Concerning the house of the king of Judah: 'Weep not for the dead' — for Shallum who shall return no more; Jehoiakim, who builds his house by unrighteousness, shall be buried with the burial of a donkey; and Coniah is a despised broken vessel, written childless.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
Thus said Hashem: Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak there this word,
verse value 2609
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 38 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "thus" (כֹּ֚ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "house·of·the·king" (בֵּֽית־מֶ֣לֶךְ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 612: and·you·shall·speak, the·word. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "go·down" (רֵ֖ד). The root דבר appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "said" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "and·you·shall·speak" (root דבר, 270x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Judah', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 4 words. Full calculation: כֹּ֚ה [thus] (25) + אָמַ֣ר [said] (241) + יְהֹוָ֔ה [Hashem] (26) + רֵ֖ד [go·down] (204) + בֵּֽית־מֶ֣לֶךְ [house·of·the·king] (502) + יְהוּדָ֑ה [Judah] (30) + וְדִבַּרְתָּ֣ [and·you·shall·speak] (612) + שָׁ֔ם [there] (340) + אֶת־הַדָּבָ֖ר [the·word] (612) + הַזֶּֽה [this] (17) = 2609.
Radak
Thus says the Lord: "Descend to the house of the king of Judah." This prophecy was spoken to him on the Temple Mount; therefore he said, "Descend." And even though this prophecy had already been declared to the House of David—"Thus says the Lord: Render justice in the morning"—he told him to say it to them again in their homes, and to assure them of the good promise if they would listen.
and say: Hear the word of Hashem, O king of Judah, that sit upon the throne of David, you, and your servants, and your people that enter in by these gates.
verse value 3296
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 63 letters. The shortest word is "hear" (שְׁמַ֣ע, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·word·of·Hashem" (דְּבַר־יְהֹוָ֔ה, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·your·servants" (וַעֲבָדֶ֙יךָ֙). 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·word·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "and·you·shall·say" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "king" (root מלך, 253x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'David', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 6 words. Full calculation: וְאָֽמַרְתָּ֙ [and·you·shall·say] (647) + שְׁמַ֣ע [hear] (410) + דְּבַר־יְהֹוָ֔ה [the·word·of·Hashem] (232) + מֶ֣לֶךְ [king] (90) + יְהוּדָ֔ה [Judah] (30) + הַיֹּשֵׁ֖ב [that·dwells] (317) + עַל־כִּסֵּ֣א [upon·throne] (181) + דָוִ֑ד [David] (14) + אַתָּ֤ה [you] (406) + וַעֲבָדֶ֙יךָ֙ [and·your·servants] (112) + וְעַמְּךָ֔ [and·your·people] (136) + הַבָּאִ֖ים [who·came] (58) + בַּשְּׁעָרִ֥ים [in·the·gates] (622) + הָאֵֽלֶּה [these] (41) = 3296.
Radak
“Through these gates.” Through the gates of the Azarah (Court), as it is stated nearby: “And they shall enter through the gates of this house.” Alternatively, the explanation of “this house” may be the King’s House, since it says “riding in chariots and on horses,” and one does not enter the gates of the Azarah while riding.
Metzudat David
"You and your servants" – You too must listen, and also your servants, etc., shall listen.
"At these gates." The gates of the king's house:
Malbim
Hear the word of the Lord: This is similar to a father who decreed death upon his son and then returns to seek merits for him in order to save him. Above (section 17), He provided them with a remedy, namely that they observe the commandment of the Sabbath. Now, He added another remedy, that they perform justice and righteousness. The Rambam already explained in the Guide for the Perplexed that the Torah came to provide perfection in beliefs and in conduct. The Sabbath provides perfection in beliefs, by causing one to believe in the Creator of the world, Who renews it and guides it; and justice completes the conduct.
Thus says Hashem: Execute you justice and righteousness, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor; and do no wrong, do no violence, to the stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place.
verse value 5106
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 84 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "thus" (כֹּ֣ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "not·do·violence" (אַל־תַּחְמֹ֔סוּ, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "the·oppressor" (עָשׁ֑וֹק), "and·sojourner" (וְגֵר֩), "not·wrong" (אַל־תֹּנוּ֙). The root איל appears 3 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "said" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "not·wrong" (root איל, 293x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·oppressor', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 10 words.
Rashi
"Do not wrong." This refers to verbal oppression:
Radak
Thus says the Lord, "from the hand of the oppressor." [This] is an adjective on the pattern of קָרוֹב, גָּדוֹל ["near," "great"], and its meaning is like [that of] עוֹשֵׁק ["oppressor"].
Metzudat David
"[He who is] robbed." The one who was robbed:
"Oppressor." The robber:
"Do not wrong them." This refers to the prohibition of verbal oppression, which causes emotional distress.
“Do not wrong them.” Do not commit injustice against them; this is the oppression of money.
Metzudat Zion
"You shall not wrong." The matter of oppression through words, and likewise, "You shall not oppress a stranger" (Exodus 22:20):
Tachmosu. The matter is one of oppression:
Malbim
“And you shall save the robbed, the stranger, etc., ‘You shall not wrong’”—this means that, by implication, you shall not wrong the stranger, and all the more so shall you not oppress him, and all the more so shall you not shed innocent blood. And from the negative prohibition, you derive the positive commandment: if they do not render justice, then afterward they will wrong and oppress, and they will even shed innocent blood.
For if you do this thing indeed, then shall there enter in by the gates of this house kings sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, he, and his servants, and his people.
verse value 4518
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 84 letters. Verse gematria: 4518 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֤י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·in·the·horses" (וּבַסּוּסִ֔ים, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 417: if·indeed, the·house. The root עשה appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for" (root כי, 318x in Jeremiah); "the·thing" (root דבר, 270x in Jeremiah); "kings" (root מלך, 253x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'this', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 14 words.
Radak
"For if you indeed do (עָשׂוֹ תַּעֲשׂוּ)." [עָשׂוֹ] is an infinitive, [written] with a vav in place of the heh of the third root letter [of a lamed-heh verb].
"And his servants." It is written without the yod of the plural, but the meaning is the same [i.e., plural]; and there are many [examples] like it.
Metzudat David
"And they shall come." Then they shall enter through the gates of the palace, etc.
"For David." This means: whoever is from the seed of David sits on his throne to reign over Israel.
“On a chariot.” In a chariot fit for a king:
"And in horses." Those that draw the chariot:
"He, etc." – Even he shall enter through the gates of this house; even his servants and his people shall enter with him.
For thus says Hashem concerning the house of the king of Judah: You are Gilead to Me, The head of Lebanon; Yet surely I will make you a wilderness, Cities which are not inhabited.
verse value 4278
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 71 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "to·me" (לִ֖י, 2 letters) and the longest is "Lebanon" (הַלְּבָנ֑וֹן, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "they·were·dwelt" (נוֹשָֽׁבוּ). The root ישב appears 2 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "said" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "for·thus" (root כי, 318x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Lebanon', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 7 words.
Rashi
"You are Gilead to Me, etc." [Targum Yonatan]: If you were as dear to Me as the Temple that is exalted at the head of the mountains, I will surely make you a wilderness.
Gilead, you are the Temple, from which balm and healing for the entire world are derived.
Radak
For thus said the Lord: "Gilead you are to Me, the head of Lebanon." He spoke this regarding the House of King of Judah, saying: You were to Me the head of the Kingdom of Israel, like Gilead. For Gilead was a single city beyond the Jordan, and all that land—the land of Sihon and Og, and all of Bashan—was called by its name, the Land of Gilead, because it was the head of them. So too, you were to Me the head of the Kingdom of Israel, for Zion and Jerusalem are the head of all the Land of Israel. And so too, you were the head of "Lebanon" — [that is,] the Land of Israel, which is also called by the name of Lebanon, as it is stated: "This good mountain and Lebanon." And now, I will make you a wilderness, and I will make your surrounding cities as if they had not been inhabited.
"If not." This is oath language, as in "Surely I have stilled and quieted [my soul]" [Ps. 131:2], "Surely many houses [shall become desolate]" [Isa. 5:9], and the like.
"Noshbah." It is written with a he on "the earth" in a general sense, and it is read as "noshvu" [inhabited] concerning the cities. And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] explained that "Gilead" refers to the Temple, and he translated the verse: "Thus says the Lord concerning the house of the king, the tribe, and so on," as in the column.
Metzudat David
"You are Gilead to Me." If indeed you are in My eyes like Gilead, for all the land of Sihon and Og, and all of Bashan, were called by its name, as it is stated: "and they came, etc., to the land of Gilead" (Joshua 22:9); so too are Zion and Jerusalem, the place of the royal house, for it is the most distinguished city in all the land of Israel. And to add to the explanation, it says "the head of Lebanon," meaning the head of all the land of Israel, which is called by the name of Lebanon, as it is stated: "this good mountain and Lebanon" (Deuteronomy 4).
"If not." This is a matter of the language of an oath, like a person who says, "If it is not so, may it be like this and like this," and he exaggerated, yet did not say "and so." And so too, "if not, many houses" (Isaiah 5:9); that is to say: with all the importance, I swear that I will make you like a desert and like cities that were never inhabited.
Metzudat Zion
"I will set you." The meaning of "setting" is as in "they have set themselves against me" (Psalms 3:7).
They will be inhabited. The word is derived from the root of "sitting":
Malbim
"You are Gilead to Me": even if you were to be for me like Gilead, which is a land of settlement and delight, and like the summit of Lebanon, which is full of cedars of God and every kind of tree, and similarly you would be full of people, nevertheless I will make you a wilderness, contrary to Gilead, and its cities will not be inhabited, contrary to Lebanon.
And I will prepare destroyers against you, Every one with his weapons; And they shall cut down your choice cedars, And cast them into the fire.
verse value 3794
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 49 letters. The shortest word is "man" (אִ֣ישׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·I·will·sanctify" (וְקִדַּשְׁתִּ֥י, 6 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·I·will·sanctify" (וְקִדַּשְׁתִּ֥י), "destroyers" (מַשְׁחִתִ֖ים), "and·they·will·cut" (וְכָֽרְתוּ֙). The root על appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "upon·you" (root על, 276x in Jeremiah); "man" (root איש, 153x in Jeremiah); "and·cast" (root נפל, 43x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root ארז ("your·cedars") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·his·weapons', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: וְקִדַּשְׁתִּ֥י [and·I·will·sanctify] (820) + עָלֶ֛יךָ [upon·you] (130) + מַשְׁחִתִ֖ים [destroyers] (798) + אִ֣ישׁ [man] (311) + וְכֵלָ֑יו [and·his·weapons] (72) + וְכָֽרְתוּ֙ [and·they·will·cut] (632) + מִבְחַ֣ר [choicest] (250) + אֲרָזֶ֔יךָ [your·cedars] (238) + וְהִפִּ֖ילוּ [and·cast] (137) + עַל־הָאֵֽשׁ [upon·the·fire] (406) = 3794.
Rashi
And I will sanctify. And I will appoint:
"And they shall cut down the choicest of your cedars." Since it was likened to Lebanon, this expression is fitting here.
Radak
"And I will consecrate." I will appoint destroyers upon you who will destroy your houses:
"A man and his utensils." This means: and the tools for breaking it down, to demolish the house.
"Of the choice of your cedars." This means the paneling of the houses, as stated below regarding "and paneled with cedar," and similarly, "for her cedar is bare" refers to the walls of the houses paneled with cedar.
"And they cast them upon the fire." Just as it is stated, "And he burned the house of the Lord and the king's house, etc." And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] rendered in the Targum, "And I will appoint against you destroyers, etc." As [printed] in the column [alongside].
Metzudat David
"And I will appoint." I will summon against her men of destruction; each man will have his weapon of war.
"and they shall cut it down." This means that the princes and mighty men shall be killed. And since it said "the head of Lebanon," it employs the language used of trees in the forest.
Metzudat Zion
"And I will sanctify." The meaning is "to invite," like "Sanctify the war" (Joel 4:9).
Malbim
"And I will appoint destroyers upon you": Since it is like Lebanon, it depicts the killing of the princes and the mighty men as if destroyers were felling the choicest cedars in the forest of Lebanon.
And many nations shall pass by this city, and they shall say every man to his neighbour: ‘Wherefore has Hashem done thus to this great city?’
verse value 3636
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 65 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 3636 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "upon" (עַ֖ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·shouting" (אֶל־רֵעֵ֔הוּ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 413: this, this. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·will·pass·by" (וְעָֽבְרוּ֙). The root עיר appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "and·they·shall·say" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "to·shouting" (root איל, 293x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'this', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 10 words.
Radak
And they passed. It is clear, and so they said:
Metzudat David
"Upon the city." Adjacent to the city:
"On what?" — For what reason?
Malbim
(8-9) "And they shall pass through," and even though it will be like a desert, many nations will pass through to see and marvel at its desolation, and to recognize that the punishment was because of their sin.
Then they shall answer: ‘Because they forsook the covenant of Hashem their God, and worshipped other gods, and served them.’
verse value 3318
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 55 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "upon" (עַ֚ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·they·bowed·down" (וַיִּֽשְׁתַּחֲו֛וּ, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "covenant" (אֶת־בְּרִ֥ית). The root אלהים appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "and·they·shall·say" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "that" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'their·God', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְאָ֣מְר֔וּ [and·they·shall·say] (253) + עַ֚ל [upon] (100) + אֲשֶׁ֣ר [that] (501) + עָזְב֔וּ [they·forsook] (85) + אֶת־בְּרִ֥ית [covenant] (1013) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + אֱלֹהֵיהֶ֑ם [their·God] (91) + וַיִּֽשְׁתַּחֲו֛וּ [and·they·bowed·down] (736) + לֵאלֹהִ֥ים [for·God] (116) + אֲחֵרִ֖ים [another] (259) + וַיַּעַבְדֽוּם [and·they·served·them] (138) = 3318.
Metzudat David
And they said. Their companions will answer them, saying, "Because they forsook..."
Weep you not for the dead, Neither bemoan him; But weep sore for him that goes away, For he shall return no more, Nor see his native country.
verse value 3452
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 54 letters. Notable word values: "for·him" (ל֑וֹ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "for·him" (ל֑וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "nor·lament" (וְאַל־תָּנֻ֖דוּ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 28: weep, bitterly. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "not·weep" (אַל־תִּבְכּ֣וּ), "to·the·dead" (לְמֵ֔ת), "nor·lament" (וְאַל־תָּנֻ֖דוּ). The root בכה appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for" (root כי, 318x in Jeremiah); "not" (root לא, 307x in Jeremiah); "not·weep" (root איל, 293x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'for·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 10 words. Full calculation: אַל־תִּבְכּ֣וּ [not·weep] (459) + לְמֵ֔ת [to·the·dead] (470) + וְאַל־תָּנֻ֖דוּ [nor·lament] (497) + ל֑וֹ [for·him] (36) + בְּכ֤וּ [weep] (28) + בָכוֹ֙ [bitterly] (28) + לַהֹלֵ֔ךְ [for·the·one·going] (85) + כִּ֣י [for] (30) + לֹ֤א [not] (31) + יָשׁוּב֙ [he·will·return] (318) + ע֔וֹד [again] (80) + וְרָאָ֖ה [and·he·shall·see] (212) + אֶת־אֶ֥רֶץ [land] (692) + מוֹלַדְתּֽוֹ [his·native·land] (486) = 3452.
Rashi
"Do not weep for the dead." This refers to Jehoiakim, who would die before the gate when they would drag him away to exile him.
"Weep for him who goes forth." This refers to Jehoiachin and Zedekiah. Hence one may say that the death of Jehoiakim, of whom it is stated, "And his carcass shall be cast out to the heat by day and to the frost by night" (Jeremiah 36:30), was more precious than the life of Jehoiachin, of whom it is stated, "And his allowance was a regular allowance, etc." (Jeremiah 52:34).
Radak
"Do not weep for the dead." For whom should one weep? For the one who will die from the House of David, who is remembered, and this is Yehoiakim, who died on the way when they took him out of Jerusalem to exile him. It says: "Do not weep for him, for since he died, it is good for him, rather than being exiled and living a life of pain and humiliation, like Yehoiachin." And it says: "Because of Yehoiakim, do not weep and do not lament for him, for his death is good for him." Rather, for whom is it fitting that you should weep? For the one who goes into exile, for he will not return again and see the land of his birth. And this is Yehoiachin, whom they exiled to Babylonia, and there he died, and he was in prison for thirty-seven years. For him it is fitting to weep. And our Sages of blessed memory expounded: "Do not weep for the dead" excessively, and "do not lament for him" beyond the prescribed measure. How so? Three days for weeping, seven days for eulogizing, thirty days for ironing [clothes] and haircutting. And it says: "Weep, weep for the one who goes [into exile] without children." [The second] "bakho" is an infinitive, written with a vav in place of the heh that is the final root letter (lamed ha-po'al) of the verb.
Metzudat David
“Do not weep for the dead.” It is not fitting to weep for one who died in his land and was buried in the tombs of his ancestors.
"And do not sway to him." This is the custom of the mourner: to move his head as a sign of mourning and grief.
“Cry, weep for the going forth.” But weep for the one who goes forth from his land into exile, and in the subsequent verse it will clarify who he is.
"For he shall not return." This refers to the statement "for he shall not return again to his land," meaning he shall not see his native land, for there, in exile, he shall die and be buried.
Metzudat Zion
Tanudu. The matter of moving:
Malbim
"Do not weep for the dead" – in my opinion, [this is] Shalom son of Yoshiyahu, the fourth [son] (I Chronicles 3), whose fate is unknown. At the time when Yehoiakim was taken to Babylon and died at the gate, according to the view of Chazal, Shalom was exiled to Babylon so that he would not contend with the kingship of Tzidkiyahu. And this is what is meant: that they should not weep for Yehoiakim, who died, but rather for Shalom, who is now going into exile, for he will never return.
Cross-references: II Kings 23:29; II Kings 23:31; I Chronicles 3:15
For thus says Hashem touching Shallum the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who reigned instead of Josiah his father, and who went forth out of this place: He shall not return thither any more;
verse value 4150
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 76 letters. Verse gematria: 4150 is divisible by 50, the years to the Jubilee (yovel). The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "son·of·Josiah" (בֶּן־יֹאשִׁיָּ֜הוּ, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 30: for, Judah. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "says·Hashem" (אָֽמַר־יְ֠הֹוָ֠ה), "to·Shallum" (אֶל־שַׁלֻּ֨ם), "his·father" (אָבִ֔יו). The root מלך appears 2 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "says·Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "that" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah); "for" (root כי, 318x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'this', dividing the verse into phrases of 15 and 3 words.
Rashi
"To Shallum." This is Zedekiah, and thus he is called (I Chronicles 3): "and the fourth, Shallum." He is called "fourth" with respect to the kingship among the sons of Josiah, for first Jehoahaz reigned, then afterward Jehoiakim, after him Jehoiachin, and after him Zedekiah.
“Which went out.” And even though it has not yet gone out, He prophesies about it as if it had already gone out.
Radak
"For thus says the Lord concerning Shalom, the son of Yoshiyahu: Shalom is Yehoyachin, and he had two names. Although he was the son of his son, grandsons are considered as sons, because it says, 'Weep and wail for him who goes forth.' The question arises: Who is 'him who goes forth'? It is he who has not yet returned from exile and died in Babylonia. And our Sages of blessed memory interpreted that Shalom is Tzidkiyahu. And the Sage Rabbi Avraham ibn Ezra interpreted that Shalom is Yehoachaz, because he died in Egypt. And I have already explained all this matter in the Book of Kings and in the Book of Chronicles."
