'Woe to the shepherds that destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture'; behold, days come when I will raise to David a righteous Branch; against the prophets that steal My words every one from his neighbor — 'is not My word like fire, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?'
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
Woe to the shepherds that destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture! says Hashem.
verse value 2093
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 37 letters. Verse gematria: 2093 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "ah!" (ה֣וֹי, 3 letters) and the longest is "says·Hashem" (נְאֻם־יְהֹוָֽה, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "perish" (מְאַבְּדִ֧ים), "and·scattering" (וּמְפִצִ֛ים), "small cattle" (אֶת־צֹ֥אן). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "says·Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "evil" (root רעה, 50x in Jeremiah); "perish" (root אבד, 28x in Jeremiah). Full calculation: ה֣וֹי [ah!] (21) + רֹעִ֗ים [evil] (320) + מְאַבְּדִ֧ים [perish] (97) + וּמְפִצִ֛ים [and·scattering] (266) + אֶת־צֹ֥אן [small cattle] (542) + מַרְעִיתִ֖י [my·pasture] (730) + נְאֻם־יְהֹוָֽה [says·Hashem] (117) = 2093.
Rashi
"Ah, shepherds." The kings of Judah:
Radak
"Ah, shepherds." This refers to the wicked kings of Judah; He said to them: "Ah, you are the ones who have caused the flock of My pasture to be lost and scattered." That is to say, I was their shepherd when they heeded My voice, but after you became their shepherds, you led them on an evil path, causing them to be lost and scattered into exile.
Metzudat David
"Ah, shepherds." One should lament that through their actions, they cause the people to be lost and scattered, going into exile among the lands of their enemies.
"My flock." They are Israel, for whom I am their shepherd:
Metzudat Zion
"Umfitzim." The matter of scattering, like "and the people scattered" (Exodus 5):
"My pasture." From the term "pasture":
Malbim
"Ah, shepherds": After recounting what befell Jehoiakim and Jehoiachin, he laments over these shepherds who scattered the flock, causing them to be lost through warfare, and dispersing them into exile.
Therefore thus says Hashem, the God of Israel, against the shepherds that feed My people: You have scattered My flock, and driven them away, and have not taken care of them; behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, says Hashem.
verse value 6921
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 99 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֜ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "therefore" (לָ֠כֵ֠ן, 3 letters) and the longest is "against·the·shepherds" (עַֽל־הָרֹעִים֮, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 441: you, them. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "against·the·shepherds" (עַֽל־הָרֹעִים֮), "you·scattered" (הֲפִצֹתֶ֤ם), "small cattle" (אֶת־צֹאנִי֙). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "thus·says" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "and·not" (root לא, 307x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'them', dividing the verse into phrases of 15 and 6 words.
Rashi
"You did not keep watch over them." – You did not take care to guard them.
Radak
Therefore, "And you did not inquire after them." That is, you did not keep watch over them to see where they were and what they were doing—whether for good or for evil. And it should have been known to you that it was because of their iniquity that they were rejected and exiled, and because of the punishment due to your failure to inquire after them, I am now bringing upon you the evil of your deeds.
Metzudat David
"You have scattered [them]." This means: Because of your sins, they were scattered among the nations and driven into the lands of the enemy.
"And you did not visit them." You did not attend to them to straighten them on the straight path.
"Visiting upon you." I will remember against them the evil of your deeds, to bring upon them retribution.
Metzudat Zion
"And you drove them away." From the language of "driving away" (d'chiah):
"And you attended [to them]." This refers to remembrance and providence.
"Your deeds." Your actions:
Malbim
You scattered My flock; by your hand they were dispersed, each man from his brother, and you drove them from their place to go into exile, and you did not visit them so that they would not lack [protection] from wild beasts. This means that they were divided into factions, and afterward they went into exile, and were killed in wars. Behold, I will hold you accountable; therefore, I have punished you on account of the evil of your deeds.
And I will gather the remnant of My flock out of all the countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them back to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and multiply.
verse value 6120
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 65 letters. Verse gematria: 6120 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "there" (שָׁ֑ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "that·I·have·driven" (אֲשֶׁר־הִדַּ֥חְתִּי, 8 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "I·will·gather" (אֲקַבֵּץ֙), "my·flock" (צֹאנִ֔י), "that·I·have·driven" (אֲשֶׁר־הִדַּ֥חְתִּי). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·I·have·driven" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah); "the·lands" (root ארץ, 245x in Jeremiah); "from·all" (root כל, 167x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root קבץ ("I·will·gather") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'there', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַאֲנִ֗י [and·I] (67) + אֲקַבֵּץ֙ [I·will·gather] (193) + אֶת־שְׁאֵרִ֣ית [rest] (1312) + צֹאנִ֔י [my·flock] (151) + מִכֹּל֙ [from·all] (90) + הָאֲרָצ֔וֹת [the·lands] (702) + אֲשֶׁר־הִדַּ֥חְתִּי [that·I·have·driven] (928) + אֹתָ֖ם [them] (441) + שָׁ֑ם [there] (340) + וַהֲשִׁבֹתִ֥י [and·I·will·bring·back] (723) + אֶתְהֶ֛ן [them] (456) + עַל־נְוֵהֶ֖ן [upon·their·pasture] (211) + וּפָר֥וּ [and·be·fertile] (292) + וְרָבֽוּ [and·increase] (214) = 6120.
Radak
"And I will gather them." If [this verse were speaking] of the Babylonian exile, [the phrase] "and they shall fear no more" would be interpreted [as referring to] a long time, or it could be understood in its plain sense: forever. But it speaks of the ingathering of this [final] exile, like the passage that follows it, and this is the correct [view].
Metzudat David
"And I will gather." And with My kindnesses I will gather the remnant, etc., for most of them will perish, and few will remain.
And I will restore them. I will return them to their dwelling place, and there they will multiply.
Metzudat Zion
Their dwellings [Naveihen]. [Meaning] a dwelling place, similar to "a tranquil dwelling" (Isaiah 33:20):
"Yifru." They shall bear fruit; that is to say, they shall beget children.
Malbim
"And I will gather them" – the opposite of what you scattered them; "and I will restore them to their pastures" – the opposite of what it says, "and you drove them away"; "and they shall increase and multiply" – the opposite of what it says, "and you did not visit them."
And I will set up shepherds over them, who shall feed them; and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall any be lacking, says Hashem.
verse value 2517
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 53 letters. The shortest word is "anymore" (ע֧וֹד, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·not·they·shall·fear" (וְלֹא־יִֽירְא֨וּ, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·they·will·pasture·them" (וְרָע֑וּם), "and·not·they·shall·fear" (וְלֹא־יִֽירְא֨וּ), "and·not·they·shall·be·dismayed" (וְלֹא־יֵחַ֛תּוּ). The root רעה appears 2 times in this verse. 9 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 'and·they·will·pasture·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַהֲקִמֹתִ֧י [and·I·will·establish] (561) + עֲלֵיהֶ֛ם [upon·them] (155) + רֹעִ֖ים [evil] (320) + וְרָע֑וּם [and·they·will·pasture·them] (322) + וְלֹא־יִֽירְא֨וּ [and·not·they·shall·fear] (264) + ע֧וֹד [anymore] (80) + וְלֹא־יֵחַ֛תּוּ [and·not·they·shall·be·dismayed] (461) + וְלֹ֥א [and·not] (37) + יִפָּקֵ֖דוּ [they·will·be·lacking] (200) + נְאֻם־יְהֹוָֽה [says·Hashem] (117) = 2517.
Rashi
"And none of them shall be missing." – [Meaning] none shall be lacking; the language of "and not a man of us was missing" (Numbers 31:49).
Radak
"And I will raise up," "and they shall tend them." They shall tend them as a good shepherd [does].
"And they shall not be missed." – They shall not be lacking, as it is written: "Not a man of us was missing."
Metzudat David
"And I will raise up for them." I will raise up for them righteous shepherds, and they will shepherd them, guiding them along the straight path.
"And they shall not be afraid." And therefore they shall no longer be afraid of the nations, nor shall they be broken, nor shall they be diminished.
Metzudat Zion
יחתו. The meaning is of breaking and fear:
יפקוד. The meaning is one of lack, as in: "a woman did not miss her companion" (there, 34):
Malbim
"And I will appoint for them shepherds" – in the Second Temple period, there were no kings, only shepherds. "And they shall no longer fear" — and also "they shall not be dismayed" — for dismay [chittat] is a lesser [degree] than fear. "And they shall not be missed" – meaning that their number shall not be diminished.
Behold, the days come, says Hashem, that I will raise to David a righteous shoot, and he shall reign as king and prosper, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.
verse value 3142
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 65 letters. The shortest word is "they" (הִנֵּ֨ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "says·Hashem" (נְאֻם־יְהֹוָ֔ה, 7 letters). The root מלך appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "says·Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "and·will·king" (root מלך, 253x in Jeremiah); "in·the·land" (root ארץ, 245x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root צמח ("shoot") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'just', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 7 words.
Rashi
"And he shall prosper." And he shall succeed:
Radak
“Behold, days are coming,” “A Branch of the Righteous One.” This is the Messiah, and He is called “Branch” because His emergence into the world will be like the emergence of a plant from the field, which grows abundantly; so too, when the Righteous One comes, there will be with Him righteous people comprising the majority of the world, as it is said, “In His days the righteous shall flourish,” and it is also said, “He shall judge many nations.”
"And a king shall reign." He said the doubling is to intensify the action, for when the action [verb] is mentioned, the noun is mentioned together with it, and when it is mentioned after the action, the noun serves to intensify it — just as in "for the sake of committing fraud, fraud," "He makes it rain rain upon it," "every traitor dealt treacherously, treachery," and so too "and a king shall reign" — for when it says "and he shall reign," we know that he is a king, and by adding "king," it serves to intensify the kingship, so that his kingdom will be over the entire land, not only over Israel, as it is said of him: "From sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth."
And he was successful. He succeeded; and according to manuscripts, it reads “and he succeeded,” just as it says, “And David was successful in all his ways.” Others [explain it] differently.
Metzudat David
"And I will establish for David" – "I will raise up for David, from his seed, a righteous Branch" – this is the King Messiah.
"And a king shall reign." A king shall reign over Israel, and he shall prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice.
Metzudat Zion
And he was successful. The meaning is success, as it is written: "And David succeeded in all his undertakings" (1 Samuel 18).
Malbim
Behold, days are coming: Since it states two prophecies that were fulfilled in the Second Temple period—namely, the return of the people and the return of the shepherds (in contrast to the shepherds)—it says that there will yet come a time when these prophecies will be fulfilled with ultimate happiness and success, for days are coming, and then he will no longer be called by the name of shepherd, but rather, "And I will raise up for David a righteous Branch." He will sprout a shoot from his root, as it is written, "And a shoot shall come forth from the stump of Jesse." And this is what it means by "Branch." And he will be according to his righteousness, as it is written, "And righteousness shall be the belt of his loins." And this is what it means by "righteous." And he shall reign as king; he will not be a shepherd, but rather a great king. And he shall prosper and act wisely, as it is written, "Behold, My servant shall act wisely; he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted." And he shall execute judgment and righteousness in all the earth, as it is written, "Nation shall not lift up sword against nation."
In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely; and this is his name whereby he shall be called, Hashem is our righteousness.
verse value 3308
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 51 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֥ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "will·be·saved" (תִּוָּשַׁ֣ע, 4 letters) and the longest is "that·he·shall·be·called" (אֲֽשֶׁר־יִקְרְא֖וֹ, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "will·settle·down" (יִשְׁכֹּ֣ן), "and·this·his·name" (וְזֶה־שְּׁמ֥וֹ), "that·he·shall·be·called" (אֲֽשֶׁר־יִקְרְא֖וֹ). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "that·he·shall·be·called" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah); "Judah" (root יהודה, 134x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·safety', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 4 words. Full calculation: בְּיָמָיו֙ [in·his·days] (68) + תִּוָּשַׁ֣ע [will·be·saved] (776) + יְהוּדָ֔ה [Judah] (30) + וְיִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל [and·Israel] (547) + יִשְׁכֹּ֣ן [will·settle·down] (380) + לָבֶ֑טַח [to·safety] (49) + וְזֶה־שְּׁמ֥וֹ [and·this·his·name] (364) + אֲֽשֶׁר־יִקְרְא֖וֹ [that·he·shall·be·called] (818) + יְהֹוָ֥ה [Hashem] (26) + צִדְקֵֽנוּ [our·justice] (250) = 3308.
Rashi
"The Lord is our righteousness." The Lord justifies us in the days of this one.
Radak
"In his days." And this is his name by which he shall be called: "The LORD is our righteousness."
They shall call. Israel will call the Messiah by this name:
"The LORD is our righteousness." This is because in his days, the righteousness of the Lord will be for us an established, ever-lasting reality that will not depart. And this naming follows the pattern of the naming that Moses our teacher, peace be upon him, gave to the altar: "The LORD is my banner," and Jacob named the altar "El, the God of Israel" — each one according to the matter he found in it. And so too, "and the name of the city from that day shall be: The LORD is there" [Ezekiel 48:35]. And Jonathan rendered [in the Targum]: "...there shall be [strength/glory] for him," etc., as [printed] in the column.
Metzudat David
"In his days." In the days of the Messiah, both Judah and Israel will be saved; they will dwell in their land securely, unlike in the Second Temple period, when only Judah returned.
And this is His name, the name of the Messiah, which Israel will call Him:
"Hashem is our righteousness." Hashem will justify us in the days of this one.
Malbim
"In his days" (and concerning the people) it says, that in the days of the Messiah Judah will be saved, because in the days of the Second Temple they were not saved, for they were under the kings of Persia, Greece, and Rome. And Israel, who are the Ten Tribes, will dwell securely, because in the days of the Second Temple the Ten Tribes did not return. And the name that will be called for Israel will then be called by the name of the Lord, our righteousness, for our righteousness is the Lord, just as "the God of my righteousness," where [my] righteousness is from the Lord. And just as He is eternal, so too Israel will be righteous and saved by the Lord.
This prophecy is repeated later (33:15), and there are differences there: "I will cause to sprout for David a branch of righteousness," and it is not mentioned "and a king will reign and act wisely." And there it is written, "In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely, and this is the name that will be called for her: The Lord our righteousness."
For there are two modes of redemption: if they merit it, it will be hastened; if they do not merit it, it will be at its appointed time. And they said further: if they merit it, "Behold, a man comes with the clouds of heaven"; if they do not merit it, "poor and riding on a donkey."
Here it speaks of the aspect of merit, and therefore it says, "And I will establish for David a righteous branch," that he will be righteous due to merit. And there it speaks of the aspect of not meriting, therefore it said there, "In those days and at that time I will cause to sprout for David a branch of righteousness," for the upper righteousness will not look at the deeds of justice and merit, but will act from the side of kindness and from the arousal from above, as written in the commentary on Isaiah (chapter 59). Therefore it did not say there "And I will establish for David," but rather "I will cause to sprout for David," for it will be a new sprout. Unlike the side of merit, where it said "And I will establish," for the sprout will already exist on its own due to the merit of his deeds, and only the Lord will raise him up from his fall.
And it added there "In those days and at that time," for if they do not merit it, they must wait for the appointed time. Unlike here, where it did not say "at that time," for if they merit it, it will be hastened. Therefore it did not say there "and a king will reign and act wisely," for if they do not merit it, he will not reign immediately, for he will be poor and riding on a donkey. Therefore it did not say there "and Israel will dwell securely," for if they do not merit it, the tribes will not be gathered immediately, but only the tribe of Judah alone and Jerusalem will be saved, and the gathering will be delayed until Jerusalem is built first. And it did not say there "and this is her name," for she will not have this name from long ago, for they did not merit it, but rather Jerusalem will be called this from now on (as explained above, that "which will be called for her" refers to Jerusalem). But here, where it speaks from the side of merit, it said "and this is his name," for he will have acquired this name from long ago due to merit.
Therefore, behold, the days come, says Hashem, that they shall no more say: ‘As Hashem lives, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt’;
verse value 3174
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 64 letters. The shortest word is "therefore" (לָכֵ֛ן, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·not·they·shall·say" (וְלֹא־יֹ֤אמְרוּ, 8 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·not·they·shall·say" (וְלֹא־יֹ֤אמְרוּ). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "says·Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "and·not·they·shall·say" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "that" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'says·Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 9 words. Full calculation: לָכֵ֛ן [therefore] (100) + הִנֵּה־יָמִ֥ים [behold·days] (160) + בָּאִ֖ים [going·in] (53) + נְאֻם־יְהֹוָ֑ה [says·Hashem] (117) + וְלֹא־יֹ֤אמְרוּ [and·not·they·shall·say] (294) + עוֹד֙ [anymore] (80) + חַי־יְהֹוָ֔ה [as·Hashem·lives] (44) + אֲשֶׁ֧ר [that] (501) + הֶעֱלָ֛ה [brought·up] (110) + אֶת־בְּנֵ֥י [the·sons·of] (463) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל [Israel] (541) + מֵאֶ֥רֶץ [from·land·of] (331) + מִצְרָֽיִם [Egypt] (380) = 3174.
Radak
Therefore. These two verses were stated above, only that there is a slight difference between them in some of the words, for such is the manner of Scripture to repeat words or verses with different wording while the meaning is one, and the repetition in every place is to strengthen the matter. And we have already explained these verses above in their proper place.
Metzudat David
Therefore, etc. Since that redemption will be so significant, therefore they will no longer say in their oath, "As the Lord lives, who brought up..." from the land of Egypt.
Malbim
(7–8) Therefore, behold, days are coming when the miracle of the final redemption will be greater than the miracles of the Exodus from Egypt, and I have already explained these verses (above 16:14); see there. [As for] "who brought up" — its full sense is: "who brought up" from the land of the north; and "who brought" — from all the lands, for Babylon is the deepest of all of them; "who brought" the seed of the House of Israel — for from Egypt He brought forth the children of Israel themselves, but in the future He will bring their seed, which is the seed of the House of Israel.
but: ‘As Hashem lives, that brought up and that led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all the countries whither I had driven them’; and they shall dwell in their own land.
verse value 6459
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 80 letters. Notable word values: "he·brought" (הֵבִ֜יא) = 18, chai, 'life'. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "if·as·Hashem·lives" (אִם־חַי־יְהֹוָ֗ה, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: that, that. The root אשר appears 3 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "if·as·Hashem·lives" (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 'there', dividing the verse into phrases of 16 and 2 words.
Metzudat David
"But rather." Then they will say in their oath: "As the Lord lives, Who brought up... from the land of the north and from other lands..." For that redemption will be mentioned more frequently on people's lips due to its greater significance.
"הדחתים" [I have banished them] – I have banished them. (This is the word of the Omnipresent, speaking of Himself [in the first person]; but they will say, "He banished them," there, as though speaking about themselves [in the third person].)
"And they shall dwell." So too, they will say in their oath, "As the Lord lives, who brought up..." and they will be dwelling on their land.
Concerning the prophets. My heart within me is broken, All my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, And like a man whom wine has overcome; Because of Hashem, And because of His holy words.
verse value 4890
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 76 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "my·heart" (לִבִּ֣י, 3 letters) and the longest is "all·my·bones" (כׇּל־עַצְמוֹתַ֔י, 8 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "to·the·prophets" (לַנְּבִאִ֞ים), "in·my·midst" (בְקִרְבִּ֗י), "they·grew·soft" (רָֽחֲפוּ֙). The root פנים appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "words·of" (root דבר, 270x in Jeremiah); "I·was" (root היה, 250x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'wine', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 5 words.
Rashi
"For the prophets, my heart is broken within me." Regarding the words of the prophets who say, "Peace be to you," my heart is broken. "Hovering." They go and move like the wings of a bird hovering over its nest; *ternavelir* in the vernacular.
"Because of the Lord." For I hear from Him this evil decree.
Radak
To the prophets. On account of the false prophets, who deceive Israel, for were it not for them—since they claim to be prophets and that they speak the word of the Lord—Israel would have returned in repentance through the reproofs of the true prophets. But they deceive them and say to them, “Each of you, do according to the desire of his heart, for the word of the Lord is to us that no evil shall come upon you.”
"Raḥafu." They trembled/swayed. And likewise, [of] the spirit [of God]: "merachefet al penei ha-mayim" (hovering over the face of the waters) [Genesis 1:2].
"And like a man whom wine has overcome." The wine passed over him, meaning that it overcame him and he became drunk, and he does not know what to do. So was I, because of the Lord, who is profaned through these prophets.
"And because of the words of His holiness." [His holy words] are profaned by their mouths, for they say that the words they speak are the words of the Lord.
Metzudat David
To the prophets. Because of the false prophets, my heart is broken within me, and all my bones tremble and shake; and I am bewildered with sorrow, like a drunken man, and like a man over whom the wine has passed, overpowering him and confusing his mind.
"Because of the Lord." That is to say, all this suffering is upon me because of the Lord['s name], which was being profaned by these prophets, and because of His holy words, which they are profaning with their own mouths.
Metzudat Zion
Concerning the prophets: The lamed is used in place of "for," just as in "Open your mouth for the mute" (Proverbs 31:8).
רחפו (raḥafu). The meaning is movement and trembling, as in: "hovers over its young" (Deuteronomy 32:11).
Malbim
Concerning the prophets: This means that this prophecy was uttered against the false prophets. For after having prophesied against the shepherds, He prophesies against the prophets, since both of them had led the flock astray. "My heart is broken within me" because of the calamity that I see; and "my bones are dissolved from their connection" due to the abundance of my trembling. I was like a drunken man at the time of the prophecy, as if I had drunk the wine of wrath; and after the prophecy, I was like a man in whom wine has passed through, whose wine has already passed through his body, meaning that he remains confused even afterward. And I was like a drunken man because of the Lord, at the time when I saw the Lord and heard His prophecy; and I was like a man in whom wine has passed through because of His holy words, because of the utterance that I had already heard.
For the land is full of adulterers; For because of swearing the land mourns, The pastures of the wilderness are dried up; And their course is evil, And their force is not right.
verse value 4454
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 69 letters. Notable word values: "curse" (אָלָה֙) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֤י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·their·strength" (וּגְבוּרָתָ֖ם, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 296: earth, earth. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "for·from·faces·of" (כִּֽי־מִפְּנֵ֤י), "their·running" (מְרֽוּצָתָם֙), "and·their·strength" (וּגְבוּרָתָ֖ם). The root ארץ appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for" (root כי, 318x in Jeremiah); "not·so" (root לא, 307x in Jeremiah); "and·it·was" (root היה, 250x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'wilderness', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 5 words.
Rashi
"Because of a curse." A false oath:
"Mourns." [Meaning] it is laid waste:
"merutzatam" (their running). "Korsha" in the vernacular [Old French], and Targum Yonatan [renders it with] a term of "will" (ratzon).
Not so. Not by law:
Radak
"For [the land is full of] adulterers." How could they [the false prophets] make their deeds appear good, seeing that the land is full of adulterers? And furthermore, because of these [curses] the land mourns, and because of false oaths the land is ruined — these two evils prevail among most of the people of the land. How then could the false prophets deceive them into thinking that no evil will come upon them, when they see with their own eyes that most of the land of Israel is ruined because of the multitude of their evil deeds?
"Pastures of the desert." A place for grazing livestock.
"And their running was evil." Their swiftness and running were for evil, for they did not run to perform a mitzvah or to serve God, but only for evil.
And their strength is not so. And likewise, their strength is not for the sake of truth.
"[כן —] Thus." Its meaning is "true," as in "Rightly do the daughters of Zelophehad speak" [Numbers 27:7]. [Israel] should have prevailed over the false prophets and kept them from recounting their dreams and their false words; instead, they prevail over the true prophets and tell them not to prophesy in the name of the Lord, as they said to Jeremiah: "Do not prophesy in the name of the Lord, and you shall not die by our hand." And Jonathan rendered [the word] "merutzatam" (their running) in the sense of "will/desire"; and so too he rendered [the verse]: "and because they walk after the desire of their own souls, evil shall come upon them, and their might shall not prosper."
Metzudat David
"For they are adulterers." For through them the land is full of adultery and whoredom.
"Because of the curse": Because of the false oath that comes about on their account, the land will be ruined, and the dwellings of the wilderness, which are the grazing places for the sheep, will dry up.
Their running. That which they run to do with haste is only for evil and not for good:
"And their strength." The fortitude of heart within them is not based on something true and correct.
Metzudat Zion
"אלה" – the matter of an oath, as it is written: "and hears a voice of adjuration" (Leviticus 5:1).
"abelah." The meaning is one of ruin, as it is written: "therefore the land is laid waste" (Hosea 4:3).
"נאות." The term means "dwelling," akin to "in pastures of grass" (Psalms 23):
"Wilderness." At times, the place of pasture is adjacent to the wilderness, and so too: "the sheep that were in the wilderness" (I Samuel 17).
Their running. From the term for running and the swiftness of walking:
Yes. It is correct and true, as in: "his boasts are not right" (Isaiah 16):
Malbim
"Ki," meaning that in prophecy I saw: A. Their sins, for the land is full of adulterers; B. Their punishment, for because of these things the land mourns. And "vatehi" (it came to pass) means that just as they run to do evil, so too is their might not so; they will not be able to prevail against the enemy.
