Introduction: Elders Come to Inquire, but the Heart Is Elsewhere
Chapter 14 in Yechezkel opens with a scene that appears completely innocent: a group of elders arrives before the prophet and sits in front of him, like disciples coming to hear the word of Hashem. Yet immediately, the Holy One, Blessed be He, reveals Himself to Yechezkel and exposes the secrets of their hearts. The entire chapter addresses the question of what it truly means to "inquire of Hashem", the status of one who comes to the prophet while still clinging to his idols, the fate of the false prophet and the one who inquires of him, and finally - the order of plagues and judgments that befall a land that has sinned.
(1) וַיָּבוֹא אֵלַי אֲנָשִׁים מִזִּקְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיֵּשְׁבוּ לְפָנָי׃ - "Men from the elders of Israel came to me and sat before me."
(2) וַיְהִי דְבַר־יְהֹוָה אֵלַי לֵאמֹר׃ - "And the word of Hashem came to me, saying:"
(3) בֶּן־אָדָם הָאֲנָשִׁים הָאֵלֶּה הֶעֱלוּ גִלּוּלֵיהֶם עַל־לִבָּם וּמִכְשׁוֹל עֲוֺנָם נָתְנוּ נֹכַח פְּנֵיהֶם הַאִדָּרֹשׁ אִדָּרֵשׁ לָהֶם׃ - "Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts and placed the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces; should I at all be inquired of by them?"
These three verses are read together because they provide the proper perspective on what is taking place here. The verse states, "vayavo" ("and he came") in the singular, rather than "vayavo'u" ("and they came") as would be expected for a plural subject. Rashi comments: all of them were of one heart for evil. Like "one man with one heart" - except that here the intent was negative. And the Malbim emphasizes the contrast: the elders of Yehudah who came before him in Chapter 8 were righteous men who genuinely came to inquire of Hashem; those who arrive here were wicked, and they did not truly come to seek Hashem.
Therefore, as soon as they sit down, the Holy One, Blessed be He, reveals to him: "These men have set up their idols in their hearts" - they raise their hearts to their idols, practicing idolatry. There are those who worship idols merely externally, and there are those who truly elevate idolatry into their hearts, imagining it in their inner thoughts and clinging to it with all their heart. These men belong to the second type.
"And placed the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces" - the Malbim explains: a person commits a transgression through a specific thing that causes him to stumble. Sometimes it is forbidden food, sometimes an improper sight, and sometimes anything else. Thus, there are two elements here: the stumbling block on the one hand, and the transgression itself on the other. When a person stumbles, what ought he to do? Remove the stumbling block, for if he does not remove it, every time he passes by there, he will stumble again. If an improper sight presents itself and he does not banish it, every time he passes by, he will stumble once more. If a stone protrudes from the ground and he trips over it once, perhaps the next time or two he will be careful, but the third time he will fall again. To ensure that he does not stumble any further, he must eliminate the cause that led to the previous fall.
Yet these men do the exact opposite: they place the stumbling block right in front of their eyes, so that they will repeatedly stumble over it again and again. They make sure that the trigger leading them to sin is always readily available. In contemporary terms: a person who goes nowhere without his smartphone. He sets the stumbling block before his face so that he can always stumble through it, and instead of "let your eyes look straight ahead" - Heaven spare us.
Therefore, "should I at all be inquired of by them?" - will I, Hashem, respond to them to fulfill their wish and inquiry? These men are habitual transgressors in practice and heretics immersed in idolatrous thoughts. Is there any hope that they will repent? Once idols are engraved upon the tablet of their hearts, and they place the stumbling block before their faces so as to view it constantly - what possibility is there that I should respond to them? After all, they have no desire to change their ways; on the contrary, they take active steps to ensure they remain on their perverse path. In simple terms, the Holy One, Blessed be He, says to Yechezkel: do not be impressed by them. They come to you ostensibly to inquire of Hashem, but they have no such intentions. I am revealing to you the secrets of their hearts - their heart is a heart of wickedness.
