Chapter 12 of Yirmiyahu opens with the prophet's profound plea regarding the prosperity of the wicked, and continues with the words of the Holy One, Blessed be He, Himself. In the section before us, we hear, as it were, the lament of the Holy One, Blessed be He, over His people: the forsaking of His House, the abandonment of His heritage, and the handing over of the beloved of His soul into the hand of her enemies. The prophet describes the impending destruction, the marauders raiding everywhere, the failure of rebuke and affliction to bring repentance, and finally what will become of the wicked neighbors of the Land of Israel. We will proceed through the verses, primarily in light of the commentary of the Malbim, alongside Rashi and the Radak.
עָזַבְתִּי אֶת בֵּיתִי, נָטַשְׁתִּי אֶת נַחֲלָתִי, נָתַתִּי אֶת יְדִדוּת נַפְשִׁי בְּכַף אֹיְבֶיהָ׃ - "I have forsaken My House, I have abandoned My heritage; I have given the beloved of My soul into the hand of her enemies."
Radak explains: These words are uttered like a person groaning in grief over his lost treasure. As it were, the Holy One, Blessed be He, says in anguish - I have forsaken the Beis HaMikdash. "My heritage" refers to Israel, as it is written, "Yaakov is the lot of His inheritance" (Devarim 32:9). And "the beloved of My soul" is the people of Israel, as Rashi comments: My treasured nation is the beloved of My soul, and now, because of their sins, I have delivered them into the hand of their enemies.
The Malbim emphasizes that all these expressions are spoken regarding the future. Although the phrasing uses the past tense - since the Holy One, Blessed be He, already sees the outcomes - from our vantage point this is a prophecy of the future: Now I will be compelled to forsake My House and destroy the Beis HaMikdash, and I will be forced to place the beloved of My soul into the hand of her enemies. Not only have I forsaken her, but I Myself am handing her over into the hand of her enemies - so that in place of friendship and love, an estrangement has formed, as it were, between the Holy One, Blessed be He, and us, as we will see in the next verse.
From a grammatical perspective, the Malbim explains: What is the difference between forsaking (azivah) and abandoning (netishah)? Netishah is far more severe than azivah. Azivah means I got up and walked away. Netishah means I actively cast something out of my domain, taking it and throwing it away. Similarly, "heritage" (nachalah) is greater than a "house" (bayis): a person may have a house or dwelling that is not his ancestral heritage, whereas an inheritance implies something passed down from one's forebears that belongs to him intrinsically. Thus, we find here two expressions in an ascending order: "I have forsaken My House" - a departure that is less severe, and a house, which is of lower status. And even more grave: "I have abandoned My heritage" - a forceful casting off, throwing out of My possession, and specifically directed at the heritage itself. The people of Israel are My heritage, their holiness is eternal, I inherited them of old from the Exodus from Egypt, and yet I was compelled, as it were, to actively abandon them, to withdraw My holiness from them, and to surrender them into the hands of their enemies. And why did I do so?
הָיְתָה לִּי נַחֲלָתִי כְּאַרְיֵה בַיָּעַר, נָתְנָה עָלַי בְּקוֹלָהּ, עַל כֵּן שְׂנֵאתִיהָ׃ - "My heritage has become to Me like a lion in the forest; she has raised her voice against Me, therefore I have hated her."
Radak explains: When a lion roars in the forest and lets out its voice, passersby who hear the sound flee from the area, not wanting to remain anywhere a lion might appear. So too says the Holy One, Blessed be He: I have forsaken My heritage because My heritage became to Me like a roaring lion in the forest. Just as everyone keeps their distance from a lion, so too when the people of Israel acted like a roaring lion through their deeds, I had no choice but to depart from them.
And what is the meaning of "she has raised her voice against Me"? Radak explains that this refers to the outcry of the oppressed in the face of violence and injustice, and similarly Rashi writes: the outcry over their robbery and injustice ascended before Me. When I hear the cries of the robbed and oppressed rising from their dwellings - "therefore I have hated her," for this arouses abhorrence toward their wicked deeds. Another explanation offered by Radak: it refers to the voices of idolaters in their temples of avodah zarah, who raised their voices in prayer to the pagan deity. As we find in the narrative of Eliyahu and Achav: "And they called upon the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, 'O Baal, answer us!'... And they cried with a loud voice" (Melachim I 18:26-28). That sound, the voice crying out to idols, is "she has raised her voice against Me," and on its account, "therefore I have hated her" - I abandoned them, for I could no longer endure their evil actions.
The Malbim paints a vivid parable here: A man took a lion, raised it among human beings, and civilized it. He accustomed it to the company of people, and the lion became his cherished pet and playmate. One day, he went out for a walk with it in the forest. There, surrounded by the wild, the lion recalled its past, its origins, and its native habitat, and began to yearn for them - and suddenly let out a bloodcurdling roar at its master. As the Gemara notes in Bava Kama and Sanhedrin, a lion is never truly civilized; that is, it can never genuinely be domesticated.
The lesson of the parable is clear: When the people of Israel were in Egypt, they were wild like a lion in the forest. I took them and domesticated them, civilized them, took them out of Egypt, gave them the Torah, and bestowed mitzvos upon them. But when they entered "the forest" - returning to the company of the nations and drawing close to the surrounding heathens - immediately "she raised her voice against Me." Against whom does the lion bare its fangs? Against its own master, the very one who brought it out of the wild and civilized it! Those whom I labored so intensely to elevate and refine are the ones now threatening Me, as it were, and threatening My prophets with death. "Therefore I have hated her," and for this reason I surrendered the beloved of My soul into the hand of her enemies.
The poskim cite this verse regarding an unworthy chazzan. For example, a person who desecrates Shabbat in public, and has a pleasant voice - or imagines he has a pleasant voice, or has the harsh voice of a raven - and decides to serve as chazzan. Why? Because of a yahrtzeit. As Rav Ovadia once remarked: your father made you an orphan; he did not make you a chazzan. Many assume that because a parent passed away, one automatically becomes a chazzan, and the entire congregation must quietly endure his undeveloped talents. This is not the proper practice, nor is it the Sephardic custom. One who wishes to lead and is truly capable - may a blessing come upon him; one who is a genuinely upright person - fine. But for someone who commits very grave sins and insists on serving as chazzan, the holy books state that the congregation should walk out. If a public desecrator of Shabbat stands up to lead the prayers, one must leave the synagogue. "She raised her voice against Me, therefore I hated her": such a person is not praying before Me, but rather shouting at Me, as if blaspheming Me. While various transgressions warrant halachic evaluation without entering into a detailed discussion here, this unmistakable example was chosen deliberately - a public desecrator of Shabbat, who is halachically considered like a non-Jew in all respects. If such a person ascends to lead the prayers, the halachah is simply to leave the synagogue.
הַעַיִט צָבוּעַ נַחֲלָתִי לִי, הַעַיִט סָבִיב עָלֶיהָ, לְכוּ אִסְפוּ כָּל חַיַּת הַשָּׂדֶה הֵתָיוּ לְאָכְלָה׃ - Is My heritage unto Me as a speckled bird of prey? Are birds of prey round about her? Go, gather all the beasts of the field, bring them to devour.
Rashi explains that the letter heh here is interrogative, posing a question: Is My heritage indeed like a stained bird of prey? And what is the meaning of tzavua? Rashi explains: stained with blood, as the other birds gather over it and it becomes colored by the dripping blood. In another explanation: it is a bird of variegated colors, and all the other birds gather against it to devour it because they hate it. "Are birds of prey round about her" - Rashi explains: Are these like birds of the heavens, these agile armies and battalions that surround her? That is, consider how swiftly the enemy arrived, how rapidly the legions came to strike the people of Israel, like birds of the heavens - just as Hashem declared, "I have given the beloved of My soul into the hand of her enemies."
Radak likewise explains that the phrasing is a question, and tzavua means stained with the blood of the slain. Surrounding the heritage I have chosen for Myself are nations swooping down upon it. The ayit is a predatory bird that feeds on carcasses, and so too will the nations descend upon the heritage of the Jewish people. Once satiated, it calls to all the beasts of the field to join in eating - it is not satisfied with consuming its own fill, but summons additional beasts and birds. "Go, gather all the beasts of the field" - the bird of prey summons the wild beasts: Come and eat, there is still sustenance left here. "Bring them to devour" (hetayu l'ochlah) - related to ata in Aramaic, an expression of coming, as though inviting them to come and consume.
Radak further explains how this unfolds in reality, even without the bird of prey literally calling to the other creatures. One of the reliable signs for locating a body in the field is looking upward: when vultures, ravens, and predatory birds are seen circling over a specific location, search forces are immediately dispatched there, knowing a body is likely present. Usually it is an animal carcass, but when searching for a missing person, Heaven spare us, this often serves as a key indicator. Thus, the words "gather all the beasts of the field" do not necessarily mean that the bird actively calls them; rather, the very sight of the bird of prey hovering above serves as a clear signal to all the beasts of the field. The animals recognize the sign, and seeing the birds, they gather to feed on the remains. So too here: first comes the bird of prey stained with the blood of the slain, and seeing it circling above, the other beasts arrive as well. The deeper meaning: these are the other nations that joined Nevuchadnezzar to destroy Jerusalem. Nevuchadnezzar was the bird of prey, and when the neighboring nations saw him preying on the slain, they all rushed in to seize their share. This is therefore a prophecy of the future: that Nevuchadnezzar and the nations accompanying him would come to plunder the Jewish people.
The Malbim continues the line of his parable from the previous verse. Just as he interpreted the Jewish people as a lion that men attempted to domesticate, which ultimately reverted to its wild nature, so he explains the speckled bird of prey: a bird of prey was taken, and an attempt was made to train it. It possessed two positive qualities. First, it had beautiful plumage, with fine colors among its feathers. Second, "birds of prey round about her" - it grew accustomed to human company and was not frightened by people, so everyone played with it, coming to watch it and feed it by hand. There are predatory birds that, upon bonding with humans, become docile, and are even trained for hunting and similar tasks. This bird of prey resembles the lion mentioned earlier, a playful lion that does no harm, seemingly tamed. Therefore it is said, "Go, gather all the beasts of the field" to come and attack this beast of prey, and do not think it is formidable - "bring them to devour": it only appears strong, but know that it is as defenseless as a lamb, and just as a lamb is offered for food, it can be consumed without fear.
רֹעִים רַבִּים שִׁחֲתוּ כַרְמִי, בֹּסְסוּ אֶת חֶלְקָתִי, נָתְנוּ אֶת חֶלְקַת חֶמְדָּתִי לְמִדְבַּר שְׁמָמָה׃ - Many shepherds have destroyed My vineyard, they have trampled My portion, they have turned My delightful portion into a desolate wilderness.
Who are the "many shepherds"? These are the legions of Nevuchadnezzar, as written earlier in chapter 6: "To her shall come shepherds with their flocks." Boseisu denotes trampling underfoot. "My vineyard" and "My portion" are metaphors for the people of Israel, who are the vineyard of the Holy One, Blessed be He, as seen in a similar prophecy in Yeshayahu, where the prophet depicts the Jewish people as a vineyard: "My beloved had a vineyard on a fruitful hill."
The Malbim explains: At first, "they have destroyed My vineyard" - referring to the grapevines. Once an empty plot was left stripped of its vines, "they have trampled My portion" - in the second stage, when the enemy saw there was nothing left to take, he trampled the plot and ruined the soil itself. In the third stage, when there was nothing left to destroy in the earth, "they have turned My delightful portion into a desolate wilderness" - they converted it into a wasteland, "sulfur and salt, a burnt-out waste, all its land, neither sown nor sprouting." These three stages, the Malbim notes, correspond to the three times Nevuchadnezzar invaded. On the first occasion, we were still a vineyard with fruit, and there was produce to destroy; on the second, there was nothing left to take, so they ruined the soil; and on the third, even that was gone, so they scorched it and sowed salt and sulfur, demonstrating that even in the future nothing could be built or sown there.
שָׂמָהּ לִשְׁמָמָה, אָבְלָה עָלַי שְׁמֵמָה, נָשַׁמָּה כָּל הָאָרֶץ כִּי אֵין אִישׁ שָׂם עַל לֵב׃ - He has made it a desolation; desolate, it mourns unto Me; the whole land is made desolate, because no man lays it to heart.
"He has made it a desolation" - Radak explains: Nevuchadnezzar made it a desolation. Although he is not explicitly mentioned here by name, "many shepherds" were mentioned earlier, and we know from history who stood at their head. Therefore, the verse uses an unstated third person, "he made it a desolation," referring to Nevuchadnezzar.
"Desolate, it mourns unto Me" - Radak explains that this describes the Community of Israel, which was desolate, and mourned unto Me over its desolation. That is, they came with grievances to the Holy One, blessed be He: Master of the Universe, look what You did to me! In her time of mourning, to whom does she turn with accusations? To Me. And Rashi explains "unto Me" as "before Me." This desolate entity, which is the Jewish people, comes and complains against the Holy One, blessed be He, as if the troubles came from Me, as if I caused its desolation. To this the Holy One, blessed be He, responds: "The whole land is made desolate, because no man lays it to heart" - no one takes to heart that the entire land was desolated because of their sins. I sent them the prophets early and late, but they did not listen and did not take it to heart, and because of this the whole land was desolated. Instead of searching within to see what they need to rectify - they place the blame upon Me, they mourn to Me and lodge complaints against Me, failing to understand that they brought all these troubles upon themselves.
The Malbim explains "He has made it a desolation" differently from Radak: not Nevuchadnezzar, but the wilderness itself. This is a continuation of the previous verse - "they have made My pleasant portion a desolate wilderness." They turned My pleasant portion, the Land of Israel, into a wilderness, and the wilderness made it a desolation. It is so desolate that the wilderness assigned it the most desolate spot within itself. A wilderness contains barren regions, and what is the greatest desolation among them? The Land of Israel. And on "desolate, it mourns unto Me," the Malbim explains similarly to Radak: behold, she mourns to Me and levels accusations against Me, but in truth, no one lays it to heart to repent in teshuvah, and as a result, these troubles came upon them.
עַל כָּל שְׁפָיִם בַּמִּדְבָּר בָּאוּ שֹׁדְדִים, כִּי חֶרֶב לַיהוָה אֹכְלָה מִקְצֵה אֶרֶץ וְעַד קְצֵה הָאָרֶץ, אֵין שָׁלוֹם לְכָל בָּשָׂר׃ - Upon all the bare heights in the wilderness spoilers have come, for the sword of Hashem devours from one end of the land to the other; there is no peace for any flesh.
Radak explains: A grazing ground for livestock is called a midbar (wilderness), as we saw with Moshe, who went to shepherd the flock of Yisro "beyond the wilderness." It does not necessarily refer to a desert in the modern sense, a place completely devoid of vegetation, but rather, a midbar is often an uninhabited area that still provides pasture for sheep. And shefayim refers to high places, mountains and hills, as in the phrase "and he went up to a bare hill (shefi)" - an expression of height. "Upon all the bare heights in the wilderness spoilers have come" - the plunderers arrived and stripped everything, even on the highest peaks. "For the sword of Hashem devours from one end of the land to the other" - a consuming sword, and do not think it struck only there, but Nevuchadnezzar's reach extended to every single place. And do not think this was merely his own power, but "the sword of Hashem" - know that the One Who dispatched this sword is the Holy One, blessed be He; it comes from Him, may He be blessed. The prophet proclaims this in advance, saying: "There is no peace for any flesh" - do not say, "The trouble will not reach me, in my area there will be no problem"; wherever they may be, the sword will devour, and there will be no peace for any flesh.
The Malbim emphasizes: "Upon all the bare heights in the wilderness" refers even to the high mountains within the wilderness, where plunderers would seemingly have no reason to venture, since no one lives there. The prophet is telling us that they will penetrate even the most remote corners. The wilderness itself is devoid of human inhabitants, and a high mountain in the wilderness even more so. Yet even there, spoilers have come. That is, the plunderers will track you down in the clefts, in the cave hollows, in every single place, even on the high mountains of the wilderness. Then the reality will be that "the sword of Hashem devours from one end of the land to the other," for if the plunderers search everywhere, no hiding place will remain, and consequently "there is no peace for any flesh" - there will not be a single person about whom it can be said that he is in peace and tranquility.
זָרְעוּ חִטִּים וְקֹצִים קָצָרוּ, נֶחְלוּ לֹא יוֹעִלוּ, וּבֹשׁוּ מִתְּבוּאֹתֵיכֶם מֵחֲרוֹן אַף יְהוָה׃ - They have sown wheat and reaped thorns; they have sickened themselves and profited nothing; be ashamed of your harvests because of the fierce anger of Hashem.
Rashi notes that there are manuscripts where the word is written Zir'u with a chirik, but this is a corrupt reading, because a chirik would make it an imperative command, whereas here it is not a command but a description of what transpired: they sowed wheat, and instead of harvesting grain, they reaped thorns. And what does this symbolize? That they prayed, yet their prayer bore no fruit - they prayed and received thorns in return. Why? Because "Break up your fallow ground, and do not sow among thorns." When a person plows the ground beforehand, the seed takes root; but if one sows where there are thorns, the sowing cannot take hold. So it was here: had you repented in teshuvah beforehand, your prayer would have had substance, and the Holy One, blessed be He, would have answered and accepted it. But because you did not plow your fallow ground first, the prayer made no impact, and the harvest was nothing but thorns.
"They have sickened themselves and gained nothing" - nechlu ("they have sickened themselves") comes from the root of sickness and illness (machalah and choli). That is, they became like a sick person in pain from the intensity of their crying out; they fell ill from their screaming, yet it did not avail them - it did not bring them salvation. And "be ashamed of your produce, because of the fierce anger of Hashem" - Rashi explains that "from your produce" refers to your wicked deeds, through which you brought about Hashem's fierce anger.
Radak explains differently: "They have sown wheat and reaped thorns" refers to the work of the prophets. According to Rashi, it refers to the futile prayers of Israel; according to Radak, it refers to the prophecies of the prophets, which yielded no harvest. Israel is called "My vineyard" and "My portion," and the prophets would sow wheat in this field - the prophecy, through which they sought to bring forth repentance, good deeds, and rectification. Instead, they reaped thorns: in the vineyard of the House of Israel, nothing grew except Israel's evil deeds, which resemble thorns. "They have sickened themselves and gained nothing" - the prophets fell ill from this, seeing that their efforts bore no fruit. They spoke early and late, and it is profoundly frustrating when one expends so much energy and ultimately sees no benefit, as the words make no impact. "And be ashamed of your produce" - the prophets felt shame over the harvest, over their expectation to see produce, yet instead seeing thorns, causing them deep sorrow. Furthermore, says Radak, the prophets grew sick "because of the fierce anger of Hashem": when the prophet imagines what fierce anger will come as a result of rebukes that go unheeded, he falls sick with fear. This is a parable, just as we saw in Yeshayahu's parable of Israel as a vineyard - "and he hoped it would yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes" - so too here, he hoped for grain and received thorns.
Radak brings a third explanation in the name of his father: it refers neither to the Jewish people praying, as Rashi explains, nor to the prophets admonishing us, as Radak suggests, but to the people of Israel placing their hopes in Egypt and other nations to save them. And we know how repeatedly the prophets warned them not to place their hopes in them, for Egypt would prove to be a "crushed reed" that pierces the palm of anyone who leans on it. The prophets constantly warned against expecting salvation from the kings of the surrounding nations, a staff of crushed reed. This is "they sowed wheat and reaped thorns": they expected to receive salvation from the surrounding nations. And how did they seek salvation? They would send gifts, they would send money, as we see many times in the Prophets, where they sent substantial sums as bribes so that they would defend and protect us. But the reality was that they took the money and provided no protection. This is "they sowed wheat" - they invested heavily in their faith and trust in those nations, and in the end they reaped thorns. "They have sickened themselves and gained nothing" - from all the wealth they gave away, they grew sick, and it availed them nothing.
One can also explain "they have sickened themselves and gained nothing" in this manner: when do we expect them to come and benefit us? When we have fallen ill - that is, when we are in danger and surrounded by threats. Then comes the moment when all our investments should pay off: "Come, you nations whom we paid, and help us!" We fell sick - yet they were of no use. Those nations we anticipated and relied upon ultimately offered us no help at all. And then he tells them: "And be ashamed of your produce" - you should be ashamed of what you sowed expecting a harvest. For this is your produce: thorns. And that is a great disgrace and deep shame.
Metzudat David offers an innovative explanation, departing from the other commentaries that explain everything as referring to the dire state of Israel and the desolation and decline. According to him, "they sowed wheat and reaped thorns" speaks of the Chaldeans. It was stated earlier: "Upon all the bare heights in the wilderness spoilers have come"; Nebuchadnezzar will come and plunder the land: "a sword of Hashem devours from one end of the land to the other, there is no peace for any flesh." And the Holy One, blessed be He, says: Do not think they will find success here; rather, "they sowed wheat and reaped thorns" - the Chaldeans who come and conquer the land will not prosper in it; they will sow wheat and reap thorns, and no benefit will come to them from conquering the land. "And be ashamed of your produce, because of the fierce anger of Hashem" - through this it will become evident that the curse that came upon them is from the fierce anger of Hashem, not a coincidence, but from Hashem. As the Holy One, blessed be He, states: "And I will make desolate the enemies who dwell in it," where the Holy One, blessed be He, promises that those who conquer the land will not succeed in it.
Finally, regarding this verse, we mention the words of the Malbim. He also explains, like Radak, that "they sowed wheat" refers to the prophets who delivered words of mussar, but he explains "they have sickened themselves and gained nothing" as an additional form of rebuke. The prophets came to rebuke - they sowed wheat and reaped thorns. "They fell ill" - this was another method of rebuke employed by the Holy One, blessed be He, Who brought sickness and afflictions upon them, hoping that through illness they might return to Him. Yet the prophet says: even this was of no avail. It was not enough that the prophets rebuked without effect; even the afflictions I brought were of no avail. Therefore, he says, "be ashamed of your produce" - for your crops turned into thorns, corresponding to "and they reaped thorns"; "because of the fierce anger of Hashem" - that the Holy One, blessed be He, now as it were doubles the afflictions, because "they fell ill and gained nothing," the illness having failed to change their ways.
כֹּה אָמַר יְהוָה עַל כָּל שְׁכֵנַי הָרָעִים הַנֹּגְעִים בַּנַּחֲלָה אֲשֶׁר הִנְחַלְתִּי אֶת עַמִּי אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל, הִנְנִי נֹתְשָׁם מֵעַל אַדְמָתָם וְאֶת בֵּית יְהוּדָה אֶתּוֹשׁ מִתּוֹכָם׃ - Thus says Hashem concerning all My evil neighbors who touch the inheritance that I caused My people Israel to inherit: Behold, I am uprooting them from their land, and the House of Judah I will uproot from among them.
Who are the evil neighbors? The Holy One, blessed be He, calls them "My neighbors," because the Jewish people are His portion and His vineyard, and consequently our neighbors are the neighbors of the Master of the Universe. These are the Philistines, Ammon, Moab, Tyre, and Sidon - the neighbors of the Land of Israel who do evil to us, which is why they are called evil neighbors. "Who touch the inheritance" - just as in "Do not touch My anointed ones" and "Whoever touches this man," which the Targum renders in terms of harm and damage. "Who touch" means who harm the inheritance that I caused My people Israel to inherit. Concerning those nations that assisted our enemies in afflicting us, the Holy One, blessed be He, says: "Behold, I am uprooting them from their land" - Nebuchadnezzar will come and exile them as well. "And the House of Judah I will uproot from among them" - those of Israel who were exiled among these nations, I will pluck from among them, meaning I will redeem them, as Radak explains: when I return the captivity of My people, I will pluck them from their midst and redeem them. According to the Malbim, however, the meaning is that after they were exiled and settled in the areas surrounding the Land of Israel, I will uproot them from among them, for they will be exiled a second time along with the nations dwelling there - resulting in exile compounded upon exile.
וְהָיָה אַחֲרֵי נָתְשִׁי אוֹתָם אָשׁוּב וְרִחַמְתִּים, וַהֲשִׁבֹתִים אִישׁ לְנַחֲלָתוֹ וְאִישׁ לְאַרְצוֹ׃ - And it shall be, after I have uprooted them, I will return and have compassion on them, and I will restore them each to his inheritance and each to his land.
Rashi explains: all those mentioned here were stricken close to the destruction of the Temple, and regarding all of them it is written in the Book of Yirmiyahu, "and I will restore the captivity" - regarding all of them the prophet mentions that they will return. Thus it is written, "and I will restore the captivity of Moab," and likewise, "afterward I will restore the captivity of the children of Ammon." That is, when Judah and Benjamin return from the Babylonian exile, Ammon and Moab will also return.
וְהָיָה אִם לָמֹד יִלְמְדוּ אֶת דַּרְכֵי עַמִּי לְהִשָּׁבֵעַ בִּשְׁמִי חַי יְהוָה, כַּאֲשֶׁר לִמְּדוּ אֶת עַמִּי לְהִשָּׁבֵעַ בַּבָּעַל, וְנִבְנוּ בְּתוֹךְ עַמִּי׃ - "And it shall come to pass, if they will diligently learn the ways of My people, to swear by My Name, 'As Hashem lives,' just as they taught My people to swear by Baal, then they shall be built up in the midst of My people."
The Holy One, blessed be He, says: If they believe in Hashem and learn the ways of My people to swear by My Name, "As Hashem lives" - meaning that the gentiles, who until now swore by Baal and idolatry, which was their belief, renounce their faith and learn to swear by the Name of Hashem, saying "As Hashem lives" rather than "As Baal lives." This is one of the reasons for the halachic concern regarding entering into a transaction or partnership with a gentile - lest it lead him to swear by the name of an idol; one might tell him, "Swear," and he will swear in the name of an idol. For their practice was that swearing by something signifies its supreme importance. For this reason the Torah states, "And by His Name shall you swear," showing that one's complete faith is in Hashem, by Whom he swears to verify his words. In practice, the authorities write that only if one has attained those levels enumerated earlier - of being a talmid chacham and God-fearing - does "and by His Name shall you swear" apply; otherwise, God forbid, it is akin to uttering Heaven's Name in vain. In any event, we see from here that the entity by whose name one swears reflects one's faith in it.
"Just as they taught My people to swear by Baal" - until now, Israel learned from the nations to swear in the name of an idol, and now the exact reverse will occur. You taught My people to swear by Baal, and measure for measure, you will learn from My people to swear by the Name of Hashem. "Then they shall be built up in the midst of My people" - through this they will achieve establishment among them, and "building" means endurance and existence, as the Targum translates, "and they shall endure in the midst of My people." They will have stability through this, and thereby rectify their ways.
The Malbim explains that the entire purpose of the nations' exile is so that they will learn the true faith from Israel. When a nation is powerful and we are subjugated under it, this brings great and terrible desecration to the Name of God, for it superficially appears as though our God were weak compared to their idols, and they give thanks to their idols for succeeding in conquering us. But when they are exiled together with us, it reveals to them the helplessness of their gods. They find themselves alongside us, and the people of Israel, even in exile, remain strong in their faith. The gentile immediately casts off his gods, for he knows there is no substance to them; whereas the people of Israel specifically strengthen themselves in exile. This is what we have seen: they will be exiled alongside Israel and see that they too are subdued like us, and through this they will recognize the true faith. Then "they shall be built up in the midst of My people," and in that state I will return and redeem them, as it says: "I will return and have compassion on them, and will bring them back, each man to his inheritance and each man to his land."
וְאִם לֹא יִשְׁמָעוּ, וְנָתַשְׁתִּי אֶת הַגּוֹי הַהוּא נָתוֹשׁ וְאַבֵּד נְאֻם יְהוָה׃ - "And if they will not obey, then I will utterly uproot and destroy that nation, says Hashem."
"And if they will not obey" - if they do not wish to accept the true faith and refuse to attach themselves to My people and their belief, the Holy One, blessed be He, says, "Then I will utterly uproot and destroy that nation," meaning they will not return to their land. For we saw, "I will restore the captivity of the children of Ammon" - about whom does that speak? About those who learned the ways of Israel. But as for those who did not learn the ways of Israel, in the end I will utterly uproot and destroy them.
The Malbim explains: The uprooting will not be for the purpose of replanting. For exile is intended to set a person straight and return him to his place, like one sent for a period of rehabilitation who then returns to his homeland. But if the reality proves that this education was of no avail and the exile did not help, then the uprooting will be an uprooting of "utterly uproot and destroy" - not an uprooting in order to restore and replant, but an uprooting to destroy completely.
In this chapter, we hear the lamentation of the Holy One, blessed be He, over His people: the forsaking of His House, the abandonment of His heritage, and the delivering of His beloved soul into the hands of her enemies. The Malbim depicts Israel as a lion that was domesticated and civilized, but upon returning to the forest - to the company of the nations - it once again mauled its master: "She raised her voice against Me, therefore I have hated her." From this, Chazal also derived the halachah regarding an unworthy chazzan, whose prayer is unwelcome before the Omnipresent. Afterward, the prophecy portrays the bird of prey and the beasts of the field gathering over the heritage, the three stages of its destruction at the hands of Nevuchadnezzar, the marauders reaching even the high barren hills of the desert, and the sense of shame in sowing wheat and reaping thorns - whether in unanswered prayer, in the unheeded rebuke of the prophets, or in the false security placed in foreign nations and the wealth squandered in vain. Finally, the prophecy turns to the evil neighbors: they too will be uprooted from their land, but if they learn from Israel to swear by the Name of Hashem and recognize the true faith, each will be returned to his inheritance and to his land and be built up in the midst of My people; and if they will not obey, their uprooting will be an uprooting of utter destruction, followed by no replanting.