Metzudat David
"Ki khoh" – For thus said the Lord concerning Shallum, etc. And he is Zedekiah, and so he is called in Chronicles, as our Sages of blessed memory said.
"The one who reigns, etc." Since his kingship did not come to him on account of Jehoiachin, who reigned before him, but rather on account of his father Josiah, therefore it says, "the one who reigns in place of Josiah his father."
Which went out. In the exile to Babylonia:
Malbim
"For thus says the Lord to Shalom, who was to reign" – meaning, that he was fit to reign, and on account of this he went out from the place.
Cross-references: II Kings 23:31; I Chronicles 3:15
but in the place whither they have led him captive, there shall he die, and he shall see this land no more.
verse value 3409
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 43 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֗י, 2 letters) and the longest is "that·they·exiled" (אֲשֶׁר־הִגְל֥וּ, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "that·they·exiled" (אֲשֶׁר־הִגְל֥וּ), "not·he·will·see" (לֹא־יִרְאֶ֥ה). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·they·exiled" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah); "for" (root כי, 318x in Jeremiah); "and·the·land" (root ארץ, 245x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'will·die', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 4 words. Full calculation: כִּ֗י [for] (30) + בִּמְק֛וֹם [in·place·of] (188) + אֲשֶׁר־הִגְל֥וּ [that·they·exiled] (545) + אֹת֖וֹ [him] (407) + שָׁ֣ם [there] (340) + יָמ֑וּת [will·die] (456) + וְאֶת־הָאָ֥רֶץ [and·the·land] (703) + הַזֹּ֖את [this] (413) + לֹא־יִרְאֶ֥ה [not·he·will·see] (247) + עֽוֹד [again] (80) = 3409.
Malbim
"And this land he shall not see again" – meaning, not only will he not return to the place, i.e., Jerusalem, but he will not even see the land again; he will not have permission even to dwell in another city of the Land of Israel.
Woe to him that builds his house by unrighteousness, And his chambers by injustice; That uses his neighbour’s service without wages, And gives him not his hire;
verse value 2909
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 55 letters. Notable word values: "he·shall·serve" (יַעֲבֹ֣ד) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֥א, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·his·roof-rooms" (וַעֲלִיּוֹתָ֖יו, 8 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "building" (בֹּנֶ֤ה), "his·house" (בֵיתוֹ֙), "without·justice" (בְּֽלֹא־צֶ֔דֶק). The root לא appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "without" (root לא, 307x in Jeremiah); "gives·to·him" (root נתן, 141x in Jeremiah); "his·house" (root בית, 128x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root הוי ("ah!") in Jeremiah. First appearance of the root פעל ("and·his·work") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'judgment', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 6 words. Full calculation: ה֣וֹי [ah!] (21) + בֹּנֶ֤ה [building] (57) + בֵיתוֹ֙ [his·house] (418) + בְּֽלֹא־צֶ֔דֶק [without·justice] (227) + וַעֲלִיּוֹתָ֖יו [and·his·roof-rooms] (538) + בְּלֹ֣א [without] (33) + מִשְׁפָּ֑ט [judgment] (429) + בְּרֵעֵ֙הוּ֙ [his·fellow] (283) + יַעֲבֹ֣ד [he·shall·serve] (86) + חִנָּ֔ם [freely] (98) + וּפֹעֲל֖וֹ [and·his·work] (192) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + יִתֶּן־לֽוֹ [gives·to·him] (496) = 2909.
Rashi
"Woe to him who builds his house." This is said of Jehoiakim, who was wicked, and the end of the matter proves it: "Therefore, thus says the Lord concerning Jehoiakim, etc."
Radak
"Ha! He who builds his house." This is stated regarding Jehoiakim, who was mentioned generally in the verse "Do not weep for the dead," as we have explained. And after explaining "the one who goes," [the text] explains "the dead," [referring to one] who built houses and upper chambers through robbery and violence. And so it is explicitly mentioned at the end of the passage: "Therefore, thus says the Lord concerning Jehoiakim."
"On his fellow he shall work for nothing." If one hired a laborer for housework and did not give him his wages, this is what is meant by "for nothing." And he added to explain and said, "And his wages he shall not give him." And "his wages" is a noun derived from, "And the work of the Lord they shall not look upon." And he said that in "po'alo" the ayin has a chataf-qamats, like [the aleph of] "to'ar" in "what is his appearance?" And likewise the pe has a cholam, as it comes in "to'ar" — "and his form, [more marred] than the sons of men." And the meaning is: "The wages of his labor he shall not give him"—this is the "for nothing" that was stated. And likewise, "You shall not keep overnight the wages of a hired worker; the wages of his labor." And my master and father, of blessed memory, explained: "And his wages" means "he did work for him," a noun, as if it said, "And his laborer, who worked with him, he shall not give him his wages."
Metzudat David
"Woe to him who builds." One should lament over this, that he built his house without righteousness, and the upper stories of the house he built without justice, for he caused his neighbor to work for nothing, since he did not pay him his wages in advance, and even after the work was completed, he did not give him the wages for his labor. And it is about Jehoiakim that it speaks, as explicitly stated at the end of the matter.
Metzudat Zion
And its upper chambers. The word is from "aliyah" (ascent), and they are the rooms that are above.
And his wage. He means to say: the reward of the labor.
Malbim
"Ha! He who builds his house" – this is a prophecy concerning Jehoiakim, who built himself a royal palace but did not pay the workers their wages. Now, according to strict law, wages are not due until the end of the work. Thus, at the time he was building the house, he was not yet legally obligated to pay the workers who had undertaken the construction contract. However, he ought to have paid them initially on the grounds of righteousness, which goes beyond the strict letter of the law; yet he built the house without such righteousness. But when he built the upper chamber, after the house was already completed, he was already legally obligated to pay the workers. Since he did not pay them, he built it without justice. Regarding "his neighbor," there is a distinction between "wages" and "labor." "Wages" refers to what one has agreed upon with him, like the wage of a hired worker. "Labor" refers to what he actually performed and accomplished, even if no agreement had been made with him. Thus, "in his neighbor he shall serve for nothing" means that not only will he not give him his wages, because no agreement was made, but he will also not compensate him for his actual labor.
That says: ‘I will build me a wide house And spacious chambers’, And cuts him out windows, And it is ceiled with cedar, and painted with vermilion.
verse value 4122
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 58 letters. Notable word values: "for·himself" (לוֹ֙) = 36, double chai. Verse gematria: 4122 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "for·himself" (לוֹ֙, 2 letters) and the longest is "I·will·build·me" (אֶבְנֶה־לִּי֙, 6 letters). 10 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "who·said" (הָאֹמֵ֗ר), "I·will·build·me" (אֶבְנֶה־לִּי֙), "stature" (מִדּ֔וֹת). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "who·said" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "house·of" (root בית, 128x in Jeremiah); "I·will·build·me" (root בנה, 21x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'spacious', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 7 words. Full calculation: הָאֹמֵ֗ר [who·said] (246) + אֶבְנֶה־לִּי֙ [I·will·build·me] (98) + בֵּ֣ית [house·of] (412) + מִדּ֔וֹת [stature] (450) + וַעֲלִיּ֖וֹת [and·roof-rooms·of] (522) + מְרֻוָּחִ֑ים [spacious] (304) + וְקָ֤רַֽע [and·he·shall·tear] (376) + לוֹ֙ [for·himself] (36) + חַלּוֹנָ֔י [my·windows] (104) + וְסָפ֣וּן [and·ceiled] (202) + בָּאָ֔רֶז [in·the·cedar] (210) + וּמָשׁ֖וֹחַ [and·painted] (360) + בַּשָּׁשַֽׁר [with·the·vermilion] (802) = 4122.
Rashi
Beit Middot. A large house, like the "men of stature" (Numbers 13:32), in whom there is something to measure.
"And He tore for him." [This means] He made room for him. Others emended [the text] to read: "And He tore for him and opened for him." And similarly, "and you enlarged [your eyes] with kohl" (above, ch. 14), "You tore the heavens, You descended" (Isaiah 63:19)—all of these are expressions of opening.
And paneled with cedar. [This means that] the roof was covered with cedar [wood].
And anointed with sheshar. And decorated with dyes. The Targum [renders]: "sheshar" is a dye, of the type of paints. Another interpretation: "And anointed with sheshar" is like a measuring line [reading the word as "measured"], "alinnant" "anishunpola" in the vernacular.
Radak
"He who says, 'I will build for myself.'" He resolved to build, and [indeed] built [it].
"A house of measures." [Meaning] great [in size], and likewise, "men of [great] stature."
"Spacious upper chambers." From "and there was relief for Saul" [1 Samuel 16:23], a matter of expansiveness. And it is possible that "spacious" (meruvachim) relates to the sense of "ruach" [wind], meaning that the wind would enter them, made for the days of summer. And this is what it says, "and he cut out for it my windows," and the interpretation is "he opened windows for it," according to its Targum: "u-fatzim leih charkhin" ["and openings were made for it"]. "Chalonai" is like "chalonot" [windows], and similarly "al divrei Chozai" is like "chozim" [seers]; and "ve-orgim chorai" [and weavers of white cloth, cf. Isaiah 19:9], and "chasufei shet" [those bared of the buttocks], and others similar to them.
"And overlaid with cedar." The explanation is that the house of measures mentioned above is roofed with beams and planks of cedar, and furthermore it is anointed with shoshar. The explanation is that it is painted with various colors, and he mentioned one of them, which is commonly used for painting, and it is called shoshar. In Arabic it is called zangafur, and in the language of the nations it is called miny. "Overlaid" means roofed, like the expression in Chelkat Mechokek: "Sefun," and the verse: "You sit in your houses, sefunim" (overlaid/covered). "With cedar" is spelled with a qamats under the aleph and a zakef. "And anointed" is a noun functioning as an adjective, on the same pattern (peles) as [the adjectives] "near" (karov) and "far" (rachok). And the craft of painting is called by this term because it involves drawing the hand over the object, like anointing.
