Chapter 3 of Yirmiyahu is built entirely upon one major comparison: Yisrael versus Yehudah. Here it is important to recall the division of the kingdoms: since the kingdom split after the era of Shlomo, one part was Yisrael, the Ten Tribes, Shomron, referred to by the prophets as "Yisrael" or "Efraim"; and the other part was Yehudah and Binyamin, referred to succinctly as "Yehudah." Relatively speaking, Yehudah and Binyamin were more righteous than Yisrael, and Yisrael indeed went into exile long before them. Among Yisrael, there was not a single righteous king, from the days of Yeravam until Hoshea ben Elah and up to the exile; whereas in Yehudah, several righteous kings arose. And yet, in the chapter before us, the prophet makes the opposite distinction: specifically Yisrael "has justified herself" in comparison to Yehudah. All this is because Yisrael did not conceal her idol worship and acted openly, whereas Yehudah flattered openly while committing her sins in secret.
וַיֹּאמֶר יְהֹוָה אֵלַי בִּימֵי יֹאשִׁיָּהוּ הַמֶּלֶךְ הֲרָאִיתָ אֲשֶׁר עָשְׂתָה מְשֻׁבָה יִשְׂרָאֵל הֹלְכָה הִיא עַל כׇּל הַר גָּבֹהַּ וְאֶל תַּחַת כׇּל עֵץ רַעֲנָן וַתִּזְנִי שָׁם׃ - Hashem said to me in the days of King Yoshiyahu: Have you seen what backsliding Yisrael has done? She went upon every high mountain and under every leafy tree, and committed harlotry there.
The Radak asks: Why does Scripture need to state "in the days of King Yoshiyahu," given that it is already known that Yirmiyahu prophesied during the time of Yoshiyahu? Rather, because his period of prophecy extended through the reigns of Yehoyakim and Tzidkiyahu as well, the verse comes to clarify: note that this prophecy dates as far back as the days of Yoshiyahu.
Yet this still requires clarification: Yoshiyahu's reign had two distinct periods, before he repented and after. After his repentance, Scripture states that he eradicated idol worship from the land, whereas here it states, "and committed adultery with stone and with wood," rebuking them for idolatry. This implies that the prophecy was spoken before Yoshiyahu repented. But this too is difficult, for it says further on, "Yet even with all this... she did not return to Me... but deceitfully," which implies that there was indeed a return, albeit an insincere one; whereas prior to Yoshiyahu's repentance, there was no return at all.
The Radak resolves this in two ways. One possibility: this was before Yoshiyahu's complete repentance, but even then there was a certain movement, a deceitful repentance. Seeing that trouble was brewing, they said, "Let us repent," but this repentance was entirely superficial, merely to ward off disaster. Or, perhaps prompted by Yirmiyahu's rebukes, some of them repented outwardly and openly, but not in secret, and this is the meaning of "deceitfully." A second possibility: this occurred after Yoshiyahu repented. Yoshiyahu himself repented completely and sincerely, but the people did not. Their repentance was insincere - one thing in their mouths and another in their hearts - and the people of his generation, says the Radak, acted under compulsion out of fear of the king. Concerning this it is said, "she did not return to Me... but deceitfully."
Another difficulty arises: the kingdom of Yisrael had already gone into exile in the sixth year of Chizkiyahu, and the beginning of Yirmiyahu's prophecy was twenty-three years after their exile. If so, how can he address Yisrael and rebuke them?
The Radak resolves this in two ways. The first approach: "Have you seen" does not mean physical sight, but rather understanding and paying attention, as in "And Yaakov saw that there was grain in Egypt," where it does not mean he saw with his physical eyes, but rather that he understood. Similarly, one might ask a friend, "Did you see what happened in the First World War?" not meaning physical sight, but rather: did you follow, did you pay attention to what took place there? In this same way, the Holy One, blessed be He, says to the prophet: Did you pay mind to what happened there? The second approach: this indeed refers to Yisrael in the present, for a remnant of Yisrael remained scattered throughout the land in the days of Yoshiyahu, as written in Divrei HaYamim, "And in the cities of Menasheh, Efraim, and Shimon, up to Naftali," and it states, "which the Levi'im, the keepers of the threshold, had gathered from the hand of Menasheh, Efraim, and all the remnant of Yisrael." It is this remnant that is being addressed, and they were indeed present in the days of Yirmiyahu.
Accordingly, the words "she went upon every high mountain" can also be interpreted in two ways. According to the first interpretation, the verse is recalling the past: Have you seen how she used to go upon high mountains and under every leafy tree to worship idols? According to the second interpretation, the grievance is in the present: as if it were not enough that they were exiled, not enough that all of Shomron was cast into exile, even today the remnant of Yisrael still goes upon every high mountain and under every leafy tree, persisting in their corrupt ways. Have you paid attention to this?
"Backsliding Israel" (meshuvah Yisrael), the Malbim explains, refers to the Ten Tribes, and the prophet terms them meshuvah, meaning like a wayward, rebellious woman (shovevah). The prophets consistently compare idol worship to adultery and prostitution. A wayward woman is one who has broken out from under her husband's authority and goes out to engage in harlotry openly in public. In contrast, the prophet terms Yehudah "treacherous" (bogedah). The distinction between them is clear: a treacherous wife betrays her husband in secret, while externally presenting herself as righteous - "she eats, wipes her mouth, and says, 'I have done no wrong'" - yet deep down, she is unfaithful to him. The wayward woman, on the other hand, walked right out and acted brazenly in public with utter disregard.
The Malbim further clarifies the root distinction between these two words. Waywardness (shovevut) is a psychological trait, an instability of character, which is why the verse states, "I will heal your backslidings" (erpa meshuvoteichem), using the language of healing. It stems from the stirring of lusts and desires, or from an intellect that has become corrupted, as it says, "Your wisdom and your knowledge have perverted you [shovevatch]." A wayward person veers off the straight path and pursues whatever captures his heart; his sin is primarily between himself and his own desires. A "traitor" (boged), however, is always defined in relation to another party. One cannot speak of a person betraying himself; whenever the word "traitor" is used, one must specify: whom did he betray? Treachery, rebellion, and breach of trust are inherently interpersonal: betraying a beloved, a master, or a wife betraying her husband.
From this it follows that the sin of Ephraim was a sin of waywardness - an impulse of spirit, the awakening of an overpowering lust. They did not feel like traitors at all, since according to their worldview, their path was justified. There are clear proofs of this: First, they acted out in the open, and someone who acts brazenly in public suffers no pangs of conscience; on the contrary, he believes that this is how things ought to be. Second, they did not relent or regret their actions, for only one who feels guilt experiences regret. Third, even punishment proved ineffective, since they could not fathom why they were being punished, believing their course of action was correct. By contrast, a treacherous person - like a woman who lives under her husband's roof and betrays him - experiences pangs of conscience. She knows she was obligated to remain faithful, and if chastised, there is a chance she will repent and mend her ways. A traitor knows he has wronged the other party, leaving open the possibility that suffering will bring him back to his senses. Yehudah, however, who fell into the category of "treacherous," knew full well that her deeds were shameful. Therefore, she put on a pious facade outwardly, while inwardly rebelling against the Holy One, blessed be He, like an adulteress who betrays her husband in secret - and her sin was exceptionally severe.
וָאֹמַר אַחֲרֵי עֲשׂוֹתָהּ אֶת כׇּל אֵלֶּה אֵלַי תָּשׁוּב וְלֹא שָׁבָה וַתֵּרֶא בָּגוֹדָה אֲחוֹתָהּ יְהוּדָה׃ - "And I said, after she had done all these things: 'Return to Me,' but she did not return; and her treacherous sister Yehudah saw it."
The first difference: Israel "went upon every high mountain and committed harlotry there," openly and brazenly, under every leafy tree. The second difference: the Holy One, blessed be He, said that once she had satiated her lust with all her harlotries, she would return to Me; yet not only did she fail to return, she persisted in her corrupt path. The third difference: the Northern Kingdom of Israel had no historical precedent to learn from. The Holy One, blessed be He, warned them, but they reassured themselves that all would be well, until they were struck down and exiled; historically, however, there was no predecessor before them from whom to draw a lesson. Yehudah, on the other hand - "and her treacherous sister Yehudah saw it" - witnessed her sister's sin and her devastating punishment. Yehudah should have learned from the blows Israel suffered; even if she failed to take it to heart, the lesson was right before her eyes. And yet she remained treacherous. This offers another reason for the greater severity of Yehudah's sin compared to her sister Israel.
וָאֵרֶא כִּי עַל כׇּל אֹדוֹת אֲשֶׁר נִאֲפָה מְשֻׁבָה יִשְׂרָאֵל שִׁלַּחְתִּיהָ וָאֶתֵּן אֶת סֵפֶר כְּרִיתֻתֶיהָ אֵלֶיהָ וְלֹא יָרְאָה בֹּגֵדָה יְהוּדָה אֲחוֹתָהּ וַתֵּלֶךְ וַתִּזֶן גַּם הִיא׃ - "And I saw that despite all the circumstances of backsliding Israel committing adultery, I sent her away and gave her a bill of divorce, yet her treacherous sister Yehudah was not afraid, and she too went and played the harlot."
Yehudah should have recognized that Israel's exile and dismissal occurred because she committed adultery and turned away from Hashem, a reality evident to all. Nevertheless, "I gave her a bill of divorce, yet she was not afraid" - it instilled no fear in her; instead, "she too went and played the harlot."
The Malbim notes the deliberate variation of phrasing in the verse: regarding Israel, it says "committed adultery" (ni'afah), whereas regarding Yehudah, it says "played the harlot" (vattizen). The physical act of intercourse itself is termed ni'uf (adultery), whereas the mere illicit association - when a woman makes herself available to someone forbidden to her outside the bonds of marriage - is described by the term zenut (harlotry). The root zanah signifies straying from the path, as in "she went astray from behind her husband," meaning she deviated from loyalty to her husband. Even if an unmarried woman behaves this way, she has strayed from the proper path, for the ordained way of a woman is to marry and dedicate herself to one husband.
Therefore, when referring to a male, the Torah consistently uses the term na'af (adultery) rather than zanah, unless referring to the Jewish people, who are allegorically depicted as female in relation to the Holy One, blessed be He, as the male partner. The rationale is that a woman is under her husband's domain, and when she acts this way, she strays from him and alienates herself from his authority. A man, however, is not under his wife's domain in that legal sense, so the Torah characterizes his sin strictly by the forbidden act itself: the act of adultery.
From here, the Malbim explains: a treacherous wife remains under the authority of her husband, and therefore the gravest aspect of her punishment relates to harlotry (zenut) - the betrayal of having strayed, deserted her husband, and bound herself to another. But a wayward wife, who has already walked away brazenly in public and no longer acknowledges her husband's authority as binding, can no longer be described in terms of mere straying (zenut); she is characterized by the physical act of adultery (ni'uf). By way of analogy: if a woman rebelled against her husband and left the home two years ago, one does not speak of her as having strayed from under him now, since she has long ceased to feel bound by him and rejects the relationship altogether. If she commits a forbidden act, it is called ni'uf, named after the physical deed itself. But a woman who still resides under her husband's roof while sneaking off to consort with others is called a zonah, for she is actively breaching and defiling the covenant to which she is still ostensibly tied.
And this is the meaning of "And I saw that on account of all the reasons why backsliding Yisrael had committed adultery, I sent her away": it was not relevant to send Yisrael away merely for harlotry, for they had long ceased being in the house; they had long ceased being under the hand of Hashem, having openly erected two calves for themselves. For what, then, could they be held accountable? For the adultery itself, for the actual act of forbidden relations. By contrast, Yehudah, who was still bound to her Husband, regarding her it is said, "she too went and committed harlotry," straying from her Husband's path while still attached to Him.
וְהָיָה מִקֹּל זְנוּתָהּ וַתֶּחֱנַף אֶת הָאָרֶץ וַתִּנְאַף אֶת הָאֶבֶן וְאֶת הָעֵץ׃ - And it came to pass through the levity of her harlotry, that she polluted the land, and committed adultery with stone and with wood.
The commentators offer two approaches. Radak explains "mikol" as an expression of lightness, as the Targum renders, "in her lightheartedness." There are sins that a person commits that weigh heavily upon him; he feels the gravity of the matter and the severe claim against him, doing them with a heavy heart. Yet there are sins he commits with a light heart. Generally, this depends on how many times he has repeated the sin, for the more a person stumbles, the more the sin seems permissible to him, and the world appears to him like a smooth plain. This is the meaning of "mikol zenutah" - the harlotry had already become a light, casual matter in her eyes. And "she committed adultery with stone and with wood" means that she abandoned her Husband and went and committed adultery with other partners - these being idolatry, the forces of impurity, wood and stone.
The Malbim explains "mikol" as an expression of publicity, as in "a voice went out." That is to say: because she feared the public exposure of her harlotry and wanted to conceal it, she would always return to her Husband's house, so that the matter would not become known and she would not gain an ill reputation. This is the meaning of "and she defiled the land" - hypocrisy, putting on an outward show, pretending to be a virtuous woman residing under her husband's authority and fearing Hashem. Note carefully: here it does not say "under every leafy tree," but rather "and committed adultery with stone and with wood" in private, for she performed her idol worship in secret. And this sin, says the Malbim, is far worse, for it contains deceit and denial of Hashem's providence.
וְגַם בְּכׇל זֹאת לֹא שָׁבָה אֵלַי בָּגוֹדָה אֲחוֹתָהּ יְהוּדָה בְּכׇל לִבָּהּ כִּי אִם בְּשֶׁקֶר נְאֻם יְהֹוָה׃ - And yet for all this her treacherous sister Yehudah did not return to Me with her whole heart, but deceitfully, says Hashem.
The Malbim explains: After you saw that backsliding Yisrael would not return to Hashem under any circumstances - where I said, "After she has done all these things, she will return to Me," yet she did not return - ostensibly the tribe of Yehudah was better than she, since after every act of harlotry she would return to her Husband's home like a virtuous woman. She still felt tied to her Husband, still connected to the Holy One, blessed be He. To this, the Holy One, blessed be He, says: "her treacherous sister Yehudah" - she acts with treachery, for she did not return with all her heart, but deceitfully. Because she fears the rumor and public exposure, and does not want to acquire the reputation of an adulteress, she needs her Husband's name upon her, acting hypocritically and portraying herself as virtuous. Thus, her actions are actually far worse.
And Radak adds: "And yet for all this" - meaning, after they saw all the afflictions of Yisrael and their exile, they should have repented, yet they did not. And what is the meaning of "deceitfully"? Rashi cites: The generation of Yoshiyahu portrayed themselves as righteous, but they were wicked. They would engrave images of idols on the inside of their doors, half on one door and half on the other. That is, double doors that opened inward; when closed, the two halves joined together into a complete image. Yoshiyahu, who was righteous - "The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of Hashem, was captured in their traps," through the corrupt deeds of his people - was certain they were righteous. He dispatched inspectors to eradicate idolatry and search the homes. They would enter while the doors stood open with their inner panels against the wall, check, search, and record in their report: clear of idolatry. Yet the moment they left and the doors were closed, the idol stood fully assembled.
From here stemmed Yoshiyahu's mistake when he went out to battle Pharaoh Necho. He was confident of victory, for he had eradicated idolatry and his people were righteous; and when the people are righteous, it is said of them, "and no sword shall pass through your land," even a sword of peace. He did not know that they had concocted a deceptive scheme: the moment the door was shut, the idolatry was back. Outwardly they appeared righteous, exactly as we explained: Yehudah acted with hypocrisy, presenting themselves on the outside as righteous while remaining wicked within.
וַיֹּאמֶר יְהֹוָה אֵלַי צִדְּקָה נַפְשָׁהּ מְשֻׁבָה יִשְׂרָאֵל מִבֹּגֵדָה יְהוּדָה׃ - And Hashem said to me: Backsliding Yisrael has justified herself more than treacherous Yehudah.
Wayward Israel emerges righteous in comparison to treacherous Yehudah. At first glance, this is perplexing: Israel were the ones who initiated the sin, so shouldn't the greater guilt be theirs? Radak explains: If you examine what Yehudah did, you will find that their actions were far more severe. What did Israel do? Two calves, and whoever wanted to worship idols went to those designated locations. But the added dimension of Yehudah's sin was that they disgraced the House of God: they brought their carved images and idols inside, abolished the service of God there, and worshipped idols within the Beis HaMikdash itself. You want idolatry? Go and make it for yourself elsewhere, but to bring it into the House of Hashem? A rival wife in My own home?
And so it was with the wicked Achaz, who commanded that an altar be built in the Beis HaMikdash modeled after the altar in Damascus, abolished the service of the altar, locked the doors of the House of Hashem, allowed spiders and vermin to breed upon the altar, extinguished the lamps, ceased offering incense, and even passed his sons through fire following the abominations of the nations. And concerning Menasheh, it is written that he bowed to the entire host of heaven, passed his son through fire, practiced soothsaying, divination, and sorcery, consulted ghosts and familiar spirits, and did much evil in the eyes of Hashem. It is said of him that he did worse than all the Amorites who came before him - worse even than the gentiles - and caused Yehudah to sin with his idols as well. It is also stated, "Moreover, Menasheh shed very much innocent blood, until he had filled Jerusalem from one end to the other." Even though Menasheh repented, scripture states that the exile came about because of Menasheh, for the deep impression of his sin was not erased even after his teshuvah. As explained elsewhere based on the Malbim, this is why his repentance was not enough to annul the decree.
Furthermore, read what is written there: "with their backs toward the Sanctuary of Hashem and their faces toward the east," for they would stand in the Beis HaMikdash, turning their backs to the Sanctuary and facing east to prostrate themselves before the sun, rising at dawn every morning specifically for this purpose. And "they put the branch to their nose" - which is horrifying even to utter, as they would bend over to degrade and show contempt toward the Beis HaMikdash, and scripture employed a euphemism. Thus, the iniquities of Yehudah were far more severe than those of Israel. Israel fashioned idols for themselves, but they did not bring them into the Beis HaMikdash. Anyone who reads the guided tour that the Holy One, blessed be He, gives Yechezkel - taking him from room to room and chamber to chamber within the Beis HaMikdash, showing him how they engraved images of idols here, and did this here, and that there - is simply chilled and appalled. Therefore, "Wayward Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Yehudah."
הָלֹךְ וְקָרָאתָ אֶת הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה צָפוֹנָה וְאָמַרְתָּ שׁוּבָה מְשֻׁבָה יִשְׂרָאֵל נְאֻם יְהֹוָה לוֹא אַפִּיל פָּנַי בָּכֶם כִּי חָסִיד אֲנִי נְאֻם יְהֹוָה לֹא אֶטּוֹר לְעוֹלָם׃ - Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say: Return, wayward Israel, says Hashem; I will not cast down My wrath upon you, for I am merciful, says Hashem; I will not bear a grudge forever.
