Woe, Ariel Jonathan renders: Altar of the Lord. Ezekiel, too, called it that, as it is said (43: 16): “And the altar (וְהָאֲרִיאֵל) twelve [cubits] in length,” [because of the heavenly fire that lay like a lion atop the altar, as we learned in Tractate Yoma (21b)]. Our Sages, however, explained it in reference to the heichal (the Temple proper), which was narrow from the rear and wide in the front.

the city wherein David encamped The altar that was built in the city wherein David encamped [from Jonathan].

add year to year And always your sins are continuously increasing until your sacrifices are cut off (יִנְקֹפוּ), an expression similar to (supra 17:6): “like the cutting (כְּנֹקֶּף) of an olive tree.”

and it shall be to Me like Ariel It shall be surrounded by those slain by the sword, like the altar, which is surrounded by animal sacrifices.

in a circle like a row of surrounding troops. ([Other editions read:] In a row of surrounding troops.) ([Some manuscripts read:] An expression of the encampment of surrounding troops.)

a camp of siege (מֻצַּב, lit. stationed,) an expression of a camp of siege stationed against the towns.

siege works (מְצֻרוֹת) an expression of מָצוֹר, a siege.

from the earth shall you speak It shall appear as though the speech that comes out of your mouth comes from below the ground.

shall your speech chirp to supplicate to Me, and because of your supplication, My mercies shall be aroused.

צִפְצוּף is an expression of a whispering (var. weak) voice like the voice of small birds.

And the multitude of your foreigners shall be like fine dust The army of Sennacherib, which will be consumed by fire and will become dust.

and it shall be this thing.

a sudden happening (לְפֶתַע פִּתְאֹם) a sudden happening.

From the Lord of Hosts shall he be visited And after you become humble and your speech chirps, Ariel shall be visited by Me to save them, with thunder and with earthquake, etc.

And shall be like a dream that one imagines that he saw, yet he did not see, so will this multitude of all the nations contemplate to conquer, but they will not succeed.

those stationed around her who set up against her a garrison and raiders called cenbel in O.F., as it is stated regarding Saul (I Sam. 14: 15): “The garrison and the raiders trembled.”

yearns (שׁוֹקֵקָה) desires. Comp. (Gen. 3:16) “And to your husband shall be your yearning (תְּשׁוּקָתֵךְ) .”

So shall be, etc. They shall not achieve their desire which they planned to do.

stop Be patient to reflect [to think] about your deeds.

and wonder And wonder about your corruption.

they became blind (הִשְׁתַּעַשְׁעוּ) an expression related to (supra 6:10) “And his eyes are becoming sealed (הָשַׁע),” they were blind, not being able to see [lit., from seeing].

They were intoxicated yourselves (sic) but not from wine. Why? ([Parshandatha claims that this reading is erroneous. The correct reading, according to all manuscripts is:] their wise men, but not from wine.)

For the Lord has poured upon you, etc. (נָסַךְ) an expression of mixing wine. Comp. (Prov. 9: 2) “She mixed (מָסְכָה) her wine.” It may also be an expression of princedom (נְסִיכוּת). He caused a spirit of deep sleep to overcome you, (lit., to rule over you). Concerning the transgressors of Israel he was prophesying, for they were stargazers and were experts in adjuring the heavenly princes, each one with the proper name for adjuring him. Therefore, they say, “Who will encamp upon us (Jer. 21:13)? If the enemy comes upon us, we can make for it a wall of fire around, ([Most manuscripts read:] If the enemy comes upon the city, we can make for it a wall of fire around,) or surround it with the Great Sea.” Said the Holy One, blessed be He, “I will change the heavenly princes; the one appointed over fire, is appointed over water. When he adjures the prince of fire to bring him fire, he will reply, “This is not mine,” And, likewise, the prince of water. And even the name by which you adjure him, he does not recognize. This is the closing of the eyes and the covering of the heads of the stargazers.

the vision of everything All that you used to see in the constellations shall be concealed from you like the words of a letter sealed with wax, which, if they give to read one able to read a letter, he will say, “I cannot, for I see not what is inside, for it is sealed.”

And if the book is given And when they take it from him and open its seal and give it to one who does not understand the language of the letter, and they say to him, “now read this,” he will say, “I cannot read.” Similarly, when you adjure the prince of fire, he will say, “I cannot, for the matter is sealed from me,” and when you adjure his colleague, he will say, “I do not recognize this name, by which you adjure me, for this is not my name.” This is what Jeremiah said (Jer. 21:4): “Behold I will turn around my implements of war that are in your hands.” This refers to the Explicit Name. In Midrash Tehillim (36:5).

Because this people has come near Jonathan renders: Because this people has aggrandized itself. I.e., they have come near to raise themselves up to the heavens. They show themselves as though honoring Me with mouth and lip, but their heart they have drawn far away from Me.

and their fear of Me has become not wholehearted, but by the command of the people who teach them, they show themselves as humbled before Him in order to entice Him with your mouth.

Therefore, I will continue I am He Who will continue to perform additional obscurity upon obscurity, concealment upon concealment, sealing upon sealing. And what is this obscurity upon obscurity? And the wisdom of their wise men shall be lost. The taking away of the sages of Israel is twice as hard as the destruction of the Temple and all the curses in Deuteronomy, for all of them are only one obscurity, as it is said (Deut. 28:59): “And the Lord shall make your plagues obscure (וְהִפְלָא),” whereas here are two obscurities.

to hide counsel (לַסְתִּיר) equivalent to לְהַסְתִּיר.

Shall your perversion be regarded like the potter’s clay (Heb. הָפְכְּכֶם) Your perversions. Do you know this, that it is like the potter’s clay? Just as the clay cannot say of its maker, “He did not make me,” so you cannot say that I do not understand your deeds.

Shall...like the potter’s clay, etc. This is an expression of a question, but there are questions to be answered in the affirmative.

of him who made it (לְעֹשֵׂהוּ, lit. to him who made it.) Like עַל עֹשֵׂהוּ. Comp. (Ex. 14:3) “And Pharaoh shall say of the children of Israel (וְלִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל).” (Jud. 9:54) “Lest they say of me (לִי), ‘A woman killed him.’”

and the impulse say concerning the One Who formed it, “He does not understand”? Did he say concerning the One Who formed it, “He does not understand what is in my impulse”? Did He not build the hidden recesses, the inner chambers, and the thoughts?

Indeed, in a short time In a few days, it is easy in My eyes, if you return to Me

the Lebanon shall be turned The Lebanon, which is a forest of trees, shall be turned into a ‘karmel,’ a settlement of fields and vineyards.

and the fruitful field shall be regarded as a forest Jonathan renders: It shall be populated by large cities. And the Aggadah in Gen. Rabbah (24:1) explains it as forests of people, a settlement of cities and people, crowded and full, like this forest, which is full of trees.

And on that day...shall hear, etc. And the curse stated above (v. 10 14): “For the Lord has poured upon you, etc....And the vision of everything has been to you, etc....And the wisdom of his wise men shall be lost,” shall be repealed.

And those who suffered The suffering ones, who bore the yoke of the Holy One, blessed be He, and His decrees.

those eager to commit violence Those who hurry and give thought how they will commit violence.

Those who cause man to sin by a word They are the false prophets.

and him who reproves in the gate they trap (יְקשׁוּן. Jonathan renders:) And for the one who reproves them, they seek for him a stumblingblock. (יְקשׁוּן is) an expression related to מוֹקֵשׁ, a trap.

and they mislead the righteous through fraud And they pervert with fraud the cause of the just [from Jonathan].

Who redeemed Abraham from Ur of the Chaldees.

Now Jacob shall not be ashamed of his father.

and now his face shall not pale because of his father’s father, for no imperfection has been found in his bed, and his bed is perfect.

For, when he sees his children who will be the work of My hands, i.e., righteous men, in his midst, for when he sees in his midst that his children, the work of My hands, shall hallow My name, e. g., Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (see Dan. 3), therefore, his face shall not pale.

and grumblers shall learn instruction (וְרוֹגְנִים) an expression similar to (Deut. 1:27) “And you grumbled (וַתְּרָגְנוּ) in your tents.” Those who were complaining and grumbling about the words of the prophets shall learn instruction.