O Lord, Your eyes are they not on people with faith, to do good to them? Now why have these betrayed You, and they do not seek faith?

You smote them and they did not become ill because of the blow to lay it to their heart to repent of their evil.

to receive Heb. קחת, equivalent to (לקחת), to receive.

And I said The prophet says so, “They are but impoverished of wisdom,” these with whom I speak.

they have become foolish Heb. נואלו, an expression of אויל, a fool, as the Targum renders: אטפשו.

I will go to the great ones They will hearken. But I did not avail, and they too together broke the yoke of the Holy One, blessed be He, off them.

a lion The kingdom of Babylon.

a wolf The kingdom of Media.

a leopard The kingdom of Greece.

shall be torn to pieces by Edom.

a wolf of the deserts Heb. ערבות, an expression of (supra 2:6) ערבה ושוחה “plains and pits,” a wolf of the desert.

hastens Heb. שקד. Menahem (p. 180) associates it with an expression of watching. Comp. (Prov. 8:34) “To watch (לשקוד) My doors daily.” And Jonathan rendered it as an expression of lying in wait.

Shall I forgive you for this? This is the rhetorical question, Shall I forgive you for this? And Menahem (p. 22) explains אי like אין, not. For this I will not forgive you, because your children have forsaken Me, when I sated them with all good.

they banded together They gather in troops.

Like armed stallions they would arise early Like these stallions who are armed with erect membra, every morning they would arise at daybreak.

they would neigh Heb. יצהלו. This too is an expression appropriate for horses. Comp. (8:16) “From the sound of the neighing (מצהלות) of his steeds,” an expression of shouting (esjodement in O.F.).

Ascend upon its rows Heb. בשרותיה, an expression of a plain. Menahem (p. 181) associates it as an expression of a wall with (II Sam. 22:30) “I scale a wall (שור),” but נטישותיה (cep in Prov.) do not fit for they are the roots of the vineyard to be associated either with the walls or with the plain. I say, therefore, that בשרותיה is an expression of the rows of the vineyard. Jonathan, however, rendered בשרותיה, in her cities, and נטישותיה, her palaces.

And [they] said, “It is not He” [The Targum renders:] Our good fortune does not come before Him.

And the prophets shall become wind As the Targum renders: And the false prophets shall become naught. That is to say, the prophecy that the false prophets prophesy for us in the name of the Holy One, blessed be He, their words shall turn to futility, and the speech of holiness that they say to us in the name of the Holy One, blessed be He, is not in them.

So shall be done to them The prophet says to those who say this, “So shall be done to them as the Lord said to me, and what did the Lord say to me? “Because you have spoken this word, etc.”

and it shall consume them Heb. ואכלתם.

mighty Heb. איתן, strong.

It is an ancient nation From days of yore it began to rebel against Me, in the generation of separation in the land of Shinar.

His quiver Heb. אשפתו. The place of the arrow case.

He will impoverish your fortified cities [upon which you rely, with the sword] This verse is in the wrong order [and should be arranged as follows:] He will impoverish with the sword your fortified cities upon which you rely.

impoverish Heb. ירשש, he will impoverish.

with the sword With troops. Comp. “And a sword will not pass in your land” (Lev. 26:6).

Will you not fear Me? Does not the sea, which is not concerned about retribution and does not look forward to receiving reward, fear Me and not cross the boundary that I set around it?

do you not quake Heb. תחילו, an expression of fear.

and toss themselves i.e., its waves, and they lift themselves to cross the border but cannot cross.

and its waves roar A loud sound of roaring.

but they do not pass it The waves do not pass the border.

the early rain and the latter rain Heb. יורה ומלקוש, as the Targum renders: בכיר ולקיש, the early rain and the latter rain.

the weeks of the laws of harvest Seven weeks in which He ordained two ordinances of harvest, the ordinance of the omer, and the ordinance of the two breads.

He keeps for us that the harvest should be in its time.

have brought about these Have brought about these laws. Have cast aside these laws from you, so they don’t guard you and you will be consumed from hunger.

they lie in wait Heb. ישור. Comp. למען שוררי because of those who lie in wait for me (Psalms 27: 11), an expression of “I see him (אשורנו) but not near” (Num. 24:17).

as a trap bites As a trap that they make to catch deer in the forest, bites when his foot enters it and it bites him and holds onto his foot and he is caught, and the call this (piege in O. F.).

they stationed an ambush (Canbel in O.F.) So do those who lie in wait make for a city or on the road.

they station Heb. יציבו, like “the garrison (מצב) of the Philistines” (I Sam. 14:4).

As a cage That is a place where they fatten fowl, and so does Jonathan render it, like a fattening place, and in O.F. (frank).

they have become thick Heb. עשתו, an expression of “a block (עֶשֶת) of ivory” (Song 5:14), a thick body, and in O.F. enboeront.

they transgressed in deeds of wickedness If evil or a sin came into their hand, they did not turn away from it, but transgressed it and committed it.

they did not plead the cause of the orphan in order that they prosper.

An appalling...thing Heb. שמה, a wonder.

and horrible thing Heb. ושערורה, a disgraceful thing to all, and what is the appalling thing? The prophets prophesy falsely and say, “Rob and plunder,” and the priests, who are the judges of the people and their overseers, govern the people on the hands of the prophets, that is to say, after them. Comp. (II Sam. 15) “And the king was crossing and all the people were crossing on his hand,” stated concerning David, meaning ‘after him.’ Here too, “on their hands” means ‘after them,’ to do according to the words of the prophets.