Chapter 27 of Yirmiyahu centers on a symbolic act. The prophet is commanded to place a beast's yoke upon his neck, and to send a message to five neighboring kings who had come to form an alliance with Tzidkiyahu against the king of Babylon. The message is singular: the Holy One, blessed be He, is the One Who placed dominion in the hands of Nevuchadnezzar, and anyone who rebels against him is effectively rebelling against the decree of Heaven, and his end will be sword, famine, pestilence, and exile. In contrast, whoever places his neck under the yoke will remain upon his land.
בְּרֵאשִׁית מַמְלֶכֶת יְהוֹיָקִם בֶּן־יֹאשִׁיָּהוּ מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה הָיָה הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה אֶל־יִרְמְיָה מֵאֵת יְהֹוָה לֵאמֹר׃ - In the beginning of the reign of Yehoyakim the son of Yoshiyahu, king of Yehudah, came this word to Yirmiyahu from Hashem, saying.
The prophecy was given to Yirmiyahu in the first year of Yehoyakim's reign. Already at this point, he was told what would occur after the reigns of Yehoyakim and Yehoyachin, when Tzidkiyahu would reign.
כֹּה־אָמַר יְהֹוָה אֵלַי עֲשֵׂה לְךָ מוֹסֵרוֹת וּמֹטוֹת וּנְתַתָּם עַל־צַוָּארֶךָ׃ - Thus said Hashem to me: Make for yourself straps and bars, and place them upon your neck.
The bars (*motot*) are the crossbars of a yoke, like the yoke of an animal. The straps (*moserot*) are the bands with which the yoke is fastened. Yirmiyahu was commanded to place this entire harness upon his own neck. Rashi writes that these bonds remained on his neck for fifteen years: from the first year of Yehoyakim until the fourth year of Tzidkiyahu, when Chananyah ben Azur came and broke the bars from off his neck, as will be seen later.
וְשִׁלַּחְתָּם אֶל־מֶלֶךְ אֱדוֹם וְאֶל־מֶלֶךְ מוֹאָב וְאֶל־מֶלֶךְ בְּנֵי עַמּוֹן וְאֶל־מֶלֶךְ צֹר וְאֶל־מֶלֶךְ צִידוֹן בְּיַד מַלְאָכִים הַבָּאִים יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִם אֶל־צִדְקִיָּהוּ מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה׃ - And send them to the king of Edom, and to the king of Moav, and to the king of the children of Ammon, and to the king of Tzor, and to the king of Tzidon, by the hand of the messengers who come to Yerushalayim to Tzidkiyahu king of Yehudah.
Chazal explain that Nevuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, made Tzidkiyahu king and gave him authority over the five kings mentioned here: Edom, Moav, Ammon, Tzor, and Tzidon. Tzidkiyahu was appointed by Nevuchadnezzar to be their head. Here a difficulty arises: the opening verse speaks of the beginning of Yehoyakim's reign, yet here Tzidkiyahu is already mentioned. The Malbim explains that the verses compel us to explain that already during Yehoyakim's reign, Tzidkiyahu served second to the king, as viceroy, and it is in this role that he is mentioned here - even before he actually ascended the throne.
וְצִוִּיתָ אֹתָם אֶל־אֲדֹנֵיהֶם לֵאמֹר כֹּה־אָמַר יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל כֹּה תֹאמְרוּ אֶל־אֲדֹנֵיכֶם׃ - And give them a charge unto their masters, saying: Thus says Hashem of Hosts, the God of Israel: Thus shall you say to your masters.
Yirmiyahu is commanded to charge the messengers - that is, the emissaries sent by the five kings - to deliver this message to their masters, the kings who sent them.
אָנֹכִי עָשִׂיתִי אֶת־הָאָרֶץ אֶת־הָאָדָם וְאֶת־הַבְּהֵמָה אֲשֶׁר עַל־פְּנֵי הָאָרֶץ בְּכֹחִי הַגָּדוֹל וּבִזְרוֹעִי הַנְּטוּיָה וּנְתַתִּיהָ לַאֲשֶׁר יָשַׁר בְּעֵינָי׃ - I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the face of the earth, by My great power and by My outstretched arm, and I give it to whomever seems right in My eyes.
The Holy One, blessed be He, says: I made the earth, and I possess ownership both over the substance of the earth and over the living beings upon it - the man and the beast that are upon the face of the earth. All of creation was brought into being through My great power, and its ongoing existence is sustained through My outstretched arm.
And what is the meaning of an "outstretched arm"? The arm is continuously outstretched. Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin explains in Nefesh HaChaim, as is also taught in the works of the Kabbalists and evident from the liturgy and numerous other sources, that the Holy One, blessed be He, did not create the world as a single, one-time act and then withdraw from its continued existence. Rather, at every single moment He gives life to the world through His will: "Who in His goodness renews each day continually the work of creation" - not only each day, but at every single moment. To what may this be compared? If one lifts a cup and holds it suspended in the air, one might ask: How does it remain standing? Because at this very moment, someone is holding it. The moment the hand is removed, it falls. So too, as it were, the Holy One, blessed be He, holds the world at every moment and sustains it, and the moment He were to withdraw His will from it - the world would cease to exist. This is "My outstretched arm."
"And I have given it to whom it seems right in My eyes" - I am the One who gives the earth to whoever seems right to Me; I am the One who appoints kings who rise above all as head, and I appointed Nevuchadnezzar. Everything comes from Him, blessed be He.
וְעַתָּה אָנֹכִי נָתַתִּי אֶת־כׇּל־הָאֲרָצוֹת הָאֵלֶּה בְּיַד נְבוּכַדְנֶאצַּר מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל עַבְדִּי וְגַם אֶת־חַיַּת הַשָּׂדֶה נָתַתִּי לוֹ לְעׇבְדוֹ׃ - And now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nevuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant, and the beasts of the field as well I have given him to serve him.
I have delivered all these lands into his hand, and he is a universal ruler. And what is meant by "the beasts of the field as well I have given him to serve him"? The Sages explain that when Nevuchadnezzar was among the beasts, the animals would bring him food and drink. As is recorded in Sefer Daniel, Nevuchadnezzar was driven from his palace and lived for seven years like a beast of the field, eating grass and dwelling among the animals, and during that period the beasts served him.
However, the Radak notes that this is a homiletic interpretation (derash), whereas according to the plain meaning of the text, during that time he ate grass and had no need for animals to bring him food - "and they shall feed you grass like oxen." If so, what is meant by "the beasts of the field as well I have given him to serve him"? The Sages explain: Nevuchadnezzar would ride upon a lion and bind a serpent as a crown upon his head, demonstrating that all feared him and that he was master over all. Another explanation: The Sages say he made use of wild beasts in warfare, such as elephants and lions, as was the practice in ancient times; thus the beasts of the field served him when he went forth to battle. Therefore, God warns them not to attempt to rebel against him.
וְעָבְדוּ אֹתוֹ כׇּל־הַגּוֹיִם וְאֶת־בְּנוֹ וְאֶת־בֶּן־בְּנוֹ עַד בֹּא־עֵת אַרְצוֹ גַּם־הוּא וְעָבְדוּ בוֹ גּוֹיִם רַבִּים וּמְלָכִים גְּדֹלִים׃ - And all the nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son's son, until the time of his own land comes; and then many nations and great kings shall make him serve them.
Hashem promises him three generations of sovereignty: himself, his son - Evil-merodach, and his grandson - Belshazzar. It was Belshazzar who lost the kingdom, as it is written: "In that night was Belshazzar slain," as recounted in Sefer Daniel. "Until the time of his own land comes" - until the time arrives for his land also to be conquered, "and then many nations and great kings shall make him serve them."
The Radak explains: These five kings sent emissaries to Tzidkiyahu, who ruled over them on Nevuchadnezzar's behalf, proposing that he enter a conspiracy and rebel against the king of Babylon. Therefore, Yirmiyahu sends them the straps and the yoke and tells them: Know that so says Hashem: You must place your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, for I have crowned him. This was the purpose of the mission, and this was the purpose of the prophecy.
וְהָיָה הַגּוֹי וְהַמַּמְלָכָה אֲשֶׁר לֹא־יַעַבְדוּ אֹתוֹ אֶת־נְבוּכַדְנֶאצַּר מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל וְאֵת אֲשֶׁר לֹא־יִתֵּן אֶת־צַוָּארוֹ בְּעֹל מֶלֶךְ בָּבֶל בַּחֶרֶב וּבָרָעָב וּבַדֶּבֶר אֶפְקֹד עַל־הַגּוֹי הַהוּא נְאֻם־יְהֹוָה עַד־תֻּמִּי אֹתָם בְּיָדוֹ׃ - And it shall come to pass, that the nation and the kingdom that will not serve him, Nevuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and that will not put its neck into the yoke of the king of Babylon, with the sword, and with famine, and with pestilence will I punish that nation, says Hashem, until I have consumed them by his hand.
Whoever does not surrender into his hand - says the Holy One, blessed be He - I will visit upon them with the sword, famine, and pestilence, "until I have consumed them by his hand," until they are completely delivered and given over into his hand.
The Malbim notes that during that era, there were indeed great empires that were not subject to Nebuchadnezzar, and anyone examining historical chronicles sees that his rule was not absolute. However, the smaller kingdoms were forced to seek shelter under the shadow of a great empire. Such is the way of the world: if a small kingdom has no one to protect it, a powerful neighbor can come and swallow it up. Therefore, the small kingdoms would submit to a great power, pay it tribute, and that empire would be obligated to preserve their safety. It turns out that whoever was not under Nebuchadnezzar had to align with another great empire to protect itself from him. Regarding this, Scripture says: the nation and the kingdom that will not serve him and will not put their neck into his yoke - with the sword, famine, and pestilence I will visit upon them, until they are all completely delivered into his hand.
After all, he was a tyrannical and wicked king, so why did he merit a kingdom spanning three generations? It is related that when a letter was sent to Chizkiyahu king of Yehudah from Berodach-baladan son of Baladan, Nebuchadnezzar was the messenger and scribe. The letter read: From Berodach-baladan, to Chizkiyahu king of Yehudah, to Jerusalem the Holy City, and to Hashem the God of Israel. Nebuchadnezzar said: If you say that Hashem is the God of Israel, how can you write Him at the end? He must be placed first! He ran three steps, took the letter, and wrote it anew: To Hashem the God of Israel, to Jerusalem, and finally King Chizkiyahu. In the merit of those three steps, he was rewarded with a monarchy of three generations: himself, his son Evil-merodach, and his grandson Belshazzar. Therefore, Hashem says: I have placed the kingdom into his hand.
וְאַתֶּם אַל־תִּשְׁמְעוּ אֶל־נְבִיאֵיכֶם וְאֶל־קֹסְמֵיכֶם וְאֶל חֲלֹמֹתֵיכֶם וְאֶל־עֹנְנֵיכֶם וְאֶל־כַּשָּׁפֵיכֶם אֲשֶׁר־הֵם אֹמְרִים אֲלֵיכֶם לֵאמֹר לֹא תַעַבְדוּ אֶת־מֶלֶךְ בָּבֶל׃ - And as for you, do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your dreamers, your soothsayers, or your sorcerers, who speak to you, saying: "You shall not serve the king of Babylon."
"Your prophets" - these are the false prophets. "Your diviners" - those who divine omens. "Your dreamers" - people who foretell the future by consulting dreams. "Your soothsayers" - a type of occultist, as listed in the Torah: "a soothsayer, a diviner, or a sorcerer"; a soothsayer is one who asserts that a certain time or season is auspicious for doing such-and-such while another is not, as if something determines times and seasons. "Your sorcerers" - those who engage in various forms of witchcraft. All of these would say to the people: Do not worry, it will not come to pass that the king of Babylon will rule over you. They calmed the people - with a false sense of reassurance. To this the prophet responds: Do not listen to them.
כִּי שֶׁקֶר הֵם נִבְּאִים לָכֶם לְמַעַן הַרְחִיק אֶתְכֶם מֵעַל אַדְמַתְכֶם וְהִדַּחְתִּי אֶתְכֶם וַאֲבַדְתֶּם׃ - For they prophesy a lie to you, so as to remove you far from your land; and I will banish you, and you will perish.
"So as to remove you far from your land" does not mean that their deliberate intent is to distance you, for they harbor no such goal. Rather, this will be the practical consequence: their words will ultimately cause you to be driven far from your land. For as long as you dwell upon your land and pay tribute to the king of Babylon, you will remain here and not be exiled. But if you rebel, says the Creator of the world, I will assist Nebuchadnezzar and banish you from your land, and thus you will perish.
וְהַגּוֹי אֲשֶׁר יָבִיא אֶת־צַוָּארוֹ בְּעֹל מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל וַעֲבָדוֹ וְהִנַּחְתִּיו עַל־אַדְמָתוֹ נְאֻם־יְהֹוָה וַעֲבָדָהּ וְיָשַׁב בָּהּ׃ - But the nation that brings its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serves him, I will leave on its own land, says Hashem, and it will cultivate it and dwell in it.
Herein lies the entire concept of the straps, which is the symbolic part of the matter: you see, one must place their neck into the yoke of the king of Babylon. And whoever does so - "I will leave on its own land"; they will rest peacefully on their land, able to plow, sow, reap, and dwell upon it.
וְאֶל־צִדְקִיָּה מֶלֶךְ־יְהוּדָה דִּבַּרְתִּי כְּכׇל־הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה לֵאמֹר הָבִיאוּ אֶת־צַוְּארֵיכֶם בְּעֹל מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל וְעִבְדוּ אֹתוֹ וְעַמּוֹ וִחְיוּ׃ - And to Tzidkiyahu king of Judah I spoke according to all these words, saying: Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live.
Thus he informs the five kings: It is not only to you that I say these words; I have said them to Tzidkiyahu as well. If so, what benefit will your alliance with Tzidkiyahu bring you against the yoke of the king of Babylon? Tzidkiyahu will not be able to protect you, for he too is obligated to place his neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon. It follows that your conspiracy will accomplish nothing.
לָמָּה תָמוּתוּ אַתָּה וְעַמֶּךָ בַּחֶרֶב בָּרָעָב וּבַדָּבֶר כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר יְהֹוָה אֶל־הַגּוֹי אֲשֶׁר לֹא־יַעֲבֹד אֶת־מֶלֶךְ בָּבֶל׃ - Why should you and your people die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, as Hashem has spoken concerning the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon?
Why should you and your people die by sword, famine, and pestilence? For this will be done to anyone who does not accept upon himself the yoke of subjugation to the king of Babylon.
וְאַל־תִּשְׁמְעוּ אֶל־דִּבְרֵי הַנְּבִאִים הָאֹמְרִים אֲלֵיכֶם לֵאמֹר לֹא תַעַבְדוּ אֶת־מֶלֶךְ בָּבֶל כִּי שֶׁקֶר הֵם נִבְּאִים לָכֶם׃ - And do not listen to the words of the prophets who speak to you, saying, 'You shall not serve the king of Babylon,' for they are prophesying a lie to you.
He already said this, so why does he repeat it? Because earlier he was speaking to the five kings, whereas here he repeats the warning specifically to Tzidkiyahu and his ministers.
כִּי לֹא שְׁלַחְתִּים נְאֻם־יְהֹוָה וְהֵם נִבְּאִים בִּשְׁמִי לַשָּׁקֶר לְמַעַן הַדִּיחִי אֶתְכֶם וַאֲבַדְתֶּם אַתֶּם וְהַנְּבִאִים הַנִּבְּאִים לָכֶם׃ - For I have not sent them, says Hashem, yet they prophesy in My name falsely, so that I will drive you out and you will perish, you and the prophets who prophesy to you.
They are not messengers sent by Me, says the Holy One, blessed be He, and they prophesy falsely in My name. And once again, 'so that I will drive you out' means: this is all their words will achieve for you - that ultimately you will be banished from the land, both you and the prophets prophesying to you. To be sure, it is very pleasant to hear a prophecy saying, 'You have nothing to worry about; the king of Babylon will not be able to do anything to you.' But in reality, Yirmiyahu tells them, know that you will fall into his hands. Do not listen to these words.
וְאֶל־הַכֹּהֲנִים וְאֶל־כׇּל־הָעָם הַזֶּה דִּבַּרְתִּי לֵאמֹר כֹּה אָמַר יְהֹוָה אַל־תִּשְׁמְעוּ אֶל־דִּבְרֵי נְבִיאֵיכֶם הַנִּבְּאִים לָכֶם לֵאמֹר הִנֵּה כְלֵי בֵית־יְהֹוָה מוּשָׁבִים מִבָּבֶלָה עַתָּה מְהֵרָה כִּי שֶׁקֶר הֵמָּה נִבְּאִים לָכֶם׃ - And to the kohanim and to all this people I spoke, saying: Thus says Hashem: Do not listen to the words of your prophets who prophesy to you, saying, 'Behold, the vessels of the House of Hashem shall now quickly be returned from Babylon,' for they prophesy a lie to you.
The vessels of the Beit HaMikdash had already been exiled during the exile of Yechanyah, and we are now in the period of Tzidkiyahu that followed. The false prophets came and made pleasant promises to the people: Thus says Hashem, the vessels exiled to Babylon are destined to return, and in two years Hashem will bring back the vessels and the kingdom will be restored - provided you do not surrender to the king of Babylon, but rebel against him. A wonderful and encouraging prophecy, except that it was entirely false. Not only would those vessels not return, but even the vessels remaining here were destined to go into exile. And while the vessels did ultimately return in the days of Ezra and Nechemiah, this was not what the false prophets meant, as will soon be explained regarding when it was truly foretold that they would return.
אַל־תִּשְׁמְעוּ אֲלֵיהֶם עִבְדוּ אֶת־מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל וִחְיוּ לָמָּה תִהְיֶה הָעִיר הַזֹּאת חׇרְבָּה׃ - Do not listen to them; serve the king of Babylon and live. Why should this city become a desolation?
Do not listen to them, for if you act according to their words, this city will become a desolation. Listen to me and place your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon.
וְאִם־נְבִאִים הֵם וְאִם־יֵשׁ דְּבַר־יְהֹוָה אִתָּם יִפְגְּעוּ־נָא בַּיהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת לְבִלְתִּי־בֹאוּ הַכֵּלִים הַנּוֹתָרִים בְּבֵית־יְהֹוָה וּבֵית מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה וּבִירוּשָׁלַ͏ִם בָּבֶלָה׃ - "And if they are prophets, and if the word of the Lord is with them, let them now plead with the Lord of Hosts, that the vessels remaining in the House of the Lord, in the house of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem, do not go to Babylon."
If they are prophets and the word of Hashem is with them, let them at least pray that the vessels remaining here will not go to Babylon. Before you prophesy that the vessels already in Babylon will return, do a favor and pray that what is still here does not leave! The Malbim explains: Yirmiyahu was explicitly told in prophecy that the vessels remaining here would also go to Babylon. If so, it is impossible for the first ones to return while the rest are about to go into exile. Therefore he tells them: If the word of Hashem is truly with you, you were surely told the exact opposite - that the remaining vessels will be brought to Babylon.
Here lies a fundamental principle: when a prophecy is communicated to a prophet not as an emissary to deliver a message, but merely as a personal notification, its purpose is for him to pray. For if the prophecy comes as a mission - "Go and inform the people" - the purpose is clear: so that the people will repent. But if the Holy One, Blessed be He, informs the prophet himself, "I am revealing to you that such-and-such will happen" - why did He reveal it to him? So that he will pray and change the situation. That is the purpose of the prophecy. Yirmiyahu therefore says to them: If Hashem revealed something to you and not for transmission to others - "let them now plead with Hashem"; here, prayer is effective. Pray before Hashem that this will not come to pass.
כִּי כֹה אָמַר יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת אֶל־הָעַמֻּדִים וְעַל־הַיָּם וְעַל־הַמְּכֹנוֹת וְעַל יֶתֶר הַכֵּלִים הַנּוֹתָרִים בָּעִיר הַזֹּאת׃ - "For so said the Lord of Hosts concerning the pillars, concerning the sea, concerning the bases, and concerning the rest of the vessels remaining in this city,"
"Concerning the pillars" - meaning the copper pillars that stood in the Beis HaMikdash. "And concerning the sea" - this refers to the copper sea, the Sea of Shlomo, a kind of massive basin containing water for the Kohanim to sanctify their hands and feet. "And concerning the bases" - these were the stands for the lavers; Shlomo made ten lavers, and each laver sat atop a carriage-like base on wheels used to move it, which was called a mechonah (base). And concerning the rest of the vessels remaining in the city, there is a prophecy.
אֲשֶׁר לֹא־לְקָחָם נְבוּכַדְנֶאצַּר מֶלֶךְ בָּבֶל בַּגְלוֹתוֹ אֶת־יְכׇנְיָה בֶן־יְהוֹיָקִים מֶלֶךְ־יְהוּדָה מִירוּשָׁלַ͏ִם בָּבֶלָה וְאֵת כׇּל־חֹרֵי יְהוּדָה וִירוּשָׁלָ͏ִם׃ - "Which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take when he exiled Yechanyah the son of Yehoyakim king of Judah from Jerusalem to Babylon, along with all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem;"
All of these vessels had not yet been taken by Nebuchadnezzar during the exile of Yechanyah son of Yehoyakim.
כִּי כֹה אָמַר יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל עַל־הַכֵּלִים הַנּוֹתָרִים בֵּית יְהֹוָה וּבֵית מֶלֶךְ־יְהוּדָה וִירוּשָׁלָ͏ִם׃ - "For so said the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, concerning the vessels remaining in the House of the Lord, and in the house of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem:"
בָּבֶלָה יוּבָאוּ וְשָׁמָּה יִהְיוּ עַד יוֹם פׇּקְדִי אֹתָם נְאֻם־יְהֹוָה וְהַעֲלִיתִים וַהֲשִׁיבֹתִים אֶל־הַמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה׃ - "To Babylon they shall be brought, and there they shall remain until the day I remember them, says the Lord, and I will bring them up and restore them to this place."
True, the vessels will return - but when? "Until the day I remember them." Only at the time that I remember them, says the Holy One, Blessed be He, will they return. And when was that day of remembrance? In the days of Cyrus (Koresh), as we see in Sefer Ezra, who granted permission to bring the vessels up, and thousands of vessels that were brought back from Babylon to Jerusalem are enumerated there. As for the rebuilding of the Temple: Cyrus gave permission, but the adversaries of Judah wrote slanderous accusations against this permission, and the construction was halted. Later, Darius (Daryavesh), who succeeded him, granted approval to continue building - he was Darius the son of Esther, and it was he who authorized the rebuilding of the Beis HaMikdash, and also agreed to let Nechemiah go up and rebuild the ruins of Jerusalem.
The Malbim notes that two distinct things were stated here: first, that the remaining vessels would be brought to Babylon; and second, that on the day of visitation, the vessels would be returned to Eretz Yisrael. The first prophecy was fulfilled in full, and all the vessels were taken to Babylon, as we will see, with Hashem's help, at the end of the book. However, the second statement, regarding their return, was fulfilled only with the sacred vessels of gold and silver, which were returned in the days of Cyrus (Koresh) the First, when thousands of vessels were handed over to Sheshbazzar the prince, as recorded in Sefer Ezra. Meanwhile, the pillars and the copper Sea that Shlomo made - the copper vessels - were never returned.
For this reason, the matter is stated with a dual phrasing: "Thus said Hashem of Hosts concerning the pillars and concerning the Sea" - regarding them it says only "They shall be brought to Babylon," with no mention of return, for the pillars and the Sea indeed never returned. Then there is an additional prophecy: "Thus said Hashem of Hosts, the G-d of Israel, concerning the remaining vessels" - these are the vessels of silver and gold, concerning which it also says, "and I will bring them up and restore them to this place." Hence, in the first address it says only "Thus said Hashem of Hosts," whereas in the second address it says "Thus said Hashem of Hosts, the G-d of Israel." That the vessels would go to Babylon stems from Hashem being the G-d of Hosts, wielding sovereign dominion as He pleases; but that the vessels would return stems from Hashem of Hosts being the G-d of Israel, Who in His love ensures that Israel's vessels are restored to them.
In this chapter, Yirmeyahu was commanded to place bonds and yokes upon his neck as a living message to the five kings who sought to rebel against Babylon together with Tzidkiyahu: the Creator of the universe, Who created the earth with His great power and sustains it with His outstretched arm at every moment, is the One Who delivered dominion into the hands of Nevuchadnetzar for three generations. Therefore, whoever places his neck under the yoke will remain on his land, while whoever refuses will perish by sword, famine, and pestilence. A repeated warning is directed to the five kings, to Tzidkiyahu and his ministers, and to the kohanim and the people: Do not listen to the false prophets, the diviners, and the soothsayers who promise a swift salvation and the return of the Temple vessels. On the contrary, if they are truly prophets, let them pray that the remaining vessels not be taken! Ultimately, all the vessels went down to Babylon, and on the day of visitation in the days of Cyrus, the silver and gold vessels were restored - for Hashem of Hosts is the G-d of Israel.