'Hear, you peoples, all of you' — Hashem comes forth from His place and treads upon the high places of the earth; the mountains are molten under Him; Samaria is made a heap of the field, plantings for vineyards; and the wound is incurable — it is come even to Judah, it reaches to the gate of my people, even to Jerusalem; the towns of the lowland take up the lament, each in the play of its own name.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
The word of Hashem that came to Micah the Morashtite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.
verse value 4427
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 71 letters. The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "word·of·Hashem" (דְּבַר־יְהֹוָ֣ה, 7 letters). 11 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Micah. Unique to this verse in Micah (hapax): "word·of·Hashem" (דְּבַר־יְהֹוָ֣ה), "was" (הָיָ֗ה), "to·Micah" (אֶל־מִיכָה֙). The root אשר appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "word·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 40x in Micah); "concerning·Samaria" (root על, 21x in Micah). First appearance of the root יהוה ("word·of·Hashem") in Micah. First appearance of the root אשר ("that") in Micah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Judah', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 3 words. Full calculation: דְּבַר־יְהֹוָ֣ה [word·of·Hashem] (232) + אֲשֶׁ֣ר [that] (501) + הָיָ֗ה [was] (20) + אֶל־מִיכָה֙ [to·Micah] (106) + הַמֹּ֣רַשְׁתִּ֔י [the·Morashtite] (955) + בִּימֵ֥י [in·days·of] (62) + יוֹתָ֛ם [Jotham] (456) + אָחָ֥ז [Ahaz] (16) + יְחִזְקִיָּ֖ה [Hezekiah] (140) + מַלְכֵ֣י [kings·of] (100) + יְהוּדָ֑ה [Judah] (30) + אֲשֶׁר־חָזָ֥ה [which·he·saw] (521) + עַל־שֹׁמְר֖וֹן [concerning·Samaria] (696) + וִירֽוּשָׁלִָֽם [and·Jerusalem] (592) = 4427.
Rashi
“The word.” The Morashtite — from the city of Moresheth:
Ibn Ezra
"This is the prophet who is mentioned in the Book of Jeremiah, and his prophecy was for all Israel."
Radak
“The word of the Lord which came to Micah the Morashite in the days of Jotham.” This prophet we find mentioned in the book of Jeremiah: “Micah the Morashite was a prophet in the days of Hezekiah, king of Judah.” And he is called “Morashite” after the name of his city, Mareshah, as the Targum renders it: “from Mareshah.” And it is among the cities of Judah. And he prophesied in the days of these three kings: Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah; and in the days of the kings of Israel who were reigning at that time. And even though they are not explicitly mentioned, it is stated that “he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem,” and this is as if they were mentioned.
Metzudat David
Regarding Samaria. Nevertheless, he did not mention attributing the prophecy to the days of the kings of Israel, as he did with Hosea and Amos. This is because he was from the land of Judah and did not prophesy in the lands of the kings of Israel, as Hosea and Amos did.
Metzudat Zion
The Moreshite. From Moresheth, which is one of the cities of Judah:
Hear, you peoples, all of you; Hearken, O earth, and all that therein is; And let the Lord Hashem be witness against you, The Lord from His holy temple.
verse value 2334
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 56 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִ֤ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "all·of·them" (כֻּלָּ֔ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "hearken" (הַקְשִׁ֖יבִי, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 65: my·lord, my·lord. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Micah. Unique to this verse in Micah (hapax): "hearken" (הַקְשִׁ֖יבִי), "and·its·fullness" (וּמְלֹאָ֑הּ), "and·let·it·be" (וִיהִי֩). The root אדון appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 40x in Micah); "peoples" (root עם, 20x in Micah). First appearance of the root שמע ("hear") in Micah. First appearance of the root עם ("peoples") in Micah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·its·fullness', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 8 words. Full calculation: שִׁמְעוּ֙ [hear] (416) + עַמִּ֣ים [peoples] (160) + כֻּלָּ֔ם [all·of·them] (90) + הַקְשִׁ֖יבִי [hearken] (427) + אֶ֣רֶץ [land] (291) + וּמְלֹאָ֑הּ [and·its·fullness] (82) + וִיהִי֩ [and·let·it·be] (31) + אֲדֹנָ֨י [my·lord] (65) + יֱהֹוִ֤ה [Hashem] (26) + בָּכֶם֙ [against·you] (62) + לְעֵ֔ד [witness] (104) + אֲדֹנָ֖י [my·lord] (65) + מֵהֵיכַ֥ל [from·temple·of] (105) + קׇדְשֽׁוֹ [His·holiness] (410) = 2334.
Rashi
"And it shall be, a witness against you." For I prophesied to you in His name and warned you.
Ibn Ezra
"Hear" – this word is remarkable in our language, for according to our understanding, one would say "all of you," and similarly "all of you shall return and come, please," and also the prophet Micaiah said concerning Ahab: "Hear, all peoples." And according to logical reasoning, Micah is not Micaiah son of Imlah, for many generations separate them.
“Hearken” – by way of parable, for those who stand upon her are her fullness.
“As a witness.” For I have warned you and made known to you.
Radak
“Hear, all you nations.” It says “Hear” directly, and it says “all” not directly; for such is the practice of Scripture in many places, as in “Yet you shall all return,” and “Come now to all of them and to your lords,” for they shall be ashamed of the terebinths in which you delighted. And so did Micaiah son of Imlah say: “Hear, all you nations,” and regarding Israel he said “and the multitude of peoples,” corresponding to the tribes; and likewise, “Peoples shall summon [others] to the mountain.”
“Land and its fullness.” This refers to the Land of Israel and the people within it. And when it says, “Give ear, O land,” this is a metaphor, as it has already stated, “and its fullness.”
"And the Lord shall be a witness against you. For I have already warned you by His name."
From His Holy Temple: from the heavens:
Metzudat David
"Hear, all peoples" – this means all the tribes, for every tribe is called a "people."
And its fullness. The creatures that fill it:
“And let [the LORD] be a witness, etc.” — that I prophesied to you in His name and warned you:
“From His holy Temple.” That is, He looks down from heaven to see, to be a witness:
Metzudat Zion
“Hearken.” The matter of hearing:
Malbim
"Hear, O nations, all of them"—that is, all the tribes; "and give ear, O earth, and its fullness"—the totality of the land, because the evil had spread throughout the entire land. "The Lord shall be a witness against you"—the Lord is the One who warns you; the Lord warns you from His Holy Temple, while He is still in His Temple, before He departs from His place to judge the land.
Cross-references: I Kings 22:28; Isaiah 2:2; II Chronicles 18:27
For, behold, Hashem comes forth out of His place, And will come down, and tread upon the high places of the earth.
verse value 2200
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 40 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 2200 is divisible by 50, the years to the Jubilee (yovel). The shortest word is "going·out" (יֹצֵ֣א, 3 letters) and the longest is "upon·high·places·of" (עַל־בָּ֥מֳתֵי(במותי), 11 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Micah. Unique to this verse in Micah (hapax): "for·behold" (כִּֽי־הִנֵּ֥ה), "from·his·place" (מִמְּקוֹמ֑וֹ), "and·shall·descend" (וְיָרַ֥ד). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 40x in Micah); "upon·high·places·of" (root על, 21x in Micah); "for·behold" (root כי, 20x in Micah). First appearance of the root כי ("for·behold") in Micah. First appearance of the root יצא ("going·out") in Micah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·his·place', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: כִּֽי־הִנֵּ֥ה [for·behold] (90) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + יֹצֵ֣א [going·out] (101) + מִמְּקוֹמ֑וֹ [from·his·place] (232) + וְיָרַ֥ד [and·shall·descend] (220) + וְדָרַ֖ךְ [and·will·tread] (230) + עַל־בָּ֥מֳתֵי(במותי) [upon·high·places·of] (1010) + אָֽרֶץ [land] (291) = 2200.
Rashi
He departs from His place, from the throne of mercy to the throne of judgment.
"And He treads upon the high places of the earth." Upon the proud and haughty of spirit.
Ibn Ezra
"For, He went out—He was in His Holy Temple, which is the heavens; therefore, He descended. And the meaning of this passage is to bring forth His decrees in the manner of David’s song, as I have explained."
And there are those who say that "the high places of the earth" is an allusion to the rulers, and so it is: "the mountains melt away"—and there is no need [for that interpretation], but rather the meaning is that every ruler does as he pleases, and the mountains melt away at his will.
Radak
“For behold, the Lord goes forth from His place.” This is like a parable: the decree that issues forth from before Him is as if He Himself goes forth, descends, and treads upon the heights of the earth. And so it is stated in the Song of David: “He bowed the heavens also, and came down” (Psalm 18:10). All of this is metaphorical, referring to the destruction of the land and the immense troubles, as if the mountains were melted and the valleys were split apart. And so it is stated: “The earth quaked and trembled; the foundations of the mountains also were moved” (Psalm 18:8).
Metzudat David
“For behold.” That is, this is my statement: know that behold, the LORD goes forth from His place, from the throne of mercy:
"And he shall come down." From there, "he shall come down" – meaning, he shall tread upon the heights of the land. This implies that he shall humble the arrogant and the haughty.
Metzudat Zion
"u-darko" – from the language of treading and trampling.
