Introduction: A Prophecy on the Eve of the Final Decree
Chapter 25 in Sefer Yirmiyahu is a chapter of summation and a turning point. The prophet stands in the fourth year of Yehoyakim, gathering all the years of his prophecy into one great reckoning: twenty-three years of speaking, of rising early, of sending prophets - and no one listens. From this point forward begins the prophecy of the cup of wrath, which Israel will drink and which all the nations will drink. In this section, we will study the opening verses of the chapter, up to the declaration of the retribution against the king of Babylon himself.
הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר־הָיָה עַל־יִרְמְיָהוּ עַל־כָּל־עַם יְהוּדָה בַּשָּׁנָה הָרְבִעִית לִיהוֹיָקִים בֶּן־יֹאשִׁיָּהוּ מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה הִיא הַשָּׁנָה הָרִאשֹׁנִית לִנְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּר מֶלֶךְ בָּבֶל׃ - The word that came to Yirmiyahu concerning all the people of Yehudah in the fourth year of Yehoyakim the son of Yoshiyahu, king of Yehudah, which was the first year of Nevuchadretzar king of Babylon.
The Malbim explains that "al Yirmiyahu" (concerning Yirmiyahu) means "el Yirmiyahu" (to Yirmiyahu) - the prophecy that came to Yirmiyahu, whose content was concerning all the people of Yehudah. Rashi adds an essential point: this was the year in which their decree was sealed to be exiled and to drink the cup of wrath, as described later in the chapter: "Take this wine cup of wrath." Since this is the moment the decree was sealed, the Holy One, blessed be He, sends the prophet to rebuke them beforehand - perhaps, in the end, the cup would not be imposed upon them, perhaps their fate would not be sealed for evil, perhaps they would repent. This is a message delivered at the very precipice of exile.
אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר יִרְמְיָהוּ הַנָּבִיא עַל־כָּל־עַם יְהוּדָה וְאֶל כָּל־יֹשְׁבֵי יְרוּשָׁלִַם לֵאמֹר׃ - Which Yirmiyahu the prophet spoke concerning all the people of Yehudah, and to all the inhabitants of Yerushalayim, saying.
Radak explains here as well that "al" is equivalent to "el": which Yirmiyahu spoke to all the people of Yehudah and to all the inhabitants of Yerushalayim. But the Malbim does not interpret "al" as "el" here; rather, he deduces a precise distinction from the change in wording. There were two distinct groups. The inhabitants of Yerushalayim stood before the prophet face to face, and to them he speaks in the second person - "and to (el) all the inhabitants of Yerushalayim." By contrast, the people of Yehudah - meaning the residents of the province outside the city - were not standing before him, so it cannot be said that he spoke to them directly; rather, he spoke concerning them (al), for he proclaimed what would befall them in the future. Hence the precision: "concerning all the people of Yehudah" who were not present, "and to all the inhabitants of Yerushalayim" with whom he spoke face to face.
Twenty-Three Years of Rebuke
מִן־שְׁלֹשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה לְיֹאשִׁיָּהוּ בֶן־אָמוֹן מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה וְעַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה זֶה שָׁלֹשׁ וְעֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה הָיָה דְבַר־יְהֹוָה אֵלָי וָאֲדַבֵּר אֲלֵיכֶם אַשְׁכֵּים וְדַבֵּר וְלֹא שְׁמַעְתֶּם׃ - From the thirteenth year of Yoshiyahu the son of Amon, king of Yehudah, even unto this day, these twenty-three years, the word of Hashem has come to me, and I have spoken to you, rising early and speaking, but you have not listened.
Rashi and Radak calculate the years: Yoshiyahu reigned for thirty-one years, and Yirmiyahu's prophecy began in the thirteenth year of his reign, meaning after twelve full years had passed. Thus, during Yoshiyahu's lifetime, Yirmiyahu prophesied for nineteen years (thirty-one minus twelve). Now we are already in the fourth year of his son Yehoyakim: nineteen plus four equals twenty-three years.
וְשָׁלַח יְהֹוָה אֲלֵיכֶם אֶת־כָּל־עֲבָדָיו הַנְּבִאִים הַשְׁכֵּם וְשָׁלֹחַ וְלֹא שְׁמַעְתֶּם וְלֹא־הִטִּיתֶם אֶת־אָזְנְכֶם לִשְׁמֹעַ׃ - And Hashem has sent to you all His servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, but you have not listened, nor inclined your ear to hear.
