אור החיים הקדוש · האזינו · רְבִיעִי

For they are a froward generation, and so on. This is explained as follows: Since the verse just stated, 'I will hide My face from them, I will see what their end shall be,' this implies that Hashem will not look upon them or see them even if they perform teshuvah and cry out in prayer. Now, it would seem improper for Hashem to act this way (by ignoring sincere repentance). To resolve this, the verse concludes by giving the reason: 'For they are a froward generation' (tahpuchot), meaning they constantly turn and flip-flop from good to evil. And when it says 'children' (banim), it means that even if they intend to improve and reach the level where they are considered children of Hashem, 'there is no faithfulness in them' (lo emun bam). This is because they will quickly return to their wicked ways, and their repentance is not complete or lasting. Therefore, it is entirely fitting for Hashem to hide His face from them.

I thought I would make an end of them (afeihem). The meaning of the word afeihem is: I will direct My anger (api) against them until they are completely destroyed from among mankind.

Were it not that I dreaded the enemy’s provocation, and so on. The meaning is that the enemies of Israel have provoked Me to anger many times. This is the meaning of the word "agur" (I dreaded), which is related to the expression "agrah vakatzir" (she gathers in the harvest) in Proverbs 6:8. It means: I have gathered and stored up the anger provoked by the enemy, and they are ripe for destruction. However, when they see that I have completely wiped out the name of Israel, Heaven forbid, "their adversaries would misunderstand." This means they would think that Israel's faith is foreign and not righteous, and the truth would thus be turned into a lie, Heaven forbid.

Furthermore, Hashem is concerned "lest they should say: Our hand is exalted." This means that in addition to denying Israel's faith and religion, they would sin further by claiming that their own faith is the correct one. This is what is meant by "lest they should say: Our hand is exalted," meaning that their goodness and tranquility do not come from Hashem, but rather from the idols they worship.

And this is the meaning of "and not Hashem has wrought all this." This refers to all of their own goodness and success. Their proof for this claim would be that Israel did not do any evil that they themselves do not do, and indeed they do even worse, yet they ruled over Israel and destroyed them.

Alternatively, the words refer to the great destruction the enemies brought upon Israel, wiping out their memory from mankind. The enemies would claim that Hashem did not do all this alone, but that the power and will of their idols joined in and gave them dominion over Israel.

For they are a nation void of counsel. This means that there is no reason to hope that the gentile nation will observe what happens to Israel, take a moral lesson, and say to themselves: If these people, who only angered Hashem a little, suffered such a fate, we must improve our own ways.

This is the meaning of the words, "for they are a nation void of counsel." It means that such a logical process is simply not in their nature, and they are completely lost when it comes to such constructive advice.

And the verse continues, "and there is no understanding in them" to deduce one matter from another. This is just as the next verse says, "If they were wise, they would understand this," meaning they would understand the fierce anger that came upon Israel, and from this they would understand what their own end will be for their own transgressions.