Bamotei. The matter of height, as in “and upon my heights He makes me tread” (Habakkuk 3:19):
Malbim
For behold, at the time that the Lord goes forth from His place, (this alludes to the fact that He will go Himself to punish with the punishment of providence, which does not strike through an agent but rather by Himself, as it says, “At midnight I will go forth in the midst of Egypt”).
"And He descended and trod upon the heights of the earth": [This verse] depicts, through the method of anthropomorphism, that He would first stand upon the lofty mountains.
And the mountains shall be molten under Him, And the valleys shall be cleft, As wax before the fire, As waters that are poured down a steep place.
verse value 3329
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 54 letters. The shortest word is "fire" (הָאֵ֔שׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·the·valleys" (וְהָעֲמָקִ֖ים, 7 letters). 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Micah. Unique to this verse in Micah (hapax): "and·they·will·be·dissolved" (וְנָמַ֤סּוּ), "under·Him" (תַּחְתָּ֔יו), "and·the·valleys" (וְהָעֲמָקִ֖ים). 11 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root הר ("the·mountains") in Micah. First appearance of the root תחת ("under·Him") in Micah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'will·be·cleft', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 6 words. Full calculation: וְנָמַ֤סּוּ [and·they·will·be·dissolved] (162) + הֶֽהָרִים֙ [the·mountains] (260) + תַּחְתָּ֔יו [under·Him] (824) + וְהָעֲמָקִ֖ים [and·the·valleys] (271) + יִתְבַּקָּ֑עוּ [will·be·cleft] (588) + כַּדּוֹנַג֙ [wax] (83) + מִפְּנֵ֣י [from·face·of] (180) + הָאֵ֔שׁ [fire] (306) + כְּמַ֖יִם [like·waters] (110) + מֻגָּרִ֥ים [poured] (293) + בְּמוֹרָֽד [in·descent] (252) = 3329.
Rashi
Like wax (kadonag). [That is,] wax:
“Poured down in the descent.” Targum: “that are poured out on the slope.” “Mugarim” is an expression of the flowing of water, as in (Lamentations 3:49) “my eye poureth down and ceaseth not,” (Job 28:4) “a stream breaks forth away from where men sojourn (gar),” and “and he poureth out from it (vayager mizeh)” (Psalms 75:9):
Ibn Ezra
“And the mountains melted like wax from before the fire” – the fire of the Lord, which is His anger; “and the valleys were split like water that is poured out.”
Radak
“And they melted like wax.” This refers to beeswax.
“Like waters flowing down a slope.” Thus shall the mountains melt away and flow like waters that are poured out in a downward place, so that they will go swiftly; and the Targum [renders it] as “they are cast down upon a slope,” and the entire matter is by way of metaphor.
Metzudat David
“And the mountains melted.” This is an allegory for the humiliation of the princes.
"And the valleys shall be split." This is an allegory for the destruction of the multitude of the people.
“Like wax.” Just as wax melts away before the fire, so too they shall melt away; and just as waters that flow and trickle down a slope scatter hither and thither, so shall they be scattered among the lands of the nations.
Metzudat Zion
And they melted. The meaning of the terms "maggah" (the melting) and "massah" (the molten):
Yitbaku (they shall be cleft). From the expression of splitting (beki’ah):
“Like wax.” This refers to beeswax, as it is written: “My heart was like wax” (Psalms 22:15).
Mugarim. The matter of pouring and spilling, as in “like waters poured out” (II Samuel 14:14):
Bamorad. In a place of slope; it is from the expression of descent, as in “and they smote them at the descent (vayakum bamorad)” (Joshua 7:5):
Malbim
“And they shall melt,” and then the mountains shall melt from the fear of the Lord and from the splendor of His majesty. The scriptural verses are parallel: “The mountains melted beneath Him like wax from the fire,” meaning that they shall melt easily, like wax; and “the valleys shall be split like water flowing down a slope,” so too shall the solid things be transformed into something soft and fluid. This is an allegory for the destruction of the land, which shall return to being like water, as it was in the time of the primordial chaos (and all of this is figurative language, in the manner of “The mountains flowed down from the presence of the Lord,” and “the earth quaked and trembled,” and similar expressions).
For the transgression of Jacob is all this, And for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob? Is it not Samaria? And what are the high places of Judah? are they not Jerusalem?
verse value 4959
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 68 letters. The shortest word is "house·of" (בֵּ֣ית, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·in·sins·of" (וּבְחַטֹּ֖אות, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 182: Jacob, Jacob. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Micah. Unique to this verse in Micah (hapax): "in·transgression·of" (בְּפֶ֤שַׁע), "all·this" (כׇּל־זֹ֔את), "and·in·sins·of" (וּבְחַטֹּ֖אות). The root פשע appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root פשע ("in·transgression·of") in Micah. First appearance of the root יעקב ("Jacob") in Micah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 9 words.
Ibn Ezra
"Who" — "Who" applies to a person, not to an animal or a thing. The meaning is: "Who appointed you and who are you?" or "Who appointed you?" — a concise expression, and the sense is: "Who caused Jacob to commit this transgression?" And Rabbi Marinos said: "For who are you, my daughter?" — lacking the preposition "with," meaning "With whom were you?" And this "who" is the same as "Who transgressed? Who did it? Who was the root cause of Jacob’s transgression?" — and the matter is equivalent.
“Is it not Samaria?” The meaning is “the inhabitant of Samaria,” and likewise “Jerusalem” [means its inhabitants].
Radak
“Regarding transgression.” The matter is doubled in what is stated, “And Jacob and Israel,” referring to the ten tribes, for they constitute the majority, and on account of the kingdom of Ephraim, as we have written.
“What is the transgression of Jacob?” What caused Jacob’s transgression? It is the calves [of idolatry]:
“Is it not Samaria?” This means the king of Samaria, for the kings of Israel had their capital in Samaria from the time of Omri onward. And if they had prevented the worship of the calves, the people of Israel would have worshipped them; all the more so since they upheld their worship, and the people follow the king.
And are the high places of Judah not Jerusalem? Who caused them to make high places in the cities of Judah? None other than the kings of Jerusalem, for Jerusalem was the capital of the kingdom. And we were required to interpret it thus, because the word "who" does not apply except to a being endowed with intellect, such as "who is the man," and one does not say "who is the ox" or "who is the donkey."
Metzudat David
“Because of transgression.” In recompense for Jacob’s transgression, all this shall be.
And regarding the sin offering of the House of Israel. This is a repetition of the matter stated in:
“Who has transgressed Jacob?” Who is the cause that Jacob transgressed? Is it not Samaria, the capital of the kingdom, where the source of idolatry was located, and where the prophets of Baal led Israel astray from following the Lord?
"And what are the high places of Judah?" What is the cause that led Judah to set up high places for idolatry? Was it not Jerusalem, the capital of the kingdom, for there they multiplied the altars for idolaters, and from it the other cities of Judah learned?
Metzudat Zion
Bamot. Altars of idolatry:
Malbim
“Regarding transgression”: all this comes about through the transgression of Jacob, referring to the Ten Tribes, who transgressed and rebelled against the Lord through outright rebellion and served idols and graven images; and “the sins of the house of Israel” refers to the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, who did not rebel but sinned due to desire or error, such as their offerings on the high places. Although this was a sin, it was not rebellion, for the majority of their intentions were directed toward Heaven. The verse then explains: Who is the cause of the transgression of Jacob, namely that the tribes served idolatry? It is none other than Samaria, for the kingdom in Samaria made the calves and incited the people to this. And who is the cause of the sins of Judah? It is none other than Jerusalem, for the kingdom of Judah, which was in Jerusalem, caused this by not abolishing the high places until the days of Hezekiah.
Therefore I will make Samaria a heap in the field, A place for the planting of vineyards; And I will pour down the stones thereof into the valley, And I will uncover the foundations thereof.
verse value 3064
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 49 letters. The shortest word is "to·heap·of" (לְעִ֥י, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·I·will·pour·down" (וְהִגַּרְתִּ֤י, 6 letters). 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Micah. Unique to this verse in Micah (hapax): "to·heap·of" (לְעִ֥י), "field" (הַשָּׂדֶ֖ה), "for·plantings·of" (לְמַטָּ֣עֵי). 11 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root שום ("and·I·will·put") in Micah. First appearance of the root שדה ("field") in Micah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'vineyard', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 5 words. Full calculation: וְשַׂמְתִּ֥י [and·I·will·put] (756) + שֹׁמְר֛וֹן [Samaria] (596) + לְעִ֥י [to·heap·of] (110) + הַשָּׂדֶ֖ה [field] (314) + לְמַטָּ֣עֵי [for·plantings·of] (159) + כָ֑רֶם [vineyard] (260) + וְהִגַּרְתִּ֤י [and·I·will·pour·down] (624) + לַגַּי֙ [to·the·valley] (43) + אֲבָנֶ֔יהָ [stone] (68) + וִיסֹדֶ֖יהָ [and·her·foundations] (95) + אֲגַלֶּֽה [I·will·uncover] (39) = 3064.
Rashi
“To a heap of the field.” Targum: “to heaps of the field” — an expression of heaps (galim), like “Yegar Sahadutha” (the heap of witness):
"And I will pour down her stones into the valley." And "I will sweep them away" is like the word "mugrei" in the phrase "in the descent":
Ibn Ezra
"And I will place" – by means of Assyria.
