[52a - 56 lines; 52b - 51 lines]
1)[line 17]נדמה להם כהר גבוהNIDMEH LAHEM K'HAR GAVO'AH- that is, the Yetzer ha'Ra of the righteous looks larger and more powerful since, as the Gemara at the end of this Amud says, "the greater the person, the greater his Yetzer ha'Ra."
2)[line 19]צדיקים בוכין ואומריםTZADIKIM BOCHIN V'OMRIM- the Tzadikim cried because they remembered how hard they had worked to conquer the Yetzer ha'Ra in their lifetime (RASHI; see also Insights to the Daf for other explanations)
3)[line 22]"כה אמר ה' צבקות, 'כי יפלא בעיני שארית העם הזה בימים ההם, גם בעיני יפלא,' נאם ה' צבקות.""KOH AMAR HASH-M TZEVAKOS, 'KI YIPALEI B'EINEI SHE'ERIS HA'AM HA'ZEH BA'YAMIM HA'HEM, GAM B'EINAI YIPALEI,' NE'UM HASH-M TZEVAKOS." - "So says Hash-m the Lord of Hosts, 'Just as it will be wondrous in the eyes of the remnants of this people in those days, so will it be wondrous in My eyes,' says the Lord of Hosts" (Zecharyah 8:6). (HASH-M'S CHESED IN THE TIME OF MASHI'ACH)
Notwithstanding the explanation presented by our Sugya, the verse is speaking with reference to the amazing outpouring of HaSh-m's Chesed towards Yisrael. When, despite the burning hatred of the entire world towards the Jews, it is possible to speak about old men and women with their sticks of old age sitting in the streets of Yerushalayim as the streets teem with little boys and girls playing. That is nothing short of a miracle.
4)[line 25]בוכיאBUCHYA- (a) (O.F. iraigne) spider (RASHI); (b) according to the Girsa KUCHYA - the weaver's shuttle that holds the spool of Erev (woof) thread as it is thrown back and forth in between the Shesi (warp) threads of the loom (RABEINU CHANANEL, ARUCH) (Note: In Maseches Shabbos 96b, the shuttle is called a BUCHYAR. See also Dikdukei Sofrim here #300.)
5)[line 26]עבותות העגלהAVOSOS HA'AGALAH- the ropes of the wagon (that bind it to a horse)
6)[line 27]"הוי מושכי העון בחבלי השוא, וכעבות העגלה חטאה.""HOY MOSHCHEI HE'AVON B'CHAVLEI HA'SHAV, V'CHA'AVOS HA'AGALAH CHATA'AH."- "Woe to those who pull iniquity upon themselves with cords of falsehood, and [pull] sin [upon themselves] with the ropes of a wagon" (Yeshayah 5:18).
7)[line 31]אספרהASAPERAH- I must relate
8)[line 48]"ואת הצפוני ארחיק מעליכם [והדחתיו אל ארץ ציה ושממה, את פניו אל הים הקדמני וספו אל הים האחרון; ועלה באשו ותעל צחנתו, כי הגדיל לעשות.]""V'ES HA'TZEFONI ARCHIK ME'ALEICHEM..."- "I will distance the northern one from you [and I will banish him to an arid and desolate land, his face to the Eastern Sea and his back to the Western Sea; his foul odor will ascend and his stench will rise, for he has done great evil]" (Yoel 2:20). Our Gemara interprets this verse as referring to the Yetzer ha'Ra, which is hidden (Tzafun) in man's heart.
9)[line 49]ציהTZIYAH- arid
10)[line 49]להתגרות בהןL'HISGAROS BAHEN- to antagonize them
11)[line 52]בשונאיהם של ישראלSON'EIHEM SHEL YISRAEL- lit, the enemies of Yisrael; this is a euphemism for Bnei Yisrael
12)[line 53]אפרשינהו מאיסוראAFRESHINHU ME'ISURA- I will prevent them from transgressing
13)[line 54]אגמאAGMA- a marsh
14)[line 54]שמעינהו דקא אמריSHAM'INHU D'KA AMREI- that is, even though the people Abaye followed were not aware that he was following them, they refrained from sin on their own.
15)[line 54]אורחין רחיקאORCHIN RECHIKA- the distance between our cities is great, i.e. we must part now
16)[line 54]וצוותין בסימאV'TZAVSIN BESIMA- and had we been able to continue together, our company would have been sweet
17)[line 54]מאן דסני ליMAN D'SANI LI- a person that hates me, my enemy (Abaye was referring to himself, when influenced by the Yetzer ha'Ra)
18)[line 55]תלא נפשיה בעיבורא דדשאTALA NAFSHEI B'IBURA D'DASHA- he leaned on the bolt of the door (in sorrow)
52b----------------------------------------52b
19)[line 7]מנוול זהMENUVAL ZEH- this disgraceful being, the Yetzer ha'Ra
20)[line 8]מתפוצץMISPOTZETZ- it shatters
21)[line 10]"אבנים שחקו מים ...""AVANIM SHACHAKU MAYIM ..."- "Stones are worn away by water ..." (Iyov 14:19).
22)[line 12]"... וכפטיש יפוצץ סלע""... UCH'FATISH YEFOTZETZ SALA."- (a) "... and like a hammer that shatters a stone into many fragments" (RASHI to Shabbos 88b DH Mah Patish); (b) "... and like a hammer that is shattered by the hard stone" (RABEINU TAM, cited by TOSFOS) (Yirmeyahu 23:29)
23)[line 15]"מפנק מנוער עבדו, ואחריתו יהיה מנון.""MEFANEK MI'NO'AR AVDO, V'ACHARISO YIHEYEH MANON."- "If one indulges (pampers) his slave from youth, he will end up being ruled by him" (Mishlei 29:21). The slave is the Yetzer ha'Ra. One who yields to the wishes of his Yetzer ha'Ra will find it almost impossible to fight against it afterwards.
24)[line 16]באטב''ח של רבי חייאB'ATBaCH SHEL REBBI CHIYA- a method of linguistic extrapolation whereby each letter of the alphabet is replaced with a corresponding letter, where the sum of the numerical value of the two letters equals 10, 100, and 1000. (It should be noted that the final letters have the following equivalents: Chaf Sofis - 500; Mem Sofis - 600; Nun Sofis - 700; Feh Sofis - 800; Tzadi Sofis - 900.) Since the letters Heh, Nun, and Chaf Sofis correspond to 5, 50, and 500, respectively, they have no corresponding letters. As such, they are all interchangeable.
25)[line 17]"[עמי בעצו ישאל, ומקלו יגיד לו;] כי רוח זנונים התעה ...""[AMI B'ETZO YISH'AL, U'MAKLO YAGID LO;] KI RU'ACH ZENUNIM HIS'AH ..."- "[My people ask counsel of a piece of wood, and their staff declares to them;] for a spirit of harlotry has misled [them ...]" (Hoshea 4:11). This verse refers to a practice of witchcraft.
26)[line 18]"... כי רוח זנונים בקרבם ...""... KI RU'ACH ZENUNIM B'KIRBAM ..."- "... for a spirit of harlotry is within them ..." (Hoshea 5:4).
27)[line 19]הלךHELECH- wayfarer (traveler)
28)[line 24]"כמרעיתם וישבעו ...""K'MAR'ISAM VA'YISBA'U ..."- "With their pasture they became sated ..." (Hoshea 13:6). The word for pasture, Mir'eh, is similar to the word for affliction, Mera. The Gemara interprets these words to mean that if a person afflicts (starves) himself with regard to marital relations, his desire will be under control (MAHARSHA).
29)[line 27]"הן ארץ כשדים, זה העם לא היה ...""HEN ERETZ KASDIM, ZEH HA'AM LO HAYAH ..."- "Behold, this (the city-state of Tzor) is the land of the Kasdim, for this nation (the Kena'anim who lived in Tzor) never used to be [here ...]." (Yeshayah 23:13). The Gemara interprets this verse to mean, "This nation (the Kasdim) never was [worthwhile, and it would be best had it never existed]."
30)[line 28]"ישליו ...""YISHLAYU ..."- "The tents of robbers are tranquil, and there is security for those who anger HaSh-m, into whomever's hand HaSh-m brings it" (Iyov 12:6). The Yishmaelim are known as tent-dwellers and robbers. The end of the verse states that HaSh-m brought them into existence, albeit reluctantly.
31)[line 30]נתמוטטוNISMOTETU- give way, buckle
32)[line 33]"... ויאמר (אלי) [לאמר], 'אלה הקרנות אשר זרו את יהודה, [כפי איש לא נשא ראשו. ויבאו אלה להחריד אתם, לידות את קרנות הגוים הנשאים קרן אל ארץ יהודה לזרותה.]""VA'YOMER (ELAI) [LEIMOR], 'ELEH HA'KERANOS ASHER ZERU ES YEHUDAH ..."- "[HaSh-m then showed me four artisans. I asked (the Mal'ach), 'What are they coming to do?'] And He spoke (to the Mal'ach) to say (to me), 'These are the horns (the nations) that dispersed [the people of] Yehudah, [humiliating them until no man could raise his head. So these (artisans) have come to terrify them, to cast down the horn of the nations who raise a horn against the [people of the] land of Yehudah to disperse it]'" (Zecharyah 2:3-4).
33)[line 34]חרשיםCHARASHIM- artisans
34)[line 35]כהן צדקKOHEN TZEDEK- lit. the righteous Kohen, i.e. (a) Shem the son of Noach (who was called an artisan because he helped build Noah's ark) (RASHI); (b) Ezra (who was involved in the building of the second Beis Hamikdash) (ETZ YOSEF)
35)[line 36]"... ויאמר אלי אלה ...""... VA'YOMER (ELAI) [LEIMOR] ELEH ..."- see above, entry #31
36)[line 36]הני (לשובה אתו) [יתובי מיתבי להו]HANI (L'SHUVAH ASU) [YESUVEI MEISVEI LEHU]- (this is the Girsa of the manuscripts, Ein Yakov and Yalkut Shimoni - Dikdukei Sofrim #9) - the people that you called "artisans" (Zecharyah 2:3) will cause the return of the Jews to their homeland. The next verse (ibid. 2:4) speaks of people who dispersed the Jews.
37)[line 37]שפיל לסיפיה דקראSHEFIL L'SEIFEI D'KERA- (lit. look below) inspect the end of that verse
38)[line 39]"והיה זה שלום ...""V'HAYAH ZEH SHALOM ..."- "And this shall be peace; if Ashur shall come into our land and if he shall tread in our palaces, then we shall raise against him seven shepherds, and eight princes of men." (Michah 5:4)
39)[line 47]מרתא בת בייתוסMARTA BAS BAISUS- a wealthy Jewish noble woman who lived in Yerushalayim during the times of the Tana'im (see Yevamos 61a, Gitin 56a)
40)[line 50]משום יוקראMISHUM YUKRA- because of its weight
41)[line 50]כבשKEVESH- [he only had to walk up] a ramp
42)[line 50]מרובעMERUBA- that had an incline of 1 to 4; it extended four Amos for every Amah of its height
43)[last line]לא זקיףLO ZAKIF- it was not vertical