Introduction: The Prophecy of the End
Chapter 7 of Yechezkel is the prophecy of the end. Hashem delivers to Yechezkel a short, sharp, and repetitive prophecy, which is entirely one declaration: the end has come. The chapter is built upon repetitions and poetic metaphors of day and night, dawn and morning, and in all of them the Malbim analyzes closely and uncovers a precise meaning. Let us go through the pesukim in order.
(א) וַיְהִי דְבַר־יְהֹוָה אֵלַי לֵאמֹר׃ (ב) וְאַתָּה בֶן־אָדָם כֹּה־אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יֱהֹוִה לְאַדְמַת יִשְׂרָאֵל קֵץ בָּא הַקֵּץ עַל־אַרְבַּע כַּנְפוֹת הָאָרֶץ׃ - (1) And the word of Hashem came to me, saying: (2) And you, son of man, so said the Lord Hashem to the land of Israel: An end! The end has come upon the four corners of the land.
"Venoshantem" and Hastening the End
Rashi explains "the end has come" based on what is stated in the Torah: "When you beget children and grandchildren and have grown old (venoshantem) in the land, and act corruptly and make an idol... I call to witness against you this day that you shall surely perish." Chazal teach that the gematria of venoshantem is 852. That is to say, if 852 years were to pass in the Land and they acted corruptly, the decree of "you shall surely perish" would take effect. What did the Holy One, Blessed be He, do? He brought forward the end. He exiled them in year 850, 850 years after entering the Land: 440 years until the construction of the Temple, plus 410 years of the First Temple - totaling 850, at which point the exile occurred. (The Second Temple, for comparison, stood for 420 years.)
And there is a beautiful allusion here: "Spare Your people, Hashem, and do not give (ve-al titen) Your heritage to reproach, that nations should rule over them" - "al titen" (תת"ן = 850), do not wait until 850 years have passed to deliver Your heritage to reproach for nations to rule over them, lest they say among the peoples, "Where is their God?" And similarly in Eichah: "Render them a recompense, Hashem, according to the work of their hands; give them (titen) heartache" - unfortunately, after 850 (תת"ן) years, we were the ones stricken with heartache, even though the verse was spoken regarding the nations.
The Proof of the Terumat HaDeshen for "Im HaKolel"
This early exile was an act of great chesed: even though they went into exile sooner, the decree of "you shall surely perish" was averted. But one might ask: if Hashem wished to extend the time as long as possible, why did He not exile them in year 851, which would have stretched the time to the absolute maximum while still falling short of 852? From here, the author of the Terumat HaDeshen brings a marvelous proof for the well-known concept in gematria: "im hakolel" (counting the word itself as one). This means that if the difference is only one number, the word itself is included and it is considered equivalent to the higher number. A gematria of 40 and 41 can be considered identical. Therefore, had He exiled them in 851, it would still have been considered 852 im hakolel. To ensure they would not fall into the status of "venoshantem," the difference had to be two numbers - and therefore, specifically 850.
Two Extremes: Israel and the Nations
The Malbim explains the repetition in "an end to the land of Israel; the end has come upon the four corners of the land": there are, as it were, two endpoints. The Jewish people are one end, and the nations of the world are the other end, and retribution falls upon both. However, the affliction that strikes the nations comes because of us and for our sake. Because of us - because our sins are the cause, as it says, "I have cut off nations; their corner towers are desolate... I said: Surely you will fear Me, you will accept discipline." And for our sake - for the calamity begins among the nations so that it reaches us, causing us to be chastened and to take rebuke. This is the meaning of "an end to the land of Israel": for their cause and for their sake, and through them, "the end has come upon the four corners of the land." And ultimately, it turns back upon them themselves.
(ג) עַתָּה הַקֵּץ עָלַיִךְ וְשִׁלַּחְתִּי אַפִּי בָּךְ וּשְׁפַטְתִּיךְ כִּדְרָכָיִךְ וְנָתַתִּי עָלַיִךְ אֵת כָּל־תּוֹעֲבוֹתָיִךְ׃ - (3) Now the end is upon you, and I will send My anger against you, and I will judge you according to your ways, and bring upon you all your abominations.
"Now the end is upon you" - after the calamity circled through the nations, it reaches its ultimate objective, the people of Israel, who are the final end of the affliction. "And I will send My anger against you" comes to teach that this is not a natural course of events; rather, divine providence and Hashem's wrath are at work here.
Ways Versus Deeds
"And I will judge you" - The Malbim explains that the judgment will take place from two aspects. The first aspect: examining the inner nature of the sinners' souls. There is a sin that occurs incidentally out of lust, and there is a sin that has become rooted in the soul's character traits and disposition until all of the person's schemes and thoughts are sinful. It is a general principle with the Malbim: "your ways" (derachayich) refers to the internal traits and inclinations of the soul, whereas "your deeds" (ma'alalayich) refers to the external actions. A person can commit severe deeds without them stemming from corrupt ways - Pinchas killed, yet his deed stemmed from noble character. Here Hashem says, "And I will judge you according to your ways": according to the sins that have become ingrained in the wicked traits of your soul. The second aspect: the sheer quantity of the sins, their multiplicity and intensity - "and I will set upon you all your abominations," in the plural, and an abomination is something exceptionally grave and loathsome.
In explaining the wording, the Malbim adds: Sometimes a person does evil out of natural compulsion, because his disposition inclines toward arrogance, anger, or cruelty. This is severe, but less so. For when a person does not naturally incline toward this and nonetheless does it out of deliberate will and ideology, it is unadulterated evil. Someone who lost his temper and had an outburst - we certainly do not praise him and it is surely reprehensible, but it is almost beyond his point of free choice, for in that moment anger surged within him. Here the Holy One, blessed be He, says: "I will place your ways upon you" - with you, this did not stem from natural compulsion but from willful stubbornness and conscious choice; you chose this as a way of life, which reveals malice of heart, and for that you will be punished. "Your abominations shall be in your midst" - you sinned willfully and with utter contempt.
(ד) וְלֹא־תָחוֹס עֵינִי עָלַיִךְ וְלֹא אֶחְמוֹל כִּי דְרָכַיִךְ עָלַיִךְ אֶתֵּן וְתוֹעֲבוֹתַיִךְ בְּתוֹכֵךְ תִּהְיֶיןָ וִידַעְתֶּם כִּי־אֲנִי יְהֹוָה׃ - (4) "And My eye will not spare you, nor will I pity, for I will place your ways upon you, and your abominations shall be in your midst; and you shall know that I am the Lord."
Sparing and Pitying - Parallel Clauses of the Verse
The Malbim demonstrates here what is termed parallel clauses of the verse: four statements, where the first corresponds to the third and the second to the fourth. "Will not spare" and "nor will I pity," and corresponding to them, "your ways" and "your abominations." The difference between pity (chemlah) and sparing (chiyus), as the Malbim has explained many times, is this: One who spares (chas) refrains from destroying an object because he derives some benefit from it, as in "and let your eye not spare your vessels" (Bereishit 45:20) - one spares vessels because they can still be used. Whereas one who pities (chomel) has compassion even when he gains no benefit whatsoever, simply because the thing itself is good and fine, and it is a pity to destroy it. You walk by somewhere, see someone ruining an object you have no use for, and you say to him: What a waste! That is pity (chemlah). Likewise, "for the people pitied the best of the sheep" (I Shmuel 15:9) - there they did not take them for themselves, but to sacrifice to Hashem, which is why it says "pitied" (chamal); had they wanted them for their own use, it would have said "spared" (chas).
Accordingly, the Holy One, blessed be He, says: "Nor will I pity" you on the grounds that you are good and fine - "for I will place your ways upon you," the ways of your soul are corrupt and you are not worthy in and of yourselves, as in "their corruption is in them, there is a blemish in them; they will not be accepted" (Vayikra 22:25). And lest you say: perhaps some benefit will come to Me from you and therefore it is fitting that I spare you? To that, "My eye will not spare you" - "your abominations shall be in your midst," all are wicked, and no benefit will ever come from you.
