Chapter 12 of Yirmiyahu opens with the great question of all generations: why do the righteous suffer and the wicked prosper? Yirmiyahu, having just learned of the men of Anatot who sought his life, comes before the Holy One, blessed be He, with an argument, and in the manner of his plea he teaches us how to ask such a question. Later in the chapter, the Holy One, blessed be He, answers him, strengthening his heart for the even harder mission that still awaits him.
צַדִּיק אַתָּה יְהֹוָה כִּי אָרִיב אֵלֶיךָ אַךְ מִשְׁפָּטִים אֲדַבֵּר אֹתָךְ מַדּוּעַ דֶּרֶךְ רְשָׁעִים צָלֵחָה שָׁלוּ כׇּל בֹּגְדֵי בָגֶד׃ - "Righteous are You, Hashem, when I contend with You; yet I will debate judgments with You: Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are all the treacherous secure?"
Even before the question is asked, it opens with a declaration: "Righteous are You, Hashem." First and foremost, the clear, absolute truth about which there is no doubt is affirmed. Yet, despite this, I still wish to understand. Just because I accept the divine justice upon myself does not mean I have understood it. I am certain that whatever Hashem does is just, but I seek to understand the underlying rationale: how this justice can be grasped by human intellect. "Righteous are You, Hashem, when I contend with You" - it is inconceivable that I would truly dispute with You, for You are righteous, and I do not contest that foundational premise. Even so, "yet I will debate judgments with You" - like a person in litigation with his fellow, in the phrasing of Radak, where each side presents his arguments to clarify the matter. So too here: Master of the Universe, I wish to speak of judgments and pose a question - why does the way of the wicked prosper?
Rashi focuses the question: Why was the wicked Nebuchadnezzar granted such greatness, to succeed and destroy Your Temple? Another possibility in Rashi is that the question pertains to what we concluded in the previous chapter, regarding the men of Anatot who plotted to take the prophet's life - why does the way of these wicked men prosper? "Why are all the treacherous secure (shalu)" - from the word shalvah (tranquility), these people who betray Hashem enjoy serenity.
The Malbim places these words in their proper context: After the prophet heard the Holy One, blessed be He, state that He would bring evil upon them in the year of their visitation, meaning at the time of the destruction, the prophet comes and prays: Master of the Universe, cut their time short; exact punishment from them earlier for their wicked conduct. Do not wait until the year of their visitation and the time of the Churban. For the Holy One, blessed be He, is showing him their evil deeds, and if so, it is fitting to advance the time of their retribution. After all, the destruction of the Temple will come partly on their account, and it is very possible that if these wicked people were to die earlier, the Temple would not be destroyed.
The Malbim offers a wonderful explanation here, rooted in principles he expounded upon at length in his commentary on Sefer Iyov, where this forms a substantial part of the dialogue between Iyov and his companions. The core principle is that a distinction must be made between two questions: why the righteous suffer, and why the wicked prosper. The former is far less legitimate, whereas the latter is far more so.
When you ask why the righteous person suffers, you are proceeding from the assumption that he is truly righteous. But who can attest to that? One might say "he looks righteous" or "he acts like a tzaddik," but to definitively determine that he is a tzaddik - only the Holy One, blessed be He, knows what is in a person's heart. And even if you insist that this is a renowned tzaddik, the reply remains: who says he is righteous according to the divine standard, rather than your own human measures? You might say: this is the Baba Sali, an indisputable tzaddik. But do you know the immense exacting standard to which a tzaddik is held? Do you know what Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, and Moshe Rabbeinu were held accountable for? When you comprehend the magnitude of the burden and spiritual labor placed upon the shoulders of a tzaddik, can you determine that he has completed his path and everything expected of him according to the calculations of the Creator of the universe? The service of Hashem has no measure, and the obligations incumbent upon a tzaddik are limitless. Thus, it is extremely difficult to formulate a valid challenge based on the question of "why the righteous suffer."
However, "why the wicked prosper" - that is truly a question worthy of being asked. What can one claim, that he is not truly wicked? After all, one sees a person who is a murderer, who desecrates Shabbat publicly, who is guilty of every transgression. His wickedness is visible to all, and its reality cannot be disputed. Nor can one say, "perhaps he is a tinok shenishba (an innocent captive raised without Torah knowledge)" - he knows his Master and intentionally rebels against Him. Regarding the tzaddik, there is no definitive way for humans to declare him completely righteous, but regarding the wicked person, his evil is undeniable. Therefore, precisely here, the question echoes with full force: Why is it good for the wicked?
Based on this, the Malbim explains the wording of the verse: "Righteous are You, Hashem, when I contend with You" - if I were to come and argue, Master of the Universe, why has my path, the path of Yirmiyahu, not prospered, the answer would immediately follow: who knows whether you are truly righteous, and who knows whether you have fulfilled your mission as expected of you? Therefore, regarding myself I have no grievance. "Yet I will debate judgments with You: Why does the way of the wicked prosper?" - here I have room to speak, for the wickedness of the wicked is manifest.
In the debate in Sefer Iyov, Eliphaz argued that it only appears to you that the wicked man is doing well, but you have no idea how much he suffers, how much inner tranquility he lacks, how conflicted he is within himself, and how many psychologists he keeps in business. The Torah gives a person inner joy in his service of Hashem, whereas the wicked man, even if on the outside he seems to be celebrating, go and see how many problems he has at home, with his children, with debts, and a thousand and one things that only make it seem as though life is good for him. To this claim the prophet replies: "All who deal treacherously are secure." The Malbim notes precisely that shalvah (tranquility) is always in the heart, unlike shalom (peace), which can be external. That is to say, it is evident that they are tranquil internally as well, and therefore you cannot answer me that in their hearts they have no rest.
The Malbim examines the precision of the language: What is the difference between a riv (dispute) and a mishpat (judgment)? A riv refers to arguments when a matter is unresolved and requires someone to hear it and determine its veracity; about this it is said that two people come forward "who have the dispute," each side arguing in order to clarify the truth. A mishpat, by contrast, pertains to a settled matter: you trespassed on my property, the matter is plain for all to see, you simply refuse to leave - and therefore I summon you to judgment. There is no need for clarification here; the facts are clear.
According to this: the question of "a righteous person who suffers" falls under the category of a riv, for the subject itself is open to debate - who says he is truly righteous? But the question of "why the wicked prosper" requires no clarification at all; his wickedness is obvious and absolute. Therefore, this is a claim of mishpat: Master of the Universe, judgment must be brought to light, the facts are clear, he is wicked, and as a wicked person he certainly does not deserve good in this world. Therefore it says: "I will speak of judgments with You."
At times he calls them "wicked" and at times "treacherous betrayers," and the Malbim explains that there is a distinction between them. "Wicked" includes one who is wicked in matters between man and God, and it is fitting that he be punished by Hashem. Thus the question: Why does their way prosper and You do not exact retribution from them, seeing that they sinned against You? On the other hand, "treacherous betrayers" refers to one who betrays his fellow man, and it is fitting that he should live in perpetual fear, for someone who betrays his fellow never knows where his victim is waiting for him around the corner. Someone you took advantage of is waiting for you around some bend, and such a person lives in constant anxiety. If so, why does the way of the wicked - those who sin against God - prosper, when it would be fitting for You to frustrate their way; and why are those who betray their fellow men "tranquil" - where do they get their tranquility?
נְטַעְתָּם גַּם שֹׁרָשׁוּ יֵלְכוּ גַּם עָשׂוּ פֶרִי קָרוֹב אַתָּה בְּפִיהֶם וְרָחוֹק מִכִּלְיוֹתֵיהֶם׃ - You have planted them, they have also taken root; they advance, they also bear fruit; You are near in their mouth, and far from their reins.
Lest you say that the end of the wicked is destruction and that he will not endure long in his success, this verse comes to address it. "You have planted them, they have also taken root" - planting is for the long term, and they have endurance. And lest you say that his children after him will be cut off, like the view of Bildad and Tzophar in their debate with Iyov, about this it says: "they advance, they also bear fruit" - they move forward in their success and their descendants endure. And lest you say that the Holy One, blessed be He, is waiting for them in case they repent, about this it says: "You are near in their mouth, and far from their reins." For regarding a wicked person who believes in reward and punishment and the World to Come, but is simply dragged after his desires and cannot overcome them, one might anticipate that a day will come when he comes to his senses and returns. But these people do not believe in You at all, and there is no hope of their returning - to where would they return, and to whom? It is like bringing suffering upon a primitive tribesman in the deep jungles: will he repent to Hashem, blessed be He? He does not even know that such a thing exists; he has futile beliefs and idolatry. Thus the question echoes with even greater force: Why does the way of the wicked prosper?
The Radak explains that "You have planted them" is a metaphor for their success, in that their success continues to grow like a planting that does not stop but steadily develops. And the emphasis is on "You have planted them" rather than "they were planted": Master of the Universe, You brought the goodness upon them, You made them flourish and grow, and this is the core of the argument - all this good comes from You, so why do they deserve it? And "You are near in their mouth," the Radak adds, refers to when they call upon You in prayer or swear by Your Name to deceive the public and create the impression of believers who have the Name of Heaven readily on their lips, "and far from their reins" - in their hearts they have no genuine faith. If so, they certainly do not deserve good, but evil.
וְאַתָּה יְהֹוָה יְדַעְתָּנִי תִּרְאֵנִי וּבָחַנְתָּ לִבִּי אִתָּךְ הַתִּקֵם כְּצֹאן לְטִבְחָה וְהַקְדִּשֵׁם לְיוֹם הֲרֵגָה׃ - But You, Hashem, know me, You see me, and test my heart toward You; pull them out like sheep for slaughter, and prepare them for the day of slaughter.
Rashi explains that this verse as well refers to the men of Anatot: Master of the Universe, You know me and the difference between me and them, therefore punish the men of Anatot who seek my life. Radak explains "You see me" - You see me as I truly am; "and You test my heart toward You" - You have examined my heart and seen that it is not like their heart. Of them it was said, "far from their innermost thoughts"; You are not in their heart or in their thoughts, whereas my heart is with You. When I speak in Hashem's name, it is not merely superficial speech like theirs, but straight from the heart.
And from here comes the conclusion: "Pull them out like sheep for the slaughter." Hatikem ("pull them out") denotes detachment or separation, as in "until we have drawn them away from the city." Rashi explains: tear them away from life unto death. And Radak explains: pull these tranquil wicked people away from their resting place to their misfortune, like sheep for the slaughter. Now they rest in comfort; tear them away and take them to slaughter as they deserve. "And prepare them for the day of slaughter" - the term hekdesh denotes designation or summoning, and is not necessarily related to holiness, for kedeishah (cult prostitute) and kadesh are from the very same root yet signify the exact opposite. Harei at mekudeshet li ("Behold you are betrothed to me") means designated for me, whereas a kadesh and kedeishah designate themselves for licentiousness and immorality. So too here: designate them for their appointed day, for the day of great slaughter, which is the day of the Destruction; designate them for the sword so that they have no avenue of escape. For right now, when things go well for them, people stand perplexed and wonder why the way of the wicked prospers. Hashem's guidance is not evident, divine justice is not seen, and this arouses questions of faith. If You punish them swiftly, all those questions will not arise.
The Malbim asks: What is the duplication between "You know me" and "You test my heart toward You"? If Hashem knows a person, He knows everything about him! He explains that there are two types of knowledge. There is the foreknowledge, that the Holy One, Blessed is He, knows the end from the beginning - from the time man was created and even beforehand, since for the Holy One, Blessed is He, time has no meaning, and He knows everything every person will do in the future. For if you were to say He does not know, you have made a limited deity, and the Holy One, Blessed is He, is not limited. Yet despite all this, the Holy One, Blessed is He, examines man at every moment to see what he chooses.
