the iniquity of our fathers, for we have all sinned against You, as they did."
Malbim
We have known, O Lord, says: We have known the answer to this, that it is on account of our wickedness that the measure was filled, and on account of the sin of our fathers that we hold the deeds of the fathers in our hands, for we have sinned against You. And when they hold the deeds of their fathers in their hands, He visits the iniquity of the fathers upon the children. To this He replies: Do not spurn, for you must do this. 1. For the sake of Your name, lest it be profaned, as it is said, "What will You do to Your great name, which is shared with our name?" 2. Do not disgrace the throne of Your glory — the throne of glory, exalted from of old, is the place of our sanctuary (and this corresponds to what is said, "Has Your soul spurned Zion?"). 3. Do not break Your covenant with us (and this corresponds to "You have rejected Judah"), for did You not make a covenant with us?
Do not contemn us, for Your name’s sake, Do not dishonour the throne of Your glory; Remember, break not Your covenant with us.
verse value 3795
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 44 letters. The shortest word is "your·name" (שִׁמְךָ֔, 3 letters) and the longest is "not·spurn" (אַל־תִּנְאַץ֙, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "not·spurn" (אַל־תִּנְאַץ֙), "not·dishonor" (אַל־תְּנַבֵּ֖ל), "your·glory" (כְבוֹדֶ֑ךָ). The root איל appears 3 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not·spurn" (root איל, 293x in Jeremiah); "your·name" (root שם, 122x in Jeremiah); "your·covenant" (root ברית, 25x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·glory', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 4 words. Full calculation: אַל־תִּנְאַץ֙ [not·spurn] (572) + לְמַ֣עַן [for·the·sake·of] (190) + שִׁמְךָ֔ [your·name] (360) + אַל־תְּנַבֵּ֖ל [not·dishonor] (513) + כִּסֵּ֣א [throne] (81) + כְבוֹדֶ֑ךָ [your·glory] (52) + זְכֹ֕ר [remember] (227) + אַל־תָּפֵ֥ר [not·break] (711) + בְּרִיתְךָ֖ [your·covenant] (632) + אִתָּֽנוּ [with·us] (457) = 3795.
Rashi
“For the sake of Your name.” That You are called Merciful:
"Your throne of glory": [refers to] the Temple (Beit HaMikdash); and the aggadic midrash [says]: "Israel is engraved upon Your throne of glory."
Radak
“Do not despise.” Even so, for the sake of Your name, act, and do not despise.
"Do not dishonor the throne of Your glory." Do not cast it down to the earth, for the throne of Your glory is Jerusalem; do not cast it down and dishonor it, now that its inhabitants have been abandoned, with none turning to them.
"Remember." This means: remember the covenant of the Fathers, and do not annul that covenant with us. And so Jonathan translated: "May the remembrance of the covenant of our fathers come before You; do not change Your covenant with us."
Metzudat David
"Do not despise." Nevertheless, do not dishonor us for the sake of Your name, lest it be profaned among the nations, who will say, 'Because His hand was too short, He abandoned His people.'
Do not act shamefully. Do not lower Your throne of glory to be profaned in the mouths of the nations; and this matter is repeated in what is written:
“Remember the covenant that You made with us to be Your people, and do not break the covenant today.”
Metzudat Zion
"Tana'atz" – the meaning is disgrace, and similarly it is written, "they have despised all my reproof" (Proverbs 1:30).
"Tannav" – the meaning is lowering and abasement, as in: "and he spurned the Rock of his support" (Deuteronomy 32:15).
Tafer. The matter of nullification:
Are there any among the vanities of the nations that can cause rain? Or can the heavens give showers? Are not You He, O Hashem our God, and do we not wait for You? For You have made all these things.
verse value 4525
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 78 letters. Notable word values: "not" (הֲלֹ֨א) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "being" (הֲיֵ֨שׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·if·the·heavens" (וְאִם־הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם, 8 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "causing·rain" (מַגְשִׁמִ֔ים), "and·if·the·heavens" (וְאִם־הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם), "You·are·He" (אַתָּה־ה֜וּא). 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "not" (root לא, 307x in Jeremiah); "you·did" (root עשה, 147x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root יש ("being") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'showers', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 8 words.
Rashi
"And if the heavens will give showers." Of their own accord, or not, but only by Your command — [stated] as a rhetorical question. Every doubled rhetorical question has its first half introduced with the letter heh, and the second with "im," such as: "whether in camps or in fortresses" (Numbers 13:19); "is it good or bad?" (ibid.); "Have You truly rejected [Judah]? Has Your soul loathed Zion?" (here). So too here: "Is there, among the vanities of the nations, [any that can give rain]? And if the heavens..."
Radak
To Whom shall we cry out for rain? Only to You.
“With the vanities of the nations they bring rain.” Explanation: They cause rain to fall.
"And if the heavens should give rain." Even the heavens, which is the firmament that gives the rain, for the heavens are the ones that give the rain—other than You, this is not so, for You stop them when You wish so that they do not give rain. Thus, the giving of rain is not in their authority or according to their will. And likewise, You open them when You wish. Is it not You who are the Lord, our God, who gives rain? Therefore, it is incumbent upon us to hope in You that You will give rain.
"For You have made all these." The withholding of the rains—this is what You have done, for You withheld the heavens from giving rain, and the earth from yielding its produce. This is what is meant by "all these." Similarly, it is stated in the prophecy of Zechariah: "For the seed of peace, the vine shall give its fruit, and the earth shall yield its produce, and the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause this remnant of the people to inherit all these things." Behold, it says "all these" regarding the withholding of the heavens from giving rain, and the earth from yielding its produce.
Metzudat David
"Is there." As if to say: To whom shall we cry out for the rain? Is there anyone among the vanities of the idolatrous nations [who can bring it]? They are [nothing but] idols.
"Who cause rain to fall." They bring down rain.
"And if the heavens." Do the celestial spheres produce showers on their own, without the decree of the Omnipresent?
"Is it not You, etc." – You are the One who causes rain to descend, and therefore we place our hope in You alone, that You will cause it to descend.
"All these." They are the constellations of the heavens, and thus, to whatever you desire, you may turn them, and they will not defy your command.
Metzudat Zion
“Behavlei.” From the word *hevel* (vanity), referring to the idols.
"Magshimim." From the language of "geshem" (rain):
Revivim. So is called the fine rain, as it says: "and as showers upon the grass" (ibid.):
And we hope. From the language of hope:
Malbim
Are there among the idols of the nations any that bring forth rain? That is to say, do we not know that rain does not fall either through artificial means, by drawing down spiritual forces through the service of fools, as the nations of the world imagine in their vain idols, nor through nature itself via the heavens. Rather, it is You, O Lord our God, from Whom rain is a matter of providence. And in You alone do we hope, for You have made all these things. And You have now withheld the heavens so that rain does not fall. The rain is withheld when Israel serves idolatry, as it is written, “Lest your heart be enticed, and you turn aside, and serve other gods, and the Lord will withhold the rain.” But we believe in You, and in You we hope that You will give rain upon the land.
Rashi
Radak
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim