Hananiah son of Azzur takes the bar from off the prophet's neck and breaks it: 'Even so will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar within two full years.' Bars of iron are decreed in its place — and in the seventh month of that year, Hananiah dies.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
And it came to pass the same year, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year, in the fifth month, that Hananiah the son of Azzur the prophet, who was of Gibeon, spoke to me in the house of Hashem, in the presence of the priests and of all the people, saying:
verse value 7326
Insights
Verse structure: 25 words, 120 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 7326 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "said" (אָמַ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "king·Judah" (מֶלֶךְ־יְהוּדָ֔ה, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 357: in·the·year, in·the·year. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "son·of·Azzur" (בֶן־עַזּ֨וּר). The root שנה appears 3 times in this verse. 21 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "said" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "that" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root צדקיה ("Zedekiah") in Jeremiah. First appearance of the root חנניה ("Hananiah") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·fifth', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 13 words.
Rashi
"And it came to pass in that year." When the time arrived that Nebuchadnezzar placed Zedekiah in authority over the five kings — the time when Jeremiah was delivering his mission and sending the bonds and the bars to the kings by the hand of their envoys.
"At the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah." At first, when they placed him in authority over the five kings. And it is impossible to say this means the very beginning of his reign, for it is stated "in the fourth year" — that same year he went down to pay homage to Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon, with Seraiah the quartermaster [lit. chief of the resting-place] accompanying him. And as it is stated at the end of the book, "and they placed him in authority over the kings."
"[Hananiah] said to me, etc." Our Sages said: Who misled Hananiah? He heard that Jeremiah was prophesying in the Upper Market, "Behold, I will break the bow of Elam" (below, 49:35). And this prophecy — though it appears at the end of the book — was stated at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah, as is made explicit there. And since Elam is close to Babylon, he [Hananiah] stood in the Lower Market and expounded, reasoning a fortiori: "If Elam, which came only to help the Chaldeans, etc. [how much more so Babylon itself]" — as is stated in [tractate] Sanhedrin.
Radak
"And it came to pass in that year." The year in which he made the bonds and the bars, as he was commanded regarding them, and he placed one of them upon his neck; and this was at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah.
"In the fourth year": So it is written, and the reading is "in the year," and the meaning is one and the same; rather, the written text is attached to the number, like "in the third year of his reign," and the vocalized text is clear according to its proper rule. And what it says, "in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah," and afterward it says, "in the fourth year," the author of Seder Olam explained that this is the fourth year of the reign of Zedekiah, who went to pay respects to the king of Babylon, and Seraiah, the quartermaster, was with him, as is written at the end of this book, and he returned to Jerusalem to his kingship. Therefore, he counted that year as the first year, the beginning of his reign. Therefore, it says, "in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah." And it is possible to explain "in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah" according to its plain meaning, as the first year of his reign, as we explained, and the explanation of "in the fourth year" would be that it is the fourth year of the seven-year cycle, and he reigned eleven years. Behold, when four years of Zedekiah's reign were completed, the seven-year cycle was completed, and seven years of his reign remained, and behold, one seven-year cycle, and the destruction of the Temple was at the end of the cycle, as our Sages of blessed memory received, that when the Temple was destroyed, it was after the Sabbatical year. And this story was written to inform of the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah, in whose days the destruction occurred at the end of the cycle, so that Israel would be removed from their inheritance, because they did not observe the Sabbatical year in it. Therefore, it also wrote "in the fifth month" to hint that the destruction would be in the fifth month, and all this story was necessary, as we explained.
Hananiah ben Azzur the prophet. He was a false prophet:
Metzudat David
In the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah. The first year of his reign:
"In the fourth year." This means the Sabbatical year. And if so, the Sabbatical year was the fourth year of his reign, and he reigned for eleven years. And if so, his reign ended in a Sabbatical year. And so our Sages of blessed memory stated that the Temple was destroyed at the end of the Sabbatical year.
Malbim
The questions: How did it say, "And it came to pass in that year, at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah"? Yet above it stated that at that time it was the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim?
"And it came to pass in that year": I have already written at the beginning of the previous chapter that it appears from the necessity of the scriptural verses that in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, when Nebuchadnezzar was king, he also made Zedekiah king, so that he would be second to Jehoiakim and that he would reign after him following his death. Then the messengers came to Zedekiah, who was also engaged in kingship. It also appears that at that time he placed these kings of the nations—Edom, Moab, the children of Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon—under the dominion of Zedekiah; therefore, they sent messengers to him. Although the kingdom of Zedekiah was not considered as such only from the time that Jehoiakim died, from when he reigned alone, nevertheless he was called king from that time. (And by this we will understand why the wrath went out against Jeconiah to exile him, for Nebuchadnezzar had already designated Zedekiah to be the heir apparent, and this was rebellion against him.) And this is what it says below (37), "And Zedekiah reigned as king," meaning that he was already king before he reigned his sole kingship. And what is stated here, "in the fourth year," refers to the reign of Jehoiakim. And in that year he prophesied the prophecy in the previous chapter that the vessels would not return. And this is what it says: "And it came to pass in that year," and then Hananiah the son of Azur said to him:
’Thus speaks Hashem of hosts, the God of Israel, saying: I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon.
verse value 3186
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 42 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֧ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 3186 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "king" (מֶ֥לֶךְ, 3 letters) and the longest is "thus·said" (כֹּה־אָמַ֞ר, 5 letters). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "thus·said" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "king" (root מלך, 253x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'saying', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 4 words. Full calculation: כֹּה־אָמַ֞ר [thus·said] (266) + יְהֹוָ֧ה [Hashem] (26) + צְבָא֛וֹת [hosts] (499) + אֱלֹהֵ֥י [the·God·of] (46) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל [Israel] (541) + לֵאמֹ֑ר [saying] (271) + שָׁבַ֕רְתִּי [I·broke] (912) + אֶת־עֹ֖ל [the·yoke·of] (501) + מֶ֥לֶךְ [king] (90) + בָּבֶֽל [Babylon] (34) = 3186.
Metzudat David
"I have broken the yoke." This means that he [the king of Babylon] will no longer rule, and will no longer enslave others.
Malbim
(2-4) “Thus said the Lord: I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon.” This is the opposite of what Jeremiah did at that time, when he made ropes and wooden beams. He said in the name of the Lord that the yoke of Babylon had already been broken from the land of Judah, and “in two years I will restore…” For I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon also from the exiles who are in Babylon.
Within two full years will I bring back into this place all the vessels of Hashem’S house, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place, and carried them to Babylon;
verse value 4170
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 84 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "I" (אֲנִ֤י, 3 letters) and the longest is "Nebuchadnezzar" (נְבוּכַדְנֶאצַּ֤ר, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 17: this, this. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "all·vessels·of" (אֶֽת־כׇּל־כְּלֵ֖י), "and·he·brought·them" (וַיְבִיאֵ֖ם). The root מקום appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "that" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah); "king·of·Babylon" (root מלך, 253x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 8 words.
Metzudat David
“While.” At the end of two years:
Metzudat Zion
“Yet.” At the end, as in “yet three days” (Genesis 40:13):
Two years. Two years:
Days. Similarly, the year is called "days," as it is stated: "His redemption shall be days" (Leviticus 25:29). And the matter is repeated in synonymous terms. Likewise, "the earth of dust" (Daniel 12).
and I will bring back to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, with all the captives of Judah, that went to Babylon, says Hashem; for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.’
verse value 3805
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 88 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "son·of·Jehoiakim" (בֶן־יְהוֹיָקִ֣ים, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 30: Judah, for. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·Jeconiah" (וְאֶת־יְכׇנְיָ֣ה), "and·all·heap" (וְאֶת־כׇּל־גָּל֨וּת). The root מלך appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "says·Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "for" (root כי, 318x in Jeremiah); "king·Judah" (root מלך, 253x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'says·Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 5 words.
Radak
“Those who come to Babylon.” – “Those who come” means that they were coming.
Metzudat David
"For I will break..." And so they will go forth free to their land, with no one to oppose them.
Then the prophet Jeremiah said to the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests, and in the presence of all the people that stood in the house of Hashem,
verse value 2062
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 63 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָֽה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "in·the·house·of" (בְּבֵ֥ית, 4 letters) and the longest is "to·Hananiah" (אֶל־חֲנַנְיָ֖ה, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 68: the·prophet, the·prophet. The root נביא appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "and·said" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "to·Hananiah" (root איל, 293x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root ירמיה ("Jeremiah") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·prophet', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 7 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ [and·said] (257) + יִרְמְיָ֣ה [Jeremiah] (265) + הַנָּבִ֔יא [the·prophet] (68) + אֶל־חֲנַנְיָ֖ה [to·Hananiah] (154) + הַנָּבִ֑יא [the·prophet] (68) + לְעֵינֵ֤י [to·eyes·of] (170) + הַכֹּֽהֲנִים֙ [the·priests] (130) + וּלְעֵינֵ֣י [and·to·eyes·of] (176) + כׇל־הָעָ֔ם [all·the·people] (165) + הָעֹמְדִ֖ים [pillar] (169) + בְּבֵ֥ית [in·the·house·of] (414) + יְהֹוָֽה [Hashem] (26) = 2062.
Malbim
(5-6) The Questions: Why did it say twice “And Jeremiah the prophet said,” and how could he say “Amen” to the prophecy of a false prophet?
(5-6) “And Jeremiah the prophet said in the sight of the priests and all the people…” — and “And Jeremiah the prophet said” — that which he said, “The vessels shall be brought back to this place,” this was true, for even Jeremiah prophesied that after seventy years the vessels would be brought back. Only what he said that they would be brought back after two years, this was false, for the time was at the end of seventy years. And therefore Jeremiah answered him, “Amen, thus shall the Lord do; the Lord shall establish Your words.” This is a statement that can be understood in two ways: on one side, it implies that he is answering “Amen” to his words and desires their fulfillment; on the other side, his intention was to say, “It is true, and the Lord shall establish Your words to restore the vessels of the House of the Lord and all the exile, for so it shall truly be that they will be restored, only not as you said that it will be after two years, for this will be after seventy years.” And because the priests and the people understood his words according to the first explanation, that he was answering “Amen” to his words, and Jeremiah himself intended to mock him, to say that according to his words the Lord shall establish, only not now at the time he claimed, therefore it said “And said, and said”: one saying was in the sight of the priests, who understood it literally that he agreed with him, but “And Jeremiah the prophet said” — he said privately another saying to refute his words.
even the prophet Jeremiah said: ‘Amen! Hashem do so! Hashem perform your words which you have prophesied, to bring back the vessels of Hashem’S house, and all them that are carried away captive, from Babylon to this place!
verse value 4192
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 86 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "so" (כֵּ֖ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·all·the·exiles" (וְכׇל־הַגּוֹלָ֔ה, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 26: Hashem, Hashem. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "may·he·fulfill" (יָקֵ֤ם), "your·words" (אֶת־דְּבָרֶ֔יךָ), "you·prophesied" (נִבֵּ֗אתָ). The root יהוה appears 3 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "and·said" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "that" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root גולה ("and·all·the·exiles") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 12 words.
Rashi
"He shall do [it]" (יעשה). In the vernacular (Old French): "Fasse" [i.e., "may He do (it)" -- the subjunctive of the verb "to do"].
"May He fulfill" (Yakem). An expression of prayer. [These three lines, until "and brought him to the prison," were not arranged by the Rav, the author.] ("Amen, so may He do, etc." The masters of Aggadah say: this is what he [Jeremiah] said to him [Hananiah]: "Would that your words be fulfilled -- I gain and you lose! I am a priest and I eat the sacred offerings of Heaven if the Temple stands rebuilt -- but you are a Gibeonite," as is written here, "who was from Gibeon," "and you shall be my servant, a hewer of wood and a drawer of water." And Moreh Tzedek, who did not explain it this way, adopted the reason our Sages derived from here: whoever flatters a wicked person will ultimately fall into his hand, or his son's hand, or his grandson's hand -- for indeed Irijah son of Shelemiah son of Hananiah eventually seized him and brought him to the house of imprisonment.)
Radak
Amen, so shall the Lord do. Its simple meaning is clear. And there is a midrashic interpretation: Jeremiah said to him, “If it will be as you say, I desire this, for I will gain and you will lose. I will gain because I am a priest and will eat from the sacred offerings of Heaven if the Temple remains standing; but you will lose because you are a Gibeonite, as it is written, ‘From Gibeon, and you chop wood for me and draw water for me.’” According to the plain meaning, he was an Israelite from Gibeon, for the Gibeonites no longer dwelt there after it fell into the portion of Benjamin.
Metzudat David
"And Jeremiah said." Because the matter was lengthy in his statement "before the priests and before the people" etc., he said again, "And Jeremiah said" etc.
Amen. May your words be confirmed [come true].
"May the Lord fulfill." "Would that the Lord fulfill [your words]," etc., and the matter is repeated in what was [already] said:
“Which you have prophesied.” He said in accordance with his words, that he spoke in prophecy; but the truth was that he fabricated it from his own heart.
Nevertheless hear you now this word that I speak in your ears, and in the ears of all the people:
verse value 1829
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 41 letters. The shortest word is "this" (הַזֶּ֔ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "but·hear·now" (אַךְ־שְׁמַֽע־נָא֙, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "but·hear·now" (אַךְ־שְׁמַֽע־נָא֙), "in·your·ears" (בְּאׇזְנֶ֑יךָ). The root דבר appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah); "the·word" (root דבר, 270x in Jeremiah); "but·hear·now" (root שמע, 184x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·your·ears', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 2 words. Full calculation: אַךְ־שְׁמַֽע־נָא֙ [but·hear·now] (482) + הַדָּבָ֣ר [the·word] (211) + הַזֶּ֔ה [this] (17) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [that] (501) + אָנֹכִ֖י [I] (81) + דֹּבֵ֣ר [speaking] (206) + בְּאׇזְנֶ֑יךָ [in·your·ears] (90) + וּבְאׇזְנֵ֖י [and·in·ears·of] (76) + כׇּל־הָעָֽם [all·the·people] (165) = 1829.
Rashi
“Only hear now, etc.” up to “the prophet who prophesies peace,” [the Sages said]: “I prophesy disaster; if it does not come to pass, I am not a liar, for the Holy One, blessed be He, relents from the evil. But the prophet who prophesies peace, etc., when the word comes to pass, the prophet is known [to be true], etc. But if it does not come to pass, he is a liar, as it is said, ‘God is not man, that He should lie, etc.’ (Numbers 23:19).” Thus Rabbi Tanḥuma expounded.
Radak
"Only hear now." This matter that he said to him: that by the promise of good a prophet is tested. For if he promises good and it does not come, it is known that he is a false prophet, for every good thing that God promises, even if it is conditional, will come. But in truth, that good will be revoked from him if he sins, as it is said, "At any moment I may speak concerning a nation or a kingdom, to build and to plant it; and it does evil in My sight, then I relent of the good." Nevertheless, in any case, the good will take effect and come. But if he prophesies evil and it does not come at all, one does not know from this that he is a false prophet, for the Holy One, blessed be He, is slow to anger and abundant in kindness, and He repents of the evil when they do repentance, as He did with the people of Nineveh.
Metzudat David
"But hear now": This means that what I said, "Amen," etc., is because I too desire that it should be so, for it is good. But now, hear my words: There is no reason to believe you more than me on the grounds that you prophesy good tidings and I prophesy evil.
"Into your ears and into the ears of all the people" — this is as if it were saying: "I will not speak in secret, but rather before you and before all of them."
Malbim
(7-8) "Only hear now..." The prophets... Behold, most of the prophets prophesied prophecies of calamity, for the ultimate purpose of sending a prophet is to inform the people of the evil that is destined to befall them, so that they will return in repentance; and for this reason did the Lord send a prophet. However, He did not send them to announce good tidings that are destined to come in the near future. He would not inform them of this through a prophet, nor is it conceivable that He would send a prophet to announce a prediction of good, except when it is necessary in order to establish the prophet's credibility. For a prophet is established as a true prophet if his predictions come to pass, as it is stated: "And you may say in your heart, 'How shall we know the word which the Lord has not spoken?' If a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, and the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the word which the Lord has not spoken." And this applies specifically if he prophesies a prediction of good. However, it is not so with predictions of evil: if they do not come to pass, the prophet is not considered a false prophet, for it may be that the decree is changed if they return in repentance, as stated in the Jerusalem Talmud, Chapter HaNechnekim, and in the Rambam, Hilchot De'ot [Laws of Character Traits]. Therefore, it is necessary that the prophet be informed of good predictions, so that through them the prophet may be tested and established. And this is what it says: "The prophets who were before me and before you, they prophesied against many lands..." meaning that all their prophecy was always for war, for evil, and for plague. That is to say, they did not prophesy good tidings and consolations, only calamities, for the Lord does not send a prophet to announce predictions of good.
The prophets that have been before me and before you of old prophesied against many countries, and against great kingdoms, of war, and of evil, and of pestilence.
verse value 4449
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 77 letters. The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁ֨ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·concerning·kingdoms" (וְעַל־מַמְלָכ֣וֹת, 9 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·before·You" (וּלְפָנֶ֖יךָ), "from·the·everlasting" (מִן־הָעוֹלָ֑ם), "and·they·prophesied" (וַיִּנָּ֨בְא֜וּ). The root פנים appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah); "to·lands" (root איל, 293x in Jeremiah); "and·of·pestilence" (root דבר, 270x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·the·everlasting', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 8 words. Full calculation: הַנְּבִיאִ֗ים [the·prophets] (118) + אֲשֶׁ֨ר [that] (501) + הָי֧וּ [were] (21) + לְפָנַ֛י [to·my·face] (170) + וּלְפָנֶ֖יךָ [and·before·You] (196) + מִן־הָעוֹלָ֑ם [from·the·everlasting] (241) + וַיִּנָּ֨בְא֜וּ [and·they·prophesied] (75) + אֶל־אֲרָצ֤וֹת [to·lands] (728) + רַבּוֹת֙ [many] (608) + וְעַל־מַמְלָכ֣וֹת [and·concerning·kingdoms] (642) + גְּדֹל֔וֹת [great] (443) + לְמִלְחָמָ֖ה [to·battle] (153) + וּלְרָעָ֥ה [and·for·evil] (311) + וּלְדָֽבֶר [and·of·pestilence] (242) = 4449.
Metzudat David
“The prophets, etc.” – This means: “These are the words of the prophets who prophesied in the past for evil, just as I do today.”
"To the lands." Like "against the lands."
The prophet that prophesies of peace, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that Hashem has truly sent him.’
verse value 2789
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 52 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁ֥ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "that·He·sent·him" (אֲשֶׁר־שְׁלָח֥וֹ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 68: the·prophet, the·prophet, the·prophet. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "will·prophesy" (יִנָּבֵ֖א), "when·comes" (בְּבֹא֙), "will·be·known" (יִוָּדַע֙). The root נביא appears 3 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "that" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah); "word·of" (root דבר, 270x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·peace', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 8 words. Full calculation: הַנָּבִ֕יא [the·prophet] (68) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [that] (501) + יִנָּבֵ֖א [will·prophesy] (63) + לְשָׁל֑וֹם [to·peace] (406) + בְּבֹא֙ [when·comes] (5) + דְּבַ֣ר [word·of] (206) + הַנָּבִ֔יא [the·prophet] (68) + יִוָּדַע֙ [will·be·known] (90) + הַנָּבִ֔יא [the·prophet] (68) + אֲשֶׁר־שְׁלָח֥וֹ [that·He·sent·him] (845) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + בֶּאֱמֶֽת [in·truth] (443) = 2789.
Metzudat David
"The prophet." This means: Behold the prophet who refuted their words and prophesied peace, just as you do today.
“Upon the coming of the word of the prophet.” At the time of the coming of the word of the prophet who prophesies peace, then that prophet whom the Lord sent would be known as true; but they did not believe him immediately because he prophesied good tidings. And likewise, there is no ground to believe you more than me.
Malbim
Questions: It is astonishing why he struck the eighty men who were on their way, and what was their sin? And why did he pretend to be weeping? And why did he spare alive the men who said that they had hidden stores, whereas his intention was to leave the land? And what is the meaning of what is said, "whom he struck along with Gedaliah," as if Gedaliah killed them? Was it not Ishmael who killed them, as our Sages of blessed memory marveled at this?
"The prophet who prophesies peace" — this means, if you see that a prophet sometimes prophesies a good prophecy, this is only for the purpose that when the prophet's word comes to pass, the prophet becomes verified — it is for the sake of the prophet himself, to establish him as a true prophet, so that it becomes known that God truly sent him. In other words, since you have come to bring good tidings, if God sent you for this purpose, it is solely so that when the tidings come to pass, you will be recognized as a true prophet. Therefore, you must wait until it happens as you said; only then will it be known that you are a prophet. At present, your prophecy is not yet established.
Then Hananiah the prophet took the bar from off the prophet Jeremiah’s neck, and broke it.
verse value 2080
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 45 letters. Verse gematria: 2080 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "from·upon" (מֵעַ֕ל, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·pole" (אֶת־הַמּוֹטָ֔ה, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 68: the·prophet, the·prophet. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·he·broke·it" (וַֽיִּשְׁבְּרֵֽהוּ). The root נביא appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "from·upon" (root על, 276x in Jeremiah); "the·prophet" (root נביא, 93x in Jeremiah); "and·took" (root לקח, 65x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·prophet', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 1 words. Full calculation: וַיִּקַּ֞ח [and·took] (124) + חֲנַנְיָ֤ה [Hananiah] (123) + הַנָּבִיא֙ [the·prophet] (68) + אֶת־הַמּוֹטָ֔ה [the·pole] (466) + מֵעַ֕ל [from·upon] (140) + צַוַּ֖אר [neck] (297) + יִרְמְיָ֣ה [Jeremiah] (265) + הַנָּבִ֑יא [the·prophet] (68) + וַֽיִּשְׁבְּרֵֽהוּ [and·he·broke·it] (529) = 2080.
Radak
"The bar from the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, and he broke it." The meaning of “and he broke it” refers to the yoke, namely, that he removed the bar from the neck of Jeremiah and broke the yoke that was bound to the bar.
Metzudat David
“The yoke.” From the yokes that he had placed upon his neck by the word of the Lord, as stated above. And it is possible that he had not yet sent them to the kings mentioned above, or that one remained on his neck corresponding to the king of Judah, and Hananiah took that one.
"And he broke it." He broke the knot that was on the yoke, and therefore it is stated in the masculine form.
Metzudat Zion
"The bar." The wood of the yoke:
Malbim
"And Hananiah took" – It is explained to us several times that if a prophet performs some action in conjunction with his prophecy, even a prophecy of evil would be fulfilled in any case. And since Jeremiah performed the action of the bonds and bars, which could not but result in the fulfillment of this prophecy that contained an act, Hananiah took the bar and broke it, to nullify the act by means of another act.
And Hananiah spoke in the presence of all the people, saying: ‘Thus says Hashem: Even so will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from off the neck of all the nations within two full years.’ And the prophet Jeremiah went his way.
verse value 5060
Insights
Verse structure: 23 words, 104 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֒) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "thus" (כֹּה֮, 2 letters) and the longest is "Nebuchadnezzar" (נְבֻכַדְנֶאצַּ֣ר, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "Nebuchadnezzar" (נְבֻכַדְנֶאצַּ֣ר), "to·his·way" (לְדַרְכּֽוֹ). The root אמר appears 3 times in this verse. 21 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "and·said" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "from·upon" (root על, 276x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'all·the·nations', dividing the verse into phrases of 19 and 4 words.
Metzudat David
"And he went..." – For he was afraid of him, lest he answer him a word on his own initiative.
’Go, and tell Hananiah, saying: Thus says Hashem: You have broken the bars of wood; but you shall make in their stead bars of iron.
verse value 5295
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 58 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "thus" (כֹּ֚ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·Hananiah" (אֶל־חֲנַנְיָ֜ה, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 455: bars·of, bars·of. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "bars·of" (מוֹטֹ֥ת), "you·broke" (שָׁבָ֑רְתָּ), "and·you·shall·make" (וְעָשִׂ֥יתָ). The root אמר appears 3 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "and·you·shall·say" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "to·Hananiah" (root איל, 293x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root מטה ("bars·of") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'you·broke', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 4 words. Full calculation: הָלוֹךְ֩ [go] (61) + וְאָמַרְתָּ֨ [and·you·shall·say] (647) + אֶל־חֲנַנְיָ֜ה [to·Hananiah] (154) + לֵאמֹ֗ר [saying] (271) + כֹּ֚ה [thus] (25) + אָמַ֣ר [said] (241) + יְהֹוָ֔ה [Hashem] (26) + מוֹטֹ֥ת [bars·of] (455) + עֵ֖ץ [tree] (160) + שָׁבָ֑רְתָּ [you·broke] (902) + וְעָשִׂ֥יתָ [and·you·shall·make] (786) + תַחְתֵּיהֶ֖ן [in·their·stead] (873) + מֹט֥וֹת [bars·of] (455) + בַּרְזֶֽל [iron] (239) = 5295.
Radak
"And you shall make iron bars in their place." God said to Jeremiah: 'Say to Hananiah: You broke the wooden bars, and you shall make iron bars in their place.' When you say to him this matter — "you broke the wooden bars" — you shall say to him further: "For thus said the Lord, the God of Israel," etc. — regarding the name "the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel" — in contrast to what he [Hananiah] had said using this wording. He had said to him: "Thus said the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel: I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon." And as for what it says, "wooden bars" — we explained that "bars" means straps; this is indeed so, for the bars are the straps or sinews with which the yoke is bound, and the yoke is of wood; therefore he attached "bars" to "wood." Likewise, "iron bars" does not mean that the bars themselves will be of iron, but rather that the yoke will be of iron, and the bars are the straps or sinews with which it is bound.
Metzudat David
"Bars of wood you have broken." For when he [Hananiah] said, "Thus I will break… from the neck of all the nations," it is as if he broke all the bars.
"And you shall make." You shall make in their place iron bars, which are stronger than wood. This means that through the breaking and denial of the word of the Lord, His wrath will be increased, and He will strengthen His yoke even more.
Metzudat Zion
"Instead of them." In their place.
Malbim
“The bars of wood you broke”: This means that because they desired to break the bar and rebel, He would place an iron yoke in its stead and enslave them even more.
For thus says Hashem of hosts, the God of Israel: I have put a yoke of iron upon the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they shall serve him; and I have given him the beasts of the field also.’ .
verse value 6378
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 96 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֨ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "Nebuchadnezzar" (אֶת־נְבֻכַדְנֶאצַּ֥ר, 10 letters). Words sharing gematria 860: I·gave, I·gave. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "upon·neck" (עַל־צַוַּ֣אר), "Nebuchadnezzar" (אֶת־נְבֻכַדְנֶאצַּ֥ר), "and·they·shall·serve·him" (וַעֲבָדֻ֑הוּ). The root נתן appears 2 times in this verse. 17 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 'and·they·shall·serve·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 16 and 5 words.
Rashi
"I have given the beasts of the field to him." [This refers to] his riding on a lion and tying a serpent on his head.
Then said the prophet Jeremiah to Hananiah the prophet: ‘Hear now, Hananiah; Hashem has not sent you; but you make this people to trust in a lie.
verse value 3880
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 69 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "this" (הַזֶּ֖ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·Hananiah" (אֶל־חֲנַנְיָ֥ה, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 68: the·prophet, the·prophet. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "not·sent·you" (לֹא־שְׁלָחֲךָ֣), "you·made·trust" (הִבְטַ֛חְתָּ). The root נביא appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "and·said" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "to·Hananiah" (root איל, 293x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hananiah', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 7 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֨אמֶר [and·said] (257) + יִרְמְיָ֧ה [Jeremiah] (265) + הַנָּבִ֛יא [the·prophet] (68) + אֶל־חֲנַנְיָ֥ה [to·Hananiah] (154) + הַנָּבִ֖יא [the·prophet] (68) + שְׁמַֽע־נָ֣א [hear·now] (461) + חֲנַנְיָ֑ה [Hananiah] (123) + לֹא־שְׁלָחֲךָ֣ [not·sent·you] (389) + יְהֹוָ֔ה [Hashem] (26) + וְאַתָּ֗ה [and·you] (412) + הִבְטַ֛חְתָּ [you·made·trust] (424) + אֶת־הָעָ֥ם [the·people] (516) + הַזֶּ֖ה [this] (17) + עַל־שָֽׁקֶר [upon·lie] (700) = 3880.
’Therefore thus says Hashem: Behold, I will send you away from off the face of the earth; this year you shall die, because you have spoken perversion against Hashem.’
verse value 3404
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 56 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "thus" (כֹּ֚ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·Hashem" (אֶל־יְהֹוָֽה, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 140: from·upon, face. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "sending·you·away" (מְשַֽׁלֵּחֲךָ֔), "dying" (מֵ֔ת). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "said" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "from·upon" (root על, 276x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'ground', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 6 words.
Rashi
"This year you shall die." And in the coming year you shall be buried.
Radak
"From upon the face of the earth." This means that he will be buried within it, and thus he is considered as being sent away from upon its face.
Metzudat David
Therefore. Since you prophesied falsely, therefore I will drive you out from the face of the land; in that year you shall die.
"To the Lord." Like "against the Lord" - meaning: you spoke on account of the Lord a matter of reproach from Him, which He did not say.
Metzudat Zion
"I send you away": I will expel you. And similarly, "And He sent them away in the hand of their transgression" (Job 8:4).
So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month.
verse value 1736
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 32 letters. The shortest word is "and·he·died" (וַיָּ֛מׇת, 4 letters) and the longest is "seventh" (הַשְּׁבִיעִֽי, 6 letters). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·prophet" (root נביא, 93x in Jeremiah); "that" (root הוא, 69x in Jeremiah); "and·he·died" (root מות, 64x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'that', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיָּ֛מׇת [and·he·died] (456) + חֲנַנְיָ֥ה [Hananiah] (123) + הַנָּבִ֖יא [the·prophet] (68) + בַּשָּׁנָ֣ה [in·the·year] (357) + הַהִ֑יא [that] (21) + בַּחֹ֖דֶשׁ [in·the·month] (314) + הַשְּׁבִיעִֽי [seventh] (397) = 1736.
Rashi
"In that year, in the seventh month." But is there not a seventh month within the year? Rather, he died on the eve of Rosh Hashanah and commanded his sons to bury him after Rosh Hashanah and not before, and they concealed his death that day, in order to make Jeremiah's prophecy false.
Radak
"In that year, in the seventh month." Our Sages of blessed memory expounded and said: "In the seventh month" refers to a different year. And you say so? Rather, it teaches that he died on the eve of Rosh Hashanah and instructed his sons and household to bury him after Rosh Hashanah, in order to render Jeremiah’s prophecy false. And so does the Targum: "And Hananiah the false prophet died in that year, and was buried in the seventh month." And what he also translated as "In this year you shall die" as "In this year you shall die, and in the following year you shall be buried"—this is an explanation, clarifying that this was indeed Jeremiah’s intention, not that he stated it explicitly. For if he had said so explicitly, his prophecy would not have been proven false in this matter. And according to the plain meaning, there is no need for all this, for he did not say to him, "In this very year you shall die," but rather "In the year," meaning within a year from this prophecy. And so our Sages of blessed memory stated regarding vows: One who vows to abstain from deriving benefit from his fellow for a year counts twelve months, from day to day. And if he said, "For this year," even if he did not stand [in that status] until the twenty-ninth of Elul, once the first of Tishrei arrived, the year is considered to have passed for him.
Metzudat David
"In the seventh month." Our Rabbis of blessed memory said that he [Hananiah] died on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, and he instructed his sons to bury him after Rosh Hashanah, which would be in the next year; and they concealed the day of his death in order to render Jeremiah's prophecy false.
Rashi
Radak
Metzudat David
Malbim