Chapter 23 of Yirmiyahu is divided into two primary themes: it begins with a prophecy against the kings of Judah, the "shepherds" who destroyed and scattered the flock, alongside a promise of the ingathering of the exiles and the kingdom of the House of David in the messianic era. From there, the prophet turns to a prophecy against the false prophets, who are the secondary accomplices in misleading the flock. Let us follow the order of the verses.
Woe to the Shepherds - A Rebuke to the Leaders
הוֹי רֹעִים מְאַבְּדִים וּמְפִצִים אֶת־צֹאן מַרְעִיתִי נְאֻם־יְהֹוָה׃ - "Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!" says the Lord.
Here is a prophecy against the kings of Judah, who are the shepherds, meaning the leaders. We have seen time and again that the prophet compares the people of Israel to sheep and their leaders to shepherds. The Holy One, blessed be He, says to them: As long as I was shepherding them, that is, as long as the people listened to My voice, the flock remained gathered together. But you lead them down an evil path, and in doing so, you scatter them into exile. The Malbim explains that this is a direct continuation of what we saw earlier regarding Yehoyakim and Yehoyachin: these are the very shepherds whose punishment we have seen, and now the prophet laments over them and shows how they caused harm - through war they destroy, and subsequently in exile they scatter the flock.
לָכֵן כֹּה־אָמַר יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל עַל־הָרֹעִים הָרֹעִים אֶת־עַמִּי אַתֶּם הֲפִצֹתֶם אֶת־צֹאנִי וַתַּדִּחוּם וְלֹא פְקַדְתֶּם אֹתָם הִנְנִי פֹקֵד עֲלֵיכֶם אֶת־רֹעַ מַעַלְלֵיכֶם נְאֻם־יְהֹוָה׃ - "Therefore, so said the Lord, God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who shepherd My people: You have scattered My sheep and banished them, and you did not tend to them; behold, I am visiting upon you the evil of your deeds," says the Lord.
Through you, the people of Israel went out into exile and were dispersed from one another. "And banished them" (vatadichum) - you cast them out of their place, and they wander in exile. "And you did not tend to them" (velo fekadtem otam) - in the sense of "not one man of us is missing" (lo nifkad mimenu ish), meaning you did not check on them to see that none were lost to wild beasts. Not only that, but through you they were divided into factions: some went into exile and some were killed in wars. Therefore, "behold, I am visiting upon you the evil of your deeds" - the evil you have committed is what you will receive; for this you will be punished.
The Malbim analyzes the precise distinction between "you have scattered" (hefitzotem) and "banished them" (vatadichum): scattering is dispersion, where something may be scattered yet still remain nearby in the area. But "banished" (nidach) means that after they were already scattered, they were further driven away and distanced from their land. This is why He says to them: You were not careful to guard them, so now, I am visiting upon you the evil of your deeds.
Measure for Measure in the Promise of Ingathering
וַאֲנִי אֲקַבֵּץ אֶת־שְׁאֵרִית צֹאנִי מִכֹּל הָאֲרָצוֹת אֲשֶׁר־הִדַּחְתִּי אֹתָם שָׁם וַהֲשִׁבֹתִי אֶתְהֶן עַל־נְוֵהֶן וּפָרוּ וְרָבוּ׃ - "And I will gather the remnant of My flock from all the lands where I have banished them, and I will bring them back to their pasture, and they shall be fruitful and multiply."
The promise is structured as a direct countermeasure to the three charges in the previous verse: You scattered them - and I will gather them; you banished and distanced them - and I will "bring them back to their pasture"; you did not tend to them, causing them to be diminished - and I will ensure that "they shall be fruitful and multiply," not diminishing, but growing even further.
וַהֲקִמֹתִי עֲלֵיהֶם רֹעִים וְרָעוּם וְלֹא־יִירְאוּ עוֹד וְלֹא־יֵחַתּוּ וְלֹא יִפָּקֵדוּ נְאֻם־יְהֹוָה׃ - "And I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them, and they will fear no more, nor will they be dismayed, neither will any be missing," says the Lord.
I will gather the remnant of My flock, and I will raise up shepherds over them. Radak notes that these verses can be understood in reference to two different periods. We are speaking here during the exile of the First Temple, so when the prophet speaks of gathering the people of Israel, it could be interpreted as referring to the impending ingathering after seventy years, which ushered in the Second Temple era; alternatively, it could be interpreted as referring to the ultimate future ingathering in the complete Redemption for which we wait. Radak explains that while the verses can be understood on both levels, it is more plausible that this refers to the ingathering of the final exile, as is also evident from the continuation of the passage, which speaks of the Mashiach.
The Malbim, on the other hand, explains that "And I will set up shepherds over them" refers to the Second Temple era, not the coming of Mashiach, and only later does the text transition to speaking of the messianic era. The specific term "shepherds" is precise, for during the Second Temple period there were no kings as there were during the First Temple, but rather shepherds and leaders. And of that time it is said: "and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall any be missing" - they will have no fear, they will not be broken, and none will be missing.
What is the difference between "to fear" (lira) and "to be dismayed" (lachat)? The Malbim explains: fear (yirah) is actual dread that overcomes a person, whereas chitat (dismay) is psychological subjugation - when one feels inferior relative to another, finding no inner strength to stand up against him. This is a lesser degree of fear. Therefore, the phrase "fear not, neither be dismayed" builds progressively: you will not suffer great dread, nor even the subtle intimidation of chitat. According to the Malbim, yechatu is related to nachut, an inferiority complex toward another; others explain that it connotes being broken, as in "the bows of the mighty men are broken (chatim)," and "he was broken (nichat) before My name," and other similar verses.
A Righteous Branch for David - The Messianic Era
הִנֵּה יָמִים בָּאִים נְאֻם־יְהֹוָה וַהֲקִמֹתִי לְדָוִד צֶמַח צַדִּיק וּמָלַךְ מֶלֶךְ וְהִשְׂכִּיל וְעָשָׂה מִשְׁפָּט וּצְדָקָה בָּאָרֶץ׃ - "Behold, days are coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and a king shall reign and prosper, and execute justice and righteousness in the land."
The Malbim explains: since the previous verse spoke of prophecies that would be fulfilled during the Second Temple - that the nation would return to their land and have shepherds rather than a king - the verse now responds regarding those shepherds: know that the prophecy will yet be fulfilled in its entirety, and the leader will not remain merely in the status of a shepherd. "And I will raise up for David a righteous Branch" - at the time of Mashiach's coming they will have, as the Malbim phrases it, the ultimate happiness and success, reaching true perfection. "A Branch" (Tzemach) - a shoot will sprout from his roots, as it is written: "A shoot will go forth from the stem of Yishai"; "Righteous" (Tzaddik) - based on his righteousness, as it is written: "And righteousness shall be the belt of his waist." "And a king shall reign" - not a mere shepherd, but in the full status of a king. "And prosper" (ve-hiskil) - as is written regarding King Mashiach: "Behold, My servant shall prosper; he shall be exalted and lifted up, and be very high." "And execute justice and righteousness in the land" - across the entire earth; for Mashiach will not only bring peace here to the Land of Israel, but throughout the world, as it is written: "Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore," and "They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks."
In this connection, it is worth recalling that following the disarmament agreements of the Cold War between Russia and the United States, part of the accord was to decommission advanced missiles and their armaments. Because the metal was valuable - titanium and the like - they took the metal, manufactured pens from it, and marketed them. Someone aptly remarked: through this was fulfilled the verse, "they shall beat their swords into plowshares" - in the verse, swords were turned into plows, not instruments of killing; and here, "they beat their swords into pens."
Why the double expression, "and a king shall reign" (u-malach melech)? The Malbim explains that this repetition emphasizes that this refers to a true king. For one might use the title "king" for someone who seized the throne, or someone elected through democratic elections, yet who is not truly worthy of the title. A true king is one who holds sovereignty through the legitimate royal dynasty, like the dynasty of the House of David. Radak adds that Mashiach is called "Branch" (Tzemach) because his emergence into the world will be like the sprouting of vegetation in the field, as in the phrase, "I made you thrive like the plants of the field." And since he is righteous, there will be many righteous people alongside him - "In his days the righteous shall flourish," and "he will reprove many peoples." That is to say, King Mashiach will not be an isolated righteous individual, but will draw everyone after him, unlike earlier eras when the righteous were suppressed and persecuted.
בְּיָמָיו תִּוָּשַׁע יְהוּדָה וְיִשְׂרָאֵל יִשְׁכֹּן לָבֶטַח וְזֶה־שְּׁמוֹ אֲשֶׁר־יִקְרְאוֹ יְהֹוָה צִדְקֵנוּ׃ - "In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely; and this is his name whereby he shall be called: The Lord is our righteousness."
This verse addresses the nation. Previously, it spoke of the shepherds, indicating that during the Second Temple there would only be shepherds, but during the messianic era there will be a true king. Previously, it said that the Jewish people would return to their land, and now it adds: know that in the days of King Mashiach, Judah will be saved. During the Second Temple period there was no complete salvation; the people were still subject to the kings of Persia, Greece, and Rome, so the salvation was not total. The complete salvation will arrive only with the coming of Mashiach. "Judah" refers to Judah and Benjamin, the Kingdom of Judah, while "Israel" refers to the Ten Tribes. In the Second Temple era, the Ten Tribes did not return, but in the days of King Mashiach, Israel too will dwell safely.
"And this is his name whereby he shall be called: The Lord is our righteousness" - according to the Malbim, this refers to Israel, who will then be called "The Lord is our righteousness." This signifies that our righteousness comes from Hashem, and His righteousness with us will be evident in their very essence; and just as Hashem is eternal, so Israel will be "righteous and saved by Hashem." Radak, on the other hand, explains that Israel will call King Mashiach by this name: "and this is his name" - the name of that king in whose days Judah will be saved, and Israel will call him "The Lord is our righteousness," because in his days the righteousness of Hashem will be manifest for us as an enduring reality from Hashem. Nor should one wonder how a person could be called by the Name of Hashem, for Moshe Rabbeinu called an altar "Hashem-nissi" (Hashem is my banner), and Yaakov called an altar "El-Elohei-Yisrael" (God, the God of Israel); evidently, a physical entity can be named with the Name of Hashem.
The Difference Between This Prophecy and the Prophecy in Chapter 33: If They Merit, or Do Not Merit
The Malbim notes that this prophecy is repeated in chapter 33, verse 15, but with notable differences between the passages. There it says: "In those days and at that time, I will cause a Branch of righteousness to grow up for David," omitting "and a king shall reign and prosper," and stating: "In those days Judah shall be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely, and this is what she shall be called: The Lord is our righteousness." The explanation is that there are two modalities of redemption: if they merit, "I will hasten it" (achishena); and if they do not merit, it will arrive "in its time" (be-itah). Likewise: if they merit, "behold, one like the son of man came with the clouds of heaven," meaning King Mashiach will come on clouds of glory; if they do not merit, he comes as "a poor man riding on a donkey." As explained previously, without entering here into the exact definitions of "poor" and "riding on a donkey," it is clear that this represents a lower level, a more corporeal and material manifestation, since a donkey (chamor) represents materiality (chomer).
Thus, our passage speaks of the scenario where "they are worthy" and of the aspect of "achishenah" ("I will hasten it"), whereas chapter 33 speaks of "they are not worthy" and the aspect of "be'itah" ("in its time"). The redemption will certainly come; however, if we possess merits, Hashem will hasten it, and if not, it will arrive in its due time. Here it says "tzemach tzaddik" ("a righteous sprout") - indicating that he is righteous in his own right, and through merit we will merit the redemption; while there it says "tzemach tzedakah" ("a sprout of charity"), indicating that the Holy One, blessed be He, performs an act of charity with us even though it is undeserved, since the supernal charity does not look at merits or liabilities, but rather comes through Hashem's loving-kindness via an awakening from Above.
Therefore, there it does not say "and I will raise up" (vahakimoti), but rather "I will cause to sprout" (atzmi'ach), for sprouting denotes something newly grown; whereas here, reflecting the aspect of merit, it says "vahakimoti" - that the sprout already possesses merits in his own right, and there is only a need to raise him up, strengthen him, and establish him. Likewise, there it says "in those days and at that time," for if they are not worthy, one must wait for that designated time, and only when the time arrives will the redemption come; unlike here, where if they are worthy, "I will hasten it," which has no fixed date, and therefore "at that time" is not mentioned. Nor does it mention there "and a king shall reign and prosper," because if they are not worthy, the king will not reign immediately; initially he will come as a poor man riding upon a donkey, and it will take time until his sovereignty is accepted by the people.
Similarly, it does not say there "and Israel shall dwell safely," because if they are not worthy, the tribes will not be gathered immediately; rather, initially Judah alone and Jerusalem will be saved, and the ingathering of the exiles will be delayed until Jerusalem is rebuilt first. And this is our reality today: those who have gathered here are from Judah and Benjamin, and all of us stem from Judah and Benjamin. We have a tradition that Sephardic Jewry descends primarily from the tribe of Judah, and Ashkenazic Jewry primarily from the tribe of Benjamin, and there are several sources for this. But the Ten Tribes are lost to us, and we hope and anticipate their return - there is a dispute among Chazal as to whether they will return, though the prevailing view is that they will - and to this day it is unknown where they are, beyond the Mountains of Darkness and in various far-flung places, and every so often evidence surfaces of groups displaying Jewish customs. Furthermore, there it does not say "and this is her name" regarding Jerusalem from the outset, because she had no such prior reputation since they were not worthy, and only from then on will she be called so; whereas in our passage, which speaks of merit, it says "and this is his name whereby he shall be called," meaning that this merit and name were already engraved upon us from of old, as it were. Thus, the distinction between the two passages according to the Malbim is truly magnificent and demonstrated directly from the text.
A Redemption That Will Eclipse the Exodus from Egypt
לָכֵן הִנֵּה־יָמִים בָּאִים נְאֻם־יְהֹוָה וְלֹא־יֹאמְרוּ עוֹד חַי־יְהֹוָה אֲשֶׁר הֶעֱלָה אֶת־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם׃ כִּי אִם־חַי־יְהֹוָה אֲשֶׁר הֶעֱלָה וַאֲשֶׁר הֵבִיא אֶת־זֶרַע בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵאֶרֶץ צָפוֹנָה וּמִכֹּל הָאֲרָצוֹת אֲשֶׁר הִדַּחְתִּים שָׁם וְיָשְׁבוּ עַל־אַדְמָתָם׃ - "Therefore, behold, days are coming, says the Lord, when they shall no longer say, 'As the Lord lives, Who brought up the Children of Israel from the land of Egypt,' but, 'As the Lord lives, Who brought up and Who led the seed of the house of Israel from the north country and from all the countries where I had driven them,' and they shall dwell on their own land."
These verses already appeared above in chapter 16, verse 14, where we explained them; the commentators here likewise do not repeat their explanation, but refer the reader back there. The essence of the matter is that the miracles of the final redemption will be even greater than the miracles of the Exodus from Egypt. Therefore, when people wish to recall the redemption and glorify and exalt Hashem, Blessed be He, they will no longer say, "As Hashem lives, Who brought up the Children of Israel from the land of Egypt," for the Exodus from Egypt will pale in comparison; rather, they will say, "As Hashem lives, Who brought up and Who led the house of Israel from the north country and from all the countries where I had driven them, and they shall dwell on their own land."
A Prophecy Concerning the False Prophets - And the Prophet's Heart Is Broken
לַנְּבִאִים נִשְׁבַּר לִבִּי בְקִרְבִּי רָחֲפוּ כָּל־עַצְמוֹתַי הָיִיתִי כְּאִישׁ שִׁכּוֹר וּכְגֶבֶר עֲבָרוֹ יָיִן מִפְּנֵי יְהֹוָה וּמִפְּנֵי דִּבְרֵי קָדְשׁוֹ׃ - "Concerning the prophets: My heart is broken within me, all my bones tremble; I am like a drunken man, and like a man overcome by wine, because of the Lord and because of His holy words."
Here begins, as the Malbim notes, a prophecy concerning the false prophets. After prophesying about the shepherds and the calamity that would befall them for failing to shepherd the Jewish people properly, he now prophesies about the prophets, for in reality two groups misled the flock: the shepherds and the false prophets. It is regarding this that he says, "My heart is broken within me" - on account of the retribution that I see Hashem is destined to bring upon them.
And there is a moral lesson here. When something happens to the nations of the world, to the enemies of Israel, or to those who violate the covenant, some people gloat, yet the prophets consistently speak against this attitude: "Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles." One should feel sorrow that he did not repent, but there is certainly no place for gloating over his misfortune. Come and see: even though the false prophets were essentially the cause of all the troubles that befell the Jewish people, when Yirmiyahu envisions their downfall, his heart breaks within him. Similarly, in the prophecies concerning Moab, Ammon, and the other nations, the text says "woe," or "my heart moans," and the like. From this, the masters of Mussar deduce that even though Hashem brings retribution upon the nations, we should not rejoice over it; rather, we should have hoped that they would repent beforehand and fulfill their purpose in the world.
A story is told of one of the great Torah leaders - presumably Rabbi Yisrael Salanter, though the story is also attributed to another: in his day, one of the prominent heretics of that generation passed away. He had spread heresy and venom in a newspaper he published, which was widely circulated and famous for leading the charge against the observant and God-fearing community, causing many to stumble. One Friday, he died, and there was widespread rejoicing in the Jewish world that they were finally rid of this terrible scourge. It is told that on that Shabbat, people noticed that this sage's countenance was dim, lacking its usual radiant Shabbat light. They asked him: "Is the Rav mourning the death of that wicked man?" He answered them: "I am not mourning his death, but I cannot help feeling the anguish of that soul right now, as it arrives in the World Above and discovers that it devoted its entire life merely to gathering more firewood for its own Gehinnom. You did not harm the Creator of the world at all - it is impossible to harm Him in any way; all you managed to do was intensify the fire in your own Gehinnom. All his life he worked tirelessly to make the fire in his Gehinnom hotter and last for more years. What immense agony that soul feels, and what profound shock, when it encounters the truth in a single instant! I cannot free myself from that sorrow."
It is likewise told of the Chazon Ish that when there was a flood in China - a dam burst and hundreds of thousands died - he said: "Some believe that since they are non-Jews, it is fitting to rejoice over their death. Know that this stems from flawed character traits. After all, the Torah commands us to have compassion even for animals; is a gentile inferior to an animal? One should not rejoice in their downfall, but rather feel a sense of pity." To be sure, regarding those who actively oppressed us, the name of the Creator, Blessed be He, is magnified and sanctified when He exacts retribution from them, as it is written: "Fair daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction, happy shall he be who repays you... who seizes and dashes your little ones against the rock" - for when a nation persecutes us, the honor of Heaven is revealed when they are struck down. But with ordinary nations with whom we have no quarrel, why should their death bring joy? The Holy One, blessed be He, created them! It has been said that if you are walking in the street and see a cockroach, do not step on it - how is it bothering you? If it is inside the house, then for the sake of domestic peace it is understandable; but in the street, why should you care that it crawls along, when it too is the handiwork of the Holy One, blessed be He? So too, the holy Ari taught that one should not pluck leaves from a tree without reason, for the Holy One, blessed be He, created the tree and it contains a spiritual rectification. When there is a legitimate need, it is permitted to kill animals, to slaughter and eat, everything is permitted; but when there is no need, why do so?
And if this is said about an animal, it is certainly true of a Gentile, for the nations have a role in the world. The fact that they do not fulfill it is another matter, but they have existence and they possess a soul - an animal soul, to be sure, but a soul that continues to exist after death. Therefore, an attitude toward Gentiles of "let them die" is incorrect; our concern is that they fulfill their purpose, and their destiny is "strangers shall stand and feed your flocks" - to be an aid and assistance to the Jewish people in the service of the Holy One, blessed be He. Had they fulfilled this, on the contrary, they would have accomplished their purpose and received Gan Eden in a manner appropriate to a Gentile, according to the deeds he performed; and if a Gentile fulfills his purpose even now through the seven Noahide laws, he will likewise receive Gan Eden in accordance with what he was commanded. Indeed, it is written in Tanna Dvei Eliyahu: "I call heaven and earth to witness upon me, whether man or woman, whether manservant or maidservant, whether Gentile or child, everything is according to the deed he performs that the Holy Spirit rests upon him." That is to say, even a Gentile can attain spiritual perception according to the deeds he does. Therefore, the attitude people absorb from various Kahanist movements is far removed from the outlook of Judaism, and one must know that this is not the way of the Torah, nor is it the Torah's perspective.
To return to the verse: "Concerning the prophets" - regarding the false prophets, "my heart is broken within me" because of the catastrophe that I see. "All my bones tremble" - the bones seem detached from their joints, as if floating, no longer bound together. "I have become like a drunken man" - at the moment I receive the prophecy, I am like a person who drank wine, which the Malbim defines as the wine of fury, the wine of wrath: I am intoxicated from that wine I drank, from those terrible events I foresee befalling them. "And like a man overcome by wine" - after the wine has already passed through him, yet he remains disoriented and unsettled in mind. And this is "because of the Lord" - while I see and hear the prophetic word from Hashem; "and because of His holy words" - because of the speech I have already heard, for even after hearing the prophecy I have not calmed down, and the words still churn within me and continue to affect me.
The Facts Slap the False Prophets in the Face
כִּי מְנָאֲפִים מָלְאָה הָאָרֶץ כִּי־מִפְּנֵי אָלָה אָבְלָה הָאָרֶץ יָבְשׁוּ נְאוֹת מִדְבָּר וַתְּהִי מְרוּצָתָם רָעָה וּגְבוּרָתָם לֹא־כֵן׃ - For the land is full of adulterers; for because of swearing the land mourns, the pastures of the wilderness are dried up; their course is evil, and their might is not right.
The Radak explains: How can I gloss over and praise their deeds, when the land is full of adulterers? And they had another iniquity - taking false oaths, as in the phrase "and heard the voice of adjuration," and on account of this evil the land was ruined. Here we have adultery and here we have false oaths, and these sins are rampant among most of the people of the land. If so, how can the false prophets mislead them into thinking that no calamity will befall them? The false prophets, as discussed several times, would sugarcoat reality, claiming that only good would come and that the vessels of the Beis HaMikdash would soon return. But how can one whitewash things when the facts slap them in the face? The land is full of adulterers, because of swearing the land mourns - these are matters everyone sees and knows, not things done in secret. How can you come and peddle illusions to the people while the land is in mourning and "the pastures of the wilderness are dried up," meaning the grazing lands for livestock have already withered away?
"Their course [merutzatam] is evil" - their zeal is always toward evil; they do not run to perform a mitzvah, but all their running is toward negative things. "And their might is not right [lo chein]" - Radak explains that chein denotes truth, as in "The daughters of Tzelafchad speak correctly [chein]" (and seemingly our word keinut, sincerity or honesty, also stems from truthfulness). That is, their strength is not exercised for truth; rather, all their mighty deeds are done on behalf of falsehood. And what does this mean? One ought to have invested that strength in refuting the words of the false prophets. Here are false prophets peddling illusions, and the people possess strength, so they should have directed their power against them. Instead, they use their strength against the true prophets: overpowering them, silencing them, throwing them into prison, and tormenting them. And this is what they said to Yirmiyahu: "Do not prophesy in the name of Hashem, so that you do not die by our hand," as seen earlier where they threatened him not to utter the word of Hashem.
Targum Yonatan interprets merutzatam not from the root of running, but from the root of ratzon, desire: "they walk according to the desire of their soul"; and then "evil shall come upon them, and their mighty men shall not succeed." The Malbim explains the progression of the verse: I saw in prophecy, first, their sin - that the land is full of adulterers; and second, the retribution and destruction - "for because of swearing the land mourns." And what will become of them? Just as their course was toward evil, so too "their might is not right" - they will not be able to prevail against the enemy. Since you utilized your strength for evil, your strength will not avail you for good to triumph over the enemy.
Both Prophet and Priest Are Corrupt
כִּי־גַם־נָבִיא גַם־כֹּהֵן חָנֵפוּ גַּם־בְּבֵיתִי מָצָאתִי רָעָתָם נְאֻם־יְהֹוָה׃ - For both prophet and priest are profane; even in My House have I found their wickedness, says the Lord.
There is no one to instruct them in the proper path: neither the prophet through prophecy nor the priest through the Torah, for both prophet and priest have become corrupt. Nor do they fear the House of Hashem, for "even in My House have I found their wickedness" - even inside the Beis HaMikdash they commit evil, burning incense and sacrificing there to the Baal and to idols. According to the Malbim, this refers even to individuals who were supposed to be upright: the priest who is a priest according to the Torah, and the prophet who speaks via prophecy. The Metzudas David, on the other hand, explains that the prophet and priest mentioned here are figures of falsehood: "both prophet" - the prophet of Baal, the false prophet; "and priest" - the priest of Baal. They too act hypocritically and do not tell people the truth, and inside the Beis HaMikdash itself, those priests of the high places and prophets of Baal would sacrifice and burn incense. In reality, it was not specifically Baal worship, for as we will see later, worship of Baal was not customary in Yehudah but only in Shomron, as seen with Achav and Izevel who brought the prophets of Baal to Shomron, and we will mention this further on. Rather, it refers to false priests, priests of idol worship, and not necessarily the cult of Baal.
Slippery Places in the Darkness
לָכֵן יִהְיֶה דַרְכָּם לָהֶם כַּחֲלַקְלַקּוֹת בָּאֲפֵלָה יִדַּחוּ וְנָפְלוּ בָהּ כִּי־אָבִיא עֲלֵיהֶם רָעָה שְׁנַת פְּקֻדָּתָם נְאֻם־יְהֹוָה׃ - Therefore their way shall be to them as slippery places in the darkness; they shall be thrust down and fall therein, for I will bring calamity upon them, the year of their visitation, says the Lord.
When a person walks on a slippery path, there is a danger that he will slip, but if he walks by day, he pays attention, opens his eyes, and takes care; even when walking on ice, people watch where to place each foot so as not to slip. But for one who walks on slippery ground in the dark - his slipping is certain; it is a sure death, with no chance of escape. From here we understand the nimshal: had the prophet and the kohen shown them the upright path, they would still have had a chance to protect themselves. But there is no light, there is no prophet or kohen to illuminate the path for them, and they are in darkness; therefore, their fall is guaranteed. For this reason, "יִדַּחוּ וְנָפְלוּ בָהּ" - they will be thrust down and fall in it, "כִּי־אָבִיא עֲלֵיהֶם רָעָה שְׁנַת פְּקֻדָּתָם" - at the time and in the year when I reckon their iniquity, then they will fall.
In summary: The prophet began with a rebuke to the kings of Judah, the shepherds who destroyed and scattered the flock, and measure for measure the Holy One, Blessed is He, promised to gather them, return them to their pasture, make them fruitful and multiply them, and establish shepherds during the Second Temple era. In contrast to those corrupt shepherds, He promised a "righteous sprout" for David - a true king from the Davidic dynasty who will execute justice and righteousness and bring peace to the entire world, and then Judah will be saved and the Ten Tribes will also dwell securely, and the name Hashem Tzidkeinu will be called upon us. The Malbim demonstrated that this passage speaks from the perspective of "if they merit - I will hasten it," whereas the parallel prophecy in chapter 33 speaks from the perspective of "if they do not merit - in its time." From there, the prophet turned to the false prophets: his heart was broken and his bones trembled because of the calamity, from which we learned that one must never gloat over another's downfall. He proved that there is no way to whitewash a reality where the land is filled with adulterers and false oaths, where power is directed against the true prophets instead of against the false prophets, and where even the prophet and the kohen acted hypocritically and defiled the House of Hashem. And because there is no one to illuminate the path for them, their way will be like slippery ground in the dark, where falling is certain, in the year of their visitation.