Metzudat David
Beit Middot. This means great measures, and likewise men of measure (Numbers 13):
“Meraychim.” To leave a large gap between the rooms of the attic, so that the wind may enter there in the summer days.
And he made for himself windows. In order to enjoy the breeze of the day during the heat, he opened for himself many windows in his house:
And overlaid with cedar. And he covered the houses with cedar boards:
"And painted with vermilion." And upon the boards he would paint with vermilion plaster, which is a type of dye.
Metzudat Zion
"Merevachim." From the word "revach" [spaciousness]:
And he tore. The meaning is "opening," as in "and you shall tear open your eyes with kohl" (above 4).
Ḥalonai. Like ḥalonim, and the mem has fallen away.
And he covered. The matter refers to the roofing of houses and their covering, as in: "and he covered the house with beams" (1 Kings 6).
And anointed. The matter of plastering and painting:
"Bashashar" [with vermilion]. It is a type of important dye, and similarly: "engraved with vermilion" (Ezekiel 23).
Malbim
"He who says" – but do not think that he had no house to dwell in; rather, he said, "I will build myself a vast palace," such that the house, the upper chambers, and the windows were all made at great expense — and he had no right to rob the wages of the poor and the destitute.
Shall you reign, because you strive to excel in cedar? Did not your father eat and drink, and do justice and righteousness? Then it was well with him.
verse value 3707
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 54 letters. Notable word values: "for·him" (לֽוֹ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "shall·you·reign" (הֲתִֽמְלֹ֔ךְ, 5 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "shall·you·reign" (הֲתִֽמְלֹ֔ךְ), "strive·to·excel" (מְתַחֲרֶ֣ה), "your·father" (אָבִ֜יךָ). 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for" (root כי, 318x in Jeremiah); "did·not" (root לא, 307x in Jeremiah); "shall·you·reign" (root מלך, 253x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·cedar', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 10 words.
Rashi
"Will you reign?" Will you have length of days, because you strive to make your rule burdensome, in order to proclaim that you are king?
"Your father" – this refers to Josiah, who conducted himself with humility; did he not eat and drink and see good all the days of his life?
Radak
"Reign." Do you think you will remain established in your kingdom because of that pleasure which you enjoy in the fine houses built through robbery?
"Competing with the cedar." "Mixing with the cedar"—that is, you mix and cling to the structure of the cedars for your benefit.
"Your father, did he not eat and drink, and did he not do justice and righteousness?" This means: I do not hold you accountable for your pleasures if you had done justice and righteousness, for your father, Josiah, ate and drank in the manner of kings and enjoyed his good fortune; and since he did justice and righteousness, it was well for him, and he was in good standing all his days. But you enjoy the good of this world in an evil way, for your buildings, in which you take pleasure, are not built with integrity and justice, but through oppression. Likewise, your food and drink and your other pleasures are obtained through robbery, as it is said, "For your eye and your heart are set only on your gain..." And some say that Jehoiakim was constantly fasting and believed that his fasts served as atonement for his evil deeds. Therefore, it was said to him: "Your father, did he not eat and drink, and did he not do justice and righteousness?" And the Targum states: "Do you compare yourself to be like the first king?" That is to say, like David, who was the first king. And you, because you are of his seed, think that you will be like him. This is not so, for David did justice and righteousness, and David is called a cedar, for he was like a cedar in Lebanon.
Metzudat David
"Shall you reign?" And do you truly suppose that you will reign for a long time, such that you involve yourself and cling to cedar trees to dwell in them, because they endure for a long time? And the meaning is: What need have you of such a strong house, as if you were to dwell in it for many days?
Your father. He is Josiah:
"Did he not eat and drink?" It is possible that Jehoiakim was denying himself food and drink, yet did evil, thinking that such self-denial would atone for his wickedness. Therefore it is said: "Did not your father delight in food and drink, and do justice and righteousness?" And because of this it went well with him, for he did not do evil, and thus he had no need for self-denial.
Metzudat Zion
"מתחרה" – the matter is one of attachment and mixing, just as it says: "How can you race the horses?" (above, 12).
Malbim
"Will you reign?" – Do you think that by this you will reign, in that you compete with the cedar? And is this the foundation of kingship — to have a great house and all the treasures of the heart? Did not your father eat and drink and do justice and righteousness? Your father did not act thus, for even at the time he ate and drank, at that very time he engaged in justice and righteousness. He did not partake of royal banquets nor delight in pleasures, for he occupied himself with justice even during the time of eating; then it was good for him, for there is no good for a king in seeking the welfare of his own person, but rather the welfare of the community as a whole.
He judged the cause of the poor and needy; Then it was well. Is not this to know Me? says Hashem.
verse value 1413
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 40 letters. The shortest word is "Dan" (דָּ֛ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "not·this" (הֲלוֹא־הִ֛יא, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "Dan" (דָּ֛ן), "cause·of·poor" (דִּין־עָנִ֥י), "and·needy" (וְאֶבְי֖וֹן). The root דין appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "says·Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "good" (root טוב, 38x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'good', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 4 words. Full calculation: דָּ֛ן [Dan] (54) + דִּין־עָנִ֥י [cause·of·poor] (194) + וְאֶבְי֖וֹן [and·needy] (75) + אָ֣ז [then] (8) + ט֑וֹב [good] (17) + הֲלוֹא־הִ֛יא [not·this] (58) + הַדַּ֥עַת [knowledge] (479) + אֹתִ֖י [me] (411) + נְאֻם־יְהֹוָֽה [says·Hashem] (117) = 1413.
Radak
"Judge a just judgment for the poor" – is this not the knowledge of Me, says the Lord? He explained it in the verse: "Thus says the Lord: Let not the wise man boast" etc. And the Targum translates: "Is this not the knowledge that I desire, thus says the Lord?"
Metzudat David
Dan. He judged the case of the poor and needy, and for this reason it was good for him, for is this not the knowledge of Me? For in this he cleaves to My deeds, to have mercy on the poor like Me.
Malbim
“Judge,” and do not think that his meal was nullified in order to judge great matters; rather, at that time, when he ate and drank, he judged the case of the poor and the destitute. Then it is good for him—not that his heart was pleased by the eating, but only by the fact that he executed justice for the oppressed. Is this not the knowledge of Me? This is the testimony that he knew Me, as it is written: “For you do not judge for man, but for God, who is with you in the judgment.” And how have you done the opposite, by stealing the wages of the poor and the destitute?
But your eyes and your heart Are not but for your covetousness, And for shedding innocent blood, And for oppression, and for violence, to do it.
verse value 3252
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 59 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·for·the·violence" (וְעַל־הַמְּרוּצָ֖ה, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 30: for, for. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·your·heart" (וְלִבְּךָ֔), "if·upon·your·profit" (אִם־עַל־בִּצְעֶ֑ךָ), "blood·of·the·innocent" (דַּֽם־הַנָּקִי֙). The root כי appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for" (root כי, 318x in Jeremiah); "and·for" (root על, 276x in Jeremiah); "to·do" (root עשה, 147x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'if·upon·your·profit', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: כִּ֣י [for] (30) + אֵ֤ין [nothing] (61) + עֵינֶ֙יךָ֙ [your·eyes] (160) + וְלִבְּךָ֔ [and·your·heart] (58) + כִּ֖י [for] (30) + אִם־עַל־בִּצְעֶ֑ךָ [if·upon·your·profit] (323) + וְעַ֤ל [and·for] (106) + דַּֽם־הַנָּקִי֙ [blood·of·the·innocent] (209) + לִשְׁפּ֔וֹךְ [to·pour] (436) + וְעַל־הָעֹ֥שֶׁק [and·for·the·oppression] (581) + וְעַל־הַמְּרוּצָ֖ה [and·for·the·violence] (452) + לַעֲשֽׂוֹת [to·do] (806) = 3252.
Rashi
“Concerning your gain.” To steal money:
"And the violence." The crushing of the poor and oppression prove this about it, for "oppressed" and "crushed" are always paired together in biblical language, as it says: "And whom have I oppressed, or whom have I crushed?" (1 Samuel 12:3).
Radak
"For there is none..." "...your gain." [Meaning: your eyes and heart] follow after your desire for money.
"HaMerutzah" (crushing/violence). It has the sense of "breaking," as in "Whom have I defrauded, and whom have I robbed?" [1 Samuel 12:3]. And even if it is not from that same root, this sense is nonetheless found among hollow verbs (whose middle root-letter is weak), such as "he shall not dim, nor be crushed" [Isaiah 42:4, where ירוץ likewise means "be crushed," not "run"]. "HaOshek" (fraud) pertains to money, while "haMerutzah" pertains to the body — that he would oppress a hired worker, as it is written, "and he would strike them and force them into his labor." This is the "merutzah" referred to, and also that he shed innocent blood. And concerning all this it is said in Chronicles: "and his abominations that he did, and what was found against him — behold, they are written on the book of the Kings of Israel and Judah." And concerning this book it says that it speaks of Israel and Judah and their kings.
Metzudat David
"For Your eyes are not [upon me]." This means that in your affliction there is no pleasure, for your thought is only on the desire for wealth, and to afflict yourself in order that the past may be atoned for, and to do it again.
"And on the violence—to commit [it]." This means: to crush the poor and the destitute.
Metzudat Zion
בצעך. The matter refers to the desire for wealth, as in “What profit is there” (Genesis 37:26):
The oppression. [I.e.] robbery:
The violence. The word is related to the terms for crushing and breaking, and similarly, "and whom have I crushed?" (1 Samuel 12).
Malbim
For there is no [such thing], but rather, "your eyes and your heart" (the sight of the senses and the desire of the heart, as it is stated, "the heart and the eye are two brokers of sin")—you shall not do any deed for the benefit of the public, but only for your own benefit, neither in thought nor in action. And regarding "innocent blood," you shall shed it; whereas the king ought to guard innocent blood from being shed, and only punish the shedder of blood, you shall guard innocent blood in order to shed it. And you shall attend to fraud and violence, not to prevent their being done, but to have them done. The meaning is that when he executes judgment in cases of murder and extortion, it is with the intent to murder and to pervert the judgment of the murderer, and to take the money of the extortion victim for himself, rather than executing true justice.
Therefore thus says Hashem concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah: They shall not lament for him: ‘Ah my brother! ’ or: ‘Ah sister! ’ They shall not lament for him: ‘Ah lord! ’ or: ‘Ah his glory! ’
verse value 2167
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 83 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "to·him" (ל֔וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·Jehoiakim" (אֶל־יְהוֹיָקִ֤ים, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 191: not·they·will·lament, not·they·will·lament. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "to·Jehoiakim" (אֶל־יְהוֹיָקִ֤ים), "my·brother" (אָחִ֖י), "sister" (אָח֑וֹת). The root הוי appears 4 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "thus·says" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "to·Jehoiakim" (root איל, 293x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root אח ("my·brother") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'sister', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 6 words.
Rashi
"And, ah, his majesty." [The cry of] "ah" is over his splendor.
Radak
Therefore, "Wail, brother, and wail, sister." This is the lamentation of close relatives, as when it says, "Ah, his majesty," which indicates the lamentation of the people. How would they lament for the king? Rather, it recalls the language of lamentation that close relatives use: for a man, "Wail, brother," and for a woman, "Wail, sister." Or perhaps "Wail, sister" refers to the wife of Jehoiakim, even though she is not mentioned.
"Hodah." His strength and his splendor — that is, his kingship — as Targum [Yonatan] renders: "Woe for his kingdom!" And the heh [in הדה] stands in place of the vav of the [third-person] possessive suffix, like the heh in "aholoh" [his tent] (cf. Genesis 9:21) and similar words.
Metzudat David
They shall not mourn for him. When he dies, his relatives shall not mourn for him by saying, "Alas! For he was my brother," and his female relatives shall not mourn for him by saying, "Alas! For I was his sister."
"Ah, lord!" His servants will not lament, saying, "Ah, for he was a lord to us"; "Ah" is said over his majesty and splendor, meaning his kingship, which was lost from him at his death.
Metzudat Zion
"Woe." It is a term of wailing:
"Hodah." [It is] a term of splendor and beauty:
Malbim
"His brothers shall not mourn for him"—[meaning,] his brothers [would cry] "Ah, my brother!"; and his sisters, "Ah, sister!"; and his servants, "Ah, lord!"; but his people shall not mourn [even] "Ah, over his splendor and his majesty!"
He shall be buried with the burial of an ass, Drawn and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem.
verse value 2988
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 38 letters. Verse gematria: 2988 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "will·be·buried" (יִקָּבֵ֑ר, 4 letters) and the longest is "Jerusalem" (יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "grave" (קְבוּרַ֥ת), "will·be·buried" (יִקָּבֵ֑ר), "dragged" (סָח֣וֹב). The root קבר appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Jerusalem" (root ירושלם, 93x in Jeremiah); "to·gates·of" (root שער, 29x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'will·be·buried', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 5 words.
Rashi
"He shall be buried with the burial of a donkey." The Targum explains: "Just as they drag away the carcass of a donkey, so shall they drag away his corpse." "They shall drag away" means "they shall drag."
Radak
The burial of a donkey. This means that just as a donkey is not buried, so too he shall not be buried. For what is the burial of a donkey? That they drag it and cast it into the refuse heap. So too, the corpse of Jehoiakim shall be dragged and cast beyond the gates of Jerusalem, for he died outside of Jerusalem when they were taking him into exile the second time, and the Chaldeans did not allow him to be buried.
Metzudat David
"With the burial of a donkey shall he be buried." This means that just as a donkey is not buried when it dies on the road, but is left there, so too shall be the matter of Jehoiakim: they will take him into exile, and he will die on the road, and his burial will be like that of a donkey. That is to say, just as a donkey has no burial, so too shall he have none.
"He shall be dragged and cast forth." He shall be dragged and cast out beyond the gates of Jerusalem, outside of them, and shall not be buried at all.
Metzudat Zion
Sachov. The matter refers to dragging and pulling along the ground; and similarly, "and the dogs to drag [them off]" (above, 15).
From the distant. [Meaning] further off, and far:
Go up to Lebanon, and cry, And lift up your voice in Bashan; And cry from Abarim, For all your lovers are destroyed.
verse value 2859
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 52 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "all·your·lovers" (כׇּל־מְאַהֲבָֽיִךְ, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 276: and·cry, and·cry. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·in·Bashan" (וּבַבָּשָׁ֖ן), "give" (תְּנִ֣י), "from·Abarim" (מֵעֲבָרִ֔ים). The root צעק appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for" (root כי, 318x in Jeremiah); "give" (root נתן, 141x in Jeremiah); "your·voice" (root קול, 81x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root צעק ("and·cry") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·voice', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 5 words. Full calculation: עֲלִ֤י [upon·me] (110) + הַלְּבָנוֹן֙ [Lebanon] (143) + וּֽצְעָ֔קִי [and·cry] (276) + וּבַבָּשָׁ֖ן [and·in·Bashan] (360) + תְּנִ֣י [give] (460) + קוֹלֵ֑ךְ [your·voice] (156) + וְצַֽעֲקִי֙ [and·cry] (276) + מֵעֲבָרִ֔ים [from·Abarim] (362) + כִּ֥י [for] (30) + נִשְׁבְּר֖וּ [they·were·broken] (558) + כׇּל־מְאַהֲבָֽיִךְ [all·your·lovers] (128) = 2859.
Rashi
“Ascend upon Lebanon and cry out.” The Targum translates: “Go to the house of the Sanctuary and cry out.”
"And in Bashan, give your voice." Concerning Bashan, which will be destroyed. And the Targum [renders]: "And at the gates of the Temple Mount." And I do not know how to explain how the term "Bashan" applies to the gates of the Temple Mount, unless it is because of the doors that are made from the oaks of Bashan, which is a place name; or perhaps the term "Bashan" denotes a place of a wide cleft, so [too] the circumference of the Temple Mount is a spacious precinct for the Temple.
"And cry out from Abarim." [The Targum:] "And cry out over Migizta." And these [Abarim and Migizta] are terms denoting a place.
Radak
"Climb Lebanon." This is said in reference to the Congregation of Israel: "If you have any helper from all your lovers, namely Assyria and Egypt, in whom you placed your trust and removed your confidence from Me, now, when your ruin has come, cry out to them to see if they will save you. For their ruin has also come, for the king of Assyria has been broken, and Egypt too has been broken by Nebuchadnezzar in the days of Jehoiakim, as it is stated: 'And the king of Egypt no longer went out from his land, for the king of Babylon took from the Brook of Egypt to the Euphrates River all that belonged to the king of Egypt.' And even though later, in the days of Zedekiah, it is stated: 'And the army of Pharaoh went out from Egypt,' etc., in the end Nebuchadnezzar prevailed and devastated Egypt. And it is said metaphorically: 'Climb Lebanon,' meaning climb to Mount Lebanon; and similarly, 'and in Bashan,' meaning in Mount Bashan, for from the mountains will the voice of the one crying out be heard from afar."
"And cry out." The ayin is with a qamats due to the zakef, and the tsadi is adorned with a qamats hatuf.
"Passages. From every side and from every direction, cry out and look, for it will not help you, for all your lovers have been broken." And the Targum translates: "Go to the Temple and cry out, and at the gates of the mountain of the Temple, raise your voice." It translates "Lebanon" as "the Temple," just as Onkelos translated "this good mountain and the Lebanon" — rendering "the Lebanon" as "the Temple." And so our Sages of blessed memory explained and said: "Why is the Temple called Lebanon? Because it whitened the sins of Israel." But "Bashan," which the Targum renders as "at the gates of the mountain of the Temple," I do not know the reason. Perhaps the Temple Mount is called Bashan because Bashan was a place of grazing for cattle, and in the Temple as well, there were always animals for sacrifice.
Metzudat David
"Climb [the] Lebanon." [i.e.,] climb up onto Mount Lebanon, and cry out, so that the voice may be heard from afar.
"And in Bashan." [The verse states:] "On the mountain of Bashan, lift up your voice and cry out in every direction and in every side."
"All your lovers" – the gentiles who were your allies, namely Assyria and Egypt; they too were broken by Nebuchadnezzar, and now you will find no helpers.
Metzudat Zion
"Passages." The word is derived from the root meaning "to pass" and "side."
Malbim
(20-21) "Upon Lebanon, etc. I spoke to you in your prosperity": The meaning of the verse is that I spoke to you in your prosperity, namely, at a time when you were still at ease and had not yet perceived your downfall. Already then I informed and warned you of what would be your ultimate end. At that time, I told you that you would see that Sennacherib had already exiled all the surrounding tribes. And I told you that you would cry out over Lebanon and Bashan, and from Abarim, [the regions] around the borders of the Land of Israel from which Israel had been exiled — through which all your lovers were broken, after the majority of Israel had been exiled, and your strength was weakened, and you needed to worry that the cup would also pass over you. But you said, "I will not listen," because it was your way from your youth not to heed the voice of the Lord, and you did not wish then to return in repentance.
I spoke to you in your prosperity, But you said: ‘I will not hear.’ This has been your manner from your youth, That you hearkenedst not to My voice.
verse value 4199
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 52 letters. Verse gematria: 4199 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "in·your·prosperity" (בְּשַׁלְוֺתַ֔יִךְ, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "in·your·prosperity" (בְּשַׁלְוֺתַ֔יִךְ), "from·your·youth" (מִנְּעוּרַ֔יִךְ), "not·you·heard" (לֹא־שָׁמַ֖עַתְּ). The root שמע appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "you·said" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "for" (root כי, 318x in Jeremiah); "not" (root לא, 307x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'I·will·hear', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: דִּבַּ֤רְתִּי [I·spoke] (616) + אֵלַ֙יִךְ֙ [to·you] (61) + בְּשַׁלְוֺתַ֔יִךְ [in·your·prosperity] (768) + אָמַ֖רְתְּ [you·said] (641) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + אֶשְׁמָ֑ע [I·will·hear] (411) + זֶ֤ה [this] (12) + דַרְכֵּךְ֙ [your·way] (244) + מִנְּעוּרַ֔יִךְ [from·your·youth] (396) + כִּ֥י [for] (30) + לֹא־שָׁמַ֖עַתְּ [not·you·heard] (841) + בְּקוֹלִֽי [my·voice] (148) = 4199.
Rashi
"In your ease [prosperity]." When you were at ease.
Radak
"I spoke to you in your prosperity." He spoke in the plural language, because they had many prosperities when their deeds were good, and when they began to do evil and were in their prosperity, God reproved them through the prophets, and it was of no avail.
“From your youth.” This means the generation of the wilderness, for they were in their youth, since the beginning of the nation’s entry into the service of God and His commandments was that generation. And so is the meaning of “the kindness of your youth.”
Metzudat David
"In your prosperity" – You were still sitting in tranquility; I spoke to you, saying, "Return to Me," but you said, "I will not listen."
"This is your way. Indeed, this is your way from the time I chose you to be My people, for you have never heeded My voice from of old."
Metzudat Zion
"when you were at ease." From the root meaning "to be at ease" (shalvah):
The wind shall feed upon all your shepherds, And your lovers shall go into captivity; Surely then shall you be ashamed and confounded For all your wickedness.
verse value 3779
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 49 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "will·feed·wind" (תִּרְעֶה־ר֔וּחַ, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "all·your·shepherds" (כׇּל־רֹעַ֙יִךְ֙), "will·feed·wind" (תִּרְעֶה־ר֔וּחַ), "and·your·lovers" (וּֽמְאַהֲבַ֖יִךְ). The root רעה appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for" (root כי, 318x in Jeremiah); "from·all" (root כל, 167x in Jeremiah); "will·go" (root הלך, 108x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'will·go', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 6 words. Full calculation: כׇּל־רֹעַ֙יִךְ֙ [all·your·shepherds] (350) + תִּרְעֶה־ר֔וּחַ [will·feed·wind] (889) + וּֽמְאַהֲבַ֖יִךְ [and·your·lovers] (84) + בַּשְּׁבִ֣י [into·captivity] (314) + יֵלֵ֑כוּ [will·go] (66) + כִּ֣י [for] (30) + אָ֤ז [then] (8) + תֵּבֹ֙שִׁי֙ [you·will·put·to·shame] (712) + וְנִכְלַ֔מְתְּ [and·you·will·be·insulted] (546) + מִכֹּ֖ל [from·all] (90) + רָעָתֵֽךְ [your·wickedness] (690) = 3779.
Rashi
"All your shepherds. All your kings:"
"[The] wind shall feed [on them]." An east wind shall crush them.
Radak
"Every shepherd of yours shall be consumed by the wind." As its Targum renders it: "All your governors." This refers to the kings of Assyria and Egypt, who served as governors and shepherds over them. "Shall be consumed by the wind" means that the wind shall devour them; that is, they shall be broken swiftly and easily, as if the wind had swept them away. Jonathan rendered it: "They shall be scattered to every wind."
"For then you shall be ashamed." When your trust is exhausted.
Metzudat David
"All your shepherds." Assyria and Egypt, who were shepherding and leading you — the wind will break them. And concerning Nebuchadnezzar it is said that he will break them.
"And your lovers." They are Assyria and Egypt, and the matter is repeated as stated [above].
"For then. When they go into exile, you will be ashamed of all your evil, because you abandoned the Lord and trusted in them."
Metzudat Zion
"Tir'eh." [This is] a matter of breaking, like [the phrase] "You shall break them with a rod of iron" (Psalms 2:9):
And you shall be ashamed. The language of shame and disgrace.
Malbim
"All..."—but once you see the end of the matter, that all your shepherds and your kings shall be devoured by the wind, and you see that Nebuchadnezzar exiled Jehoiachin, along with the craftsmen and the smiths, and afterward Jehoiakim, then you shall be ashamed of all your evil, after the sword has reached even to the soul.
O inhabitant of Lebanon, That are nestled in the cedars, How gracious shall you be when pangs come upon you, The pain as of a woman in travail!
verse value 3939
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 56 letters. Verse gematria: 3939 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "strength" (חִ֖יל, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·Lebanon" (בַּלְּבָנ֔וֹן, 6 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "in·Lebanon" (בַּלְּבָנ֔וֹן), "made·a·nest" (מְקֻנַּ֖נְתְּ), "in·the·cedars" (בָּאֲרָזִ֑ים). The root ישב appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "when·coming·to·you" (root בוא, 211x in Jeremiah); "dwelling" (root ישב, 147x in Jeremiah); "strength" (root חיל, 38x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·cedars', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 5 words.
Rashi
"Nesting in the cedars." You placed your nest in the towering heights of cedar houses, in order to build stately mansions.
What is the meaning of "What favor will you have?" [The commentator explains:] What favor did you find, on account of the height of your towers, in the eyes of your plunderers, when the pangs of childbirth come upon you? And Menachem interpreted "nechant" as denoting the root of "encamping" or "dwelling" (chanayah), but Donash interpreted it as denoting the root of "favor" (chen).
Radak
"You who dwell in Lebanon, who nest among the cedars." 'Yoshavti' and 'mekonanti' have an extra yod in the writing but not in the pronunciation, and this extra [yod] is also found pronounced, [as in] 'ahavti ladush' [she loved to thresh] and 'malati mishpat' [she was full of justice]. And these two words are said to be compound: 'yoshavti' from 'yashavt' and 'yoshevet', and 'mekonanti' from 'mekonenet' [nesting] and 'mekonenet' [lamenting]. The sense of the compounding is to say that she dwelt and lamented of old, and also now you dwell and lament — for they were still in the land, which is associated with Lebanon. And he mentions Lebanon and cedars because the great houses in Jerusalem were paneled with cedar, like the king's house, as it says concerning Jehoiakim: 'and paneled with cedar.'
"What is your grace?" Its root is "nechannant," which pertains to the concept of "chen" (grace/favor). And "what" can be understood in two ways: to denote the elevation of the matter, or to denote its deficiency. To denote elevation, as in "How great is Your goodness" and "How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God." To denote deficiency, as in "What is man that You should be mindful of him?" And with this, the verse can be interpreted in both directions: to denote elevation, meaning, "What grace and what beauty were yours when these troubles and afflictions came upon you?" And to denote deficiency, it says, "What grace remains to you from all that you built and nested in cedars, when these troubles came upon you?"
Metzudat David
"Dwelling in Lebanon." You, Israel, who dwell in Lebanon. And he repeats and explains: "Nested among the cedars" — meaning, dwelling in houses of cedar wood of Lebanon.
"What favor have you?" What is the favor that you will find in this, when pains and travail like a woman in labor come upon you? Meaning: will you then find favor in the eyes of the enemy on account of this?
Metzudat Zion
"Mekunenet." The term denotes a dwelling, as it is said, "and the swallow has a nest for herself" (Psalms 84:4). And he expressed it in the language of a question:
Nechanat. The word is derived from the root chen (grace):
"Pangs." [This refers to] aches:
"Trembling." [This refers to] anguish (writhing):
Malbim
"Sitting in Lebanon": Living creatures that suckle and bear live young are the ones that are customarily shown mercy at the time of their birth, since their labor is difficult, as it is stated in [tractate] Shabbat (54a): "Ewes do not go out anointed [with oil, as a general adornment] — [rather, this means that] at the time she crouches to give birth, they place two small flasks of oil for her, etc." This is not so with birds that lay eggs; they are not shown such mercy. Based on this, the metaphor compares Jerusalem to a bird, and the enemy's conquest of the city is metaphorically likened to childbirth and the pangs of a woman in labor, as it is stated: "For we have heard a voice as of a woman in travail, the voice of the daughter of Zion, gasping for breath." And it says that no mercy was shown to this woman in labor when she came to the birth-stool, for "you dwell in Lebanon" and are nested among the cedars, like a bird that places its nest on high. "And what mercy have you found" means: what mercy was shown you when pangs came upon you? The intent of this metaphor is regarding the exile of Jehoiachin. For when Nebuchadnezzar came against the city, Jehoiachin went out to him, he and his mother and his servants, and Nebuchadnezzar exiled Jehoiachin to Babylon, along with the king's mother, the king's wives, and all the men of valor. After speaking about the conquest of Jehoiakim, he now speaks of Jehoiachin, who went out of his own accord to Nebuchadnezzar. And the "birth" (which is the conquest of the city and the bringing forth of the "child," which is the people within it) was easy, like a bird laying its eggs in a short while. And Nebuchadnezzar did not show him mercy, just as one does not show mercy to a bird at its "birth" (meaning: even though he deserved to be shown mercy and not exiled, since he went out to him of his own accord), nevertheless pangs and labor came upon him like a woman in labor. "And what mercy have you found?": What mercy was shown you?
As I live, says Hashem, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were the signet upon My right hand, yet would I pluck you thence;
verse value 2410
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 65 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "son·of·Jehoiakim" (בֶן־יְהֽוֹיָקִים֙, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 30: for, Judah, for. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "seal" (חוֹתָ֖ם), "my·right·hand" (יְמִינִ֑י), "I·would·pluck·you" (אֶתְּקֶֽנְךָּ). The root כי appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "says·Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "for" (root כי, 318x in Jeremiah); "upon·hand" (root על, 276x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root כניהו ("Coniah") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'my·right·hand', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 3 words. Full calculation: חַי־אָ֘נִי֮ [as·I·live] (79) + נְאֻם־יְהֹוָה֒ [says·Hashem] (117) + כִּ֣י [for] (30) + אִם־יִהְיֶ֞ה [though·he·were] (71) + כׇּנְיָ֤הוּ [Coniah] (91) + בֶן־יְהֽוֹיָקִים֙ [son·of·Jehoiakim] (233) + מֶ֣לֶךְ [king] (90) + יְהוּדָ֔ה [Judah] (30) + חוֹתָ֖ם [seal] (454) + עַל־יַ֣ד [upon·hand] (114) + יְמִינִ֑י [my·right·hand] (120) + כִּ֥י [for] (30) + מִשָּׁ֖ם [from·there] (380) + אֶתְּקֶֽנְךָּ [I·would·pluck·you] (571) = 2410.
Rashi
"A signet upon My right hand." Engraved and sealed within the flesh of My arm:
"אתקנך" (I will pluck you off). "אנתקך" is the language of "הַתִּקֵם" [pluck them out], as in "like sheep to the slaughter" (above, ch. 12), "until we drew them away" (Joshua 8:6), and the nun in it is extra. And an aggadic midrash: in the place where he was torn away (נתק), he was restored/mended (נתקן) — meaning, he did teshuvah (repentance) in Babylonia. And the Holy One, blessed be He, was petitioned regarding the oath He had sworn, "Write this man as childless" (here); and Zerubbabel was born to him in Babylonia, and it was said to him through the prophet: "On that day I will take you, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, My servant, and I will make you like a signet" (below, end of ch. 43) — in contrast to what had been said concerning his forefather: "If he were a signet on My right hand, I would pluck him off."
Radak
"I live." Since He spoke about Yehoiakim, He also spoke about his son Yehoiachin, and called him Coniah to belittle him.
"A signet on My right hand." Just as the ring with which documents are sealed is called a chotam (seal), so too: "Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm" (Song of Songs 8:6), "your seal and your cord" (Genesis 38:18). And that ring does not depart from a person's hand, neither by day nor by night. Therefore he said: Even if Coniah were like the signet upon the right hand, which is never removed from it, from there I will remove you — I will tear you off.
"Etkanekha." Its root is netek ("tear away"), and the dagesh in the tav indicates the missing nun, while the final nun is added, like the nun in yevarkhenhu, yitzrenhu. And there is a midrashic interpretation of the extra nun: they said that in the very matter where he was "torn away" (natak), there he was "restored" (nitkan) — for in the prison house he repented, and the Holy One, blessed be He, accepted him, and a son was born to him in the prison house. And his grandson, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, ruled in Judah and sat on the throne of David. And He said to him, "I will set you as a signet" (Haggai 2:23), corresponding to what He had said to his father [ancestor]: "If Coniah were a signet on My right hand," "for from there I would tear you off."
Metzudat David
"A signet." A ring, such as one seals letters with, which is always placed on the right hand and is never removed from it. And he adopted a parable in the manner customary among people.
"From there I will tear you away." Nevertheless, I will remove you from the hand. And since he likened it to a ring with which one seals, he used language that applies to a ring, meaning: even though you are of the seed of David, nevertheless I will forsake you.
Metzudat Zion
"Coniah." He is Jeconiah, and he is Jehoiachin.
Seal. So is called the ring with which letters are sealed, and so too, "Your seal and your cord" (Genesis 38:18):
"I will tear you away." [This is] a matter of removal and taking away:
Malbim
"As I live," declares the Lord — he explains that this was because a sentence had been decreed against him under oath: even if Coniah — because he is the son of Jehoiakim, for which reason the decree was made against him, and Nebuchadnezzar therefore exiled him for the sin of his father — were a signet upon My right hand, that is to say, in the prophecy of Haggai (2:23) it is stated, "On that day I will take you, Zerubbabel, and make you like a signet," that the Messiah-King is destined to be like a signet upon the right hand of the Lord; just as upon a signet the name of its owner is engraved, making known who he is, so too through the deeds of the Messiah will the name of the Lord be made known, and His wonders will be known in His world. Therefore he said: although in the future Coniah will be a signet upon My right hand, because from his seed the Messiah will emerge, nevertheless now, "for from there I will tear you off" — I will pull off the signet, for the time being, from [My] right hand. And he also hints, in the word "etkonkha" ["I will tear you off"], at the notion of "tikkun" [repair]: that the repair by which he will become like a signet will come from there, from the Babylonian exile; there he will be refined in the furnace of iron and in affliction, until he is repaired, so that a shoot will sprout from his seed, to become a signet of perfection upon the right hand of the Lord.
and I will give you into the hand of them that seek your life, and into the hand of them of whom you are afraid, even into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of the Chaldeans.
verse value 4297
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 67 letters. The shortest word is "in·hand·of" (בְּיַד֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "Nebuchadrezzar" (נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּ֥ר, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 22: and·in·hand·of, and·in·hand·of, and·in·hand·of. The root יד appears 4 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·you" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah); "king·of·Babylon" (root מלך, 253x in Jeremiah); "and·I·will·make·you" (root נתן, 141x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root גור ("afraid") in Jeremiah. First appearance of the root כשדים ("the·Chaldeans") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·their·face', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 5 words. Full calculation: וּנְתַתִּ֗יךָ [and·I·will·make·you] (886) + בְּיַד֙ [in·hand·of] (16) + מְבַקְשֵׁ֣י [who·seek] (452) + נַפְשֶׁ֔ךָ [your·soul] (450) + וּבְיַ֛ד [and·in·hand·of] (22) + אֲשֶׁר־אַתָּ֥ה [that·you] (907) + יָג֖וֹר [afraid] (219) + מִפְּנֵיהֶ֑ם [from·their·face] (225) + וּבְיַ֛ד [and·in·hand·of] (22) + נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּ֥ר [Nebuchadrezzar] (573) + מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶ֖ל [king·of·Babylon] (124) + וּבְיַ֥ד [and·in·hand·of] (22) + הַכַּשְׂדִּֽים [the·Chaldeans] (379) = 4297.
Radak
“And I will give you.” All these instances of “in the hand” are stated in order to emphasize their saying, “And He who delivered you from the hand of Egypt and from the hand of Pharaoh,” and “who delivered the people from under the hand of Egypt.” This repetition likewise serves to strengthen that particular matter. And the meaning of “in the hand of those who seek your soul” is that they will not show mercy to you.
"Whom you dread." [I.e.,] you will not have the strength to stand against them.
“And in the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon.” He is a king who is fierce and harsh, as it is said of him: “A lion has come up from its thicket, and a destroyer of nations has set out from his place.”
"And in the hand of the Chaldeans" – that they were a harsh and severe nation, who showed no partiality, as it is said of them: "The bitter and hasty nation" (Habakkuk 1:6).
Metzudat David
"And I will deliver you into the hand..." The matter is repeated many times in the verse in order to magnify the matter and to terrify him.
Metzudat Zion
"You dread." The meaning of "fear" is similar to "Moab was in dread" (Numbers 22:3).
Malbim
“And I will deliver you into the hand of those who seek your soul”: For it appears that there was a faction in Judah that desired Zedekiah [to be king], and therefore Nebuchadnezzar exiled him in order to fulfill the request of this faction, and they were the ones seeking his soul, and he would dwell in fear of them. And He said that He would deliver him into the hand of the Judeans who disputed his kingship, and into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar and the Chaldeans.
And I will cast you out, and your mother that bore you, into another country, where you were not born; and there shall you die.
verse value 5873
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 53 letters. The shortest word is "upon" (עַ֚ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "not·you·were·born" (לֹֽא־יֻלַּדְתֶּ֖ם, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: that, that. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·mother" (וְאֶֽת־אִמְּךָ֙), "she·bore·you" (יְלָדַ֔תְךָ), "not·you·were·born" (לֹֽא־יֻלַּדְתֶּ֖ם). The root אשר appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah); "upon" (root על, 276x in Jeremiah); "earth" (root ארץ, 245x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'there', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 2 words. Full calculation: וְהֵטַלְתִּ֣י [and·I·will·cast] (460) + אֹתְךָ֗ [you] (421) + וְאֶֽת־אִמְּךָ֙ [and·mother] (468) + אֲשֶׁ֣ר [that] (501) + יְלָדַ֔תְךָ [she·bore·you] (464) + עַ֚ל [upon] (100) + הָאָ֣רֶץ [earth] (296) + אַחֶ֔רֶת [another] (609) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [that] (501) + לֹֽא־יֻלַּדְתֶּ֖ם [not·you·were·born] (515) + שָׁ֑ם [there] (340) + וְשָׁ֖ם [and·there] (346) + תָּמֽוּתוּ [you·will·die] (852) = 5873.
Rashi
“And I cast.” A term denoting casting:
Radak
And I will cast out: Like "and I will cast away," and similarly, "and they cast out the vessels." And in His saying, "who begot you," it means that he was similar to her in evil deeds; therefore, it was stated that his mother's name was recorded in Kings, because the son was like his mother.
"Into another land." [This is an example of] the described noun bearing the definite article while its adjective lacks the definite article, like: "the vine, a strange one" [הגפן נכריה], "the lamb, one" [הכבש אחד], "the basket, one" [הדוד אחד].
"Where you were not born" – [meaning] that you will not find relatives there who will show you mercy.
"And there you shall die." This too is a curse, meaning that they will die in a defiled land.
Metzudat David
“And I will cast you out.” I will cast you out:
"Who bore you": Who raised you to walk in the way of evil.
Metzudat Zion
And I cast. The meaning of "casting" is like "and they cast the cargo into the sea" (Jonah 1:5).
"[Who] bore you." [This is] a matter of rearing and nurturing, and similarly, "they were raised upon the knees of Joseph" (Genesis 50:23).
But to the land whereunto they long to return, thither shall they not return.
verse value 3638
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 40 letters. The shortest word is "there" (שָׁ֑ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "but·to·the·land" (וְעַל־הָאָ֗רֶץ, 7 letters). The root שוב appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·they" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah); "not" (root לא, 307x in Jeremiah); "there" (root שם, 122x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'there', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְעַל־הָאָ֗רֶץ [but·to·the·land] (402) + אֲשֶׁר־הֵ֛ם [that·they] (546) + מְנַשְּׂאִ֥ים [helping] (441) + אֶת־נַפְשָׁ֖ם [soul] (871) + לָשׁ֣וּב [to·return] (338) + שָׁ֑ם [there] (340) + שָׁ֖מָּה [name] (345) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + יָשֽׁוּבוּ [they·will·return] (324) = 3638.
Rashi
“Who lift up their souls.” This is the language of consolation, that their souls are uplifted to be comforted and to say, “We shall yet return to our land.”
Radak
“and upon the earth.” Just as it says “and to the earth,” and there are many similar instances.
“Who lift up their soul.” They were assured by the false prophets that the exiles would return soon, as they said, “Behold, the vessels of the House of the Lord are being brought from Babylon now, soon,” etc. And because of this, they lifted up their soul and placed their trust in the false hope of King Jehoiachin and the rest of the exiles.
Metzudat David
And upon the earth. And to the earth:
“Who lift up their souls.” They anticipate, elevate, and reassure their souls:
There. This means: Not so shall it be, for they shall not return there.
Metzudat Zion
Menasim. The matter of lifting, that is to say: they promise.
Malbim
And upon the land, even after Zedekiah’s rebellion—when Jehoiachin thought that he would be restored to his kingship—they would not return even then.
Is this man Coniah a despised, broken image? Is he a vessel wherein is no pleasure? Wherefore are they cast out, he and his seed, And are cast into the land which they know not?
verse value 3091
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 75 letters. The shortest word is "in·him" (בּ֑וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·they·will·be·thrown" (וְהֻ֨שְׁלְכ֔וּ, 6 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "pain" (הַעֶ֨צֶב), "contemptible" (נִבְזֶ֜ה), "shattered" (נָפ֗וּץ). 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah); "upon·the·land" (root ארץ, 245x in Jeremiah); "man" (root איש, 153x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root עצב ("pain") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 8 words.
Rashi
"Is [this] a despised vessel?" This is [phrased as] a question: Perhaps this man's form is broken and he is despised, in that he was cast away from before [Me], like one in whom there is no desire.
"נפוץ." Broken, as in "like a potter's vessel You shall shatter them" (Psalms 2:9). And others emended [the reading] to "ha'atzev," related to [the word] "ha'atzavim" [those who swaddle/mold an infant], as in [the Mishnah's] "they swaddle the infant" in Tractate Shabbat — that is to say: are you despised and shattered in your own eyes like a small infant who is swaddled? "Miluyilir" [emmailloter — to swaddle] in the vernacular (Old French); this is not sufficient.
"הוטלו" – they were cast aside; from the language of "הַשְׁלָכָה" (casting), implying a casting from which there is no recovery, as in "כִּי יִפֹּל לֹא יוּטָל" (ibid. [Psalms], ch. 37):
Radak
"The image is despised." The heh [of ha-etzev] is the heh of interrogation; therefore it is vocalized with a patach. He said: Is Coniah like a despised image? And "etzev" is from "atzabim" [idols], which is a term for images/idols. The image is despised, and one who recognizes about it that it is vanity, having no benefit, discards it and breaks it. This is what is meant by "scattered," like "and the jars were shattered" — for when a person discards a vessel, it breaks and its fragments shatter and scatter. Likewise, a vessel in which one has no desire, a person will cast it out of his house.
“Were cast.” This is akin to “were thrown out,” referring to him and his seed. Now, he did have seed during his exile, yet it is stated of him that he was childless. It is possible that he had sons upon leaving for exile, but they died in Babylonia, and thus he was considered childless. The matter is repeated, and it says “were thrown out” after having said “were cast,” and the meaning is one and the same, in order to strengthen the statement. For such is the manner of Scripture: to repeat the matter in different words in order to reinforce the point.
Metzudat David
"[Is this] a despised vessel, etc." Is this Coniah likened to a despised and shattered form? And is he like a vessel that has no use? And if so, why were he and his offspring cast out from their land, etc.?
"Which they did not know." Until now:
Metzudat Zion
“Ha-etzav.” So is called the form that is worshipped, as it is stated, “The idols of the nations” (Psalms 135:15). And this is because it causes distress to the hearts of its worshippers; they cry out to it and are not answered. And in the manner of a question, it refers to all of them thus.
Nefutz. The matter of breaking and shattering is like "and they shattered the pitchers" (Judges 7:19):
Chafets: The matter of desire and need; similarly, "the desire of Shaddai" (Job 22:3).
They were cast. They were thrown:
Malbim
"[The] vessel" [ha-etzev] — [the verse] asks: Why did He do this to him? Is he like a despised and broken vessel, which by itself is unfit for kingship? Or is he rather like a vessel in which there is no desire, so that even if it is whole, there is no desire for it, like an earthenware vessel and the like? And in the parable [as applied to him]: did he perhaps rebel against Nebuchadnezzar to the point that there was no desire for him? Did he not go out to him [and surrender] at once? If so, why were he and his seed cast out, etc.?
Verse structure: 5 words, 20 letters. The shortest word is "land" (אֶ֥רֶץ, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·word·of·Hashem" (דְּבַר־יְהֹוָֽה, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 291: land, land, land. The root ארץ appears 3 times in this verse. 3 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·word·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "land" (root ארץ, 245x in Jeremiah); "hear" (root שמע, 184x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'land', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: אֶ֥רֶץ [land] (291) + אֶ֖רֶץ [land] (291) + אָ֑רֶץ [land] (291) + שִׁמְעִ֖י [hear] (420) + דְּבַר־יְהֹוָֽה [the·word·of·Hashem] (232) = 1525.
Rashi
"Land, land, land." From his own land he was exiled to another land; and as for the land of Israel, [it is told], "Hear the word of the Lord." A further interpretation: "Land, land, land"—a land that is a land among lands, which was the most esteemed of all of them. A further interpretation: The land of Israel comprised three lands: Judah, the Transjordan, and the Galilee.
Radak
"Land, land, land." I have already written regarding the verse "House of the Lord, House of the Lord, House of the Lord" what my master and father, of blessed memory, explained there. And it is possible to explain that the repetition is to strengthen the matter, for such is the custom of the language: sometimes with two words, sometimes with three. With two words, such as "All who draw near, draw near," "Comfort, comfort My people," and their like; and with three words, such as "Land, land, land," "House of the Lord, House of the Lord, House of the Lord," "A ruin, a ruin, a ruin will I make it," and the like. The reading "To the land" means "to the people of the land," for he said, "Write," and similarly, "And all the land came into Egypt." And the Targum [translates]: "He was exiled from his land to another land; land of Israel, receive the word of the Lord."
Metzudat David
“Land, land, land.” This means: a land that was a land distinguished among all the lands, surpassing them all.
Malbim
“Land,” meaning that it is a decree of the Lord who commanded the land of Babylonia, saying to it: “Write this man as childless,” so that they would record in the laws of the kingdom that this man would be regarded as though he were childless and had no sons, such that his sons would not be able to raise a claim of inheritance against the kingdom that was due to them by inheritance from their fathers. For it is stated, “He shall not prosper in his days,” meaning that all the days of his life he would not succeed in kingship; for he would not succeed “in his days” in having a man from his seed sit on the throne of David. Thus it was written in the statutes of the land of Babylonia as a law, that his sons forfeited their right and their inheritance in the kingdom for as long as Jeconiah was alive—that is, “in his days.” For after his death, Zerubbabel was governor and ruler, for the law that was written applied only during the lifetime of Jehoiachin.
Thus says Hashem: Write you this man childless, A man that shall not prosper in his days; For no man of his seed shall prosper, Sitting upon the throne of David, And ruling any more in Judah.
verse value 4214
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 81 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 4214 is divisible by 86, the value of Elohim. The shortest word is "thus" (כֹּ֣ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·man" (אֶת־הָאִ֤ישׁ, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "write!" (כִּתְב֞וּ), "childless" (עֲרִירִ֔י). The root איש appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "said" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "for" (root כי, 318x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root משל ("and·ruling") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·his·days', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 11 words.
Rashi
"A man" who shall not prosper in his days — write him down [accordingly].
Radak
"Thus says the Lord: Write." This commandment is like the commandment of "See, the scent of my son," "Pave, pave [the highway]," and similar cases.
An heirless man. If he had sons, they would die during his lifetime; and if he did not have sons, he would not have them.
He shall not prosper in his days. For all the days of his life he was in exile:
"For he shall not prosper." And even in this matter, he shall not have success, such that one from his seed would rule in Judah. And behold, Zerubbabel, who was his grandson, ruled in Judah. Rather, as our Sages of blessed memory said, he did repentance in the house of imprisonment. And our Rabbis of blessed memory said: Great is repentance, for it tears up a person's decree, as it is stated, "Write this man as childless." And since he did repentance, his decree was reversed for the good, and it was said to him, "I will take you, Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, My servant, and set you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you," as it is stated. And furthermore, they said: Rabbi Yochanan said, Exile atones for everything, as it is stated, "Write this man as childless," and after he went into exile, it is written, "And the sons of Jeconiah, the captive: Shealtiel his son, etc."
Metzudat David
"This man." He is Coniah.
"An heirless man." That he shall be an heirless man means that he shall be ruined and desolate. And to add further explanation, it says, "a man who shall not prosper in all his days," for in his days no one from his seed shall prosper to sit on the throne of kingship and rule over Judah. For when he was exiled, the kingship was not given to his seed, but only to his uncle Zedekiah, and his seed had no dominion during his lifetime. However, after his death, dominion was granted to Zerubbabel, who was from his seed.
Metzudat Zion
"Ariri" [childless]. The matter of destruction and ruin, like "raze it, raze it, to its foundation," as it is said (Psalms 137:7):
“Man.” A man:
Radak