"So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son." He goes and marries Gomer daughter of Diblaim. Let us explain according to the explanation of Chazal: the meaning of the matter is that he literally went and married that woman. Radak says this was the name of a harlot well known at that time, meaning a woman famous for her promiscuity. "And she conceived and bore him a son." Chazal say, first of all, before examining "and she conceived and bore him a son," who was this Gomer daughter of Diblaim? Chazal say she was called Gomer because everyone completed (gomerim) their desires upon her and trampled her like a pressed fig (develah). Why was she called Gomer? Because all "finished" - Rashi explains that all satisfied their lust with that woman. "Daughter of Diblaim" - Chazal say that they trampled her like a pressed fig. This is the meaning of "bath Diblaim."
The Malbim explains: what does this come to allude to? The Malbim says that as is well known, as soon as a fig ripens, it spoils. Once a fig reaches ripeness, if you do not eat it within a day or two, you are left with juice; you no longer have a fig - it rots, spoils, gets squished, and becomes repulsive. When people truly want to preserve a fig, what they used to do is make a develah (a dried fig cake) from it. The develah is essentially the drying of the fig, and this preserves it. The Malbim says that it is not for naught that the example of a fig, of develim, is given here, because the Children of Israel are compared to figs. As it is written in Yirmeyahu 24: "Hashem showed me, and behold, two baskets of figs." Thus, when He wants to liken the people of Israel, He gives the example of figs.
It comes to tell them: your forefathers were like a develah - a develah that shriveled in the sun, through which it does not spoil. That is, like Gomer - a finished, ripe fig that was not dried and therefore spoils - that is you. You are "Gomer bath Diblaim." You are a fully ripe fig, but one that has not yet dried. And your forefathers are diblaim - they are a dried fig. A dried fig, as we noted, is preserved and does not spoil. Whereas Gomer is a ripe fig that has not yet dried, and so it spoils. It turns out, then, that your corruption is greater than the corruption of your forefathers.
"And she conceived and bore him a son." Note that it is written, "and bore him a son." This means that the first son was still distinctively his; he was born from him. Therefore, the Malbim says, he does not call him by a name expressing hatred. Rather, his name is Yizre'el. What does the name Yizre'el come to show? The Malbim explains that this comes to express the judgment of Hashem that will be fulfilled through them in another manner. How? "And I will sow her unto Me in the land" (vezeratiah li ba'aretz), so that she will be called by the name Yizre'el. What is Yizre'el? The Malbim says it is an expression of sowing (zeri'ah). The exile will be similar to a person who sows a grain of crop deep in the earth. At first, it appears to him that the seeds have decayed; it seems to him that they have rotted and nothing will come of it. But later, in the next stage, you see how a new growth sprouts, grows, and blossoms from it.
So too, Hashem says, at first there was Yizre'el here - I sowed them in the diaspora. I dispersed them, I sowed them in exile. And the goal is that from the exiles sown in the lands of their captivity, there will sprout a vast multitude, like the sand of the sea that cannot be numbered, along with the converts who join them. As Chazal say, the Jewish people were sent into exile only to gather those holy sparks, so that converts would attach themselves to them. It emerges, then, that there is a process of sowing here, for in sowing, you plant one item and many grow. This is true both in the sense that they will return as righteous people, and in the sense that they will gather with them more gentiles - those gentiles whose source is from the root of the souls of Israel who stood at Mount Sinai - and they will draw close to them. So something new is meant to grow here.
And the "day of Yizre'el" mentioned later on refers to the day when this sowing will be revealed - what God sowed in the earth, when He carries His sheaves. The Malbim explains that this will be a very great day, the day of Yizre'el, in terms of the miracles and great deeds that the Holy One, blessed be He, will perform on that day before the eyes of the nations. It turns out, then, that this first son who was born still has a connection, as it were, to the Holy One, blessed be He; he does not bear a name indicating hatred, and this son is one from whom there is an expectation that he will be sown and will yet sprout.
