And meet impudent dogs, they never had enough: the shepherds themselves knew no understanding: all have turned aside into their own way, every one after his own gain, from the first even to the last.
Ibn Ezra
עזי נפש Greedy. The word נפש is mostly used in Scripture to express the appetitive soul; comp. ונפשו מאכל תאוה and his soul (abhorreth) dainty meat (Job 33:20). All these dogs are useless; they do only harm, because of their strong, insatiable appetite, called עזות נפש greediness; they can never have enough. The words which follow contain the explanation of the figure used here. And they, the dogs mentioned here, Are the shepherds of Israel, that cannot understand. הבין Understand. It is infinitive. לבצעו For his gain, for that which brings him profit; comp. מה בצע what profit is there (Ps. 30:10). מקצהו From his quarter. Every one from his quarter.
Hebrew and Aramaic words are the commentator’s citations of the sacred text; the English translation that follows each is the translator’s.
Imported from an open dataset — not yet checked against the printed edition.