(ה) כֹּה אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יֱהֹוִה רָעָה אַחַת רָעָה הִנֵּה בָאָה׃ - (5) "Thus said the Lord God: An evil, a singular evil, behold, it comes!"
"A Singular Evil" - Three Distinctions
Targum Yonatan reads (and this is implied in the Radak) "evil after evil," but the textual reading before us and in the rest of the commentators is "a singular evil" (ra'ah achat). Rashi explains: a complete and unprecedented disaster, an evil that is truly worthy of being called evil - this is the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash. And "comes" (ba'ah) is in the present tense: right now it is arriving and taking effect. The Radak explains: a calamity without equal, what I will do to you I have never done to any nation, nor will I ever do again.
The Malbim explains that this disaster will be distinct from all the disasters that preceded it, because until now the decree had not been sealed, whereas here it has already been sealed. There are three distinctions in this matter. First, until now the disaster did not strike all at once: at first they were stricken in their property, afterward with afflictions, for "the Master of Mercy does not strike souls first" - in the hope that they might repent and alter their ways. Now it is "a singular evil," all at once and immediately, striking their very lives. Second, until now the hardship came for a benevolent purpose, so that they would repent and the evil would be averted; now it is "evil" - directed toward an end of punishment. This does not mean that there is no ultimate good in it, for whatever the Merciful One does is for the best, but rather that the suffering itself is the very essence of the purging. Until now, I brought distress so that total ruin would not occur, that you would repent and I would remove it; now the decree is sealed and this will no longer avail. Third, until now Hashem waited and delayed to see if they might repent; now, "behold, it comes" - immediate, right before your very eyes.
(ו) קֵץ בָּא בָּא הַקֵּץ הֵקִיץ אֵלָיִךְ הִנֵּה בָּאָה׃ - (6) "An end has come, the end has come, it has awakened against you; behold, it comes!"
The End Awakens from Its Sleep
Radak, as is his way of not dwelling on repetitions, explains that all the doubled expressions serve to emphasize and hasten the matter. But the Malbim, whose method is to scrutinize every repetition, explains here what he stated earlier: this is an end of utter destruction. In his poetic exposition, he compares the day designated for calamity to a full day composed of night and day. Until now it was night, and the end was dormant and asleep; now the final watch has arrived: "it has awakened against you" - the end has awakened from its slumber and aroused itself to carry out its task. "Behold, it comes" - and now see, it is already arriving.
(ז) בָּאָה הַצְּפִירָה אֵלֶיךָ יוֹשֵׁב הָאָרֶץ בָּא הָעֵת קָרוֹב הַיּוֹם מְהוּמָה וְלֹא־הֵד הָרִים׃ - The dawn has come upon you, O dweller of the land; the time has come, the day is near, a day of tumult and not the echo of mountains.
What is the Tzefirah?
Most commentators explain that "tzefirah" denotes dawn, related to "tzafra" (morning in Aramaic). We find this in the story of Gideon, where when the Holy One, blessed be He, said "The people are too many," they proclaimed: "Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return and depart early [ve-yitzpor] from Mount Gilead" - meaning let him return early in the morning, at dawn, before people see him, despise him, and mock: "Why are you fleeing in fear?" Some say that birds (tzipporim) are named so as well, because they herald the morning light. Thus, "the dawn has come upon you" - the night has passed, which aligns beautifully with the Malbim's explanation that the end has already awakened; the light of dawn has arrived, and the time has come for the end to go into action.
"The time has come, the day is near, a tumult" - there is an alignment here between the day, the appointed time, and the tumult destined to take place at the hour of the end. "And not the echo of mountains" - the Malbim explains: when hearing a sound from afar, the echo resonates from among the mountains, and a person realizes that someone is approaching in the distance and flees. Here, no echo of the mountains will be heard: the calamity will strike suddenly, without prior warning, directly in their settlements.
Radak explains "tzefirah" as related to a turn of events (sibuv), in line with the second explanation of "let him return and depart [ve-yitzpor]": a divinely orchestrated cause (sibah) bringing the enemy upon you, from the concept of cause and effect (sibah u-mesovev). Targum Yonatan explains tzefirah from "a diadem of beauty [tzefirat tif'arah]", which is a crown and a symbol of sovereignty: the monarchy destined to exact retribution from Israel has been revealed, namely Nebuchadnezzar. And "and not the echo of mountains" is translated by Targum Yonatan as meaning that they will not be able to hide in the mountain strongholds - according to the Malbim it refers to an echo reverberating from the mountains, while according to the Targum it refers to mountain hiding places that will be of no use for rescue.
(ח) עַתָּה מִקָּרוֹב אֶשְׁפּוֹךְ חֲמָתִי עָלַיִךְ וְכִלֵּיתִי אַפִּי בָּךְ וּשְׁפַטְתִּיךְ כִּדְרָכָיִךְ וְנָתַתִּי עָלַיִךְ אֵת כָּל־תּוֹעֲבוֹתָיִךְ׃ - Now very soon I will pour out My wrath upon you and exhaust My anger against you; I will judge you according to your ways, and I will place upon you all your abominations.
"Now Very Soon" - A Sign of Divine Providence
"Now" indicates time - immediately; "from near" indicates place - from close by; and "I will pour out" implies all at once, not gradually. What is the deeper meaning? Something that comes through the natural order unfolds gradually and predictably: an enemy from a distant land, with time to prepare. But here Hashem says that this will not come through the natural order, but through divine providence. Therefore, it will arrive suddenly and from up close, from the very directions one least expects. Just as in our own times, naturally speaking one knows there is a problem with Iran, but who expects that Arab-Israelis might suddenly rise up and a war break out from within? Precisely when things happen outside the natural order and unexpectedly, one sees in them the hand of Hashem.
"And I will exhaust My anger [af] against you" - the distinction between af and chemah (wrath), which the Malbim repeats many times: chemah is internal, while af is external. "A fire is kindled in My nostril [be-api]" - the fire flares outward, for when a person is enraged his face becomes flushed and it is visible on the outside; whereas "his wrath burned within him" - inside him, hidden from sight. When anger comes without inner wrath, it does not hasten to punish; rather, there are boundaries of time and place, giving people an opportunity to repent. But here, "I will pour out My wrath upon you" - there is also internal fury, and wrath hastens punishment; thus "and I will exhaust My anger against you." And once again: "I will judge you according to your ways, and I will place upon you all your abominations" - the internal traits of the soul on one hand, and the abominations, which are the actions that provoked Hashem, on the other.
(ט) וְלֹא־תָחוֹס עֵינִי וְלֹא אֶחְמוֹל כִּדְרָכַיִךְ עָלַיִךְ אֶתֵּן וְתוֹעֲבוֹתַיִךְ בְּתוֹכֵךְ תִּהְיֶיןָ וִידַעְתֶּם כִּי אֲנִי יְהֹוָה מַכֶּה׃ - And My eye shall not spare, nor will I pity; I will repay you according to your ways, and your abominations shall be in your midst, and you shall know that I, Hashem, am striking.
A Punishment Measured Exactly to the Sin
"According to your ways I will place upon you" - the punishment will be directed precisely against the sins and according to their measure, and through this too it will be recognizable that it comes from Hashem. Punishment that comes through the natural order, through natural causality, is not measured at all: if there is a storm, it is a storm for everyone; if there is a plague, it strikes everyone; and if there is abundance, it is abundance for everyone. But with Divine providence (hashgachah pratit), as the Gemara says, rain falls on one plot and not on another. Therefore, it concludes, "And you shall know that I, Hashem, am striking" - through the precision of the punishment, it will be recognized that this does not come about naturally, but through Divine providence.
(י) הִנֵּה הַיּוֹם הִנֵּה בָאָה יָצְאָה הַצְּפִרָה צָץ הַמַּטֶּה פָּרַח הַזָּדוֹן׃ - Behold the day! Behold, it has come; the dawn has gone forth, the rod has blossomed, arrogance has sprouted.
The Rod Has Blossomed, Arrogance Has Sprouted
"Behold the day, behold, it has come" - the day has arrived, and the evil has arrived; therefore "it has come" (ba'ah) is stated in the feminine, referring to the evil (ra'ah), according to Rashi's explanation. "The dawn has gone forth" - the dawn of the day of evil has risen. "The rod has blossomed" - according to Rashi, this is the rod that will strike you. "Arrogance has sprouted" - the wicked Nebuchadnezzar has been revealed; he is the insolence coming to exact retribution from us.
Radak explains at first that "the rod has blossomed" does not refer to a rod of striking, but rather to the perversion of justice (hatayat din, from the root natah/mateh), and the proof is from the continuation, "arrogance has sprouted": the evil deeds that Israel committed are what now sprout and blossom - the perversion of justice, the malice, and the evil - and they themselves will cause retribution to be exacted from them, for the time of recompense has arrived. He also cites an interpretation like Rashi's, that Nebuchadnezzar is termed a "rod," as in: "Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger, and the staff in their hand is My fury" (Yeshayahu 10:5), and he is also called "arrogance," as in: "Behold, I am against you, O arrogant one" (Yirmeyahu 50:31). Targum Yonatan translates similarly: "The ruler has grown, the wicked one has appeared."
The Malbim, however, following his metaphor of the full day, explains differently. The night has already passed, the end has already awakened, the dawn has already broken and the morning star has receded - and now, "behold the day" itself; we are already in the midst of the day. "The rod has blossomed" - in place of the morning dawn, the striking rod has sprouted, meaning the Kasdim (Chaldeans). One would have expected that now, when the rod has already budded and the Kasdim are on their way, Israel would be stirred to teshuvah. Yet despite all this - "arrogance has sprouted": precisely your own insolence flourishes and thrives, with no sign of repentance whatsoever.
(יא) הֶחָמָס קָם לְמַטֵּה־רֶשַׁע לֹא־מֵהֶם וְלֹא מֵהֲמוֹנָם וְלֹא מֶהֱמֵהֶם וְלֹא־נֹהַּ בָּהֶם׃ - Violence has risen up into a rod of wickedness; nothing shall remain of them, nor of their multitude, nor of their wealth, nor shall there be any wailing for them.
The Sin Itself Is What Punishes
Rashi explains: the violence in your hands, your sins, are what now rise up against you to become a rod of wickedness to destroy you. This is a fundamental principle explained many times - "Your own wickedness shall chastise you" (Yirmeyahu 2:19). The punishment is not something separate from the sin; as taught in Nefesh HaChaim and Michtav Me-Eliyahu, the one who exacts retribution from a person is the destructive force (mashchit) that the sin itself created; the sin itself is what punishes. Gan Eden, likewise, is the mitzvah itself - a person delights in the light of his own mitzvot. Who, then, punishes us here? The violence, the robbery in our hands - it is what rises up and becomes a rod of wickedness.
"Nothing shall remain of them, nor of their multitude, nor of their offspring" - so the Holy One, blessed be He, says to the destroying angel: you do not need to spare a single soul among the wicked of Israel, for no good comes from them, nor from their multitude. "Mehemehem" means that which comes from them, and therefore Rashi explains: from their children. "Nor shall there be any yearning among them" (velo noah bahem) - Rashi explains this as an expression of yearning (nehiyah): there is no one among them who yearns after Me, no one who longs and directs his heart to Me, as in "and all the house of Israel yearned (vayinahehu) after Hashem" (Shemuel I 7:2), and as Targum renders it, "and they yearned for His service," an expression of desire and longing (just as people say today: to yearn or gravitate after someone).
Rashi also brings another interpretation in the name of Menachem, that it is an expression of wailing and lamentation (nehi). Radak takes a similar approach: there is no wailing among them. Why? Because from the sheer intensity of the troubles, the living will not weep for the dead. When does a person weep for his deceased? When he has the leisure and peace of mind to weep. But one who is constantly on the run and fleeing has no time even to weep; he is consumed with saving his own life. This is as Yirmeyahu said: "They shall not be lamented, neither shall they be buried" (Yirmeyahu 16:4). The Malbim explains like Rashi, combining everything: the violence itself will chastise them until nothing remains of them or of their multitude, and despite all this, "nor is there any longing among them" - there is not a single person whose heart yearns to return in teshuvah. In analyzing the words, he adds: "Mehemehem" comes from the root hamah (on the grammatical pattern of yafeh, kasheh), meaning that nothing will remain of their tumultuous stirrings; and "noah" is either from the language of "vayinahehu," yearning, or from the language of "nehi," lamentation, meaning that no one raises a lament over the afflictions so as to return in repentance.
(יב) בָּא הָעֵת הִגִּיעַ הַיּוֹם הַקּוֹנֶה אַל־יִשְׂמָח וְהַמֹּכֵר אַל־יִתְאַבָּל כִּי חָרוֹן אֶל־כָּל־הֲמוֹנָהּ׃ - "The time has come, the day has arrived; let not the buyer rejoice, nor the seller mourn, for wrath is upon all its multitude."
"Let Not the Buyer Rejoice, Nor the Seller Mourn"
Radak explains: In the normal course of the world, the buyer rejoices and the seller mourns and grieves, since a person usually sells out of financial distress. Today, reality is different. There is a well-known saying about a car, that a person rejoices over it twice: once when buying it, and once when selling it. And this holds true today not only for a car, but for an apartment and practically anything: if your refrigerator breaks down and you sell it, you are pleased, since you managed to get rid of it and it is not sitting around blocking the building entrance. Why? Because today, thank God, in ninety-eight percent of cases a person does not sell out of desperation, but to upgrade. He buys something more advanced and is glad, and rushes to sell the old one. But in their time, a person sold because he had fallen into hardship, and therefore the seller would mourn: he was forced to sell his field, and his grief was great. Thus the Gemara quotes a widespread idiom: "Zavnat - you bought; zavinat - you lost." As an aside, a grammatical point: "zvan" means bought, while "zabin" means sold; therefore, in the piyyut Chad Gadya, the correct wording is "d'zvan aba bitrei zuzei" and not "d'zavin" - father did not sell anything, father bought.
Against this backdrop, the prophet comes and says: whoever sells a field in the Land of Israel should not mourn, for in any event you will soon go into exile, and what would have remained of your field? It is better that you sold it. And whoever buys should not rejoice, for you bought a foreclosed property; soon the enemies will arrive and nothing will remain for you, and the acquisition will remain in your possession for only a short time. "For wrath is upon all its multitude" - divine fury rests upon the entire multitude of the House of Israel for their sins. Therefore, let the buyer not rejoice that he grew wealthy, and let the seller not mourn that he became poor; on the contrary, the seller at least walked away with money in hand.
Selling One's Share in the World to Come
In the sefer Mishnat HaChalomot, this quote is cited regarding an intriguing question: a person who sold his share in the World to Come. Several stories are recounted there of people who sold their World to Come, after which the seller appeared in a dream pleading for it to be returned. A note there cites the halachic discussion among the Poskim: does such a sale carry any validity at all? Is it even conceivable to sell eternity? After all, merits are something a person acquires for himself, and as explained regarding the verse "your wickedness shall chastise you" - sins afflict a person from within, and merits are embedded within his soul. How can they be sold? It is like asking a great sage, "Are you willing to sell me your wisdom?" What is there to sell - could one simply extract his brain?
There is a responsum from the Radbaz on this, and this is the consensus of most authorities, where he writes: "Let not the buyer rejoice, but let the seller mourn." At first glance, this wording seems puzzling, until one arrives at Yechezkel and sees that he quotes our verse with a deliberate twist. Let not the buyer rejoice - for what did you actually buy? The World to Come cannot be acquired for a few coins. But let the seller mourn - for you have truly lost out: through your contempt and disdain for the mitzvot, you showed that they mean nothing to you, and that itself can cause you to forfeit your World to Come, even though no one bought it and it never transferred to another party. According to this, when the seller comes in a dream to ask for it back, it is not because the buyer actually took anything from him; rather, the very fact that he comes and shows that he yearns for the World to Come - that itself restores it to him, as a rectification for his initial scorn. If one says, "The World to Come is worthless to me; give me ten shekels and take it" - he has lost it. But the moment he says, "I am willing to pay even two thousand rubles to have it back" - he demonstrates that he values it, showing that it is truly precious to him.
(יג) כִּי הַמּוֹכֵר אֶל־הַמִּמְכָּר לֹא יָשׁוּב וְעוֹד בַּחַיִּים חַיָּתָם כִּי־חָזוֹן אֶל־כָּל־הֲמוֹנָהּ לֹא יָשׁוּב וְאִישׁ בַּעֲוֺנוֹ חַיָּתוֹ לֹא יִתְחַזָּקוּ׃ - "For the seller will not return to what was sold, while they are still alive; for the vision concerning all its multitude will not turn back, and no man through his iniquity shall fortify his life."
Why the Seller Does Not Lose
Now the prophet explains why the seller should not mourn. First, "for the seller will not return to what was sold" - in any case he would not return to his field, for the land will be desolate; so why mourn? Second, "while they are still alive" - you actually gain from the sale: once you sold your field, you no longer had anything tying you here, so you left the land, and by leaving, you remained alive.
"For the Vision Concerning All Its Multitude Will Not Turn Back" - Two Interpretations
According to the first explanation: the vision, the prophecy spoken concerning all its multitude, will not turn back empty; rather, it will be fulfilled and come upon them. And what is the substance of the vision? "And no man in his iniquity will strengthen his life" - anyone whose life and soul are bound up with sin, who lives a life of sin and transgression, will not be able to summon strength against the enemy, and there will be no deliverance for him.
And according to the second explanation, this is a question and an expression of astonishment at them: Was not a harsh vision told to me, and the prophets prophesied concerning all its multitude - so why does no man turn back from his evil way? "It will not turn back" refers to the people: why do they not repent? "And no man in his iniquity will strengthen his life" - every man whose life hangs upon sin, who forfeits his life through sin, why does he not strengthen himself to repent? Sin is a weight dragging his life down into the depths; let go of the weight and you will float, let go of it and you will live! Why, then, does he cling to it?
(יד) תָּקְעוּ בַתָּקוֹעַ וְהָכִין הַכֹּל וְאֵין הֹלֵךְ לַמִּלְחָמָה כִּי חֲרוֹנִי אֶל־כָּל־הֲמוֹנָהּ׃ - "They have blown the shofar and prepared everything, but none goes to battle, for My wrath is upon all its multitude."
They have already blown the shofar and prepared everything to meet the enemy. And if everything is ready, with the alarms and shofars already sounding, why does no one go to battle? Why are they hiding in their homes? The prophet poses the question and answers it himself: "For My wrath is upon all its multitude." Hashem says: I have turned back the weapons of war in their hands because My wrath is upon all its multitude, and therefore they are powerless to go out and fight.
(טו) הַחֶרֶב בַּחוּץ וְהַדֶּבֶר וְהָרָעָב מִבָּיִת אֲשֶׁר בַּשָּׂדֶה בַּחֶרֶב יָמוּת וַאֲשֶׁר בָּעִיר רָעָב וָדֶבֶר יֹאכְלֶנּוּ׃ - "The sword is outside, and pestilence and famine are within; whoever is in the field will die by the sword, and whoever is in the city, famine and pestilence will consume him."
Furthermore: why are you hiding indoors at all? True, the sword is outside, but inside, pestilence and famine lie in wait. What have you gained by staying inside? After all, "Better off were those slain by the sword than those slain by famine, who pine away, pierced through." If so, what is preferable: to remain indoors and die a coward's death, or go out to battle and die a hero's death? True, "whoever is in the field will die by the sword," but also "whoever is in the city, famine and pestilence will consume him" - would it not be better to die a hero's death?
(טז) וּפָלְטוּ פְּלִיטֵיהֶם וְהָיוּ אֶל־הֶהָרִים כְּיוֹנֵי הַגֵּאָיוֹת כֻּלָּם הֹמוֹת אִישׁ בַּעֲוֺנוֹ׃ - "And their fugitives will escape and be on the mountains like doves of the valleys, all of them moaning, each one for his iniquity."
Even the fugitives who escape will be on the mountains like doves that dwell in valleys and lowlands. According to other commentators, "doves of the valleys" is simply the name of a species of dove, and the meaning is that the people will be scattered on the mountains. But the Malbim explains that the parable is remarkably precise: valley doves are unaccustomed to mountains, and when placed on a mountain, they coo and moan restlessly. So too will be the fugitives: they will be upon the mountains and all will moan, like doves whose natural habitat is in the valleys and who cannot endure the high peaks. And each one will ask: Why has Hashem done this? To which Scripture replies - "Each one for his iniquity," all this has come upon them on account of their sins.
(יז) כָּל־הַיָּדַיִם תִּרְפֶּינָה וְכָל־בִּרְכַּיִם תֵּלַכְנָה מָּיִם׃ - "All hands will grow feeble, and all knees will turn to water."
They cannot fight, because "all hands will grow feeble." And should you suggest that at least they flee - they cannot even do that, for "all knees will turn to water." There are two explanations for this: either that their knees will melt and become as weak as water, leaving them with no strength to run, or that it means they will drip with water, gripped by such sweat and dread that they will be unable to walk.
(יח) וְחָגְרוּ שַׂקִּים וְכִסְּתָה אוֹתָם פַּלָּצוּת וְאֶל כָּל־פָּנִים בּוּשָׁה וּבְכָל־רָאשֵׁיהֶם קָרְחָה׃ - "They will gird themselves with sackcloth, and shuddering will cover them; shame will be on all faces, and baldness on all their heads."
"They will gird themselves with sackcloth" - they will put on sackcloth to lament their evil deeds. "And shuddering will cover them" because of the immense scale of the calamity; and palatzut means trembling and dread, as explained in Metzudat Tzion, similar to "The pillars of heaven tremble and are astounded at His rebuke," and "and its pillars shudder [yitpalatzun]." "Shame will be on all faces" - they will be ashamed of their corrupt actions and iniquities. "And baldness on all their heads" - as a sign of mourning over the devastation.
(יט) כַּסְפָּם בַּחוּצוֹת יַשְׁלִיכוּ וּזְהָבָם לְנִדָּה יִהְיֶה כַּסְפָּם וּזְהָבָם לֹא־יוּכַל לְהַצִּילָם בְּיוֹם עֶבְרַת יְהֹוָה נַפְשָׁם לֹא יְשַׂבֵּעוּ וּמֵעֵיהֶם לֹא יְמַלֵּאוּ כִּי־מִכְשׁוֹל עֲוֺנָם הָיָה׃ - (19) They shall cast their silver into the streets, and their gold shall become as an impurity; their silver and their gold shall not be able to save them on the day of the wrath of Hashem; they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bellies; for it was the stumbling block of their iniquity.
The Money That Was the Source of Ruin Will Not Be the Source of Salvation
"They shall cast their silver into the streets" - they will not be able to carry it with them into exile. And not only the silver, but even the gold: "and their gold shall become as an impurity," from the language of banishment and distancing, for anyone found in possession of gold will be killed. Therefore, everyone will hasten to cast the gold away as something shunned and distanced.
"Their silver and their gold shall not be able to save them" - money will not save them from the enemy, nor from famine, for one cannot eat silver and gold. They will not be able to buy anything with it to sustain themselves, both because no one will sell to them and because the enemies will not allow them to keep money in hand. "They shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bellies" - and the Malbim explains that filling the belly is less than reaching full satiety, yet even this meager filling will be denied to them.
And the reason: "For it was the stumbling block of their iniquity." Through the abundance of silver and gold they stumbled into sin, as it is said, "I also multiplied for her silver and gold, which they used for the Baal." Through money they rebelled, through it they were corrupted, and through it they were drawn after base desires. And how could the very thing that was the cause of the stumbling block become the cause of salvation? Therefore, the silver and gold that ruined and corrupted them will not be able to save them on the day of the wrath of Hashem.
In summary: