The burden of the wilderness of the sea. As whirlwinds in the South sweeping on, It comes from the wilderness, from a dreadful land.
verse value 2296
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 39 letters. The shortest word is "went·in" (בָּ֔א, 2 letters) and the longest is "wilderness·of·sea" (מִדְבַּר־יָ֑ם, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "as·whirlwinds" (כְּסוּפ֤וֹת), "in·the·south" (בַּנֶּ֙גֶב֙), "to·pass·through" (לַחֲלֹ֔ף). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "from·land" (root ארץ, 169x in Isaiah); "went·in" (root בוא, 120x in Isaiah); "wilderness·of·sea" (root דבר, 88x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'wilderness·of·sea', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 7 words. Full calculation: מַשָּׂ֖א [burden] (341) + מִדְבַּר־יָ֑ם [wilderness·of·sea] (296) + כְּסוּפ֤וֹת [as·whirlwinds] (572) + בַּנֶּ֙גֶב֙ [in·the·south] (57) + לַחֲלֹ֔ף [to·pass·through] (148) + מִמִּדְבָּ֣ר [from·wilderness] (286) + בָּ֔א [went·in] (3) + מֵאֶ֖רֶץ [from·land] (331) + נוֹרָאָֽה [feared] (262) = 2296.
Rashi
A burden of the desert of the sea. This prophecy is concerning Babylon, as is explicitly stated therein. And you might ask: Has he not already prophesied against it above (chapter 13), saying, “On a bare hill lift up a banner,” and the entire passage? It sometimes happens that a prophecy is delivered by his mouth on one occasion in one style, and at a later time in another style.
The burden of the desert of the sea. The Targum: “The dew of those who come from the desert, like the waters of the sea.”
Like the whirlwinds in the Negev, to pass away. Like a whirlwind that overturns the dry land, which raises much dust:
To change. Thus they will change to come from many camps upon Babylon:
From the wilderness. They shall come to her:
“From a terrible land.” The Targum: “From a land in which fierce beasts were created.” And one may explain that it is a place of serpents and scorpions, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 1:19): “The great and terrible wilderness.”
Ibn Ezra
The burden of the desert of the sea. It is Babylon, for this burden is upon it, and it is the West opposite Persia and Media; or its meaning is "sea" in its literal sense.
To pass. Like to pass:
From the wilderness he comes. The enemy, and not from the sea.
And from a terrifying land. The land of Media and Persia:
Radak
Burden of the Desert of the Sea. This prophecy was spoken concerning Babylon, and even though a prophecy had already been uttered against it in the words, “Burden of Babylon,” in which he repeated and multiplied [prophecies] against her, because they had done evil to Israel more than enough. And similarly, the downfall of the King of Assyria was prophesied many times. And he called Babylon “Desert of the Sea” because Media and Persia were located in the northeastern direction relative to Babylon, as it is stated, “I will stir up from the north, and one shall come from the rising of the sun.” And behold, Babylon is west of Media and Persia, and the west is called “Sea.” And he said “Desert” because there is a desert between Babylon and Media and Persia. And the Targum [translates it as]: “Journeys of armies that come from the desert like the waters of the sea.”
“Like storms in the Negev.” Like “a storm wind in the Negev” (Isaiah 21:1), i.e., in the desert, in a dry place where the wind is always present; so too, the exiles from Media and Persia went forth to go to Babylon. And the Targum [renders]: “In the Negev” means “in the south,” and it states, “And I will go by the southern road, and I will come from the desert.” This is what the commentators explained: Since the land of Media and Persia is northeast of Babylon, then Babylon is southwest of them, toward the sea and the Negev.
“From a terrifying land.” From a distant land, namely Media and Persia, which are distant from Babylonia. And the distant is called “terrifying” because a person fears the distant, since he does not know its power and customs as well as he knows those of the near, whose power and customs he is familiar with. And Jonathan rendered it in the Targum: “From a land in which mighty deeds were performed.”
Metzudat David
“Desert of the sea.” This means: Regarding Babylonia, which is situated beyond the desert, to the west of Persia and Media, who came against it for war.
Like storms. Like the wind of a storm that swirls across a barren and dry land, raising much dust:
“לחלוף” – So it shall be: the majority of the dust, when the great host passes by to wage war against Babylon.
From the wilderness he shall come. He will come from the way of the wilderness, from a terrifying land. Thus is the wilderness called, for it is a place of serpents and scorpions that terrify those who pass through it, as it is written: "The great and terrifying wilderness" (Deuteronomy 1:19). And the matter is repeated in what is stated:
Metzudat Zion
“Kasufot.” The wind of a storm and tempest:
“On the Negev.” The matter is of dryness, as it is said, “Like streams in the Negev” (Psalms 126:4). “To pass over.” To go past, as it is said, “and he passed through Judah” (above, 8).
Malbim
“Burden of the desert by the sea.” This prophecy was uttered against Babylon, and it is called “desert by the sea” because Media and Persia were located to the northeast of Babylon; consequently, Babylon was to the southwest of Persia. The verse states “desert,” indicating that between Babylon and Media and Persia there was a desert, and it was through this desert, which lay to the west of Babylon, that the enemies came. The burden was proclaimed concerning the arrival of the enemy through the desert.
(The content of this burden depicts the matter of Babylon’s downfall in a figurative manner, using exalted language. For it is known that Babylon fought against Media and Persia, conquered them, and Belshazzar held a great feast and banquet on the day of the conquest. That very night, during the banquet, the king’s servants conspired against him by the decree of God and killed him. They informed the Persian army, which was still on its way, and they returned, conquered, and destroyed Babylon. In light of this, the text depicts how a watchman stands on that very night on the wall of Babylon. When the Persian camp approaches Babylon a second time, it appears to him like dust raised by the desert wind. Afterwards, he learns of the rebellion and that those coming are the enemies returning to destroy Babylon. In this way, it describes how the watchman is distressed and terrified by the sight, with trembling and quaking. Afterwards, it depicts again how a prophet from among the children of Israel, who seek to fulfill the word of God in Babylon’s downfall, also stands on the wall and awaits Babylon’s end. He too sees this same thing, and cries out with a voice of joy and gladness, for it is a day of good tidings for him. Now we will explain in detail.)
“Clouds,” says the Watcher, “It appears to me as if storms are passing through the Negev desert, in a place where the land is parched and raises great dust, and the earth is more visible; and he says more, ‘From the desert comes the storm and this dust.’ He sees even more: ‘Behold, this comes from a terrible land, from the terrifying land of Persia, from which the people of Babylon are terrified.’
“(b) ‘Vision’—he says, ‘But this is not a storm and dust, for a severe vision has been declared to me.’ This means that the traitor has betrayed, for treachery and rebellion have occurred among the king’s servants, who betrayed their masters. Consequently, ‘and the plunderer plunders upon me, Elam.’ The Watcher recounts what was declared to him: that the traitor says, ‘Upon me, Elam, upon Babylon.’ And “besiege her, O Media!” Do not fear Belshazzar and his might any more, for all her sighing, all the sighing and terror that existed because of the people of Babylon, I have removed, by means of having killed Belshazzar. These are the words of the traitor.”
A grievous vision is declared to me: ‘The treacherous dealer deals treacherously, and the spoiler spoils. Go up, O Elam! besiege, O Media! All the sighing thereof have I made to cease.’
verse value 3403
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 57 letters. The shortest word is "hard" (קָשָׁ֖ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "all·sighing" (כׇּל־אַנְחָתָ֖הֿ, 7 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "is·declared·to·me" (הֻגַּד־לִ֑י), "that·acts·treacherously" (הַבּוֹגֵ֤ד), "faithless" (בּוֹגֵד֙). The root בגד appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "go·up" (root עלה, 49x in Isaiah); "is·declared·to·me" (root נגד, 40x in Isaiah); "that·acts·treacherously" (root בגד, 26x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root חזות ("vision") in Isaiah. First appearance of the root בגד ("that·acts·treacherously") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'is·declared·to·me', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 10 words. Full calculation: חָז֥וּת [vision] (421) + קָשָׁ֖ה [hard] (405) + הֻגַּד־לִ֑י [is·declared·to·me] (52) + הַבּוֹגֵ֤ד [that·acts·treacherously] (20) + בּוֹגֵד֙ [faithless] (15) + וְהַשּׁוֹדֵ֣ד [and·that·deals·violently·with] (325) + שׁוֹדֵ֔ד [destroyer] (314) + עֲלִ֤י [go·up] (110) + עֵילָם֙ [Elam] (150) + צוּרִ֣י [my·rock] (306) + מָדַ֔י [Media] (54) + כׇּל־אַנְחָתָ֖הֿ [all·sighing] (514) + הִשְׁבַּֽתִּי [I·have·made·to·cease] (717) = 3403.
