הִנֵּה ה' בּוֹקֵק הָאָרֶץ וּבוֹלְקָהּ וְעִוָּה פָנֶיהָ וְהֵפִיץ יֹשְׁבֶיהָ

Behold, the Lord empties the earth (see commentary on 19:3) and crushes it; He will skew its face, the face of the earth, and scatter its inhabitants, who will flee in fear.

וְהָיָה כָעָם כַּכֹּהֵן כַּעֶבֶד כַּאדֹנָיו כַּשִּׁפְחָה כַּגְּבִרְתָּהּ כַּקּוֹנֶה כַּמּוֹכֵר כַּמַּלְוֶה כַּלֹּוֶה כַּנֹּשֶׁה כַּאֲשֶׁר נֹשֶׁא בוֹ

All people will share the same fate, with no distinction between individuals of different social strata: As with the simple people, so it will be with the priest; as with the slave, so with his master; as with the maidservant, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the creditor, so with the debtor.

הִבּוֹק תִּבּוֹק הָאָרֶץ וְהִבּוֹז תִּבּוֹז כִּי ה' דִּבֶּר אֶת הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה

The land will empty, collapse, and be plundered, for the Lord has spoken this matter.

אָבְלָה נָבְלָה הָאָרֶץ אֻמְלְלָה נָבְלָה תֵּבֵל אֻמְלָלוּ מְרוֹם עַם הָאָרֶץ

The land is desolate, withered; it is broken [umlala], or crushed, from lemolel, which means to crush an object with one’s fingers. Alternatively this means the inhabitants of the land are miserable. Withered is the world; and correspondingly, broken, or crushed, are the lofty people of the land.

וְהָאָרֶץ חָנְפָה תַּחַת יֹשְׁבֶיהָ כִּי עָבְרוּ תוֹרֹת חָלְפוּ חֹק הֵפֵרוּ בְּרִית עוֹלָם

The earth is corrupted because of its inhabitants, for they transgressed laws, violated statute, and breached an eternal covenant with God.

עַל כֵּן אָלָה אָכְלָה אֶרֶץ וַיֶּאְשְׁמוּ יֹשְׁבֵי בָהּ עַל כֵּן חָרוּ יֹשְׁבֵי אֶרֶץ וְנִשְׁאַר אֱנוֹשׁ מִזְעָר

Therefore, a curse consumed the land, and its inhabitants bore their guilt. Alternately, they were astonished. Therefore, the inhabitants of the land are seared and shriveled, and few people remain there.

אָבַל תִּירוֹשׁ אֻמְלְלָה גָפֶן נֶאֶנְחוּ כָּל שִׂמְחֵי לֵב

The new wine is desolate and the vine is broken; therefore all the joyous of heart, the wine drinkers, sigh. Or: The wine and vines are low in quality as a result of the prevailing sadness. If people are too upset to drink they neglect cultivating vines, leaving them desolate.

שָׁבַת מְשׂוֹשׂ תֻּפִּים חָדַל שְׁאוֹן עַלִּיזִים שָׁבַת מְשׂוֹשׂ כִּנּוֹר

The gladness of drums has ceased, the din of the jovial has ended, the gladness of the harp has ceased.

בַּשִּׁיר לֹא יִשְׁתּוּ יָיִן יֵמַר שֵׁכָר לְשֹׁתָיו

They will not drink wine with song. Even when they drink, it will not be in a state of happiness, but in order to drown their sorrows. Intoxicating drink will be bitter for its drinkers.

נִשְׁבְּרָה קִרְיַת תֹּהוּ סֻגַּר כָּל בַּיִת מִבּוֹא

Broken is the city of emptiness; every house is closed to entry.

צְוָחָה עַל הַיַּיִן בַּחוּצוֹת עָרְבָה כָּל שִׂמְחָה גָּלָה מְשׂוֹשׂ הָאָרֶץ

There is a cry heard for the lack of wine in the streets; all joy is negated, the gladness of the land has been expelled.

נִשְׁאַר בָּעִיר שַׁמָּה וּשְׁאִיָּה יֻכַּת שָׁעַר

Desolation remains in the city, and the gate is stricken with devastation. The language of the prophet treats desolation and destruction like anthropomorphic agents, forces of evil that roam the earth, destroying everything they encounter.

כִּי כֹה יִהְיֶה בְּקֶרֶב הָאָרֶץ בְּתוֹךְ הָעַמִּים כְּנֹקֶף זַיִת כְּעוֹלֵלֹת אִם כָּלָה בָצִיר

For so it, Israel, will be left in the midst of the land, among the peoples, like the few olives remaining after the beating of an olive tree to harvest its fruit, like leftover grapes when the harvest has ended.

הֵמָּה יִשְׂאוּ קוֹלָם יָרֹנּוּ בּגְאוֹן ה' צָהֲלוּ מִיָּם

Despite the desolation of the earth, they, the survivors, will raise their voice, they will sing; at the revelation of the Lord’s majesty, they will revel from the islands of the sea, or alternatively, from the lands of the west. Another explanation is that the song of the survivors will be even greater than that of the children of Israel after they passed through the Red Sea.

עַל כֵּן בָּאֻרִים כַּבְּדוּ ה'בְּאִיֵּי הַיָּם שֵׁם ה' אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל

Therefore, honor the Lord with the lighting of large, ceremonial fires; on the distant islands of the sea honor the name of the Lord, God of Israel, who performed all these actions. However, the mainland will be desolate.

מִכְּנַף הָאָרֶץ זְמִרֹת שָׁמַעְנוּ צְבִי לַצַּדִּיק וָאֹמַר רָזִי לִי רָזִי לִי אוֹי לִי בֹּגְדִים בָּגָדוּ וּבֶגֶד בּוֹגְדִים בָּגָדוּ

The prophet reiterates his previous statement in brief form: From the edge of the earth we heard songs: Give magnificence to the righteous of the world, God; alternatively, the righteous survivors. But I say: My secret [razi] is for me, my secret is for me. The details of how these events will transpire are a secret. Some say razi means: My gauntness, and the prophet is crying that he is wasting away. Woe is me; the betrayers betrayed, and they betrayed the betrayal of the betrayers. Everyone will betray each other, and even the betrayers will betray one another, leading to widespread distrust and a cycle of societal breakdown and corruption.

פַּחַד וָפַחַת וָפָח עָלֶיךָ יוֹשֵׁב הָאָרֶץ

Terror, a pit, and a trap are upon you, inhabitant of the land. The world will become full of obstacles and pitfalls.

וְהָיָה הַנָּס מִקּוֹל הַפַּחַד יִפֹּל אֶל הַפַּחַת וְהָעוֹלֶה מִתּוֹךְ הַפַּחַת יִלָּכֵד בַּפָּח כִּי אֲרֻבּוֹת מִמָּרוֹם נִפְתָּחוּ וַיִּרְעֲשׁוּ מוֹסְדֵי אָרֶץ

It shall be that the one who flees from the sound of the cries of those experiencing terror will fall into the pit, and the one who comes up from the pit will be ensnared in the trap, for windows on high, through which troubles flow into the world, have opened, and the foundations of the earth quake.

רֹעָה הִתְרֹעֲעָה הָאָרֶץ מוֹט הִתְמוֹטְטָה אָרֶץ

The land is undermined and shaken, the land has crumbled, the land has collapsed. Nothing will remain stable, as even the terra firma will give way under people’s feet.

נוֹעַ תָּנוּעַ אֶרֶץ כַּשִּׁכּוֹר וְהִתְנוֹדְדָה כַּמְּלוּנָה וְכָבַד עָלֶיהָ פִּשְׁעָהּ וְנָפְלָה וְלֹא תֹסִיף קוּם

The land will totter like a drunk and sway like a watchman’s hut in the wind; its transgression will weigh it down, and it will fall and will not rise again.

וְהָיָה בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יִפְקֹד ה' עַל צְבָא הַמָּרוֹם בַּמָּרוֹם וְעַל מַלְכֵי הָאֲדָמָה עַל הָאֲדָמָה

The judgment will visit all of creation within heaven and earth: It will be on that day that the Lord will reckon with the host of the heavens in the heavens and with the kings of the earth on the earth.

וְאֻסְּפוּ אֲסֵפָה אַסִּיר עַל בּוֹר וְסֻגְּרוּ עַל מַסְגֵּר וּמֵרֹב יָמִים יִפָּקֵדוּ

They, the kings of the earth, will be gathered in a gathering like a prisoner in a dungeon, and they will be imprisoned in prison, and after many days they will have their reckoning. This will not be an isolated event, but a continuous state of instability.

וְחָפְרָה הַלְּבָנָה וּבוֹשָׁה הַחַמָּה כִּי מָלַךְ ה' צְבָאוֹת בְּהַר צִיּוֹן וּבִירוּשָׁלִַם וְנֶגֶד זְקֵנָיו כָּבוֹד

Even the heavenly lights will dim: The moon will be disgraced and the sun will be ashamed, for all other kingdoms will disappear, but the Lord of hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, the only remaining refuge, and there, glory shall be placed before His elders.