What is the meaning of the phrasing "ashkeim vedabeir"? The commentators explain that the alef here substitutes for a hei, as in "hashkeim vedabeir" (rising early and speaking), and the yud is superfluous. The Malbim suggests that the prophet is speaking here about himself: in the next verse it says of the other prophets "hashkeim veshalo'ach" (in the third person / infinitive), whereas here, concerning himself, he says "ashkeim" (in the first person) - and therefore the alef appears.
The Malbim explains that in these two verses, the prophet sets out to demonstrate how every possible avenue to draw them near was thoroughly exhausted. First, from the perspective of the Sender: "The word of Hashem has come to me" - this is a Divine message addressed to you, yet you did not listen. Second, from the perspective of the messenger: "and I have spoken to you" - and the messenger is Hashem's prophet. Third, this was not a one-time occurrence that you could dismiss as something from long ago and forgotten, but rather "rising early and speaking" - day after day. Fourth, it was not only me - lest you claim you simply could not connect with me personally - but "Hashem has sent to you all His servants the prophets," and they too were "rising early and sending" - time and time again. And despite all this, you did not listen and did not accept; moreover, you did not even incline your ear to hear, unwilling even to listen and consider whether there might be truth here, even without committing to accept it.
Two Paths: Complete Repentance or at Least Forsaking Idolatry
לֵאמֹר שׁוּבוּ־נָא אִישׁ מִדַּרְכּוֹ הָרָעָה וּמֵרֹעַ מַעַלְלֵיכֶם וּשְׁבוּ עַל־הָאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר נָתַן יְהֹוָה לָכֶם וְלַאֲבוֹתֵיכֶם לְמִן־עוֹלָם וְעַד־עוֹלָם׃ - Saying, "Return now, each person from his evil way and from the evil of your deeds, and dwell upon the land that Hashem gave to you and to your forefathers forever and ever."
וְאַל־תֵּלְכוּ אַחֲרֵי אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים לְעָבְדָם וּלְהִשְׁתַּחֲוֺת לָהֶם וְלֹא־תַכְעִיסוּ אוֹתִי בְּמַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵיכֶם וְלֹא אָרַע לָכֶם׃ - "And do not go after other gods to serve them and to prostrate yourselves before them, and do not anger Me with the work of your hands, and I will not bring harm upon you."
Here the prophet lays out two options. The first is complete repentance - "Return now, each person from his evil way and from the evil of your deeds," in which case "and dwell upon the land," under benevolent Divine Providence, dwelling in the land that Hashem gave to you and to your forefathers forever and ever. This is the full package of blessings.
And the second option: even if you do not manage a complete repentance and remain mired in other sins, at least abandon the worst of all - idolatry: "And do not go after other gods to serve them and to prostrate yourselves before them." And what is the reward then? "And I will not bring harm upon you." Notice the phrasing: there is no promise of active goodness here, since you have not fully repented, but rather a promise not to inflict harm. In other words, you will be left under the natural order of things. If you practice idolatry, I will bring harm upon you through direct, explicit Providence; but if you do not worship idols, at the very least I will leave you in the hands of nature and not bring calamity upon you by Divine intervention.
"To Provoke Me to Anger" - The Anguish of the Shechinah
וְלֹא־שְׁמַעְתֶּם אֵלַי נְאֻם־יְהֹוָה לְמַעַן הַכְעִיסֵנִי בְּמַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵיכֶם לְרַע לָכֶם׃ - "Yet you did not listen to Me, says Hashem, so as to anger Me with the work of your hands, to your own detriment."
The Malbim offers a wonderful explanation here: "To anger Me with the work of your hands, to your own detriment" - you angered Me in that, through the deeds of your hands, I was compelled to bring harm upon you, and it is not the desire of the Holy One, blessed be He, to do harm to His creations. Thus, the very fact that He is forced, as it were, to bring calamity upon you is itself a provocation of anger.
This aligns precisely with the words of the Nefesh HaChaim, who explained that when a person commits a sin, he transgresses doubly: the first sin is that he angered Hashem, Who commanded not to do it and he did it anyway. Consequently, the Holy One, blessed be He, must punish him, and the moment He punishes, the Shechinah suffers anguish - "My head is heavy, My arm is heavy." Thus there is double distress: once in disobeying Hashem's word, and a second time in forcing Hashem to administer punishment, causing the Holy One, blessed be He, distress.
The Dispatch of Nevuchadretzar and Total Destruction
לָכֵן כֹּה אָמַר יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת יַעַן אֲשֶׁר לֹא־שְׁמַעְתֶּם אֶת־דְּבָרָי׃ - "Therefore, so says Hashem of Hosts: Because you have not listened to My words..."
הִנְנִי שֹׁלֵחַ וְלָקַחְתִּי אֶת־כָּל־מִשְׁפְּחוֹת צָפוֹן נְאֻם־יְהֹוָה וְאֶל־נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּר מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל עַבְדִּי וַהֲבִאֹתִים עַל־הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת וְעַל־יֹשְׁבֶיהָ וְעַל כָּל־הַגּוֹיִם הָאֵלֶּה סָבִיב וְהַחֲרַמְתִּים וְשַׂמְתִּים לְשַׁמָּה וְלִשְׁרֵקָה וּלְחָרְבוֹת עוֹלָם׃ - "Behold, I am sending and taking all the families of the north, says Hashem, and to Nevuchadretzar the king of Babylon, My servant, and I will bring them against this land and against its inhabitants, and against all these nations round about, and I will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, a hissing, and everlasting desolations."
"Because you have not listened to My words" - to the rebuke with which I rebuked you all these years. Radak explains that "and to Nebuchadrezzar" connects back to the phrasing of sending: Behold, I am sending and taking all the families of the north, and likewise I am sending to Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, My servant, and I will bring them all against this land and against its inhabitants.
Yet we must understand: it makes sense that "I will bring them against this land and against its inhabitants" - after all, I rebuked you for years and you did not listen, and therefore the calamity comes. But what is the meaning of "and against all these nations around, and I will utterly destroy them and make them a desolation"? Why should retribution come upon the nations as well?
The Malbim explains: by My punishing you, all the nations are punished as well, in accordance with the statement of Chazal, "Calamity comes to the world only on account of Israel." And how so? The natural celestial order - the decree of the stars and constellations - dictated at that time that Nebuchadnezzar should rule, and this dictate did not concern us alone, but included the other nations as well. However, Israel is above astrological fate, possessing the power through their deeds to transcend the celestial decree. Had we been worthy, the Holy One, Blessed is He, would have overturned the celestial alignment, and instead of Nebuchadnezzar ruling, we would have humbled and crushed him. Then the nations would also have benefited, for his domination fell not only upon us but upon them as well. It turns out that the only ones with the power to counter the celestial order were us; had we acted properly, we would have saved the nations too. But since we did not listen and were not worthy, the celestial decree was not annulled, and it was fulfilled both upon us and upon the nations. Thus, everything traces back to us.
From here we also understand why it says later, "and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years." Abarbanel explains that each of the seven celestial planets has a specific time and tally of years of influence, and the sum of all their influences is seventy years. The verse comes to teach that Nebuchadnezzar received his dominion through the celestial spheres, and all seven planets indicated his rule until their full cycle had passed - seventy years - and only then would his kingdom fall and the wheel turn. Of course, this is not, Heaven forbid, the view of the nations who attributed everything to the stars themselves; the celestial bodies possess no independent power, and everything comes from Him, blessed be He. *Mazal* is related to the word for the flow of abundance descending from the higher worlds below, and the Holy One, Blessed is He, governs the world through the conduit of celestial influence.
A Nuance: "A Desolation" and "Everlasting Ruins"
The Malbim notes a precision in the language of the verse: "and I will make them a desolation, a hissing, and everlasting ruins." Seemingly, utter desolation is more severe than ruins, and as a rule, when listing calamities one progresses from less severe to more severe, whereas here it appears to lessen. However, we must understand: although desolation itself is more severe, "everlasting ruins" is worse in another respect - desolation can pass, for a day will come when the land will begin to flourish, yield its produce, and everything will return to life; but destroyed homes remain ruined. Even after the land bears fruit and the desolation is forgotten, the ruins still stand, and until they are rebuilt, they remain in ruin. Therefore, "everlasting ruins" comes last, for it endures forever.
Metzudat Tzion explains that *shammah* is related to astonishment - someone looks at the scene and is astounded; and *le-shrekah* ("a hissing") refers to emitting a sound by pursing the lips, a whistle. As we have seen several times, "everyone who sees it will be appalled and hiss" - he will be astonished, and he will whistle in the way of someone whistling in utter shock. This will be the reality: they will see a land that was once glorious, and behold, it lies in ruins.
"Nebuchadrezzar the King of Babylon, My Servant"
One must be careful not to confuse this title with "Moshe, the servant of Hashem." With Moshe, it means that he nullified all his personal desires for the honor of the Creator, blessed be He, and was a servant of Hashem in the fullest sense of the term - a title of the highest virtue. Here the meaning is different, similar to someone saying about another, "He is my servant," meaning that whatever mission I send him on, he goes. Metzudat David explains accordingly: "My servant" - who will go on My mission. This is not a title of honor, but rather designates an agent carrying out the Creator's will at His command.
The Loss of the Sounds of Life
וְהַאֲבַדְתִּי מֵהֶם קוֹל שָׂשׂוֹן וְקוֹל שִׂמְחָה קוֹל חָתָן וְקוֹל כַּלָּה קוֹל רֵחַיִם וְאוֹר נֵר׃ - And I will banish from them the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the groom and the voice of the bride, the sound of millstones and the light of a candle.
Here the prophet describes the magnitude of the devastation in three descending stages. "The voice of mirth and the voice of gladness" - this is the sound of one who is prospering and successful, with joy filling his life. "The voice of the groom and the voice of the bride" - this no longer depends on exceptional success, but is the sign of the normal settlement of the world, of continuation, life, and marriages; and even this will cease. "The sound of millstones and the light of a candle" - even when a land is devastated, one still needs millstones to prepare food and the light of a candle to live indoors; yet even this will be lost, for the land will be entirely desolate, and not even vinedressers and plowmen will remain - nothing at all will be left.
Chazal interpreted "the sound of the millstones" as a sign of a seudat mitzvah: when performing a berit milah, they would grind medicinal ingredients for the infant's healing, and the sound of the millstones refers to this grinding. Thus, there will be neither the voice of joy and gladness - which is the celebration of marriage - nor the sound of millstones - which is the celebration of a berit milah. And "the light of the candle" refers to a banquet, as they would light many candles at banquets. Radak likewise explains that these expressions refer to festive meals, though in his view the grinding is the grinding of spices for the feast itself, whereas according to Rashi, the grinding is for medications for the circumcision. Regarding the candles, Radak agrees with Rashi that they would light many candles in the banquet house, as the Targum renders: "the sound of companies praising and giving thanks by the light of candles."
And what is the difference between simchah (gladness) and sason (joy)? Malbim explains: sason is outward, while simchah is inward, in the heart - "You have put gladness in my heart, more than when their grain and new wine increased" (Tehillim 4:8); whereas sason is when a person exults and rejoices, his joy bursting outward and becoming visible to all.
A Unique Destruction for This Land
וְהָיְתָה כָּל־הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת לְחָרְבָּה לְשַׁמָּה וְעָבְדוּ הַגּוֹיִם הָאֵלֶּה אֶת־מֶלֶךְ בָּבֶל שִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה׃ - "And this whole land shall be a desolation and an astonishment, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years."
Seemingly, it was already stated earlier that everything would become a waste and everlasting desolations; what does this verse add? The verse teaches that there will be a unique destruction reserved for this land. Although the conquest will be widespread, as Nevuchadnetzar will rule over all lands, our land will be ruined and desolated in a singular manner - because it will rebel against Nevuchadnetzar. The other nations will not rebel against him; rather, they will accept his yoke and serve him for seventy years, so they will not suffer complete ruin and desolation. But you will rebel, and therefore the ruin and desolation here will be extraordinary.
The Reckoning of Babylon at the End of Seventy Years
וְהָיָה כִמְלֹאות שִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה אֶפְקֹד עַל־מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל וְעַל־הַגּוֹי הַהוּא נְאֻם־יְהֹוָה אֶת־עֲוֺנָם וְעַל־אֶרֶץ כַּשְׂדִּים וְשַׂמְתִּי אֹתוֹ לְשִׁמְמוֹת עוֹלָם׃ - "And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are fulfilled, that I will visit upon the king of Babylon and upon that nation, says Hashem, their iniquity, and upon the land of the Chaldeans, and I will make it perpetual desolations."
After the king of Babylon carries out the decree - this being the meaning of "My servant," that he fulfills the command - he too will be punished. As the Gemara states: The Holy One, blessed be He, came to destroy Jerusalem and wipe His hands on that man. This was the reason Nero Caesar withdrew, realizing that ultimately whoever carried out the deed would pay a terrible price. And so it is here.
Malbim explains the details of the verse: "and upon that nation" refers back to the king of Babylon mentioned just before - namely Babylon itself, the royal city; "and upon the land of the Chaldeans" - this refers to the land as a whole. Upon all of them I will visit their iniquity, for having devastated lands and tormented the inhabitants of the world.
How does one arrive at the calculation of seventy years? Radak calculates: Nevuchadnetzar himself reigned for forty-five years, for his son Evil-merodach began his reign in the thirty-sixth year of the exile of Yehoyachin, as explained at the end of Sefer Melachim and at the end of our book, and Yehoyachin was exiled in the eighth year of Nevuchadnetzar - totaling forty-five. Evil-merodach reigned for twenty-three years, for we find that his grandson Belshazzar reigned for three years, and out of twenty-six, twenty-three remain for Evil-merodach. Belshazzar did not complete three full years, as he was killed during his third year. The calculation: forty-five plus twenty-three equals sixty-eight, plus two years of Belshazzar - totaling seventy. Thus we have the three generations promised to Nevuchadnetzar regarding the letter for which he ran to retrieve and rewrite: he, his son, and his grandson - Nevuchadnetzar forty-five, Evil-merodach twenty-three, and his grandson Belshazzar two years and part of a third. Why does it say *kim'lot* ("as are fulfilled") rather than *bim'lot* ("when fulfilled")? Because Belshazzar was in the middle of his third year, so one cannot say the count was exact to the day; hence *kim'lot*, with the prefix *kaf* signifying approximation.
וְהֵבֵאתִי עַל־הָאָרֶץ הַהִיא אֶת־כָּל־דְּבָרַי אֲשֶׁר־דִּבַּרְתִּי עָלֶיהָ אֵת כָּל־הַכָּתוּב בַּסֵּפֶר הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר־נִבָּא יִרְמְיָהוּ עַל־כָּל־הַגּוֹיִם׃ - "And I will bring upon that land all My words which I have pronounced against it, all that is written in this book, which Yirmiyahu has prophesied against all the nations."
"All My words which I have pronounced against it" - this refers to the specific prophecy Yirmiyahu uttered regarding Babylon, which appears at the end of his book. "All that is written in this book, which Yirmiyahu has prophesied against all the nations" - these are the prophecies from Chapter 46 onward, which begin with, "That which came as the word of Hashem to Yirmiyahu concerning the nations." That is to say: in addition to Babylon's individual portion in the prophecy dedicated specifically to it, there is also a general prophecy concerning all nations, and Babylon is included among them - resulting in it receiving a double measure.
"According to Their Deeds and According to the Work of Their Hands"
כִּי עָבְדוּ־בָם גַּם־הֵמָּה גּוֹיִם רַבִּים וּמְלָכִים גְּדוֹלִים וְשִׁלַּמְתִּי לָהֶם כְּפָעֳלָם וּכְמַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵיהֶם׃ - For many nations and great kings shall make servants of them too, and I will repay them according to their deeds and according to the work of their hands.
All the nations that Babylon distressed and harmed - they will subjugate Babylon and return upon it all the evils it perpetrated against them. Whatever distress you caused the nations, the nations will exact retribution from you. Rashi explains that this refers to Media and Persia, who would ultimately exact retribution from the Chaldeans. And thereby, "and I will repay them according to their deeds" - they will receive back the evil they wrought upon others, measure for measure.
And what is the distinction between "their deeds" (po'alam) and "the work of their hands" (ma'aseh yedeihem)? The Malbim explains: po'alam refers to the engagement in the task, the act and process itself; ma'aseh yedeihem refers to the completion, the final outcome. And the Holy One, blessed be He, says: I will repay them both for the deed itself and for the exertion that led to it. For when they engaged in bringing the act to fruition, they did so with cruelty, with wrath, and out of sheer malice - and this, too, will be taken into account. The Holy One, blessed be He, exacts punishment not only for the deed itself, but also for its character, the manner in which it was carried out and the spirit behind it.
In Summary:
The chapter opens at the moment the decree was sealed - the fourth year of Yehoyakim - but beforehand, the Holy One, blessed be He, sends His prophet to summarize twenty-three years of rebuke in which every avenue was exhausted: Divine speech, a prophetic emissary, rising early every single day, and dispatching all the prophets - yet despite it all, "you did not incline your ear." Two paths had been offered: complete repentance followed by secure dwelling in the Land, or at the very least abandoning idolatry followed by "and I will do you no harm." Once both were rejected, the decree arrived of Nevuchadrezzar "My servant" - the agent carrying out Hashem's mission - bringing devastation that encompassed the surrounding nations as well, for Israel, who transcend the astrological order, could have overturned the decree and saved them too. Yet this decree is not the end of the story: at the end of seventy years, corresponding to the influence of the seven planets, Babylon's own iniquity will be visited upon it, and it will receive "according to their deeds and according to the work of their hands" - both for the act itself and for the cruelty with which it was performed.