'Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem... seek in her broad places, if you can find a man that does justly' — from the least to the greatest, every one is greedy for gain; a wonderful and horrible thing is come to pass in the land.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
Run you to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, And see now, and know, And seek in the broad places thereof, If you can find a man, If there be any that does justly, that seeks truth; And I will pardon her.
verse value 5559
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 78 letters. Notable word values: "and·know" (וּדְעוּ֙) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "to·her" (לָֽהּ, 2 letters) and the longest is "in·her·broad·places" (בִרְחוֹבוֹתֶ֔יהָ, 9 letters). 11 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "run·to·and·fro" (שׁוֹטְט֞וּ), "in·streets·of" (בְּחוּצ֣וֹת), "and·see·now" (וּרְאוּ־נָ֤א). The root בקש appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "man" (root איש, 153x in Jeremiah); "doing" (root עשה, 147x in Jeremiah); "Jerusalem" (root ירושלם, 93x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root חוץ ("in·streets·of") in Jeremiah. First appearance of the root רחב ("in·her·broad·places") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'firmness', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 2 words.
Radak
“Search thoroughly.” Seek and inquire, and behold, David said in the Book of Psalms: “You have given the carcass of Your servant as food for the birds of the heavens, the flesh of Your faithful ones to the beasts of the earth.” Behold, there were in Jerusalem pious men and servants of God. How then did Jeremiah say, “If there is one who does justice, who seeks faithfulness, I will pardon her”? My master and father, of blessed memory, explained that Jeremiah spoke of the outskirts of Jerusalem, and said “in its streets,” because the pious men who were in Jerusalem were hiding in their houses and could not appear in the streets and outskirts on account of the wicked. And our Sages of blessed memory explained that since they were killed by enemies, even though they were wicked and deserving of death, their death served as atonement for them, and Scripture calls them “Your servants” and “Your faithful ones.”
"If you find a man": This means a good and great man in deeds. And similarly, "Are you not a man?" [i.e., a man of note/greatness], and likewise, "If a man whose deeds are good."
Metzudat David
"Search." "Go through the streets of Jerusalem here and there, and see now among them, and give your heart to know the deeds of men, and seek in her thoroughfares if you can find there a righteous man, if there is anyone who does justice and seeks truth."
"And I will forgive her." [This teaches:] If you find even one such individual, then I will forgive the entire city.
Metzudat Zion
"שוטטו" – The matter refers to going hither and thither, as it is said, "and he went back and forth through the land" (Job 1:7).
“in the streets.” In the marketplaces. And similarly, “you shall make for yourself streets in Damascus” (1 Kings 20:34).
"In its streets." From the term *reḥov* (street):
"Ish." This means a great man, one who possesses good deeds. And likewise: "Are you not a man?" (1 Samuel 26).
Malbim
“Search through the streets of Jerusalem,” says the Lord; “do not wonder that I have brought this calamity upon Jerusalem, for behold, they have searched through the streets of Jerusalem.” The term “streets” (chutsot) refers to the areas adjacent to the houses, whereas the “thoroughfares” (rechovot) are the marketplace areas where all the people gather. With this, the verse adds that not only did they search the streets, but they also sought in the thoroughfares, the places of assembly, “if you will find a man, if there is one who does justice.” This means that the streets and thoroughfares, which are always full of people, at a time when there is someone there who does justice or seeks faithfulness—see, will you then find even one man in the streets or in the thoroughfares? For if they see that one of the judges goes out to do justice, or one of the prophets who seeks faithfulness, then they will all hide themselves in their houses, and no man will be found. And the meaning of the verse is: “If you will find a man at a time when there is one who does justice, then I will pardon her.”
And though they say: ‘As Hashem lives’, Surely they swear falsely.
verse value 1466
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 26 letters. The shortest word is "and·if" (וְאִ֥ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "as·Hashem·lives" (חַי־יְהֹוָ֖ה, 6 letters). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "as·Hashem·lives" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "shall·speak" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "therefore" (root כן, 76x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'shall·speak', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְאִ֥ם [and·if] (47) + חַי־יְהֹוָ֖ה [as·Hashem·lives] (44) + יֹאמֵ֑רוּ [shall·speak] (257) + לָכֵ֥ן [therefore] (100) + לַשֶּׁ֖קֶר [to·the·lie] (630) + יִשָּׁבֵֽעוּ [they·will·swear] (388) = 1466.
Radak
And if [they say], "As the Lord lives." For most of them swear by other gods, as it is said, "And they swore by that which is no god" [Jeremiah 5:7]. And if it should be that they swear by Me, to show themselves as if they are in awe of My name, yet they swear by My name falsely—they swear by My name, and I, who know all, am aware of it.
Metzudat David
"And if the Lord lives." If they say in their oath, "As the Lord lives," it is not because they believe in Him; but in truth, when they wish to swear falsely, they swear by the Lord.
Malbim
And if they say, “As the Lord lives,” even though you may sometimes hear that in disputes between one person and another, an oath is imposed upon them and they swear by God, so that it may appear to you that there is both justice and faith among them—because the fact that they swear to deny their opponent is in accordance with the law of the Torah, “The oath of the Lord shall be between the two of them,” and the oath itself, being in the name of God, testifies that they believe in God and swear by His great name—do not draw proof from this. Rather, this is a sign to the contrary: it is precisely because of this that they swear falsely. And this is the sign that there is no justice, for one defrauds his fellow through a false oath; and there is no faith, for when he utters with his lips that the truth of the matter he upholds is true as the reality of God, yet the matter is false, he is thereby a witness who denies the reality of God.
O Hashem, are not Your eyes upon truth? You have stricken them, but they were not affected; You have consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction; They have made their faces harder than a rock; They have refused to return.
verse value 3674
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 70 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "them" (אֹתָם֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·faithfulness" (לֶאֱמוּנָה֒, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 97: they·refused, they·refused. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "You·struck" (הִכִּ֤יתָה), "not·grieved" (וְֽלֹא־חָ֔לוּ), "You·consumed·them" (כִּלִּיתָ֕ם). The root מאן appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "is·it·not" (root לא, 307x in Jeremiah); "their·faces" (root פנים, 126x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root חיל ("not·grieved") in Jeremiah. First appearance of the root חזק ("strengthened") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'discipline', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 5 words.
Rashi
“Hashem, Your eyes.” Are they not people of faith to do good? Why then have these betrayed You and do not seek faith?
"You struck them." Yet they did not become ill from the blow, so as to take it to heart and return from their evil ways.
"Take." Just as in "to take":
Radak
"O LORD, Your eyes—surely for faithfulness." The prophet expresses amazement at this matter, speaking by way of exclamation: "O LORD, Your eyes—surely for faithfulness," meaning: Your providence over the world is surely directed toward that which is enduring, not toward that which is void. Yet You have struck them for their evil deeds, and they have not suffered; that is to say, they did not feel pain nor perceive it within themselves, since it was You who struck them for their iniquity. If so, what benefit has Your providence brought them? This is similar to what is stated: "In vain have I struck your children; they have not received discipline." Likewise, it resembles what the prophet Isaiah said: "Why will you continue to be stricken? You will yet more revolt."
"You have utterly destroyed them, yet they refused to accept discipline." You brought them to the brink of total destruction, and even so, they refused to accept discipline. And though your prophets warn them, "they hardened their faces more than rock" and were not ashamed before them, "they refused to return" — [namely] to faithfulness; the sense [of אמונה] is permanence/steadfastness, as [in] "אומן" used in place of "נאמן" [faithful]. And Targum Yonatan: "O LORD, is it not revealed before You," etc., as in the column.
Metzudat David
"Your eyes—behold, they are to faith." This is the prophet's statement before the Lord, to say: Behold, Your providence over them is indeed upon that which is established and enduring, and not upon that which is void and devoid of utility.
"You struck them." Through Your providence, You struck them so that they might be disciplined for their good.
And they did not suffer. They did not become ill from the striking; that is to say, they did not feel that it had come upon them to arouse their hearts to repentance.
"Ye have utterly consumed them." Ye have brought them near to destruction, and yet they refuse to take admonition.
"Strong is their face against rock." Their faces were harder than rock; that is to say, they were not humbled, but rather they made their faces brazen and refused to repent.
Metzudat Zion
"Your eyes." This means: Your providence.
To faith. The matter refers to something that is established and enduring, as it is said: “And I will fasten him like a peg in a sure place” (Isaiah 22:23).
Chalu. From the language of illness:
"you have destroyed them": from the language of destruction.
“Ma’anu.” From the root of “mi’yun” (rejection):
Malbim
"O LORD" — these are the words of the prophet. (And from here until verse 7 is a parenthetical statement.) The prophet replied to the Lord: Is it not the case that the primary purpose of Your punishing them and sending me to them is that they should return in repentance? And the fundamental requisite is faith; for if they do not believe that You are the One who punishes and that You are the One who sends the punishment, then both the punishment and the mission are in vain. And this is what it says: "Your eyes" — behold, they are only [directed] to faith; only it is the ultimate goal toward which Your eyes should gaze. And therefore, it is fitting that You choose the means to achieve this goal, for punishment and rebuke will not effect anything. For behold, initially You struck them as a man disciplines his son, yet they did not feel pain nor did they take heed. And afterward, You destroyed them with utter destruction until they felt pain and took heed. And even so, they refused to accept discipline (and this is similar to the expression in Isaiah 42:25: "He kindled fire around them, yet they knew it not; He burned them, yet they took it not to heart"). Moreover, the words of the prophets are of no avail, for they hardened their faces harder than rock against them and refused to return. But in all this, I said that this did not arise from rebellion out of malice, but rather from a lack of knowledge, for they are poor and foolish. For they do not know the way of the Lord — meaning, that they should recognize that the punishment comes because of the rebellion. And it is necessary: A. That they recognize that they have sinned; but they do not know the way of the Lord — they do not know at all what is a commandment and what is a transgression. B. That they recognize that the punishment is not accidental, but providential, corresponding to the sin. And they do not know the judgment of their God — they do not understand to discern that the punishment is providential. (And this corresponds to "but they are poor and foolish": from the fact that they are foolish, they do not know the way of the Lord; and from the fact that they are poor, they do not recognize the judgment of their God, for they think that their poverty and destitution are the cause of all their evil.) And therefore, since this arises from a lack of knowledge, neither punishment nor rebuke will effect anything with them. And therefore, I said: "I will go to the great ones," for they know these two things — the way of the Lord and the judgment of their God — and they know that the punishment is providential, corresponding to the sin. But here it became known to me that they are rebellious in rebellion and treachery; they know their Master and intend to rebel against Him. For it is only these great ones who broke the yoke out of malice. And this corresponds to "the way of the Lord" and "the judgment of their God": the Torah and the commandment, which is the way of the Lord, they liken to a yoke upon their necks, and they broke it and removed its yoke from themselves. And the afflictions and punishments, which are the judgment of their God, they liken to fetters with which He wished to bind them — the fetters of the covenant; they broke them and did not take to heart the discipline of the Lord and His punishments.
And I said: ‘Surely these are poor, They are foolish, for they know not the way of Hashem, Nor the ordinance of their God; .
verse value 1882
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 47 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "abundance" (הֵ֑ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "surely·poor" (אַךְ־דַּלִּ֖ים, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "surely·poor" (אַךְ־דַּלִּ֖ים), "they·are·foolish" (נוֹאֲל֕וּ). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "I·utteranced" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "for" (root כי, 318x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'abundance', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 8 words. Full calculation: וַאֲנִ֣י [and·I] (67) + אָמַ֔רְתִּי [I·utteranced] (651) + אַךְ־דַּלִּ֖ים [surely·poor] (105) + הֵ֑ם [abundance] (45) + נוֹאֲל֕וּ [they·are·foolish] (93) + כִּ֣י [for] (30) + לֹ֤א [not] (31) + יָֽדְעוּ֙ [know] (90) + דֶּ֣רֶךְ [way] (224) + יְהֹוָ֔ה [Hashem] (26) + מִשְׁפַּ֖ט [judgment] (429) + אֱלֹהֵיהֶֽם [their·God] (91) = 1882.
Rashi
"And I said." The prophet says thus: But they, these [people] with whom I speak, are poor in wisdom.
“נואלו” – in the language of “foolish,” as its Targum renders it: “they were made foolish.”
Radak
"And I said." The prophet stated: I tested them regarding matters of reproof, both minor and major. "I said" means that I reasoned to myself: when I reproached the people and they did not accept it, I said, "Surely they are poor, foolish ones." For the majority of the common people lack understanding and wisdom like the great ones, since they are vinedressers and farmers, and all their occupations are the work of the soil, and they do not engage in matters of moral instruction, Torah, and wisdom. Therefore, they did not accept reproof, for they are foolish and lack understanding, for they do not know the way of the Lord, the judgment of their God.
Metzudat David
And I said: When I had rebuked them and they did not accept reproof, I said at first, "There is no understanding in them," but they are only poor in wisdom.
They were confounded. They were led astray in their understanding, for they did not know the way of the Lord, etc. — who brings calamity in order to open the ear to discipline.
Metzudat Zion
"No'alu." The matter of foolishness and stupidity, as in, "the princes of Tzoan have become fools" (ibid. 18).
I will get me to the great men, And will speak to them; For they know the way of Hashem, And the ordinance of their God.’ But these had altogether broken the yoke, And burst the bands.
verse value 3799
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 75 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·the·great·men" (אֶל־הַגְּדֹלִים֙, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 50: abundance, abundance. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "let·me·go·for·myself" (אֵֽלְכָה־לִּ֤י), "to·the·great·men" (אֶל־הַגְּדֹלִים֙), "and·I·will·speak" (וַאֲדַבְּרָ֣ה). The root הם appears 2 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "for" (root כי, 318x in Jeremiah); "upon" (root על, 276x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'their·God', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 7 words.
Rashi
"I will go to the great ones." They will listen, but it was of no avail, and they too together broke the yoke of the Holy One, blessed be He, from upon themselves.
Radak
"I will go to the great ones." For since they are great and wealthy and do not engage in manual labor, they have leisure to study Torah and wisdom, and for the most part they are men of moral instruction and understanding, and they have learned the Torah and the judgment of their God. Perhaps my reproof will be effective with them, for they will understand and comprehend what I say to them. And behold, when I spoke with them, together they broke the yoke of the Torah; even though they knew it, they cast off the yoke from upon them and tore off its bonds. "Together" means that I found them all alike. And so Targum Yonatan: "But they together rebelled," etc., as in the column.
Metzudat David
To the great ones. In the matter of wisdom:
"And I will speak them." I will speak with them words of reproof.
"For they know, etc." — That the calamity comes to open the ear to reproof.
"They shall be together": the poor with the great.
"They broke the yoke." This means that they did not wish to be submissive to the Omnipresent.
They severed. They removed from themselves the bonds of the yoke, and this is a repetition of the matter already stated [i.e., "they broke the yoke"].
Metzudat Zion
"Them." With them:
"Ol." It is that which is placed on the neck of the animal that plows.
They severed. The matter of transferring and removing:
Moserot. Ties of the yoke's straps:
Wherefore a lion out of the forest does slay them, A wolf of the deserts does spoil them, A leopard watches over their cities, Every one that goes out thence is torn in pieces; Because their transgressions are many, Their backslidings are increased.
verse value 5249
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 79 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֤י, 2 letters) and the longest is "their·backslidings" (מְשֻׁבוֹתֵיהֶֽם, 8 letters). 10 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "struck·them" (הִכָּ֨ם), "wolf" (זְאֵ֤ב), "steppes" (עֲרָבוֹת֙). 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for" (root כי, 318x in Jeremiah); "therefore" (root על, 276x in Jeremiah); "upon·their·cities" (root עיר, 117x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root יער ("from·forest") in Jeremiah. First appearance of the root עצם ("they·are·many") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'will·be·torn', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 5 words.
Rashi
A lion. The kingdom of Babylonia:
Wolf. The kingdom of Media:
Leopard. The kingdom of Assyria:
"He shall be torn." By Edom:
"Wolf of the wilderness." The term "wilderness" denotes a desolate and sunken place, as it is said: "The wolf of the desert."
"Shoked" — hurries. Menachem associated it with the meaning of "guarding," like "to watch at my doors" (Proverbs 8:34). Targum Yonatan [renders it] in the language of "ambush."
Radak
“Therefore, strike them.” Because they broke the yoke of the Torah from upon themselves, strike them. “A lion from the forest”: he compares the enemy to a lion that goes out of the forest to prey, and to a wolf that goes out at evening time and comes near a settlement in order to prey on whoever is found alone, because it does not have as strong a heart as the leopard, and all the more so as the lion; therefore it is afraid to go out among the many, but only at evening time. Therefore it says, “a wolf of the evenings,” and it says, “a wolf of the evenings shall ravage them.” [The word] is written in full, but pointed according to the defective [pattern]; or it is from the quadriliteral form, like “he shall destroy their monuments” [Hosea 10:2], and it comes according to its rule, and this is correct. The lion is a parable for a king, just as the lion is the king of the beasts; the wolf is a parable for the army, and the leopard for the officers of the army. And so did Jonathan translate: “A king with his army shall come up against them,” etc., like a pillar. And some explain “aravot” like “in the wilderness, in the plain” [Arabah].
“A leopard lies in wait.” It is like [the term] “shoqed” [used elsewhere], which denotes the sense of striving over a matter, and persistence in it.
“From them.” This means: from the cities.
Metzudat David
Therefore. Because they do not wish to submit to the Omnipresent, therefore He delivered them into the hands of the nations.
"A lion from the forest strikes them." This is a parable for the nations.
"Wolf of the wilderness." A wolf that dwells in the desert will prey upon (rob) their lives.
"שוקד" – He hastens to come upon their cities to destroy them.
All who go out from these, from these towns:
"Yitrof." By means of one of those animals.
"They grew strong." They intensified in the matter of the rebellion.
Metzudat Zion
Aravot. Its meaning is like that of midbar, and likewise in “in the wilderness, in the aravah” (Deuteronomy 1:1).
"ישדדם" – This refers to the matter of physical oppression.
Namer. The name of a certain animal:
"Shoked" – the meaning is swiftness, as in "for I am shoked" (above, 1:12):
"Atzmu." The matter of strength:
"their rebellions." The meaning is rebellion and refusal:
Malbim
Therefore, since their sin was due to rebellion rather than folly, "the lion" struck them first, and afterwards "the wolf of the deserts" (which is the jackal), which goes out for its prey in the evening and is accustomed to eat carrion, plundered what the lion had struck. And the leopard, whose way is to lurk near cities to ambush people, lurked against their cities. The metaphor refers to the three times that Nebuchadnezzar came with his army and destroyed them. And this came about because their transgressions were great in quantity and in intensity in quality, for they were not due to lust but rather to rebellion, which is what is meant by "their backslidings."
Wherefore should I pardon you? The children have forsaken Me, And sworn by no-gods; And when I had fed them to the full, they committed adultery, And assembled themselves in troops at the harlots’houses.
verse value 3341
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 71 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִ֑ים) = 86, equal to Elohim. Verse gematria: 3341 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "where?" (אֵ֤י, 2 letters) and the longest is "they·assemble·in·troops" (יִתְגּוֹדָֽדוּ, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "for·this" (לָזֹאת֙), "shall·I·forgive·you" (אֶֽסְלַֽח־לָ֔ךְ), "and·they·swore" (וַיִּשָּׁבְע֖וּ). The root סלח appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "by·no" (root לא, 307x in Jeremiah); "God" (root אלהים, 140x in Jeremiah); "and·the·house·of" (root בית, 128x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'God', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 6 words.
Rashi
"Is it for this that I will forgive you?" — in a tone of questioning, [as if to say]: "Is it for this that I will forgive you?" Menachem interpreted "אי" as meaning "אין" [there is not]: "that your children have forsaken Me," and "I satiated them with every good thing."
"יתגודדו" – they shall be gathered into companies.
Radak
“Oh, for this should I forgive you?!” The word “ei” is a term of exclamation, and it is the reverse of [the corresponding word] in the Arabic language. Some say: ‘What goodness is there in you, that I should say, “For this I will forgive you”’ — meaning, ‘on account of this goodness’? But I find no goodness in you, only many evils: ‘Your children have forsaken Me,’ etc. And the exclamation is directed against Jerusalem.
“And I satisfied them, and they committed adultery.” This is to be understood in the manner of the verse: “But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked.”
“יתגודדו” – They shall gather into companies, and none shall turn away from his companion. And so did Jonathan render it: “They shall assist one another.”
Metzudat David
"Why for this?" Where is the merit for which I should forgive you? Is it not that your children have forsaken Me?
"Without God." The idol - which has no substance - they believed in it and swore by it.
"And I satisfied them." I satisfied them with every good thing, and from the abundance of goodness and the desire of the heart, they turned to harlotry.
"And a house of prostitution." They went to the house of prostitution in groups together, so that they would not be ashamed of one another.
Metzudat Zion
"Ei." Its meaning is like "where," and similarly, "Where is Abel your brother?" (Genesis 4:9).
And the house. Just as it is written: "and to the house."
“יתגודדו” – from the language of “גדוד” (regiment) and “מחנה” (camp):
Malbim
Why for this? Now he returns to the words of the Lord, who says, "Roam through the streets of Jerusalem, if you find a man, if there is one who does justice; and I will pardon her." He says, but if you are not found among you [to have] justice and faith, on account of which I would pardon you — then where is another matter that I might find in its stead, on account of which I would pardon you? Is it so, that for this reason, because your children have forsaken Me, I will pardon you? Their oath was to idolatry, to that which is not gods, and instead of that I had fed them their fill of all good, they were unfaithful. And not only individuals, and in secret, but to the house of a harlot they will troop, in many bands, and publicly. And not only that they were unfaithful to satisfy their desires, but also after that — they were like fed horses in the morning, for after they had been unfaithful at night, they were like fed horses in the morning, sated with their desires. Nevertheless, they did not cease from their deeds, but each man would neigh after his neighbor's wife. And thus, is it so, that for this reason I will pardon you? Behold, "upon these," meaning, is it not fitting that I should visit punishment upon you, both on account of the deeds themselves, as is said, "shall I not punish for these?" and on account of the character of the people and their corruption, which is in the view of the doer himself, and thus it is said, "shall My soul not avenge itself on a nation such as this?" Therefore, I proclaim to the enemies, "Go up into her rows," which are the rows of the vineyard. And nevertheless, do not make it a total destruction, but only remove her tendrils, which are the branches spreading from the vineyard outward, which weaken the vines, for they are not the Lord's, even though the vineyard itself is the vineyard of the Lord of Hosts. Meaning, that they should remove the wicked, as it is stated (Isaiah 18:5), "And the tendrils He shall cut off and remove." See the commentary there.
They are become as well-fed horses, lusty stallions; Every one neighs after his neighbour’s wife.
verse value 2229
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 36 letters. The shortest word is "were" (הָי֑וּ, 3 letters) and the longest is "fed" (מְיֻזָּנִ֖ים, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "horses" (סוּסִ֥ים), "fed" (מְיֻזָּנִ֖ים), "lusty" (מַשְׁכִּ֣ים). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·the·wife·of" (root איל, 293x in Jeremiah); "were" (root היה, 250x in Jeremiah); "man" (root איש, 153x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root משך ("lusty") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'were', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: סוּסִ֥ים [horses] (176) + מְיֻזָּנִ֖ים [fed] (157) + מַשְׁכִּ֣ים [lusty] (410) + הָי֑וּ [were] (21) + אִ֛ישׁ [man] (311) + אֶל־אֵ֥שֶׁת [to·the·wife·of] (732) + רֵעֵ֖הוּ [his·neighbor] (281) + יִצְהָֽלוּ [they·neigh] (141) = 2229.
Rashi
“The horses were well-fed; they rose early.” In every morning they rose early at dawn, upon waking.
"Yitzhalu." This term is used of horses, [referring to] the sound of "the neighing of his stallions" (below, chapter 8), the term of "tzahalah" [neighing] — "anveisement" in the vernacular [Old French].
Radak
“Horses are fed.” It is written with a vav and read with a yod, and the letters alef, heh, vav, and yod are interchangeable. It is as if it were an inversion of “mezonim,” from “mazon” [food]. He says: Behold, they are like horses that were given abundant food at night, and they are sated in their desire; in the morning they go out and neigh, and their neighing is the giving forth of their voice, in joy — “aurilir” in the vernacular [Old French, meaning “to neigh”]. So too, they commit adultery at night with the wives of their companions and fulfill their desire, and in the morning they go out joyful, boasting of their evil.
“To his neighbor's wife.” [Meaning] for the sake of his neighbor's wife.
“Mashkim.” It is a noun; and similarly, “and like dew that departs early” [Hosea 13:3], meaning: at daybreak, in the morning.
Metzudat David
“Horses that are well-fed.” They were like horses to whom much food was given at night, and they were satiated to their heart’s content, so that when they arose in the morning, they would go out and neigh. Likewise, they would satisfy their desires and commit adultery with their neighbors’ wives all night long, and when they arose in the morning, they would neigh to one another’s wives out of great joy and the fulfillment of the heart’s desire.
Metzudat Zion
Horses. Like horses:
“Miyuzanim.” From the language of “mazon” (sustenance):
"משכים" - from the language of waking up early:
Yitzhalu. The matter is of raising a loud voice; similarly, [the verse states] "they shouted from the sea" (Isaiah 24:14).
Shall I not punish for these things? Says Hashem; And shall not My soul be avenged On such a nation as this?
verse value 2542
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 44 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֥א, 2 letters) and the longest is "not·I·will·punish" (לֽוֹא־אֶפְקֹ֖ד, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "not·I·will·punish" (לֽוֹא־אֶפְקֹ֖ד). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "says·Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "that·as·this" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah); "not" (root לא, 307x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root נקם ("be·avenged") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'says·Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 6 words. Full calculation: הַעַל־אֵ֥לֶּה [for·these?] (141) + לֽוֹא־אֶפְקֹ֖ד [not·I·will·punish] (222) + נְאֻם־יְהֹוָ֑ה [says·Hashem] (117) + וְאִם֙ [and·if] (47) + בְּג֣וֹי [on·a·nation] (21) + אֲשֶׁר־כָּזֶ֔ה [that·as·this] (533) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + תִתְנַקֵּ֖ם [be·avenged] (990) + נַפְשִֽׁי [my·soul] (440) = 2542.
Radak
“Concerning these.” If I will not hold them accountable for these evils, it is impossible that I will not punish them for these great evils. The matter is repeated in different words, and He said:
"And if in a nation such as this My soul shall not take vengeance." "His soul" is equivalent to "he," and "he" is equivalent to "his soul." Similarly, "the Lord has sworn by His soul" is like "By Myself I have sworn" [Genesis 22:16]. And Jonathan interpreted "by My soul" to mean "by My will," translating: "And if a people whose deeds are such, I will not exact retribution from them according to My will."
“And if among a nation such as this.” This [instance of] “ve'im” has the conjunctive vav [the plain “and”], whereas the instances of “im” that follow it in the other passages are without the conjunctive vav — meaning, “if there be a nation that is like this people”; or, the interpretation is, “if in a nation whose deeds are such,” according to its Targum.
Metzudat David
"Concerning these things." And is it not a matter of astonishment that He would not watch over such deeds to take vengeance from them?
"Which is like this." "Which does like this thing."
Metzudat Zion
"I will visit." This refers to the matter of Divine providence. Similarly, "and He visited this vine" (Psalms 80:15).
"Vengeance shall be taken." The word is in the form of "vengeance."
Go you up into her rows, and destroy, But make not a full end; Take away her shoots; For they are not Hashem’S.
verse value 3861
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 51 letters. Verse gematria: 3861 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֛י, 2 letters) and the longest is "her·shoots" (נְטִ֣ישׁוֹתֶ֔יהָ, 8 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "into·her·rows" (בְשָׁרוֹתֶ֙יהָ֙), "and·destroy" (וְשַׁחֵ֔תוּ), "do·not·make" (אַֽל־תַּעֲשׂ֑וּ). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "for" (root כי, 318x in Jeremiah); "Lamed" (root לא, 307x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'do·not·make', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 6 words. Full calculation: עֲל֤וּ [upon] (106) + בְשָׁרוֹתֶ֙יהָ֙ [into·her·rows] (923) + וְשַׁחֵ֔תוּ [and·destroy] (720) + וְכָלָ֖ה [and·extermination] (61) + אַֽל־תַּעֲשׂ֑וּ [do·not·make] (807) + הָסִ֙ירוּ֙ [take·away] (281) + נְטִ֣ישׁוֹתֶ֔יהָ [her·shoots] (790) + כִּ֛י [for] (30) + ל֥וֹא [Lamed] (37) + לַיהֹוָ֖ה [to·Hashem] (56) + הֵֽמָּה [abundance] (50) = 3861.
Rashi
"Bisharoteha" — a term for level ground. Menachem associated it with the term "wall," [as in] "I will scale a wall" (Psalms 18:30). But it is not fitting for "netishoteha" [tendrils, "tsish" in the vernacular], which are the roots/shoots of a vineyard, to be reckoned with "walls" rather than with "level ground." And I say that "sharoteha" is a term for the rows of the vineyard. And Targum renders "bisharoteha" as "b'qiruha" and "netishoteha" as "b'ranitah."
Radak
"Ascend in her battlements." In "her walls," the Targum renders "chomah" as "shura," and the reference is to Jerusalem. The command "ascend" and "destroy" is directed against the enemies. And Jonathan translated "in her battlements" as "her towns."
“Remove her tendrils.” They are the teeth of the wall, and Jonathan translated it as “her palaces,” *birnitheha*.
"For they are not for the Lord." Now, previously they were for the Lord, as it is stated, "And I will set My watch over this city to save it." But now, its walls are not for the Lord to guard them, for along with the city, they abandoned Him, and He abandoned her and handed her over to the enemy. And there are those who explain "Remove her tendrils" like "and the tendrils He removed, He lopped off" [Isaiah 18:5], meaning the branches that are the spreading limbs of the trees. And in His statement, "You shall not make a complete destruction," He is not speaking about the wall, for it was already completely destroyed, as it says, "And the walls of Jerusalem were completely broken down by all the army of the Chaldeans." Rather, the meaning of "You shall not make a complete destruction" is regarding the people.
Metzudat David
"Ascend into its rows." You, destroyers of the Land of Israel, go up among the rows of its vineyards and destroy them, but do not finish off everything entirely. That is to say: destroy among the people, but do not annihilate them all.
"Remove her tendrils, for they are not of the Lord." For they are not with the Lord, because they have transgressed against Him.
Metzudat Zion
"Besharoteha" (in her rows). The term is from the word "row" (shurah), and this is well known from the words of our Sages of blessed memory; and similarly: "between their rows they make oil" (Job 24:11).
"Her tendrils." These are the large branches that spread out far away, as it is stated: "and the tendrils He removed, cut off" (Isaiah 18:5).
For the house of Israel and the house of Judah Have dealt very treacherously against Me, Says Hashem.
verse value 1590
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 36 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּי֩, 2 letters) and the longest is "says·Hashem" (נְאֻם־יְהֹוָֽה, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 30: for, Judah. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "very" (בָג֨וֹד). The root בגד appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "says·Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "for" (root כי, 318x in Jeremiah); "Judah" (root יהודה, 134x in Jeremiah). Full calculation: כִּי֩ [for] (30) + בָג֨וֹד [very] (15) + בָּגְד֜וּ [they·treacheried] (15) + בִּ֗י [against·me] (12) + בֵּ֧ית [house·of] (412) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל [Israel] (541) + וּבֵ֥ית [and·the·house·of] (418) + יְהוּדָ֖ה [Judah] (30) + נְאֻם־יְהֹוָֽה [says·Hashem] (117) = 1590.
Radak
"Ki bagod" (For they have betrayed): Therefore, you shall take vengeance on them, and it is just that I command you to destroy them, for they have betrayed Me.
Metzudat David
"For they have surely betrayed..." – "For they have dealt treacherously with Me, these as well as those; just as Israel dealt treacherously, so too did Judah deal treacherously."
Malbim
"For they have surely betrayed" — he explains why [it was said, in the previous verse,] "they are not the Lord's": for they have committed several betrayals. And behold, he enumerates their betrayals, which include all the fundamental principles of the faith, which are included (according to what the Ikkarim explained) in three principles: the existence of God, Torah from Heaven, and reward and punishment. Against the existence of God, it says, "They denied the Lord and said, 'It is not He,'" and against reward and punishment, they said, "And no evil shall come upon us," meaning that since the Punisher does not exist in reality, consequently the evil that the prophets foretold in His name will not come. And against the Torah from Heaven, which can only be conceived through the existence of prophecy, they said, "And the prophets shall become wind," meaning that once it will be proven that the punishment they foretold in the name of the Lord will not come, it will be proven that they did not speak with the spirit of the Lord but with mere wind, and the word of the Lord is not in them. And then, once this is proven, thus shall it be done to them, just as they spoke to the people: since they spoke falsehood to frighten the people, they will receive their punishment from the people.
They have belied Hashem, And said: ‘It is not He, Neither shall evil come upon us; Neither shall we see sword nor famine;
verse value 2348
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 51 letters. The shortest word is "Lamed" (ל, 1 letters) and the longest is "and·you·shall·not·come·in" (וְלֹֽא־תָב֤וֹא, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "they·denied" (כִּֽחֲשׁוּ֙), "you" (וֹא־ה֑וּא), "and·you·shall·not·come·in" (וְלֹֽא־תָב֤וֹא). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "and·they·said" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "Lamed" (root לא, 307x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root אנתה ("you") in Jeremiah. First appearance of the root רעב ("and·famine") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'you', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 7 words. Full calculation: כִּֽחֲשׁוּ֙ [they·denied] (334) + בַּיהֹוָ֔ה [in·Hashem] (28) + וַיֹּאמְר֖וּ [and·they·said] (263) + ל [Lamed] (30) + וֹא־ה֑וּא [you] (19) + וְלֹֽא־תָב֤וֹא [and·you·shall·not·come·in] (446) + עָלֵ֙ינוּ֙ [upon·us] (166) + רָעָ֔ה [evil] (275) + וְחֶ֥רֶב [and·sword] (216) + וְרָעָ֖ב [and·famine] (278) + ל֥וֹא [Lamed] (37) + נִרְאֶֽה [let·us·see] (256) = 2348.
Rashi
And they said, "It is not so." [Targum]: "Good does not come to us from before Him."
Radak
"They have denied the Lord and said, 'He is not.'" The explanation is: "He is not" the One who will watch over us and see our deeds, and if we act according to our desires, evil will not befall us because of this; neither sword nor famine will be seen. Even though His prophets frighten us regarding this, they are speaking falsely, for prophecy will not come to them from God, for He does not see us and does not know us. And in this manner did Jonathan translate: "They spoke falsely in the utterance of the Lord and said, etc." Like the column.
Metzudat David
"They lied about the Lord." They lied about the Divine providence.
“Lo hu.” This means: He does not pay attention.
And let no evil befall us. For since there is no One who observes, there is no reward and no punishment.
And the prophets shall become wind, And the word is not in them; Thus be it done to them.’
verse value 1209
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 36 letters. Verse gematria: 1209 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "thus" (כֹּ֥ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·the·prophets" (וְהַנְּבִיאִים֙, 8 letters). The root הם appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·speech" (root דבר, 270x in Jeremiah); "they·will·be" (root היה, 250x in Jeremiah); "will·be·done" (root עשה, 147x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְהַנְּבִיאִים֙ [and·the·prophets] (124) + יִהְי֣וּ [they·will·be] (31) + לְר֔וּחַ [at·the·breeze·of] (244) + וְהַדִּבֵּ֖ר [and·speech] (217) + אֵ֣ין [nothing] (61) + בָּהֶ֑ם [in·them] (47) + כֹּ֥ה [thus] (25) + יֵעָשֶׂ֖ה [will·be·done] (385) + לָהֶֽם [to·them] (75) = 1209.
Rashi
"And the prophets shall become mere wind." As its Targum renders: "And the false prophets shall be for naught," meaning that the prophecy which the false prophets prophesy to us in the Name of the Holy One, blessed be He — their words shall turn into vanity, and the utterance of holiness that they say to us in the Name of the Holy One, blessed be He, is not in them.
"Thus shall it be done to them." The prophet says to those who utter this statement: "Thus shall it be done to them," as the Lord said to me. And what did the Lord say to me? "Because you have spoken this word..."
Radak
And the prophets: The prophets who deceive them, saying, “Peace shall be yours,” meaning that they will be like chaff before the wind.
And the matter is not in them. Since the matter is not in them, meaning that the Holy Spirit is not in them, how could they know thus and so? Rather, they rely on their dreams or their divinations, and they promise the people good things in order to find favor in their eyes when they flatter them regarding their deeds, saying, "No evil shall come upon you." And with this punishment they are destroyed, and they become like wind.
"Thus shall He do to them." This is to be understood in the manner of the verse, "Thus may God do to me, and thus may He add," meaning that such and such evil shall He do to them. And the Targum translates: "And the false prophets shall be," etc., as in the column.
Metzudat David
And the prophets. This means that the words of the prophets will be like words of wind, having no substance.
"And the matter is not in them." This means that the Lord did not speak through them, for they denied the words of prophecy.
Thus shall it be done. They would curse the prophets, saying to them: "Thus may the Lord do to them, according to the evils they prophesy against us."
Wherefore thus says Hashem, the God of hosts: Because you speak this word, Behold, I will make My words in your mouth fire, And this people wood, and it shall devour them.
verse value 4081
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 73 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "therefore" (לָכֵ֗ן, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·word" (אֶת־הַדָּבָ֖ר, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 266: thus·says, you·speak. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "you·speak" (דַּבֶּרְכֶ֔ם), "to·fire" (לְאֵ֗שׁ), "and·will·eat·them" (וַאֲכָלָֽתַם). The root דבר appears 3 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "thus·says" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "you·speak" (root דבר, 270x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root יען ("because") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'this', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 9 words.
Rashi
"Va'akhalatam" [and it consumed them]. And it [the fire] consumed them.
Radak
Therefore, "Thus says [the Lord]." Regarding this matter that you are saying about Me—that it is neither from Me nor from My prophecy—behold, My words are reaching you.
“Behold, I am placing My words in your mouth, and this people is wood, and it shall consume them.” And by this they will recognize that My prophecy reaches you, that My words will be fulfilled upon them for evil, just as you say: “And your words will be to them like fire to wood that consumes them.” And what is said, “your words,” is spoken in reference to the people, whereas “in your mouth” is spoken in reference to the prophet. Thus it is as if it says: “Say to them: Because you have spoken this word, behold, I am placing My words in your mouth as fire, and this people is wood, and it shall consume them.” And Jonathan [the Aramaic translator] interpreted “your words” in reference to the prophets, as he translated: “Because you have prophesied this word.”
Metzudat David
"Because of the sin that you have spoken this word, to deny Divine providence and prophecy:"
“Behold, I give…” The words of prophecy that I have placed in your mouth shall be like a consuming fire, and this people shall be like wood ready to be burned.
"And it shall consume them." The matter of prophecy shall burn them up: this means that the matter of prophecy shall come upon them.
Metzudat Zion
"And it shall consume them." [Meaning] it shall burn them; and similarly, "and fire from His mouth consumes" (Psalms 18:9).
Malbim
Therefore, the words of the prophet, which came to illuminate the people who walk in darkness, will turn into fire, and they will be like wood prepared to be ignited by the fire. That is to say, the punishment will come immediately with the prophet’s word, just as fire ignites wood immediately upon touching it, since those who deny and do not believe have no remedy.
Lo, I will bring a nation upon you from far, O house of Israel, says Hashem; It is an enduring nation, It is an ancient nation, A nation whose language you know not, Neither understand what they say.
verse value 4542
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 82 letters. The shortest word is "nation" (גּ֧וֹי, 3 letters) and the longest is "says·Hashem" (נְאֻם־יְהֹוָ֑ה, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 19: nation, nation, nation, nation. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "not·know" (לֹא־תֵדַ֣ע), "his·tongue" (לְשֹׁנ֔וֹ), "what·He·will·speak" (מַה־יְדַבֵּֽר). The root גוי appears 4 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "says·Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "and·not" (root לא, 307x in Jeremiah); "upon·you" (root על, 276x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root איתן ("ever·flowing") in Jeremiah. First appearance of the root לשון ("his·tongue") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'says·Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 12 words.
Rashi
"Eitan" — strong.
"It is an ancient nation." From days of old it began to rebel against Me, in the generation of the Dispersion, in the land of Shinar.
Radak
Behold, I am bringing upon you, House of Israel. [This is] a vocative [term of address].
From a distance. For Babylonia is distant from the Land of Israel.
"Goy itan." Strong, so that you will not be able to fight against him.
"An ancient nation, it is." From long ago this nation has been strong, and the other nations fear it, and you will not be able to seek help from any nation other than it.
"A nation whose language you shall not know." And you will not understand what he says, and this is more difficult than an enemy whose language a person can understand. And so it is stated in the Torah in the curses: "A nation whose language you shall not hear."
"And you shall not hear" — [that is,] you shall not understand. The matter is expressed in a double fashion, using different words.
Metzudat David
"Behold, I am bringing..." House of Israel. This means: You, House of Israel, behold, I am bringing upon you...
A nation of strength it is. A nation of might:
"A nation of old, it is." That is to say, for a long time it has been stronger than your own fortresses, in which you trust to take refuge from the enemy.
Metzudat Zion
Aitan. The meaning is strength, as in: “Aitan is your dwelling” (Numbers 24:21).
Hear. The meaning is understanding, as in [the verse] "for Joseph understood" (Genesis 42:23):
Malbim
Behold, I am bringing upon you a nation from afar; for the neighbor to the land will not destroy it, but rather will unite it with the borders of his kingdom. Not so is it if the adversary is from afar, for he destroys everything and exiles them into captivity. And do not say that you will stand against him, for he is a strong and mighty nation. And do not say that his days will not be long and that you will be redeemed from his hand soon, for he is an ancient nation that has persisted in his dominion from of old, for many days. And do not think that you will find favor in his eyes through your wisdom and understanding, for you will not know his language.
Their quiver is an open sepulchre, They are all mighty men.
verse value 1954
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 22 letters. The shortest word is "all·of·them" (כֻּלָּ֖ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "mighty·men" (גִּבּוֹרִֽים, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "quiver" (אַשְׁפָּת֖וֹ), "as·grave" (כְּקֶ֣בֶר), "open" (פָּת֑וּחַ). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "all·of·them" (root כל, 167x in Jeremiah); "mighty·men" (root גבור, 22x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root קבר ("as·grave") in Jeremiah. First appearance of the root גבור ("mighty·men") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'open', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: אַשְׁפָּת֖וֹ [quiver] (787) + כְּקֶ֣בֶר [as·grave] (322) + פָּת֑וּחַ [open] (494) + כֻּלָּ֖ם [all·of·them] (90) + גִּבּוֹרִֽים [mighty·men] (261) = 1954.
Rashi
His quiver. A place that is a sheath for the arrows:
Radak
His quiver. For the arrows of the quiver would kill anyone who touched them, and it is as if they were all buried in the quiver. And he said, "like an open grave," meaning one that is prepared for casting the dead into it.
"They are all mighty men." For they are trained in warfare, and you have no escape from their hands.
Metzudat Zion
"Ashpato" (his quiver). This is the sheath of the arrows, as in: "Upon him the quiver rattles" (Job 15).
Malbim
His quiver: the arrow kills from afar, and the mighty man slays with the sword up close; and he shoots a bow and slings to a hairsbreadth, so that his quiver, when he opens it, is like a grave that does not miss, without bringing corpses to his grave; and also when he draws near to them to fight up close, they are all mighty men.
And they shall eat up your harvest, and your bread, They shall eat up your sons and your daughters, They shall eat up your flocks and your herds, They shall eat up your vines and your fig-trees; They shall batter your fortified cities, Wherein you trusts, with the sword.
verse value 5517
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 87 letters. Verse gematria: 5517 is divisible by 613, the number of the commandments (mitzvot). The shortest word is "cities·of" (עָרֵ֣י, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·your·daughters" (וּבְנוֹתֶ֔יךָ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 61: will·eat, will·eat. 10 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "your·harvest" (קְצִֽירְךָ֜), "and·your·bread" (וְלַחְמֶ֗ךָ), "and·your·daughters" (וּבְנוֹתֶ֔יךָ). The root אכל appears 4 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah); "cities·of" (root עיר, 117x in Jeremiah); "in·the·sword" (root חרב, 87x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root קציר ("your·harvest") in Jeremiah. First appearance of the root תאן ("and·your·fig") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·your·fig', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 8 words.
Rashi
“Destroy the fortified cities of your strongholds...” – This is a verse whose words are reversed: “Destroy with the sword the fortified cities in which you trust.”
"He shall impoverish." [Meaning] he shall make [them] poor:
"By the sword." This means through military forces, as it is stated: "And no sword shall pass through your land" (Leviticus 26:6).
Radak
"And he shall eat [your harvest]": "Your bread" is a general term encompassing all types of food. The eating mentioned in the verse can refer either to the quality of the food itself, or to "eating by the sword," as Jonathan ben Uzziel translated: "And he shall plunder your harvest," etc., as explained in the column.
"Yerushesh" [ירושש]. Has the sense of "rash" [poverty/being crushed] and "shever" [breaking]; and the sense of "reishut" [impoverishment] likewise applies to the destruction of cities, as in the verse: "Though Edom says, 'We are crushed,' we will return and rebuild the ruins."
"By the sword." This means "in the time of the sword," or alternatively, the phrase "by the sword" refers back to the preceding clause, "your sons and your daughters," as if it had said, "Your sons and your daughters shall be eaten by the sword." And the reason it specifically mentions "your sons and your daughters" is that the fathers themselves will likewise eat them — just as the Torah states, "You shall eat the fruit of your own body" — and this is in order to inflict pain upon the souls of the fathers, for they will slaughter their children before their very eyes. These are the young ones who die on account of the sins of their fathers.
Metzudat David
“By the sword.” This means: at the time when war comes upon you by the sword.
Metzudat Zion
"Your bread." All food is called by the term "bread," as it is stated: "And the serpent's bread is dust" (Isaiah 65:25).
"Yeroshesh" (it shall impoverish). The word is from the term "rash" (poor) and "ani" (needy).
Malbim
“And he shall eat” – in contrast to what you said, “Sword and famine shall not be seen,” these two shall come upon you. For this enemy shall first eat your harvest and your bread, which was intended for the food of your sons and daughters; afterward, he shall also eat your sheep and your cattle, which you yourself did not eat; and afterward, he shall also eat your vine and your fig tree. This means not only the fruit of your vine, but the vine itself, for he shall destroy everything, until you suffer the disgrace of famine, and your fortified cities shall be laid waste by the sword.
But even in those days, says Hashem, I will not make a full end with you.
verse value 1246
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 32 letters. The shortest word is "and·also" (וְגַ֛ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "says·Hashem" (נְאֻם־יְהֹוָ֑ה, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 55: abundance, all. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "says·Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "all" (root כל, 167x in Jeremiah); "not·I·will·make" (root עשה, 147x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'says·Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְגַ֛ם [and·also] (49) + בַּיָּמִ֥ים [in·the·days] (102) + הָהֵ֖מָּה [abundance] (55) + נְאֻם־יְהֹוָ֑ה [says·Hashem] (117) + לֹא־אֶעֱשֶׂ֥ה [not·I·will·make] (407) + אִתְּכֶ֖ם [with·you] (461) + כָּלָֽה [all] (55) = 1246.
Radak
"And even in those days." When the enemy comes and devours this and that, as it is written: "I will not make a full end of you" - for I will put into the heart of the enemy [the will] to leave you a remnant.
Metzudat David
“And also in those days.” Although many troubles will come upon you, nevertheless He will not consume all of you, for there will remain a remnant of you to go into exile.
Malbim
And furthermore, this promise that He will not utterly destroy them is mentioned here three times. First, when he mentioned the destruction of the land (4:26), he said, "The whole land shall become a desolation, but I will not make a complete destruction." Afterwards, when he mentioned the slaughter that would be inflicted upon the people of God (above, verse 10), he said, "They shall go up into her rows and destroy, but they shall not make a complete destruction." And here, when he mentioned the plundering of their wealth and property—which will occur after the exile, when their captors will hold them as slaves along with all their possessions—he assured that even this is due to the fact that He will not utterly destroy them. For the enemy will hold them like sheep for shearing, and they will grovel for scraps of silver, but He will not make a complete destruction of them.
And it shall come to pass, when you shall say: ‘Wherefore has Hashem our God done all these things to us?’ then shall you say to them: ‘Like as you have forsaken Me, and served strange gods in your land, so shall you serve strangers in a land that is not yours.’
verse value 7202
Insights
Verse structure: 25 words, 101 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָיָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 7202 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "all·these" (אֶת־כׇּל־אֵ֑לֶּה, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 647: you·shall·say, and·you·shall·say. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "you·forsook" (עֲזַבְתֶּ֤ם), "and·you·worked" (וַתַּעַבְד֞וּ), "in·your·land" (בְּאַרְצְכֶ֔ם). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 21 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "you·shall·say" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "as" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root נכר ("foreign") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'all·these', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 15 words.
Radak
"And it shall come to pass when you say" – [the verse] speaks to the people, as He has spoken up until now, and then returns to address the prophet, who will answer their question with a response, as it says, "When you have left..." etc. The question and the answer will occur after the enemy comes and exiles the people.
“Thus shall you serve strangers.” Measure for measure: Since you served foreign gods in your land, you shall serve a foreign nation in a land that is not yours.
Metzudat David
"When you say": You, who are going into exile.
"Tachath mah" – For what purpose did He do all these things, so that some of them would be put to death and some of them exiled?
"And you shall say": You, Jeremiah, shall say to them that it came about measure for measure: just as you forsook the Lord and served foreign gods in your land, so shall you be forsaken by the Lord, and you shall go into exile to another land, and serve the nations of that land.
Metzudat Zion
tachat: in place of.
Strangers. Foreigners:
Malbim
And it shall be, when you are in exile, and your eyes have already been opened and you have believed in the Lord and in His punishments, that you will inquire to know how this punishment of exile and servitude was measure for measure, and to which sin this punishment pertains, for the word "instead" (tachat) indicates this. Then you will say that this is a precise measure: just as in your land, which is placed under the providence of the Lord, you abandoned Him and took upon yourselves the servitude of foreign gods, so too in a land not your own will you serve strangers, for thus you loved to serve strangers.
Declare you this in the house of Jacob, And announce it in Judah, saying:
verse value 1777
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 34 letters. The shortest word is "this" (זֹ֖את, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·announce·it" (וְהַשְׁמִיע֥וּהָ, 8 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·announce·it" (וְהַשְׁמִיע֥וּהָ). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "and·announce·it" (root שמע, 184x in Jeremiah); "in·Judah" (root יהודה, 134x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Jacob', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: הַגִּ֥ידוּ [tell] (28) + זֹ֖את [this] (408) + בְּבֵ֣ית [in·the·house·of] (414) + יַעֲקֹ֑ב [Jacob] (182) + וְהַשְׁמִיע֥וּהָ [and·announce·it] (442) + בִיהוּדָ֖ה [in·Judah] (32) + לֵאמֹֽר [saying] (271) = 1777.
Radak
"Declare [this]." He says to all who hear His word that they should tell them this rebuke - the matter of the sand, the boundary of the sea.
Metzudat David
“Declare this.” That which is stated below:
And announce it. This matter:
Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding, That have eyes, and see not, That have ears, and hear not:
verse value 2349
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 51 letters. The shortest word is "people·of" (עַ֥ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "hear·now" (שִׁמְעוּ־נָ֣א, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 110: people·of, foolish. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "hear·now" (שִׁמְעוּ־נָ֣א), "foolish" (סָכָ֖ל), "eye" (עֵינַ֤יִם). The root שמע appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·not" (root לא, 307x in Jeremiah); "hear·now" (root שמע, 184x in Jeremiah); "to·them" (root הם, 132x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'heart', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 8 words. Full calculation: שִׁמְעוּ־נָ֣א [hear·now] (467) + זֹ֔את [this] (408) + עַ֥ם [people·of] (110) + סָכָ֖ל [foolish] (110) + וְאֵ֣ין [and·nothing] (67) + לֵ֑ב [heart] (32) + עֵינַ֤יִם [eye] (180) + לָהֶם֙ [to·them] (75) + וְלֹ֣א [and·not] (37) + יִרְא֔וּ [they·will·see] (217) + אׇזְנַ֥יִם [ear] (108) + לָהֶ֖ם [to·them] (75) + וְלֹ֥א [and·not] (37) + יִשְׁמָֽעוּ [they·hear] (426) = 2349.
Radak
"Hear, I pray you." It is clear:
Metzudat David
A foolish people. A stupid people, and they have no discerning heart.
"And they shall not see." From the wonders of the Omnipresent.
"And they shall not hear." Wondrous are His deeds.
Malbim
"Hear this, O foolish people": Man attains [knowledge of] God in three ways: 1. Through the proofs of reason and knowledge; and to this it alludes, "a foolish people and without understanding." 2. Through examination by the senses; and to this it alludes, "they have eyes but they do not see." 3. Through tradition; and to this it alludes, "they have ears," as it is stated, "lest he see with his eyes and hear with his ears and understand with his heart" (Isaiah 6:10), and "the Lord has not given you a heart to know, and eyes to see, and ears to hear" (Deuteronomy 29). Do you not know? Do you not hear? Do you not understand the foundations of the earth (Isaiah 40:21) — which are [respectively] matters of reason, the senses, and tradition. And the meaning is that here He will argue with them: 1. From the aspect of reason: "Will you not fear Me?" [Jeremiah 5:22]; 2. From the aspect of the senses: "Will you not tremble at My presence?" [Jeremiah 5:22].
Fear you not Me? says Hashem; Will you not tremble at My presence? Who have placed the sand for the bound of the sea, An everlasting ordinance, which it cannot pass; And though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; Though they roar, yet can they not pass over it.
verse value 5333
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 98 letters. The shortest word is "if" (אִ֤ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "not·will·you·fear" (לֹא־תִירָ֜אוּ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 343: it·shall·pass·over·it, they·shall·pass·over·it. 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "is·it·Me" (הַאוֹתִ֨י), "not·will·you·fear" (לֹא־תִירָ֜אוּ), "you·will·twist" (תָחִ֔ילוּ). The root לא appears 4 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "says·Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "who·I·placed" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah); "not" (root לא, 307x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root חול ("sand") in Jeremiah. First appearance of the root גבול ("border") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'it·shall·pass·over·it', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 7 words.
Rashi
"Should you not fear Me?" – Behold, the sea, which does not concern itself with calamities and does not anticipate the receipt of reward, yet it stands in awe of Me and does not transgress the boundary that I have set around it.
"You shall tremble." An expression of fear:
"And they surged." Its waves rise up to pass the boundary, but they are unable to pass.
"And its waves roared." A great clamor of sound.
And they shall not pass over it. The waves shall not cross the boundary:
Radak
"Is it Me?" How can you not stand in awe of Me? Behold, I have two witnesses whom you cannot deny. One is encompassed within the whole world, and the other is within you alone. The one that is encompassed within the whole world is the matter of the sea. For at the beginning of the creation of the world, the waters covered the entire earth, for such was their nature. Afterwards, I said that the waters should gather to one place, and the dry land should appear. And behold, when the waters that were upon the face of all the earth gathered to one place, they surged upon that place, standing like a heap. According to their nature, they should have descended and spread over the face of all the earth as at first. However, I said to them, "Thus far shall you come, and you shall not pass." The saying is the will, and I placed the sand as its shore, a boundary for it, that it should not cross it. And behold, the sand is not a high wall that would stand against the waters. Moreover, the waves of the sea crash and roar, coming up to the shore as if they would cross it according to their nature, yet they cannot, because I have restrained their nature. In this, you can recognize that I watch over the lower realms and do in them according to My will. How then can you not fear Me, and not tremble before Me, and how can it not enter your mind that I am able to do to you according to My will if you transgress My commandments? If so, it is fitting to call you a fool with no heart, that you do not understand this. Or if you understand, and you have a heart to understand, then your heart is rebellious and defiant, for you recognize [My power] and yet deny it.
Behold, I have placed within you a witness. For when you do My will, I give your rains in their season: the early rain in Marcheshvan and the latter rain in Nisan, and the earth yields its produce, and the tree of the field gives its fruit, and in the days of harvest rain does not fall for you. This is what it says: "The weeks appointed for harvest He will keep for us." And when you are distinguished among the other nations by this blessing, how can you not take this to heart, that I watch over you? And how can you deny Me and say, "He is not [with us]"?
If you were to say, "Why did He not give them as witnesses the signs and wonders written [in the Torah], such as the splitting of the Red Sea and the Jordan, and others, which are changes in nature, which cannot happen without One who intends and watches, overturning nature according to His will?" It is said that all the signs and wonders can be denied if they wish, for they occurred only once, at one time. And those who were not present at that time can deny them if they are deniers of the Torah. But this witness, that the sand is a boundary to the sea, is an eternal law; it has not departed and will not depart all the days that the world exists. And in this, they cannot deny, for they see with their eyes and hear with their ears: they see the coming of the sea's waves to the shore, and that it does not cross the sand, which is the shore to the sea; and they hear the crashing of the waves and their roaring, as if in their coming they would cross everything and cover the face of the earth. This is a matter that a person cannot deny.
"Techilu." From [the root] ḥil (to writhe in labor pain), as in "like a woman in labor."
"Ya'avrenhu." The nun is an additional letter, like in "kol hayom yevarekhenu" ("all day they shall bless him").
"Vayitga'ashu." [Its subject,] "galav" (its waves), is stated at the end [of the verse]; "ya'avrunhu" there is likewise written with an added nun.
Metzudat David
"Is it Me [that you do not fear]?": That is, will you not fear Me, and will you not tremble before Me?
"The boundary of the sea." To teach that the boundary of the sea extends as far as the sand.
"An eternal statute." This statute applies to all the days of eternity.
"And it shall not pass it." This teaches that the waters of the sea do not cross the boundary.
And they were shaken. Even though they were shaken with a violent motion, nevertheless they could not cross the boundary.
"And its waves roar." Even though its waves rush forth until the sound of their roaring is heard, nevertheless they do not cross the boundary. And all this is because of fear of the Lord and the splendor of His majesty.
Metzudat Zion
“Tachilu.” From the language of “chil” and “re’adah,” meaning trembling and quaking.
Chok. A fixed matter:
ויתגעשו: This denotes a swaying and violent shaking. Similarly, it is written, "The earth also quaked and trembled" (Psalms 18:8).
They will be able. From the language of ability:
And they roared. From the language of “murmuring” (hamiyyah).
Malbim
“Is it Me” (האותי) means that there is natural fear and chosen fear. That is to say, the fear of God that is rooted in human nature by virtue of his intellectual faculty, which causes him to be humbled before the Cause of Causes and to fear Him for His own sake. In addition to this, one can be aroused to this fear on account of the fear of harm, fearing the punishments of the Lord, upon recognizing that He is the One who oversees him to do good or evil according to his deeds. The first is the intellectual apprehension, and the second is the Torah-based apprehension, concerning which he spoke in Chovot HaLevavot, Gate 3. And this is what it says: “Is it Me” (האותי) that you do not fear – this is the intellectual fear, fearing Him for His own sake, the fear of majesty. Nevertheless, “you shall not begin” (לא תחילו) and “and surely you shall not be seized with terror and trembling before Him” – [this refers to fearing] One who is angry in His providence, [fearing] the punishments. Now he explains the two types of fear that he mentioned, and he first explains what was said: “Is it Me” (האותי) that you do not fear. Know that man, by virtue of his intellect, is general and categorical, whereas by virtue of his body and nature, he is particular and individual. My meaning is that the intellectual law implanted in man is not found in him by virtue of his being a specific, particular individual, but only by virtue of his being an intellectual being in general. For example, the law implanted in the human intellect to fear the Lord for His own sake, by virtue of His being the Cause of the created beings, includes every intellectual being, whether man or angel, possessing matter or an intellect abstracted from matter. Until such point that the intellectual law is not merely possible but necessary, and not particular but general, for it is impossible to conceive that this law would not be found in him; if so, he is not an intellect. Not so are the laws of the body and its natures, which are possible and changeable according to the disposition of each specific body. For example, there is one who desires, one who is jealous, one who is arrogant, according to the disposition of his body. And it is possible for him not to be jealous and not to be arrogant, and so forth. Now, the intellectual law implanted in man entails that he should do only good and walk in the fear of the Lord all day, not to attain thereby any benefit, but solely by virtue of the intellect. And this law includes every intellectual being in general. However, man, by virtue of the nature of his body, in which are found many desires, traits, and dispositions, sometimes strays from the superior intellectual law and deviates from it to satisfy the desire of his body and his dispositions. But the desires of the body are possible, not necessary, for he can refrain from them. And they are particular, not general, for they are not found in him by virtue of his category, but only by virtue of his individuality. And they are very numerous, growing out of many diverse dispositions within his body. For example, there is one who desires to dominate through jealousy, or through hot desire, cruelty, and so forth. And it is necessary that man subjugate all his desires and bodily requests under the superior, specific intellectual law, which is a general and necessary law, and that is to fear the Lord, not on account of the fear of punishment, which is also a particular, possible bodily disposition, but only on account of His being the Cause of Causes. And regarding this, he brought a parable from the sea. Now, the superior natural law restrains the sea from crossing its general, natural, necessary, and unchanging boundary, for it is an eternal law that the Lord implanted in it for the sake of the preservation of creation in general. And yet, the waters, by virtue of themselves and their specific nature, strive to transgress this law, for they rise up in raging billows, whether by the wind, or by the attractive force of the moon, or by other causes known to the natural philosophers. And yet, since these causes are particular and possible, they are subjugated under the general law, which is an eternal law. And this is what it says: “To whom I have set sand as a boundary for the sea, an eternal law” – this is the eternal, general law that the Lord placed upon the sea, and this law it shall not transgress at any time. Even though the sea, by virtue of its particulars, rises up many times against this law, for sometimes its waters are stirred up by earthquake or flood or the attraction of the moon, and yet they cannot [transgress], for the general law stands against the particulars. And its waves are raised by wind and storm, and yet they cannot transgress it, meaning that not even a single wave crosses the shore. It is clear that the partial, possible natural forces are nullified against the general, necessary nature. And thus it should be so with man as well: even though his partial natures, which are the dispositions of his body, rise up to rebel and transgress the intellectual law, and to rebel against the superior command, they ought to be humbled before the superior intellectual law, which obligates fearing the Lord on account of His greatness and majesty, and to nullify all bodily desires and requests that strive like the waves of the sea against His will, which is the law of general reason. But it was not so, for “to this people there was a rebellious and stubborn heart.” The heart denotes the arousing power from which all the traits and qualities of the soul emerge, and it is the root of all bodily desires and lusts in any matter. And behold, even they have a rebellious heart that desires to stray and rebel against the general rational law, through the waves of desires and traits that surge and rise up to stray from the general law. And it should have been like the sea, where the surging of the sea caused by its particular parts cannot transgress against the general law. But they were not so; rather, “they strayed and went,” and they transgressed the general law, which is the true, categorical man.
But this people has a revolting and a rebellious heart; They are revolted, and gone.
verse value 1276
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 29 letters. The shortest word is "heart" (לֵ֖ב, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·rebellious" (וּמוֹרֶ֑ה, 5 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "stubborn" (סוֹרֵ֣ר), "and·rebellious" (וּמוֹרֶ֑ה), "they·turned·aside" (סָ֖רוּ). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "was" (root היה, 250x in Jeremiah); "this" (root זה, 123x in Jeremiah); "and·went" (root הלך, 108x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·rebellious', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 2 words. Full calculation: וְלָעָ֤ם [and·to·the·people] (146) + הַזֶּה֙ [this] (17) + הָיָ֔ה [was] (20) + לֵ֖ב [heart] (32) + סוֹרֵ֣ר [stubborn] (466) + וּמוֹרֶ֑ה [and·rebellious] (257) + סָ֖רוּ [they·turned·aside] (266) + וַיֵּלֵֽכוּ [and·went] (72) = 1276.
Radak
"And to the people, they turned aside and went." They turned aside from the good path and went their way according to the stubbornness of their hearts; and the Targum [renders it]: "Because they turned away from following My worship, they were exiled."
Metzudat David
"And to this nation." But for this nation, the heart was perverse and rebellious.
"They turned aside and went." They turned aside from the Lord, and went off on their own.
Metzudat Zion
Sorer. Twisted, perverse:
And "rebels." The term refers to the matter of "meri" and "mered" (rebellion), and similarly [the phrase] "a stubborn and rebellious son" (Deuteronomy 21:18).
Neither say they in their heart: ‘Let us now fear Hashem our God, That gives the former rain, and the latter in due season; That keeps for us The appointed weeks of the harvest.’
verse value 5779
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 75 letters. The shortest word is "please" (נָא֙, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·they·do·not·say" (וְלֽוֹא־אָמְר֣וּ, 8 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·they·do·not·say" (וְלֽוֹא־אָמְר֣וּ), "let·us·fear" (נִ֤ירָא), "early rain" (יוֹרֶ֥ה). 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "and·they·do·not·say" (root אמר, 476x in Jeremiah); "who·gives" (root נתן, 141x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root נא ("please") in Jeremiah. First appearance of the root גשם ("rain") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·his·time', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 4 words.
Rashi
"Early rain and late rain." As the Targum [renders]: "Bekhir and Lakish."
"Weeks, the statutes of the harvest." Seven weeks that He decreed for us, containing two statutes of the harvest: the statute of the Omer and the statute of the Two Loaves.
“May He keep for us.” That the harvest be in its proper season.
Radak
And they did not say, "Let us revere." The nun of "na" is read with a rafe [i.e., without a dagesh], even though the word "nira" is accented on the penultimate syllable.
"The One who gives rain." And afterward, the verse specifies the meaning of yoreh and malkosh in their proper season. But because it is written "ve-yoreh" with a conjunctive vav, "the One who gives rain" refers to the rain given in the other times of the year for the sake of vegetation, for drinking, and for the other needs of humans and animals; and He also gives yoreh and malkosh for the sake of the crops, each in its proper time.
"Weeks, the statutes of the harvest, He will keep for us." Those weeks, of the statutes of the harvest, He will keep for us, so that rain will not fall during the days of the harvest and thereby spoil the harvest; this is the law of the harvest and its ordinance. And also, that a good wind will blow during the days of the harvest for winnowing and sifting; this too is the law of the harvest and its ordinance. Therefore, it says "chukot" (statutes, plural). And the reason it says "weeks" and not "the days of the harvest" is that we count seven weeks until the Festival of Weeks [Shavuot]; therefore, it attached the days of the harvest to the weeks. And Jonathan translated: "At the time the weeks are completed, which is the time of the harvest, He keeps [it] for us."
Metzudat David
“Let us now fear.” This means: If until now the fear of God was not before our eyes, behold, now we shall set our hearts to fear the Lord, who gives rain, and he goes on to explain that He gives the early rain and the latter rain, each in its necessary time.
"Weeks, the appointed times of the harvest." This means: the fixed order of the weeks of the harvest days is kept for us, in that He would not bring rain down in the Land of Israel throughout all the days of the harvest, for that is a sign of a curse. And so it says: "Is it not the wheat harvest today? I will call to the Lord, and He will send thunder and rain" (1 Samuel 12:17).
Metzudat Zion
Yoreh. It is the rain that falls upon the seeds, moistening the seeds and the soil.
And Malkosh. It is the late rain that falls upon the stalks and upon the ears of grain. And likewise, "I will give the rain of your land in its season, the former rain and the latter rain" (Deuteronomy 11:14).
Shavuot. It is from the term "Fulfil the week of this one" (Genesis 29:27):
"Hukkot" (statutes): from the word "chok" (decree) and a fixed matter.
Malbim
And they did not say, after having explained what was stated regarding “Do you not fear Me?” that it is fitting to fear Him out of the awe of majesty, stemming from intellectual perception and understanding, whereby all particular, possible, and changing bodily matters ought to be nullified in His presence. He says, in any case, “Will you not tremble before Me,” surely you ought to fear out of the dread of punishment and the withholding of good from you, for this type of fear also encompasses the heart and its bodily faculties, which are subject to it. For the heart itself, which arouses us to fulfill the desires of the body and its concerns, ought to recognize that through sin it will lose bodily success and find poverty and lack. And this is what is meant by “And they did not say in their hearts, ‘Let us fear the Lord our God,’” indicating that even the heart and the aroused bodily faculty ought to agree to this fear, on the grounds that He is our God, Who watches over us, and all our needs depend on Him and are obtained from Him. And this will be in two aspects: 1. The needs that we obtain from Him directly, which are attributed to Him as if He gives them to us at every moment through His specific providence, such as rain in its season, which is not natural but providential. And this is what it says, “Who gives rain, the former and the latter, in its season,” meaning He gives through His hand’s gift at every moment through His providence. 2. The needs that we obtain through the fixed nature established since the six days of creation, such as the appointed times of the harvest, so that there will be heat and sun during the days of harvest and rain will not fall then, which is due to the nature of the time. And even in this, we need Him not to change the general nature because of our evil deeds, but to leave the nature as it is. And this is what it says, “The weeks, the appointed times of the harvest” (which are seven weeks from Passover until Shavuot, which are the days of the harvest), “He will keep for us,” meaning He will guard the nature and not change it. And according to this, it is in His power to punish us either through action in natural matters, such as the appointed times of the harvest, by changing the nature in order to punish, or through the cessation of action and the withholding of good in providential matters, such as rain. And this is what it says, “Behold, your iniquities have turned these away.” It is known that “iniquity” (avon) is the sin committed through denial and willfulness, while “sin” (chet) is that committed through desire or error. And it is clear that iniquity is greater than sin. And likewise, the punishment for iniquity is that the Lord will punish through action, namely, by ravaging the nature and changing it to our detriment. And this is what it says, “Your iniquities have turned these away,” meaning that through iniquities committed willfully, we caused the appointed times of the harvest to be skewed; although they are natural ordinances, the Lord changed the nature to our detriment, and this is a great punishment. And “your sins have withheld the good from you”: the sins committed in error, although they did not suffice for the Lord to perform an action and change the nature for the worse, in any case caused the withholding of good through a passive transgression (shev ve’al ta’aseh), which is the withholding of rains that are providential, as it is stated, “Who gives rain.”
Your iniquities have turned away these things, And your sins have withholden good from you.
verse value 1446
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 34 letters. The shortest word is "from·you" (מִכֶּֽם, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·your·sins" (וְחַטֹּ֣אותֵיכֶ֔ם, 9 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "your·iniquities" (עֲוֺנוֹתֵיכֶ֖ם), "turned·away·these" (הִטּוּ־אֵ֑לֶּה), "and·your·sins" (וְחַטֹּ֣אותֵיכֶ֔ם). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·good" (root טוב, 38x in Jeremiah); "from·you" (root מן, 29x in Jeremiah); "your·iniquities" (root עון, 24x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root נטה ("turned·away·these") in Jeremiah. First appearance of the root חטאה ("and·your·sins") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'turned·away·these', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 4 words. Full calculation: עֲוֺנוֹתֵיכֶ֖ם [your·iniquities] (602) + הִטּוּ־אֵ֑לֶּה [turned·away·these] (56) + וְחַטֹּ֣אותֵיכֶ֔ם [and·your·sins] (500) + מָנְע֥וּ [they·withholded] (166) + הַטּ֖וֹב [the·good] (22) + מִכֶּֽם [from·you] (100) = 1446.
Rashi
"[Your iniquities] have turned these away." [Your iniquities] have turned these statutes away from you, for they do not preserve [the harvest in its season] for you, and you are consumed by famine.
Radak
“Your iniquities.” And it shall be for you to say in your hearts: “Because of these evils that have come upon you, your iniquities have turned you away.” For behold, when you were doing the will of the Almighty, He would give you rain in its season, and all your words would come to pass successfully. If so, who withheld good from you, and who brought evil upon you? None other than your iniquities and your sins.
Metzudat David
"[Your iniquities] have diverted these." They have diverted from you the knowledge and the understanding:
They withheld the good. It is the understanding of the heart that brings good:
For among My people are found wicked men; They pry, as fowlers lie in wait; They set a trap, they catch men.
verse value 3623
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 49 letters. The shortest word is "like·the·crouching·of" (כְּשַׁ֣ךְ, 3 letters) and the longest is "for·are·found" (כִּֽי־נִמְצְא֥וּ, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "for·are·found" (כִּֽי־נִמְצְא֥וּ), "will·travel" (יָשׁוּר֙), "like·the·crouching·of" (כְּשַׁ֣ךְ). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "man" (root איש, 153x in Jeremiah); "among·my·people" (root עם, 86x in Jeremiah); "for·are·found" (root מצא, 26x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root רשע ("wicked") in Jeremiah. First appearance of the root לכד ("they·will·capture") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'wicked', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 7 words. Full calculation: כִּֽי־נִמְצְא֥וּ [for·are·found] (217) + בְעַמִּ֖י [among·my·people] (122) + רְשָׁעִ֑ים [wicked] (620) + יָשׁוּר֙ [will·travel] (516) + כְּשַׁ֣ךְ [like·the·crouching·of] (340) + יְקוּשִׁ֔ים [fowlers] (466) + הִצִּ֥יבוּ [they·set] (113) + מַשְׁחִ֖ית [destruction] (758) + אֲנָשִׁ֥ים [man] (401) + יִלְכֹּֽדוּ [they·will·capture] (70) = 3623.
Rashi
"He lies in wait." [Meaning] he ambushes; and so it says, "because of my watchful foes" (Psalms 5:9) — an expression of "I behold him, but not near" (Numbers 24:17).
"כשך יקושים" – Just as the snare that is set to catch deer in the forest, when its foot enters it, it bites it and holds it by the foot, and it is caught, and they call it a "pay'd" in the foreign language.
“They set a destroyer.” Tsinbil in the vernacular; thus do ambushers lie in wait against a city or along a road.
"Hatzivu." Like "matzav" (a garrison) of the Philistines (1 Samuel 13:23) (variant reading).
Radak
"For [there] are found... he watches like the concealing of snares." Each one [of the wicked] watches on his way, so that if a person should pass by, they would rob him of what he has with him. He watches like a person who lays snares and sets a trap to catch birds; so too they watch, see, and lie in wait, and set a trap to catch men, not birds. And "mashchit" (trap) is the name for the snare that catches birds; so they set [traps] and lie in wait from this side and that side to catch men and rob them of what they have with them.
"Yashur" — [means] "he looks/beholds," like "ashurenu" in [the verse] "I behold him, but not near" [Numbers 24:17].
"Keshakh" — it is an infinitive, like "ke-hanniach" (as in placing), or it is a participle, and it is like "meiniach" (placing), from [the verse] "and the king's wrath subsided" [Esther 7:10], whose meaning is "it rested." And "shakh" is a transitive verb, whereas "shachacha" is an intransitive verb.
"Snares." It is a noun, like "mokshim" (snares), and Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated: "For there are found among my people guilty ones," etc., as in the column [of the Targum].
Metzudat David
"For there are found among My people wicked men. And their deeds are those that dull the heart:"
"He will watch." He will watch, lying in wait for people, like a person who sets a trap of snares to catch birds; so they set a destructive trap, and people will be caught in order to plunder their wealth and kill them.
Metzudat Zion
Yashur. The matter is of gazing and seeing, as in "Because of those who lie in wait for me" (Psalms 27:11).
כשך. The meaning is "calmness," as in "and the waters subsided" (Genesis 8:1), where the Targum translates: "and the waters calmed down."
Yekushim [fowlers/trappers]. A snare, a trap:
"משחית" (destroyer). "פח משחית" (a destructive snare):
They shall take them captive. They shall seize them:
Malbim
For he explains what are the sins for which He changes the statutes of the harvest and withholds the heavens, namely, the sins of robbery and murder, as I explained in the portion of Bereshit, that the sins which are against the laws of nature and the preservation of the world, such as murder, are punished by nature itself, which takes vengeance from the sinners, as it is stated, “The voice of your brother’s blood cries to Me from the ground.” See there.
"Yashor" – it compares their hunting of people to the setting of snares like that of fowl-hunters. When they spread the net and the birds fall into it, the hunter stands at a distance until the bird that has been caught and entangled subsides and becomes silent; only then does the destroyer set the trap again to catch others. For as long as the "yekushim" – that is, the birds caught in the net – have not calmed down and are still flapping about in the net, the destroyer cannot set the trap again, because the approaching birds would sense the movement of those already caught. And this is what [the verse] means by "yashur" – i.e., he watches – for the subsiding of the trapped birds: when the birds caught in the net subside and become silent, then the destroyer sets the trap again to catch others. However, the wicked do not act in this manner when hunting birds; rather, it is in this way that people are caught: when one person is caught in their net, they wait until he is killed and the matter subsides, and only then do they catch other people.
As a cage is full of birds, So are their houses full of deceit; Therefore they are become great, and waxen rich;
verse value 2053
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 42 letters. The shortest word is "so" (כֵּ֥ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·became·rich" (וַֽיַּעֲשִֽׁירוּ, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "as·a" (כִּכְלוּב֙), "birds" (ע֔וֹף), "they·grew·up" (גָּדְל֖וּ). The root מלא appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "therefore" (root על, 276x in Jeremiah); "their·houses" (root בית, 128x in Jeremiah); "so" (root כן, 76x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root מרמה ("deceit") in Jeremiah. First appearance of the root גדל ("they·grew·up") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'deceit', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 3 words. Full calculation: כִּכְלוּב֙ [as·a] (78) + מָ֣לֵא [full] (71) + ע֔וֹף [birds] (156) + כֵּ֥ן [so] (70) + בָּתֵּיהֶ֖ם [their·houses] (457) + מְלֵאִ֣ים [filled] (121) + מִרְמָ֑ה [deceit] (285) + עַל־כֵּ֥ן [therefore] (170) + גָּדְל֖וּ [they·grew·up] (43) + וַֽיַּעֲשִֽׁירוּ [and·became·rich] (602) = 2053.
Rashi
“Like a cage.” This is a place in which birds are fattened, and so Jonathan translated it as “like a fattening-house,” and in the vernacular it is called a “parnak.”
Radak
"Like a cage full of birds." A "cage" is a vessel made of slats, in which birds are raised and fattened there. And so too does the Targum translate it as "a house of fattening." And similar to it is [the phrase] "behold, a basket of summer fruit" [Amos 8:1] — a basket made of slats. And he compared them [the wicked] to a cage full of birds: just as a cage is filled with birds according to its capacity, and their food and drink are placed within it, and they eat there constantly, so too are these wicked men's houses filled with deceit — meaning, wealth gathered through deceit, which they acquire and take pleasure in.
Therefore, they grew and became wealthy. For since this wealth came to them without toil and great effort, they increased in assets and became rich.
Metzudat David
"As a cage." Just as a cage is full of birds, so too are their houses full of deceit.
And they grew. With great wealth; and in order to add clarification, it says, "and they became rich."
Metzudat Zion
"Like a cage." Its form is like that of a basket, and it is made for birds. Similar to this is the phrase "a basket of summer fruit" (Amos 8:1).
Malbim
"Like a cage," and just as after the completion of his work the hunter places the birds he has caught into a cage, and it is full of birds due to the abundance of the catch, so too after the completion of their deeds will they fill their houses with deceit, which is the wealth they plundered, and therefore they have grown rich. The meaning is that their growth and enrichment are not from the labor of their hands, but rather because of all this murder. It was not like in a land where there is justice, in which murderers would hide in caves and hollow rocks all day, because they fear the judge. But they, from all the good they plundered, made themselves fat and prosperous. And not only are they not afraid of punishment, but [the verse also says] they have passed beyond words of evil-report — meaning that no one speaks evil of them at all — because they disregard these words of evil-report, unconcerned with them. This is because they are not judged, since no justice is found against them; therefore, they are not afraid. For it is the cause of the orphan that is not judged, because the one who brings the legal claim against them is either the orphan of the murdered man, or his poor relatives. Now, the cause of the orphan is not judged, and therefore they prosper, because they find no justice against them. Likewise, the cause of the poor is not judged.
They are waxen fat, they are become sleek; Indeed, they overpass in deeds of wickedness; They plead not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, That they might make it to prosper; And the right of the needy do they not judge.
verse value 3794
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 60 letters. The shortest word is "also" (גַּ֚ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·they·rushed" (וְיַצְלִ֑יחוּ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 64: cause, cause·of. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "name" (שָֽׁמְנ֣וּ), "they·was·smooth" (עָֽשְׁת֗וּ), "words·of·evil" (דִבְרֵי־רָ֔ע). The root דין appears 3 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 307x in Jeremiah); "words·of·evil" (root דבר, 270x in Jeremiah); "and·right·of" (root משפט, 32x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root שמן ("name") in Jeremiah. First appearance of the root עשת ("they·was·smooth") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·they·rushed', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 4 words. Full calculation: שָֽׁמְנ֣וּ [name] (396) + עָֽשְׁת֗וּ [they·was·smooth] (776) + גַּ֚ם [also] (43) + עָבְר֣וּ [they·passed·over] (278) + דִבְרֵי־רָ֔ע [words·of·evil] (486) + דִּ֣ין [cause] (64) + לֹא־דָ֔נוּ [not·judged] (91) + דִּ֥ין [cause·of] (64) + יָת֖וֹם [orphan] (456) + וְיַצְלִ֑יחוּ [and·they·rushed] (160) + וּמִשְׁפַּ֥ט [and·right·of] (435) + אֶבְיוֹנִ֖ים [needy] (119) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + שָׁפָֽטוּ [they·judged] (395) = 3794.
Rashi
"עשתו" – the language of "עשת שן" (Song of Songs 5:14), meaning a thick body; in the vernacular, "ishpishort."
"They passed [beyond] matters of evil." If a calamity or a transgression came into their hands, they did not turn away from it; rather, they passed through it and did it.
They did not judge the case of an orphan. "That they may succeed:"
Radak
"They grew fat, they became sleek." This is a metaphor, like [the verse] "and Jeshurun grew fat and kicked" [Deut 32:15], meaning that they increased in wealth. There is also a bit of rhetorical flourish in this, for the rich are for the most part fat and well-fed. "Ashtu" (they became sleek) — they became pure/clear, from [the phrase] "eshet shen" (a tablet of ivory) [Song of Songs 5:14], for fat makes the skin of one's flesh clear and smooth. And so did Jonathan render it: "They grew rich, they also acquired possessions."
They also transgressed the words of the wicked. They were not satisfied with their wealth, but increased in robbery and violence, until they transgressed all the deeds of a wicked man; that is to say, they did more evil than other wicked men, so that they surpassed them in their wickedness. And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated: “They even transgressed the utterances of the Torah; they did the deeds of the wicked. The cause of the orphan they did not judge.” And the explanation of “the cause of the orphan” is: the judgment of the orphan and the weak person they did not judge, and they did not take their judgment from their oppressors.
“And they shall succeed.” And even so, “and they shall succeed.”
"And the judgment of the poor." This is a repetition of the same idea expressed in different words.
Metzudat David
"They grew fat." They became fat, and shone with great brightness:
"Also they have transgressed." This means: also every matter of evil that came within their reach, they transgressed [i.e., committed it]:
They did not judge with justice. They did not judge with true justice, and not even the case of an orphan; and nevertheless they prospered, and I have not yet taken vengeance upon them.
And justice. This means: because they succeeded, they seized upon their way and did not judge the justice of the poor, who cry out because of their oppressors.
Metzudat Zion
"Shamenu" (they grew fat). From the term "shuman" (fatness):
"עשתו" – This refers to the concept of brightness and clarity, as in the phrase "his body is as polished ivory" (Song of Songs 5:14).
Shall I not punish for these things? Says Hashem; Shall not My soul be avenged On such a nation as this?
verse value 2530
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 42 letters. The shortest word is "if" (אִ֚ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "says·Hashem" (נְאֻם־יְהֹוָ֑ה, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "not·shall·I·punish" (לֹֽא־אֶפְקֹ֖ד). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "says·Hashem" (root יהוה, 725x in Jeremiah); "that·as·this" (root אשר, 459x in Jeremiah); "not" (root לא, 307x in Jeremiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'says·Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 6 words. Full calculation: הַעַל־אֵ֥לֶּה [for·these?] (141) + לֹֽא־אֶפְקֹ֖ד [not·shall·I·punish] (216) + נְאֻם־יְהֹוָ֑ה [says·Hashem] (117) + אִ֚ם [if] (41) + בְּג֣וֹי [on·a·nation] (21) + אֲשֶׁר־כָּזֶ֔ה [that·as·this] (533) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + תִתְנַקֵּ֖ם [be·avenged] (990) + נַפְשִֽׁי [my·soul] (440) = 2530.
Radak
"Is it for these..." Its meaning is like its Targum: "Is it for these that I will not be enraged [i.e., take vengeance]?" etc., as in the column [of the Targum].
Metzudat David
“Concerning these things.” And is it to be wondered that I would not overlook their deeds like these, to exact retribution from them?
"Which is like this." Which does like this thing:
Malbim
"Is it for these that I will not punish?" In this chapter, he enumerates three severe transgressions: idolatry, sexual immorality, and bloodshed. First, he considers sexual immorality: "each man neighs after his neighbor's wife," and he says, "Shall I not punish for these?" as I explained there. Afterwards, he considers idolatry: "They have dealt falsely with the Lord," etc., and their punishment is: "Behold, I will bring upon them a nation from afar," etc. And here he considers bloodshed. Therefore, he says there that desolation and horror came upon the land: through bloodshed and robbery came desolation, and through adultery and idolatry came horror and defilement. There is no hope that they will return to good through the reproof of the prophets, for the prophets prophesied falsely. Nor is there hope through coercion by the priests who rule by force to punish transgressors, for the priests exercised their power only for their own hand, following the word of the prophets, to the point that they did not lead the people to the Torah and the service, but only to falsehood. Nor is there hope that the people themselves will take it to heart to repent, for "My people love it so." If so, what will you do at the end, when the end of this desolation comes, that the land will be utterly desolate because of the evil of your deeds?
An appalling and horrible thing Is come to pass in the land:
verse value 1895
Insights
Verse structure: 4 words, 19 letters. The shortest word is "horror" (שַׁמָּה֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·horrible thing" (וְשַׁ֣עֲרוּרָ֔ה, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "and·horrible thing" (וְשַׁ֣עֲרוּרָ֔ה), "was" (נִהְיְתָ֖ה). 3 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "was" (root היה, 250x in Jeremiah); "in·the·land" (root ארץ, 245x in Jeremiah); "horror" (root שם, 122x in Jeremiah). Full calculation: שַׁמָּה֙ [horror] (345) + וְשַׁ֣עֲרוּרָ֔ה [and·horrible thing] (787) + נִהְיְתָ֖ה [was] (470) + בָּאָֽרֶץ [in·the·land] (293) = 1895.
Rashi
"Shammah." Astonishment.
"And its horror." It is a disgraceful matter to all. And what is the matter of astonishment? The prophets prophesied falsely and said, "Go, steal and extort." And the priests, who are the judges of the people and their taskmasters, dominated the people by means of the prophets — that is to say, [they ruled] following after them [the prophets], as it says (2 Samuel 16:6): "And the king passed, and all the people passed at his side" (variant: "pursuing") (alternate version: "of David") "after him." So too here, [the people acted] at their [the priests'] hand, after them, to do according to the words of the prophets.
Radak
"Her name and her outcry became desolation." "Her name" refers to the concept of wonder, as in "as many were appalled at you" [Isaiah 52:14], meaning that it is a matter of wonder what has come to pass in the land due to the evils they commit, and it is a matter of filth and mire; and this is the interpretation of "her outcry," which denotes filth and mire, like the figs that are "vile" [Jeremiah 29:17]. And like Targum Yonatan, "her name" [is rendered] "wonder"; there are variant readings that say "teyeima," which is a term for consumption/destruction, as in "until the waters are consumed" (teimei maya) in the words of our Rabbis of blessed memory. And the Targum renders "her outcry" as "ushanu."
Metzudat David
"An appalling thing." It was a matter of astonishment and disgrace that occurred in the land:
Metzudat Zion
"Shammah" – the matter of astonishment (horror):
"ve-sha'arurah" – This refers to a matter that is disgraceful and detestable. And so I have seen the word "sha'arurah" (below, 23).
Nehiytah. From the root of "hayah" (to be):
The prophets prophesy in the service of falsehood, And the priests bear rule at their beck; And My people love to have it so; What then will you do in the end thereof?
verse value 2985
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 56 letters. The shortest word is "so" (כֵ֑ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·the·priests" (וְהַכֹּֽהֲנִים֙, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Jeremiah. Unique to this verse in Jeremiah (hapax): "upon·their·hands" (עַל־יְדֵיהֶ֔ם), "and·what·will·you·do" (וּמַֽה־תַּעֲשׂ֖וּ), "to·her·end" (לְאַחֲרִיתָֽהּ). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "upon·their·hands" (root על, 276x in Jeremiah); "and·what·will·you·do" (root עשה, 147x in Jeremiah); "spokesman" (root נביא, 93x in Jeremiah). First appearance of the root ירד ("they·will·go·down") in Jeremiah. First appearance of the root אחרית ("to·her·end") in Jeremiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'so', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 2 words. Full calculation: הַנְּבִאִ֞ים [spokesman] (108) + נִבְּא֣וּ [they·prophesied] (59) + בַשֶּׁ֗קֶר [in·the·lie] (602) + וְהַכֹּֽהֲנִים֙ [and·the·priests] (136) + יִרְדּ֣וּ [they·will·go·down] (220) + עַל־יְדֵיהֶ֔ם [upon·their·hands] (169) + וְעַמִּ֖י [and·my·people] (126) + אָ֣הֲבוּ [love] (14) + כֵ֑ן [so] (70) + וּמַֽה־תַּעֲשׂ֖וּ [and·what·will·you·do] (827) + לְאַחֲרִיתָֽהּ [to·her·end] (654) = 2985.
Radak
The prophets. Now he explains what is the wonder and the foulness that occurred in the land: they prophesied falsely to the people and said, "Peace shall be yours," and by this they lead the people astray onto an evil path.
"They prophesied falsely, and the priests ruled through their [the prophets'] hand." The sense is "taking," from "[Samson] scooped the honey" [Judges 14:9], meaning that they would take bribes to pervert justice; they would take them by hand, like one who scoops honey with his hand, which is good and pleasant. And some interpret the sense as "dominion," from "for he had dominion" [1 Kings 5:4], "...you shall not rule over him" [Leviticus 25:43], meaning the priests dominate the people through the prophets and their commands, and pervert judgment according to their will.
"And My people love it so." This means that they want all of this, because they [the prophets] make their [the people's] evil deeds seem good to them.
"And what will you do for its aftermath?" That is, regarding the aftermath of the "wonder" and the "foulness" mentioned. That is, if the foulness seems fine in your eyes now, what will you do for their aftermath? For you will know that it will be bitter in the end.
Metzudat David
The prophets. The prophets of Baal:
"In falsehood." In the name of Baal, which is a false matter:
"And the priests" – the priests of Baal.
"They rule." They will rule by the power of the prophets, for they [the prophets] are the ones who empowered them to rule:
"They loved it so." So that they [the prophets and priests] should be the rulers:
"And what will you do?" The prophet says to them: "What will you do when the end of the matter comes, that is, the retribution of recompense? And is it in their power to save you?"
Metzudat Zion
"Yirdu." The matter of dominion, as in "Rule in the midst of your enemies" (Psalms 110:2).
"Through their hands." On account of the power of the prophets:
Radak
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim