Moses and Samuel Both were needed to beg mercy for Israel, but first they induced them to repent, and afterwards they prayed on their behalf, but they had no idea of turning away My wrath until they had induced them to repent. Moses said (Exodus 32:27), “Let each man put his sword...” (v. 20) “and he scattered it on the surface of the water, etc.” And afterwards (v. 30), “I will ascend to the Lord, perhaps I will atone.” Samuel in Mizpah (I Samuel 7:4,5) “And the children of Israel removed the Baalim,” and afterwards, “‘Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I shall pray to the Lord on your behalf (sic).’” But you cannot bring them back to Me, therefore do not pray for them.

desire Heb. נַפְֹשִי lit., My soul.

Such as are for death, to death Each calamity mentioned later in this verse is harsher than the one preceding it. The sword is harsher than death. Death by the sword is defacing, whereas death in bed is not defacing. And so he says (Psalms 116:15): “Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of His Saints.” Famine is harsher than the sword, for this one is agonizing whereas the other is not agonizing. And so Scripture states (Lam. 4:9): “Better are those who die from the sword than those who die from famine.” Captivity - all sorts of death are in it.

And I will appoint an expression of appointment and designation.

to drag to drag. Cf. (infra. 49: 20) “If the young of the sheep do not drag them (יִסְחָבוּם).”

a horror from the same root as (Esther 5:9), “And he neither rose nor quaked (זָע).” Similarly, גַּאֲוָה pride, from the root (Isa. 16:6) “Have become very proud (גֵּא).”

to all the kingdoms of the earth Anyone who hears the evil that has befallen you will shudder.

will lament Heb. יָנוּד.

and who will turn aside to you, to turn aside from his road to you, to ask of your welfare?

I am weary of repenting Many times I planned to destroy but repented of the evil. Now I am weary of repenting. הִנָחֵם (Dporpnser in O.F.)

with a sieve A sieve called (van in French), like one who winnows barley, so that they should not all be exiled to one place.

are to Me more numerous His widows are more to Me.

upon a mother Upon Jerusalem, which is a city and a mother in Israel.

at midday Everything will be exposed before him, all their hidden treasures.

I have cast upon her suddenly a city I caused the troops of a city and many terrors to rest upon her. Some interpret עִיר as ‘an enemy.’ Cf. (I Sam. 28:16), “And has become [the supporter of] your adversary (עָרֶךָ)” (see also Dan. 4:16).

She who bore seven Samaria and the nation of the Ten Tribes, from whom rose seven dynasties of wicked kings, has already been cut off and exiled.

and their remnant These are Judah and part of Benjamin, who remained in Israel. I shall deliver them to the sword. These are the seven dynasties: Jeroboam son of Nebat and his dynasty, Baasha and his dynasty, Omri and his dynasty, Jehu and his dynasty, Menahem and his dynasty, Pekah and his dynasty, Hoshea and his dynasty.

her soul grieves an expression of ‘her soul grieves.’ We translate (Deut. 28:65) “And grieving of the soul (וְדַאֲבוֹן נֶפֶֹש)” as וּמַפְּחַן נְפָֹש.

when it is still day Before its time, they hastened to fall. In this manner it is expounded in Tractate Gittin. [See Gittin 88a]. And in the Midrash of Rabbi Tanhuma (Tanhuma Buber, Vayetze p. 153) it is expounded as referring to Jerusalem, and he counts seven wicked men: Jehoram, Jehoash, Ahaz, Manasseh, Amon, Jehoiakim, and Zedekiah. But there are yet to count Rehoboam, Abijah, Amaziah, and Ahaziah.

and confounded an expression of shame.

Woe is to me, my mother Jeremiah was complaining about himself, that his townsmen hated him because of his castigations.

and a man of contention a man of quarrel, Cf. (Gen. 6:3) “Let My spirit not contend (יָדוֹן).”

I have not lent Cf. (Exodus 22:24) “You shall not be to him as a creditor (כְּנֹֹֹשֶה) .”

they curse me I do not quarrel with them concerning matters of money that I claim from them, neither have they made any claim on me, yet all the people curse me.

1 leave you over I leave you over, an expression of a remnant. In this manner, Menahem (Machbereth p. 181) interpreted it, but Dunash (Teshuvoth Dunash p. 36) interpreted it as an expression of release. And שֵרִיתִיךָ is like (Dan. 5:12) “And untying (וּמְֹשָרֵא) knots,” and the interpretation of שֵרִיתִיךָ is so, as it is stated (below 40:4): “Behold I have released you from the chains that are on your hand.” That is to say, on that day that the Lord fulfilled His word, it was said to him, “And now, behold I have released you today from the chains that are on your hand, if it pleases you to come with me to Babylon.” And also, Israel begged him to pray for them, as it was said to him (below 42:4): “Pray on our behalf to the Lord our Cod, for we remain few from many.”

Verily I will lit., if not, an expression of an oath.

I will cause [them] to beg you in time of evil with the enemy. When evil befalls them, they will beg you to supplicate God for mercy upon them, for example, Zedekiah said to him, (below 21:2) “Beseech God now on our behalf, etc.” Another explanation. Nebuzaradan will beg you (below 40:4), “If it pleases you to come with me to Babylon.”

Will iron break iron from the north I say that iron that comes from the north is harder than other iron, and this is its interpretation: They were compared to iron (above 6:28), “Going tale bearing like copper and iron.” And concerning Jeremiah it is stated (above 1:18): “I have made you... into an iron pillar and into copper walls,” and his is stronger than theirs, for Nebuchadnezzar will come upon them according to his words.

Will…break Will their iron break yours? Another explanation: Will Pharaoh who comes in your aid, who is as hard as iron, break Nebuchadnezzar, who is iron that comes from the north and copper? Targum Jonathan is inclined toward this direction.

Your wealth An expression of money.

and your treasures He is addressing Israel.

and for all your sins And because of all your sins, this will befall you.

and throughout all your boundaries For you erected idols in all of them.

Take me not to Your long suffering Jonathan renders. Do not grant a reprieve for my humiliation. Do not take my cause to leave it for Your long suffering, but hasten and avenge me.

I bore like סָבַלְתִּי bore.

for Your sake for You.

Your words were found and I ate them eagerly at the beginning, and they were a joy for me, for I thought that now they would listen to me.

because of Your hand Because of the prophecy that came to me from You.

I sat alone and bewildered by mourning, for You filled me with a prophecy of fury concerning the destruction of Your House.

grievous sick. Comp. (II Sam. 12:15) “And he became mortally ill (וַיֵּאָנַֹש).” mentioned concerning Bath-sheba’s son.

You are to me Heb. הָיוֹ תִהְיֶה. as a failing spring Like a man whose trust has been cut off from him, for you allow me to suffer at their hands. אַכְזָב is a spring that stops (faylayne in O. F:), failing.

water that is not faithful to rely upon it.

Therefore Because I suffer from these troubles.

so said the Lord to me.

If you return You, Israel, through me, and I will return you to Him, He said to Me, “You will stand before Me.”

and if you take precious out of the vile If you take a pious man from a wicked man, i.e., if you bring him to repentance.

You shall be as my mouth For I make a decree and you annul it.

Let them return to you, but you shall not return to them Let them return to your word, but you shall not return to stray after them.