The Rechabites, set before pots full of wine, keep the commandment of Jonadab their father and drink none — a standing rebuke: the sons of a man keep his charge, but this people has not hearkened to Me.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
’Go to the house of the Rechabites, and speak to them, and bring them into the house of Hashem, into one of the chambers, and give them wine to drink.’
verse value 5277
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 62 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "house·of" (בֵּ֣ית, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·bring·them" (וַהֲבִֽאוֹתָם֙, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 447: them, them. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·bring·them" (וַהֲבִֽאוֹתָם֙), "to·one·of" (אֶל־אַחַ֖ת), "the·rooms" (הַלְּשָׁכ֑וֹת). The root איל appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "to·house·of" (root איל, 293x in Jeremiah); "and·you·shall·speak" (root דבר, 270x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root רכה ("the·Rechabites") in Jeremiah. First appearance of the root לשכה ("the·rooms") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·rooms', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 3 words. Full calculation: הָלוֹךְ֮ [go] (61) + אֶל־בֵּ֣ית [to·house·of] (443) + הָרֵכָבִים֒ [the·Rechabites] (277) + וְדִבַּרְתָּ֣ [and·you·shall·speak] (612) + אוֹתָ֔ם [them] (447) + וַהֲבִֽאוֹתָם֙ [and·bring·them] (460) + בֵּ֣ית [house·of] (412) + יְהֹוָ֔ה [Hashem] (26) + אֶל־אַחַ֖ת [to·one·of] (440) + הַלְּשָׁכ֑וֹת [the·rooms] (761) + וְהִשְׁקִיתָ֥ [and·you·shall·provide·drink] (821) + אוֹתָ֖ם [them] (447) + יָֽיִן [wine] (70) = 5277.
Rashi
“to the house of Rechab.” The sons of Jonadab, son of Rechab, were from the descendants of Jethro.
Radak
The House of Rechab: They were from the house of Chovav, Moses' father-in-law, and they were called the House of Rechab after Rechab, the father of Jonadab, who was the head of the family. And so it is stated in Chronicles: "These are the Kenites who came from Hammath, the father of Rechab."
"And you shall give them wine to drink." Even though they did not drink, the verse states "you shall give them wine to drink," meaning that you shall place before them cups of wine for them to drink.
Metzudat David
“House of Rechab.” They were the sons of Jonadab, son of Rechab, and they were from the lineage of Jethro.
The House of the Lord. To the House of the Lord:
"To one of the chambers." To one of the chambers:
"And you shall give them to drink." Endeavor to give them wine to drink.
Metzudat Zion
The chambers. The matter of a room:
Malbim
"And you shall speak to them": That he should speak with them, and through the speech he will bring them to the house of wine, so that they will not realize that he is bringing them with intent, for then they would guard themselves from drinking. And he will bring them to the House of the Lord to publicize the matter. And you shall water them: You should strive to water them if they wish.
Then I took Jaazaniah the son of Jeremiah, the son of Habazziniah, and his brethren, and all his sons, and the whole house of the Rechabites;
verse value 3242
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 58 letters. The shortest word is "and" (וְאֵ֖ת, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·all·his·sons" (וְאֶת־כׇּל־בָּנָ֑יו, 9 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "Jaazaniah" (אֶת־יַאֲזַנְיָ֤ה), "son·of·Jeremiah" (בֶֽן־יִרְמְיָ֙הוּ֙), "son·of·Habaziniah" (בֶּן־חֲבַצִּנְיָ֔ה). The root בין appears 2 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son·of·Jeremiah" (root בין, 146x in Jeremiah); "all·house·of" (root בית, 128x in Jeremiah); "and·I·took" (root לקח, 65x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·all·his·sons', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: וָאֶקַּ֞ח [and·I·took] (115) + אֶת־יַאֲזַנְיָ֤ה [Jaazaniah] (484) + בֶֽן־יִרְמְיָ֙הוּ֙ [son·of·Jeremiah] (323) + בֶּן־חֲבַצִּנְיָ֔ה [son·of·Habaziniah] (217) + וְאֶת־אֶחָ֖יו [and·his·brothers] (432) + וְאֶת־כׇּל־בָּנָ֑יו [and·all·his·sons] (525) + וְאֵ֖ת [and] (407) + כׇּל־בֵּ֥ית [all·house·of] (462) + הָרֵכָבִֽים [the·Rechabites] (277) = 3242.
and I brought them into the house of Hashem, into the chamber of the sons of Hanan the son of Igdaliah, the man of God, which was by the chamber of the princes, which was above the chamber of Maaseiah the son of Shallum, the keeper of the door;
verse value 7288
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 88 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "them" (אֹתָם֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "son·of·Igdaliah" (בֶּן־יִגְדַּלְיָ֖הוּ, 9 letters). 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·I·brought" (וָאָבִ֤א), "to·room" (אֶל־לִשְׁכַּ֗ת), "Hanan" (חָנָ֥ן). The root לשכה appears 3 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "that·was·beside" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah); "and·I·brought" (root בוא, 211x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'God', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 10 words.
Rashi
“Man of God.” A prophet of the Lord.
"Guardian of the threshold." An amarkal [a Temple officer/treasurer]; tresorier in Old French.
Radak
“Man of God.” As its Targum renders it: “Prophet of the Lord.”
"Guard of the threshold." The term "threshold" is a general term encompassing all household utensils, wine vessels, and others. And Targum Yonatan renders "guard of the threshold" as "amarkela" [an officer/steward].
Metzudat David
A man of God. A prophet of the Lord:
"Which is next to." That chamber was next to the chamber where the officials assembled, and it was above the chamber of Maaseiah.
Metzudat Zion
"Guardian of the threshold." Guardian of the doorposts of the gates, for "threshold" refers to the doorpost. Likewise, the priests are called "guardians of the threshold" (II Kings 13).
Malbim
"By the chamber, where there was great publicity regarding the matter, which was above, and all who entered and exited knew:"
But they said: ‘We will drink no wine; for Jonadab the son of Rechab our father commanded us, saying: You shall drink no wine, neither you, nor your sons, for ever;
verse value 4098
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 68 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "we·will·drink·wine" (נִשְׁתֶּה־יָּ֑יִן, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 31: not, not. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "we·will·drink·wine" (נִשְׁתֶּה־יָּ֑יִן), "you·shall·drink·wine" (תִשְׁתּוּ־יַ֛יִן), "and·your·sons" (וּבְנֵיכֶ֖ם). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·they·said" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "for" (root כי, 318x in Jeremiah); "not" (root לא, 307x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root יונדב ("Jonadab") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'we·will·drink·wine', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 12 words.
Radak
"For Jonadab the son of Recab is our father." This means: the father of our fathers, for behold, we have found Jonadab the son of Recab at the time when Jehu the son of Nimshi reigned, and from him until the reign of Jehoiakim is close to three hundred years.
Metzudat David
"Our Father." This means: the head of the family.
"Forever." Until the end of all generations.
neither shall you build house, nor sow seed, nor plant vineyard, nor have any; but all your days you shall dwell in tents, that you may live many days in the land wherein you sojourn.
verse value 6635
Insights
Verse structure: 23 words, 98 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֠י, 2 letters) and the longest is "not·you·shall·sow" (לֹֽא־תִזְרָ֙עוּ֙, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 30: it·will·be, for. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "not·you·shall·build" (לֹֽא־תִבְנ֗וּ), "not·you·shall·sow" (לֹֽא־תִזְרָ֙עוּ֙), "not·you·shall·plant" (לֹֽא־תִטָּ֔עוּ). The root זרע appears 2 times in this verse. 21 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah); "for" (root כי, 318x in Jeremiah); "and·not" (root לא, 307x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·you', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 14 words.
Rashi
"You shall dwell in tents." In the wildernesses where you were sojourners, they had no portion in the land, for they were descendants of converts.
Radak
"And it shall not be yours." Its meaning applies to all of them: neither a house, nor a vineyard, nor a field shall be yours, neither as a gift nor through purchase from another.
“that you may live long.” For houses, fields, and vineyards detain a person in his place; if there is famine or sword, he dies in the shortness of days due to worry. But when he has no fixed abode, as long as he sees that a place is good, he dwells there, and when he sees that it is bad, he goes to another place where there is goodness. Therefore, He commanded them to be dwellers in tents and to travel from place to place according to where they perceive goodness, rather than being tied to a house, field, or vineyard, and by this they would lengthen their days. And so we see with the Patriarchs, who traveled from place to place in their tents because of famine.
And [as for] the drinking of wine, which he [Jonadab] restrained them from — [it is] because of what is known of its cause, that it deranges the mind of one who indulges in it, as it is written, “Whoever is deceived by it shall not be wise,” and it is written, “To whom is sorrow? To whom is contention? To whom is complaining? To whom are wounds without cause? To whom is redness of eyes? To those who tarry long over wine.” And the cause of the exile of the Ten Tribes was the excessive drinking of wine, as it is stated, “Woe to the crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim,” and it says, “Woe to those who are mighty to drink wine,” and it says, “Those who rise early in the morning pursue strong drink.” Also, the cause of the exile of Judah and Benjamin was wine, as it is written, “And these also have erred through wine.” And the entire matter is as with what is written: the first one to drink wine [Noah], although he was righteous and blameless, became intoxicated by it and was disgraced by it.
Metzudat David
"And it shall not be yours." Even through acquisition or as a gift, a built house, a sown field, and a planted vineyard shall not be yours.
"In tents." [Tents] made in the open field, which can be moved from place to place.
“that you may live, etc.” For a house, a field, and a vineyard involve a cause that detains a person in the place where they are, and at times he may perish along with the inhabitants of that place. But one who dwells in tents and has no field or vineyard can easily move from place to place. (And the reason for the prohibition of drinking wine need not be explained, for it is well known that it leads to indecent behavior.)
"Wherein you dwell." In whatever place the tents happen to be pitched:
Metzudat Zion
"Sojourners." As in, "I have sojourned with Laban" (Genesis 32:5).
Malbim
"And it shall not be for you" refers back to all of them — meaning that you shall not have a house, a field, or a vineyard, even by purchasing them from others. For from the statement "you shall not build" and "you shall not plant," it might have been implied that it is permitted to purchase an already-built house or a vineyard that others had planted; therefore [it adds], "for in tents you shall dwell" — that you shall not dwell even in the house of another, but only in tents.
And we have hearkened to the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab our father in all that he charged us, to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, nor our daughters;
verse value 4744
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 76 letters. The shortest word is "to·them" (לְכֹ֖ל, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·drink·wine" (שְׁתֽוֹת־יַ֙יִן֙, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "he·commanded·us" (צִוָּ֑נוּ), "all·our·days" (כׇּל־יָמֵ֔ינוּ), "our·wives" (נָשֵׁ֔ינוּ). 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah); "and·we·hearkened" (root שמע, 184x in Jeremiah); "to·them" (root כל, 167x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root יהונדב ("Jonadab") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'he·commanded·us', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 7 words.
Metzudat David
"And we obeyed the voice." This means: We have accepted his words.
"Our sons and our daughters." This means that even the minor sons and minor daughters are included.
but we have dwelt in tents, and have hearkened, and done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us.
verse value 2202
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 39 letters. The shortest word is "as·them" (כְּכֹ֥ל, 3 letters) and the longest is "that·commanded·us" (אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּ֖נוּ, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·we·did" (וַנַּ֔עַשׂ), "that·commanded·us" (אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּ֖נוּ). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·commanded·us" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah); "and·we·heeded" (root שמע, 184x in Jeremiah); "as·them" (root כל, 167x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·tents', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַנֵּ֖שֶׁב [but·we·dwelt] (358) + בׇּאֳהָלִ֑ים [in·tents] (88) + וַנִּשְׁמַ֣ע [and·we·heeded] (466) + וַנַּ֔עַשׂ [and·we·did] (426) + כְּכֹ֥ל [as·them] (70) + אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּ֖נוּ [that·commanded·us] (653) + יוֹנָדָ֥ב [Jonadab] (72) + אָבִֽינוּ [our·father] (69) = 2202.
Metzudat David
"And we dwelt." Up to this point we have dwelled in tents:
"And we obeyed and we did." This means: Just as we accepted upon ourselves, so too did we do, in accordance with all that...
Malbim
"And we dwelled in booths, and we heard and we did…" – The meaning is that they fulfilled all that he had said to them until now. However, the commandment to dwell in booths they did not fulfill at this time, for they dwelled in houses in Jerusalem. To this they replied: Since all the other commandments he commanded in a general, unspecified manner, only regarding the commandment to dwell in booths did he say, "In booths shall you dwell, in order that you may live many days upon the land." From this, it was implicitly a condition: that we dwell in booths so that thereby we may live upon the land, for conquerors of lands do not go to conquer those dwelling in booths. However, now that Nebuchadnezzar came to destroy the land, and their dwelling in booths in the fields was a place of danger, in this case it was included in the commandment of their father that they dwell in a fortified city in this manner. For he conditioned it: "In booths shall you dwell, in order that you may live." And from the affirmative ("yes") you hear the negative ("no"): if dwelling in booths entails danger, one does not dwell in them. And this is what they said: "And we dwelled in booths, and we did according to all that our father Jonadab commanded us." And it was when Nebuchadnezzar came up… and we said, "Come, let us go to Jerusalem because of the army of the Chaldeans." Since it was now a place of danger, therefore we dwelled in Jerusalem. And thus, even in this matter, we heard and did according to all that our father commanded.
But it came to pass, when Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came up against the land, that we said: Come, and let us go to Jerusalem for fear of the army of the Chaldeans, and for fear of the army of the Arameans; so we dwell at Jerusalem.’
verse value 4548
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 84 letters. The shortest word is "go·in" (בֹּ֚אוּ, 3 letters) and the longest is "Nebuchadrezzar" (נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּ֥ר, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 48: strength, strength. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "when·went·up" (בַּעֲל֨וֹת), "and·we·said" (וַנֹּ֗אמֶר), "Aram" (אֲרָ֑ם). The root בוא appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·we·said" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "to·the·land" (root איל, 293x in Jeremiah); "king·of·Babylon" (root מלך, 253x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Aram', dividing the verse into phrases of 15 and 2 words.
Rashi
“And it came to pass when Nebuchadnezzar ascended.” By force we were brought into the city; therefore, now we sit in houses.
Radak
"And it came to pass in the going up of Nebuchadnezzar." In the letter bet:
And it is said, "Come, let us go." The word "Come" [בואו] is an expression of urging, like "Come, let us go to Gilgal" [לכו ונלכה הגלגל] (1 Samuel 11:14).
Metzudat David
"And it came to pass when he went up." This means that the reason we are currently dwelling in the houses of the city is because, when Nebuchadnezzar went up against the land (and this is what occurred in the days of Jehoiakim, as stated in II Kings), we said to one another: "Come, let us go to Jerusalem, out of fear of the Chaldeans and the men of Aram who were with them, lest they plunder us." Therefore, we dwell in Jerusalem.
’Thus says Hashem of hosts, the God of Israel: Go, and say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: Will you not receive instruction to hearken to My words? says Hashem.
verse value 5067
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 82 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֤ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "surely" (הָלֹ֤ךְ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·dwelling" (וּלְיוֹשְׁבֵ֖י, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·dwelling" (וּלְיוֹשְׁבֵ֖י), "you·will·take" (תִקְח֥וּ). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "thus·says" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "not" (root לא, 307x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Jerusalem', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 6 words.
Metzudat David
"To the man of Judah." To the men of Judah:
"Will you not take instruction?" This means that, in truth, from this very matter you ought to learn to heed My words.
The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab, that he commanded his sons, not to drink wine, are performed, and to this day they drink none, for they hearken to their father’s commandment; but I have spoken to you, speaking betimes and often, and you have not hearkened to Me.
verse value 8483
Insights
Verse structure: 25 words, 111 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·drink·wine" (שְׁתֽוֹת־יַ֗יִן, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 37: and·not, and·not. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "was·set·up" (הוּקַ֡ם), "his·sons" (אֶת־בָּנָ֜יו), "unleavened·bread" (מִצְוַ֣ת). The root דבר appears 3 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·he·commanded" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah); "for" (root כי, 318x in Jeremiah); "and·not" (root לא, 307x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'their·father', dividing the verse into phrases of 17 and 8 words.
Radak
"The words of Jehonadab were fulfilled." The term "fulfilled" is in the singular form applied to a plural subject, because the word "et" encompasses the plural.
Metzudat David
It was established. Behold, the words of Jehonadab were fulfilled, etc.
"And they did not drink." And behold, they did not drink (and it did not say what prevented them from acquiring a house, a field, and a vineyard, for the prevention of drinking wine was witnessed with their own eyes, but not so with these):
"For they heard." This means that they did not refrain of their own free will, but rather in order to heed the command of their father.
"Rising early." This means: With great alacrity, rising early, I speak to you through the prophets, and yet, despite this, you did not listen.
Malbim
"והוקם" (and it was established): 1. That it was the commandment of a mortal (flesh and blood), and his words were fulfilled; 2. That they did not drink [wine] until this day and did not transgress at any time; 3. That they derived no benefit from this commandment other than that they heard the commandment of their father. "ואנכי דברתי" (And I spoke): 1. That it is the speech of God; 2. Since I spoke continually and you did not listen.
I have sent also to you all My servants the prophets, sending them betimes and often, saying: Return you now every man from his evil way, and amend your doings, and go not after other gods to serve them, and you shall dwell in the land which I have given to you and to your fathers; but you have not inclined your ear, nor hearkened to Me.
verse value 9090
Insights
Verse structure: 29 words, 148 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִ֤ים) = 86, equal to Elohim. Verse gematria: 9090 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "man" (אִישׁ֩, 3 letters) and the longest is "all·my·servants" (אֶת־כׇּל־עֲבָדַ֣י, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 86: God, to·the·ground. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "return·now" (שֻֽׁבוּ־נָ֡א), "to·the·ground" (אֶל־הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה), "and·to·your·fathers" (וְלַאֲבֹֽתֵיכֶ֑ם). The root שלח appears 2 times in this verse. 23 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "that·I·gave" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah); "and·not" (root לא, 307x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·to·your·fathers', dividing the verse into phrases of 23 and 6 words.
Radak
"And I sent." [The phrase] "and do not follow [other gods]" is stated after [first] having said "return and improve [your deeds]," because idolatry is equivalent in weight to all the [other] transgressions.
“And they shall return to the land.” [Here] אל is used like על [i.e., in place of “upon”]; and similarly, [in the verse] “he has not eaten upon the mountains” [אל ההרים לא אכל] (Ezekiel 18:6).
Metzudat David
"And I sent." This means: After you transgressed My words, I sent the prophets to you with haste and alacrity, saying, "Return now, each man, from his evil way, and from now on, improve your deeds."
"And return." And then you shall dwell on the land, etc.
Metzudat Zion
"Please." Now:
"Your deeds." Your actions:
Malbim
"And I sent My servants the prophets, 'Return from your ways in the negative commandments, and improve in the positive commandments,' as it is stated: 'For it is a commandment that has benefit in it, and return to the land.' And despite all this, you did not incline your ear to the words of the prophets, nor did you heed the words of the Torah."
Because the sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have performed the commandment of their father which he commanded them, but this people has not hearkened to Me;
verse value 2862
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 54 letters. Verse gematria: 2862 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "Jonadab" (יְהוֹנָדָ֣ב, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "unleavened·bread" (אֶת־מִצְוַ֥ת). 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah); "for" (root כי, 318x in Jeremiah); "not" (root לא, 307x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'he·had·instructed·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 5 words. Full calculation: כִּ֣י [for] (30) + הֵקִ֗ימוּ [performed] (161) + בְּנֵי֙ [son] (62) + יְהוֹנָדָ֣ב [Jonadab] (77) + בֶּן־רֵכָ֔ב [son·of·Rechab] (274) + אֶת־מִצְוַ֥ת [unleavened·bread] (937) + אֲבִיהֶ֖ם [their·father] (58) + אֲשֶׁ֣ר [that] (501) + צִוָּ֑ם [he·had·instructed·them] (136) + וְהָעָ֣ם [and·the·people] (121) + הַזֶּ֔ה [this] (17) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + שָׁמְע֖וּ [they·heard] (416) + אֵלָֽי [to·me] (41) = 2862.
Metzudat David
"For they fulfilled." This means: Because the sons of Jehonadab upheld their father's commandment, whereas this people did not listen to Me and did not learn from them.
Malbim
For the sons of Jehonadab had established, etc., and the people, etc., meaning that even though one could have learned moral instruction from the sons of Jehonadab, nevertheless they did not heed it.
therefore thus says Hashem, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will bring upon Judah and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the evil that I have pronounced against them; because I have spoken to them, but they have not heard, and I have called to them, but they have not answered.’
verse value 6588
Insights
Verse structure: 27 words, 116 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֜ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 6588 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "therefore" (לָ֠כֵ֠ן, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·Judah" (אֶל־יְהוּדָ֗ה, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 616: I·have·spoken, I·have·spoken. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "to·Judah" (אֶל־יְהוּדָ֗ה), "all·inhabitants-of" (כׇּל־יֽוֹשְׁבֵי֙). The root אלהים appears 2 times in this verse. 23 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "thus·says" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "that" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'upon·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 18 and 9 words.
Metzudat David
"Therefore." Since they neither heeded nor learned from them, therefore, etc.
"Which I spoke concerning them" – the calamity that I decreed through the prophets.
Because I have spoken concerning them, and they have not heeded.
"And I called unto them." To return to Me.
Malbim
Therefore, behold, I am bringing all the evil that I spoke of as a punishment, because I spoke and they did not listen.
And to the house of the Rechabites Jeremiah said: Thus says Hashem of hosts, the God of Israel: Because you have hearkened to the commandment of Jonadab your father, and kept all his precepts, and done according to all that he commanded you;
verse value 8752
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 105 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֤ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "said" (אָמַ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "all·his·commandments" (אֶת־כׇּל־מִצְוֺתָ֔יו, 10 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "upon·unleavened" (עַל־מִצְוַ֖ת), "your·father" (אֲבִיכֶ֑ם), "and·you·kept" (וַֽתִּשְׁמְרוּ֙). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 19 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "said" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "that" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·father', dividing the verse into phrases of 15 and 6 words.
Radak
"Concerning the commandment of Jonadab." [Here] על is used like אל [i.e., in place of "to/toward"]; and similarly, "And Elkanah went to Ramah, to his house" [וילך אלקנה הרמתה על ביתו] (1 Samuel 2:11) — [where] על ביתו is like אל ביתו ["to his house"].
Metzudat David
"Which you have heard." To accept his sayings.
On the commandment. To the commandment:
"And you kept them." This means: You kept them in your heart and did not forget them.
"And you did." And indeed, you performed all that He commanded you, even though they are many [commandments].
Malbim
"And you shall keep" – this is the negative commandments of drinking wine, building a house, and planting a vineyard; and "and you shall do" is the positive commandment to dwell in tents.
therefore thus says Hashem of hosts, the God of Israel: There shall not be cut off to Jonadab the son of Rechab a man to stand before Me for ever.’
verse value 3265
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 60 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֥ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "thus" (כֹּ֥ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "all·the·days" (כׇּל־הַיָּמִֽים, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "to·Jonadab" (לְיוֹנָדָ֧ב). 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "said" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "man" (root איש, 153x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 7 words. Full calculation: לָכֵ֗ן [therefore] (100) + כֹּ֥ה [thus] (25) + אָמַ֛ר [said] (241) + יְהֹוָ֥ה [Hashem] (26) + צְבָא֖וֹת [hosts] (499) + אֱלֹהֵ֣י [the·God·of] (46) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל [Israel] (541) + לֹא־יִכָּרֵ֨ת [not·he·shall·be·cut·off] (661) + אִ֜ישׁ [man] (311) + לְיוֹנָדָ֧ב [to·Jonadab] (102) + בֶּן־רֵכָ֛ב [son·of·Rechab] (274) + עֹמֵ֥ד [standing] (114) + לְפָנַ֖י [to·my·face] (170) + כׇּל־הַיָּמִֽים [all·the·days] (155) = 3265.
Radak
Therefore, no one shall cut off a man from the house of Jonadab the son of Recab, standing before Me forever. Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated it as "one who serves before Me," and in the statements of our Sages of blessed memory, Rabbi Yehuda says: "Do converts enter the Sanctuary? Yet even Israelites do not enter [the inner sanctum]. Rather, they sat in the Sanhedrin and instructed in matters of Torah." And some say: "Their daughters were married into the priesthood, and from among their descendants there were those who offered sacrifices upon the altar."
Yonadav. Without the letter he, there are three [occurrences] in the parashah, and the mnemonic is: "Vayomru" (And they said), "Venashev" (And we dwelt), "Lo yikaret" (Shall not be cut off).
Metzudat David
"There shall not be cut off," etc. This means: there shall not be a break from the seed of Jonadab, such that no one among them shall stand before [Me] all the days; that is to say, forever there shall be among them those who sit in the Sanhedrin and instruct in matters of Torah, so said our Rabbis of blessed memory — or that they shall be those who fear the Lord, contemplate His name, and submit themselves to His service.
Rashi
Radak
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim