The princes let Jeremiah down with cords into the pit of Malchiah the king's son, where there is no water, but mire; Ebed-melech the Cushite draws him up with worn clouts and rotten rags; and in the secret third entry, Zedekiah hears the way of life once more.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
And Shephatiah the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah the son of Pashhur, and Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur the son of Malchiah, heard the words that Jeremiah spoke to all the people, saying:
verse value 5501
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 87 letters. The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁ֧ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "son·of·Shelemiah" (בֶּן־שֶׁ֣לֶמְיָ֔הוּ, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 271: Jeremiah, saying. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "Shephatiah" (שְׁפַטְיָ֣ה), "son·of·Mattan" (בֶן־מַתָּ֗ן), "and·Gedaliah" (וּגְדַלְיָ֙הוּ֙). The root בין appears 4 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "that" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah); "to·all·the·people" (root איל, 293x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root גדליהו ("and·Gedaliah") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'son·of·Malchiah', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 6 words.
Metzudat David
"Which Jeremiah was speaking." While he was in the court of the guard, he would speak thus to the people who came there:
’Thus says Hashem: He that remains in this city shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence; but he that goes forth to the Chaldeans shall live, and his life shall be to him for a prey, and he shall live.
verse value 4356
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 77 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֒) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 4356 = 66². The shortest word is "thus" (כֹּה֮, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·Chaldea" (אֶל־הַכַּשְׂדִּים֙, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·what·comes·out" (וְהַיֹּצֵ֤א), "and·live" (וָחָֽי). The root חיה appears 3 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "said" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "and·in·the·pestilence" (root דבר, 270x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·in·the·pestilence', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 8 words.
Rashi
“And his soul shall be for a spoil.” And his life shall be salvation, as if his soul were spoil; just as one who takes spoil profits from it, so too shall this man profit with his soul.
Radak
"Yichyeh" is written [the ketiv]; "ve-chayah" is the qere [what is read]; and the meaning is the same.
"As spoil." [Meaning] "as gain," that is to say, as though it [his life] had taken plunder, in that it saved him from the sword and from the famine.
Metzudat David
To the Chaldeans: To surrender himself into their hands.
And it shall live. It shall remain alive.
"To plunder." As if he plundered his own soul, holding it for himself.
Metzudat Zion
"To be taken as spoil." [This is] a term of plunder:
Malbim
"And he who goes out and lives, and his soul shall be to him as spoil, and he shall live" – this means that the king’s guards were killing everyone who went out to the Chaldeans. Therefore, it states that whoever goes out and lives, and is not killed by the king’s guards, his soul shall be to him as spoil, and he shall live, meaning that the Chaldeans will not kill him. (And since one who goes out to the enemy goes out to fight and to plunder spoil, the verse employs a rhetorical expression: the spoil that he will plunder shall be the salvation of his soul.)
Thus says Hashem: This city shall surely be given into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it.’
verse value 2648
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 42 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "thus" (כֹּ֖ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "king·of·Babylon" (מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶ֖ל, 6 letters). The root נתן appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "said" (root אמר, 476x 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 3 and 8 words. Full calculation: כֹּ֖ה [thus] (25) + אָמַ֣ר [said] (241) + יְהֹוָ֑ה [Hashem] (26) + הִנָּתֹ֨ן [surely] (505) + תִּנָּתֵ֜ן [will·be·given] (900) + הָעִ֣יר [the·city] (285) + הַזֹּ֗את [this] (413) + בְּיַ֛ד [in·hand·of] (16) + חֵ֥יל [strength] (48) + מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶ֖ל [king·of·Babylon] (124) + וּלְכָדָֽהּ [and·will·capture·it] (65) = 2648.
Malbim
Thus says the Lord: Because many will choose to endure famine and plague in the city in order to save the city, and will not go out to the enemy, He says that the city will be given into the hand of the enemy in any case.
Then the princes said to the king: ‘Let this man, we pray you, be put to death; forasmuch as he weakens the hands of the men of war that remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, in speaking such words to them; for this man seeks not the welfare of this people, but the hurt.’
verse value 8091
Insights
Verse structure: 32 words, 141 letters. Notable word values: "to·them" (אֲלֵיהֶ֔ם) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "please" (נָא֮, 2 letters) and the longest is "you·health" (הֽוּא־מְרַפֵּ֡א, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 30: for, for. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "day" (י֣וּמַת), "inasmuch·as" (כִּֽי־עַל־כֵּ֡ן), "you·health" (הֽוּא־מְרַפֵּ֡א). The root איש appears 3 times in this verse. 24 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·they·said" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "inasmuch·as" (root כי, 318x in Jeremiah); "to·the·king" (root איל, 293x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'these', dividing the verse into phrases of 22 and 10 words.
Rashi
"For he disheartens [them]." "Alaquenz" in the vernacular, a term for slackening.
Radak
“Kill this man.” The word “et” comes with the object alone for emphasis, and similarly, “He shall divide the land.”
"For he disheartens [weakens]." The sense is of weakening, and the aleph is in place of the heh of the lamed of the verb [the third root letter], and so did Jonathan render it: "he weakens/enfeebles."
Metzudat David
"Let him be put to death, please." Since Zedekiah had ordered that he be taken out of the harsh imprisonment so that he would not die, they said to him: "Now he will be put to death, and what of it?"
"For therefore, etc." The meaning is that he deserves death because he weakens and demoralizes the hands of the warriors, so that they will not fight with courage, for they become discouraged from victory.
"All the people"—those who are not men of war.
"to speak." In that He speaks to them in words like these:
He does not seek peace. He does not desire that there be peace for them, but rather he desires that there be hostility toward them; therefore he speaks in these terms, so that their hands may grow weak and they may fall into the hands of the Chaldeans.
Metzudat Zion
"Meraffe." From the language of "slackness" [loosening/weakening] and "feebleness":
"To speak." In this word, the lamed stands in place of a bet; so too "you have sat lakisei" (Psalms 9:5), whose correct form would be bakisei [with a bet].
Malbim
"For this is why he weakens the hands of the men of war, etc.; for this man, etc." — meaning: because Jeremiah said that he weakens the hands of the men of war for their own good, in that by not fighting they would be saved; whereas they [the officials] said that his weakening of their hands was because he does not seek peace, as his words [claim], but rather harm — that Nebuchadnezzar would conquer them and exile them into captivity.
Then Zedekiah the king said: ‘Behold, he is in your hand; for the king is not he that can do any thing against you.’
verse value 1634
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 46 letters. Verse gematria: 1634 is divisible by 86, the value of Elohim. The shortest word is "thing" (דָּבָֽר, 3 letters) and the longest is "Zedekiah" (צִדְקִיָּ֔הוּ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 95: king, king. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "behold·he" (הִנֵּה־ה֖וּא). The root מלך appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "thing" (root דבר, 270x in Jeremiah); "king" (root מלך, 253x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·your·hand', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ [and·said] (257) + הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ [king] (95) + צִדְקִיָּ֔הוּ [Zedekiah] (215) + הִנֵּה־ה֖וּא [behold·he] (72) + בְּיֶדְכֶ֑ם [in·your·hand] (76) + כִּֽי־אֵ֣ין [for·nothing] (91) + הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ [king] (95) + יוּכַ֥ל [is·able] (66) + אֶתְכֶ֖ם [you] (461) + דָּבָֽר [thing] (206) = 1634.
Rashi
"יוכל." Like "יכול" (is able) — because he disheartens them, etc.
Radak
"For the king will not be able to do anything to you." It is not the custom of the Holy Tongue to use the word "ein" (not/no) together with verb forms of the past or future [tense]. Therefore, the meaning of "ein ha-melech shi-yokhel et-khem davar" is that he is not worthy/fit to be able to do anything against you or contrary to your will. And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated it as: "Yokhel, leit malka yakhil le-atava yitchon pitgama" (There is no king able to respond to you with a word).
Metzudat David
"For the king cannot do anything to you." This is as if to say: You are rebels against the king, and he has no power over you; what recourse does he have to protest against you?
Metzudat Zion
Yukhal. From the language of ability:
Malbim
"Behold, he is in your hands" — for Zedekiah had released him [Jeremiah] freely (as mentioned above, in the preceding chapter); but since the king has no power over you in any matter, and he is in your hands, do as you wish.
Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the pit of Malchiah the king’s son, that was in the court of the guard; and they let down Jeremiah with cords. And in the pit there was no water, but mire; and Jeremiah sank in the mire.
verse value 5131
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 105 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "Jeremiah" (אֶֽת־יִרְמְיָ֗הוּ, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 672: Jeremiah, Jeremiah. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·they·cast" (וַיַּשְׁלִ֨כוּ), "Malchiah" (מַלְכִּיָּ֣הוּ), "and·in·the·pit" (וּבַבּ֤וֹר). The root טיט appears 2 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah); "for" (root כי, 318x in Jeremiah); "into·the·pit" (root איל, 293x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·cords', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 7 words.
Rashi
"The pit of Malchiahu." Belonging to Malchiahu.
Radak
"To the pit" – of Malkiyahu, son of the king. It comes in construct state with the definite article, like "the people, the war" [i.e., the people of war, Joshua 8:11], "the ark, the covenant" [the ark of the covenant], and the like. And so did Jonathan translate it: "near the pit of Malkiyahu, son of the king."
"And they sent Jeremiah with ropes." They lowered him into the cistern, for it was deep.
Metzudat David
"To the pit of Malkiyahu." To the pit belonging to Malkiyahu, which was located in the court of the guard.
"And they sent." Since the pit was deep, they lowered him by means of ropes.
And it sank. Part of his body sank into the mud, for it was soft and moist.
Metzudat Zion
"And they sent." A matter of stretching forth, as in "she sends forth her branches to the sea" (ibid.):
Now when Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, an officer, who was in the king’s house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the pit; the king then sitting in the gate of Benjamin;
verse value 4696
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 73 letters. Notable word values: "and·he" (וְהוּא֙) = 18, chai, 'life'. The shortest word is "man" (אִ֣ישׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "Jeremiah" (אֶֽת־יִרְמְיָ֖הוּ, 8 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "that·they·put" (כִּֽי־נָתְנ֥וּ). The root מלך appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "into·the·pit" (root איל, 293x in Jeremiah); "king" (root מלך, 253x in Jeremiah); "and·he·heard" (root שמע, 184x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'into·the·pit', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 4 words.
Rashi
A king’s servant. Baruch ben Neriah:
"The Cushite" (Kushite). Zedekiah: Just as a Cushite is unique in his skin color, so too was Zedekiah unique in his righteousness compared to all his generation. And there is a Midrash that interprets "the Cushite" as referring to Baruch.
A eunuch man. A great man:
Radak
“The Ethiopian, a servant of the king.” This man was a servant of the king, and he was an Ethiopian and a eunuch. And the Targum [translates]: “A servant of the king Zedekiah,” and it rendered [the phrase] “a man, a eunuch” as “a great man.” And likewise our Sages of blessed memory explained that “the Ethiopian” refers to Zedekiah, and they said: Just as this Ethiopian is unique in his skin, so too Zedekiah was unique in his righteousness compared to his generation; for the men of his generation were wicked. And they said that this servant was Baruch ben Neriah. But the more correct view in my eyes is that this Ethiopian's name was actually “Eved-melech” [Servant-of-a-king], for were this not so, why does it say everywhere “eved melech” [without the definite article on “king”] and never say “eved ha-melech” [with the definite article, i.e. “the king's servant”] in any of them? For had he meant “king” to refer to Zedekiah as a title, he should have said “eved ha-melech” [the king's servant, with the definite article]. And furthermore, why was this man's name not mentioned in any of the places? Rather, his name was “Eved-melech,” for we have found [names such as] Ahimelech and Avimelech.
Metzudat David
"Ebed-melech." This is his own proper name:
The Ethiopian. That he was like an Ethiopian in his skin.
A eunuch. A man of authority, and he was in the king’s house. When he heard, he was in the king’s house:
"for they have given." This is dependent on "and he heard":
"And the king." At that time, the king was sitting in the gate called the Gate of Benjamin.
’My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have cast into the pit; and he is like to die in the place where he is because of the famine; for there is no more bread in the city.’
verse value 6375
Insights
Verse structure: 22 words, 94 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "whom·they·cast" (אֲשֶׁר־הִשְׁלִ֖יכוּ, 9 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "whom·they·cast" (אֲשֶׁר־הִשְׁלִ֖יכוּ), "under·him" (תַּחְתָּיו֙), "bread" (הַלֶּ֛חֶם). The root אשר appears 2 times in this verse. 20 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "all·that" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah); "for" (root כי, 318x in Jeremiah); "into·the·pit" (root איל, 293x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'into·the·pit', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 9 words.
Rashi
"And he would die there, etc." Had they left him in his place, he would have died on his own from hunger; but they hastened to bring about his death.
Radak
"And he died in his place." Because of the famine, he came close to dying there, in his place.
"Because of the famine." For as long as he was in the courtyard of the prison, they would see him and have mercy on him. Moreover, the king had commanded to give him a loaf of bread each day from the bakers until all the bread was exhausted, and still all the bread had not been exhausted. And what he said, "there is no more bread in the city," means that bread is not found except with difficulty. Since he is in the pit and they do not see him and do not notice him, he will die in the pit because of the famine.
Metzudat David
“הרעו.” This means that all that they did to Jeremiah was evil, even including the fact that they threw him into the pit.
"And he died in his stead." This means that even if their intention was that he should die and no longer prophesy, so as to no longer weaken the hands of the men of war, nevertheless they would leave him alone, and he would die of his own accord in his place due to the famine, for there was no more bread in the city.
Metzudat Zion
"they did evil." From the word for "evil."
"Tachtav." In his place:
Malbim
"The men dealt evilly with him, and he died there" means: Was he not already going to die there anyway, in the place he had been, because of the famine? And that death would have been a case of "sit and do not act" (a passive omission). If so, the evil they did was that they threw him into the pit, thereby killing him through an active deed ("arise and act").
Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying: ‘Take from hence thirty men with you, and take up Jeremiah the prophet out of the pit, before he die.’
verse value 4939
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 78 letters. Notable word values: "in·your·hand" (בְּיָדְךָ֤) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "take" (קַ֣ח, 2 letters) and the longest is "Jeremiah" (אֶֽת־יִרְמְיָ֧הוּ, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "from·here" (מִזֶּה֙), "and·you·shall·offer·up" (וְֽהַעֲלִ֜יתָ). 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "king" (root מלך, 253x in Jeremiah); "man" (root איש, 153x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'saying', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 11 words.
Rashi
"Thirty men." Since their strength was weakened by hunger, all of them were required [for the task].
Radak
"Thirty men." Thirty men were required to pull out a single person from the pit, because their strength had been weakened due to hunger.
Metzudat David
“Take in your hand from here.” From this place, take with you thirty men, and through them you shall bring Jeremiah out of the pit, lest he die (and since they were weakened in strength due to the distress of famine, thirty were required).
Metzudat Zion
"in your hand." It means: with you, under your authority, to perform your commandment. And similarly: "the men of war who were in our hands" (Numbers 31:49).
Malbim
"Take thirty men" – because the king had already removed himself from this matter, as it says, "Behold, he is in your hands," and the guards might have been able to protest against him; therefore, he commanded that thirty men be taken to remove him by force.
So Ebed-melech took the men with him, and went into the house of the king under the treasury, and took thence worn clouts and worn rags, and let them down by cords into the pit to Jeremiah.
verse value 5509
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 101 letters. The shortest word is "from·there" (מִשָּׁם֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·men" (אֶת־הָאֲנָשִׁ֜ים, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 302: treasure, to·Jeremiah. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "treasure" (הָאוֹצָ֔ר), "worn" (בְּלוֹיֵ֣), "rags" (סְחָב֔וֹת). The root איל appears 3 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·the under part" (root איל, 293x in Jeremiah); "and·came" (root בוא, 211x in Jeremiah); "the·men" (root איש, 153x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root בלה ("worn") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'rags', dividing the verse into phrases of 15 and 4 words.
Rashi
"Worn rags." Worn-out garments that are dragged along.
Radak
“With his hand.” With him, under his authority, to perform his commandment, to draw Jeremiah out of the pit. And similarly, “the men of war who are in our hands.” Or, alternatively, “with his hand” according to its literal meaning, that he pulled each one by the hand to go with him, for they were refusing due to their exhaustion.
"Worn rags" (belui sechavot). [The word] "belui" is written with a yod as the lamed of the root alone, and the yod of the plural is omitted from the written text but remains in the pronunciation.
Sachavot. The written text (ketiv) and the vocalized text (qere) are sachavot, and the meaning is one; the only difference between them is the definite article heh. Its interpretation is: tattered pieces of clothing that are dragged along by the feet. Similarly, [the phrase] "worn-out rags" (u-velui melachim), whose interpretation is: clothing that is worn-out and ruined because of their wear-and-tear. And similarly, [the phrase] "a ruined, salted land" (eretz melachah neshachatah), where "worn-out" (valui) is an adjective.
Metzudat David
“in his hand.” This means: with him and under his control.
“To [a place] under the treasury.” A place where one would find worn-out and tattered garments there.
“בלוי סחבות” – worn-out garments that are fit to be dragged out and cast away into the street.
"And with worn-out garments." Worn-out garments that are ruined:
And he sent them down. He lowered them to Jeremiah by means of ropes, and did not throw them down, lest they too drown in the mire.
Metzudat Zion
Baloi. From the language of wear and decay:
Sachbot. The matter is of dragging and pulling along the ground, as in the phrase "drag and cast" (above 22:).
Malchim. The matter of corruption, as it is said: "For the heavens shall vanish away like smoke" (Isaiah 51:6).
"And He sent them." The matter of "hoshetah" (extending/reaching out, i.e. handing down):
And Ebed-melech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah: ‘Put now these worn clouts and rags under your armholes under the cords.’ And Jeremiah did so.
verse value 5210
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 81 letters. The shortest word is "please" (נָ֠א, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·Jeremiah" (אֶֽל־יִרְמְיָ֗הוּ, 8 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "worn" (בְּלוֹאֵ֨י), "and·the·rags" (וְהַמְּלָחִים֙), "armholes" (אַצִּל֣וֹת). The root תחת appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "to·Jeremiah" (root איל, 293x in Jeremiah); "and·did" (root עשה, 147x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·cords', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 3 words.
Rashi
"And the salters." This is a term for decay, as in "the heavens shall vanish like smoke" (Isaiah 51:6).
"Under your armpits." So that the ropes should not harm you.
Atzilot. In the vernacular, it is called "Eishilash."
Radak
"Worn rags and tattered cloths" (belu'ei ha-sechavot ve-hamelachim). [Spelled] with an aleph in place of the heh, [representing] the lamed of the root.
"Under the armpits of your hands." This refers to the armpit-sockets, and likewise, in the masculine form, [the same term] refers to all the armholes of the hands.
Metzudat David
"Under your armpits." For he placed the ropes under the armpit, in order to lift him up by this means; therefore he commanded him to put the worn garments there, beneath the ropes, so that the ropes would not harm him.
Metzudat Zion
"The joints of your hands." They are the armpits, as in "upon all the joints of my hands [atzilei yaday]" (Ezekiel 13:18).
Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took Jeremiah the prophet to him into the third entry that was in the house of Hashem; and the king said to Jeremiah: ‘I will ask you a thing; hide nothing from me.’
verse value 5733
Insights
Verse structure: 22 words, 101 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 5733 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁ֖ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "Jeremiah" (אֶֽת־יִרְמְיָ֤הוּ, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 206: thing, thing. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "to·entrance" (אֶל־מָבוֹא֙), "third" (הַשְּׁלִישִׁ֔י), "asks" (שֹׁאֵ֨ל). The root איל appears 3 times in this verse. 16 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). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 10 words.
Rashi
"The third entrance." I do not know where it is, and perhaps it is in the Court of Israel, meaning that the Cheil and the Court of Women are before it.
Radak
To the third entrance. A place from which they would come from the King’s House to the House of the Lord:
Metzudat David
"The third entrance." [Located] beneath the Court of Israel, for the Chel and the Women's Court were in front of it.
I ask you a matter. That is to say: What is the word of the Lord and His prophecy that you have seen? And do not withhold from telling me the word of the Lord.
Metzudat Zion
"Entrance." An opening through which one enters:
Techached. The matter is one of prevention and concealment:
Malbim
"I ask you a matter" – meaning that he wished to question him about several details, and he said to him, "I ask you one matter" that encompasses all the questions, namely, "Do not withhold from me any matter," in such a way that you will state all the details that you know.
Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah: ‘If I declare it to you, will you not surely put me to death? and if I give you counsel, you will not hearken to me.’
verse value 3378
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 57 letters. Notable word values: "I·will·declare" (אַגִּ֣יד) = 18, chai, 'life'. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֚י, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·Zedekiah" (אֶל־צִדְקִיָּ֔הוּ, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "surely" (הָמֵ֣ת), "will·kill·me" (תְּמִיתֵ֑נִי), "I·will·counsel·you" (אִיעָ֣צְךָ֔). The root כי appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "for" (root כי, 318x in Jeremiah); "will·not" (root לא, 307x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root יעץ ("I·will·counsel·you") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'will·kill·me', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֤אמֶר [and·said] (257) + יִרְמְיָ֙הוּ֙ [Jeremiah] (271) + אֶל־צִדְקִיָּ֔הוּ [to·Zedekiah] (246) + כִּ֚י [for] (30) + אַגִּ֣יד [I·will·declare] (18) + לְךָ֔ [to·you] (50) + הֲל֖וֹא [will·not] (42) + הָמֵ֣ת [surely] (445) + תְּמִיתֵ֑נִי [will·kill·me] (910) + וְכִי֙ [and·for] (36) + אִיעָ֣צְךָ֔ [I·will·counsel·you] (191) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + תִשְׁמַ֖ע [you·hear] (810) + אֵלָֽי [to·me] (41) = 3378.
Metzudat David
"For I will tell." If I were to tell, it would be as if saying: Why should I tell you? Is there not danger for me in this matter, and is there no benefit for you? For if I were to counsel you in the matter of the Lord, behold, you would not listen to me.
Malbim
"For if I declare to you, and if I advise you" — this means: I have a declaration regarding the evil that is destined to come, and I have counsel on how you might save yourself from it. Yet, if I declare to you the evil that is destined, you will kill me; and if I advise you on how to save yourself, you will not listen.
So Zedekiah the king swore secretly to Jeremiah, saying: ‘As Hashem lives, that made us this soul, I will not put you to death, neither will I give you into the hand of these men that seek your life.’
verse value 7926
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 100 letters. The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁר֩, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·Jeremiah" (אֶֽל־יִרְמְיָ֖הוּ, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: that, that. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "made·for·us" (עָשָׂה־לָ֨נוּ), "the·soul" (אֶת־הַנֶּ֤פֶשׁ), "I·will·not·put·you·to·death" (אִם־אֲמִיתֶ֔ךָ). The root אשר appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "as·Hashem·lives" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "saying" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "that" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'saying', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 14 words.
Radak
"That which He has done." It is written "et" but not read, and it is one of the eight words that are written but not read.
"Which He has made for us, this soul." He swore to him an oath fitting the matter, since he [Jeremiah] had said to him, "Will you not surely put me to death?" And the meaning of "this soul" is the speaking one — that is, the soul in which is the power of speech and prophecy. And Yonatan translated: "Who has established for us these souls."
Metzudat David
“this soul” – the soul that is placed within the body of each one of us:
Malbim
"If I were to kill you with my own hand, or if I were to hand you over to men who would kill you:"
Then said Jeremiah to Zedekiah: ‘Thus says Hashem, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: If you will go forth to the king of Babylon’s princes, then your soul shall live, and this city shall not be burned with fire; and you shall live, you, and your house;
verse value 7666
Insights
Verse structure: 23 words, 105 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֩) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֥א, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·Zedekiah·thus·said" (אֶל־צִדְקִיָּ֡הוּ, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 541: Israel, to·the·princes·of. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "if·surely" (אִם־יָצֹ֨א), "and·your·house" (וּבֵיתֶֽךָ). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "and·said" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "not" (root לא, 307x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·fire', dividing the verse into phrases of 20 and 3 words.
Malbim
"If you go out, you shall surely go out." He began with the advice: "If you go out, your soul shall live," meaning: 1. That your soul shall not be guilty before the Lord for causing much evil; 2. That the city shall not be burned; 3. And you and your household shall live, so that they shall not kill you.
but if you will not go forth to the king of Babylon’s princes, then shall this city be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and you shall not escape out of their hand.’
verse value 4754
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 64 letters. The shortest word is "and·if" (וְאִ֣ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·Chaldeans" (הַכַּשְׂדִּ֔ים, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "not·go·out" (לֹֽא־תֵצֵ֗א), "and·will·be·given" (וְנִתְּנָ֞ה). The root יד appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·the·princes·of" (root איל, 293x in Jeremiah); "king" (root מלך, 253x in Jeremiah); "and·will·be·given" (root נתן, 141x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·fire', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 3 words.
Malbim
"And if you do not go out, this is the declaration:"
And Zedekiah the king said to Jeremiah: ‘I am afraid of the Jews that are fallen away to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they mock me.’
verse value 4118
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 75 letters. The shortest word is "I" (אֲנִ֧י, 3 letters) and the longest is "Jew" (אֶת־הַיְּהוּדִ֗ים, 9 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "Doeg" (דֹאֵ֣ג), "Jew" (אֶת־הַיְּהוּדִ֗ים), "lest·they·deliver" (פֶּֽן־יִתְּנ֥וּ). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "that" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah); "to·Jeremiah" (root איל, 293x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·Jeremiah', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 10 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֛אמֶר [and·said] (257) + הַמֶּ֥לֶךְ [king] (95) + צִדְקִיָּ֖הוּ [Zedekiah] (215) + אֶֽל־יִרְמְיָ֑הוּ [to·Jeremiah] (302) + אֲנִ֧י [I] (61) + דֹאֵ֣ג [Doeg] (8) + אֶת־הַיְּהוּדִ֗ים [Jew] (481) + אֲשֶׁ֤ר [that] (501) + נָֽפְלוּ֙ [they·fell] (166) + אֶל־הַכַּשְׂדִּ֔ים [to·Chaldea] (410) + פֶּֽן־יִתְּנ֥וּ [lest·they·deliver] (596) + אֹתִ֛י [me] (411) + בְּיָדָ֖ם [in·their·hand] (56) + וְהִתְעַלְּלוּ־בִֽי [and·in·me] (559) = 4118.
Rashi
"I am worried" (דואג). Fearful.
"Lest they deliver me." The Chaldeans [would deliver me] into the hand of the Jews [who had defected], to say: 'Your king shall be your servant,' because you were quick to make peace with us.
"And they mocked me." The Jews: "Iggbront" in the language of the nations.
Radak
I worry about the Jews. I fear the Jews:
Lest they give. The phrase "lest they give" means: lest the Chaldeans hand me over into their power.
"And they tormented me." They would kill me with stabs of vengeance and humiliation, because they had made peace with the Chaldeans stealthily, against my will; for if I had known, I would have killed them.
Metzudat David
"the Jews." From the Jews who had already defected to the Chaldeans:
"Lest they give": Lest the Chaldeans hand me over into their [the Judeans'] hand, because they [the Judean deserters] had hastened to make peace with them [the Chaldeans], and those Jews will abuse me.
Metzudat Zion
"Do'eg" (i.e., "fearful"). The matter of fear and awe:
"the Jews." [Meaning] from the Jews, and similarly, "when I went out of the city" (Exodus 9:29); and its grammatical rule is "from the city."
"Naflu" [they fell]. The matter of encampment and joining together:
And they mocked. The meaning is derision and contempt, as it is written: “For you have mocked me” (Numbers 22:29).
Malbim
I was concerned for the Jews, because there were two factions in Jerusalem: one faction that wished to make peace with the Chaldeans, and the faction of the princes with the king who wished to fight. And the two factions fought against each other, as it is stated in Ezekiel chapter 21. Therefore, the Jews who defected to the Chaldeans hated Zedekiah, and he feared lest they hand him over to them. Now, the prophet said to him, "If you go out, you shall go out, and your soul shall live," and he did not say, "And it shall be good for you, and your soul shall live," as it is stated subsequently. And thus, he only promised him that he would live, and he was afraid lest they hand him over to the Jews and he would live a life of contempt and disgrace.
But Jeremiah said: ‘They shall not deliver you. Hearken, I beseech you, to the voice of Hashem, in that which I speak to you; so it shall be well with you, and your soul shall live.
verse value 3470
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 59 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "Jeremiah" (יִרְמְיָ֖הוּ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 61: I, to·you. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "that·may·live" (וּתְחִ֥י). 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "and·said" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "to·whom" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·will·give', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 11 words.
Metzudat David
"They shall not give." This means: "The Chaldeans shall not hand you over into the hands of the Jews."
Malbim
And Jeremiah said, “They will not give [him up],” and he brought him proof from the second utterance, in which the Lord showed him that the women would plead his innocence, that he was not guilty of the matter of the rebellion, and through this he would be found righteous in his judgment. And this is what it says: “Hear the voice of the Lord, in that which I am speaking to you”—this is the second utterance that I will speak to you. From this utterance you will know that “it will be good for you and your soul will live,” meaning that besides life, it will also be good for you. And He explained to him the second utterance: “And if you refuse to go out, thus has the Lord shown me,” that from this utterance he will understand that if he goes out, it will be good for him, for he will go out acquitted, if he goes out of his own accord.
But if you refuse to go forth, this is the word that Hashem has shown me:
verse value 2081
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 31 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָֽה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "this" (זֶ֣ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·if·you·refuse" (וְאִם־מָאֵ֥ן, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·if·you·refuse" (וְאִם־מָאֵ֥ן). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "that" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah); "the·word" (root דבר, 270x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·go·out', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 5 words. Full calculation: וְאִם־מָאֵ֥ן [and·if·you·refuse] (138) + אַתָּ֖ה [you] (406) + לָצֵ֑את [to·go·out] (521) + זֶ֣ה [this] (12) + הַדָּבָ֔ר [the·word] (211) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [that] (501) + הִרְאַ֖נִי [showed·me] (266) + יְהֹוָֽה [Hashem] (26) = 2081.
Radak
"Who showed me." With a chirik under the he:
Metzudat David
"This is the matter": That is to say, I will tell you the word of God, and this is the matter which God showed me:
Behold, all the women that are left in the king of Judah’s house shall be brought forth to the king of Babylon’s princes, and those women shall say: Your familiar friends have set you on, And have prevailed over you; Your feet are sunk in the mire, And they are turned away back.
verse value 6175
Insights
Verse structure: 22 words, 97 letters. Verse gematria: 6175 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "to·you" (לְךָ֙, 2 letters) and the longest is "king·Judah" (מֶֽלֶךְ־יְהוּדָ֔ה, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: that, have·incited·you. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "gone·out" (מוּצָא֕וֹת), "have·incited·you" (הִסִּית֜וּךָ), "your·peace" (שְׁלֹמֶ֔ךָ). The root הנה appears 2 times in this verse. 20 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "that" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah); "to·the·princes·of" (root איל, 293x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Babylon', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 12 words.
Rashi
"Your men of peace." The false prophets who said to you, "You shall not be captured."
"In the mire." Mud; an expression like [that in] 'Can the rush grow up without a marsh?' (Job 8:11).
Radak
"Who remained in the house of the king of Judah." This is Jehoiachin: when he and his mother went out to the king of Babylon, the other women remained in his house, and now they will be brought out to the officers of the king of Babylon.
And behold, they say. The women say [this] against you when they are brought out.
“Your peaceable men” – the false prophets and the princes who believed in them incited you, saying, “Do not make peace with the king of Babylon.”
"And the men of your peace have overcome you." [This is] because you followed their opinion.
"Your feet have sunk in the mire." "In the mire" – in mud and mire; from [the words] "Can papyrus grow without a marsh?" (Job 8:11), "its swamps and its marshes" (Ezekiel 47:11).
"Your foot." The plural is lacking the yod in the written text:
"They retreated backward." [This means:] your feet were unable to go forward, and so they retreated backward. He says this either as a metaphor, or because the Chaldeans caught up with him [Zedekiah] while he was fleeing. And the dagesh in the samekh of "they enticed you" [הסיתוך] is in place of a quiescent [letter, i.e. an assimilated nun].
Metzudat David
"All the women": The wives of King Jehoiachin who remained here and did not go out to be handed over into the hand of the king of Babylon at the time that Jehoiachin went out.
"Brought out." They will be brought out:
And behold, these women will say of you: “Behold, your men of peace—namely, the false prophets with whom you were at peace—incited you, so that you did not submit to the king of Babylon, for they prophesied to you falsely. And behold, they have overcome you, because you followed after them.”
“Their sinking.” “They caused your feet to sink in the mire” means that they brought this distress upon you, and they retreated to stand opposite, for they had no power to save you.
Metzudat Zion
The seduction. From the words of seduction and enticement:
"And they prevailed." From the language of ability:
“They were sunk” – The word is derived from the term for sinking in mud. Its sense is wet clay; and similarly, “Can papyrus grow tall without a marsh?” (Job 8:11).
“Retreated backward.” The matter of turning back; and similarly, “and turned away from following our God” (Isaiah 59:13):
Malbim
"All the women shall be brought out, and behold, they shall say" means that they will inquire of the women who are the maidservants in the king's house as to what was the cause of the rebellion, and they will testify in your favor and say that the king is not guilty in the matter, for your men of peace were the ones who incited and seduced you first, and afterward, even though the king wished to return and make peace with Nebuchadnezzar, he could not, for they had sunk your feet in the mire, such that it was as if you were sunk in mire and unable to get out, as it is stated, "For the king cannot do anything against you" — for the matter was already in the hands of the princes; thus they will testify in your favor. And by means of this, all your wives and your children shall be brought out to the Chaldeans to execute judgments upon them, because they were the ones who incited you; for this reason he killed the sons of Zedekiah. Moreover, you too shall not escape, for this reason they blinded his eyes, because he did not see the truth and walked in darkness; and the city shall be burned, as if you had burned it, due to the fact that you did not make peace with him.
And they shall bring out all your wives and your children to the Chaldeans; and you shall not escape out of their hand, but shall be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon; and you shall cause this city to be burned with fire.’
verse value 6677
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 77 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·all·your·wives" (וְאֶת־כׇּל־נָשֶׁ֣יךָ, 9 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·all·your·wives" (וְאֶת־כׇּל־נָשֶׁ֣יךָ), "and·your·sons" (וְאֶת־בָּנֶ֗יךָ), "bringing·out" (מֽוֹצִאִים֙). The root יד appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for" (root כי, 318x in Jeremiah); "king·of·Babylon" (root מלך, 253x in Jeremiah); "and·the·city" (root עיר, 117x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·their·hand', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 8 words.
Rashi
"And this city you shall burn with fire." Behold, you are as though you burn it with your own hands, for you cause it to be burned.
Radak
"They bring them out to the Chaldeans." [This means that] those who bring them out—whether they are the inhabitants of the city or the Chaldeans who entered the city when they conquered it—bring them out to the Chaldeans who were outside.
"It shall be burned in fire." You will be the cause that it will be burned, for since you do not wish to go out to them and make peace, behold, it is as if you yourself burn it.
Metzudat David
"Bringing out." They will bring [them] out:
"You shall burn it." This is as if you are to burn it, because you are the cause, in that you did not go out to make peace with the Chaldeans.
Metzudat Zion
"tattafesh" – the matter of grasping with strength:
Then said Zedekiah to Jeremiah: ‘Let no man know of these words, and you shall not die.
verse value 2382
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 44 letters. The shortest word is "man" (אִ֛ישׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·the·words·these" (בַּדְּבָֽרִים־הָאֵ֖לֶּה, 10 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "in·the·words·these" (בַּדְּבָֽרִים־הָאֵ֖לֶּה). The root איל appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "and·not" (root לא, 307x in Jeremiah); "to·Jeremiah" (root איל, 293x in Jeremiah). Full calculation: וַיֹּ֨אמֶר [and·said] (257) + צִדְקִיָּ֜הוּ [Zedekiah] (215) + אֶֽל־יִרְמְיָ֗הוּ [to·Jeremiah] (302) + אִ֛ישׁ [man] (311) + אַל־יֵדַ֥ע [let·not·know] (115) + בַּדְּבָֽרִים־הָאֵ֖לֶּה [in·the·words·these] (299) + וְלֹ֥א [and·not] (37) + תָמֽוּת [die] (846) = 2382.
Metzudat David
In these words. What I have spoken with you:
"And you shall not die." And then you will not die at the hands of the officials, for when they will know about those matters, they will kill you.
But if the princes hear that I have talked with you, and they come to you, and say to you: Declare to us now what you have said to the king; hide it not from us, and we will not put you to death; also what the king said to you;
verse value 4984
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 94 letters. Notable word values: "to·us" (לָ֜נוּ) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "with·you" (אִתָּךְ֒, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·if·they·hear" (וְכִֽי־יִשְׁמְע֣וּ, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 61: to·you, to·you, to·you. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·if·they·hear" (וְכִֽי־יִשְׁמְע֣וּ), "tell·now" (הַגִּידָה־נָּ֨א), "what?·you·said" (מַה־דִּבַּ֧רְתָּ). The root דבר appears 3 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·they·shall·say" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "and·not" (root לא, 307x in Jeremiah); "to·the·king" (root איל, 293x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'we·will·put·you·to·death', dividing the verse into phrases of 16 and 3 words.
Metzudat David
"And if they will hear." And if they will hear what I have spoken, what will become of you? And they will question you, saying, "Tell us what they are, and we will not kill you because of this."
And what? Tell us what the king said to you:
Malbim
“What did you say to the king, and what did the king say to you?” means that Zedekiah knew that Jeremiah would not utter a falsehood from his mouth. The officials asked him both questions together: what he had said to the king and what the king had said to him. The king had told him to reply to them, “I am presenting my petition before the king, that he not return me to the house of Jonathan.” They would understand that this was an answer to the question, “What did you say to the king?” In truth, this would be Jeremiah’s answer to the question, “What did the king say to you?” for the king had said to him that he should state, “I am presenting my petition before the king,” etc. In this way, he would not speak falsely. This is what the verse means by “And he came and they asked him,” meaning that they asked him the two aforementioned questions. “And he told them all the words that the king had commanded him, and there was no falsehood.” They did not understand and thought that this was an answer to the question, “What did you say to the king?” Therefore, they remained silent and did not ask further, “What did the king say to you?” for then he would have found no answer. But they remained silent because “the matter was not heard,” meaning that they did not understand his answer and erred.
then you shall say to them: I presented my supplication before the king, that he would not cause me to return to Jonathan’s house, to die there.’
verse value 4685
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 56 letters. Notable word values: "to·them" (אֲלֵיהֶ֔ם) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "there" (שָֽׁם, 2 letters) and the longest is "I·am·presenting" (מַפִּיל־אֲנִ֥י, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "I·am·presenting" (מַפִּיל־אֲנִ֥י), "answer·me" (הֲשִׁיבֵ֛נִי). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·you·shall·say" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "king" (root מלך, 253x in Jeremiah); "to·them" (root אל, 204x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'king', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ [and·you·shall·say] (647) + אֲלֵיהֶ֔ם [to·them] (86) + מַפִּיל־אֲנִ֥י [I·am·presenting] (221) + תְחִנָּתִ֖י [my·supplication] (868) + לִפְנֵ֣י [to·face·of] (170) + הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ [king] (95) + לְבִלְתִּ֧י [and·not·to] (472) + הֲשִׁיבֵ֛נִי [answer·me] (377) + בֵּ֥ית [house·of] (412) + יְהוֹנָתָ֖ן [Jonathan] (521) + לָמ֥וּת [to·die] (476) + שָֽׁם [there] (340) = 4685.
Metzudat David
"I present [my plea]." I had requested before the king that he not return me to the house of Yehonatan, where I was initially imprisoned, lest I die there from the severity of the confinement.
Then came all the princes to Jeremiah, and asked him; and he told them according to all these words that the king had commanded. So they left off speaking with him; for the matter was not reported.
verse value 4257
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 81 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "as·all·the·words" (כְּכׇל־הַדְּבָרִ֣ים, 9 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·asked" (וַיִּשְׁאֲל֣וּ), "and·kept·silent" (וַיַּחֲרִ֣שׁוּ), "not·was·heard" (לֹֽא־נִשְׁמַ֖ע). The root דבר appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah); "for" (root כי, 318x in Jeremiah); "to·Jeremiah" (root איל, 293x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'king', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 5 words.
Radak
"For the matter was not heard." This is because the matter was not heard at all that the king had spoken with him; therefore, they believed him, as he said to them, and they did not investigate him further.
Metzudat David
"And they were silent toward him." They remained silent toward him and did not do to him any harm, for they believed him.
The matter. The words that he was speaking with the king were not heard by any person; therefore, they believed him, for there was no one who could refute him.
Metzudat Zion
And they were silent. They remained silent, as it is written: "But if he indeed keeps silent" (Numbers 30:15).
So Jeremiah abode in the court of the guard until the day that Jerusalem was taken. And it came to pass, when Jerusalem was taken—
verse value 3716
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 57 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָיָ֕ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "and·dwelt" (וַיֵּ֤שֶׁב, 4 letters) and the longest is "that·was·taken" (אֲשֶׁר־נִלְכְּדָ֣ה, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 586: Jerusalem·and·it·came·to·pass, Jerusalem. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "that·was·taken" (אֲשֶׁר־נִלְכְּדָ֣ה). The root אשר appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·was·taken" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah); "and·it·shall·be" (root היה, 250x in Jeremiah); "and·dwelt" (root ישב, 147x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Jerusalem·and·it·came·to·pass', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיֵּ֤שֶׁב [and·dwelt] (318) + יִרְמְיָ֙הוּ֙ [Jeremiah] (271) + בַּחֲצַ֣ר [in·court·of] (300) + הַמַּטָּרָ֔ה [guard] (259) + עַד־י֖וֹם [until·day] (130) + אֲשֶׁר־נִלְכְּדָ֣ה [that·was·taken] (610) + יְרוּשָׁלִָ֑ם [Jerusalem·and·it·came·to·pass] (586) + וְהָיָ֕ה [and·it·shall·be] (26) + כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר [as] (521) + נִלְכְּדָ֖ה [is·caught] (109) + יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם [Jerusalem] (586) = 3716.
Radak
"And it came to pass when Jerusalem was captured." Since the verse mentioned "until the day that Jerusalem was captured," it recalled, right afterward, the capture of Jerusalem — how it came about — and stated that in the ninth year the days of the siege began, [continuing] until the eleventh year of Zedekiah, when Jerusalem was captured.
Metzudat David
“And it shall come to pass, etc.” – This means that even at the time when Jerusalem was captured, he [Jeremiah] was there and did not move of his own accord from that place.
Malbim
"And it came to pass when Jerusalem was captured" – this refers back to what was stated in the following section, verse 3: "When Jerusalem was captured, and all the princes of the king of Babylon came," and the first two verses of the following section are a parenthetical statement. And one can also say that this alludes to the fact that from that time the decree had already been sealed, after Zedekiah stiffened his neck and did not pay heed even to this, as it is stated below (39:16), "Behold, I am bringing My words upon this city for evil and not for good," as I explained there. And from that time onward, it was already as if Jerusalem had already been captured.
Metzudat David