The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz did see.
verse value 1486
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 24 letters. The shortest word is "burden" (מַשָּׂ֖א, 3 letters) and the longest is "Isaiah" (יְשַֽׁעְיָ֖הוּ, 6 letters). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "which" (root אשר, 176x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root משא ("burden") in Isaiah. First appearance of the root בבל ("Babylon") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Babylon', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 4 words. Full calculation: מַשָּׂ֖א [burden] (341) + בָּבֶ֑ל [Babylon] (34) + אֲשֶׁ֣ר [which] (501) + חָזָ֔ה [saw] (20) + יְשַֽׁעְיָ֖הוּ [Isaiah] (401) + בֶּן־אָמֽוֹץ [son·of·Amoz] (189) = 1486.
Rashi
Burden of Babylon. A burden of calamity that is upon Babylon:
Ibn Ezra
"The burden of Babylon." He mentions the downfall of Babylon after the downfall of Assyria, because Babylon destroyed Assyria.
Radak
"The burden of Babylon." He said "that he saw" to inform us that he also prophesied about the nations of the world, and in the first instance he said "that he saw," and there was no need to say so regarding the others.
Metzudat David
The burden of Babylon. This is the prophecy concerning Babylon:
Metzudat Zion
"Burden." Thus is prophecy called, because it is borne upon the mouth of man.
He saw. He beheld in the vision of prophecy:
Malbim
The burden against Babylon: It is known that the fall of Babylon occurred because the officials of Belshazzar rebelled against their lord, due to the vision he saw that night, when the angel wrote upon the wall and Daniel interpreted it for the worse. These rebels informed the Persian and Median army, which was then at war with Babylon, about this matter. They returned to Babylon and destroyed it. Accordingly, this burden was delivered, for the prophet saw how the Lord consecrated cruel warriors of might to destroy Babylon, namely the armies of Media and Persia. Since they came from a distant land and did not know how to approach or how to conquer the city, [the rebels] enlisted men from among the people of Babylon, who would call out to the Median army and show them how to conquer the kingdom.
Set you up an ensign upon the high mountain, Lift up the voice to them, Wave the hand, that they may go Into the gates of the nobles.
verse value 2433
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 46 letters. The shortest word is "upon" (עַ֤ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "mountain·bare" (הַר־נִשְׁפֶּה֙, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "mountain·bare" (הַר־נִשְׁפֶּה֙), "lift·banner" (שְֽׂאוּ־נֵ֔ס), "wave" (הָנִ֣יפוּ). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "upon" (root על, 200x in Isaiah); "and·let·them·go·in" (root בוא, 120x in Isaiah); "hand" (root יד, 79x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root נדיב ("nobles") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 5 words. Full calculation: עַ֤ל [upon] (100) + הַר־נִשְׁפֶּה֙ [mountain·bare] (640) + שְֽׂאוּ־נֵ֔ס [lift·banner] (417) + הָרִ֥ימוּ [raise] (261) + ק֖וֹל [voice] (136) + לָהֶ֑ם [to·them] (75) + הָנִ֣יפוּ [wave] (151) + יָ֔ד [hand] (14) + וְיָבֹ֖אוּ [and·let·them·go·in] (25) + פִּתְחֵ֥י [openings·of] (498) + נְדִיבִֽים [nobles] (116) = 2433.
Rashi
“Upon a bare mountain, lift up a banner.” To gather upon a mountain that is tranquil and secure, lift up a banner to the nations, and raise your voice to those who are gathered, that they may come upon it.
They waved. They waved their hand to those who were far away and unable to hear, so that they would see the sign of the waving hand and come to the gates of the nobles, the princes of Babylonia.
“Pitchei.” Like “pitchei ve-tashiv beit avicha” (Genesis 31:50), [meaning] the hidden one in her father’s house. And Menachem ben Saruq interpreted it as “ruins,” like “ve-hem pitchei” (Psalms 55:9).
Ibn Ezra
"Upon the Mount of Corruption." Some say it is from the root *nashaf* (Isaiah 5:11), like *shachar* [dawn]; but the correct view is that it is from the root *shafah* [to be high/elevated] (I Kings 18), with the nun being part of the *nifal* conjugation, and its meaning is "high," or "it has no equal."
To them. To those who come against Babylon to wage war against it:
"And they came." And immediately they will come and enter the city, for they will seize it.
Radak
“Upon the lofty mountain.” “Lofty” means elevated and high, as it is written, “and he went to a bare height” (Numbers 23:3), and “take up a lamentation on the bare heights” (Jeremiah 7:29). And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated it as “upon the city that sits in peace,” meaning Babylon, which was tranquil and quiet. The explanation is from the language of our Rabbis, who stated that its inhabitants ate their own for three years in peace. The phrase “Lift up the banner” means: raise a banner and wave the hand, metaphorically speaking, as if they called out to them and raised a banner for them on a high mountain and waved their hand to them, so that they would come quickly to Babylon to destroy it. And those who came to it were Media and Persia. And the waving of the hand is like a person calling out to someone who is far away and cannot hear him, so he waves his hand to him to come.
“And they came to the gates of the nobles.” Just as in “the gates”, it is written without a bet, as in “to prostitution in her father’s house,” and many other instances. And the princes of Babylon are called “nobles” [nedivim], referring to those who were great in wealth and rank, and they are called “nobles” because among many great men and men of renown, a noble spirit resides in them. And some explain “nobles” as referring to Media and Persia, and they interpret “gates” as “ruins,” as in “and the land of Nimrod, in his gates” [Micah 5:5].
Metzudat David
“On a bare mountain.” Raise a banner on a high mountain so that it will be visible from afar, and call out in a loud voice to the people of Persia and Media:
Wave the hand!. To hint to them that they should hasten to go and come through the gates of the nobles of Babylonia.
Metzudat Zion
Nishpah. The meaning is arrogance, like “I will open rivers on the heights” (below 41a):
“Gates of.” “The gates of the nobles” — so the wealthy are called [nobles], for they are mostly generous of heart.
Malbim
“Upon a bare mountain” – Initially, He will speak to the rebellious princes of Belshazzar, commanding them to raise a banner for the Medes, to call them. The verse describes this process in stages: first, they will raise a banner, which will be seen from afar, and the Medes will follow it. After they draw near, they will raise their voices to call out to them, for they will hear the voice and follow. And after they draw even closer, they will wave their hands – that is, a back-and-forth motion of the hand as a signal for them to come here, to the city gate.
“And they shall come” – by means that they will call out to them and show them the way, they shall enter through the gates of the nobles of the sons of Babylon. (And this is a figurative expression: just as the nobleman’s gate is open to receive every guest coming from afar, so too will the sons of Babylon receive these guests, with whom they will wage war in wars of brandishing.)
I have commanded My consecrated ones, Indeed, I have called My mighty ones for mine anger, Even My proudly exulting ones.
verse value 2704
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 40 letters. Verse gematria: 2704 = 52². The shortest word is "also" (גַּ֣ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·My·consecrated-ones" (לִמְקֻדָּשָׁ֑י, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "to·My·consecrated-ones" (לִמְקֻדָּשָׁ֑י), "to·my·anger" (לְאַפִּ֔י), "exultant" (עַלִּיזֵ֖י). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "I·called" (root קרא, 84x in Isaiah); "I" (root אני, 76x in Isaiah); "to·my·anger" (root אף, 39x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root עליז ("exultant") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·My·consecrated-ones', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 6 words. Full calculation: אֲנִ֥י [I] (61) + צִוֵּ֖יתִי [I·commanded] (516) + לִמְקֻדָּשָׁ֑י [to·My·consecrated-ones] (484) + גַּ֣ם [also] (43) + קָרָ֤אתִי [I·called] (711) + גִבּוֹרַי֙ [my·mighty·ones] (221) + לְאַפִּ֔י [to·my·anger] (121) + עַלִּיזֵ֖י [exultant] (127) + גַּאֲוָתִֽי [my·pride] (420) = 2704.
Rashi
"I commanded My holy ones: 'Let them come and begin to provoke them.' And they are Persia and Media, the men of Cyrus and Darius, whom I have appointed for this purpose."
"I called forth the mighty ones for My anger" — to execute My wrath upon them, for they are the proud ones in whom I take pride.
Ibn Ezra
I. The words of the Lord:
To My holy ones. They are the ones who are prepared:
"Alizi" – meaning that they are joyful to display My might, or that their joy is in the might that I have placed within them.
Radak
"I commanded My holy ones." And they are Media and Persia. And it says "I commanded" and it says "My holy ones," meaning that He stirred their spirit to come to Babylonia, and they are as though He commanded, sanctified, and appointed them to come.
“Le’api.” I called them to carry out My anger and My wrath in Babylon, and they were joyful and glad.
"In My pride." I take pride over Babylon through them.
Metzudat David
"I commanded." I awakened their minds:
To My holy ones. They are Persia and Media, whom I have appointed for this purpose:
"לאפי" – "To My anger": to bring about in Babylonia the burning of My anger.
“My proudly exulting ones.” To be joyful in my exultation, for I have exalted over Babylon through them:
Metzudat Zion
For those who sanctify themselves. The matter of the preparation is akin to "Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow" (Numbers 11:18).
Alizi. The matter of joy, as it is written: “Let the field exult” (Psalms 97:8).
