Rejoice not, O Israel like the other peoples, for they did not receive a Torah, and they did not come to My lot, but you strayed from Me and lost many benefits.

you love to be like a harlot, to receive a harlot’s hire.

on all threshing floors of corn In the manner of the harlot to whom they give corn on the threshing floor for her hire. [after Gen. Rabbah 57:4]

They shall not stay in the land of the Lord Heb. יֵשְׁבוּ, they shall not stay in their land.

They shall not pour libations Heb. יִסְּכוּ, an expression of נֶסֶךְ, libation.

they will not please Him Their offering will not be pleasant to Him.

like bread of mourners Heb. אוֹנִים, like bread of robbery that comes through strength and might.

for their bread is for themselves It is fit for them for food, but not to come into the house of the Lord. Another explanation is: אוֹנִים, like bread of mourners, which is contaminated, and the end of the verse proves it: all those who partake thereof become contaminated.

for the appointed day For the day of the set time for the enemy to be appointed to come upon you.

the Lord’s massacre Heb. חַג, a slaughter, the killing which I have in you.

For behold, they have gone away from their place because of the many plunderers who will come upon them with Nebuchadnezzar.

Moph shall bury them It is of the land of Egypt.

the treasurehouses for their silver The houses of the precious treasures of their silver.

thistles etc. briers Heb. קִימוֹשׁ חוֹחַ. Jonathan renders these terms as species of beasts.

the visitation When your sins will be visited.

recompense the payment of sins.

the prophet shall be a fool Even some of their true prophets will be fools, e.g. Hananiah son of Azzur, who was originally a true prophet.

and the hatred is great which the Holy One, blessed be He, hates your deeds.

Ephraim is a prophet with my God They set up for themselves their prophets, who attract them toward their idolatry.

[for the] prophet [they lay] a fowler’s snare on all his ways And for the true prophet they conceal snares to trap them.

[causing] hatred in the house of his God In the Temple they assassinated Zechariah (II Chron. 24:21), and they sought to assassinate Jeremiah, according to the matter that is stated: (Jer. 26: 11) “This man is liable to death etc.”

as in the days of Gibeah Some say that this is Gibeah of Benjamin in the case of the concubine (Jud. 19), and some say that this is Gibeah of Saul, where they asked for a king and rebelled against the words of the prophet (I Sam. 15).

Like grapes in the desert Like grapes, which are precious in the desert, so did I love Israel.

like a ripe fig Heb. כְּבִכּוּרָה, like a ripe fig. on a fig tree Heb. בִתְאֵנָהּ.

in its beginning In the beginning of the ripening of the figs.

I saw your forefathers So did your forefathers appear in My eyes to love them.

and they separated themselves Heb. וַיִנָּזְרוּ. Nowhere is נְזִירָה anything but an expression of separation.

to a shameful thing To the deity, Baal-peor, which is their shame.

and they became detestable before Me.

when they loved the daughters of Moab.

As for Ephraim their honor shall fly away like a bird etc. Said the prophet: If only they would be like a bird that wanders from its nest and ceases to multiply, so should they be bereft of their seed, either at the time of birth, or that it should disintegrate and they should miscarry, or at the time of conception that they should not conceive, for what use is it that they raise their children, since, if they raise them, I will bereave them before they become men.

for woe... also Woe to the fathers.

when I turn away from them Heb. בְּשוּרִי, like בְּסוּרִי, when I turn away from them. This is one of the words listed in the Masorah, which are spelled with a “sin” but read with a “sammech.” Another explanation: their honor shall fly away like a bird etc. Like this bird which flies away and is no more, so will their honor fly away and flee, all that they toiled with their children in birth, [in the womb,] and in conception. From birth This refers to the birth pangs. and from the womb This refers to the days of pregnancy. and from conception At the time of coitus. All this toil of theirs will end. How so? For, when they raise their children, I will bereave them.

Ephraim, as I saw Tyre in its tranquility, enjoying royalty and wealth more than all the provinces, so did I see Ephraim, planted in a dwelling place. But Ephraim what recompense did he recompense Me? He occupied himself with taking his children out to the slayer, to slaughter them in worship of the idols. So did Jonathan translate.

Give them, O Lord, what You will give The prophet prays that they should die when young, for the mourning for a child is not as bad as the mourning for an adult. Therefore, if it is impossible that they die from birth, from the womb, or from conception, for it was already decreed from the Creation of the world, (Gen. 3: l6) “And to your husband shall be your longing,” give them quickly in their childhood what you say to give to them after a time, for You said, “For, if they raise their children. I will bereave them.” [from Pesikta Rabbathi 45:3]

give them a bereaving womb When they emerge into the world (lit. the air of the world), let them die or let their mother’s breasts dry up so that they will have no milk to nurse them.

All their evil is in Gilgal There they worshipped idols to a great extent (on high places absent in mss.). Since the mishkan was there first, the prophets of Baal would tell them that was a choice site, and it belonged to the kings of Israel.

I will not continue to love them Heb. לֹא אוֹסֵף אַהֲבָתָם, lit. I will not continue their love.

they shall not produce fruit It is not good for them to multiply, for, even if they bear children, I will slay the precious ones of their womb.

My God shall reject them This is not a curse but a report. He is destined to reject them.