Introduction
In this section of Chapter 16, the prophet addresses an inevitable question: the people hear severe prophecies of impending doom and wonder why this is happening specifically to them. The Divine response reveals the fundamental difference between sin rooted in ignorance and forgetfulness of the Torah, and sin driven by malice and stubbornness of heart. Further on, a prophecy of comfort is woven in, foretelling a future redemption greater than the Exodus from Egypt, followed by a return to the prophecy of retribution: the fishermen and hunters, Hashem's knowledge of both the hidden and the revealed, and the conclusion of the chapter with the prophet pleading in Israel's defense and Hashem's response to him.
The People's Question: "What Is Our Iniquity and What Is Our Sin?"
וְהָיָה כִּי תַגִּיד לָעָם הַזֶּה אֵת כָּל הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה, וְאָמְרוּ אֵלֶיךָ: עַל מֶה דִבֶּר יְהֹוָה עָלֵינוּ אֵת כָּל הָרָעָה הַגְּדוֹלָה הַזֹּאת, וּמֶה עֲוֺנֵנוּ וּמֶה חַטָּאתֵנוּ אֲשֶׁר חָטָאנוּ לַיהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ׃ - And it shall come to pass, when you tell this people all these words, and they shall say to you: "Why has Hashem pronounced all this great evil against us? And what is our iniquity, and what is our sin that we have committed against Hashem our God?"
When you speak these words to the people, they will wonder and ask two questions. The first question: "Why has Hashem pronounced all this great evil against us?" - why specifically against us? After all, previous generations were not righteous either; Menasheh's generation was also wicked, yet He did not bring this catastrophe upon them. The second question: "And what is our iniquity, and what is our sin?" - avon (iniquity) refers to intentional sin, whereas chet (sin) is lighter, committed inadvertently. In other words: we have committed neither intentional iniquity nor unintentional sin, so what is being demanded of us?
Hashem's Response: The Forebears as Unknowing Captives
וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵיהֶם: עַל אֲשֶׁר עָזְבוּ אֲבוֹתֵיכֶם אוֹתִי נְאֻם יְהֹוָה, וַיֵּלְכוּ אַחֲרֵי אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים וַיַּעַבְדוּם וַיִּשְׁתַּחֲווּ לָהֶם, וְאֹתִי עָזָבוּ וְאֶת תּוֹרָתִי לֹא שָׁמָרוּ׃ - Then you shall say to them: "Because your fathers have forsaken Me, says Hashem, and have walked after other gods and served them and bowed down to them, and have forsaken Me and have not kept My Torah."
In response to the first objection - how are we any different from our forebears, who also acted wickedly yet upon whom You did not bring this calamity - the prophet answers them: Your forebears completely forgot the Torah and were utterly ignorant of it. Consequently, their status was like that of a child captured among gentiles (tinok shenishba), who knows nothing of the Torah, such that all his deeds, even the intentional ones, are considered merely unintentional errors. This is what the verse means by stating, "Your fathers have forsaken Me" - because they had forsaken Me, they no longer knew the Torah at all, and for that reason they went and served other gods.
"And You Have Done Worse Than Your Fathers"
וְאַתֶּם הֲרֵעֹתֶם לַעֲשׂוֹת מֵאֲבוֹתֵיכֶם, וְהִנְּכֶם הֹלְכִים אִישׁ אַחֲרֵי שְׁרִרוּת לִבּוֹ הָרָע לְבִלְתִּי שְׁמֹעַ אֵלָי׃ - And you have done worse than your fathers, for behold, each of you walks after the stubbornness of his evil heart, so as not to listen to Me.
However, your sin does not resemble theirs. You know the Torah, and yet you walk after the stubbornness of your evil heart so as not to listen to Me. Your forebears did not know; the Torah was forgotten by them. You know it, yet you refuse to heed its words. The Malbim adds: regarding every single mitzvah, you devise arguments and heretical pretexts so as not to have to obey Me. With every mitzvah, there are immediate rationalizations, heresy, and all sorts of excuses, all to cast off the yoke of the commandments from upon yourselves.
From this, the Malbim notes, there is a vast difference between you and your forebears, even in the order of cause and effect: with your forebears, because they did not listen to Me (since they did not know), they followed the stubbornness of their hearts; whereas with you, the reverse is true - because you follow the stubbornness of your hearts, you refuse to listen to Me. The wickedness of the forebears stemmed from foolishness and error, while your wickedness is willful and deliberate: they did not know the Torah, whereas you know it and deliberately intend to rebel against it. Therefore, "you have done worse than your fathers," which also answers your question as to why your punishment is far more severe than theirs.
The Punishment: Exile to an Unknown Land
וְהֵטַלְתִּי אֶתְכֶם מֵעַל הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת עַל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר לֹא יְדַעְתֶּם אַתֶּם וַאֲבוֹתֵיכֶם, וַעֲבַדְתֶּם שָׁם אֶת אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים יוֹמָם וָלַיְלָה אֲשֶׁר לֹא אֶתֵּן לָכֶם חֲנִינָה׃ - And I will cast you out from this land into a land that you and your fathers have not known, and there you shall serve other gods day and night, for I will grant you no favor.
Hashem says to them: Therefore, I will hurl you away from this land to a land you have never recognized nor known, neither you nor your fathers. And there, "and you shall serve other gods day and night" - just as you served idolatry in the Land of Israel out of rebellion and to provoke, so will you serve it there, except that there it will be out of duress and coercion. And all this stems from "for I will grant you no favor": I will not spare, nor show grace, nor have mercy upon you, and consequently you will be forced to serve idolatry.
Radak adds another reason why "you have done worse than your fathers": When a father sins, he deserves his punishment; but when the children continue and hold fast to the deeds of their fathers, then He visits the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, for the measure has overflowed, and they are punished for the fathers' sins as well. Since your measure is full, the price you pay is far costlier than that of your fathers.
A Prophecy of Consolation: A Redemption Greater than the Exodus from Egypt
לָכֵן הִנֵּה יָמִים בָּאִים נְאֻם יְהֹוָה, וְלֹא יֵאָמֵר עוֹד חַי יְהֹוָה אֲשֶׁר הֶעֱלָה אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם׃ - Therefore, behold, days are coming, says Hashem, when it shall no longer be said, "As Hashem lives, Who brought up the Children of Israel from the land of Egypt."
כִּי אִם חַי יְהֹוָה אֲשֶׁר הֶעֱלָה אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵאֶרֶץ צָפוֹן וּמִכֹּל הָאֲרָצוֹת אֲשֶׁר הִדִּיחָם שָׁמָּה, וַהֲשִׁבֹתִים עַל אַדְמָתָם אֲשֶׁר נָתַתִּי לַאֲבוֹתָם׃ - But rather, "As Hashem lives, Who brought up the Children of Israel from the land of the north and from all the lands where He had driven them"; and I will return them to their land that I gave to their fathers.
This is a prophecy for the future: The miracles and wonders of the ultimate future will be greater than the miracles we recall today, and therefore the Exodus from Egypt will no longer be mentioned. Radak notes that our Sages differed on this: some say that the Exodus from Egypt will be completely forgotten in comparison to the future redemption and its great wonders, while others say this does not mean it will be forgotten entirely, but rather that the redemption from the subjugation of the kingdoms will be primary and the Exodus from Egypt secondary to it - it will no longer occupy center stage.
At first glance, one might wonder: Until now we have heard very harsh words, and suddenly a consolation is introduced here that seems disconnected from those harsh pronouncements. Radak explains: This is a future prophecy, and the prophet would offer them this consolation following words of calamity. God would send them both calamity and consolation through His prophets precisely so they would not say, "Our hope is lost." This is the order: calamity followed by consolation. For even though He will exact retribution from them for their evil deeds, in the end of days they will still have hope. That is to say: Even as I speak harsh words to you about the near future, know that in the ultimate future there is still hope, and thus you will not be completely broken.
This is also a major principle in chinuch. When disciplining a child, or when distance is created, one must always maintain hope and present a positive horizon to the child. Otherwise, the moment a child feels that everything is lost, that it is over, and that he will never again find favor in his father's eyes, receive his validation, or bring nachas to his mother - the child breaks down, walks away, and the result is devastating. Therefore, even when a firm response is sometimes necessary (and this does not refer to physical discipline, but rather to emotional distance and the like), one must always leave an opening and a pathway for hope. For when there is no hope, a person adopts an attitude of "let my soul die with the Philistines" - he gives up, walks away, and all is lost.
The Rambam writes similarly even regarding warfare: When besieging a city, one does not surround it on all four sides, but leaves an open path through which they can flee. If you leave them no escape route, they will fight to the last drop of blood, and they may well overwhelm you. So too here: Hashem says to them, "Behold, days are coming" - know that the future miracles will be great and wondrous; do not break, and do not lose hope.
And what is the meaning of "As Hashem lives" (Chai Hashem)? This is the language of an oath. When a person swears, saying "As Hashem lives," his oath is meant to verify a statement, and in doing so he evokes the wonders of Hashem: "I swear by God Who brought us out of Egypt" - this is what is said today. But in the future they will swear: "As Hashem lives, Who brought up the Children of Israel from the land of the north and from all the lands where He had driven them." For their custom was to take an oath by invoking a miraculous sign and wonder.
The Malbim explains three reasons why the future Redemption will surpass the Exodus from Egypt. First, in Egypt you were in a single land, whereas here it is "from the land of the north and from all the lands" - it is far easier to redeem from one land than to gather from all the lands. Second, the sins for which you were exiled into the subjugation of the kingdoms were severe sins, as expressed by the verse, "where He had banished them" - like a father who banishes and casts out his son, whom it is far more difficult to bring back. To Egypt we were not banished: Yaakov Avinu went down to Egypt because of the ancient decree of "and they shall serve them, and they shall afflict them"; whereas here, to put it plainly, we were thrown out of the house, and when someone is cast out of the house, it is much harder to find the justification and the way to bring him back.
And third, the Redemption will be more precious to them than the first redemption, for during the first redemption Eretz Yisrael did not yet belong to us, whereas now we have already merited it and inherited it. When a person possesses something, loses it, and then it is restored to him - his joy is immense; but for something he never had, the anticipation is less, since he does not recognize its virtue and does not know what it truly is. Therefore, "and I will bring them back to their land that I gave to their fathers" - this Redemption will be accompanied by far greater joy than the first redemption, when they did not yet know what lay ahead and did not appreciate the greatness of Eretz Yisrael.
The Fishermen and the Hunters
הִנְנִי שֹׁלֵחַ לְדַיָּגִים רַבִּים נְאֻם יְהֹוָה וְדִיגוּם, וְאַחֲרֵי כֵן אֶשְׁלַח לְרַבִּים צַיָּדִים וְצָדוּם מֵעַל כָּל הַר וּמֵעַל כָּל גִּבְעָה וּמִנְּקִיקֵי הַסְּלָעִים׃ - Behold, I am sending for many fishermen, says the Lord, and they shall fish them; and afterward I will send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain and from every hill, and from the clefts of the rocks.
Here the prophecy of retribution resumes, and the prophet describes how Hashem will exile them from the land. First, "Behold, I am sending for fishermen" - fishermen catch many fish at once in a net, "and they shall fish them." Afterward, "I will send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them." Rashi explains: Those who remain and flee will be tracked down by hunters who will capture them into captivity - "from every mountain and from every hill, and from the clefts of the rocks" - even those fleeing into these hiding places will be taken captive.
"They Are Not Hidden from Before Me, Nor Is Their Iniquity Concealed"
כִּי עֵינַי עַל כָּל דַּרְכֵיהֶם, לֹא נִסְתְּרוּ מִלְּפָנָי, וְלֹא נִצְפַּן עֲוֺנָם מִנֶּגֶד עֵינָי׃ - For My eyes are upon all their ways; they are not hidden from before Me, nor is their iniquity concealed from before My eyes.
On the surface, there seems to be a redundancy here: "hidden" (*nistaru*) and "concealed" (*nitzpan*) - what is the difference between them? Furthermore, it already stated: "For My eyes are upon all their ways." The Malbim explains: I gaze both upon the path and upon the iniquity. "Their ways" refers to the inner workings of the soul - the character traits, dispositions, and internal orientations from which sins sprout forth. A person possessing pride may act against his fellow in all sorts of ways and harm him, feeling that he is entitled and that "I am, and there is none beside me"; while one who possesses the trait of anger may strike his fellow. Thus there are two dimensions: the internal character traits, and the outcomes - how they manifest in actual deed. And Hakadosh Baruch Hu says: I see them both.
And why did the verse vary its phrasing? Because the paths of the soul - cruelty, pride, vengeance - are an internal matter, and regarding them it is fitting to say "they are not hidden from before Me," meaning I have knowledge of them. In contrast, the sins themselves, the evil deeds, are not merely a matter of knowledge but of sight: a person commits a transgression and it is visible. Therefore, concerning them it is said: "nor is their iniquity concealed from before My eyes."
The Malbim adds a fundamental distinction between the judgments of Hashem and human judgment: Flesh and blood sees only the outcome - so-and-so did such-and-such, and that is all. But Hakadosh Baruch Hu also sees where the action stems from; He perceives the paths of the soul and the character traits from which the actions grow, as it says, "For He pays a man according to his deed, and according to a person's way He brings it upon him."
The Malbim also explains the difference between *nistar* ("hidden") and *nitzpan* ("concealed") in the case of the spies whom Rachav concealed: *nistar* means completely hidden from view, whereas *nitzpan* means merely standing in a place where one cannot be seen from a specific angle. A person completely covered in straw is *nistar*; but a person standing behind a wall whom you cannot see cannot be called *nistar*, since from the other side he is clearly visible - rather, he is *nitzpan* (concealed) from you. It turns out that *nitzpan* is relative to what stands opposite it. Therefore Hakadosh Baruch Hu says: "They are not hidden (*lo nistaru*) from before Me" - although character traits and natural dispositions are hidden deep within the heart, to Me they are not hidden at all. And regarding deeds, which you might think are visible to others but perhaps I do not see them, Hashem says: this too is "not concealed (*lo nitzpan*) from before My eyes" - it is directly before My sight.
"And First I Will Repay Double for Their Iniquity"
וְשִׁלַּמְתִּי רִאשׁוֹנָה מִשְׁנֵה עֲוֺנָם וְחַטָּאתָם עַל חַלְּלָם אֶת אַרְצִי, בְּנִבְלַת שִׁקּוּצֵיהֶם וְתוֹעֲבוֹתֵיהֶם מָלְאוּ אֶת נַחֲלָתִי׃ - "And first I will repay double their iniquity and their sin, because they have defiled My land; they have filled My heritage with the carcasses of their detestable things and their abominations."
"And first I will repay" - initially I will exact retribution from them for desecrating the Land: the Land is pure and they defiled it, and the Radak notes that it is only fitting that the Land vomit them out. And what is meant by "double their iniquity" (mishneh avonam)? Rashi explains that they repeated (shanu) their iniquity by following the sin of their ancestors; similarly, the Radak explains that the father sinned and the son repeated the sin - this is what is meant by "double" (mishneh).
The Malbim explains: "And I will repay" refers to their iniquity and their sin committed in actual deed. That is, although we previously learned that Hashem knows both the hidden and the revealed - the hidden being the internal character traits of the heart, and the revealed being the overt sin - Hashem says that He will first punish for the sin committed in action, rather than for the paths and inner traits concealed in the depths of the soul. Why? Because this iniquity of theirs is "double" (mishneh), meaning twofold: first, that they desecrated My Land by failing to observe Shemitah and the mitzvos dependent on the Land and defiling the Land through their deeds, as it is written, "and the land was polluted," and "lest the land vomit you out when you defile it"; and second, what they did in the Beis HaMikdash: "with the carcasses of their detestable things... they have filled My heritage," as Menasheh placed an idol in the Sanctuary. For these two, says the Holy One, Blessed be He, I will punish them first; but the inner thoughts and paths, which are hidden matters between them and the Omnipresent, are not part of this initial retribution. According to the Malbim, the twofold nature ("double") refers to the desecration of the Land and the desecration of the Mikdash.
"Hashem, My Strength and My Stronghold" - The Nations Acknowledge while the People Stray
יְהֹוָה עֻזִּי וּמָעֻזִּי וּמְנוּסִי בְּיוֹם צָרָה, אֵלֶיךָ גּוֹיִם יָבֹאוּ מֵאַפְסֵי אָרֶץ וְיֹאמְרוּ: אַךְ שֶׁקֶר נָחֲלוּ אֲבוֹתֵינוּ, הֶבֶל וְאֵין בָּם מוֹעִיל׃ - "Hashem, my strength and my stronghold, and my refuge in the day of distress, to You nations shall come from the ends of the earth and say: Our fathers inherited only falsehood, futility in which there is no profit."
"Hashem, my strength and my stronghold" - these denote power: You, Hashem, are my strength against those who wage war against me. Regarding the interpretation of "and my refuge" (u-menusi), Rashi cites two explanations: Menachem explains it as related to a banner or wonder (nes), as in "You gave a banner to those who fear You to be displayed" - You, Hashem, are my banner, performing miracles for me; while Dunash interprets it according to its simple meaning, You are a refuge (manos) for me, for I flee and take refuge in You in my time of distress.
"To You nations shall come from the ends of the earth" - the nations will ultimately turn to You and serve You with one accord. If so, the question against the Jewish people becomes seven times greater: if the gentiles will ultimately believe in You and accept Your kingship, how can Your people, the nation of Israel, fail to accept Your kingship? Thus, all of this serves as an expression of astonishment regarding Israel, magnifying the wonder: how is it possible that even the distant nations will return from the ends of the earth and conclude that "our fathers inherited only falsehood, futility in which there is no profit" - Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and all the vanities of the world, all will recognize that everything is vanity devoid of purpose - yet precisely at this moment, the nation of Israel strays from the path?
The Prophet's Defense: "Can a Man Make Gods for Himself?"
הֲיַעֲשֶׂה לּוֹ אָדָם אֱלֹהִים וְהֵמָּה לֹא אֱלֹהִים׃ - "Can a man make gods for himself, when they are not gods?"
The Malbim explains that this is a plea in defense of the Jewish people. The prophet prays and argues: Master of the Universe, You tell me that You are punishing them for their idol worship - but why punish? After all, it is mere vanity with no substance, child's play! In a similar vein, Moshe Rabbeinu said: Master of the Universe, with whom are You becoming zealous? With an idol that has no reality? And if You should say that as a result they denied Hashem - "Hashem is my strength and my stronghold," everyone knows Your divinity and Your might, and it is obvious to all that the faith of the nations is vanity, for in the future even the gentiles will come to You from the ends of the earth and recognize that their ancestors inherited falsehood. If so, why be zealous regarding idol worship? All this is stated to advocate on behalf of Israel.
The Malbim makes a precise observation regarding the phrase "falsehood... futility in which there is no profit": there is falsehood that is not futility - it is false, but not entirely empty; and there is futility that is not falsehood - something devoid of substance in itself, yet indirect benefit still arises from it. Therefore, all three terms were used: it is falsehood, it is futility, and it is entirely devoid of any benefit.
Regarding the interpretation of "Can a man make gods for himself, when they are not gods?", there are two approaches. According to the Radak, this is an expression of astonishment: how could they conceive of such folly, to call upon something that possesses no power whatsoever? According to the Malbim, this is the prophet's argument addressed to Heaven: Master of the Universe, after all, "they are not gods" - why be zealous of them, and why be angry with Israel for worshipping idols, when it is complete vanity?
Hashem's Response: "I will make them know My hand and My might"
לָכֵן הִנְנִי מוֹדִיעָם בַּפַּעַם הַזֹּאת, אוֹדִיעֵם אֶת יָדִי וְאֶת גְּבוּרָתִי, וְיָדְעוּ כִּי שְׁמִי יְהֹוָה׃ - "Therefore, behold, I will cause them to know, this once; I will make them know My hand and My might, and they shall know that My Name is Hashem."
The Holy One, Blessed is He, says: I am informing those who refuse to repent - "this once I will make them know My hand," and they shall know that My Name is Hashem, that He and His Name are one. That is, now they will receive their retribution. And according to the Malbim, this contains a response to the prophet's plea, "Why are You zealous, seeing that this is idolatry that has no substance?": Hashem answers him - I am not jealous of idolatry that has no substance; rather, it is because they choose a path of vanity and deny Me that I seek to punish them. It is not jealousy of the idols, but retribution for having strayed from the path.
"I will make them know My hand and My might" - and then they will recognize that I am the Supervisor and the Ruler, capable of altering the natural order at My will, "and they shall know that My Name is Hashem." In the ultimate future, all the nations will recognize Hashem's glory; the Holy One, Blessed is He, says: I want to make this known to the Jewish people already now, and not only in the future to come. The Malbim likewise explains that "behold, I will cause them to know" is directed at all the nations: by bringing Nevuchadnezzar upon everyone, all will recognize Hashem's power. And as for why He specifically punishes Yehudah - it is because the sin of Yehudah is engraved with an iron pen, as we will see further on.
In summary:
The people ask, "What is our iniquity?", and the answer is that their sin is graver than that of their ancestors: the ancestors were like captured infants (tinokot shenishbu), whose wickedness stemmed from folly and error, whereas this generation knows the Torah and rebels against it willfully and in the stubbornness of their hearts, looking for heretical arguments against every single mitzvah. Therefore, they will be cast into an unfamiliar land and serve idols there under duress. Yet, embedded within the retribution is consolation - so they do not say that their hope is lost - of a future redemption greater than the Exodus from Egypt in three respects: an ingathering from all lands, a return after exile, and coming back to a land whose greatness we already recognized. Afterward, the prophecy turns back to retribution: fishermen and hunters will ferret them out of every hiding place, for Hashem's eyes see both the inner ways of the soul and overt deeds, and the primary reckoning will be for the "double" sin - the defilement of the Land and the defilement of the Beit HaMikdash. The chapter concludes with the prophet's defense, that idolatry is futility and devoid of substance, and with Hashem's response that this is not jealousy of the idols, but a grievance against the very choice to pursue a path of vanity; and therefore, "I will make them know My hand and My might, and they shall know that My Name is Hashem."