The Malbim explains: The vision of this chapter and the following chapter describes the hardships that befell the tribe of Judah at the hands of the king of Assyria, and the ultimate downfall of Assyria. The opening verses (1-4) address the Ten Tribes, who are referred to here as "Ephraim." Why are the Ten Tribes called Ephraim? Because their first king was Jeroboam, who came from the tribe of Ephraim - and therefore they were all called by the collective name of Ephraim ("Ephraim is joined to idols, let him alone"; "Is Ephraim my precious son?"). There are other reasons as well, but this is the straightforward explanation.
At first, the prophet shows what happened to the Ten Tribes, and only then turns to describe what will happen to Judah - which is the primary focus from verse 5 onward. That is to say: come and see what Hashem did to Ephraim, and from that understand what Judah is destined to endure. The kingdom of Ephraim had already ceased and come to an end, whereas regarding the kingdom of Judah, the Holy One, blessed be He, still held hope and expectation that they would mend their ways. Yet that expectation went unfulfilled, for "these also reel with wine and stagger with strong drink" - and so, the very same cup was destined to pass over them. In the exact same pitfalls where Ephraim stumbled, Judah ultimately stumbled as well.
הוֹי עֲטֶרֶת גֵּאוּת שִׁכֹּרֵי אֶפְרַיִם וְצִיץ נֹבֵל צְבִי תִפְאַרְתּוֹ אֲשֶׁר עַל־רֹאשׁ גֵּיא־שְׁמָנִים הֲלוּמֵי יָיִן׃ - "Woe to the crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim, and to the fading flower of its glorious beauty, which is at the head of the fertile valley of those overcome with wine!"
What is this "crown of pride" of the drunkards of Ephraim? It refers to the monarchy in which they took pride. And why does Scripture call it a "crown of pride" rather than a "crown of glory"? The Malbim explains: There is a person for whom royalty is fitting, whom kingship suits, and for him it is a glory. Yet there is another for whom royalty is entirely unfitting - like a tyrant who arose and seized power by force. His kingship is not a crown of glory but a "crown of pride": he seized the monarchy out of arrogance and haughtiness, not because he was worthy of it, and it is entirely an illusion and a lie.
"And the fading flower" - their land was exceedingly rich and fertile, yielding choice fruit in the most lush locations. The blossom bloomed, but in the end this blossom fades. "Its glorious beauty" (tzevi tif'arto) - a magnificent thing in which one takes pride. In Lashon HaKodesh, tzevi is related to will and desire (as in the Aramaic tzavi, "desires"), and therefore tzevi tif'arto is that special, precious thing that everyone desires, as in "it is the glory (tzevi) of all lands."
Radak explains that the prophet is describing here how the people of Ephraim indulged in the bounty they enjoyed, immersing themselves entirely in eating, drinking, and worldly pleasures. "Drunkards of Ephraim" is a derogatory term - because they spent most of their time in a state of drunkenness; having wine in abundance, they engaged in feasting and revelry until they became drunk, vomiting as drunkards do and chasing after physical pleasures. This is what the Torah speaks of: "Yeshurun grew fat and kicked... you grew fat, thick, and gorged, and he abandoned God Who made him" - and this is precisely what happened in Ephraim.
This is also what Chazal said: "The wine of Perugita and the waters of Diyomsat cut off the Ten Tribes." "The wine of Perugita" refers to the exquisite wine found in a place called Perugita. "The waters of Diyomsat" refers to the soothing thermal springs and streams of a place called Diyomsat - where Rabbi Elazar ben Arach went, assuming his disciples would follow him, and ultimately forgot all his learning. The Gemara teaches that these are what brought about the ruin of the Ten Tribes. In simple terms: what caused their downfall? Their pursuit of physical pleasures, making their bellies their gods.
Thus the prophet cries out: "Woe to the crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim" - they made pride into a crown, as though whoever had the ability to boast more was the more distinguished. They flaunted their wealth and pleasures, yet it is like a blossom or a lovely tree: when a wind blows upon it, it withers, falls to the ground, and turns to dust. So too will be the glorious beauty of Ephraim - this crown will not endure for long. "Which is at the head of the fertile valley" - the choicest place, a location from which rich oil was produced, and from the abundance of oil poured upon their heads, it was as though the entire valley were overflowing with oil and everyone drew from it. Out of that immense abundance, its people were "overcome with wine" (halumei yayin) - as though the wine were striking them like a hammer, because all their time was devoted to passions and worldly pleasures.