Malbim
"I have commanded My sanctified ones" refers to everything stated in the previous verse, meaning: All of this I have commanded My sanctified ones, who are the sons of Belshazzar, whom the Lord sanctified to rebel against their master in accordance with the prophecy of Daniel, and to call upon the army of Media and Persia. And "I have called My mighty ones"—these are the army of Media and Persia, who are prepared for My wrath, to execute the vengeance of the fury of My anger. "The rejoicers in My pride"—these are those who will rejoice in that My pride will be manifested through them. (And the meaning is that among the warriors who go out to war, there are two types: some go out only to devastate lands, and because they are cruel and desire to shed blood; and others go out to magnify their own name and the name of their king through their might. Now, the former will cause more destruction than those who go out merely to boast. However, since the primary intention of the former is only cruelty, they will not exert themselves so much to display their might for the sake of lasting fame. But if the soldiers possess in their spirit both traits—cruelty as well as love of honor and pride—they will raise the banner to display their might, and they will also devastate until total destruction. This is what is meant: "For the camp of Media and Persia will raise their horn in these two ways": one, that they are prepared for My wrath and cruelty; and two, that they are the rejoicers in My pride, for the sake of pride and honor.)
Hark, a tumult in the mountains, Like as of a great people! Hark, the uproar of the kingdoms Of the nations gathered together! Hashem of hosts musters The host of the battle.
verse value 3550
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 64 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֣ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 3550 is divisible by 50, the years to the Jubilee (yovel). The shortest word is "voice" (ק֥וֹל, 3 letters) and the longest is "kingdoms·of" (מַמְלְכ֤וֹת, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 136: voice, voice. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "in·the·mountains" (בֶּהָרִ֖ים), "likeness" (דְּמ֣וּת), "people·great" (עַם־רָ֑ב). The root קול appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "people·great" (root עם, 107x in Isaiah); "hosts" (root צבא, 73x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'people·great', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 10 words.
Ibn Ezra
Kol. The custom of the nature of the mountain is that when a person speaks, the voice echoes back; and this is the meaning of "kol hamon" (a voice of tumult), from the root humah (1 Kings 1:41). And behold, he explained why this voice is a clamor among the kingdoms of the nations, for the king of Persia, who is Cyrus, and the king of Media, who is Darius, both joined together against Babylon, and this is explicitly stated in the Book of Daniel (Daniel 5:28).
Mefaked. He will appoint officials or commanders, and it is an active participle that serves for two active verbs:
Radak
"The voice of a multitude." The prophet stated that he heard in prophecy the voice of a multitude in the mountains, resembling a great nation, as if a great nation were speaking in the mountains, and the voice of the multitude of the mountains was heard within them. And he heard the voice of tumult from the kingdoms of the nations gathering together. And this great army was the Lord of Hosts, and He was counting them, meaning, enumerating them, as it is stated: "He counted them for their armies." For such is the custom of the world: when an army goes to war, the master who rules over them counts them, to know their number when they go to war. And one may interpret the matter of "counting" to mean that He was appointing officers over them. And so did Jonathan translate.
Metzudat David
"The voice of a multitude." The voice of a tumult is heard in the mountains, like the voice of a great nation; and it is the voice of the clamor of the kingdoms of Persia and Media, gathered together.
“Mefaked.” The Omnipresent commanded to count the men of the army of war, in the manner that the commander of the war does; namely, that they will succeed in the war, as if the Omnipresent were the commander of the war.
Metzudat Zion
Image. From the term “likeness”:
Sha'on. The murmuring:
Mefaked. The meaning is "number" and "count," as in "and he numbered them in Telaim" (1 Samuel 13).
Malbim
"The voice of a multitude" – let him now envision the vision of the camp that suddenly comes upon Babylon, like a man sitting securely in his palace who first hears the sound of a multitude in the mountains, and still does not know what this sound of the multitude is: whether shepherds, reapers, a celebrating multitude, or an army of war. And after they draw closer, he discerns that it is the sound of the tumult of the nations' kingdoms gathering for war. And after they draw even closer, his eyes behold who is the commander of the army going at their head, and he sees that the Lord of Hosts is the commander of the army, commanding the army for war, for they did not go by the decree of a king or ruler, but only by the word of the Lord, through the angel.
They come from a far country, From the end of heaven, Even Hashem, and the weapons of His indignation, To destroy the whole earth.
verse value 1993
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 43 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "going·in" (בָּאִ֛ים, 4 letters) and the longest is "all·the·earth" (כׇּל־הָאָֽרֶץ, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "his·indignation" (זַעְמ֔וֹ). The root ארץ appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "from·land·of" (root ארץ, 169x in Isaiah); "going·in" (root בוא, 120x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'heaven', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: בָּאִ֛ים [going·in] (53) + מֵאֶ֥רֶץ [from·land·of] (331) + מֶרְחָ֖ק [distance] (348) + מִקְצֵ֣ה [from·end·of] (235) + הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם [heaven] (395) + יְהֹוָה֙ [Hashem] (26) + וּכְלֵ֣י [and·vessels·of] (66) + זַעְמ֔וֹ [his·indignation] (123) + לְחַבֵּ֖ל [to·destroy] (70) + כׇּל־הָאָֽרֶץ [all·the·earth] (346) = 1993.
Rashi
And the vessels of His wrath: they are the mighty men of Media and Persia.
“To afflict the whole land.” [This refers] to Babylonia.
Ibn Ezra
They come. For they came from Elam, as if from the uttermost parts of the heavens, an allusion to their distant origin.
The Lord. And behold, the decrees of God, "and the vessels of His wrath," which are Persia and Media, have come.
Radak
"Coming from the ends of the heavens, from the east." He said "from the ends of the heavens" in the manner of hyperbole, to indicate the extreme distance of that end, as if it touches the heavens from that side.
"The Lord, and the instruments of His wrath." He is the Commander of the army, and the army itself constitutes the instruments of His wrath, and through them He will devastate the land of Babylon.
Metzudat David
From the end of the heavens. He spoke in a hyperbolic manner:
"The Lord and the instruments of His wrath." It is as if the Lord comes to command the war, and the instruments of His wrath are with Him, and they are the army of Persia and Media.
"To devastate." To ruin the entire land of Babylonia.
Metzudat Zion
"לחבל" – to destroy, similar to "וְחֹבֵל עוֹל" (above 1:10).
Malbim
“Coming,” now draw nearer still, until one can ask them who they are and from where they come. And in response to the question “from where do they come?” the answer is found: “Coming from a distant land.” And he adds “from the end of the heavens,” which is the extremity of the inhabited world. And in response to the question “who are they?” he answers: “The Lord and His instruments of wrath.” And in response to the question “where are they going and for what purpose are they proceeding?” he answers: “To devastate the entire land of the children of Babylon.” (And the intent of the expression is to depict their sudden arrival at a time when the children of Babylon were at peace and tranquility, celebrating a day of feasting and joy over the victory over their enemies, and they did not perceive them, as you will find this very depiction below, section 21):
Howl you; for the day of Hashem is at hand; As destruction from the Almighty shall it come.
verse value 1208
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 30 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "howl!" (הֵילִ֕ילוּ, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "as·destruction" (כְּשֹׁ֖ד), "from·the·Almighty" (מִשַּׁדַּ֥י). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "for" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah); "day" (root יום, 124x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root ילל ("howl!") in Isaiah. First appearance of the root קרוב ("near") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. Full calculation: הֵילִ֕ילוּ [howl!] (91) + כִּ֥י [for] (30) + קָר֖וֹב [near] (308) + י֣וֹם [day] (56) + יְהֹוָ֑ה [Hashem] (26) + כְּשֹׁ֖ד [as·destruction] (324) + מִשַּׁדַּ֥י [from·the·Almighty] (354) + יָבֽוֹא [will·go·in] (19) = 1208.
Rashi
Like a plunder. As on the day of plunder from the Holy One, blessed be He, it shall come:
Ibn Ezra
The night. “As plunder from Shaddai shall come,” for this plunder comes from the Divine Name, and who can annul it? And there are those who say that Shaddai means “the Mighty One who plunders,” and the first interpretation is the correct one.
Radak
"Hallelu." He said this in reference to the people of Babylonia.
“As destruction from Shaddai shall it come.” As destruction coming from a mighty one, from whom there is no way to escape; and similarly, "as the voice of the Almighty" means as a strong voice; and so did Jonathan [the Aramaic translator] render it.
Metzudat David
“Wail.” This implies that one should say to Babylonia: “Make a lamentation, for the day of the calamity coming from the Lord is near, not by chance.”
"As plunder from the Mighty One it shall come." This means that it will be great and severe, like plunder that comes from the hand of the Almighty.
Metzudat Zion
Wail. From the word for lamentation:
"כשוד" – from the language of "shadidah" (oppression) and extortion of the soul; and similarly, "the destruction that oppresses at noonday" (Psalms 91:6).
Malbim
“Wail!”—now He begins to speak directly to the inhabitants of Babylonia: “You have no hope left; only wail and weep, for the day is near when the sound of tidings will reach the land that a besieger and enemy will come to its gates.” There is a difference between whether the Day of the Throne is near or distant, and in each case there is both an advantage and a disadvantage. For if the Day of the Throne is near, the disadvantage is that sudden fear causes their hearts to melt, but the advantage is that thereby they gird themselves with great strength to prepare for battle, since the time is near. And if the Day of the Throne is distant, then their hearts will not melt so much, but their hands will grow slack in preparing the necessities of war, for they rely on themselves that there is still time and ample time. On this basis, I say that in this proclamation there are two disadvantages: 1) that the Day of the Lord is near, and from this aspect the sudden fear will increase; and nevertheless, they also will not be able to exert themselves in preparing the necessities of war, for “as a robber from Shaddai comes, so shall the robber come from Shaddai”—the One of Power, against whom there is no counsel or might.
Therefore shall all hands be slack, And every heart of man shall melt.
verse value 1586
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 29 letters. Verse gematria: 1586 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "will·be·dissolved" (יִמָּֽס, 3 letters) and the longest is "all·hands" (כׇּל־יָדַ֣יִם, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "all·hands" (כׇּל־יָדַ֣יִם), "they·heal" (תִּרְפֶּ֑ינָה). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "therefore" (root על, 200x in Isaiah); "all·hands" (root כל, 93x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·heal', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: עַל־כֵּ֖ן [therefore] (170) + כׇּל־יָדַ֣יִם [all·hands] (114) + תִּרְפֶּ֑ינָה [they·heal] (745) + וְכׇל־לְבַ֥ב [and·all·heart·of] (90) + אֱנ֖וֹשׁ [man] (357) + יִמָּֽס [will·be·dissolved] (110) = 1586.
Rashi
All hands. Of Babylonia:
Ibn Ezra
Therefore, all hands: from the men of Babylonia.
Radak
“Therefore.” For they have no stratagem to save themselves, since this has come upon them to be saved from the Lord:
The hands become slack from fighting against their enemies, and the heart melts, so that he finds no strength or courage within himself, for strength resides in the heart, as it is said, “And he strengthened his heart among the mighty.”
Metzudat David
"All hands": The hands of all the men of Babylonia shall be weakened by excessive terror, and the heart of all their people shall melt away.
Metzudat Zion
They shall be slack. From the term for slackening:
Malbim
Therefore, it is conjoined with the preceding verse, for it says, “As plunder from Shaddai comes,” therefore “all hands will grow weary,” and they will not do anything to prepare the necessities of war; and since “the day of the Lord is near,” therefore “every human heart will melt” from sudden fear.
And they shall be affrighted; Pangs and throes shall take hold of them; They shall be in pain as a woman in travail; They shall look aghast one at another; Their faces shall be faces of flame.
verse value 2312
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 62 letters. The shortest word is "man" (אִ֤ישׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·they·shall·be·affrighted" (וְֽנִבְהָ֓לוּ, 6 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·they·shall·be·affrighted" (וְֽנִבְהָ֓לוּ), "and·throes" (וַחֲבָלִים֙), "grasp" (יֹֽאחֵז֔וּן). The root פנים appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·his·friend" (root איל, 114x in Isaiah); "face" (root פנים, 88x in Isaiah); "man" (root איש, 59x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root ציר ("pangs") in Isaiah. First appearance of the root להב ("flames") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·will·twist', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: וְֽנִבְהָ֓לוּ [and·they·shall·be·affrighted] (99) + צִירִ֤ים [pangs] (350) + וַחֲבָלִים֙ [and·throes] (96) + יֹֽאחֵז֔וּן [grasp] (82) + כַּיּוֹלֵדָ֖ה [like·a·woman·in·travail] (75) + יְחִיל֑וּן [they·will·twist] (114) + אִ֤ישׁ [man] (311) + אֶל־רֵעֵ֙הוּ֙ [to·his·friend] (312) + יִתְמָ֔הוּ [they·will·be·astounded] (461) + פְּנֵ֥י [face] (140) + לְהָבִ֖ים [flames] (87) + פְּנֵיהֶֽם [their·faces] (185) = 2312.
Rashi
“Cervical pains and contractions.” These terms refer to the sufferings of a woman who is bending over in childbirth, as the “cervical gates” of her womb are loosening to open.
Yachilon. "Chil" and "chalchal" are terms for trembling.
"Each man shall be astonished at his neighbor" – the people of Babylonia, regarding those who are pressing upon them, for they are strange.
"And faces of flames, their faces." I say that their faces are yellowish and very frightening; or one may say that they are people who devise thoughts. And the people of Babylonia (he likened them to them on account of their astonishment):
Ibn Ezra
“And they were dismayed.” “Faces of flames” means their faces, as if burned from excessive sorrow; and some say that “flames” refers to a nation, like the Cushites.
Radak
And they were dismayed. With a qamats, due to the chain [of words], for it has the rule of pausal pronunciation. And the meaning is: the inhabitants of Babylonia shall be dismayed and shall not be able to lift a hand [in defense].
“Yachazon.” [The word is read] with a tzere, due to the pause, and the explanation is: pangs shall seize them. This works in two ways: for pangs seize the terrified person, as it says, “Terror seized the inhabitants of Philistia” (Isaiah 14:31); “Surely ropes will seize them” (Job 18:11); “Cords seized him” (Job 18:10). And when the pangs prevail continually over a person, it is as if the person grasps the pangs, that they not depart from him. Therefore it says: pangs and throes shall seize. According to the Targum of Jonathan, the Nun in “Yachazon” is a pronominal suffix, and it is equivalent to “Yachazom” [they will seize them], and it is in the same sense as its peers, and his interpretation is good; therefore, he translated it as “Yechidunonon.”
They will wonder. Since the evil came upon them suddenly, they will wonder, each to his fellow, how this happened.
“Faces of flames” – their faces. Like a person who is ashamed, whose face turns red.
Metzudat David
And they shall be dismayed. They shall be in a state of panic and terror:
“Yachazon.” Pangs and pains shall seize them, and they will writhe as a woman in childbirth.
"A man to his neighbor": The sons of Babylonia will gaze at one another in astonishment at those who are pressing upon them, for their faces will be yellow like the flame of fire.
Metzudat Zion
Tzirim. These are the labor pains of a woman who is bending down to give birth, for the hinges of the doors of her womb are loosened in order to open. And similarly, “when her hinges were turned upon her” (1 Samuel 4:19).
And cords. This too refers to the pains of childbirth, like the “pangs of a woman in labor” (Hosea 13:13).
Yechilon. From the language of chail and chalchalah:
Malbim
And they shall be dismayed: Now he describes the standing of the people at the time of the coming of the distress. First, they will suddenly be dismayed. After this, labor pains, such as those that come to a woman when the child begins to open the doors of her womb, will seize them. Also, the contractions that are drawn forth when she sits upon the birthing stool will affect them. Moreover, they will be terrified and tremble like a woman in childbirth who trembles in all her limbs due to the contractions. In addition to each individual being dismayed in his own right, man will be astonished at his fellow. Their astonishment and amazement will increase when one looks at his companion, as if he were in a sudden panic that befalls the multitude, whereby each person’s fear grows when he sees those standing around him and how they too are frightened and their faces are melting away. Furthermore, there will be no need for one to inform his fellow of his fear and astonishment, for the fear will be evident on their faces alone, their faces resembling flames of fire. Just as with flames, the more combustible materials there are, the greater the flame becomes, so too they will be inflamed by the flame of fear from one another, and they will burn every face because of his companion.
Behold, the day of Hashem comes, Cruel, and full of wrath and fierce anger; To make the earth a desolation, And to destroy the sinners thereof out of it,
verse value 2602
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 56 letters. The shortest word is "went·in" (בָּ֔א, 2 letters) and the longest is "day·of·Hashem" (יוֹם־יְהֹוָה֙, 7 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "day·of·Hashem" (יוֹם־יְהֹוָה֙), "cruel" (אַכְזָרִ֥י), "and·wrath" (וְעֶבְרָ֖ה). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "day·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "the·land" (root ארץ, 169x in Isaiah); "went·in" (root בוא, 120x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'anger', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 6 words. Full calculation: הִנֵּ֤ה [they] (60) + יוֹם־יְהֹוָה֙ [day·of·Hashem] (82) + בָּ֔א [went·in] (3) + אַכְזָרִ֥י [cruel] (238) + וְעֶבְרָ֖ה [and·wrath] (283) + וַחֲר֣וֹן [and·the·fierceness·of] (270) + אָ֑ף [anger] (81) + לָשׂ֤וּם [to·put] (376) + הָאָ֙רֶץ֙ [the·land] (296) + לְשַׁמָּ֔ה [to·astonishment] (375) + וְחַטָּאֶ֖יהָ [and·her·sinners] (39) + יַשְׁמִ֥יד [He·will·destroy] (364) + מִמֶּֽנָּה [out·of·it] (135) = 2602.
Rashi
And his sins. His transgressions:
Ibn Ezra
Behold [cruel]. The word "cruel" has an additional yod-vav, like the word "inner" (1 Kings 6:27):
To set. The land of the Chaldeans:
Radak
"Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, cruel and with great wrath." It will be cruel and with great wrath, and fierce anger with it.
"The land." The explanation is: the land of Babylonia.
And their sins. The inhabitants of Babylon, who are sinners and wicked, He will destroy them from Babylon, until it remains a desolation because of their sins, of its people.
Metzudat David
Cruel. That day shall be a cruel day, and there will still be with it wrath and fury:
The land. The land of Babylonia:
And her sins. People who sin:
Malbim
Behold, he begins to depict the quality of the day itself, and portrays it in his vision as a cruel devourer without mercy, like a dark day wrapped in deep darkness, devoid of order, cruel and wrathful. That is to say: one who becomes angry but is not cruel by nature, or even one who is cruel only when not in the heat of his anger, still has some hope; but this day will be cruel by its very nature, and also in the time of its wrath. As for “wrath” and “burning anger,” I have explained (in the commentary on the words) the difference between them: “burning anger” is only against those who sinned against Him, whereas “wrath” refers to what He will do in the heat of His anger to destroy everything, even those who did not sin against Him. Accordingly, he says that this day will come upon the sinners, and in His wrath He will destroy even those who did not sin, namely, the entire nation. And in reference to “wrath,” which means to reduce the land to desolation, referring to the totality of the land and the nation, and in reference to “burning anger” against the sinners, he says, “and He will destroy its sinners from it.”