For both prophet and priest are ungodly; Indeed, in My house have I found their wickedness, Says Hashem. .
verse value 2233
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 40 letters. The shortest word is "they·was·profaned" (חָנֵ֑פוּ, 4 letters) and the longest is "for·both·prophet" (כִּֽי־גַם־נָבִ֥יא, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "they·was·profaned" (חָנֵ֑פוּ), "also·in·my·house" (גַּם־בְּבֵיתִ֛י). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "says·Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "for·both·prophet" (root בוא, 211x in Jeremiah); "also·in·my·house" (root בית, 128x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·was·profaned', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: כִּֽי־גַם־נָבִ֥יא [for·both·prophet] (136) + גַם־כֹּהֵ֖ן [also·priest] (118) + חָנֵ֑פוּ [they·was·profaned] (144) + גַּם־בְּבֵיתִ֛י [also·in·my·house] (467) + מָצָ֥אתִי [I·have·found] (541) + רָעָתָ֖ם [their·evil] (710) + נְאֻם־יְהֹוָֽה [says·Hashem] (117) = 2233.
Rashi
“Even a prophet, even a priest.” Even those from whom everyone learns:
Also in my house I found their evil. For they set up an image in the Temple:
Radak
"For even the prophet and even the priest are profane." [חנפו] is vocalized with a tzere, following the pattern of the pa'al [verb-form]. And the meaning of "prophet and priest" is as in its Targum: "for both scribe and priest" — that is to say, "scribe" [here] means one who admonishes the people, for prophecy is a matter of speech: some of it is speech of the Holy Spirit, and some of it is speech of false words, like the words of the false prophets. And so too, one who admonishes the people speaks to them, according to his own understanding, words to warn them. And "priest" refers to one of the Levitical priests, as it says, "Even in My house I found their evil."
"חנפו" – The matter [of] the wicked and showing partiality; and the Targum [renders it]: "They stole their path."
“Even in My house.” For even in the Temple they served and sacrificed to other gods.
Metzudat David
A prophet: This refers to a false prophet.
Kohen. This refers to the priest of Baal.
"Chanafu." They flatter people and do not speak the truth.
“Even in my house.” In the Temple I found their evil, for they were offering sacrifices there to other gods.
Malbim
"For," and there is no one who will guide them on the good path, neither the prophet by means of prophecy, nor the priest by means of the Torah, for both the prophet and the priest have acted corruptly, and it is not that they themselves fear the Lord who dwells among them in the chosen House, for even in My house I have found their evil.
Wherefore their way shall be to them as slippery places in the darkness, They shall be thrust, and fall therein; For I will bring evil upon them, Even the year of their visitation, Says Hashem.
verse value 3453
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 67 letters. The shortest word is "in·it" (בָ֑הּ, 2 letters) and the longest is "as·flatteries" (כַּחֲלַקְלַקּוֹת֙, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "their·way" (דַרְכָּ֜ם), "as·flatteries" (כַּחֲלַקְלַקּוֹת֙), "darkness" (בָּאֲפֵלָ֔ה). 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "says·Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "upon·them" (root על, 276x in Jeremiah); "it·will·be" (root היה, 250x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·it', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 6 words.
Rashi
Like smoothness. A smooth land in which the foot slips, and a person falls.
"Like slippery places in darkness." A stumbling compounded upon a stumbling: slippery ground in the light [also] causes a stumbling; darkness without slippery ground [also] causes a stumbling.
Radak
Therefore, it shall be like slipping in darkness. Just as slippery paths cause the foot of the one walking on them to stumble, all the more so when there is darkness, so that he cannot see where to place his support and where to go.
They shall be pushed and fall into it. As though one were pushing them from behind, for in any case they will fall into it; and due to the swiftness of the fall, it mentions three causes: the smoothness of the path, the darkness, and the pushing. "Yidchu" is accented on the penultimate syllable, contrary to the custom of verbs weak in the final root letter (lamed-heh/lamed-yod verbs), which are ordinarily accented on the final syllable.
Metzudat David
Their way is for them. This means that they will stumble in their way, like one who walks in darkness on a smooth surface, where it is easy for his feet to slip.
They shall be pushed aside. They shall be driven from their place and fall along the way:
"For I will bring." With this, [the commentator] explains the beginning of the verse, to say that the stumbling block will be: "For I will bring the evil."
Their reckoning. A remembrance of their sins to repay them their due:
Metzudat Zion
Like slipperiness. From the word "chalak" (smooth/slippery):
In the darkness. The matter of darkness:
פקודתם (pekudatam). The meaning is one of remembrance:
Malbim
Therefore, their way shall be to them like slippery ground in the dark, for one who walks on a smooth path during the day can guard himself from falling, but if he walks in darkness, then he will be thrust and fall in the slipperiness. So too, if the prophet and the priest had shown them the way, they would have been guarded, but they did not illuminate light, and they remained in darkness, exiled. And it explains that they will be thrust and fall in their evil way, for I will bring calamity upon them, for their measure is filled.
And I have seen unseemliness in the prophets of Samaria: They prophesied by Baal, And caused My people Israel to err.
verse value 3936
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 47 letters. The shortest word is "prayer" (תִפְלָ֑ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·in·prophets·of" (וּבִנְבִיאֵ֥י, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·in·prophets·of" (וּבִנְבִיאֵ֥י), "prayer" (תִפְלָ֑ה), "they·prophesied" (הִנַּבְּא֣וּ). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·in·prophets·of" (root נביא, 93x in Jeremiah); "I·have·seen" (root ראה, 71x in Jeremiah); "they·prophesied" (root נבא, 37x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root שמרון ("Samaria") in Jeremiah. First appearance of the root תעה ("and·caused·to·err") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'prayer', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 5 words. Full calculation: וּבִנְבִיאֵ֥י [and·in·prophets·of] (81) + שֹׁמְר֖וֹן [Samaria] (596) + רָאִ֣יתִי [I·have·seen] (621) + תִפְלָ֑ה [prayer] (515) + הִנַּבְּא֣וּ [they·prophesied] (64) + בַבַּ֔עַל [by·Baal] (104) + וַיַּתְע֥וּ [and·caused·to·err] (492) + אֶת־עַמִּ֖י [my·people] (521) + אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵֽל [Israel] (942) = 3936.
Rashi
And among the prophets of Samaria I saw an unseemly thing. Before they were exiled:
Radak
"And among the prophets of Samaria," tiflah. As in, "Your prophets have seen for you falsehood and vapidity (tafel)" [Lamentations 2:14]. It is not to be read as tefillah (prayer); rather, the sense is of something bad that has no reason to it.
“Who prophesied by Baal.” For Ahab served Baal, and many false prophets arose, prophesying by Baal; there were four hundred and fifty men in the days of Ahab, whom Elijah put to death. Afterward, others arose, whom Jehu put to death. They led Israel astray until they were exiled for their sin. But in Jerusalem, prophets of Baal did not arise, nor did the kings of Judah serve Baal, except for Manasseh, who afterward returned in repentance. The word “hinabe’u” [they prophesied] lacks the tav of the hitpa’el [prefix]; its expected grammatical form would be “hitnabe’u.”
Metzudat David
“And the prophets of Samaria”: This means that just as I have seen from the prophets of Samaria a bad thing without reason, and this is what they prophesied in the name of Baal and led His people astray to go in an evil way.
Metzudat Zion
"Tiflah." [The word] denotes a matter of inferior quality, devoid of savor; and similarly, "nor did he ascribe anything untoward to God" (Job 1:22).
And they went astray. From the language of "a wanderer" (to'eh):
Malbim
And concerning the prophets of Samaria, etc., and concerning the prophets of Jerusalem, etc., he says that he saw that the prophets of Jerusalem were worse than the prophets of Samaria, for among the prophets of Samaria I saw an unseemly thing, in that they did not sin with intent and deceit, but only because they lacked understanding and knowledge, and they erred regarding Baal, thinking that Baal was prophesying through them and that there was truth in him; therefore they prophesied in the name of Baal, and by this they led Israel astray. But among the prophets of Jerusalem I saw a horrifying, exceedingly disgraceful matter, for they did not err regarding Baal at all, but rather, because they committed adultery and desired to satisfy the cravings of their hearts, they therefore went after falsehood, which they themselves knew was false. Moreover, they did not lead the people astray through prophecy of Baal, but rather they strengthened the hands of evildoers so that no one would turn from his evil. Until the prophets and the people were not merely leading astray, but were fabricating falsehoods to satisfy their desires. And in this regard, they were all like Sodom to Me, and the people were like Gomorrah, for they had statutes that were not good, in order to satisfy their desires.
But in the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible thing: They commit adultery, and walk in lies, And they strengthen the hands of evil-doers, That none does return from his wickedness; They are all of them become to Me as Sodom, And the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah.
verse value 6120
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 87 letters. Verse gematria: 6120 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "hand" (יְדֵ֣י, 3 letters) and the longest is "so·that·not·turn·back" (לְבִ֨לְתִּי־שָׁ֔בוּ, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 61: and·walk, they·became·to·me. 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·in·prophets·of" (וּבִנְבִאֵ֨י), "horrible thing" (שַׁעֲרוּרָ֗ה), "commit·adultery" (נָא֞וֹף). 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "they·became·to·me" (root היה, 250x in Jeremiah); "all·of·them" (root כל, 167x in Jeremiah); "man" (root איש, 153x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root סדם ("as·Sodom") in Jeremiah. First appearance of the root עמרה ("as·Gomorrah") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·his·wickedness', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 5 words.
Rashi
"And among the prophets of Jerusalem." I see now that it is a matter of disgrace:
And strengthen the hands of the wicked. They say to the wicked, "There will be peace for you."
"lest they return" – so that the evildoers shall not return, each from his evil.
Radak
And concerning the prophets of Jerusalem: They did not prophesy in the name of Baal, but there was in them an evil way.
"Sha'arurah" [a horrifying/appalling thing] — meaning: wickedness and filth.
Na'of. As it is stated regarding Zedekiah and Ahab: "And they committed adultery with the wives of their companions."
"And walking in falsehood." For they were saying that the word of the Lord was in them.
“And strengthen the hands of the wicked.” For they would say to them, “Peace be with you.” Therefore, they did not return from their evil.
“L’vilti shavu” – meaning, they did not return; that is to say, they caused them not to return. And similarly, “l’vilti hakriv” – meaning, not to offer; “l’vilti ra’u” – meaning, what they did not see.
As Sodom. Like the men of Sodom:
"And its inhabitants [were] like Gomorrah." The inhabitants of Jerusalem were like the men of Gomorrah — meaning that the prophets were like the people, and the people were like the prophets, in wickedness and in evil deeds.
Metzudat David
“And the prophets of Jerusalem.” This means: “Thus I see among the prophets of Jerusalem a disgraceful matter, namely that they are steeped in adultery, they walk in falsehood, and they strengthen the hands of the wicked so that they do not return from their evil, for they prophesy to them peace.”
"All of them." All the sons of Judah:
And its inhabitants. The inhabitants of Jerusalem:
Metzudat Zion
"Something horrifying." The matter refers to something disgraceful, as in the phrase "an appalling and horrible thing" (above, 5).
Adultery. The matter of harlotry:
"Evildoers." Wicked ones.
Therefore thus says Hashem of hosts concerning the prophets: Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, And make them drink the water of gall; For from the prophets of Jerusalem Is ungodliness gone forth into all the land.
verse value 5084
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 85 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֤ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֗י, 2 letters) and the longest is "upon·the·prophets" (עַל־הַנְּבִאִ֔ים, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "feeding" (מַאֲכִ֤יל), "and·I·will·make·them·drink" (וְהִשְׁקִתִ֖ים), "prophets·of" (נְבִיאֵ֣י). The root נביא appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "thus·said" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "for" (root כי, 318x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'water·of·gall', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 7 words.
Radak
Therefore, He feeds them wormwood. I will bring upon them a severe affliction, bitter as wormwood and like the water of the head, which is the poison of death.
Flattery. The wicked one and the dignitary [man of rank] — for they make their deeds appear fair to them and show them favor [lift up their faces] so as not to reprove them.
"To the whole land." To all the inhabitants of the land of Judah:
Metzudat David
“Behold, I will feed them...” – This means: I will bring upon them many and great afflictions.
"For from..." etc. Through them flattery spread throughout the land. He means to say that all of them flatter their [evil] inclination in order to satisfy its desire.
Metzudat Zion
"Wormwood." A type of bitter herb.
"And I will give them to drink." The matter of drinking.