הִנֵּה חָזָק וְאַמִּץ לַאדֹנָי כְּזֶרֶם בָּרָד שַׂעַר קָטֶב כְּזֶרֶם מַיִם כַּבִּירִים שֹׁטְפִים הִנִּיחַ לָאָרֶץ בְּיָד׃ - "Behold, the Lord has one who is mighty and strong, like a tempest of hail, a destroying storm, like a flood of mighty waters overflowing, casting down to the earth with force."
Here the prophet describes how their kingdom was brought to an end. What is the difference between "chazak" (strong) and "amitz" (courageous and enduring)? The Malbim explains: "chazak" denotes great strength, something that overpowers and grows very forceful; "amitz" indicates endurance over time. Therefore, Scripture says "chazak ve'ematz" - be strong for the moment, and endure so that this strength lasts over time. Similarly, a "kesher amitz" (a firm bond) is a bond that does not easily come undone and endures.
"Like a downpour of hail" - wind and rain with hail, which shatters cedars (we have seen hailstorms that shattered car windshields and dented vehicles, with hailstones the size of tennis balls). "A destructive tempest" (sa'ar ketev) - se'ar spelled with a shin is like sa'ar with a samech, denoting a tempestuous storm wind; ketev denotes cutting down, severing everything from its place. When both are combined, nothing remains: hail shatters, but what is broken still lies in its place; then comes the destructive storm wind and carries everything away. To this the prophet adds, "like a downpour of mighty overflowing waters" - hail shatters but does not wash away, and when the flood of water follows, it sweeps everything away and carries it far off.
The deeper meaning: the hail symbolizes the slaughter and destruction wrought by the Assyrians upon Ephraim, while the floodwaters symbolize their exile to the Gozan River and the mountains of Media - and even "the Gozan River" evokes a place of sweeping rushing water. The Holy One, blessed be He, cast them away from there completely, so that they are effectively lost. For had there been only shattering and cutting down, they would still have remained in their land, albeit broken; but after the shattering, mighty waters came and swept them beyond the Gozan River, beyond the Sambatyon River, to places unknown to us today. This illustrates the sheer magnitude of the blow suffered by the people of Ephraim.
בְּרַגְלַיִם תֵּרָמַסְנָה עֲטֶרֶת גֵּאוּת שִׁכּוֹרֵי אֶפְרָיִם׃ - Underfoot shall be trampled the haughty crown of the drunkards of Ephraim.
The conclusion of the previous verse - "cast down to the earth by hand" - means that initially he cast the haughty crown to the ground by hand: he removed the crown from the king's head and lowered it to the ground, which represents the stripping away of kingship. Then, in the second stage, "underfoot shall be trampled" - after it has been lowered to a lowly place, it is trampled beneath feet. There is a vast difference between the two: when a crown is merely removed from a king's head, another can still come and place it on his own head - meaning the kingdom is not entirely lost, for the king of Assyria simply deposed and humbled this king and raised another in his stead. But when the crown is trampled underfoot, no one will ever reign there again. And so it was with the Ten Tribes: no successor arose for them. In Judah there were stages where an invading king deposed one monarch and appointed Tzidkiyahu or others, but in Ephraim they appointed no one else; rather, they trampled the crown.
The Malbim adds that the two parts of this verse parallel the two parts of the previous verse: the "downpour of hail", which symbolizes slaughter, brought down the royal crown; and the "downpour of mighty waters", which symbolizes exile, caused it to be "trampled underfoot" - making it impossible to restore the kingdom to any other king, since all were exiled. Our Sages teach that Sancheriv marched against Ephraim three times: after the first two times a remnant still survived, but on the third time it was completely trampled into utter destruction, until nothing remained of the tribe of Ephraim.
וְהָיְתָה צִיצַת נֹבֵל צְבִי תִפְאַרְתּוֹ אֲשֶׁר עַל־רֹאשׁ גֵּיא שְׁמָנִים כְּבִכּוּרָהּ בְּטֶרֶם קַיִץ אֲשֶׁר יִרְאֶה הָרֹאֶה אוֹתָהּ בְּעוֹדָהּ בְּכַפּוֹ יִבְלָעֶנָּה׃ - And the fading blossom of his glorious beauty, which is at the head of the fertile valley, shall be like an early fig before summer; when one sees it, while it is yet in his hand he swallows it.
After describing the fall of the "haughty crown", the prophet depicts the downfall of the "fading blossom", which symbolizes their land - that fertile region overflowing with oil and wine, a place of abundance. "Like an early fig before summer" - like a fruit that ripens early, fully developing before the arrival of the summer harvest. When a passerby spots it among all the other fruits that are still unripe, he sees a single fruit already ripe and ready ahead of its season; even if he does not own the orchard, out of his intense craving for the first fresh fruit of the season, he plucks it, and "while it is yet in his hand he swallows it" - before he even chews it, while still in the palm of his hand he swallows it in one gulp, because of how coveted and precious that exceptional fruit is.
The deeper meaning: those who dispossessed the people of Israel were strangers. "When one sees it" - though he is neither the landowner nor the keeper of the orchard, seeing such an extraordinary prize, namely the land of the tribe of Ephraim, he immediately came and seized it. He devastated them while they were still rooted in their land and dwelling securely. "While it is yet in his hand he swallows it" - he swallowed up its inhabitants, exiled them, and seized all the plunder, all the choice produce, and all the fertile land they possessed.
This concludes the depiction of what befell the tribe of Ephraim: the crown and the fading blossom of those "overcome by wine" - their strike had already landed upon them. All of this serves as an introduction to what is destined to happen to Judah.
A small note may be added here: The phrase "a fading flower of glorious beauty" was frequently used as a biting poetic epithet against Shabbethai Zevi, may the name of the wicked rot. To mention his name in infamy, they referred to him as "Tzitz Novel Zevi" (a fading flower of a deer/Zevi), that he should be regarded as a fading blossom. Some also called him "Zevi Shavur" (a broken deer) - a phrase borrowed from a Mishnah in Shabbat - indicating that he had suffered a fracture. A book was even published against him to expose his falsehood and vanity, titled Tzitz Novel Zevi, based on this verse. So may all the enemies of Hashem perish.
בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יִהְיֶה יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת לַעֲטֶרֶת צְבִי וְלִצְפִירַת תִּפְאָרָה לִשְׁאָר עַמּוֹ׃ - On that day, Hashem of hosts shall become a crown of beauty and a diadem of glory to the remnant of His people.
"The remnant of His people" refers to the kingdom of Judah. And what is a "diadem of glory" (tzefirat tif'arah)? The root form yitzpor appears in Shoftim, chapter 7, when Gideon tells anyone who is fearful and fainthearted to "turn back and depart (veyitzpor) early from Mount Gilead." Some explain yitzpor as related to tzafra, meaning morning. Others explain it as related to encircling and winding around: he should make a circuit around Mount Gilead and return home. Hence, tzefirat tif'arah refers to a crown on the head, like a turban that is wound round and round (much like the headdress worn by the Ben Ish Chai, who even taught how to wrap it). Similarly in the Mishnah, two tzefirot across the breadth of the basket refer to cords wound around a barrel or basket. Thus, on that day, Hashem of hosts will be a crown and a glorious diadem for the kingdom of Judah, after the kingdom of Ephraim has already fallen.
וּלְרוּחַ מִשְׁפָּט לַיּוֹשֵׁב עַל־הַמִּשְׁפָּט וְלִגְבוּרָה מְשִׁיבֵי מִלְחָמָה שָׁעְרָה׃ - And for a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment, and for strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.
The Malbim explains that the success of a kingdom depends on two things. First, that the king, who wears the crown, dispenses justice between man and his fellow; this is "a crown of beauty... for a spirit of justice," meaning that with his spirit he will administer true justice. Second, that the nation possesses mighty warriors who wage war to fend off external enemies. Administering justice preserves the nation internally; when justice and righteousness prevail, the foundational pillars of the state stand firm. Yet if an enemy attacks from the outside, they could still subjugate it, which is why mighty fighters are needed to guard against the external foe. This is "and for a diadem of glory" - a term denoting encirclement, for the Holy One, blessed be He, will be like a surrounding wall for them, serving as "strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate," shielding them and enabling them to push back the enemy who comes to destroy their land. Thus, they will be sustained both through internal resilience - justice, and through external resilience - strength.
Such was the ideal plan for Judah. But now the prophet shows that just as Ephraim deteriorated, erred through wine, pursued worldly pleasures, and was consequently exiled, so, tragically, the hopes pinned on Judah were dashed, and the decline of the kingdom of Judah began.
וְגַם־אֵלֶּה בַּיַּיִן שָׁגוּ וּבַשֵּׁכָר תָּעוּ כֹּהֵן וְנָבִיא שָׁגוּ בַשֵּׁכָר נִבְלְעוּ מִן־הַיַּיִן תָּעוּ מִן־הַשֵּׁכָר שָׁגוּ בָּרֹאֶה פָּקוּ פְּלִילִיָּה׃ - And these too have erred through wine and gone astray through strong drink; priest and prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up because of wine, they have gone astray through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment.
The kingdom of Judah failed to draw moral lessons from what happened to Ephraim. Initially, "they erred through wine" - an error (shegagah) is relatively minor, and wine is less potent than strong drink. In the second stage, "and gone astray through strong drink" - wine is no longer enough for a person; he requires intoxicating liquor. This is no longer merely an error, but straying completely, a severe and total mistake. From there, matters deteriorated until "priest and prophet have erred through strong drink." One would have expected the leaders at least to retain their sobriety, but they too lost their way. When the leaders themselves follow the masses into delusion, the people are left without direction; if the people err while the leaders remain sober, there is still remedy, but if the leaders themselves stray, who will guide them?
"They are swallowed up because of wine" refers to the prophet: the faculty of his prophecy was corrupted; the power of imagination, which must be finely honed, was ruined by the effects of wine. Consequently, "they err in vision (baro'eh)" - they were supposed to see divine visions, for a prophet is called a "seer" (ro'eh), yet they erred and saw false and seductive visions. Correspondingly, the kohanim: "they have gone astray through strong drink" - they strayed in halachic rulings, and as a result, "they stumble in judgment (paku peliliyah)." Rashi explains paku as related to knocking knees (pik birkayim) or a stumbling block (pukah); peliliyah is related to jurisprudence, adjudication and law, as in "and he shall give as the judges (biflilim) determine." For indeed, "For the lips of a kohen should preserve knowledge, and they should seek the law from his mouth" - the kohanim served as the judges, magistrates, and spiritual guides, having the leisure to sit and study Torah while the rest of the people were farmers and merchants; and the Chamber of Hewn Stone stood on the Temple Mount, from where Torah ruling emanated to all of Israel. Yet here, they too went astray.
The Malbim explains that this is not a mere repetition, but two parallel clauses: "they are swallowed up because of wine... err in vision" applies to the prophets; "they have gone astray through strong drink... stumble in judgment" applies to the kohanim, who perverted justice as a result of intoxication. After all, one who has drunk a revi'it of wine is forbidden to render halachic rulings or judge a case, and they failed in legal adjudication. The Radak cites an additional interpretation in the name of his father z"l regarding "they err in vision": even in matters visible to the naked eye. If asked about the appearance of blood - is it pure or impure? - something any beginner can distinguish, he rules the pure impure and the impure pure. Even in matters that the eye sees and immediately recognizes, they fell into error because they were so completely stunned by wine.
כִּי כָּל־שֻׁלְחָנוֹת מָלְאוּ קִיא צֹאָה בְּלִי מָקוֹם׃ - For all tables are full of vomit and filth, leaving no clean place.