"I, Hashem, Have Answered Him" - Two Opposing Interpretations
(4) לָכֵן דַּבֵּר־אוֹתָם וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵיהֶם כֹּה־אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יֱהֹוִה אִישׁ אִישׁ מִבֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר יַעֲלֶה אֶת־גִּלּוּלָיו אֶל־לִבּוֹ וּמִכְשׁוֹל עֲוֺנוֹ יָשִׂים נֹכַח פָּנָיו וּבָא אֶל־הַנָּבִיא אֲנִי יְהֹוָה נַעֲנֵיתִי לוֹ בָא בְּרֹב גִּלּוּלָיו׃ - "Therefore speak to them and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord Hashem: Any man of the house of Israel who sets up his idols in his heart and places the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and comes to the prophet - I, Hashem, have answered him according to the multitude of his idols.'"
There are two contrasting interpretations of this verse. First is the explanation of the Malbim, which builds directly on what has been explained thus far. The Holy One, Blessed be He, says: since these men do not come genuinely seeking to inquire and know the truth, but rather want to make a pastime out of the matter, to catch up on current events, to hear what is going on out of mere curiosity. And how is it evident that such a person does not truly come to seek Hashem? From the fact that even as he comes, his idols are still in his heart and the stumbling block of his iniquity remains before his face. Why, then, did he come? "I, Hashem, have answered him [na'aneiti lo, related to inyan, an occupation or diversion]" - he uses Me, as it were, so that I become a subject for him to occupy himself with, giving him something to discuss and busy himself about. "He comes with the multitude of his idols" - he arrives steeped in his idols, coming to contradict the prophet's words and argue with him. At times, they would come to hear something from the prophet only to go outside and repeat it as though it were their own idea, as if they themselves had conceived the words. And they engaged in all sorts of other devious behaviors, none of which involved any intention to repent, draw closer to the service of Hashem, or listen to words of rebuke. This is the direct continuation of "should I at all be inquired of by them?" - these individuals are disingenuous, and it is not fitting that I respond favorably to them and deliver a prophetic message to them.
Targum Yonatan, by contrast, explains in the opposite direction, and this is also the approach followed by Rashi. Targum Yonatan renders it: "Therefore prophesy to them and say to them, Thus says Hashem Elohim: Any man of the house of Israel who sets the worship of his idols in his heart" - who harbors idolatrous worship in his heart, "and places the stumbling block of his sins before him" - while the stumbling block of his iniquity still stands before his face, "and comes to the prophet" - and he comes to the prophet, "I, Hashem, will respond to him through My Word" - I will answer him, "for he has come to seek instruction from before Me" - because he came to seek instruction from Hashem before Me, "even though it is mingled with much of his idolatrous worship" - even though his idolatry is intermingled in this, and he has not purified himself nor come with purity of heart, nevertheless I will answer him because he came to inquire.
Radak explains along these lines: They came to inquire of Hashem, yet they had not abandoned their idolatry. They wished to combine the service of Hashem with idol worship, serving Hashem through *shituf* (association). They sought Hashem, but they could not bring themselves to detach from their idols. Consequently, the Holy One, Blessed be He, says: To these people I will assist and answer, in order to help them detach from idolatry. This interpretation stands in direct contrast to that of the Malbim.
"In order to grasp the House of Israel in their heart"
(5) לְמַעַן תְּפֹשׂ אֶת־בֵּית־יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּלִבָּם אֲשֶׁר נָזֹרוּ מֵעָלַי בְּגִלּוּלֵיהֶם כֻּלָּם׃ - "In order to grasp the House of Israel in their heart, who are all estranged from Me through their idols."
According to Targum Yonatan: "In order to draw the House of Israel near, to place repentance in their heart" - by making Myself accessible to them and answering them, I will seize their hearts and bring them close to My service, thereby causing them to shed their attachment to idolatry. "Who are estranged from Me" - the Hebrew *nazoru* shares a root with *nazir*, one who separates himself; they distanced themselves from Me through their idols, and in this manner I will grasp the House of Israel in their heart to bring them near to My service.
Radak offers an alternative explanation: "I will grasp them in their heart" - they think they can hide their hearts from Me, engaging in vile, corrupt acts while imagining that I remain unaware. I will grasp them in their heart by exposing the idols of their heart and their wicked thoughts, revealing to all the abhorrent deeds they commit.