"Mei rosh" [waters of the rosh plant]. This refers to the juice of a squeezed bitter herb called "rosh," as in "and he made me drink mei rosh" (above, 8).
Malbim
Therefore, behold, I will feed them with wormwood and they shall receive their punishment, for from the prophets of Jerusalem has gone forth flattery, which is a forgery that speaks with his mouth the opposite of what is in his heart.
Thus says Hashem of hosts: Hearken not to the words of the prophets that prophesy to you, They lead you to vanity; They speak a vision of their own heart, And not out of the mouth of Hashem.
verse value 3450
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 76 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֣ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 3450 is divisible by 50, the years to the Jubilee (yovel). The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֖א, 2 letters) and the longest is "do·not·hearken" (אַֽל־תִּשְׁמְע֞וּ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 108: the·prophets, spokesman. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "deluding" (מַהְבִּלִ֥ים). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "thus·said" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "not" (root לא, 307x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'you', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 6 words.
Radak
Thus it is said, concerning the words of the prophets. Like [if it were written] "to the words" (el divrei). And so [we find], "Elkanah went to Ramah, to his house" — like "to his house" (el beito). And [likewise], "the book is given to him who does not know reading" — like "to" (el).
"They delude [you]." They entice you with words of vanity, saying, "Peace shall be with you," for the vision that they speak is from their own heart, not from the mouth of the Lord.
Metzudat David
"On the words." [I.e.,] to the words:
"They delude [you]." They tell you words of vanity:
"Vision of their heart." They speak according to the appearance of their heart, for they did not see [it] in prophecy, but rather invent [it] from their own heart.
Metzudat Zion
“They delude.” From the language of “vanity” (hevel):
Chazon: The matter of vision, and according to the majority of usages, it refers to the sight of prophecy.
Malbim
“Do not listen to them” warns the people not to heed them, for they are deceiving you by speaking empty words that have no substance. And what they say in the name of the Lord is falsehood, for they speak according to the vision of their own heart. At times they may speak falsehood in the name of the Lord, yet the matter is not empty and has some benefit; but the words they are uttering are both falsehood and emptiness.
They say continually to them that despise Me: ‘Hashem has said: You shall have peace’; And to every one that walks in the stubbornness of his own heart they say: ‘No evil shall come upon you’;
verse value 3876
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 66 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "has·spoken" (דִּבֶּ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·those·who·despise·Me" (לִֽמְנַאֲצַ֔י, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 247: say, they·said. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "say" (אָמוֹר֙), "to·those·who·despise·Me" (לִֽמְנַאֲצַ֔י). The root אמר appears 3 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "saying" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "upon·you" (root על, 276x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·you', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 8 words.
Rashi
"And every one that walketh after the stubbornness of his heart, etc. And to every one that walketh after the stubbornness of his heart, etc.:"
Radak
They say "Say" [amor]. The infinitive usually comes before the verb, and when it comes after the verb, it serves to strengthen the action, like "Vayevarekh, barukh, otam" (and He blessed, a blessing, them) and the like.
"And every one that walks in the stubbornness of his heart." Like [if it were written] "and to all who walk" — the letter lamed of "to those who despise Me," which was [already] mentioned, stands in place of two [i.e., it serves double duty for both phrases].
Metzudat David
"They surely say." They are accustomed to saying to the wicked who despise Me: "The Lord has spoken: peace shall be yours."
"And all who walk" – "To all who walk in the stubbornness of their heart" it is said, etc.
Metzudat Zion
"Limna'atzai" – the matter of contempt, as it is stated: "For the men had treated the offering of the Lord with contempt" (1 Samuel 2:17).
And all. Just as it says “and to all”:
“in their own will.” The matter of “seeing” means that which the heart sees and covets.
Malbim
They say: “Tell the despisers,”—this demonstrates the falsity of their ways, how they incited each person with different faces and how they contradict themselves. For if they spoke with those who believed in prophecy—that God would prophesy through a person—only that they despise and mock God and do not heed His reproof, to them they would say, “The LORD has spoken: Peace will be to you.” They would tell them that God spoke that there would be peace for them. But to all who walk according to the stubbornness of their heart, they said, “No evil shall befall you.” For if they spoke with those who deny prophecy and do not believe in it, due to the stubbornness of their heart in heresy, they would say to them, “No evil shall befall you, for who has stood in the secret of the Lord?” They would claim that what the prophets prophesied in the name of God, that evil would come, is a lie, for it is impossible that God should speak with a person and that a person should stand in the secret of the Lord.
For who has stood in the council of Hashem, That he should perceive and hear His word? Who has attended to His word, and heard it?
verse value 2869
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 50 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "who?·has·attended" (מִי־הִקְשִׁ֥יב, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 426: and·he·heard, and·he·heard. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "in·council·of" (בְּס֣וֹד), "His·word" (אֶת־דְּבָר֑וֹ), "who?·has·attended" (מִי־הִקְשִׁ֥יב). The root דבר appears 3 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "for" (root כי, 318x in Jeremiah); "His·word" (root דבר, 270x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'His·word', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 4 words. Full calculation: כִּ֣י [for] (30) + מִ֤י [who?] (50) + עָמַד֙ [stood] (114) + בְּס֣וֹד [in·council·of] (72) + יְהֹוָ֔ה [Hashem] (26) + וְיֵ֖רֶא [and·He·beholds] (217) + וְיִשְׁמַ֣ע [and·he·heard] (426) + אֶת־דְּבָר֑וֹ [His·word] (613) + מִי־הִקְשִׁ֥יב [who?·has·attended] (467) + (דברי) [speech] (216) + דְּבָר֖וֹ [His·word] (212) + וַיִּשְׁמָֽע [and·he·heard] (426) = 2869.
Rashi
Who stood in the counsel of the Lord? And who heard what was decreed before Him? It is the one who heeded the word of His Torah and listened to His commandments, and not these wicked ones. The first "hearing" in this verse is actual hearing, whereas the second "hearing" refers to acceptance.
Radak
"For who stood." For who among them stood in the secret of the Name, meaning, in the secret of prophecy? And how could they say that the word of the Lord is with them?
And he saw. Explanation: In a prophetic vision:
And he heard. The first [instance of the word] has a vav with a shva, and the second has a vav with a patach.
Metzudat David
"For who has stood." He provides a reason for why they will not listen to them, saying: "For who among these has stood in the secret of the Lord to receive prophecy, and who has seen the visions of prophecy, and who among them has heard His word?" For since they are wicked, they are not worthy of prophecy.
"Who has listened?" Indeed, he who has listened to His word, like Jeremiah who listened to the voice of the Lord and performed His commandments, is the one who hears the prophecy, and not these wicked ones.
Metzudat Zion
In the secret. This means: in the place of the influence of prophecy.
“Hearken.” The matter of listening and receiving:
Malbim
"For who has stood in the secret of the Lord?" they said, that prophecy in its entirety is impossible: 1. For it is impossible for a person to stand and know the secret of the Lord; 2. And "He saw and heard His word" – how is it possible that a person should see a vision in prophecy and hear His word, whereas the Lord cannot be attained by the physical eye, and the ear cannot hear His word, for these are corporeal matters that cannot be attributed to the Creator; 3. "Who has listened to His word and heard it?" – even if one were to listen from afar, like a bat kol (a heavenly voice) or a spiritual voice, whereby one would hear and understand, this is an impossibility according to the nature of man; and how can one who dwells in a house of matter attain the matters of divinity, which are without limit [infinite] and non-corporeal? All these were their arguments if they spoke with the deniers; even so, if they spoke with those who believe in prophecy, they said to them: "Prophecy with falsehood in the name of the Lord."
Behold, a storm of Hashem is gone forth in fury, Indeed, a whirling storm; It shall whirl upon the head of the wicked.
verse value 3100
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 42 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 3100 is divisible by 50, the years to the Jubilee (yovel). The shortest word is "upon" (עַ֛ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "travails" (מִתְחוֹלֵ֑ל, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "travails" (מִתְחוֹלֵ֑ל). The root סער appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "upon" (root על, 276x in Jeremiah); "they" (root הן, 130x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root סער ("storm·of") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'travails', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 4 words. Full calculation: הִנֵּ֣ה [they] (60) + סַעֲרַ֣ת [storm·of] (730) + יְהֹוָ֗ה [Hashem] (26) + חֵמָה֙ [wrath] (53) + יָֽצְאָ֔ה [went·forth] (106) + וְסַ֖עַר [and·tempest] (336) + מִתְחוֹלֵ֑ל [travails] (514) + עַ֛ל [upon] (100) + רֹ֥אשׁ [head] (501) + רְשָׁעִ֖ים [wicked] (620) + יָחֽוּל [will·twist] (54) = 3100.
Rashi
"Mitcholel." It means: it settles, it goes around seeking to dwell; "and upon the head of the wicked shall it dwell."
Radak
"Behold, the storm of the Lord's wrath has gone forth." The text uses the past tense for a future event, as is common in many prophetic passages, for the word of the Lord in prophecy is considered as if it has already occurred. This prophecy refers to the days of the Messiah, when all the wicked will be destroyed. He speaks of this matter concerning the wicked false prophets, for he has already stated that He will execute judgment upon them, as He said, "Behold, I will feed them wormwood." And he says: although God has not yet executed judgment upon all the wicked, behold, days are coming when the storm of the Lord will go forth.
"[In] fury it has gone forth." In fury, that storm will go forth from before God and rest upon the wicked until they are consumed.
And a storm is stirred up. The repetition of the matter serves to strengthen the point, and Jonathan the Aramaic translator rendered them with a slight distinction between them: he translated “storm” as *mizufita* (a violent storm), and he translated “and a storm is stirred up” as *ve'al'ul mishtagesh* (and a tumult is agitated). The meaning of *mitchalal* and *yachel* is the sense of falling and settling, as in “they shall fall upon the head of Joab.”
Metzudat David
"Fury has gone forth." [It means:] it shall go forth in fury; [this is] a past tense [verb] used in place of a future one.
"And a storm is stirring." This storm is full of shuddering and trembling, and it will alight and dwell upon the heads of these wicked ones, who are the false prophets.
Metzudat Zion
"Se'arat." A stormy wind:
"Fury." Just as it says "with fury":
"Mitcholel." From the language of "chil" (writhing/labor pain) and "chalchal" (trembling):
"Yachul" — means "to rest/settle," like "yecholu" in "upon the head of Joab" (2 Samuel 3):
Malbim
Behold, in response to what they said to the two factions that there would be peace and that no evil would come, He says: "Behold, the storm of the Lord, wrath, has gone forth." The wrath of the Lord has already gone forth, and it is the storm of the Lord, from which a whirlwind is generated, arising and circling around, and it will fall upon the heads of the wicked.
The anger of Hashem shall not return, until He have executed, and till He have performed the purposes of His heart; in the end of days you shall consider it perfectly.
verse value 3792
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 58 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֤א, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·until·he·performed" (וְעַד־הֲקִימ֖וֹ, 8 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "understanding" (בִּינָֽה). The root בין appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·anger·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "not" (root לא, 307x in Jeremiah); "you·shall·consider" (root בין, 146x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·heart', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 5 words. Full calculation: לֹ֤א [not] (31) + יָשׁוּב֙ [he·will·return] (318) + אַף־יְהֹוָ֔ה [the·anger·of·Hashem] (107) + עַד־עֲשֹׂת֥וֹ [until·He·executes] (850) + וְעַד־הֲקִימ֖וֹ [and·until·he·performed] (241) + מְזִמּ֣וֹת [purpose] (493) + לִבּ֑וֹ [his·heart] (38) + בְּאַֽחֲרִית֙ [in·end·of] (621) + הַיָּמִ֔ים [day] (105) + תִּתְבּ֥וֹנְנוּ [you·shall·consider] (914) + בָ֖הּ [in·it] (7) + בִּינָֽה [understanding] (67) = 3792.
Rashi
"Mezimot." It is an expression denoting thought.
Radak
"It shall not return... in the latter days." This is in the days of the Messiah, and then you will perceive this prophecy, for until those days, behold, it is as if you do not perceive it, since you do not see the destruction of the wicked. And in his saying "binah" [understanding] after "titbonenu" [you shall perceive], it is to add clarification and to strengthen the action, like [the verses] "Hashem was angry with your fathers, angry" and "David fasted a fast," "in order to slaughter, he slaughtered," and the like. And in his saying "titbonenu" [you, plural, shall perceive] and not saying "yitbonenu" [they shall perceive], it alludes to the resurrection of the dead in the days of the Messiah.
Metzudat David
"He shall not return, etc." – He shall not withdraw from them the fierceness of His anger until He carries out and fulfills the thoughts of His heart.
