| 19When God saw this, He was disgusted, because His sons and daughters had angered Him. |
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יטוַיַּ֥רְא יְהֹוָ֖ה וַיִּנְאָ֑ץ מִכַּ֥עַס בָּנָ֖יו וּבְנֹתָֽיו: |
| 20He said, ‘I will hide My face from them. I will see what their lot will then be in the end. For they are a generation that transforms My goodwill into anger; they are children who act uneducated. |
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כוַיֹּ֗אמֶר אַסְתִּ֤ירָה פָנַי֙ מֵהֶ֔ם אֶרְאֶ֖ה מָ֣ה אַֽחֲרִיתָ֑ם כִּ֣י ד֤וֹר תַּהְפֻּכֹת֙ הֵ֔מָּה בָּנִ֖ים לֹֽא־אֵמֻ֥ן בָּֽם: |
| מָה אַֽחֲרִיתָם - (lit.) What will be their end - i.e., what will ultimately happen to them. |
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מָה אַֽחֲרִיתָם.
מַה תַּעֲלֶה בָהֶם בְּסוֹפָם:
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| כִּי דוֹר תַּהְפֻּכֹת הֵמָּה - (lit.) For they are a generation of transformation - i.e., they transform My goodwill into anger. |
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כִּי דוֹר תַּהְפֻּכֹת הֵמָּה.
מְהַפְּכִין רְצוֹנִי לְכַעַס:
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| לֹֽא־אֵמֻן בָּֽם - (lit.) Who have no upbringing - means: the upbringing that I gave them is not visible in them, for I taught them the proper path, but they strayed from it. |
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לֹֽא־אֵמֻן בָּֽם.
אֵין גִדּוּלַי נִכָּרִים בָּהֶם, כִּי הוֹרֵיתִים דֶּרֶךְ טוֹבָה וְסָרוּ מִמֶּנָּה:
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| אֵמֻן - This is related to: וַיְהִי אֹמֵן “He had raised Hadassah”; “noureture” in Old French. Another explanation: אֵמֻן denotes faith (אֱמוּנָה), as Onkelos translates it. At Sinai they said: “we will do and we will learn,” yet within a short time they broke their promise and made the Golden Calf. |
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אֵמֻן.
לְשׁוֹן "וַיְהִי אֹמֵן" (אסתר ב'), נורריטור"ה בְּלַעַז; דָּבָר אַחֵר — אמן לְשׁוֹן אֱמוּנָה, כְּתַרְגּוּמוֹ, אָמְרוּ בְסִינַי נַעֲשֶׂה וְנִשְׁמָע וּלְשָׁעָה קַלָּה בִטְּלוּ הַבְטָחָתָם וְעָשׂוּ הָעֵגֶל (ספרי):
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| 21They have made Me jealous with a non-god; they have angered Me with their vanities. I will make them jealous of their captors by making them subject to a “non-people,” i.e., a disreputable nation; I will anger them with a debased nation. |
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כאהֵ֚ם קִנְא֣וּנִי בְלֹא־אֵ֔ל כִּֽעֲס֖וּנִי בְּהַבְלֵיהֶ֑ם וַֽאֲנִי֙ אַקְנִיאֵ֣ם בְּלֹא־עָ֔ם בְּג֥וֹי נָבָ֖ל אַכְעִיסֵֽם: |
| קִנְאוּנִי - They have made Me jealous - i.e., they kindled My anger. |
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קִנְאוּנִי.
הִבְעִירוּ חֲמָתִי:
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| בְלֹא־אֵל - means: With something that is not a god. |
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בְלֹא־אֵל.
בְּדָבָר שֶׁאֵינוֹ אֱלוֹהַּ:
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| בְלֹא־עָם - A non-people - means: with a nation that has no repute, as it says: “Behold the land of the Chaldeans, this nation had been nothing”; and about Esau it says: “you are greatly despised.” |
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בְלֹא־עָם.
בְּאֻמָּה שֶׁאֵין לָהּ שֵׁם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ישעיהו כ"ג) הֵן אֶרֶץ כַּשְׂדִים זֶה הָעָם לֹא הָיָה, בְּעֵשָׂו הוּא אוֹמֵר (עובדיה א') בָּזוּי אַתָּה מְאֹד:
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| בְּגוֹי נָבָל אַכְעִיסֵֽם - I will anger them with a debased nation. This refers to atheists, and similarly it says: “The debased (נָבָל) says in his heart: there is no God.” |
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בְּגוֹי נָבָל אַכְעִיסֵֽם.
אֵלּוּ הַמִּינִים, וְכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר (תהילים י"ד) אָמַר נָבָל בְּלִבּוֹ אֵין אֱלֹהִים (ספרי; יבמות ס"ג):
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| 22For My wrath kindled a fire that will blaze in your midst to your very foundations. It will consume the land and its produce. It will set fire to the Temple city, seemingly situated safely, on mountains. |
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כבכִּֽי־אֵשׁ֙ קָֽדְחָ֣ה בְאַפִּ֔י וַתִּיקַ֖ד עַד־שְׁא֣וֹל תַּחְתִּ֑ית וַתֹּ֤אכַל אֶ֨רֶץ֙ וִֽיבֻלָ֔הּ וַתְּלַהֵ֖ט מֽוֹסְדֵ֥י הָרִֽים: |
| קָֽדְחָה - means: burned. |
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קָֽדְחָה.
בָּעֲרָה:
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| וַתִּיקַד - That will blaze - devouring you down to your foundation. |
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וַתִּיקַד.
בָּכֶם עַד הַיְסוֹד:
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| וַתֹּאכַל אֶרֶץ וִֽיבֻלָהּ - It will consume the land and its produce - means: your land and its produce. |
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וַתֹּאכַל אֶרֶץ וִֽיבֻלָהּ.
אַרְצְכֶם וִיבוּלָהּ (ספרי):
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| וַתְּלַהֵט - It will set fire - to Jerusalem, which is founded (הַמְיֻסֶּדֶת) on mountains, as it says: “Jerusalem is surrounded by mountains.” |
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וַתְּלַהֵט.
יְרוּשָׁלַיִם הַמְיֻסֶּדֶת עַל הֶהָרִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהילים קכ"ה) יְרוּשָׁלַיִם הָרִים סָבִיב לָהּ:
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| 23I will heap evil upon evil upon them. I will use up all My figurative arrows on them. |
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כגאַסְפֶּ֥ה עָלֵ֖ימוֹ רָע֑וֹת חִצַּ֖י אֲכַלֶּה־בָּֽם: |
| אַסְפֶּה עָלֵימוֹ רָעוֹת - means: I will have one evil follow the next, אַסְפֶּה being related to: “add (סְפוּ) year by year,” “to add (סְפוֹת) punishment for unintentional sins,” “add (סְפוּ) your ascent-offerings to your feast-offerings.” Another explanation: אַסְפֶּה means: I will expend, as in: פֶּן תִּסָּפֶה “lest you be obliterated.” |
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אַסְפֶּה עָלֵימוֹ רָעוֹת.
אַחְבִּיר רָעָה עַל רָעָה, לְשׁוֹן "סְפוּ שָׁנָה עַל שָׁנָה" (ישעיהו כ"ט), "סְפוֹת הָרָוָה" (דברים כ"ט), "עֹלוֹתֵיכֶם סְפוּ עַל זִבְחֵיכֶם" (ירמיהו ז'). דָּבָר אַחֵר — אספה אֲכַלֶּה, כְּמוֹ "פֶּן תִּסָּפֶה" (בראשית י"ט):
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| חִצַּי אֲכַלֶּה־בָּֽם - I will use up My arrows on them - i.e., I will finish off all My arrows against them. This curse, in context of the punishment, is a blessing: My arrows will be used up, but Israel will not come to an end. |
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חִצַּי אֲכַלֶּה־בָּֽם.
כָּל חִצַּי אַשְׁלִים בָּהֶם, וּקְלָלָה זוֹ לְפִי הַפֻּרְעָנוּת לִבְרָכָה הִיא — חִצַּי כָּלִים וְהֵם אֵינָם כָּלִים (ספרי; סוטה ט'):
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| 24They will grow hairy from hunger, and demons will attack them. The destruction caused by the demon Meriri will befall them. I will set the teeth of cattle on them, along with the venom of serpents that crawl in the dust. |
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כדמְזֵ֥י רָעָ֛ב וּלְחֻ֥מֵי רֶ֖שֶׁף וְקֶ֣טֶב מְרִירִ֑י וְשֶׁן־בְּהֵמֹת֙ אֲשַׁלַּח־בָּ֔ם עִם־חֲמַ֖ת זֹֽחֲלֵ֥י עָפָֽר: |
| מְזֵי רָעָב - Onkelos translates this as: נְפִיחֵי כְפָן “bloated from starvation,” but I cannot find decisive evidence for this. I heard in the name of Rabbi Moshe HaDarshan of Toulouse that it means: “hairy from hunger.” An emaciated person sprouts extra hair on his body. |
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מְזֵי רָעָב.
אֻנְקְלוֹס תִּרְגֵּם "נְפִיחֵי כָפָן", וְאֵין לִי עֵד מוֹכִיחַ עָלָיו, וּמִשְּׁמוֹ שֶׁל רַבִּי מֹשֶׁה הַדַּרְשָׁן מִטּוּלוּשָׂא שָׁמַעְתִּי שְׂעִירֵי רָעָב — אָדָם כָּחוּשׁ מְגַדֵּל שֵׂעָר עַל בְּשָׂרוֹ:
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| מְזֵי - Hairy. The Aramaic term for hair is מַזְיָא, as in: דַּהֲוָה מְהַפֵּךְ בְּמַזְיָא “he was grooming his hair.” |
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מְזֵי.
לְשׁוֹן אֲרַמִּי שֵׂעָר — מִזַיָּא, "דַּהֲוָה מְהַפֵּךְ בְּמִזַיָּא" (מגילה י"ח):
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| וּלְחֻמֵי רֶשֶׁף - means: the demons attacked them, similar to: “בְּנֵי רֶשֶׁף fly high,” which refer to demons. |
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וּלְחֻמֵי רֶשֶׁף.
הַשֵּׁדִים נִלְחֲמוּ בָהֶם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "וּבְנֵי רֶשֶׁף יַגְבִּיהוּ עוּף" (איוב ה'), וְהֵם שֵׁדִים:
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| וְקֶטֶב מְרִירִי -
means: and the destruction by a demon called מְרִירִי . קטב means: annihilation, as in: אֱהִי קָטָבְךָ שְׁאוֹל “I will condemn you to the grave.”
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וְקֶטֶב מְרִירִי.
וּכְרִיתוּת שֵׁד שֶׁשְּׁמוֹ מְרִירִי, קטב כְּרִיתָה, כְּמוֹ "אֱהִי קָטָבְךָ שְׁאוֹל" (הושע י"ג):
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| וְשֶׁן־בְּהֵמֹת - The teeth of cattle. It indeed happened at some point that ewes were biting people and thereby causing their death. |
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וְשֶׁן־בְּהֵמֹת.
מַעֲשֶׂה הָיָה וְהָיוּ הָרְחֵלִים נוֹשְׁכִין וּמְמִיתִין (ספרי):
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| חֲמַת זֹֽחֲלֵי עָפָֽר - The venom of those that crawl in the dust. means: the venom of serpents that move along the dust on their bellies, just as water runs (הַזּוֹחֲלִים) along the ground. זְחִילָה is used to refer to water running along the ground, as well as to any item that moves about by sliding along the ground. |
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חֲמַת זֹֽחֲלֵי עָפָֽר.
אֶרֶס נְחָשִׁים הַמְהַלְּכִים עַל גְּחוֹנָם עַל הֶעָפָר כַּמַּיִם הַזּוֹחֲלִים עַל הָאָרֶץ; זְחִילָה לְשׁוֹן מְרוּצַת הַמַּיִם עַל הֶעָפָר וְכֵן כָּל מְרוּצַת דָּבָר הַמְשַׁפְשֵׁף עַל הֶעָפָר וְהוֹלֵךְ:
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| 25Outside their cities, the sword of their enemies will destroy them, while the dread of their enemies that they feel in their hearts will kill them: the young man, the young girl, the nursing baby, and the old. |
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כהמִחוּץ֙ תְּשַׁכֶּל־חֶ֔רֶב וּמֵֽחֲדָרִ֖ים אֵימָ֑ה גַּם־בָּחוּר֙ גַּם־בְּתוּלָ֔ה יוֹנֵ֖ק עִם־אִ֥ישׁ שֵׂיבָֽה: |
| מִחוּץ תְּשַׁכֶּל־חֶרֶב - Outside the sword will destroy - i.e., the sword of the enemy troops will bereave them outside the city. |
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מִחוּץ תְּשַׁכֶּל־חֶרֶב.
מִחוּץ לָעִיר תְּשַׁכְּלֵם חֶרֶב גְּיָסוֹת.
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| וּמֵֽחֲדָרִים אֵימָה - And dread (lit.) from the chambers - when he flees and escapes from the sword, the chambers of his heart pound with fear, and he gradually dies from it. Another explanation of וּמֵחֲדָרִים אֵימָה: Inside the house, there will be fear of an epidemic, as it says: “For death has penetrated our windows,” and so Onkelos translates it. Another explanation: מִחוּץ תְּשַׁכֶּל חֶרֶב – On account of what they did in the streets, as it says: “you set up as many altars to shameful deities as there are streets in Jerusalem.” וּמֵחֲדָרִים אֵימָה – On account of what they did in their innermost chambers, as it says: “Have you seen what the elders of the House of Israel do in the dark, each in his concealed chambers?” |
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וּמֵֽחֲדָרִים אֵימָה.
כְּשֶׁבּוֹרֵחַ וְנִמְלָט חַדְרֵי לִבּוֹ נְקוּפִים עָלָיו מֵחֲמַת אֵימָה, וְהוּא מֵת וְהוֹלֵךְ בָּה (ספרי); דָּבָר אַחֵר, ומחדרים אימה — בַּבַּיִת תִּהְיֶה אֵימַת דֶּבֶר, כְּמָה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ירמיהו ט') "כִּי עָלָה מָוֶת בְּחַלּוֹנֵינוּ", וְכֵן תִּרְגֵּם אֻנְקְלוֹס; דָּבָר אַחֵר, מחוץ תשכל חרב — עַל מַה שֶּׁעָשׂוּ בַחוּצוֹת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "וּמִסְפַּר חוּצוֹת יְרוּשָׁלַיִם שַׂמְתֶּם מִזְבְּחוֹת לַבֹּשֶׁת" (שם י"א); ומחדרים אימה, עַל מַה שֶּׁעָשׂוּ בְחַדְרֵי חֲדָרִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "אֲשֶׁר זִקְנֵי בֵית יִשְׂרָאֵל עוֹשִׂים בַּחֹשֶׁךְ אִישׁ בְּחַדְרֵי מַשְׂכִּיתוֹ" (יחזקאל ח'):
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| 26I would have said, “I will abandon them as completely as I have commanded them to abandon the corners of their fields; I will erase their memory from humanity,” |
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כואָמַ֖רְתִּי אַפְאֵיהֶ֑ם אַשְׁבִּ֥יתָה מֵֽאֱנ֖וֹשׁ זִכְרָֽם: |
| אָמַרְתִּי אַפְאֵיהֶם - means: I said in My heart, “I will cast them away.” One can explain אַפְאֵיהֶם as: I will make them as פֵּאָה (the ownerless corner of the field), to cast them off from Me as if ownerless. We find a similar use in Ezra: “You gave them kingdoms and nations, and apportioned them as פֵּאָה,” i.e., free to take. Menachem ben Saruk also classified it in this way. Some interpret this as Onkelos translates it: יֵחוֹל רֻגְזִי עֲלֵיהוֹן “My anger will assail them,” but this is incorrect, for if so, it should have written אֲאַפְאֵיהֶם, with one א as the first-person prefix and the other א as a root letter, as in אֲאַזֶּרְךָ “I will gird you” from אזר, and אֲאַמִּצְכֶם בְּמוֹ פִי “I strengthen you with my mouth” from אמץ, and the א in middle of the root does not belong at all. Onkelos’ translation is based on the baraita in Sifrei that divides this word into three words: אָמַרְתִּי אַף, אֵי הֵם – “I said in my anger: I will render them as if nonexistent, so that those who see them will say about them: ‘Where are they (אַיֵּה הֵם)?’” |
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אָמַרְתִּי אַפְאֵיהֶם.
אָמַרְתִּי בְלִבִּי אַפְאֶה אוֹתָם, וְיֵשׁ לְפָרֵשׁ אפאיהם אֲשִׁיתֵם פֵּאָה, לְהַשְׁלִיכָם מֵעָלַי הֶפְקֵר, וְדֻגְמָתוֹ מָצִינוּ בְעֶזְרָא (נחמיה ט') "וַתִּתֵּן לָהֶם מַמְלָכוֹת וַעֲמָמִים וַתַּחְלְקֵם לְפֵאָה" — לְהֶפְקֵר, וְכֵן חִבְּרוֹ מְנַחֵם. וְיֵשׁ פּוֹתְרִים אוֹתוֹ כְּתַרְגּוּמוֹ "יָחוּל רוּגְזִי עֲלֵיהוֹן", וְלֹא יִתָּכֵן, שֶׁאִם כֵּן הָיָה לוֹ לִכְתֹּב אֲאַפְאֵיהֶם, אַחַת לְשִׁמּוּשׁ וְאַחַת לִיסוֹד, כְּמוֹ "אֲאַזֶּרְךָ" (ישעיהו מ"ה), "אֲאַמִּצְכֶם בְּמוֹ פִי" (איוב ט"ו), וְהָאָלֶ"ף הַתִּיכוֹנָה אֵינָהּ רְאוּיָה בוֹ כְלָל. וְאֻנְקְלוֹס תִּרְגֵּם אַחַר לְשׁוֹן הַבָּרַיְתָא הַשְּׁנוּיָה בְסִפְרֵי הַחוֹלֶקֶת תֵּבָה זוֹ לְשָׁלוֹשׁ תֵּבוֹת, אָמַרְתִּי אַף אֵי הֵם — אָמַרְתִּי בְאַפִּי אֶתְּנֵם כְּאִלּוּ אֵינָם שֶׁיֹּאמְרוּ רוֹאֵיהֶם עֲלֵיהֶם אַיֵּה הֵם:
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| 27were it not that the anger of the enemy is pent up against them, and therefore I cannot annihilate them lest their adversaries ascribe their victory to their own, foreign deity, and lest they say, “The power of our hand is supreme, and it is not God who has done all this.” |
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כזלוּלֵ֗י כַּ֤עַס אוֹיֵב֙ אָג֔וּר פֶּן־יְנַכְּר֖וּ צָרֵ֑ימוֹ פֶּן־יֹֽאמְרוּ֙ יָדֵ֣נוּ רָ֔מָה וְלֹ֥א יְהֹוָ֖ה פָּעַ֥ל כָּל־זֹֽאת: |
| לוּלֵי כַּעַס אוֹיֵב אָגוּר - Were it not that the anger of the enemy is pent up - i.e., were it not for the fact that the enemy’s anger is pent up against them in order to destroy them, and if they were to overcome them and destroy them they would take the credit for themselves and their gods and not accredit it to Me. This is what is meant by: פֶּן יְנַכְּרוּ צָרֵימוֹ – they would misinterpret the matter, ascribing My power to a foreign force that does not deserve this praise |
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לוּלֵי כַּעַס אוֹיֵב אָגוּר.
אִם לֹא שֶׁכַּעַס הָאוֹיֵב כָּנוּס עֲלֵיהֶם לְהַשְׁחִית, וְאִם יוּכַל לָהֶם וְיַשְׁחִיתֵם יִתְלֶה הַגְּדֻלָּה בּוֹ וּבֵאלֹהָיו וְלֹא יִתְלֶה הַגְּדֻלָּה בִּי, וְזֶהוּ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר פן ינכרו צרימו — יְנַכְּרוּ הַדָּבָר לִתְלוֹת גְּבוּרָתָם בְּנָכְרִי שֶׁאֵין הַגְּדֻלָּה שֶׁלּוֹ — פן יאמרו ידנו רמה וגו':
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| פן יאמרו ידנו רמה וגו' - “lest they say, ‘the power of our hand is supreme…,’”. for that nation “is bewildered, and they possess no understanding,” |
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פן יאמרו ידנו רמה וגו'.
כי אותו גוי אובד עצות המה: |
| 28For these enemies are a bewildered nation, and they possess no understanding. |
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כחכִּי־ג֛וֹי אֹבַ֥ד עֵצ֖וֹת הֵ֑מָּה וְאֵ֥ין בָּהֶ֖ם תְּבוּנָֽה: |
| כִּי־ - and they have no understanding. For if they were wise people, they would understand this, namely: “How could one [person] pursue [a thousand…]?” (verse 30). |
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כִּי־.
אוֹתוֹ גוי אבד עצות המה ואין בהם תבונה. שֶׁאִלּוּ הָיוּ חֲכָמִים ישכילו זאת איכה ירדף וגו':
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