Le'i – like le'im, meaning excavations.
"Regarding the planting of a vineyard" – so that you shall not sit.
"And I will scatter you" – to the ground the stones of her walls, so that they will no longer be seen, for the building will be destroyed.
"And I will lay bare its foundations" – until the place of Shomron would no longer be recognizable.
Radak
And I will make. And what is stated in the Book of Kings, that the king of Assyria captured the land of Israel and settled in it the people whom he brought from there, did not say anything other than "and he settled them in the cities of Samaria." He did not say "in Samaria," for the king of Assyria had destroyed Samaria, demolished its walls, and all the buildings within it, as this prophet prophesied and said: "And I will make Samaria a heap of the field." And [the verse continues] "And I will scatter," by means of the king of Assyria, who will do this according to My will, for I will stir up his spirit to this end, as it is stated: "And the Lord, the God of Israel, stirred up the spirit of Pul, king of Assyria," etc.
“Lay waste the field.” “The heaps of the field,” as the Targum translates it: “the ruins of the cultivated land.” And likewise, the Targum translates “and Babylon shall become heaps” as “ruins,” for a ruined building is called a heap of stones.
“Lema’atei karem” (to plant vineyards). Since Shomron is a mountain, and vineyards on mountains are good, He said that Shomron should no longer be inhabited, but rather vineyards should be planted there.
"And I will scatter its stones into the valley." For when it was a mountain, and its buildings were destroyed, they would scatter the stones of the buildings from the mountain into the valley.
"And I will uncover its foundations." Its meaning is: the building down to its foundation.
Metzudat David
"And I will make Samaria a heap of stones." Because she was the cause of Jacob's sin, therefore she will be destroyed and will be filled with heaps of stones from the collapse of the houses, like a field full of heaps, where no one engages in leveling the heaps that are made there; and therefore it is full of them.
“for the plantings of a vineyard.” It shall be a place prepared for planting vineyards there, for Samaria stood on a mountain, a place suitable for vineyards.
And I will cast down. I will cast their stones into the ditch, and also the foundations that are within the earth I will expose them, for they will bring them out from their place, which had been hidden within the earth.
Metzudat Zion
Le’i. The matter of a mound and a heap, as in “they made Jerusalem into heaps” (Psalms 79:1):
“Lema’atei.” From the language of planting:
And I will pour [them] down. The matter of pouring and spilling; and it is expressed in borrowed language for the casting-down [of the stones]:
Lag. To the valley:
Malbim
"And I will place" refers to what was stated above, "And the Lord will be with you forever," meaning that the Lord warns them and says, "I Myself will place Samaria as an open field, for the houses will fall and be destroyed." Afterward, I will place it as vineyard plantings. Then, "And I will roll down its stones," meaning that those who plant vineyards will clear away the stones and remove the ruins remaining from the collapse of the houses, until even its foundations I will uncover, for they will also remove the foundation stones so that it will be suitable for vineyard plantings.
And all her graven images shall be beaten to pieces, And all her hires shall be burned with fire, And all her idols will I lay desolate; For of the hire of a harlot has she gathered them, And to the hire of a harlot shall they return.
verse value 4936
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 77 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֠י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·all·her·images" (וְכׇל־פְּסִילֶ֣יהָ, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 68: harlot, harlot. 11 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Micah. Unique to this verse in Micah (hapax): "and·all·her·images" (וְכׇל־פְּסִילֶ֣יהָ), "they·are·shattered" (יֻכַּ֗תּוּ), "and·all·her·hires" (וְכׇל־אֶתְנַנֶּ֙יהָ֙). The root אתנן appears 3 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for" (root כי, 20x in Micah). First appearance of the root אתנן ("and·all·her·hires") in Micah. First appearance of the root שמם ("devastation") in Micah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'devastation', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 7 words.
Rashi
"For the wages of a harlot she gathered." All this wealth:
“And the hire of a harlot shall return.” And to a state of loss, as forfeited property, like all other harlot’s wages, each and every collection thereof shall return. And Jonathan (the Aramaic translator) rendered it: “And to the house of the worshippers of error (idolaters) all her gatherings shall be handed over.”
Ibn Ezra
"And all." "They shall be smitten" (yukatu) - from the doubled-root [geminate] verb forms.
“Etnanneha” (her hire) — which they gave to idols for harlotry in place of the Name. The Nagid said: “kavtzah” should by rights have had the qof with a shuruk [as a passive], and like it: “and your gates shall be open continually” (Isaiah 60:11), “and it was placed in the chest,” “upon the flesh of man it shall not be poured” (Exodus 30:32). But in my opinion: the subject of “kavtzah” is Samaria [Samaria gathered them], and of “patechu” the openers [opened them] — like “who bore them” and “and one said to Joseph,” and likewise “and the placer placed it,” and likewise “the priest shall not pour.”
And the meaning of “Until the hire of a harlot shall return” is: the gold and silver of the idols [shall go] to the idols of Assyria.
Radak
“And all its images shall be smashed.” They shall be broken because of the silver and gold that are upon the images.
“Her hire.” The fine garments that were in the houses of the idols, which they would give to her on account of the honor of the idols. And they are like the hire of a harlot, for they were committing harlotry after the idols and honoring them with silver and gold and fine garments.
"They shall be burned in fire." For when they captured the city, they set it ablaze with fire due to their great wrath against its inhabitants, who had withstood a three-year siege and refused to make peace.
"And all her idols I will lay waste." This means that the houses of idolatry, which were esteemed in their eyes, will become desolate. And so does the Targum render it: "And all the houses of her terror."
"For the hire of a harlot was gathered together." Some say that the chirik in the letter qof is in place of a shurek, like "kovtza," similar to "and your gates shall be open continually" (Isaiah 60:11), which is like "and they shall open them." And so Targum Yonatan renders: "The earnings of a harlot were gathered together." And the correct explanation is that the meaning of "gathered together" refers to Samaria, for they used to bring to Samaria, to the houses of the idols and the graven images, from the other cities of Israel silver and gold and offerings when they came to worship the idols. And Samaria gathered all this wealth from the hire of a harlot, and it is like the hire of a harlot, as has been explained.
"And unto the hire of a harlot they shall return." For the worshippers of idolatry will take everything, and so did Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translate: "And to the worshippers of error they shall be given."
Metzudat David
"They shall strike." The nations who come will break the idols in order to take for themselves the silver and gold plating that is upon them.
“And all their gifts.” The gifts that were given to the gentiles from vessels and garments, which are not fit to be taken with them, shall be burned in fire. (And since the gentiles are called in the language of Scripture by the name of a harlot, therefore the gifts are called “gifts” 'etnan' (the fee of a harlot), as the gift of a harlot is likewise called 'etnan'.)
And all her idols. This means all the houses of idols.
"For she gathered her wealth from the wages of a harlot." This means that the wealth found in the houses of the idols was gathered from what was brought as the wages of a harlot, namely, from the gifts that were brought to the idolaters.
“And the hire of a harlot shall return.” And similarly, they shall return to become the hire and gift of a harlot; that is to say, the enemy shall give them as a gift to his idolaters.
Metzudat Zion
They shall strike. The word is derived from the root meaning "to strike" and "to break."
"אתנניה" – the word is derived from the root "אתנן" (hire).
Her idols (atzabeha). The idols are called thus because [each] grieves the heart of its worshipper, who calls out to it and is not answered:
Malbim
“And all her idols” – The idols were made of wood or stone, and they gave them wages and gifts. Beneath them were the images (atzabim). When the idols were struck, the images would remain desolate, for “Samaria gathered all her wealth from the wages of a harlot.” This is because in her view, all their success was through the idolatry, as it is stated (Hosea 2:14), “Who said, ‘These are my hire that my lovers have given me.’” Therefore, “they shall return to the wages of a harlot” – the King of Assyria will take them, as if his idols were giving them to him as wages. The meaning is: I am not at all distressed over Samaria and its destruction, since they served idols and teraphim and played the harlot after them.
For this will I wail and howl, I will go stripped and naked; I will make a wailing like the jackals, And a mourning like the ostriches.
verse value 3606
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 61 letters. The shortest word is "barefoot" (שׁוֹלָ֖ל, 4 letters) and the longest is "barefoot" (אֵילְכָ֥ה(שילל), 9 letters). 10 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Micah. Unique to this verse in Micah (hapax): "for·this" (עַל־זֹאת֙), "I·will·wail" (אֶסְפְּדָ֣ה), "and·I·will·howl" (וְאֵילִ֔ילָה). 12 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root עשה ("I·will·do") in Micah. First appearance of the root בת ("like·daughters·of") in Micah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·naked', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: עַל־זֹאת֙ [for·this] (508) + אֶסְפְּדָ֣ה [I·will·wail] (150) + וְאֵילִ֔ילָה [and·I·will·howl] (92) + אֵילְכָ֥ה(שילל) [barefoot] (436) + שׁוֹלָ֖ל [barefoot] (366) + וְעָר֑וֹם [and·naked] (322) + אֶעֱשֶׂ֤ה [I·will·do] (376) + מִסְפֵּד֙ [wailing] (184) + כַּתַּנִּ֔ים [as·the·jackals] (520) + וְאֵ֖בֶל [and·mourning] (39) + כִּבְנ֥וֹת [like·daughters·of] (478) + יַעֲנָֽה [ostrich] (135) = 3606.
Rashi
“שולל” – He becomes deranged, like a fool in his bewildered heart, as it is said: “We were deranged, O mighty of heart” (Psalms 76:6), and “He who turns away from evil is deranged” (Isaiah 59:15). And the letter tav comes to serve in the word in the language of the hitpa‘el and nifal stems. And so it is with a word whose root begins with shin or samekh: when the tav is added in the language of the hitpa‘el and nifal stems, it enters within the word, as in “mishutal.” I say that it is from the language of “shogeg” (unintentional), as it is said: “Do not deceive me” (2 Kings 4:28), “for the error” (2 Samuel 6:7), and “which speaks anything amiss” (Daniel 3:29).
Ibn Ezra
On the words of the prophet, what they will lament in those days, the worshippers of the Name.
Sholel – like a person whose garments were plundered and who remained naked, or it refers to one who is plundered, for the way of the madman, who is deranged in his mind, is to go about plundered and naked, and it is derived from the root shuvav (to be frivolous/impudent). And similarly is the meaning of: “He leads counselors away plundered.”
And "naked" – meaning without clothing. One is not called "naked" while wearing a sackcloth garment, but only after he has removed the sackcloth, as it is stated in Isaiah: "And you shall open the sackcloth from your loins, and you shall remove your sandals," and he did so, going naked and barefoot.
Radak
"On this I will lament and wail." The prophet speaks of himself, that he will lament and wail over the destruction of the Land of Israel and over the exile of Israel. Or, he is speaking in the person of the exiled Israelites, and in this sense the Targum translates: "On this they will lament and wail," etc.
“Al-kha.” The yod, which is the first radical of the verb, is written [spelled out] in it:
“Shollel ve-arum.” “Shollel” is a descriptive term in the pattern of “u-lal,” and its meaning is that he is stripped of his garments, having been divested of them; thus the matter is expressed in a doubled fashion through different words. Alternatively, the meaning of “shollel” is that he is deprived of his intellect, like a person who has gone mad from excessive distress; and so too do they interpret the phrase “molekh yo’etzim shollel” (“he leads counselors astray, shollel”).
"I will make mourning like that of jackals." For the voice of the jackals and the daughters of the ostrich resembles the sound of wailing and lamentation.
Metzudat David
"Because of this." Now he returns to complain about Judah and Jerusalem, which are mentioned in the verse that follows, and says, "Because of this I will make a lamentation and wail with bitterness of soul, and I will go raving like a fool and naked without clothing." This is a matter of exaggeration and hyperbole, due to the great sorrow and mourning.
Kethanim, etc. Their way is to cry out constantly in a bitter voice:
Metzudat Zion
And "aililah." The word is derived from "yillah" (lamentation).
"שולל" (sholel) – the matter of foolishness and a scattered mind; and likewise, "he frustrates counselors" (Job 12:17).
Ketanim. A species of snake:
Like the ostriches (bnot ya’anah). The name of a bird, the ostrich (bat ha-ya’anah):
Malbim
(8-9) “On this” — but “on this” I have lamented and wailed, until I go, like a madman, and like a person who, due to his madness, goes naked. This is because “her wounds are grievous,” meaning they are a dangerous, contagious illness. And it spread from Samaria also to the land of Judah, and they too were struck with these wounds, even though they did not serve idolatry in the days of Uzziah and Jotham, and their trade and their wages were consecrated to the Lord. And it is more apparent that what it says, “her wounds are grievous,” refers to the wounds that Samaria inflicted upon Judah. And the matter here concerns the great wounds that the Ten Tribes inflicted upon Judah in the days of Ahaz, when Pekach son of Remaliah killed one hundred and twenty thousand in Judah in one day. And also then the Philistines raided the cities of the Shephelah and the Negev of Judah, and captured many cities and settled there (II Chronicles 28). For in the days of Uzziah and Jotham there was peace in Judah. And it is also difficult to interpret it as referring to what happened when Sennacherib came in the days of Hezekiah, for if so, he would have also mentioned their salvation at that time. And the meaning is that the wounds that Samaria inflicted upon Judah are grievous and dangerous, for it came to Judah that Ephraim, Aram, Edom, and the Philistines fell upon Judah, and reached as far as Jerusalem, for they could not capture Jerusalem, as Isaiah stated (chapter 7).
For her wound is incurable; For it is come even to Judah; It reaches to the gate of my people, even to Jerusalem.
verse value 2562
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 44 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·Jerusalem" (עַד־יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם, 8 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Micah. Unique to this verse in Micah (hapax): "incurable" (אֲנוּשָׁ֖ה), "her·wounds" (מַכּוֹתֶ֑יהָ), "for·it·is·come" (כִּי־בָ֙אָה֙). The root עד appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for" (root כי, 20x in Micah); "my·people" (root עם, 20x in Micah). First appearance of the root בוא ("for·it·is·come") in Micah. First appearance of the root שער ("to·gate") in Micah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'her·wounds', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 6 words. Full calculation: כִּ֥י [for] (30) + אֲנוּשָׁ֖ה [incurable] (362) + מַכּוֹתֶ֑יהָ [her·wounds] (481) + כִּי־בָ֙אָה֙ [for·it·is·come] (38) + עַד־יְהוּדָ֔ה [to·Judah] (104) + נָגַ֛ע [he·had·touched] (123) + עַד־שַׁ֥עַר [to·gate] (644) + עַמִּ֖י [my·people] (120) + עַד־יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם [to·Jerusalem] (660) = 2562.
Rashi
For her wounds are grievous. For she is sick with her wounds, like [the verse] “and he was sick” (II Samuel 12:15):
Ibn Ezra
“Ki anushah” — each one of its wounds is grievous. And like it: “anush le-shivrekh” (your wound is incurable) is from the root of “va-ye’anash.”
Anushah – it is an adjective, like “atzumah” (mighty) and “baruchah” (blessed), for the blow came even to Judah, for Sennacherib captured the fortified cities of Judah.
Radak
“For her wounds are grievous.” This means that each one of her wounds is grievous: the sword, famine, and pestilence. The term “grievous” (anushah) denotes severe pain and a grievous break, as in “your wound is grievous” (anush le-shivrekh) (Jeremiah 30:12). And Targum Yonatan renders: “for her wound is grievous.”
"For it came even to Judah." The plague began in Samaria and came even to Judah.
“A plague has reached the door of my people.” This is what is meant by “until the door of Jerusalem,” for the king of Assyria, who had captured the land of the Ten Tribes, advanced against all the cities of Judah and seized them, and came as far as the gates of Jerusalem. And this is called “the door of my people,” because it is unique throughout the Land of Israel for the honor of God, blessed be He, Who dwells there.
Metzudat David
"For her punishments are grievous": This means that each and every one of the plagues of Samaria was exceedingly painful, to the extent that they walked and came as far as Judah. For when Nebuchadnezzar saw that Sennacherib had killed, destroyed, and utterly consumed the kingdom of Ephraim, and that the Lord had not helped them, his heart was stirred to approach and come against Judah.
“Affliction.” The calamity and destruction reached the city that is special to my people, and then he goes on to explain: “to Jerusalem” (and since Micah was from the tribe of Judah, he said “the gate of my people”).
Metzudat Zion
Anushah. Exceedingly grievous, as in “anush chitzi” — “my wound is incurable” (Job 34:6):
"Gate of my people." "City of my people." And similarly, "in one of your cities" (Deuteronomy 17:2).
Tell it not in Gath, Weep not at all; At Beth-le-aphrah roll thyself in the dust.
verse value 4545
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 44 letters. The shortest word is "in·Gath" (בְּגַת֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·roll" (עָפָ֖ר(התפלשתי), 10 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Micah. Unique to this verse in Micah (hapax): "in·Gath" (בְּגַת֙), "do·not·tell" (אַל־תַּגִּ֔ידוּ), "bitterly" (בָּכ֖וֹ). The root איל appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root איל ("do·not·tell") in Micah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'do·not·weep', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: בְּגַת֙ [in·Gath] (405) + אַל־תַּגִּ֔ידוּ [do·not·tell] (454) + בָּכ֖וֹ [bitterly] (28) + אַל־תִּבְכּ֑וּ [do·not·weep] (459) + בְּבֵ֣ית [in·Beth·of] (414) + לְעַפְרָ֔ה [dust] (385) + עָפָ֖ר(התפלשתי) [to·roll] (1575) + הִתְפַּלָּֽשִׁי [roll·yourself] (825) = 4545.
Rashi
“Tell it not in Gath.” Lest the Philistines rejoice over us:
“In Beth-le-Aphrah.” [Like] Ophrah of the Abiezrite:
“Roll yourself in dust.” A play on words; and likewise “inhabitant of Shafir, [pass in] nakedness and shame,” and “the inhabitant of Zaanan did not go out” — all of them wordplay on the city’s name, in the language of lament. “Hitpalshi” means “roll yourself”; its interpretation according to the context is “cover yourself with dust (hit’apri)”:
Ibn Ezra
Gath: To the Philistines the prophet mourns for Israel and weeps over the vengeance of the Philistines and their rejoicing over Israel. And there are those who say: That this prophecy is concerning the day of Jerusalem, when the Chaldeans captured it.
