חבקוק ב׳:ה׳-ח׳

וְאַף כִּי הַיַּיִן בּוֹגֵד. וְאַף כְּשֶׁיָּבֹא בֵּלְשַׁצַּר בֶּן בְּנוֹ שֶׁל זֶה, שֶׁיִּבְגֹּד בּוֹ יֵינוֹ, דְּ״לָקֳבֵל אַלְפָּא חַמְרָא שָׁתֵה״ (דניאל ה:א).

And surely he, whom wine betrays And surely, when Belshazzar, this one’s grandson, comes; the one whose wine shall betray him for he drank as much wine as a thousand (Dan. 5:1).

גֶּבֶר יָהִיר. הוּא.

who widened Nebuchadnezzar.

וְלֹא יִנְוֶה. לֹא יִתְקַיֵּם מְדוֹרוֹ וְנָוֵהוּ, שֶׁנִּתְגָּאָה וְאָמַר בְּטַעַם חַמְרָא לְהָבִיא כְּלֵי בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ וְשָׁתָה בָּהֶם, וְהִיא תִּגְרֹם לוֹ שֶׁיֵּהָרֵג וְיִכְלֶה זַרְעוֹ. כִּי גֶּבֶר יָהִיר לֵץ לֹא יִנְוֶה, לֹא יִתְקַיֵּם הוּא וְנָוֵהוּ.

a haughty man whose dwelling shall not remain [Belshazzar’s] dwelling and his residence shall not remain in existence, for he was haughty and said, with the counsel of the wine, to bring the vessels of the Temple; and he drank with them. That shall cause him to be slain, and the seed of Nebuchadnezzar to be destroyed, for a haughty man is a scorner; he shall not have a dwelling. Neither he nor his dwelling shall remain in existence.

אֲשֶׁר הִרְחִיב. נְבוּכַדְנֶצַּר כִּשְׁאוֹל נַפְשׁוֹ. לְהַשִּׂיג כָּל תַּאֲוָתוֹ בְּרֹחַב לֵב.

his desire like the nether-world to attain all his desire with a full heart.

וְהוּא כַּמָּוֶת. כְּמַלְאַךְ הַמָּוֶת שֶׁאֵינוֹ שָׂבֵעַ מִלְּהָמִית, כָּךְ זֶה אֵינוֹ שָׂבֵעַ בְּכָל קִנְיָנוֹ.

and he is like death Like the angel of death, who is not sated with slaying. So is this one not sated with all his possessions.

הֲלֹא אֵלֶּה. אֲשֶׁר אָסַף אֵלָיו לְעָבְדוֹ.

Shall not all these whom he [Belshazzar] collected for himself to pay himself tribute?

כֻּלָּם עָלָיו מָשָׁל יִשָּׂאוּ וּמְלִיצָה יִשְׂאוּ בְּפִיהֶם בִּלְשׁוֹן חִידוֹת בִּשְׁבִילוֹ. לוֹ כְּמוֹ ׳עָלָיו׳.

take up a parable against him and a figure they shall take up in their mouth an expression of a riddle concerning him. against him like עָלָיו, upon him.

וְיֹאמַר. הָאוֹמֵר אֶת מְלִיצַת הַחִידָה.

And he shall say The one who says the figure of the riddle

הוֹי הַמַּרְבֶּה לֹא לוֹ. זוֹ הִיא הַמְּלִיצָה: חֲבָל עַל הַמַּרְבֶּה הוֹן וּמַלְכוּת וְלֹא לוֹ, כִּי יָבֹאוּ מַלְכֵי מָדַי וְיִטְלוּ אֶת הַכֹּל.

Woe to him who increases what is not his! This is the figure: Woe to him who increases wealth and kingdom, and it is not his, for the kings of Media shall come and take everything.

עַד מָתַי. יִהְיֶה הוֹלֵךְ וּמַרְבֶּה וְאֵינוֹ אֶלָּא מַכְבִּיד עָלָיו מַשָּׂא עָוֹן, כְּעָב שֶׁל טִיט. עָב הוּא לְשׁוֹן קוֹרָה כְּבֵדָה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁמָּצִינוּ בְּמִשְׁכְּנָא (דיחזקאל מא:כו) ״צַלְעוֹת הַבַּיִת וְהָעֻבִּים״, ״וְעָב עֵץ״ (שם).

How long? will he continue to increase when he is only loading upon himself a burden of iniquity like a beam of mud? עַב is an expression of a heavy beam, as we find concerning the Tabernacle of Ezekiel (Ezek. 41: 25): “And a wooden beam (וְעָב),” and (ibid. 26) “The casings of the House and the beams (וְהָעֻבִּים).”

וְיִקְצוּ. כְּמוֹ ׳וְיָקִיצוּ׳.

awaken like וְיָקִּיצוּ

שַׁלּוֹתָ גּוֹיִם רַבִּים. הִשְׁלַכְתָּם וּנְשַׁלְתָּם מִמְּקוֹמָם.

Since you have cast away many nations You have cast them and thrown them from their place.

יְשָׁלּוּךָ כָּל יֶתֶר. פְּלֵיטַת הָעוֹבְדֵי כּוֹכָבִים וּמַזָּלוֹת.

all remaining peoples shall cast you away The nations that escaped.

מִדְּמֵי אָדָם. בְּנִקְמַת דְּמֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הַקְּרוּאִים אָדָם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (יחזקאל לד:לא) ״אָדָם אַתֶּם״.

because of the blood of man As revenge for the blood of Israel, called ‘man,’ as it is said (Ezek. 34:31): “You are man.”

וַחֲמַס אֶרֶץ. אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל.

and the violence done to the land The land of Israel.

קִרְיָה. הִיא יְרוּשָׁלַיִם.

the city Jerusalem.