From excessive drunkenness, all their tables were filled with vomit and filth. A person who drinks without restraint reaches a stage where the stomach violently contracts and everything is expelled. In ancient Greece, they had a designated room for this: after eating and drinking, they would go there, vomit everything up, and return to feast again. Here, they did not even bother with a designated place, so everything remained right on the tables. The Malbim explains that "vomit, filth" (ki tzo'ah) means "vomit and filth" (following the biblical idiom like "Reuven Shimon," meaning Reuven and Shimon) - their tables were filled with vomit and excrement, and they publicly defiled themselves everywhere. Rashi explains that these tables were laden with the sacrifices of the dead, meaning idolatry, which is regarded as vomit and filth - as Chazal expounded on the verse, "'Go out' (tzo), you shall say to it," alluding to excrement (tzo'ah). And "without a place" means something so revolting that the mind cannot tolerate it.
אֶת־מִי יוֹרֶה דֵעָה וְאֶת־מִי יָבִין שְׁמוּעָה גְּמוּלֵי מֵחָלָב עַתִּיקֵי מִשָּׁדָיִם׃ - Whom shall he teach knowledge? And whom shall he make understand the message? Those who are weaned from milk, those who are drawn from the breasts.
After rebuking them time and again and showing them what befell Ephraim, yet they refused to learn the lesson, the prophet asks: Whom shall the kohen teach knowledge? Whom shall the prophet make understand the message? After all, there is no one willing to accept it. Even if a kohen or prophet were found who had not yet erred and remained sober - to whom would he speak? Whom could he rebuke? Shall he teach knowledge to "those weaned from milk," to people who behave like infants? Shall he explain the message to "those drawn from the breasts," to babies who have just been removed from their mother's breast?
The Malbim explains that there is a distinction between the two: a child "drawn from the breasts" has stopped nursing but is not yet fully weaned from milk, as he is still fed butter and cow's milk. Only in the second stage, when he grows older, does he become "weaned from milk," when milk is no longer his primary sustenance. The meaning here is: the prophet has no one left to rebuke; one can only speak to infants, but with the adults there is no one to talk to.
כִּי צַו לָצָו צַו לָצָו קַו לָקָו קַו לָקָו זְעֵיר שָׁם זְעֵיר שָׁם׃ - For it is precept by precept, precept by precept; line by line, line by line; a little here, a little there.
Let us first examine the commentary of the Metzudat David. Because the people were so far removed from Hashem's commandments and pursued physical pleasures, it became necessary to create safeguards (seyagim) for them. A safeguard is a fence designed so that a person will not touch the actual prohibition, but will instead be stopped beforehand. Therefore, "precept to precept" (tzav latzav) is needed - adding a commandment and safeguard to the Holy One, Blessed be He's command, so that one does not reach the prohibition itself. Even this was not enough; "tzav latzav" was needed a second time - making a fence around the fence, so that one does not breach the first fence and thereby transgress Hashem's command. Likewise with "line to line" (kav lakav): builders typically check that a structure is straight using a plumb line (a weight hanging on a cord), which immediately reveals if the building is leaning. In the same way, it was necessary to institute a safeguard like this plumb line so they would not crook their ways. Even this was not sufficient; for that safeguard, another plumb line was needed, ensuring they would not violate the first safeguard. "A little here, a little there" - they were barely willing to learn Hashem's Torah, finding it burdensome, so one had to teach them a bit here and a bit there, in tiny increments. See the depths of deterioration to which the nation had fallen.
The Malbim explains differently: "Precept to precept" is not a matter of fences and safeguards, but of commanding and repetition. It was not enough that I commanded them once; I must repeat the command a second time, and yet again a third time. The prophet is forced to repeat the teachings, reviewing and drilling concepts that have already been stated and explained multiple times.
This directly continues the previous verse: Whom am I speaking to - toddlers weaned from milk and babies drawn from the breasts? I must explain things to them as one explains to a young child. And how does one explain to a child? "Line by line" - one sets up a board and draws lines, because he cannot grasp abstract concepts; one must sketch lines on a board for him to understand. Sometimes he does not even grasp that, and one must provide a preliminary explanation and draw that as well, simplifying it even further. This is "line by line, line by line" - even what I already drew, I must go back and draw again.
And lest you think that at least I can explain many things to them at once, Scripture states, "A little here, a little there": only small amounts, a bit here and a bit there, exactly as one studies with small children. One cannot sit with young children for four hours of Gemara; it must be half an hour of Gemara, a half-hour break, then a little Navi and a few Mishnayot. That is how one must speak to this people, because it is impossible to engage them with anything more than that - see how far the nation had deteriorated.
כִּי בְּלַעֲגֵי שָׂפָה וּבְלָשׁוֹן אַחֶרֶת יְדַבֵּר אֶל־הָעָם הַזֶּה׃ - For with stammering lips and another tongue will He speak to this people.
The Malbim explains: The prophet seemed to them as though he were speaking with stammering lips, as if they could not understand his words. The words la'ag (mockery/stammering) and illeg (stammerer) share the same root through an inversion of letters, just as with keves - kesev (lamb), salmah - simlah (garment), and lahak - kahal (gathering); therefore, "la'agei safah" means the same as "ilgei safah" (inarticulate of speech).
The distinction is as follows: "Another tongue" means that the speaker uses a language foreign to the listener; he is a Roman explaining in Persian, or a Hungarian explaining in Iraqi Arabic. He may speak eloquently and at a high level, yet the listener cannot understand because it is not his language. "Stammering lips" means that he speaks the listener's own language, but his speech is not articulate; he distorts the words and fails to enunciate them properly, so that the listener cannot understand. When both combine - both a foreign language and distorted speech - even the little the listener might have caught becomes incomprehensible. This is the meaning of "For with stammering lips and another tongue will He speak to this people": the prophet speaks in the Holy Tongue, in pure and refined speech, yet in their eyes it seemed as though he were speaking to them in an entirely foreign language, of which they understand nothing at all.
אֲשֶׁר אָמַר אֲלֵיהֶם זֹאת הַמְּנוּחָה הָנִיחוּ לֶעָיֵף וְזֹאת הַמַּרְגֵּעָה וְלֹא אָבוּא שְׁמוֹעַ׃ - To whom He said, "This is the rest, give rest to the weary, and this is the repose"; yet they would not hear.
Perhaps you might suggest: If one does not listen, it is because the demand placed upon him is too heavy. At times, a person does not listen not because he fails to understand, but because he does not want to hear - the demand requires effort, sacrifice, self-denial, or opening his wallet, and since his nature makes this difficult, he claims he does not understand. Therefore, the prophet comes and says: Come and see what I asked of them. I told them, "This is the rest" - in this you will find rest, "and this is the repose" - and in this you will find tranquility. The Malbim explains: rest for the body, and repose for the soul.
And the entire request was simply: "Give rest to the weary" - someone groaning under the hand of his oppressors, let him be. In simple words: do not commit severe interpersonal transgressions; do not rob and do not extort. It is something that requires no sacrifice, requires no effort, and demands no asceticism or financial expense - and through this you will merit rest for your body and peace for your soul. "Yet they would not hear" - and nonetheless, they were not willing to listen. Thus, one cannot say that they do not listen because they do not understand, for he explains it to them as one illustrates things for a child; nor can one say that they do not listen because of the heaviness of the demands, for he asked of them the easiest of the easy.
וְהָיָה לָהֶם דְּבַר־יְהֹוָה צַו לָצָו צַו לָצָו קַו לָקָו קַו לָקָו זְעֵיר שָׁם זְעֵיר שָׁם לְמַעַן יֵלְכוּ וְכָשְׁלוּ אָחוֹר וְנִשְׁבָּרוּ וְנוֹקְשׁוּ וְנִלְכָּדוּ׃ - And the word of Hashem will be to them precept by precept, precept by precept, line by line, line by line, a little there, a little there; that they may go, and stumble backward, and be broken, and snared, and trapped.
Even though they do not wish to hear the word of Hashem, the word of Hashem will nevertheless be to them "precept by precept" - command after command, warning after warning, explaining again and again; "line by line" - sketching and illustrating again and again. And if they do not listen, what purpose does this serve? "That they may go, and stumble backward."
The Malbim explains: A person who walks by mistake, unaware that an obstacle lies ahead, walks forward, confident that he is on the right path. But someone who knows there is an obstacle and walks ahead anyway is considered "walking backward", retreating, since he knows from the outset that this is not the proper path, so why does he turn there? It emerges that he is intentionally going backward. This is the meaning of "that they may go, and stumble backward" - that they deliberately walk toward the stumbling block, and consequently "and be broken", suffering a ruin beyond remedy. In other words, the Holy One, Blessed is He, sends them the prophets even when it is no longer effective in bringing them to repent, so that their actions fall into the category of willful transgression. They will not be able to claim, "We did not hear"; know that this is forbidden, and if you proceed now, you will be punished as a deliberate offender.
"And stumble and be snared" - the Malbim adds: a "stumbling block" (michshol) is caused by a stone, whereas a "snare" (mokesh) is a set trap. The difference is that a stumbling block is not necessarily placed intentionally; a stone simply lies there, and someone happens to walk along and stumble over it. A snare, however, is laid with deliberate malice, like digging a pit for someone to fall into (hence the modern Hebrew term for landmines buried in warfare). The deeper meaning is that the stumbling block represents sins people commit on their own, while the snare represents the false prophets who came and deliberately led them astray. When a person stumbles on his own, that is tripping over a stone; when a false prophet comes and misleads him, that is a trap intentionally laid for him. Both of these will befall them. If so, says the prophet, is this truly worthwhile for you? Do not think that I will stop rebuking you - I will continue to rebuke you, and in the end you will be punished as willful transgressors.
לָכֵן שִׁמְעוּ דְבַר־יְהֹוָה אַנְשֵׁי לָצוֹן מֹשְׁלֵי הָעָם הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר בִּירוּשָׁלָ͏ִם׃ - Therefore hear the word of Hashem, you men of scorn, rulers of this people that is in Jerusalem.
Since the Holy One, Blessed be He, desires that I continue warning and prophesying even though you refuse to listen - you men of scorn, steeped in scoffing, who rule over the people of Hashem in the holy city of Jerusalem, hear the prophecy I declare to you now. And how did you earn the title "men of scorn"? The next verse explains.
כִּי אֲמַרְתֶּם כָּרַתְנוּ בְרִית אֶת־מָוֶת וְעִם־שְׁאוֹל עָשִׂינוּ חֹזֶה שׁוֹט שׁוֹטֵף כִּי־יַעֲבֹר לֹא יְבוֹאֵנוּ כִּי שַׂמְנוּ כָזָב מַחְסֵנוּ וּבַשֶּׁקֶר נִסְתָּרְנוּ׃ - For you have said: We have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol have we made an agreement; when the scouring scourge passes through, it shall not reach us, for we have made lies our refuge, and in falsehood have we hidden ourselves.
The Malbim explains the parable: death serves as an emissary, while Sheol and destruction are the senders who commission it. Sheol and Abaddon are the place to which all who die deserving punishment arrive, resembling the leech in Mishlei with its "two daughters crying: Give, give!", shouting "Give, give!" and never satisfied. And who supplies them with their prey so they are continually sated? Death, who is their emissary.
And they declare: "We have made a covenant with death" - we have a pact ensuring that death will not harm us. And should you say that Sheol and destruction are the senders, while death is merely their messenger, to this they answer: "And with Sheol have we made an agreement (chozeh)" - we also have an understanding and sign with the sender itself not to harm us. Neither with the messenger nor with the sender; we are covered on both fronts. The word "chozeh" here does not mean a contract in the modern sense, but comes from the root of vision and sight - like "machazeh", to show and designate a visible sign. And what is the content of this sign? "When the scouring scourge passes through, it shall not reach us" - not only will death not strike us and Sheol will not demand our lives, but even if an invading king sweeps through on his way elsewhere, or a global catastrophe strikes, it will not reach us.
What is the underlying reality (nimshal)? Egypt corresponds to death, while the wealth within the land corresponds to Sheol. For what draws enemies to come and conquer us? Our wealth. Thus, the wealth is the "sender"; it is what entices Pharaoh, saying to him: come and take, there is money here. And they say: we have made an alliance with the king of Egypt, and we have no fear. And should you claim that your wealth still beckons him, they reply: with Sheol too we have made an arrangement, for we have already sent him our treasures (as we will see in chapter 30: "they carry their riches upon the shoulders of young donkeys"). This is the visible pact upholding the treaty: the money reaches him in any case, so why would he bother coming to conquer us? Therefore, even if a general deluge sweeps through and devastates other lands, it will not reach us.
"For we have made lies our refuge, and in falsehood have we hidden ourselves" - the Malbim clarifies the distinction between "kazav" (deceit/illusion) and "sheker" (falsehood): kazav appears real for a time, but in the long run its falseness becomes evident; whereas sheker is recognizable as a lie from the very beginning. The Hebrew language itself indicates this: kazav is related to "achzav", like a seasonal dry stream (nachal achzav) that flows for a while and then dries up - thereby causing disappointment (achzavah), since at first there was genuine expectation. A sheker, by contrast, is completely false from the outset, carrying no real basis for expectation. Furthermore, the Malbim explains that a hiding place (mistor) is greater than a mere shelter (machseh): a place where one hides completely offers far more protection than a spot where one merely seeks temporary shade.
It turns out that their words are the height of mockery: deceit (kazav), which at least offers minimal shelter for a moment, they designate as a "refuge"; and outright falsehood (sheker), which has no substance whatsoever and is untrue even for a moment, they claim will serve as their deep hiding place and major defense. In terms of historical reality: they trusted in Egypt and sought shelter in it, and Egypt ostensibly wanted to help them - there was hope, there were plans and expectations - yet in the end it proved to be like a dry seasonal stream and brought no salvation at all. And they also trusted in Assyria, sending tribute and bribes, which was meant to be a grand "hiding place" - except that it was pure falsehood, for immediately after reaching terms and receiving the treasures, Assyria marched to wage war against them and conquer them.
On this verse, there is a famous rendering by Targum Yonatan, which many recall from lectures given during the period of the Oslo Accords. His wording reads: "Ari amartun gazarna kayam im katola, v'im mechabla avadna shelama" - for you said: we made a covenant with the killer, and with the destroyer (terrorist) we made peace; "machat sana'a reteta aleichon k'nachal megabar" - the blow of the enemies will come trembling upon you like a raging river; "d'atun amrin lo teiti alana" - which you say will not come upon us; "ari shavina v'chadav rochtzanana uv'gin shikrin itmarna" - for you have placed your trust in deceit and in falsehood you have hidden yourselves.
The reality speaks for itself: they brought the symbol of death from Tunis and made peace with him, and the intifada came like an overflowing stream. And in whom did they trust? In someone who was entirely falsehood and deceit - for even while signing the agreement, he told his people that he was deceiving them, that this was the "Treaty of Quraysh," and that soon they would destroy them and drive them out. And this is what the prophet tells them: from the very outset, at the very moment of the agreement, you know that you are relying on a lie; but what of it - for the sake of glory, for a Nobel Prize, for publicity, a person goes and makes peace with terrorists, knowing full well that he is making peace with a lie.
The chapter opens with the downfall of Ephraim as a warning sign for Judah. "A crown of pride" - a monarchy seized in arrogance rather than earned through worthiness; and "a fading blossom" - a fertile, abundant land that withered. The luxury and pleasures, "the wine of Perugita and the waters of Diomsat," are what brought them down: hail that smashes, a shearing tempest that cuts down, and a torrent of mighty waters that sweeps away and exiles without return. The crown was cast down to the earth and trampled underfoot, and no successor arose for them. In contrast stood the hope for Judah - that Hashem would be for them "a crown of beauty and a diadem of glory," justice from within and strength from without - yet they too "erred through wine and strayed through strong drink," to the point where priest and prophet stumbled in ruling and in prophecy. The prophet was forced to speak to them as if to babes, "precept upon precept, line upon line, a little here, a little there," and they treated his words like a foreign and garbled tongue, even though all he asked was the easiest of things: "Give rest to the weary." From that point onward, the purpose of the rebuke was to establish them as willful transgressors. The prophet concludes with the scorn of the rulers in Jerusalem, who made a covenant with death and an agreement with Sheol, making falsehood their refuge and hiding in deception - and ultimately, that hiding place was exposed as utter falsehood, just as Targum Yonatan renders it and as these matters echo in every generation.
[Note: May all the enemies of Hashem perish.]