The Radak explains: "and she conceived and bore him a son" - the Radak notes, pay attention that the firstborn is a son. This alludes to Yerovam son of Yoash, who was strong in his kingdom, just as a son, being male, is stronger than a female. He reigned for forty-one years; it is written of him that he restored the border of Israel from the entrance of Chamath unto the sea of the Aravah. Thus we see that there was a certain power and might in his reign. Therefore, Scripture speaks first of a son being born, which according to the Radak alludes to Yerovam son of Yoash, who was like a son, strong in his kingdom.
According to Targum Yonatan, we explain that here, essentially, the directive "take for yourself a wife of harlotry" means: take for yourself a word of prophecy and rebuke to speak to those who act like a wife of harlotry. What is that prophecy? What actually needed to be conveyed there? Targum Yonatan says: "And he went and prophesied over them, that if they repent, I will forgive them." Meaning, if they repent, they will be forgiven. "And if not" - if they do not repent - "they will shed like the shedding of fig leaves." Meaning, like the falling of fig leaves, they will fall. "And they continued and did evil deeds." But it did not help, and they continued to do wicked deeds.
Rashi explains that Targum Yonatan essentially expresses that what is written, "Gomer bath Diblaim," comes to say: if you repent, "Gomer" - what does Gomer mean? Their affliction will end (gamrah pur'anutam); you will have no further trouble. And if you do not repent, "bath Diblaim" - you will be like the fig tree whose leaves drop, like withered figs falling from a fig tree. Thus, there is a prophecy and warning here directed at the nation, offering two paths: if you repent, your situation will improve; and if not, Heaven forbid, it will worsen. The end of the verse shows the result: "and she conceived and bore him a son." See that this did not help; they persisted in their corrupt path and continued to bear a son, meaning they continued their path, producing children, as it were, for the husk of impurity (kelipah), for idolatry. "And they continued and did evil deeds" - they persisted in their corrupted way and did not repent in response to the prophet's rebuke.
"And Hashem said to him: Call his name Yizre'el, for in a little while I will visit the blood of Yizre'el upon the house of Yehu, and I will cause the kingdom of the house of Israel to cease." The Holy One, blessed be He, says regarding this newborn son: call his name Yizre'el. What is Yizre'el? Rashi explains, based on the Targum: call their name "Mevadraya," meaning scattered. The Holy One, blessed be He, says to him: I am about to winnow and scatter them. This is the meaning of "call his name Yizre'el," alluding, as it were, to the fact that the people of Israel will be scattered among the nations, which means there will be exile.
And the Malbim explains: "Call his name Yizre'el, for in a little while I will visit the blood of Yizre'el upon the house of Yehu." What is "I will visit the blood of Yizre'el upon the house of Yehu"? The Malbim explains: the punishment and retribution that I executed in the plot of Yizre'el - against whom did Hashem take revenge there? Against Achav, for robbing the vineyard of Navoth. The Holy One, blessed be He, says: that punishment with which I punished Achav there - and Achav was a deeply wicked man and served idols - the Holy One, blessed be He, says that this punishment is called "the blood of Yizre'el." That punishment, "I will visit the blood of Yizre'el upon the house of Yehu." The house of Yehu will receive the punishment that Achav received. And why? The reason is: "and I will cause the kingdom of the house of Israel to cease." The house of Yehu was an established dynasty; they had a reign that lasted four generations, and it is written of him that he restored the border of Israel to its place. The Holy One, blessed be He, says: I will bring an end to this kingdom, and we will soon see in what manner.
The reason was that Yehu went to pursue Achav because Achav worshipped idols. He went and carried out the mission of the Holy One, blessed be He, for the Holy One, blessed be He, had commanded to anoint Yehu the son of Nimshi as king so that Yehu the son of Nimshi would visit upon Achav the blood of Navoth the Yizre'elite, and punish him for killing Navoth the Yizre'elite, seizing his vineyard, and worshipping idols; so that punishment was due to Achav. Who went to take vengeance on him? Yehu the son of Nimshi. So, you, Yehu the son of Nimshi, avenge Achav for being an idolater and committing injustices, and then you yourself go and repeat those very same wrongs? The Holy One, blessed be He, says: "and I will visit the blood of Yizre'el" - that same blood of Yizre'el for which Achav was punished, such a punishment will also befall Yehu, and the kingdom will be brought to an end by the slaying of Zecharyah the son of Yerovam.
It is written in Sefer Melachim II, chapter 15: "In the thirty-eighth year of Azaryahu king of Yehudah, Zecharyahu son of Yerovam reigned over Israel in Shomron six months. And he did evil in the sight of Hashem, as his fathers had done; he did not depart from the sins of Yerovam son of Nevat, who caused Israel to sin. And Shallum son of Yavesh conspired against him, and struck him before the people, and killed him, and reigned in his stead." We see that Zecharyah was killed by Shallum son of Yavesh. "And the rest of the deeds of Zecharyah, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel. This was the word of Hashem which He spoke to Yehu, saying: Thy sons of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel. And so it was." "Sons of the fourth generation" sat for him, meaning his kingdom lasted four generations, and then the Holy One, blessed be He, says: I will visit the blood of Achav upon the head of Yehu, because you, Yehu, went and killed Achav the idol worshipper, and yet you yourself worship idols. Therefore, he was punished with the same punishment; however, it was not he personally, but rather in the generations after him.
"And it shall come to pass on that day, that I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Yizre'el." "And it shall come to pass on that day" - meaning on the day of reckoning, I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Yizre'el. The Malbim explains that this can be understood as referring to the entire dynasty of Yehu. Since Yehu seized the kingdom by means of the bow - he seized the monarchy by virtue of the bow with which he conquered in the valley of Yizre'el. There it is recounted that Elisha sent one of the prophets to anoint Yehu son of Nimshi as king in order to exact punishment from Achav, as we said. Yehu killed Yehoram son of Achav, killed Achazyah king of Yehudah, and Izevel (Jezebel) too, for her wicked deeds, was thrown down from the upper story. There it is described how Yehu killed Yehoram son of Achav: it is written there, "And Yehu drew his bow with his full strength and smote Yehoram." "Drew his bow with his full strength" (literally, filled his hand with the bow) means that when a person draws a bow, he spreads his arms wide. This is called filling his hand - opening wide so the bow shoots far. Thus, Yehu conquered the kingdom by the power of the bow. Concerning this, He says: "And it shall come to pass on that day, that I will break the bow of Israel" - that very bow of Yehu, through which he seized the kingdom by killing Yehoram and attained the monarchy, that bow I will break; that is to say, his kingdom will ultimately be taken from him.
He offers another explanation: this verse, "and I will break the bow of Israel," says the Malbim, also refers to the bow that Elisha gave to Yoash son of Yehoachaz son of Yehu. It is written there that when he came before him, Elisha gave him a bow and told him to shoot arrows with the bow. He told him: this arrow that you shoot is Hashem's arrow of victory against Aram. Then he shot arrows, and afterward told him to strike them on the ground, and later rebuked him: why did you not strike more times, for then your victory would have been greater? In any case, we see that the symbol of victory was enacted through a bow. About this, the Malbim says: it is possible that this is what is meant here by "and I will break the bow of Israel" - that same bow through which Elisha illustrated the victory, that bow will be broken by the judgment associated with the valley of Yizre'el, which was the place designated for executing judgment on idolaters, as we saw was done to Achav.
"And she conceived again, and bore a daughter. And He said to him: Call her name Lo-ruchamah; for I will no longer have compassion upon the house of Israel, that I should forgive them." After the prophet's wife, that Gomer bath Diblaim, bore a son, she conceived again and bore a daughter. The son is an allegory for Yerovam son of Yoash, as we explained, says Radak. Afterward, she bears a daughter; the daughter is an allegory for Zecharyah his son and for Shallum son of Yavesh who reigned after him. And why are they likened to a daughter? Radak says: because they were weak like a female. That is, their reign was short, not a powerful reign. Zecharyah reigned six months and was killed; Shallum son of Yavesh reigned one month and was killed. So, following that, there would be a brief, weak reign: "and she conceived again and bore a daughter." This kingdom was likened to a daughter. And He tells him: "Call her name Lo-ruchamah, for I will no more have compassion upon the house of Israel." This means: I will no longer continue to have compassion. "That I should forgive them" (ki nasa esa lahem) - here the verse is entirely unclear. You say, "for I will no longer have compassion upon the house of Israel," and then you continue with "ki nasa esa lahem"? "Nasa esa lahem" usually implies showing favor or pardoning, which suggests compassion! Yet You say: I will no longer have compassion, "ki nasa esa lahem." Therefore, the commentators sought a way to explain the verse here.
Let us begin with the explanation of Radak. Radak says: "nasa esa lahem" means I will raise up (esa) the enemy against them. Not in the sense of raising them up or pardoning them, no. Rather: I will no longer have compassion upon the house of Israel, for I will lift up and bring the enemy from a distant land to come, exile them, and desolate their land. And "nasa esa lahem" has the meaning of "nasa esa otam" (I will carry them away). That is, the enemy will take them and exile them. Similarly, "hargu le-Avner" means they killed Avner. "I will carry them to the land of their enemies" - this is the meaning of "ki nasa esa lahem," the enemy will come, carry them off, and exile them.
The Malbim explains that what is written, "and she conceived again and bore a daughter," refers to the kings who arose after the kingdom of Yehu ceased. "Ceased" not in the sense of captivity, but that Yehu's dynasty was brought to an end. Those kings were weak, following the same approach explained by Radak, and therefore it is written "and bore a daughter." Now take note, says the Malbim: it does not say here "and bore him a daughter" (vatelled lo bat). Because by this stage, the prophet's wife, Gomer bath Diblaim, had already begun to stray. He was then in doubt as to whether the daughter was his or not. Therefore, Scripture does not write "and bore him a daughter," but rather "and bore a daughter." She bore a daughter, but he is not certain that this daughter is his; it is possible that this daughter belongs to other men. And the nimshal (analogy) here is that in those generations, the righteous diminished even further, and everyone strayed after idolatry. So He says: see, just as a daughter was born to you, as it were, and you do not know to whom she belongs, so too, says the Holy One, blessed be He, a generation was born that strays after idolatry, and it is no longer certain that they belong to Me, as it were; they are not connected to Me. Therefore, He tells him: "Call her name Lo-ruchamah." And the name Lo-ruchamah comes to say that I will no longer have compassion on the house of Israel by forgiving them and pardoning their iniquities. Do you hear how the Malbim explains it? "For I will no longer have compassion upon the house of Israel that I should forgive them (ki nasa esa lahem)" sounds as if "because I will forgive their sin." He says: no, I will no longer have compassion on the house of Israel by forgiving them; I will no longer do so. I will not pity the house of Israel in the way that I pitied them until today and bore with them. Rather, I will no longer have compassion upon the house of Israel to bear with them and forgive their iniquities; I will do so no more.
And what is the meaning of this? He is actually referring to another generation for whom He did bear and forgive. The Malbim explains that even though in the days of Yerovam son of Yoash the Holy One, blessed be He, had compassion on them, bore their iniquity, and saved them, as written in Melachim II 14: "For Hashem saw that the affliction of Israel was very bitter... and Hashem did not say that He would blot out the name of Israel... but He saved them by the hand of Yerovam the son of Yoash." That is, at that time I bore with them, I had compassion on them beyond the letter of the law. But now, I will no longer have compassion on the house of Israel to bear with them as I did then; I will not do so. Rather, I will exile them into the diaspora. Incidentally, Radak, in his second interpretation, also explains just as the Malbim explains here. The Malbim says: with the name Lo-ruchamah, the prophet already shows that he feels a certain resentment toward the daughter and also toward his wife. For if the daughter is somewhat doubtful in his eyes as to where she came from, he also has grievances against the woman: with whom was she, that she bore such a daughter? So when it says here "Lo-ruchamah," he already shows a grievance toward her and toward her mother. Yet note that he does not yet call her "Lo-ammi." "Lo-ammi" means the bond is completely severed; it is over, they are no longer My people. Here, it is meant to convey that even though the Holy One, blessed be He, showed no compassion to the Ten Tribes ("Lo-ruchamah"), we are still His people; Yehudah and Binyamin are still connected to the Holy One, blessed be He. We are still His people, we have not yet gone into exile. If so, it cannot be said that we are "not My people." But at this stage, it is already Lo-ruchamah: the Ten Tribes are no longer here. Thus it is evident that Hashem is no longer dealing with them with mercy; Hashem no longer has compassion on them.
