What is the question "Mah E'eseh Lecha [Efrayim]"?
Rashi: What will I do due to Midas ha'Din? How will I bring out your judgment?
Radak: How will I heal and bandage you? Your Teshuvah is not complete. (Refer to 6:4:2:2.)
How is your Chesed like a morning cloud?
Rashi: All your good and Chesed is nothing.
Radak: If Malchei Yisrael did what was straight in Hashem's eyes, they quickly reverted to do evil, e.g. Yehu. Also Malchei Yehudah who did what was straight in Hashem's eyes in the days of Yoshiyah, they returned to do evil in the days of his son and grandson. This is like a morning cloud or dew ? when the sun gets hot, it ceases.
Malbim: The primary matter that Hashem demands is doing Mishpat and love of Chesed ? to do Chesed with people. (Chesed includes Mitzvos Bein Adam la'Makom based on Midas Chasidus ? this is called Toras Chesed.) Your Chesed is like a morning cloud ? when the sun shines, it rises, scatters and does not satiate the ground. How can you request that [salvation] come to you like rain? There is no rain without a cloud, and rain does not come from a morning cloud!
What is "vecha'Tal Mashkim Holech"?
Radak: Mashkim is a noun. Its grammatical form is like "Yiten Ochel l'Mavkir" (Iyov 36:31). I.e. he goes early.
Radak citing Targum Yonasan: And like dew, that its water ceases.
Malbim: Also when you resemble dew, which comes about at night from drops that rise from vegetation and it persists the entire night, when the sun shines, there is no dew and no rain. So when you rise early for your desires and ways, the string of Chesed ceases, and there is no Chesed and Da'as Elokim in the land.
