Commentary for Ezekiel 21:26
כִּֽי־עָמַ֨ד מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶ֜ל אֶל־אֵ֣ם הַדֶּ֗רֶךְ בְּרֹ֛אשׁ שְׁנֵ֥י הַדְּרָכִ֖ים לִקְסָם־קָ֑סֶם קִלְקַ֤ל בַּֽחִצִּים֙ שָׁאַ֣ל בַּתְּרָפִ֔ים רָאָ֖ה בַּכָּבֵֽד׃
For the king of Babylon standeth at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination; he shaketh the arrows to and fro, he inquireth of the teraphim, he looketh in the liver.
Rashi on Ezekiel
the crossroads Heb. אֵם הַדֶרֶךְ, carrefour in French, crossroads.
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Rashi on Ezekiel
he furbished the arrows Heb. קִלְקַל, he furbished the arrows with a glitter. He shot an arrow upward, and it turns by itself right or left, and to the place it turns—that is the lot.
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Rashi on Ezekiel
he flashed with the arrows Menachem (p. 155), connected it with (above 1:7): “burnished (קָלָל) copper”; (Ecc. 10:10): “and he did not sharpen (קִלְקֵל) the edge.” It may also be explained as an expression of deterioration, as in (Jer. 4:24): “and all the hills deteriorated (הִתְקַלְקָלוּ).” Some translate קִלְקַל into French, as trait, he shot, and Jonathan as well renders קִלְקַל בֲּחִצִים as קְשֲּׁתבְּגִרְרֲיָא.
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