Introduction: From Prophecy of Calamity Against Mount Seir to Prophecy of Consolation for the Mountains of Israel
After the prophet concluded the words of calamity regarding Mount Seir, he now turns to the other side of the coin: a prophecy of consolation for the mountains of Israel. The chapter before us is one of the great chapters of consolation in the book, containing a twofold promise: retribution for the nations who rejoiced at Israel's downfall, and redemption, resettlement, and flourishing for the Land of Israel and the people dwelling upon it.
וְאַתָּה בֶן־אָדָם הִנָּבֵא אֶל־הָרֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאָמַרְתָּ הָרֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל שִׁמְעוּ דְּבַר־יְהֹוָה׃ - And you, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel, and say: O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord!
כֹּה אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יֱהֹוִה יַעַן אָמַר הָאוֹיֵב עֲלֵיכֶם הֶאָח וּבָמוֹת עוֹלָם לְמוֹרָשָׁה הָיְתָה לָּנוּ׃ - Thus said the Lord God: Because the enemy said about you, "Aha! Even the ancient high places have become our possession!"
The Enemy Who Rejoiced: Tyre and the "Ancient High Places"
The Malbim reminds us of the background: Yechezkel previously prophesied against the nations neighboring the Land of Israel - Tyre, the children of Ammon, Moab, Edom, the Philistines, and Sidon - foretelling destruction and calamity for each of them because they rejoiced at Jerusalem's downfall or actively assisted in Israel's fall. The prophet devoted a distinct prophecy and a specific punishment to each one, for they were not equal in their sins: each nation's sin differed from that of the others.
Regarding Tyre, we saw: "Because Tyre said concerning Jerusalem, 'Aha, the gateway of the nations is broken, it has turned to me; I shall be filled now that she is laid waste.'" The Land of Israel was a merchant of nations, a central corridor connecting continents, and Tyre was likewise a merchant of nations. Therefore, Tyre rejoiced and said: All those merchants who until now traversed through Israel will now come to me; "I shall be filled now that she is laid waste" - from her ruin I will be filled, and wealth and commerce will transfer to me. Concerning this, the prophet foretold Tyre's sinking into oblivion, and as we have already discussed, she indeed sank and the waters covered her.
And this is what is stated here: "Because the enemy said about you, 'Aha!'" - the enemy rejoiced and said: How wonderful that Israel falls! "Even the ancient high places have become our possession" - Israel is like a high platform, an elevated place where everyone comes to trade, the commercial center of the entire world, and now we will inherit it.
לָכֵן הִנָּבֵא וְאָמַרְתָּ כֹּה אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יֱהֹוִה יַעַן בְּיַעַן שַׁמּוֹת וְשָׁאֹף אֶתְכֶם מִסָּבִיב לִהְיוֹתְכֶם מוֹרָשָׁה לִשְׁאֵרִית הַגּוֹיִם וַתֵּעֲלוּ עַל־שְׂפַת לָשׁוֹן וְדִבַּת־עָם׃ - Therefore prophesy and say: Thus said the Lord God: Because, yes, because they devastated and crushed you on every side, that you might become a possession to the rest of the nations, and you became the talk of tongues and the slander of the people.
The Great Wonder: "Thus Said" - But Where Is the Statement?
Here the Malbim explains the guiding principle of the entire chapter. The prophet repeats "Thus said the Lord God" time and again, yet does not state at all what the pronouncement actually was. "And God's statement is not found until the sixth time," writes the Malbim, "and no parallel to this is found anywhere in Scripture." Nowhere else do we find a prophet repeating "Thus said the Lord" multiple times without stating what He said, only presenting the content of the statement at the very end. The Malbim adds: "And this is a profound wonder, yet none of the commentators paid attention to it" - no one pondered this question of how it could be that "Thus said the Lord" appears five times without any accompanying pronouncement.
The Malbim resolves this: every "Thus said" here refers back to what was stated earlier. Regarding each and every nation, when you encounter "Thus said" - ask: When did He say it? The answer is: earlier, in the prophecies already delivered. When referring here to the downfall of Tyre, who said, "Aha! Even the ancient high places have become our possession," the meaning of "Thus said the Lord" is that God had already decreed her punishment in a dedicated prophecy earlier. Do not search for what God said here, because every "Thus said the Lord" in our chapter means: thus the Lord already said there. It is merely a reminder; regarding each and every nation, the decree has already been declared.
Bnei Ammon: "Desolation and Swallowing You Up"
In verse 3, the prophet turns to speak of Bnei Ammon, who seized part of Israel's inheritance and settled in their place. As it is said, "Why has their king inherited Gad?" (Yirmiyahu 49:1), and likewise in Amos, "Because they ripped open the pregnant women of Gilad to expand their border" (Amos 1:13) - they breached the mountains of Gilad to expand their territory and dispossess Israel from their settlement in Gilad. Thus, Bnei Ammon appropriated a portion of Eretz Yisrael for themselves.
"Because, indeed because they made you desolate and swallowed you up" - they rendered you a wasteland through "swallowing up" (sha'of). And what is sha'of? The Malbim explains: just as a person draws breath into himself (sho'ef), so anyone who yearns to swallow something is called a sho'ef. In our modern speech as well, we speak of someone having "aspirations" (she'ifot). Someone once joked about certain young men walking around with a cigarette and a stepped haircut, calling them "ba'alei sheipos and ba'alei madreigos" - a man of aspiration (inhalation) and a man of high spiritual level (steps). In any case, Bnei Ammon longed to swallow up your borders.
And why? "That you become a possession to the rest of the nations" - they wanted you to become an inheritance for the nations. And consider this: Yishmael ben Netanyah was also sent to assassinate Gedalyah ben Achikam so that Eretz Yisrael would remain desolate and become an inheritance for them, and who sent him? Bnei Ammon.
Nor were they content with this: "And you have been taken up on the lips of talkers and the slander of the people" - as it is said, "I have heard the reproach of Moav and the revilings of Bnei Ammon" (Tzefanyah 2:8). They blasphemed Israel, their faith, and their holiness. Regarding this, we saw earlier in chapter 25 the prophecy of their retribution, and this is the "Thus says the Lord God" mentioned here. The Malbim analyzes the phrasing "the lips of talkers and the slander of the people": similar to "all the nations and tongues." The nations are categorized by language - each people and its tongue, and categorized by customs and manners - each nation and its ways. Every tongue and every people spoke ill of Israel, which is why both of these expressions are mentioned.
לָכֵן הָרֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל שִׁמְעוּ דְּבַר־אֲדֹנָי יֱהֹוִה כֹּה־אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יֱהֹוִה לֶהָרִים וְלַגְּבָעוֹת לָאֲפִיקִים וְלַגֵּאָיוֹת וְלֶחֳרָבוֹת הַשֹּׁמְמוֹת וְלֶעָרִים הַנֶּעֱזָבוֹת אֲשֶׁר הָיוּ לְבַז וּלְלַעַג לִשְׁאֵרִית הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר מִסָּבִיב׃ - Therefore, mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God; thus says the Lord God to the mountains and to the hills, to the streams and to the valleys, to the desolate ruins and to the abandoned cities, which have become a plunder and a derision to the rest of the nations that are round about.
Moav: The Mockers
Here, the Malbim explains, the prophet turns to speak of Moav. Moav did not take from Israel's territory nor did they take actual vengeance against them; they merely mocked them. Israel was an object of derision and scorn in their eyes, and this is "which have become a plunder and a derision to the rest of the nations." Against them as well, we saw a prophecy of retribution earlier in chapter 25, and this is the "Thus says the Lord God" stated concerning them.
"Desolate Ruins" and "Abandoned Cities"
What is the difference between abandoned (ne'ezavot) and desolate (shomemot)? The Malbim explains: the verse refers to cities that were destroyed and also remained desolate. For it is possible to have a ruin that is not desolate - it was destroyed, but people are actively trying to rebuild it; and it is possible to have cities that were not destroyed at all yet are desolate, in that the city was abandoned by its inhabitants. Here, both conditions are mentioned together.
As mentioned previously, in those days, when a city was destroyed, people would strive to rebuild it in the exact same location, because all the infrastructure was already in place. There was an additional reason: unlike nowadays, where a demolished house entails expenses to clear away the debris, in those times destruction carried a significant advantage. What did it mean that a city was destroyed? The stones had fallen. But these were intact stones, not broken blocks that are useless. They would take those very same stones and rebuild. On the contrary - instead of quarrying new stones, transporting them, and hauling them over, which was complicated and difficult, the stones were already lying right in front of them to set back in place. This is why a special ban had to be pronounced upon Yericho forbidding it to be rebuilt, and why Chiel of Beit Ha'eli had an incentive to rebuild it, as it was cost-effective and did not require great expenditure. Here, then, the prophet says: not only will they be destroyed, but they will also remain desolate.
"A Plunder and a Derision"
What is the difference between one who despises (baz) and one who mocks (lo'eg)? The Malbim explains: "Despising" is because the thing is lowly in one's eyes, as in, "And Michal the daughter of Shaul... despised him in her heart" when she saw David leaping and dancing. "Mocking" is when a person sees his fellow doing improper deeds and derides him. These are two distinct expressions, and here it is said that they became both an object of contempt and derision to the rest of the surrounding nations.
לָכֵן כֹּה־אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יֱהֹוִה אִם־לֹא בְּאֵשׁ קִנְאָתִי דִבַּרְתִּי עַל־שְׁאֵרִית הַגּוֹיִם וְעַל־אֱדוֹם כֻּלָּא אֲשֶׁר נָתְנוּ־אֶת־אַרְצִי לָהֶם לְמוֹרָשָׁה בְּשִׂמְחַת כָּל־לֵבָב בִּשְׁאָט נֶפֶשׁ לְמַעַן מִגְרָשָׁהּ לָבַז׃ - Therefore, thus said the Lord God: Surely in the fire of My jealousy have I spoken against the rest of the nations and against all of Edom, who appointed My land for themselves as a possession with wholehearted joy, with utter contempt of soul, so that its open land would be for plunder.
Edom and the Philistines: The Desire for the Land to Remain Desolate
The "Thus said" here refers to the prophecies uttered against Edom and the Philistines. They took vengeance against Israel out of hatred and wanted the Land of Israel to remain desolate - not in order to take it for themselves, but so that it would stay a wasteland, since it was in their interest to prove from its desolation that the People of Israel had forsaken the way of Hashem. Concerning this, Hashem says: In the fire of My jealousy I have spoken, with jealousy I will execute vengeance upon them.
And why does it say "the rest of the nations"? The Malbim explains: The Philistines had already been struck by Pharaoh, and only a remnant remained of them. And Edom - "who appointed My land for themselves as a possession with wholehearted joy, with utter contempt of soul" - because they rejoiced over Israel's downfall. We already saw at the end of the previous chapter that they would be punished for their rejoicing: "Thus said the Lord God... As all the earth rejoices, I will make you desolate; as you rejoiced over the inheritance of the House of Israel because it was desolate, so will I do to you; you shall be desolate, Mount Seir." Thus, the Philistines had already received an initial retribution, which is why it speaks of them as "the rest of the nations," whereas regarding Edom it says "all of it" - all of Edom will be handed over.
"So that its open land would be for plunder" - a migrash (open land) is an unoccupied space. They did not seek to inherit the land in order to build it up, but rather so that it would remain an open, cleared area outside the city, a place with no houses, no fields, and no vineyards. They wanted the Land of Israel to remain an empty lot, an object of contempt and disgrace, because the sight of the desolate place served their claim: Look at the People of Israel; since they sinned and abandoned their God, Hashem abandoned them and chose us, the Christians. They wanted to leave the place empty as a reminder of iniquity, for contempt and shame. Therefore, He prophesied calamities against them: against the Philistines earlier, and against Edom in chapter 35.
לָכֵן הִנָּבֵא עַל־אַדְמַת יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאָמַרְתָּ לֶהָרִים וְלַגְּבָעוֹת לָאֲפִיקִים וְלַגֵּאָיוֹת כֹּה־אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יֱהֹוִה הִנְנִי בְקִנְאָתִי וּבַחֲמָתִי דִּבַּרְתִּי יַעַן כְּלִמַּת גּוֹיִם נְשָׂאתֶם׃ - Therefore prophesy concerning the soil of Israel, and say to the mountains and to the hills, to the ravines and to the valleys: Thus said the Lord God: Behold, I have spoken in My jealousy and in My fury, because you have borne the insult of the nations.
Egypt and Tzidon: Those Who Scorned
Here are included other nations that did not take vengeance against Israel and did not inherit the land, but merely scorned Israel over their destruction - such as Egypt and Tzidon. Calamity was pronounced upon them as well, as we saw earlier in chapters 28 and 29. Regarding this, He says: "Behold, I have spoken in My jealousy and in My fury" - referring to the calamities we saw above. And why? "Because you have borne the insult of the nations" - for you shamed Israel among the nations and peoples; therefore, I will punish you, and this is the prophecy that was already conveyed above.
לָכֵן כֹּה אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יֱהֹוִה אֲנִי נָשָׂאתִי אֶת־יָדִי אִם־לֹא הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר לָכֶם מִסָּבִיב הֵמָּה כְּלִמָּתָם יִשָּׂאוּ׃ - Therefore thus said the Lord God: I have lifted My hand: Surely the nations that surround you, they shall bear their disgrace.
"I have lifted My hand" - this is a decree accompanied by an oath, an irrevocable decree. All the nations shall bear their disgrace, and ultimately Nebuchadnezzar came and destroyed them all.
וְאַתֶּם הָרֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל עַנְפְּכֶם תִּתֵּנוּ וּפֶרְיְכֶם תִּשְׂאוּ לְעַמִּי יִשְׂרָאֵל כִּי קֵרְבוּ לָבוֹא׃ - But you, mountains of Israel, shall shoot forth your branches and bear your fruit for My people Israel, for they are soon to come.
"There Is No More Revealed Sign of the End than This"
By contrast, you, the mountains of Israel, are the exact opposite. "You shall put forth your branches" - you will produce branches, and the branches will yield fruit. And do not fear that you will produce fruit only for the nations to consume it, for it is said: "For My people Israel, for they will soon come" - the Jewish people are already close to arriving, and in the days of Cyrus they already began returning to the Land. The Malbim explains the reason for this: the Land of Israel is governed by direct Divine providence. When the Jewish people are not upon it, it withholds its fruit; but when the Jewish people return to it, it once again yields its bounty.
This is an explicit and wondrous passage in the Gemara, whose fulfillment we see unfolding before our very eyes. In Sanhedrin 98a: Rabbi Abba said, there is no more revealed sign of the End of Days than this, as it is stated (Yechezkel 36:8): "And you, mountains of Israel, shall put forth your branches and yield your fruit to My people Israel, for they will soon come." Rashi explains: When the Land of Israel yields its fruit generously - then the End draws near, and there is no more manifest sign than this.
Throughout two thousand years of exile, the Land of Israel lay desolate and barren. Famous travelers who visited here, such as Mark Twain and others, described a desolate, ruined wasteland; one traveler relates journeying for many miles, kilometers upon kilometers, without seeing even a single tree. "It seems that an ancient curse lies upon it," wrote one non-Jewish observer. How could this be? A place located at the center of the Fertile Crescent, yet no one succeeded in settling it - everything was swamps, malaria, and misery. But once the Jewish people returned to the Land, behold, suddenly the Land began to yield its fruit. A tremendous wonder! When one sees the Land of Israel producing its fruit, it is a sign that we are already knocking at the threshold of redemption.
כִּי הִנְנִי אֲלֵיכֶם וּפָנִיתִי אֲלֵיכֶם וְנֶעֱבַדְתֶּם וְנִזְרַעְתֶּם׃ - "For behold, I am for you, and I will turn to you, and you shall be tilled and sown."
