Introduction: The Cup of the Wine of Wrath
In this part of the chapter, Yirmiyahu transitions from his rebuke of the people of Yehudah to a comprehensive prophecy concerning all the nations. The Holy One, blessed be He, shows him in a prophetic vision a cup of wine, and commands him to give all the nations to drink from it. The cup is a metaphor for the impending retribution, and the order of drinking corresponds to the sequence of punishment: first Yerushalayim, followed by Egypt, the Philistines, Edom and Moav, Tzor and Tzidon, extending to the ends of the earth - and finally, the king of Bavel himself. The chapter concludes with a depiction of the devastation of the pasture, the shepherds' loss of any place of refuge, and the Shechinah departing from its abode.
Take This Cup of the Wine of Wrath
כִּי כֹה אָמַר יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֵלַי, קַח אֶת־כּוֹס הַיַּיִן הַחֵמָה הַזֹּאת מִיָּדִי, וְהִשְׁקִיתָה אֹתוֹ אֶת־כָּל־הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי שֹׁלֵחַ אוֹתְךָ אֲלֵיהֶם. - For thus said Hashem, God of Israel, to me: Take this cup of the wine of wrath from My hand, and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it.
The cup of the wine of wrath represents the prophecy of retribution conveyed here, allegorized as a cup of wine. Yirmiyahu is commanded to take it from the hand of the Holy One, blessed be He, and give all the nations to drink from it; that is, to prophesy to them that their end draws near and that calamity is at their doorstep. Radak explains that "the wine the wrath" (yein hachemah) functions as a construct phrase - wine of wrath, similar to "the deed the purchase" (hasefer hamiknah), which means the deed of purchase, or "the people the war" (am hamilchamah), meaning the people of war. The wine symbolizes the fury and retribution Hashem harbors against the nations, by which He will exact punishment from them.
Malbim adds that this is a metaphor for the rebellions and widespread turmoil that would erupt among the nations themselves, in the spirit of "And I will set Egyptians against Egyptians." It is worth noting: a reality in which the nations are at odds with one another is generally beneficial for the Jewish people. When the nations are at rest, they are free to turn their attention toward us. But when they are consumed head-over-heels with one another, we have quiet. At most, a missile occasionally strays across. And we wish that the conflicts between them continue, and that each side succeeds in defeating the other, speedily, Amen.
וְשָׁתוּ וְהִתְגֹּעֲשׁוּ וְהִתְהֹלָלוּ מִפְּנֵי הַחֶרֶב אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי שֹׁלֵחַ בֵּינֹתָם. - And they shall drink, and convulse, and become maddened, because of the sword that I send among them.
"And they shall convulse" (vehitgo'ashu) - Rashi cites the Targum: they shall go mad. "And become maddened" (vehitholalu) - an expression of wild frenzy, that they will lose their wits. Malbim defines the words with precision: hitgo'ashu refers to physical agitation, when the body shakes and quakes; hitholalu refers to mental confusion. That is, every man's sword will be turned against his fellow, bringing upon them bodily trembling and madness of the mind.
"So I Took the Cup" - The Order of the Nations
וָאֶקַּח אֶת־הַכּוֹס מִיַּד יְהֹוָה, וָאַשְׁקֶה אֶת־כָּל־הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר־שְׁלָחַנִי יְהֹוָה אֲלֵיהֶם. - So I took the cup from the hand of Hashem, and made all the nations drink to whom Hashem had sent me.
I took the cup as He showed me in the prophetic vision, and I made the nations drink. That is to say: I saw in prophetic vision how I gave them to drink - meaning that I proclaimed to them the prophecy the Holy One, blessed be He, commanded me to prophesy.
אֶת־יְרוּשָׁלִַם וְאֶת־עָרֵי יְהוּדָה וְאֶת־מְלָכֶיהָ אֶת־שָׂרֶיהָ, לָתֵת אֹתָם לְחָרְבָּה לְשַׁמָּה לִשְׁרֵקָה וְלִקְלָלָה כַּיּוֹם הַזֶּה. - Yerushalayim and the cities of Yehudah, and its kings and its princes, to make them a ruin, a desolation, a hissing, and a curse, as it is this day.
The prophecy opens specifically with Jerusalem, for it too is included in the calamity: they rebelled against the word of Hashem and refused to repent. And why is it first on the list? Because Jerusalem was destroyed first, and only afterward was Egypt destroyed, as the Malbim explains. "As it is this day" - Rashi explains that Yirmiyahu wrote his book after the destruction, and therefore he says: just as you see it desolate as it is this day, so did I prophesy to them.
אֶת־פַּרְעֹה מֶלֶךְ־מִצְרַיִם וְאֶת־עֲבָדָיו וְאֶת־שָׂרָיו וְאֶת־כָּל־עַמּוֹ. - Pharaoh king of Egypt, his servants, his princes, and all his people.
וְאֵת כָּל־הָעֶרֶב וְאֵת כָּל־מַלְכֵי אֶרֶץ הָעוּץ, וְאֵת כָּל־מַלְכֵי אֶרֶץ פְּלִשְׁתִּים וְאֶת־אַשְׁקְלוֹן וְאֶת־עַזָּה וְאֶת־עֶקְרוֹן וְאֵת שְׁאֵרִית אַשְׁדּוֹד. - And all the mixed multitude, and all the kings of the land of Uz, and all the kings of the land of the Philistines, and Ashkelon, and Gaza, and Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod.
"All the mixed multitude" (erev) - the Malbim explains: a mixture of nations that had no king. Therefore, it does not say here "the kings of the mixed multitude," as it says "all the kings of the land of Uz," for the people of the erev had no king, but were mixed peoples, akin to the erev rav (mixed multitude). Radak agrees, explaining that the erev was a populace gathered from different nations who had mingled together.
Ashkelon, Gaza, and Ekron were Philistine cities, as is well known from Sefer Shoftim, and each of them had its own king. Ashdod, on the other hand, had already been conquered by Pharaoh, which is why it is called merely "the remnant of Ashdod" - as we will see in chapter 47. Radak adds that when Nevuchadnetzar captured Ashdod, he already found it partially destroyed by the king of Egypt or another conqueror, and so only a remnant remained.
Now, a question arises: if it says "all the kings of the land of the Philistines," why specify afterward Ashkelon, Gaza, and Ekron? Radak explains that "all the kings of the land of the Philistines" refers to the rest of the Philistine territory - besides Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and Ashdod, there were other cities, as we find in Sefer Shmuel regarding the golden tumors and the affliction that struck them after the capture of the Aron, where it states "from fortified city to unwalled village." Thus we learn that there were additional cities beyond the major metropolises.
And which city is missing here? Gat. Radak explains: because David took Gat from the hand of the Philistines, as recorded in Divrei HaYamim, "and he took Gat and its suburbs out of the hand of the Philistines," which is Metheg-ammah mentioned in Sefer Shmuel. Therefore, it was no longer counted among the Philistine cities.
אֶת־אֱדוֹם וְאֶת־מוֹאָב וְאֶת־בְּנֵי עַמּוֹן. - Edom, Moab, and the children of Ammon.
וְאֵת כָּל־מַלְכֵי־צֹר וְאֵת כָּל־מַלְכֵי צִידוֹן, וְאֵת מַלְכֵי הָאִי אֲשֶׁר בְּעֵבֶר הַיָּם. - And all the kings of Tzor, and all the kings of Tzidon, and the kings of the isle which is beyond the sea.
All of these, Rashi notes, are the neighbors surrounding the Land of Israel.
וְאֶת־דְּדָן וְאֶת־תֵּימָא וְאֶת־בּוּז וְאֵת כָּל־קְצוּצֵי פֵאָה. - Dedan, Tema, Buz, and all who dwell in the furthest corners.
Dedan, Tema, and Buz were also descendants of Yishmael and of Keturah, who dwelt around them. And what is meant by "ketzutzei fe'ah" (those of cut corners)? Pe'ah denotes an edge and the end of something: "the corner of your field" (pe'at sadcha) is the boundary of the field, and the corner of the hair (pe'at ha-se'ar) is the edge of the head. "Ketzutzei fe'ah" therefore refers to those who dwell at the outermost edge, at the very ends of the earth.
The Malbim explains that "those who cut the corners" refers to the rest of the descendants of Yishmael and the sons of Keturah, who would circumcise the flesh of their foreskin. "Peah" (edge) hints at the foreskin, which is the extremity and edge of the body, and they are those whose edge is cut.
וְאֵת כָּל־מַלְכֵי עֲרָב וְאֵת כָּל־מַלְכֵי הָעֶרֶב הַשֹּׁכְנִים בַּמִּדְבָּר. - And all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the mixed multitude who dwell in the wilderness.
"All the kings of Arav" - Rashi explains: Arabia, the Arabian lands. "And all the kings of the Erev" - the adjacent borders of Arabia, meaning those near them, or a mixture of Arab peoples. The Radak explains that they are the tent-dwelling Arabs, as it is said, "No Arab will pitch his tent there," meaning he will not pitch a tent there, referring to the Bedouins. Notice the distinction: earlier the verse said "and all the mixed crowd" without mentioning kings, whereas here it speaks of the kings of the Erev who dwell in the wilderness - these are not the same mixed crowd mentioned earlier, since those had no kings and did not dwell in the wilderness.
וְאֵת כָּל־מַלְכֵי זִמְרִי וְאֵת כָּל־מַלְכֵי עֵילָם וְאֵת כָּל־מַלְכֵי מָדָי. - And all the kings of Zimri, and all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of Media.
"Zimri" - the Radak says it is possible that this refers to Zimran, from the sons of Keturah.
וְאֵת כָּל־מַלְכֵי הַצָּפוֹן הַקְּרֹבִים וְהָרְחֹקִים אִישׁ אֶל־אָחִיו, וְאֵת כָּל־הַמַּמְלְכוֹת הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר עַל־פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה, וּמֶלֶךְ שֵׁשַׁךְ יִשְׁתֶּה אַחֲרֵיהֶם. - And all the kings of the north, near and far, one with another, and all the kingdoms of the world that are upon the face of the earth; and the king of Sheshach shall drink after them.
The Holy One, blessed be He, tells him that he must give all of these to drink from the cup, meaning that the calamity will pass over them as well. "Near and far, one with another" - those close to one another and those far from one another. And who is the "king of Sheshach"? Chazal state in the Gemara: Sheshach is Bavel, through the Atbash cipher - Alef swaps with Tav, Beit with Shin, and Chaf and Lamed likewise swap, so that Sheshach is Bavel. And the king of Babylon will drink after them: once his seventy years are complete, he will pay the full reckoning.
"Drink, become drunk, and vomit" - Four Stages of Drunkenness
וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵיהֶם כֹּה־אָמַר יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, שְׁתוּ וְשִׁכְרוּ וּקְיוּ וְנִפְלוּ וְלֹא תָקוּמוּ, מִפְּנֵי הַחֶרֶב אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי שֹׁלֵחַ בֵּינֵיכֶם. - And you shall say to them: Thus says the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel: Drink, become drunk, vomit, fall, and rise no more, because of the sword that I send among you.
The Malbim explains that there is a progression of four stages here. There is a person who drinks and does not get drunk - He tells them: drink and become drunk. There is a person who gets drunk, but his stomach is like cast concrete or stainless steel, and no amount of alcohol affects it so he never vomits - He tells them: and vomit; this too will overpower you. There is someone who vomits yet still remains on his feet, as the wine has not yet knocked him down - He tells them: and fall. And there is someone who falls and afterwards somehow manages to stagger back to his feet - regarding this He says: and rise no more; you will collapse and never rise again.
A story is told of a drunkard who was pulled over by a police officer. The officer checked him and said, "My friend, you are in really bad shape. See the line on the side of the road? Walk straight along it." The drunk replied, "Are you kidding me? First straighten the line!"
And what is the deeper meaning? The Malbim explains: the drunkard who vomits and falls is a metaphor for their desire to throw off the yoke of the king of Babylon and vomit him out from their midst. But the king of Babylon reigns supreme and oppresses them, and Hashem sends the sword among them, nation against nation, and through this all will fall beneath him. In other words: you think to wage war against him and rebel, but the very attempt to "vomit" him out will cause your downfall - a fall from which you will not rise, like a drunkard who tries to purge what is inside him and ultimately falls and wallows in his own vomit.
וְהָיָה כִּי יְמָאֲנוּ לָקַחַת־הַכּוֹס מִיָּדְךָ לִשְׁתּוֹת, וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵיהֶם כֹּה אָמַר יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת שָׁתוֹ תִשְׁתּוּ. - And it shall be, if they refuse to take the cup from your hand to drink, then you shall say to them: Thus says Hashem of Hosts: You shall surely drink.
Whoever refuses to take the cup - meaning, whoever wishes to wage war against Nevuchadnezzar, stubbornly rising up against him - tell him that it will avail him nothing, and in any event he will drink the cup. The Holy One, blessed be He, will bring matters to the point where Nevuchadnezzar subdues them all.
Upon the City That Bears My Name I Begin to Bring Calamity
כִּי הִנֵּה בָעִיר אֲשֶׁר נִקְרָא־שְׁמִי עָלֶיהָ אָנֹכִי מֵחֵל לְהָרַע, וְאַתֶּם הִנָּקֵה תִנָּקוּ? לֹא תִנָּקוּ, כִּי חֶרֶב אֲנִי קֹרֵא עַל־כָּל־יֹשְׁבֵי הָאָרֶץ, נְאֻם יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת. - For behold, in the city that is called by My Name I begin to bring calamity, and will you be utterly acquitted? You shall not be acquitted, for I summon a sword against all the inhabitants of the earth, says Hashem of Hosts.
The Malbim explains: The Jewish people are directly under Hashem's personal providence, which is why Jerusalem is called "the city that is called by My Name." Even so, the beginning will be there - Nevuchadnezzar's fortune will prevail over them first. How much more so for the other nations, who do not have the name of the Holy One, blessed be He, called upon them; they will certainly fall under his hand.
And what is the meaning of "I begin to bring calamity"? The Malbim explains that sometimes the Holy One, blessed be He, terrifies the nations so that Israel will take heed and accept reproof, as it is written: "I have cut off nations; their towers are desolate; I said: Surely you will fear Me, you will receive instruction" - "their towers are desolate" refers to their great battlements, in the sense of "the chief cornerstone." The purpose is for the Jewish people to see the tribulations of the nations and come to the fear of Heaven, and as a result, the Holy One, blessed be He, will not have to bring the affliction upon us. We see an earthquake at the other end of the world, and that itself jolts us.
Here, however, the opposite occurs: "in the city that is called by My Name I begin to bring calamity" - I am bringing the beginning of the evil upon Jerusalem itself. If so, we no longer have the privilege of observing the suffering of the nations and learning a lesson from it. When calamity strikes the nations, there is still an opportunity for us to take reproof and be spared; but when being spared is no longer an option, when the calamity must come regardless, the Holy One, blessed be He, says: I am bringing it directly and first of all upon the people of Israel. And this is the meaning of: "and will you be utterly acquitted? You shall not be acquitted."
Hashem Shall Roar from on High - A Roar Versus a Voice
וְאַתָּה תִּנָּבֵא אֲלֵיהֶם אֵת כָּל־הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה, וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵיהֶם יְהֹוָה מִמָּרוֹם יִשְׁאָג וּמִמְּעוֹן קָדְשׁוֹ יִתֵּן קוֹלוֹ, שָׁאֹג יִשְׁאַג עַל־נָוֵהוּ, הֵידָד כְּדֹרְכִים יַעֲנֶה אֶל כָּל־יֹשְׁבֵי הָאָרֶץ. - And you shall prophesy against them all these words, and say to them: Hashem will roar from on high, and utter His voice from His holy habitation; He will mightily roar against His dwelling place; a shout like those who tread the grapes He will call out against all the inhabitants of the earth.
Rashi cites the familiar homily of Chazal from the Gemara in Masechet Berachot, that "He will mightily roar against His dwelling place" means that the Holy One, blessed be He, mourns over the destruction of His House. But the Malbim explains the verse as a whole. There is "giving a voice" (uttering a sound) and there is "roaring," and in everyday speech as well, giving a voice is far weaker than a roar; when a person roars, his voice is immense and overwhelming. Here, two contrasting expressions are used: "He will roar from on high" versus "and utter His voice from His holy habitation."
What is the difference between "on high" and "His holy habitation"? "On high" refers to the natural cosmic order, the governance of the celestial spheres and the stars. "His holy habitation" refers to the realm beyond the stars, the providential governance that transcends the natural order and rules over the celestial system itself. In the celestial heights, there is always a voice: the governance of the stars is constant, and one could always chart an astrological map to see what the constellations indicated. Today we have no real understanding of this, but in principle, such wisdom was known to the ancient sages and operated constantly - there was never a time when the stars indicated nothing; they are always positioned in a particular configuration, exerting mutual influences that reflect the forces descending into this world.
Here, however, it is stated that Hashem will roar from on high - not a normal voice, but a roar. By virtue of what? Through "uttering His voice from His holy habitation." Hashem's voice is not heard constantly from His holy habitation; seeing Hashem's hand in open miracles and supernatural deeds is not something we experience continuously. But here, the hidden, miraculous governance from His holy habitation will utter its voice, meaning that divine emanations will emerge from it and reach the celestial spheres. Then, from the heights, from the realm of the stars, it will no longer be an ordinary voice, but a mighty and tremendous roar - because it originates from Above, from the transcendent hidden realm, beyond nature. And all of this is "against His dwelling place": the roar is destined to destroy the Beis HaMikdash.
"He shall call out 'Heidad!' like those who tread" - Rashi explains that heidad is a cry uttered by people engaged in heavy labor, to encourage themselves and maintain a rhythm. When people want to move something by force, they chant "heave-ho, heave-ho", and everyone works in unison. This was common practice in many forms of labor: rowers on ships; weavers who uttered sounds while weaving as a kind of rhythm-setting chant; and likewise what is related concerning Hey and Heya, two figures from the era of Uzza and Azael - the Nephilim who descended from heaven - who would chant during their labor. And this was the way of grape treaders in the winepresses, who would voice rhythmic shouts to tread the grapes with vigor.
And "he shall call out" (ya'aneh) here does not mean answering a question, but rather raising the voice, as in "And you shall speak up (ve'anita) and say: An Aramean sought to destroy my father" - where Rashi explains that it means raising one's voice. The underlying meaning is that the Holy One, blessed be He, will roar over His dwelling, and in response to the lion's roar, all the predators will answer - Nevuchadnetzar and the other nations will be aroused and come to destroy His dwelling. Just like grape treaders, where one calls out to his fellow and the other responds in turn. Thus, the verse depicts the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash and the way in which it will be carried out by the nations.
בָּא שָׁאוֹן עַד־קְצֵה הָאָרֶץ, כִּי רִיב לַיהֹוָה בַּגּוֹיִם, נִשְׁפָּט הוּא לְכָל־בָּשָׂר, הָרְשָׁעִים נְתָנָם לַחֶרֶב נְאֻם־יְהֹוָה. - A tumult has reached to the ends of the earth, for Hashem has a dispute with the nations; He enters into judgment with all flesh; the wicked He has handed over to the sword, says Hashem.
"Tumult" (sha'on) is the roaring sound of noise, as in "the roar of many waters," and it also expresses any widespread commotion and tumult. Targum Yonatan translates similarly: "a commotion has arrived" - a great noise and stirring has come. That roar, which is the roar of Hashem, reaches to the ends of the earth. "For Hashem has a dispute with the nations" - the Holy One, blessed be He, has a general grievance with the nations, and a private judgment with each individual who sinned against Him. By virtue of the general dispute there is danger for everyone, and by virtue of the judgment, the wicked who sinned specifically - from them the Holy One, blessed be He, will exact retribution personally.
כֹּה אָמַר יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת, הִנֵּה רָעָה יֹצֵאת מִגּוֹי אֶל־גּוֹי, וְסַעַר גָּדוֹל יֵעוֹר מִיַּרְכְּתֵי־אָרֶץ. - Thus said Hashem of Hosts: Behold, calamity goes forth from nation to nation, and a great storm shall be stirred up from the ends of the earth.
"Calamity goes forth from nation to nation" - Rashi explains: I will incite them against one another. Radak explains that this section is linked to the matter preceding it, namely the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash, and upon this also depends how we interpret later on, "He has abandoned His booth like a young lion": if it refers to the First Temple, it is a continuation of what was said above; if to the Second Temple, then a new subject begins here. "And a great storm", in the sense of a tempest, "from the ends of the earth" - the Malbim explains that this refers to Nevuchadnetzar, who will be stirred to come against them and destroy them.
וְהָיוּ חַלְלֵי יְהֹוָה בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא מִקְצֵה הָאָרֶץ וְעַד־קְצֵה הָאָרֶץ, לֹא יִסָּפְדוּ וְלֹא יֵאָסְפוּ וְלֹא יִקָּבֵרוּ, לְדֹמֶן עַל־פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה יִהְיוּ. - And the slain of Hashem on that day shall be from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth; they shall not be eulogized, nor gathered, nor buried; they shall be like dung upon the face of the earth.
The sword will slay multitudes, and not only will many die, but the living will not even have time to attend to the dead. Therefore, what is naturally required at a funeral - the eulogy - will not take place: "they shall not be eulogized." Furthermore, they will not even be able to gather the bodies into one place, even without individual graves: "nor gathered." And to cover them with earth there will be no one to do so: "nor buried"; rather, "they shall be like dung upon the face of the earth," due to the magnitude of the distress and catastrophe, with no one left to attend to their burial.
Wail, You Shepherds - The Fall of the Leaders
הֵילִילוּ הָרֹעִים וְזַעֲקוּ וְהִתְפַּלְּשׁוּ אַדִּירֵי הַצֹּאן, כִּי־מָלְאוּ יְמֵיכֶם לִטְבוֹחַ, וּתְפוֹצוֹתִיכֶם, וּנְפַלְתֶּם כִּכְלִי חֶמְדָּה. - Wail, you shepherds, and cry out, and roll in the dust, you masters of the flock, for your days for slaughter and your scatterings are fulfilled, and you shall fall like a precious vessel.
"The shepherds" are the kings, and the "masters of the flock" are the nobles, in the words of the Malbim. "For your days for slaughter are fulfilled" - the time has arrived about which the Holy One, blessed be He, sent His prophecies, that you are destined for slaughter, that the adversary will come and slay you. "And your scatterings" - the time has come for you to be scattered into exile and dispersed from the land.
"And you shall fall like a precious vessel" - Rashi explains: Should you say, "We are of great importance," behold, there are precious vessels of glass that fall, shatter, and are lost. That is to say: you may feel important, like a luxurious crystal vase worth thousands of dollars - yet with a single crash to the floor, it shatters. Even if you feel so important, know that reality can be overturned in an instant.
The Malbim adds depth: a precious vessel, as long as it is whole, is exceedingly valuable; but once it falls, breaks, and is damaged, it is no longer worth anything. An antique Chinese vase from three thousand years ago, once shattered to pieces, is of no use. Most antique vessels may indeed be broken and glued back together, but that is when there are two or three pieces; what has crumbled into shards cannot be repaired. So he tells them: your fall will be like the fall of a precious vessel, after which one does not say, "It is still worth fifty percent" - rather, in the wake of your descent into exile, you will not be worth anything at all.
וְאָבַד מָנוֹס מִן־הָרֹעִים, וּפְלֵיטָה מֵאַדִּירֵי הַצֹּאן. - Flight shall perish from the shepherds, and escape from the masters of the flock.
When the time of slaughter arrives, the shepherds will have nowhere to flee, and there will be no place of escape for the masters of the flock. The Malbim distinguishes between manos (flight) and peleita (escape): manos is generally said of an intelligent being - one does not say "the donkey fled," but rather "the man fled," for flight refers to one who possesses intellect; whereas escape applies to animals as well.
These words are piercing: normally, the shepherds - that is, the leaders - prepare a place of refuge for themselves in advance. Tzidkiyahu had a cave. Leaders have escape routes or asylum countries - as was told of Assad, who prepared all kinds of options for the worst-case scenario, a country that would take him in and protect him from being put on trial in The Hague for genocide. The shepherds are more organized; they plan a flight. The prophet tells them: do not count on this, "Flight shall perish from the shepherds" - the leaders will have nowhere to flee. And the flock, the people, will have no place of escape either.
קוֹל צַעֲקַת הָרֹעִים וִילְלַת אַדִּירֵי הַצֹּאן, כִּי־שֹׁדֵד יְהֹוָה אֶת־מַרְעִיתָם. - The sound of the shepherds' cry and the wailing of the masters of the flock, for Hashem has plundered their pasture.
The kings and ministers will roar aloud because Hashem is plundering their pasture. That is to say: everyone will perceive that this is from Hashem. It is not a natural punishment, nor the result of celestial alignment - it will be clear to all that He roars mightily over His habitation, and that this is a direct, Divine retribution from Hashem.
וְנָדַמּוּ נְאוֹת הַשָּׁלוֹם, מִפְּנֵי חֲרוֹן אַף־יְהֹוָה. - And the peaceful habitations are silenced, because of the fierce anger of Hashem.
Rashi explains that nadamu is an expression of destruction and desolation, like hidamnu ("we are silenced/destroyed") and like "come, let us go and perish there." Radak explains nadamu as meaning cut off. The "peaceful habitations" are the pastures where they grazed in tranquility and quiet, and the parable refers to the provinces and all their cities: those places were cut down before the fierce anger of Hashem, and no place of peace will remain.
He Has Abandoned His Lair Like a Lion
עָזַב כַּכְּפִיר סֻכּוֹ, כִּי־הָיְתָה אַרְצָם לְשַׁמָּה, מִפְּנֵי חֲרוֹן הַיּוֹנָה וּמִפְּנֵי חֲרוֹן אַפּוֹ. - He has left His lair like a young lion, for their land has become a desolation, because of the fury of the oppressor and because of His fierce anger.
Rashi cites Targum Yonatan: "The king was exiled from his fortress" like a young lion leaving its lair - the king will be exiled from his city like a young lion leaving its thicket. Radak explains: when does a young lion leave its lair? When it has nothing to eat, when it is hungry. So too, as it were, the Holy One, blessed be He, left His booth - and where was His booth? The place where His Shechinah shelters, the Beis HaMikdash. Like a lion leaving its place when it finds no sustenance there, so too the Holy One, blessed be He, left the Beis HaMikdash, because He no longer found His desire there: inside the Beis HaMikdash they brought idolatry, and within it they provoked Hashem to anger. Not that the Holy One, blessed be He, needs sacrifices, but once the service of Hashem is absent, He has, as it were, nothing to do in His booth. And once He left the place and hid His face from it, the Beis HaMikdash was destroyed.
"For their land has become a desolation" - Radak says: even before the Temple was destroyed, their land had already become desolate, yet they did not take heed. And since they did not take heed, the Holy One, blessed be He, abandoned His booth, the Beis HaMikdash.
The Malbim explains differently: "He has forsaken His lair like a lion" refers to the fierce wrath of Hashem. His wrath is like a young lion roaring for prey, as we saw earlier: "He will roar mightily over His abode." Until now, the lion - the fierce wrath - remained within its lair, in its place; but now "He has forsaken His lair like a lion" - the wrath has burst forth outward to bring destruction.
And who is "the wrath of the dove" [charon hayonah]? According to the Malbim, this refers to Nevuchadnezzar, whose royal standard bore the emblem of a dove. This was also the banner of the kingdoms of Assyria and Babylon, named after an ancient queen who bore that name, and in whose honor they adopted the dove as their emblem. "And because of His fierce wrath" - the fierce wrath of Hashem, for Nevuchadnezzar is the rod of His anger, and it is He Who brought about that wrath of the dove.
Targum Yonatan explains: "The sword of the enemy, which is like intoxicating wine," "and from before His fierce wrath." According to this, yonah derives from the concept of wine and drunkenness. Rashi cites an additional explanation: charon hayonah is related to oppression [hona'ah], as in "a man shall not wrong [yoneh] his fellow" - hona'ah involves deceiving, betraying, and causing distress, much like verbal oppression [hona'at devarim] which wounds another; and that sword which brings grief upon all is called "the sword of the oppressor" [cherev hayonah].
In summary: In this section of the chapter, Yirmiyahu takes the cup of the wine of wrath from Hashem's hand and makes all the nations drink from it, headed by Jerusalem - both because it was destroyed first, and because once it is no longer possible for Israel to learn moral lessons from the afflictions of the nations, the catastrophe begins specifically in the city upon which Hashem's Name is called. The four stages of drunkenness - drink, become drunk, vomit, and fall to rise no more - teach that any attempt to cast off the yoke of the king of Babylon will lead to an irreversible collapse. The roar from on high, sounding from the voice of the Holy One, Blessed be He, from His holy abode above the cosmos, stirs the predators to shout like grape-treaders and lay waste to the habitation. The shepherds and the masters of the flock will shatter like a precious vessel beyond repair; no flight or refuge will remain for them, and the peaceful pastures will be destroyed. And finally: "He has forsaken His lair like a lion" - the Shechinah departs from the Beit HaMikdash, and the wrath of the oppressor and His fierce anger run their course.