Chapter 5 of Yirmiyahu is a chapter of piercing soul-searching: the Holy One, Blessed be He, opens with the call, "Roam through the streets of Jerusalem" - search if there is even one person in the city who executes justice and seeks truth, and I will pardon her. From that point on, the prophet enumerates what was actually found: not merits, but transgressions, and not transgressions done in secret, but in public. In the section before us, we begin from verse 7, where the Holy One, Blessed be He, returns to that same call and asks: what merit have you found at all, by virtue of which I should forgive?
אֵי לָזֹאת אֶסְלַח לָךְ בָּנַיִךְ עֲזָבוּנִי וַיִּשָּׁבְעוּ בְּלֹא אֱלֹהִים וָאַשְׂבִּעַ אוֹתָם וַיִּנְאָפוּ וּבֵית זוֹנָה יִתְגּוֹדָדוּ׃ - "How shall I pardon you for this? Your children have forsaken Me, and sworn by that which is no god; when I had fed them to the full, they committed adultery, and assembled themselves in troops in a harlot's house."
Rashi explains that these words were spoken as an expression of wonder: is it on account of all that I have enumerated so far that you deserve forgiveness? Could it be that for this I should pardon you? Radak offers another explanation, according to which the word "ei" stands alone, in the sense of "ayeh" ("where"): where is the good within you? What good deed do you possess of which you could say, by virtue of this "I will pardon you"? According to Rashi, the astonishment is over the sins that were listed, while according to Radak, the question is where the advocating defender is: show Me one good and positive thing that can stand before Me, for all that I find in you is nothing but wickedness, corruption, and rebellion. And this is a call addressed to Jerusalem.
The Malbim connects this verse to the beginning of the chapter. The Holy One, Blessed be He, had said, "Roam through the streets of Jerusalem" - search if there is one who executes justice and seeks truth, and then I will pardon her. Now He asks: "How shall I pardon you for this?" - what merit did you find? On what basis do you ask that I forgive her? Not only was no merit found, but on the contrary, everything was found on the other side: "Your children have forsaken Me, and sworn by that which is no god" - they swear by idols that are not gods, and furthermore they transgress the most severe sins.
"When I had fed them to the full, they committed adultery" - in the manner of "Yeshurun grew fat and kicked." The Holy One, Blessed be He, says: I gave them plenty, I showered them with all goodness, and as a consequence of that very abundance, they commit adultery.
And why does the verse add, "and assembled themselves in troops in a harlot's house"? Because there is a reality in which individuals commit sins, and so it has always been - there have always been sinful individuals. When it is a matter of individuals, it usually does not impact the community as a whole, especially when the community cannot protest because it is done in secret. But "yitgodadu" ("assembled in troops") is from the word gedudim (troops, crowds) - in public. In such a state, there is no longer room for pardon, for the matter is publicly known and notorious, and the sin is committed openly. This is what the Holy One, Blessed be He, is saying: not only is there no one seeking truth, but their corruption is carried out in broad daylight.
סוּסִים מְיֻזָּנִים מַשְׁכִּים הָיוּ אִישׁ אֶל אֵשֶׁת רֵעֵהוּ יִצְהָלוּ׃ - "They are as well-fed horses, rising early; every one neighed after his neighbor's wife."
Let us begin with the explanation of the Radak. The written text is מוזנים and the vocalized reading is מיוזנים; the letters of the same phonetic family are interchangeable, and its meaning is like mezunim, from the word for food (mazon). The parable uses horses, and not by coincidence: when Chazal wish to express adulterous lust, they speak of horses - ten measures of promiscuity descended to the world, and horses took nine; "like a horse following a pleasant conversation"; "whose issue is like the issue of horses." The horse represents licentiousness. According to the Radak: horses that received abundant food at night and are satiated, not driven by hunger or desire, yet in the morning they go out, neighing and letting out their voices in joy. That is to say, at night each man would go to his neighbor's wife, and in the morning they would rise early and boast of it, taking pride and recounting their deeds to their companions.
And here lies something terrible. If only there had at least been shame in the act - whoever commits a transgression and feels ashamed of it, there is already some redeeming quality in that. But here, not only did they commit a severe transgression, but furthermore, "they neighed" - they went around boasting proudly that one had been with so-and-so's wife and another with another man's wife. This demonstrates how far they had deteriorated, that the barrier of shame no longer served as any restraint against committing the sin.
However, there is a difficulty in the phrasing of the verse. According to the Radak, the act of adultery took place in the evening, and in the morning they would rise early to speak of it; yet the wording of the verse, "rising early, every one [neighed] after his neighbor's wife," implies that the early rising itself was directed toward the neighbor's wife. Therefore, the explanation of the Malbim is more compelling: after committing adultery at night, they were in the morning like well-fed horses - that is, satiated in their desire, having already committed adultery at night - and nonetheless they continued in their corrupt ways: "rising early, every one neighed after his neighbor's wife." One might think that after committing such grave sins at night, a person would be satiated with the sin, and when rising early in the morning would have no desire left; yet Scripture testifies that this was not so. When a person sins out of overwhelming lust, one could still say that his urge overcame him; but the verse depicts a reality where they had already sated their lust during the night, and nevertheless arose in the morning to sin yet again.
The Malbim offers an additional explanation for the word meyuzanim: not from the language of sustenance (mazon), but from the language of being armed (mezuyanim), like someone going out equipped with weapons - meaning in a state of physical arousal, like a warrior marching to battle with his sword drawn. According to this, mashkim (early-rising) is related to ashkim (testicles), as in mero'ach ashech - "armed with organs of reproduction that increase lust." That is, they would rise in the morning with intense desire to transgress, and this in itself demonstrates their depravity: after sinning throughout the night, they were still not satiated, and arose in the morning eager for battle.
הַעַל אֵלֶּה לוֹא אֶפְקֹד נְאֻם ה' וְאִם בְּגוֹי אֲשֶׁר כָּזֶה לֹא תִתְנַקֵּם נַפְשִׁי׃ - "Shall I not punish for these?" says Hashem; "and shall My soul not avenge itself on a nation such as this?"
Is it conceivable that I would not punish them for these great evils? The Radak explains that the end of the verse is simply a poetic repetition of the same idea in different words: on a nation that commits such acts, shall I not take vengeance? But as is well known, the Malbim never accepts that Tanach repeats the same idea in different words - neither in the Prophets, nor in the Writings, and certainly not in the Torah; wherever repetition appears, it is not merely stylistic, but serves to convey an additional distinct meaning.
Therefore, the Malbim explains: "Shall I not punish for these?" - refers to the deeds themselves, to the severity of the sins. "And shall My soul not avenge itself on a nation such as this?" - refers to the character of the nation, the corruption of their character traits, meaning the sinner himself. Thus, there is no mere repetition here: "for these" refers to the sins, while "on a nation such as this" refers to the people. From both perspectives combined - the gravity of the sin and the depravity of the sinner - it is fitting that I bring retribution upon them.
עֲלוּ בְשָׁרוֹתֶיהָ וְשַׁחֵתוּ וְכָלָה אַל תַּעֲשׂוּ הָסִירוּ נְטִישׁוֹתֶיהָ כִּי לוֹא לַה' הֵמָּה׃ - "Go up along her rows and destroy, but do not make a full end; remove her branches, for they are not Hashem's."
The commentators grapple with the meaning of sharoteha. Rashi cites two interpretations and rejects them: First, as related to a plain (mishor), meaning the prophet tells the nations to advance through her plains. Second, in the name of Menachem ben Saruk, related to "I can leap over a wall (shur)" and "daughters step upon the wall," meaning a wall - which itself derives from the concept of seeing, as in "I see it (ashurenu), but not near," since people climbed the wall to look out afar. Rashi refutes both explanations based on the end of the verse: "remove her branches (netishoteha)" - and netishot are the tendrils or roots of a vineyard. What connection is there between a vineyard's roots and a wall or a plain? A wall is built for a city, not a vineyard, so how could "go up upon her walls" connect with "uproot the vineyard's roots"?
