Isaiah · Chapter 18

“Woe, O land of the whirring of wings.” The Targum renders: “I will give them from the distant earth, and they will spread their wings like an eagle that flies with its wings.” I say that this is because they dwell in the east, and since the land is hot, birds gather there, and the land rings out with the sound of birds’ wings. And this prophecy concerns the inhabitants of Gog and Magog, as it is stated (Ezekiel 38:5): “Persia, Cush, and Put are with you.”

“Hoy, earth!”—“Hoy” is a term of proclamation, like “Hoy, hoy, and flee from the land of the north” (Zechariah 2:10). “Tzaltzel kanafim.” It is a double form of tzal, , for it is a broad land: Beyond the rivers of Cush. There is the kingdom of Assyria:

“Woe, O land of the sound of wings.” After mentioning the salvation that occurred in the days of Hezekiah, he attached to it the great salvation that is destined to take place in the Messianic era, and he said “Woe,” which is a term of calling out; he called out against that land beyond the rivers of Cush, and he called it “the sound of wings” because of the multitude of ships in it, for when the sails are spread on them, they resemble wings, and they move in them like a bird flying with its wings, and the sails create shade. And so did Jonathan translate: “Woe, O land that is given,” etc.

“Woe, O earth.” It is as if He calls out to them and says: “You are an earth in which there is abundant shade from the ships’ masts, which are spread out like the wings of birds.” "Which is beyond." That is, that land lies beyond the rivers of Cush.

Woe. This is the matter of an exclamation: Tzaltzel. The language of "tzal":

Alas, now he explains the parable: Who are the "many peoples"? He says: "The land of the sun, beyond the rivers of Cush," which is the land of Assyria.

“Come, light messengers, to see if it is true that Israel has returned to their place, which is the Lord, a nation drawn out and torn away, to a people who were awesome in their strength.” “From him and onward.” From the day that He chose them as a people and onward. Goy, qav, qav. For He exacts from him his iniquity measure for measure, and he is given over to disgrace. Alternatively: "Qav, qav" is the language of "kiya," meaning vomit, filth, and loathsome (Lamentations 3). Rivers. The rulers of Cush and Noph:

"The one who sends." One whose custom it is to send agents by sea. “Go.” You are light angels, and proclaim to Israel that they have fled and gone into exile, and they are beyond the rivers of Cush. And regarding the rivers, it says: “And in vessels of reed.” "Drawn out." This refers to Israel, who were drawn from their place like sheep until they were stripped bare. “Drawn out to a nation of awe.” They are the Kushites: [“from him”]: From that people, or is “him” an allusion to the rivers? "Goy, etc." His mind was like the mind of a child, as he was taught line by line; therefore, it was trampled down. And the aleph in [the word] "zao" [is written] with a defective spelling, omitting the doubled letter; and similar to it is "dalyu shokayim" (Proverbs 26:7), according to the opinion of Rabbi Moses the Cohen. And the meaning of "rivers" is "kings," as it says, "the waters of the river" (Isaiah 8:7):

“Who sends emissaries by sea” – this refers to the king beyond the rivers of Cush, who sends messengers by sea. “And with vessels of reed shall He send them.” Its meaning is: ships made of reeds, which are light and travel easily on the surface of the water. And Rabbi Saadia Gaon, of blessed memory, wrote so in his Book of Beliefs. And whoever of them will be in the land of Cush, they will carry them in reed boats until they arrive in Egypt, because in the high places of the river, where the rock emerges from the water, the dugout canoes will not be able to pass without breaking. But the reed boats, which are bound with wax, if they touch the rock, they will fall but not break. And the matter of “the clapping of wings” is that their lands are tangled and hidden from many people. And these angels He will send with an offering, and also the children of Israel who are in his land He will send with an offering, as it is written in the prophecy of Zephaniah: “From beyond the rivers of Cush, My worshippers, the daughter of my dispersed ones, shall bring My offering.” And He will say to the angels: “Go, light angels,” meaning that they are in light ships, as He said, “with vessels of reed.” Go to Israel, who until now were a nation that was pulled and torn, whom the idolaters pulled this way and that and tore them, meaning that their pulling was like the plucking of their hair and flesh, meaning that they corrupted their bodies and their land. “From the time He became a nation unto Him, and onward.” From the day that He became a nation, it was a fearsome nation. This means that people would see wondrous and awesome things that God did with them, both in their good fortune and in their misfortune. In their good fortune, He made them successful over all nations; and in their misfortune, He struck them as a form of discipline, not to destroy them completely, for in all the times that the nations exiled them and oppressed them, there was no power in their hands to eradicate them from among the nations. "Goy, qav, qav, and mevasah." Little by little the nations trampled him. The matter of "qav, qav" is an analogy: just as a builder stretches a measuring line and lays one course of bricks, and then stretches it higher from there to lay another course, and so on, little by little, until the wall is completed, so too, anyone who undertakes a task does it now a little and then a little more, until the task is accomplished. And likewise, what it says, "qav to qav, tsav to tsav, ze'ir shem, ze'ir shem." “Whose land is full of rivers.” “Bazao” is like “bazzu,” with the aleph standing in place of the doubled letter. Rivers. This is an allegory for the kings of the nations:

"The one who sends": One who sends messengers by sea to travel in boats made of light papyrus wood, which float on the surface of the water. “Go.” And thus it shall say: “You are angels who go with ease and in haste; go to a nation that is drawn out, etc.” And this will be in the days of the Messiah, when they hear that Israel has returned to their land, they will send their messengers to them to ascertain if this is indeed so. “From being dragged and having their hair torn out.” From that time on, they were dragged by the hands of the nations, who tore out the hair of their heads and beards as they dragged them. “an awesome nation”: That awe-inspiring deeds are seen in them. From when? From the day that they became a nation and onward. A nation, hope, hope, and trampled. In every time of their exile, they had hope in the Lord, and they returned to hope again, even though they were trodden down and crushed under the feet of the Chaldeans. “Which they plundered.” This refers to the fact that the gentiles plundered their land and trampled it underfoot.

“צירים” – emissaries, as it is stated, “And a ציר is sent among the nations” (Obadiah 1:1). Gomah. A type of light wood that floats on water; and likewise the ark of goma (Exodus 2: “Mal’akhim.” Messengers: "ממשך" – from the language of "משיכה" (pulling) and "מורט" (plucking). The matter is about plucking out hair, as it says: "ואמרטה משער ראשי" (Ezra 9:3). And onward. And below: Kav. From the language of "hope": "Umbusah." The meaning is trampling and crushing, like "yavos tziron" (Psalms 60:10): In the matter of "vazao" [they plundered]: The letter aleph has taken the place of the doubled letter, and similarly "yimassu" [they will melt away] is like "mayim" [waters] (there, 58), and its proper form should be "yimasessu" [they will melt away].

“Hishlach” means that He sent messengers to Israel and gave them light, portable vessels so that they might travel with ease and speed. “Go” – these are the words that He placed in the mouths of the messengers to say to Israel. The interpretation of the verse is: “You, a nation that is delineated by lines and downtrodden, go, you swift angels, to a nation that is extensive and whose sword is drawn.” The messengers will say to them: “You, Israel, who are a nation whose land has been divided by boundary lines and downtrodden, with rivers flowing through your land, you have no counsel to escape except that you go, you swift angels, with speed to the nation of Assyria, which is a nation that is extensive and whose sword is drawn. That is, it is a great nation, and its dominion extends far, and its sword is drawn and sharp. And it is a nation that inspires terror from its location onward. This means that people fear it from the place where it dwells onward, to the end of the land. And you shall surrender to Assyria to do with you as it pleases (as stated below, 36:16).”

“All the inhabitants of the world, etc.” You do not need to send envoys for this matter, for like a raised banner on the mountains, you will see [the ingathering of the exiles], and like a blown shofar, you will hear.

"Kol, etc." The meaning is as if a miracle was raised over all the land: “And when the shofar was blown, etc.”—In order to know the work of God in the camp of Sennacherib:

"All the inhabitants of the world." Just as this one who is beyond the rivers of Cush will do, so shall you all do. “Like a banner raised over the mountains.” Just as it is said, “He shall raise a banner for the nations and assemble the outcasts of Israel.” "And as the blowing of the shofar." Just as it is stated, "And it shall come to pass on that day that the great shofar shall be blown," this is a metaphor. For when a person desires to gather a multitude, he raises a banner on the mountains so that those far away may see the banner and come; likewise, he blows the shofar, and those far away hear the sound and come. So too, the children of Israel will be gathered to their land from here and from there at the time of salvation. And likewise, the nations will bring them and gather them, as if a banner had been raised for them and a shofar had been blown.

"All the inhabitants of the world" – it is as though He were saying to them: "What need have you to send out and inquire whether the truth is indeed so? Will you not, all inhabitants of the world, see with your own eyes the return of Israel, just as one sees the carrying of the banner on the mountains? And will you not hear, with your own ears, the matter, just as one hears the blowing of the shofar?"

Nes. A long beam:

"All the inhabitants" — this too is from the words of the envoys of Assyria, saying: Not only are Israel compelled to surrender to him, but even all the inhabitants of the earth, in the farthest reaches of settled lands, and even the neighbors of the uninhabited land, shall not escape from his hand. Rather, you all will see when he raises a banner on the mountains to come against you for war, and afterward you will also hear the sound of the battle cry itself.

"I will be silent. From the payment of Gog’s wages, I will turn away from all my affairs and gaze intently at my devices to benefit him." As the heat of the sun is clear upon the light. It will shine and glow for him, like the heat of the sun clear upon the greenery, as if to gather lights (2 Kings 4:39): Like dew that descends. The reapers long for it to refresh their souls during the heat of the harvest.

"And I will be silent, etc." The meaning of "I will be silent" is regarding the Divine Presence that stood. And I will look. And I will see: Mekhoni. It is Jerusalem: Like air: "Upon the light." After the rain, as it is written: "He scatters his light like a cloud" (Job 37:11), for the sun, which is called "light," is also the moon, for so it is written: "To Him who makes great lights" (Psalms 136:7); they are the cause of the rain by the word of God.

"For thus said the Lord: I will be silent." It is written with a vav, but read without a vav, with a chatef qamats under the qof; and it is one [word]. The prophet said: "Then, when the Redeemer comes, I will rest and be quiet from My roaring against them," as it is stated: "For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not be quiet, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness," and then, when her righteousness goes forth as brightness, I will be quiet and gaze at my foundations, which is the Temple; I will gaze upon it favorably. "As the warmth is clear and bright upon the light." Just as it will be for good, warm, clear, and bright upon the light, and this refers to the rain, as it says, "He scatters His clouds as light." For when the sun is bright upon the earth after the rain, it is beautiful and good for the plants, as it says, "From the brightness after the rain, the grass of the earth." Likewise, "a thick dew in the heat of harvest" is good, for at the time of harvest the great heat will be, and when a thick dew passes over, it will be good for people to cool the air. And it said "dew" and did not say "rain," for rain would harm the harvest, but dew benefits and does not harm.

"I will be silent." Since it is stated, "For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not be quiet, until her righteousness goes forth like brightness, and her salvation like a burning torch" (Isaiah 62:1), therefore He says: When her righteousness goes forth like brightness, and they are redeemed, then I will be silent and gaze upon the Temple, which is established for His dwelling, to do good to it. Like pure heat. Just as pure heat, clear and bright, is a good omen when it comes with the rain and near to it, for then the earth sprouts, as it is written: "From the brightness after the rain, the grass of the earth springs up" (II Samuel 23). “Like a cloud of dew.” Like a cloud that brings dew during the heat of the harvest, for because of the heat at the time of the harvest, the reapers will long to refresh their souls with the coolness of the dew, which does not harm the harvest, unlike rain.

"I will rest." The matter of rest: "And I will look." The word is from the root of "looking" and "watching." “bimkhanai” – from the language of “preparation.” Tzach. The matter of "zohar" (radiance) and "behira" (clarity) is like [the verse] "They were clearer than milk" (Lamentations 4:7). Or. Its meaning is rain, as it is said: "He scatters the cloud of his light" (Job 37:11).

The prophet answers him: “Not as your thoughts, O Assyria!” The thoughts of the Lord of Hosts are different, for thus said the Lord to me at first: “I will silence you, and I will leave you to destroy many nations.” Nevertheless, I will look upon My foundation, which is Jerusalem and the Holy Temple, and I will look upon it so that your evil will not pass through it like heat. I will be there like the heat that dries after the rain, which stops the evil of the rain and its flooding, and causes there to be blessing, like a dew that stops the effect of the heat of harvest and its evil. So I will stop your evil and turn it into a blessing, and it will be for Israel an eternal name. (And he grasped two contradictory things: how dryness stops moisture, and how moisture stops dryness, which is contrary to its nature. So I will do contradictory actions: after I have prepared you to punish the nations and to destroy them, this very thing will be the cause for the magnification of Hezekiah’s name and the glory of Israel.)

"For before [the ripening of] the harvest of Amalek and Gog, before his desire is fulfilled, and they will think that he is plotting to destroy his brothers:" "When the blossom is past (ke-tom perach)." When its blossom is completed, and the grain draws near to ripening in its ears, and the budding blossom of its vine becomes unripe grapes, and the ripening fruit (gomel) grows until [the berries are] as large as the white bean — that is "boser," that is "gerua." And he shall cut off. He who cuts off the tendrils of the vine – these are the branches and the shoots. With pruning hooks. "Serpes" in the vernacular. "And the cuttings." These are the main stems of the vines, which they call "Zips" in the vernacular. "He shall lop off." "He cut off and lopped off" – meaning, He will slay the princes and rulers of Gog, along with his armies and his helpers.

"For before the harvest." As in "she sent out her branches (ketzireha)" (Psalms 80:12), and the meaning is that "katzir" “Spot, blossom, and unripe fruit; ripening.” Just as it says, “And the almond tree ripened” (Numbers 17:23), it was still in its budding stage. And He shall cut. God: The word "הזלזלים" (the tendrils) is written with the letters attached to the root, and this word has no sister (i.e., no cognate form in the same pattern). “And the cast-off ones.” Those large branches that were cast off: The word "hatz" (התז) is akin to "karat" (כרת, to cut off), and such usage is found in the language of our Sages of blessed memory. Here, a past-tense verb follows another past-tense verb without the conjunctive vav, as in "chamak" (חמק, he evaded) in Song of Songs 5:6. The meaning of the verse is: Before they fill the fruit of their thoughts, they will vanish.

"For before the harvest." He likened Gog and Magog and the nations that come with them against Jerusalem after the salvation to a blossoming vine. When the blossom falls, it becomes the shoot; the shoot becomes the unripe fruit; and the unripe fruit ripens little by little until the grapes become fully ripe. This is an allegory for Gog and Magog, who will come with a great multitude of horses and horsemen, all clad in armor, a vast assembly, with shield and helmet, wielding swords, and they will increase day by day, as it is said, "Persia, Cush, and Put, all of them with shield and helmet." And the meaning of "before the harvest" is before the completion of the time of harvest, for half of Nisan, all of Iyar, and half of Sivan are called the season of harvest among the four seasons of the year. And in the latter half of Sivan, the fruit of the vines will be unripe in the Land of Israel for the most part. This is what it means when it says, "there shall be a shoot," indicating that the shoot will become unripe fruit. “And the unripe fig ripens and becomes ripe,” and the meaning is that just as the unripe fig, when it ripens, is near to its ripening, so too Gog and Magog, when they are near to completing their success—until they conquer Jerusalem and half of the city goes into exile—then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations. This is what is meant by “And He will cut off the tendrils with pruning hooks” (Isaiah 18:5). And the "tendrils" are the tender shoots of the vines, and they are close to being spoiled. And the "branches" are the spreading limbs; they are called "messengers," and they are called [so] as it is stated: "Her branches spread out, she passed over the sea." התז. Its meaning is "to cut off," and it is one of the doubled verbs whose root is תזז, as derived from the words of our Sages of blessed memory: "a violent wind" (רוח תזזית). And "netzah." The he is weak; the he that is emitted is a "netzah." And it is possible that "netzah" with a weak he is for the feminine, not as a proper name. And from it [we derive]: "and he cast a handful of its netzah."

"For before the harvest. Before the time of the harvest comes:" When the blossom fades. When the blossom has finished and is near to ripening: "And the unripe grape, as it ripens, shall be the blossom." This means that when the blossom is an unripe grape that ripens little by little, until the grapes are fully ripe. "Vayikaret" (And He will cut off). Then He will cut off the tender suckers of the vines with pruning hooks, and He will remove the large branches by cutting them off. This is an allegory for Gog and Magog, to say that when they will be close to completing their success, until they conquer Jerusalem and half the city goes into exile, then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations and destroy them in a flood of wrath.

Kethem. The matter of completion: And unripe fruit. This is the name given to fruit that has not yet reached full ripeness, as it is stated: “Our fathers ate sour grapes” (Jeremiah 31:29), where the term used is *bosar* (unripe fruit). Gomel. This means that it grows gradually, little by little, and the term is borrowed from the language of a child who is weaned from his mother’s breast, as they accustom him to eat little by little. Netzah. It is akin to the meaning of "flower" and is greater than "it," and similarly it is stated: "And its flower had budded, netzah" (Genesis 40:10). The tendrils. They are the tender shoots of the vines: “With pruning hooks.” This is the name of the instrument with which they cut grapevines. And similarly, “and your pruning hooks into spears” (Joel 4:10). The term "plantings" (or "shoots"). Thus, the large branches that spread out in all directions are called "plantings" (netishot). This is derived from the word "and they spread out" (venitshu) in Judges 16, and similarly from "remove its plantings" (siru netishoteha) in Jeremiah 5:10. He removed. From the language of removal: Hataz. The matter of "karet" (excision) and "chatuch" (cutting) is discussed by our Sages of blessed memory, who stated: "He severed the head" (Chullin 30).

“For before the harvest” refers back to the phrase mentioned in the previous section, “They planted a foreign vine, a wild vine, and harvested its fruit on the day it was watered,” yet they did not reap the harvest of this foreign vine, because “the stalk of the camp of Assyria swept it away.” In contrast to this, it is said that before the harvest ripened from this foreign grafting that Israel had grafted in their planting—namely, their mingling with the common people—“the bud was darkened,” for it had already blossomed, and also “the blossom,” which comes after the bud, and the shoot grew and produced fruit until the fruit was unripe and not fully matured. Then “the pruners cut off its shoots,” which are the foreign vines that had devoured from the sacred planting, namely, the nations upon whom Israel relied and to whom they attached themselves; these were cut off with pruning hooks and the transplanted ones, the branches of the planting itself that had spread greatly, which are the Ten Tribes who absorbed the grafting and mingled with the nations; He removed them from their place, and He cast them into another land, and He exiled them into exile.

They shall leave together. Their corpses: “Eagle of the mountains”: [This refers to] the bird of the mountains. And it shall summer upon it. All the days of the summer: “Thahref.” From this we derive that all the days of winter are included. Hence, our Sages of blessed memory stated that the judgment of Gog in the future will last twelve months.

"Let them be forsaken." This refers to the camp of Assyria, which was destroyed by the hand of the angel. “Le’it.” Like “vayered ha’ayit” (Genesis 15:11), on the pattern of “shesh” (Esther 1:6) and “shish” (Chronicles 29:2): "Veketz." From the root of "qayitz" (Genesis 8:22): "You shall winter." From the root *choref* [winter], meaning to eat the carcasses of the dead.

"Let them be left." This refers to the camp of Gog and Magog. Similarly, it is stated in the prophecy of Ezekiel: "Call every bird, every winged creature, and every beast of the field; gather and come, assemble from all around to My sacrificial feast that I am sacrificing for you," etc. And it is stated: "Behold, in summer and in winter the corpses shall be cast out." In saying "the birds in summer and the beasts in winter," it means that the birds will fly about in the majority of the days of summer, and the beasts will go about in the majority of the days of winter. And it is stated in the prophecy of Ezekiel: "And the house of Israel shall bury them, to cleanse the land, for seven months." How then can it say, "Let them be left together for the eagles of the mountains and for the beasts of the earth"? This will be the case while they are still engaged in burying them; nevertheless, they will not be able to bury them all, and the beasts and the birds will eat of them in summer and in winter.

They shall be abandoned together. All of them together shall be abandoned to the birds that are in the mountains, etc. “And it shall summer.” The birds will dwell upon them in the days of summer, and the wild beasts in the days of winter, and they will eat of their flesh and drink of their blood.

Eit. The name of a bird of prey; and likewise, "and the bird of prey came down" (Genesis 15:11): "Vekatz." From the word "katz" (summer): tcharof. From the language of "choref":

They shall be left together, to become ownerless for birds and wild animals, in summer and in winter for their food, and their carcasses shall be cast out throughout the year for the food of birds and cattle.

"At that time." [I.e.,] a gift, a present; the sense is like "let them bring gifts" (Psalms 76:12). “With a prolonged and drawn-out sound.” They are the exiles of Israel, and behold, they will be brought to the honor of the Name to His place, which is on Mount Zion. And according to the opinion of Rabbi Moses, this is the explanation of [the verse]: “The Lord will yet stretch out His hand a second time” (Isaiah 11:11).

At that time, a gift shall be brought. The nations of the world will bring a gift to the Lord together with Israel, as it is stated: “And they shall bring all your brothers from all the nations as an offering to the Lord” (Isaiah 66:20). To the place where the Name of the Lord of Hosts is. To the place where the Name of the Lord of Hosts is called, and it is Mount Zion.

"A gift shall be brought." "Yov'ah doron" – A gift will be brought from the people of Israel, who were a people that was being dragged, torn, and from the awesome people, a gift will be brought from the people in whom awesome deeds were seen, from the day that they became a people and onward. And the matter is repeated in what is stated: ""Goy kav kav" (a nation, hoping, hoping)." This refers to the fact that throughout all the days of their exile, they were hoping in the Lord, and they continued to hope, even though they plundered His land and trampled Him under their feet. "to the place": The bringing will be to the place which is called by the Name of the Lord of Hosts, and that is Mount Zion. And similarly it is stated, "And they shall bring... an offering to the Lord... on My holy mountain" (below, 66).

Yovel. Yuva: Shai. "Minchah" and "doron" are like the verse "They shall bring a gift to the Awesome One" (Psalms 76:12):

At that time, and after this, after the wicked are cut off from Israel, then Assyria shall be led to the Lord of Hosts. And who will lead Assyria? A people dragging and pulling, which is Assyria itself. And from where will Assyria be led from a terrifying nation? From the land of Assyria they will lead Assyria to the Lord. And what will be the result for Assyria? It will become a nation that is trampled, trampled, and crushed, for Assyria will bring Israel as an offering to the Lord, to the place where the Name of the Lord of Hosts is, to Mount Zion. In the days of Hezekiah, many from the Ten Tribes returned to Jerusalem to seek refuge under the shadow of Hezekiah. (And behold, the opinion of our Sages of blessed memory is that this prophecy is future, and so too did the commentators explain. However, even though I have inclined from their path according to the simple meaning, nevertheless I have already mentioned at the beginning of section 11 that the future prophecies began in the days of Hezekiah, as the prophet himself indicated at the beginning of chapter 48. See my commentary there.)