In his commentary on the words, the Malbim brings additional interpretations for "ki nasa esa lahem," how to resolve the contradiction: "I will not have compassion on the house of Israel because I will bear/forgive them" - which sounds like forgiving their sin. Targum Yonatan indeed says that here Scripture speaks of a different condition: "I will no longer have compassion upon the house of Israel, but if they repent, I will forgive them." What is written here, "ki nasa esa lahem," is another possibility: if they repent, then I will surely forgive them. Thus, the end of the verse speaks of an alternative: if they repent, He will indeed pardon them. Rashi explains that "esa lahem" means I will apportion to them the portion of their cup (their destined cup of punishment), as in "and portions were taken (vayisa mas'ot) from before him unto them." Thus, this refers to the portion of their cup, like "a cup in the hand of Hashem, full of mixture," like the cup of poison, which is an expression for a cup holding something harmful and lethal. Concerning this He says: I will no longer have compassion on the house of Israel, but rather I will apportion to them that cup in which lies the trouble and decree destined to come upon them. Radak, as we saw, explains that I will raise the enemy against them to exile them. Abarbanel explains that it relates to an oath: I have sworn to exile them, for "nasa esa lahem" is like "For I lift up (esa) My hand to heaven and say: As I live forever," which is an expression of an oath. Thus "nasa esa lahem" is by way of an oath.
"And upon the house of Yehudah I will have compassion, and I will save them by Hashem their God, and I will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, by horses, nor by horsemen." "And upon the house of Yehudah I will have compassion, and I will save them by Hashem" - here he speaks of Chizkiyahu. Chizkiyahu and his people were indeed saved through Hashem. They were delivered from the hand of Sancheriv by miraculous power. When the army of Sancheriv came and besieged Jerusalem, the Holy One, blessed be He, sent an angel of Hashem who struck down 185,000 army commanders, making them hear the song of the Chayyot (celestial beings), whereupon their souls departed. A tremendous miracle occurred there for Chizkiyahu. It is concerning this miracle that he writes here: "And upon the house of Yehudah I will have compassion, and I will save them by Hashem their God." I will save them through Hashem their God, and notice, he writes here that it will be by way of a miracle: "and I will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle." Chizkiyahu and his people did not go out to fight at all. He slept on his bed, and Hashem waged the war for him. He did not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, nor by horses, nor by horsemen. And from this standpoint, they are still "My people." Thus it is understandable, says the Malbim, why at this stage she is called Lo-ruchamah, yet they are still "My people" - for see, I still bring salvation to My people, to Yehudah and Binyamin.
"Now she weaned Lo-ruchamah, and conceived, and bore a son." "Now she weaned Lo-ruchamah" - Radak notes that it is written here, "and she weaned." We did not see this regarding the son and the daughter. When the daughter was born, when Lo-ruchamah was born, it did not state that the first son had been weaned beforehand, such as "and she weaned Yizre'el and bore Lo-ruchamah." But when Lo-ruchamah was born, it is written that afterward "she weaned Lo-ruchamah, and conceived, and bore a son." Then she bears the next son, who is called Lo-ammi. What does this "weaning" come to express? After all, this is a parable that has an underlying meaning. Radak explains: because the days of weakness in the days of Zecharyah and Shallum were long. In the days of Menachem son of Gadi as well, who reigned ten years, Pul king of Ashur came; and in the days of Pekachyah his son who reigned two years; until Pekach son of Remalyahu reigned, who was the only one to rule for an extended period, reigning twenty years. He overpowered the kingdom of Yehudah and killed 120,000 men in Yehudah in a single day, besieging Jerusalem together with Retzin king of Aram. Thus, according to Radak, this refers to Pekach son of Remalyahu who reigned twenty years. Since the period of weakness lasted a long time, Scripture says "and she weaned." She did not immediately give birth to the next son; rather, the days of weakness stretched out for many days, and only afterward was the next son born. And the next one is already a son. "Son" signifies, as we said, strength, for see, Pekach son of Remalyahu grew strong in his reign, both in terms of the long years he ruled, and in terms of his might in overpowering Yehudah - killing 120,000 men in one day and besieging Jerusalem - all of which shows strength. This is expressed in the birth of a son.
Concerning him He says: regarding this son, call his name Lo-ammi. Why Lo-ammi? Radak explains: because of him it is said, "And he did evil in the sight of Hashem; he did not depart from all the sins of Yerovam son of Nevat." If so, he is not My people; he is completely not My people - this newborn son, who is Pekach son of Remalyahu. The Malbim explains with a different approach regarding "and she weaned Lo-ruchamah." The Malbim also notes this point of the weaning: she did not bear the third child immediately while still nursing, as with the second child, but only after she weaned Lo-ruchamah was the third child born, as we explained. For the third child is called Lo-ammi. Lo-ammi comes to denote the destruction of Yehudah, the exile. And the exile, following the same general idea as Radak, did not happen immediately. Only, Radak explains that what did not happen immediately was Pekach son of Remalyahu, which is why he explains the weaning that way; but according to the Malbim, what is written here as Lo-ammi - to whom does it refer, to which period? It refers to the absolute exile of Yehudah. Then He says Lo-ammi. And according to the way the Malbim explains the matter, it is also understandable: at first, the status was Lo-ruchamah. Lo-ruchamah because the Ten Tribes were exiled, but they could not yet be called Lo-ammi, for Yehudah and Binyamin were still Mine, still dwelling in their place. But afterward, when Yehudah also goes into exile, when all of Israel completely goes out into exile, no one remains here. Hashem says: this is the stage of the third child, who is called Lo-ammi. Lo-ammi: the people of Israel are, as it were, no longer My people. And this kingdom - the kingdom of Yehudah - is called a son, not a daughter. Why? Because the kingdom of Yehudah was a strong kingdom in the days of Chizkiyahu and Yoshiyahu, and therefore he characterizes it as a son, for a son symbolizes assertiveness and strength. Thus, according to Radak, this refers to Pekach son of Remalyahu, while according to the Malbim, it refers to the kingdom of Yehudah under Chizkiyahu and Yoshiyahu.
"And He said: Call his name Lo-ammi; for you are not My people, and I will not be yours." "Call his name Lo-ammi, for you are not My people" - Metzudath David explains: you do not tremble at My words to fulfill them, in the manner of a nation who trembles at the words of their king. "My people" (ammi) implies being awed and attentive to the word of the king. You do not perform My commandments properly and do not tremble at My words to do them, and therefore you are called Lo-ammi (not My people). And also: "and I will not be yours" as a God to save you and deliver you. The Malbim explains: He told him to call his name Lo-ammi, essentially telling him: call him by a name expressing that he is entirely not my son, as it were. And if he is not my son - meaning, if regarding Ruchamah there was still doubt that perhaps she was not my daughter, and therefore he only called her Lo-ruchamah without definitively deciding she was not his daughter, by contrast, regarding the third son, here we are speaking of a situation where the prophet's wife was already acting corruptly in a severe manner, and then, as it were, I say with certainty: not mine, this is not mine. This is, incidentally, the opposite of Lot's daughter, where we saw that she called him Ben-Ammi. What is Ben-Ammi? "From my people, from my father." Ben-Ammi comes to say: this is from mine. So when I say Lo-ammi, the prophet says, as it were: this is not my people, not from mine. This child who was born came from the prophet's wife acting corruptly. And then, the bond he had with his wife was also severed after his wife bore children of harlotry, says the Malbim. And he explains: what is the reason that "you are not My people"? Because "I will not be yours" - I will not be a father, a man, or a husband to you. And this is what Chazal say: from here Chazal derived that the Holy One, blessed be He, told him: divorce your wife! Divorce Gomer bath Diblaim. Where is an allusion to this seen in the verses? The Malbim says: right here, in this verse. "Call his name Lo-ammi, for you are not My people, and I will not be yours" means that the Holy One, blessed be He, told him to divorce the wife he had taken. Then the Holy One, blessed be He, presented him with an analogy regarding this: if so, how do you want Me to cast away My people? For even though you are in the status of "not My people," you asked that I dismiss My people; yet you yourself cannot bear to divorce a woman who acted corruptly, a woman whose children from her are not even certainly yours - so you want Me to divorce the Congregation of Israel, as it were? This was the underlying lesson that the Holy One, blessed be He, conveyed to Hoshea through this parable of marrying Gomer bath Diblaim.