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Jeremiah 27

ירמיהו פרק כ״ז

Section: נביאים · נביאים אחרונים | Book: Jeremiah | Chapter: 27 of 52 | Day: 240 of 742

Date: October 9, 2026

קלאוד על הנ״ך

Chapter 27 begins a tightly bound unit of Sefer Yirmiyahu, running through chapter 29, in which the central question is no longer whether Bavel will come but how Judah should live once it has come. The answer the prophet gives is one of the hardest in all of prophetic literature: submit. Put your neck under the yoke of the king of Bavel, serve him, and live. Where earlier chapters threatened conquest as the punishment for sin, this chapter treats subjugation as the decree already in force, and it makes acceptance of that decree the test of obedience to God. Resistance, however patriotic it may sound, is now rebellion against the One who has handed the world to Nevuchadnetzar. To dramatize the message Yirmiyahu does not merely speak it; he wears it. The chapter is built around a sign-act, a wooden yoke placed on the prophet’s own neck, and that yoke will become the object of the confrontation with Chananyah son of Azzur in the following chapter.

The superscription poses a well-known difficulty. It dates the prophecy to the beginning of the reign of Yehoyakim (בראשית ממלכת יהויקים), yet the body of the chapter speaks of envoys who have come to Tzidkiyahu in Jerusalem, and of vessels left behind when Yechonyah was exiled, events that took place a decade and more later. Chapter 28 opens with the same words and then specifies the fourth year of Tzidkiyahu. The commentators take the superscription at face value and read the chapter as a prophecy given long before it was to be performed. Rashi says that Yirmiyahu prophesied three years before Nevuchadnetzar became king that he would indeed reign. Radak develops the point fully: the word came to Yirmiyahu in the first year of Yehoyakim, and God told him that when Tzidkiyahu would reign after Yehoyakim and Yehoyachin, he was to make thongs and bars and send them to the kings by their envoys. Why reveal it so early? So that Yehoyakim would know that Nevuchadnetzar was destined to rule, and would not place his trust in the king of Mitzrayim who had set him on the throne. Rashi on verse 3 adds a striking chronology of his own: the bars and thongs remained on the prophet’s neck for fifteen years, from the first year of Yehoyakim until the fourth year of Tzidkiyahu, when Chananyah broke them. On this reading the yoke was not a passing gesture but a sign Yirmiyahu carried through two reigns and a deportation.

The sign-act itself is specific. Yirmiyahu is told to make thongs and bars (מוסרות ומטות), which Rashi and Radak identify as the straps that bind the yoke onto the neck of the animal and the wooden poles of the yoke itself. He is to put them on his own neck and then send them to the kings of Edom, Moav, Ammon, Tzor and Tzidon, by the hand of the envoys who have come to Jerusalem. Radak reads the political background between the lines: these kings had sent their representatives to Tzidkiyahu to draw him into a common revolt against Bavel. Jerusalem had become the meeting place of a small anti-Babylonian coalition, and into that diplomatic gathering the prophet walks wearing the very harness the conspirators were plotting to throw off. Rashi adds a further tradition, that Nevuchadnetzar had placed these five kings under the authority of Tzidkiyahu, which would make the conference in Jerusalem an even sharper act of disloyalty by a vassal king toward his overlord. Either way, the message is delivered not only to Judah but to the nations, and Yirmiyahu here acts in the role announced at his commission, a prophet to the nations (נביא לגוים).

The message the envoys are to carry begins not with politics but with creation. I made the earth, man and beast upon the face of the earth, by My great strength and My outstretched arm, and I give it to whomever is right in My eyes. Metzudat David draws the conclusion simply: since everything is His, it lies in His hand to give it to whom He wishes. The claim is theological before it is political. Dominion over the nations is not won by armies but granted by the Creator, and at this moment it has been granted to Nevuchadnetzar, whom God calls My servant (עבדי). The title is startling, since it is used elsewhere of Moshe and Dovid, and the commentators carefully limit its sense. Rashi explains that he will perform God’s will in requiting His enemies; Metzudat David says he is carrying out God’s mission in this matter; Radak, that he will do God’s will among the nations. Nevuchadnetzar is a servant in function, not in virtue. The grant even extends to the beasts of the field, and Radak and Metzudat David record the rabbinic aggadah that he rode upon a lion with a serpent bound on its head, an image of total dominion over the created order.

Yet the grant has limits written into it. All the nations will serve him, his son and his son’s son, until the time of his own land comes. Rashi, Radak and Metzudat David identify the son as Evil-Merodach and the grandson as Belshazzar, and Rashi explains that the time of his land arrives when Daryavesh the Mede and Koresh come and slay Belshazzar, as narrated in the book of Daniel. The empire that is now the instrument of God’s judgment is itself subject to the same judgment, and its end is foretold at the very moment its power is proclaimed. This is the counterweight to the seventy years of chapter 25. Submission is commanded, but it is submission to a passing order, not a surrender of hope.

The heart of the chapter is a triple address, arranged in descending circles: first to the foreign kings (verses 2-11), then to Tzidkiyahu (verses 12-15), then to the priests and all the people (verses 16-22). Each hears the same basic alternative. The nation that brings its neck under the yoke of Bavel will be left on its land to till it and dwell on it; the nation that refuses will be visited with sword, famine and pestilence until it is consumed. Metzudat David spells out the practical logic: if you accept the servitude you will remain in your land and pay the tribute, but if you fight and he prevails, he will carry you away captive to a distant land. To each audience Yirmiyahu also adds a warning against those who promise the opposite. The nations have their prophets, diviners, dreamers, soothsayers and sorcerers, and Metzudat David patiently distinguishes the various arts. Judah has its prophets who speak falsely in God’s name. The phrasing is pointed: the foreign kings are warned against their soothsayers, while Judah is warned against its prophets, as though in this crisis the false prophet of Israel had become no different from the pagan diviner. Twice the chapter says that these prophets prophesy in order to remove you from your land (למען הרחיק אתכם), and Metzudat David explains the bitter irony: the only thing their comforting oracles will accomplish is exile.

The final section narrows to the most sensitive symbol of all, the vessels of the house of the LORD. When Yechonyah was taken to Bavel, Nevuchadnetzar carried off Temple treasures with him, and the prophets of peace were now promising that those vessels would very soon be brought back (מושבים מבבלה עתה מהרה). Yirmiyahu answers with a sharp test. If they are truly prophets and the word of the LORD is with them, let them entreat the LORD of Hosts that the vessels still remaining in the Temple, in the king’s house and in Jerusalem should not go to Bavel. Metzudat David notes the turn in the argument: let them pray not for the return of what was taken but at least for the preservation of what is left. A true prophet, as Avraham and Moshe and Shmuel had shown, is also an intercessor; these prophets offer only predictions. Then comes the inventory, unusually concrete for a prophetic oracle: the pillars, the sea, the stands (המכונות), which Rashi glosses from Targum Yonatan as bases, comparing the basin and its stand of Shemot, and the rest of the vessels left behind when Yechonyah and the nobles (חורי) of Judah were exiled. They too will be carried to Bavel.

And yet the chapter does not end in loss. The last verse adds a promise that the vessels will remain in Bavel only until the day I remember them (עד יום פקדי אותם), and then I will bring them up and restore them to this place. Rashi, Metzudat David and Radak all point to the days of Koresh, when, as the book of Ezra records, the vessels were counted out to Sheshbatzar the prince of Judah and brought back to Jerusalem with the returning exiles. The structure of the whole chapter is thus compressed into its final verse. The false prophets promise return now; Yirmiyahu promises exile now and return later. The difference is not between hope and despair but between a hope that denies the decree and a hope that passes through it. That distinction, between comfort that evades judgment and comfort that lies on its far side, will be fought out in person between Yirmiyahu and Chananyah in chapter 28, and will shape the letter to the exiles in chapter 29.

פרק כ״ז · Chapter 27

פסוק א׳ · Verse 1

Hebrew:

בְּרֵאשִׁ֗ית מַמְלֶ֛כֶת יְהוֹיָקִ֥ם בֶּן־יֹאושִׁיָּ֖הוּ מֶ֣לֶךְ יְהוּדָ֑ה הָיָ֞ה הַדָּבָ֤ר הַזֶּה֙ אֶֽל־יִרְמְיָ֔ה מֵאֵ֥ת יְהֹוָ֖ה לֵאמֹֽר׃

English:

At the beginning of the reign of King Jehoiakim son of Josiah of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from GOD:

The superscription dates this word to the beginning of Yehoyakim's reign, though the chapter speaks of envoys to Tzidkiyahu. Rashi says Yirmiyahu prophesied three years before Nevuchadnetzar became king that he would reign. Radak explains that the prophecy was given now but to be carried out under Tzidkiyahu, so that Yehoyakim would know Nevuchadnetzar was destined to rule and not trust the king of Mitzrayim who had enthroned him.
▶Commentaries (1)
רש״יRashi
בראשית ממלכת יהויקים. שלש שנים לפני שמלך נבוכדנצר נתנבא עליו שימלוך:
In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim Three years prior to Nebuchadnezzar's ascent to the throne, he prophesied about him that he would reign.

פסוק ב׳ · Verse 2

Hebrew:

כֹּֽה־אָמַ֤ר יְהֹוָה֙ אֵלַ֔י עֲשֵׂ֣ה לְךָ֔ מוֹסֵר֖וֹת וּמֹט֑וֹת וּנְתַתָּ֖ם עַל־צַוָּארֶֽךָ׃

English:

Thus said GOD to me: Make for yourself thongs and bars of a yoke, and put them on your neck.

God commands a sign-act: Yirmiyahu is to make thongs and bars of a yoke (מוסרות ומטות) and place them on his own neck. Rashi identifies the thongs as the straps of the yoke, and Radak explains both terms as the straps and cords that bind the yoke to an animal's neck. The prophet becomes a living picture of the servitude he is about to proclaim to Judah and its neighbors.
▶Commentaries (1)
רש״יRashi
מוסרות. הם רצועות העול שקורין קוריגל"ש:
thongs They are the thongs of the yoke that are called kongoijli (cojongles).

פסוק ג׳ · Verse 3

Hebrew:

וְשִׁלַּחְתָּם֩ אֶל־מֶ֨לֶךְ אֱד֜וֹם וְאֶל־מֶ֣לֶךְ מוֹאָ֗ב וְאֶל־מֶ֙לֶךְ֙ בְּנֵ֣י עַמּ֔וֹן וְאֶל־מֶ֥לֶךְ צֹ֖ר וְאֶל־מֶ֣לֶךְ צִיד֑וֹן בְּיַ֤ד מַלְאָכִים֙ הַבָּאִ֣ים יְרוּשָׁלַ֔͏ִם אֶל־צִדְקִיָּ֖הוּ מֶ֥לֶךְ יְהוּדָֽה׃

English:

And send them to the king of Edom, the king of Moab, the king of the Ammonites, the king of Tyre, and the king of Sidon, by envoys who have come to King Zedekiah of Judah in Jerusalem;

The yokes are to be sent to the kings of Edom, Moav, Ammon, Tzor and Tzidon by their envoys gathered in Jerusalem, apparently to plan revolt against Bavel. Rashi dates this to Tzidkiyahu's fourth year and says the yoke stayed on the prophet's neck fifteen years until Chananyah broke it. Metzudat David explains that the command was given under Yehoyakim, to be fulfilled when Tzidkiyahu reigned.
▶Commentaries (1)
רש״יRashi
ושלחתם אל מלך אדום. בימי צדקיהו בשנה הרביעית למלכו שעשהו נבוכדנצר שליט על חמשה מלכים: מלך אדום ומלך מואב ומלך בני עמון וגו'. אלו חמשה מלכים נתן נבוכדנצר תחת ידו של צדקיהו. חמש עשרה שנה היו על צוארו משנה אחת ליהויקים עד השנה הרביעית לצדקיהו ששברם הימנו חנניה בן עזור:
And you shall send them to the king of Edom In the days of Zedekiah in the fourth year of his reign, when Nebuchadnezzar made him ruler over five kings. the king of Edom, the king of Moab, the king of the children of Ammon, etc. These five kings Nebuchadnezzar placed under the authority of Zedekiah. Fifteen years they (the bars and thongs) were on his neck, from the first year of Jehoiakim until the fourth year of Zedekiah, when Hananiah son of Azzur broke them off him.

פסוק ד׳ · Verse 4

Hebrew:

וְצִוִּיתָ֣ אֹתָ֔ם אֶל־אֲדֹנֵיהֶ֖ם לֵאמֹ֑ר כֹּה־אָמַ֞ר יְהֹוָ֤ה צְבָאוֹת֙ אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל כֹּ֥ה תֹאמְר֖וּ אֶל־אֲדֹנֵיכֶֽם׃

English:

and give them this charge to their masters: Thus said GOD of Hosts, the God of Israel: Say this to your masters:

The envoys are charged to carry the message home to their masters, framed with the full formula of the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel. Metzudat David notes that the command is directed at the messengers themselves, who must report it to their kings. The God of Israel speaks here to foreign rulers, and Yirmiyahu acts in the role of prophet to the nations given to him at his commission.

פסוק ה׳ · Verse 5

Hebrew:

אָנֹכִ֞י עָשִׂ֣יתִי אֶת־הָאָ֗רֶץ אֶת־הָאָדָ֤ם וְאֶת־הַבְּהֵמָה֙ אֲשֶׁר֙ עַל־פְּנֵ֣י הָאָ֔רֶץ בְּכֹחִי֙ הַגָּד֔וֹל וּבִזְרוֹעִ֖י הַנְּטוּיָ֑ה וּנְתַתִּ֕יהָ לַאֲשֶׁ֖ר יָשַׁ֥ר בְּעֵינָֽי׃

English:

“It is I who made the earth, and the humans and animals that are on the earth, by My great might and My outstretched arm; and I give it to whomever I deem proper.

The message opens with creation: God made the earth, man and beast, by His great strength and outstretched arm, and gives it to whomever is right in His eyes. Metzudat David draws the conclusion that since all is His, it lies in His hand to grant it as He wills. Radak adds a grammatical note on the word ישר. Political sovereignty is presented as a gift of the Creator, not a prize of war.

פסוק ו׳ · Verse 6

Hebrew:

וְעַתָּ֗ה אָֽנֹכִי֙ נָתַ֙תִּי֙ אֶת־כׇּל־הָאֲרָצ֣וֹת הָאֵ֔לֶּה בְּיַ֛ד נְבוּכַדְנֶאצַּ֥ר מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶ֖ל עַבְדִּ֑י וְגַם֙ אֶת־חַיַּ֣ת הַשָּׂדֶ֔ה נָתַ֥תִּי ל֖וֹ לְעׇבְדֽוֹ׃

English:

I herewith deliver all these lands to My servant, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon; I even give him the wild beasts to serve him.

God hands all these lands to Nevuchadnetzar, startlingly called My servant (עבדי). Rashi limits the title: he will do God's will in requiting His enemies; Metzudat David says he carries out God's mission here, and Radak, God's will among the nations. Even the beasts of the field serve him, and both Radak and Metzudat David cite the aggadah that he rode a lion with a serpent bound to its head.
▶Commentaries (1)
רש״יRashi
עבדי. שיעשה רצוני לפרע משונאי:
My servant Who will perform My will to requite My enemies.

פסוק ז׳ · Verse 7

Hebrew:

וְעָבְד֤וּ אֹתוֹ֙ כׇּל־הַגּוֹיִ֔ם וְאֶת־בְּנ֖וֹ וְאֶֽת־בֶּן־בְּנ֑וֹ עַ֣ד בֹּא־עֵ֤ת אַרְצוֹ֙ גַּם־ה֔וּא וְעָ֤בְדוּ בוֹ֙ גּוֹיִ֣ם רַבִּ֔ים וּמְלָכִ֖ים גְּדֹלִֽים׃

English:

All nations shall serve him, his son and his grandson—until the turn of his own land comes, when many nations and great kings shall subjugate him.

All nations will serve Nevuchadnetzar, his son and his grandson, until the time of his own land comes. Rashi, Radak and Metzudat David name the son as Evil-Merodach and the grandson as Belshazzar, and Rashi explains that the end comes when Daryavesh the Mede and Koresh slay Belshazzar. Metzudat David notes that Bavel's land will be ruined just as it ruined others. The empire's limit is announced along with its power.
▶Commentaries (1)
רש״יRashi
ואת בנו. אויל מרודך: ואת בן בנו. בלשאצר: עד בא עת ארצו. שיבואו דריוש המדי וכורש ויהרגו את בלשאצר:
and his son Evil-Merodach. and his son's son Belshazzar. until the time of his own land come When Darius the Mede and Cyrus come and slay Belshazzar.

פסוק ח׳ · Verse 8

Hebrew:

וְהָיָ֨ה הַגּ֜וֹי וְהַמַּמְלָכָ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר לֹֽא־יַעַבְד֤וּ אֹתוֹ֙ אֶת־נְבוּכַדְנֶאצַּ֣ר מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶ֔ל וְאֵ֨ת אֲשֶׁ֤ר לֹֽא־יִתֵּן֙ אֶת־צַוָּאר֔וֹ בְּעֹ֖ל מֶ֣לֶךְ בָּבֶ֑ל בַּחֶ֩רֶב֩ וּבָרָעָ֨ב וּבַדֶּ֜בֶר אֶפְקֹ֨ד עַל־הַגּ֤וֹי הַהוּא֙ נְאֻם־יְהֹוָ֔ה עַד־תֻּמִּ֥י אֹתָ֖ם בְּיָדֽוֹ׃

English:

The nation or kingdom that does not serve him—King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon—and does not put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation I will visit—declares GOD—with sword, famine, and pestilence, until I have destroyed it by his hands.

The nation that will not serve Nevuchadnetzar or bring its neck under his yoke will be visited with sword, famine and pestilence until it is consumed by his hand. Metzudat David stresses willing acceptance: the nation that does not take the yoke upon itself of its own accord, with the doubled phrasing for emphasis. Radak comments on the unusual grammar of the pronoun followed by the name Nevuchadnetzar.

פסוק ט׳ · Verse 9

Hebrew:

וְ֠אַתֶּ֠ם אַל־תִּשְׁמְע֨וּ אֶל־נְבִיאֵיכֶ֜ם וְאֶל־קֹסְמֵיכֶ֗ם וְאֶל֙ חֲלֹמֹ֣תֵיכֶ֔ם וְאֶל־עֹנְנֵיכֶ֖ם וְאֶל־כַּשָּׁפֵיכֶ֑ם אֲשֶׁר־הֵ֞ם אֹמְרִ֤ים אֲלֵיכֶם֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר לֹ֥א תַעַבְד֖וּ אֶת־מֶ֥לֶךְ בָּבֶֽל׃

English:

As for you, give no heed to your prophets, augurs, dreamers, diviners, and sorcerers, who say to you, ‘Do not serve the king of Babylon.’

The nations are warned against their prophets, diviners, dreamers, soothsayers and sorcerers who urge them not to serve Bavel. Metzudat David distinguishes each art: lying prophets, divination as a form of sorcery, foretelling through dreams, and other kinds of witchcraft. Radak explains the dreams as the dreamers of dreams, following Targum Yonatan. The whole apparatus of foreign religion is mobilized against submission, and all of it lies.

פסוק י׳ · Verse 10

Hebrew:

כִּ֣י שֶׁ֔קֶר הֵ֖ם נִבְּאִ֣ים לָכֶ֑ם לְמַ֨עַן הַרְחִ֤יק אֶתְכֶם֙ מֵעַ֣ל אַדְמַתְכֶ֔ם וְהִדַּחְתִּ֥י אֶתְכֶ֖ם וַאֲבַדְתֶּֽם׃

English:

For they prophesy falsely to you—with the result that you shall be banished from your land; I will drive you out and you shall perish.

These diviners prophesy falsely, with the result that the nations will be removed far from their land, driven out and lost. Metzudat David explains the bitter logic: accepting servitude means staying home and paying tribute, while fighting and losing means captivity in a distant land. God Himself will assist Bavel in driving them out. The comforting oracle achieves the very exile it claims to prevent.

פסוק י״א · Verse 11

Hebrew:

וְהַגּ֗וֹי אֲשֶׁ֨ר יָבִ֧יא אֶת־צַוָּאר֛וֹ בְּעֹ֥ל מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶ֖ל וַעֲבָד֑וֹ וְהִנַּחְתִּ֤יו עַל־אַדְמָתוֹ֙ נְאֻם־יְהֹוָ֔ה וַעֲבָדָ֖הּ וְיָ֥שַׁב בָּֽהּ׃

English:

But the nation that puts its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serves him, will be left by Me on its own soil—declares GOD—to till it and dwell on it.”

The alternative is stated positively: the nation that brings its neck under Bavel's yoke and serves him will be left by God on its own soil. Metzudat David explains that it will dwell there in tranquility, working the land with plowing and sowing and eating its bread. Submission is not destruction; it is the path to remaining on the land. This verse closes the address to the foreign kings.

פסוק י״ב · Verse 12

Hebrew:

וְאֶל־צִדְקִיָּ֤ה מֶלֶךְ־יְהוּדָה֙ דִּבַּ֔רְתִּי כְּכׇל־הַדְּבָרִ֥ים הָאֵ֖לֶּה לֵאמֹ֑ר הָבִ֨יאוּ אֶת־צַוְּארֵיכֶ֜ם בְּעֹ֣ל מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶ֗ל וְעִבְד֥וּ אֹת֛וֹ וְעַמּ֖וֹ וִֽחְיֽוּ׃

English:

I also spoke to King Zedekiah of Judah in just the same way: “Put your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon; serve him and his people, and live!

Yirmiyahu turns to Tzidkiyahu with the same words: bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Bavel, serve him and his people, and live. Rashi explains that all of the preceding message was spoken to the envoys of the kings, and now the prophet adds his word to his own king. Metzudat David glosses the closing word simply: you will remain alive. The plural necks embraces king and people together.
▶Commentaries (1)
רש״יRashi
ואל צדקיהו מלך יהודה דברתי וגו'. כל זה אמר ירמיהו אל שלוחי המלכים:
And to Zedekiah the king of Judah have I spoken, etc. All this Jeremiah said to the ambassadors of the kings.

פסוק י״ג · Verse 13

Hebrew:

לָ֤מָּה תָמ֙וּתוּ֙ אַתָּ֣ה וְעַמֶּ֔ךָ בַּחֶ֖רֶב בָּרָעָ֣ב וּבַדָּ֑בֶר כַּֽאֲשֶׁר֙ דִּבֶּ֣ר יְהֹוָ֔ה אֶל־הַגּ֕וֹי אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹא־יַעֲבֹ֖ד אֶת־מֶ֥לֶךְ בָּבֶֽל׃

English:

Otherwise you will die together with your people, by sword, famine, and pestilence, as GOD has decreed against any nation that does not serve the king of Babylon.

Why should Tzidkiyahu and his people die by sword, famine and pestilence, as God has spoken against any nation that refuses Bavel? Metzudat David again explains refusal as failing to accept the yoke willingly, and reads the preposition as concerning the nation. The rhetorical question appeals to Judah's own self-interest: the decree already spoken against the nations applies equally to it, and death is a choice, not a necessity.

פסוק י״ד · Verse 14

Hebrew:

וְאַֽל־תִּשְׁמְע֞וּ אֶל־דִּבְרֵ֣י הַנְּבִאִ֗ים הָאֹמְרִ֤ים אֲלֵיכֶם֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר לֹ֥א תַעַבְד֖וּ אֶת־מֶ֣לֶךְ בָּבֶ֑ל כִּ֣י שֶׁ֔קֶר הֵ֖ם נִבְּאִ֥ים לָכֶֽם׃

English:

Give no heed to the words of the prophets who say to you, ‘Do not serve the king of Babylon,’ for they prophesy falsely to you.

Judah is warned not to listen to its prophets who say, you shall not serve the king of Bavel, for they prophesy falsely. Metzudat David explains their message as a promise that Bavel will not prevail to make you his servants. Where the nations were warned against diviners and sorcerers, Judah is warned against its own prophets, a pointed suggestion that false prophecy in Israel has become no better than pagan divination.

פסוק ט״ו · Verse 15

Hebrew:

כִּ֣י לֹ֤א שְׁלַחְתִּים֙ נְאֻם־יְהֹוָ֔ה וְהֵ֛ם נִבְּאִ֥ים בִּשְׁמִ֖י לַשָּׁ֑קֶר לְמַ֨עַן הַדִּיחִ֤י אֶתְכֶם֙ וַאֲבַדְתֶּ֔ם אַתֶּ֕ם וְהַנְּבִאִ֖ים הַֽנִּבְּאִ֥ים לָכֶֽם׃

English:

I have not sent them—declares GOD—and they prophesy falsely in My name, with the result that I will drive you out and you shall perish, together with the prophets who prophesy to you.”

God declares that He did not send these prophets; they prophesy in His name falsely, and the result will be that He drives Judah out and it perishes together with them. Metzudat David repeats the logic of verse 10: their oracles will only serve to bring captivity and destruction on people and prophets alike, whereas accepting the yoke would mean dwelling in the land and paying tribute. Speaking falsely in God's name brings doom on the speakers too.

פסוק ט״ז · Verse 16

Hebrew:

וְאֶל־הַכֹּהֲנִים֩ וְאֶל־כׇּל־הָעָ֨ם הַזֶּ֜ה דִּבַּ֣רְתִּי לֵאמֹ֗ר כֹּה֮ אָמַ֣ר יְהֹוָה֒ אַֽל־תִּשְׁמְע֞וּ אֶל־דִּבְרֵ֣י נְבִיאֵיכֶ֗ם הַֽנִּבְּאִ֤ים לָכֶם֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר הִנֵּ֨ה כְלֵ֧י בֵית־יְהֹוָ֛ה מוּשָׁבִ֥ים מִבָּבֶ֖לָה עַתָּ֣ה מְהֵרָ֑ה כִּ֣י שֶׁ֔קֶר הֵ֖מָּה נִבְּאִ֥ים לָכֶֽם׃

English:

And to the priests and to all that people I said: “Thus said GOD: Give no heed to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, ‘The vessels of the House of GOD shall shortly be brought back from Babylon,’ for they prophesy falsely to you.

The third audience is the priests and all the people, and the issue is the Temple vessels. Prophets were promising that the vessels of the house of the LORD would very soon be brought back from Bavel. Rashi and Metzudat David identify them as the vessels exiled with Yechonyah, and Metzudat David explains the promise as a speedy return from Bavel to Jerusalem. Yirmiyahu brands this hope too as falsehood.
▶Commentaries (1)
רש״יRashi
הנה כלי בית ה'. שגלו עם יכניה:
"Behold the vessels of the house of the Lord" That were exiled with Jeconiah.

פסוק י״ז · Verse 17

Hebrew:

אַל־תִּשְׁמְע֣וּ אֲלֵיהֶ֔ם עִבְד֥וּ אֶת־מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶ֖ל וִֽחְי֑וּ לָ֧מָּה תִֽהְיֶ֛ה הָעִ֥יר הַזֹּ֖את חׇרְבָּֽה׃

English:

Give them no heed. Serve the king of Babylon, and live! Otherwise this city shall become a ruin.

Do not listen to them, serve the king of Bavel and live; why should this city become a ruin? Metzudat David explains that if Judah does not accept servitude, Nevuchadnetzar will conquer the city and destroy it. The question about the vessels is really a question about Jerusalem itself. A false promise about the treasures already taken would lead to the loss of the city that still stands.

פסוק י״ח · Verse 18

Hebrew:

וְאִם־נְבִאִ֣ים הֵ֔ם וְאִם־יֵ֥שׁ דְּבַר־יְהֹוָ֖ה אִתָּ֑ם יִפְגְּעוּ־נָא֙ בַּיהֹוָ֣ה צְבָא֔וֹת לְבִלְתִּי־בֹ֜אוּ הַכֵּלִ֣ים ׀ הַנּוֹתָרִ֣ים בְּבֵית־יְהֹוָ֗ה וּבֵ֨ית מֶ֧לֶךְ יְהוּדָ֛ה וּבִירוּשָׁלַ֖͏ִם בָּבֶֽלָה׃

English:

If they are really prophets and the word of GOD is with them, let them intercede with GOD of Hosts not to let the vessels remaining in the House of GOD, in the royal palace of Judah, and in Jerusalem, go to Babylon!

Yirmiyahu sets a test: if they are true prophets with God's word, let them intercede so that the vessels still left in the Temple, the palace and Jerusalem do not go to Bavel. Metzudat David notes the turn: let them pray not for the return of the vessels but at least to keep what remains. Radak treats the grammar of the verb באו and the preposition implied before the king's house.

פסוק י״ט · Verse 19

Hebrew:

כִּ֣י כֹ֤ה אָמַר֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה צְבָא֔וֹת אֶל־הָֽעַמֻּדִ֔ים וְעַל־הַיָּ֖ם וְעַל־הַמְּכֹנ֑וֹת וְעַל֙ יֶ֣תֶר הַכֵּלִ֔ים הַנּוֹתָרִ֖ים בָּעִ֥יר הַזֹּֽאת׃

English:

“For thus said GOD of Hosts concerning the columns, the tank, the stands, and the rest of the vessels remaining in this city,

God now speaks about the specific objects left in the city: the pillars, the sea, the stands and the rest of the vessels. Rashi glosses the stands (המכונות) from Targum Yonatan as bases, like the basin and its stand in Shemot. Metzudat David identifies the copper pillars and the copper sea of Shlomo's Temple, and Radak explains the preposition as concerning. The inventory makes the coming loss painfully concrete.
▶Commentaries (1)
רש״יRashi
המכונות. ת"י בסיסיא כמו את הכיור ואת כנו (שמות ל״ה:ט״ז):
the bases Jonathan renders: בְּסִיסַיָּא Cf. "the washbasin and its stand" (Exodus 35:16).

פסוק כ׳ · Verse 20

Hebrew:

אֲשֶׁ֣ר לֹֽא־לְקָחָ֗ם נְבֽוּכַדְנֶאצַּר֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ בָּבֶ֔ל בַּ֠גְלוֹת֠וֹ אֶת־[יְכׇנְיָ֨ה] (יכוניה) בֶן־יְהוֹיָקִ֧ים מֶלֶךְ־יְהוּדָ֛ה מִירוּשָׁלַ֖͏ִם בָּבֶ֑לָה וְאֵ֛ת כׇּל־חֹרֵ֥י יְהוּדָ֖ה וִירוּשָׁלָֽ͏ִם׃

English:

which King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon did not take when he exiled King Jeconiah son of Jehoiakim of Judah, from Jerusalem to Babylon, with all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem;

These are the vessels Nevuchadnetzar did not take when he exiled Yechonyah son of Yehoyakim with the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem. Rashi and Radak explain the verb as equivalent to when he exiled, with Radak describing the dropped letter, and both gloss the nobles (חורי) as princes or great men. Metzudat David describes the time Yechonyah went into exile with the princes. The first deportation left these behind; the next will not.
▶Commentaries (1)
רש״יRashi
בגלותו. כמו בהגלותו: חורי. כמו שרי:
when he exiled Heb. בַּגְּלוֹתוֹ like בְּהַגְלוֹתוֹ. the nobles of חֹרֵי, like שָֹרֵי the princes of.

פסוק כ״א · Verse 21

Hebrew:

כִּ֣י כֹ֥ה אָמַ֛ר יְהֹוָ֥ה צְבָא֖וֹת אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל עַל־הַכֵּלִ֗ים הַנּֽוֹתָרִים֙ בֵּ֣ית יְהֹוָ֔ה וּבֵ֥ית מֶלֶךְ־יְהוּדָ֖ה וִירוּשָׁלָֽ͏ִם׃

English:

for thus said GOD of Hosts, the God of Israel, concerning the vessels remaining in the House of GOD, in the royal palace of Judah, and in Jerusalem:

The divine formula is repeated in full: thus says the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, concerning the vessels left in the Temple, the palace and Jerusalem. Metzudat David explains the repetition as a feature of biblical style: because the preceding clause about what Nevuchadnetzar did not take ran long, the verse restates the opening before delivering the decree. The emphasis prepares for the verdict of the final verse.

פסוק כ״ב · Verse 22

Hebrew:

בָּבֶ֥לָה יוּבָ֖אוּ וְשָׁ֣מָּה יִֽהְי֑וּ עַ֠ד י֣וֹם פׇּקְדִ֤י אֹתָם֙ נְאֻם־יְהֹוָ֔ה וְהַֽעֲלִיתִים֙ וַהֲשִׁ֣יבֹתִ֔ים אֶל־הַמָּק֖וֹם הַזֶּֽה׃ {פ}

English:

They shall be brought to Babylon, and there they shall remain, until I take note of them—declares GOD of Hosts—and bring them up and restore them to this place.”

The vessels will be carried to Bavel and remain there until the day God remembers them, and then He will bring them up and restore them to this place. Rashi points to the days of Koresh as recorded in Ezra, and Radak adds that Koresh gave them to Sheshbatzar the prince of Judah, who brought them up with the exiles. Metzudat David agrees. The chapter ends with loss now and restoration later.
▶Commentaries (1)
רש״יRashi
עד יום פקדי אותם. בימי כורש כמו שמפורש בספר עזרא:
until the day I remember them In the days of Cyrus, as is explained in the Book of Ezra (1:7 11).

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