From here Chazal derived a fundamental principle: with regard to idolatry, the Holy One, Blessed be He, joins thought to action (judging the thought as though the deed were done). "In order to grasp the House of Israel in their heart" - could this refer merely to what is in their heart? Indeed, yes, because this concerns idolatry and fetishes. Regarding idols, the Holy One, Blessed be He, holds them accountable and judges them even though there was nothing more than an internal thought, judging them as if they had actually performed idol worship. Why specifically here? Radak explains: because after they went into exile, they did not worship idols in practice, yet they still harbored thoughts about it. Therefore, Hashem held them accountable in their heart regarding this matter.
And why, in truth, is thought joined to action specifically concerning idolatry? In only two matters does the Holy One, Blessed be He, judge a person for the mere thought: idolatry and forbidden sexual thoughts (*arayot*). The reason is that in both, the thought itself constitutes the transgression. This is not the rule for all sins - if someone plans how to steal, the thought itself is not a biblical transgression, for the Torah does not state "do not think to steal," but rather "do not steal." When one contemplates worshiping an idol, however, nothing more is required to deny Hashem. Without any physical action whatsoever, heresy has already occurred. To deny the Holy One, Blessed be He, one does not need to perform an action; saying in one's heart, "I do not believe," is enough. If a person contemplates worshiping an idol, what greater heresy could there be? Since the thought itself is the sin, he is punished for the thought alone. The same applies to forbidden sexual thoughts, regarding which there is an explicit prohibition in the Torah: "Do not stray after your heart." One who entertains a sinful thought has, by that very internal act and even without doing anything physical, violated a Torah command. Therefore, in these two matters, a person is punished for the thought as well.
There is also a third scenario that many are unfamiliar with, which is an explicit Gemara: If a person is accustomed to committing a sin, and on one occasion is prevented by circumstance and does not commit it, he is judged as though he had done it. For instance, if someone habitually steals, and on a particular day passes by, sees police officers, and decides not to steal on that occasion - returning home a supposed "tzaddik" - he is nevertheless judged as though he stole, because he had become habituated to theft. Moreover, a precise reading of Rashi there reveals a striking insight: this applies not only to someone who routinely sins, but the very fact that one refrained from a sin, even once, for reasons other than fear of Hashem causes him to be judged as though he had committed the transgression. When does the Holy One, Blessed be He, refrain from holding a person liable for a sinful thought? Only when one intended to commit a sin but refrained out of God's commandment and the fear of Hashem. If one refrained for any other reason, even without being habituated to that sin, he is judged as though he committed it and is held accountable in Heaven. This is precisely what emerges from Rashi's phrasing there, as anyone who examines the passage directly can see.
The Malbim interprets the verse in an entirely different direction: Up to this point, they had already "estranged themselves from Me through all their idols" - everyone had abandoned the service of Hashem and cleaved to idols, which was an actual deed. These elders now sought to capture their hearts as well, ensuring that not only their actions but also their thoughts would be entirely devoted to sin. They wished to deepen their wickedness, so that in thought as well they would distance themselves from Hashem. For this purpose they approached the prophet: to debate him, propose an alternative, argue that the prophet's words were untrue, and search for errors or statements they could seize upon to prove that what the prophet was saying was false. As stated in Yirmiyahu 23: "who steal My words, each from his neighbor" - they go to hear a word from the prophet, steal it from him, and distort the message as they see fit.
"Repent and turn away"
(6) לָכֵן אֱמֹר אֶל־בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל כֹּה אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יֱהֹוִה שׁוּבוּ וְהָשִׁיבוּ מֵעַל גִּלּוּלֵיכֶם וּמֵעַל כׇּל־תּוֹעֲבֹתֵיכֶם הָשִׁיבוּ פְנֵיכֶם׃ - "Therefore say to the House of Israel: Thus said the Lord Hashem: Repent and turn away from your idols, and turn your faces away from all your abominations."
Turn back from your ways, and turn your hearts away from the idols that you harbor in your hearts - distance your hearts from them. "Turn your faces away" - from that very stumbling block of iniquity that we saw they placed before their faces; turn your faces away from it. And what is the meaning of "Repent and turn away" (*shuvu vehashivu*)? Radak explains that the prophet is addressing the elders of Israel: Repent yourselves, and turn those around you back - your wives, your children, your young men. Let not the idols stand before your faces, meaning that you must not incline after idolatry and after idols.
Even the Convert, and Even One Who Comes to Inquire - "I the Lord Will Answer Him by Myself"
(7) כִּי אִישׁ אִישׁ מִבֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל וּמֵהַגֵּר אֲשֶׁר־יָגוּר בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל וְיִנָּזֵר מֵאַחֲרַי וְיַעַל גִּלּוּלָיו אֶל־לִבּוֹ וּמִכְשׁוֹל עֲוֺנוֹ יָשִׂים נֹכַח פָּנָיו וּבָא אֶל־הַנָּבִיא לִדְרׇשׁ־לוֹ בִי אֲנִי יְהֹוָה נַעֲנֶה־לּוֹ בִּי׃ - For any man of the house of Israel, or of the convert who dwells in Israel, who separates himself from following Me, and sets his idols upon his heart, and places the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and comes to the prophet to inquire of Me for himself, I the Lord will answer him by Myself.
Why are converts mentioned here? The Radak explains: at that time, there were Chaldeans who converted and embraced the religion of Israel. When Israel was exiled among them, the nations saw that the Holy One, blessed be He, is present and accompanies the people of Israel. This is truly astonishing: after all, exile reflects the weakness of a nation and, as it were, the weakness of their God as well; yet nevertheless, they saw firsthand that the Holy One, blessed be He, remains with Israel even in their exile, and this realization brought them back to the God of truth. They saw two things: first, how Hashem is present among them; and second, that He exacts retribution from them for their iniquities. Consequently, they recognized the hand of Hashem here - "Why did Hashem do thus to this land? What is the meaning of this great blazing anger? Because they abandoned the covenant of the God of their fathers." Even a gentile arrived at this conclusion.
"And separates himself from following Me" - he distances himself from Me, as in "they turned backward" (nezzoru achor). "And sets his idols upon his heart" - he does not worship them merely externally, but rather they are truly bound to his heart. "And places the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face" - even though he knows this is a stumbling block and knows he will stumble over it, on the contrary, he sets it right before his eyes so that he may continue stumbling over it. And despite all this, he comes to the prophet to inquire of Hashem for himself, expecting the prophet to inquire on his behalf regarding the word of Hashem and for his desire to be granted. Concerning this, the Holy One, blessed be He, says: "I the Lord will answer him by Myself" - I will answer him for the sake of My Name. That is, I will not grant his request, but rather I will answer him in a manner that will be exceedingly painful for him, as we will see in the next verse. Since he does not come with a pure heart or to repent, but rather his idols are set upon his heart and the stumbling block of his iniquity is before his face, yet he still comes to inquire of Hashem - the Holy One, blessed be He, says: I will exact retribution from him as he truly deserves.
The Malbim explains "and comes to the prophet to inquire for him of Me" as meaning "to inquire of Me for himself" - he comes to inquire of Me for his own benefit, to foretell future events. Regarding the expression "I am answered to him" (na'aneh lo), all the commentators struggle: what does na'aneh mean here? Grammatically, Reuven is answered by Shimon, but one would not say "I am answered to Shimon," but rather "I will answer." Even though this phrasing has become a common idiom today, the letter nun is out of place. Check similar verbs and you will see: if you tell me "take," I respond "I will take" (ekach), not "I will be taken" (nikach). Furthermore, na'aneiti is past tense. Rather, the Malbim explains: na'aneh here is related to inyan, an occupation or passing interest. He is merely looking to foresee the future, to occupy himself and ask what will come to pass. He has no intention of repenting, and no intention of seeking Hashem so that the prophet might help him rectify his deeds through the word of Hashem. He is merely looking for an "interesting matter" to engage in.
(8) וְנָתַתִּי פָנַי בָּאִישׁ הַהוּא וַהֲשִׂמֹתִיהוּ לְאוֹת וְלִמְשָׁלִים וְהִכְרַתִּיו מִתּוֹךְ עַמִּי וִידַעְתֶּם כִּי־אֲנִי יְהֹוָה׃ - And I will set My face against that man, and make him a sign and proverbs, and I will cut him off from the midst of My people; and you shall know that I am the Lord.
