Hezekiah spreads the letter before Hashem in the house; Isaiah answers: 'He shall not come to this city, nor shoot an arrow there.' That night the angel of Hashem smites a hundred eighty-five thousand in the camp of Assyria, and Sennacherib falls by the sword of his own sons.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of Hashem.
verse value 2859
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 49 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָֽה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "in·the·sackcloth" (בַּשָּׂ֔ק, 3 letters) and the longest is "his·garments" (אֶת־בְּגָדָ֑יו, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "and·covered·himself" (וַיִּתְכַּ֣ס), "in·the·sackcloth" (בַּשָּׂ֔ק). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "king" (root מלך, 407x in II Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 276x in II Kings); "and·came" (root בוא, 146x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·garments', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיְהִ֗י [and·it·was] (31) + כִּשְׁמֹ֙עַ֙ [when·he·heard] (430) + הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ [king] (95) + חִזְקִיָּ֔הוּ [Hezekiah] (136) + וַיִּקְרַ֖ע [and·he·tore] (386) + אֶת־בְּגָדָ֑יו [his·garments] (426) + וַיִּתְכַּ֣ס [and·covered·himself] (496) + בַּשָּׂ֔ק [in·the·sackcloth] (402) + וַיָּבֹ֖א [and·came] (19) + בֵּ֥ית [house·of] (412) + יְהֹוָֽה [Hashem] (26) = 2859.
Radak
“And he tore his garments.” This refers to what they had told him, namely that Rabshakeh had blasphemed and cursed God, blessed be He.
“And he covered himself with sackcloth.” To afflict himself, so that God would have mercy on him and on the people.
And he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz.
verse value 5083
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 74 letters. Verse gematria: 5083 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "and" (וְאֵת֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "who·was·over·the·house" (אֲשֶׁר־עַל־הַבַּ֜יִת, 9 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "elders·of" (זִקְנֵ֣י), "covering·themselves" (מִתְכַּסִּ֖ים), "in·the·sackcloth" (בַּשַּׂקִּ֑ים). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "who·was·over·the·house" (root אשר, 318x in II Kings); "to·Isaiah" (root איל, 153x in II Kings); "and·he·sent" (root שלח, 67x in II Kings). First appearance of the root אמוץ ("son·of·Amoz") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·sackcloth', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַ֠יִּשְׁלַ֠ח [and·he·sent] (354) + אֶת־אֶלְיָקִ֨ים [Eliakim] (592) + אֲשֶׁר־עַל־הַבַּ֜יִת [who·was·over·the·house] (1018) + וְשֶׁבְנָ֣א [and·Shebna] (359) + הַסֹּפֵ֗ר [the·scribe] (345) + וְאֵת֙ [and] (407) + זִקְנֵ֣י [elders·of] (167) + הַכֹּהֲנִ֔ים [the·priests] (130) + מִתְכַּסִּ֖ים [covering·themselves] (570) + בַּשַּׂקִּ֑ים [in·the·sackcloth] (452) + אֶל־יְשַׁעְיָ֥הוּ [to·Isaiah] (432) + הַנָּבִ֖יא [the·prophet] (68) + בֶּן־אָמֽוֹץ [son·of·Amoz] (189) = 5083.
And they said to him: ‘Thus says Hezekiah: This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and of contumely; for the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth.
verse value 2659
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 70 letters. The shortest word is "thus" (כֹּ֚ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·they·said" (וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 61: day, nothing. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "day·narrow" (יוֹם־צָרָ֧ה), "and·rebuke" (וְתוֹכֵחָ֛ה), "and·contempt" (וּנְאָצָ֖ה). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·they·said" (root אמר, 342x in II Kings); "have·come" (root בוא, 146x in II Kings); "to·him" (root אל, 113x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'this', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 7 words.
Rashi
And chastisement. For the wicked argue and put on a bold face for their words, saying, 'Ours is the might and the strength':
Children. Israel:
Until the birthing-place. Until the distress that is similar to a woman sitting on the birthing-place and has no strength to give birth; birthing-place is the name of the seat of a woman who crouches to give birth:
Radak
A day of distress, reproof, and contempt. “Reproof” refers to the rebuke that Rabshakeh delivered to us in words of terror and insults; alternatively, it means that God reproaches us for our sins. “Contempt” refers to the contempt that Rabshakeh showed toward God. And the Targum renders it: “A day of affliction, reproaches, and contempt.”
"Sons have come to the point of breaking forth." He likened the distress to a woman seized by the pains of childbirth, and the child comes until the breaking forth, which is the womb, the place of the child’s exit. For then her pains are more severe when the child is near to coming out. And if the birthing woman does not have the strength to strengthen herself to give birth to the child, behold, she is in the intensity of her pains without hope for rest. So too, the distress is great upon us, and we do not have the strength to emerge from it, unless God helps us.
"Liladah." It is an adjective, and the Targum of the verse is likewise: "Ari akiptana aqa ka'atta d'yatva al mitbara ve-chil leita la lemeilad."
Ralbag
"This day is a day of distress, rebuke, and disgrace." This means that it was a day of severe distress, because of what the King of Assyria had decreed to destroy Jerusalem, until, from the abundance of distress, even the pregnant women crouching to give birth lack the strength to deliver. And although the children have come to the birthstool — that is, the place from the womb where the child would be at the time of its emergence and issuing forth from the womb — it was also a day of rebuke and disgrace. For Rabshakeh rebuked them with words of disgrace, reproach, and blasphemy, [saying] that the Lord would not save Jerusalem from the hand of the King of Assyria. And this is what is said afterward: "and rebuked with the words which the LORD your God has heard."
Metzudat David
And reproof. The enemy argues in order to boast of his success, and says, "My hand has triumphed:"
And disgrace. One who reviles God with words of cursing.
"For the sons have come." He compares the children of the generation to a woman who is bent over in childbirth, sitting on the birthing stool, and lacks the strength to give birth to the children.
Metzudat Zion
And rebuke. From the term dispute and the clarification of matters:
And contempt. A matter of scorn, so too (I Samuel 2:17): for the men despised:
The birthing-place. It is the dwelling place of women in childbirth, so too (Hosea 13:13): in the birthing-place of children:
It may be Hashem your God will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master has sent to taunt the living God, and will rebuke the words which Hashem your God has heard; wherefore make prayer for the remnant that is left.’
verse value 7539
Insights
Verse structure: 25 words, 111 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֨ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "living" (חַ֔י, 2 letters) and the longest is "king·of·Assyria" (מֶֽלֶךְ־אַשּׁ֤וּר, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: that, that. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "he·hears" (יִשְׁמַע֩), "and·reprove" (וְהוֹכִ֙יחַ֙), "in·the·words" (בַּדְּבָרִ֔ים). The root אלהים appears 3 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 318x in II Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 276x in II Kings); "all·words·of" (root דבר, 147x in II Kings). First appearance of the root חרף ("to·reproach") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·God', dividing the verse into phrases of 20 and 5 words.
Rashi
And he will prove [them wrong]. Esprover in Old French. He put on a bold face for his words, for he had succeeded everywhere he went:
Radak
"To blaspheme the living God." As he said, "For GOD would save Jerusalem from my hand." And the Targum [renders it]: "to revile the people of the everlasting God."
And he reproved him with words. Rabshakeh reproved him with words of insult; or its meaning is: “God will reprove him with the words that he heard.” And so does the Targum render it: “And He will bring calamity upon all the utterances that were heard before Him.”
Metzudat David
Perhaps the Lord will hear. Would that He set His heart to listen.
"And he will reprove." He will contend with words, just as the Lord heard [them].
"And you shall lift up." It is as if saying: "For this I asked from you, that you should lift up a prayer to the Lord."
The remnant that was found. The remnant of Israel that was found in Jerusalem, for he had already conquered all the fortified cities in Judea.
Metzudat Zion
If perhaps. Oh that, so too (II Samuel 16:12): perhaps the Lord will look upon my affliction:
And He will reprove. He contended [argued the case]:
Verse structure: 5 words, 27 letters. Notable word values: "slave" (עַבְדֵ֛י) = 86, equal to Elohim. Verse gematria: 774 is divisible by 86, the value of Elohim. The shortest word is "slave" (עַבְדֵ֛י, 4 letters) and the longest is "to·Isaiah" (אֶֽל־יְשַׁעְיָֽהוּ, 8 letters). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "king" (root מלך, 407x in II Kings); "to·Isaiah" (root איל, 153x in II Kings); "and·they·came" (root בוא, 146x in II Kings). Full calculation: וַיָּבֹ֗אוּ [and·they·came] (25) + עַבְדֵ֛י [slave] (86) + הַמֶּ֥לֶךְ [king] (95) + חִזְקִיָּ֖הוּ [Hezekiah] (136) + אֶֽל־יְשַׁעְיָֽהוּ [to·Isaiah] (432) = 774.
And Isaiah said to them: ‘Thus shall you say to your master: Thus says Hashem: Be not afraid of the words that you have heard, wherewith the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me.
verse value 6229
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 83 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "thus" (כֹּ֥ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·your·lord" (אֶל־אֲדֹנֵיכֶ֑ם, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: that, that. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "to·your·lord" (אֶל־אֲדֹנֵיכֶ֑ם), "blasphemed" (גִּדְּפ֛וּ), "the·servants·of" (נַעֲרֵ֥י). The root אמר appears 3 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 342x in II Kings); "that" (root אשר, 318x in II Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 276x in II Kings). First appearance of the root ישעיהו ("Isaiah") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·your·lord', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 13 words.
Radak
"my young men" – "my servants," for a servant is called a "young man," and they are Rabshakeh and his companions.
Ralbag
"The youths of the king of Assyria" — these are the servants and attendants of the king of Assyria.
Behold, I will put a spirit in him, and he shall hear a rumour, and shall return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.’
verse value 3357
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 45 letters. The shortest word is "in·him" (בּוֹ֙, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·I·will·fell·him" (וְהִפַּלְתִּ֥יו, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "report" (שְׁמוּעָ֖ה), "to·his·land" (לְאַרְצ֑וֹ), "and·I·will·fell·him" (וְהִפַּלְתִּ֥יו). The root ארץ appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·his·land" (root ארץ, 67x in II Kings); "giving" (root נתן, 60x in II Kings); "and·will·return" (root שוב, 53x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·his·land', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 3 words. Full calculation: הִנְנִ֨י [they] (115) + נֹתֵ֥ן [giving] (500) + בּוֹ֙ [in·him] (8) + ר֔וּחַ [spirit] (214) + וְשָׁמַ֥ע [and·hear] (416) + שְׁמוּעָ֖ה [report] (421) + וְשָׁ֣ב [and·will·return] (308) + לְאַרְצ֑וֹ [to·his·land] (327) + וְהִפַּלְתִּ֥יו [and·I·will·fell·him] (537) + בַּחֶ֖רֶב [in·the·sword] (212) + בְּאַרְצֽוֹ [in·his·land] (299) = 3357.
Rashi
And he heard news. And he will rise from upon you and return to his land, and not on account of the news, but after a time he will return to his land in shame of face, and I will overthrow him there by the sword, and what is the news, and he heard concerning Tirhakah, he heard that Tirhakah went out to fight with him, and rose from upon Jerusalem and went to Cush, and fought with Tirhakah and Phut and Egypt with him, and overcame them and took the delight of their treasures, and came to Jerusalem and fell there, it is what he said (Isaiah 45:14): 'The wealth of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush, etc., shall pass over to you, etc.':
Radak
"Spirit." [Meaning] a will/impulse.
"And he heard a report." This refers to the report he heard that the king of Cush had gone out to fight against him.
"And he shall return to his own land." For the king of Cush went out into the land of the king of Assyria to wage war in his land, while the king of Assyria was still in the land of Israel. And I will put a spirit in him that he shall return to his own land to fight with the king of Cush, and he will leave off the war against this city. And afterward, I will strike him down with the sword in his own land. And this occurred after he returned from the war against Cush to Jerusalem, and his camp was smitten by the angel, and he returned to his own land, and there he fell by the sword, as it is written. But the prophecy of the plague Isaiah did not state to them explicitly. And one should not ask for the reason behind the actions of the Lord for "the Lord is awesome in His deeds" — why they were not smitten then, but only after he went to fight with the king of Cush, and afterward returned to Jerusalem. And the reason that appears to us in this matter is so that Israel would have the plunder of Cush and Egypt, and further, so that Cush and Egypt would see the wonders that He performed for His lovers and for those who seek His name. For the king of Assyria had conquered them and subdued all the lands, yet in Jerusalem he was smitten without sword and without spear. And God placed it in the heart of the king of Assyria to bring with him to Jerusalem the forces of the king of Cush and Egypt, in order to frighten the inhabitants of Jerusalem further.
Ralbag
“Behold, I will put My Spirit within him.” This means: a desire.
And he heard a report and returned to his land. Now, the report was that he heard about Tirhakah, king of Cush, that he had gone out against him to fight with him. Perhaps God, blessed be He, stirred him up from there so that they would be able to exit the siege at that time and bring into the city what they would need for food from outside. Afterward, he would return to his land after the plague had struck his army. And there, in his land, he would fall by the sword, for his sons would kill him. And as for Rabshakeh, it says that he returned to his master after completing his mission. He found the king of Assyria fighting at Libnah, which was from Israel, for there the king of Cush came to him to fight with him. From there, the king of Assyria returned to the siege with which he had besieged Jerusalem, and he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying words like the first ones. It appears from what is stated afterward that these were the first messengers, and Rabshakeh said these words.
Metzudat David
He places a spirit within him. I will arouse his desire to leave from here when he hears a report, namely the report concerning Tirhakah king of Cush.
"And he shall return to his land." The end of the matter will be that he returns to his land in dejection, and in his land he will be cut down by the sword.
Metzudat Zion
Wind. Desire, so too (Ezekiel 1:12): to wherever the desire would go:
So Rab-shakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah; for he had heard that he was departed from Lachish.
verse value 3435
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 48 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "upon·Libnah" (עַל־לִבְנָ֑ה, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 30: for, for. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "upon·Libnah" (עַל־לִבְנָ֑ה), "pulled·out" (נָסַ֖ע), "from·Lachish" (מִלָּכִֽישׁ). The root כי appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·king·of" (root מלך, 407x in II Kings); "for" (root כי, 76x in II Kings); "and·returned" (root שוב, 53x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'upon·Libnah', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיָּ֙שׇׁב֙ [and·returned] (318) + רַבְשָׁקֵ֔ה [Rab-shakeh] (607) + וַיִּמְצָא֙ [and·found] (147) + אֶת־מֶ֣לֶךְ [the·king·of] (491) + אַשּׁ֔וּר [Assyria] (507) + נִלְחָ֖ם [is·fighting] (128) + עַל־לִבְנָ֑ה [upon·Libnah] (187) + כִּ֣י [for] (30) + שָׁמַ֔ע [heard] (410) + כִּ֥י [for] (30) + נָסַ֖ע [pulled·out] (180) + מִלָּכִֽישׁ [from·Lachish] (400) = 3435.
And when he heard say of Tirhakah king of Ethiopia: ‘Behold, he is come out to fight against you’; he sent messengers again to Hezekiah, saying:
verse value 3800
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 63 letters. Verse gematria: 3800 is divisible by 50, the years to the Jubilee (yovel). The shortest word is "they" (הִנֵּ֥ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·Hezekiah" (אֶל־חִזְקִיָּ֖הוּ, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 271: saying, saying. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "to·Tirhakah" (אֶל־תִּרְהָ֤קָה), "king·Cush" (מֶֽלֶךְ־כּוּשׁ֙). The root איל appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "king·Cush" (root מלך, 407x in II Kings); "saying" (root אמר, 342x in II Kings); "to·Tirhakah" (root איל, 153x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'with·you', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיִּשְׁמַ֗ע [and·he·heard] (426) + אֶל־תִּרְהָ֤קָה [to·Tirhakah] (741) + מֶֽלֶךְ־כּוּשׁ֙ [king·Cush] (416) + לֵאמֹ֔ר [saying] (271) + הִנֵּ֥ה [they] (60) + יָצָ֖א [went·out] (101) + לְהִלָּחֵ֣ם [to·fight] (113) + אִתָּ֑ךְ [with·you] (421) + וַיָּ֙שׇׁב֙ [and·agained] (318) + וַיִּשְׁלַ֣ח [and·he·sent] (354) + מַלְאָכִ֔ים [messengers] (141) + אֶל־חִזְקִיָּ֖הוּ [to·Hezekiah] (167) + לֵאמֹֽר [saying] (271) = 3800.
Rashi
And he returned and sent messengers. To inform that he is not returning to his land, but to fight with Cush, and to return here:
Metzudat David
"And he heard concerning Tirhakah." This means: he accepted his words, and he too went out to meet him for war.
"And he did so again." He sent messengers again, to inform that he was not departing entirely, but rather intending to return.
’Thus shall you speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying: Let not your God in whom you trust beguile you, saying: Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.
verse value 5043
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 76 letters. The shortest word is "thus" (כֹּ֣ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·Hezekiah" (אֶל־חִזְקִיָּ֤הוּ, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 271: saying, saying. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "not·deceive·you" (אַל־יַשִּׁאֲךָ֣). The root אמר appears 3 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "king·Judah" (root מלך, 407x in II Kings); "shall·say" (root אמר, 342x in II Kings); "that" (root אשר, 318x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'saying', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 6 words.
Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, by destroying them utterly; and shall you be delivered?
verse value 5258
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 50 letters. The shortest word is "they" (הִנֵּ֣ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·all·the·lands" (לְכׇל־הָאֲרָצ֖וֹת, 9 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "to·all·the·lands" (לְכׇל־הָאֲרָצ֖וֹת), "to·destroy·them·utterly" (לְהַחֲרִימָ֑ם), "you·will·be·snatched·away" (תִּנָּצֵֽל). The root אתה appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "kings·of" (root מלך, 407x in II Kings); "that" (root אשר, 318x in II Kings); "they·did" (root עשה, 142x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·destroy·them·utterly', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 2 words.
Metzudat David
"And you" - As if to say, "Will you be saved?" - in a tone of questioning.
Have the gods of the nations delivered them, which my fathers have destroyed, Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and the children of Eden that were in Telassar?
verse value 5465
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 62 letters. The shortest word is "them" (אֹתָ֜ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·sons·of·Eden" (וּבְנֵי־עֶ֖דֶן, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: that, that. 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "have·delivered" (הַהִצִּ֨ילוּ), "destroyed" (שִׁחֲת֣וּ), "my·fathers" (אֲבוֹתַ֔י). The root אשר appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 318x in II Kings); "the·God·of" (root אלהים, 82x in II Kings); "my·fathers" (root אב, 43x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·Haran', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 4 words. Full calculation: הַהִצִּ֨ילוּ [have·delivered] (146) + אֹתָ֜ם [them] (441) + אֱלֹהֵ֤י [the·God·of] (46) + הַגּוֹיִם֙ [the·nations] (64) + אֲשֶׁ֣ר [that] (501) + שִׁחֲת֣וּ [destroyed] (714) + אֲבוֹתַ֔י [my·fathers] (419) + אֶת־גּוֹזָ֖ן [Gozan] (467) + וְאֶת־חָרָ֑ן [and·Haran] (665) + וְרֶ֥צֶף [and·Rezeph] (376) + וּבְנֵי־עֶ֖דֶן [and·sons·of·Eden] (192) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [that] (501) + בִּתְלַאשָּֽׂר [in·Telassar] (933) = 5465.
Rashi
Eden. The name of a country:
Metzudat David
"Did they save [them]?" And did the gods of the nations save the nations?
Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and Ivvah?’
verse value 1950
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 38 letters. Verse gematria: 1950 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "where?" (אַיּ֤וֹ, 3 letters) and the longest is "king·of·Hamath" (מֶֽלֶךְ־חֲמָת֙, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 96: and·king·of, and·king·of. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "where?" (אַיּ֤וֹ), "king·of·Hamath" (מֶֽלֶךְ־חֲמָת֙), "Arpad" (אַרְפָּ֔ד). The root מלך appears 3 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "king·of·Hamath" (root מלך, 407x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Sepharvaim', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 2 words. Full calculation: אַיּ֤וֹ [where?] (17) + מֶֽלֶךְ־חֲמָת֙ [king·of·Hamath] (538) + וּמֶ֣לֶךְ [and·king·of] (96) + אַרְפָּ֔ד [Arpad] (285) + וּמֶ֖לֶךְ [and·king·of] (96) + לָעִ֣יר [the·city·of] (310) + סְפַרְוָ֑יִם [Sepharvaim] (396) + הֵנַ֖ע [Hena] (125) + וְעִוָּֽה [and·Ivvah] (87) = 1950.
Rashi
Hena and Ivvah. Those [too, taken] by the king of Assyria:
Radak
"Where is the king of Hamath?" He speaks concerning the gods, that they were unable to save the lands of those who worshipped them. And also, where are the kings — who did not stand up against them at all? And it says "regarding Sepharvaim," referring to a city that was greater than all of them.
Metzudat David
"To the city of Sepharvaim." Because it was large and important, the verse says "to the city."
And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of Hashem, and spread it before Hashem.
verse value 3106
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 66 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "from·hand·of" (מִיַּ֥ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·letters" (אֶת־הַסְּפָרִ֛ים, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 136: Hezekiah, Hezekiah. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "the·letters" (אֶת־הַסְּפָרִ֛ים), "and·called·them" (וַיִּקְרָאֵ֑ם), "and·spread·it" (וַיִּפְרְשֵׂ֥הוּ). The root חזקיהו appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 276x in II Kings); "house·of" (root בית, 141x in II Kings); "and·took" (root לקח, 72x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·called·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 7 words. Full calculation: וַיִּקַּ֨ח [and·took] (124) + חִזְקִיָּ֧הוּ [Hezekiah] (136) + אֶת־הַסְּפָרִ֛ים [the·letters] (796) + מִיַּ֥ד [from·hand·of] (54) + הַמַּלְאָכִ֖ים [the·messengers] (146) + וַיִּקְרָאֵ֑ם [and·called·them] (357) + וַיַּ֙עַל֙ [and·went·up] (116) + בֵּ֣ית [house·of] (412) + יְהֹוָ֔ה [Hashem] (26) + וַיִּפְרְשֵׂ֥הוּ [and·spread·it] (607) + חִזְקִיָּ֖הוּ [Hezekiah] (136) + לִפְנֵ֥י [to·face·of] (170) + יְהֹוָֽה [Hashem] (26) = 3106.
Radak
"And he spread it out." [This refers to] either one of the scrolls or each one of them. And my master and father, of blessed memory, explained that "and he spread it out" refers to the scroll in which God was blasphemed.
Ralbag
"And he spread it out." This means the scroll that contained these insults and blasphemies, for they carried scrolls on this matter from the king of Assyria, and furthermore they spoke these insults with their mouths. Therefore, it subsequently states: "the words of Sennacherib, which he sent to blaspheme the living God."
Metzudat David
The letters. For he sent these words in a written document:
And He spread it out. He spread each and every one of them:
And Hezekiah prayed before Hashem, and said: ‘O Hashem, the God of Israel, that sit upon the cherubim, You are the God, even You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; You have made heaven and earth.
verse value 6509
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 97 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֮) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "dwelling" (יֹשֵׁ֣ב, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·heavens" (אֶת־הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 26: Hashem, Hashem. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "the·cherubim" (הַכְּרֻבִ֔ים), "You·are·He" (אַתָּה־ה֤וּא), "kingdoms·of" (מַמְלְכ֣וֹת). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·he·said" (root אמר, 342x in II Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 276x in II Kings); "you·did" (root עשה, 142x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'earth', dividing the verse into phrases of 16 and 4 words.
Ralbag
“And Hezekiah prayed.” This means: “O Lord, God of Israel, Whose providence is attached to them, and Whose Divine Presence is revealed and seen in a miraculous manner at the place of the cherubim in the Holy of Holies, as this is well known from the accounts of the Torah, and is also explained in what is recounted concerning the matters of Solomon. And this is a sign that the Lord, Whose providence is attached to Israel, You are the One Who guides alone all the kingdoms of the earth, for You have power to humble kings and to raise them up. And if they do not have a fixed order from the arrangement of the stars, it is because You rule over the stars and over the abundance that flows from them, for You made the heavens and the earth.”
Metzudat David
The cherubim. Those upon the ark-cover that is upon the ark. And it is as if it were saying: "And how then will You deliver Jerusalem into his hand, and let the cherubim come into the hand of the enemy?"
Incline Your ear, O Hashem, and hear; open Your eyes, O Hashem, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, wherewith he has sent him to taunt the living God.
verse value 3755
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 65 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֤ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "living" (חָֽי, 2 letters) and the longest is "Sennacherib" (סַנְחֵרִ֔יב, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 416: and·hear, and·hear. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "incline" (הַטֵּ֨ה), "your·ear" (אׇזְנְךָ֙). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 318x in II Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 276x in II Kings); "words·of" (root דבר, 147x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·see', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 9 words.
Radak
"Whom he sent." [Sennacherib,] the speaker of the blasphemy, sent him.
Metzudat David
"Which he sent." The messenger who brings the letters:
Metzudat Zion
Open. Open, so too (Zechariah 12:4): I will open My eyes:
Of a truth, Hashem, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands,
verse value 2198
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 36 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "verily" (אׇמְנָ֖ם, 4 letters) and the longest is "the·nations" (אֶת־הַגּוֹיִ֖ם, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "verily" (אׇמְנָ֖ם), "laid·waste" (הֶחֱרִ֜יבוּ), "the·nations" (אֶת־הַגּוֹיִ֖ם). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "kings·of" (root מלך, 407x in II Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 276x in II Kings); "and·land" (root ארץ, 67x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 5 words. Full calculation: אׇמְנָ֖ם [verily] (131) + יְהֹוָ֑ה [Hashem] (26) + הֶחֱרִ֜יבוּ [laid·waste] (231) + מַלְכֵ֥י [kings·of] (100) + אַשּׁ֛וּר [Assyria] (507) + אֶת־הַגּוֹיִ֖ם [the·nations] (465) + וְאֶת־אַרְצָֽם [and·land] (738) = 2198.
Rashi
Indeed. It is true that the kings of Assyria destroyed the peoples, and they gave their gods to the fire:
Metzudat David
Certainly. You, O Lord, behold, it is true that they [the kings of Assyria] have destroyed the nations:
and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were no gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone; therefore they have destroyed them.
verse value 2347
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 55 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִ֜ים) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "for" (כִּי֩, 2 letters) and the longest is "their·gods" (אֶת־אֱלֹהֵיהֶ֖ם, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 69: hands·of·man, and·they·destroyed·them. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "their·gods" (אֶת־אֱלֹהֵיהֶ֖ם), "if·work·of" (אִם־מַעֲשֵׂ֧ה), "hands·of·man" (יְדֵי־אָדָ֛ם). The root כי appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 106x in II Kings); "God" (root אלהים, 82x in II Kings); "for" (root כי, 76x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·fire', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 10 words. Full calculation: וְנָתְנ֥וּ [and·cast] (512) + אֶת־אֱלֹהֵיהֶ֖ם [their·gods] (492) + בָּאֵ֑שׁ [in·the·fire] (303) + כִּי֩ [for] (30) + לֹ֨א [not] (31) + אֱלֹהִ֜ים [God] (86) + הֵ֗מָּה [abundance] (50) + כִּ֣י [for] (30) + אִם־מַעֲשֵׂ֧ה [if·work·of] (456) + יְדֵי־אָדָ֛ם [hands·of·man] (69) + עֵ֥ץ [tree] (160) + וָאֶ֖בֶן [stone] (59) + וַֽיְאַבְּדֽוּם [and·they·destroyed·them] (69) = 2347.
Metzudat David
For they are not gods. But all this was because there is no divinity in them, and therefore they destroyed them.
Now therefore, O Hashem our God, save You us, I beseech You, out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are Hashem God, even You only.’
verse value 2749
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 62 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֣ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "please" (נָ֖א, 2 letters) and the longest is "all·kingdoms·of" (כׇּל־מַמְלְכ֣וֹת, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 26: Hashem, Hashem. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "save·us" (הוֹשִׁיעֵ֥נוּ), "and·let·them·know" (וְיֵֽדְעוּ֙), "all·kingdoms·of" (כׇּל־מַמְלְכ֣וֹת). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 276x in II Kings); "our·God" (root אלהים, 82x in II Kings); "for" (root כי, 76x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·his·hand', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 8 words. Full calculation: וְעַתָּה֙ [now] (481) + יְהֹוָ֣ה [Hashem] (26) + אֱלֹהֵ֔ינוּ [our·God] (102) + הוֹשִׁיעֵ֥נוּ [save·us] (447) + נָ֖א [please] (51) + מִיָּד֑וֹ [from·his·hand] (60) + וְיֵֽדְעוּ֙ [and·let·them·know] (96) + כׇּל־מַמְלְכ֣וֹת [all·kingdoms·of] (586) + הָאָ֔רֶץ [earth] (296) + כִּ֥י [for] (30) + אַתָּ֛ה [you] (406) + יְהֹוָ֥ה [Hashem] (26) + אֱלֹהִ֖ים [God] (86) + לְבַדֶּֽךָ [alone] (56) = 2749.
Ralbag
"And all the kingdoms of the earth shall know that You alone are God." This means that it is fitting for You to perform this miracle so that Your Name not be profaned, even if Israel are not worthy for You to perform a miracle on their behalf.
Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying: ‘Thus says Hashem, the God of Israel: Whereas you have prayed to Me against Sennacherib king of Assyria, I have heard you.
verse value 5516
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 78 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁ֨ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·Hezekiah" (אֶל־חִזְקִיָּ֖הוּ, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "you·prayed" (הִתְפַּלַּ֧לְתָּ), "to·Sennacherib" (אֶל־סַנְחֵרִ֥ב). The root איל appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 342x in II Kings); "that" (root אשר, 318x in II Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 276x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'saying', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 10 words.
Radak
"Against Sennacherib." Because of Sennacherib.
Metzudat David
To Sennacherib. Because of the words of Sennacherib:
This is the word that Hashem has spoken concerning him: The virgin daughter of Zion Has despised you and laughed you to scorn; The daughter of Jerusalem Has shaken her head at you.
verse value 4558
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 63 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 4558 is divisible by 86, the value of Elohim. The shortest word is "this" (זֶ֣ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "that·he·spoke" (אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּ֥ר, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 50: to·you, to·you. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "he·despised" (בָּזָ֨ה), "mocked" (לָעֲגָ֣ה), "virgin" (בְּתוּלַת֙). The root לך appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·he·spoke" (root אשר, 318x in II Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 276x in II Kings); "the·word" (root דבר, 147x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'upon·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 11 words.
Radak
"bazah lecha" [she despises you] – a past-tense verb of the hollow-root class (missing its middle root letter), and it is accented on the last syllable, contrary to the usual pattern in most such verbs.
“Virgin daughter of Zion.” The kingdom of the Congregation of Zion.
“Daughter of Jerusalem.” The people of Jerusalem. And the explanation is that it is a virgin, like a maiden who has not been conquered; and so is the meaning in every place where a maiden is mentioned in reference to a nation or a community.
Ralbag
"She despises you, she mocks you." This means that she was despising and ridiculing your words, and she did not fear them, for she believed that God would ultimately provide aid, as explained below. For this reason, she also shook her head after you. This is stated to inform us that she did not need to fear these matters, even though the Israelites were already greatly terrified of them, as previously mentioned.
Metzudat David
"Upon him." Upon Sennacherib:
"Despises you." The daughter of Zion despises you, she mocks you, [and she is called a 'virgin' because she has never yet been conquered by any other nation to rule over her, just as this virgin has not come under the authority of a husband; and similarly (Isaiah 23:12): 'the virgin daughter of Sidon']:
"After you." After your downfall, she will shake her head in a mocking manner:
Whom have you taunted and Blasphemed? And against whom have you exalted your voice? Indeed, you have lifted up your eyes on high, Even against the Holy One of Israel!
verse value 4789
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 51 letters. The shortest word is "voice" (קּ֑וֹל, 3 letters) and the longest is "You·have·exalted" (הֲרִימ֣וֹתָ, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "who?" (אֶת־מִ֤י), "and·blasphemed" (וְגִדַּ֔פְתָּ), "and·against·who?" (וְעַל־מִ֖י). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Israel" (root ישראל, 101x in II Kings); "your·eyes" (root עין, 49x in II Kings); "and·lifted" (root נשא, 23x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'voice', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 5 words. Full calculation: אֶת־מִ֤י [who?] (451) + חֵרַ֙פְתָּ֙ [you·have·reproached] (688) + וְגִדַּ֔פְתָּ [and·blasphemed] (493) + וְעַל־מִ֖י [and·against·who?] (156) + הֲרִימ֣וֹתָ [You·have·exalted] (661) + קּ֑וֹל [voice] (136) + וַתִּשָּׂ֥א [and·lifted] (707) + מָר֛וֹם [height] (286) + עֵינֶ֖יךָ [your·eyes] (160) + עַל־קְד֥וֹשׁ [upon·sacred] (510) + יִשְׂרָאֵֽל [Israel] (541) = 4789.
Radak
"Against the Holy One of Israel." [Here] עַל is used like אֶל ["to/against"], and so it is also written thus in Isaiah.
Ralbag
“And you lifted your eyes haughtily against the Holy One of Israel.” This means: Behold, you have greatly magnified yourself, to the extent that the arrogance of your heart has led you to curse and blaspheme Him who is the utmost in exaltation, namely the Holy One of Israel.
Metzudat David
"Whom." Why did you not pay attention to understand who it is that you have reviled?
On high. To the height of the firmament:
By the messengers you have taunted the Lord, And have said: With the multitude of my chariots Am I come up to the height of the mountains, To the innermost parts of Lebanon; And I have cut down the tall cedars thereof, And the choice cypresses thereof; and I have entered into his farthest lodge, The forest of his fruitful field.
verse value 7186
Insights
Verse structure: 24 words, 104 letters. The shortest word is "in·hand·of" (בְּיַ֣ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "your·messengers" (מַלְאָכֶ֘יךָ֮, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 224: a team, his·cedars. 15 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "your·messengers" (מַלְאָכֶ֘יךָ֮), "a team" ((ברכב)), "with·multitude·of" (בְּרֹ֥ב). The root רכב appears 2 times in this verse. 23 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·she·said" (root אמר, 342x in II Kings); "and·let·me·go·in" (root בוא, 146x in II Kings); "I·went·up" (root עלה, 67x in II Kings). First appearance of the root קומה ("height") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Lebanon', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 10 words.
Rashi
High of mountains. The Temple Mount:
Flanks of Lebanon. The Temple, for it whitens sins:
And I will cut the height of its cedars. I will not return until I destroy it:
End. Its end:
Forest of his orchard. Fullness of his land and beauty of his splendor:
Radak
“The height of the mountains.” This refers to the Land of Israel, which is higher than all other lands. It is compared to Lebanon, because Lebanon is a forest of trees [located] in the Land of Israel, and so it is called. And since he compared the great ones of Israel, its princes and mighty men, to the cypresses and cedars, he compared the land to Lebanon. This means: “I have ascended the land and conquered it, and now I will come to Jerusalem.” And since it is good and honorable above all the land, he called it “the lodge of its end, the forest of its Carmel” — for the Carmel is better than the forest, since the Carmel is a place of seed and fruit trees, whereas the forest of Lebanon consists of non-fruit-bearing trees. And the reason he called it “lodge” is because of the Temple within it, which is the dwelling place of God and His lodging. In Isaiah it says “the height of its end,” and the meaning is the same, for the Temple is in a high place on Mount Moriah. And what is said, “its end,” implies that Jerusalem was as if it were the extremity of the whole Land of Israel, because he conquered all the Land of Israel except Jerusalem — that is, “the lodge of its end,” meaning he has no more to conquer, in the manner of “he came to his end, and there was no one to help him.” And Targum Yonatan [renders]: “I went up to the stronghold of its walled cities, etc.” And in the words of our Sages, of blessed memory, it is written “the lodge of his end,” and it is [also] written “the height of his end.” That wicked one said: at first I will destroy the dwelling below, and afterward I will destroy the dwelling above.
“mibchor.” It is spelled with a holam [vowel], and in Isaiah it is spelled mivchar with a patach [vowel], and the meaning is the same.
Ralbag
Behold, through the hand of your messengers you have blasphemed the LORD. And you said, "By my might and by the multitude of my chariots I have ascended to conquer the heights of the mountains," and these are the strong places built upon the mountains.
“The flanks of Lebanon.” These are the extremities of the forest of Lebanon, and all of this is an allegory for the Land of Israel, which is higher than all the lands. He boasted that he had conquered the greater part of the Land of Israel; therefore he said “flanks,” for Jerusalem was in the center, and he had not conquered it. Now, he boasted that he would cut down the stature of the cedars that are in the center of the forest, in a place higher than the rest of the forest. And he called the cedars and the cypresses “kingdoms” and “princes,” or the stronger towns.
"And I have come to the lodge of its extremity." And in Isaiah it is written: "the height of its extremity," and behold, it calls "the lodge of its extremity" the Holy Temple, for it is the end and conclusion of the ascents and exaltations that are in the Land of Israel. And he meant to say that he would already destroy the Holy Temple, and afterward he would destroy the forest of the plain before it, which grows fruits and vegetation abundantly — [namely] the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
Metzudat David
"From the height of the mountains." This refers to the Temple Mount.
The flanks of Lebanon. At the end of the forest of Lebanon, the place of the tall cedars:
The stature of its cedars. He means to say: the princes and the mighty men.
"The lodging of its end." This is the Holy Temple, which is a lodging place and dwelling of the Divine Presence, and it is the culmination of all the desirable things in the world.
"The forest of its fruitful field." He means to say: the best of its praise and the weight of its strength.
Metzudat Zion
Its orchard. A place of fine fields and vineyards is called orchard:
I have dug and drunk Strange waters, And with the sole of my feet have I dried up All the rivers of Egypt.
verse value 3370
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 42 letters. The shortest word is "all" (כֹּ֖ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "in·palm·of·my·feet" (בְּכַף־פְּעָמַ֔י, 7 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "I·bored" (קַ֔רְתִּי), "and·I·shall·drink" (וְשָׁתִ֖יתִי), "strangers" (זָרִ֑ים). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "all" (root כל, 66x in II Kings). First appearance of the root מצור ("siege") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'strangers', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: אֲנִ֣י [I] (61) + קַ֔רְתִּי [I·bored] (710) + וְשָׁתִ֖יתִי [and·I·shall·drink] (1126) + מַ֣יִם [water] (90) + זָרִ֑ים [strangers] (257) + וְאַחְרִב֙ [and·I·dried·up] (217) + בְּכַף־פְּעָמַ֔י [in·palm·of·my·feet] (302) + כֹּ֖ל [all] (50) + יְאֹרֵ֥י [rivers·of] (221) + מָצֽוֹר [siege] (336) = 3370.
Rashi
I dug and drank alien waters. Meaning I began every deed and finished, like the one who digs a pit and finds alien waters and drinks spring waters calling them alien, for until now they did not recognize in them:
And I will destroy with the sole of my foot. If I besieged a city that trusts in its rivers, I brought upon it many hosts that dried its rivers by their drinking and the drinking of their animals and the treading of their feet:
And I will destroy. This is the present tense; such is always my way:
Radak
“I dug [a well].” I came to the source, meaning I searched for the source of the waters, because the waters found on the earth were not sufficient for me due to the multitude of my armies. This is what it says: “And I dried up with the soles of my feet all the streams of Mazor,” and he called them “foreign” because they were not known and visible to people. In this manner, the Targum translates the verse: “I was digging wells,” etc., as printed. And there are those who explain that “the streams of Mazor” is like “Egypt,” because it is a great river; thus he spoke in a manner of exaggeration.
Ralbag
“I dug and drank strange waters.” The meaning is: It would not have been a marvel if I had drunk waters prepared for drinking; but I dug and brought forth strange waters, from which no man ever thought it possible to drink water. And this is an allegory for the places that I conquered, which were all strong, and no man ever thought that anyone could conquer them. Yet with the soles of my feet alone, without any other effort, I destroyed and dried up all the rivers in the besieged cities, and they were strong cities that could not be conquered except by building a siege against them. And perhaps one might say, saying that he already said, “I dug and drank,” because of Hezekiah, who stopped up the springs, as is mentioned in the Book of Chronicles. And the first explanation is more correct, according to what I think.
Metzudat David
"I dug and drank water." This implies: I have always succeeded in my deeds, like one who digs a well and succeeds in finding the source, and drinks from its flowing waters.
"And I dried up with the sole of my feet." Just as when I came to wage war against the fortified city, relying on the strength of its rivers that surrounded it, then I brought upon it a multitude of troops, and they dried up the rivers by the tread of their feet.
Metzudat Zion
I dug. I dug after a source, from the word (Proverbs 30:17): the ravens of the brook will peck it out, which means a hole and a splitting:
Floods. Torrents, so too (Habakkuk 3:10): a stream of waters passed:
And I will waste. From the word desolation and dryness:
My steps. My feet:
A river. A matter of river and stream:
Strength. A matter of firmness, from the word rock:
Have you not heard? Long ago I made it, In ancient times I fashioned it; Now have I brought it to pass, Indeed, it is done; that fortified cities Should be laid waste into ruinous heaps.
verse value 6782
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 72 letters. The shortest word is "you" (אֹתָ֣הּ, 3 letters) and the longest is "not·you·heard" (הֲלֹֽא־שָׁמַ֤עְתָּ, 7 letters). 11 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "not·you·heard" (הֲלֹֽא־שָׁמַ֤עְתָּ), "from·long·ago" (לְמֵֽרָחוֹק֙), "to·days·of" (לְמִ֥ימֵי). 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "I·brought·it" (root בוא, 146x in II Kings); "I·did" (root עשה, 142x in II Kings); "and·let·her·be" (root היה, 119x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·I·fashioned·it', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 8 words.
Rashi
Have you not heard from afar. Why do you boast and magnify yourself in this, it is not yours, for you heard from afar by means of the prophets that I decreed upon the nations to bring you upon them, as it is said (there 10:5): woe, Assyria, the rod of My anger:
From the days of old. From when the world was created, it arose in [divine] thought, as it is said (there 30:33): for a Topheth has been arranged from of old, it too is prepared for the king; this is Sennacherib, who was burned in the fire of Gehinnom, as it is said (there 31:9): declares the LORD, whose fire is in Zion:
Now I have brought it. And this is the might that is in your hand:
And it was. The coming of my decree, to lay waste fortified cities, to become heaps of ruins, mounds of earth in which vegetables grow, that you destroy them by my decree:
To lay waste. An expression of desolate wasteland:
Radak
“Have you not heard from afar?” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: “Have you not heard from a distant time the decree that I decreed upon the nations to destroy them? That decree I have now brought — since the kings of Assyria have reigned, I have brought the decree through their hand and through your hand, against the nation and against Israel. It is I who decreed that fortified cities would become heaps of ruins, and that the inhabitants of the cities would be short-handed, and that they would be like the grass of the field and the green herbage, and even weaker than these — namely, the grass on rooftops — so that the inhabitants of the cities had no strength to fight against you. And all of this was from Me, and I decreed it and said it through My prophets before the decree came to pass. How then can you boast about what I did?” And so the prophet, of blessed memory, said concerning him: “Shall the axe boast itself over him who hews with it?” And Targum Yonatan likewise [renders]: “Have you not heard from of old, etc.,” as printed. And my father, of blessed memory, explained it thus: that [decree], I made — Jerusalem. And so it says, “and I formed her of old, have you not seen?” He said: from ancient days I made her, and now I have brought her — [to be understood] as a question. He said, [it is as if to say] “have I brought her now,” so that she would become heaps of ruined cities, and that their inhabitants would be short-handed, and dismayed and ashamed, and would be like the grass of the field.
“Lehashot.” Its root is שאה, and its rule in its fuller form would be “lehash’ot” [with an aleph], as is written in Isaiah; and the vowels of the lamed and the heh were changed on account of the omission of the aleph.
“Heaps, ruins, fortified cities.” [The meaning is] to make fortified cities desolate, so that they become heaps of ruins; and the meaning of “ruins” (nitzim) is “destroyed,” as in [the verse] “your cities shall be laid waste.”
Ralbag
“Have you not heard from afar?” This I have done. The meaning is: On what do you boast regarding your successes in wars? Have you not heard that I announced these matters—your successes over all the nations—from afar, through My servant the prophets? And this serves as a sign that “This I have done,” as Isaiah stated: “Who has acted and done it, calling the generations from the beginning?” The meaning is: He who calls the generations from the beginning and knows what is destined to occur is necessarily the One who acts. For otherwise, how could it be that he knows what a being other than God will do, unless that other being was subservient to him in this matter? And the actor was arranged by the One who announced it before its occurrence, rather than by the servant, for he is not the First in this. We have already elaborated on this matter in the first book of “The Wars of the Lord” and in the book of Isaiah.
"From ancient days I formed it." This means: from ancient days I devised it and planned it, and it is of the same sense as "My forms are all like a shadow." And behold, now I have brought it about in the days of the kings of Assyria, and this thought that I devised and carried out was to lay waste and to destroy, until fortified cities would become desolate heaps, and I made the inhabitants of the cities weak-handed, as if they had no strength. They were dismayed and ashamed, for they became a desolation in a moment, which they had not contemplated beforehand. Behold, they had no strength to fight, as if they were field grass and green herb, which does not move from its place when it is cut, and like poor stubble, which is even easier to cut, and like grass burned before it has reached maturity.
Metzudat David
“From afar.” From a distant time:
That very one. This decree I have made from ancient days:
"And I formed it." And I formed this thing, and the matter is repeated in different words:
"Now I have brought it." I have now brought the matter through your hand:
"And it shall be." You shall become a rod of chastisement, to lay waste fortified cities, to make them a desolation and heaps of ruins, sprouting blossoms and flowers.
Metzudat Zion
To lay waste. From the word devastation and desolation, so too (Job 30:3): last night, devastation and desolation:
Heaps. It is like a mound:
Blossoms. Flowers, so too (Song of Songs 7:13): the pomegranates have blossomed:
Therefore their inhabitants were of small power, They were dismayed and confounded; They were as the grass of the field, And as the green herb, As the grass on the housetops, And as corn blasted before it is grown up.
verse value 4288
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 57 letters. The shortest word is "they·are·amazed" (חַ֖תּוּ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·their·inhabitants" (וְיֹֽשְׁבֵיהֶן֙, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 414: short·hand, they·are·amazed. 11 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "and·their·inhabitants" (וְיֹֽשְׁבֵיהֶן֙), "short·hand" (קִצְרֵי־יָ֔ד), "they·are·amazed" (חַ֖תּוּ). 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "were" (root היה, 119x in II Kings); "to·face·of" (root פנים, 72x in II Kings); "and·their·inhabitants" (root ישב, 36x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·they·put·to·shame', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 10 words. Full calculation: וְיֹֽשְׁבֵיהֶן֙ [and·their·inhabitants] (383) + קִצְרֵי־יָ֔ד [short·hand] (414) + חַ֖תּוּ [they·are·amazed] (414) + וַיֵּבֹ֑שׁוּ [and·they·put·to·shame] (324) + הָי֞וּ [were] (21) + עֵ֤שֶׂב [herb] (372) + שָׂדֶה֙ [field] (309) + וִ֣ירַק [and·green·of] (316) + דֶּ֔שֶׁא [grass] (305) + חֲצִ֣יר [grass·of] (308) + גַּגּ֔וֹת [roofs] (412) + וּשְׁדֵפָ֖ה [and·blasted] (395) + לִפְנֵ֥י [to·face·of] (170) + קָמָֽה [stood·up] (145) = 4288.
Rashi
And their inhabitants feeble of hand. They, for I exhausted their might before you, and the might is not yours, you are not mighty, but they are weak:
Roof-grass. That which hastens to dry:
And blasted before the standing grain. Like blasted ears of grain, before they harden to reach the state of standing grain:
Radak
“And the blast smote the tender shoot.” The grass that was struck by the blast before it had become a standing crop, meaning that it did not have time to become a standing crop and to be completed in its ripening, and it was struck by the blast. And in Isaiah it is written “and it withered” with a mem, and it is like the one with a peh, for the mem and the peh come from the same point of articulation.
Metzudat David
"And their inhabitants." The inhabitants of those cities - I made their hand short, so they were unable to fight against you, the king.
"Herb of the field." Like an herb of the field:
“Hay of the roofs.” Like the hay that grows on roofs, which is exceedingly weak.
“and withered it.” Like ears of grain that are withered, before they have completed their growth to reach the stage of standing grain, for then they are exceedingly weak. And He wishes to say: Behold, I am the one who exhausts and weakens before you the strength of the idolaters, and it did not come by the might of your hand.
Metzudat Zion
They were broken. They were shattered:
And blasted. From the word (I Kings 8:30): blasted and withered, which is a blight of the seed:
But I know your sitting down, and your going out, and your coming in, And your raging against Me.
verse value 2851
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 31 letters. The shortest word is "and" (וְאֵ֖ת, 3 letters) and the longest is "tremble" (הִֽתְרַגֶּזְךָ֥, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "and·your·sitting" (וְשִׁבְתְּךָ֛), "and·your·going-out" (וְצֵאתְךָ֥), "and·your·coming-in" (וּבֹאֲךָ֖). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·your·coming-in" (root בוא, 146x in II Kings); "to·me" (root אל, 113x in II Kings); "and·your·going-out" (root יצא, 48x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'I·knew', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְשִׁבְתְּךָ֛ [and·your·sitting] (728) + וְצֵאתְךָ֥ [and·your·going-out] (517) + וּבֹאֲךָ֖ [and·your·coming-in] (29) + יָדָ֑עְתִּי [I·knew] (494) + וְאֵ֖ת [and] (407) + הִֽתְרַגֶּזְךָ֥ [tremble] (635) + אֵלָֽי [to·me] (41) = 2851.
Rashi
And your sitting and your going out and your coming. Yonatan translates: and your sitting in counsel, and your going out to wage war, and your coming to the land of Israel are revealed before Me — it was from Me that this came to be:
And your raging against Me. And that which you are destined to become haughty and be aroused against Me in wrath and tumult, 'estormie' in the vernacular:
Radak
"And your dwelling, and your going out, and your coming in." Your dwelling in your land, your going out from your land, and your coming here — all is revealed and known before Me.
"And your raging against Me." Likewise, I know that you were angry at Me and spoke against Me as one speaks against gods of wood and stone. And the Targum renders [the earlier] "your sitting" as "your sitting in counsel."
Ralbag
"And I have known your sitting down and your going out and your coming in." This means: I knew your dwelling in your land, your going out to war, and your coming into the towns that you captured—all of these I knew before they came to pass. Moreover, I also knew your raging against Me, meaning that you showed yourself to Me as exceedingly terrifying, so much so that you thought I could not withstand you and that I would need to fear you. Since your raging against Me had already reached My ears, and the cause of this was that you were secure and complacent, and therefore you attributed these successes to yourself rather than to Me, behold, I will show you that I am the Master and the Ruler, and you are the servant. Therefore, I will place a hook in your nose—that is, the iron hook by which fish are caught—and I will place in your lips a bit, which is placed in the lips of beasts to lead them wherever one desires.
Metzudat David
"And your sitting." Targum Yonatan translates: "And your sitting in counsel."
"And your anger." And even your anger I knew:
Metzudat Zion
Are you in commotion. A matter of the quaking movement of haste, so too (Isaiah 23:11): He made kingdoms tremble:
Because of your raging against Me, And for that your tumult is come up into Mine ears, Therefore will I put My hook in your nose, And My bridle in your lips, And I will turn you back by the way By which you came.
verse value 5444
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 68 letters. Notable word values: "my·hook" (חַחִ֜י) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "in·it" (בָּֽהּ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·I·will·turn·you·back" (וַהֲשִׁ֣בֹתִ֔יךָ, 7 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "and·your·tumult" (וְשַׁאֲנַנְךָ֖), "and·I·will·put" (וְשַׂמְתִּ֨י), "my·hook" (חַחִ֜י). 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·you·came" (root אשר, 318x in II Kings); "to·me" (root אל, 113x in II Kings); "went·up" (root עלה, 67x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·my·ears', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 9 words.
Rashi
And your noise. Like and your clamor:
My hook. It is like a cord, with which they pull an animal whose ways are wicked, as we learned (Shabbat 51b): all owners of the cord go out with the cord:
And My bit. Yonatan translates: a ring, and it is of iron, and they insert it into the nostrils of the she-camel and she is pulled by it, since her ways are wicked, and it is what we learned (there:) and a she-camel by the nose:
Radak
"Your calmness" – like "your calmness," with the doubling of the nun to intensify the sense of calmness. So wrote Rabbi Yonah, and so is my opinion, and the opinion of Yonatan, who translated it as "your agitation rose up before Me." And it should be interpreted according to its plain meaning, because the agitation was due to the fact that he was quiet and calm.
"And I will put My hook in your nose." It is the iron [instrument], like a kind of needle, with its head bent, which pierces the fish's nose and jaw, and they lift it up out of the water. And likewise: "With a hook you shall pierce its jaw," and "I will put hooks in your jaws."
"And My bit is in your lips." The bit is the iron that is placed in the mouth of an animal to guide it. And a manuscript reads: "and a muzzle in your lips," and the Targum renders: "a bridle for the one who strays, and a muzzle for the one who errs." That is to say: I will show you that you are in My power, and I will guide you to wherever I wish, just as a person guides an animal and pulls it to wherever he desires, and just as a fisherman draws the fish to him from the water by means of a trick.
"In the way that you came." Just as it says "the way that you will enter," for now he sent the words through messengers, and he went to wage war against the king of Cush. But after the war, he returned to Jerusalem, and regarding that path it is said that he is destined to return and come to Jerusalem, for in that same path by which he will come, he will return to his land after his camp is struck down.
Ralbag
"And I will make you return by the way by which you came." It appears that after he fought with the king of Cush, he returned to Jerusalem, and there the LORD struck down all his army.
Metzudat David
"To Me." [i.e.,] it has come to Me:
And I will bring you back: Against your will I will bring you back.
Metzudat Zion
And your noise. It is from the word noise and clamor:
My hook. It is the ring placed in the mouth of the beast whose ways are evil, to pull it by means of it, so too (Ezekiel 29:4): and I will put hooks in your jaws:
And my bit. It is like a curb, so too (Proverbs 26:3): a bit for the donkey:
And this shall be the sign to you: you shall eat this year that which grows of itself, and in the second year that which springs of the same; and in the third year sow you, and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat the fruit thereof.
verse value 5508
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 75 letters. Verse gematria: 5508 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "sign" (הָא֔וֹת, 4 letters) and the longest is "third" (הַשְּׁלִישִׁ֗ית, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 363: and·in·the·year, and·in·the·year. 11 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "and·this·to·you" (וְזֶה־לְּךָ֣), "surely" (אָכ֤וֹל), "outpouring" (סָפִ֔יחַ). The root שנה appears 3 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "year" (root שנה, 109x in II Kings); "and·this·to·you" (root זה, 56x in II Kings); "surely" (root אכל, 33x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'volunteer grain', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 8 words.
Rashi
And this is to you for a sign. To Hezekiah the prophet said, and this that I said to you Sennacherib will fall here, shall be to you for a sign even for the coming days that you fear to die of famine, for Sennacherib destroyed the land and cut off the trees:
eat this year the aftergrowth. In this year plants shall grow for you and you shall sustain yourselves from them:
double aftergrowth. Cuttings of trees that shall grow, and when you see My word fulfilled in the overthrow of the hosts, it shall be to you for a sign that also this promise shall be fulfilled:
Radak
“This shall be the sign for you.” [The verse] said to Hezekiah: “This” refers to what I told you in the first prophecy, namely that [the king of Assyria] heard a report and returned to his land. And indeed he did so, as you have seen that he sent his messengers and returned to his land to wage war against the king of Cush. By this sign, which has been verified for you, you shall know that also this prophecy will be true: this is for you — mockery is yours, O virgin daughter of Zion; the king of Assyria will not come to this city to conquer it. Moreover, I say that you shall eat this year the aftergrowth, because in that year they did not sow on account of the army of the king of Assyria, and they ate the aftergrowth. If so, what did the prophet say to them? For they knew that they would eat the aftergrowth since they had not sown, and they had no other harvest. Rather, the prophet said to them that the grain in the fields would be blessed for them, and those aftergrowths would suffice for them for that entire year. And in the second year as well, you shall not need to sow, for you shall eat the second aftergrowth, which is that which grows from what fell from the aftergrowth. And in the third year, you shall sow from the surplus of the second aftergrowth after you have eaten it, and you shall reap in peace, for there shall be no fear of an enemy for you. And you shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit in quietness and security. In Seder Olam it is stated: On the eleventh of Yovel, Sennacherib ascended [in campaign] in the fourth year of the week. And so it says, “Eat this year what grows of itself,” which arose in the interval of Passover, and they were unable to sow, and they ate the aftergrowths. And in the second year, [they ate] the second aftergrowth, because the armies cut down the trees. And in the third year, they sowed. This teaches that only one year remained in the week [of the Sabbatical cycle].
Ralbag
"And this shall be the sign for you: You shall eat this year what grows of itself." He said "this" because [Hezekiah] was not yet free from fear; even though the army of the king of Assyria would die, perhaps he would return against them with another army. Therefore, the prophet said to Hezekiah: "This matter which you will see concerning Sennacherib—that he will return by the way in which he came and will not come upon Jerusalem—shall be a sign for you regarding another promise with which Hashem, may He be blessed, promises you: In this year, you shall eat the aftergrowth that is in the fields, outside, and there will be no enemy outside to prevent you from this, and the aftergrowth will be blessed in such a way that it will suffice for the entire year."
"And in the second year you shall eat sachish [second aftergrowth]." These are the spicim (voluntary growths) that grow from what emerges from the initial spicim. And it appears that that year was a Sabbatical year; for if it were not so, what is the reason that they do not sow and do not reap?
Metzudat David
"And this shall be the sign for you." He speaks to Hezekiah: "Behold, this salvation shall serve as a sign for you regarding another promise, for behold, the legions have destroyed and ruined the seeds and cut down the trees, and the Holy One, blessed be He, promises to sustain you in that year with the sprouts of the seeds."
"And in the second year, [there shall be] aftergrowth." Perhaps it was the Sabbatical year, and they were forbidden to plow and sow, and therefore the aftergrowth of the aftergrowth was blessed:
"And in the third year, sow." And you shall no longer fear to go out to the field, from fear of the enemy:
Metzudat Zion
Aftergrowth. It is that which grows from the seed that falls by itself, so too (Leviticus 25:5): the aftergrowth of your harvest:
Double aftergrowth. Meaning: the aftergrowth of aftergrowths, or the aftergrowth of trees, and there is nothing comparable to it [elsewhere in Scripture]:
And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward.
verse value 3423
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 43 letters. The shortest word is "root" (שֹׁ֣רֶשׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "house·of·Judah" (בֵּית־יְהוּדָ֛ה, 8 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "and·will·again" (וְיָ֨סְפָ֜ה), "escape" (פְּלֵיטַ֧ת), "house·of·Judah" (בֵּית־יְהוּדָ֛ה). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·will·do" (root עשה, 142x in II Kings); "house·of·Judah" (root בית, 141x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'downward', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְיָ֨סְפָ֜ה [and·will·again] (161) + פְּלֵיטַ֧ת [escape] (529) + בֵּית־יְהוּדָ֛ה [house·of·Judah] (442) + הַנִּשְׁאָרָ֖ה [remained] (561) + שֹׁ֣רֶשׁ [root] (800) + לְמָ֑טָּה [downward] (84) + וְעָשָׂ֥ה [and·will·do] (381) + פְרִ֖י [fruit] (290) + לְמָֽעְלָה [upward] (175) = 3423.
Radak
The root is below. The Targum: “Like a tree that sends its roots downward and raises its branches upward.”
Ralbag
"And the remnant of the house of Judah that remained" — from the king of Assyria, and the kings of Israel, and Rezin, king of Aram, [is] to make a root below, and it shall take root in such a way that it will bear fruit above.
Metzudat David
"Root downward." This means: Let them be filled with all good things, like a tree planted in a moist place, which extends its roots downward and increases its fruit upward.
For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and out of mount Zion they that shall escape; the zeal of Hashem of hosts shall perform this.
verse value 4858
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 50 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֥ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֤י, 2 letters) and the longest is "from·Jerusalem" (מִירוּשָׁלִַ֙ם֙, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "it·shall·go·out" (תֵּצֵ֣א), "and·escape" (וּפְלֵיטָ֖ה), "Zion" (צִיּ֑וֹן). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 276x in II Kings); "shall·do·this" (root עשה, 142x in II Kings); "for" (root כי, 76x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Zion', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 4 words. Full calculation: כִּ֤י [for] (30) + מִירוּשָׁלִַ֙ם֙ [from·Jerusalem] (626) + תֵּצֵ֣א [it·shall·go·out] (491) + שְׁאֵרִ֔ית [rest] (911) + וּפְלֵיטָ֖ה [and·escape] (140) + מֵהַ֣ר [from·mount·of] (245) + צִיּ֑וֹן [Zion] (156) + קִנְאַ֛ת [jealousy·of] (551) + יְהֹוָ֥ה [Hashem] (26) + צְבָא֖וֹת [hosts] (499) + תַּעֲשֶׂה־זֹּֽאת [shall·do·this] (1183) = 4858.
Rashi
The jealousy of the Lord of hosts. That He should be jealous for His honor and for His name, and not that there is merit in your hand, for much Ahaz your father sinned:
Radak
"For out of Jerusalem shall go forth the remnant." [The Targum] renders: "The remnant of the righteous shall go forth, and those who are saved and observe the Torah, from the mountain of Zion."
The zeal of the Lord of Hosts. It is read but not written, that the Lord was zealous for His Name, because the king of Assyria blasphemed and cursed Him through his messengers. And the Targum translates: “By the word of the Lord of Hosts it shall be done.”
Ralbag
For from Jerusalem shall go forth the remnant and the survivors from Mount Zion. God, blessed be He, will perform this for the sake of His zeal, in response to the insults with which the King of Assyria insulted Him, even though Israel is not worthy of this miracle.
Metzudat David
"For from Jerusalem, etc." The intent is to say that Jerusalem will be the remnant saved from the hand of Sennacherib, and similarly, "a remnant from Mount Zion," and the matter is repeated in different words.
"The jealousy of the Lord": For He will be jealous for His Name, which Rabshakeh and Sennacherib blasphemed.
Therefore thus says Hashem concerning the king of Assyria: He shall not come to this city, nor shoot an arrow there, neither shall he come before it with shield, nor cast a mound against it.
verse value 3515
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 74 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֤א, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·shall·not·confront·it" (וְלֹא־יְקַדְּמֶ֣נָּה, 9 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "and·not·he·will·shoot" (וְלֹא־יוֹרֶ֥ה), "arrow" (חֵ֑ץ), "and·shall·not·confront·it" (וְלֹא־יְקַדְּמֶ֣נָּה). The root איל appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "thus·said" (root אמר, 342x in II Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 276x in II Kings); "to·king" (root איל, 153x in II Kings). First appearance of the root שפך ("and·shall·not·pour") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'arrow', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 5 words.
Rashi
And shall not precede it. He shall not arrange before it a shield:
A ramp. A mound of earth to raise a hill to stand upon it to fight upon the city, and for the name that they tread it and beat it with wood and clubs so that it shall be trodden and subdued with strength, they call it a ramp, the language of (Isaiah 62:10): prepare prepare the way:
Radak
"He shall not come into this city." [This means] that he shall not conquer it, for he did come to the city with his camp outside Jerusalem, and there his camp was struck down. Alternatively, the explanation is: "He shall not come" means he shall not enter within the city. And so Jonathan [Targum Yonatan] rendered it: "He shall not enter this city."
"One shall not precede it with a shield." The functional letter bet is missing from the word "shield" (magen), because those who carry shields come first to the city when they fight against it; and as its Targum renders: "One shall not precede it with shields" (batrisin).
"And he shall not pour out against it a siege mound." As its Targum renders: "And he shall not heap up against it a melita," and melita is a mound of earth — from the words of our Sages of blessed memory: "Mulya venitza" — meaning that they heap up earth to construct a mound and raise it up against the city wall in order to capture the city. And likewise it says: "And he heaped up earth and captured it."
Ralbag
"One shall not precede it with a shield." This is because those who breach walls advance a shield before them, and they come in behind it, and the wall's destroyers [work] with hatchet and mallets. He said: "One shall not precede it with a shield," nor shall he heap up a ramp against it to overthrow the wall — and this is a device by means of which they cast very large stones to overthrow the wall with force. Or he may mean by saying "One shall not precede it with a shield" that no man shall precede it with a shield, and the subject is omitted, as in [Habakkuk 1:16] "and his food is fattened," where the intention is "and his food [is] a fattened sheep."
Metzudat Zion
He will hurl. He will cast:
And will not advance against it. He will not arrange before it, for the Targum of 'before' is 'kadam', so too (Micah 6:6): with what shall I come before the Lord:
A ramp. It is the mound of earth poured out before the city, and they ascend it to fight, so too (Jeremiah 6:6): and they shall cast up a ramp against Yerushalayim:
By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and he shall not come to this city, says Hashem.
verse value 1961
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 39 letters. Notable word values: "will·go·in" (יָבֹ֖א) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "in·it" (בָּ֣הּ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·to·the·city" (וְאֶל־הָעִ֥יר, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "that·he·came" (אֲשֶׁר־יָבֹ֖א). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·he·came" (root אשר, 318x in II Kings); "says·Hashem" (root יהוה, 276x in II Kings); "will·go·in" (root בוא, 146x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'he·will·return', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 5 words. Full calculation: בַּדֶּ֥רֶךְ [way] (226) + אֲשֶׁר־יָבֹ֖א [that·he·came] (514) + בָּ֣הּ [in·it] (7) + יָשׁ֑וּב [he·will·return] (318) + וְאֶל־הָעִ֥יר [and·to·the·city] (322) + הַזֹּ֛את [this] (413) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + יָבֹ֖א [will·go·in] (13) + נְאֻם־יְהֹוָֽה [says·Hashem] (117) = 1961.
For I will defend this city to save it, for Mine own sake, and for My servant David’s sake.’
verse value 2126
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 40 letters. Notable word values: "my·servant" (עַבְדִּֽי) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "David" (דָּוִ֥ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·save·it" (לְהוֹשִׁיעָ֑הּ, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "to·save·it" (לְהוֹשִׁיעָ֑הּ). The root מען appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·the·city" (root איל, 153x in II Kings); "my·servant" (root עבד, 70x in II Kings); "this" (root זאת, 23x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·save·it', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְגַנּוֹתִ֛י [and·I·will·defend] (475) + אֶל־הָעִ֥יר [to·the·city] (316) + הַזֹּ֖את [this] (413) + לְהוֹשִׁיעָ֑הּ [to·save·it] (426) + לְמַֽעֲנִ֔י [for·my·sake] (200) + וּלְמַ֖עַן [and·for·the·sake·of] (196) + דָּוִ֥ד [David] (14) + עַבְדִּֽי [my·servant] (86) = 2126.
Ralbag
"And I will protect [ve-ganoti]." It is of the same root as "shield" [magen].
"For My sake and for the sake of My servant David." This means: For the sake of the honor of My name, and because of My covenant with David, My servant, that if his sons keep My commandments, the kingship shall not depart from them.
And it came to pass that night, that the angel of Hashem went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred fourscore and five thousand; and when men arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.
verse value 3634
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 81 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "and·smote" (וַיַּךְ֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·they·rose·early" (וַיַּשְׁכִּ֣ימוּ, 7 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "in·the·night" (בַּלַּ֣יְלָה), "in·camp·of" (בְּמַחֲנֵ֣ה), "eighty" (שְׁמוֹנִ֥ים). 19 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 276x in II Kings); "and·it·was" (root היה, 119x in II Kings); "all·of·them" (root כל, 66x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'thousand', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 6 words.
Rashi
And it was in that night. When Sennacherib returned from upon Cush, and came as far as Nob that was near Jerusalem:
One hundred and eighty-five thousand. All of them heads of hosts:
Radak
"And it came to pass on that night." Since the king of Assyria had returned to besiege Jerusalem with his army and with all the captives, on that very night the angel of the Lord went out and struck down the camp of Assyria. And our Sages of blessed memory said that it was the night of Passover. Furthermore, they said that before the defeat of Sennacherib, Hezekiah fell ill, and the third day of his illness was the day of Sennacherib's defeat. On that night, Israel sang a song, as it is stated: "The song shall be yours as in the night when a festival is hallowed." And they said that the one hundred and eighty thousand whom He struck down in the camp of Assyria were all adorned with crowns upon their heads. And in accordance with their words, it appears in the Book of Chronicles, where it is stated: "And He selected all the mighty men of valor, and the commanders and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria." And likewise, what is stated in Isaiah: "Leanness among his stout ones." And they said that their death was a burning of the soul while the body remained intact, as it is stated: "And beneath his glory shall be kindled a flame." That is to say, beneath the garment, which is the glory of a person, just as in the burning of Aaron's sons, as it is stated: "And they carried them out in their tunics."
Ralbag
"And it came to pass on that night" – this means on the night of that very day on which Isaiah spoke these words. And behold, if so, it follows that after Sennacherib returned to besiege Jerusalem, as we have explained.
"And they rose early in the morning, and behold, they were all dead corpses." This means that the majority of them were dead, for such is the manner of the prophets' speech when they speak of many. And those who remained were few, as Isaiah mentioned in his book. And "dead corpses" refers to lifeless bodies, for a living body is also called a "corpse." And his sons killed him afterwards, as the prophet had foretold for him.
Metzudat David
"And the angel of the Lord went forth." After he had fought against Cush, he returned and came to Jerusalem, and then the angel of the Lord went forth, etc.
"And they rose early in the morning." Sennacherib and the few who remained alive.
So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh.
verse value 1898
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 35 letters. Verse gematria: 1898 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "and·journeyed" (וַיִּסַּ֣ע, 4 letters) and the longest is "king·of·Assyria" (מֶלֶךְ־אַשּׁ֑וּר, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 318: and·returned, and·dwelt. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "and·journeyed" (וַיִּסַּ֣ע), "in·Nineveh" (בְּנִֽינְוֵֽה). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·went" (root הלך, 98x in II Kings); "and·returned" (root שוב, 53x in II Kings); "king·of·Assyria" (root אשור, 45x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'king·of·Assyria', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיִּסַּ֣ע [and·journeyed] (146) + וַיֵּ֔לֶךְ [and·went] (66) + וַיָּ֖שׇׁב [and·returned] (318) + סַנְחֵרִ֣יב [Sennacherib] (330) + מֶלֶךְ־אַשּׁ֑וּר [king·of·Assyria] (597) + וַיֵּ֖שֶׁב [and·dwelt] (318) + בְּנִֽינְוֵֽה [in·Nineveh] (123) = 1898.
Rashi
And he returned to Nineveh. It is the head of the land of Assyria:
Radak
And he dwelt in Nineveh. This teaches that he did not go forth to war again:
Metzudat David
"In Nineveh." It is the capital of the kingdom of Assyria:
And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sarezer his sons smote him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead.
verse value 5213
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 85 letters. Notable word values: "they·struck·him" (הִכֻּ֣הוּ) = 36, double chai. Verse gematria: 5213 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "he" (ה֨וּא, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·Adrammelech" (וְֽאַדְרַמֶּ֨לֶךְ, 7 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "worshipping" (מִֽשְׁתַּחֲוֶ֜ה), "Nisroch" (נִסְרֹ֣ךְ), "and·Adrammelech" (וְֽאַדְרַמֶּ֨לֶךְ). The root בן appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·he·reigned" (root מלך, 407x in II Kings); "house·of" (root בית, 141x in II Kings); "and·it·was" (root היה, 119x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Ararat', dividing the verse into phrases of 15 and 4 words.
Rashi
The house of Nisroch his god. A board from Noah's ark:
He struck him with the sword. They [his sons] heard him say that he intended to slaughter them before him, if it would save him, so that the officers of the kingdom whose sons had died by his hand would not kill him (Sanhedrin 96a):
Radak
His sons. It is read but not written:
“And they smote him with the sword.” In an aggadic tradition: Sennacherib asked his wise men, “When the angel struck down his camp, what merit does this nation have that their God fights for them?” They said to him, “Their father Abraham offered his son as a burnt offering.” He said, “I too will offer my two sons to my god.” When his sons heard this, they smote him with the sword while he was prostrating himself.
Metzudat David
The house of Nisroch. A plank from Noah's ark served him as a god, and when he bowed down to it, his sons struck him down.
And they: The sons of Sennacherib, who struck him down.
Radak