Chapter 21 of Yirmiyahu opens a new section: King Tzidkiyahu, as Nevuchadretzar king of Bavel is besieging Yerushalayim, sends two emissaries to Yirmiyahu to ask him to inquire of Hashem on his behalf. Instead of a prophecy of consolation, he receives a harsh prophecy of doom: the city will be delivered into the hand of the king of Bavel and burned with fire. At the end of the chapter, the prophet addresses the House of David specifically, presenting them with the only remaining path: righteous justice.
הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר־הָיָה אֶל־יִרְמְיָהוּ מֵאֵת יְהֹוָה בִּשְׁלֹחַ אֵלָיו הַמֶּלֶךְ צִדְקִיָּהוּ אֶת־פַּשְׁחוּר בֶּן־מַלְכִּיָּה וְאֶת־צְפַנְיָה בֶן־מַעֲשֵׂיָה הַכֹּהֵן לֵאמֹר׃ - The word that came to Yirmiyahu from Hashem, when King Tzidkiyahu sent to him Pashchur the son of Malkiyah and Tzefanyah the son of Maaseyah the priest, saying:
The chapter describes a prophecy that came to Yirmiyahu from Hashem when King Tzidkiyahu sent two messengers to him: Pashchur son of Malkiyah and Tzefanyah son of Maaseyah the Kohen. And what did they ask?
דְּרׇשׁ־נָא בַעֲדֵנוּ אֶת־יְהֹוָה כִּי נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּר מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל נִלְחָם עָלֵינוּ אוּלַי יַעֲשֶׂה יְהֹוָה אוֹתָנוּ כְּכׇל־נִפְלְאֹתָיו וְיַעֲלֶה מֵעָלֵינוּ׃ - Please inquire of Hashem on our behalf, for Nevuchadretzar king of Bavel wages war against us; perhaps Hashem will deal with us according to all His wonders, so that he will withdraw from us.
They come and ask: "Please inquire of Hashem on our behalf." Here one must consider: were they lacking prophets? After all, they had more than enough false prophets. Rather, deep down they knew the truth, that Yirmiyahu was the true prophet of Hashem - and as much as they fought him, in a time of distress they turned specifically to him. And Tzidkiyahu, who is described as a righteous king, asks that Yirmiyahu inquire of Hashem on their behalf.
In Scripture we find two forms: sometimes "Nevuchadretzar" with a resh, and sometimes "Nevuchadnetzar" with a nun. There are many explanations for this. The more accepted explanation is that his actual name was Nevuchadretzar, while "Nevuchadnetzar" hints that he sought to sever the shoot (the netzer) from the kingdom of the House of David - the shoot of the Messianic kingship; hence "Nevuchad-netzer," from the idea of cutting off the shoot. Another explanation: "Nevuchad Netzer" - that he was perplexed (navoch) regarding his lineage (netzer). There are opinions in Chazal that Nevuchadnetzar was born to King Shlomo and the Queen of Sheba, when Shlomo received her in his palace and showed her his entire storehouse and all his wisdom, and some say he even married her. According to this, he had doubts about his origins and was "perplexed" about his shoot - whose shoot and lineage he came from.
Beyond all this, we have a major rule from Radak: whenever you see a name appearing in multiple forms, that person was called by all of those forms. Thus we find sometimes "Avigail" and sometimes "Avigal," and both names are correct. Just as today one person might be called Yitzchak, Itzik, or Yitzak - and all are his name. So too in Tanach: when you see the same name with slight variations, know that all those forms were his name, and people addressed him by all of them.
The Malbim notes a nuance in the phrasing of the verse: they say, "Perhaps Hashem will make us (otanu) according to all His wonders" - whereas seemingly it should have said "with us" (itanu). Rather, there is a deeper intent here: perhaps Hashem will bring us to repent and remake us anew. For when a person does teshuvah, he becomes a new creation, like clay in the hand of the potter as we saw earlier. And then, once we become a new creation, we will be worthy of Hashem acting with us in accordance with all His wonders, and Nevuchadnetzar will withdraw from us.
וַיֹּאמֶר יִרְמְיָהוּ אֲלֵיהֶם כֹּה תֹאמְרֻן אֶל־צִדְקִיָּהוּ׃ - And Yirmiyahu said to them: Thus shall you say to Tzidkiyahu:
כֹּה־אָמַר יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הִנְנִי מֵסֵב אֶת־כְּלֵי הַמִּלְחָמָה אֲשֶׁר בְּיֶדְכֶם אֲשֶׁר אַתֶּם נִלְחָמִים בָּם אֶת־מֶלֶךְ בָּבֶל וְאֶת־הַכַּשְׂדִּים הַצָּרִים עֲלֵיכֶם מִחוּץ לַחוֹמָה וְאָסַפְתִּי אוֹתָם אֶל־תּוֹךְ הָעִיר הַזֹּאת׃ - Thus says Hashem, the God of Israel: Behold, I am turning back the weapons of war that are in your hands, with which you fight against the king of Babylon and against the Chaldeans who besiege you outside the wall, and I will gather them into the midst of this city.
Tzidkiyahu thought he would receive aid and support, but not only did he not receive any, he even received a prophecy of calamity. And what is meant by "Behold, I am turning back the weapons of war that are in your hands"?
Radak explains according to the plain meaning: mesev is related to turning around. The weapons of war in your hands will be as though they were in the hands of the enemies. That is, you will not have the strength to fight against them, and your weapons will not be effective in harming the enemy; rather, on the contrary - I am turning them back toward him, as if they were his own weapons, and they will strike you.
The Malbim explains that the intention is that because of the famine, a rebellion will erupt inside the city. The weapons of war in your hands will be turned inward. How so? There will be people inside the city who will want to surrender to the Chaldeans, appealing to the king of Babylon to spare them and do with them as he pleases, provided he does not kill them. This will agitate the warriors, who will view this as rebellion and treason, and an internal battle will erupt between the warriors and those seeking to surrender to Nevuchadnetzar. Thus, the weapons of war are redirected - where to? Inward, inside the city itself.
Rashi is intentionally mentioned last because here he specifically follows the path of derash (homiletical interpretation). This is particularly noteworthy, as Rashi usually seeks the plain meaning of the text (peshat). Rashi explains: there were those among them who knew how to adjure the supernal ministers appointed over retribution. They were not worried at all; they said, "We know how to adjure the heavenly princes, and we will adjure them not to harm us; we possess the access codes to the operating system, and whatever the enemies do will not avail them in the least." To this, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to them: Is this what you rely on? "Behold, I am turning back the weapons of war that are in your hands" - I will transfer the authority from one to another, and you will not know whom to adjure. One comes to adjure the minister appointed over fire, but the Holy One, blessed be He, has already transferred the authority over fire to another minister. One comes to adjure the one appointed over hail, and the dominion has moved to someone else. One adjures the one appointed over war, and the authority has shifted to another. In short, Hashem changed the passcode: they try to act and see that nothing works at all, and they do not know whom to adjure.
And regarding "and I will gather them into the midst of this city," Rashi explains: I will destroy you with pestilence, through the Angel of Death who is among the supernal princes, as it is stated later, "they shall die of a great pestilence." That is, regarding those weapons of war that you seek to control through the power of adjuring angels - on the contrary, the greatest weapon of all, the Angel of Death, I will gather into the midst of this city, and he will strike you by means of pestilence.
וְנִלְחַמְתִּי אֲנִי אִתְּכֶם בְּיָד נְטוּיָה וּבִזְרוֹעַ חֲזָקָה וּבְאַף וּבְחֵמָה וּבְקֶצֶף גָּדוֹל׃ - And I Myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, and in anger, in wrath, and in great indignation.
Radak explains: The Chaldeans will fight from the outside, and I, says the Holy One, blessed be He, will fight against you with a great pestilence, striking you and your animals. Metzudat David explains: "And I Myself will fight against you" - I will grant such strength to the Chaldeans that it will be considered as though I am fighting against you Myself. And the Malbim explains that after the sword and the famine arrive, I will come to fight with them, and this battle will be "with an outstretched hand" - this refers to the pestilence, as we know from the Passover Haggadah, "and with a strong arm" - this refers to the sword, and all of it in anger, in wrath, and in great fury.
The Malbim makes a precise observation: scripture usually states, "with a strong hand and an outstretched arm," but here it reverses the order - "with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm." What is the reason? The hand signifies the pestilence, and the arm signifies the sword. Why? Because the hand acts directly without an intermediary, and therefore it signifies pestilence, which comes directly from Hashem. The arm, on the other hand, does not act directly; rather, it moves the hand, and therefore it signifies the sword, which comes by way of an intermediary: Hashem mobilizes an enemy who comes and fights against us. Thus: the hand is a direct action, corresponding to pestilence, where Hashem Himself sends the disease; the arm is an indirect channel, where Hashem sends an enemy to strike us, like an arm moving the hand, and this is the aspect of the sword.
From here we can understand the contrast: regarding the nations of the world, it says "a strong hand" - the pestilence comes with full force, without measure. This is not so regarding Israel; when the Holy One, Blessed be He, brings pestilence upon us, He brings it with compassion: "None of the diseases that I put on Egypt will I put on you, for I am Hashem your Healer." And likewise regarding the arm: with the nations of the world, the arm is "outstretched," meaning inclined on its own, striking freely. Whereas regarding Israel, it says "with a strong arm," and the word for strong (*chazakah*) is from the language of holding back (*lehachzik*) - the Holy One, Blessed be He, restrains the arm so that it strikes only as much as necessary and no more than necessary. Thus, with the nations, both the pestilence and the sword come without restraint, whereas with us, the Holy One, Blessed be He, delivers both in precise measure, so that the Jewish people will not, God forbid, be destroyed.
What is the difference between these three expressions? The Malbim explains: *Af* is overt flare of anger, related to the flaring of the nostrils - for by analogy to a human being, when a person gets angry his nose flushes red; in other words, something visible occurs. *Cheimah* (wrath), on the other hand, as it says, "and his wrath burned within him," burns internally and is not apparent on the outside. (Whoever wishes may consult the lessons on Megillat Esther, where the Malbim offers a truly wonderful explanation of "and his wrath burned within him" and the distinction between it and *af*, a complete presentation that explains the matter beautifully.) And this principle holds true everywhere: *cheimah* always expresses internal anger. And *ketzef* (fury) - the Malbim explains - is always proportional to the magnitude of the sin: in proportion to the severity of the sin, so does the *ketzef* increase. It is also an overt manifestation, as in the phrase "like foam [*ketzef*] upon the water," for *ketzef* is anger that is noticeable externally.
וְהִכֵּיתִי אֶת־יוֹשְׁבֵי הָעִיר הַזֹּאת וְאֶת־הָאָדָם וְאֶת־הַבְּהֵמָה בְּדֶבֶר גָּדוֹל יָמֻתוּ׃ - And I will strike the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast; of a great pestilence they shall die.
"The inhabitants of this city" - this refers to Jerusalem; "both man and beast; of a great pestilence," and pestilence is a plague. And when it says "and man," the Malbim explains that this comes to include even those who are not among the permanent residents of the city, for it initially said "the inhabitants of the city," and the text adds this to include anyone who was not originally from the city.
וְאַחֲרֵי־כֵן נְאֻם־יְהֹוָה אֶתֵּן אֶת־צִדְקִיָּהוּ מֶלֶךְ־יְהוּדָה וְאֶת־עֲבָדָיו וְאֶת־הָעָם וְאֶת־הַנִּשְׁאָרִים בָּעִיר הַזֹּאת מִן־הַדֶּבֶר מִן־הַחֶרֶב וּמִן־הָרָעָב בְּיַד נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּר מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל וּבְיַד אֹיְבֵיהֶם וּבְיַד מְבַקְשֵׁי נַפְשָׁם וְהִכָּם לְפִי־חֶרֶב לֹא־יָחוּס עֲלֵיהֶם וְלֹא יַחְמֹל וְלֹא יְרַחֵם׃ - And afterward, says Hashem, I will give Tzidkiyahu king of Judah, and his servants, and the people, and those who remain in this city from the pestilence, from the sword, and from the famine, into the hand of Nevuchadretzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those who seek their life; and he shall strike them with the edge of the sword; he shall not spare them, neither have pity, nor have mercy.
Hashem says: Afterward, I will give Tzidkiyahu, his servants, the people, and those who remain in the city - meaning those who survived the pestilence, the sword, and the famine - into the hand of Nevuchadretzar king of Babylon, who will ultimately conquer the city and succeed in capturing Tzidkiyahu and his servants as well. "And he shall strike them with the edge of the sword" - Radak explains: whomever he wishes to put to death, he will put to death, and whomever he wishes to exile, he will exile. "He shall not spare them, neither have pity, nor have mercy" - and as is known, he slaughtered Tzidkiyahu's sons before his eyes, and had no pity on the ministers or the elders either.
The Malbim explains: "And afterward" corresponds to "with a strong arm," which refers to the sword; regarding this it says that He will deliver them into the hand of Nevuchadnezzar, and he will strike them with the edge of the sword. "And the people" - these are the citizens of Jerusalem; "and those who remain" - people who are not among the residents of Jerusalem.
What is the difference between these three expressions? The Malbim explains: One who spares (*chas*) something spares it because he needs it - "It's a pity, I still need this." Pity (*chemilah*) is not out of necessity; rather, it pains one's heart to destroy the object because it has quality and value, even though he does not need it for himself, as people say, "What a shame to waste it." And mercy (*rachamim*) generally applies only to human beings; one does not say he has *rachamim* on a table or on cats, but rather mercy on a person. Mercy arises from an emotional stirring of the soul, where a person is moved and cannot bear to see another's suffering, and from this, the attribute of mercy is awakened within him.
According to this, the order of the verse is understood: First it says, "I will deliver into the hand of Nevuchadrezzar," and concerning him it says, "he will not spare them" - for we have become his acquisition, he conquered us, and it would be fitting for him to spare us as a person spares his own property, yet even so he will not spare. Afterwards it says, "and into the hand of their enemies," and concerning this it says, "and he will not pity" - for the enemy, out of great animosity, will view us like refuse, as nothing and of no account, giving us no value whatsoever, so compassion is simply impossible for him. And corresponding to "those who seek their life," it says, "and he will not have mercy," for one who seeks a person's life acts cruelly and destructively, and here it is a matter of lives. And as we saw, the sons of Tzidkiyahu were slaughtered before his eyes - showing that Nevuchadnezzar did not have mercy even upon their lives.
וְאֶל־הָעָם הַזֶּה תֹּאמַר כֹּה אָמַר יְהֹוָה הִנְנִי נֹתֵן לִפְנֵיכֶם אֶת־דֶּרֶךְ הַחַיִּים וְאֶת־דֶּרֶךְ הַמָּוֶת׃ - "And to this people you shall say: Thus said the Lord: Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death."
That is to say: I am placing before you paths through which you can find life, and if you do not follow this path, know that you are inevitably walking the way of death, a path that will lead you to demise.
הַיֹּשֵׁב בָּעִיר הַזֹּאת יָמוּת בַּחֶרֶב וּבָרָעָב וּבַדָּבֶר וְהַיּוֹצֵא וְנָפַל עַל־הַכַּשְׂדִּים הַצָּרִים עֲלֵיכֶם וְחָיָה וְהָיְתָה־לּוֹ נַפְשׁוֹ לְשָׁלָל׃ - "He who remains in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence; but he who goes out and falls over to the Chaldeans who besiege you shall live, and his life shall be to him as spoil."
"He who remains in this city" - whoever stays in it will die by the sword, famine, and pestilence. And what is meant by "he who goes out and falls over to the Chaldeans"? The Malbim explains: they did not allow anyone to leave the city except to fall upon the Chaldeans and fight them. For they feared - just as occurred during the destruction of the Second Temple - that anyone going out would effectively make peace with the enemy, which would be a sign of surrender, and therefore they did not allow anyone to exit the city. Thus the prophet says: one who leaves the city by way of sallying forth against the Chaldeans, for the sake of battle - he is the one who will be able to get out. Then, whoever wishes may hand himself over to the Chaldeans, remain there, and not return to the city. And the spoil he will take from the battle - this is not monetary spoil at all, but rather his very life; this is what he will save. For in the city nothing awaits except death: sword, famine, and pestilence, and if there is any way at all to be saved, it is only by leaving the city.
כִּי שַׂמְתִּי פָנַי בָּעִיר הַזֹּאת לְרָעָה וְלֹא לְטוֹבָה נְאֻם־יְהֹוָה בְּיַד־מֶלֶךְ בָּבֶל תִּנָּתֵן וּשְׂרָפָהּ בָּאֵשׁ׃ - "For I have set My face against this city for harm and not for good, says the Lord; into the hand of the king of Babylon it shall be given, and he shall burn it with fire."
"My face" - the Targum renders this: rugzi, an expression of anger, as in "My presence (panai) shall go, and I will give you rest." That is: I will place My wrath upon this city for harm and not for good.
The Malbim explains: Earlier we saw, "Behold, I devise harm against you and think a thought against you; turn now each one from his evil way" - meaning that the entire purpose of the misfortune is so that they will repent and mend their ways. But notice: all of that was said regarding human beings. Regarding the city itself, nothing will avail any longer; a decree of destruction has already been sealed against it, and the city will be destroyed. It turns out that the only thing that can still be saved is human lives. And this is the meaning of "for harm and not for good": harm that will not be turned into good, but harm destined solely for destruction. For ordinarily, all calamity is meant ultimately for good - Hashem devises harm against us so that we will repent and it will be good for us. But regarding the city, this is not the case: He devises harm against it, and the harm will come, and not in order to bring about good. And ultimately, it will be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will burn it with fire.
וּלְבֵית מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה שִׁמְעוּ דְּבַר־יְהֹוָה׃ - "And to the house of the king of Judah: Hear the word of the Lord!"
Here Scripture returns to the beginning of the matter, where the Holy One, blessed be He, told Yirmiyahu what to say to the people of Yerushalayim, and now He tells him what to say to the house of the king of Yehudah: that there will be a remnant for the seed of the house of David. This is a unique prophecy delivered to the royal dynasty.
בֵּית דָּוִד כֹּה אָמַר יְהֹוָה דִּינוּ לַבֹּקֶר מִשְׁפָּט וְהַצִּילוּ גָזוּל מִיַּד עוֹשֵׁק פֶּן־תֵּצֵא כָאֵשׁ חֲמָתִי וּבָעֲרָה וְאֵין מְכַבֶּה מִפְּנֵי רֹעַ מַעַלְלֵיכֶם׃ - "O house of David, thus said the Lord: Administer justice in the morning, and rescue the robbed from the hand of the oppressor, lest My wrath break out like fire and burn with none to quench it, because of the evil of your deeds."
Why is the "house of David" specifically mentioned here? Because of David it is said, "And David executed justice and righteousness for all his people." The house of David is designated for administering justice, and it was fitting that his descendants, the kings of his dynasty, should follow in his footsteps and do as he did - "Administer justice in the morning," execute justice and judge with righteousness and integrity.
And what is the meaning of "in the morning"? Radak explains: before you engage in eating and drinking, before you attend to your personal needs - administer justice. Whoever comes to cry out before you, judge their case immediately. And so we find with Moshe Rabbeinu: "And Moshe sat to judge the people from the morning until the evening." The Gemara notes that there is a claim against a judge who tells a person coming to plead before him, "Wait for me until I drink my cup" - wait, I am still on a break, until I finish eating. And so we find with one of the Ten Martyrs who asked why they were going out to be killed like those sentenced to capital punishment by a court, and was asked: Did you ever say such a thing? He replied: Yes. And they told him: If so, you deserve this, Heaven spare us. That is, such a severe death can come upon delaying justice, because judgment must be dispensed immediately in the morning; justice is the first priority that must stand at the forefront of the judge's, the dayan's, and the king's concerns when people come to be judged before him.
The Malbim explains the concept of morning more metaphorically: "Administer justice in the morning" - even before the darkness arrives, where darkness represents calamity. Judge while the day is still light, meaning when the troubles are merely looming and have not yet descended in full force, but are still in the pipeline - execute justice then, and you have a chance at rectification. And why specifically in this matter? Because "Zion shall be redeemed with justice, and her returnees with righteousness." The destruction of Yerushalayim came about because of robbery and oppression, and because of the perversion of justice - "Your princes are rebellious," "now murderers." Therefore, the thing that can save them from all this is returning to execute justice; if they judge with righteousness and integrity, the Holy One, blessed be He, tells them, they have a chance of rescue. And if not - "lest My wrath break out like fire and burn with none to quench it," and there will, God forbid, be no surviving remnant.
The Malbim says: An oshek (oppressor) is one who withholds a hired worker's wages. The worker asks for his salary, and the employer tells him: Come back tomorrow; I was not at the bank, I didn't get around to it, they froze my account, I will try to arrange something for you. In short, there is more than one place that opens long-term savings plans for its employees, for years on end, and sometimes it is an open-ended plan - not quite "a plan of your choice." Sometimes one sees the money only after many months, and in the meantime, the worker is forced to take gemach loans and borrow from wherever possible. Unfortunately, this reality is all too common in kollels. This is called oshek: someone who says to him, "Go, and return, and tomorrow I will give."
A gozel (robber), by contrast, takes what belongs to you by force. The oppressor does not actively take; rather, he does not pay what he owes you. However, the Malbim explains, the oppressor - even though he is not inherently a robber - is liable to become a robber. How so? Over time, that person gives up badgering you and walks away in despair, and then you have transformed from an oppressor into a robber, since his money, which until now you merely withheld, has now been expropriated and kept in your possession. This is the meaning of "and rescue the robbed from the hand of the oppressor": so that one who begins as an oppressor will not reach the point where that poor person despairs completely and becomes a victim of robbery, turning the oppressor into an outright robber.
הִנְנִי אֵלַיִךְ יֹשֶׁבֶת הָעֵמֶק צוּר הַמִּישֹׁר נְאֻם־יְהֹוָה הָאֹמְרִים מִי־יֵחַת עָלֵינוּ וּמִי יָבוֹא בִּמְעוֹנוֹתֵינוּ׃ - "Behold, I am against you, O inhabitant of the valley, rock of the plain, says the Lord, who say: 'Who will descend upon us, and who will enter our dwellings?'"
To whom is the prophet addressing here? The commentators, headed by Rashi, explain that "inhabitant of the valley" refers to Yerushalayim, which sits in a valley. Another interpretation: that it is surrounded by valleys. Another interpretation, in a more conceptual sense: "valley" (emek) in the sense of a profound plan (eitzah amukah), as in "And they journeyed from the valley of Chevron" - from a deep counsel; so too here, the Holy One, blessed be He, devised a profound counsel concerning it to destroy it, and it sits in that very place over which God devised a deep plan to bring it to ruin. "Rock of the plain" - a rock is a mountain whose surroundings are entirely flat plain.
And they say, "Who will descend upon us" (mi yechat aleinu) - like "for Aram is encamped there" (nechetim), referring to an encampment stationed there, meaning: What army will march against us? Thus they say with great confidence, harboring no doubt that they can withstand anyone. And on this Radak comments: The Holy One, blessed be He, says, Behold, I am coming against you and will wage war with you. You say that your location is difficult to conquer - but is that difficult for the Holy One, blessed be He? It is I who delivered you over, and I will come and fight against you, and you have no reason to be secure and confident that no harm will befall you.
The Malbim explains: the royal palace and the fortress stood on one side along the slope of the mountain, while on the other side lay a plain. From the side of the mountain slope, it is called "inhabitant of the valley," since relative to the mountain it is like a valley, and from the other side - the plain, where the city was strongest and heavily fortified. Therefore, they said, "Who will descend against us?" - "yachat" here has the connotation of swooping down or descending, meaning from the mountain side: who could attack us from there? After all, the top of the mountain is not an easy position to attack from. And from the direction of the plain, they said, "And who will enter our dwellings?" - for there they had built a formidable fortress. The royal palace and the citadel were confident that they would remain protected, and to this Hashem tells them: you have nothing to rely on; your security rests on something wholly unworthy of trust.
וּפָקַדְתִּי עֲלֵיכֶם כִּפְרִי מַעַלְלֵיכֶם נְאֻם־יְהֹוָה וְהִצַּתִּי אֵשׁ בְּיַעְרָהּ וְאָכְלָה כׇּל־סְבִיבֶיהָ׃ - "And I will punish you according to the fruit of your deeds, says Hashem, and I will kindle a fire in its forest, and it will consume all its surroundings."
As we have explained, your battle is not against Nevuchadnezzar, but against Hashem. Therefore, the Holy One, blessed be He, says: "And I will punish [ufakadti]" - from the language of hashgachah (providence) - I will oversee with Divine Providence to recompense you according to your deeds. "And I will kindle a fire in its forest" - I will ignite a fire in the forest, which is Yehudah, "and it will consume all its surroundings" - everything that lies around the city. The Malbim explains that "a fire in its forest" refers to the Negev, the southern side, from which the city would be conquered, and afterwards "it will consume all its surroundings" - all the cities and settlements situated around Yerushalayim.
Tzidkiyahu sends a plea for mercy to Yirmiyahu and receives a harsh response: the weapons of war will be turned inward, the ministers' oaths and incantations will not avail, and Hashem Himself will fight against the city with an outstretched hand and a strong arm - with pestilence and the sword - and in anger, fury, and great wrath. The city will be delivered into the hands of the king of Babylon, who will show no pity, no mercy, and no compassion, and the decree of destruction upon the city has already been sealed "for evil and not for good." What can still be saved are human lives: "Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death." And to the House of David the prophet addresses a special call: "Administer justice in the morning and deliver the robbed from the hand of the oppressor" - before the darkness falls, for Tzion shall be redeemed through justice. And all the confidence that the inhabitants of "the valley, the rock of the plain" placed in the mountain and the fortress is nothing more than false security, for the battle is not against Nevuchadnezzar, but against Hashem's Providence, which punishes according to the fruit of their deeds.