"And I will set My face against that man" - wherever this phrasing appears, it means that I will direct My providence and all My attention toward punishing him, turning away from everything else, as it were, to set My face against that man. "And make him a sign and proverbs" - he will become a desolation (shemamah), and serve as a sign and a proverb. All the afflictions and troubles that befall him will be a warning sign to the rebellious; people will see what happened to him and turn him into a proverb, saying: may it be done to you just as was done to so-and-so. The Malbim adds: "and proverbs" means that even after his death he will remain a byword, so that when someone wishes to curse a wicked person with misfortune, they will say: may it happen to you as it happened to so-and-so. And this will come about through "and I will cut him off from the midst of My people; and you shall know that I am the Lord."
"I the Lord Have Enticed" - Five Explanations for a Great Difficulty
(9) וְהַנָּבִיא כִי־יְפֻתֶּה וְדִבֶּר דָּבָר אֲנִי יְהֹוָה פִּתֵּיתִי אֵת הַנָּבִיא הַהוּא וְנָטִיתִי אֶת־יָדִי עָלָיו וְהִשְׁמַדְתִּיו מִתּוֹךְ עַמִּי יִשְׂרָאֵל׃ - And if the prophet be enticed and speak a word, I the Lord have enticed that prophet, and I will stretch out My hand against him and destroy him from the midst of My people Israel.
"And if the prophet be enticed and speak a word" - meaning he spoke something that was not true. Here lies a profound difficulty that the commentators labor to resolve: how can Scripture state, "I the Lord have enticed that prophet"? After all, the Holy One, blessed be He, does not entice a person toward evil; He grants him the free will to choose, but He does not entice him. Furthermore, if Hashem enticed him, why destroy him? On the surface, he would not deserve such a punishment.
Rashi explains that "I have enticed" does not mean actively seducing him to do evil, but rather opening the door to the evil possibility, along the lines of the principle: "one who comes to defile himself, they open the way for him." I gave him the option to commit evil, and that allowance itself is termed enticement; hence we learn that for one who comes to defile himself, the way is opened.
The Radak explains this along the lines of "Who will entice Achav?" The Holy One, blessed be He, sought a means through which Achav would be enticed so that he would be spurred to go to battle and fall at Ramoth-gilead, as retribution for the heinous crime of "Have you murdered and also taken possession?" So too here. The Radak cites Achav ben Kolayah and Tzidkiyah ben Maaseyah, concerning whom it is written that they committed adultery with their neighbors' wives, approaching them and claiming they had received this instruction by prophecy. They had a pact between them: Tzidkiyah would approach women and tell them to commit adultery with Achav ben Kolayah, claiming this was commanded by prophecy; and Achav ben Kolayah would approach other women and tell them to commit adultery with Tzidkiyah ben Maaseyah, claiming this had been received through prophecy. No one suspected that they were pursuing their own lusts, since this was ostensibly a prophecy delivered by prophets commanding them to act so. They committed many other vile deeds in secret, says the Radak; therefore, to expose them and publicize their disgrace, what does the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He entices them to stumble in a particular matter, and through this they are unmasked and their deeds are revealed before all.
And this is the reality: "The end of the matter, when all is heard: fear God and keep His commandments." When a person commits sins in secret, Scripture exposes him openly. We can see this even in our own day - strength does not endure forever. Even people whom others might have thought of for generations as righteous and doers of good deeds, in the end everything is heard and their disgrace is publicly exposed. There is enough contempt and wrath; what is truly painful is the disgrace brought upon the holy Torah: those who draped themselves in every peacock feather of piety and pretension, and suddenly a chest full of crawling creatures is uncovered about them. These things get publicized in the media with terrible reverberations, and the heart aches over the terrible Chillul Hashem that results from it.
Two of those who flaunted false prophecy were Achav ben Kolayah and Tzidkiyahu ben Ma'aseyah. To prove their falsehood to everyone, the Holy One, blessed be He, orchestrated their encounter with Nevuchadnezzar and his daughter: they came and attempted to seduce her, and ultimately the king of Babylon roasted them in fire. They became a sign and a byword: when people wanted to say that someone would meet a bad end, they would cite the example of Achav ben Kolayah and Tzidkiyahu ben Ma'aseyah. Thus they and their disgrace were publicized, so that all would know that their deeds were wicked and God forbid that this came from Hashem. For this purpose, there is indeed an aspect of enticement here: the enticement was meant to entrap him in the snare where his shame would be exposed.
Rav Saadia Gaon explains that "I enticed" means: I clarified and revealed that he was seduced. The meaning is not that I enticed him Myself, but rather that I demonstrated that what he did was done out of temptation - that is, from his own evil inclination.
The Malbim explains that "I, Hashem, have enticed" is the claim made by the prophet himself: "And if the prophet be enticed and speak a word" - and what did he speak? That Hashem enticed him to go on this mission. This is not the Holy One, blessed be He, stating that He enticed him to utter a false prophecy; rather, it is the prophet's own claim, and it is untrue. The prophet claims, as it were, that the Holy One, blessed be He, urged him and enticed him to speak these words.
The Malbim also cites another explanation in the name of Abarbanel, who interprets the verse as a rhetorical question: "And if the prophet be enticed and speak a word - did I, Hashem, entice that prophet?" Did this come from Me? Did this enticement originate with Me? No, he spoke a word out of his own delusions and lusts, and this did not come from Me. This, too, resolves the difficulty. The Malbim concludes: "And let the discerning reader choose" - there are several possibilities here, and all of them serve to resolve the difficulty.
The Inquirer's Responsibility: "As the Iniquity of the Inquirer, So Shall the Iniquity of the Prophet Be"
(10) וְנָשְׂאוּ עֲוֺנָם כַּעֲוֺן הַדֹּרֵשׁ כַּעֲוֺן הַנָּבִיא יִהְיֶה׃ - And they shall bear their iniquity; as the iniquity of the inquirer, so shall the iniquity of the prophet be.
"And they shall bear their iniquity" - those who receive the prophecy will also bear their iniquity. They will not be able to claim, "The prophet misled me." The one who inquires of the prophet - his iniquity shall be like the iniquity of the prophet himself. The reason is simple: you should not have gone to inquire of false prophets. The true prophets were well-known and recognized, and their prophecies were tested once, twice, and three times, proving to be true prophecy. After all, you know who the true prophet is - why did you not follow him? Rather, it was pleasant and convenient for you to hear the words of the false prophets, and that is why you followed them. Therefore, as their punishment is, so shall your punishment be.
(11) לְמַעַן לֹא־יִתְעוּ עוֹד בֵּית־יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵאַחֲרַי וְלֹא־יִטַּמְּאוּ עוֹד בְּכׇל־פִּשְׁעֵיהֶם וְהָיוּ־לִי לְעָם וַאֲנִי אֶהְיֶה לָהֶם לֵאלֹהִים נְאֻם אֲדֹנָי יֱהֹוִה׃ - So that the House of Israel may no longer go astray from following Me, and no longer defile themselves with all their transgressions, and they shall be My people and I shall be their God, says the Lord God.
And all this punishment, for both the false prophet and the one who inquires of him, is intended so that the House of Israel will no longer stray in matters of faith and will no longer defile themselves with sins through false prophets who led them to sin. Therefore Hashem says: I will punish the false prophets. In this, says the Malbim, the intention also referred to Achav ben Kolayah and Tzidkiyahu ben Ma'aseyah, who became a byword and an example, and whose disgrace was made public so that all would know that their deeds were wickedness, and God forbid that such things originated from Hashem.
A Land That Sins: The Four Waves and the Order of Judgments
(13) בֶּן־אָדָם אֶרֶץ כִּי תֶחֱטָא־לִי לִמְעׇל־מַעַל וְנָטִיתִי יָדִי עָלֶיהָ וְשָׁבַרְתִּי לָהּ מַטֵּה־לָחֶם וְהִשְׁלַחְתִּי־בָהּ רָעָב וְהִכְרַתִּי מִמֶּנָּה אָדָם וּבְהֵמָה׃ - Son of man, when a land sins against Me by acting treacherously, and I stretch out My hand against it and break its staff of bread, and send famine upon it, and cut off man and beast from it.
The punishments in the Torah come in waves, and they are all included in what is said here. Afflictions are divided into categories: heavenly afflictions, meaning something that comes from heaven like pestilence, which is an epidemic, or famine; afflictions brought about by creatures possessing will, meaning animals; and afflictions brought about by creatures possessing free choice, meaning human beings - such as the evil of the sword and the like. These are all the types of afflictions in the world.