There are two interpretations of the expression "Go" (Haloch). Rashi, following Chazal, explains it as an actual imperative: Go to the Ten Tribes. Indeed, there is an opinion in Chazal that the Ten Tribes returned in the days of Yoshiyahu, and it was Yirmiyahu who brought them back. "Toward the north" refers to Assyria, the regions to which they were exiled - Chalach, Chavor, the Gozan River, and the cities of Media - all of which lay northeast of Eretz Yisrael. And you shall say to them: "Return, wayward Israel," that they should turn back from their waywardness and rebelliousness. "I will not cast down My countenance upon you" - I will not direct My wrath at you, "for I am merciful, says Hashem; I will not bear a grudge forever." And Chazal note that a portion of them did indeed return. The wording of the Malbim also aligns with Rashi.
Radak, on the other hand, takes a different approach. The verse is not telling the prophet to physically travel north to the place where the Ten Tribes were exiled, for the king of Assyria had exiled them far away to Chalach, Chavor, and the cities of Media. Rather, "Go" is an expression of urging, like "Come now, I will test you with mirth" or "Come, let us cast lots," where the intent is not physical walking, but an alacritous "let us go and do this." And when it says "Go and proclaim," it means he should proclaim these words in Jerusalem before the elders of Yehudah, speaking them as though he were addressing Israel face-to-face. That is: rebuke Yehudah, and within your rebuke, raise the matter of the exiled Ten Tribes. Tell them that Israel is destined to return at the End of Days, which is the meaning of "I will not bear a grudge forever" - I will not retain their iniquity forever; rather, it will ultimately be atoned for, and I will bring them back after a long period. When the exiles of Yehudah are gathered, Israel too will be gathered. "Forever" (le'olam) here means for an era; one cannot say that God never displayed wrath toward them, for He was certainly angry with them, but rather that it will not remain so forever. In the future, I will watch over them with benevolent providence just as I watched over them prior to their exile.
In explaining the phrasing, the Malbim writes: There is a "countenance" of favor, as in "May Hashem lift His countenance upon you," looking upon us with benevolent providence, and corresponding to this is the concealment of the countenance (hester panim), when Hashem does not reveal His favorable countenance to us. There is also a "countenance" of wrath, as in "And I will set My face against that person," which Chazal interpret: I turn away from all My affairs and direct all My attention toward him in judgment. Regarding this countenance of anger, it says here, "I will not cast down My countenance" - I will not direct a countenance of anger toward them, nor will I hold a grudge against them in My heart; rather, I will return to watch over them with benevolent providence just as I watched over them prior to their exile.
אַךְ דְּעִי עֲוֺנֵךְ כִּי בַּיהֹוָה אֱלֹהַיִךְ פָּשָׁעַתְּ וַתְּפַזְּרִי אֶת דְּרָכַיִךְ לַזָּרִים תַּחַת כׇּל עֵץ רַעֲנָן וּבְקוֹלִי לֹא שְׁמַעְתֶּם נְאֻם יְהֹוָה׃ - Only acknowledge your iniquity, that you have transgressed against Hashem your God, and have scattered your ways to strangers under every leafy tree, and you have not obeyed My voice, says Hashem.
"You have transgressed" (pasha'at) means you have rebelled. In explaining "and have scattered your ways," there are two interpretations. Rashi explains it as an expression of promiscuity, parting the legs for illicit intimacy - the "ways" here being likened to legs with which one walks - a metaphor for abandoning God, who is her husband, and wandering off in promiscuous pursuit of idols. Radak, however, explains: The Holy One, blessed be He, says that in order for Me to bring you back to Me, you must acknowledge how you sinned and why you were exiled - "that you have transgressed against Hashem your God" - and if you recognize this, you will return to Me and I will return to you. "And have scattered your ways" means that you did not worship merely one idol, but scattered your ways to many; you walked along every path, for whereas there is only one true path that leads to Hashem, you walked all the other paths and avoided His. As it is said, "For according to the number of your cities were your gods, O Yehudah" - as many as your cities, so was the count of your deities. You worshipped every kind of idolatry, except for the Holy One, blessed be He. "And you have not obeyed My voice" - for I warned you through the prophets, yet you did not listen.
שׁוּבוּ בָנִים שׁוֹבָבִים נְאֻם יְהֹוָה כִּי אָנֹכִי בָּעַלְתִּי בָכֶם וְלָקַחְתִּי אֶתְכֶם אֶחָד מֵעִיר וּשְׁנַיִם מִמִּשְׁפָּחָה וְהֵבֵאתִי אֶתְכֶם צִיּוֹן׃ - "Return, wayward children, declares the Lord, for I have espoused you; and I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and bring you to Zion."
The Malbim explains that this verse continues the previous one. Why the emphasis on "children"? Because we have seen that the fathers sinned, and the Holy One, blessed be He, described a very difficult situation with them: "for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had sent her away and given her a bill of divorce." As it were, He no longer has anything to discuss with the fathers, and therefore He turns to the children: even if the sinful fathers did not repent, let the children return! And why? "For I have espoused you" - although, as it were, I divorced your mother and gave her a bill of divorce, with you I have united as a husband; I regard you as My wife and will act toward you as a husband. And even if only a remnant survives, one from a city and two from a family, I will take you and bring you to Zion.
And what does "one from a city" mean? Radak explains: even if there is just a single Jew left alone within the cities of the nations, I will take him from there; and even if there are only two Jews in an entire family. "Family" here means a nation, as in "And if the family of Egypt goes not up" and "to all the families of the kingdoms of the north." Even if there is only one in a city and two in a distant nation somewhere, I will take you from there as well. Our Sages explain "one from a city and two from a family" in another way: one individual can bring merit to an entire city, and two can bring merit to an entire family. If there is even one worthy and upright person in a city, in his merit the entire city will be spared, and in the merit of two, the entire family will be spared.
וְנָתַתִּי לָכֶם רֹעִים כְּלִבִּי וְרָעוּ אֶתְכֶם דֵּעָה וְהַשְׂכֵּיל׃ - "And I will give you shepherds after My own heart, and they will feed you with knowledge and understanding."
Since the sin originated from the wicked kings who led you, this verse follows: I will give you shepherds after My own heart, according to My will - not like the earlier shepherds, the kings of Judah and especially the kings of Israel, who acted wickedly and corrupted their ways. The future shepherds will lead you with knowledge and understanding, and they are the leaders who will accompany King Moshiach, as it says, "And we will raise against him seven shepherds and eight princes among men."
The Vilna Gaon offers a fascinating insight here. Many have sought to understand who the "one from a city" and "two from a family" are, as these verses hold great depth and require explanation. The Vilna Gaon explains: Eliyahu HaNavi is identified by his place of origin, "Eliyahu the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead" - Tishbi and Gilead are places, so he is called by the name of his town. The two redeemers, however, are identified by their family lineage: Moshiach ben Yosef and Moshiach ben David. This is what the prophet means by "and I will take you, one from a city and two from a family": I will redeem you through one who is known by his city, who is Eliyahu HaNavi the Tishbite; and through two who are known by their family, who are Moshiach ben Yosef and Moshiach ben David. The redemption will thus come about through the tidings of salvation brought by Eliyahu and through the two redeemers, swiftly in our days, Amen.
The chapter contrasts the two sisters. Israel is "Meshuvah" - wayward, brazenly sinning in public without feeling in the least that she is doing wrong, and therefore she feels no remorse and no punishment avails her. Judah, on the other hand, is "Bogedah" - treacherous, knowing she is doing wrong and therefore hiding it, feigning piety on the outside while committing adultery with wood and stone in secret. For this very reason, "backsliding Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah." Furthermore, Judah brought idolatry into the very House of Hashem; she ought to have learned from what befell her sister yet failed to do so; and her repentance in the days of Yoshiyahu was insincere, like those images etched behind the doors. Yet despite all this, the prophet concludes with words of comfort: "I will not bear a grudge forever," "Return, wayward children, for I have espoused you," and even if only one from a city and two from a family remain, they will be gathered and brought to Zion. Shepherds after the heart of the Holy One, blessed be He, will arise to guide Israel with knowledge and understanding, through Eliyahu HaNavi and the two redeemers, speedily in our days.