Chapter 10 of Yirmiyahu is an all-out battle against the vain beliefs of the nations: the belief in the astrological influence of the stars and heavenly signs, and the belief in idols and graven images. The prophet contrasts two opposing worlds: on one side, the idol, which consists of nothing more than wood from the forest, iron, nails, and gold plating imported from distant lands; on the other side, the Holy One, blessed be He, who is inherently great, whose name is great in might, and who needs neither advisers nor assistants. And embedded within all this is a fundamental principle: the Jewish people are above astrological influence (Ein Mazal L'Yisrael).
שִׁמְעוּ אֶת־הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר יְהֹוָה עֲלֵיכֶם בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל׃ - Hear the word that Hashem speaks to you, O House of Israel.
כֹּה אָמַר יְהֹוָה אֶל־דֶּרֶךְ הַגּוֹיִם אַל־תִּלְמָדוּ וּמֵאֹתוֹת הַשָּׁמַיִם אַל־תֵּחָתּוּ כִּי־יֵחַתּוּ הַגּוֹיִם מֵהֵמָּה׃ - Thus said Hashem: Do not learn the way of the nations, and do not be dismayed by the signs of the heavens, for the nations are dismayed by them.
Two things are stated here: do not do the deeds that the nations do, and do not fear the things that the nations fear. To understand this, one must first grasp what star worship actually was. Serving the celestial bodies was their way of channeling to themselves the influence emanating from the stars. This belief actually had a basis: there are indeed real astrological influences from the celestial sphere, that is, from the stars. One star signifies adversity, another signifies good, and two stars positioned at a certain horizon exert mutual influences. Astrology is something that has substance to it.
To this, the prophet tells them: If you think that because a star exerts influence, we should go and worship it - imagining that by serving the star I will draw good fortune from it, and that if I do not serve it, it will supposedly become angry with me and woe unto me - know that you have nothing to fear from the stars. Consider how many rationales they had: the sun, which was also considered one of the celestial bodies they worshipped, exercises dominion over the earth, over crops and produce, as in "the bounty of the sun's produce." If we worship it, crops will multiply; if we do not, they will be diminished. Not only that, but when the luminaries are eclipsed, such as a solar eclipse, it is an omen of misfortune for the world. If so, it would seemingly appear proper to take celestial bodies into account.
Regarding all this, the Holy One, blessed be He, says: Do not be dismayed by them. All these forces are subservient to Hashem, blessed be He; they merely carry out His word. When you serve the Master, you have no need to serve the servant. The influences of the Holy One, blessed be He, indeed descend through the stars, but a star has no independent power of its own. Consequently, as long as you are subservient to the Master, the servant cannot harm you in the least. Conversely, if the Master is displeased with you, what good will it do to plead with the servant? If the Holy One, blessed be He, Heaven forbid, decrees a blight upon your crops, how will it help to pray to the sun to channel good bounty to you? You have alienated the Master Himself.
And should you ask: But we see that for the nations it actually works! To this comes the end of the verse: "For the nations are dismayed by them" - they, the nations, are indeed dismayed by them, but you have nothing to fear. Why? Because the governance over the nations is indeed mediated through the celestial bodies; the Holy One, blessed be He, allocated them to the stars and constellations, allowing them, so to speak, to err after the stars and constellations and making their destiny dependent upon them. But the Jewish people are above astrological influence; we are not subject to the influence of the stars and constellations, for everything comes directly from Hashem. We have no tie or connection to the stars and constellations, and we have nothing to fear from them at all, but only to know that everything comes from Him, blessed be He.
A man who had studied astrology for a long time recounted that he once visited a prominent astrologer and asked him to chart his astrological horoscope. The astrologer drew up his chart and began telling him details about his life: "Did such-and-such happen to you?" - No. "Did you do such-and-such?" - No. And with every single detail - no. The astrologer's entire prestige was suddenly at risk; a man who was supposed to know everything through astrology, and suddenly nothing fit! Finally, he asked him, "Tell me, are you Jewish?" He replied, "Yes." The astrologer said, "In that case, forget it, take it all back. On Jews, this does not work." He added, "I have seen countless times that with gentiles it works with exact precision, but when I come to Jews - it just does not work."
This is the meaning of Israel being above astrological influence. A Jew, through prayer, through the merit of a righteous ancestor in Heaven, through a thousand and one things, can alter the entire celestial course. "Go out from your astrology," the Holy One, blessed be He, told Avraham: Avram cannot father children, but Avraham can father children. Avraham, of whom it is written that he was a great astrologer and possessed vast and profound knowledge in this craft, was nevertheless told by the Holy One, blessed be He: The Jewish people are above astrological influence. The Holy One, blessed be He, can elevate the Jewish people to such heights that astrological reality has no influence over them whatsoever. Hence, we must never guide ourselves by any of these calculations.
Furthermore, he added: even if you think that this worship is effective for the nations of the world, know that for you it will accomplish nothing. In truth, it does not even help them, for who is so foolish as to think that praying to the sun will grant you something or cause it to change? After all, astrology itself is fixed; the influences derive from the celestial bodies, and their movements are predetermined. What good will it do to pray to the sun? Does it possess any power of its own? It channels only what it was programmed to channel. If so, even for the nations the stars possess no independent power, and all the more so for you, whose very existence transcends the laws of the constellations - certainly you must not be dismayed by them.
כִּי־חֻקּוֹת הָעַמִּים הֶבֶל הוּא כִּי־עֵץ מִיַּעַר כְּרָתוֹ מַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵי־חָרָשׁ בַּמַּעֲצָד׃ - For the customs of the peoples are delusion; for it is wood cut down from the forest, the work of a craftsman's hands with an axe.
The Radak explains that here the prophet addresses them and says: Come and see what brought the nations to this worship, how from worshiping the stars they descended to worshiping carved idols. Initially, they worshiped a star in the heavens, believing that celestial influence is drawn down from the stars to this world; later, they deteriorated and began carving wooden images and worshiping them. And how did they reach the point of moving from star worship - which on some level is still the worship of a celestial power - to worshiping a block of wood that they carved with their own hands and then bow down to?
The Radak explains: The pagan priests would tell them that the statue was fashioned in place of the sun and in honor of the sun, and that whoever worships the statue is considered as worshiping the sun itself, like the golden image that Nevuchadnezzar made for the sun. They fashioned statues for the other celestial bodies in the same manner. They conditioned the people to this idea until the masses began to believe that the statue itself could do harm or do good. What had originally been intended, supposedly, to draw down influences from the sun transformed into the belief that the statue itself had no need to draw from anywhere: pray to it, bow down to it, and it will bestow good upon you. This is utterly futile and devoid of reality, for the idol is merely wood cut from the forest, the work of a craftsman fashioned with an adze, possessing no power whatsoever.
The Malbim explains that here the prophet describes the disgrace of the idol from four perspectives: from the perspective of its material, its form, its maker, and its purpose. Regarding the material, he says: Consider what this idol is - it is mere wood. And do not imagine that it is a rare or prestigious wood, "for it is wood cut down from the forest" - an ordinary piece of wood from the forest. Regarding the maker: see who created it, "the work of a craftsman's hands" - ultimately an ordinary person, a carpenter, is the one who made this statue. Do not think it was created through celestial, spiritual powers; a mortal human being took it and carved it. And do not imagine that he used extraordinary tools, but rather "with an adze," a simple tool used for carving, with which he fashioned the idol.
בְּכֶסֶף וּבְזָהָב יְיַפֵּהוּ בְּמַסְמְרוֹת וּבְמַקָּבוֹת יְחַזְּקוּם וְלוֹא יָפִיק׃ - With silver and with gold they adorn it; with nails and with hammers they fasten them so it will not move.
Here, the Malbim explains, the verse speaks of the external form. Do not imagine that the statue itself is something prestigious, for the silver and gold are purely superficial to it, nothing more than a veneer and plating, and the silver is not the substance of the idol. How did they apply the plating? They would take a beaten sheet of gold, flatten it to the measurements of the object, and attach it. For instance, if they wanted to produce carved wood with engraved designs, they would first carve the wood with the designs, and then lay the gold sheet over it, tapping gently until it assumed the shape of the carvings. And because the sheet was prone to falling off, they would fasten it with small nails to the wood so that it would not fall or detach. This is the meaning of "with nails and with hammers" - makavot meaning hammers - "they fasten them."
And what is the meaning of "so it will not move" (velo yafik)? The Malbim explains that it derives from the root of departure or going out, as in the Aramaic nafik: the craftsman needs the gold not to become detached from it and to remain adhered. How does he ensure it will not separate? By fastening it with hammers and nails. The Radak offers another explanation, that lo yafik means that it will not stumble or lose its balance, akin to the phrase pik birkayim ("tottering of knees"). Rashi also connects this to pik birkayim, though Rashi implies that lo yafik does not refer to the plating, but rather to the statue itself: they would fasten it with nails and hammers so that its knees would not buckle, so that when it stands it will stand upright and appear erect, related to the expression pukah umikhshol ("a stumbling and obstacle").
כְּתֹמֶר מִקְשָׁה הֵמָּה וְלֹא יְדַבֵּרוּ נָשׂוֹא יִנָּשׂוּא כִּי לֹא יִצְעָדוּ אַל־תִּירְאוּ מֵהֶם כִּי־לֹא יָרֵעוּ וְגַם־הֵיטֵיב אֵין אוֹתָם׃ - Like a chiseled palm tree are they, and they cannot speak; they must be carried, for they cannot walk. Do not fear them, for they can do no harm, nor is it in them to do any good.
Here, explains the Malbim, the text addresses the inner form: do not imagine that it possesses any internal substance or power of speech. Come and see: they lack the speaking soul (nefesh ha-medabberet), "They are upright like a palm tree, but cannot speak" - like a date palm, having no capacity for speech at all. And should you argue, perhaps they possess at least the vital soul, the power of locomotion - for even a dog cannot speak, yet moves from place to place? To this he says: "They must be carried, for they cannot walk" - when people wish to move it from place to place, it cannot walk on its own; it must be lifted and carried, for it cannot stride forth on its own.
And should you say, perhaps it at least possesses the capacity to benefit or harm? To this the verse responds: "Do not fear them, for they cannot harm, nor is it in them to do good." They have no power to cause harm, so you have nothing to fear from them. And do not suggest that perhaps by virtue of some mystical charm (segulah) they might bring benefit, for the heathens believed in all kinds of superstitions - that whoever does such-and-such will see such-and-such benefit. Some people hang a horseshoe in their car; one hangs a baby shoe, another hangs garlic, a third hangs a hamsa, and other such vanities. When a person lacks faith in Hashem, the true God, he searches for substitutes and latches onto all kinds of trivial things to believe in.
There is no such thing as a person living without faith; one will always look for something to believe in. In the words of the Steipler Gaon, the human soul constantly yearns to believe in something, and therefore will always search for an object of faith. Do not imagine this applies only to the uneducated; it can be found among highly cultivated individuals. Reports on theatre actors, those prominent figures of high society, have described how each carries some superstitious lucky charm. One relates that he always wears an old cap, and if he does not bring it to the show, he flubs his lines the entire performance. Another arrives with an antique suitcase from sixty years ago, and once when he failed to bring it, he suffered serious mishaps. In short, everyone grasps at some absurdity and puts faith in it. In the same way, the idolaters might have thought: True, it is not God, but I have noticed it has a talismanic power; on the day I stand before it in prayer, I enjoy abundance. To this the verse answers, "nor is it in them to do good" - there is no benefit and no good in them, and certainly nothing to fear from them at all.
Radak explains "They are upright like a palm tree": like the trunk of a date palm, which is straight and uniform without any bend. While other trees send out branches from their sides, the palm trunk is smooth all the way up, with branches emerging only at the very top. In this manner they crafted the idol - straight and erect, in human form. Yet they have no power to speak, and "they must be carried" - lifted and transported from place to place, possessing no power to benefit and no power to harm, for the entire object is merely wood and vanity.
מֵאֵין כָּמוֹךָ יְהֹוָה גָּדוֹל אַתָּה וְגָדוֹל שִׁמְךָ בִּגְבוּרָה׃ - None is like You, Hashem; You are great, and Your Name is great in might.
From what we see and know, none is like You - Radak explains - neither among the celestial beings nor among the terrestrial, and we know that You are great and Your Name is great in might. And what is the distinction between "You" and "Your Name"? Radak explains: to make known that He is His Name, and His Name is He. That is, His Name is not separate from the Holy One, blessed be He; rather, the Holy One, blessed be He, and His Name are one. Therefore, "You are great, and Your Name is great in might."
The Malbim explains that "You, Hashem" encompasses every perfection, for none is found as complete as You. "For You are great" - yet the term "great" presents a difficulty, as it is often a relative expression. If one says of an object that it is large, the question arises: large relative to what? Is a truck large? Next to an airplane, it is not. Anything termed "great" is only relatively so. But with the Holy One, blessed be He, this is not the case: His greatness is intrinsic and absolute, not comparative. If one were to say He is greater than such-and-such, it might imply that another could surpass Him; but when one says He is essentially great, His greatness is intrinsic and none is greater than He. Furthermore, only You are truly great, for You are the First of all causes and the Ultimate end of all effects, as expressed in Adon Olam: "Master of the Universe, Who reigned before any creature was formed, and after all ceases to be, He alone will reign in awe" - You are the beginning of all, and You are the end of all.
Regarding "and Your Name is great in might," the Malbim comments: someone may be great in himself, yet no external actions stem from him. A profoundly wise person might comprehend everything that occurs, but he cannot necessarily create. Einstein, for instance, who unlocked the theoretical secrets of the atom, certainly could not create an atom. Understanding something and creating it are two fundamentally different matters. Scientists today have come to understand the human body thoroughly, yet they cannot manufacture even a single drop of real blood. Thus, one may be great in wisdom, grasping and understanding all things, yet lack the power to sustain or generate them. On the other hand, someone's name may be great without him being intrinsically great, like a mighty warrior whose fame rests not on his inner essence but on the reports of his feats that reach the public ear. But with the Holy One, blessed be He, this is not so: You are great in Yourself, great in Your wisdom as the Source of all wisdom, and Your Name is great in might, which is the ultimate power to act.
The Malbim elaborates on this further. There were those who conceived of the Holy One, blessed be He, as a wise architect who designed everything we see in the world, but who supposedly lacked the power to implement it all directly, and so they imagined He had intermediaries or assistants. Like a person who builds a factory and brings in workers to run the assembly lines, they imagined that the Holy One, blessed be He, created the universe, and to govern it He appointed the sun, moon, and stars, believing that all worldly guidance is administered through celestial bodies. From this arose the belief in multiple deities, attempting to draw influence from each god according to its domain: a god of the sea to whom they prayed when setting sail - Poseidon, so to speak - and deities for love, hatred, war, and the like. They worshipped each god and prayed to it whenever they required its salvation. They believed that while the Holy One, blessed be He, is indeed the God of gods and supreme above all, He does not personally involve Himself in the active governance of the world, having relegated it to subordinate rulers.
This was also the crux of Iyov's arguments, as explained in its place: that the Holy One, blessed be He, is a God of truth Who created the world in truth and justice, but that its governance was handed over to a foolish agent, to those who deal unjustly - namely, the celestial bodies. His companions challenged him, countering: if you claim that Hashem is righteous yet entrusted governance into the hands of the wicked - the astral forces - you have once again attributed injustice to the Holy One, blessed be He, for surrendering rule to those who are unworthy. Much of the debate there revolves around this very point.
In contrast to these, there were those who believed the opposite: that Hashem possesses might but lacks wisdom. That is to say, He has the power to carry everything out, but He needs advisers, needing, as it were, to consult on how to do each thing. And who advises Him? The heavenly signs - they are the ones showing Him and helping Him decide which decrees to issue and what counsel to adopt. For these two reasons, people would worship either the stars, whom they considered the executers, or the signs of heaven, whom they viewed as the counselors. This is why it says, "And do not be dismayed by the signs of the heavens": suddenly people see a solar or lunar eclipse, celestial omens, and draw all kinds of conclusions from them, because they believed that the Holy One, blessed be He, is either not wise enough and aided by the signs of heaven, or that He is wise but lacks the power to execute, with the stars assisting Him. Therefore, they went and worshipped those forces, believing that the Holy One, blessed be He, was dependent on them, so to speak.
In contrast to this, it says: "For You are great" - You are great in wisdom and in arranging all things, and You have no need for advisers, but are inherently wise. "And Your name is great in might" - might refers to governance and leadership, and You do not need the stars to govern either, but of Yourself You possess the power, ability, and might to execute everything and govern all things alone, having no assistant in either counsel or might.
מִי לֹא יִרָאֲךָ מֶלֶךְ הַגּוֹיִם כִּי לְךָ יָאָתָה כִּי בְכָל־חַכְמֵי הַגּוֹיִם וּבְכָל־מַלְכוּתָם מֵאֵין כָּמוֹךָ׃ - Who would not fear You, King of the nations? For it is fitting for You; for among all the wise of the nations and in all their kingdoms, there is none like You.
Once everything originates from You - both counsel and might - of whom is it proper to be in awe? Only of the Holy One, blessed be He. "It is fitting for You," both regarding wisdom and regarding might, for there is none like You. The wise perceive Your wisdom, and kings perceive Your power; therefore it says, "among all the wise of the nations and in all their kingdoms," for they too know that there is none like You, and fear is fitting only for You.
The Malbim explains that the word ya'atah is an expression of consent and agreement between people based on agreed terms, as in "Only on this condition will the men consent (ye'otu) to us" - through what? By being circumcised, and then we will be able to intermarry. It is also an expression of drawing near to another, related to ata, which denotes coming. What does this express here? That all fear of anything ultimately reaches the Holy One, blessed be He. For if I see a warrior holding a sword in his hand, of whom am I afraid - of the sword or of the one holding it? Certainly of the one holding it. For what can the sword do on its own? It lay in the closet and harmed no one. Why does it harm now? Because someone is holding it. If so, when a person understands that there is a prime moving force, all fear is directed only toward Him, for He is like the warrior holding everything in the world in His hand. This is "For it is fitting for You": all fear is rightly directed to You, for whatever you fear, where does it come from? From the Holy One, blessed be He.
And it is related in Chovot HaLevavot about a certain pious man who was sleeping in the desert, and they asked him: "Are you not afraid to sleep in a place of wild beasts, venomous snakes, and scorpions?" He answered them: "I would be ashamed before the Holy One, blessed be He, if He were to see me fearing anything other than Him." That is, a person of truth knows that true awe belongs solely to the Holy One, blessed be He, and all things that might cause fear are merely an instrument in His hand, like a sword in the hand of a warrior. They all come back to Him, and this is "It is fitting for You" - all awe comes to Him, for it stems from Him and proceeds from Him.
Radak explains "For it is fitting for You" - sovereignty is fitting for You, for sovereignty ought to be attributed only to the Holy One, blessed be He. "For among all the wise of the nations and in all their kingdoms, there is none like You": The nations were divided into the unlearned and the wise - and "if someone tells you there is wisdom among the nations, believe it" - but most of the world were unlearned, rustic and ignorant people who could easily be deceived. Therefore, when the prophet speaks of those who know the truth, he speaks of their wise men. The wise among the nations truly know that an idol has no substance, and if they worship it, it is only because they believe it channels forces from the stars and higher powers, but they do not believe that the idol itself possesses independent power.
Even so, this too is a sin. And should you say: but he knows that the power comes from Above? The answer is: "Though Hashem is high, He regards the lowly." The Holy One, blessed be He, commanded, "You shall not make with Me" - which our Sages explain: even to serve Me. This was their sin in the sin of the Golden Calf, where they went and made an image in order to worship the Holy One, blessed be He, through it. But the Holy One, blessed be He, says: There is no need to turn to Me through intermediaries and attendants; turn to Me directly. Thus, although the wise of the nations knew that the image itself possessed no power, they still erred in believing that it served as an intermediary between themselves and Hashem, and between themselves and the celestial forces.
Therefore it also says, "and in all their kingdoms," for kings were generally wise, or they had wise advisers. And they know that true sovereignty is fitting for You, because human rule eventually ceases and comes to an end, whereas Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, an infinite reign for all eternity. Thus, both their wise men and their kings know the truth that there is none like You; however, they misled the ignorant masses, who in their great foolishness go and worship the idol, thinking that it has power in its own right.
וּבְאַחַת יִבְעֲרוּ וְיִכְסָלוּ מוּסַר הֲבָלִים עֵץ הוּא׃ - Yet in one thing they are brutish and foolish: the discipline of vanities is mere wood.
The word yiv'aru comes from ba'ar, a brutish fool, and the meaning of the verse is: in one matter the nations of the world become like crude fools. And what is that one thing? "The instruction of vanities is wood" - they afflict themselves over that folly, over that idol crafted from wood, failing to grasp that the very thing they torment themselves over is mere vanity with no substance, and that the object for which they suffer offers no benefit whatsoever.
Radak explains that the wise men of the nations together become brutish and foolish, for they drive the people, chastise them, and coerce them to worship idols. Yet these idols, as we have seen, are vanity: wood overlaid with beaten silver and gold, powerless to support themselves, devoid of any breath of life or reality, crafted from the lowliest realm of creation - inanimate matter, the lowest of the categories of animal, vegetable, and mineral. And behold, this is what you afflict the people over: a discipline of vanities, forcing them to worship emptiness that is mere wood, the lowliest and basest element of all.
Malbim explains that their worship of wood did not stem from denying the wisdom or power of Hashem. After all, everyone believed that there is a God who is the God of gods, as it is written, "Incense is offered to My Name... and My Name is great among the nations" (Malachi 1:11). We see in several places in the prophets that the nations believed in the God of gods - that is, in a supreme spiritual power elevated above all else. Rather, as we have discussed several times, they assumed that this God is far too exalted and transcendent to deal with petty details; He does not occupy Himself with earthly matters, nor with what you lack or need. For that purpose, they thought, one must turn to the stars, the heavenly bodies, and all the presumed intermediaries. The vanity of this claim has already been discussed and refuted.
Now consider how Malbim explains the sheer foolishness of their reasoning. They argued: The governance emanating from the Holy One, blessed be He, is sublime and spiritual, coming from God Who is infinite; whereas the governance of this world is entirely different, being the governance of a finite world - a perishable, transient world of falsehood that is not eternal. Therefore, it is unfitting for an infinite power to govern a finite world, unfitting for the Exalted and Transcendent to direct a lowly, base world, and unfitting for the Eternal to manage what is temporary. Consequently, a temporary world must have a temporary ruler: if Hashem is infinite, He governs infinite realms; but since our world is finite, temporal, earthly, and corporeal, we require a leader to match. As people sometimes say of a generation's leadership, "The face of the generation is like the face of a dog" - this is what befits us.
Notice that this claim already existed back then. They argued: You are right that Hashem is the God of gods, supreme, high, and exalted, but for this coarse, material world, it is fitting that even an idol should govern it, even wood that possesses no substance. You argue that it is crude? Indeed, this world is earthly too. You argue that it is temporary? Indeed, this world is temporary too. That is to say, they believed that on the contrary, the crude reality of the world calls for a base and inferior leadership fitting its nature, since this world is vanity and lacks true substance. Therefore, they reasoned that "the instruction of vanities" is a wooden idol, for this world is unworthy of a higher discipline or a more exalted ruler.
All this stemmed from them being "brutish and foolish": the ba'ar (brutish person) suffers from ignorance and lack of learning; while the kesil (fool), as explained several times, can be highly intelligent with vast and wonderful knowledge, yet driven by lust. Combining both sides - both the brutishness of ignorance and the foolishness born of pursuing desires - they came to argue that, on the contrary, it is fitting for a lowly world to be governed by lowly forces, namely images and idols. Thus, any proof you might bring them regarding the worthlessness of the idols only reinforced their argument: True, they are very lowly, and for a lowly world they are the exact fit. You speak of an exalted, transcendent God, but He is not suitable for a base, perishable, and transient world.
כֶּסֶף מְרֻקָּע מִתַּרְשִׁישׁ יוּבָא וְזָהָב מֵאוּפָז מַעֲשֵׂה חָרָשׁ וִידֵי צוֹרֵף תְּכֵלֶת וְאַרְגָּמָן לְבוּשָׁם מַעֲשֵׂה חֲכָמִים כֻּלָּם׃ - Beaten silver is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the artisan and the hands of the smith; blue and purple is their clothing, all of them the work of skilled craftsmen.
The prophet continues to describe the utter worthlessness of the idols. "Beaten silver," as we explained, refers to how they would beat sheets of silver and gold and hammer them thin to overlay the idol. Furthermore, Radak notes, they went to the trouble of importing fine silver from Tarshish and gold from Uphaz. Tarshish - Targum Yonatan renders as Africa; and Uphaz - the Targum identifies as Ophir. Even though they lived far from these places, they arranged custom imports of this silver and gold. Not only that, but they would dress them in embroidery, sky-blue wool (techelet), and royal purple (argaman), making luxurious garments for the idols and even purchasing expensive jewelry for them.
All this was intended to display its splendor to the masses, for that was how they attracted the populace. When a person would come and behold an enormous, towering image entirely covered in gold and dressed in sumptuous robes, it would impress upon him a sense of supreme power and immense might, thereby drawing the masses to idol worship.
Malbim explains that this verse continues the preceding one. As we saw, they claimed that, on the contrary, the idol is fitting to govern here in this lowly, deficient world. In response, the prophet challenges them: How can you say that the idol is worthy and that it is the leader? Even the fact that it is overlaid with beaten silver and gold holds no real significance. "Brought from Tarshish" - do not imagine it descended from the clouds of heaven; we know full well where it was brought from! And the gold came from Uphaz. Over the wood they placed silver and gold, and this is "the work of the artisan," possessing no superiority either from its place of origin or from the one who fashioned it. A charash is a woodworker, the artisan whose task was to fit and secure the metal over the wood. And as for "blue and purple is their clothing, all of them the work of skilled craftsmen" - do you imagine the blue and purple fabrics fell from heaven? They are merely humans skilled in weaving who wove those garments. Consequently, there is not a single divine quality in these idols.
In passing, the Malbim notes the precise distinction in the phrasing: "the work of a craftsman and the hands of a refiner." The role of the refiner (*tzoref*) is to smelt and purify the metal, melting it down and removing its dross, whether from silver or gold. The craftsman (*charash*), on the other hand, is the artisan who fashions the vessel itself; an artisan is called a *charash*, and there are woodcarvers, metalworkers, and goldsmiths. Therefore, corresponding to the beaten silver, the verse says "the work of a craftsman," for they are the ones who hammer it flat and overlay the silver onto the wood; whereas corresponding to the smelting and purification, it mentions the refiner, who refines and purifies the gold until it becomes Uphaz - which is *paz*, the finest and most precious gold, as in the phrase "more precious than fine gold."
The prophet begins with the warning, "Do not learn the way of the nations, and do not be dismayed by the signs of the heavens": although there is real substance to celestial influences, they are all servants carrying out their Master's bidding, and one who submits to the Master has no need to fear the servant. Furthermore, while the nations were placed under the dominion of the stars and constellations, the Jewish people are above *mazal*, having no one but the Holy One, blessed be He. From there, the prophet proceeds to expose the utter worthlessness of idols from every angle: their material is wood from a forest; their maker is a simple carpenter with an adze; their external form is a plating of silver and gold fastened with nails and hammers; and their internal essence is completely hollow - they cannot speak and they cannot walk, powerless either to harm or to do good. And contrasted against all of this: "There is none like You, Hashem; You are great, and Your Name is great in might" - great intrinsically and not merely in comparison to others, great in wisdom requiring no counselors, and great in might requiring no agents to execute His will. Therefore, "Who would not fear You, King of the nations? For it is fitting for You," since all awe in the world has its root in Him and ultimately belongs to Him, for He is like a mighty warrior holding all the forces of the universe in His hand. Even the wise men of the nations and their kings know this truth, but their foolishness and folly led them to claim that a lowly world warrants a lowly ruler; regarding this it is said, "Yet with one thing they are brutish and foolish; the instruction of vanities is mere wood."