In Beth-le-Aphrah – a city in the land of Canaan.
And the explanation of “in the house” is: in every house.
“Hitpalshi” — like “and roll yourself in ashes” (Jeremiah 6:26). And the ketiv is “hitpalashti” (I rolled myself) — the words of the prophet.
Radak
“Do not say ‘in Gat.’” This is in accordance with the manner of a lamentation, for they were indeed aware of it in Gat and in the cities of the Philistines; rather, he spoke in the style of a lamentation, as David said in his lamentation over Saul and Jonathan: “Do not tell it in Gat, and do not proclaim it in the streets of Ashkelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised exult.” Yet were they not the ones who had slain Israel in that battle? Rather, he spoke in the style of a lamentation.
“Do not weep.” If they see you weeping, they will rejoice at your weeping.
"In the house of Ephrah, I rolled myself in dust." "Ephrah" is spelled with a patach under the ayin, whereas in the rest of the Scripture, the ayin in "Ephrah" is vocalized with a chataf qamats, and it refers to Ephrah, which belongs to Benjamin. He remembered these places, and although all the Land of Israel was desolate, because he found in them a phrase that falls upon the tongue as a path of eloquence, and as a path of the nobles and the mourners to speak in their laments and in their songs and in their words with a path of eloquence, therefore it appears that he read "Ephrah" with a patach under the ayin to bring the reading closer to the reading of "epher" (dust). And "epher" means dust in its plain sense, or it means ashes, for they too are called "epher," as in "from the ashes of the burnt offering of the sin offering." And so he said, "Daughter of my people, gird yourself with sackcloth and roll yourself in ashes." This is the way of mourning, as it is said, "and he sat among the ashes." And so Targum Yonatan translates: "In the houses of Ephrah, cover your heads with dust." And the meaning of "I rolled myself" is: roll yourself in the ashes and wrap yourself in them. And it is written "I rolled myself," and these are the words of the prophet, as he said, "Therefore I will lament and wail." And the meaning of "in the house of Ephrah" is: on account of the houses that were Ephrah's, which are now desolate. And the matter of the lamed is: on account of the houses of the suburbs that were hers, outside the city. And "house" is used in a general sense for "houses," as in "and a woman shall not sit in the house of David," for they are holy.
Metzudat David
Regarding “in Gat,” for Gat is one of the cities of the Philistines. Rather, it says, “Do not say it there,” because of the magnitude of the destruction, and do not weep while you are there, for they will rejoice over the destruction and over the weeping (and although surely they would know what “in Gat” means even without this explanation, it is stated thus for the sake of the poetic style of the lament). And similarly, “Do not say it in Gat” (II Samuel 1:20).
"Beth-le-Aphrah (house of Aphrah)." In every house of the houses of the city of Ephra, roll in the dust as a sign of mourning. And this is the language of "falling" upon the language of "Ephra" (dust), and in the dust you shall roll.
Metzudat Zion
התפלשי. The matter of rolling and defiling, and similarly, "and the princes of the flock shall be defiled" (Jeremiah 25:34):
Malbim
Regarding "in Gath," do not say that, since he stated that they should make mourning like the jackals, he returns and says that they should remain silent and not cry out, so that they would not say "in Gath," because Gath of the Philistines was taken from the Philistines by Uzziah (2 Chronicles 26), and it was under the control of Judah, and the Philistines were waiting to take it from them, and therefore "do not weep" so that it would not be known to the Philistines and they would strengthen themselves against you, but "in Beth-le-aphrah" which was from the inheritance of Benjamin (Joshua 18:23), there you shall roll in the dust, because it is far from the Philistines and they will not know of your mourning and lamentation.
Pass you away, O inhabitant of Saphir, in nakedness and shame; The inhabitant of Zaanan is not come forth; The wailing of Beth-ezel shall take from you the standing-place thereof.
verse value 5173
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 60 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֤א, 2 letters) and the longest is "excitement·shame" (עֶרְיָה־בֹ֑שֶׁת, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 718: dwelling, dwelling. 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Micah. Unique to this verse in Micah (hapax): "Hebrew" (עִבְרִ֥י), "Saphir" (שָׁפִ֖יר), "excitement·shame" (עֶרְיָה־בֹ֑שֶׁת). The root ישב appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root עבר ("Hebrew") in Micah. First appearance of the root לכם ("to·you") in Micah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'excitement·shame', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 10 words.
Rashi
“Pass by, O people.” He began with the language of singular feminine, as if speaking to the congregation of the city, as it is stated, “inhabitant of Shaphir,” [referring to] all of them under the name of one congregation. And he said “to you,” as if speaking to the multitude, for it is to the multitude that he says:
Inhabitant of Shaphir. The name of the city:
“Nakedness [and] shame.” The house of shame is uncovered — just as [the place] is called Shafir, which is a term for the fetal sac (shafir) that comes out of a woman’s womb:
"The inhabitant of Zaanan did not go forth." The Targum renders: "The delivered ones of the inhabitants of Zaanan shall not go forth."
“From the mourning of the house that is adjacent, He will take from you your standing.” The mourning that you caused to the dispossessed, whom you dispossess of their inheritance, so as to present a house in a house, a field in a field, one adjacent to another—He will take from you your standing, namely the standing of the structures that you built and established upon their inheritance. “The house that is adjacent” is “adjacent” in the foreign tongue.
Ibn Ezra
Ivri, Shafir – the name of a city.
“Arayah, beshet” – in exile and in captivity.
Tsanon – the name of a city.
She did not go out - to eulogize.
"Mourning for Bet Ha'atzal" – the name of a city. And the meaning is: Bet Ha'atzal went out to mourn, but not the city to help its neighbors, for it will stand in its place and take a lesson from all those towns that are going into exile.
"יקח" – "He shall take" means "he shall learn," as in the verse "for good teaching have I given you" (Proverbs 4:2), implying that he should remain in his place.
Radak
“Pass by, O inhabitant of Shafir.” Here he found another expression in the manner of a dirge, for “Shafir” means beauty and adornment, like “One who gives words of beauty” (Amrei Shafar), and the Targum translates “handsome” as “Shafir bariva.” And behold, it was turned into nakedness and shame, for the exposure of nakedness is a matter of disgrace. And he said “Pass by” in the feminine form, corresponding to the entry into the city whose name is Shafir. And he said “to you” (plural) corresponding to the individuals. And so is the way of Scripture in many places. He said that they will go naked, with exposed nakedness, in exile, as it is said, “and the exposed buttocks.” This is “nakedness and shame,” for “Eriyah” means exposure, like “and you are naked” (Ve’et Arum) and “Eriyah.” And “Boshet” (shame) is the exposure, like “and she seized his shame.” And “Eriyah” is a noun or an adjective, and it comes with a heh ending in the construct state, like “as ephahs of barley.”
“The inhabitants of Tzannan did not go out to mourn the House of Atzel.” This too is an instance of one word falling upon another [a play on words], for “yatz’ah” (went out) and “Tzannan” are close in language, and “House of Atzel” is also a place name. Its interpretation is that the inhabitants of Tzannan did not go out to mourn the House of Atzel when they went into exile, for it appears that the inhabitants of Atzel went into exile first, and when they were weeping and mourning upon their departure into exile, the inhabitants of Tzannan, who were their neighbors, did not go out to comfort them, for they knew that they too would go into exile after them and share in their distress.
"He shall take from you" – his standing. My master and father, of blessed memory, explained that it means he will stand and linger, besieging you with kindness, and he will take from you the reward for his standing. For "he shall take all that you have" – he will exile you. And "standing" here is like "standing," except that it is on the pattern of chemdah [and] chemlah.
Metzudat David
“Pass on, you.” You, the community dwelling in the city of Shfar, “pass on, you” in exile, in the open House of Shame, as is the manner of exiles. And this is also a case of one term falling upon another, for Shfar is a matter of the afterbirth that exits from the woman’s womb at the time of birth.
"They did not go out, etc." At first, the people of Beth-ezel went into exile and passed through Zaanan with a voice of lamentation, and the inhabitants of Zaanan did not go out to the lamentation of Beth-ezel to comfort them, for they were confident that they too would go into exile after them. And this too is a wordplay, for the terms "she went out" (yatz'ah) and "Zaanan" (tza'anan) are close in sound.
"He shall take from you his standing." Behold, they stood in their place and did not go forth to console, and the enemy will come and take from you the standing of each and every one, for you will be pleasant to go into exile.
Metzudat Zion
"Her nakedness." The matter of exposure is like "and you were naked and bare" (Ezekiel 16).
