וּמֶ֥לֶךְ אֵ֛ין בֶּאֱד֖וֹם נִצָּ֥ב מֶֽלֶךְ׃
Pada waktu itu tidak ada raja di Edom; seorang wakil yang diangkat menjadi raja di sana.
Shir HaShirim Rabbah
“My mother’s sons were incensed at me.” Rabbi Meir and Rabbi Yosei. Rabbi Meir says: “My mother’s sons [benei imi]”—the members of my nation [benei umati]; these are Datan and Aviram, “were incensed at me [niḥaru bi]”—they assailed me [nitgaru bi], they filled the Judge with enflamed wrath against me.207They caused Israel’s enslavement in Egypt to be extended longer than it would have otherwise been. This midrash is presented as though stated by Israel. “They placed me as guard of the vineyards”—because [they caused Moses] to settle the dispute between the daughters of Yitro,208The dispute between the daughters of Yitro and the Midyanite shepherds (see Exodus 2:16–17). Datan and Aviram are identified as the individuals who told Pharaoh that Moses had killed an Egyptian taskmaster, and thereby caused Moses to flee to Midyan (see Exodus 2:13–15; Shemot Rabba 1:29). he could not settle the dispute between me and my brethren who were in Egypt. That is: “I did not guard my own vineyard.”
Rabbi Yosei says: “My mother’s sons were incensed at me”—the members of my nation, these are the scouts. “Were incensed at me”—they assailed me; they filled the Judge with enflamed wrath against me. “They placed me as guard of the vineyards.” Because I tarried in the wilderness for forty-two journeys, I was not able to enter the Land of Israel. That is: “I did not guard my own vineyard.”
Another matter, “my mother’s sons were incensed at me”—the members of my nation, this is Yerovam ben Nevat. “Were incensed at me”—they assailed me; they filled the Judge with enflamed wrath against me. “They placed me as guard of the vineyards,” the guarding of Yerovam’s two calves, “I did not guard my own vineyard,” I did not maintain the priestly and Levite watches. That is: “I did not guard my own vineyard.”
Rabbi Levi said: On the day that Solomon married the daughter of Pharaoh Nekho, [the angel] Mikhael, the great prince, descended from the heavens and inserted a large reed into the sea. Mud arose on this side and that, and made that place like a thicket. It became the location of Rome.
On the day that Yerovam ben Nevat established the two golden calves, two towers were built in Rome. They would build them and they would collapse, build them and they would collapse. There was one elderly man there named Abba Kolon. He said to them: ‘Unless you bring water from the Euphrates River, mix it with the mortar, and build them, they will not remain standing.’ They said to him: ‘Who can do that?’209They knew that the authorities in the Land of Israel would not allow water from the Euphrates to be transported. He said to them: ‘I can.’ He presented himself as a wine merchant. He would enter a city and leave a city, enter a province and leave a province until he arrived there. When he arrived there, he went and brought water from the Euphrates.210He transported it in the empty wine barrels. They mixed it with mortar and built them and they remained standing. From that time, they would say: Any province where there is no Abba Kolon cannot be called a province. They would call it Babylonian Rome.211The Euphrates was in Babylon.
On the day that Elijah, of blessed memory, departed [from the world], a king assumed power in Edom. That is what is written: “There was no king in Edom, a prefect was king” (I Kings 22:48).212For many years, Edom was subservient to Israel and was ruled by a prefect who was controlled by Israel. When Elijah departed from the world, Edom appointed a king and became politically independent. It should be noted that the Sages generally identify Edom as the forebear of Rome.
Another matter, “my mother’s sons were incensed at me”—the members of my nation, this is Ahab. “Were incensed at me,” they assailed me; they filled the Judge with enflamed wrath against me. “They placed me as guard of the vineyards,” he would pamper and feed Tzidkiya ben Kenaana and his cohorts,213False prophets. and I had one true prophet, this is Mikhaihu, and this is what he commanded and said: “Feed him scant food and scant water until I return in peace” (I Kings 22:27). “That is: “I did not guard my own vineyard.”
Another matter, “my mother’s sons”—[members of] my nation, this is Jezebel. “Were incensed at me”—they assailed me; they filled the Judge with enflamed wrath against me. “They placed me as guard of the vineyards”—she would pamper and feed the prophets of the Baal and the Ashera. And to Elijah the prophet, of blessed memory, who was a true prophet, she sent and said to him: “At this time tomorrow I will render your life like the life of one of them” (I Kings 19:2).214She threatened to have him killed. That is: “I did not guard my own vineyard.”
Another matter, “my mother’s sons,” this is King Zedekiah. “Were incensed at me”—they assailed me; they filled the Judge with enflamed wrath against me. “They placed me as guard of the vineyards,” he would pamper Pashḥur ben Malkiya and his cohorts.215False prophets. And I had one true prophet, this is Jeremiah, and he wrote in his regard:216Jeremiah wrote what Zedekiah did for him. “They gave him a loaf of bread daily from the bakers' street” (Jeremiah 37:21). What is “from the bakers’ street [ḥutz]”? Rabbi Yitzḥak said: This is coarse bread, which is black and made from barley bran, which is sold outside [ḥutz] the bakers’ marketplace. That is: “I did not guard my own vineyard,” because I did not guard my own vineyard.217I did not protect the true prophets.
Rabbi Yosei says: “My mother’s sons were incensed at me”—the members of my nation, these are the scouts. “Were incensed at me”—they assailed me; they filled the Judge with enflamed wrath against me. “They placed me as guard of the vineyards.” Because I tarried in the wilderness for forty-two journeys, I was not able to enter the Land of Israel. That is: “I did not guard my own vineyard.”
Another matter, “my mother’s sons were incensed at me”—the members of my nation, this is Yerovam ben Nevat. “Were incensed at me”—they assailed me; they filled the Judge with enflamed wrath against me. “They placed me as guard of the vineyards,” the guarding of Yerovam’s two calves, “I did not guard my own vineyard,” I did not maintain the priestly and Levite watches. That is: “I did not guard my own vineyard.”
Rabbi Levi said: On the day that Solomon married the daughter of Pharaoh Nekho, [the angel] Mikhael, the great prince, descended from the heavens and inserted a large reed into the sea. Mud arose on this side and that, and made that place like a thicket. It became the location of Rome.
On the day that Yerovam ben Nevat established the two golden calves, two towers were built in Rome. They would build them and they would collapse, build them and they would collapse. There was one elderly man there named Abba Kolon. He said to them: ‘Unless you bring water from the Euphrates River, mix it with the mortar, and build them, they will not remain standing.’ They said to him: ‘Who can do that?’209They knew that the authorities in the Land of Israel would not allow water from the Euphrates to be transported. He said to them: ‘I can.’ He presented himself as a wine merchant. He would enter a city and leave a city, enter a province and leave a province until he arrived there. When he arrived there, he went and brought water from the Euphrates.210He transported it in the empty wine barrels. They mixed it with mortar and built them and they remained standing. From that time, they would say: Any province where there is no Abba Kolon cannot be called a province. They would call it Babylonian Rome.211The Euphrates was in Babylon.
On the day that Elijah, of blessed memory, departed [from the world], a king assumed power in Edom. That is what is written: “There was no king in Edom, a prefect was king” (I Kings 22:48).212For many years, Edom was subservient to Israel and was ruled by a prefect who was controlled by Israel. When Elijah departed from the world, Edom appointed a king and became politically independent. It should be noted that the Sages generally identify Edom as the forebear of Rome.
Another matter, “my mother’s sons were incensed at me”—the members of my nation, this is Ahab. “Were incensed at me,” they assailed me; they filled the Judge with enflamed wrath against me. “They placed me as guard of the vineyards,” he would pamper and feed Tzidkiya ben Kenaana and his cohorts,213False prophets. and I had one true prophet, this is Mikhaihu, and this is what he commanded and said: “Feed him scant food and scant water until I return in peace” (I Kings 22:27). “That is: “I did not guard my own vineyard.”
Another matter, “my mother’s sons”—[members of] my nation, this is Jezebel. “Were incensed at me”—they assailed me; they filled the Judge with enflamed wrath against me. “They placed me as guard of the vineyards”—she would pamper and feed the prophets of the Baal and the Ashera. And to Elijah the prophet, of blessed memory, who was a true prophet, she sent and said to him: “At this time tomorrow I will render your life like the life of one of them” (I Kings 19:2).214She threatened to have him killed. That is: “I did not guard my own vineyard.”
Another matter, “my mother’s sons,” this is King Zedekiah. “Were incensed at me”—they assailed me; they filled the Judge with enflamed wrath against me. “They placed me as guard of the vineyards,” he would pamper Pashḥur ben Malkiya and his cohorts.215False prophets. And I had one true prophet, this is Jeremiah, and he wrote in his regard:216Jeremiah wrote what Zedekiah did for him. “They gave him a loaf of bread daily from the bakers' street” (Jeremiah 37:21). What is “from the bakers’ street [ḥutz]”? Rabbi Yitzḥak said: This is coarse bread, which is black and made from barley bran, which is sold outside [ḥutz] the bakers’ marketplace. That is: “I did not guard my own vineyard,” because I did not guard my own vineyard.217I did not protect the true prophets.
Bereshit Rabbah
Rabbi Aivu said: Before a king reigned in Israel, [but once there was a king in Israel],3Addition to the text based on Matnot Kehuna, Nezer HaKodesh, Etz Yosef. “[There was no king] in Edom; an official was king” (I Kings 22:48)4Officials from Judah were installed as governors of Edom (see II Samuel 8:14). – “These are the kings [who reigned in the land of Edom before the reign of a king for the children of Israel].” Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina [said]: When this one crowns kings, this one appoints judges.5When Edom had kings, Israel had judges but no kings. When this one appoints chieftains, this one appoints princes.6When Nebuchadnezzar conquered the region, neither Edom nor Israel had kings; Edom had chieftains and Israel had princes, a lower status than chieftains (Etz Yosef). Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: This one crowned eight and that one crowned eight.7There were eight kings of Edom before there was a king in Israel, and eight kings of Israel during whose reigns there was no king in Edom. This one crowned eight: Bela, Yovav, Ḥusham, Hadad, Samla, Shaul, Baal Ḥanan, Hadar. And that one crowned eight: Shaul, Ish Boshet, David, Solomon, Reḥavam, Aviya, Asa, Yehoshafat. Nebuchadnezzar came and mingled these with those, and abrogated these and those, [as it is stated:] “Who rendered the world like a wilderness and destroyed its cities” (Isaiah 14:17). Evil8Evil Merodakh, king of Babylon. came and accorded greatness to Yehoyakhin.9Yehoyakhin had been king of Judah; see II Kings 25:27–30. Aḥashverosh came and accorded greatness to Haman.10Haman, like Edom, was a descendant of Esau.