ירמיהו, פרק ה׳, פסוק כ״ז

To illustrate how corrupt individuals accumulate their wealth, vivid imagery from the worlds of agriculture and hunting is employed. The comparison centers around a wooden basket or box, traditionally used as a cage [מצודת ציון, רד״ק]. This structure is much like a woven container used for gathering summer fruit [מצודת ציון, רד״ק, אברבנאל].

Commentators offer two complementary perspectives on how this cage functions in the metaphor. One approach views it as a hunter's trap, a container where a hunter tosses the many birds he has captured once his work is done [מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. A second perspective suggests the cage is a coop designed for raising and fattening birds, a place where they are constantly supplied with food and water so they will grow plump [רש״י, רד״ק, אברבנאל].

Both interpretations provide a dual meaning to the way the homes of the wicked are filled with deceit. Just as a hunter's cage becomes packed with captured birds, the houses of these corrupt individuals are filled to the brim with money and property gathered through robbery, crime, and fraud [מצודת דוד, רד״ק, מלבי״ם]. Furthermore, much like captive birds constantly eating and growing fat, these people sit in their homes, indulging in their stolen goods [רד״ק].

The direct result of this behavior is their immense growth and newfound riches. They accumulate massive assets and capital, firmly establishing their high economic status [מצודת דוד, רד״ק]. However, this wealth and greatness do not stem from honest, hard work. Instead, their riches are acquired easily and without effort, driven entirely by their fraudulent actions [רד״ק, מלבי״ם]. In the end, these corrupt individuals become exactly like the fattened birds they keep, growing plump and complacent within their own cages of stolen wealth [אברבנאל].