Boshet. It is a euphemism for the private parts, as in “and she seizes his private parts” (Deuteronomy 25:11):
Malbim
“Pass over,” [referring to] a city whose name is Shafir: when the enemy came there, he stripped them all naked and left them alive, because they did not fight against him. But the city of Tzannun closed its city walls and fought against the enemy. And although the enemy killed all the inhabitants of the houses surrounding the city, outside the wall, they did not wish to open their gates. Therefore, when it was conquered, the enemy killed them all and did not content himself with their spoils alone. On this basis, he says in his rhetoric: “Pass over,” with nakedness-shame to you, O inhabitant of Shafir. “Shame” means the exposure of nakedness, and it designates nakedness and the exposure of shame as a bare, stripped essence. “Do not go to Tzannun with your naked shame” (for there they will all be killed); rather, pass over to the inhabitant of Shafir, for you, O inhabitant of Shafir, will go naked and with exposed shame, and to you I commanded regarding naked shame to pass over to you, for among you you will find naked people with exposed shame. But the inhabitant of Tzannun did not go out from the wall, even to the mourning of the neighboring house. Even though all the houses near her made great mourning for their slain, nevertheless, the people of Tzannun did not wish to go out and open the gates of the city. Therefore, he will take his position from you; the mourning will take its place of standing from you, for in your city there will be much killing, and in the street of the city they will make the assembly, where the mourner will stand to lament over those who were killed in the city and in the neighboring house, that is, in the houses adjacent to the city.
For the inhabitant of Maroth waits anxiously for good; Because evil is come down from Hashem to the gate of Jerusalem.
verse value 3651
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 42 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "evil" (רָע֙, 2 letters) and the longest is "Jerusalem" (יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Micah. Unique to this verse in Micah (hapax): "for·waits·anxiously" (כִּֽי־חָ֥לָֽה), "for·good" (לְט֖וֹב), "Maroth" (מָר֑וֹת). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 40x in Micah). First appearance of the root טוב ("for·good") in Micah. First appearance of the root רע ("evil") in Micah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Maroth', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 6 words. Full calculation: כִּֽי־חָ֥לָֽה [for·waits·anxiously] (73) + לְט֖וֹב [for·good] (47) + יוֹשֶׁ֣בֶת [dwelling] (718) + מָר֑וֹת [Maroth] (646) + כִּֽי־יָ֤רַד [for·is·come·down] (244) + רָע֙ [evil] (270) + מֵאֵ֣ת [from] (441) + יְהֹוָ֔ה [Hashem] (26) + לְשַׁ֖עַר [to·gate·of] (600) + יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם [Jerusalem] (586) = 3651.
Rashi
“For she has turned to good.” For she hoped for good, she who dwells in her tranquility and rebels against the prophets.
“When evil came down.” Behold, this “ki” serves in the sense of “ela” (but/rather): she hoped for good, but because of her rebellion evil came down upon her:
Ibn Ezra
“Ki, Maroth” – Maroth is the name of a city. And there are those who say: it is derived from the Targum: “mar’ei shamaya” (Lord of Heaven), or from the root “mar” (rebel). But this interpretation has no basis, for "yoshevet" (the dweller) is a marker pointing to a city's name; and the meaning of the towns mentioned is that they did not go out to mourn, because they were under siege and in distress, as happened when Ophrah and Shafir were captured.
And the meaning of "when he is stricken" is from the root of "writhing."
And the meaning of “for good” — the lamed is like the lamed of “imri li” (say of me, Genesis 20:13), because [the good] is now absent.
"When evil comes down" – the opposite of the good that was hers.
Radak
"For she was pained for good." The term "chalah" denotes anguish and pain; this too is in the manner of the language of lamentation, which is the opposite of what it was: evil in place of good. And it said, "For she sits as one in mourning, pained because of the good that was hers."
"When evil comes down": To the gates of Jerusalem, meaning, as far as the gates of Jerusalem, as we stated above regarding "to the gate of my people, Jerusalem," as we have explained. And it says "from the Lord," indicating that the evil befalling them is not by chance, but rather a punishment for their iniquity.
Metzudat David
“For she was in anguish for good.” The city of Maroth was filled with trembling over the good that it once had, since it had been lost from her:
"When he goes down, etc." – This means that the evil which comes to the gate of Jerusalem, behold, it descends from the Lord, and does not come by chance; therefore, all the places were punished along with it.
Metzudat Zion
Chalah. From the expression of “chil” (anguish) and “chalchalah” (trembling):
Malbim
"Because she was sick": This explains why the "dweller in Zaanannim" did not go out, and upon whom they relied. "The dweller in Maroth" refers to Zaanannim, for she withheld (her help) and did not wish to surrender into the hands of the enemy. "she hoped for good," meaning she had hope that troops would come from Jerusalem to assist her; therefore, she withheld (her cooperation) and did not open the city gate. Now, the text explains what was the reason that mourning took its stand among them and they were not saved: "For evil descended from the Lord to the gate of Jerusalem." This means that by the providence of the Lord, evil descended upon Jerusalem, and they were unable to send troops to help the inhabitants of Zaanannim.
Bind the chariots to the swift steeds, O inhabitant of Lachish; She was the beginning of sin to the daughter of Zion; For the transgressions of Israel are found in you.
verse value 5713
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 59 letters. The shortest word is "broom-plant" (רְתֹ֧ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·daughter·of·Zion" (לְבַת־צִיּ֔וֹן, 7 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Micah. Unique to this verse in Micah (hapax): "broom-plant" (רְתֹ֧ם), "chariot" (הַמֶּרְכָּבָ֛ה), "to·the·steeds" (לָרֶ֖כֶשׁ). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for·in·you" (root כי, 20x in Micah). First appearance of the root הוא ("she") in Micah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Lachish', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 8 words. Full calculation: רְתֹ֧ם [broom-plant] (640) + הַמֶּרְכָּבָ֛ה [chariot] (272) + לָרֶ֖כֶשׁ [to·the·steeds] (550) + יוֹשֶׁ֣בֶת [dwelling] (718) + לָכִ֑ישׁ [Lachish] (360) + רֵאשִׁ֨ית [first] (911) + חַטָּ֥את [purgation·offering] (418) + הִיא֙ [she] (16) + לְבַת־צִיּ֔וֹן [to·daughter·of·Zion] (588) + כִּי־בָ֥ךְ [for·in·you] (52) + נִמְצְא֖וּ [are·found] (187) + פִּשְׁעֵ֥י [transgressions·of] (460) + יִשְׂרָאֵֽל [Israel] (541) = 5713.
Rashi
“Harness the chariot to the swift steed.” Bind the chariot to the swift steed (rekhesh), which is fleet to run, and flee. And Dunash said that it is an Arabic term:
Ibn Ezra
“Ratam” – it would have been proper, according to the usage of the language, to say “ratami,” meaning “bound,” and this is also the custom of travelers to bind a harness. Or the meaning is: “I say to the harnessed one, be harnessed.” There is one who says: “They will go into captivity, and one who goes into exile does not ride on a chariot.” And according to my understanding: “Where are your words, Lachish, that you used to say in your days of ease, ‘Harness the chariot’?!”
"For in You were found" – this refers to Lachish, which was adjacent to Judah and close to the tribes; it learned from their ways, and from it, the daughter of Zion learned.
Radak
"Ratom." This too is a play on words:
"rekhesh" and "Lachish" are similar in language. "Ratom," according to its context, means "bound (tied)," and so does the Targum: "Harness the chariots, set them upon the swift steeds."
“Lirkash.” Like “the riders of the *rekeves*,” which is a swift-moving beast; that is to say, they hastened into exile.
“The beginning of the transgression is for the daughter of Zion.” Lachish is one of the cities of Judah, and it was the first to learn the worship of Baal from Israel, for Ahab began to serve Baal. Jeroboam did not serve Baal; rather, it was Ahab who initiated the worship of Baal, and it spread throughout Israel. This is what is stated: “Israel has committed a transgression.” In the land of Judah, they were not serving Baal. The inhabitants of Lachish learned the worship of Baal from Israel. This is what is stated: “For in you the transgressions of Israel were found.” The explanation is: In you they were found initially, and it spread throughout the land of Judah, even to Zion. This is what is stated: “The beginning of the transgression is for the daughter of Zion.”
Metzudat David
"Harness..." You, Edah of Lachish, bind the chariot to the horses, which are swift steeds for riding in it to flee from the enemy. And "Lachish" is also a term that falls under the language of "rekes" (swift steeds), for "rekes" and "Lachish" are close in language.
"Beginning of sin." For it is the beginning of sin:
"Daughter of Zion": This means that she (Lachish) first taught idolatry to the people of Zion, for in Lachish were found the idols of the Ten Tribes.
Metzudat Zion
Ratoom. It refers to the matter of prohibition and tying, and it is an Arabic term.
Larekhesh. The name of a kind of swift-running animal, as in “riders of the swift steeds (ha-rekhesh)” (Esther 8:10):
To the daughter of Zion: To the congregation of Zion:
Pesha’ai. Thus the idols are called, because they come from the transgression of men, as in “and the transgression that appalls” (Daniel 8:13):
Malbim
“Hitch the chariot to the swift steed, O inhabitant of Lachish.” In Lachish, they first began to serve idolatry. For you will find that Amaziah, King of Judah, who began to serve the gods of Seir and against whom his servants rebelled, fled to Lachish and reigned there for twelve years, while Uzziah reigned in Jerusalem (as I explained on II Kings ch. 14). It is clear that in Jerusalem, the priests of the Lord were zealous against him because he served idolatry, but in Lachish they supported him, and he reigned there for twelve years until the inhabitants of Jerusalem grew strong and killed him. And it is written there: “And they carried him on horses, and they buried him in Jerusalem.” What is meant by “they carried him on horses”? It means that since the worshippers of idolatry (whose primary form of worship was to the sun, which they considered the queen of the heavens) dedicated horses and chariots to their worship, for when the sun rose they would go out to meet it toward the east in chariots and horses, similar to how they depicted the sun’s movement on a wheel, as is known from ancient history, and as it is stated (II Kings 23:11): “And you shall remove the horses which the kings of Judah had given to the sun, and the chariots of the sun you shall burn with fire.” Amaziah had in Lachish horses dedicated to the worship of the sun. Therefore, when the hand of the servants of the Lord prevailed and they killed him, they carried his corpse on the sun’s horses as a disgrace and humiliation. And it was their practice to make the chariots of the sun from retam wood, which retains the heat of the fire within it for many days (as our Sages of blessed memory stated in the chapter “HaSefinah”), to signify the heat of the sun and its constant burning, for the worship of the sun was conducted with fire, as is known. And regarding this it says: “Hitch the chariot,” meaning that you shall cover the known chariot, which is the chariot of the sun, with retam wood. But “to the swift horse,” do not hitch it to the horses dedicated to the sun, but rather hitch it to the swift horse, which is swift-footed to flee, so that they may flee from the enemy. Regarding this it says: “The beginning of sin is for the daughter of Zion,” meaning the first place for the daughter of Zion, namely for the kingdom of Judah, where they first began this sin of worshipping the sun.
For in you were found the sins of Israel, namely the worship of the sun, which is among the sins of Israel, the ten tribes. They are found in you, even though you are from Judah.
Therefore shall you give a parting gift to Moresheth-gath; The houses of Achzib shall be a deceitful thing to the kings of Israel.
verse value 3986
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 45 letters. The shortest word is "to" (עַ֖ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "parting·gifts" (שִׁלּוּחִ֔ים, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 100: therefore, to. 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Micah. Unique to this verse in Micah (hapax): "you·will·give" (תִּתְּנִ֣י), "parting·gifts" (שִׁלּוּחִ֔ים), "to" (עַ֖ל). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to" (root על, 21x in Micah). First appearance of the root כן ("therefore") in Micah. First appearance of the root נתן ("you·will·give") in Micah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'winepress', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 5 words. Full calculation: לָכֵן֙ [therefore] (100) + תִּתְּנִ֣י [you·will·give] (860) + שִׁלּוּחִ֔ים [parting·gifts] (394) + עַ֖ל [to] (100) + מוֹרֶ֣שֶׁת [Moresheth] (946) + גַּ֑ת [winepress] (403) + בָּתֵּ֤י [houses·of] (412) + אַכְזִיב֙ [Achzib] (40) + לְאַכְזָ֔ב [for·a·deceptive·thing] (60) + לְמַלְכֵ֖י [of·the·kings·of] (130) + יִשְׂרָאֵֽל [Israel] (541) = 3986.
Rashi
Therefore, you shall send envoys to the inheritance of Gath. Because you send envoys to the kingdom of David, who gave you possession of Gath, as it is stated (I Chronicles 18:1): “And David took Gath from the hand of the Philistines.” And you reject him, as it is stated (Isaiah 8:6): “Because this people has rejected the waters of Shiloach that go gently.” Therefore, the houses of Achzib, which were from the land of Judah and followed Pekah son of Remaliah, will ultimately become Achzib for the kings of Israel, meaning that Pekah son of Remaliah will be killed and those who rely on him will be deceived. In the days of Ahaz, this prophecy was uttered.
Therefore, send out emissaries. Explanation: "Therefore" is like "because," as in (Isaiah 17:10) "Therefore you shall plant pleasant plants, because I planted you pleasant plants, and you have turned into alien vines."
“Beit Akhziv — to a deception (le-achzav).” A play on words. From the aggadah in [chapter] Chelek I learned a midrash on this verse, as follows:
Ibn Ezra
Therefore, give parting-gifts—offerings, just as the parting-gift to his daughter; and the reason is that you should also give further offerings to the Philistines, as was your custom, perhaps they will help you.
“Portion of Gath” – a city in the land of the Philistines.
Batei Akhziv – Yefet said: “A city.” And in my opinion: The aleph is added, and it is like “and it shall be in Kziv.” Perhaps it belonged to Judah, yet they could not assist Israel at the time of its distress, and the aleph in Akhziv is added, like “I will shoot” (ekdekh). And this is a refined way of speaking, like “from their blood you shall be drenched” (gam midamam tadmu) and “you shall be confused” (ara’ar tit’ara’ar), and so too many others.
Radak
Therefore, you shall send tribute to the inheritance of Gath. Because you served idolatry and taught others to serve it, you are required to send tribute to the inheritance of Gath, so that it may be a help to you against the enemy. And “the inheritance of Gath” is the name of a place in the land of the Philistines, and it is the city mentioned in several places. David captured it from the hands of the Philistines, and the word “inheritance” (morashet) is explained as “possession,” meaning: Gath, which David captured, and afterward the Philistines inherited it, and it became their possession. “In your sins and in your transgressions” — that is to say, see what sin has caused you: this city that was yours is now in the hands of your enemies, and you are required to submit to them and send them gifts, so that they may support you against the enemy that is coming upon you.
Sheluchim. [This means] gifts (menachot), as in “and he gave it as a parting-gift (shilluchim) to his daughter, the wife of Solomon” (I Kings 9:16).
"'Al Moresheth [gath]." This is like [the preposition] "to." And likewise, "and he gave the book to one who knows writing," which is also like "to." And likewise, "and Elkanah went to Ramah, to his house," and others besides these.
The houses of Achzib were to cause the kings of Israel to be disappointed. Achzib is a city among the cities of Judah, along with Keilah, Achzib, and Marsha. It is the Chezib mentioned in the Torah: “And it shall be in Chezib, when she bears him” (Genesis 38:5). And it says “to cause to be disappointed” (la’achzav), which is a term that falls upon the tongue; Achzav is like kazav (falsehood), with an added aleph, and it is like “it shall be for me” (hayah tihyeh li), similar to Achzav. And the meaning of “houses of Achzib” is that they were places in which idolatry was practiced; they were for them a source of false security, like a spring that disappoints—water is not reliable, so that a person should not trust in it to drink from it at the time of his thirst, and he finds it dry. Thus it was for him a disappointment (achzav). So too were the houses of Achzib for the kings of Israel. And the meaning of “for the kings of Judah” is that even though the kingdom was divided, the kings of Judah are the kings of Israel, for Judah is included within Israel. And indeed, the kings of Judah were called kings of Israel, as it says, “All these are the sons of Jehoshaphat, king of Israel” (2 Chronicles 21:2), and likewise it says, “For the Lord humbled Judah because of Ahaz, king of Israel” (2 Chronicles 28:19).
Metzudat David
Therefore. Because of the evil of your deeds, you shall give gifts and presents to the inheritance of Gath; they are the men of the Philistines, for Gath is of the dominion of the Philistines. In the days of David, Israel took it from their hand, and through the sin of Israel, the Philistines returned to take Gath to be their inheritance, as it says, “Behold, from of old you have inherited his land, and now he has returned and taken it.” And now you shall be subdued to him, and you shall entreat him with a gift.
Batei Akhziv. It is one of the cities of Judah, and it rebelled against the kingdom and was drawn after Pekach ben Remalyahu, king of Israel. Therefore it is said, “Behold, when the enemy comes, he will destroy Batei Akhziv, and it will be abandoned and cut off from the kings of Israel, for it will no longer belong to them.” (And she said this in the style of a dirge, for at the time when the cities of Judah were exiled by Nebuchadnezzar, the kingdom of Israel had already ceased to exist.) And this too is a play on words: “Akhziv is its name, and to Akhzav it shall become.”
Metzudat Zion
Shiluchim. Thus a large gift is called, as in “and he gave it as a gift (shiluchim) to his daughter” (I Kings 9:16):
"Al." Like "el":
Morashet. From the expression of “yerushah” (inheritance):
La’achzav. The matter of failing and ceasing, as in “for you would prove false (deceive)” (Isaiah 57:11):
Malbim
Therefore, you shall give gifts for the heritage of Gath. Gath originally belonged to Israel from the days of David, who took it from the hands of the Philistines, as it is the city of Gath (II Samuel 8:1). And Rehoboam fortified it as a fortress city (II Chronicles 11:8). Afterwards, the Philistines took it from the hands of Israel. Then Uzziah, king of Judah, captured it from the Philistines and breached its walls (II Chronicles 26:6). In the days of Rehoboam, he built Mareshah near Gath as a fortress city, as it is stated (II Chronicles 11:8). And when the wall of Gath was breached, Mareshah defended Gath so that the Philistines would not take it back. It was called by the name "heritage of Gath" because it served as a shield for Gath. When the Philistines raided the cities of the Shephelah in the days of Ahaz and sought to conquer the heritage of Gath in order to seize Gath, and at that time Pekah son of Remaliah also fought against Judah, then the men of Lachish made a compromise with him to give him the city of Achzib, which was near Mareshah (as stated in Joshua 15:44), so that the city of Mareshah, which defends Gath, would remain in their hands and not fall into the hands of the Philistines. And this is what it says: "Therefore you shall give gifts." That is to say, you shall give a gift for the sake of the heritage of Gath. "You shall give gifts to Achzib, the houses of Achzib." That is to say, to the man of Achzib, and it explains who is the man of Achzib: he is for the kings of Israel. Meaning, you gave to the kings of Israel, who are false in their words, the houses of Achzib as a gift, in order to save the heritage of Gath.