From this one learns that man has free will, and therefore the Holy One, Blessed is He, so to speak, must examine each time what he chose. Yet seemingly this contradicts foreknowledge: if Hashem knows that Reuven will desecrate the Shabbat this coming Shabbat, and it cannot be otherwise because then He would not have known, it turns out Reuven is left with no choice. This is an extensive topic that was discussed at length at the end of Sefer HaKuzari, where the entire matter was laid out, and also earlier in Sefer Iyov, chapter 12, where the Malbim likewise explains part of the subject based on the question of divine foreknowledge and free choice; we will not delve into that again here.
In any event, it emerges that there are two forms of knowledge here: "You know me" - the foreknowledge, that You know in advance everything I am destined to do; and "You test my heart toward You" - the ongoing examination at every moment, for free choice is in my hands and I could have chosen otherwise, yet You examine and see that my heart is with You. The prophet comes and says: Master of the Universe, my actions are wholehearted with You both from the perspective of foreknowledge and from the perspective of free choice. If so, I ask that You not wait for them until the day of slaughter and the day of destruction, as You said You would punish them when their time comes upon the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem's exile. Do not wait for their measure of sin to become full; do it immediately - pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, tear them away from the prosperity they enjoy today.
The Malbim further asks: If it already says "like sheep for the slaughter," what does "and prepare them for the day of slaughter" add? He explains that there are two types of punishment here. "Like sheep for the slaughter" - when one wants to slaughter sheep, one selects the fattest, healthiest, and finest. So too, Master of the Universe, select the foremost among them, the greatest wrongdoers who fought against the prophet. Afterward, "prepare them for the day of slaughter" - designate them all for the day of killing, giving each one the punishment he deserves.
He illustrates this with a parable of a king conquering a land: first he captures the king and the ministers and puts them to cruel deaths, and only afterward conquers the rest of the land. For when the populace sees that its king and ministers were like sheep to the slaughter, its strength falters and it ceases to fight, realizing its chances are nil. As long as the king is alive, even in exile, even sending messages from some pit, it is difficult to overcome resistance. But once the king is dead and the ministers are slaughtered, conquering the kingdom becomes far easier. So too here: first the prominent leaders, and afterward the day of slaughter for the common people.
עַד מָתַי תֶּאֱבַל הָאָרֶץ וְעֵשֶׂב כׇּל הַשָּׂדֶה יִיבָשׁ מֵרָעַת יֹשְׁבֵי בָהּ סָפְתָה בְהֵמוֹת וָעוֹף כִּי אָמְרוּ לֹא יִרְאֶה אֶת אַחֲרִיתֵנוּ׃ - "How long shall the land mourn, and the herb of every field wither? Because of the wickedness of those who dwell in it, beasts and birds are consumed, for they said, 'He will not see our end.'"
Rashi divides the verse into two: "How long shall the land mourn, and the herb of every field wither?" - up to here are the words of the prophet, asking how long, Master of the Universe, will this terrible situation continue. And Ruach HaKodesh answers him: "Because of the wickedness of those who dwell in it, beasts and birds are consumed, for they said, 'He will not see our end'" - the inhabitants of the land have committed wicked, awful deeds, and they deserve the punishment they received, for they said that the Holy One, Blessed is He, so to speak, cannot judge them or exact punishment from them; therefore, the punishment came with complete justice.
Radak explains that the entire verse is the prophet's question. "How long" must we wait for Hashem to punish them? Until the land mourns, on the day of mourning for the land, which is the day of the Destruction, when "the herb of every field shall wither" and "beasts and birds are consumed" (safetah, an expression of destruction, as in "Will You also destroy the righteous with the wicked?"), meaning that beasts and fowl will no longer exist in the land. And why will the land mourn and be devastated? "Because of the wickedness of those who dwell in it," for justice dictates that Hashem punish them, since they said, "He will not see our end." The prophets warned them that God would bring an evil end upon them, and that their present tranquility was misleading and they should not be deceived by it; yet they replied: God will not see our end, for He does not watch over us or our deeds, and He does not know what our end will be - meaning, they denied His foreknowledge of future events. For such words of heresy against the Master of the Universe, they deserve to be punished fittingly.
Radak concludes: Behold, Yirmiyahu asked about the success of the wicked and God did not answer him. That is to say, in his view, the question remained unanswered here. We, however, will proceed to explore additional perspectives on this matter.
The Malbim explains: Master of the Universe, because of their sins they deserve that the land should mourn - this is the destruction of the inanimate; 'and the grass of every field wither' - the destruction of plant life; 'beasts and birds are swept away' - the destruction of animal life; and all this 'for the wickedness of those who dwell therein.' And do not say that perhaps in the wake of the devastation they will repent, for they say, 'He will not see our end,' denying the Holy One Blessed be He's knowledge of what takes place in this world, let alone His knowledge of the future, and denying reward and punishment. If so, why would they repent? They do not perceive at all that everything they receive comes from Hashem.
כִּי אֶת רַגְלִים רַצְתָּה וַיַּלְאוּךָ וְאֵיךְ תְּתַחֲרֶה אֶת הַסּוּסִים וּבְאֶרֶץ שָׁלוֹם אַתָּה בוֹטֵחַ וְאֵיךְ תַּעֲשֶׂה בִּגְאוֹן הַיַּרְדֵּן׃ - If you have run with footmen and they have wearied you, how then can you contend with horses? And if in a land of peace you feel secure, how will you do in the thickets of the Jordan?
This verse is enigmatic and obscure, and it is not even clear how it fits into the flow of the passage. We will present several explanations for it. Targum Yonatan renders: 'This is the answer given to Yirmiyahu the prophet concerning his petition - Prophet, you are like a person who runs on foot and becomes exhausted.' When a person runs on foot, at a certain point he runs out of breath. 'How then do you imagine you can run against horses in the plain?' You ran a little and grew tired, could you possibly compete with horses? 'And in a land of peace you feel secure and yet stumble' - even on a straight path you falter and fall, 'so what do you think you will do against the wild beasts in the heights of the Jordan?' A rugged terrain where running is suited only for seasoned trekkers. In the flat plains you did not succeed, so how will you compete with the beasts of the field in the elevated heights?
The Targum continues: If you look with wonder and astonishment at the good I bestow upon Nevuchadnezzar king of Bavel, the 'footman' (ragla'ah), what will you say when I show you what I will do in the future for your righteous forefathers of old, who 'ran like horses' to perform good deeds before Me, and to whom I promised that I would bring upon their children blessings and consolations - like waters rushing down and descending into the Jordan! That is, if you are amazed at the reward given to Nevuchadnezzar, know that this is a mere drop in the bucket compared to what the holy Avos will receive. And when you ask why there is reward for the wicked, the answer is: from that very fact you will understand how boundless the good stored up for the righteous will be. While I have not found an explicit explanation for the word ragla'ah, it is very possible that it alludes to the reward Nevuchadnezzar received because of the steps of his feet, as we will presently explain.
Rashi explains that the verse refers to Yirmiyahu's relatives, the Kohanim: The men of Anatot seek to kill you, and you fought against them 'and they wearied you' - you became exhausted, broken, and terrified by this conflict with your relatives. If so, 'how then can you contend with horses' - what will you do against the princes of Yehudah? Your relatives, from whom you might have at least expected assistance, seek to kill you; the princes of Yehudah are not only not your relatives, but your outright enemies. It turns out that here the Holy One Blessed be He explains why they are punished and why Nevuchadnezzar prospers: in order to exact retribution from the people of Yehudah, for if you could not prevail against Anatot, you certainly will not against Yehudah, who are deeply wicked, and Nevuchadnezzar is fittingly designated to come and exact punishment from them.
Rashi cites the homiletic teaching of Chazal: If you are astonished that I magnified the greatness of Nevuchadnezzar so much as a reward for the three steps he ran for My honor in the days of Merodach-baladan, how much more will you be amazed when you witness the payment of the reward that I will give to the righteous who ran before Me like horses! This is what was alluded to earlier regarding the Targum's use of ragla'ah. Nevuchadnezzar wrote the dispatch and initially placed the name of King Chizkiyahu before the name of Hashem, and then he reconsidered, walked three steps, and retrieved the letter in order to rewrite it and give precedence to the Holy One Blessed be He. The Holy One Blessed be He said: As reward for the three steps he ran for My honor, to rewrite the dispatch and place Hashem's Name ahead of Chizkiyahu's, he received such immense dominion. If this was given for three steps, how overwhelmed with wonder will you be when you see the monumental reward due to the holy Avos, who did not merely run three steps, but throughout their entire lives exerted infinite effort in the service of Hashem!
'And if in a land of peace you feel secure' - there they wearied you; 'how will you do in the thickets of the Jordan' - with the princes of Yehudah. 'The thickets of the Jordan,' Rashi explains, is a metaphor: just as the Jordan swells and overflows its banks, so too the princes of Yehudah are haughty and wicked, and how will you stand against them?
Radak explains that this verse is the Holy One Blessed be He's answer to Yirmiyahu: Do not question My ways. When you ask, 'Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are all the treacherous at ease?' you are questioning Hashem's providence. Concerning this, the parable was spoken to him: You ran with footmen like yourself and they wearied you - there were those who ran faster than you and you could not overtake them - so how do you expect to contend with horses? If you could not prevail against people like yourself, will you prevail against horses?
And the lesson of the parable is: You tried to fathom the secret thoughts of human beings like yourself and could not comprehend them, yet you expect to comprehend the secrets of the Master of the Universe? For as we saw, the men of Anatot plotted to assassinate him, and he did not know this on his own until the Holy One Blessed be He revealed it to him. If you do not even know the mind of man, do you expect to comprehend the mind of the Omnipresent? It emerges that an answer was indeed given to Yirmiyahu here, but not an answer containing an analytical explanation; rather, an answer whose message is: Do not question My ways, for everything the Holy One Blessed be He does is executed with pure justice. As Rav Saadia Gaon stated: 'Had I known Him, I would be Him' - if I could understand the Master of the Universe and all His ways and conduct, I would myself be the Master of the Universe. Rather, the Master of the Universe is exalted high above all, and man possesses no comprehension of the divine ways of Hashem.
Radak brings a second parable, using it to explain the matter directly: The Holy One, blessed be He, says to him: I see that you have grown weak in My mission and that weariness has overtaken you, and you must strengthen yourself. Yirmiyahu was the most persecuted of all the prophets for his mission, and as we will see many times ahead, he endured severe suffering as he fulfilled Hashem's errand. 'If you have run with footmen and they have wearied you' - these are the men of Anatot, your own family members, who are on the same level as you, and when you saw that they sought to kill you, you were dismayed. 'Then how can you contend with horses?' - I still wish to send you to rebuke the people of Yerushalayim. Compared to Yerushalayim, the men of Anatot are petty hoodlums, whereas there, they are sharks. If these wearied you, how will you rebuke the wicked of Yerushalayim, great ministers, and even the king who is there? If a few people here intimidated you, how will you manage when you must speak before ministers and dignitaries? It is a kal vachomer (all the more so). You must take courage and not fear, and carry out Hashem's mission without dread.
'And if in a land of peace you feel secure' - you trusted the men of Anatot to be a land of peace for you, that they would help you and protect you, since they are people of your hometown, your family, Kohanim like you, and your relatives. The way of the world, says Radak, is that a person's relatives assist him, protect him, and rescue him, yet here they are plotting to kill you. 'Then how will you do in the pride of the Jordan?' - in the place where the waves of the Jordan swell, referring to the officers of Yehudah and Yerushalayim who are compared to the surge of the Jordan; how will you stand against them there? Some explain that 'the pride of the Jordan' refers to Nevuchadnezzar, who would station his armies beyond the Jordan: if you fear the few, what will you do against Nevuchadnezzar? In simple words, the Holy One, blessed be He, came to dispel his fears and tell him that he should not fear at all, neither the men of Yerushalayim nor Nevuchadnezzar, and came to fortify his heart.
The Malbim explains that here the Holy One, blessed be He, answers him: You think that only the men of Anatot seek to kill you and that only because of them the land was laid waste - but they are a marginal problem. The primary problem you will have to confront is the people of Yerushalayim, who are the real issue.
כִּי גַם אַחֶיךָ וּבֵית אָבִיךָ גַּם הֵמָּה בָּגְדוּ בָךְ גַּם הֵמָּה קָרְאוּ אַחֲרֶיךָ מָלֵא אַל תַּאֲמֵן בָּם כִּי יְדַבְּרוּ אֵלֶיךָ טוֹבוֹת׃ - For even your brothers and your father's household, even they have dealt treacherously with you; they too have called after you a multitude. Believe them not, though they speak fair words to you.
The Holy One, blessed be He, says to Yirmiyahu: You trusted them, for a person naturally relies on his relatives, yet here his relatives sought to feed him deadly poison. 'Even they have dealt treacherously with you' - although they should have cared for you, and as the Malbim notes, they were the Kohanim, the sons of Aharon who were in Yerushalayim, they too betrayed you. And do not think they did this in secret; rather, 'they too have called after you a multitude [malei].'
Here the commentators seek an explanation for the word malei. Radak explains that it denotes an assembly or gathering: they gathered after you with a full crowd of people to threaten you not to prophesy to them, for your prophecies were unpleasant to their ears. Therefore Hashem tells him, 'Believe them not, though they speak fair words to you' - even when they speak favorably to you, they speak falsely. All these pleasantries are merely outward, meant to draw you close so that they can feed or give you deadly poison and harm you; therefore, do not be swayed by their words.
Radak also cites an original explanation in the name of Rav Hai Gaon: malei ('full') is used euphemistically (sagi nahor), meaning lacking. They label you and say: this person is bereft of all good. Just as a blind person is called sagi nahor ('of abundant light'), so they called after you malei, meaning that you are devoid of all good.
Radak cites another explanation in the name of his father: malei is related to the expression, 'Who is he whose heart has emboldened him [mela'o libo] to do so' - meaning boldness and courage, fearing and trembling before nothing. They cried out after him: This man has dared to continue prophesying, and no threat affects him, despite everything we say and threaten him with. The Malbim likewise explains that malei implies a gathering, as they gather the populace together to strike and harm him.
At the opening of the chapter, Yirmiyahu teaches us how to pose a question: first an affirmation - 'Righteous are You, Hashem' - and only afterward the request to understand. The Malbim sharpens this, noting that there is no room for a question regarding 'the righteous who suffers,' for the true righteousness of the tzaddik and the extent to which he fulfills the Divine demand are unknown to us; therefore, it remains in the realm of a 'dispute' [riv] requiring clarification. But 'the wicked who prospers' is a matter of 'justice' [mishpat], since his wickedness is overt. Regarding this, the prophet asks: Why does their way prosper, why are they at ease in their hearts, why does their planting succeed when they have no hope of repenting, since 'You are near in their mouth and far from their thoughts'? The prophet asks that the Holy One, blessed be He, exact retribution from them early and not wait for the day of destruction, first from the prominent among them and then from all of them. The Holy One, blessed be He, answers him with the parable of the runners and the horses: according to Radak - do not question My ways, for if you cannot comprehend human thought, how much more so the mind of the Omnipresent; according to the Targum - if such was the reward of Nevuchadnezzar for three steps, what will be the reward of the righteous who ran like horses all their days; and according to Rashi and the Malbim - an encouragement to the prophet's heart, that if you were intimidated by the men of Anatot, brace yourself for the true confrontation with the princes of Yerushalayim and with Nevuchadnezzar. Finally comes the warning: even your brothers and your father's house have dealt treacherously with you, and do not believe them when they speak fair words to you.