Abarbanel on Jeremiah

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Introduction.1
(Translated by Chat GPT) Isaac Abravanel said: Three characteristics are found in humans. The first characteristic is in their souls, as they will be engraved and formed within them with their intellect and wisdom, the true forms of things as they exist. According to how this characteristic will be in a person's soul, the level of wisdom and completeness will be in a wise person or a prophet. As long as one engraves within their soul the true forms of things, the level of the wise who perceive through investigation and inquiry, and the prophets in whom the spirit of God speaks, will be superior. Therefore, this first characteristic pertains to things that exist in the wise and prophetic soul. The second characteristic is that which is engraved in language and speech according to what is depicted in the soul. Just as the soul depicts what is in reality, language and speech will depict what is in the soul. In this characteristic, there is also a great distinction among people, according to the eloquence each possesses in speech. This is what is called the language of scholars, to speak and express oneself clearly and elegantly, reflecting whatever the soul depicts without inhibition. In this, the advantage of eloquent speakers and poets over one another lies. And generally, every wise person or prophet will have an advantage over their peers in this characteristic as well. The third characteristic is in writing. When a wise person or a prophet writes in a book what he has spoken or what he desires to speak, just as the drawing of the soul is the first characteristic, and the articulation in speech is the second, so the narratives of language and its assertions will be inscribed in writing. This is the third characteristic. In this, there is also a significant difference among people, not only in the form of writing and its eloquence but also in the accuracy and correctness of the writing. There should be no mistake or error, neither in gender nor plurality, neither in tense nor any other aspect that would imply an error in meticulous writing. Thus, these three characteristics encompass the virtues and advantages of the wise or the prophets over the authors of books. This includes the ability to depict the soul, the eloquence of speech, the accuracy of writing, and correctness in the book. King Solomon elaborated on all of this at the end of the book of Ecclesiastes. As he said, "Moreover, the Preacher was wise; he still taught the people knowledge, and he pondered and sought out and set in order many proverbs. The Preacher sought to find delightful words and to write words of truth correctly." This means that the completeness found in the wise person is greater than the first characteristic, which is the depiction of one's soul and the extent of wisdom. When he said, "Moreover, the Preacher was wise; he still taught the people knowledge," it shows the completeness found in him is also greater than the second characteristic, which is eloquence of speech. For the learning of others, it is fitting that it be according to their reception. For a suitable student, they should learn with much inquiry and balance, and for an inferior student, if they begin with inquiry, they should learn with parables according to their level of inquiry. Therefore, it was said concerning learning, "and he pondered and sought out," which is for the suitable students, and "set in order many proverbs," which is against those who begin with wisdom. However, against the completeness of the third characteristic, which is in writing and compiling books, it was said, "The Preacher sought to find delightful words," which is the beautiful and well-ordered language included in the second characteristic. Concerning writing and compiling books, it was said, "and to write words of truth correctly," meaning that the writing should be like its companions, accurate without error, words of truth without falsehood or error at all. Solomon, the king, explained the necessity of perfection in language, to teach the people in writing and compiling books. Because at the beginning of his wisdom, these two were not necessary for him, as he was the king of Israel, and it was sufficient for him to attain wisdom and depict the soul. Therefore, he said first, "Moreover, the Preacher was wise, still teaching the people knowledge," meaning that he did not suffice with the completeness of his soul alone but also completed the people of his generation in learning and those who came after him in studying his books. Thus, he also said here, "The Preacher sought to find delightful words," meaning that his words were like nails firmly fixed, and even though the authors of books may learn and take from the words of their predecessors as if they are thieves of words, there is no shame in being compilers who collected and received from the words of others, as all wisdom comes from one source, which is God, from whom wisdom and understanding come, and all the wise have learned from Him. From these words, it is understood that everyone should learn beautifully in his saying, and even more so should those who are cautious produce many books and complete them. And the intention is not to avoid making them but to be cautious and diligent in making them, and not to say, "Many have already written before me, why should I bother with other compositions?" for our fathers left us a place to excel in it.
_.1.1.1
The first prophecy begins from the beginning of the book of Jeremiah, son of Hilkiah, and concludes with the phrase, "the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, son of Hilkiah, in the days of Josiah, son of Amon, king of Judah." This prophecy contains five sections. The first is "the words of Jeremiah." The second is "before I formed you in the womb." The third is "what do you see, Jeremiah?" The fourth is "a boiling pot." The fifth is "going and calling." And behold, I have asked about these five questions in the verses of this prophecy, following my usual method in interpreting the words of the prophets.
_.1.1.2
The first question is whether the verse intends to inform us during which kings Jeremiah prophesied. Why is it not sufficient to say that he prophesied during the days of Josiah, Jehoiakim, and Zedekiah, kings of Judah, as explained in Isaiah, Hosea, and other prophets? And what is the need to specify that his prophecy began in the thirteenth year of Josiah and continued until the eleventh year of Zedekiah, since in the case of other prophets, the Scripture mentions the time of the kings during which they prophesied but does not specify the number of years of their reigns? Furthermore, if Jeremiah began prophesying during the days of Josiah and his prophecy continued until the end of Zedekiah's reign, why does the verse mention Jehoiachin, who was a middle king between them, and why does it not also mention Jehoahaz, who reigned before Jehoiakim, and Jehoiachin, who reigned before Zedekiah?
_.1.1.3
The second question is why did the Almighty say to Jeremiah at the beginning of his prophecy, "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, and before you were born, I sanctified you," while such a statement is not mentioned to any other prophet? And if this applies to every prophet as a general rule, as stated by the distinguished Rabbi in Chapter 32, Part Two, why is it specifically mentioned for Jeremiah and not for others? And if the purpose of the verse is to establish a foundation for all the prophets, it would have been more appropriate to mention it with regard to Abraham or our Master Moses, who began their prophecy and its exalted status, rather than Jeremiah, who was one of the later prophets. The response of Rabbi David Kimchi is not satisfactory, as he wrote that because the Almighty knew that Jeremiah would initially refuse his mission, he informed him that he was prepared for prophecy from the womb. However, this explanation is not valid, as our teacher Moses also initially refused his mission, and no similar statement was made to him, and the appearance of the burning bush did not withhold anything from this matter....
_.1.1.4
The third question relates to the statement, "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, and before you were born, I sanctified you." If the meaning of "I knew you" is from a broad perspective, as understood by Rabbi David Kimchi, how is it possible for G-d to have known Jeremiah before his physical development? And if the matter refers to wisdom and knowledge, such that when the foundations were created, G-d knew that Jeremiah's body would eventually be formed from them, then this statement would be superfluous, lacking substance. For indeed, G-d knew all the righteous and all the wicked before they came into existence, so why was this specifically emphasized in relation to Jeremiah? Furthermore, it is difficult to understand the phrase, "Before you came out of the womb, I sanctified you," because sanctity is not merely the separation from impurity and permissible things. If Jeremiah was still in the womb, how could he be sanctified? And the statement, "I appointed you as a prophet to the nations," cannot be understood as Jeremiah prophesying while still in the womb, unless he was proclaiming future events.
_.1.1.5
The fourth question is: What was the prophet's objection to the statement of G-d, "Behold, I did not know how to speak, for I am a youth"? For G-d's response was, "Do not say, 'I am a youth,' for you shall go to all whom I send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak." Although it is true that Moses, our teacher, was prepared for the exalted status of prophecy from birth, and Solomon, the king, attained the level of wisdom, there is no doubt that they still needed time because when they were young, their days of appointment had not yet arrived, neither for prophecy nor for wisdom, for everything has its appointed time.
_.1.1.6
The fifth question pertains to the inquiry that G-d posed to Jeremiah regarding the almond rod and the boiling pot that He showed him in these two visions, asking, "What do you see?" It would have been fitting for the prophet to respond, "I see what You have shown me, for You are the G-d of my visions." Furthermore, the prophet Amos declared concerning his own visions, "Thus the Lord showed me" (Amos 7:1, 4), and Jeremiah himself also said, "The Lord showed me" (Jeremiah 1:11). Yet, these visions were ascribed to G-d and not attributed to the prophets, and G-d asked them, "What do you see?" Additionally, it is perplexing that in reference to the boiling pot, the word "boiling" is used twice, suggesting that it represents three prophecies rather than just two.
_.1.1.7
The sixth question: Why are there four prophecies presented here, each consisting of a brief dialogue, and in each of them it is stated, "The word of the Lord came to me, saying"? Why were they not all included in one continuous dialogue? The prophecies are as follows: The first, "Before I formed you in the womb." The second, "What do you see, Jeremiah?" And he responds, "I see an almond branch." The third, "What do you see?" And he answers, "I see a boiling pot." The fourth, "Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem." It would have been appropriate to preface each of them with the phrase "The word of the Lord came to me, saying" once, without repeating it, and it is also puzzling why, in the case of the vision of the boiling pot, it is mentioned a second time and not in the subsequent visions. Furthermore, the fourth vision is not mentioned in a sequential order like the others. I will now explain these questions one by one in more detail.
_.1.1.8
The overall intention of this prophecy and all its five parts and dialogues is to command Jeremiah and urge him in his prophetic mission, to remove any doubts that may have arisen in his heart due to his youth or the urgency and gravity of the task at hand, and to strengthen him to immediately go and fulfill the commandments of his G-d. This will be further elaborated in the verses.
_.1.1.9
The words of Jeremiah, son of Hilkiah, come to an end, and the word of the Lord came to me, saying: "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, and before you were born, I sanctified you; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." (Jeremiah 1:4-5)
_.1.1.10
Before I have written the explanation of the twelve prophecies, why did the prophecy of Jeremiah begin with the phrase "The words of Jeremiah"? It is because the events described in his book are recorded according to what happened to him, and they are contrary to him. Many times he speaks in his own words. Therefore, he began his book with the phrase "The words of Jeremiah." Similarly, the words of Amos are also introduced as "The words of Amos." The Scripture informed at the beginning of this book and its preface about four matters concerning Jeremiah.
_.1.1.11
First, he was the son of Hilkiah, and Hilkiah was the son of Shaphan the high priest who found the Book of the Law in the house of the Lord during the time of King Josiah. It was from this discovery that the high priest began to prophesy about the future destruction that would occur in Israel, as it is written, "The Lord will bring disaster upon you and upon your people, according to all the words of the book" (2 Kings 22:16). Therefore, Jeremiah, who completed the task, came out from his loins.
_.1.1.12
Secondly, he was from the city of Anathoth in the land of Benjamin. This was written as a preliminary information for what would be recounted later regarding his experiences with the people of Anathoth.
_.35.12.1
And the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, etc., until the end of the prophecy, remembering that when the test of the Rechabites was conducted, and their words were heard, the Lord, blessed be He, spoke to Jeremiah and commanded him (v. 13) to say to the men of Judah, meaning to say to the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, "Do you not take instruction to listen to My words?" meaning from this experiment that you have seen and from the words of the Rechabites that you have heard, "Do you not take instruction and learn from them to listen to My words?"
_.35.12.2
(v. 14) The Rechabites upheld and accepted the words of Jonadab son of Rechab, and I do not wish to speak of houses, vineyards, and fields, because you might say that they have no inheritance of fields and vineyards, as the land of Israel was divided among the tribes, not to foreigners, and that is why they are not involved in these things. But what will you say regarding the matter of wine, which they were commanded not to drink, and they do not drink it—not because it wouldn't be pleasing to a wise man, but because they listened to the commandment of their father. And why, then, do you not listen to My words and fulfill My commandments? Is it not appropriate to honor Me and listen to My commandments, just as Jonadab was honored and his commandment upheld?
_.35.12.3
Here, I have spoken to you persistently and you have not listened. I think this refers to the revelation at Mount Sinai, when you heard "I am" and "You shall have no other gods" directly from the Divine, and this is the meaning of "I have spoken to you, and you have not listened," for immediately you made the golden calf, and your ancestors threw off discipline.
_.35.12.4
(v. 15) Also, I sent to you all My servants the prophets, meaning the prophets who prophesied to Israel after the death of Moses our teacher. How fitting is the phrase "all My servants the prophets," for it reveals that no prophets, servants of the Lord, arose in any other nation except in Israel, to guide them, and this is the meaning of "I sent persistently," meaning, I endeavored every day like a person who rises early to do his work. They were not asking great things of you, but only "Return, every person from their evil way," which refers to the prohibitions, and "Improve your deeds," which refers to the positive commandments. In particular, they warned you to keep away from idolatry, as it is equivalent to all other transgressions, and this is "Do not go after other gods to serve them," so that you may dwell on this land that I have given to your ancestors. For it was My intention that you would always possess it, and you did not incline your ear or listen to Me, for you denied yourselves the ability to accept My commandments.
_.36.5.1
The prophet commanded Baruch, since he was confined and unable to leave or enter the House of the Lord, to go and read the scroll there, for the words were from the Lord, and even though they were laments, they were still part of Jeremiah’s prophecies. He was to read them in the House of the Lord in the hearing of the people on a fast day, as many people from Jerusalem and the cities of Judah would gather there.
_.36.5.2
The text explains (v. 8) that Baruch did as Jeremiah commanded him, and (v. 9) describes how and when this was done, saying, "It was in the fifth year of Jehoiakim," etc. (v. 10) Baruch read from the book in the House of the Lord, in the hearing of the people. Notice that it says "the words of Jeremiah," which points to the truth of the words of our sages that this was a scroll of laments, and they were Jeremiah's words. Had they been prophecies directly from the Lord, the text would have referred to them as "the words of the Lord" rather than "the words of Jeremiah." But since they were spoken under divine inspiration, they were indeed Jeremiah's words.
_.36.5.3
Baruch did not go to read the scroll to the officials, but rather to the people. He chose to read it in the chamber of Gemariah the scribe, so that, being wise and a scribe, he could see the words. However, Gemariah was not in the chamber at the time; instead, his son Micaiah was there. Micaiah heard the words from the book, meaning he did not hear them directly from Baruch, but studied the writing and heard them from the scroll itself, and he referred to them as "the words of the Lord" because all prophetic words, even when spoken under divine inspiration, were attributed to God, as they were received from Him.
_.36.5.4
(v. 12) Micaiah then went to the king's house, to the chamber where the officials, including his father Gemariah, were gathered. (v. 13) He told them all the words he had heard when Baruch read from the book. (v. 14) The officials then sent for Baruch, who came with the scroll, (v. 15) and he read it to them. (v. 16) They were afraid of the Lord and His punishment and told Baruch, "Know that we will tell the king all these things." They said this so that Baruch would not be angry with them for revealing the contents to the king. They also later told him, "Go, hide yourself, you and Jeremiah, and let no one know where you are," because they feared the king might send to have them killed. They advised him to store the scroll in the chamber of Elishama the scribe so that it could be retrieved if the king wanted to hear it.
_.36.5.5
(v. 17) The officials then asked Baruch, "Tell us, how did you write all these words from his mouth?" I have already questioned the reason for this, as they surely knew how a scribe writes. Baruch answered (v. 18) that he wrote word for word from Jeremiah's dictation. The officials were concerned about whether Jeremiah had given the words to Baruch in a general manner, allowing Baruch to arrange them himself, which would mean they did not need to worry about the details, only the overall message. Alternatively, they wondered if Baruch had written them exactly as Jeremiah spoke them, word for word, in which case all the words were directly prophetic.
_.36.5.6
That is why they asked, "Tell us, how did you write all these words from his mouth?" meaning, did he dictate them to you in a general sense, and if so, how did you remember them all? Surely you must have added or subtracted something. Or did you write them exactly as he said them, word for word? Baruch answered that he did not hear the words in a general sense but directly from Jeremiah, word for word, and as he spoke, Baruch wrote them down immediately. Notice that Baruch said, "I am writing" (in the present tense), meaning that as Jeremiah spoke each word, Baruch wrote it down immediately. Thus, Baruch contributed nothing to the scroll except the ink and the writing; everything else was from Jeremiah. Therefore, all the words were from Jeremiah’s mouth, and none were from Baruch. This resolves the second question.
_.36.26.1
The king commanded to seize Baruch, who had been the scribe of this scroll, and Jeremiah, the prophet who had foretold it. Their capture was intended to bring them before him to be killed. However, God performed a miracle for them, and they were not found, as the text says, "the Lord hid them" (v. 27). The text then recounts that after the king burned the scroll and its contents, a prophecy came to Jeremiah from the Lord. The message was to make it known that the king had not only burned the physical scroll, but also sought to destroy the words themselves. The sages derive from this the law that if someone sees a Torah scroll being burned, they are obligated to tear their clothing twice—once for the parchment and once for the writing, as it says, "the scroll and the words."
_.36.26.2
This ruling is based on the idea that even the parchment, after having been dedicated to the words of prophecy, has attained great holiness, even without the writing. (v. 28) God then commanded Jeremiah to take another scroll and write upon it all the words that were in the first scroll. (v. 29) A punishment was pronounced upon Jehoiakim for burning the scroll: that he would have no son to sit on his throne. His son Jehoiachin only ruled for three months and was considered as though he had never reigned. Jehoiakim himself would die on the way to Babylon and would not be buried, with his corpse being exposed to the heat by day and the frost by night. (v. 31) In this way, the sins of Jehoiakim and his servants would be punished, and the burning of the scroll alluded to his other transgressions, which would be accounted for.
_.36.26.3
(v. 32) Jeremiah then took another scroll and wrote upon it all the words of the book that Jehoiakim had burned, and many additional words were added. Although God only commanded him to rewrite the contents of the first scroll, Jeremiah added many more words of his own, inspired by the Holy Spirit. This suggests that the scroll was a scroll of lamentations, and Jeremiah composed it himself through divine inspiration, lamenting what was to come. This is why the scroll was placed among the Writings (Ketuvim) and not among the Prophets (Nevi'im), even though its author was a prophet. It was written through divine inspiration, but not as formal prophecy. I have written in other places that prophets were not always exempt from using their sensory perceptions, and sometimes they composed poems or lamentations through divine inspiration, even though this was not on the same level as prophecy, as explained by Maimonides in the Guide for the Perplexed, Part II, Chapter 45.
_.37.1.1
Zedekiah, son of Josiah, became king in place of Jehoiachin, son of Jehoiakim, and the account continues until “the king Zedekiah sent.” Because the prophet had predicted that due to Jehoiakim's burning of the scroll, he would not have a son to sit on David's throne, the narrative immediately follows with the account of Zedekiah’s ascension to the throne, indicating that Zedekiah ruled in place of Jehoiakim, after Jehoiachin, his son. This means that although Jehoiachin briefly ruled Judah under the power of the king of Egypt, fulfilling God’s curse on Jehoiakim, his reign only lasted three months. Nebuchadnezzar then came, exiled him, and placed Zedekiah on the throne, thereby fulfilling Jeremiah's prophecy.
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(v. 2) However, Zedekiah, his servants, and the people did not listen to the word of the Lord. The sages (Sanhedrin 103a) explained that Jehoiakim was wicked while his generation was righteous, whereas Zedekiah was righteous, but his people were wicked.
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(v. 3) This is evident from the fact that Zedekiah sent to Jeremiah asking him to pray on their behalf to the Lord, our God, which was a proper request. I am convinced that what is written here, that Zedekiah sent to Jeremiah to ask him to pray for them, is the same event described earlier when the king sent to ask Jeremiah to inquire of the Lord because Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, was attacking. It is known that Nebuchadnezzar only besieged Jerusalem once during Zedekiah’s reign, which was when he destroyed it. Therefore, Zedekiah must have only sent to Jeremiah once, not twice. It seems that three men—Jehucal, Pashhur, and Zephaniah—went to Jeremiah, though only two are mentioned. Zephaniah is mentioned in both accounts because he was the main figure, while one of the others is mentioned secondarily.
_.37.1.4
The earlier passage recounts the prophecy that came to Jeremiah when Zedekiah sent to him asking for prayer. This is where the Lord says, "I will turn back the weapons of war..." But here, the text only aims to inform us when Jeremiah left imprisonment, which was when Zedekiah sent to ask him to pray to the Lord on their behalf.
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(v. 4) At that time, Jeremiah went freely among the people, and they did not put him back in prison because of that request. Thus, the story is repeated here for this purpose only, and the third question is thereby resolved.

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