"In the latter days." This means: if He delays, behold, at the end of the days, when it is fulfilled, you will contemplate in it understanding that the Lord has not relented from His fierce anger, even though the time has been prolonged.
Metzudat Zion
"His fulfilling [it]." From the language of "establishment":
"Schemes." [This refers to] thoughts, like the word “scheme” in the verse: “A field” (Proverbs 31:16).
At the end. At the conclusion:
Malbim
No—the anger of the Lord, too, will not turn back until He carries out the intentions of His heart to take vengeance upon them, and in the end of days they will perceive that the Lord punished them for having transgressed against Him.
I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran; I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.
verse value 2478
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 40 letters. Notable word values: "to·them" (אֲלֵיהֶ֖ם) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "and·abundance" (וְהֵ֣ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·prophets" (אֶת־הַנְּבִאִ֖ים, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 51: and·abundance, and·abundance. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "not·I·have·sent" (לֹא־שָׁלַ֥חְתִּי), "the·prophets" (אֶת־הַנְּבִאִ֖ים), "they·ran" (רָ֑צוּ). The root הם appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not·I·have·spoken" (root דבר, 270x in Jeremiah); "to·them" (root אל, 204x in Jeremiah); "and·abundance" (root הם, 132x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·ran', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: לֹא־שָׁלַ֥חְתִּי [not·I·have·sent] (779) + אֶת־הַנְּבִאִ֖ים [the·prophets] (509) + וְהֵ֣ם [and·abundance] (51) + רָ֑צוּ [they·ran] (296) + לֹא־דִבַּ֥רְתִּי [not·I·have·spoken] (647) + אֲלֵיהֶ֖ם [to·them] (86) + וְהֵ֥ם [and·abundance] (51) + נִבָּֽאוּ [they·prophesied] (59) = 2478.
Radak
"I did not send the prophets. These are false prophets; I did not send them:"
And they ran. They hastened to say to the people words which they fabricated from their own hearts in My Name:
Metzudat David
"And they ran." With great speed, as if they were sent on a mission:
And they prophesied. From their own hearts, and they did not hear from Me:
Metzudat Zion
"Ratzu." From the language of "running" and speed of walking:
Malbim
"I did not send [the prophets]," and in response to what they said to those who despise the Lord, that the Lord spoke peace, and that there is among them prophecy from the Lord, He says, "I did not send the prophets," and not only did I not send them on a mission to the people, but I also did not speak to them at all.
But if they have stood in My council, Then let them cause My people to hear My words, And turn them from their evil way, And from the evil of their doings.
verse value 2902
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 52 letters. The shortest word is "the·evil" (הָרָ֔ע, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·if·they·have·stood" (וְאִם־עָמְד֖וּ, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·if·they·have·stood" (וְאִם־עָמְד֖וּ), "in·my·council" (בְּסוֹדִ֑י), "and·turn·them·back" (וִֽישִׁבוּם֙). The root רע appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "my·words" (root דבר, 270x in Jeremiah); "and·they·heard" (root שמע, 184x in Jeremiah); "and·turn·them·back" (root שוב, 106x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·my·council', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 8 words. Full calculation: וְאִם־עָמְד֖וּ [and·if·they·have·stood] (167) + בְּסוֹדִ֑י [in·my·council] (82) + וְיַשְׁמִ֤עוּ [and·they·heard] (432) + דְבָרַי֙ [my·words] (216) + אֶת־עַמִּ֔י [my·people] (521) + וִֽישִׁבוּם֙ [and·turn·them·back] (364) + מִדַּרְכָּ֣ם [from·their·way] (304) + הָרָ֔ע [the·evil] (275) + וּמֵרֹ֖עַ [and·from·evil·of] (316) + מַעַלְלֵיהֶֽם [their·deeds] (225) = 2902.
Rashi
"And if they had stood in My counsel and caused My words to be heard, etc." They should have caused My words and My Torah to be heard by My people, and not led them astray from Me with it.
Radak
“And if they stand in My secrets.” If it is as they say that they stood in My secrets and the matter of prophecy came to them from Me, they shall cause My words to be heard by My people, not a false word, and they shall turn them back from their evil way, so that they do not support the hands of the wicked. And the vav in “and they shall cause to hear” is like the vav in “and she shall be impure for two weeks like her menstruation,” and “and I will give your rains,” and their like; it is conditional, meaning: if this is so, then that will be so.
Metzudat David
"And if they had stood in My counsel" means: If it is as they claim, that they stood in His counsel to receive prophecy, it would have been fitting for them to proclaim to the people the words that I spoke in My Torah, in order to turn them back from their evil ways, and not to continue leading them into transgression.
Metzudat Zion
And they would turn them back. From the language of returning:
Their deeds. Their actions:
Malbim
And if they stood in my counsel, he brings proof that He did not speak with them at all; rather, if they stood in my counsel as they claim, that I revealed My counsel to them, should it not have been fitting for them to proclaim My words to My people and turn them back from their evil ways, and not to strengthen the hands of evildoers and entice them not to repent, for the Lord does not send a prophet to speak to them that there shall be peace for them and that they need not do repentance.
Am I a God near at hand, says Hashem, And not a God afar off?
verse value 1002
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 30 letters. The shortest word is "I" (אָ֖נִי, 3 letters) and the longest is "says·Hashem" (נְאֻם־יְהֹוָ֑ה, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "am·I·the·God" (הַאֱלֹהֵ֧י). The root אלהים appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "says·Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "and·not" (root לא, 307x in Jeremiah); "am·I·the·God" (root אלהים, 140x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'says·Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: הַאֱלֹהֵ֧י [am·I·the·God] (51) + מִקָּרֹ֛ב [recently] (342) + אָ֖נִי [I] (61) + נְאֻם־יְהֹוָ֑ה [says·Hashem] (117) + וְלֹ֥א [and·not] (37) + אֱלֹהֵ֖י [the·God·of] (46) + מֵרָחֹֽק [from·afar] (348) = 1002.
Rashi
“The Divine One is near.” This means that I see only what is close to Me, and I do not have the power to judge the lower beings, who are distant from Me, nor do I know their deeds.
Radak
"Ha-Elohi mekarov" – The Divine One who is near. Just as it is said of other gods, "They are new, they have come recently" (Deuteronomy 32:17), implying that I am not a God who is distant. Rather, from the creation of the world, people have known Me, for I am the God of the world. I am not like those new gods who cannot see and cannot hear; rather, I see the deeds of people and I hear their words. And I hear the words of the prophets who prophesy falsely in My name. And the Targum translates: "I am the God of the covenant of the world," etc., as in the previous column.
Metzudat David
"Am I a God who is near?" This means: Do I not see and judge only those who are close to Me, and not the lower beings who are distant from the place of My dwelling?
Malbim
The Divine, and in response to what they said, "To everyone who walks in the stubbornness of his heart," referring to those who deny that prophecy is at all possible, He answers them: If you claim that the Lord is exceedingly exalted above the lowly world and that He does not prophesy to those who dwell in the lowly world, which is distant from the dwelling of His might, [He says]: "Am I a God only when near, and not a God when far?" Am I a God only for the upper world, which is near, and not for the lower world, which is distant? Do I have concepts of distance and nearness? Is it not so that My Presence is in every place? And if you claim that the Lord does not see and oversee the deeds of human beings, He answers: "If a man hides in hiding places, shall I not see him?" There is no barrier of spatial distance or separating partition that obstructs [My vision]. Do I not fill the heavens and the earth? There is no place empty of My glory and My oversight, and nothing is concealed or hidden from Me.
Can any hide himself in secret places That I shall not see him? says Hashem. Do not I fill heaven and earth? Says Hashem.
verse value 4037
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 65 letters. The shortest word is "man" (אִ֧ישׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·the·secret·places" (בַּמִּסְתָּרִ֛ים, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 117: says·Hashem, says·Hashem. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "if·he·hides·himself" (אִם־יִסָּתֵ֨ר), "not·I·shall·see·him" (לֹֽא־אֶרְאֶ֖נּוּ). The root אני appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "says·Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "is·it·not" (root לא, 307x in Jeremiah); "and·the·earth" (root ארץ, 245x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'says·Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: אִם־יִסָּתֵ֨ר [if·he·hides·himself] (711) + אִ֧ישׁ [man] (311) + בַּמִּסְתָּרִ֛ים [in·the·secret·places] (752) + וַאֲנִ֥י [and·I] (67) + לֹֽא־אֶרְאֶ֖נּוּ [not·I·shall·see·him] (289) + נְאֻם־יְהֹוָ֑ה [says·Hashem] (117) + הֲל֨וֹא [is·it·not] (42) + אֶת־הַשָּׁמַ֧יִם [the·heavens] (796) + וְאֶת־הָאָ֛רֶץ [and·the·earth] (703) + אֲנִ֥י [I] (61) + מָלֵ֖א [filling] (71) + נְאֻם־יְהֹוָֽה [says·Hashem] (117) = 4037.
Rashi
"If a man hides himself." This is a doubling of the rhetorical question, "Am I a God near?" [v. 23], as is the manner of all doubled rhetorical questions.
Radak
"If He hides Himself, I am filled." This is akin to the verse, "And the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle," which means that it filled the Tabernacle, for this is said regarding the light that was created. "For I am filled" means "I fill," implying that I am in every place. This is a metaphorical expression, for the Blessed One is not a body that occupies space; rather, it means that His providence is in every place, in the heavens and on the earth. And the Targum translates it as "My glory fills [heaven and earth]."
Metzudat David
"If He hides Himself" – Does it not mean that even if a person hides in a concealed place, I will still see him?
Is it not so, etc.? I am full; if so, in the place where one hides, there I am.
I have heard what the prophets have said, That prophesy lies in My name, saying: ‘I have dreamed, I have dreamed.’
verse value 4384
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 47 letters. The shortest word is "lie" (שֶׁ֖קֶר, 3 letters) and the longest is "that·have·said" (אֲשֶׁר־אָֽמְרוּ֙, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 488: I·dreamed, I·dreamed. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "that·have·said" (אֲשֶׁר־אָֽמְרוּ֙). The root חלם appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "that·have·said" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah); "I·heard" (root שמע, 184x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root חלם ("I·dreamed") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'saying', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 2 words.
Radak
"I heard," "I dreamed, I dreamed." The verb is doubled to intensify the matter, and they used to say that it was a dream of prophecy.
Metzudat David
I have heard. This means: Since nothing is hidden from Me, therefore I have heard what they prophesy in My name falsely, saying all day long, “I dreamed, I dreamed,” and they treat their simple, imaginary dreams as prophetic dreams.
Malbim
I heard that after he spoke about those who fabricate lies, claiming that the Lord sent them to prophesy, he spoke about another sect who dreamed dreams and recounted them as if they were prophetic dreams. And this is what the verse says: "I heard what they said, 'I dreamed, I dreamed.'"
How long shall this be? Is it in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies, And the prophets of the deceit of their own heart?
verse value 2840
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 38 letters. The shortest word is "being" (הֲיֵ֛שׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·prophets" (הַנְּבִאִ֖ים, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "in·heart·of" (בְּלֵ֥ב), "prophesying" (נִבְּאֵ֣י), "and·prophets·of" (וּנְבִיאֵ֖י). The root לב appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·prophets" (root נביא, 93x in Jeremiah); "until·when" (root מות, 64x in Jeremiah); "in·heart·of" (root לב, 42x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'lie', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: עַד־מָתַ֗י [until·when] (524) + הֲיֵ֛שׁ [being] (315) + בְּלֵ֥ב [in·heart·of] (34) + הַנְּבִאִ֖ים [the·prophets] (108) + נִבְּאֵ֣י [prophesying] (63) + הַשָּׁ֑קֶר [lie] (605) + וּנְבִיאֵ֖י [and·prophets·of] (79) + תַּרְמִ֥ת [treachery] (1040) + לִבָּֽם [their·heart] (72) = 2840.
Rashi
"Until when?"—How long will they prophesy falsely? And do these prophets who prophesy falsely have it in their hearts to fulfill their thoughts, which they think, to cause My people to forget My name?
Tarmit. A term denoting deception:
Radak
"Until when will there be in the heart?" This implies: Will it be so forever, as it is stated, "Until when"?
“False prophets.” It is in the nifal conjugation.
"And the prophets of their heart's deceit." Like "deceit" [mirmah], meaning they are prophets stemming from the deceit that they think up in their heart, not that prophecy came to them.
Metzudat David
"Until when" – until when will this foolishness and error persist?
“Is it in the heart?” And do they truly have in their hearts what they constantly say, that an imaginary dream is like a prophetic dream?
"And the prophets of the deceit of their heart." But they are prophets of the cunning of their heart, for they know that there is no comparison between an imaginary dream and a prophetic dream, and with the cunning of their heart they speak with their mouths that they are similar.
Metzudat Zion
And the prophets. The vav is in place of "but."
Deceit. The matter of cunning, as in "sheker tarmitam" ("their deceit is a lie") (Psalms 119:118):
Malbim
Until when will they exchange a dream for prophecy? And the Guide [of the Perplexed] has already explained that the prophet distinguished between a simple dream, which comes through the power of the imaginative faculty, and a prophetic dream, which comes from God. And this is what is stated: "Is there in the heart of the prophets"—meaning, do they imagine so in their hearts, that it is a prophetic dream? For in a prophetic dream, there was no doubt whatsoever in the prophet's heart, and he knew clearly that it was true and certain. But they either fabricate falsehood for themselves, or their heart deceives them.
That think to cause My people to forget My name By their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbour, As their fathers forgot My name for Baal.
verse value 5773
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 65 letters. The shortest word is "my·name" (שְׁמִ֔י, 3 letters) and the longest is "by·their·dreams" (בַּחֲל֣וֹמֹתָ֔ם, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 521: my·people, as. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "that·think" (הַחֹשְׁבִ֗ים), "to·cause·to·forget" (לְהַשְׁכִּ֤יחַ), "by·their·dreams" (בַּחֲל֣וֹמֹתָ֔ם). The root שכח appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah); "man" (root איש, 153x in Jeremiah); "my·name" (root שם, 122x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root חלום ("by·their·dreams") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·his·neighbor', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 5 words. Full calculation: הַחֹשְׁבִ֗ים [that·think] (365) + לְהַשְׁכִּ֤יחַ [to·cause·to·forget] (373) + אֶת־עַמִּי֙ [my·people] (521) + שְׁמִ֔י [my·name] (350) + בַּחֲל֣וֹמֹתָ֔ם [by·their·dreams] (526) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [that] (501) + יְסַפְּר֖וּ [they·tell] (356) + אִ֣ישׁ [man] (311) + לְרֵעֵ֑הוּ [to·his·neighbor] (311) + כַּאֲשֶׁ֨ר [as] (521) + שָׁכְח֧וּ [they·forgot] (334) + אֲבוֹתָ֛ם [their·fathers] (449) + אֶת־שְׁמִ֖י [name] (751) + בַּבָּֽעַל [for·Baal] (104) = 5773.
Radak
Those who seek to make My people forget My Name. For they prevent them from heeding the true prophets who speak in My Name, just as their forefathers did when they served Baal: the prophets of Baal would prophesy to them in the name of Baal, and they would forget My Name. So too, now they forget My Name through the dreams of false prophets. And the Targum: “Just as their fathers abandoned [Me], etc.,” as stated in the column.
Metzudat David
"Those who think": Those who will scheme to cause My people to forget My name through their dreams, which they will persist in recounting to one another, so that all their occupation will be with this.
"Through Baal." Through their constant worship of the [idol] Baal.
The prophet that has a dream, let him tell a dream; And he that has My word; let him speak My word faithfully. What has the straw to do with the wheat? Says Hashem.
verse value 4749
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 63 letters. The shortest word is "with·him" (אִתּ֔וֹ, 3 letters) and the longest is "says·Hashem" (נְאֻם־יְהֹוָֽה, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 216: my·word, let·him·speak, my·word. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "let·him·tell" (יְסַפֵּ֣ר), "what?·to·the·straw" (מַה־לַתֶּ֥בֶן), "with·the·corn" (אֶת־הַבָּ֖ר). The root דבר appears 3 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "says·Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "that·with·him" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah); "my·word" (root דבר, 270x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'truth', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 3 words. Full calculation: הַנָּבִ֞יא [the·prophet] (68) + אֲשֶׁר־אִתּ֤וֹ [that·with·him] (908) + חֲלוֹם֙ [dream] (84) + יְסַפֵּ֣ר [let·him·tell] (350) + חֲל֔וֹם [dream] (84) + וַאֲשֶׁ֤ר [and·that] (507) + דְּבָרִי֙ [my·word] (216) + אִתּ֔וֹ [with·him] (407) + יְדַבֵּ֥ר [let·him·speak] (216) + דְּבָרִ֖י [my·word] (216) + אֱמֶ֑ת [truth] (441) + מַה־לַתֶּ֥בֶן [what?·to·the·straw] (527) + אֶת־הַבָּ֖ר [with·the·corn] (608) + נְאֻם־יְהֹוָֽה [says·Hashem] (117) = 4749.
Rashi
"He shall tell a dream." Let him tell it as an expression of exaggeration [idle talk], like other dreams, and not reinforce it with words of prophecy.
What is the difference between chaff and grain? What is the relevance of falsehood in relation to truth?
"'Et ha-bar' [the grain]." [It means:] 'with the grain.'
Radak
"The prophet." [Radak explains:] How can you equate the dream of a dreamer with the prophecy that comes in a dream? For the dreamer will recount his dream, and if it happens to contain a small amount of truth, it is because dreams are derived from the imagination of one's waking thoughts, and these thoughts regarding future events are not accurate in the majority of cases. And likewise it is said, "And dreamers will speak falsehoods."
"And he who has My word with him, let him speak My word in truth." [Meaning:] he shall speak a word that is true. If My word came to a prophet in a dream, he shall speak My word in truth, in which there is no falsehood at all. If so, the words of dreamers are like straw, and straw has no use except as fodder for animals or for labor, whereas grain is food for people. If so, how can they be equated — "What has straw to do with grain?" And it says, "in a dream he shall recount," but "in prophecy he shall speak," for one who recounts a dream, his words are only a narration of things he saw in his dream, just as one would narrate things he heard — the intellect has no share in them, only the faculty of imagination. But concerning the words of the prophetic dream it is said "he shall speak," for they come through the faculty of speech, meaning the intellectual faculty together with the faculty of imagination. And Jonathan translated: "Behold, just as it distinguishes between straw and grain, so it distinguishes between the wicked and the righteous." And our Sages of blessed memory said: What does grain and straw have to do with a dream? Rabbi Yochanan said: Just as it is impossible for grain to exist without straw, so it is impossible for a dream to exist without idle matters.
Metzudat David
"The prophet, etc." – This means that it is fitting for a prophet who has a simple, imaginary dream to recount it in the manner of a mere dream narrative.
"And with whom I shall speak." And "whom I shall speak to in a dream" – he shall speak a word and confirm it; that is to say, such a dream can be recounted in the manner of a prophetic narrative.
What is the case of straw? What is the relevance of straw to be compared with grain? This means: What is the relevance of an imaginary dream to be compared with a prophetic dream?
Metzudat Zion
“Into straw.” Chaff.
The word "bar." Thus is grain called, and thus [is it used] in the phrase "to buy grain" (Genesis 43):
Malbim
The prophet, meaning: Does the prophet not know the true distinction between a dream and prophecy? If he knows that it is a dream with him, he will recount it as a dream, not as prophecy. And if he knows that My word is with him and that it is prophecy, he will speak words of truth and not mix in with it dreams and nonsense. And he explained that there are three signs to distinguish between a dream and prophecy: (First examination) that the prophetic dream is not found to be mixed with any straw and refuse or any fabricated thing, but only with clean grain and true words. And so, what has straw to do with grain?
Is not My word like as fire? Says Hashem; And like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?
verse value 1576
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 33 letters. The shortest word is "thus" (כֹ֧ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "says·Hashem" (נְאֻם־יְהֹוָ֑ה, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·like·a·hammer" (וּכְפַטִּ֖ישׁ), "shatters" (יְפֹ֥צֵֽץ), "crag" (סָֽלַע). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "says·Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "is·not" (root לא, 307x in Jeremiah); "my·word" (root דבר, 270x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'says·Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. Full calculation: הֲל֨וֹא [is·not] (42) + כֹ֧ה [thus] (25) + דְבָרִ֛י [my·word] (216) + כָּאֵ֖שׁ [like·the·fire] (321) + נְאֻם־יְהֹוָ֑ה [says·Hashem] (117) + וּכְפַטִּ֖ישׁ [and·like·a·hammer] (425) + יְפֹ֥צֵֽץ [shatters] (270) + סָֽלַע [crag] (160) = 1576.
Rashi
Is it not so that His words are like fire? They should not have erred and likened dreams [to prophecy], saying that they are prophecy, for the word of prophecy, when it comes from the mouth of the prophet, comes upon him with power, like a burning fire, as it is stated: "And it was in my heart like a burning fire" (above 20:9), and it is also stated: "The hand of the Lord was upon me strongly" (Ezekiel 3:14).
And a hammer. "Pik" in the vernacular, and some say "martel" in the vernacular.
Radak
Is it not so with My words? The words of the dreamers are void, as you will see, for they say, “Peace, peace,” when there is no peace. But My words are like fire that will go forth and burn up whatever it finds, and also like a hammer that will shatter rock; no word will stand before My words to annul it, for I will do that which I have spoken, and not a word will fall to the ground.
Metzudat David
Is this not the case with these words? The dream that is prophetic in nature comes with great strength and with an excess of sensation, like a burning fire and like a hammer that shatters the rock—which is something felt very intensely—so too is the prophetic dream. But not so is the imaginative dream, for its sensation is very slight.
Metzudat Zion
"And like a hammer" – this is the mallet, like [the phrase] "the hammer of the whole earth" (below, 50):
"It shatters." The matter of breaking into many pieces, and so too: "the ancient mountains were shattered" (Habakkuk 3):
Malbim
Is it not so (the second aspect) that My word is similar to fire: just as fire burns and spreads light in the darkness, so too the word of prophecy will cast forth sparks of fire, the flame of Yah, within the power of the soul, and it will illuminate the light of the soul, and rays flash forth from its hand (the third aspect), which is like a hammer that shatters a rock into pieces; so too it will shatter the body, and its powers will be nullified, and its knees will knock one against the other.
Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, says Hashem, that steal My words every one from his neighbour.
verse value 1894
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 41 letters. The shortest word is "therefore" (לָכֵ֛ן, 3 letters) and the longest is "upon·the·prophets" (עַל־הַנְּבִאִ֖ים, 8 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "stealers·of" (מְגַנְּבֵ֣י). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "says·Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "my·words" (root דבר, 270x in Jeremiah); "man" (root איש, 153x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'says·Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 5 words. Full calculation: לָכֵ֛ן [therefore] (100) + הִנְנִ֥י [they] (115) + עַל־הַנְּבִאִ֖ים [upon·the·prophets] (208) + נְאֻם־יְהֹוָ֑ה [says·Hashem] (117) + מְגַנְּבֵ֣י [stealers·of] (105) + דְבָרַ֔י [my·words] (216) + אִ֖ישׁ [man] (311) + מֵאֵ֥ת [from] (441) + רֵעֵֽהוּ [his·neighbor] (281) = 1894.
Rashi
"Who steal My words, [each] from his fellow." "[Each] from his fellow" — they have spies among the true prophets, and they hear the style in which they prophesy, and they say a false prophecy in that same language, just as Chananiah ben Azzur did. He heard Jeremiah prophesying in the Upper Market, "Behold, I am breaking the bow of Elam," and he prophesied in the Lower Market, "I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon" (below 28), as our Sages said in Sanhedrin.
Radak
Therefore, I am against the prophets. That is to say, I am against them to destroy them. And so does the Targum translate: "Behold, I send My anger." And similarly it translated "Behold, I am" in this passage. And it says "Behold, I am" three times, because there were three groups of false prophets at that time. Among them were prophets who would hear the words of the true prophets regarding the gentile nations in their prophecies, just as Jeremiah prophesied against the nations. They would go to the people and say to them, "Thus says the Lord: To Ammon..." and the matter of the prophecy was as Jeremiah said in his house to his disciples, so that the people would believe them when they said in the name of the Lord, "Peace shall be yours." And regarding these it says, "Stealing each man's words from his neighbor." And regarding this our Sages of blessed memory said: One who prophesies what was not said to him, but was said to his friend—for example, Chananiah ben Azzur. Jeremiah was standing in the Upper Market and said, "Thus says the Lord of Hosts: Behold, I will break the bow of Eilam, the first of their might." Chananiah took a fortiori argument for himself: If Eilam, which came only to assist the Chaldeans, the Holy One, blessed be He, said, "Behold, I will break the bow of Eilam," then the Chaldeans themselves, how much more so! He came to the Lower Market and said, "Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, saying: I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon." They raised a difficulty against this and said: Was this not said to his friend? Since he derived it by a fortiori argument, it is considered as if it was said to him. The second group among them were prophets who had a clear tongue and sweet lips. Regarding them it is said, "Those who take their tongue and utter an utterance." They would say words of peace to the people in the name of the Lord, and they would show their faces with the sweetness of their words so that people would listen to them. And regarding this our Sages of blessed memory said: One who prophesies what he did not hear. The third group were prophets of false dreams, who would say, "Their dreams are prophecy," and they would say them to the people in the name of the Lord.
Metzudat David
“‘Therefore, behold, I...’” This means: Since there is a great difference between a prophetic dream and an imaginary dream, and yet, in their arrogance, they equate an imaginary dream with a prophetic dream, therefore, just as I am prepared to bring calamity upon the prophets who steal My words...—this means that they would hear the words of the true prophets and then declare them as coming from themselves, claiming that they were spoken to them, as though they had stolen the words of the prophets from the true prophet.
Malbim
Therefore, I am against the prophets to punish them, and he considers three groups among them: 1. False prophets who were thieves of the style of prophecy from the true prophets and prophesied in that style; and regarding this it says, "who steal My words, each from his fellow." 2. Those who invented the style of prophecy on their own, which is lighter, as it was only one falsehood, namely false prophecy, and not theft from the words of a neighbor; and regarding this it says, "Behold, I am... those who take and learn their tongue and speak an oracle from their own mind." 3. Those who recounted false dreams, which is even lighter; and regarding this it says, "Behold, I am against the prophets of false dreams, and they led My people astray with them." And all these three groups were not sent by Me as messengers to the people, nor did I command them to speak for themselves. Aside from the fact that their false prophecies would not benefit this people, they would not even strive to say to them something beneficial; rather, the opposite, for they lead them astray from the way of the Lord.
Behold, I am against the prophets, says Hashem, that use there tongues and say: ‘He says.’
verse value 1263
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 39 letters. The shortest word is "utterance" (נְאֻֽם, 3 letters) and the longest is "upon·the·prophets" (עַל־הַנְּבִיאִ֖ם, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "upon·the·prophets" (עַל־הַנְּבִיאִ֖ם), "that·take" (הַלֹּקְחִ֣ים), "and·they·prophesied" (וַֽיִּנְאֲמ֖וּ). The root נאם appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "says·Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "they" (root הן, 130x in Jeremiah); "upon·the·prophets" (root נביא, 93x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'says·Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: הִנְנִ֥י [they] (115) + עַל־הַנְּבִיאִ֖ם [upon·the·prophets] (208) + נְאֻם־יְהֹוָ֑ה [says·Hashem] (117) + הַלֹּקְחִ֣ים [that·take] (193) + לְשׁוֹנָ֔ם [their·tongue] (426) + וַֽיִּנְאֲמ֖וּ [and·they·prophesied] (113) + נְאֻֽם [utterance] (91) = 1263.
Rashi
Those who take their tongue [in hand]: [This refers to] those who train their tongue to speak their falsehoods in the language of "the Lord declares," like the true prophets, so that people will believe them.
Radak
“Here I am,” those who take their tongue [into their own hands]. Those who smooth their tongue, and likewise, “She sways him with her much persuasion; with the smoothness of her lips she leads him astray” (Proverbs 7:21), as if to say: “With the sweetness of her lips she leads him astray.”
Metzudat David
"Behold, I, etc." And just as I am ready to bring calamity upon the prophets who teach their tongue to hasten in speaking smoothly:
"And they utter an oracle." This means that they devise falsehoods in their hearts, sweeten their words, and speak them in place of prophecy, in the language of the prophets, as if it were the word of God.
Metzudat Zion
"Those who take." The matter of learning and habituation, as in "she led him astray with her great persuasion" (Proverbs 7:21):
"And they utter an oracle." This is a matter of speech, and it is a term that the prophets are accustomed to using.
Behold, I am against them that prophesy lying dreams, says Hashem, and do tell them, and cause My people to err by their lies, and by their wantonness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them; neither can they profit this people at all, says Hashem.
verse value 6163
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 106 letters. The shortest word is "lie" (שֶׁ֙קֶר֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·in·their·recklessness" (וּבְפַחֲזוּתָ֑ם, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 163: against·prophesiers·of, not·profit. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "against·prophesiers·of" (עַֽל־נִבְּאֵ֞י), "dreams" (חֲלֹמ֥וֹת), "and·they·told·them" (וַֽיְסַפְּרוּם֙). The root שקר appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "says·Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "and·not" (root לא, 307x in Jeremiah); "they" (root הן, 130x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·in·their·recklessness', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 8 words.
Rashi
"And in their rashness." The language of astonishment, "ish-tor-di-zon" in the vernacular.
Radak
“Behold, I am against those who prophesy…” It is from the nifal conjugation.
“And in their recklessness.” And in their frivolity, meaning in their frivolity of mind; and similarly, “empty and frivolous men.”
Metzudat David
"I am against the prophets of dreams." This means: Likewise, I am ready to bring calamity upon those who prophesy false dreams, namely, those who present imaginary dreams as if they were prophetic dreams, for they speak deliberately and are not [themselves] mistaken.
"And they recounted them." [They are] constantly recounting them, as if it were a real event.
And they led [my people] astray. And they lead my people astray through a visionary dream, which is a falsehood.
And their rashness. Through their frivolity, they will seduce the people into believing in their imaginary dreams:
"And I, etc." He speaks as one complaining about those who were enticed by them [the false prophets], saying: "Behold, I never sent them, nor did I command them any commandment, and they never benefited this people in any way. And if so, they have no power to give any sign or wonder, nor is there any good with them. In what, then, are they regarded as prophets?"
Metzudat Zion
And they led [My people] astray. From the language of "one who goes astray":
And in their thoughtlessness. The matter of frivolity of mind; and likewise, "empty and thoughtless men" (Judges 9:4).
And it will benefit. From the language of benefit:
And when this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask you, saying: ‘What is the burden of Hashem?’ then shall you say to them: ‘What burden! I will cast you off, says Hashem.’
verse value 4242
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 73 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "the·people" (הָעָ֨ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·when·he·asks·you" (וְכִֽי־יִשְׁאָלְךָ֩, 8 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·when·he·asks·you" (וְכִֽי־יִשְׁאָלְךָ֩), "or·the·prophet" (אֽוֹ־הַנָּבִ֤יא), "or·priest" (אֽוֹ־כֹהֵן֙). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "saying" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "to·them" (root אל, 204x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 6 words. Full calculation: וְכִֽי־יִשְׁאָלְךָ֩ [and·when·he·asks·you] (397) + הָעָ֨ם [the·people] (115) + הַזֶּ֜ה [this] (17) + אֽוֹ־הַנָּבִ֤יא [or·the·prophet] (75) + אֽוֹ־כֹהֵן֙ [or·priest] (82) + לֵאמֹ֔ר [saying] (271) + מַה־מַּשָּׂ֖א [what?·burden·of] (386) + יְהֹוָ֑ה [Hashem] (26) + וְאָמַרְתָּ֤ [and·you·shall·say] (647) + אֲלֵיהֶם֙ [to·them] (86) + אֶת־מַה־מַּשָּׂ֔א [what?·burden] (787) + וְנָטַשְׁתִּ֥י [and·I·will·leave] (775) + אֶתְכֶ֖ם [you] (461) + נְאֻם־יְהֹוָֽה [says·Hashem] (117) = 4242.
Rashi
"What is the burden of the Lord?" – The term "burden" (masha) denotes a matter of ridicule, for his prophecy to them was a burden.
"And you shall say to them, 'What is the burden,' and I will cast you off, etc." — They are telling you: "What is the burden?" You are a burden to the Holy One, blessed be He, and He said that He will abandon and cast you from His arms, from heaven to earth. This is what I have heard.
And I will forsake. And I will abandon:
Radak
And if they ask you: The Lord, who searches the heart and examines the kidneys, knows their hearts. For when they said "the burden of the Lord," their thought and intent was a matter of heaviness and burden, like "under His burden." Therefore, He told the prophet Jeremiah to warn them not to ask for a matter of the Lord in the language of "burden."
Or the prophet. False prophets, and Jonathan rendered it as "scribe," and we have already explained it.
Or a priest. From the priests of the Levites:
“‘What is the burden?’” — You say to them: “This is the question you are asking: ‘What is the burden?’” And “I will abandon you” — this is the answer to your question. And Jonathan translates: “And you shall say to them: ‘This is the prophecy, and I will cast you off.’”
Metzudat David
"And if they ask you." The Omnipresent said to Jeremiah: "If this people asks you, or a false prophet, or a priest of Baal, saying, 'What is the burden of the Lord?'—meaning, 'What is the word of the Lord?'—and they use the term 'burden' in a mocking way, because it was a burden and a heavy yoke for them."
"And you shall say." Then you shall say to them: "What is the burden?" That is to say, "What is fitting and necessary regarding the burden," meaning: "Whatever is fitting to do concerning the burden, I will do for you." And he returned and explained: "And I have forsaken you"—like a person who abandons and casts off a burden that is heavy upon him.
Metzudat Zion
A burden. So is prophecy called:
"And I will forsake." The matter of abandonment:
Malbim
And if they ask you, “What is the burden?”—the prophecies called by the name of “burden” (masa’)—a prophet would bear his words in parables and allegories. In the days of Jeremiah, they would mock the words of prophecy and say, “Is he not merely telling parables and allegories?” And Jeremiah did not prophesy any prophecy under the name of “burden,” nor did he employ this style, for all his prophecies were concerning the destruction, and in this he did not bear a “burden” or an allegory. That generation, when they came to the prophet, would ask him in a manner of mockery, “What is the burden of the Lord?” And likewise, when they recounted the prophet’s words to one another, they altered the style of his language and turned it into a “burden” and an allegory. And He warned them against both: 1. “If they ask you, ‘What is the burden?’”—for this is among them a language of mockery—and in their mockery they also intended a second meaning, for the speech is a “burden” upon the Lord. And you shall answer them: “What burden? I will abandon you—I will cast you away from My presence—and you shall no longer be a burden upon Me.”
And as for the prophet, and the priest, and the people, that shall say: ‘The burden of Hashem’, I will even punish that man and his house.
verse value 2957
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 52 letters. Notable word values: "and·the·priest" (וְהַכֹּהֵן֙) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁ֥ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·upon·his·house" (וְעַל־בֵּיתֽוֹ, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·the·prophet" (וְהַנָּבִ֤יא), "and·the·priest" (וְהַכֹּהֵן֙), "upon·the·man" (עַל־הָאִ֥ישׁ). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "will·say" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "that" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְהַנָּבִ֤יא [and·the·prophet] (74) + וְהַכֹּהֵן֙ [and·the·priest] (86) + וְהָעָ֔ם [and·the·people] (121) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [that] (501) + יֹאמַ֖ר [will·say] (251) + מַשָּׂ֣א [burden·of] (341) + יְהֹוָ֑ה [Hashem] (26) + וּפָקַדְתִּ֛י [and·I·will·punish] (600) + עַל־הָאִ֥ישׁ [upon·the·man] (416) + הַה֖וּא [that] (17) + וְעַל־בֵּיתֽוֹ [and·upon·his·house] (524) = 2957.
Radak
And the prophet: It is clear.
Metzudat David
"And I will remember." In the preceding verse, it was stated that the prophet would respond to them with hurtful words [i.e., a form of paining them through speech], claiming that the Omnipresent would abandon Israel due to their sins and cast them off, as a man casts off a heavy burden. And here it says, "This sin I will remember," to return retribution specifically against the man who speaks thus and against his household.
Metzudat Zion
"And I will remember." This refers to the matter of remembrance.
Malbim
And the prophet: likewise, if one recounts to his fellow the words of the prophet and says it in the phrase "the burden of the Lord," since they turn it into a parable and a witty saying, I will punish that man.
Thus shall you say every one to his neighbour, and every one to his brother: ‘What has Hashem answered?’ and: ‘What has Hashem spoken?’
verse value 2216
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 45 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "thus" (כֹּ֥ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·his·fellow" (עַל־רֵעֵ֖הוּ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 26: Hashem, Hashem. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "to·his·fellow" (עַל־רֵעֵ֖הוּ), "what?·has·answered" (מֶה־עָנָ֣ה). The root איש appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "you·shall·say" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "to·brother" (root איל, 293x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·brother', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 4 words. Full calculation: כֹּ֥ה [thus] (25) + תֹאמְר֛וּ [you·shall·say] (647) + אִ֥ישׁ [man] (311) + עַל־רֵעֵ֖הוּ [to·his·fellow] (381) + וְאִ֣ישׁ [and·man] (317) + אֶל־אָחִ֑יו [to·brother] (56) + מֶה־עָנָ֣ה [what?·has·answered] (170) + יְהֹוָ֔ה [Hashem] (26) + וּמַה־דִּבֶּ֖ר [and·what·said] (257) + יְהֹוָֽה [Hashem] (26) = 2216.
Radak
“Thus,” “a man to his fellow.” [Here עַל functions] like אֶל, “to,” his fellow. And so, “And Elkanah went to Ramah, to his house” (1 Samuel 2:11), is like “to (אֶל) his house.”
What did He answer? Just as “What did He say?” And similarly, “And you shall answer and say,” and “And Job answered first.”
Metzudat David
"Thus shall you say": In this very language shall you say, etc.
“What did the Lord answer, etc.” This means: If you ask about the response, you should say, “What did the Lord answer?” And if you ask about what He said without a question being asked, you should say, “What did the Lord speak?”
Metzudat Zion
“On his fellow.” “To his fellow.”
"Answered." From the language of "responding" and "reply to the question":
Malbim
“Thus shall you say”: At the time that you recount the words of the prophet, each to his fellow, you shall say: What did the Lord answer regarding the prophet’s question, and what did the Lord speak at the time when the Lord began to speak?
And the burden of Hashem shall you mention no more; for every man’s own word shall be his burden; and would you pervert the words of the living God, of Hashem of hosts our God?
verse value 4025
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 72 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "you·shall·mention·again" (תִזְכְּרוּ־ע֑וֹד, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 30: for, it·will·be. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·the·burden·of" (וּמַשָּׂ֥א), "you·shall·mention·again" (תִזְכְּרוּ־ע֑וֹד), "the·burden" (הַמַּשָּׂ֗א). The root משא appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "for" (root כי, 318x in Jeremiah); "not" (root לא, 307x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'you·shall·mention·again', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 12 words.
Rashi
"For the burden shall be for the man who speaks it." Even though you pervert the [word] "burden" into a term of disgrace, [the true meaning is that] the burden of the word of the Lord is revealed to the man of His word and to the man of His counsel — but you pervert it into the language of a [heavy] load. I have not heard it explained this way [before], and this [former interpretation] is the essential one. But this is what I have heard: the burden will be a burden of calamity for the one who says it — the questioner who asks "what is the burden." Another interpretation: "the burden of the Lord" is a term of prophecy. The false prophet would ask the true prophet to tell him the word of the Holy One, blessed be He, in the manner in which the style had come to him. The style did not explain the utterance so precisely, and the false prophet would twist the interpretation to another side, and would speak in the manner of the true prophet so that people would believe him. And so did Hananiah ben Azzur do. Therefore he says: "Do not ask [about] the 'burden of the Lord'" — that is, [do not ask about] the language of the style — but rather [ask], "What did He speak and what did He answer?" — ask the true prophet to explain the matter to them, to tell them what the Holy One, blessed be He, says, and in which direction His words incline.
"For the burden shall be for the man who speaks it." The style of the unqualified statement is that the Holy One, blessed be He, said it unqualifiedly to a man of his counsel, who is not suspected of reversing it. But you ask him in order to reverse it, and you reversed the words of the Holy One, blessed be He. And this is what it said above: "[who are] stealers of My words, each from his fellow" (here). Also, this is superfluous language.
Radak
"And the burden of the Lord, for the burden shall be for the man who speaks it." For each of them, the burden is his own utterance; that is to say, only in his utterance does he say "burden," which implies prophecy, but in his heart it means heaviness. This is what he said: "And you have turned the words of the living God," meaning that in your hearts you have turned them from prophecy into heaviness.
"God of Hosts." For He is the Master of the heavenly hosts and the earthly hosts, and it is in His power to bring upon you whatever He has spoken.
"Our God." This means: He is our God, and not your god, since you do not believe in Him. And my master and father, of blessed memory, explained that a person's speech is the raising of his lips, as it is said, "I will not lift their names upon my lips," meaning that prophecy is appropriately called a "burden" (masa) because it is borne in the prophet's mouth. But you invert the words of the living God and consider "burden" to mean something heavy.
Metzudat David
“U’m’sha.” The term “m’sha” (burden) is used in the sense of: “You shall no longer mention.”
“For the burden shall be to the man who speaks it.” The meaning is that the words of prophecy are as if a burden upon the prophet through whom the Lord spoke, because he cannot restrain the prophecy from uttering it, as if it were a burden upon him; as it is stated, “And I said, ‘I will not speak again in His name’” and “It was in my heart like a fire,” and “I grew weary of holding it in” (above 20:9). And on account of this as well, it is fitting to call it by the name “burden,” besides the fact that it is called so because it was borne on the mouth of the prophet.
"And you shall turn them upside down." But you are the ones who turn my words upside down, etc. The word "masa" (burden) is used to indicate that it is a burden upon those who hear it, and not so is it [in reality].
Malbim
"And the burden of the Lord" – you shall not mention it anymore, meaning that you should not alter the words of the prophet by turning his words into a "burden" and a "parable." For "burden" applies to a person's speech: when a person speaks his words, which are mundane matters, he may speak in the language of a "burden" and a "parable." But how can you turn the words of the Living God, altering them and making of them a parable and a metaphor?
Thus shall you say to the prophet: ‘What has Hashem answered you?’ and: ‘What has Hashem spoken?’
verse value 1259
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 32 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "thus" (כֹּ֥ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·the·prophet" (אֶל־הַנָּבִ֑יא, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 26: Hashem, Hashem. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "to·the·prophet" (אֶל־הַנָּבִ֑יא), "what?·has·answered·you" (מֶה־עָנָ֣ךְ). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "you·shall·say" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "and·what·said" (root דבר, 270x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·the·prophet', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: כֹּ֥ה [thus] (25) + תֹאמַ֖ר [you·shall·say] (641) + אֶל־הַנָּבִ֑יא [to·the·prophet] (99) + מֶה־עָנָ֣ךְ [what?·has·answered·you] (185) + יְהֹוָ֔ה [Hashem] (26) + וּמַה־דִּבֶּ֖ר [and·what·said] (257) + יְהֹוָֽה [Hashem] (26) = 1259.
Rashi
Thus you shall say to the prophet: When you come to inquire words from the prophet:
Radak
"Thus." It is clear:
Metzudat David
"Thus shall you speak to the prophet." This means: Even if you were to ask the prophet himself directly, as though it were for an oracle (massa), since he would not be able to conceal it, nevertheless you shall not mention the term "massa," but rather you shall speak in this manner: "What has the Lord answered you?" if the question concerns a response, or "What has the Lord spoken?" if it concerns a matter without a prior question.
Malbim
“Thus you shall say to the prophet,” and likewise, when you speak to the prophet, do not mention the term “burden” (masa’).
But if you say: ‘The burden of Hashem’; therefore thus says Hashem: Because you say this word: ‘The burden of Hashem’, and I have sent to you, saying: ‘You shall not say: The burden of Hashem’;
verse value 4642
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 79 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֮) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "thus" (כֹּ֚ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·if·burden·of" (וְאִם־מַשָּׂ֣א, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 647: you·will·say, you·shall·say. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·if·burden·of" (וְאִם־מַשָּׂ֣א), "your·saying" (אֲמׇרְכֶ֛ם). The root אמר appears 5 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "you·will·say" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "not" (root לא, 307x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 7 words.
Radak
"And if" – it is clear:
Metzudat David
"And if, etc." And if, after all the warnings, you say that the language of "the burden of the Lord" is again used:
Therefore. Because of this, thus says, etc.
"And I sent." This means: Even though I sent [messengers] to you, so that you should not say the phrase "the burden of the Lord," nevertheless you did not listen.
Malbim
And if you say, “The burden of the Lord,” even though in this you are not altering the words of the prophet, nevertheless you shall be punished, because of your saying this very phrase, “The burden of the Lord.” For I sent to you, saying, “You shall not say, ‘The burden of the Lord.’” Since I have warned you concerning this matter, you should not have used the term “burden,” which indicates that you intend to mock the prophet, and furthermore to direct the mocking intent toward the implication that the utterance is a “burden” upon the Lord.
therefore, behold, I will utterly tear you out, and I will cast you off, and the city that I gave to you and to your fathers, away from My presence;
verse value 5977
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 62 letters. The shortest word is "therefore" (לָכֵ֣ן, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·to·your·fathers" (וְלַאֲבוֹתֵיכֶ֖ם, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 461: you, you. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·I·will·forget" (וְנָשִׁ֥יתִי). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah); "from·upon" (root על, 276x in Jeremiah); "I·gave" (root נתן, 141x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'utterly', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 9 words. Full calculation: לָכֵ֣ן [therefore] (100) + הִנְנִ֔י [they] (115) + וְנָשִׁ֥יתִי [and·I·will·forget] (776) + אֶתְכֶ֖ם [you] (461) + נָשֹׁ֑א [utterly] (351) + וְנָטַשְׁתִּ֣י [and·I·will·leave] (775) + אֶתְכֶ֗ם [you] (461) + וְאֶת־הָעִיר֙ [and·the·city] (692) + אֲשֶׁ֨ר [that] (501) + נָתַ֧תִּי [I·gave] (860) + לָכֶ֛ם [to·you] (90) + וְלַאֲבוֹתֵיכֶ֖ם [and·to·your·fathers] (515) + מֵעַ֥ל [from·upon] (140) + פָּנָֽי [my·face] (140) = 5977.
Rashi
And I will forget [you]. The term is akin to "the sinew of the thigh-vein" [gid ha-nasheh] (Genesis 32:33), and akin to "and their might shall slip away" (below, 51); it leaps and moves from place to place.
Radak
"Therefore, behold Me, and I will utterly forget you." What he said in this matter — in every instance, [the word] "behold Me" indicates the swiftness of the punishment that will come upon them; that is to say, "I am prepared and ready to bring evil upon you." And [the word] "ve-nashiti" [I will forget] — and we have already written that when the infinitive comes last, it serves to strengthen the action — meaning: just as you forget My words and the signs that I performed through My prophets, and now you disdain My prophecy and scorn it, so too will I forget you, even though I have acquired you and made a covenant with you, for you were the first to annul the covenant.
"And I will forsake you." I will abandon you and the city from which I will remove My Divine Presence. And in His saying "from before My face," its sense attaches to the word "you" — meaning that when I abandon you, you will be exiled from before My face, as it is said, "Send them away from before My face, and let them go." And the Targum: "And I will utterly cast you off, and I will distance you, and the city that I gave to you and to your fathers — opposite My Word." And one may interpret "ve-natashti" [I will forsake, with a tet] as "ve-natashti" [I will uproot, with a tav], and this is the correct interpretation, for the tav and the tet are from the same place of articulation, and they come in the same sense. And similarly, "ta'ah" with a tet and "ta'ah" with a tav are one and the same meaning. And similarly, "im yinatshu mayim zarim" [if strange waters be uprooted] with a tav is like "yinatshu" with a tet.
Metzudat David
“Therefore, behold, I am.” On account of this, behold, I am prepared to render recompense, and for this iniquity alone I will remove you by a removal from before Me, and I will forsake you, like a man who forsakes a burden that is heavy upon him. That is to say, this very iniquity alone is deserving of this punishment, measure for measure: since they spoke the word “burden” (messa), He will forsake them as a burden.
"And the city." Even the city which [I gave to you and your fathers], etc., I will forsake and cast away from before Me, and it shall be delivered into the hand of the Chaldeans.
Metzudat Zion
And I will forget. It bears the sense of removal and transfer, as in "their strength was removed" (below 51).
Malbim
Therefore, I will forget you, I will abandon you, lest you become a burden to Me.
and I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten
verse value 3778
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 37 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֥א, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·shame" (וּכְלִמּ֣וּת, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 146: ever, ever. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·shame" (וּכְלִמּ֣וּת). The root עולם appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah); "not" (root לא, 307x in Jeremiah); "upon·you" (root על, 276x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'ever', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 5 words. Full calculation: וְנָתַתִּ֥י [and·I·will·give] (866) + עֲלֵיכֶ֖ם [upon·you] (170) + חֶרְפַּ֣ת [reproach] (688) + עוֹלָ֑ם [ever] (146) + וּכְלִמּ֣וּת [and·shame] (502) + עוֹלָ֔ם [ever] (146) + אֲשֶׁ֖ר [that] (501) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + תִשָּׁכֵֽחַ [will·be·forgotten] (728) = 3778.
Radak
"And I will give," and "shame." The word [shame] has a vav with a shuruk and a dagesh in the mem.
Metzudat David
"An everlasting disgrace." A prolonged time you shall be in disgrace, exiled in the hands of the Chaldeans.
And everlasting shame. A prolonged time will the disgrace be remembered that will be upon you when you go into captivity before an enemy, so that that disgrace will not be forgotten, for it will be numerous and great.
Malbim
"And I will bring upon you everlasting disgrace," just as you intended to bring disgrace upon the words of prophecy.
Rashi
Radak
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim