When I would heal Israel When I wish to save them and heal them, their iniquities are revealed before Me, for they constantly commit falsehood, and thieves come constantly from them and steal their neighbors’ property, and also their bands spread out with lawlessness, to rob the people.

They do not say in their heart They do not lay it up to their heart that all their evil is inscribed before Me as a remembrance.

they make the king glad Their king desires the evil that they do.

like an oven heated by the baker that was heated by the baker, so does their lust burn within them.

he rests from awakening Heb. יִשְׁבּוֹת מֵעִיר. Jonathan translated what he translated: I cannot reconcile it with the wording of the verse, and, according to its apparent meaning, their temptation, which arouses them, rests.

from the kneading the dough until it leavens From the time he thinks of the evil in his heart, how he will do it, he rests and sleeps until morning, when he can do it, just as the baker rests from the kneading of the dough until it leavens, when he can bake it. And so it is stated in Micah (2: 1): “Woe is to those who plan iniquity and work evil on their beds; when the morning lights up, they do it.”

The day of our king The day we crown our king.

the princes became ill Our princes became ill.

from the heat of the wine From the heat of the wine which burns within them, and the king withdraws his hand from the good and proper people to join the scorners.

For they have made ready their heart like an oven with their ambush They prepared and readied their heart with their ambush, like an oven which they prepare and heat in order to bake.

all night their baker sleeps Their baker, who heats the oven after they have prepared their heart and have thought of the execution of the evil, how they would do it.

their baker sleeps i.e., until morning they sleep, and in the morning they burn like fire until they consummate their evil.

and they devour their judges They slew their Sanhedrin because they protested against them, and what happened to them? All their kings have fallen because “none of them calls to me.” And in the Palestinian Talmud in tractate Avodah Zarah (1:1) it is expounded as follows: On the day they crowned Jeroboam, “the princes became ill from the heat of wine” as is explained. They came to him and said to him, “Get up! Make idols for us.” He replied, “Now is the time of evening, and all the people are drinking”; i.e., it is a time of drunkenness. Perhaps now you are drunk, and tomorrow you will recant. “Go and return in the morning.” They went and returned in the morning. That is what is written: “For they have made ready etc.” He said to them, “I fear your Sanhedrin.” They replied, “We will kill them.” I.e. what is written: “And they devour their judges.”

“He draws his hand etc.” When he saw a righteous man, he would seat two scorners next to him, and they would say to him, “Which generation was the most beloved of all generations?” And he would reply, “The generation of the desert.” And they would say to him, “Did they not worship idols?” And he would reply, “Since they were beloved, they were not punished.” And they would say to him, “Quiet! The king wants to do that.”

mingles He will mingle in exile with the nations.

as a cake which was not turned over Jonathan renders: as a cake which, before being turned over, was consumed. עֻגָה is a cake which they bake on the coals.

but he did not know He did not lay it up to his heart that the kings of Aram consumed him in the days of Jehoahaz, as it is said: (II Kings 13:7) “For he had not left to Jehoahaz etc. and made them like dust to trample.” Nonetheless, Jeroboam his son did not repent of his father’s evil.

also weakness was cast Heb. שֵׂיבָה, lit. ripe old age. Jonathan rendered. Also weakness reached them, but they did not contemplate it.

And the pride of Israel was humbled before Him Heb. וְעָנָה. And the glory of Israel was humbled and they saw; an expression of humility, and this is not a future tense but a past tense. Comp. (Isa. 6: 3) “And one called (וְקָרָא) to the other.” I heard that one called to the other. Also (Gen. 37:3) “and he made (וְעָשָׂה) for him a woolen shirt.” This too is a past tense. They have already been diminished and humbled, and, despite this, they did not return to the Lord.

without a heart to discern between what was good for them and what was bad for them.

they called upon Egypt To those who have always harmed them, they call for aid.

they went to Assyria They went to the king of Assyria that he should aid them.

When they go to Egypt.

I will spread My net over them; like the fowl of the heaven For the eagle and the hawk ascend higher than he and they bring them down to the earth, so will I bring them down in Egypt through Nebuchadnezzar. Another explanation: like the fowl of the heaven that is caught in a net hung on poles, and after they are in the net, they bring down the net.

I will chastise them as I let their congregation hear I will bring chastisements upon them according to all that I let them hear through Jeremiah the prophet, that they are destined to say to him (42:2-6) “And pray in our behalf etc. And let the Lord your God tell etc. Whether good or bad etc.” And he said to them (verse 15f.), “If you direct your faces to come to Egypt etc. the sword that you fear will overtake you there,” and the entire section.

I will chastise them Heb. אַיְסִירֵם, an expression of chastisements (יִסּוּרִין) and Menahem (Machbereth Menahem pp. 128f.) explained [it as] an expression of binding. Comp. (Jer. 30:8) “and I will break your thongs (מוֹסְרוֹתֶיךָ),” but Dunash (Teshuvoth Dunash p. 34) interpreted [it as] an expression of chastisements (יִסּוּרִין). Comp. (Lev. 26:18) “to chastise you (לְיַסְרָה).” And the second “yud” in אַיְסִירֵם is added, as it is added in (יַיְשִׁירוּ) (Prov. 4:25) “and your eyelids look straight (יַיְשִירוּ) ahead of you.”

I would redeem them I wanted to redeem them from the evil in which they are [found].

but they spoke lies about Me They said to Jeremiah, (Jer. 43:2) “You speak falsely; the Lord our God did not send you to say, ‘You shall not come to Egypt.’”

therefore, they will wail on their beds Because, therefore, a wail will come to them. So did Jonathan render it.

they store up They have many granaries of corn; therefore, they turn away and rebel against Me.

But I chastised them, I strengthened their arms with My fear, through My prophets, to hearken to them with what they were chastising them, and their arms would be strengthened.

They will return, but to no avail Heb. עָל. They returned to Egypt, but it did not avail them. Therefore, עָל is vowelized with a “kamatz.” Comp. (II Sam. 23:1) “The word of the man raised up high (עָל),” which is an expression of raising up and is not attached to the following word.

they were like a deceitful bow which, when one wishes to shoot with it toward the north, shoots toward the south.

their princes shall fall by the sword Jonathan son of Kareah and all the officers of the armies who returned to Egypt.

from the fury of their tongue The harsh language with which they replied to Jeremiah.

This is their derision which they will deride them in the land of Egypt. Why have you returned to us to bring retribution upon us? Is it not written concerning you,” (Ex. 14:13) “You shall no longer continue to see them”?