I will yet bring to you, O inhabitant of Mareshah, him that shall possess you; The glory of Israel shall come even to Adullam.
verse value 2725
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 39 letters. Notable word values: "father of an individual" (אָ֣בִי) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "yet" (עֹ֗ד, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·Adullam" (עַד־עֲדֻלָּ֥ם, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Micah. Unique to this verse in Micah (hapax): "that·seizes" (הַיֹּרֵשׁ֙), "father of an individual" (אָ֣בִי), "Mareshah" (מָֽרֵשָׁ֑ה). The root בוא appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root עוד ("yet") in Micah. First appearance of the root לך ("to·you") in Micah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Mareshah', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 4 words. Full calculation: עֹ֗ד [yet] (74) + הַיֹּרֵשׁ֙ [that·seizes] (515) + אָ֣בִי [father of an individual] (13) + לָ֔ךְ [to·you] (50) + יוֹשֶׁ֖בֶת [dwelling] (718) + מָֽרֵשָׁ֑ה [Mareshah] (545) + עַד־עֲדֻלָּ֥ם [to·Adullam] (218) + יָב֖וֹא [will·go·in] (19) + כְּב֥וֹד [glory] (32) + יִשְׂרָאֵֽל [Israel] (541) = 2725.
Rashi
Yet the dispossessor I will bring to you. Enemies who will dispossess you, namely, she who dwells in Marsha. “Yoreish” (he who dispossesses) in reference to Marsha is a play on words.
“To Adullam.” Which is beyond the border — [the enemy] shall retreat and the glory of Israel shall come, for the nations shall conquer from their border up to Adullam. So Targum Yonatan renders “to Adullam”: “they shall come within the territory of the land of Israel.” And an aggadic midrash I heard in the name of Rabbi Menachem [on] “yet the dispossessor I will bring to you”: the sons of Elam were worthy to inherit the Land of Israel, for he was the firstborn of the sons of Shem; but because of the love of your forefathers I turned it over to the sons of Arpachshad — now I will bring the Chaldeans and the sons of Elam against them:
Ibn Ezra
"Yet the heir" – this refers to the enemy, and it is not proper to interpret it as referring to one of the descendants of Shem who inherited the land, namely Elam; rather, it refers to the enemy who will inherit the land. And it is possible that this prophet was from this city. Do not be astonished by the change in vowels in the word "the heir" (ha-yoreresh) in contrast to "Mereshah," and the language is not perfectly precise in making this correspond to that, for names are not guarded in their form as verbs are, to remain according to one pattern. For example, "the Shulammite" (ha-shulammit) is related to Shalem, which is Jerusalem, and yet one might have expected it to be called "the Shalemite" (ha-shalemmit).
"Until Adullam" – a city in the land of Canaan; and the heir shall serve on behalf of his brother, and so too does he inherit the honor of Israel.
Radak
“Yet will I bring the heir to you, O inhabitant of Mareshah.” This too is an instance of one word falling upon another, for “yoreish” (heir) and “Mareshah” are close in language, and Mareshah is the name of a city among the cities of Judah. “Avi” is written defectively, without the aleph that is the final root-letter of the verb [aviʾ, “I will bring”], and likewise “shemen rosh al yeni roshi” (Psalm 141:5) [where “yeni” lacks its aleph]. He says: I will yet bring upon you the enemy, who will inherit your land and exile you from it.
“Until Adullam” – until the glory of Israel comes. And “Adullam” is also a city among the cities of Judah. It says: “Until Adullam shall come the heir of the glory of Israel.” The [word] heir, which was previously mentioned, stands in place of two, and the heir is the King of Assyria, as it is stated: “Sennacherib, king of Assyria, went up against all the fortified cities of Judah and seized them.”
Metzudat David
"Yet the heir." Yet upon you, Mareshah, I will bring the heir of the land, and he is Nebuchadnezzar, for he shall possess you as well. And this is also a wordplay on the name Mareshah [morashah], relating to the expression "and I will bring the heir."
“Until Adullam shall come the glory of Israel.” The word “heir” is used in two senses, and it means: Until the city of Adullam shall the heir bring the glory of Israel, for he shall take all the land with the glory of wealth and dominion.
Metzudat Zion
“Avi” — like “avia” (I will bring), with an aleph; and similarly “al yani roshi” (Psalms 141:5), whose proper form is “yania,” with an aleph:
Malbim
Furthermore, this means that I have not derived any benefit from this matter, for the kings of Israel were like Achzib -- a failing stream -- and they did not keep their promise. For they themselves took Marashah from your hand. Whereas initially only the Philistines alone sought to inherit Marashah, now I will yet bring you the heir, O inhabitant of Mareshah, for the kings of Israel also came to inherit Marashah. Moreover, they were not content with taking Marashah alone; rather, the second heir will come as far as Adullam. Adullam was also a fortified city in that region and was counted among the fortified cities that Rehoboam built. Pekah then took Marashah and Adullam from them. And who is this heir who will come as far as Adullam? It is "the glory of Israel," meaning the camp of the king of Israel and his glory.
Make you bald, and poll you for the children of your delight; Enlarge your baldness as the vulture; For they are gone into captivity from you.
verse value 2757
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 42 letters. Notable word values: "and·shear" (וָגֹ֔זִּי) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "your·daintiness" (תַּעֲנוּגָ֑יִךְ, 7 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Micah. Unique to this verse in Micah (hapax): "be·bald" (קׇרְחִ֣י), "and·shear" (וָגֹ֔זִּי), "your·daintiness" (תַּעֲנוּגָ֑יִךְ). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for·sons·of" (root על, 21x in Micah); "for" (root כי, 20x in Micah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·daintiness', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 6 words. Full calculation: קׇרְחִ֣י [be·bald] (318) + וָגֹ֔זִּי [and·shear] (26) + עַל־בְּנֵ֖י [for·sons·of] (162) + תַּעֲנוּגָ֑יִךְ [your·daintiness] (559) + הַרְחִ֤בִי [enlarge] (225) + קׇרְחָתֵךְ֙ [your·baldness] (728) + כַּנֶּ֔שֶׁר [like·the·eagle] (570) + כִּ֥י [for] (30) + גָל֖וּ [they·uncovered] (39) + מִמֵּֽךְ [from·you] (100) = 2757.
Rashi
Kerachy. "Your head:"
And shear (u-guzi). [That is,] your hair; like “and he shaved his head” (Job 1:20), an expression of tearing out hair:
Like an eagle. Per the Targum: “like an eagle whose feathers molt”; the way of the eagle is to shed most of its wing-feathers:
Ibn Ezra
"Make yourself bald" [imperative] – like: "Our kings" (as in the phrase "Our kings upon us").
"Uguzi" – from the root *gaz*, meaning to shear the hair. Similarly, "and he shaved his head" – this is what the prophet said to every city and every city.
Radak
“Be bald, and shave off your hair.” He said [this] with reference to Mareshah, or to Adullam, or with reference to the whole land; it is a metaphorical expression saying to the land: “Be bald and shave,” for He speaks against the land, not against its inhabitants. For it says, “For they have been exiled from You.” Baldness is the plucking out of the hair, and shaving is done with scissors. And so does a person act in mourning, as it says, “And he shaved his head,” and it says, “Shave off your hair, and cast it away upon your beloved ones,” in the manner in which Jeremiah lamented: “The children of Zion, who were precious and very fair...”
“Enlarge your baldness like an eagle.” For the eagle flies higher than all other birds, and once every ten years it flies exceedingly high, up to the upper air adjacent to the sphere of fire, and due to the intense heat its wing-feathers are plucked out and its feathers fall off.
Metzudat David
Karchi ve-gozi (make yourself bald and shear). Pluck the hair of your head and shear it with scissors, as an expression of grief and mourning for your pampered children who have gone into exile from you:
“Enlarge your baldness like an eagle.” Make for yourself a broad baldness, like this eagle, which once every ten years soars upward to fly to the upper atmosphere, near the sphere of fire, and due to the intense heat its wings are plucked (stripped) and its feathers fall out, leaving it bald with broad bald patches.
For they have been exiled from You. Children of Your delights:
Metzudat Zion
Kerachi. The matter concerns the plucking of hair, and likewise [the verse] “and shave the hair of your head” (Ezekiel 27:31):
And you shall shear. The word is from the root of shearing and cutting, as it is written, “Shear your hair” (Jeremiah 7:29).
Your delights (ta’anugayich). From the expression of “oneg” (delight) and “tifnuk” (indulgence):
Malbim
“Make yourself bald” — therefore make your head bald and shear your hair, over the children of your delight, for they have gone into exile from you. And it adds, “enlarge your baldness like the eagle,” for the birds of prey have an affliction of moulting their feathers — especially the eagle — until at last it moults all its feathers and dies from this. And one may explain that it means: first, “make yourself bald and shear” over the children of your delight while they are still with you, for through the delights you sin against God; and afterward, “enlarge your baldness,” for they have gone into exile from you.
Rashi
Ibn Ezra
Radak
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion