"You committed harlotry with the sons of Egypt, your neighbors, great of flesh, and you multiplied your harlotry to provoke Me." "You committed harlotry with the sons of Egypt" means with the sons of Egypt, who are "great of flesh." The term "flesh" is always, as the commentators bring, an expression for the organ of intercourse. And they are great of flesh. The Radak says that in the way of intercourse, the desire of women is for those great of flesh. Since that is so, he says you multiplied your corruption in that you sought out those who are great of flesh, the Egyptians. And you added harlotry, and this is an expression that you already performed idolatry in order to provoke Hashem. The Malbim asks: what is being spoken of here? That they turned to Egypt for help in the days of Achaz. Even when troubles began, instead of understanding that My original Husband is the Master of the world, and He asks that I return to Him, instead of that you said, Master of the world, we do not need You, we have Egypt. You turned to Egypt to receive help from them. This is "You committed harlotry with the sons of Egypt and multiplied your harlotry to provoke Me." There was in this, as we said, a matter of provoking the Master of the world. "And behold, I have stretched out My hand against you and diminished your allotment, and I gave you over to the will of those who hate you, the daughters of the Philistines, who are ashamed of your lewd way." "And behold, I have stretched out My hand against you": so the Holy One, blessed be He, strikes Achaz, blow after blow, as it appears in Divrei HaYamim II chapter 28. In the end the Philistines spread out over the cities of the Shefelah and the Negev, they conquered them, the places where the tribe of Yehudah dwelt. Now the Philistines dwelt there. This is what he says, "and diminished your allotment." What is "and diminished your allotment"? These cities were your allotment, they were designated for you. "And diminished your allotment": I diminished from what is rightfully allotted to you, and these cities "I gave you over to the will of those who hate you." I gave these cities over to the will of those who hate you. Who are they? The daughters of the Philistines. They always hate Israel. "Daughters of the Philistines" means, just as "and the daughters of Yehudah rejoiced" does not speak of the actual daughters of Yehudah, but "daughters of Yehudah" means the cities adjacent to Yehudah, which are called daughters of Yehudah. So too here, when it speaks of the daughters of the Philistines, it means the Philistines and the cities located around and near them. They were our enemies, and we had a constant struggle with them throughout all of history. Since they are our enemies, the greatest disgrace is that our cities passed over to them. And he says "who are ashamed of your lewd way." This means they did not do evil deeds like the people of Israel. Do you hear what a disgrace this is? They, the Philistines, did not do evil like us. They are ashamed of your lewd way; when they see the ways of your lewdness they are ashamed, as it were embarrassed at how the people of Israel do such things. The Targum Yonatan says "who are ashamed" means that if someone were to shame them, they would be ashamed. What does this mean? If I had sent a prophet to them to rebuke them, they would have been ashamed of the ways of lewdness, they would have been ashamed and would have accepted the reproof. And behold, to you I send a prophet to rebuke you for your lewdness, and you do not change your ways. Rashi, on the other hand, explains what is written "and diminished your allotment": Rashi says that "your allotment" is a term for sustenance. This was in the days when the judges judged, when there were situations in which they had nothing to eat. "And I gave you over to the will of those who hate you, the daughters of the Philistines": this was in the time of Shimshon, who was handed over to the Philistines. So he speaks here, according to Rashi, about events that occurred in history. "You committed harlotry with the sons of Ashur, for you were insatiable; you committed harlotry with them, and still you were not satisfied." After he describes how they committed harlotry with Egypt, now he explains how they also committed harlotry with Ashur. Because afterward Achaz sent to the kings of Ashur to come and help him. "You committed harlotry with them," and he says "and even then, for you were insatiable," you had no satisfaction from it. "You committed harlotry with them, and still you were not satisfied," as it is written, "And Tiglat Pileser king of Ashur came against him and distressed him, and did not strengthen him." So those from whom you thought yet to be satisfied, meaning to receive help and aid, from them too you were not satisfied. The Malbim asks: what is the difference between "you committed harlotry with the sons of Ashur" and "you committed harlotry with them, and still you were not satisfied"? What is the difference between these expressions? The Malbim says that "you committed harlotry with" (al) is a term of pandering and lusting toward harlotry. This means the actions that lead to harlotry, that is "you committed harlotry al." And "al" always expresses "toward." In contrast, "you committed harlotry with them" is already the actual harlotry. Therefore it is written "you committed harlotry with them" (using the accusative), meaning you committed harlotry with them directly, actually, with them. "You committed harlotry al" refers to the actions that lead toward it. So at first "you committed harlotry with the sons of Ashur" means that here there was only an action bringing you to turn to them. "You committed harlotry with them": you were not content with that, afterward you actually committed harlotry with them and made a treaty with them. "And still you were not satisfied": this too did not benefit you, since as we said, of Ashur it is written "and distressed him and did not strengthen him." "And you multiplied your harlotry toward the land of Canaan, toward Kasdim, and even with this you were not satisfied." That was not enough, but you further multiplied your harlotry toward the land of Canaan, toward Kasdim. What is the meaning of "toward the land of Canaan, toward Kasdim"? Kasdim is not the land of Canaan, and the land of Canaan is not Kasdim. How does he move from "toward the land of Canaan" to "toward Kasdim"? The Malbim explains that he calls Kasdim the land of Canaan, because Kasdim was the merchant of the nations. There was great commerce there. As it is written, "there shall no Canaanite dwell there." "Canaanite" means a merchant. As it is written of Yehudah that he took Shua the daughter of a Canaanite man. Rashi says: a Canaanite, a merchant. For it cannot be entertained that Avraham our father did not want wives from the Canaanite daughters, yet Yehudah would go and marry Canaanite daughters. He took Shua the daughter of a Canaanite man, therefore Rashi says this was not a Canaanite but a merchant. "Canaanite" is an expression for a merchant. So too here, what he calls "Canaan, toward Kasdim," is because Kasdim were the merchants and therefore he calls them Canaan. "And even with this you were not satisfied." The Malbim explains that this reality, that they turned to the Kasdim, continued until the days of Menasheh. Then they began to commit harlotry with the sons of Bavel. This is what he says, "your harlotry toward the land of Canaan," you multiplied toward the land of Kasdim to do with them, according to an additional explanation the Malbim offers, to do with them like the abominations of the Canaanite. Like the deeds of the land of Canaan you shall not do. So you did like the deeds of the land of Canaan. What are the deeds of the land of Canaan? These are the matters of lewdness and harlotry. Here he is speaking of harlotry. So "you multiplied your harlotry toward the land of Canaan," like the deeds of the land of Canaan, with the Kasdim. "And even with this you were not satisfied," because afterward they captured Menasheh with hooks, brought him to Bavel, put him in a pot and began to cook him. Do you understand? A person in that situation begins to dance even without music. And he began to dance, and apparently when a person dances, the Chassidim say, what is the virtue of dancing? That a person raises himself a handbreadth off the ground. So they say according to the way of Chassidut, this is the virtue of dancing. So apparently the dancing there raised him a handbreadth, and he suddenly began to see that there is something a little higher, there is the Holy One, blessed be He. Then he turned to Hashem Yitbarach, and then the Holy One, blessed be He, restored him to his kingdom; it is well known here that the ministering angels closed the openings and the Holy One, blessed be He, dug a tunnel for him beneath the Throne of Glory, a wind carried him, returned him back to the land of Israel, and at the end of his days they were in repentance, as we learned these things at length in Sefer Melachim. In any case he says: come and see that this harlotry did not benefit you; just as with Egypt it did not benefit you, so too the harlotry with the Kasdim did not benefit you. You abandoned Hashem and turned to the Kasdim, and behold the Kasdim yet captured Menasheh with hooks and brought him to Bavel. "How weak is your heart, says Hashem Elokim, when you do all these, the deeds of a domineering harlot woman." What is "amulah"? Rashi says "amulah" is with an alef, not with a hei. "Amulah" means corrupted. And Rashi brings that it is like "wretched." "And the wretched Jews," as it appears in Nechemyah. "Have mercy on me, Hashem, for I am wretched."
The Radak explains that "amulah" means cut off, like "I will cut them off" in "in the name of Hashem I will cut them off." What is "I will cut them off" (amilam)? He cut them off. What does the mohel do? He circumcises, cuts off, makes a covenant. What does an ant (nemalah) do? It circumcises (malah) the grain of wheat. The grain of wheat has some little tip in the middle, and when it sprouts you see this tip beginning to grow, and from it the root emerges. When the ant gathers wheat, it could have a whole forest in the place where it gathers, the wheat is in the ground. Why do they not grow? Because the ant circumcises them. What is "circumcises"? If you remove this little tip, this wheat will no longer sprout, it will no longer grow. And then the ant is called nemalah because it circumcises. "Malah" from the term to circumcise means to cut off, means to sever. So what is written here, "how amulah," means how it is severed. It has no straight thought, as though it is cut off and gone.
So whether we say wretched or whether we say it is severed, "how weak is your heart." The Malbim says: a harlot in public and in abandon, as we saw, who made herself an elevated mound and a high place in order to commit harlotry there on every street and along every road, she does it in order to receive something. That is, the harlot did not open a free-loan fund; she wants a harlot's fee. The fee is really the profit that comes to her from her act of harlotry.
In contrast, the adulterous woman commits adultery in secret, she is still under her husband's authority. Her husband's authority is comfortable for her, because her husband's authority is someone who supports her and cares for her and sustains her. She is not abandoned to all; she designates for herself one man with whom she commits harlotry. And in any case, even if she does not receive a fee, she receives a gift. What is a "nedeh"? We will see this later in verse 33: "to all harlots they give a gift." "Nedeh" is from the term "nadan," from the term dowry. That is, she too does not act voluntarily, but the lover gives her gifts, buys her jewelry, brings her fine things, and so on. That is the "nedeh," what she receives, the endowment she receives from her beloved.
The Malbim says: come and see now how your heart, how your heart is weak and very feeble. "How weak is your heart, says Hashem Elokim." For when you did all these deeds, this is the deed of a domineering harlot woman. "A domineering harlot woman" means that the dominion is hers. Ordinarily a woman is under her husband's controlling hand, but here she is domineering, she rules over herself, no man rules over her. And behold, see: "in that you built your mound at the head of every road, and made your high place in every street, and you were not like a harlot in scorning a fee."
Here he will show how great her disgrace is. For you built your mound at the head of every road, that is, only a domineering harlot woman, who has no fear of her husband, goes and makes her place of harlotry in high and prominent places, that is, she publicizes her name. And her intention is really for the fee. She abandons herself so that those coming to her will multiply, and through this her fees will multiply. But he says: with you it was not so. And this magnifies her disgrace. Because with you, you go and commit harlotry not for the purpose of profit. This is what he says: you were like a harlot in scorning a fee. What is the meaning of "scorning a fee"? The Malbim explains that it is from the term of mockery and scorn. That is, every harlot scorns a fee. Every harlot to whom a fee is brought scorns it, that is, what is this that you bring? She mocks him. What is the idea? She wants a larger fee. But with you it is not so. With you, you do not ask for a fee, and certainly do not ask for a larger fee. This shows her disgrace.
And why? Because every woman who commits harlotry really abandons herself. And in abandoning herself she brings upon herself a great disgrace. What atones for this? The great profits she receives. But in contrast, if she does it not for profit, this is a terrible disgrace, because it really says: I am degraded and lowly even without money. I do not do it out of no choice, I do not do it because I need the money. That is every harlot. Rather I, as it were, and we will yet see later, am willing to pay so that they will come and commit harlotry with me. There is no greater disgrace than this.
The analogue here is really the people of Israel: that if you had profit from your connection with all these nations, if there were something you gained, then I would say you commit harlotry for benefit, for profit, just as the harlot receives the gift and the fee, so she has profit. So it is true it is disgraceful, but listen, at least I got something out of it. But if you get from it only disgrace and received nothing, then you are like her, like the analogy of that harlot woman who requests those who commit harlotry with her, and not only does she not take money from them but she even lusts after them, that is, requests that they come and commit harlotry with her. And then it is fit for disgrace and rage.
"The adulterous wife, who takes strangers instead of her husband." The adulterous wife instead of her husband: the woman who is not an abandoned harlot, as we saw upon every high hill, but who only commits adultery instead of her husband, as we said in concealment without the man knowing, she takes strangers. She takes strangers to a bed of loves, the Malbim says, in secret. She too, even though she really does not ask for a fee, but "to all harlots they give a gift. And you gave your gifts to all your lovers, and you bribed them to come to you from all around in your harlotry."
Here he really states the essence of the reproof. In any case, even the adulterous woman instead of her husband who takes strangers, to all harlots they give a gift. Every such woman who commits harlotry, even if it was in concealment and in secret, receives some fixed endowment, as we said in the aspect of a dowry, she has from it some profit that brings her to perform her actions. But he says to her: with you, you gave your gifts to all your lovers. With you it is the reverse, you paid them in order to commit harlotry with them. Besides giving them some fixed endowment so that they would love you, you would even pay them a dowry, you would bribe them to come to you. With what did you bribe them? With your harlotry. With the harlotry you would commit with them, you adorned yourself, you devised all kinds of schemes so that they would desire you, and you would pursue them instead of them pursuing you. And this was not enough: "and in you it was the opposite of other women in your harlotry, for no one followed you in harlotry; in that you gave a fee while no fee was given to you, you were the opposite."
In you it was the opposite of harlot women, and this was in two respects. First, "in your harlotry, for no one followed you in harlotry." The way of the world is that the man pursues the woman in harlotry. He is drawn after her, he pursues her, he seduces her. The Gemara says that it is more the way of the man to court; the Gemara says that the man is more accustomed to the transgression than the woman. This is the nature of the world. And in you it was the opposite; with you it was the reverse, because you poured out your harlotry and your love upon them. They did not pursue you in harlotry seeking you, but you went and sought them. The second thing he says: "in that you gave a fee while no fee was given to you." Besides that in you it was the opposite of other women, you were the reverse in your own right. Besides that you did not behave as other women behaved, you were also the reverse in your own right, meaning that even in your own right you did the opposite of what is accepted. What is that? This matter is against nature, because in nature the man courts the woman. And you were the opposite, you went to court the men. This matter, as we said, is unnatural and shows how great your corruption has grown.
The Malbim says: notice that once he calls her an adulteress in verse 32, and once he calls her a harlot. What is the difference? The Malbim says: she is called "adulteress" for the act of adultery. That is, "adulteress" refers to the body of the act. In contrast, the name "harlot" is from the aspect that she abandoned herself and went out from under her husband. Therefore we see that this is an expression that appears often in connection with idolatry, "for you go astray after them": I abandoned myself from under the hand of the Holy One, blessed be He, to idolatry. This is still the definition of the expression "harlot." Now here, when he speaks of a woman who is under a husband, he cannot call her a harlot. Because, as we said, a harlot has abandoned herself from under her husband's hand. That is when she goes and commits harlotry in public. Therefore in verse 32 he says "the adulterous wife instead of her husband." Since she is under a husband, she performs the act of adultery, but she is not a harlot, she did not go out from under his hand, because she does not want her husband to know of her deeds, so there is no category of public here; therefore she is called only an adulteress.
We saw here the expression "fee" (etnan). The Malbim explains that it is from the root n-t-n, from the term "gift," that is the fee. Rashi, in contrast, explains that "fee" is from the term hire. The "nedeh" is the endowment, from the term dowry. "And in you it was the opposite of other women." Therefore, verse 35, "Therefore, harlot, hear the word of Hashem." "Therefore, harlot," the Malbim explains, means to say that the harlot who acts for a fee, her essential intent is money; she is really not called a harlot. Rather she is called a base woman, she is called a lover of money. Her concern is not the harlotry. If you gave her the possibility to gather money in a less disgraceful way, she would choose it. So I cannot call her a harlot. Because "harlot" is an accompanying name, it is not a name that describes her essence. But in contrast, notice, here when she gives a fee so that they will come to her, he says her essential aim is the harlotry. So even if they gave her money, this would not prevent her from performing her corrupt act, because she desires to commit harlotry. An ordinary harlot, as we saw, her whole concern is the money. Since that is so, one cannot define her as a harlot in essence, she is not seeking the harlotry. If they gave her money in a legitimate way, she would prefer it over the harlotry. Therefore here he says "Therefore, harlot, hear the word of Hashem." Your deed is a deed that defines you with the name of essence, as a harlot.
"So says Hashem Elokim: Because your brass was poured out and your nakedness uncovered in your harlotry with your lovers, and with all the idols of your abominations, and with the blood of your children which you gave to them." "Because your brass was poured out." What is "your brass was poured out"? Here there are two explanations of the Malbim, and another explanation of Rashi. The Malbim says "your brass was poured out": the first explanation is from the term serpent (nachash). Then the meaning of the matter is that your venom was poured out. In your actions it is like venom that you cast upon others. A second possibility: "your brass" is from the term divination (nichush), a term of sorcery. A third possibility is what Rashi explains. Rashi says "your brass" is like a rim, like the brass base of an oven. It means the bottom of the oven. So "your brass was poured out": from the abundance of lustful harlotry your source was flowing. That is "because your brass was poured out."
"And your nakedness was uncovered." Corresponding to what he said "and your nakedness was uncovered," he says "in your harlotry with your lovers." The Malbim says she had two kinds of harlotry. First, "with your lovers." "Your lovers," as we saw, are those with whom she committed harlotry regularly, they are called her lovers. Second, "with all the idols of your abominations." These are those with whom you committed harlotry in a manner of abandon, when you abandoned yourself to every passerby, as we saw, at the head of every road you built your high place and spread your legs to every passerby. Corresponding to what he said "because your brass was poured out," he says "and with the blood of your children which you gave to them." That you poured out the power of the serpent, and through divinations and sorceries like the blood of your children. This means in abundance, like the abundance of blood that you poured out, your brass was poured out in abundance. This means, when you went and handed over your children to all the matters of Molech, and went and handed over your children to idolatry, and this, as we said, they performed through matters of divination and matters of sorcery.
"Therefore behold, I gather all your lovers with whom you were pleasant, and all whom you loved together with all whom you hated, and I will gather them against you from all around, and I will uncover your nakedness to them, and they will see all your nakedness." Therefore now Hashem says what the punishment will be. First, "behold, I gather all your lovers." "Your lovers," as we saw, were the regular ones with whom you committed harlotry continuously. And of them he says "with whom you were pleasant." What is "with whom you were pleasant" (aravt)? The Malbim explains that "aravt" is from the term evening (erev). You would sit and await them every single evening. As it is written, "and the eye of the adulterer watches for the twilight." "Twilight" (neshef) means evening. The Radak, in contrast, says "aravt" is like something pleasant (arev). The Radak says like "may my speech be pleasant to Him." Pleasure and pleasantness. "With whom you were pleasant" means with whom you were pleasing. "And all whom you loved": also the other men we saw, whom she loved only occasionally, and did not commit harlotry with them regularly. "Together with all whom you hated," with all those who are your enemies. Hashem says: all these lovers and the occasional ones and those who hate you, "and I will gather them against you from all around, and I will uncover your nakedness to them, and they will see all your nakedness." I will uncover the blemishes, the vileness in you, until you become repulsive in their eyes.
"And I will judge you with the judgments of adulteresses and shedders of blood, and I will make you blood of fury and jealousy." "And I will judge you with the judgments of adulteresses and shedders of blood." The Radak says there are two judgments upon them, both the judgment of adulteresses and the judgment of bloodshed. Why does he determine that in adultery there is also a matter of bloodshed? He explains it in several aspects. First, the adulterous woman sometimes sheds blood, because often two come to her and both quarrel over her and one murders his fellow. Behold, through her adultery she caused bloodshed. It is very possible that her husband will suddenly come home and then he will find the adulterer with his wife and then he will kill him. Behold, through her adultery with that man she brought about killing. Or the reverse: the adulterer, since he saw that the evil befalls him, will kill the husband. So see, judgments of adulteresses and shedders of blood. The adulteresses are also shedders of blood. So too you, people of Israel, commit adultery instead of your Husband, which is instead of the Holy One, blessed be He, and you shed blood, the blood of your children, you shed them to idolatry.
And on this he says "and I will make you blood of fury and jealousy." The Radak says, as the Targum Yonatan: "and I will hand you over to killing in anger and fury." I will hand you over to blood, to killing, in anger and fury. I have fury toward you for all the evil deeds we have seen until now. And there is another matter here, also jealousy. For they made Me jealous with a non-god, they angered Me with their vanities. When they go and perform idolatry, then just as a man is angered and provoked when his wife commits adultery under him, so too, as it were, the Holy One, blessed be He. There is here the aspect of a symbol of jealousy, that there is here an aspect of provocation and anger when the people of Israel commit harlotry after idolatry, after other gods.
"And I will give you into their hand, and they will destroy your mound and tear down your high places, and strip you of your garments and take your vessels of splendor, and leave you naked and bare." "And I will give you into their hand": I will judge you, I will render the verdict, and then I will give you into their hand so that they will carry out the punishment upon you according to what I have decreed and decided against you. "And they will destroy your mound": we saw that there was a mound and a high place there, an elevated place where she committed harlotry. "And they will destroy your mound": what is the analogue? The cities and the houses and the fortresses, all will be destroyed. Here he now speaks of the punishment of the house of Israel. And the punishment of the house of Israel will be the destruction. "And strip you of your garments." What are "your garments"? The Malbim says the analogue is the plunder, that they will plunder all her precious vessels, all that she has. Until in the end she is left naked and bare. What is "she is left naked and bare"? Corresponding to what? This the Radak says: it corresponds to how I found you at first. As we saw, "and I passed over you and saw you wallowing in your blood," and there it is brought "and you were naked and bare." On this he says: I will return you to the former state, until you are left naked and bare.
The Malbim says: notice that it is written here "and they will destroy your mound and tear down your high places." The Malbim says there is a difference between destroying (heres) and tearing down (nitutz). Destroying is to break something, to demolish it. In contrast, tearing down is to take and crumble it into small pieces. This is also an expression we use today, "to shatter"; we say to shatter the glass, it becomes small crumbs. And destroying, in contrast, something I broke, that is called that I destroyed it. This is what he means to say: since you added to the sin, because a high place is more than a mound. We saw that a mound is a flat and noticeable place, and a high place is an elevated place. You already committed the harlotry on a high place, as we explained that they made idols for them under every leafy tree and upon every hill. In the place of a hill, in an elevated place. Therefore "they will destroy your mound," but your high places they will tear down. For the tearing down, as we said, is a greater and harsher demolition and breaking.
"And they will bring up against you an assembly, and stone you with stones and cut you with their swords." "And they will bring up against you an assembly": they will judge you with the judgment of death and put you to death in an assembly of people. This is "and they will bring up against you an assembly," the killing will be before a great assembly. And they will now put her to death, as we will see, in all four death penalties of the court: stoning, burning, slaying, and strangulation. As he will presently enumerate them. "And stone you with stones": we already see this is the death of stoning. "And cut you with their swords": this is the death of the sword. What is "and they will cut you" (uvidkuch)? Rashi says it has no parallel. Rashi says: we have no other source in Scripture to learn this word. We have explained countless times that in order to understand what a word says, what it expresses, one needs a concordance. What is a concordance? A concordance is a book that gathers within it all the words of the same type that appear in Tanach. So if it is written, for example, "mountains," it gathers all the places where a mountain is mentioned in Tanach. Mountain, mountains, mountains-of, it arranges them by type. This concordance is very useful. By the way, the Rishonim had this in their heads, they did not need books. It is very useful, because when I do not know the meaning of a word, I go and search in the concordance. A concordance is not a dictionary, but in any case it can help me understand the word. How? For example, it is written here "uvidkuch," I do not know what "uvidkuch" is. So, for example, I go and open another place and there I see "and he split and cut." So I understand that "splitting" is from the term of cutting. I can understand from the meaning of what is written elsewhere the meaning also here. But when it has no counterpart in Scripture, or no companion in Scripture, or it is a unique expression, or it is written of it in the Masorah the letter lamed, which means it does not exist, that is, it has no parallel, as here Rashi says it has no parallel, meaning there is no word similar to it in Scripture, then we have no choice but to try to explain the word according to its meaning here internally. Therefore also here, "and they will cut you with their swords," we understand that this is from the term of splitting the body with a sword, since there is here the expression of a sword. And so too says the Targum, "and they will cut you": and they will split you. "And he tore his garments," how does the Targum render it? "And he split his garments." That is tearing. So then, when it speaks here of "splitting," it means tearing, and they will tear you with their swords. So behold, we have here also the death of the sword.
The Radak explains that here are the deaths by which it was their way to put adulteresses to death. The Radak says: "and stone you with stones" is like the judgment of adulteresses, that they would stone them with stones. Not that they would kill them. When a harlot woman would pass by, they would stone her with a stone, not to the point of death. Because afterward I see "and cut you with their swords." Afterward I see that the death is carried out by the sword. He brings an additional explanation, and this explanation he brings in the name of his father: that after he described for us the analogy of "and I will make the harlot cease," he describes how the matter will be done. He now speaks of a harlot whom they struck with stones and stabbed with a sword and burned her house, and all these things they did in order to disgrace her, in order to shame her. Until she becomes despised and lowly, and if she is despised and lowly, then through this she will cease to be a harlot. That is, they go to the woman when she expresses some importance, but when she is completely lowly, then no one wants to go to her. And then in such a case, even if she, says the Radak's father, even if she gives a fee, even then they will not be with her. From her great lowliness they will not be willing to be with her even in exchange for her fee. And what is the analogue here? On this the Radak's father says that the analogue is the destruction of the walls. How would they destroy the walls? With sling stones. Behold he comes and says, see, "and stone you with stones." It was by means of a siege-mound and large stones to bring her down, as it says "in Kir Chareset, and the slingers surrounded and struck it." And afterward "and cut you with their swords," that afterward the splitting was by the sword, as we saw that they entered into the city, they killed the people who were within it.
And afterward "and they will burn your houses with fire and execute judgments upon you before the eyes of many women, and I will make you cease from being a harlot, and you will also give a fee no more." "They will burn your houses with fire," the Malbim says: we saw four deaths. Stoning and sword were already, now he speaks of burning. "And execute judgments upon you before the eyes of many women": this is the judgment for every married woman who committed harlotry, her death is by strangulation. That is the "judgments before the eyes of many women," according to the law of a woman who commits harlotry under her husband. And afterward "and I will make you cease from being a harlot," no man will want to commit harlotry with her, and not even in exchange for a fee. This is what he says: you will also give a fee no more. What is the analogue? That afterward they will abolish the worship of idols. For we know that after the destruction the evil inclination for idolatry ceased. So "you will also give a fee no more," afterward there will be no aspect at all, not of idolatry and not of a fee for idolatry.
"And I will rest My fury upon you, and My jealousy will depart from you, and I will be quiet and no longer be angry." "And I will rest My fury upon you": meaning the fury I had over the past will rest through the punishment you will receive. And consequently, "and My jealousy will depart from you." Through this, the jealousy I had over the idolatry you worshiped will depart from you. That is, the evil inclination for idolatry, as we said, will be abolished, and consequently Hashem's jealousy over idolatry departs from us. And consequently afterward, "and I will be quiet and no longer be angry." Through this I will be quiet and no longer be angry, because there will no longer be the sin of idolatry. The Malbim says there is a difference between anger (kaas) and fury (chemah) and the other synonymous matters of anger. It is written "and I will rest My fury upon you and My jealousy will depart from you, and I will be quiet and no longer be angry." There is here fury and there is here anger. The Malbim asks: what is the difference? The Malbim explains that wrath (af) and rage (ketzef) and fury (chemah) are things that act against someone we are angry with. That is, when there is wrath or rage or fury, there is a result upon the one against whom we are angry. But in contrast, the expression "anger" (kaas) shows something that is only in the heart. As we see "all his days are pains and anger," and "her rival provoked her to anger." That is, anger is something that remains within us in the heart. But in contrast, wrath, rage, and fury are something in which we act also toward others. In contrast, the Malbim says, when it comes in a causative form, like "you angered (hiktzaftem) Hashem," the meaning is you caused Hashem to rage at you. "You provoked (hich'astem)," the meaning is you caused His anger to be aroused toward you.
"Because you did not remember the days of your youth and enraged Me with all these, so I too, behold, I have set your way upon your head, says Hashem Elokim, and you did not commit the lewdness in addition to all your abominations." "Because you did not remember the days of your youth." Why did these punishments come upon you with poured-out fury, as we saw? Because they did not remember the goodness that Hashem did with them in the days of their youth, that the Holy One, blessed be He, brought them out of Egypt, that the Holy One, blessed be He, led them in the wilderness, brought them to the land. This whole matter of the going out from the house of slaves, as we explained, was because the people of Israel obligated themselves thereby to keep Hashem's commandments. And behold, instead of doing so, "you enraged Me with all these," meaning all those abominations we mentioned above, with which you enraged the Holy One, blessed be He. "So I too, behold, I have set your way upon your head." What is "so I too, behold, I have set your way upon your head"? "Ha" (behold) is like "hinei." Like "behold (ha), seed for you." "Behold, I have set your way upon your head" means like "to place his way upon his head." That is, I gave you as the recompense fitting for you. That is the meaning of "behold, I have set your way upon your head." I repaid you as fitting for you. These punishments we saw above come to her according to the law of the Torah, because they enraged with all those transgressions for which they were liable to the four death penalties of the court. And this we said above: stoning, burning, slaying, and strangulation, the four death penalties of the court that we saw in verses 40 and 41, and this was coming to you according to the law. That is the meaning of "I have set your way upon your head," meaning as recompense for your deeds. For we saw that they worshiped idolatry and the worship of Molech, for this comes the punishment of stoning. We saw that there was harlotry, and for harlotry in the matter of a married woman comes strangulation. We saw also that they murdered their children to Molech, for this comes the punishment of the sword, that is, the actual murder of the children. And afterward, when they are judged as an idolatrous city, there too is a judgment of the sword. But the death of burning, the Malbim says, we did not find a reason for it. That is, if we seek what sin there was for which the punishment of burning was required, we did not find it regarding a daughter of Israel who committed harlotry, but only regarding a daughter of a Kohen who committed harlotry. A daughter of a Kohen who committed harlotry, there it is called lewdness. Lewdness is burned in fire. So then, in order for the punishment of burning also to be fitting for them, there needs to be for them also a sin of lewdness. And this is what he says: "and you did not commit the lewdness in addition to all your abominations." Did you not commit lewdness? Was the lewdness not also added to all your abominations? If so, the punishment of burning also comes to you. Therefore this is what we mentioned above, "and they will burn your houses with fire." Therefore this punishment too comes. And he explains how she committed the lewdness, that lewdness is really an abomination of a woman and her daughter.
The Malbim explains that essentially lewdness, the expression "zimah" shows the immersion of thought in harlotry. And we find the expression "lewdness" in two situations. One situation is regarding "one who profanes his daughter to make her a harlot," and regarding "the nakedness of a woman and her daughter." One who marries a woman and her daughter, "the nakedness of a woman and her daughter you shall not uncover," this is called lewdness. And likewise one who profanes his daughter to make her a harlot. The Malbim asks: what is the common denominator of the two? That in both there is an immersion of harlotry from the generation of the parents to the generation of the children. That is, "one who profanes his daughter to make her a harlot," meaning the father is wicked and he also bequeaths this to his daughter after him, that he profanes her to make her a harlot. The same regarding marrying a woman and her daughter: the mother is wicked, she marries a man at the time that her daughter also marries the same man. That is, there is here again a harlotry of a second generation. The parents bequeath the harlotry to the children after them. It is fitting, the Malbim says, that the father and mother guard their descendants from corruption. Even if a person in his own right does dishonorable things, in any case he strives that his descendants be honorable. And here, as it is written in the prophet, "a man and his father go to the maiden." This shows the brazenness, this shows the corruption, that it is not merely that the father was corrupt, but he even takes his son to be corrupt with him. This matter is called lewdness. On this he says, "and you did not commit the lewdness in addition to all your abominations?" Was the lewdness not also added to all your abominations? So then, the punishment of burning also comes to you. "Behold, everyone who parables about you will parable, saying: like the mother, so the daughter." "Everyone who parables about you will parable." "Hamoshel" is not from the term of governance, but "hamoshel" is from the term of composing parables. Everyone who composes parables will parable about you and say "like the mother, so the daughter." Whoever wishes to make a parable from the punishment of burning that you received for the lewdness, which is, as we explained, the nakedness of a woman and her daughter, will find in this the analogue about the entire nation. That the entire nation really has against them a claim that they and their children sinned. This is really the parable. "Mother and her daughter" is the aspect of lewdness, as we explained that it means becoming rooted in the sin, that the parents bequeath the sin to their children after them. It is lewdness. He says this is a parable about what happened among the people of Israel, that the reality was that they did not sin only themselves, but also became rooted in the sin to bequeath the sin also to their sons and daughters. So "like the mother, so the daughter."
The Radak explains that "like the mother, so the daughter" really contains a parable. And the parable is: the mother is the land of Canaan, that is the land of Israel, it is called the land of Canaan. And the daughter is the people of Israel, that is Knesset Yisrael. As it is written, "daughter of Jerusalem," "daughter of Edom." He wants to say: you came here and learned from the corrupt deeds of those dwelling here. Like the mother, so the daughter. The mother, which is the land of Canaan, raised her descendants like herself, and behold she raised people doing evil deeds like herself. For we know that the Torah in several places warns not to do like the abominations of the land of Canaan. That the abominations of the land of Canaan, as the Torah enumerates there, were abominations of forbidden relations. So then, like the mother, so the daughter. This place, which is the mother, is the land of Canaan, so too the daughter, which is Knesset Yisrael, continued and behaved like the deed of the mother. "You are the daughter of your mother, who loathed her husband and her children; and you are the sister of your sisters, who loathed their husbands and their children; your mother was a Hittite and your father an Emorite." "You are the daughter of your mother," resembling your mother, "who loathed her husband and her children." "Her husband" means her man. You are like your mother, that your mother loathed her husband and her children, meaning she distanced herself from her husband and her children; so too you resemble your sisters. That is, we will see this later, who are the sisters to whom he compares Knesset Yisrael. The people of Israel he compares to sisters, two rebellious sisters, as we will see later. And so then, you are like their sister. And he explains and elaborates: your mother was a Hittite. Why? Because you were born in the land of Chet, which is really the mother as it were, the figurative mother, not the biological mother. You are the daughter of a Hittite mother and you do like their deeds. Rashi explains that "the daughter of your mother," as we explained before, the land is called like the mother, and the land is Canaan. And you inherited their land, you behave like them. "Who loathed her husband and her children": they multiplied the abominations until the land loathed and spewed out its inhabitants, the fathers and the sons together. That is, not as we explained that the woman loathed her husband and her children, but here he explains that this refers, as it were, to the land. This is already the punishment. What did the land do to the inhabitants of the land of Canaan? It loathed them. What is "loathed"? What is the meaning of the koshering of vessels (hagalah)? "Hagalah" means expelling. To loathe (l'hagil) means to expel. "His ox breeds and does not cast off," says Iyov. There the meaning is that his ox breeds, the cow, and does not cast off, meaning the cow did not miscarry before its time. That is the meaning of "l'hagil." So "you are the daughter of your mother," that this land which is your mother, which is Canaan, loathed her husband and her children. It loathed and expelled the wicked who dwelt in it, the fathers and the sons together. And you too are also the sister of your sister. You are the sister of your sister. Behold, she is not called your sister but the sister of your sister. Only, as it were, the connection is not direct, for here he speaks of Sedom, that Sedom is adjacent to the land of Israel. And on this he says "who loathed their husbands and their children." Sedom was overturned in a moment, "and they loathed their husbands," their husbands and their children. "Your mother was a Hittite and your father an Emorite." Here Rashi brings the Targum Yonatan. For your mother is Sarah. She was among the Hittites. She dwelt among the Hittites, that is among the sons of Chet. "And your father Avraham among the Emorites, and they did not walk in their customs," and they did not do like their deeds. "And your father Avraham among the sons of the Emorite, and did not walk in their counsel." Your father Avraham dwelt among the Emorites and did not walk in the counsel of the sons of the Emorite. So then, why did you come and settle here, and behold you do evil deeds like the inhabitants of the land?