"Like grapes in the wilderness I found Israel; like a first-ripe fig on a fig tree in its beginning I saw your forefathers. They came to Baal Peor and separated themselves to shame, and became abominations according to their love." "Like grapes in the wilderness I found Israel." The Malbim explains that this continues what was mentioned earlier: they did not suffice with transgressions between man and God; they also corrupted their ways through immorality and idol worship, as we saw in the era of the concubine in Gibeah. Regarding this, the prophet said, "He will remember their iniquity" - the Holy One, blessed be He, will recall these sins to them.
Regarding this, the prophet comes and tells them: you should have learned a kal va'chomer (an a fortiori argument). See, the Holy One, blessed be He, punished those who came out of Egypt for the iniquity of Peor and for their degradation with the daughters of Moav, even though that generation was exceedingly precious in Hashem's eyes. And now, through several expressions, the verse depicts for us their greatness and the stature of that generation - just how precious the children of Israel who left Egypt were to Him. Yet even with them, when they corrupted themselves with these sins, the Holy One, blessed be He, did not hesitate and struck them with a severe blow. How much more so you, who are not nearly as significant before Him as that generation, will surely be struck as well.
Regarding this, He says: come and see how precious the Jewish people who left Egypt were in My eyes - indeed, "Like grapes in the wilderness I found Israel." When I found Israel in the wilderness, they were as precious to Me as someone who finds the choicest fruit, grapes, and where does he find it? In the desert - a place devoid of seed, fig, grapevine, or pomegranate. To find grapes there in the desert! You could pay a thousand dollars for a cluster of grapes. It is rare, extraordinary - like grapes in the wilderness.
What does He mean to convey by this? Why compare them to this metaphor? The Malbim explains: the Jewish people were the first vineyard planted by Hashem. Notice that when the Exodus from Egypt is described, the verse states, "You plucked up a vine out of Egypt" (Tehillim 80:9). The Jewish people are compared to a vine; they are like the first vineyard of the Holy One, blessed be He. And why specifically a grapevine? Because grapevines cannot be grafted onto another tree, which is why He compares them specifically to a vine. In particular, "grapes in the wilderness": as is well known, anything found where human hand has not reached is free from grafting. When someone wants a Moroccan etrog, what makes it so select? It is brought from wild forests, where there is no grafting; people there do not deal with grafting, so they remain unadulterated. Thus He tells you: the Jewish people were in the status of grapes in the wilderness. First, in the sense of "You plucked up a vine out of Egypt," the finest of all. Second, they accepted no grafting, as we explained, for the Jewish people in Egypt had no intermingling whatsoever. Our Sages say that they were holy and separated from immorality in Egypt: Shelomit bat Divri was the only one, and Scripture singled her out. Lest one suggest that while they controlled their bodies, their wives were violated - Chazal explain regarding the verses "to Pallu, the family of the Palluites; to Chetzron, the family of the Chetzronites," that the Holy One, blessed be He, placed His Name upon them - the letters hei and yud - to testify that they were holy and pure.
So come and see, says the Holy One, blessed be He: when I took the Jewish people out of Egypt, look at the reality of Israel then - they were holy and pure, distant from any corruption or grafting with the defiled Egyptians. And likewise, "like a first-ripe fig on a fig tree in its beginning I saw your forefathers." The fig is a supreme fruit: it has no waste, no peel, no pits to throw away, nothing. The fig is eaten in its entirety. And the first-ripe fig, the prized first fruit to be harvested, is the most valued of all, because at that time there is not yet an abundance of fruit, making it unique and precious. So too, the Jewish people were precious. Whether in terms of place - like grapes in the wilderness; or in terms of time, as the Malbim notes: this was when "darkness covers the earth, and gross darkness the nations" (Yeshayahu 60:2), a reality in which the nations did not yet believe, all were idolaters, and there was no recognition of the Creator's existence. That the Holy One, blessed be He, found the Jewish people at that very time was of tremendous virtue.
Says the Holy One, blessed be He: come and see, despite comparing them to grapes and figs, and despite there being no grafting and everything being wonderful, "they came to Baal Peor and separated themselves to shame, and became abominations according to their love." See that despite all their stature, when they indulged their lust - when they loved the daughters of Moav - they went from downfall to downfall. Through this, we saw that they stumbled and sinned with Baal Peor: "And the people began to commit harlotry with the daughters of Moav," followed by "and they called the people to the sacrifices of their gods." Through this, "they separated themselves to shame" (vayinafru laboshet) - meaning they separated themselves from everything else and dedicated themselves to shameful idolatry, as it says, "and the people ate, and bowed down to their gods." Through this, "and became abominations" - they became detestable, Hashem abhorred them and rejected them, and "the anger of Hashem burned against Israel." And all this was "according to their love" - through their desire for the daughters of Moav. Thus He says: now make a kal va'chomer. If there, when they loved the daughters of Moav they became abominations despite having been so beloved to the Holy One, blessed be He, at first, how much more so will you, who possess none of these virtues, become abominations?
"As for Ephraim, like a bird their glory shall fly away - from birth, from the womb, and from conception." Ephraim, whose glory will fly away like a bird from birth, from the womb, and from conception: this means that those who left Egypt still had honor; we saw they had stature - a vine, a fig, preserving their sanctity. By contrast, you, Ephraim, have no honor from the outset - neither when born, nor while in their mother's womb, nor at the time of conception; they have no honor at all. Most of them are mamzerim, born of illicit unions. How much more so will they be detestable in My eyes through their immorality! Thus, "As for Ephraim, like a bird their glory shall fly away" - their honor flew away and took wing even from birth, from the womb, and from conception. Will you not all the more so be chastised by Hashem and become abominations? If the children of Israel who left Egypt, despite all their stature, became abominations, how much more so you, who lacked importance from the very start!
We have explained according to the Malbim, and according to the Malbim this verse continues the kal va'chomer of the preceding verse. Rashi, however, explains that from here the prophet begins, so to speak, to "bless" them: the prophet says, if only Ephraim would fly away like a bird - let them be like a bird that wanders from its nest, like a bird that ceases to reproduce. He then asks that they too be bereaved of their offspring: "their glory shall fly away" means their offspring will be lost, either at the time of birth, or miscarried in the womb, or failing to conceive at all. And the reason is: what is the point of raising their children, when ultimately the fate of those children is to be bereaved? We will see this in the next verse.
"Though they bring up their children, yet will I bereave them from being men; yea, woe also to them when I depart from them!" That is, what purpose is there in conception, pregnancy, and birth, if in the end, even when they raise their children, "I will bereave them from being men"? Even if you raise the children, they will ultimately perish. "Yea, woe also to them when I depart from them!" The Malbim explains that he continues here along the line explained earlier, contrasting how far worse you are compared to the generation of the wilderness. He says: see that you have two flaws compared to the wilderness generation. First, even if they raise their children, "I will bereave them from being men" - meaning that among you, you are no longer considered in My eyes as having the stature of man at all. You are already abhorrent from the womb, as we saw; since they did not preserve their lineage and fathered mamzerim, from the very start you do not even fall into the category of man. Additionally, He says, "woe also to them" in their own right - even to the fathers of these children, who were not born of illicit unions and were indeed considered human beings (for it was the fathers who sinned and fathered children through immorality, whereas their own ancestors were still righteous, so the fathers themselves did not possess that initial blemish, not being mamzerim themselves, but merely fathering mamzerim). Yet He says: in any case, "woe also to them when I depart from them" (besuri mehem). Even though I was with them initially, says Hashem, I have already turned away from them and cast them from My presence because of the wickedness of their deeds. Hence, "woe also to them when I depart from them." The word besuri is written here with a sin (left-dotted shin), which is quite unusual, but there are several such instances in Scripture where words typically written with a samech are spelled with a sin.
"Ephraim, as I saw Tyre, planted in a pleasant dwelling; yet Ephraim shall bring out his children to the slayer." Rashi explains: just as I saw Tyre in its tranquility, crowned and wealthier than all other lands, so too I saw Ephraim planted in a pleasant dwelling. That is, I brought them to an optimal state - just as Tyre was regarded as a tranquil, secure land, what one might call Switzerland today. Says the Holy One, blessed be He: so did I plant Ephraim in a pleasant dwelling, without any problems or hardships, everything flourishing and serene. Yet look at the repayment Ephraim gave Me: "to bring out his children to the slayer" - going out and leading his children to slaughter, sacrificing them to Molech. Is this the gratitude you show, says the Holy One, blessed be He, for My having planted you like Tyre, rooted in tranquility and affluence?
The Malbim explains in his characteristic manner that this verse also serves to express the contrast between the first generation that left Egypt and Ephraim, further sharpening the disparity between them so that they realize: if I did not spare them, how much more so will I not spare you. He says: see, the first generation was described as "like grapes in the wilderness." You, by contrast, Ephraim, do not dwell in a wilderness; you are like Tyre, planted in a pleasant dwelling. That is, I transplanted them from the desert and brought them to a pastoral haven, an inhabited land, and here in this place I see them enjoying abundant goodness. Consider: when those who left Egypt were in extremely harsh circumstances, even then I showed no undue favoritism; when they strayed and went after the daughters of Moav, they were struck down. Certainly I will not spare you, who exist in such favorable conditions - planted in your land like Tyre in a pleasant dwelling, having received so much goodness from Me! Yet despite all this, you acted so wickedly that it was decreed upon Ephraim "to bring out his children to the slayer." The Malbim does not interpret this like Rashi as describing their sin of sacrificing children to Molech, but rather as their punishment: Ephraim will now be punished by having to bring out his sons to the slaughter - the enemy will lead Ephraim's children to death. Thus, although naturally they should have prospered, flourished, and multiplied - since I gave them an expansive land and they should have enjoyed every blessing - nevertheless, see the catastrophe destined to befall them, as their children are led out to the slayer.
"Give them, Hashem - what will You give? Give them a miscarrying womb and dried-up breasts." "Give them, Hashem - what will You give?" Rashi explains that the prophet is praying here for the Holy One, blessed be He, to take their children while they are still young. And if you ask why the prophet would pray for something bad to happen to them, the answer according to all commentators is that the prophet is actually requesting something merciful for them. Why? Because it had already been decreed, "yet will I bereave them from being men," meaning that their children would die. When is the death of a child harder on the parents - when the child is an infant, or when the child is grown? Surely when he is grown. When he is an infant, the bond is still in its infancy; when he is grown, he has his own mind and personality, and parents anticipate celebrating his milestones, his wedding, and the like. When he is grown, the loss is far more agonizing. Therefore, the prophet pleads: "Give them a miscarrying womb." Master of the Universe, have pity on them; if You intend to bring them to the state of "yet will I bereave them from being men," bring the bereavement while the child is still small - mitigate the tragedy, lessen the blow. Thus, if it is impossible for them not to bear children at all - as we saw earlier when he asked "from birth, from the womb, and from conception," which according to Rashi was a plea: please Hashem, cause bereavement from the womb, pregnancy, and birth - then if it must happen later, let it at least be while they are still young, and not "though they bring up their children." This is what he means: if conception cannot be prevented - for Rashi explains that it was already said to Eve, "and your desire shall be to your husband," meaning conception will inevitably occur - then give them in their infancy what You intend to give them later. For since it is decreed that "though they bring up their children, yet will I bereave them," Master of the Universe, let the bereavement come while the children are still small. "Give them a miscarrying womb" means that when they emerge from the womb into the world, they will die. And if not, at least give them "dried-up breasts" - in antiquity there was no baby formula; if an infant had no milk to nurse, it died. Therefore, I ask, Master of the Universe, let there be no breastmilk to feed the child, so that these children will die in infancy - but at least then, rather than dying when they are grown.
The Radak explains: when the prophet sees that Ephraim's children will be brought out to the slayer, he says: Master of the Universe, let the children at least perish in the womb rather than fall into the hands of the enemy. Falling into enemy hands is always the worst outcome. Beyond the fact that here they are grown while there they are infants (as Rashi explained), we find in several Tanach narratives that when a commander or warrior realized he was about to fall into enemy hands, he preferred death to capture. (From a halachic perspective, of course, taking one's own life is strictly forbidden, as it is considered suicide; nevertheless, the reality of falling into an enemy's cruel grasp is universally agonizing.) This, then, is what the prophet asks here: Master of the Universe, since they are destined to fall to the enemy, let them die in the womb or in infancy rather than later at the hands of the foes.
The Malbim explains that the prophet is actually praying that the Holy One, blessed be He, should not send them into exile, but rather impose upon them the punishment that fits their crime. This is the meaning of "Give them, Hashem - what will You give?" Notice the repetition here, which neither Rashi nor the Radak addresses: "Give them, Hashem - what will You give? Give them a miscarrying womb and dried-up breasts." Why does he not specify what to give at first? "What will You give?" - is he asking himself what to give? How should this be understood? The Malbim explains: Master of the Universe, give them what is fitting to be given to them - that is the intent of "what will You give." And what is fitting to give them? Middah keneged middah - measure for measure. Whenever the Holy One, blessed be He, punishes, it is measure for measure. So he pleads: Master of the Universe, give them what they deserve - give that! And what do they deserve? Since the grievance against them is the sin of immorality, he says: Master of the Universe, corresponding to their promiscuity in fathering children of harlotry - flawed children, mamzerim - give them something corresponding to their sin. Since they sinned through such offspring, it is fitting that these children die in infancy so that mamzerim do not multiply, rather than punishing them with exile and expulsion from their land, which is not measure for measure. Therefore the prophet asks that when Hashem punishes them, this is the preferred punishment, rather than just death alone, as the Malbim explained, though the punishment ultimately had to be exile, expressing estrangement from the nation and the corrupt deeds they committed.
"All their wickedness is in Gilgal, for there I hated them; because of the wickedness of their deeds I will drive them out of My house. I will love them no more; all their princes are rebellious." "All their wickedness is in Gilgal" - what is being referred to here? The Radak explains that in Gilgal they renewed the monarchy. As we saw earlier, the prophet rebuked them regarding Gibeah, where, as Rashi explained, they crowned Shaul from Gibeah. So too here, "all their wickedness is in Gilgal" - from there the evil began, when they renewed the kingdom and rejected Me from reigning over them, and their kings ultimately led them astray. Alternatively, the Radak and Rashi explain that Gilgal was the initial location of the Mishkan after they crossed the Jordan. Consequently, this place was regarded as select in the eyes of the people and the prophets of Baal. The false prophets urged them to worship at Gilgal, setting up calves and altars to Baal there, as it says, "in Gilgal they sacrifice bullocks" (Hoshea 12:12). Why? Because since the site was sanctified long ago as the home of the Mishkan, they perceived sanctity in it, which resonated with the masses to worship the Baalim specifically there. We see this dynamic to this day: both Christianity and Islam constantly seek out places previously sanctified by us. Notice this everywhere. Islam built a mosque - where? Over the tomb of the holy Patriarchs, the Cave of Machpelah. What connection do they have to Machpelah? Yishmael is not buried there, guaranteed! What are they looking for in Machpelah? It does not matter; people are drawn to a place perceived as holy, so they co-opt it. The Temple Mount: they built Al-Aqsa on the Temple Mount. What connection do they have to the Temple Mount? They claim Muhammad flew on Al-Buraq, his winged steed... yet Jerusalem is not mentioned even once in the entire Quran, whereas in our scriptures it appears countless times. But facts do not deter them - "it is Jerusalem, it is divided, no embassies allowed..." In short, any place that held sanctity for us, they sought to claim, because the innate spiritual prestige of the site attracted the masses. If an idolater sets up his worship there, he has an instant draw to gather people. This is the very reason, holy books note, why the Holy One, blessed be He, did not explicitly name the location of the Temple in the Torah. Nowhere does the Torah name it, stating only: "in the place that Hashem shall choose." Chazal relate that David was in Nayot in Ramah with Shmuel, searching the scriptures to identify the location of the Temple - "a beautiful place," "on the shoulders of an ox," and so forth - until they reached the conclusion where it would be. Why could the Torah not simply state the location? The holy books explain that had it been specified, idolatrous nations would have rushed to build their shrines and idolatrous temples there. (Idolaters would have erected a shrine long before, and evicting them would have provoked immense conflict, much like the modern agitation over Al-Aqsa.) Furthermore, having an idolatrous abomination established at the site of the Temple would have constituted a terrible defilement. Indeed, the halachic authorities rule that a building once used as a church should not be converted into a synagogue without extensive measures, because a site desecrated by idolatry is unfitting for sanctity. Thus, Heaven concealed the location of the Temple until the time came to build it, when a clear Heavenly sign was revealed. King David received this sign through the angel with the drawn sword during the plague, after he had chosen three days of pestilence, saying, "Let us fall into the hand of Hashem... but let me not fall into the hand of man."
Regarding this, He says, "I will drive them out of My house." Because they turned against Me, rejected the service of Hashem, and chose idolatry, Hashem says: even if they wish to return and serve Me in My House, they will not find Me there, for I will destroy the Beit HaMikdash and have departed from them. Since "all their wickedness is in Gilgal, for there I hated them" - as we said, in that very place, Gilgal, they built a house of idolatry - "because of the wickedness of their deeds I will drive them out of My house. I will love them no more; all their princes are rebellious." Their leaders, who were appointed over them and whose duty was to rebuke the nation, are themselves rebellious; could I expect them to bring the people to repentance when the leaders themselves are rebellious? The Malbim explains that the Holy One, blessed be He, answers the prophet: exile is not merely on account of the sin of immorality; immorality was only one facet of their wrongdoing. But "all their wickedness is in Gilgal" - there they committed other atrocities: idolatry, bloodshed, abominations, beyond immorality alone. He says: there I hated them for the evil of their deeds, referring to these other abominations. Therefore He tells him, "I will drive them out of My house" - I do not want them remaining in the Land! You, the prophet, ask of Me: Master of the Universe, give them a miscarrying womb instead of exile, measure for measure for immorality? The Holy One, blessed be He, replies: immorality is only a fraction of their sins, while the gravest part of their guilt is idolatry and the corruption with which they tainted the Land. Corresponding to that, "I will drive them out of My house." Thus there is no alternative to exile; I do not want them remaining in My house, which is the Land I gave them to dwell in. The Malbim explains: like a man who despises his wife for her evil conduct and drives her out of his home so he no longer provides her housing and sustenance, in such a state there is no hope of restoring their bond, and neither will return to the other. Regarding this He says, "I will love them no more." As long as the wife remains in the house and no divorce has taken place, there remains some hope of reconciliation; but once there is absolute severance, it is over. The Holy One, blessed be He, says: here I am sending them away, for "I will love them no more." There is no possibility of My restoring them in the foreseeable future, nor is there hope that they will mend their ways, for even those tasked with setting them straight - as the Radak explained - "all their princes are rebellious."
"Ephraim is smitten, their root is dried up, they shall bear no fruit; yea, though they bring forth, yet will I slay the beloved fruit of their womb." "Ephraim is smitten, their root is dried up, they shall bear no fruit" - the Malbim explains that there is no need for Me to grant them a miscarrying womb so their children die in the womb, for this already occurs naturally. Ephraim itself has been struck: "Ephraim is smitten, their root is dried up." Their root is parched, and when the root is dried up, the tree produces no fruit. Thus naturally, says the Malbim, it is impossible for them to bear fruit, even without Divine intervention. That is to say, there are punishments that come through special Providence and punishments that unfold naturally: because they corrupted their ways in the natural order, they suffered natural harm. And even if they happen to give birth, "yet will I slay the beloved fruit of their womb" - then through Providence I will slay the precious fruit of their womb.
"My G-d will reject them, because they did not listen to Him, and they shall be wanderers among the nations." Rashi notes that this is not a curse but a prophecy, informing them of what is destined to occur: that the Holy One, blessed be He, will reject them - "My G-d will reject them." Ibn Ezra and subsequently the Radak note the wording "my G-d" rather than "their G-d." Why? Because He is no longer their G-d, "because they did not listen to Him." Therefore, He will reject them and send them away from His presence to be wanderers among the nations. Hence, this specific punishment of exile, rather than death alone as the Malbim explained, is unavoidable, expressing their estrangement from Hashem and from the corrupt deeds they committed.