ירמיהו, פרק י״א, פסוק י״ט

A prophet often faces rejection, but the betrayal cuts deepest when it comes from family and friends. Jeremiah carried out his divine mission with complete innocence, entirely unaware that his own relatives and acquaintances were quietly plotting his assassination. He remained blind to their deadly intentions until God intervened and revealed the hidden danger to him.

Reflecting on his vulnerability, Jeremiah compares himself to an animal being led to the slaughter. Commentators offer different perspectives on the exact nature of this imagery. One approach suggests the comparison involves two distinct animals, a lamb and an ox, being led together to their demise [רש״י, מצודת ציון, רד״ק]. Another perspective views the imagery as focusing solely on a lamb. This might describe a particularly large and choice lamb [רש״י, רד״ק], or a tamed, trusting animal that blindly and obediently follows its handlers [מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

This animal imagery perfectly captures the prophet's situation from two distinct angles. First, it highlights his profound lack of awareness. Just as an animal has no idea where its owners are taking it, Jeremiah was invited to dine with his relatives, never suspecting they were actually leading him to his death [רד״ק]. Second, the imagery emphasizes his helplessness. Just as an animal is forced to the slaughter against its will, Jeremiah was compelled to deliver harsh prophecies by God's overpowering hand, rather than out of any personal desire to bring harm to his people [מצודת דוד].

The conspirators' method of attack was quiet and treacherous. The primary approach among commentators is that they planned to assassinate him through poisoning. They intended to extract a deadly toxin from a poisonous tree and secretly mix it into his daily food [רש״י, מצודת דוד, מצודת ציון, רד״ק, חומת אנך]. An alternative understanding views their plot not as literal poisoning, but as an idiom representing total destruction, akin to destroying a tree along with its fruit. In this sense, the attackers wanted to completely uproot the prophet along with his children, or permanently silence him and his prophecies [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

Ultimately, their goal was absolute erasure. They sought to remove him from the living world, or specifically from the Land of Israel [רד״ק]. The conspirators were not satisfied with merely ending his physical life. They aimed to completely extinguish both his mortal existence and his lasting legacy, ensuring his name would be forgotten forever [רד״ק, מצודת דוד].