Therefore, Rashi explains that sharoteha is from the word shurot (rows), for a vineyard was planted in rows: let the enemy enter among the rows of the vineyard and destroy. However, "do not make a full end" - I still do not permit total annihilation. This principle appears again and again throughout the Prophets: even when the enemy comes, "Yet even then, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them, nor will I spurn them to destroy them." The Holy One, blessed be He, has a covenant with us, and that covenant guarantees that total destruction will never occur. Thus, even when the Holy One, blessed be He, intended to wipe out the nation, He told Moshe, "Leave Me alone, that I may destroy them, and I will make you into a great nation" - continuity for Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov was essential, even if it had to come through Moshe; but absolute annihilation could never be.
Rashi cites another explanation from Targum Yonatan: be-sharoteha means in her cities (be-karveha); netishoteha means her palaces (baranyataha). According to this: go up into her cities and destroy, but do not make a full end; remove her palaces, for they are not Hashem's.
The Radak explains sharoteha as meaning her walls, commanding the enemies here to ascend and destroy the walls. Rashi's difficulty - what does a vineyard have to do with a wall? - is resolved according to the Radak's approach: netishoteha are not the tendrils of a vineyard, but rather the protruding battlements of the wall, and the command is to cast down these projecting stones. "For they are not Hashem's" - until now they belonged to Hashem, as the Holy One, blessed be He, promised, "I will defend this city to save it," but now its walls no longer belong to Hashem. As it were, the Holy One, blessed be He, says: This is no longer My city, and if it is not My city, I am not bound to defend it; you abandoned Hashem, and therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, abandoned the city and its wall.
The Radak presents an additional explanation: "Remove her branches" is like "and the spreading branches he removed and cut off," referring to the spreading boughs and branches of trees. According to this, "do not make a full end" is not said concerning the wall - for the wall was indeed completely leveled, as it is written, "and they tore down the walls of Yerushalayim all around" - rather, "do not make a full end" applies to the people: even though they raze the wall entirely, spare the people so that they may endure.
The Malbim also explains, like Rashi, that "her rows" (besharoteha) refers to the rows of the vineyard, and he adds deeper insight. "Do not make a full end" - remove only the wild trailing branches (netishot), the branches spreading outward. For any vineyard owner is careful to prune his vineyard, and if he does not prune it, the vineyard is ruined. Pruning develops the vineyard, because if you do not prune, the vitality that ought to reach the fruit, the grapes, goes into the branches; instead of all that energy developing choicer grapes, it lengthens its boughs and its trailing branches, and this saps its strength.
And the deeper meaning: The long branches that ruin the vine are the wicked. For the vineyard in its essence is the vineyard of Hashem of Hosts, and the Jewish people in their essence are the people of Hashem; and when severe corruption and flaws are seen, these are "her trailing branches," the overgrown branches that spread far and abandon the vine itself, and they cause its strength to be sapped and corrupted. One can also add an explanation for the term netishoteha: in its literal sense, because they abandon (natshu) the vine and spread far away; but also in the metaphor, for we are speaking of the wicked, and who are the wicked if not those who abandon the way of Hashem and abandon the Torah of Hashem. They are the ones who strayed, who are no longer truly part of the vineyard of the House of Israel, and they must be removed - "for they are not Hashem's." Notice: "They" - the trailing branches, the straying ones - they do not belong to Hashem. But regarding the nation of Israel as a whole, it is said: "Do not make a full end," so that total destruction will not occur.
כִּי בָגוֹד בָּגְדוּ בִי בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל וּבֵית יְהוּדָה נְאֻם ה'׃ - "For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt very treacherously with Me, says Hashem."
The Radak explains: Why must vengeance be taken against them? Because they dealt treacherously with Me. And the Malbim explains why "they are not Hashem's" - because they committed several acts of betrayal, and these betrayals encompass all the fundamental principles of the faith.
It is well known that we count thirteen principles of faith, yet this enumeration does not appear explicitly in the Torah nor in the Gemara; these are principles compiled by the Rambam. Other Rishonim emphasized fewer principles: the author of Sefer HaIkkarim, Rabbi Yosef Albo, focused on three - the existence of God, Torah from Heaven, and reward and punishment. The existence of God does not by itself imply that there is Torah from Heaven; therefore, it is not enough to say "I believe in Hashem," but one must also believe that He gave a Torah from Heaven. And even Torah from Heaven is not enough to ensure observance, for a person could say: "True, Hashem gave a Torah and advised that this is the best way to live, but if not, I will live as I please." Therefore, one must also know that there is reward and punishment. Whoever possesses these three principles has no valid excuse not to begin serving Hashem: knowing that there is a Creator of the world, knowing that the Creator of the world gave the Torah, and knowing that the Torah is binding and that there is punishment for anyone who does not observe it. And against these three principles, says the Malbim, come and see how the Jewish people rebelled and corrupted their ways.
כִּחֲשׁוּ בַּה' וַיֹּאמְרוּ לוֹא הוּא וְלֹא תָבוֹא עָלֵינוּ רָעָה וְחֶרֶב וְרָעָב לוֹא נִרְאֶה׃ - "They have denied Hashem and said: 'It is not He, nor will evil come upon us, neither shall we see sword or famine.'"
After all the rebukes the prophet directed at them, they denied Hashem and said, "It is not He." The Radak explains: He does not supervise us or see our actions, and if we do as we wish, no evil will befall us. And the Malbim explains that this corresponds to the fundamental principle of reward and punishment: they denied reward and punishment, for since the One who punishes does not exist in their eyes, the evil foretold by the prophets in His Name will not come. That is, they denied the existence of the Creator and said "It is not He," as if the Holy One, blessed be He, does not exist; "nor will evil come upon us" - all that the prophets threaten us with regarding future troubles and punishments if we continue to stray from the path, though they frighten us with harsh words, they speak lies, for no prophecy came to them from God, and they fabricate all of this from their own hearts. And if so - we will not see sword or famine.
וְהַנְּבִיאִים יִהְיוּ לְרוּחַ וְהַדִּבֵּר אֵין בָּהֶם כֹּה יֵעָשֶׂה לָהֶם׃ - "And the prophets shall become wind, and the word is not in them; thus shall it be done to them."
There are two possible interpretations here, and they stand in contrast to each other. According to the Malbim, this is a continuation of the heretics' words: those deniers who said, "It is not He, no evil will come upon us, neither sword nor famine shall we see," continue and argue that once it becomes clear that the punishment promised by the prophets does not arrive, it will be evident that none of these prophets have the spirit of Hashem in their mouth, but rather their words are mere wind and their own invention - "and the prophets shall become wind, and the word is not in them." And then, "thus shall it be done to them": what they promise us, Hashem will bring upon them; since they are false prophets and all their pronouncements are untrue, the Holy One, blessed be He, will bring upon them all the evil they forecast for us.
According to the Radak, however, the claim is the exact opposite, and it is directed against them. "The prophets" mentioned in the verse are the false prophets leading them astray, not the true prophets. The prophet says: The false prophets will become wind, "and the word is not in them" - there is no divine speech in them and no ruach hakodesh (divine inspiration). Rather, they rely on their dreams, their sorceries, and all the vanities they dabble in to utter prophecies. And these words were very enticing, for one who delivers good prophecies to the people becomes popular, whereas when one delivers harsh prophecies - no one enjoys hearing prophecies of destruction, sword, famine, and captivity. Therefore, the prophet tells them: Know that those prophets trying to gain your favor are false prophets, and it will soon become clear to you that they are merely wind and there is no substance to their words.
And what is the meaning of "so shall it be done to them"? This is an expression where one threatened without specifying details ("gizum velo peirash"). We find this expression in many places: "So may God do to me and even more" - if the head of Elisha ben Shafat remains on him today. That is to say, "woe will befall me," but he does not want to utter something bad upon himself so as not to open a mouth to the Satan, so he does not specify what. The same applies here: "So shall it be done to them" - Hashem will bring woe upon them, and Scripture does not specify what that deed will be. Thus, we have two completely different explanations before us: according to the Malbim, the deniers say about the true prophets that their words are false and will become wind, while according to the Radak, the true prophet says about the false prophets that they will become wind.
לָכֵן כֹּה אָמַר ה' אֱלֹהֵי צְבָאוֹת יַעַן דַּבֶּרְכֶם אֶת הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה הִנְנִי נֹתֵן דְּבָרַי בְּפִיךָ לְאֵשׁ וְהָעָם הַזֶּה עֵצִים וַאֲכָלָתַם׃ - Therefore, so said Hashem, God of Hosts: Because you speak this word, behold, I am making My words in your mouth into fire, and this people wood, and it shall consume them.
Here Yirmiyahu responds in the Name of Hashem: Since you deny Hashem's existence and deny reward and punishment, and "because you speak this word" - words of complete heresy - "behold, I am making My words in your mouth into fire." The words of the Holy One, blessed be He, will be like fire in the prophet's mouth, and the people will be like wood.
And what does this parable teach? Until now, the prophet's words could not be described as fire and the people as wood, for had that been so, the people would have been consumed long ago. The prophet's role until now had been to warn and threaten with the fire, so that the people would repent and not have to be burned. But the Holy One, blessed be He, says: If the situation is such that the prophet speaks and speaks and it accomplishes nothing, there is no longer any purpose in sending him to arouse them. Therefore, he will speak - and it will take effect immediately; he will speak - and it will burn immediately. Perhaps then the people will realize that his words are true, when they see that retribution arrives instantly, just as fire ignites wood. For since they deny and do not believe, they cannot be given a punishment whose fulfillment lies in the distant future; they simply claim that it will never happen and call Hashem's prophets false prophets. Therefore: Is that what you say? From now on, whenever the prophet speaks a word, the calamity will strike on the spot, and perhaps when it actually happens, you will believe.
הִנְנִי מֵבִיא עֲלֵיכֶם גּוֹי מִמֶּרְחָק בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל נְאֻם ה' גּוֹי אֵיתָן הוּא גּוֹי מֵעוֹלָם הוּא גּוֹי לֹא תֵדַע לְשֹׁנוֹ וְלֹא תִשְׁמַע מַה יְדַבֵּר׃ - Behold, I am bringing upon you a nation from afar, O house of Israel, says Hashem; it is an enduring nation, it is an ancient nation, a nation whose language you will not know, nor will you understand what they speak.
What is "a nation from afar"? The Malbim explains: A nation located near the land it conquers does not destroy it; it would be a shame for them to ruin it. Consider: a conqueror whose border borders ours would want to preserve the area and annex it to his territory, since there is infrastructure, land, and everything intact. But a nation coming from a distant land has no use for the place itself; it cannot readily annex it, and maintaining two separate domains is often neither worthwhile nor sensible for it. Therefore, it takes everything that can be taken - silver and gold, the people, the human and economic capital - and lays the land to waste, following the mindset: "If I cannot enjoy it, let no one enjoy it," and also to ensure that the remaining population cannot remain there and will be forced into exile. This is "Behold, I am bringing upon you a nation from afar": because it comes from afar, it inevitably ruins and destroys everything.
And do not say: Let them come and we will confront them - Hashem says, "It is an enduring nation," a mighty nation. And do not say: Perhaps they will pass through for a short time and we will soon be redeemed - He says, "It is an ancient nation," one that has maintained its rule for ages. This is not a short-distance runner, but a marathon runner; for many years it has reigned and ruled, with numerous conquests behind it, and when it comes - it comes to stay, not merely for six months or a year.
And perhaps you will say: We will try to win their favor. Scripture tells you that you will have no way of doing so either, for it is "a nation whose language you will not know, nor will you understand what they speak." "You will not know their language" - they speak a foreign tongue; "nor will you understand what they speak" - even if you happen to know the language, you will not fully comprehend them, because they speak in stammering lips (with a strange accent or dialect), and their pronunciation is so unusual that even one who knows the language cannot decipher their speech. A simple example: a person learns English and arrives in America, hears people talking, and cannot understand. Why? Because he learned "this is a table," but when he hears the rapid, fluent speech of a news broadcaster, he cannot break down the words and distinguish between them. Thus, there are two distinct barriers here: you do not know their language, and you are not accustomed to their dialect. If so - you will not even be able to find favor in their eyes, and a terrible calamity is about to come.
אַשְׁפָּתוֹ כְּקֶבֶר פָּתוּחַ כֻּלָּם גִּבּוֹרִים׃ - Their quiver is like an open grave; they are all mighty men.
An ashpah is a quiver, the case that holds arrows. An arrow kills from a distance, whereas a sword kills up close. This nation is composed of archers, expert marksmen capable of shooting at a hairsbreadth. When its quiver of arrows (what we would call an ammunition clip today) is opened, it is like an open grave: every arrow drawn from it leads straight to death, never missing and never returning empty. Once he opens his quiver - he has opened a grave, leading only to the burial of the slain. "They are all mighty men" - this holds true even when one approaches them to fight face to face. Shooting an arrow does not require heroic strength, but fighting face to face, sword against sword, demands sheer physical valor, where victory depends on the fighter's strength and agility. Thus, they possess both advantages: from afar - "their quiver is like an open grave," and up close - "they are all mighty men."
וְאָכַל קְצִירְךָ וְלַחְמֶךָ יֹאכְלוּ בָּנֶיךָ וּבְנוֹתֶיךָ יֹאכַל צֹאנְךָ וּבְקָרֶךָ יֹאכַל גַּפְנְךָ וּתְאֵנָתֶךָ יְרֹשֵׁשׁ עָרֵי מִבְצָרֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה בֹּטֵחַ בָּהֵנָּה בֶּחָרֶב׃ - And they shall consume your harvest and your bread, which your sons and your daughters should eat; they shall consume your flocks and your herds; they shall consume your vines and your fig trees; they shall crush with the sword your fortified cities in which you trust.
You claimed, "Sword and famine we will not see" - the Holy One, blessed be He, says to them: Now you will see both fall upon you. "And they shall consume your harvest and your bread, [which] your sons and your daughters should eat" - although the phrasing seems difficult at first glance, the meaning is as if the word "which" (asher) were written: they will consume your harvest and your bread which your sons and daughters were supposed to eat. In other words, he will not merely take from what is stored in the granaries or from your surplus, but from the very bread destined for your boys and girls - that is where he will take from. "They shall consume your flocks and your herds" - those too he will devour. "They shall consume your vines and your fig trees" - he will ruin not only the fruit of the vine, but the vine itself, destroying everything. As we explained: since this nation comes from afar, they do not care about ruining everything, for they will not remain to utilize the land's resources anyway. Whatever they can take, they take, and they have no hesitation in devastating the rest. And the fortified cities in which you place your trust - he will batter down with the sword.
וְגַם בַּיָּמִים הָהֵמָּה נְאֻם ה' לֹא אֶעֱשֶׂה אִתְּכֶם כָּלָה׃ - But even in those days, says Hashem, I will not make a full end with you.
Even though the prophecy is exceptionally harsh and severe, the Holy One, blessed be He, promises that He will not make a full end of us, and the Jewish people will never be destroyed. Note, says the Malbim, that this promise is repeated here three times. First, when mentioning the desolation of the Land, in chapter 4, verse 27: "The whole land shall be desolate, yet I will not make a full end." Next, when mentioning the slaughter that will be inflicted upon Hashem's people, in our chapter, verse 10: "Go up against her vine-rows and destroy, but do not make a full end." And here, in verse 18, when mentioning the plundering of their wealth and possessions - which takes place after the exile, when they will hold them as slaves along with all their belongings - nevertheless, know that they will not make a full end of them. The reason is that the enemy himself derives benefit from them: if you benefit from a sheep's wool, you do not slaughter it, but continue to tend to it so that it will produce more wool. Because the enemy extracts silver, gold, and useful labor from them, a full end will not be made of you.
וְהָיָה כִּי תֹאמְרוּ תַּחַת מֶה עָשָׂה ה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ לָנוּ אֶת כָּל אֵלֶּה וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵיהֶם כַּאֲשֶׁר עֲזַבְתֶּם אוֹתִי וַתַּעַבְדוּ אֱלֹהֵי נֵכָר בְּאַרְצְכֶם כֵּן תַּעַבְדוּ זָרִים בְּאֶרֶץ לֹא לָכֶם׃ - And it shall come to pass, when you say, "For what reason has Hashem our God done all these things to us?" then you shall say to them: "Just as you have forsaken Me and served foreign gods in your land, so shall you serve strangers in a land that is not yours."
When you are already in exile, your eyes will finally be opened to believe in Hashem and believe in His punishments, and you will ask: In what way is this punishment measure for measure? Corresponding to which sin did it come? What is our wrongdoing that warrants such retribution? This is the meaning of, "And it shall come to pass, when you say, 'For what reason has Hashem our God done all these things to us?'"
The Malbim explains: Wherever the word tachat is used - which is synonymous with ya'an, meaning "because of" - it indicates measure for measure. Examples include "an eye for (tachat) an eye," "this shall they have for (tachat) their pride," and "because (tachat) you did not serve Hashem your God with joy." The term tachat expresses reciprocity, placing one thing opposite another - that is, measure for measure.
And if you ask what measure-for-measure dynamic is at work here, this is the answer: "Just as you have forsaken Me and served foreign gods in your land" - in your own land, which was under Hashem's direct providence, you abandoned the Holy One, blessed be He, and took upon yourselves servitude to foreign gods; "so shall you serve strangers in a land not yours." In your land, under your vine and your fig tree, the Holy One, blessed be He, is the Master and Sovereign, yet you said: I love serving strangers. You loved serving strangers? You will be exiled to their land, and there you will serve strangers. This is precise measure-for-measure justice.
In this section of the chapter, the Holy One, blessed be He, responds to His own call to "Roam the streets of Jerusalem": no merit was found, and in its place were found false oaths in the name of idolatry, adultery born of indulgence and satiety, and brazen sin in public without a shred of shame, to the point that they were "well-fed horses, rising early," and even "neighed," boasting in their deeds. Therefore, retribution is warranted from two angles: from the severity of the acts themselves, and from the corruption of the character traits of the perpetrators. The enemy is commanded to go up along the rows of the vineyard and strip away its branches - the wicked who abandoned the path of Hashem - yet "do not make a complete destruction," a promise repeated three times in these chapters. In response to their denial of the fundamental tenets of faith (the existence of Hashem, reward and punishment, and prophecy), the prophet's words were placed in his mouth as fire and the people as wood, meaning that the punishment would arrive immediately without delay; and a nation from afar, enduring and ancient, whose language is unintelligible, whose quiver is like an open grave and all of whom are warriors, will come and consume harvest and bread, sheep and cattle, vine and fig tree. And despite all this - "I will not make a complete destruction of you," and in exile you will understand the reckoning of measure-for-measure: just as you abandoned Me and served foreign gods in your land, so shall you serve strangers in a land not yours.