For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof Shall not give their light; The sun shall be darkened in his going forth, And the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
verse value 2961
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 56 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֥א, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·their·constellations" (וּכְסִ֣ילֵיהֶ֔ם, 8 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "for·stars" (כִּֽי־כוֹכְבֵ֤י), "and·their·constellations" (וּכְסִ֣ילֵיהֶ֔ם), "shall·shine" (יָהֵ֖לּוּ). The root אור appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 286x in Isaiah); "in·his·going-out" (root יצא, 42x in Isaiah); "heaven" (root שמים, 35x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root כוכב ("for·stars") in Isaiah. First appearance of the root הלל ("shall·shine") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'their·light', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: כִּֽי־כוֹכְבֵ֤י [for·stars] (88) + הַשָּׁמַ֙יִם֙ [heaven] (395) + וּכְסִ֣ילֵיהֶ֔ם [and·their·constellations] (181) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + יָהֵ֖לּוּ [shall·shine] (51) + אוֹרָ֑ם [their·light] (247) + חָשַׁ֤ךְ [shall·be·dark] (328) + הַשֶּׁ֙מֶשׁ֙ [sun] (645) + בְּצֵאת֔וֹ [in·his·going-out] (499) + וְיָרֵ֖חַ [and·moon] (224) + לֹא־יַגִּ֥יהַּ [not·give-light] (59) + אוֹרֽוֹ [his·light] (213) = 2961.
Rashi
And their folly. Their constellations:
Yehalu. They will shine. And similarly, "his lamp shone" (Job 29:3), and similarly, "light, when it shone" (ibid. 31:26).
“Darkened the sun.” From their distress, it seemed to them as though the sun had darkened.
Ibn Ezra
"Ki." And "kesiliahem" (their Fool). Some say that "kesil" (the Fool) is the star that is close to the southern horizon, and camels die if they see it. And according to my opinion, it is the heart of Scorpius. And it is possible that "the Fools" (kesilim) is derived from "the Fools" (kesilim) (Leviticus 3:4), which are close to the horizons. And Rabbi Yonah says that "kesil" is one [star] and its companions are other stars like it, as in "houses of ivory" (Amos 3:15).
Yehalu. Like yechalu (Judges 20:31), from the doubled verbs, and it is a causative verb; so too, "vehalu nerotai" (Job 29:3) is also causative, and the proof is "yegiah choshechi" (Psalms 18:29).
Radak
"Ki kokhavim" (For the stars): The prophets speak in allegory, saying of one who is afflicted with distress that he sits in darkness, the sun does not shine for him, the stars do not illuminate for him, nor any light, as it is said, "Your lamp shall be extinguished in the blackest darkness" (Proverbs 20:20), and similarly this verse and many others in this matter. And the meaning of "ve-kasileihem" (and their foolish ones): Rabbi Yonah wrote that "kesil" is a large star, called in Arabic "Su'ad," and the stars that are joined to it are called by its name, "kasilei" (foolish ones).
“Let their light shine.” The term “nogeh” (shining) derives from the root “h-l-l” (to praise/shine) in the hif’il conjugation, and “yehallu” is akin to “yiggehu,” as it is stated, “The moon shall not shine its light,” as if it said, “They shall not give their light,” and the causative action is directed toward the stars; if I see light, for “yehall” is a causative action directed toward the speaker upon his emergence, that they gather their light.
Metzudat David
“Their light shall not shine.” Due to the abundance of their distress, it will seem to them that their light is not shining.
“Upon its going out.” Although then the radiance of its light was stirred exceedingly.
Metzudat Zion
"And their constellations." The constellations of the heavens. And similarly, [the words] "Kesil" and "Kimah" (Job 9).
Yehalu. And they shall shine, like "when his lamp shone" (Job 29:3):
Yegiah. The matter of "illumination" is like, "And the Lord will illuminate my darkness" (2 Samuel 22:29):
Malbim
“Like the stars” – [the verse] depicts the day as if its sun were darkened and its stars withered due to the multitude of troubles that arose in it, [so that they] will not shine. I explained in the commentary on the words the difference between *or* (light), *nogah* (radiance), and *hallel* (glory): for *or* is that which illuminates others, and *nogah* is that which receives light from another body, such as the moon, which receives the light of the sun, and *hallel* is that in which illumination is found within itself, yet it does not illuminate others. Therefore it says that in the stars themselves no *hallel* and no splendor will be found. “The sun will be darkened” – and it will not be like the night, when the sun is darkened, for then the moon emits light from the sun and illuminates the earth. Hence it says that even the moon will not radiate the light of the sun; it will not emit it to illuminate the earth through reflected light. The allusion is to the downfall of the prince of Babylon and the star of their success in the heavens above.
And I will visit upon the world their evil, And upon the wicked their iniquity; And I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, And will lay low the haughtiness of the tyrants.
verse value 4400
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 56 letters. Verse gematria: 4400 is divisible by 50, the years to the Jubilee (yovel). The shortest word is "evil" (רָעָ֔ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·upon·the·wicked" (וְעַל־רְשָׁעִ֖ים, 8 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·I·will·visit" (וּפָקַדְתִּ֤י), "upon·the·world" (עַל־תֵּבֵל֙), "and·upon·the·wicked" (וְעַל־רְשָׁעִ֖ים). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "evil" (root רעה, 25x in Isaiah); "their·iniquity" (root עון, 24x in Isaiah); "and·upon·the·wicked" (root עול, 21x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root עריץ ("awe-inspiring") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'their·iniquity', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 6 words. Full calculation: וּפָקַדְתִּ֤י [and·I·will·visit] (600) + עַל־תֵּבֵל֙ [upon·the·world] (532) + רָעָ֔ה [evil] (275) + וְעַל־רְשָׁעִ֖ים [and·upon·the·wicked] (726) + עֲוֺנָ֑ם [their·iniquity] (166) + וְהִשְׁבַּתִּי֙ [and·I·will·banish] (723) + גְּא֣וֹן [pride·of] (60) + זֵדִ֔ים [arrogant] (61) + וְגַאֲוַ֥ת [and·pride·of] (416) + עָרִיצִ֖ים [awe-inspiring] (420) + אַשְׁפִּֽיל [I·will·humble] (421) = 4400.
Rashi
"Upon the earth." Upon their land:
Ibn Ezra
"And I will visit upon the inhabited world evil." For Cyrus conquered many kingdoms, and likewise it is stated: "The Lord has given me all the kingdoms of the earth" (Ezra 1:2).
Radak
“And I will visit upon the whole earth.” This means: Upon the land of Babylonia I will visit [punishment] for the evil they did to Israel.
And upon the wicked. The Chaldeans, who are wicked and did evil to Israel beyond measure, as it is stated: "I was angry but a little, and they helped me to evil."
The glory of the arrogant. For they were arrogant and men of insolence, I will extinguish their insolence.
Metzudat David
“And I will visit upon the earth evil.” I will remember upon the land of Babylon the evil that they did to Israel, and I will repay them their due recompense.
And concerning the wicked. Concerning the men of Babylon, I will remember their iniquity:
Metzudat Zion
"And I will remember." The matter of remembrance, as it is said: "And the Lord remembered Sarah" (Genesis 21:1).
Tevel. So is the earth called.
"And I will cause to cease." The matter is one of nullification, as it is stated: "the oppressor has ceased" (below, 14).
Ga'on. Its meaning is like that of gaavah (arrogance):
The arrogant. The wicked:
"Arutzim" (the tyrannical): Strong, like "a mighty tyrant" (Jeremiah 20:11).
Malbim
“And I will visit” – the term denotes appointment; God will appoint evil as ruler over Babylon, to recompense them according to their wickedness for the destruction of the world. His intent is as stated in verse 9, that He will punish the sinners, and through this general punishment, evil will adhere to the entire world, even to those who did not sin. Thus, evil will have dominion over the world, including those who did not sin, while the guilt rests upon the wicked who sinned.
"And I will cause to cease" – by this, the arrogant and those who sin intentionally and the sinners, I will cause their arrogance and their strength to cease. And the arrogant and mighty ones who did not intentionally sin, but only became arrogant in their spirit through their kingdom – concerning them, even though their arrogance, which is their strength and wealth, is not hateful in the eyes of the Lord, since they did not sin intentionally nor sin at all, nevertheless, since their pride, in that they became arrogant in their spirit, is hateful in the eyes of the Lord, He will humble the pride of their heart. And the thing to which the metaphor refers: the princes of Babylonia and their king, who sinned and acted intentionally against the Lord, He will punish them for their intentional sins and cause their kingdom to cease. And the multitude of the people, who did not sin, nevertheless, He will humble their pride because they became arrogant through the kingdom of the intentional sinner Nebuchadnezzar. And see the commentary on the words.
I will make man more rare than fine gold, Even man than the pure gold of Ophir.
verse value 1649
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 25 letters. The shortest word is "from·fine·gold" (מִפָּ֑ז, 3 letters) and the longest is "I·will·make-rare" (אוֹקִ֥יר, 5 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "I·will·make-rare" (אוֹקִ֥יר), "from·fine·gold" (מִפָּ֑ז), "from·gold·of" (מִכֶּ֥תֶם). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·man" (root אדם, 30x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root יקר ("I·will·make-rare") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·fine·gold', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: אוֹקִ֥יר [I·will·make-rare] (317) + אֱנ֖וֹשׁ [man] (357) + מִפָּ֑ז [from·fine·gold] (127) + וְאָדָ֖ם [and·man] (51) + מִכֶּ֥תֶם [from·gold·of] (500) + אוֹפִֽיר [Ophir] (297) = 1649.
Rashi
"Man is more precious than gold." On that same night, I honored Daniel more than gold. When he was brought to interpret the writing "Mene, Mene, Tekel, uPharsin" (Daniel 5:25), then Belteshazzar said, "And they clothed Daniel in purple," etc.
"Spot of Ophir." A cluster of gold from Ophir:
Ibn Ezra
"Okir." A verb derived from the Hif'il binyan with an added letter; similarly, "u-hoker regel-cha" (Proverbs 25:17).
And the meaning of "man" [is]: the males who will die in battle.
Radak
“Ukhir.” I will place the children of the world as more precious than gold; that is to say, if a person wishes to redeem them so that they not be killed, Media and Persia will not accept from them their weight in gold, so that they not be killed.
"Fine gold of Ophir." [It is] from the gold of Ophir, and the verse is duplicated in meaning with different words. And the Targum translates the verse in a different sense, saying, “I will love those who fear Him,” etc. This means: concerning Israel who were in Babylonia, that they not be killed among those who are killed from the men of Babylonia, for they will be precious in the eyes of Media and Persia more than gold, and they will guard them so that they not be slain.
Metzudat David
And I will make man more precious than gold, for the enemy will not take gold as his ransom to refrain from killing him.
"And Adam, etc." And the matter is repeated in what is stated:
Metzudat Zion
Ukhir. From the language of "precious" and "important":
Mafaz. It is the good gold:
A michtam of Ophir. From the fine gold that comes from Ophir.
Malbim
This elucidates the reason why the wrath against Babylon is so great: for even the blood of the lowly man, which was shed, is dearer to Me than gold; and a person of high stature is even dearer than Ophir’s gold, which itself is more precious than gold.
Therefore I will make the heavens to tremble, And the earth shall be shaken out of her place, For the wrath of Hashem of hosts, And for the day of His fierce anger.
verse value 3898
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 54 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֣ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "his·anger" (אַפּֽוֹ, 3 letters) and the longest is "from·her·place" (מִמְּקוֹמָ֑הּ, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "tremble" (אַרְגִּ֔יז), "and·will·quake" (וְתִרְעַ֥שׁ), "from·her·place" (מִמְּקוֹמָ֑הּ). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "therefore" (root על, 200x in Isaiah); "the·land" (root ארץ, 169x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·her·place', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: עַל־כֵּן֙ [therefore] (170) + שָׁמַ֣יִם [heaven] (390) + אַרְגִּ֔יז [tremble] (221) + וְתִרְעַ֥שׁ [and·will·quake] (976) + הָאָ֖רֶץ [the·land] (296) + מִמְּקוֹמָ֑הּ [from·her·place] (231) + בְּעֶבְרַת֙ [in·the·overflow·of] (674) + יְהֹוָ֣ה [Hashem] (26) + צְבָא֔וֹת [hosts] (499) + וּבְי֖וֹם [and·in·day·of] (64) + חֲר֥וֹן [anger] (264) + אַפּֽוֹ [his·anger] (87) = 3898.
Rashi
"He will shake the heavens." All his host will tremble, and it says, "How you have fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn" (below, 14). And afterward, "you were cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations." Here too, first "He will shake the heavens," and afterward "the earth will quake, its inhabitants will tremble at the sound of its fall," meaning they will marvel at the matter.
Ibn Ezra
On. Heaven I will rouse. By way of parable, so that the fleeing one shall find no rest:
Radak
“Therefore, the heavens.” This is a parable: it is as if the heavens were to tremble and the earth quake due to the magnitude of the evil that is coming upon Babylon, for they will not be able to save themselves from the sword with any wealth. Therefore, it says, “Therefore.”
Metzudat David
"Therefore." Because of the evil that will befall Babylon, I will stir up the army of heaven:
"And the earth shall quake." From the terror of Babylon's fall, the inhabitants of the land shall quake on the day of the coming of the Lord's wrath and His fierce anger.
Metzudat Zion
Aragiz. The meaning is trembling, as it is said, "Tremble, and sin not" (Psalms 4:5).
In wrath. From the language of "wrath" and "anger":
Malbim
Therefore, after I have considered the significance of the people whose blood was shed by the inhabitants of Babylonia, concerning whom many nations perished, [the verse states] “Heaven shall be shaken,” etc., meaning that her downfall shall not be only below, but even her root and her fortune above shall be uprooted. The text depicts it as if He will shake the heavens, which encompass all, and consequently the earth, which is the center within the sphere of the heavens, will tremble. This occurs in the anger of the Lord and in the day of His fierce wrath, as I explained above regarding verse 9.
And it shall come to pass, that as the chased gazelle, And as sheep that no man gathers, They shall turn every man to his own people, And shall flee every man to his own land.
verse value 2047
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 51 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָיָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "impeled" (מֻדָּ֔ח, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·his·land" (אֶל־אַרְצ֖וֹ, 6 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "like·a·gazelle" (כִּצְבִ֣י), "impeled" (מֻדָּ֔ח), "and·as·flock" (וּכְצֹ֖אן). The root איש appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·shall·be" (root היה, 213x in Isaiah); "to·his·people" (root איל, 114x in Isaiah); "and·nothing" (root אין, 92x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root צאן ("and·as·flock") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'gathering', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: וְהָיָה֙ [and·it·shall·be] (26) + כִּצְבִ֣י [like·a·gazelle] (122) + מֻדָּ֔ח [impeled] (52) + וּכְצֹ֖אן [and·as·flock] (167) + וְאֵ֣ין [and·nothing] (67) + מְקַבֵּ֑ץ [gathering] (232) + אִ֤ישׁ [man] (311) + אֶל־עַמּוֹ֙ [to·his·people] (147) + יִפְנ֔וּ [they·will·turn] (146) + וְאִ֥ישׁ [and·man] (317) + אֶל־אַרְצ֖וֹ [to·his·land] (328) + יָנֽוּסוּ [they·shall·flee] (132) = 2047.
Rashi
And it shall be. Sitting in Babylon:
Like a startled gazelle: from its place.
Ibn Ezra
And it shall be. A multitude of Chaldeans:
Like a gazelle: they chase it. The pursuers chase it, and it is a po'el form from the heavy binyan, added to the pattern of muqtar [Malachi 1:11], mughash [ibid.], mutzav upon the earth (Genesis 28:12):
Radak
“And it shall be.” The foreign nation that is in Babylon: when the calamity comes upon Babylon, they will be like a startled gazelle, which is driven away and pursued to be captured, and it runs with all its strength; so too, all who are in Babylon from other nations will go out in haste from its midst, each turning to his people, and each fleeing to his land.
Metzudat David
“And it shall be, etc.” When the calamity comes upon Babylon, then the foreign people who are in Babylon will be like a startled gazelle that is driven from its place by pursuers, running from them with all its might; so too, those in Babylon from another nation will go out from it in haste, each man to his people, etc., and they will not return again, like a flock driven away from the herd, with no one to gather them.
Malbim
“And it shall be” — Now he begins to depict the quality of their destruction and annihilation in detail. He starts first with the foreigners who were found in Babylonia, from various lands, who dwelled or traded there, since Babylonia was the beauty of the lands and the trade of the nations. It is like a roebuck and like sheep. There is a difference between a roebuck driven from its lair and sheep scattered abroad. For sheep require gathering, that the flock be together, and the shepherd will guard them from every mishap; then they are secure, even if they graze in a field or forest. But when they scatter, they perish and become prey in the mouths of wolves. However, the roebuck’s way is to go alone, and it is not its nature that roebucks gather into flocks, as it is said, “My beloved is like a roebuck or a young stag” (Song of Songs 2:9). Yet it needs a lair and a specific place in which it will dwell and lie down on a rock and a fortress, and hide from beasts stronger than it. And when it is driven from its lair and place, it is not secure from prey. Therefore, a roebuck driven from its lair seeks its place, and scattered sheep seek their flock, and they need to gather.
According to this parable, he said that the foreigners who are found in Babylonia, who until now had Babylonia as their land and the Chaldeans as their people, now, at the time the city is captured, they will be considered either like a roebuck driven from its lair, seeking its land, or like scattered sheep, seeking their fellow countrymen. And he explains: against “like a roebuck driven from its lair” it says, “Each man will flee to his own land”; and against “like sheep, and there is no gatherer” it says, “Each man will turn to his own people.” And the meaning is that each man will turn to seek his fellow countrymen, so that they may join together and flee to their land.
Every one that is found shall be thrust through; And every one that is caught shall fall by the sword.
verse value 1144
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 27 letters. Verse gematria: 1144 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "will·be·pierced" (יִדָּקֵ֑ר, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·every·who-is-swept-away" (וְכׇל־הַנִּסְפֶּ֖ה, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "every·who-is-found" (כׇּל־הַנִּמְצָ֖א), "will·be·pierced" (יִדָּקֵ֑ר), "and·every·who-is-swept-away" (וְכׇל־הַנִּסְפֶּ֖ה). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·the·sword" (root חרב, 44x in Isaiah); "will·fall" (root נפל, 24x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'will·be·pierced', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 3 words. Full calculation: כׇּל־הַנִּמְצָ֖א [every·who-is-found] (236) + יִדָּקֵ֑ר [will·be·pierced] (314) + וְכׇל־הַנִּסְפֶּ֖ה [and·every·who-is-swept-away] (256) + יִפּ֥וֹל [will·fall] (126) + בֶּחָֽרֶב [in·the·sword] (212) = 1144.
Rashi
"Everything that is found outside shall be pierced:"
"And all who perish" — this refers to the inhabitants of the city, who are to be besieged together with it and fall by the sword when the city is captured. "Nispeh" is a term as in "to add the watered" (sefot ha-ravah) (Deuteronomy 29:18), "add ye year to year" (below, 29:1), and "add your burnt-offerings unto your sacrifices" (Jeremiah 7:21) — "acuellir" (to gather in) in Old French.
Ibn Ezra
All. Let him be pierced, so that he will not show mercy upon him:
"And all who perish." A descriptive noun from the Nifal binyan.
Radak
"Whatever is found" – Whatever is found within it from another nation shall be pierced, like the men of the city. The matter is repeated in different words, and it says, "Whatever is consumed shall fall by the sword." The meaning of "consumed" (ha-nispeh) is like "added" (nosaf), meaning he is from another nation and is added to the men of the city. It is from the root sapah, as in "year upon year, in order to consume (lifpot) the wealth," where "added" (yisef) and "consumed" (safah) are in the same sense. In this sense, Jonathan rendered it in the Targum. And the meaning of "shall be pierced" (yidakek) is a wound by the sword. And there are those who explain "whatever is consumed" like "and some were consumed without judgment," saying that whoever reaches his time to die will not die on his bed, but shall fall by the sword.
Metzudat David
All that is found. For all that is found within it shall be pierced with the sword; and if he is from a non-Jewish nation:
"And all who are added." All who are added to the inhabitants of the city, to be with them, will fall by the sword; and this is a repetition of the matter stated in the previous verse.
Metzudat Zion
Yidkar. The matter is one of thrusting and stabbing a sword into the body, as it is said: “And they shall look unto Me whom they have pierced” (Zechariah 12:10).
Malbim
Regarding all who are found, the reason is that each man will turn to his own people, for they will be afraid to flee to their land alone, since everyone found alone on the way will be pierced. And the reason is that each man will flee to his own land, and they will not join with the men of Babylon to fight against the enemy, for everyone who joins the army of war will fall by the sword.
Their babes also shall be dashed in pieces before their eyes; Their houses shall be spoiled, And their wives ravished.
verse value 3740
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 46 letters. The shortest word is "they·will·be·plundered" (יִשַּׁ֙סּוּ֙, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·their·children" (וְעֹלְלֵיהֶ֥ם, 7 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·their·children" (וְעֹלְלֵיהֶ֥ם), "they·will·be·dashed·to·pieces" (יְרֻטְּשׁ֖וּ), "to·their·eyes" (לְעֵינֵיהֶ֑ם). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "their·houses" (root בית, 67x in Isaiah); "to·their·eyes" (root עין, 45x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root שכב ("they·will·be·lain·down") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·their·eyes', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 5 words. Full calculation: וְעֹלְלֵיהֶ֥ם [and·their·children] (191) + יְרֻטְּשׁ֖וּ [they·will·be·dashed·to·pieces] (525) + לְעֵינֵיהֶ֑ם [to·their·eyes] (215) + יִשַּׁ֙סּוּ֙ [they·will·be·plundered] (376) + בָּתֵּיהֶ֔ם [their·houses] (457) + וּנְשֵׁיהֶ֖ם [and·their·wives] (411) + (תשגלנה) [shall·be·ravished] (788) + תִּשָּׁכַֽבְנָה [they·will·be·lain·down] (777) = 3740.
Rashi
And they shall be dashed. They shall be shattered; and similarly, “the young men shall be dashed.”
Ibn Ezra
And their little ones. They shall lie with them. This is a euphemism for sexual intercourse; and it is termed "they shall lie with them," which is a more respectful phrasing.
Radak
“And their little ones shall be dashed in pieces.” The children were before the eyes of their fathers; their houses would be plundered and their wives would be ravished before their eyes, and afterward they would kill them. All of this is a way of cruelty. The matter of “yirtashu” (shall be dashed) refers to the hurling of the infants onto the ground or against the walls in a cruel manner. There is a grammatical point in this, for it is from the doubled forms of the Nifal binyan.
"And they lay down." It is written as "vateshgalna" (and they lay down with them), but it is read as "vateshkhavena" (and they lay down).
Metzudat David
“And their little ones.” Their young children will be shattered before their eyes, and they will be powerless to prevent it.
And they will plunder their houses. They will plunder and loot their houses, and their wives will be raped:
Metzudat Zion
"Yirtashu." The matter concerns bursting open; and likewise, "a mother was dashed in pieces upon her children" (Hosea 10:14).
Yeshasu. The meaning is spoil and plunder. Tishagalnah (they shall be ravished). From the language of intercourse and lying together.
Malbim
“And their little ones”—this too refers to the converts in Babylonia from other lands: their little ones, who could not flee with them, were dashed against the walls before their eyes in cruelty, and their houses were plundered, and their wives were ravished. (And in this there is no duplication of subject matter in the fact that this matter is repeated in verse 18, for there it speaks of the native inhabitants of Babylonia themselves.)
Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, Who shall not regard silver, And as for gold, they shall not delight in it.
verse value 2316
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 44 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "delight·in·it" (יַחְפְּצוּ־בֽוֹ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 31: not, not. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "the·Medes" (אֶת־מָדָ֑י), "who·silver" (אֲשֶׁר־כֶּ֙סֶף֙), "they·will·think" (יַחְשֹׁ֔בוּ). The root לא appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 286x in Isaiah); "against·them" (root על, 200x in Isaiah); "who·silver" (root אשר, 176x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·Medes', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 6 words. Full calculation: הִנְנִ֛י [they] (115) + מֵעִ֥יר [stirring-up] (320) + עֲלֵיהֶ֖ם [against·them] (155) + אֶת־מָדָ֑י [the·Medes] (455) + אֲשֶׁר־כֶּ֙סֶף֙ [who·silver] (661) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + יַחְשֹׁ֔בוּ [they·will·think] (326) + וְזָהָ֖ב [and·gold] (20) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + יַחְפְּצוּ־בֽוֹ [delight·in·it] (202) = 2316.
Rashi
Behold, I will stir up against them the Medes. Darius the Mede killed Belshazzar, as it is stated: “In that night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was slain” (Daniel 5:30), and “Darius the Mede received the kingdom” (Daniel 5:31).
"And they shall not desire the gold." They do not fear anything except killing and taking revenge for all the evil that the kings of Babylon did to all the nations.
Ibn Ezra
"Behold, I am..." He mentioned the Medes because they are more cruel.
Let them not think that it is of any consequence; rather, they will only kill.
Radak
Behold, I am stirring them up. I will stir their spirit to come to Babylon to wage war against it, and this is Media, for Darius the Mede is the one who conquered Babylon, and upon his death, Cyrus the Persian reigned over them. And this people will not consider silver and gold as anything for the ransom of the men of Babylon; rather, they will kill them, and there will be no ransom for them, as it is stated, “I will make man more precious than fine gold.”
Metzudat David
"Media." Because it is exceedingly cruel, this is why it is mentioned alone.
They shall not consider. To take in the redemption of a life:
“And gold.” And even gold they shall not desire it.
Metzudat Zion
Stirring up. From the language of awakening:
Malbim
"Behold, now he begins to recount what will be done to the inhabitants of Babylonia themselves: upon them the enemy will not come as he comes upon the foreign converts, who will come to plunder their houses for money alone; for from them [the Babylonians] he will not seek silver and gold, but rather lives. Upon them, upon the citizens of Babylonia, silver will not be considered [valuable]. He was precise in his wording, for silver was of no importance whatsoever in their eyes. And as for gold, although it is impossible to find anyone who would deny the importance of gold, nevertheless they will not desire it. This means that they will leave all silver and gold behind and go only to destroy and annihilate."
And their bows shall dash the young men in pieces; And they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; Their eye shall not spare children.
verse value 4075
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 47 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·fruit·of·womb" (וּפְרִי־בֶ֙טֶן֙, 7 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·bows" (וּקְשָׁת֖וֹת), "will·dash-to-pieces" (תְּרַטַּ֑שְׁנָה), "and·fruit·of·womb" (וּפְרִי־בֶ֙טֶן֙). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 286x in Isaiah); "on·children" (root על, 200x in Isaiah); "their·eye" (root עין, 45x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'will·dash-to-pieces', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 6 words. Full calculation: וּקְשָׁת֖וֹת [and·bows] (1212) + נְעָרִ֣ים [young·men] (370) + תְּרַטַּ֑שְׁנָה [will·dash-to-pieces] (964) + וּפְרִי־בֶ֙טֶן֙ [and·fruit·of·womb] (357) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + יְרַחֵ֔מוּ [will·pity] (264) + עַל־בָּנִ֖ים [on·children] (202) + לֹא־תָח֥וּס [not·pity] (505) + עֵינָֽם [their·eye] (170) = 4075.
Rashi
And the bows. Of the sons of Media:
“Boys”: [This refers to the boys] of Babylonia.
They shall be dashed in pieces. They shall be split in two by the arrows that they shoot from their bows:
"And the fruit of the womb." [These are] small infants:
Ibn Ezra
"And the bows." They shall be dashed to pieces, they shall be split:
Radak
And bows. The explanation is: with their bows the youths shall be dashed to pieces, for behold, the bows will dash the youths to pieces. And the explanation of this is that they would place the youths in the bows in the place of the arrows and aim them at the ground and at the walls.
"And the fruit of the womb, and sons." This means while they are still small; similarly, "and you shall eat the fruit of your womb"—whether sons or daughters, He will save them; or "a son shall burst forth, or a daughter shall burst forth."
"Your eye shall not spare." With a shuruk; and it alone is with a shuruk, for all the others are with a cholam.
Metzudat David
And the bows. The bows of the men of Persia and Media will shatter the youths of Babylon with their arrows, which they will shoot at them:
“And the fruit of the womb.” [These are] slender infants.
"Upon sons." This means: young sons.
Metzudat Zion
Tachos. The meaning is compassion, as in "he shall have pity on the poor" (Psalms 72:13).
Malbim
And regarding “bows,” one may explain that it refers to the preceding verse, “Behold, I am stirring up Media,” and “Behold, I am stirring up bows, by which youths will be dashed to pieces.” Alternatively, it may be explained that the youths placed them in the bows in place of arrows, and they would hurl them from the bows against the walls, like throwing sling-stones at “the fruit of the womb,” etc. I distinguished in my commentary on the words: “fruit of the womb” refers to nursing infants, and “sons” refers to the older children. The difference between “mercy” (rachamim) and “pity” (chus) is that “mercy” is properly applied only to living creatures, when one’s heart is pained at seeing their distress; whereas “pity” refers to loss of property, when one is sparing of his wealth so as not to lose it. It is known that it is the nature of soldiers to be filled with mercy for tender children more than for young men, for they will be cruel toward the older ones to take vengeance upon them, but not toward the nursing infants. However, in another manner, they will value the older ones more, since they can subdue them to be slaves and maidservants, and their eyes will have pity on them; but they will derive no benefit from the nursing infants. In contrast, the verse states that concerning the “fruit of the womb,” whom one is accustomed to have mercy upon, they will not have mercy; and concerning the “sons,” the older ones, whom one is accustomed to pity on account of monetary benefit, their eyes will not pity, since they will not consider silver and gold.
And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, The beauty of the Chaldeans’pride, Shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.
verse value 4491
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 54 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִ֔ים) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "Babylon" (בָבֶל֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·Gomorrah" (וְאֶת־עֲמֹרָֽה, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "Sodom" (אֶת־סְדֹ֖ם), "and·Gomorrah" (וְאֶת־עֲמֹרָֽה). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·shall·be" (root היה, 213x in Isaiah); "God" (root אלהים, 82x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root כשדים ("Chaldeans") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Chaldeans', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְהָיְתָ֤ה [and·it·shall·be] (426) + בָבֶל֙ [Babylon] (34) + צְבִ֣י [beauty] (102) + מַמְלָכ֔וֹת [kingdoms] (536) + תִּפְאֶ֖רֶת [beauty] (1081) + גְּא֣וֹן [pride·of] (60) + כַּשְׂדִּ֑ים [Chaldeans] (374) + כְּמַהְפֵּכַ֣ת [overthrow] (565) + אֱלֹהִ֔ים [God] (86) + אֶת־סְדֹ֖ם [Sodom] (505) + וְאֶת־עֲמֹרָֽה [and·Gomorrah] (722) = 4491.
Rashi
“And Babylon was.” Two calamities befell her in two years: Darius killed Belshazzar and reigned for one year, and in the second year she was overturned like the overthrow of Sodom from heaven. And likewise we learned in Seder Olam (Jeremiah 51:46): “In one year the news of Darius came, and after him in the second year the news [of his defeat] came.” “And Babylon was the glory of kingdoms,” etc., meaning that she was the foundation and head of kingdoms, and she was the splendor and pride of the Chaldeans. Now, however, she was like the overthrow of Sodom.
Ibn Ezra
“And Babylon shall be.” For it was the most beautiful of kingdoms; and so too this House shall be supreme (1 Kings 9:8). “Which shall be”:
Radak
“And Babylon shall be.” The meaning is: Babylon, which was the delight of kingdoms, the glory of the pride of the Chaldeans, shall now be like the overthrow of God upon Sodom and Gomorrah. And the meaning of “delight” (tzvi) is “desire,” for all the kingdoms desired it, and the Chaldeans, who possessed it, gloried and boasted in it. Now it shall be like an overthrow, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, so that it shall be desolate and there shall be no dwelling in it forever. The city of Babylon, over which Darius and Cyrus reigned, is not today the ancient Babylon, for Darius destroyed that one and built another city in that same valley, which is called Babylon to this day. In Seder Olam it is stated that when Darius conquered it and killed Belshazzar, he reigned over it for one year, and in the second year God overthrew it like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah. This is what the verse says: “And in a year came the report”—this report concerning Darius, and after him, in the second year, came this report, like the overthrow that God brought upon Sodom and Gomorrah.
Metzudat David
"The glory of the kingdoms" – which is the description of all the kingdoms.
“Tiferet.” For it was the glory of the men of Chaldea, its inhabitants, for they boasted and were proud in it.
“Like the overthrow.” When that time comes, it will be like the overthrow that the Lord brought upon Sodom, etc.
Metzudat Zion
Tzvi. The matter of "glory and splendor" is like the verse: "The inheritance of the glory of the armies, the nations" (Jeremiah 3:19).
Gaon. From the language of pride:
Malbim
"The glory of kingdoms" — all the kingdoms were subjugated under Babylon, and it was the delight of the kingdoms. And it is known that according to the greatness of the pride of the kingdom and its magnitude, it is fitting that the royal city be built with splendor and complete beauty. In this manner, Babylon was the splendor of the pride of the Chaldeans, for the pride of the Chaldeans took pride in Babylon, the royal city, which was arranged in its beauty in proportion to the pride of the Chaldeans. "Now it will be overturned," etc.
It shall never be inhabited, Neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation; Neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; Neither shall the shepherds make their fold there.
verse value 3927
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 51 letters. The shortest word is "there" (שָׁם֙, 2 letters) and the longest is "not·cause-to-lie-down" (לֹא־יַרְבִּ֥צוּ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 340: there, there. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "not·be-inhabited" (לֹא־תֵשֵׁ֣ב), "it·remains" (תִשְׁכֹּ֖ן), "until·generation" (עַד־דּ֣וֹר). The root דור appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·not" (root לא, 286x in Isaiah); "there" (root שם, 83x in Isaiah); "not·be-inhabited" (root שוב, 51x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root נצח ("to·ever") in Isaiah. First appearance of the root דור ("until·generation") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·generation', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: לֹא־תֵשֵׁ֣ב [not·be-inhabited] (733) + לָנֶ֔צַח [to·ever] (178) + וְלֹ֥א [and·not] (37) + תִשְׁכֹּ֖ן [it·remains] (770) + עַד־דּ֣וֹר [until·generation] (284) + וָד֑וֹר [and·generation] (216) + וְלֹא־יַהֵ֥ל [and·not·pitch-tent] (82) + שָׁם֙ [there] (340) + עֲרָבִ֔י [Arabian] (282) + וְרֹעִ֖ים [and·shepherds] (326) + לֹא־יַרְבִּ֥צוּ [not·cause-to-lie-down] (339) + שָֽׁם [there] (340) = 3927.
Rashi
"And no Arab shall encamp his name." Just as "he shall not pitch" means he shall not set up there a tent, so too, even an Arab, whose custom is to dwell in tents and to move their livestock from place to place, will not find favor in their eyes to establish their tents there, for it will not even be suitable for grazing sheep. And do not be astonished by the form "lo yehal" (he shall not encamp) explained here, as if it contained an aleph, for there are many places where the sound of a letter is pronounced in place of the letter itself. And similarly, (Job 35:11) "malfenu mibehemot aretz" (who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth), which is like "me'alfenu" (who teaches us); and similarly, (Proverbs 17:4) "sheker mazin al lashon hote" (deceit lies in wait on the tongue of a flatterer), which is like "sheker me'azin" (deceit listens).
Ibn Ezra
"You shall not sit." And the meaning is: "You shall not dwell."
Yehal. It is spelled defectively, lacking an aleph, just as in the phrase "sheker mezin" (Proverbs 17:4).
"Even the Arabs"—they are the descendants of Kedar. Likewise, "the kings of Arabia" (Jeremiah 25:24) and "the oracle concerning Arabia" (Isaiah 21:1). The meaning is that even the Arabs, whose custom is to wander from place to place, will not pitch their tents there.
Radak
"Do not sit." Explanation: "It shall [not] be dwelt in" is said of the city with reference to those who dwell in it, just as "the city that goes forth a thousand" means the men who go out of it.
"Lo yehal." Its meaning is: "He shall not pitch his tent." The verse intends to say that he shall not incline his tent, and it says "Arab," because the Arabs are those who dwell in tents.
And shepherds. Even shepherds may not lay their flocks there to rest, for it was first stated, “You shall not dwell,” meaning that it shall not be inhabited until people dwell in it; and not even may a person pitch a tent there temporarily, let alone that even the flocks may not be made to rest there by the shepherds, for the habitation of evil beasts will be like the wilderness.
Metzudat David
"You shall not sit." It shall not be inhabited forever. "And you shall not dwell." It shall not be a settlement of human beings until the end of the days of the generations. The matter is repeated in what is stated:
"And he shall not pitch his tent." Even an Arab dwelling in tents in the open field shall not pitch his tent in a place of great desolation.
"They shall not lay down there their livestock:"
Metzudat Zion
Yehal. Like yaaḥal, and the aleph has fallen away. And similarly, “v’le’Amsha timru” (2 Samuel 19), and its correct form is “ta’imru.”
They shall lie down. The matter of lying down to rest:
Malbim
"You shall not sit," meaning that you shall not settle there permanently, and even more so shall you not dwell there, even temporarily (see *Ohr Ha'Milot*), and he shall not give light there; this applies even to one who finds himself overtaken by nightfall while traveling in the evening and is forced to lodge there—he shall not give light there. This means that he shall not kindle a light there, nor shall he hold any object that emits praise and illumination, lest the beasts and snakes dwelling in the desolate cities become aware of him. Even shepherds who rest with their flocks during the day shall likewise not rest there, so that the place will remain completely desolate.
But wild-cats shall lie there; And their houses shall be full of ferrets; And ostriches shall dwell there, And satyrs shall dance there.
verse value 4004
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 54 letters. Verse gematria: 4004 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "there" (שָׁם֙, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·will·lie·there" (וְרָבְצוּ־שָׁ֣ם, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·will·lie·there" (וְרָבְצוּ־שָׁ֣ם), "ferrets" (אֹחִ֑ים), "and·they·will·inhabitant" (וְשָׁ֤כְנוּ). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "there" (root שם, 83x in Isaiah); "their·houses" (root בית, 67x in Isaiah); "and·they·shall·fill" (root מלא, 28x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root צי ("wild-cats") in Isaiah. First appearance of the root יענה ("ostrich") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'ferrets', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 6 words. Full calculation: וְרָבְצוּ־שָׁ֣ם [and·will·lie·there] (644) + צִיִּ֔ים [wild-cats] (150) + וּמָלְא֥וּ [and·they·shall·fill] (83) + בָתֵּיהֶ֖ם [their·houses] (457) + אֹחִ֑ים [ferrets] (59) + וְשָׁ֤כְנוּ [and·they·will·inhabitant] (382) + שָׁם֙ [there] (340) + בְּנ֣וֹת [daughters·of] (458) + יַעֲנָ֔ה [ostrich] (135) + וּשְׂעִירִ֖ים [and·satyrs] (636) + יְרַקְּדוּ־שָֽׁם [will·dance·there] (660) = 4004.
Rashi
"Ziim." Targum Yonatan renders it 'temon'; they are weasels, called 'martrins' in Old French.
Uchim. I do not know what kind of creature they are, (Uchim is a term referring to thorns, thistles, and burrs):
"And the he-goats." Demons:
Ibn Ezra
"And they shall lie down." Tzayim. They are the living creatures that dwell in the land of Tziyah:
"Uchim." He has no brother, and they are living creatures that cause every beholder to be astonished.
"Benot Ya'anah" – these are well-known, and they are birds.
And the he-goats: They are shaped like demons, and they are wild he-goats.
And it is possible that "uchim" refers to birds, and this is the correct interpretation.
Radak
"And they shall lie down." The flocks will not lie down there; rather, who will lie down there? The beasts of the desert will lie down there. And the explanation of tze'im is: beasts that dwell in a place called tze'im, therefore they are called tze'im. And some explain that mentioned there is the weasel, referred to in the words of our Sages, so that the weasel does not leap, martarina in the vernacular.
Their houses. The desolate ones:
Uchim. A living creature which they call in the vernacular "furn."
“Daughters of the ostrich.” These are the young ostriches, and the mother ostriches fly throughout the world, leaving their young behind and mourning for lack of food for them. Therefore, it says, “And I mourn like the daughters of the ostrich.” And the way of the ostriches is to dwell in the desert and in desolate places.
"and the satyrs." These are the demons, as in "to the satyrs, after whom they go astray." They are called so because they appear in the form of satyrs to those who believe in them. And so Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated: "And the demons will make you live there."
Metzudat David
"And they shall lie there." Due to the great desolation, wild beasts will lie there.
Metzudat Zion
Tze’im. Ochim: names of species of wild beasts.
"Daughters of the ostrich." The name of a bird, the daughter of the ostrich:
"And the satyrs." These are the demons that appear in the form of satyrs to those who believe in them. And likewise: "and a satyr shall cry to another" (below, 34:14).
They shall dance. The matter is one of jumping and leaping:
Malbim
And they shall lie down: [The verse] depicts its subject matter as a settled land, where it is customary to find people dwelling in houses, beasts lying down in the fields, birds roosting on the trees, and small children dancing in the streets. In contrast to the beasts that lie down, it says, “For jackals shall lie down there”; in contrast to those dwelling in houses, it says, “And apes shall make their homes” (referring to a species of ape taking the place of man); in contrast to the birds that roost (for the term “dwelling” is applied to birds), it says, “And ostriches shall make their nests”; and in contrast to the dancers, it says, “And satyrs shall dance there.”
And jackals shall howl in their castles, And wild-dogs in the pleasant palaces; And her time is near to come, And her days shall not be prolonged.
verse value 2749
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 55 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֥א, 2 letters) and the longest is "in·his·widows" (בְּאַלְמְנוֹתָ֔יו, 9 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·will·howl" (וְעָנָ֤ה), "in·his·widows" (בְּאַלְמְנוֹתָ֔יו), "and·jackals" (וְתַנִּ֖ים). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 286x in Isaiah); "and·her·days" (root יום, 124x in Isaiah); "to·come" (root בוא, 120x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root תנין ("and·jackals") in Isaiah. First appearance of the root ענג ("exquisite delight") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'exquisite delight', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: וְעָנָ֤ה [and·will·howl] (131) + אִיִּים֙ [jackals] (61) + בְּאַלְמְנוֹתָ֔יו [in·his·widows] (545) + וְתַנִּ֖ים [and·jackals] (506) + בְּהֵ֣יכְלֵי [in·palaces·of] (77) + עֹ֑נֶג [exquisite delight] (123) + וְקָר֤וֹב [and·near] (314) + לָבוֹא֙ [to·come] (39) + עִתָּ֔הּ [her·time] (475) + וְיָמֶ֖יהָ [and·her·days] (71) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + יִמָּשֵֽׁכוּ [they·will·be·drawn] (376) = 2749.
Rashi
"And the wild-cats shall cry in her widowed houses." Cats shall dwell in their palaces.
And he answered. Like “and she shall respond there” (Hosea 2) and “his dens are filled with prey” (Nahum 2). And there is another interpretation: “answered” is in the sense of answering with a voice.
And the jackals. They shall cry in their palaces of delight:
"And her days." The days of her prosperity will not be prolonged, for Israel had already been promised (Jeremiah 29) that "when seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you." That visitation was to take place through Cyrus, king of Persia, who would seize the kingship from Babylon after Darius the Mede, since both the Medes and the Persians had joined forces against them, and they made an agreement between themselves: whichever of us provides the king, the other of you shall provide the governor.
Ibn Ezra
"And iyyim shall answer [there]." "Iyyim" is a plural of "ayyah" [a bird of prey] (Leviticus 11:14).
And he answered. Its meaning is a melody or a dwelling, from the root of "dwelling" (Psalms 26:8):
“b’almunotav.” There is one who says that its meaning is like “b’armonotav” (in his palaces), as in “v’yada’ almunotav” (and he knew his widows; Ezekiel 19:7). And it is not possible that a letter should be interchanged for another letter, except for the letters aleph, heh, vav, and yod. And so is its meaning: “v’anah sham kol echad meha’ayim im almunotav” (and each one of the islands will respond there with its widows).
And "tanim." Just as it says, "I was a brother to jackals" (Job 30:29):
Radak
And he answered. Explanation: "And he cried out" is like "they answered her," "and She answered them," "and she answered from there," and similar expressions, which denote raising the voice. Likewise, it is the custom of jackals and hyenas to raise their voices, and it is like the voice of mourning.
"Islands." The name of a beast, one of the beasts of the desert. And the Targum translates: "And cats will be dashed in their fortresses." Another reading: "And they were crushed," with a tsadi preceding the pe.
“in his widows” – like “in his palaces,” as its Targum [translates it]:
"And the serpent in the pleasant palaces." And likewise, the serpents shall cry out in the pleasant palaces, which were once inhabited, but now shall be desolate, a dwelling place for beasts.
And it is near to come now. The time of the destruction of Babylon is near to come:
"And her days." The days of her ease shall not be prolonged, for they will be short.
Metzudat David
And he answered. Each of the wildcats would cry out in the palaces, and the jackals would also cry out in their palaces, in which they had taken delight (for it is the way of wildcats and jackals to cry out continually).
"And it is near." The time is near to come upon her, the time of the calamity; her days of tranquility will not be prolonged for a long time. And the matter is doubled in what is stated, for the sake of intensifying the matter.
Metzudat Zion
And he shall respond. The meaning of "answered" here is raising the voice, as it is written: "And the Levites answered" (Deuteronomy 27:14), "with a loud voice."
Ayyim. The name of a wild beast:
“in his widows.” Like “in his palaces,” or it is from the language of “ulam” and “tanin,” a type of serpent.
"Now." From the language of "time":
Malbim
And regarding the verse “And she shall answer,” [it is taught that] in the Temple of the princes there is a great hall where they all gather together to delight in joy and songs, and there are small chambers designated for each individual to isolate himself there alone. Based on this, I say that the “island” (ayyot), which is the creature that comes from the islands of the sea, and which cannot join with the other creatures, will cry out in her “widowhoods” (almunoteha), which are the small chambers; and the jackals will cry out in the great and near hall. The cessation of one kingdom’s rule occurs in one of two ways: 1. As a punishment, when its measure is filled and the time of its reckoning arrives; 2. Because the time for the success of another kingdom has arrived and the days of this kingdom have ended, for one kingdom does not touch another. With this in mind, it is said that the kingdom of Babylon will end due to these two reasons: 1. As a punishment, for the time of its reckoning is near to come now, to punish it for the evil it did and the affliction it brought upon Israel. 2. Because the time for the kingdom of Israel and the building of the Chosen House has arrived, which necessitates that the kingdom of Babylon end first. Consequently, the days decreed for Babylon’s rule were only seventy years from the day of the exile of Israel. With this in mind, it is said: “And its days decreed for it for kingdom and dominion will not extend, for they will end after seventy years.”
Rashi
Ibn Ezra
Radak
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim