The word that Hashem spoke to Yirmiyahu the prophet, that Nevuchadretzar king of Bavel would come to strike the land of Egypt. Now, as we opened, there is a second prophecy, and the second prophecy is the word that Hashem spoke to Yirmiyahu the prophet, this prophecy foretelling that Nevuchadretzar king of Bavel would come to strike the land of Egypt. As we explained earlier, the first prophecy speaks of a situation in which the king of Egypt goes to Bavel at Carkemish on the Euphrates River, where his defeat took place. Now it describes that the second blow would come in the twenty seventh year of his reign, and this occurred when the king of Egypt was struck a second time by Nevuchadnetzar, who came to Egypt in order to strike him.
Declare it in Egypt, proclaim it in Migdol, proclaim it in Nof and in Tachpanches, say: Stand firm and prepare yourself, for the sword has devoured all around you. "Declare it in Egypt," says the Radak, at first he speaks in a general way about Egypt, and afterward he moves to speak of the details, that these are cities within Egypt. Migdol is mentioned in the Torah, "between Migdol and the sea." Nof and Tachpanches are the royal cities of Pharaoh. The Malbim explains that at first this news would be in Egypt, that Nevuchadnetzar is arriving, and afterward they would proclaim in Migdol and in Nof, which are the fortress cities, informing them, so to speak, to prepare weapons, since the enemy is here, so they begin to arm the fortress cities. This proclamation is meant to tell them "prepare yourself, for the sword has devoured all around you," meaning: prepare to fight against the enemies, do not go out to fight, for the sword has already devoured all around you, in any case prepare in your place to repel the attacks.
Why has your mighty one been swept away? He did not stand, for Hashem thrust him down. "Why has your mighty one been swept away," Rashi explains, your warriors were washed away and slipped, like driving rain, like "his field was flooded away" (nistachfah sadeihu). This is one explanation. There is another explanation for the expression "nischaf," that it is a term of destruction, as Menachem explains, that "driving rain" (matar socheif) means rain that destroys. Dunash resolves it from the language of "matar socheif" like "matar so'eif," like "lopping off a branch with terror" (mesaeif pu'rah bemaaratzah), which there means uprooting; so "matar socheif" is uprooting rain. And if so, he asks him: why has your mighty one been swept away and not stood, how, what happened? The answer is "Hashem thrust him down," meaning: like driving rain He swept him away, since it was all here from Hashem, and therefore the warriors were washed away, they were unable to stand in the war at the fortress cities, since from the hand of Hashem they were delivered into the hand of Nevuchadretzar.
He caused many to stumble, indeed one fell upon his fellow, and they said: Arise and let us return to our people and to the land of our birth, from before the oppressing sword. Hashem caused many to stumble, and through the stumbling they fell one upon another; an internal war took place, as we said before, each one caused his fellow to stumble, and through this even those who came to help them fled each to his place, and they said "Arise and let us return to our people," for as we said, when there is a stumbling army or a stumbling nation, no one wants to attach himself to it, and since many were stumbling, then naturally they all say "let us return to our people," all the nations who joined in order to help Pharaoh against Nevuchadretzar say "let us return to our people" from before the oppressing sword, this being the sword of Nevuchadretzar.
Nevuchadnetzar was called "the oppressing sword." What is "the oppressing sword" (cherev hayonah)? We already saw this expression above, and we saw there three explanations, and those same explanations return here as well, each commentator faithful to his explanation. "The oppressing sword," the Radak explains that it is from the language of oppression (hona'ah), the coercing sword against which no one can stand, and "I will destroy those who oppress you" (monayich), meaning those who coerce us, those who abuse us. So too Targum Yonatan explained that "cherev hayonah" refers to a matter of wine, the sword of the enemy which is like the drinking of wine. The Malbim explained that the kings of Bavel and Ashur had the figure of a dove (yonah) on their flag, and they would appropriate and attribute victory to the dove, and therefore he calls it "cherev hayonah," the sword of the dove.
They proclaimed there: Pharaoh king of Egypt is but a noise, he let the appointed time pass. There are here conflicting explanations among the commentators as to how to explain what is written here: "As I live, says the King, Hashem of Hosts is His name, for like Tavor among the mountains and like Carmel by the sea he will come." We will explain according to the Malbim. The Malbim explains that at first "they proclaimed there," they publicized that Pharaoh would come with great noise, that Pharaoh would come with a great multitude, and afterward "he let the appointed time pass," he set a different time and said: I will not come at this time, I will come at a later time, and the Holy One, blessed be He, says: he will not come at all. "As I live, says the King, Hashem of Hosts is His name, for like Tavor among the mountains and like Carmel by the sea he will come." Meaning: just as Tavor sits among the mountains and Mount Carmel is near the sea, as the Gemara says "so that he may set the sun on the top of Carmel and go down to the sea and immerse," that is, Mount Carmel is near the sea (the Malbim needs to bring us proofs, we know this from reality) in any case Mount Carmel is near the sea, and with all this it is impossible that Tavor should come among the mountains that are near it, and that Carmel should come into the sea. So Hashem says: just as it is impossible that Tavor should come among the mountains...
Below is the full literal transcription of the Torah lesson, divided into paragraphs according to the topics of the verses and the commentators:
and that Carmel should come into the sea, "As I live, says the King, Hashem of Hosts is His name," so too it is impossible that Pharaoh should ultimately come. That is, there is here a promise that even though Pharaoh, who is near the place of the war and it would seemingly be expected that he come out to battle, the Holy One, blessed be He, tells you: I have fixed him in his place, so to speak, just as Carmel will not go down to the sea and Tavor will not come among the mountains, so too Pharaoh will not come to the place of the war, he will not budge from his place and will not come.
By contrast, Rashi and Metzudat David clarify according to Targum Yonatan: "for like Tavor among the mountains," like Mount Tavor which is fixed among the mountains and does not move from its place, and like Mount Carmel which stands by the sea and will not budge from its place, so Nevuchadnetzar will come upon Egypt and will not move away from his coming there. That is, if according to the Malbim the prophecy says that Pharaoh will not go out to fight, the explanation offered by Targum Yonatan, Rashi, the Metzudot, and also the Radak, is that this refers back to Nevuchadnetzar, that Nevuchadnetzar will indeed come to fight against Pharaoh. That is, both things are true: Pharaoh will not go out to fight, rather Nevuchadnetzar will come to him and he is the one who will fight against him, Pharaoh will not go out to defend himself. So then "As I live, says the King, Hashem of Hosts," just as Tavor does not move and Carmel does not move, so too Nevuchadnetzar will not move from the resolve that he decided, to come and fight against Pharaoh king of Egypt.
Therefore, prepare for yourself vessels of exile, O inhabitant, daughter of Egypt, for Nof will become a desolation and will be laid waste with no inhabitant. So since Nevuchadnetzar will ultimately indeed arrive in Egypt, and Egypt, as we said, will not go out to fight, then this means that Egypt is about to be exiled. If Nevuchadnetzar comes there, every place Nevuchadnetzar reached he would exile the people dwelling there: Avva, Kutah, Sefarvayim, and so on, the rest of the places he reached, and he also reached the Land of Israel and exiled it. So he says, since this is so, you Egyptians must prepare, "prepare for yourself vessels of exile." A person who sets out on the road, says Rashi, prepares for himself a flask and an earthenware jug to drink from, he prepares for himself minimal vessels so that he will have something to eat and something to drink. "For Nof will become a desolation," a place in Egypt called Nof, there was Nof and Tachpanches. Nof will become a desolation (shammah), "shammah" meaning a place that is desolate. "And will be laid waste with no inhabitant," "nitztah" not in the sense of burning but in the sense of dryness (tziyah), "tziyah" meaning a dry place, a place where the land will be desolate and laid waste with no inhabitant.
Egypt is a very beautiful heifer, but a stinging one from the north has come, has come. "A very beautiful heifer," the Targum says "a fine, fine kingdom." A beautiful kingdom, that is "a very beautiful heifer." "A stinging one from the north has come, has come." "Keretz" means, as the Targum says, "murderous peoples," murderous peoples will come. And "keretz" is from the language of cutting, like "for I too was pinched from clay" (mecho'mer koratzti), when one wants to remove a piece from the dough one pinches from the dough, what is "to pinch", it means to cut. The Malbim says that "yefeifiyah" is two words but its essence is really one word, like "pekach ko'ach," "the scorn of the proud is upon us" (bam ha'buz lige'ei yonim), "our leader alamot" (al mut), so too there it is "lige'ei yonim," "al mut," but he joined them. So too "yefeifiyah" is like one joined word, even though it is written in two words and split in two. And he compares Egypt, that Egypt is like a very beautiful heifer, it is well fattened like a very beautiful heifer, as you will see, says the Radak, that Scripture would call the beautiful and well nourished women "cows of the Bashan." So you see that the example of a fattened cow is a description of the reality of something beautiful and well nourished, so "Egypt is a beautiful heifer," now you are fattened with pleasure, you are very beautiful, but know that "a stinging one from the north has come, has come." "Keretz" means a pinching and a cutting off, as we explained, this comes from the north, from Bavel in the north, and he says "has come, has come," this meaning to strengthen the matter, to say, behold he is already coming, he arrives immediately, this is the doubling of "the come, has come."
The Malbim explains more deeply that the Egyptians would revere the ox, they attributed divinity to the ox, just as they would attribute divinity to sheep, like the Indians worship the cow. And the ox stood in Nof, Nof being the name of a place. When Nof was destroyed, the Chaldeans killed the object of the Egyptians' reverence, that is, that same idolatry that they made for themselves. And now with this, says the Malbim, he compares Egypt to a beautiful heifer, this being the same calf that they worshiped, this incidentally also gives an explanation of why the people of Israel, when they left Egypt, made the calf, since it was customary to worship the calf. And why does he call it a beautiful heifer? Because they would choose an ox to worship, the most beautiful ox, the most excellent, that looked the most special in the herd. And therefore he says "Egypt is a beautiful heifer," behold, the time has come that the enemy comes and he will slaughter their idolatry. And so "a stinging one from the north has come," and "to pinch" is to slaughter, as we saw in the language of the Mishnah. And who is this? To them, the Chaldeans, they come to slaughter your idolatry, that same beautiful heifer of Egypt, "a stinging one from the north has come, has come," the king of the Chaldeans to abolish the idolatry. The Malbim also explains that it is known in the accounts of ancient times that that same ox which they would choose as a deity had a special mark on its mouth. And therefore he says "yefeh piha," beautiful of mouth. What is "yefeh piha"? According to the Malbim it is "the beautiful one of mouth." This is the explanation of "yefeh piha." "Yafeh," and therefore it is written in two words, "yefeh piha." Now, why "piha" and not "piha" (with a dagesh)? This is because there is an adjacent aleph, heh, vav, yud. A letter of beged kefet at the start of a word receives a dagesh, but when there is an adjacent aleph, heh, vav, or yud, when aleph, heh, vav, or yud ends the previous word, like "peh yafeh" ends with a heh, then this removes the dagesh from the peh that comes after it, and therefore it is written "yefeh piha" and not "yefeh piha." But according to the Malbim, in essence we are speaking here of the beautiful mouth that the ox had, as appears in the history of the peoples of Egypt. And therefore he says that same heifer which they chose for themselves as a deity is "yefeh piha," it has a beautiful and special mouth, but "a stinging one from the north has come," the king of the Chaldeans will come and slaughter this ox.
Another explanation he offers: what is "a stinging one from the north has come"? This expression also comes to express the matter of winking with one's eyes. "To pinch" (likrotz), as we explained, means to cut, to grip. When we grip a piece from the dough we say that he "pinched." And also gripping one's eye is called "pinching" (kritzah), for when a person grips the eye, what does he do? He essentially contracts it. Just as you contract the hand and take a piece from the dough, both of these are an expression of "kritzah." So he also explains here that this is connected to "kritzah," since the Egyptians would, through the actions of the ox, divine what was destined to happen. If the ox did a certain thing they would say, behold this is a sign that such and such will be. Through all sorts of interpretations of the behaviors of the ox they would learn from it all sorts of conclusions, types of divinations. And the ox would come from the north. That is, they would send it, and each time it came from the direction of the north. From this they drew a conclusion, they had in this a hint and a wink, "keretz," the wink, the hint that it comes from the north, that each time the ox was sent it returned from the direction of the north, behold there is in this a proof that indeed the enemy will come from the direction of the north.
Also her hired ones in her midst are like fattened calves, for they too have turned, they have fled together, they did not stand, for the day of their calamity has come upon them, the time of their punishment. "Also her hired ones in her midst," since he describes here a situation of trouble and disaster for Egypt, Egypt hired mercenaries, ones who would come and help them. This was very customary and we saw it several times here too, that there were kings who turned to Egypt to receive salvation, and then the prophet would tell them that that same reed on which they lean is a broken reed of a staff. So Egypt too, since it was threatened by the Chaldeans, went and hired troops to help it. But these hired ones who are in her midst are like fattened calves. They are like calves that stand in the barn in order to be fattened. Such a calf does not go out to war. In simple terms, those mercenaries sat there in Egypt, enjoyed what Egypt supplied them, but did not go out to defend it, did not go to fight, they are like fattened calves. What is the meaning of "eglei marbek"? "Eglei marbek" means fattened calves. Calves that are placed and not allowed to go work, because an animal that works develops muscles and this harms the taste of its meat. What they do is leave them to stand in their place and fatten them, all the time just letting them eat. And these are calves fit and excellent for eating. So "her hired ones in her midst are like fattened calves," like those calves that are designated for fattening, meaning they sit and grow fat in Egypt and do not go out to fight. Yonatan translated that "her hired ones" means her great ones. Not as we explained just now according to the Radak in the sense of troops that they hired for their rescue, but in the sense of her great ones. The meaning is the officers of Egypt, the notables of Egypt, "in her midst like fattened calves," they sit there like fattened, well fed calves. The Malbim combines the two things. The Malbim says that "her hired ones" are the kings who would fight their wars for pay. So "her hired ones" is both from the language of great ones and from the language of those who would come to fight in exchange for payment for hire. They are like fattened calves, as we explained, that they are like calves who stand to be fattened from the good of the land of Egypt. And after the downfall of the heifer, which is Egypt, they too fled. This is what he says, "for they too have turned, they have fled together." When that same beautiful heifer of Egypt was slaughtered, they understood that nothing more would come to them here, and therefore they fled and did not stand, they did not remain there even a moment, "for the day of their calamity has come upon them, the time of their punishment." They fled and did not stand, for upon them too came the day of their calamity, and also the time of their punishment arrived for those kings, and since this is so, now they flee so that they will not be struck together with them.
The Malbim explains what the difference is between "the day of their calamity" and "the time of their punishment." Says the Malbim, "the day of their calamity" is a time limited according to nature and the constellations, the arrangements of the heavens. According to what was decreed that a certain person will have such and such a duration of rule. On this and this date, at this and this time, he will be broken. This is called his "day of calamity." "The day of calamity" is the time set according to the wheels of the heavens. "The time of punishment," says the Malbim, is the time that according to Divine Providence was set, that Hashem visited upon him his sin. And he tells you: come and see that both arrived. Both the time according to the constellations arrived, and also the time according to the reckoning of the Holy One, blessed be He, that the time came to exact payment from them, "the time of their punishment," that they should pay for all the evil they did, that they should now be held accountable for their sin, as we saw that the king of Egypt killed Yoshiyahu and the time came to exact payment from them. Both these times arrived, both the day of their calamity and the time of their punishment.
Her sound goes forth like a serpent, for they march with an army, and with axes they come to her like woodcutters. "Her sound goes forth like a serpent." All the cry of Egypt, says the Radak, goes far off like the sound of a serpent. This matter is very puzzling, for none of us has ever heard the sound of a serpent. So what is the meaning of "the sound of the cry of Egypt goes forth like the sound of a serpent"? What will you say, that there is perhaps some "tzz" sound, some light, thin sound that it makes? This is the opposite of the verse's intent. Since the intent of the verse is that "her sound goes forth like a serpent, for they march with an army, with axes they come to her," it is implied that this is a powerful sound. So it cannot be that you say a hissing sound will be heard, for they come with great power. The verse does not speak in this manner. So if the verse speaks of "with an army and with axes," that is, with great power, then it means to say "her sound goes forth like a serpent," meaning a powerful sound. Where did we hear a powerful sound of a serpent? This matter is astonishing. And therefore Chazal expounded that this verse comes to teach about Egypt and is found itself learned. Meaning, indeed the serpent has no voice, but there was once a time when the serpent cried out in a mighty cry that was heard far off. When was this? Say Chazal, when the Holy One, blessed be He, said to the serpent "upon your belly you shall go," He cut off its legs, and its voice went from one end of the world to the other. The serpent, when the decree was decreed upon it, cried out terrible cries so that its voice was heard throughout the whole world. So it is taught in the thirty two middot of Rabbi Eliezer the son of Rabbi Yose HaGelili. What have you learned? From here you have learned that there was once a time when the serpent had a mighty voice, when it cried out over the cutting off of its legs. So about this sound he says "her sound goes forth like a serpent," like that serpent, so the sound of Egypt will go forth, her sound will be heard far off.
For they march with an army, and with axes they come to her. "They march with an army" means the Chaldeans, when they come upon Egypt, will come with an army, they will come with great force, and with axes to cut them down like woodcutters. Just as the trees have no power, says Metzudat David, to prevent their cutting down by those wielding the axes, so too Egypt will not be able to prevent their being cut down by the Chaldeans. This is the parable that in essence is stated here with the axes and the woodcutters. You are like a woodcutter, the tree, you are like the tree, the tree expresses no resistance, it is passive. So he tells you the Chaldeans will come and cut you down and you will have no resistance, you will, so to speak, accept upon yourselves the decree in full without even fighting. The Malbim adds and says that not for nothing did he compare this to the sound of the serpent, since the sound of the serpent, as we said, was over the cutting off of its legs. Says the Malbim, this too is what he wants to say here in the analogue, that behold, come and see that Egypt too, they cut off their own legs so that they could not go from their place outside their land. For as we saw above, the Malbim explained that what is written concerning Pharaoh, "they proclaimed there: Pharaoh king of Egypt is but a noise, he let the appointed time pass," that he said he would come and fight and afterward deferred it, and ultimately what He says, "As I live," I swear that Pharaoh king of Egypt will not come but will remain in his land, and not only will he not come but the king of the Chaldeans will come to him, it turns out as if he lost his legs. He cannot go to fight against the Chaldeans, but sits and waits in his land. This is like the serpent, "her sound goes forth like a serpent." Like the serpent whose legs were cut off and cannot walk, so too it will be with Egypt. "For they march with an army, and with axes they come to her." Says the Malbim, "they march with an army," the enemies will come in great force, and with axes they will come in order to cut off their legs. And since he gave the example of axes, he already continues and compares with this also what it was customary to do with the axe, which is the cutting of wood. And therefore he says "like woodcutters." And then he essentially depicts Egypt like a forest that the Chaldeans come to cut down.
They have cut down her forest, says Hashem, though it cannot be searched out, for they are more numerous than locusts and they are without number. "They have cut down her forest," Rashi explains, they have the power to cut down all her forest, all the forests of Egypt. "Though it cannot be searched out," there are two explanations of what "though it cannot be searched out" means. Rashi explains: they came with such power, with such a great army, that the number of their army cannot be searched out. And this fits the continuation, "for they are more numerous than locusts and they are without number." Since they are more numerous than locusts and are without number, then the number of the army of the Chaldeans who came upon Egypt cannot be searched out. By contrast, the Malbim explains that the woodcutters and the axes cut down her forest "though it cannot be searched out," meaning the forest cannot be searched out. The forest was so mighty and could not be searched out for its size and abundance, and nevertheless, despite the power and size of the forest, they cut all of it down. And why? This is the continuation, "for they are more numerous than locusts and they are without number." Since the army that came against them is more numerous than locusts and without number, it had the power to uproot a forest that cannot be searched out for its great size and number. And then according to the Malbim we also gain that there is no redundancy of the matter here. "Though it cannot be searched out" refers back to the forest, "for they are more numerous than locusts and are without number" refers back to the army of the Chaldeans.
The daughter of Egypt has been put to shame, she has been given into the hand of the people of the north. "The daughter of Egypt has been put to shame," what happened ultimately was that she had a great disgrace, that behold she was struck by the hand of the people of the north, that they became slaves to the people of the north, "she has been given into the hand of the people of the north." Hashem of Hosts, the God of Israel, said: Behold, I will visit punishment upon Amon of No, and upon Pharaoh, and upon Egypt, and upon her gods, and upon her kings, and upon Pharaoh, and upon those who trust in him. "Hashem of Hosts, the God of Israel, said," says the Radak, why does he mention here the matter of "the God of Israel"? Since the calamity that came to Egypt is a punishment for the fact that Shishak king of Egypt did evil to us. And upon Pharaoh Necho who killed Yoshiyahu as we saw above. And Hashem promised to take vengeance upon him. And therefore He says "Hashem of Hosts, the God of Israel," the God of Israel who avenges the vengeance of Israel, "Behold, I will visit punishment upon Amon of No." "El Amon" means "upon Amon of No." The meaning is: Amon is the king of the city, and the city is called No. And it is one of the kingdoms of Egypt. By contrast, Yonatan has an interesting interpretation here, he says Amon is not in the sense of the name of the king, his name was not Amon, rather he translates "Amon" like "hamon" (multitude), aleph and heh interchange. Yes? And "No" he translates as Alexandria. So it is as if "the multitude of Alexandria," this is the meaning of "Amon of No." The multitude of Alexandria, meaning the great populace dwelling in Alexandria. So too explains Metzudat Tzion, along the line of Targum Yonatan, that "hamon" means a great populace, and so it appears in Yirmiyahu 52, "the remnant of the multitude," and there too it is in the sense of "hamon" and not in the sense of Amon as the name of a king. Hashem says "Behold, I will visit punishment upon Amon of No," the Malbim explains that there was the seat of the idolatry called Amon. "And upon Pharaoh" who was taken from his land. And upon the country of Egypt and the rest of her gods and the rest of her kings. And he says, and afterward "upon Pharaoh and upon those who trust in him." Says Hashem, I will visit punishment a second time upon Pharaoh, and why? For behold, you will see that he fought a second time against Nevuchadnetzar.
And I will give them into the hand of those who seek their life, and into the hand of Nevuchadretzar king of Bavel, and into the hand of his servants; and afterward it will be inhabited as in the days of old, says Hashem. Says Hashem, I will give them into the hand of those who seek their life so that they will kill them. And afterward "it will be inhabited as in the days of old," which is as appears in Yechezkel, after forty years. After forty years the kingdom of Bavel came to an end and then Egypt returned to its former state. But as long as the kingdom of Bavel and the Chaldeans were ruling, it was delivered into their hand. "And afterward it will be inhabited as in the days of old." As Yechezkel prophesied that at the end of forty years "I will gather Egypt." And what he says, "as in the days of old," the Radak explains, the intent is not that they will have greatness as they had in the days of old. For on the contrary, there in Yechezkel it is written "and it will be there a lowly kingdom." Rather the intent is that it will dwell in its land as in the days of old. This is "as in the days of old," not in its greatness as in the days of old. And indeed anyone who sees Egypt after it lost its greatness, it lost it forever. Egypt, whoever knows, was in ancient times a very central kingdom. And many of the prophecies deal with Egypt because of its great centrality. What is there today? The Muslim Brotherhood, what is there? They devour one another. There is nothing, Egypt today is considered some completely marginal country, it is not considered today the head of the kingdoms. This is what Yechezkel writes, that it will be a lowly kingdom. After it emerges from the conquest of the Chaldeans of the king of Bavel, it will return to being a lowly kingdom, it will never again be at the head of the peoples.
And you, do not fear, My servant Yaakov, and do not be dismayed, O Israel, for behold, I will save you from afar and your offspring from the land of their captivity, and Yaakov will return and be quiet and at ease, with none to make him afraid. "And you, do not fear, My servant Yaakov, and do not be dismayed, O Israel." It is entirely unclear what the connection is, after you spoke of Egypt and of what is destined to happen with them, why suddenly now does he speak with Yaakov? Rashi explains that the intent of the words is upon the righteous who are in Egypt. For I am prophesying here a harsh prophecy about Egypt. Righteous ones who were exiled to Egypt against their will, why does Rashi emphasize that they were exiled against their will? Because there were those who were exiled to Egypt against the words of the prophet and they were exiled of their own will. And they said, there in Egypt we will have salvation, and the prophet rebuked them and told them: do not go to Egypt, it will not help you, it will not save you. To these He does not promise salvation. To whom does He? To the righteous within Egypt who were exiled against their will. So this is the connection to Egypt. Since I am saying a very harsh prophecy about Egypt, you, do not fear, My servant Yaakov, and do not be dismayed, O Israel, you who are in Egypt. "For behold, I will save you from afar and your offspring from the land of their captivity, and Yaakov will return and be quiet and at ease, with none to make him afraid." The Radak explains that in essence we are not speaking here of the righteous of Israel who are in Egypt, but rather he now mentioned the calamity of the nations, and against the calamity of the nations he says: you, people of Israel, need not be concerned, you are not like them. This is "and you, do not fear, Yaakov." Since He punished the one, to the other He says: you have nothing to be concerned about. And even though they will return to their land after the exile, He says: know that they will not be tranquil and quiet. Know that their situation will be that their kingdom will be lowly and Egypt will not return to being its days as before. And ultimately they will cease from being a nation and their name will not be remembered. This is the nations. But you, My servant Yaakov, behold, I will save you from afar and your offspring from the land of their captivity, for you it is guaranteed that you will be quiet and at ease with none to make you afraid, and I will not make a full end of you as will be with the rest of the nations. That is, although I said harsh things against the nations, you, people of Israel, are guaranteed that you have a future, that you will return to your kingdom and your days will be renewed as before. Metzudat David explains that here he essentially comes to comfort the exiles in Bavel. That is, he comes to calm them and tell them: do not despair of the redemption. Why? For they see that Egypt was exiled and after forty years returned. And we have already been in exile for seventy years and have not yet returned. So seemingly this matter could very much cause the exiles in Bavel to despair, the people of Israel who are there in exile. They would say, if these returned and we were not returned, apparently we will no longer return. Therefore, against this matter, after he announces that Egypt returns at the end of forty years, you, people of Israel, do not despair, since you too are destined to return, and know that you, that which you are now among the Chaldeans by the Babylonians, I will save you from afar, your offspring from the land of their captivity, and Yaakov will return and be quiet and at ease with none to make him afraid. And "from afar" means from a distant land, this is as we explained, that it refers back to Bavel, and this is more reasonable than to explain the matters concerning Israel who were exiled to Egypt, for the prophecy is "I will save you from afar." From afar, Egypt is not far, Egypt is on the borders of the Land of Israel. It is more reasonable that we are speaking here of Bavel, for indeed Bavel is called "far," it is not among the peoples on our borders, and this is what is written, "Hashem will bring against you a nation from afar," these are from places that are far from our borders. The Malbim explains that after he said that Egypt would be inhabited as in the days of old, this was when Koresh reigned, he tells us: know that Yaakov too will not fear, that the people of Israel too are assured of the redemption. And this is essentially a verse that was already mentioned above in chapter 30, as the Malbim and the Radak note here. "You, do not fear, My servant Yaakov, says Hashem, for I am with you, for I will make a full end of all the nations to which I have driven you, but of you I will not make a full end; I will chasten you in measure, and I will by no means leave you unpunished." "You, do not fear, My servant Yaakov, says Hashem, for I am with you." Hashem tells him, you have nothing to be concerned about, I will accompany you. "For I will make a full end of all the nations to which I have driven you." Even if I make a full end of all the nations to which I have driven you, of you I will not make a full end, even though you will be in their land, they will cease in that same land and you will not cease. "I will chasten you in measure," I will chasten you in judgment in order to awaken your ear to reproof, this is "I will chasten you." But He tells him "and I will by no means leave you unpunished" (venakeh lo anakeka), the meaning is: I will not destroy you, this is the intent of "venakeh lo anakeka," that there will not be "I will sweep it with the broom of destruction," which is essentially a cleansing that is destruction. So it seemingly implies that "venakeh lo anakeka" means like "venakeh lo yenakeh," "and I will hold their blood innocent that I have not held innocent," the meaning being that I will exact payment from them to the point of destruction. Here it says exactly the opposite, says Targum Yonatan, "venakeh lo anakeka" means: I will not cleanse you from the world, the world will not be clean of you, I will not cut you off from the world, this is the meaning of "venakeh lo anakeka." And what is written, "for I will chasten you in measure," the meaning is: for the attribute of justice arrives, it demands its due, so that you will not be clean of the punishment, meaning that you will receive what is coming to you, so I will give you the punishment in order to consume with it the sins, this is "venakeh lo anakeka," meaning that there will indeed need to be a certain punishment, but the promise is that afterward there will be a future redemption and the people of Israel will not cease, and this comes in the context of what we said earlier, that although those in Egypt ceased, even from the people of Israel, but the people of Israel as a whole will forever remain in existence, and whoever knows, this is part of the preservation mechanism of the people of Israel, that the people of Israel were not exiled to one place. For if they had, God forbid, been exiled only to Germany, nothing would have remained of them. But the people of Israel were exiled also to additional countries, so that in fact even if they tried to eradicate them in one place, there are still Jews scattered across the whole globe, which ensures that ultimately the Jewish people will survive forever.