וְהִרְבֵּיתִי עֲלֵיכֶם אָדָם כָּל־בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל כֻּלֹּה וְנֹשְׁבוּ הֶעָרִים וְהֶחֳרָבוֹת תִּבָּנֶינָה׃ - "And I will multiply people upon you, the entire house of Israel, all of it; and the cities shall be inhabited, and the ruins shall be rebuilt."
Stages of Redemption: First the Land, Then Man
The Malbim explains: At first, Divine providence will take effect - "and you shall be tilled and sown," so that, first of all, the land will no longer lie desolate. In the next stage - "and I will multiply people upon you." The Malbim refers to the era known to him, the period of Cyrus: those who returned in the days of Cyrus and Artaxerxes first tilled and sowed, then came and settled, and finally "and the ruins shall be rebuilt" - those desolate ruins and abandoned cities were rebuilt anew.
And we, living in a later era that the Malbim did not live to see, can also apply this to our own times. After all, the early pioneers first drained the swamps and began cultivating crops - this was the first stage, "and you shall be tilled and sown." Only afterward was the state established, and in the next stage came the mass aliyah waves of 1948 and the 1950s - "and I will multiply people upon you." We have not yet reached "the entire house of Israel, all of it," since unfortunately the majority of the Jewish people still reside in the Diaspora, but we are progressing in stages. As the Gemara describes, the redemption is like the dawn - little by little, step by step, and we are already within the process. "And the cities shall be inhabited, and the ruins shall be rebuilt" - cities that were once ruined are inhabited, and formerly desolate places are continuously being built up.
וְהִרְבֵּיתִי עֲלֵיכֶם אָדָם וּבְהֵמָה וְרָבוּ וּפָרוּ וְהוֹשַׁבְתִּי אֶתְכֶם כְּקַדְמוֹתֵיכֶם וְהֵיטִבֹתִי מֵרִאשֹׁתֵיכֶם וִידַעְתֶּם כִּי־אֲנִי יְהֹוָה׃ - "And I will multiply upon you man and beast, and they shall increase and be fruitful; and I will settle you as in your former times, and I will do better for you than at your beginnings; and you shall know that I am the Lord."
"And I will multiply upon you man and beast" - those returning from the exile will be fruitful and multiply there, and through this, "and I will settle you as in your former times": just as the Land was originally fully settled, so it became in the days of the Second Temple, during the Hasmonean and Herodian eras. And if we look at our own times, the Land is certainly settled today even more than it was during the Second Temple period, when large regions remained unsettled. Even today there are unsettled areas, but far fewer. During the Second Temple era, for example, the Golan was not considered part of the Land of Israel, which is why halachically it is not considered part of the Land of Israel today either; likewise, the region of Eilat and the Arava are not considered part of the Land of Israel according to Halachah, and therefore agricultural produce is grown there during the Shemitah year. In its original biblical boundaries, the Land of Israel was certainly much larger - and this does not even refer to extending from the Euphrates to the Tigris, but even to the Land of Israel of the First Conquest.
Consequently, explains the Malbim, it is impossible to interpret "and I will do better for you than at your beginnings" as referring to the Second Temple. Rather, it must refer to the Future to Come, when He will do more good for us than at the very beginning, when we left Egypt and entered the Land. And then, "and you shall know that I am the Lord" - you will recognize the Hashgachah (providence) and the boundless power of the Holy One, Blessed be He.
A Beautiful Nuance: "And They Shall Multiply and Be Fruitful," Not "Be Fruitful and Multiply"
Everywhere else, the expression is "be fruitful and multiply" (peru u-revu), yet specifically here it says "and they shall multiply and be fruitful" (ve-ravu u-faru). Why is the phrasing reversed? The Malbim explains: everywhere else, the subject is natural propagation, where multiplication is the result of fertility - first one is fruitful and bears a child, and another child, and then they bear more and more, and in this way they multiply. But here, the verse speaks of the redemption, and in the redemption the order is reversed: first, many people will arrive here - "and they shall multiply" - and only afterward will they bear children - "and be fruitful." A wonderful insight: first they will multiply through their arrival in the Land, and afterward they will be fruitful and bear children, and through this, the population dwelling in the Land of Israel will increase.
וְהוֹלַכְתִּי עֲלֵיכֶם אָדָם אֶת־עַמִּי יִשְׂרָאֵל וִירֵשׁוּךָ וְהָיִיתָ לָהֶם לְנַחֲלָה וְלֹא־תוֹסִף עוֹד לְשַׁכְּלָם׃ - "And I will cause people to walk upon you, My people Israel, and they shall possess you, and you shall be an inheritance to them, and you shall no longer bereave them."
The Malbim explains that this refers to the future era. What is the meaning of "and I will cause [them] to walk"? In the Second Temple era, they returned on their own, and even then, not all of them returned. But regarding the future, Hashem says: I will lead them - they will not merely come on their own, but rather "I will cause people to walk upon you," I Myself will bring them. And then they will be "My people Israel" - they will already be My people, and I will have full providence over them. Then, "and they shall possess you, and you shall be an inheritance to them" - an inheritance (nachalah) signifies an eternal heritage that remains forever, meaning the Land will never again exile Israel from upon it. This is the meaning of "and you shall no longer bereave them" - there will no longer be a reality of bereavement and barrenness. The people of Israel are called "the children of your bereavement," for the Land is, as it were, bereaved of them and loses them when they are exiled from upon it, but from now on, it will never bereave them again.
כֹּה אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יֱהֹוִה יַעַן אֹמְרִים לָכֶם אֹכֶלֶת אָדָם אָתְּ וּמְשַׁכֶּלֶת גּוֹיַיִךְ הָיִית׃ - "Thus said the Lord God: Because they say to you, 'You are a devourer of people, and you have bereaved your nations.'"
"A Land That Devours People" - Two Eras
Rashi explains: this Land is accustomed to destroying its inhabitants. The Amorites perished in it - for the Amorites lived here and the Holy One, blessed be He, drove them out before us; afterward, Israel arrived, and they too were exiled from it. Therefore, the nations would say: it is a land that devours people, bereaving anyone who comes to settle in it.
And the Malbim explains: to the people of Israel who are in exile, they say, "You are a devourer of people" - those few who dwell in you during the exile, the Land devours them with plague, illness, and famine. And as is well known, when there was barely any settlement here, there were typhus, diseases, plagues, and swamps - truly a land that devoured people. It is an astonishing thing: there were waves of immigration that arrived here in the 1920s, tried to settle the Land, bought plots, like those who came to Hadera and other places, and saw how difficult it was, and ultimately returned to Europe - and then the Nazi oppressor arose, may Hashem protect us, and destroyed them. We see that it was not simple to come and settle here, quite apart from all the trials with the Ishmaelites around us, the persecutions, the fedayeen, and so forth.
"And you have bereaved your nations" - when the majority of the Jewish people dwelt in the Land, the Land bereaved them, for they were exiled in the First Temple era and exiled in the Second Temple era, twice, establishing what amounted to a chazakah (presumption), such that by the third time, as it were, no one would take the risk. This Land bereaves your nations, meaning the peoples who dwelt in it were exiled from it.
The Malbim notes the precise distinction between "man" (adam) and "nation" (goy): "adam" denotes individuals, whereas "goy" denotes an assembly of people and a multitude. Therefore, "you are a devourer of people (adam)" speaks of the individuals who were here while the majority of the Jewish people were in exile, whereas "and you have bereaved your nations (goyayich)" speaks of the era when the majority of the Jewish people dwelt here. In this way, the Malbim delineates two distinct periods.
לָכֵן אָדָם לֹא־תֹאכְלִי עוֹד וְגוֹיַיִךְ לֹא תְשַׁכְּלִי־עוֹד נְאֻם אֲדֹנָי יֱהֹוִה׃ - "Therefore, you shall no longer devour people, and you shall no longer bereave your nations, says the Lord God."
"You shall no longer devour people" - the Holy One, blessed be He, will remove all death, disease, and affliction from the Land, even from individuals. "And you shall no longer bereave your nations" - and when the entirety of Israel gathers here, they will not die and will not be exiled; there will never be another exile. The written text (ketiv) is "lo tachshili" (you shall not cause to stumble), while the read text (keri) is "lo teshakeli" (you shall not bereave).
וְלֹא־אַשְׁמִיעַ אֵלַיִךְ עוֹד כְּלִמַּת הַגּוֹיִם וְחֶרְפַּת עַמִּים לֹא תִשְׂאִי־עוֹד וְגוֹיַיִךְ לֹא־תַכְשִׁלִי עוֹד נְאֻם אֲדֹנָי יֱהֹוִה׃ - Neither will I allow the insult of the nations to be heard against you anymore, nor shall you bear the reproach of the peoples any longer, neither shall you cause your nations to stumble anymore, says the Lord God.
Goyim and Amim, Insult and Reproach
Note two distinctions in the verse: first goyim (nations) and then amim (peoples); and first kelimah (insult) and then cherpah (reproach). The Malbim establishes a rule: goyim refers to the baser among the nations, whereas amim refers to organized nations that possess a kingdom and an orderly government. In contemporary terms, amim are akin to the established nations of Europe and America, whereas goyim are disparate tribes lacking an organized government, being of lesser stature.
"Neither will I allow the insult of the nations to be heard against you anymore" - those baser nations dwelling in Eretz Yisrael would insult and humiliate the people residing in it, and the land heard its own humiliation. And what would they say? That dwelling in Eretz Yisrael is harmful, that this land is a land that bereaves its inhabitants and a defective land. By contrast, the amim, the prominent nations governed by a king, did not dwell here, and therefore regarding them it is said, "nor shall you bear the reproach of the peoples any longer" - bearing it from afar. The goyim were among us, dwelling here in the land and voicing their insults directly to us, which is why it says regarding them, "Neither will I allow... to be heard"; the amim did not live here, but rather hurled their reproaches from afar, which is why it says regarding them, "nor shall you bear."
And what is the difference between kelimah (insult) and cherpah (reproach)? The Malbim explains: the term cherpah is always harsher than kelimah. A person might insult his fellow over nothing at all, but no one reproaches his fellow without cause. Reproach always stems from a grievance, whereas an insult can occur without reason, without logic, and without any genuine basis. Reproach is thus far more severe. Therefore, with the goyim, the baser peoples, there was merely insult; whereas with the amim, who possessed organized governance and a monarch, it rose to the level of reproach, and their reproaches were harsher - claiming that Hashem's curse had befallen the land on account of the iniquities of Israel.
"Neither shall you cause your nations to stumble anymore, says the Lord God" - you will no longer cause those dwelling within it to stumble into sin, for all will be righteous, as will be seen later in the chapter.
In Summary:
In this portion of the chapter, the prophet addresses the mountains of Israel with words of consolation, briefly recalling the prophecies of retribution already pronounced against the surrounding nations - and this is the deeper meaning behind the repeated "Thus said" appearing without a spoken message, as the Malbim noted: each "Thus said" refers back to a prophecy already stated above. Tyre coveted the commerce, the Ammonites sought to swallow the border, Moab mocked, Edom and the Philistines wished for the land to remain a desolate wasteland held in contempt, and Egypt and Tzidon degraded and humiliated - and against them all, Hashem raised His hand in an irrevocable oath. In contrast, the mountains of Israel will yield their branches and their fruit to the returning people of Israel, and "there is no clearer sign of the End of Days than this." The sequence of the Redemption unfolds in the verses through distinct stages: first the cultivation of the soil and sowing; then the increase of population, the settling of the cities, and the rebuilding of the ruins; and ultimately, "they shall increase and be fruitful" - first an increase through immigration, and subsequently natural fruitfulness. In the future to come, Hashem Himself will guide His people to their land, the land will become their eternal inheritance, it will no longer be a land that devours and bereaves its inhabitants, and the insult of the nations and the reproach of the peoples will be heard no more.