The Malbim explains: If you follow the order of the Tochacha (the Rebuke), you will see that the first wave includes pestilence, which is a type of illness, as well as the sword - "and you will be smitten before your enemies." The second wave includes famine - "your land will not yield its produce." The third wave includes wild beasts. And the fourth wave mentions the sword, pestilence, and famine once again.
From this the Malbim derives a principle: from the fact that famine appears at the end, for the blows always progressively intensify. Hashem never delivers a harsh blow followed by lighter blows, because this always describes a situation where they do not listen, and then the Holy One, blessed be He, brings a harsher blow. If so, famine appearing as the final blow indicates that it is the harshest of all. As the prophet already said: "Better off were the slain of the sword than the slain of famine," who bleed away, pierced through, for death by starvation is slow and agonizing.
It has already been explained that from a spiritual perspective as well, death by famine is the harshest of all. Why? When a person is under the threat of the sword, he does teshuva; even in his final moments, even from the moment he is struck, he repents, accepts upon himself the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven, recites the Vidui (confession), and at least dies amidst teshuva and confession. In contrast, someone who is starving and dying of hunger - it is utterly dreadful. The masters of mussar say: How terrible it is that in a person's final moments, what stands before his eyes? A fresh roll, a glass of cola. With that he concluded his life's song; that was what stood before his eyes, and amid those hallucinations, thoughts, and agonizing hunger pangs, he breathed his last. It turns out, therefore, that famine is harsh both physically and spiritually, because a person dies consumed by a craving for food rather than thoughts of rectifying his evil ways. Therefore, death by famine is the most severe death of all.
Based on this, the Malbim explains the verse: "אֶרֶץ כִּי תֶחֱטָא־לִי לִמְעׇל־מַעַל" ("A land, if it sins against Me by acting treacherously") - meaning when they walk contrary to Me four times, as we have seen that the fourth wave is the final stage. And it is written, "Twice, three times with a man God works," and likewise, "For three transgressions... and for four I will not revoke it" - meaning that only two or three times is there opportunity, and afterwards, on the fourth, it is over; it is total destruction. Therefore, "וְנָטִיתִי יָדִי עָלֶיהָ וְשָׁבַרְתִּי לָהּ מַטֵּה־לָחֶם וְהִשְׁלַחְתִּי־בָהּ רָעָב" ("and I stretch out My hand against it, and break for it the staff of bread, and send famine upon it") - corresponding to the fourth order of rebuke, in which it is said, "when I break for you the staff of bread." "וְהִכְרַתִּי מִמֶּנָּה אָדָם וּבְהֵמָה" ("and cut off from it man and beast") - corresponding to the fifth order, "and you shall eat the flesh of your sons," which is the harshest curse of all: that the famine will be so severe that, Heaven spare us, they will eat the flesh of their sons and daughters.
In summary: The chapter opens with the elders who come before Yechezkel "as one man with one heart" - for evil, and immediately the Holy One, blessed be He, reveals that their idols are set upon their hearts and the stumbling block of their iniquity is placed before their faces intentionally, so that they will stumble over it again and again. From here emerge two approaches in interpreting "I will respond to him": according to the Malbim, they come merely seeking curiosity, fortune-telling, and debate; while according to Targum Yonatan and the Radak, they come to inquire even though they have not cleansed themselves, and Hashem answers in order to seize their hearts and bring them close. From here is derived the fundamental principle that regarding idol worship and thoughts of forbidden relations (arayot), a person is punished for the mere thought itself, and likewise, one who desists from a sin not out of the fear of Hashem is judged as though he had committed it. Afterwards comes the call, "Repent, and turn away" - teshuva for yourselves and for those around you, followed by the judgment of the false prophet and the one who inquires of him, both being equal in their iniquity; and Hashem exposes the disgrace of those who boast falsely, like Achav ben Kolayah and Tzidkiyahu ben Ma'aseyah, who became a sign and a proverb. And finally, the chapter opens the order of judgments upon a land that acts treacherously, in waves that grow progressively harsher, culminating in famine, which is the most agonizing of deaths - in body and in soul.