Rashi
A difficult sight. The prophet says: "This prophecy is difficult upon Babylon; it has been told to me."
"The traitor, [another] betrays him; the robber, [another] robs him." The Targum renders this: "The oppressed are oppressed, and the plundered are plundered." And the meaning of the Hebrew, according to the Targum, is as follows: "The traitor—another comes and betrays him (one text reads: 'betrays you'); and the robber—another comes and robs him (one text reads: 'robs you')." These are Persia and Media, who plunder and rob Babylon, which has plundered and robbed all the nations until now.
“Upon Elam.” And “Come upon her.”
"Lay siege, Media." [This refers] to Babylon, which was under siege. "My God, my rock" (2 Samuel 22:3) — the accent is on the final syllable (millel) on the letter resh, and this [word] has its accent on the first syllable (mil'el) on the letter tsadi, like [the word] "shuv."
"All her sighs I have returned." The "he" does not have a mappiq, because it is like "all the sighs of the world," and it is the language of a multitude of sighs of many people, "suspirus" in the vernacular. "All her sighs I have returned"—since the world was sighing because of the oppression of the Babylonian kingdom, now I have returned them.
Ibn Ezra
Chazot. Prophecy:
It is difficult. Regarding Babylon:
It was told to me. The words of the prophet:
[The traitor, etc.]: Whoever wishes to rebel and betray may do so, and whoever wishes to be a robber may rob.
"Upon Elam." This is the land of Persia.
Tzuri. Like "and you shall besiege it" (Deuteronomy 20:12), and the word is accented on the final syllable, like "return, my soul" (Psalms 116:7).
"All her sighing I have caused to cease." There is one who says that this refers to the sighing of Israel, and there are those who say that there is no one who will sigh over Babylon, and there are those who say that all her sighing that she caused has ceased. And according to my understanding, from the beginning of "all her sighing" until the end of the passage, these are the words of the prophet in the language of King Belshazzar, for everyone knows that the prophet rejoices in the downfall of Babylon, and how could he say, "Therefore, fill [verse 3]"? And behold, thus the meaning connects: The king said, "When I heard the voice of 'Ali Elam,' as is the custom of warriors to mention the name of their land, 'her sighing' of Babylon I have caused to cease through types of song, in which the vessels of the House of the Lord were brought and drunk from, while Babylon was under siege and in distress."
Radak
“Chazut kashah” is difficult. The prophet declared a harsh prophecy against Babylon: “It was said to me by the Lord.” And what is the prophecy? “The betrayer, the betrayer”—he who was a betrayer, a betrayer will come to betray him; and he who was a robber, a robber will come to rob him. And who is the betrayer and the robber? This is the king of Babylon, who was a betrayer to the nations that were at peace with him, and he robbed them, for this was the betrayal: he robbed them and did not keep the covenant with them. So too, there will come to him a betrayer who will betray him, and a robber who will rob him, and he is Cyrus.
“Go up, Elam! Lay siege, Media and Persia!” And it is stated that the entire prophecy is directed against Elam and Media, who will ascend to Babylon and besiege it.
Besiege. Its accent is on the final syllable:
"All her sighs I have returned." The interpretation is: "her sighs" refers to the sighs of Babylon, meaning the sighs that people uttered out of fear of her. For pronominal suffixes attached to nouns can apply both to the agent and to the object, as in: "He will stand against plagues" (from the root meaning to plague), "Remove from me Your plague," "In the house of my prayer," "I have heard Your prayer," "I have poured out my king," and "The God of my king from of old." And the letter he in "her sighs" is weak, and its grammatical rule is that it is articulated with a heh maphiq, and there are many similar cases, such as: "And her hair did not turn white," "And her womb was with child for the world," "Her daughter Ramah mourned over her," and "He said to her, Be strong," and others like them.
Metzudat David
Vision. A difficult prophecy was revealed to me concerning Babylon:
The traitor is a traitor. Whoever wishes to betray him, he betrays him; and whoever wishes to plunder him, he plunders him.
“Upon Elam.” Elam, go up to war! And Media, lay siege upon it!
"All her sighs." All the sighs that Babylonia caused the gentiles to emit, by imposing a heavy yoke upon them—behold, now, with her downfall, I have abolished all those sighs.
Metzudat Zion
Chazot. A vision of prophecy:
The traitor. The matter of rebellion:
"And the robber." The matter of oppression:
Elam. It is from the land of Media.
Tzuri. From the word *matzor*, meaning siege, and it refers to surrounding the city with armies in order to subdue it:
Therefore are my loins filled with convulsion; Pangs have taken hold upon me, as the pangs of a woman in travail; I am bent so that I cannot hear; I am affrighted so that I cannot see.
verse value 3785
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 59 letters. The shortest word is "therefore" (עַל־כֵּ֗ן, 4 letters) and the longest is "they·grasped·me" (אֲחָז֔וּנִי, 6 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "my·loins" (מׇתְנַי֙), "pain" (חַלְחָלָ֔ה), "they·grasped·me" (אֲחָז֔וּנִי). The root ציר appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "therefore" (root על, 200x in Isaiah); "from·hearing" (root שמע, 106x in Isaiah); "from·seeing" (root ראה, 83x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root עוה ("I·am·bent") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'bearing', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 4 words. Full calculation: עַל־כֵּ֗ן [therefore] (170) + מָלְא֤וּ [they·filled] (77) + מׇתְנַי֙ [my·loins] (500) + חַלְחָלָ֔ה [pain] (81) + צִירִ֣ים [pangs] (350) + אֲחָז֔וּנִי [they·grasped·me] (82) + כְּצִירֵ֖י [as·pangs·of] (330) + יוֹלֵדָ֑ה [bearing] (55) + נַעֲוֵ֣יתִי [I·am·bent] (546) + מִשְּׁמֹ֔עַ [from·hearing] (450) + נִבְהַ֖לְתִּי [I·was·disturbed] (497) + מֵרְאֽוֹת [from·seeing] (647) = 3785.
Rashi
“Milo matnei chalchalah.” The prophet is compassionate and groans over the calamity of the nations. This is an aggadic exposition. According to the plain meaning, the prophet recites the dirge and the mourning, as if Babylon itself were lamenting.
Tzirim. A term denoting travail and pangs. Our Sages said: There are "tzirim" for a woman, just as there are hinges for the doors of the house.
“N’avuti.” This is an illness called “avut” in the language of the Sages.
Ibn Ezra
"On," etc. It refers back to "Upon Elam." Just as I have heard, so I shall not hear and I shall not see, from the abundance of fear.
Radak
Therefore. The prophet speaks in the language of each of the inhabitants of Babylon, or in the language of King Belshazzar:
“I am weary of hearing.” From hearing of the calamity that is coming to Babylonia, all the more so should I be terrified when I see it.
Metzudat David
"Therefore." On account of the magnitude of the distress:
“Mila’u matnei chalchalá.” The prophet spoke in the voice of Babylon:
"The pangs have taken hold of me." The pains have seized me, like the pains of a woman in childbirth:
“I am twisted from hearing.” My body became bent from the sound of the report, and I was terrified by the sight of the wonders of destruction.
Metzudat Zion
Chalchalah. The meaning is trembling and quaking:
Tzirim. The matter of pain, as in “pangs and throes shall seize them” (above 13:
I am bent/twisted. From the language of crookedness and distortion:
My heart is bewildered, terror has overwhelmed me; The twilight that I longed for has been turned for me into trembling.
verse value 3933
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 36 letters. The shortest word is "thered" (שָׂ֥ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "terrified·me" (בִּֽעֲתָ֑תְנִי, 6 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "erred" (תָּעָ֣ה), "my·heart" (לְבָבִ֔י), "shuddering" (פַּלָּצ֖וּת). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "thered" (root שם, 83x in Isaiah); "to·me" (root לי, 20x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'terrified·me', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 6 words.
Rashi
“Terrors.” [This refers to] panic:
"The night of my desire." The night in which I desired joy and feasting. In the Book of Josephus, we find that he rejoiced because his troops had defeated the Persian army that very night. Yet that night was appointed for me as a night of terror, as it is stated: "King Belshazzar made a great feast for a thousand of his lords, and drank wine in the presence of the thousand" (Daniel 5:1). "In that night he was slain... and Darius the Mede received the kingdom" (Daniel 5:30-31).
Ibn Ezra
Teha. "Flatsot." From [the verse] "And Asa cut down her idol" (1 Kings 15:13) [where the word] "miflatsatah" [is used], [interpreted as] "in the form of pride," for the Persians boasted [of their power]; or [it means] trembling, like [the word] "yitpalatzon" (Job 9:6).
"The twilight of my desire." The night, in which they drank from the vessels, and he was terrified, as Daniel read the writing for him (Daniel 5:3):
Radak
Teha. Chaskei, with a hireq under the chet: The prophet speaks in the language of Belshazzar, who held a great feast at night, and that night was the fulfillment of his desire and longing and craving, for a king had been established, and he rejoiced with his servants. And the Holy One, blessed be He, placed that very fulfillment in trembling, in the writing that the angel wrote on the wall of the palace: “He was greatly terrified by that writing,” as it is written, “Then the king’s countenance changed, and his thoughts terrified him, and the joints of his loins were loosened, and his knees knocked against each other.”
"PALZOT." The meaning is trembling, as it is written: "They tremble one against the other" (Daniel 5:6).
Metzudat David
"My heart has gone astray." My heart does not know what to do, due to the abundance of its grief.
“Terrors startled me.” It caused me trembling and frightened me, and the matter is repeated in what is stated, due to the great trembling and fear.
"The night of my desire." The night that I desired and longed for, to make it a feast and a celebration, because they had overcome the army of Persia, as it is stated in Yosepon:
“He made it dread for me.” This refers to one who had the power to make that night dreadful for me, for on that night Belshazzar was slain, Babylon was conquered, and Darius reigned over it, as is explicitly stated in the Book of Daniel.
Metzudat Zion
Teha. One who does not know what to do is called a "te'eh" (one who goes astray), and the term is borrowed from one who wanders on the road and does not know where to go.
"פלצות" – the meaning is one of trembling, as in: "And its pillars shall tremble" (Job 9:6).
“Be’atani.” From the language of “be’atah” (terror) and “pachad” (fear).
Neshaf. Evening, as it is said: “I came before the dawn” (Psalm 119:147), where the word “neshaf” denotes evening.
חשקי. The meaning is "desire," like the "desire" of Solomon (I Kings 9:19):
Malbim
Thereafter, his very body was nullified in general, for “my heart went astray,” and the power of his life was nullified, and more than this, for “terrors have taken hold of me,” convulsions, and the trembling of all his sinews and the nullification of his entire body, its tendons, and its arteries. And this is because of “for my breath is my longing,” that which my longing has exhaled and been displaced, this has become for me a cause of alarm. For the trembling and the sudden fear that arrives at the time of joy and gladness will double the madness and astonishment, through the displacement of the body and its senses from gladness to great fear, until he is lost between joy and panic, and his eyes will see for him empty burdens and visions of rejoicing and gladness together with sights of slaughter and warfare, which will lead him into terrifying abysses and the depths of the soul’s tumult.
They prepare the table, they light the lamps, they eat, they drink— ’Rise up, you princes, anoint the shield.’
verse value 3359
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 39 letters. The shortest word is "order" (עָרֹ֧ךְ, 3 letters) and the longest is "table" (הַשֻּׁלְחָ֛ן, 5 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "order" (עָרֹ֧ךְ), "table" (הַשֻּׁלְחָ֛ן), "watch" (צָפֹ֥ה). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "surely" (root אכל, 55x in Isaiah); "get·up" (root קום, 36x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root ערך ("order") in Isaiah. First appearance of the root שלחן ("table") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'drink', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 4 words. Full calculation: עָרֹ֧ךְ [order] (290) + הַשֻּׁלְחָ֛ן [table] (393) + צָפֹ֥ה [watch] (175) + הַצָּפִ֖ית [rug] (585) + אָכ֣וֹל [surely] (57) + שָׁתֹ֑ה [drink] (705) + ק֥וּמוּ [get·up] (152) + הַשָּׂרִ֖ים [the·princes] (555) + מִשְׁח֥וּ [smear] (354) + מָגֵֽן [shield] (93) = 3359.
Rashi
"Set the watch (tzappeh ha-tzappit)." Set up the lamp; in Bereishit Rabbah [it is said that] they call the lamp "tzafita."
“Eat and drink.” And from the eating and drinking, the princes cried out, “Arise!”
They anointed the shield. These are shields made of tanned leather, which they anoint with oil in order to smooth out the wrinkles; and so it is said regarding Saul: “For the shield of his mighty men was loathed” (2 Samuel 1:21)—he rejected its anointing oil and did not accept it, and the shield of Saul became as though it had not been anointed with oil.
Ibn Ezra
Arrange. "Tzafah tzafitah" – "Keep watch, set the watch." In my opinion, there is none like it, and its meaning is delightful.
And the meaning of “Arise, O princes” etc. is that Belshazzar was slain on that very night, and Darius the Elder was anointed as king. And the king was called “Magen” (Shield), for he would shield the people; similarly, “Our shield, see, O God” (Psalms 84:10).
Radak
Aruch HaShulchan: When they were setting the tables, they would say, “Look, the lookout, that the watcher may look,” for they were afraid of the nations of Media and Persia. And when they were eating and drinking, they would say, “Arise, the princes, anoint the shield,” meaning: polish the shields for war. And so did Jonathan render it: “Look, the lookout” – “Raise the tents”; and he rendered “anoint the shield” – “Empty and polish the weapons.” Jonathan rendered “shield” as “weapons,” meaning: weapons of war, such as armor and helmets, for they too serve as a shield for a person in battle. And there are those who explain “anoint the shield” as “anoint the king,” since the king is the shield of the people, because on that very night Belshazzar died, as it is written: “On that night Belshazzar, the king, was slain.” They said: “Behold, your king has died; anoint another in his place.” And in Midrash Bereishit Rabbah: “Look, the lookout” – “Arrange the lampstand.” There is a place where they call the lampstand “the lookout.”
Metzudat David
Set the table. When they were setting the table for the feast, they said to one another, "Let the lookout stand watch," meaning that the sentinel should stand on the watchtower to see if the Persian and Median armies are coming.
“Eat and drink.” While they were eating and drinking, they said to one another: “Arise, the princes, and anoint the shield to go down to battle.”
Metzudat Zion
Aruch. Its meaning is the arrangement of the food:
Tzafah. The matter of seeing, like "God watched" (Genesis 31:49), "you watched." One who stands and sees if armies are coming is called a tzofeh (watchman).
Anoint the shield. There is a shield made of leather that is tanned and anointed with oil to smooth it, so that the blow of a sword or spear slides off it. And likewise, Saul’s shield was not anointed with oil (II Samuel 1:21).
Malbim
Based on this, the poet depicts the narrator as though madness has seized him, and he is gripped by bewilderment of heart, oscillating between joy and terror, and both imaginings stir his soul: he calls out, “Set the table for the feast,” yet he looks ahead with anticipation toward the battle; he repeats, “Eat and drink,” while in his vision he turns and sees, “Rise, princes, anoint the shield for battle,” like a madman overwhelmed by what his eyes behold.
For thus has the Lord said to me: Go, set a watchman; let him declare what he sees!
verse value 1535
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 36 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·watchman" (הַֽמְצַפֶּ֔ה, 5 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "station" (הַעֲמֵ֣ד), "the·watchman" (הַֽמְצַפֶּ֔ה). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "said" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah); "for" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah); "what" (root אשר, 176x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'my·lord', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 6 words. Full calculation: כִּ֣י [for] (30) + כֹ֥ה [thus] (25) + אָמַ֛ר [said] (241) + אֵלַ֖י [to·me] (41) + אֲדֹנָ֑י [my·lord] (65) + לֵ֚ךְ [go] (50) + הַעֲמֵ֣ד [station] (119) + הַֽמְצַפֶּ֔ה [the·watchman] (220) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [what] (501) + יִרְאֶ֖ה [he·sees] (216) + יַגִּֽיד [let·him·declare] (27) = 1535.
Rashi
“Go, set up the watchman.” In the future, one of your disciples will challenge My attributes regarding the long patience I showed toward Babylon. This is Habakkuk, who “drew a circle and stood within it,” and said (Habakkuk 2:1): “I will stand upon my watchtower.” and I will watch to see what He will speak to me. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Isaiah: “Set him up on that watchtower and assure him from Me that he will stand upon his watchtower, and whatever he sees concerning the downfall of Babylon, he shall proclaim.”
Ibn Ezra
For. These are the words of the prophet:
“Set up the watchman.” In the manner of prophecy:
Radak
"For so says the Lord": It is as if the prophet were in Babylonia, and spoke concerning the language of the officials of Babylonia, that they would say to one another: "Let us set up a watchman to see if the army of Media and Persia has come, and he shall report what he sees."
Metzudat David
“Go, set the watchman.” The prophet speaks in the language of the Babylonian officials, who would say to one another: “Go, set the watchman,” so that he may report what he sees.
Metzudat Zion
The one who watches. Like the one who looks out:
Malbim
For thus it says, “Now he will recount in his vision the second watchman whom He appointed by the word of the Lord, whom He called ‘the Watchman,’ who stands and watches for the downfall of Babylon, to fulfill the word of the Lord through His prophets.”
And when he sees a troop, horsemen by pairs, A troop of asses, a troop of camels, He shall hearken diligently with much heed.
verse value 3398
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 42 letters. The shortest word is "chariots" (רֶ֗כֶב, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·he·will·listen" (וְהִקְשִׁ֥יב, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 222: chariots, chariots·of, chariots·of. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·he·will·listen" (וְהִקְשִׁ֥יב), "attentiveness" (קֶ֖שֶׁב), "much·attentiveness" (רַב־קָֽשֶׁב). The root רכב appears 3 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·he·shall·see" (root ראה, 83x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'camel', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 3 words.
Rashi
And behold a chariot. And I will show him there, like a chariot of two mounted warriors, one riding a donkey and the other riding a camel, and it is a sign for Persia and Media.
And he shall listen with attention. And there he shall hear in his prophecy a kind of great tumult, the shoutings of armies:
Ibn Ezra
And see. The reason is: if he sees a chariot of two horses, or a chariot of a donkey, or a chariot of camels, he should listen and increase his listening to what news is in their mouths.
Radak
And behold, a chariot. And behold, the watchman sees a chariot: a chariot upon which a pair of horsemen ride.
And he also saw a rider on a donkey, a rider on a camel: And he listened with great attention. He would listen to see if they were near, if he could hear the sound of their hooves, and Jonathan translated: “And he saw the chariot of a man, and with him a pair of horsemen, etc.”
Metzudat David
And behold. It is as if one standing on the watchtower saw a chariot with riders upon it, a pair of horsemen, and also saw a chariot of donkeys, etc., meaning: one riding on a donkey and one riding on a camel. Meaning: he saw many types of warriors.
"And he hearkened with his ear." "He hearkened" means that the sound of the multitude of the people was heard very loudly, indicating that there was a great multitude.
Metzudat Zion
Tzamed. A pair, like "a pair of oxen" (Job 1:3).
Parashim. Thus are called the riders of horses harnessed in such a manner; and likewise, "a parash ascends" (Nahum 3:3).
And He hearkened. The matter of hearing:
Malbim
And behold, he pointed out how this watchman, after standing many days on guard, watching and hoping for the fall of Babylon, when the time came for the news that had now arrived—that Babylon had fallen—saw nothing but a chariot of a pair of riders. These were two officials who had fled from Babylon on that night when Belshazzar was killed, and they fled to the army of Persia and Media. This was the fall of Babylon. And he indicates that this watchman was alarmed because he saw that, after standing many days on the watchtower and thinking that now Babylon would fall, he saw nothing but a pair of riders, one riding on a donkey and the other on a camel, according to the custom of fugitives who were unable to flee on horses because they hurried to escape and found only a donkey and a camel. And he listened: the fleeing men raised a sound of attention, as if the news of the end of Babylon would come from them.
And he cried as a lion: ‘Upon the watch-tower, O Lord, I stand continually in the daytime, And I am set in my ward all the nights.’
verse value 3508
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 58 letters. The shortest word is "standing" (עֹמֵ֤ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·upon·my·watch" (וְעַ֨ל־מִשְׁמַרְתִּ֔י, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 81: I, I. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "upon·the·watch-tower" (עַל־מִצְפֶּ֣ה), "and·upon·my·watch" (וְעַ֨ל־מִשְׁמַרְתִּ֔י), "all·the·nights" (כׇּל־הַלֵּילֽוֹת). The root אנכי appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "day" (root יום, 124x in Isaiah); "all·the·nights" (root כל, 93x in Isaiah); "and·called" (root קרא, 84x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root תמיד ("continually") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'lion', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 10 words. Full calculation: וַיִּקְרָ֖א [and·called] (317) + אַרְיֵ֑ה [lion] (216) + עַל־מִצְפֶּ֣ה [upon·the·watch-tower] (315) + אֲדֹנָ֗י [my·lord] (65) + אָנֹכִ֞י [I] (81) + עֹמֵ֤ד [standing] (114) + תָּמִיד֙ [continually] (454) + יוֹמָ֔ם [day] (96) + וְעַ֨ל־מִשְׁמַרְתִּ֔י [and·upon·my·watch] (1096) + אָנֹכִ֥י [I] (81) + נִצָּ֖ב [standing] (142) + כׇּל־הַלֵּילֽוֹת [all·the·nights] (531) = 3508.
Rashi
"And a lion roared" – this refers to Habakkuk. The numerical value of the word "lion" (ari) is equivalent to the numerical value of "Habakkuk." Isaiah prophesied that Habakkuk would in the future pray regarding this matter and say thus:
On “a watchtower” (Isaiah 21:8). The Lord my God, on a watchtower I stand continually, by day to inform me of this matter.
Ibn Ezra
And he called out, etc. They expounded: "Chabakuk" is a gematria for "as a lion." And the correct view in my eyes is that it lacks a kaf, like "He is a consuming fire" (Deuteronomy 4:24). The meaning is: "He called out, waiting like a lion, with a mighty voice."
“Upon the watchtower of the Lord I stand continually.” And the reason is to seek a vision:
Radak
"And the watchman cried out": It compares Media and Persia to a lion standing on a watchtower, looking to the right and to the left, [thinking], "Where shall I devour?" The prophet said this in the language of crying out, upon seeing this.
"My Lord, I stand constantly. Day and night I stand guard over my watch, that is to say, all the nights, meaning by day and by night I stand and await when it will be that the army of Media and Persia will come and destroy Babylon, because they did evil to Israel. And in the Midrash, it is said regarding the prophet Habakkuk: Isaiah said that Habakkuk is destined to say this, 'I stand constantly, day and night,' who drew a circle and stood within it, as is explained in the Targum on 'A prayer of Habakkuk.' And Habakkuk is called a lion, for thus it is in gematria: the numerical value of Habakkuk is equal to the numerical value of lion. And the Targum states that the verse is thus: Isaiah said, 'A light prophecy from the watchers, and so on.'"
Metzudat David
“And a lion roared upon the watchtower.” This means that the one standing on the watchtower cried out, saying, “Behold, the lion is coming,” and he likened Persia and Media to a lion that tears its prey. Alternatively, he cried out, saying, “Behold, the lion is upon the watchtower,” and he likened Persia and Media to a lion standing on the watchtower, looking this way and that, to see where it will tear its prey.
"The Lord, I stand..." When the prophet saw all this in the prophetic vision, he said: "You, O Lord, behold, I stand continually every day, awaiting when Babylon will be destroyed because of the evil they did to Israel."
And upon My watch. This means: Just as a person who sits and keeps watch does not move from his place, so too I did not cease from awaiting [the redemption].
Metzudat Zion
Mitzpah. So is called the place upon which the watchman stands.
Malbim
And he called out: And when he calculated that his hope had been dashed, he cried out with strength like a lion: "Have I not stood for many days on the watchtower, awaiting the fulfillment of the word of the Lord in the downfall of Babylon?"
And, behold, there came a troop of men, horsemen by pairs. And he spoke and said: ‘Fallen, fallen is Babylon; And all the graven images of her gods are broken to the ground.’
verse value 3255
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 62 letters. The shortest word is "went·in" (בָא֙, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·all·images·of" (וְכׇל־פְּסִילֵ֥י, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 165: fell, fell. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·behold·this" (וְהִנֵּה־זֶ֥ה), "and·he·answered" (וַיַּ֣עַן), "and·all·images·of" (וְכׇל־פְּסִילֵ֥י). The root נפל appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah); "to·the·land" (root ארץ, 169x in Isaiah); "went·in" (root בוא, 120x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'horsemen', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 9 words.
Rashi
And behold, this comes. When one prays for this, he will see a kind of chariot of a person, etc.:
“Fallen, fallen is Babylon.” The Targum renders: “You have fallen, and you are destined to fall again.” Two fallings, one year after the other: initially by the hand of Media and Persia, and in the second year by the hand of Heaven. And Babylon was a disgrace among kingdoms, like the overthrow of Sodom. And so we find it in Seder Olam: “And in the year the news of Darius came, and after him in the year the news came, and Babylon was a disgrace among kingdoms, like the overthrow, etc.” (above, 13).
Ibn Ezra
"And behold, this came..." And behold, a chariot of a man with a pair of horsemen:
And he answered. Each one:
"And he said, 'Fallen, fallen.'" There are times when no remnant of her remains.
Shever. The word "shever" refers to the land, as in: "which she bore to Levi" (Numbers 26:59).
Radak
And behold, this: while the watchman was listening, behold, the army came, as he saw them approaching the city.
And the watchman answered and said, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon.” The doubling is for emphasis.
Shaver: The meaning of "shaver" (the one who breaks). And the Targum translates: "Fallen, fallen is Babylon; and it shall be no more for ever." That is to say, this refers to two falls: the first at the hands of Media and Persia, and the second at the hands of Heaven, as it is stated: "And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the splendor and pride of the Chaldeans, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah." And this [fall] was eternal, for that Babylon was never inhabited again for ever, as we explained above in the chapter "The Burden of Babylon."
Metzudat David
"And behold, this is coming." This means: For a long time I was waiting for it, and now behold, this is coming—the chariot assigned to the man, and upon it a pair of riders. This means: Persia and Media came, who destroyed Babylon.
"And he answered and said." The angel who spoke within me said, "Now Babylon has fallen." He repeated the word to strengthen the matter.
Shever. The shockwave shattered them and cast them to the ground.
Metzudat Zion
Pesilim. Thus are the carved idols called, for they are hewn and chiseled, and the term is derived from the phrase “and the builders of Solomon hewed them” (1 Kings 5).
Malbim
And behold, and is it not so that behold, now only the chariot of a man of a pair of horsemen has come, and what use will these be? Will they destroy Babylon, the pride of kingdoms? However, within this outcry he recognized that Babylon had already fallen, and that through this chariot he was informed that they had killed the king, and that Babylon had rebelled, and amidst this he answered with a voice and said, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon.” And this is a deliberate depiction of how the fall of Babylon was sudden, by means of two officers who killed the king, and no one perceived it nor did it enter their minds, until the matter arrived and he saw that it was the word of God.
O you my threshing, and the winnowing of my floor, That which I have heard from Hashem of hosts, The God of Israel, have I declared to you.
verse value 4461
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 49 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֧ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·son·of·my·threshing-floor" (וּבֶן־גׇּרְנִ֑י, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "my·threshing" (מְדֻשָׁתִ֖י), "and·son·of·my·threshing-floor" (וּבֶן־גׇּרְנִ֑י). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "that" (root אשר, 176x in Isaiah); "I·have·heard" (root שמע, 106x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·son·of·my·threshing-floor', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 9 words. Full calculation: מְדֻשָׁתִ֖י [my·threshing] (754) + וּבֶן־גׇּרְנִ֑י [and·son·of·my·threshing-floor] (321) + אֲשֶׁ֣ר [that] (501) + שָׁמַ֗עְתִּי [I·have·heard] (820) + מֵאֵ֨ת [from] (441) + יְהֹוָ֧ה [Hashem] (26) + צְבָא֛וֹת [hosts] (499) + אֱלֹהֵ֥י [God·of] (46) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל [Israel] (541) + הִגַּ֥דְתִּי [I·declared] (422) + לָכֶֽם [to·you] (90) = 4461.
Rashi
From my threshing floor and the son of my grain. My holy produce, the heap of ears which I was commanded by the Holy Spirit to set you right in the straight way, like a man who threshes and scatters his produce on the threshing floor:
That which I heard, from Him I have declared to you:
Ibn Ezra
“From my threshing floor.” Now, Babylonia is threshed, and the yod is a sign of the Name or the prophet, or of “a chariot of a man,” for I too have threshed it, and it was like the son of the threshing floor; and it is possible that “the son of the threshing floor” refers to the grain that remains, and this is an allusion to Israel.
Radak
“Her threshing-floor and the son of my threshing-floor.” The prophet speaks in the language of God: “Babylon is My threshing-floor, for I shall thresh her with the armies of Media and Persia, just as one threshes grain.” And “the son of my threshing-floor” is a repetition of the same idea in different words, for both the chaff and the grain are called “the son of the threshing-floor,” since they are threshed on the threshing-floor.
That which I heard. The prophet said: This prophecy, which I heard concerning Babylon, I have declared to you just as I heard it. And He said, "The God of Israel," because it is for the sake of Israel that God will bring calamity upon Babylon.
Metzudat David
“From my threshing.” These too are the words of the angel, who said that Babylon will be my “threshed,” meaning: I will thresh her, just as grain is threshed.
"And the son of my threshing floor." The grain is called "son of the threshing floor" because it is placed and threshed on the threshing floor, and this is a repetition of what is stated:
That which I heard. The prophet said: "The matter which I heard from the Lord... I have declared it to you."
Metzudat Zion
“From my threshing floor.” From the language of treading:
Malbim
“Medashti” — behold, in this prophecy, it was prophesied only how the downfall of Babylon would begin, namely, the initial link in the chain, which was that the king’s servants rebelled against their masters. It did not here describe the manner of the slaughter and destruction that the army of Persia and Media would carry out in Babylon, for regarding this, a separate oracle was already uttered above in chapters 13 and 14. And he called the oracle prophesied above by the name “Medashti” and “Ben Gerni,” meaning the oracle of the threshing, that the Lord will thresh Babylon and destroy it, which I have heard from the Lord long ago; I have declared to you already many days ago that the prophecy above was prophesied prior to this prophecy.
The burden of Dumah. One calls to me out of Seir: ‘Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?’
verse value 2753
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 37 letters. The shortest word is "burden" (מַשָּׂ֖א, 3 letters) and the longest is "what·of·night" (מַה־מִּלַּ֔יְלָה, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 540: keeping, keeping. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "Dumah" (דּוּמָ֑ה), "from·Seir" (מִשֵּׂעִ֔יר), "what·of·night" (מַה־מִּלַּ֔יְלָה). The root שמר appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·me" (root אל, 95x in Isaiah); "calling" (root קרא, 84x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Dumah', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 7 words. Full calculation: מַשָּׂ֖א [burden] (341) + דּוּמָ֑ה [Dumah] (55) + אֵלַי֙ [to·me] (41) + קֹרֵ֣א [calling] (301) + מִשֵּׂעִ֔יר [from·Seir] (620) + שֹׁמֵר֙ [keeping] (540) + מַה־מִּלַּ֔יְלָה [what·of·night] (160) + שֹׁמֵ֖ר [keeping] (540) + מַה־מִּלֵּֽיל [what·of·night] (155) = 2753.
Rashi
It is Edom. And so it says, “Who is like the Rock, like Dumah in the midst of the sea?” (Ezekiel 27:32).
“Unto Me cry out” – from Seir. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: “Unto Me cry out” – whether the prophet or the angel, from the yoke of the kingdom of Seir.
"Guardian" – what does it mean? "Guardian of Israel" – what will come from this night and this darkness?
Ibn Ezra
"The burden of Dumah." Like "Mishma, Dumah, and Massa" (Genesis 25:14).
"Unto me one calls, from Seir." He speaks in a language similar to that of a spy from Seir who came to scout the land of Duma, and he asks the guards, saying to them, "You who are the guard, what is the night? What is the night?" The meaning is as if the questioner is from the people of Duma and has a need to rise at night to travel on the road or to tend to his field, as is the custom in most places, and the reason for the plural form "nights" is that he would ask many people. And what seems correct to me is that this word [is used] to see whether the guards are asleep.
What is the meaning of "from the night"? It should have been written as a compound word (smikhut), similar to "wine of Lebanon" (Ezekiel 27:18) and "like good wine" (Song of Songs 7:10). [In those cases,] the name of the place is defective [in its spelling], and the Gaon said that [the phrase] "watchman of the night" means: watchman of what has passed of the night, watchman of what remains. And according to my opinion, it is like [the phrase] "in the night of the ravager, until Moab" (Isaiah 15:1), and the meaning is: in the night of such-and-such, [namely] of the week.
Radak
“The burden of Dumah.” Dumah is one of the sons of Ishmael, as it is written: “and Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa.” The prophet said: “To me one calls” — the voice of prophecy — that from Seir will come to them the one who lays waste to their land, and soon evil will come upon them, and they will set watchmen on the walls of the city. He says that people, out of great fear, will rise up and go around the city and ask the watchmen, “What of the night?” And he repeated the matter in the manner of those who ask.
“What of the night?” It comes by way of the construct form, and similarly we find: “He came to Hezekiah with a heavy army.”
Metzudat David
"Dumah." He is from the children of Ishmael, as it is written: "and Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa" (Genesis 25:14).
“Unto Me call from Seir.” The prophet said: “Unto Me call”—the voice of prophecy—because from Seir came the destroyer of their land.
“Watcher, what of the night?” This means: When the enemy approaches, they appoint watchmen in the city, and the inhabitants of the city rise and walk about in the city, asking the watchman, saying: “You who are the watchman, what happened during the night? Did the enemy come?”
"Watchman, what of the night?" The way of those who ask and are fearful is to repeat their words.
Malbim
A burden similar to the one concerning the downfall of Edom. In my opinion, this burden is based on the words of the prophet Obadiah: “If thieves came to you, and night robbers—how could you have been cut off?—yet Esau has been searched out; his hidden treasures have been uncovered.” And I explained in my commentary there that Edom went beyond the borders of his land to fight against the enemy, due to the deceit of counselors who plotted against him and incited him to do so. And while he was outside the borders of his land, his enemies entered his land, killed the children and the women, and plundered all his property. Therefore, the prophet there compares them to thieves and night robbers who enter stealthily and secretly, without the knowledge of the homeowner. And they plundered more than ordinary thieves, who take only what is left out in the open and cannot search for hidden treasures; but these searched even for concealed treasures, for they plundered both by day and by night. Hence it says there: “How Esau has been searched out! His hidden treasures have been uncovered!” In accordance with this, the poet here continues his discourse: the watchman whom they left to guard their land reports how people ask him, “What has happened there in Seir?” And he answers, “Why do you seek the enemy outside your country? Return to the country, for there you will find him.”
"Elī" (the Watcher mentioned in the subsequent verse is also connected to this verse): "The Watcher said to me: 'Call out from Seir; and they ask me: "What has happened during the night? What has come to pass on the terrible night of Seir?"'"
The watchman said: ‘The morning comes, and also the night— If you will inquire, inquire you; return, come.’
verse value 3005
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 38 letters. The shortest word is "said" (אָמַ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "if·you·inquire" (אִם־תִּבְעָי֥וּן, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·also·night" (וְגַם־לָ֑יְלָה), "if·you·inquire" (אִם־תִּבְעָי֥וּן), "seek·out" (בְּעָ֖יוּ). The root אתה appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "said" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah); "return" (root שוב, 51x in Isaiah); "comesed" (root אתה, 50x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root בעה ("if·you·inquire") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·also·night', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 4 words. Full calculation: אָמַ֣ר [said] (241) + שֹׁמֵ֔ר [keeping] (540) + אָתָ֥ה [comesed] (406) + בֹ֖קֶר [morning] (302) + וְגַם־לָ֑יְלָה [and·also·night] (124) + אִם־תִּבְעָי֥וּן [if·you·inquire] (579) + בְּעָ֖יוּ [seek·out] (88) + שֻׁ֥בוּ [return] (308) + אֵתָֽיוּ [come] (417) = 3005.
Rashi
The Holy One, blessed be He, said: "The watchman..."
It came in the morning. There is before Me to dawn, to make morning for you:
"And also the night." It is destined for Esau at the end of days.
"If you would seek, seek." If you seek your request to hasten the end:
“Return, O house of Jacob.” In repentance:
Ibn Ezra
The watchman said: “How many days and nights have passed, and you, the sons of Seir—of whom you are one—have not come to battle?”
If you seek them. From the Aramaic translation, and the lamed (the verb's third radical) is intact, for the yod takes the place of the he, just as in ‘be’u, like “and he said, ‘Send them’” (2 Kings 2:17): “If you seek to come, seek.”
"Return." To those who sent you, and come, all of you:
And the word "etayu (an Aramaic word meaning come)" comes as a foreign term, and it is possible that the aleph is vocalized with a qamats because it is a guttural letter.
And it is possible that the guardian will rule over the land, for many rulers are unable to endure hardships and will relinquish their place of dominion.
Radak
He said: "He answered them, 'Morning comes.' This means that the morning will come, but what good will it do you, for the night will also come after it, and you will need to keep watch once more out of fear of the enemy."
If you are inquiring about the matter of "be'io": If you were to ask, ask:
“Return, O Edom.” To ask, meaning: you will yet inquire about this, for you have no security from the enemy. And my father, of blessed memory, explained that the sons of Seir are destined to destroy Dumah, and the prophet calls out, “Watchman, and lookout,” and the prophet speaks as if the sons of Seir are calling to him and asking him, “What of the night?” meaning: what of the nights and days of Dumah? That is to say: has the time of their end arrived, so that we may go against them? And the prophet answers them: the days and nights have already been completed, and the morning of their defeat has come. Return now against them, and you will succeed. And Jonathan’s Targum translates it thus: “Because the curtain is rolled up,” etc. And in the words of my teachers z”l, in the book of Rabbi Meir, they found it written: “The burden of Dumah” is “the burden of Rome.”
“‘He calls to Me from Seir’” – Rabbi Yochanan said: “‘He calls to Me’ – because of the goat.”
The watchman, what of the night? They said to Isaiah our master: “Isaiah our master, what benefit comes to us from this night?” He said to them: “Wait for me until I inquire.” When he had inquired, he returned to them. They said to him: “The watchman, what of the night?”—the watchman of the worlds. He said to them: “Not as you are reasoning, but rather: morning for the righteous and night for the wicked; morning for Israel and night for the nations of the world.” They said to him: “When?” He said to them: “The time when you seek Him, He seeks you; if you seek Him, He seeks you.” And they say to them: “And what delays it?” He said to them: “Repentance — ‘return, come’ (shuvu etayu).”
Metzudat David
The watchman said. The watchman will answer and say: Even if morning comes and there is no fear of the enemy, yet the night will also come; and there is still a need to continue guarding against the fear of the enemy.
"If you seek to inquire into it. If you wish to ask to expound a question of this sort, return and come tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow, for in all the nights there is a need to keep watch, and you will be able to ask [your questions] in all of them."
Metzudat Zion
He came. The matter of "coming" is like "And He came from Myriad of Holiness" (Deuteronomy 33:2):
"תבעיון בעיו" – The matter is one of inquiry and searching. And similarly, our Sages of blessed memory state "He asked him," etc. And comparable to this is "his hidden treasures are searched out" (Obadiah 1:6), which denotes the sense of searching and seeking. Just as the word for "request" is used for both the inquiry of a question and the searching of a pursuit, so too the word "be'iyon" is used for both senses.
"Come. Come:"
Malbim
He said, "He answers them: Do not think that He came like a thief in the night and fled with the light of morning; but rather, the dawn has already come, and yet it is still night, darkness, and great distress, for the enemy still plunders and loots even by day. If you seek Him, seek Him, to your land, for there you will find Him." [Note: Our Sages of blessed memory interpreted this regarding the final exile of Edom (as you will see in Avot de-Rabbi Natan, Chapter 1; and in the Jerusalem Talmud, Taanit, Chapter 1; Rabbah, Shemot, Parashah 18 and 23; Nasso, Parashah 11; Shelach, Parashah 17). Rashi followed them in his commentary, and this is not far from the simple meaning, for after announcing the end of Babylon, He also announced the final end. According to this, one may interpret it according to their approach: Israel cries out to the Lord, "When will the night end?"—referring to this long period of exile. He answers them, "Has not the dawn already come?"—referring to the time of redemption—yet it is still night, because the matter depends on repentance. Or, it refers to the words of our Sages of blessed memory, that there are two times for redemption: if they merit it, it will be hastened; if they do not merit it, it will be at its appointed time. They maintain that it is unlikely that they will be redeemed except when the night ends and the turn for redemption arrives. He answers them: There is a possibility that the dawn will come even while it is still night; you can be redeemed even before the end of the exile period and before the arrival of the destined day. But if you seek this, return in repentance.]
The burden upon Arabia. In the thickets in Arabia shall you lodge, O you caravans of Dedanites.
verse value 2390
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 30 letters. The shortest word is "burden" (מַשָּׂ֖א, 3 letters) and the longest is "you·will·lodge" (תָּלִ֔ינוּ, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 274: upon·Arabia, in·Arabia. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "you·will·lodge" (תָּלִ֔ינוּ), "caravans·of" (אֹרְח֖וֹת), "Dedanites" (דְּדָנִֽים). The root ערב appears 2 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'upon·Arabia', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 5 words. Full calculation: מַשָּׂ֖א [burden] (341) + בַּעְרָ֑ב [upon·Arabia] (274) + בַּיַּ֤עַר [in·the·forest] (282) + בַּעְרַב֙ [in·Arabia] (274) + תָּלִ֔ינוּ [you·will·lodge] (496) + אֹרְח֖וֹת [caravans·of] (615) + דְּדָנִֽים [Dedanites] (108) = 2390.
Rashi
The burden concerning Arabia. Concerning the Arabians:
In the forest of Arabia you shall lodge. I saw what you did when Assyria exiled My people: they sought to send their captives to pass through your territory, since you are their kinsmen, perhaps you would show them mercy. Yet you went out and lodged in the forest along the route of the caravans.
The paths of the Dedanites. Sons of your uncle:
Ibn Ezra
“Burden upon Arabia.” Just as it says, “Kings of Arabia” (Jeremiah 25:24), [referring to the] tribes of Qedar, and similarly, “the forest of Arabia.”
"Dedanim." Just as it is written, "and Dedan" (Genesis 10:6), and the meaning is that their land is hot and dry, and it lacks water.
Radak
“Burden of Kedar.” This prophecy was spoken concerning Arabia, and they are the children of Kedar; and the letter bet in “be’Arav” serves in place of “al,” just as it is said, “Only the beast upon which I ride shall be given to him,” where “bo” is used in place of “alav.”
“Destroy in the evening, we shall lodge in the forests of the Dedanites.” This refers to the caravans of the sons of Dedan, who used to travel back and forth in the evening. He said: Now, in the desolation of the evening, we shall lodge in the forest, for you will not find tents to lodge there, since the tents of Kedar have been destroyed. And the Targum translates: “In the forest, in the thickets, you shall dwell.” He translated “in the evening” as “in the evening.”
Metzudat David
In the evening. On the word “evening,” and they are the sons of Kedar:
"Dwell in the forest, O inhabitants of Arabia, etc." You are the caravans of the sons of Dedan, who were accustomed to lodge in the tents of the people of Arabia; behold, now that their tents have been destroyed, you shall lodge in the forest that is in Arabia.
Metzudat Zion
“On the evening.” The bet is in the place of “upon,” as it is stated: “It shall be placed upon it” (Leviticus 24:3), and its law is that we hang it upon it. The word is from the root of “lodging” (linah).
"Archoth" (ways): caravans of travelers.
Malbim
“Burden in Arabia”: concerning the downfall of the sons of Kedar, he prophesied that they fell into the hands of Sennacherib in the forest which is in the desert. “We lodged there”: henceforth, you are the routes and caravans of the sons of Dedan, who traveled through the land of Kedar, and the sons of Kedar used to take in guests, as is the custom of the sons of the desert even to this day. And we lodged there: henceforth, when Kedar was destroyed, we lodged in the forest, with no place of dwelling.
To him that is thirsty bring you water! The inhabitants of the land of Tema did meet the fugitive with his bread.
verse value 2731
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 38 letters. Notable word values: "in·his·bread" (בְּלַחְמ֖וֹ) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "thirst" (צָמֵ֖א, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·meet" (לִקְרַ֥את, 5 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "bring" (הֵתָ֣יוּ), "Tema" (תֵּימָ֔א), "in·his·bread" (בְּלַחְמ֖וֹ). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "land" (root ארץ, 169x in Isaiah); "to·meet" (root קרא, 84x in Isaiah); "dwelling" (root ישב, 71x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'water', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 6 words. Full calculation: לִקְרַ֥את [to·meet] (731) + צָמֵ֖א [thirst] (131) + הֵתָ֣יוּ [bring] (421) + מָ֑יִם [water] (90) + יֹֽשְׁבֵי֙ [dwelling] (322) + אֶ֣רֶץ [land] (291) + תֵּימָ֔א [Tema] (451) + בְּלַחְמ֖וֹ [in·his·bread] (86) + קִדְּמ֥וּ [met] (150) + נֹדֵֽד [wanders] (58) = 2731.
Rashi
“Before the thirsty.” The proper way is to bring water, but you, inhabitants of the land of Tema, did not do so; rather, before their bread, you brought the wanderer various salty foods and inflated bladders filled with air. He would eat and seek to drink, and you would place the opening of the bladder into his mouth, and the air would enter his intestines, and he would die. A further interpretation: “Toward the thirsty bring (hetayu) water.” Not so did I do to your father: when he was thirsty, I revealed to him a well of water.
Ibn Ezra
And behold, the prophet will rebuke them, saying that they should perform kindness toward the travelers by giving them water to drink, just as Moab was rebuked (Deuteronomy 23:5).
“Before the thirsty” etc. The heh (in hetayu) stands in place of an aleph.
"Tema." Just as [the word] "chadad" and "teima" (Genesis 25:15):
“in his bread.” This refers back to “the thirsty,” and the meaning is that they did him a kindness, for his custom was to feed every stranger who came to him.
And the meaning of “they cut off” is that he and his men or companions were cut off.
Radak
“Towards the thirsty, the yod brings water.” The yod is like “atyo” (bring it), saying by way of parable that water will come towards the thirsty, for the children of Kedar will be exiles and wanderers in the desert, and they will not find water to drink. And the inhabitants of the land of Tema, when they find them as exiles and wanderers, must precede them with their bread.
Metzudat David
"Toward the thirsty." Toward evening, the thirsty one, in his going into exile, they brought him water to drink.
“Those who dwell, etc.” – You who dwell in the Land of Tiyma, each one should go forth with his bread to meet the traveler who departs from his place on the eve of his departure.
Metzudat Zion
Bring. They brought:
They preceded. They brought before them. And similarly, “those who did not precede” (Deuteronomy 23:5):
Malbim
“Towards” — you, inhabitants of the land of Tema, through whose land the refugees of Kedar, fleeing from the sword of the enemy, will pass, precede them with water. (And it is said, by way of expression, that in Tema water was readily available, for there was a valley and lowland where waters gathered, as it is stated: “Look to the ways of Tema” (Job 6:19); and therefore it is easy for you to bring water for these exiles.) As for their bread — were not the people of the land of Kedar always hospitable to guests, and did they not precede every traveler with bread and food? It is fitting that you at least precede them with water, which is cheap.
For they fled away from the swords, from the drawn sword, And from the bent bow, and from the grievousness of war.
verse value 3206
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 53 letters. Notable word values: "grievousness·of" (כֹּ֥בֶד) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "sword" (חֶ֣רֶב, 3 letters) and the longest is "for·from·faces·of" (כִּֽי־מִפְּנֵ֥י, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 210: for·from·faces·of, sword. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "drawn" (נְטוּשָׁ֗ה), "bent" (דְּרוּכָ֔ה). The root פנים appears 4 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for·from·faces·of" (root פנים, 88x in Isaiah); "bent" (root דרך, 57x in Isaiah); "swords" (root חרב, 44x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·retreated', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 9 words. Full calculation: כִּֽי־מִפְּנֵ֥י [for·from·faces·of] (210) + חֲרָב֖וֹת [swords] (616) + נָדָ֑דוּ [they·retreated] (64) + מִפְּנֵ֣י [from·face·of] (180) + חֶ֣רֶב [sword] (210) + נְטוּשָׁ֗ה [drawn] (370) + וּמִפְּנֵי֙ [and·from·face·of] (186) + קֶ֣שֶׁת [bow] (800) + דְּרוּכָ֔ה [bent] (235) + וּמִפְּנֵ֖י [and·from·face·of] (186) + כֹּ֥בֶד [grievousness·of] (26) + מִלְחָמָֽה [battle] (123) = 3206.
Rashi
"For because of desolation they wandered. My people:"
And a sword laid aside. It means a sword spread out across the land, as it is written (1 Samuel 30:16), "and they were scattered across the entire land" (ibid. 25), "and they were scattered in the Valley of Rephaim." Another interpretation: "laid aside" (netushah) is like "to be laid aside" (letushah). All letters whose points of articulation are close to one another can be interchanged with one another, such as the nun being interchanged with the lamed, as in the verse (Nehemiah 13:7), "to make for himself a chamber" (neshekh), which is like "chamber" (leshkah).
Ibn Ezra
"Ki." These are the nomads, and they are those who fled from the king of Assyria.
"Abandoned." Some say that the nun is in place of the lamed, but this is not correct; rather, it is like "and they were abandoned" (1 Samuel 30:15).
Radak
“For because of the sword.” And if you ask them, “Why do they wander?” [the answer is] because of the swords that have ravaged their land, because of a sword that has been unleashed and ravaged their land. Similarly, “and they fled from the sword” (in the phrase וינטשו בלחי) is like “they ravaged” (ויפשטו). And there are those who explain it as being like “to be unleashed” (לטושה). And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated it as “shelipa” [i.e., “to be drawn” or “to be unleashed”].
Metzudat David
"Because of, etc." This is as if to say: If you ask why they wandered from their place, I will answer that they wandered because of the destructions of the enemy.
A sword drawn. Which it extended into their land:
"A stretched bow." The meaning of "stretched" is that one steps with the foot upon the bow to draw it taut, in order to shoot far.
And the burden of war. The strength of war:
Metzudat Zion
"Swords." From the word "sword."
Natoshah. The matter of spreading out, like "and they spread out on the jawbone" (Judges 15):
Malbim
For, specifically, they did not leave their land of their own free will, but only because of the sword of the enemy, and the sword was laid upon the face of all their land until they could not stand, and moreover their might did not avail them, for they were skilled in warfare with the bow, for even the enemy came with a drawn bow, and nevertheless they did not flee immediately upon the commencement of the war, but only fled because of the heaviness of the war in which they fought with all their might; only the hand of their adversaries prevailed and his hand grew heavy upon them.
For thus has the Lord said to me: ‘Within a year, according to the years of a hireling, and all the glory of Kedar shall fail;
verse value 2196
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 42 letters. Verse gematria: 2196 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "said" (אָמַ֥ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "all·glory" (כׇּל־כְּב֥וֹד, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 82: within, all·glory. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "within" (בְּע֤וֹד), "all·glory" (כׇּל־כְּב֥וֹד). The root שנה appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "said" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah); "for·thus" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah); "to·me" (root אל, 95x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root קדר ("Kedar") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·me', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 7 words. Full calculation: כִּי־כֹ֛ה [for·thus] (55) + אָמַ֥ר [said] (241) + אֲדֹנָ֖י [my·lord] (65) + אֵלָ֑י [to·me] (41) + בְּע֤וֹד [within] (82) + שָׁנָה֙ [year] (355) + כִּשְׁנֵ֣י [as·years·of] (380) + שָׂכִ֔יר [hired] (530) + וְכָלָ֖ה [and·extermination] (61) + כׇּל־כְּב֥וֹד [all·glory] (82) + קֵדָֽר [Kedar] (304) = 2196.
Rashi
“Like the years of a hired worker.” I will be precise with it, to restrict the time, like a hired worker who is paid for two years, who is precise about the time of his yearly payment.
Ibn Ezra
"Ki." For this sin, that they did not show kindness, as is the meaning of "because of the matter that they did not meet you" (Deuteronomy 23:5):
"In another year." And all the glory of Kedar shall end. And this year is significant, for it is as long as two years of a hired worker.
Radak
For thus said the Lord: “In a year, as a year is counted” — referring to this prophecy that was spoken to me — “all the glory of Kedar shall come to an end.” It will be like the years of a hired worker, which are fixed and limited, and he is precise regarding his time to leave, as it says: “Like a servant longing for the shade, and like a hired worker who eagerly awaits his wages.” So too, this year will be limited.
Metzudat David
“Within a year.” At the time of the completion of the year from today:
"Like the years of a hired worker." This means: precise, like a hired worker who is meticulous about the years of his hire.
"Every honor is that of Kedar." The majority of the multitude of the people of the Arabs, the children of Kedar.
Metzudat Zion
"Honor." The matter is one of multiplication:
Malbim
Like two hired workers, who are confined, and all the honor of Kedar is exhausted in his large camp.
and the residue of the number of the archers, the mighty men of the children of Kedar, shall be diminished; for Hashem, the God of Israel, has spoken it.’
verse value 3258
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 45 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֥ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 3258 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֛י, 2 letters) and the longest is "God·of·Israel" (אֱלֹהֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל, 9 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "number·bow" (מִסְפַּר־קֶ֛שֶׁת), "sons·of·Kedar" (בְנֵֽי־קֵדָ֖ר), "shall·be·diminished" (יִמְעָ֑טוּ). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "for" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah); "has·spoken" (root דבר, 88x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'shall·be·diminished', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 4 words. Full calculation: וּשְׁאָ֧ר [and·rest·of] (507) + מִסְפַּר־קֶ֛שֶׁת [number·bow] (1180) + גִּבּוֹרֵ֥י [mighty·men·of] (221) + בְנֵֽי־קֵדָ֖ר [sons·of·Kedar] (366) + יִמְעָ֑טוּ [shall·be·diminished] (135) + כִּ֛י [for] (30) + יְהֹוָ֥ה [Hashem] (26) + אֱלֹהֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל [God·of·Israel] (587) + דִּבֵּֽר [has·spoken] (206) = 3258.
Rashi
And the remainder. The remnant:
“Bows of the mighty men of Kedar.” They are masters of the bow, just like their father, of whom it is stated (Genesis 21:20): “and he became an archer.”
Ibn Ezra
And the remainder: The meaning of “and the remainder” is as a sign, for the majority will be lost.
Radak
And the remnant of the bow. That which remains of them, the archers, will flee and become a mere handful.
They shall diminish. They shall go on and become fewer:
"For the Lord, the God of Israel, has spoken." This is because they did evil to Israel when the king of Assyria exiled them. Perhaps the sons of Kedar came with the king of Assyria and did evil to Israel at the time they were leading them into exile, or perhaps Israel passed through their land during their exile, and they did evil to them.
Metzudat David
And the remainder. The remnant of the great number of bowmen among the mighty men of the sons of Kedar will continue to decrease and diminish.
"For the Lord, etc." – He spoke, and it is in His power to fulfill it.
Malbim
And the rest, even the number of mighty men that the enemy will leave intentionally to be from his war, they too will be few, for thus the Lord has decreed upon them because they have done evil to Israel.
Rashi
Ibn Ezra
Radak
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim