In the eleventh year the city is broken up; Zedekiah flees by night and is overtaken in the plains of Jericho; his sons are slain before his eyes at Riblah and his eyes are put out; Jeremiah is committed to Gedaliah — and Ebed-melech is delivered, 'because you have put your trust in Me.'
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
in the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, came Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon and all his army against Jerusalem, and besieged it;
verse value 4660
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 75 letters. The shortest word is "went·in" (בָּ֠א, 2 letters) and the longest is "Nebuchadrezzar" (נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּ֨ר, 9 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "the·tenth" (הָעֲשִׂרִ֗י), "to·Jerusalem" (אֶל־יְר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם), "and·they·bound" (וַיָּצֻ֖רוּ). The root מלך appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Jerusalem" (root איל, 293x in Jeremiah); "on" (root על, 276x in Jeremiah); "king·Judah" (root מלך, 253x in Jeremiah). Full calculation: בַּשָּׁנָ֣ה [in·the·year] (357) + הַ֠תְּשִׁעִ֠ית [ninth] (1185) + לְצִדְקִיָּ֨הוּ [to·Zedekiah] (245) + מֶלֶךְ־יְהוּדָ֜ה [king·Judah] (120) + בַּחֹ֣דֶשׁ [in·the·month] (314) + הָעֲשִׂרִ֗י [the·tenth] (585) + בָּ֠א [went·in] (3) + נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּ֨ר [Nebuchadrezzar] (573) + מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶ֤ל [king·of·Babylon] (124) + וְכׇל־חֵילוֹ֙ [and·all·his·army] (110) + אֶל־יְר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם [to·Jerusalem] (617) + וַיָּצֻ֖רוּ [and·they·bound] (312) + עָלֶֽיהָ [on] (115) = 4660.
Metzudat Zion
And they besieged it. They surrounded it to distress it.
Malbim
In the tenth month: The main narrative comes below in chapter 52, and here it means that Jeremiah's prophecy was fulfilled. And Rabbi Isaac Abarbanel explained that although the city was breached in Tammuz, they did not enter until the seventh of Av, for the whole month the Jews fought over it until the famine pressed upon them. "In the tenth month" (on the tenth of the month, 2 Kings 25; and below, 52:4, Ezekiel 24:1), "and they laid siege," "and they built a siege ramp all around it" (there and there).
in the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, the ninth day of the month, a breach was made in the city—
verse value 4154
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 47 letters. The shortest word is "year" (שָׁנָה֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·one·ten" (בְּעַשְׁתֵּֽי־עֶשְׂרֵ֤ה, 9 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "in·one·ten" (בְּעַשְׁתֵּֽי־עֶשְׂרֵ֤ה), "was·split" (הׇבְקְעָ֖ה). The root חדש appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·city" (root עיר, 117x in Jeremiah); "year" (root שנה, 50x in Jeremiah); "to·Zedekiah" (root צדקיהו, 29x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root תשע ("in·nine") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·the·month', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 2 words. Full calculation: בְּעַשְׁתֵּֽי־עֶשְׂרֵ֤ה [in·one·ten] (1357) + שָׁנָה֙ [year] (355) + לְצִדְקִיָּ֔הוּ [to·Zedekiah] (245) + בַּחֹ֥דֶשׁ [in·the·month] (314) + הָרְבִיעִ֖י [fourth] (297) + בְּתִשְׁעָ֣ה [in·nine] (777) + לַחֹ֑דֶשׁ [to·the·month] (342) + הׇבְקְעָ֖ה [was·split] (182) + הָעִֽיר [the·city] (285) = 4154.
Metzudat David
"The city was breached." The army of Nebuchadnezzar breached its wall as if it had happened by itself, for the men of Jerusalem were weakened by famine and could not stand against them to hinder their progress.
Metzudat Zion
The breaking through. From the language of cracking and opening:
Malbim
On the ninth of the month (and there was no bread for the people of the land, and the city was breached, ibid.), this means that due to the famine the people burst forth to go out to the king of Babylon, and as a result, all the officials of Babylon came and entered within the wall.
that all the princes of the king of Babylon came in, and sat in the middle gate, even Nergal-sarezer, Samgar-nebo, Sarsechim Rab-saris, Nergal-sarezer Rab-mag, with all the residue of the princes of the king of Babylon.
verse value 7553
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 87 letters. Verse gematria: 7553 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "all" (כֹּ֚ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·all·rest·of" (וְכׇ֨ל־שְׁאֵרִ֔ית, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 791: Sharezer, Sharezer. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "midst" (הַתָּ֑וֶךְ), "Nebo" (סַֽמְגַּר־נְב֞וּ), "prince·Sarsechim" (שַׂר־סְכִ֣ים). The root שר appears 3 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "king·of·Babylon" (root מלך, 253x in Jeremiah); "and·they·came" (root בוא, 211x in Jeremiah); "all" (root כל, 167x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root נרגל ("Nergal") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'midst', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 12 words.
Rashi
"And all the officers of the king of Babylon came, and sat in the middle gate, etc." This tells that the prophecy stated above was fulfilled here: [as it says] "and they shall come, and each shall set his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, etc." (above, 1:15).
"In the middle gate." [Targum: 'be-tara metzi'ata' — the middle gate], the gate of the Courtyard, the eastern gate of Nicanor, and it was between the gate of the Women's Courtyard and the gate of the Sanctuary. And our Rabbis said: 'the middle gate' is the gate where they would render halachic rulings. Concerning them Scripture says: 'the place of judgment, there was wickedness' (Ecclesiastes 3:16).
Radak
"And they sat in the middle gate." A gate that was between two gates, or alternatively, the meaning is the gate of the middle wall. Our Sages of blessed memory interpreted it as the gate in the Temple Court, which was the eastern gate, and seven names were given to it. It was called the middle gate because it was between two gates. However, the correct view is that it was one of the gates of Jerusalem, as it is stated: "And they came and sat," at their entrance into the city — after the city had been breached, they sat in the middle gate. This is what Jeremiah prophesied: "And they shall come and set each man his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem."
Nergal. A single word:
Sarezer. A single word:
"Samgarnebo." It is one word, and there are manuscripts that write "Samgar" and "Nebo" as two words, with a maqaf between them; and there are manuscripts that write "Nebo" with a shuruq.
"Sharsukim." A single word, written with a shin and a mem.
"Rav saris." Two words:
"Rav mag." Two words. And as for his mentioning "Nergal-sarezer" again a second time — perhaps there were others whose name was like their name [i.e., two different people bore the same name].
Metzudat David
"The middle gate" refers to the gate that was in the middle wall, for there were three walls in Jerusalem.
Metzudat Zion
התוך. The middle one, as it is said: "And He divided them in the middle" (Genesis 15:10).
"Nergal," etc. [These are] the names of the officers, and two were called by the name Nergal, and likewise Sar'etzer.
And it came to pass, that when Zedekiah the king of Judah and all the men of war saw them, then they fled, and went forth out of the city by night, by the way of the king’s garden, by the gate between the two walls; and he went out the way of the Arabah.
verse value 4590
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 93 letters. Verse gematria: 4590 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "garden" (גַּ֣ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "king·Judah" (מֶלֶךְ־יְהוּדָ֜ה, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 224: way, way. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "saw·them" (רָ֠אָ֠ם), "and·they·fled" (וַֽ֠יִּבְרְח֠וּ), "garden" (גַּ֣ן). The root מלך appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "as" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah); "king·Judah" (root מלך, 253x in Jeremiah); "and·it·was" (root היה, 250x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·walls', dividing the verse into phrases of 18 and 3 words.
Rashi
The path of the king’s garden. He had a tunnel from his house to the plains of Jericho, and he went out to travel through the tunnel. What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do in order to fulfill the verse, “And I will spread My net upon him” (Ezekiel 12:13)? He summoned a deer to run before the Chaldeans, running along the roof of the tunnel outside the city. They ran after it to capture it, and it ran until the entrance of the tunnel, and they saw Zedekiah emerging from the tunnel.
Radak
“The way of the king’s garden.” They expounded upon it: There was a single cave extending from his house to the plains of Jericho, and he fled through the cave so that they would not see him. The Holy One, blessed be He, summoned a stag, and the Chaldean troops saw it and pursued it. The stag went into the cave, and they followed after it. When they were at the entrance of the cave, they saw Zedekiah emerging from the cave, and they seized him.
Metzudat David
"The way of the king's garden." On the path adjacent to the king's garden, at the gate situated between the two walls:
The way of the Arabah. The way that leads to the plains of Jericho:
Metzudat Zion
The Arabah. Like a desert:
Malbim
"And it came to pass when they saw them" (this refers to the breach in the city mentioned in Kings and below, which was breached a second time at night through the gate between the walls):
But the army of the Chaldeans pursued after them, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho; and when they had taken him, they brought him up to Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of Hamath, and he gave judgment upon him.
verse value 6721
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 101 letters. Verse gematria: 6721 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "Hamath" (חֲמָ֑ת, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·Nebuchadrezzar" (אֶל־נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּ֧ר, 11 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·overtook" (וַיַּשִּׂ֣גוּ), "in·the·steppes·of" (בְּעַֽרְב֣וֹת), "and·brought·him·up" (וַֽ֠יַּעֲלֻ֠הוּ). 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Nebuchadrezzar" (root איל, 293x in Jeremiah); "and·spoke" (root דבר, 270x in Jeremiah); "king·of·Babylon" (root מלך, 253x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root נשג ("and·overtook") in Jeremiah. First appearance of the root רבלתה ("Riblah") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hamath', dividing the verse into phrases of 15 and 3 words.
Rashi
"And he spoke with him [words of] judgment." [Saying:] 'Why did you transgress the oath?'
Radak
"And they brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar, to Riblah." But did Nebuchadnezzar not come to Jerusalem himself? Rather, the days of the siege grew long, and Nebuchadnezzar departed.
"And he spoke with him in judgments." Because he rebelled against him, violated his covenant, and transgressed the oath of the Lord, which he had made him swear by God.
Metzudat David
"And they pursued." Our Sages of blessed memory said: He fled through a cave that leads to the plains of Jericho. A roebuck happened to be walking above the cave, and the Chaldeans pursued the roebuck. When they arrived at the entrance of the cave, they found the king coming out, and they seized him.
"Zedekiah" – him alone, for all his army had scattered from him, as stated at the end of the book and in II Kings.
Riblah. For when the days of the siege were prolonged, Nebuchadnezzar went to Riblah.
Mishpatim. He disputed with him regarding the fact that he rebelled against him and transgressed his oath, as it is written in Chronicles:
Metzudat Zion
Mishpatim (judgments). The meaning is dispute/argument (vikuach):
Then the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah in Riblah before his eyes;
verse value 2696
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 55 letters. The shortest word is "king" (מֶ֨לֶךְ, 3 letters) and the longest is "Zedekiah" (צִדְקִיָּ֛הוּ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 90: king, king. The root שחט appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "king" (root מלך, 253x in Jeremiah); "Judah" (root יהודה, 134x in Jeremiah); "Babylon" (root בבל, 93x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·his·sight', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיִּשְׁחַט֩ [and·he·slew] (333) + מֶ֨לֶךְ [king] (90) + בָּבֶ֜ל [Babylon] (34) + אֶת־בְּנֵ֧י [the·sons·of] (463) + צִדְקִיָּ֛הוּ [Zedekiah] (215) + בְּרִבְלָ֖ה [in·Riblah] (239) + לְעֵינָ֑יו [in·his·sight] (176) + וְאֵת֙ [and] (407) + כׇּל־חֹרֵ֣י [all·nobles·of] (268) + יְהוּדָ֔ה [Judah] (30) + שָׁחַ֖ט [he·slew] (317) + מֶ֥לֶךְ [king] (90) + בָּבֶֽל [Babylon] (34) = 2696.
Rashi
"And all the nobles of Judah." These are the Sanhedrin, because they permitted him [to break] his oath; the sin was in the eyes of God, in that they permitted the annulment of the oath.
Radak
"And all the leaders of Judah." The commanders and princes of Judah.
Metzudat Zion
Chorei. The matter of dominion, as it is said, "and I contended with the nobles" (Nehemiah 5:7).
Moreover he put out Zedekiah’s eyes, and bound him in fetters, to carry him to Babylon.
verse value 2625
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 41 letters. The shortest word is "blinded" (עִוֵּ֑ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·eyes·of" (וְאֶת־עֵינֵ֥י, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "to·bring·in" (לָבִ֥יא). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·bring·in" (root בוא, 211x in Jeremiah); "and·eyes·of" (root עין, 52x in Jeremiah); "Zedekiah" (root צדקיהו, 29x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root אסר ("and·he·bound·him") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'blinded', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 5 words. Full calculation: וְאֶת־עֵינֵ֥י [and·eyes·of] (547) + צִדְקִיָּ֖הוּ [Zedekiah] (215) + עִוֵּ֑ר [blinded] (276) + וַיַּאַסְרֵ֙הוּ֙ [and·he·bound·him] (288) + בַּֽנְחֻשְׁתַּ֔יִם [in·the·fetters] (810) + לָבִ֥יא [to·bring·in] (43) + אֹת֖וֹ [him] (407) + בָּבֶֽלָה [to·Babylon] (39) = 2625.
Radak
"Nechushtayim (bronze fetters)." Chains of iron, and they are expressed in the dual form because they were for the two legs; and expressed in the language of nechoshet (bronze) because they were made of bronze, or of strong iron called nechushah.
"To bring him to Babylon [lavi oto Bavelah]." [The word] "lavi" is like "lehavi" (to bring); and so too in "from the beginning that the contribution began to be brought (lavi) to the House of the Lord."
Metzudat Zion
“With copper chains”: With chains of copper.
Lavi. Like the word "lehavi" (to bring):
And the Chaldeans burned the king’s house, and the house of the people, with fire, and broke down the walls of Jerusalem.
verse value 5109
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 49 letters. Verse gematria: 5109 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "the·people" (הָעָ֔ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·walls·of" (וְאֶת־חֹמ֥וֹת, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 819: and·house·of, and·house·of. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·walls·of" (וְאֶת־חֹמ֥וֹת). The root בית appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "king" (root מלך, 253x in Jeremiah); "and·house·of" (root בית, 128x in Jeremiah); "Jerusalem" (root ירושלם, 93x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·fire', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְאֶת־בֵּ֤ית [and·house·of] (819) + הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ [king] (95) + וְאֶת־בֵּ֣ית [and·house·of] (819) + הָעָ֔ם [the·people] (115) + שָׂרְפ֥וּ [they·burned] (586) + הַכַּשְׂדִּ֖ים [the·Chaldeans] (379) + בָּאֵ֑שׁ [in·the·fire] (303) + וְאֶת־חֹמ֥וֹת [and·walls·of] (861) + יְרוּשָׁלִַ֖ם [Jerusalem] (586) + נָתָֽצוּ [they·pulled·down] (546) = 5109.
Rashi
“And the house of the people.” [These are] synagogues.
Radak
"And the house of the people." [The singular is used] like "the houses of the people," in a general sense; and in its exegetical sense, "and the house of the people" refers to the synagogue.
Metzudat David
"And the house of the people." This means the house of each of the great men of the people, as it is stated at the end of the book and in II Kings: "And all the house of the great man."
Metzudat Zion
They tore down. The meaning is breaking and demolition.
Malbim
"And the king's house"—this was in the fifth month, at the hands of Nebuzaradan (Kings, and below, 52).
Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive into Babylon the remnant of the people that remained in the city, the deserters also, that fell away to him, with the rest of the people that remained.
verse value 5831
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 78 letters. The shortest word is "and" (וְאֵת֩, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·the·ones·who·fall" (וְאֶת־הַנֹּֽפְלִים֙, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 610: remainder, remainder. The root יתר appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah); "upon·him" (root על, 276x in Jeremiah); "in·the·city" (root עיר, 117x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'remained', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 4 words.
Radak
Nebuzaradan. A single word; and so too all [the forms] of Nebuchadnezzar and Nebuchadrezzar are a single word.
Metzudat David
The survivors. Those who were not killed:
that fell upon him. To make peace with him:
"And the rest of the people who remain, in all the cities of Judah:"
Rav Tabachim: The official in charge of those who carry out executions by the king’s command.
Babylon. "He exiled to Babylon":
Malbim
"And the rest of the people who remained" – meaning, those outside the city; and similarly in the book of Kings, and below there: "and the rest of the multitude."
But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left of the poor of the people, that had nothing, in the land of Judah, and gave them vineyards and fields in that day.
verse value 3456
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 80 letters. Verse gematria: 3456 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁ֤ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "Nebuzaradan" (נְבוּזַרְאֲדָ֥ן, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·from·the·people" (וּמִן־הָעָ֣ם), "low" (הַדַּלִּ֗ים), "and·fields" (וִיגֵבִ֖ים). 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah); "in·land·of" (root ארץ, 245x in Jeremiah); "and·gave" (root נתן, 141x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root נבוזראדן ("Nebuzaradan") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Judah', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 6 words.
Rashi
"Vineyards and fields." Fields to cultivate them; every [instance of] יגיבה is an expression of digging; "Apoisitz" in the vernacular.
Radak
"Vineyards and fields." Fields; and thus workers of the fields are called "yogvim" [field-tillers], as with "kormim" [vinedressers] and "yogvim" [field-tillers]. And so did Yonatan render it: "to be workers in the fields and in the vineyards."
Metzudat David
Nothing. Not in the least; not at all:
Metzudat Zion
Vigevim. Like "vikevim" (winepresses), for the letters gimel, yod, kaph, and qof are interchangeable. These are the pits into which the wine flows and descends, as it is said: "And he also hewed a winepress in it" (Isaiah 5:2).
Malbim
"Who have nothing" — for he knew that these [people] would not rebel against him, since he had given them vineyards, etc.
Now Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon gave charge concerning Jeremiah to Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, saying:
verse value 2058
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 49 letters. The shortest word is "in·hand·of" (בְּיַ֛ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "Nebuchadrezzar" (נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּ֥ר, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 271: great·executioner, saying. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·commanded" (וַיְצַ֛ו). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "upon·Jeremiah" (root על, 276x in Jeremiah); "king·of·Babylon" (root מלך, 253x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'upon·Jeremiah', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיְצַ֛ו [and·commanded] (112) + נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּ֥ר [Nebuchadrezzar] (573) + מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶ֖ל [king·of·Babylon] (124) + עַֽל־יִרְמְיָ֑הוּ [upon·Jeremiah] (371) + בְּיַ֛ד [in·hand·of] (16) + נְבוּזַרְאֲדָ֥ן [Nebuzaradan] (320) + רַב־טַבָּחִ֖ים [great·executioner] (271) + לֵאמֹֽר [saying] (271) = 2058.
'Take him, and look well to him, and do him no harm; but do to him even as he shall say to you.'
verse value 3431
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 56 letters. Notable word values: "to·him" (ל֖וֹ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "to·him" (ל֖וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·your·eyes" (וְעֵינֶ֙יךָ֙, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 116: upon·him, with. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "take·him" (קָחֶ֗נּוּ), "and·do·not·do" (וְאַל־תַּ֥עַשׂ), "with" (עִמּֽוֹ). The root עשה appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "as" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah); "for" (root כי, 318x in Jeremiah); "upon·him" (root על, 276x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'evil', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 8 words.
Radak
"Nothing bad." With a dagesh in the resh: no evil at all in the world shall you do to him — that if it is displeasing to him to come to Bavel, do not bring him there; and if it is displeasing to him to remain among the poor of the people, do not leave him [there].
"But as he shall speak." [The word] "im" is written [in the text] but not read [i.e., it is Ketiv but not Qere].
Metzudat David
Take. Take Jeremiah:
"And set your eyes upon him": To watch over him. For:
"As." Just as he will speak to you to do with him, so shall you do.
Malbim
"And do not do to him anything evil" means: whatever is evil in his eyes, even if you would do it for his benefit, you shall not do so; rather, act only as he says.
So Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard sent, and Nebushazban Rab-saris, and Nergal-sarezer Rab-mag, and all the chief officers of the king of Babylon;
verse value 3617
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 60 letters. The shortest word is "and·them·of" (וְכֹ֖ל, 3 letters) and the longest is "Nebuzaradan" (נְבוּזַרְאֲדָ֣ן, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·Nebushazban" (וּנְבֽוּשַׁזְבָּן֙), "and·Nergal" (וְנֵרְגַ֥ל), "chiefs·of" (רַבֵּ֥י). The root רב appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "king·of·Babylon" (root מלך, 253x in Jeremiah); "and·them·of" (root כל, 167x in Jeremiah); "and·he·sent" (root שלח, 84x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'great·magician', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיִּשְׁלַ֞ח [and·he·sent] (354) + נְבוּזַרְאֲדָ֣ן [Nebuzaradan] (320) + רַב־טַבָּחִ֗ים [great·executioner] (271) + וּנְבֽוּשַׁזְבָּן֙ [and·Nebushazban] (423) + רַב־סָרִ֔יס [great·official] (532) + וְנֵרְגַ֥ל [and·Nergal] (289) + שַׂרְאֶ֖צֶר [Sharezer] (791) + רַב־מָ֑ג [great·magician] (245) + וְכֹ֖ל [and·them·of] (56) + רַבֵּ֥י [chiefs·of] (212) + מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶֽל [king·of·Babylon] (124) = 3617.
Rashi
"Rabbei [chiefs]." Like [the word] 'sarei' [officers].
Radak
And "Nebushazban." With a small nun, and it is one of three small nuns [in Scripture].
"The chiefs of the king of Babylon." Like [the construction] "over every chief of his house" [rav beito].
Metzudat David
“And he sent.” Each one of them sent.
Metzudat Zion
Rabbi. The matter of greatness and authority, as in "over every chief of his house" (Esther 1:8).
Malbim
(13-14) "And Nebuzaradan sent forth..." and "they sent forth": What is the difference between "he sent forth" and "they sent forth"? "He sent forth" refers to the king, who sent Nebuzaradan and all the chief officers of the king of Babylon; and "they sent forth" refers to their agents who went and took Jeremiah to bring him to the house, which they had given him to dwell in; and he was also free and dwelled among the people as he pleased.
they sent, and took Jeremiah out of the court of the guard, and committed him to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, that he should carry him home; so he dwelt among the people.
verse value 4872
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 80 letters. The shortest word is "him" (אֹתוֹ֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "Jeremiah" (אֶֽת־יִרְמְיָ֜הוּ, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "from·court·of" (מֵחֲצַ֣ר), "to·bring·him·out" (לְהוֹצִאֵ֖הוּ). The root איל appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Gedaliah" (root איל, 293x in Jeremiah); "and·dwelt" (root ישב, 147x in Jeremiah); "son·of·Ahikam" (root בין, 146x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·the·house', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 3 words.
Rashi
“Concerning Gedaliah, son of Ahikam.” He fell to the Chaldeans at the behest of Jeremiah. And when the city was captured, he was appointed ruler over those who remained there.
Radak
"And they sent and took Jeremiah." This verse is a narration of what was done, [given] at the end of the matter. For before they gave him over to Gedaliah, Nebuzaradan spoke with him [Jeremiah], whom he had found among the exiles, bound in fetters like the rest of the exiles whom the Chaldeans who had entered the city had bound; and they [the Chaldeans] did not know anything about Jeremiah — what Nebuchadnezzar had commanded concerning him — for he [Nebuchadnezzar] had commanded Nebuzaradan [directly]. And what it says, "from the court of the guard," means that from there the captors took him, for he had been there until the day Jerusalem was captured, as was written above. And it says regarding Jeremiah that the captors took him from the court of the guard and led him with the rest of the exiles, and Nebuzaradan and the rest of the king's officers gave him over to Gedaliah.
To bring him out to the house. To the house where Gedaliah was, and so he did.
"And he sat among the people." Just as it is stated at the end of the matter: "And he sat with him among the people."
Metzudat David
"And they sent." Since the matter had been prolonged, he returned to say again, "and they sent."
To Gedaliah: For he fell to the Chaldeans in accordance with the words of Jeremiah, and when the city was captured, the king of Babylon appointed him over the survivors.
"To bring him out to the house." To bring him out from the court of the guard, to go and dwell in the house:
And he sat. Jeremiah sat among the people, for the princes had taken him out of the court of the guard.
Now the word of Hashem came to Jeremiah, while he was shut up in the court of the guard, saying:
verse value 2179
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 41 letters. The shortest word is "was" (הָיָ֣ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·to·Jeremiah" (וְאֶֽל־יִרְמְיָ֖הוּ, 9 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·to·Jeremiah" (וְאֶֽל־יִרְמְיָ֖הוּ), "when·he·was" (בִּֽהְיֹת֣וֹ). The root היה appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·word·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "saying" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "was" (root היה, 250x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·word·of·Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 5 words. Full calculation: וְאֶֽל־יִרְמְיָ֖הוּ [and·to·Jeremiah] (308) + הָיָ֣ה [was] (20) + דְבַר־יְהֹוָ֑ה [the·word·of·Hashem] (232) + בִּֽהְיֹת֣וֹ [when·he·was] (423) + עָצ֔וּר [shut·up] (366) + בַּחֲצַ֥ר [in·court·of] (300) + הַמַּטָּרָ֖ה [guard] (259) + לֵאמֹֽר [saying] (271) = 2179.
’Go, and speak to Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying: Thus says Hashem of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will bring My words upon this city for evil, and not for good; and they shall be accomplished before you in that day.
verse value 5093
Insights
Verse structure: 22 words, 100 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֤ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "bringing" (מֵבִ֨י, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·Ebed-melech" (לְעֶבֶד־מֶ֨לֶךְ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 52: bringing, for·good. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "to·Ebed-melech" (לְעֶבֶד־מֶ֨לֶךְ). The root אמר appears 3 times in this verse. 20 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "and·you·shall·say" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "and·not" (root לא, 307x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'for·good', dividing the verse into phrases of 18 and 4 words.
Rashi
"And they shall be before You on that day." The matters shall be before You, so that You will see them being fulfilled.
Radak
"I am bringing." [The form is] lacking the aleph, [which is] the third radical [lamed ha-po'al].
"And they shall be before you on that day." Matters that I have decreed concerning the city shall be before you, so that you may see them; that is to say, you shall not fear that the officers will kill you before the capture of the city, because you acted against their will regarding Jeremiah. And you — because you trusted in Me, and you are one while the officers are many, yet you acted against them — you shall escape the sword, whereas they shall die by the sword. Even though you are of the household of Zedekiah, those who flee with him shall die by the sword, but you shall escape and see the capture of the city, and you shall see that My words are fulfilled in the city. This is what is stated: "And they shall be before you," meaning that you shall see and not fear that you will die by the sword; and you shall keep your life as a prize [i.e., you shall escape with your life].
Metzudat David
"To Ebed-melech the Cushite." This is the one who spoke good on his behalf before Zedekiah and brought him up from the pit:
And not for good. I will not bring upon them the good that I spoke of concerning them, since they did not return to Me.
"And they shall be before you." These evils you shall see with your own eyes:
"On that day." On the day of the coming of the calamity:
Malbim
"For evil and not for good, for until now the evil was for the sake of good, so that thereby they would return and He would do good with them; but now this decree was decreed, and it is only for evil, for after the final warning, when Jeremiah warned Zedekiah and he did not heed his words, from then on it was inevitable that the city would be destroyed in any case, as stated at the end of the previous section; and 'they were before you on that day,' meaning that you would not escape from the city and see the evil; yet despite all this, 'I will save you on that day'—either from the enemies who are among the princes, so that you will not be given into their hands, or from the destruction by the Chaldeans."
For I will surely deliver you, and you shall not fall by the sword, but your life shall be for a prey to you; because you have put your trust in Me, says Hashem.’
verse value 2862
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 50 letters. Verse gematria: 2862 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֤י, 2 letters) and the longest is "says·Hashem" (נְאֻם־יְהֹוָֽה, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "surely" (מַלֵּט֙), "I·will·deliver·you" (אֲמַלֶּטְךָ֔), "for·you·trusted" (כִּֽי־בָטַ֥חְתָּ). The root מלט appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "says·Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "for" (root כי, 318x in Jeremiah); "not" (root לא, 307x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'you·will·fall', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 7 words. Full calculation: כִּ֤י [for] (30) + מַלֵּט֙ [surely] (79) + אֲמַלֶּטְךָ֔ [I·will·deliver·you] (100) + וּבַחֶ֖רֶב [and·by·the·sword] (218) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + תִפֹּ֑ל [you·will·fall] (510) + וְהָיְתָ֨ה [and·it·shall·be] (426) + לְךָ֤ [to·you] (50) + נַפְשְׁךָ֙ [soul] (450) + לְשָׁלָ֔ל [to·spoil] (390) + כִּֽי־בָטַ֥חְתָּ [for·you·trusted] (449) + בִּ֖י [in·Me] (12) + נְאֻם־יְהֹוָֽה [says·Hashem] (117) = 2862.
Metzudat David
"As a spoil." This is as if you had plundered your own soul, holding it for yourself:
"For you have trusted in Me." For the fact that he spoke good words about Jeremiah before the king, and did not fear all the princes of the people who were his enemies, was because he trusted in the Lord.
Metzudat Zion
I will surely rescue you. The matter of deliverance:
As a spoil. The matter of plunder:
Malbim
"For I will surely deliver you"—by means of Divine providence, since you have trusted in Me.
Metzudat Zion
Malbim