When Nebuchadrezzar makes war, Zedekiah sends to inquire; the answer: 'I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands... behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death' — the city is given into the hand of the king of Babylon.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
The word which came to Jeremiah from Hashem, when king Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur the son of Malchiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, saying:
verse value 4820
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 80 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "from" (מֵאֵ֣ת, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·Jeremiah" (אֶֽל־יִרְמְיָ֖הוּ, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "when·sending" (בִּשְׁלֹ֨חַ), "Pashhur" (אֶת־פַּשְׁחוּר֙). The root בין appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "saying" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "that·came" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 10 words.
’Inquire, I pray you, of Hashem for us; for Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon makes war against us; perhaps Hashem will deal with us according to all His wondrous works, that he may go up from us.’
verse value 4030
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 80 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֤ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 4030 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֛י, 2 letters) and the longest is "according·to·all·His·wonders" (כְּכׇל־נִפְלְאֹתָ֔יו, 10 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "inquire·now" (דְּרׇשׁ־נָ֤א), "is·fighting" (נִלְחָ֣ם), "us" (אוֹתָ֙נוּ֙). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "for" (root כי, 318x in Jeremiah); "upon·us" (root על, 276x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root נבוכדראצר ("Nebuchadrezzar") in Jeremiah. First appearance of the root פלא ("according·to·all·His·wonders") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'upon·us', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 7 words.
Radak
"He is warring against us." It has a qamats, because it is a participle.
Metzudat David
"Please inquire." Now, entreat in prayer on our behalf to the Lord:
"As all His wonders." Like all the wonders He was accustomed to doing of old:
"And he shall withdraw." And he will depart from us:
Metzudat Zion
"And he will withdraw." The meaning is a term for removal/departure, as in "the cloud lifted [to depart]" (Numbers 9:17).
Then said Jeremiah to them: Thus shall you say to Zedekiah:
verse value 1576
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 31 letters. Notable word values: "to·them" (אֲלֵיהֶ֑ם) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "thus" (כֹּ֥ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·Zedekiah" (אֶל־צִדְקִיָּֽהוּ, 8 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "you·will·say" (תֹאמְרֻ֖ן). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "to·Zedekiah" (root איל, 293x in Jeremiah); "to·them" (root אל, 204x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֥אמֶר [and·said] (257) + יִרְמְיָ֖הוּ [Jeremiah] (271) + אֲלֵיהֶ֑ם [to·them] (86) + כֹּ֥ה [thus] (25) + תֹאמְרֻ֖ן [you·will·say] (691) + אֶל־צִדְקִיָּֽהוּ [to·Zedekiah] (246) = 1576.
Radak
"Thus shall you say." It is missing the connective vav (vav of continuation) that would join it to what precedes.
Thus says Hashem, the God of Israel: Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, wherewith you fight against the king of Babylon, and against the Chaldeans, that besiege you without the walls, and I will gather them into the midst of this city.
verse value 7642
Insights
Verse structure: 26 words, 117 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֜ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "in·them" (בָּ֗ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·with·the·Chaldeans" (וְאֶת־הַכַּשְׂדִּ֔ים, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: that, that. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "round thing" (מֵסֵב֮), "to·the·wall" (לַחוֹמָ֑ה), "and·let·me·gather" (וְאָסַפְתִּ֣י). The root אשר appears 2 times in this verse. 24 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "thus·said" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "that" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root כשדי ("and·with·the·Chaldeans") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·the·wall', dividing the verse into phrases of 21 and 5 words.
Rashi
Behold, I am turning around the weapons of war. There are among you those who know how to adjure the angels above, who are appointed over calamity, to save each person from the evil for which he is appointed; and in this you place your trust. Behold, I am transferring the authority from one to another, and you will not know upon whom you are adjuring.
“And I will gather them.” [They are] weapons of war, into this city, that I will destroy you by pestilence, through the Angel of Death, who is from among the high princes. And so it is explicitly stated in the matter: “They shall die by a great pestilence.”
Radak
"Behold, I am turning [the weapons] around." As if the weapons of war that are in your hands will be in their hands, so that you will have no strength to fight against them.
"And I will gather them." The Chaldeans.
Metzudat David
"Behold, I turn." [I.e.,] I will turn the weapons of war away from you, to give them to the king of Babylon, etc. That is to say: you will not succeed with your weapons of war, as if they were taken from you and given into their hand to fight against you.
"And I will gather." I will bring the Chaldeans into the city, and you will not be able to prevent them.
Metzudat Zion
Mesev. From the root savav, meaning "to turn around."
"Et melekh" [the particle "et" before "king"]. [It means] "to/against a king":
"Those besieging." The word is derived from "siege" (matzor):
"And I will gather." The meaning is "to bring in," as in: "and there was no man to gather them" (Judges 19:15).
Malbim
"Behold, I am turning [the weapons]"—meaning, that through the famine a rebellion will arise in the city, for some of them will wish to surrender to the Chaldeans, and the men of war will need to fight against the [rest of the] people.
And I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath.
verse value 2044
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 50 letters. The shortest word is "I" (אֲנִי֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·I·will·fight" (וְנִלְחַמְתִּ֤י, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 61: I, and·in·fury. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·I·will·fight" (וְנִלְחַמְתִּ֤י), "arm" (וּבִזְר֣וֹעַ), "and·with·anger" (וּבְאַ֥ף). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "hand" (root יד, 98x in Jeremiah); "I" (root אני, 52x in Jeremiah); "great" (root גדול, 48x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'strong', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְנִלְחַמְתִּ֤י [and·I·will·fight] (544) + אֲנִי֙ [I] (61) + אִתְּכֶ֔ם [with·you] (461) + בְּיָ֥ד [hand] (16) + נְטוּיָ֖ה [outstretched] (80) + וּבִזְר֣וֹעַ [arm] (291) + חֲזָקָ֑ה [strong] (120) + וּבְאַ֥ף [and·with·anger] (89) + וּבְחֵמָ֖ה [and·in·fury] (61) + וּבְקֶ֥צֶף [and·in·wrath] (278) + גָּדֽוֹל [great] (43) = 2044.
Radak
"And I will fight [against you]." The Chaldeans will fight against you from outside, and I will fight against you with a great pestilence, that I will strike you and your cattle.
Metzudat David
"And I will fight." This means: I will empower the Chaldeans against you, as if I myself were fighting against you.
“With an outstretched hand.” He employs a parable from a warrior who is engaged in battle and extends his hand toward his enemy.
Malbim
"And I will fight," and in the meantime, after there will be sword and famine, I will come to fight against them. "With an uplifted hand" refers to the pestilence, "and with a strong arm" refers to the sword. And the battle will be with anger, fury, and great wrath. And it explains, corresponding to "an uplifted hand," "I will strike" etc., "they shall die by a great pestilence." (And what is written "and the people" includes even those who are not residents of the city.)
And I will smite the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast; they shall die of a great pestilence.
verse value 3506
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 48 letters. The shortest word is "the·city" (הָעִ֣יר, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·the·cattle" (וְאֶת־הַבְּהֵמָ֑ה, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·I·will·strike" (וְהִכֵּיתִ֗י), "and·the·man" (וְאֶת־הָאָדָ֖ם), "with·pestilence" (בְּדֶ֥בֶר). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "with·pestilence" (root דבר, 270x in Jeremiah); "inhabitants·of" (root ישב, 147x in Jeremiah); "the·city" (root עיר, 117x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·the·cattle', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְהִכֵּיתִ֗י [and·I·will·strike] (451) + אֶת־יֽוֹשְׁבֵי֙ [inhabitants·of] (729) + הָעִ֣יר [the·city] (285) + הַזֹּ֔את [this] (413) + וְאֶת־הָאָדָ֖ם [and·the·man] (457) + וְאֶת־הַבְּהֵמָ֑ה [and·the·cattle] (464) + בְּדֶ֥בֶר [with·pestilence] (208) + גָּד֖וֹל [great] (43) + יָמֻֽתוּ [they·shall·die] (456) = 3506.
Metzudat David
“Of the inhabitants of the city.” And it returns and explains: “And the man, and the beast.”
“With a plague.” This means that the striking shall be such that they will die by a great plague.
And afterward, says Hashem, I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, and his servants, and the people, and such as are left in this city from the pestilence, from the sword, and from the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those that seek their life; and he shall smite them with the edge of the sword; he shall not spare them, neither have pity, nor have compassion.
verse value 8145
Insights
Verse structure: 29 words, 160 letters. The shortest word is "I·will·give" (אֶתֵּ֣ן, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·the·ones·remaining" (וְאֶת־הַנִּשְׁאָרִים֩, 10 letters). Words sharing gematria 37: and·not, and·not. 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·the·people" (וְאֶת־הָעָ֡ם), "and·the·ones·remaining" (וְאֶת־הַנִּשְׁאָרִים֩), "from·the·pestilence" (מִן־הַדֶּ֣בֶר). The root יד appears 3 times in this verse. 23 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "says·Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "and·not" (root לא, 307x in Jeremiah); "upon·them" (root על, 276x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'their·soul', dividing the verse into phrases of 21 and 8 words.
Radak
"From the pestilence, from the sword." From the sword of war in the fighting against the city — I will give it into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar when he conquers the city — and also Zedekiah and his servants who fled.
"And he shall strike them by the edge of the sword." This means: whoever wishes to kill may kill, and whoever wishes to exile may exile.
He will not have pity on them, nor will He spare them, nor will He have mercy. For behold, He slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes; and likewise, He did not spare the officials and the elders.
Metzudat Zion
"Yachus" [he shall have pity]. The meaning is compassion, as in "v'chusah alai" ("have pity on me") (Nehemiah 13:22); and the matter is doubled in what is stated.
Malbim
And thereafter, regarding this "strong arm," namely the sword, He said that He would place them in the hand of Nebuchadnezzar and strike them with the sword. And what is meant by "and the people"? These are the citizens of Jerusalem. And "and the remnant of the people"? These are those who are not residents of Jerusalem.
And to this people you shall say: Thus says Hashem: Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death.
verse value 3727
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 55 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·to·the·people" (וְאֶל־הָעָ֤ם, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·to·the·people" (וְאֶל־הָעָ֤ם), "way" (אֶת־דֶּ֥רֶךְ), "the·living" (הַחַיִּ֖ים). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "you·shall·say" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "and·to·the·people" (root אל, 204x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 7 words. Full calculation: וְאֶל־הָעָ֤ם [and·to·the·people] (152) + הַזֶּה֙ [this] (17) + תֹּאמַ֔ר [you·shall·say] (641) + כֹּ֖ה [thus] (25) + אָמַ֣ר [said] (241) + יְהֹוָ֑ה [Hashem] (26) + הִנְנִ֤י [they] (115) + נֹתֵן֙ [giving] (500) + לִפְנֵיכֶ֔ם [to·your·face] (230) + אֶת־דֶּ֥רֶךְ [way] (625) + הַחַיִּ֖ים [the·living] (73) + וְאֶת־דֶּ֥רֶךְ [and·way] (631) + הַמָּֽוֶת [death] (451) = 3727.
Metzudat David
"I set before you." This means: I explain to you in which matter you will find life, and in which matter death will overtake you.
Metzudat Zion
"Noten" [He gives/states]. The meaning is "saying," as in "v'lo natan tiflah" ("and he did not attribute anything wrongful [to God]") (Job 1:22):
“Et derekh” – “Et” is a matter of:
He that abides in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence; but he that goes out, and falls away to the Chaldeans that besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be to him for a prey.
verse value 4802
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 81 letters. The shortest word is "that·dwells" (הַיֹּשֵׁב֙, 4 letters) and the longest is "upon·Chaldea" (עַל־הַכַּשְׂדִּ֜ים, 8 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·that·goes·out" (וְהַיּוֹצֵא֩). The root חיה appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "upon·you" (root על, 276x in Jeremiah); "and·in·the·pestilence" (root דבר, 270x in Jeremiah); "and·it·shall·be·to·him" (root היה, 250x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root חיה ("will·live") in Jeremiah. First appearance of the root שלל ("to·spoil") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·in·the·pestilence', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 10 words.
Rashi
“And his soul shall be a spoil” – Just as a person who seizes spoil carries it off and departs with it, so too shall his soul be taken as spoil, rescued from death and from those who seek to kill him.
Radak
"The enemies who distress you shall live." There is a ketiv (written form) and a qere (read form): it is written "yichyeh" and read "vechayah," and the meaning is the same.
“And his soul shall be a spoil” – for profit, as though he had plundered it.
Metzudat David
"By the sword, etc." – This means: by one of these.
And he shall fall. He shall dwell among the Chaldeans, to become subject to their authority:
And he shall live. He will remain alive and save his soul, as if he had plundered it for himself from the hands of those who were killing him.
Metzudat Zion
"And he shall go over [fall]." The meaning of the word is "dwelling" and "inclining," as in "to the Chaldeans you are falling/going over" (below, 37:13).
"To plunder." The matter of spoils:
Malbim
And he fell upon the Chaldeans, for they did not allow anyone to leave the city except at the time when they fell upon the Chaldeans to fight against them; then, whoever wished was handed over to the Chaldeans and remained there and did not return to the city. Therefore, it says “upon the Chaldeans.” And then, the spoil that he would plunder from the battle would be his life, which he would save.
For I have set My face against this city for evil, and not for good, says Hashem; it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.
verse value 4060
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 57 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "says·Hashem" (נְאֻם־יְהֹוָ֑ה, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "I·put" (שַׂ֣מְתִּי), "in·hand·of·king·of" (בְּיַד־מֶ֤לֶךְ). 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "says·Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "for" (root כי, 318x in Jeremiah); "and·not" (root לא, 307x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'says·Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 5 words. Full calculation: כִּ֣י [for] (30) + שַׂ֣מְתִּי [I·put] (750) + פָ֠נַי [my·face] (140) + בָּעִ֨יר [in·the·city] (282) + הַזֹּ֧את [this] (413) + לְרָעָ֛ה [for·evil] (305) + וְלֹ֥א [and·not] (37) + לְטוֹבָ֖ה [for·good] (52) + נְאֻם־יְהֹוָ֑ה [says·Hashem] (117) + בְּיַד־מֶ֤לֶךְ [in·hand·of·king·of] (106) + בָּבֶל֙ [Babylon] (34) + תִּנָּתֵ֔ן [will·be·given] (900) + וּשְׂרָפָ֖הּ [and·he·will·burn·it] (591) + בָּאֵֽשׁ [in·the·fire] (303) = 4060.
Rashi
"Face" – as its Targum [renders it]: "My anger."
Metzudat David
“I have set My face.” I have set My thoughts upon this city to do evil to it, etc.
Malbim
For I have set My face against this city for evil and not for good. Above, it is stated: “Behold, I am forming evil against you and devising a thought against you; return, please, each man from his evil way.” The ultimate purpose of the evil decreed upon them was so that they would return, and He would thereby grant them good. This applied to the people of Israel themselves. However, regarding the city, its destruction had already been decreed. Thus, His setting His face against it for evil and not for good was not with the intention of doing good, for in any case it would be given into the hand of the king of Babylon and burned with fire.
And to the house of the king of Judah: Hear you the word of Hashem;
verse value 1216
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 24 letters. The shortest word is "king" (מֶ֣לֶךְ, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·word·of·Hashem" (דְּבַר־יְהֹוָֽה, 7 letters). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·word·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "king" (root מלך, 253x in Jeremiah); "hear" (root שמע, 184x in Jeremiah). Full calculation: וּלְבֵית֙ [and·to·the·house·of] (448) + מֶ֣לֶךְ [king] (90) + יְהוּדָ֔ה [Judah] (30) + שִׁמְע֖וּ [hear] (416) + דְּבַר־יְהֹוָֽה [the·word·of·Hashem] (232) = 1216.
Radak
"And to the house of the king of Judah." [The word] "you shall say" is missing, as it stated above, "And to this people you shall say," relying on the reader's understanding of the omission. And this is the practice of Scripture in many places. And its meaning is: "and to the house" [means] to him, to his sons, and to his officials, who are the members of his household.
Metzudat David
"And to the house of the king of Judah." This phrase refers back to the word "say" mentioned at the beginning of the matter, as if to say: "Say to the house of the king of Judah: 'Hear...'"
Malbim
"And to the house of the king of Judah" — a prophecy came to him that there would be a remnant for the seed of the House of David.
O house of David, thus says Hashem: Execute justice in the morning, And deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor, Lest My fury go forth like fire, And burn that none can quench it, Because of the evil of your doings.
verse value 5004
Insights
Verse structure: 22 words, 89 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 5004 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "thus" (כֹּ֚ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "deed" ((מעלליהם), 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 67: and·nothing, quenching. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "judge" (דִּ֤ינוּ), "to·the·morning" (לַבֹּ֙קֶר֙), "oppressor" (עוֹשֵׁ֑ק). The root מעלל appears 2 times in this verse. 21 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "said" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "house·of" (root בית, 128x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'oppressor', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 10 words.
Rashi
"From the hand of the oppressor." Its accent is on the last syllable, [which shows] that it is not a noun denoting a thing, but rather the name of the robber who oppresses others.
"And one does not extinguish." This means that no remnant shall escape you.
Radak
“House of David.” David is mentioned because he administered justice, as it is stated, “And David executed justice and righteousness for all his people.” Therefore, it was fitting that his sons and the members of his household emulate his good deeds.
"Render justice in the morning." "In the morning" — before you occupy yourselves with eating and drinking and with your [other] needs, you shall sit in the place of judgment to judge anyone who comes to cry out [for justice]. And so it says regarding our teacher Moses, peace be upon him: "And Moses sat to judge the people from the morning."
“And deliver the plundered from the hand of the oppressor.” “From the hand” of one who oppresses him and plunders him. The “plunderer” is one who snatches from his fellow’s hand, or takes from him or from his house by force. The “oppressor” is one to whom his fellow’s money has come into his possession as a deposit, or as a loan, or as wages, and he does not wish to return it to him. One who plunders all the more so oppresses; therefore it states, “And deliver the plundered from the hand of the oppressor,” for the plunderer both plunders and oppresses.
"Their deeds." It is written with a heh, for the third person [lit. "the hidden ones"], and read with a kaf, "your deeds," for the second person [lit. "the present ones"], as it said, "Render judgment" and "deliver."
Metzudat David
"Render judgment in the morning." This is a matter of a manner of urgency [i.e., to expedite justice without delay].
"He who is robbed." The one who was robbed:
"Oppressor." The robber who oppresses his fellow:
"As the fire of My anger" – this means that just as fire, when it breaks out, proceeds to burn by itself, so too will My anger blaze forth against them, and there will be no one found to extinguish it. This means that there is no one who can object to [restrain] My hand.
"Because of the evil of your deeds." This phrase refers back to "and it shall burn."
Metzudat Zion
"Dinu" [render judgment]. From the term "din" (judgment):
“Your deeds.” Your actions:
Malbim
"Render judgment in the morning," meaning that while it is still morning, that is, before the coming of distress and darkness, render judgment justly, as it is stated, "Zion shall be redeemed with justice." For the destruction of Jerusalem occurred because of robbery and oppression and a lack of justice (as it is stated, "And now, murderers... your rulers are rebels"), lest My wrath go forth like fire, and there be no escape for you.
"Behold, I am against you, O dweller of the valley" — the royal palace and the fortress were located on the slope of the mountain, such that from the side of the mountain, she is called "dweller in the valley," and from the other side, she is called "rock of the plain," for she was fortified and strong as a rock. Regarding the side facing the mountain, she said, "Who will come down upon us?" meaning, who will descend from the top of the mountain to come against us? And regarding the side of the plain, she said, "Who will enter our dwellings?" for she was fortified with a strong fortress.
Behold, I am against you, O inhabitant of the valley, And rock of the plain, says Hashem; You that say: ‘Who shall come down against us? Or who shall enter into our habitations?’
verse value 3716
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 64 letters. The shortest word is "rock·of" (צ֥וּר, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·our·dens" (בִּמְעוֹנוֹתֵֽינוּ, 10 letters). Words sharing gematria 296: rock·of, who·say. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "rock·of" (צ֥וּר), "who?·will·come·down" (מִֽי־יֵחַ֣ת), "in·our·dens" (בִּמְעוֹנוֹתֵֽינוּ). The root מי appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "says·Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "who·say" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "upon·us" (root על, 276x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root עמק ("valley") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'says·Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 6 words. Full calculation: הִנְנִ֨י [they] (115) + אֵלַ֜יִךְ [to·you] (61) + יֹשֶׁ֧בֶת [dwelling] (712) + הָעֵ֛מֶק [valley] (215) + צ֥וּר [rock·of] (296) + הַמִּישֹׁ֖ר [the·level·ground] (555) + נְאֻם־יְהֹוָ֑ה [says·Hashem] (117) + הָאֹֽמְרִים֙ [who·say] (296) + מִֽי־יֵחַ֣ת [who?·will·come·down] (468) + עָלֵ֔ינוּ [upon·us] (166) + וּמִ֥י [and·who] (56) + יָב֖וֹא [will·go·in] (19) + בִּמְעוֹנוֹתֵֽינוּ [in·our·dens] (640) = 3716.
Rashi
“Dwelling in the valley.” Jerusalem is situated within a valley. An alternative interpretation: The Holy One, blessed be He, devised a profound plan against you to bring about your destruction.
"Rock of the plain." A mountain that is entirely surrounded by a plain.
"Who will come down against us?" – [i.e.,] "Who will encamp against us," akin to: "For there Aram is encamped" (2 Kings 6:9).
Radak
"I am against you." He said this in reference to Jerusalem, calling her "the dweller in the valley," because she is elevated while the surrounding area is a valley, and she sits within that valley. Likewise, He called her "the rock of the plain," because it was a rock and a mountain, while the surrounding area was a plain. And He said to her, "I am against you," because her inhabitants are arrogant and say, "Who will come down upon us? Who will enter our strongholds?" I will come down upon you and fight against you.
"Yachat." Its root is nachat, and were it not for the chet, which is a guttural letter, it would have been dagesh, and the meaning would be "he descended and encamped," just as it says, "and your hand shall rest upon me," and the Targum translates "he descended and rested." And it uses the language of descent in connection with war, which takes place in a valley and on level ground, as it says, "or in war he shall descend and perish."
Metzudat David
"Behold, I am against you." Behold, I am against you to bring distress upon you, O Jerusalem, who dwellest in the midst of the valley; for around Jerusalem, in close proximity to it, there was a valley, and it [Jerusalem] was upon the mountain above.
"Rock of the plain." That which dwells upon the rock which is in the plain:
“Who will come down upon us?”—that is to say, who will come down upon us for battle? And “who…”—as if to say, is the city not fortified and strong, and who will dare to approach us for battle, and who will conquer it?
Metzudat Zion
"Tzur" [rock]. [Meaning] a crag (sela):
The plain. From the words "straight and level."
Yechat. The matter of "descent" (ירידה) is like [the verse] "Your arrows have gone down into me" (Psalms 38:3):
In our dwellings. From the words "dwelling" (ma'on) and "abode" (mador), as it is said, "You, O Lord, have been our dwelling place" (Psalms 90:1).
And I will punish you according to the fruit of your doings, Says Hashem; And I will kindle a fire in her forest, And it shall devour all that is round about her.
verse value 2737
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 54 letters. The shortest word is "fire" (אֵשׁ֙, 2 letters) and the longest is "all·around·her" (כׇּל־סְבִיבֶֽיהָ, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "in·her·forest" (בְּיַעְרָ֔הּ), "all·around·her" (כׇּל־סְבִיבֶֽיהָ). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "says·Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "upon·you" (root על, 276x in Jeremiah); "and·I·will·punish" (root פקד, 49x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'says·Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: וּפָקַדְתִּ֧י [and·I·will·punish] (600) + עֲלֵיכֶ֛ם [upon·you] (170) + כִּפְרִ֥י [as·fruit·of] (310) + מַעַלְלֵיכֶ֖ם [your·deeds] (240) + נְאֻם־יְהֹוָ֑ה [says·Hashem] (117) + וְהִצַּ֤תִּי [and·I·will·kindle] (511) + אֵשׁ֙ [fire] (301) + בְּיַעְרָ֔הּ [in·her·forest] (287) + וְאָכְלָ֖ה [and·it·shall·consume] (62) + כׇּל־סְבִיבֶֽיהָ [all·around·her] (139) = 2737.
Radak
"And I will punish..." – "in her forest." The pronoun refers to Jerusalem, meaning the cities surrounding it; He compares them to a forest in regard to fire, as in "a forest shall be consumed by fire." And Targum Yonatan [renders] "beya'rah" as "in her cities."
Metzudat David
"And I will take account." I will watch over you to repay you according to your deeds.
"In its forest." These are the cities of Judah:
And it shall eat. It shall burn everything:
Metzudat Zion
"And I will take account." This is a matter of divine providence:
And I will set on fire. The meaning of "setting on fire" is as in "they are kindled by fire" (Isaiah 33).
"and it shall devour." The meaning is burning, like "devouring fire" (Isaiah 9).
Malbim
"And I will visit" – but behold, I am against you, and I will visit upon you the evil of your deeds, and I will kindle a fire in its forest, which was on the side of the Negev; from this side he conquered the city, as it is stated, "and preach against the forest of the field, the Negev" (Ezekiel 21:2).
Radak
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion