The burden concerning the Valley of Vision. What ails you now, that you are wholly gone up to the housetops,
verse value 1671
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 33 letters. The shortest word is "burden" (מַשָּׂ֖א, 3 letters) and the longest is "that·you·went·up" (כִּי־עָלִ֥ית, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "that·you·went·up" (כִּי־עָלִ֥ית), "to·the·roofs" (לַגַּגּֽוֹת). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "all·of·you" (root כל, 93x in Isaiah); "what·to·you" (root הלך, 60x in Isaiah); "that·you·went·up" (root עלה, 49x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root גיא ("valley") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Vision', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 5 words. Full calculation: מַשָּׂ֖א [burden] (341) + גֵּ֣יא [valley] (14) + חִזָּי֑וֹן [Vision] (81) + מַה־לָּ֣ךְ [what·to·you] (95) + אֵפ֔וֹא [then] (88) + כִּי־עָלִ֥ית [that·you·went·up] (540) + כֻּלָּ֖ךְ [all·of·you] (70) + לַגַּגּֽוֹת [to·the·roofs] (442) = 1671.
Rashi
“Valley of Vision.” This is Jerusalem, the valley upon which the majority of prophecies were prophesied.
“Because you have ascended entirely to the rooftops.” When an army came upon them, they would ascend to their rooftops to observe the army and to fight. And our Rabbis explained it as referring to the priests who ascended to the roof of the Temple, with the keys of the Temple Court in their hands, as it is stated in the tractate Ta’anit. And the aggadic midrash says that they were arrogant, as it is stated in Eichah Rabbah.
Ibn Ezra
The burden of the valley of vision. Jerusalem, which is the place of prophecy.
Some say that the reason for “you went up to the roofs” was to offer incense to the queen of heaven. And according to my understanding, the reason for their ascent was to view the armies besieging Jerusalem, for such is the custom of the nations.
Radak
“The burden of the valley of vision.” This prophecy was spoken concerning Jerusalem, and it is called the “valley of vision” because it is the place of prophecy. And the reason it is called a “valley,” although it is a mountain, is to designate it for evil, because its inhabitants brought it low to their own detriment, and they turned it from a mountain into a valley; therefore, it is no longer fit to be called a mountain, but rather a valley.
“What is the matter with you, therefore, that you have gone up to the roofs?” It is the custom of the inhabitants of a city to ascend to the roofs and towers when their enemies come against them and enter the city by force; they go up to their roofs either to hide themselves there, or to fight against them with their lives if they are able. The prophet said this in opposition to Jerusalem: “What is the matter with you?” Were you not yesterday a city full of rejoicing, a bustling city? What is the matter with you now, that you have gathered into your houses and ascended to the roofs? Why did this happen? Because of your sin.
Metzudat David
“Gai chazon.” This is Jerusalem, which was the place of prophecy. And although it stood on a mountain, it is called “gai” (valley) to allude to its downfall, to say that its enemies humbled it due to its sins, and it was turned from a mountain into a valley.
What is your situation, then? What shall we do for you now that you have gone up to the roofs? For such is the custom: when a city comes under siege, people go up to the roofs to see how great is the multitude of the besieging army.
Metzudat Zion
Gai. Valley:
Vision. The matter of prophecy:
“Efo.” Like “now”; so too “do this now (efo), my son” (Proverbs 6:3):
"All of you." From the root of "all":
Malbim
“The burden of the valley of vision” — this prophecy was uttered concerning Jerusalem, which fell into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar. And it is called “the valley of vision” because upon this very valley all the seers beheld many visions. This “burden” extends until verse fifteen, “What more is there for you to do?” In this “burden,” the prophet first depicts how one man stands and observes all that takes place in Jerusalem from the beginning of the siege until the city is captured, seeing strange occurrences that indicate that it was not captured by natural means, but rather the hand of the Lord was in them to stagger and destroy them. First, he sees how at the beginning of the siege they all went up onto the roofs to fight from there, and he marvels at this, for it is the way of warriors to go out and fight at the gate, not to ascend onto the roofs; for this is done only by women and the weak. And therefore it says, “Why have you all gone up to the roofs?” — even the warriors.
You that are full of uproar, a tumultuous city, a joyous town? Your slain are not slain with the sword, nor dead in battle.
verse value 2993
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 51 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "slain·of·sword" (חַלְלֵי־חֶ֔רֶב, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "tumults" (תְּשֻׁא֣וֹת), "murmuring" (הֽוֹמִיָּ֔ה), "your·slain" (חֲלָלַ֙יִךְ֙). The root חלל appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 286x in Isaiah); "city" (root עיר, 43x in Isaiah); "dead·of" (root מות, 28x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root חלל ("your·slain") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'exultant', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: תְּשֻׁא֣וֹת [tumults] (1107) + מְלֵאָ֗ה [full] (76) + עִ֚יר [city] (280) + הֽוֹמִיָּ֔ה [murmuring] (66) + קִרְיָ֖ה [city] (315) + עַלִּיזָ֑ה [exultant] (122) + חֲלָלַ֙יִךְ֙ [your·slain] (98) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + חַלְלֵי־חֶ֔רֶב [slain·of·sword] (288) + וְלֹ֖א [and·not] (37) + מֵתֵ֥י [dead·of] (450) + מִלְחָמָֽה [battle] (123) = 2993.
Rashi
"Full of tumult." A city that was full of tumult, the voice of the multitude of people, their clamor and joy; now, what is with you that you mourn?
"Your slain are not slain by the sword." It would have been better for them if they had been slain by the sword, rather than as they are now, slain by famine.
Ibn Ezra
Teshuot. From the root sha'on [13:4]:
Alizah. Joy, and the meaning is that it was full of people, and they were captured in captivity and were dismayed, and could not fight.
Radak
"Teshuot maleh." The land, teshuot means the sound of the multitude of the city due to the great number of people within it; and likewise, "teshuot chen, chen" (Zechariah 4:7).
"Your slain are not slain by the sword." For they did not go outside the city to fight with their enemies; rather, they gathered into the city and died within it from famine. Thus, they are not slain by the sword, but slain by famine.
Metzudat David
“Tumults.” Until now you were filled with the din of men:
"A city of tumult." The matter is stated twice, as it says:
A joyful city. A metropolis filled with joy, in the abundance of governance and wealth:
"Your slain." Now, how has this come upon you, that your slain are not slain by the sword, but they died of famine, which is more severe than death by the sword?
Metzudat Zion
Teshuot. The meaning is a commotion, like the phrase "the shouting of the taskmaster" (Job 39:26).
A city. A large town, as it is written: “The city rejoices” (Proverbs 11:10).
Alizah. A matter of joy:
Malbim
“Tesho’ot” – He sees a second time, during the time of the siege, that the city is full of the dead of famine. He asks: Why did they not go out to war and die of famine? And if it were to happen that you could not stand in battle:
A. A city that is quiet by its nature, and whose people did not flee in this instance – this is what is meant by “Are you not Tesho’ot, full of tumult?” For it is heard in you constantly, tumult and noise, because your people are mighty in strength and fierce in spirit.
B. If it were to happen that you could not fight – a city whose people are few – this is what is meant by “Are you not a city of commotion, always bustling with a great multitude and large assembly?”
C. If it were to happen that the inhabitants of the open cities, who labor constantly to bring prey to their homes, and sigh constantly over their bread, and do not shout for joy at the sight of weapons, did not go out to war – this is what is meant by “Are you not a fortified city, surrounded by walls, gates, and bars, and joyful, always rejoicing in abundance of all things?” And such people – is war not their delight and joy? And therefore I ask you: Why are your slain not slain by the sword, etc.? For those who fall during war on the fields of battle are called the dead of war, and those who fall by the sword of the enemy in the city after its conquest are called the slain by the sword. But you did not fall in war, nor by the sword, but only by famine, because you did not fight at all.
All your rulers are fled together, Without the bow they are bound; All that are found of you are bound together, they are fled afar off.
verse value 2649
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 48 letters. Notable word values: "fled·together" (נָֽדְדוּ־יַ֖חַד) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "from·bow" (מִקֶּ֣שֶׁת, 4 letters) and the longest is "all·your·chiefs" (כׇּל־קְצִינַ֥יִךְ, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 267: they·were·tied, they·were·tied. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "all·your·chiefs" (כׇּל־קְצִינַ֥יִךְ), "fled·together" (נָֽדְדוּ־יַ֖חַד), "from·bow" (מִקֶּ֣שֶׁת). The root אסר appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "together" (root יחד, 34x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root אסר ("they·were·tied") in Isaiah. First appearance of the root ברח ("they·fled") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·were·tied', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 5 words. Full calculation: כׇּל־קְצִינַ֥יִךְ [all·your·chiefs] (330) + נָֽדְדוּ־יַ֖חַד [fled·together] (86) + מִקֶּ֣שֶׁת [from·bow] (840) + אֻסָּ֑רוּ [they·were·tied] (267) + כׇּל־נִמְצָאַ֙יִךְ֙ [all·found·in·you] (261) + אֻסְּר֣וּ [they·were·tied] (267) + יַחְדָּ֔ו [together] (28) + מֵרָח֖וֹק [from·afar] (354) + בָּרָֽחוּ [they·fled] (216) = 2649.
Rashi
"All your officers have fled together" — this refers to Zedekiah and his commanders, who went out to flee during the night.
“From the bow they bound them.” This refers to those who, out of fear of the archers shooting arrows from the bow, were confined and locked within the city, and all those found there were bound together with ropes; most of them had fled from afar beforehand.
Ibn Ezra
“From the bow.” They saw [the bow], and out of great fear, they surrendered themselves and bound themselves [to it].
"From afar they fled." Just as it says, "With a perfect heart" (I Chronicles 16:9):
Radak
"All your officers have wandered away."—Your officers and your leaders who wandered away and fled.
“From the bow they bound them.” This means that the arrows of the bow pursued them, overtook them, and bound them; namely, Zedekiah and his officers, who fled and went out from Jerusalem by night, and the Chaldeans pursued them and captured them.
"All your found ones." The interpretation is that all those found within the city are bound, and likewise those who fled from afar, thinking to escape, are also bound.
Metzudat David
"All your officers." Zedekiah and his commanders, who had fled together, were indeed captured by the archers. For when they fled through the cave, the Holy One, blessed be He, prepared a deer that ran over the cave from above, and the archers pursued it. When they arrived at the entrance of the cave, they found Zedekiah and his commanders coming out, and they seized and captured them.
"All your found ones." They bound together all the found ones as a whole.
“From afar they fled.” Those who fled to distant places, the enemy found them and captured them.
Metzudat Zion
Your officers. Your commanders, like the verse says, "You shall be to us as an officer" (above, 3:1).
Malbim
"All your officers" – one sees further how, at the end of the days of the siege, the princes and officers fled from the city, and only the common people remained to stand for their lives and to fight. This too is contrary to the usual order. In this, one sees further how the opposite of the usual occurred: the officers wandered together out of the city, but they were of no use at all, for they were bound with a bow, meaning that due to the multitude of bows, they were bound in fetters and taken captive before the besieger, as mentioned (1 Kings 25, Jeremiah 52). "All your renowned ones" – they, the masses, were bound together, meaning that they were tied in one bond to stand for their lives and to fight. And afterwards, when the hand of the enemy prevailed, they fled from afar.
Therefore said I: ‘Look away from me, I will weep bitterly; Strain not to comfort me, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.’
verse value 3424
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 45 letters. The shortest word is "look·away" (שְׁע֥וּ, 3 letters) and the longest is "do·not·press" (אַל־תָּאִ֣יצוּ, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "I·will·weep·bitterly" (אֲמָרֵ֣ר), "do·not·press" (אַל־תָּאִ֣יצוּ), "to·comfort·me" (לְנַֽחֲמֵ֔נִי). The root על appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "I·utteranced" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah); "therefore" (root על, 200x in Isaiah); "do·not·press" (root איל, 114x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root מרר ("I·will·weep·bitterly") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·weeping', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 4 words. Full calculation: עַל־כֵּ֥ן [therefore] (170) + אָמַ֛רְתִּי [I·utteranced] (651) + שְׁע֥וּ [look·away] (376) + מִנִּ֖י [from·me] (100) + אֲמָרֵ֣ר [I·will·weep·bitterly] (441) + בַּבֶּ֑כִי [in·the·weeping] (34) + אַל־תָּאִ֣יצוּ [do·not·press] (538) + לְנַֽחֲמֵ֔נִי [to·comfort·me] (188) + עַל־שֹׁ֖ד [for·destruction] (404) + בַּת־עַמִּֽי [daughter·of·my·people] (522) = 3424.
Rashi
"Leave me alone." Thus does the Holy One, Blessed be He, say to the ministering angels:
Ibn Ezra
On “and so forth.” These are the words of the prophet:
""Turn away from me." Let go of me, as it is written: 'Do not look away from me' (Job 7:19)."
“I will weep bitterly” — [that] those who hear [may join] in weeping.
Radak
Therefore I said. The words of the prophet were said in response to the comforters:
“Shavu mani.” That is to say, “Desist from me; do not comfort me, for I have embittered my soul with weeping, that I may weep.”
"Do not hasten to comfort me." He expressed the same idea in different words: "Do not press me to comfort me regarding the destruction of my people, for it is too great to be comforted."
Metzudat David
"Turn away from me. Cease from me, and do not comfort me."
"Amarer bevechi" (I will weep bitterly). I will embitter the hearts of those who hear, with an abundance of weeping.
"Do not hasten. Do not press me to comfort me concerning the oppression of My people, for it is too great to be comforted. This idea is repeated in what is stated: 'As one who mourns.'"
Metzudat Zion
She’u. The matter of prevention and removal, like “remove it from him” (Job 14):
From whom? From Me:
Amarer. From the word for bitterness (marirut):
Ta'itzu. A term of pressing [urgency], as in "I have not pressed (atzti)" (Jeremiah 17:16).
Robbery. Oppression:
Bat. The congregation:
Malbim
Therefore, since they were conquered in a manner contrary to the usual way, and their downfall was so great, I intensified my weeping. Although it is customary that through weeping the soul is calmed from its anger, yet I further intensified myself through weeping. And do not hasten or press yourselves to comfort me, for my soul refuses comfort.
For it is a day of trouble, and of trampling, and of perplexity, From the Lord, the God of hosts, in the Valley of Vision; Kir shouting, and Shoa at the mount.
verse value 2659
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 60 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִ֛ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·downtreading" (וּמְבוּסָ֜ה, 6 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "tumult" (מְהוּמָ֨ה), "and·confusion" (וּמְבוּכָ֗ה), "valley" (בְּגֵ֣י). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "for" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah); "day" (root יום, 124x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root קור ("tearing-down") in Isaiah. First appearance of the root שוע ("and·Shoa") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Vision', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 4 words. Full calculation: כִּ֣י [for] (30) + יוֹם֩ [day] (56) + מְהוּמָ֨ה [tumult] (96) + וּמְבוּסָ֜ה [and·downtreading] (119) + וּמְבוּכָ֗ה [and·confusion] (79) + לַֽאדֹנָ֧י [to·my·lord] (95) + יֱהֹוִ֛ה [Hashem] (26) + צְבָא֖וֹת [hosts] (499) + בְּגֵ֣י [valley] (15) + חִזָּי֑וֹן [Vision] (81) + מְקַרְקַ֥ר [tearing-down] (640) + קִ֖ר [wall] (300) + וְשׁ֥וֹעַ [and·Shoa] (382) + אֶל־הָהָֽר [to·the·mountain] (241) = 2659.
Rashi
"Umbasah." It means to trample, as it is written, "They have trodden down my vineyard" (Jeremiah 12:10), and as it is written, "As mighty men trample in the mire of the streets" (Zechariah 9:15).
“From the wall’s cooling.” The day of the wall’s cooling:
"and flee to the mountain." And the voice of a cry [is heard] for those fleeing to the mountains to escape.
Ibn Ezra
And confusion. From the root of “they were confused” (Exodus 14:3):
"makrakar." It means to overturn or demolish, and thus he overturned the wall, just as it is written, "and your root from the land of the living" (Psalms 52:7).
“V’sho’ah el ha’har.” Some say it is like “yish’u” [they will save] and there is no savior (2 Samuel 22:42), and some say that the salvation will reach the mountain.
Radak
"For it is a day of tumult." The meaning is "shattering," as in: "And He will confound them with great confusion."
Mevusah. The matter of trampling and defilement, like a corpse that is trampled down, being pounded like the mud of the streets.
Mevuchah. A matter of confusion, as it is said: “They are confused in the land” (Exodus 14:3).
"Whoever ransacks a wall" – he destroys the wall, just as "whoever uproots a root" uproots the root. The word "wall" is an added clarification, for it would have sufficed to say "ransacks," just as in "to war a war," "and it took root with its roots," and "they divined divinations." The meaning of "ransacks a wall" is that the Chaldeans demolished the walls of Jerusalem, as it is written, "and the city was breached," and it is also stated, "and they broke down the walls of Jerusalem."
“And cry out to the mountain.” Those who exit the city go and cry out from mountain to mountain and from hill to hill. And the Targum translates: “From the watchtowers that encircle the towers on the tops of the mountains.”
Metzudat David
"For the day... of the Lord... is prepared for the Lord to bring upon Jerusalem a day of tumult..."
"makrakar kir" – the enemy will demolish the walls of the fortifications.
"And he shall flee to the mountain." The enemy will cry out against it (to the Lord) concerning Mount Zion, and they will conquer it.
Metzudat Zion
What is the meaning of "commotion"? It refers to the matter of breaking, as it is stated: "And he broke the wheel of his cart" (below, 28).
Mevusasah. The matter of trampling and crushing, like the word “yebus” in “yebus tzareinu” (Psalms 60:14):
"ומבוכה" – the term denotes confusion, as in "they are confused in the land" (Exodus 14:3).
Miqra'ker. From the root of "khir" (wall) and "kotel" (wall), meaning that he demolishes the wall. And to add to the explanation, he said "khir" (wall). And similarly, "masa'ef parah" (above, 10):
And "sho'a" – its meaning is a cry, like "my cry" (Jonah 2:3).
Malbim
“For it is a day of tumult: prior to the conquest, they struck terror into them until they were delivered into the hands of the enemy and were trampled down; at the time the city was captured, they trampled upon their corpses; and confusion: after the enemy departed, they went confused to various lands into exile. And all of this was from the Lord of Hosts, and His decree was ‘Karkar’ (a term denoting the dismantling of walls), describing how they did not comprehend their warfare and did not know the conduct of war. For behold, when the enemy came, while the wall was still strong and breaches had not yet been made in it, then it was incumbent upon them to take the weapons of the Forest House and to fight from atop the wall. Yet they did the opposite: first, the enemy dismantled and uprooted the wall’s structure, and they did not stand against him, but rather fled to the mountain, turning for salvation to the mountain, to seek refuge on Mount Zion, and they left the enemy to destroy the wall.”
And Elam bore the quiver, with troops of men, even horsemen; And Kir uncovered the shield.
verse value 2476
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 34 letters. The shortest word is "lifted" (נָשָׂ֣א, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·Elam" (וְעֵילָם֙, 5 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·Elam" (וְעֵילָם֙), "quiver" (אַשְׁפָּ֔ה), "with·chariots" (בְּרֶ֥כֶב). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "lifted" (root נשא, 57x in Isaiah); "man" (root אדם, 30x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'horsemen', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְעֵילָם֙ [and·Elam] (156) + נָשָׂ֣א [lifted] (351) + אַשְׁפָּ֔ה [quiver] (386) + בְּרֶ֥כֶב [with·chariots] (224) + אָדָ֖ם [man] (45) + פָּרָשִׁ֑ים [horsemen] (630) + וְקִ֥יר [and·Kir] (316) + עֵרָ֖ה [uncovered] (275) + מָגֵֽן [shield] (93) = 2476.
Rashi
"He lifted up the quiver." Quivers of arrows. "Koyver" in the vernacular.
"And Kir uncovered the shield." The Targum renders: "and upon the wall they fixed shields." It is like "the plants (arot) upon the Nile" (above, 19:7), and "striking root (mit'areh) like a leafy native tree" (Psalms 37:35). And one may interpret "and Kir uncovered the shield": "Kir" is the name of a city, as in "and carried it away to Kir" (2 Kings 16:9); the people of that province uncovered their shields against Jerusalem.
Ibn Ezra
"U-Elam." This is the prophecy concerning the coming of Nebuchadnezzar. The meaning of "Elam" is: even Elam, over whom Nebuchadnezzar had gained mastery, will carry off the spoil and come against Jerusalem.
And “Qir.” Even if they are the lords of the land of Qir, as it is written, “and Aram from Qir” (Amos 9:7), He will reveal his shields against Israel in the surroundings of Jerusalem.
Radak
And Eilam. Explanation: The sons of Eilam.
“Take up the quiver.” [This refers to] arrows and bow, to fight for Jerusalem. And similarly, “Kir” is a city of the king of Assyria, as it is stated, “And he exiled him to Kir.” And similarly, the children of Kir bore shields, [when they came] to go to war against Jerusalem.
“Erarah.” It means something exposed, as in “he has uncovered her fountain” (Leviticus 20:18). And one could explain “kir” (wall) in its plain sense, as a wall, and “erarah” as something attached. Similarly, in the words of our Sages of blessed memory, “mixed with carcasses” (Yevamot 60b), meaning attached. And the meaning of the verse is: Elam bore the quiver to shoot arrows at Jerusalem, and likewise clung to the wall, meaning the defenders clung to the wall to undermine it from below and bring it down. And so Jonathan ben Uzziel translated: “And upon its towers they fastened shields.”
"In the chariots of men, horsemen." Jonathan ben Uzziel translated: "In the chariot of men, and with it a troop of horsemen."
Metzudat David
And Elam. The sons of Elam, who were from the kingdom of Media, also came to the aid of Babylon, carrying quivers full of arrows, and they came with chariots, each assigned to a single man, and upon them were mounted horsemen.
And Kir. The men of Kir bared the shields for war.
Metzudat Zion
Ashpah. It is the quiver for arrows, as it is said: "Upon it the quiver rattles" (Job 39:23).
Kir. A place name, as in "and he exiled them to Kir" (II Kings 15).
Ereh. The matter of uncovering is like its source, as it is stated in the verse: "Ereh" (Leviticus 20).
Shield. As in the sense of an iron garment made to be worn in battle to protect from the blow of a sword and spear.
Malbim
And Eilam: during this, the enemies had captured the wall, and Eilam carried to that place the quivers of arrows, which were so numerous that they had to be carried by chariots and horsemen carrying men; upon the chariots and wagons they carried the arrows to the place of the wall that they had captured — “and Kir.” This describes how Elam shoots arrows, while [the man of] Kir holds the shield and screens the archer, just as it is done with army commanders, whose youths hold the shield and the target in front of them, as it is stated (1 Samuel 17:41): "And the target-bearer went before him."
And it came to pass, when your choicest valleys were full of chariots, And the horsemen set themselves in array at the gate,
verse value 3447
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 37 letters. The shortest word is "seat of body" (שֹׁ֖ת, 2 letters) and the longest is "choicest·of·your·valleys" (מִבְחַר־עֲמָקַ֖יִךְ, 9 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "choicest·of·your·valleys" (מִבְחַר־עֲמָקַ֖יִךְ), "and·the·horsemen" (וְהַפָּ֣רָשִׁ֔ים), "they·have·set" (שָׁ֥תוּ). The root שית appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·was" (root היה, 213x in Isaiah); "they·filled" (root מלא, 28x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'chariots', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיְהִ֥י [and·it·was] (31) + מִבְחַר־עֲמָקַ֖יִךְ [choicest·of·your·valleys] (490) + מָ֣לְאוּ [they·filled] (77) + רָ֑כֶב [chariots] (222) + וְהַפָּ֣רָשִׁ֔ים [and·the·horsemen] (641) + שֹׁ֖ת [seat of body] (700) + שָׁ֥תוּ [they·have·set] (706) + הַשָּֽׁעְרָה [the·gate] (580) = 3447.
Rashi
"Shet shet ha-sha'arah" – [this is] a conjecture. They placed a siege upon the gates, and a similar case is found in Kings regarding the war of Ben-Hadad: "Set upon the city" (1 Kings 20:20).
Ibn Ezra
And it came to pass. The letter kaf in the word "your depths" refers to Jerusalem.
"Shot shatu" (they have set [siege]). The trench, the ramp, and the instruments of war.
Radak
“And it shall be the choicest of your valleys.” The verse is stated in contrast to Jerusalem: “The choicest of your land shall be filled with the chariots of the enemies.” And it says “your valleys,” because chariots do not go up the mountains, but rather in the valleys.
“They set, they set.” They set their faces toward the gates of Jerusalem to fight; and some explain it as “they fought.” Similarly, in the verse “And there He will fight against the pride of your waves,” it is rendered as “He will fight.” And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated [it as] “your depths, your camps.” And “they set, they set” [is explained as] “they poured out upon their gates.” And similarly, “And they set upon the city” means that the horsemen set their efforts and their battering rams to capture the city.
"They set, they set." They placed the siege engines at the gate.
Metzudat David
"The choicest of your valleys" – the choicest valleys were filled with chariots of men of war.
"Set, they set." They turned their faces toward the gates of Jerusalem to fight.
Metzudat Zion
"Shut, shetou." The meaning of "shimah" is like "they set upon me" (Psalms 3:8).
Malbim
"And it came to pass" means: Until now you have not paid attention to engaging in battle, until you saw that the choicest of your valleys were already filled with chariots, and the horsemen had already set their faces to enter the gate.
And the covering of Judah was laid bare, that you did look in that day to the armour in the house of the forest.
verse value 2270
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 38 letters. The shortest word is "covering" (מָסַ֣ךְ, 3 letters) and the longest is "Judah" (יְהוּדָ֑ה, 5 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·he·uncovered" (וַיְגַ֕ל), "and·looked·back" (וַתַּבֵּט֙), "to·armour" (אֶל־נֶ֖שֶׁק). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·the·day" (root יום, 124x in Isaiah); "to·armour" (root איל, 114x in Isaiah); "that" (root הוא, 98x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Judah', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 6 words.
Rashi
And he rolled. A term denoting uncovering:
“Masek Yehudah.” This refers to the Temple, which served as a shield, a protective covering, and a roof over them.
And she shall look on that day. Schemes to wage war against them:
"Let not the house of the forest be touched." They are the three hundred and two hundred shields that Solomon made, and the king placed them in the house of the forest of Lebanon (1 Kings 7:50).
Ibn Ezra
"And he uncovered." And already the veil of Judah was uncovered, and the reason is that they saw, upon the arrival of the enemy, that they had no strength to endure. And it is possible that the subject of "vayigal" is God.
And he looked. It refers back to Judah, who gazed at the weapons.
Radak
"And he uncovered the covering of Judah." The enemy uncovered the covering of Judah, for they had believed that they were sheltered, so that the evil of the enemy would not come upon them because of the Temple which was in their portion. And behold, the enemy came because of their sins and uncovered their covering.
“And you looked.” [The question arises:] Did he say this in reference to the people of Jerusalem, or in reference to the king? He said: When you saw the enemy coming against you, you looked toward the weapons of the House of the Forest of Lebanon, which Solomon had placed there as shields, and you set your eyes upon them in order to bring them to Jerusalem. This means that you prepared yourselves for war, and not for repentance and good deeds; namely, your hope was placed in the weapons and not in God, as it is said, “And you did not look to Him who made them.” And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated “the weapons of the House of the Forest” as “the arms of the storehouse of the Sanctuary.”
Metzudat David
"And he uncovered." The enemy uncovered the covering of Judah, for they had assumed that they would be sheltered from the evil of the enemy, since the Temple was in their inheritance. And the enemy came and uncovered the covering, meaning that the shelter of the Temple did not benefit them.
“Vetavat.” “Concerning Judah, it is said” means: When you saw that the enemy had come, you looked toward the weapons that were in the House of the Forest of Lebanon, where Solomon had placed shields and targets, as it is stated: “And King Solomon made two hundred large shields of beaten gold” and “three hundred shields of beaten gold” and “the king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon” (1 Kings 10:17). You set your eyes upon them to fight with them, as if to say: Prepare yourself for war, not for repentance.
Metzudat Zion
Masak. From the root of sakak, meaning to cover and to spread a covering.
Neshek. A weapon of war, as it is written: "And the fortified city, and the neshek" (II Kings 10).
Malbim
And also, He has already uncovered the veil of Judah, for the wall that overshadowed them has been breached, and you shall look. That is to say: only then, only on that day, did you begin to gaze at the weapons that the ancient kings had placed in the House of the Forest of Lebanon, where the armory (Zeughaus) of the kings of Judah was located. Yet you ought to have done this immediately, before the wall was breached!
And you saw the breaches of the city of David, that they were many; and you gathered together the waters of the lower pool.
verse value 3943
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 46 letters. The shortest word is "and·(object marker)" (וְאֵ֨ת, 3 letters) and the longest is "lower" (הַתַּחְתּוֹנָֽה, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "breaches·of" (בְּקִיעֵ֧י), "city·of·David" (עִיר־דָּוִ֛ד), "and·you·gathered" (וַֽתְּקַבְּצ֔וּ). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "you·have·seen" (root ראה, 83x in Isaiah); "city·of·David" (root עיר, 43x in Isaiah); "and·you·gathered" (root קבץ, 20x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'that·were·many', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְאֵ֨ת [and·(object marker)] (407) + בְּקִיעֵ֧י [breaches·of] (192) + עִיר־דָּוִ֛ד [city·of·David] (294) + רְאִיתֶ֖ם [you·have·seen] (651) + כִּי־רָ֑בּוּ [that·were·many] (238) + וַֽתְּקַבְּצ֔וּ [and·you·gathered] (604) + אֶת־מֵ֥י [the·waters·of] (451) + הַבְּרֵכָ֖ה [blessing] (232) + הַתַּחְתּוֹנָֽה [lower] (874) = 3943.
Rashi
“Bakei’ei Ir David.” “Bakei’ei ha-homa” – you have seen that they are numerous.
“And you shall gather the waters of the pool.” The Targum: “And they assembled the people to the waters of the lower pool,” which is located near the breaches of the City of David, to fight there, because you saw that there is a weakness in Jerusalem and it is easy to conquer from there.
Ibn Ezra
And they saw that the breaches in the City of David were numerous, and they were compelled to gather the waters of the pool to serve as a wall around the place.
Radak
“And you have seen the breaches of the City of David.” These are the gaps that existed in the walls of the City of David, which is Zion, and you have made preparations to repair these breaches:
“And you gathered the waters of the lower pool.” The waters of the pool that were scattering from it outward, you gathered them into it, so that the waters would be ready to be used to make mortar for building up the breaches. And a “pool” is a trench constructed with stones, into which rainwater collects.
Metzudat David
Have you seen the breaches in the City of David? That the breaches and cracks in the walls of Zion increased, making it easy to conquer from there.
"and you gathered." And to this end you gathered the scattered waters, so that they would be ready for kneading the clay to repair the breaches in the wall.
The lower one. For it was adjacent to the wall.
Metzudat Zion
The pool. It is a place built with stones and lime, and there the waters gather, like the channel of the pool (above, 7):
Malbim
"And you, since then you set your heart to the fact that there were many breaches in the wall, and you gathered the waters of blessing to be prepared waters for making mortar to repair the breaches."
And you numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and you broke down the houses to fortify the wall;
verse value 3930
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 36 letters. The shortest word is "to·fortify" (לְבַצֵּ֖ר, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·the·houses·of" (וְאֶת־בָּתֵּ֥י, 6 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·the·houses·of" (וְאֶת־בָּתֵּ֥י), "you·numbered" (סְפַרְתֶּ֑ם), "and·you·pulled·down" (וַתִּתְצוּ֙). The root בית appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·the·houses·of" (root בית, 67x in Isaiah); "Jerusalem" (root ירושלם, 42x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root ספר ("you·numbered") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'you·numbered', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְאֶת־בָּתֵּ֥י [and·the·houses·of] (819) + יְרוּשָׁלִַ֖ם [Jerusalem] (586) + סְפַרְתֶּ֑ם [you·numbered] (780) + וַתִּתְצוּ֙ [and·you·pulled·down] (902) + הַבָּ֣תִּ֔ים [the·houses] (457) + לְבַצֵּ֖ר [to·fortify] (322) + הַחוֹמָֽה [wall] (64) = 3930.
Rashi
"And you have counted the houses of Jerusalem." How many houses does each person have, so that they may contribute according to a calculation, in order to take the stones and the wood to fortify the wall?
“לבצר” – to fortify; this is the language of “fortified cities” (Numbers 12).
Ibn Ezra
"And the households." They needed to recount the households in order to know the number of men fit for war.
“And they shall cast out the houses.” [This refers to] those adjacent to the wall, on the outside.
Radak
“And your houses.” Behold, you prepared the water, and likewise you prepared the stones: you counted the houses, and whoever had an extra house, you demolished it to build up the breaches of the wall with those stones.
"ותתצו" (vattatzu). The tav of the root is weak, and its rule is to be dagesh-ed, because its root is נתץ (natats).
To fortify. Its meaning is to strengthen, as in the phrase “fortified cities.”
Metzudat David
“You counted.” You took [the materials] according to their value to destroy them, and to strengthen the wall with their stones.
Metzudat Zion
"ותתצו" – from the language of breaking and demolishing.
To fortify. The word is derived from the term *mivtzar* (fortress), and its meaning is to strengthen.
Malbim
"And you, you counted the houses of those who had extra houses, and you tore them down to strengthen the wall."
you made also a basin between the two walls for the water of the old pool— But you looked not to Him that had done this, Neither had you respect to Him that fashioned it long ago.
verse value 4480
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 63 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֥א, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·walls" (הַחֹ֣מֹתַ֔יִם, 6 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·a·basin" (וּמִקְוָ֣ה), "the·walls" (הַחֹ֣מֹתַ֔יִם), "old" (הַיְשָׁנָ֑ה). The root לא appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·not" (root לא, 286x in Isaiah); "you·have·done" (root עשה, 101x in Isaiah); "you·have·seen" (root ראה, 83x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'old', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 7 words. Full calculation: וּמִקְוָ֣ה [and·a·basin] (157) + עֲשִׂיתֶ֗ם [you·have·done] (820) + בֵּ֚ין [between] (62) + הַחֹ֣מֹתַ֔יִם [the·walls] (503) + לְמֵ֖י [to·water·of] (80) + הַבְּרֵכָ֣ה [blessing] (232) + הַיְשָׁנָ֑ה [old] (370) + וְלֹ֤א [and·not] (37) + הִבַּטְתֶּם֙ [you·looked] (456) + אֶל־עֹשֶׂ֔יהָ [to·its·maker] (416) + וְיֹצְרָ֥הּ [and·its·fashioner] (311) + מֵרָח֖וֹק [from·afar] (354) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + רְאִיתֶֽם [you·have·seen] (651) = 4480.
Rashi
"And you shall make a mikveh." A pool of water to serve as a source of strength for the city.
"Between the walls." The walls were double: a rampart and a wall, and between them was the waters of the old pool.
“And you did not look to Him who made you.” If you were to say that Hezekiah also acted in this manner, as it is stated (2 Chronicles 32:5): “And he strengthened himself, and built up all the wall that was broken, and raised it up to the towers, and another wall outside thereof, and strengthened Millo in the city of David,” yet Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel, etc. (2 Kings 18:5). But you, in the days of Jehoiakim and Zedekiah, did not look to Him who made you.
"And He formed it from afar." From the time that He created the world, Jerusalem and the Temple were already in His thought.
Have you not seen? Have you not understood?
Ibn Ezra
And mikveh. Like "mikveh of waters" (Leviticus 11:36):
"And you did not look to Him who made them." This refers to the Name, for He is the One who enacted this decree to bring Nebuchadnezzar.
And He formed it. The meaning is according to the decree:
It is possible that the phrase “from afar” is connected with the word “and it was formed,” and it is also possible that it is connected with the phrase “Have you not seen?”
Radak
“And a reservoir (u-mikvah).” With a qamats, on the pattern of “mesharet.” "You have also made preparations for water between the two walls, near the waters of the old pool; you made there a trench so that rainwater would gather in it. All these preparations you made because of the enemy, in order to save Jerusalem from his hand."
"And you did not look to its Maker." You did not look to the Creator who made it, who maintained it until now, and who protected it from the hand of the enemy. You did not look to return to Him and to walk in His ways, for He was the one who would save you, if you had returned to Him, more than all the preparations that you had made.
“And He who formed it from afar, have you not seen?”—Who formed Jerusalem long ago and from afar, to cause His Divine Presence to rest therein, and chose it from among all the lands; have you not seen Him return to it? And according to the interpretation: “And He who formed them from afar, have you not seen?”—this refers to the One who created it before the world was created, as our Sages of blessed memory said: “Seven things were created before the world was created, and these are they: the Garden of Eden, the Torah, the righteous, Israel, the Throne of Glory, Jerusalem, and the Messiah, son of David.” And the meaning of this interpretation is not as the multitude of students understand it, but rather that they stood in the power of being created before the world was created, because these things are the ultimate purpose of the creation of the world.
Metzudat David
"And a reservoir." You made a trench to collect water between the double walls, so that it would draw to the waters of the old pool, to strengthen the city against the enemy.
"And you did not look." This means: Indeed, you made human preparations, but you did not look to the Lord, who has done and established it until now, for you did not seek help from Him.
And He formed it. The One who formed Jerusalem long ago to be a dwelling place for Him—you did not consider turning back to Him in repentance.
Metzudat Zion
And mikveh. A place where waters gather, as it is written: "And the gathering together of the waters" (Genesis 1:10).
The one that is old. That which was made long ago:
And He formed it. The matter of creation:
Malbim
And the mikveh, and between the two walls that surround the city, you gathered the waters of the old pool to store the water there, so that the enemy would not find water to drink or have it ready for a siege.
"And you did not look" – He says: Why do you need all this toil and these labors? You should have looked with intellectual contemplation, for it was not the enemy who did all this, but rather the Lord did all this, and He caused you to fall before your enemies. Moreover, not only did you not take to heart that all the deeds of the enemy and his victory are not natural, but rather the works of the Lord; you also did not see that He devised it from afar. Was it not incumbent upon you to see with your own eyes that the Lord devised this decree from afar? For the prophets had already prophesied this to you beforehand, and you saw that not a word of theirs fell to the ground. You should have returned to the Lord to annul His decree, but you turned your faces toward war strategies. And what good will they do you, if the Lord has said, "It shall be"?
And in that day did the Lord, the God of hosts, call To weeping, and to lamentation, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth;
verse value 2260
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 49 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִ֛ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "sackcloth" (שָֽׂק, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·to·wailing" (וּלְמִסְפֵּ֔ד, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·to·wailing" (וּלְמִסְפֵּ֔ד), "and·to·baldness" (וּלְקׇרְחָ֖ה), "and·to·gird" (וְלַחֲגֹ֥ר). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "in·the·day" (root יום, 124x in Isaiah); "that" (root הוא, 98x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'that', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיִּקְרָ֗א [and·called] (317) + אֲדֹנָ֧י [my·lord] (65) + יֱהֹוִ֛ה [Hashem] (26) + צְבָא֖וֹת [hosts] (499) + בַּיּ֣וֹם [in·the·day] (58) + הַה֑וּא [that] (17) + לִבְכִי֙ [to·weeping] (62) + וּלְמִסְפֵּ֔ד [and·to·wailing] (220) + וּלְקׇרְחָ֖ה [and·to·baldness] (349) + וְלַחֲגֹ֥ר [and·to·gird] (247) + שָֽׂק [sackcloth] (400) = 2260.
Ibn Ezra
"And He called." It is a metonymy for decree, and the correct view is that the reading refers to the prophecy of the prophets:
Radak
And He called. The Lord proclaimed this prophecy through the prophets before the calamity occurred, so that they would weep and lament, shave their heads, and gird themselves with sackcloth, and return in complete repentance before God, blessed be He, and He would relent from the evil. But they did not do so; rather, behold, there was mirth and joy.
Metzudat David
The Lord called: Through the prophet, before the coming of the calamity, the Lord called to warn the people, so that they would mourn, weep, and shave their heads, in order to return from their sins.
Metzudat Zion
And regarding "a bald spot": The matter of the hair being plucked out from its place leaves a bald spot behind. Similarly, it states, "And if a man loses the hair of his head, he is bald" (Leviticus 13:40).
Malbim
"And He called": Did not the Lord call forth this prophecy through the prophets before its arrival, so that they would weep and lament and return before the Lord, and He would be comforted concerning the evil? And they did not do so, only...
And behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen and killing sheep, eating flesh and drinking wine— 'Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we shall die!’
verse value 5333
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 57 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·joy" (וְשִׂמְחָ֗ה, 5 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·killing" (וְשָׁחֹ֣ט), "flock" (צֹ֔אן), "eat" (אָכֹ֥ל). The root אכל appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah); "eat" (root אכל, 55x in Isaiah); "we·will·die" (root מות, 28x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root שחט ("and·killing") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'wine', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 5 words.
Rashi
And behold, joy and gladness. Before the Holy One, blessed be He, as it were, there is mourning — and you eat and rejoice.
"For tomorrow we shall die." In the World-to-Come, the prophets declare to us on behalf of the Holy One, Blessed be He, that we shall have no portion in the World-to-Come; therefore, let us derive pleasure for ourselves in this life.
Ibn Ezra
"And behold, etc." Execution is the exit of the soul, and the opposite of this is: "and He will slaughter them in the wilderness" (Numbers 14:15).
"Eat and drink." The prophet speaks of what they will say:
Radak
And behold, joy and gladness. They did not grieve nor fear the words of God, but rather mocked and rejoiced, saying: "Since our end is death, let us now make merry and rejoice, slaughter oxen and sheep, eat meat, and drink wine, for tomorrow we shall die; let us rejoice while we are still alive." All of this was in mockery and derision of the words of God, and this is the desecration of God’s Name.
Metzudat David
And behold, there was joy and gladness. But they did not do so, for behold, before them there was joy and gladness.
"Kill the cattle." This refers to those who slaughtered beasts, ate meat, and drank wine, and said to one another in a manner of mockery: "Let us eat and drink while we are still alive, for tomorrow we shall die by the hand of the enemy. And if not now, when?"
Metzudat Zion
"Kill." The matter of slaughter, and he spoke in a language of contempt:
Malbim
And behold, joy and gladness, the slaughter of cattle to eat flesh, and they say, “Eat and drink, for tomorrow we shall die,” and it is good that we at least indulge ourselves today.
And Hashem of hosts revealed Himself in mine ears: Surely this iniquity shall not be expiated by you till you die, Says the Lord, the God of hosts.
verse value 3079
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 58 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֣ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "this" (הַזֶּ֤ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "until·you·die" (עַד־תְּמֻת֔וּן, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 499: hosts, hosts. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "if·it·be·expiated" (אִם־יְ֠כֻפַּ֠ר), "until·you·die" (עַד־תְּמֻת֔וּן). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "said" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah); "hosts" (root צבא, 73x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'hosts', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 9 words. Full calculation: וְנִגְלָ֥ה [and·He·revealed·Himself] (94) + בְאׇזְנָ֖י [in·my·ears] (70) + יְהֹוָ֣ה [Hashem] (26) + צְבָא֑וֹת [hosts] (499) + אִם־יְ֠כֻפַּ֠ר [if·it·be·expiated] (351) + הֶעָוֺ֨ן [perversity] (131) + הַזֶּ֤ה [this] (17) + לָכֶם֙ [to·you] (90) + עַד־תְּמֻת֔וּן [until·you·die] (970) + אָמַ֛ר [said] (241) + אֲדֹנָ֥י [my·lord] (65) + יֱהֹוִ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + צְבָאֽוֹת [hosts] (499) = 3079.
Rashi
“Until you die.” The Targum: “The second death, in the World to Come.”
Ibn Ezra
“And He revealed Himself.” This refers to the matter, and the word “I” is omitted, just as in “I will make Myself known to him in a vision” (Numbers 12:6). And some say that these are the words of the prophet. The first opinion is the correct one.
"Until you perish." By the hand of the enemy who distresses you.
Radak
And it is revealed. What they say is revealed in My ears and known before Me, I am the Lord of Hosts; therefore, I swear:
"If this sin of yours will be atoned for, until you die." For this sin is more severe than the sins that preceded you, and this sin will not be atoned for through exile, but only until you die. However, the death by sword that you will die, that will atone for you. And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated "until you die" as "death of the second kind," meaning the death of the soul in the World to Come. And he translated "and it was revealed in the ears of the prophet" as "I was hearing in my ears when this was decreed from before the Lord." And our Sages of blessed memory said: Anyone who has committed desecration of the Divine Name in his hand, repentance has no power to suspend [the punishment], nor does Yom Kippur to atone, nor do afflictions to purify; rather, all of them suspend [the punishment], and death purifies. As it is stated: "If this sin of yours will be atoned for, until you die."
Metzudat David
"And it was revealed to the ears of the Lord of Hosts." This is the prophet's statement in the name of the Lord, who said, "Behold, your words have been revealed to My ears, I am the Lord of Hosts"; yet the word "I" is omitted.
"If atonement be made for it." This means: Therefore, I swear that this sin will not be atoned for you in exile, but rather until you die by the sword.
Malbim
"Thus says the Lord of Hosts: The Lord has sworn by His great Name that He will not pardon them this, until they die." (And there are those who read: "until you perish," like "forever," meaning: you will die the death of eternal punishment, even in the World to Come.)
Thus says the Lord, the God of hosts: Go, get you to this steward, even to Shebna, who is over the house:
verse value 2563
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 46 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "thus" (כֹּ֥ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·the·steward" (אֶל־הַסֹּכֵ֣ן, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "go·come" (לֶךְ־בֹּא֙), "to·the·steward" (אֶל־הַסֹּכֵ֣ן), "to·Shebna" (עַל־שֶׁבְנָ֖א). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "said" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah); "who" (root אשר, 176x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root שבנא ("to·Shebna") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'hosts', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 6 words. Full calculation: כֹּ֥ה [thus] (25) + אָמַ֛ר [said] (241) + אֲדֹנָ֥י [my·lord] (65) + יֱהֹוִ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + צְבָא֑וֹת [hosts] (499) + לֶךְ־בֹּא֙ [go·come] (53) + אֶל־הַסֹּכֵ֣ן [to·the·steward] (166) + הַזֶּ֔ה [this] (17) + עַל־שֶׁבְנָ֖א [to·Shebna] (453) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [who] (501) + עַל־הַבָּֽיִת [over·the·house] (517) = 2563.
Rashi
The agent. He was a man of pleasures, and likewise (there it says, Leviticus Rabbah 1:1) “and she became his attendant.” And another interpretation says: He was from the house of Skenei, and he came to Jerusalem, as stated in Leviticus Rabbah.
“Who is over the house.” He was appointed over the Temple. Some say the High Priest, and some say the Amrachel.
Ibn Ezra
"Behold, etc." And the meaning of "the Lord of Hosts" is because of the steward, for He is appointed over the royal house, as if He were an official in charge of the treasure that is stored there.
The word "sakken" (to store) is similar to the phrase "cities of storage" (Exodus 1:11), akin to the word "treasuries."
And the meaning of "upon" is that he would prophesy concerning him and say to him:
Radak
Thus says the Lord. Ha-sokhen, meaning the treasurer who gathered provisions from the store-cities for Pharaoh; and so did Jonathan render it as "governor." Shavna was an official and treasurer in the house of King Hezekiah, and he inclined his heart toward the king of Assyria to hand over the city to him, and he conspired with some of the men of the city. And concerning him it is said: "And do not say, 'A conspiracy,' to all who say of this people, 'A conspiracy,' as we have explained in its place."
“Al shevna.” Just as “el shevna,” and similarly “vattitpallel al Hashem” is like “el Hashem.”
"And he who is over the house." This means that he is appointed over the king's house.
Metzudat David
To the agent. To the one in charge of the treasury, and he returned and explained: "Shebna, who is an officer in the king's house."
Metzudat Zion
The agent. He is appointed over the treasuries, like the store cities (Exodus 1:11).
Concerning Shebna. To Shebna:
Malbim
"Thus": From here until the end of the chapter, a different prophecy begins concerning Shebna, who rebelled against the kingdom of Hezekiah and conspired to rebel against his master and go out to Sennacherib at the time he besieged Jerusalem.
What have you here, and whom have you here, that you have hewed you out here a sepulchre, You that hew you out a sepulchre on high, And grave a habitation for thyself in the rock?
verse value 2868
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 52 letters. Notable word values: "for·him" (לֽוֹ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "here" (פֹה֙, 2 letters) and the longest is "that·you·hewed" (כִּֽי־חָצַ֧בְתָּ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 85: here, here, here. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "that·you·hewed" (כִּֽי־חָצַ֧בְתָּ), "grave" (קָ֑בֶר), "digging" (חֹצְבִ֤י). The root פה appears 3 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "what·to·you" (root הלך, 60x in Isaiah); "to·you" (root לך, 33x in Isaiah); "and·who" (root מי, 32x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root מרום ("on·high") in Isaiah. First appearance of the root משכן ("tabernacle") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'grave', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 7 words.
Rashi
"What are you doing here?" The verse censures him because he sought to hand over Hezekiah to the king of Assyria, as we say in Sanhedrin: "He wrote a letter and shot it with an arrow." Shebna and his faction made peace [with the Assyrians], whereas Hezekiah and his faction did not make peace.
"And who is there for you here?"—Who, from your family, is buried here?
“Chitzbei marom kvaro” – He hewed for himself a tomb among the tombs of the House of David, to be buried among the kings; therefore it says to him: “What inheritance is yours in these tombs?”
"Chitzvei chakkai." The yud is extra, like "shokhnei sinah" (Deuteronomy 33:16) and "mekimei me'afar dal" (Psalms 113:7).
Ibn Ezra
"What do you have to sit here, and who do you have here from your family who can help you?"
For you have hewn for yourself a tomb here. Like "cutting," as in "and hewn cisterns" (Deuteronomy 6:11), and the meaning is that you should think in your heart that you will always dwell there, and in Jerusalem you will die, and you have already prepared for yourself a tomb there. And the one who interprets "tomb" as "palace" is not correct, and the proof is: "there you will die."
Radak
“What have you to do here?” — As if he had said to him, “What have you to do here?” For he had already told him, “Go, come to this agent.” And so did Jonathan translate: “And you said to him, ‘What have you to do here?’” It appears that Shebna was not among the inhabitants of Jerusalem, but had come to dwell there and had become an official in the king’s house. And according to the midrash, he was from a city whose name was Sukhneh; therefore he was called “the agent.” He came to Jerusalem, and since he was not a resident of the city, his heart was lifted up to conspire to hand over the city to the king of Assyria. Therefore he said to him, “What have you to do here? What business do you have in this city, which is not your native land?” And “Who have you here?” — meaning, “Do you have any brother or relative in the city that you are doing such things in the city?”
“For you have dug for yourself a tomb here.” You imagine in your own mind that you have dug for yourself a tomb here, such that you are confident that you will die here. It will not be so; rather, behold, the Lord will move you.
“He hewed out of the height his sepulcher.” You, however, are like one who hews a tomb in a high place, so that he will not fear that they will lower it from there; and just as you carved your dwelling in the rock, you trust that you will be forever in this city, in the authority in which you are today, so that no person will remove you from it. Therefore, you made a pact with the king of Assyria. This will not be so, for another will come after you who will remove you from your authority, as it says, “And I will call to My servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah.” And the Targum [translates]: “He hewed out his sepulcher in his place.” And our Sages of blessed memory explained: “He hewed out of the height his sepulcher” means that he hewed for himself a tomb among the tombs of the House of David. Therefore, it says, “What have you here? And who is here for you? Who is buried here from the families of your fathers?” And the yod in “hewed” [chitzavi] is an added letter to the verb, like the yod in “those who sit” [ha-yoshevi] in “those who sit in the heavens,” and it is a style of elegance.
Metzudat David
“What are you doing here?” – As if he said, “And you said to him, ‘What are you doing here?’” And since he had plotted to hand over Jerusalem into the hands of Sennacherib, it was said to him, “What do you have to do with this city, to hand it over into the hands of Sennacherib?”
"And who do you have here?" This means: Do you have here a family among the prominent ones of the city, to do such a thing?
“Because you have hewn for yourself a tomb here.” This means: You imagine in your heart that you have hewn for yourself a tomb here, as though you were to die and be buried here, like one of the prominent men of the city; and it is on account of this that your heart has been lifted up to speak thus.
“Chitzvei merom kvaro” – You are like one who hews his tomb in a high place, so that he need not fear that they will lower him from there; and like one who carves out a dwelling place in the rock, which serves as a refuge for him. That is to say: You think that you will remain forever in this city, in the authority you hold today, and that no one will remove you from it. Therefore, your heart is filled with the desire to hand over the city into the hands of Sennacherib.
Metzudat Zion
Here. It is like "here":
Chatzevet. Digging in stones is called by the term "chatzivah" (quarrying).
Marom. From the language of "ram" and "gova" (height and elevation):
Malbim
"What is this to you, that Shebna was a stranger from another city? Therefore, he asks him: 'Do you have here an inheritance of field and house, the estate of your fathers, or do you have here anyone from the family of your father’s house, whom you would consider burying here?' This means: Do you think that you will remain here for a long time? 'My hewn rock'—that is to say, I say to you, you wicked one, who hews out your tomb from the height, etc.—know that behold, the Lord will remove you, etc. 'My hewn rock': Their custom was to hew out a large cave for a burial estate, and within the cave he would place the niche and the coffin in which the buried body was laid. And Sennacherib hewed out his tomb on a high and steep mountain, for honor and glory; there he hewed out a cave, and within the cave he placed a rock in which the coffin and niche were carved, to serve as a dwelling for him. And this is a figurative expression for his desire to rule in Jerusalem in place of the House of David."
Behold, Hashem will hurl you up and down with a man’s throw; indeed, He will wind you round and round;
verse value 701
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 28 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "they" (הִנֵּ֤ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "is·hurling·you" (מְטַלְטֶלְךָ֔, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "is·hurling·you" (מְטַלְטֶלְךָ֔), "a hurling" (טַלְטֵלָ֖ה), "of·a·man" (גָּ֑בֶר). The root עטה appears 2 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "they" (root הן, 86x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root עטה ("and·winds·you") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'of·a·man', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 2 words. Full calculation: הִנֵּ֤ה [they] (60) + יְהֹוָה֙ [Hashem] (26) + מְטַלְטֶלְךָ֔ [is·hurling·you] (138) + טַלְטֵלָ֖ה [a hurling] (83) + גָּ֑בֶר [of·a·man] (205) + וְעֹטְךָ֖ [and·winds·you] (105) + עָטֹֽה [wind] (84) = 701.
Rashi
He moved it, a man. Like this rooster that moves from place to place, and our Sages of blessed memory said: The moving of a man is more difficult than that of a woman.
“Your sword shall be sheathed” – like “and he girded them” (1 Samuel 25:14), the language of “sheathing.” “I will scatter you” – like a bird in exile. And our Sages said: “A leprosy broke out upon him,” as it is stated: “it shall spread on his skin” (Leviticus 13:45).
Ibn Ezra
"Behold, the Lord is hurling you." This is a double expression, derived from "and they threw the vessels" (Jonah 1:5):
"Move it." You might think that you are a hero, in accordance with the interpretation of "and you shall be a man" (1 Kings 2:2), but behold, it is like the sound of a cry or a moving, as in the moving of a strong man, and the first [interpretation] is closer to me.
Radak
“Behold, the Lord is moving you with a mighty moving.” My master and father, of blessed memory, explained that this refers to a great moving and honor, and that “mighty” is an adjective describing the moving, while the final heh in “moving” is an added letter and does not indicate the feminine gender. Our Sages of blessed memory, however, explained it as “the moving of a man,” and they stated that “the moving of a man is more severe than that of a woman.” This is because a woman will find more mercy in her exile than a man; that is to say, she will be exiled to a place where she will find mercy. Similarly, the Targum translates it as “the moving of a man.” And according to my opinion, the word “mighty” is a term of address, meaning: “You, mighty one, behold the Lord is moving you with a mighty moving.” He is called “mighty” because he was arrogant and boastful. And in the aggadic interpretation, “mighty moving” is likened to a rooster that is moved from place to place.
"And He will wrap you." As it says, "He will surely wind you round and round like a ball" — just as a person wraps himself in a garment, and binds it and wraps it like a ball and throws it to a distant place. And there are those who interpret it as referring to an eagle, meaning He will scatter you, but this is not from its root. And in the words of our Sages of blessed memory, "He will wrap you" teaches that leprosy broke out in him, like "it will wrap itself on his beard." And the Targum translates, "And He will cover you with shame," meaning He will cover you with disgrace, like a person who is ashamed and covers his face.
Metzudat David
"Behold, the Lord is moving you." This means: It will not be as you thought; rather, the Lord will move and exile you from here.
A mighty shaking. A great and forceful lifting:
"And He shall cover you." He shall scatter you like a bird in exile.
Metzudat Zion
"Man." That is to say, great and strong.
"And his sword was in its sheath." The meaning of "flying" and "swooping" is like "and they rushed upon the spoil" (1 Samuel 14).
Malbim
Behold, the Lord, the Lord will take and lift you up into the air, you the man, and He will make you like an eagle, a bird that flies in the air; and this is an allusion to his departure from Jerusalem to the camp of Sennacherib.
He will violently roll and toss you like a ball into a large country; there shall you die, and there shall be the chariots of your glory, You shame of the lord’s house.
verse value 4872
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 64 letters. The shortest word is "name" (שָׁ֣מָּה, 3 letters) and the longest is "chariots·of" (מַרְכְּב֣וֹת, 6 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "roll" (צָנ֤וֹף), "will·wrap·you" (יִצְנׇפְךָ֙), "winding" (צְנֵפָ֔ה). The root צנף appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·land" (root איל, 114x in Isaiah); "name" (root שם, 83x in Isaiah); "hand" (root יד, 79x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'hand', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 8 words.
Rashi
"Tsanoof yitzanofekha" – Just as a turban (mitznefet) encircles the head, so too will your enemies and tormentors surround you.
“Kaddur.” Like a wall (shur) encompassed; and our Sages explained it as the term “ball (kaddur),” which they call “pelote” in Old French, which is thrown and caught from hand to hand.
“Unto a land of broad hands.” Kisifya is the name of the place.
There she shall die. And she shall not be buried in the tombs of the House of David. And there shall your chariots of glory be turned into disgrace for the house of your master, which you sought.
Ibn Ezra
Tzenuf. From the root of mitznefet (Exodus 28:4), that they should take him with all his wealth and all his honor:
The letter kaf is written in the form of a circle to resemble a wheel, and this terminology is well-known from the words of our Sages of blessed memory, as well as from the context of the passage.
"A land of spacious room": This is Babylonia.
"Chariots of Your glory..." The meaning is that there he shall die, he and all your chariots, for you are a disgrace to the house of your master, or it shall then be so. The most likely explanation is that this occurred during the exile of Yehoyakim or Yehoyachin, on account of the verse: "And I will call to My servant and clothe him with your tunic."
Radak
Tzenuf. The word tzenuf derives from the root tzanef, a noun, and its meaning is as we have already explained.
“And He will wrap you, a wrapping.” Just as a person wraps the turban and casts it to a distant place, so too it says, “like a ball to a land of broad expanse.” Just as a person throws a ball into a land of broad expanse where there is no fence or anything to obstruct it, it rolls on and on until it finds something to stop it. And “ball” is called “plouta,” and the letter kaf is the root. And so in the Mishnah: “the ball and the last.” And here you omit the kaf of comparison: “your dart” [instead of “your ball-dart”]. And similarly: “A joyful heart is like good medicine,” [rendered] “like good medicine” [omitting the comparative “like” in the second instance], etc.
There you shall die, not as you imagined, that you have dug for yourself a grave here.
“And there your chariots of glory shall be the disgrace of your master’s house.” The explanation of my master and father, of blessed memory, is: “There, in that place where you will be tossed about, you will ride in a chariot that you will consider to be your soul’s great honor; but here it would be a disgrace to you if you were to ride in it, whereas there you will be honored by it.” That is to say, the honor that you have in this city will be turned into disgrace for you there. And our Sages explained it as: “He sought the disgrace of his master’s house; his glory was turned into disgrace.” For when he went out to the king of Assyria, they asked him, “Where is the people with whom you made a covenant?” He said to them, “They have recanted; they pierced his heels and bound him to the tails of their horses, and they dragged him over thorns and thistles.” And this is what is meant by “your chariots of glory”: the chariots that you thought would be given to you as an honor were given to you as a disgrace, for they bound you to the tails of their horses. And the Targum of Jonathan translated: “There you shall die, etc.”
“And I will thrust you.” He said “And I will thrust you” as if God is speaking, and he said “He will demolish you,” the prophet spoke about God. And this is the custom of the Holy Tongue in many places, such as “Let all the peoples hear,” “All of them shall return and come,” “To all of them and to their princes,” and similar verses. And the meaning of “the situation and the standing” is the offices that were in it.
Metzudat David
“Tsunof yitzanfecha tsanefah.” This means that you will be surrounded by enemies and tormentors, just as a turban encircles the head all around.
“Like a ball thrown into a land of broad expanse.” It means that you will be exiled to a distant place, like a ball thrown into a land of broad expanse—that is, to a place where nothing will be found to hinder it, and thus it will roll onward to a far distance.
"There you shall die." In the place where you will be exiled, you will die, and not here, as much as you have thought.
“And there shall be the chariots of your glory, the reproach of the house of your Lord.” In the place where you will be tossed about, you will ride in a chariot that you will consider for yourself as great honor; but if you had ridden in it in the house of your Lord—that is to say, while you were still a master—it would have been for you a reproach. This means that what will be considered by you in exile as honor would have been considered by you in your place as reproach.
Metzudat Zion
"Tsenuf yitsnefakh tsenafah." The word is from "mitznefet":
“Kadur.” Like “kakadur,” but with the kaf omitted. Its usage is similar to “lev sameach yitav ga’ah” (Proverbs 17:22), and its grammatical form is like “ga’ah.” And “kadur” is a round object that is thrown from hand to hand and caught. Likewise, “he is destined for the ball [to be tossed]” (Job 15).
Hands. The term "hands" is used in the sense of "place," as in the verse: "And the land is broad of hands" (Judges 18:10).
Disgrace. The matter of shame:
Malbim
“Tzenuf” – and afterward He will wrap you in a turban, round and round, until your body resembles a ball that is thrown and rolled across a broad expanse of land, as children play with a ball. This means: first you will fly forth willingly, like a bird taking flight; afterward, you will be rolled against your will like a ball, and there you will die, and there will be the chariots of your glory. You, the wicked servant, who were the disgrace of your master’s house – it was a disgrace and a shame to your master’s house that they raised such a wicked person within their home.
And I will thrust you from your post, And from your station shall you be pulled down.
verse value 1232
Insights
Verse structure: 4 words, 24 letters. The shortest word is "from·your·post" (מִמַּצָּבֶ֑ךָ, 5 letters) and the longest is "and·I·will·thrust·you" (וַהֲדַפְתִּ֖יךָ, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·I·will·thrust·you" (וַהֲדַפְתִּ֖יךָ), "from·your·post" (מִמַּצָּבֶ֑ךָ), "and·from·your·station" (וּמִמַּעֲמָֽדְךָ֖). 4 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·your·post', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַהֲדַפְתִּ֖יךָ [and·I·will·thrust·you] (525) + מִמַּצָּבֶ֑ךָ [from·your·post] (192) + וּמִמַּעֲמָֽדְךָ֖ [and·from·your·station] (220) + יֶהֶרְסֶֽךָ [shall·you·be·torn·down] (295) = 1232.
Rashi
"And from your standing." And from your service in the Temple, he shall pull you down.
Metzudat David
"And I will drive you out." He said: "In the place of God, I will drive you out from your position," meaning: you will no longer be in the dominion that you are currently in.
"And from your standing place He will uproot you." This is the prophet's statement, to say that God will uproot him from his position. And this is a repetition of the matter stated in the preceding verse.
Metzudat Zion
"and I will thrust you away." The meaning of "thrust" is like "whom the wind drives" (Psalms 1:4).
From your state. The word is from the root *matzav* and *ma'amad*:
Malbim
"And I will dash you" – first, I will dash you from your strong position, in which you stood at the height of glory, as a prince and a man of honor; and afterward, I will also demolish you from your ordinary standing, so that you will have no standing or existence at all.
And it shall come to pass in that day, That I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah;
verse value 1366
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 38 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָיָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָיָ֖ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "son·of·Hilkiah" (בֶּן־חִלְקִיָּֽהוּ, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·I·shall·call" (וְקָרָ֣אתִי), "to·my·servant" (לְעַבְדִּ֔י), "to·Eliakim" (לְאֶלְיָקִ֖ים). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·shall·be" (root היה, 213x in Isaiah); "in·the·day" (root יום, 124x in Isaiah); "that" (root הוא, 98x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root אליקים ("to·Eliakim") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'that', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְהָיָ֖ה [and·it·shall·be] (26) + בַּיּ֣וֹם [in·the·day] (58) + הַה֑וּא [that] (17) + וְקָרָ֣אתִי [and·I·shall·call] (717) + לְעַבְדִּ֔י [to·my·servant] (116) + לְאֶלְיָקִ֖ים [to·Eliakim] (221) + בֶּן־חִלְקִיָּֽהוּ [son·of·Hilkiah] (211) = 1366.
Rashi
Eliakim. He was in charge of the household when Sennacherib fell, as we find when they went out to Rabshakeh, and Shebna and his faction revealed [the surrender] to him; and they [the Assyrians] dragged him by the tails of their horses, as stated in Sanhedrin. When Sennacherib went against Tirhakah king of Cush, he swept away Shebna and his faction and went off. Thus we learned in Seder Olam:
Ibn Ezra
"And it shall be, etc." The meaning of "for My servants" is that he was a servant of the Lord, and not so was Shebna.
Radak
“And it shall come to pass on that day.” On the day that I will remove you from this position, I will appoint Eliakim son of Hilkiah in your place. And the meaning of “on that day” is “at that time,” as in “And it shall come to pass on that day that the Root of Jesse, who stands as a banner for the peoples” and similar verses, whose interpretation is “at that time.” And the meaning of “I will call” is that He will place in the heart of Hezekiah to appoint Eliakim as steward in place of Shebna, as if God Himself would call him to come and take the stewardship. And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated “I will call” as “I will exalt,” meaning I will elevate him and appoint him over the House of David. And so did Onkelos translate: “See, I have called by name; behold, I have exalted by name.” And his interpretation is good. And likewise, “officers (shalishim) and called ones” means great ones; and so “the called of the congregation” means the great ones of the congregation, who are called to every council. And behold, we have found in the Book of Kings and in this book that Eliakim was over the house, and Shebna was the scribe, as it says, “And Eliakim, who was over the house, Shebna the scribe, came out to him.” And this was when Sennacherib came to Jerusalem. And it is possible that prior to this, [Shebna] had rebelled and had dealings with the king of Assyria, and he was hiding himself, and God exposed him through the prophet and said to him, “Go, enter this steward.” And the prophet said to Hezekiah, “I will remove him from his greatness and set Eliakim in his place.” And when Sennacherib came to Jerusalem, Eliakim was over the house, and Shebna remained scribe. And even so, Shebna was hiding himself and tore his garments at the words of Rabshakeh like the others, as if the matter was difficult in his eyes.
Metzudat David
And I will call, etc. – to be an officer and appointed in your stead.
Malbim
And I will call, I will place in the heart of Hezekiah that he will appoint Eliakim as the chamberlain in your stead:
And I will clothe him with your robe, and bind him with your girdle, and I will commit your government into his hand; and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah.
verse value 4689
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 67 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָיָ֥ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "I·will·give" (אֶתֵּ֣ן, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·I·will·clothe·him" (וְהִלְבַּשְׁתִּ֣יו, 8 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·I·will·clothe·him" (וְהִלְבַּשְׁתִּ֣יו), "your·tunic" (כֻּתׇּנְתֶּ֗ךָ), "and·your·sash" (וְאַבְנֵֽטְךָ֙). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·shall·be" (root היה, 213x in Isaiah); "in·his·hand" (root יד, 79x in Isaiah); "inhabitant·of" (root ישב, 71x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·his·hand', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 6 words. Full calculation: וְהִלְבַּשְׁתִּ֣יו [and·I·will·clothe·him] (759) + כֻּתׇּנְתֶּ֗ךָ [your·tunic] (890) + וְאַבְנֵֽטְךָ֙ [and·your·sash] (88) + אֲחַזְּקֶ֔נּוּ [I·will·bind·him] (172) + וּמֶֽמְשַׁלְתְּךָ֖ [and·Your·dominion] (836) + אֶתֵּ֣ן [I·will·give] (451) + בְּיָד֑וֹ [in·his·hand] (22) + וְהָיָ֥ה [and·it·shall·be] (26) + לְאָ֛ב [to·father] (33) + לְיוֹשֵׁ֥ב [inhabitant·of] (348) + יְרוּשָׁלִַ֖ם [Jerusalem] (586) + וּלְבֵ֥ית [and·to·house·of] (448) + יְהוּדָֽה [Judah] (30) = 4689.
Ibn Ezra
"And I will clothe him with your tunic." Every appointed official has a specific tunic and belt, just as the wise men of Athens used to gird themselves with a specific belt.
"And He shall be as a father." This teaches that He is good and loving, like a father.
Radak
"And I will clothe you with your tunic and your sash." This is an allegory: for the tunic is a garment of splendor and glory befitting greatness, and the sash is a belt around the loins, which serves as an allegory for strength, so that he will not stumble from his greatness.
“And He shall be to me as a father.” [This refers to] a trustworthy counselor and a good leader, just as it is written, “And he made me father to Pharaoh, counselor and leader of his realm.”
Metzudat David
"And you shall clothe him with your tunic." This is a metaphor, for the tunic is a garment of splendor and glory befitting greatness; meaning: clothe him with the splendor of the greatness that you currently possess.
"And I will strengthen your belt." I will strengthen him with the belt of your girdle, to be strong and zealous like you at this time.
"And your dominion, etc." – He explains the parable to add further clarification:
“And he shall be a father.” And not like you, who desired to hand over the city into the hands of the enemy.
Metzudat Zion
Your tunic. A type of splendid garment:
"And your girdle." Like "and in your girdle," and it is a belt, as it is written: "And you shall make for them girdles" (Exodus 28:40).
"לאב" – to a good leader and a faithful counselor, like it says, "He made me a father to Pharaoh" (Genesis 45:8).
Malbim
"And I will clothe him": It was their practice to clothe those appointed by the king with a belt and a costly tunic as an ornament of his greatness, as it is written: "And he clothed him with linen garments" (Genesis 41:42). He will have compassion on them like a father on his sons, and will guide them in the straight path.
And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; and he shall open, and none shall shut; And he shall shut, and none shall open.
verse value 3934
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 43 letters. The shortest word is "shutting" (סֹגֵ֔ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "house·of·David" (בֵּית־דָּוִ֖ד, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 67: and·nothing, and·nothing. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "opening" (מַפְתֵּ֥חַ), "house·of·David" (בֵּית־דָּוִ֖ד), "and·he·shall·open" (וּפָתַח֙). The root פתח appears 3 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·nothing" (root אין, 92x in Isaiah); "house·of·David" (root בית, 67x in Isaiah); "and·I·will·give" (root נתן, 56x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root סגר ("shutting") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'upon·his·shoulder', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 6 words. Full calculation: וְנָתַתִּ֛י [and·I·will·give] (866) + מַפְתֵּ֥חַ [opening] (528) + בֵּית־דָּוִ֖ד [house·of·David] (426) + עַל־שִׁכְמ֑וֹ [upon·his·shoulder] (466) + וּפָתַח֙ [and·he·shall·open] (494) + וְאֵ֣ין [and·nothing] (67) + סֹגֵ֔ר [shutting] (263) + וְסָגַ֖ר [and·he·shall·shut] (269) + וְאֵ֥ין [and·nothing] (67) + פֹּתֵֽחַ [opening] (488) = 3934.
Rashi
Key of the House of David. The Targum: Key of the House of the Sanctuary and the dominion of the House of David.
Ibn Ezra
"And I will give." From this verse we learn that it refers to the House, namely the royal palace.
Radak
“And I will place the key.” By way of parable: he will be the advisor to the King of Judah, and according to his word actions will be taken to close and to open. And regarding the statement “on his shoulder,” it means that a person does not ordinarily carry a key on his shoulder. The matter is expressed through two parables: The term “key” signifies that the affairs of the royal house—to open and to lock—will be in his hand. And the phrase “on his shoulder” signifies that it is like a burden that a person carries on his shoulder; that is to say, he will bear, endure, and manage the affairs of the kingdom. It is possible that Eliakim son of Hilkiah was a priest, for we find Hilkiah in the genealogy in the Book of Chronicles: “And Shallum fathered Hilkiah, and Hilkiah fathered Azariah.” And this Azariah may well be Eliakim, having two names. And we find that Azariah was the chief officer of the House of God in the days of Hezekiah.
Metzudat David
"Key of the House of David." That is to say, he will endure the toil and burden of the royal household's needs.
"And he opened." When he opens the doors of the house, there is none who can close them, etc. This means that everything shall be accomplished through him.
Metzudat Zion
Mafteach. The name of the instrument with which one opens the lock:
His shoulder. [I.e.] his shoulder:
Malbim
"Key of the House of David" was appointed over the House of the Lord and the royal house, and it is the custom of the princes appointed over the royal house to carry the key on their shoulder as a sign, and to open; without him, no one would raise his hand.
And I will fasten him as a peg in a sure place; And he shall be for a throne of honour to his father’s house.
verse value 2365
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 39 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָיָ֛ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "pin" (יָתֵ֖ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·I·will·fasten·him" (וּתְקַעְתִּ֥יו, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·I·will·fasten·him" (וּתְקַעְתִּ֥יו), "pin" (יָתֵ֖ד), "throne" (לְכִסֵּ֥א). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·shall·be" (root היה, 213x in Isaiah); "to·house·of" (root בית, 67x in Isaiah); "glory" (root כבוד, 38x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root יתד ("pin") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'faithful', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 5 words. Full calculation: וּתְקַעְתִּ֥יו [and·I·will·fasten·him] (992) + יָתֵ֖ד [pin] (414) + בְּמָק֣וֹם [in·place] (188) + נֶאֱמָ֑ן [faithful] (141) + וְהָיָ֛ה [and·it·shall·be] (26) + לְכִסֵּ֥א [throne] (111) + כָב֖וֹד [glory] (32) + לְבֵ֥ית [to·house·of] (442) + אָבִֽיו [his·father] (19) = 2365.
Rashi
“And I will set Him as a peg in a sure place.” And the Targum translates: “And I will appoint Him as a trustworthy one in a firm place.” “A trustworthy one” is an expression of firmness, referring to a place that is reliable for those who lean upon it, for it will not be shaken. This reverses the order of the verse, rendering it: “And I will set Him as a trustworthy peg in a place.”
Ibn Ezra
"And I will plant Him as a stake." Like a stake; and similarly, "And a man is born like a wild donkey" (Job 11:12).
Radak
"And I will plant him as a peg in a secure place." He added yet another parable concerning the greatness and authority that he will possess, such that he will become an honor for all his family members, and they will all depend on him, just as the small one depends on the great one and leans upon him. He compared him to a peg that is driven into a secure, strong, and enduring place, which is fit to have everything hung from it, without fear that it will break or move from its place.
Metzudat David
“And I will plant him as a stake in a secure place.” This means that his rule will not be uprooted, just as a stake driven into a firm place remains fixed and endures.
"And it shall be for a throne of glory, etc." – This means that all the members of his father's house shall be honored through him.
Metzudat Zion
And I will drive him in. The meaning of "drive in" is like "and she drove in the tent peg" (Judges 4:21).
Yitad: A nail.
"Faithful." Its meaning is that it is established, as it is said: "And Your house shall be faithful" (2 Samuel 7:16).
Malbim
"And I will plant Him": His greatness will be firmly established, unshakable, like a peg fixed in a strong place.
And they shall hang upon him all the glory of his father’s house, the offspring and the issue, all vessels of small quantity, from the vessels of cups even to all the vessels of flagons.
verse value 3131
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 68 letters. The shortest word is "all" (כֹּ֣ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "house·of·his·father" (בֵּית־אָבִ֗יו, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 50: all, all. 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·they·shall·hang" (וְתָל֨וּ), "house·of·his·father" (בֵּית־אָבִ֗יו), "offspring" (הַצֶּֽאֱצָאִים֙). The root כלי appears 3 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "upon·him" (root על, 200x in Isaiah); "all" (root כל, 93x in Isaiah); "house·of·his·father" (root בית, 67x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root צאצא ("offspring") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'young', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 5 words.
Rashi
“The offspring and the young ones.” The Targum translates: “sons and sons of sons.” Menachem associates it with “the dung of cattle” (Ezekiel 4:15), teaching that it is the language of thin infants emerging from their mother’s womb, and that *tzafiyim* denotes the concept of emergence, something that comes out.
"Every small vessel." The smallest members of their families will boast about it and rely upon it.
From the vessels of the *aganim* and until all the vessels of the instruments. The Targum [translates]: "From the priests who wear the ephod and until the sons of Levi who handle the instruments," and *aganim* is a term for vessels of service, in which the priests serve in the Temple.
The lyres. With which the Levites sing the song:
Ibn Ezra
And they shall hang. After they compared him to a stake, it says, "And they shall hang him on it."
“His offspring.” They are the sons who are “issuing forth” from the womb.
And the "tzafiyot." Perhaps they are the daughters, from the root of "yatsa tzefa" (Isaiah 14:29), and after he said that he is a father, behold, the men of Judah are like his sons, and the women like his daughters, who are compared to small vessels.
And the meaning of "from the vessels of the basins" is like [the verse] "and he put [the blood] in the basins" (Exodus 24:6), perhaps [referring to] the gold that was [placed] there.
“And all the vessels of the instruments of music.” These are the musical instruments, and the reason [for their inclusion] is that nothing should remain in the royal palace that is not under his dominion.
Radak
"And they shall hang upon it." Since it is upon a stake that things are hung, the verse employs a metaphorical expression, indicating that all members of his family will be honored through him and will "hang upon" him—that is, depend upon him. The terms "descendants" and "offspring" refer to sons and daughters. Jonathan ben Uzziel translates this as "sons and sons of sons."
"Every small vessel." He said, "Even the small ones will be honored and take pride in it, for its greatness will be so renowned." And the term "vessel" is used metaphorically, because they compared it to a peg, upon which both large and small items will hang, according to the strength of the peg. And the meaning of "small vessel" is a small utensil, for from all the utensils, they hang upon the peg. Therefore, He said, "From the vessels of the basins to every vessel of the lyres." The terms "vessels of the basins" and "vessels of the lyres" are adjacent, because among the basins there are large and small ones, and they are prepared for various uses, each different from the other. Likewise, among the lyres, one differs from another in its pegs or in its strings, and all of them are called lyres. And Targum Jonathan translates "every small vessel" as "from the large ones to the small ones." And he translated "from the vessels of the basins to every vessel of the lyres" as "from the priests wearing the ephod to the Levites accompanying the lyres."
Metzudat David
“Hang upon it.” Since it compared it to a peg, it says “hang upon it” in the language of something that is hung on a peg, that is to say, they will all be dependent upon it.
"All honor, etc." – The honor of his father’s house shall be dependent upon him and lean upon him.
The descendants and the young ones. The sons and the daughters:
The small vessel. The small vessel of the utensils, and since they compared it to a peg, he used the expression “that falls into the peg,” in which peg the large vessels are hung together with the small ones. That is to say, even the small ones will be honored and glorified by it, for its greatness will be very famous.
“From the vessels of the basins.” Whether the vessels of the basins, or any other type of vessels, that is to say, they are all honored by it; no person is excluded.
Metzudat Zion
And they hung. The verb form is from the root *talah* (to hang).
The descendants. The sons who emerge from their mother's womb:
The "zafituot." Their meaning is those that issue from the body; similarly, "zafie bekar" (Ezekiel 4:15), which refers to something that issues from the body. And regarding the daughters, it is as if it said, the male and female offspring.
The basins. The bowls, like the basin of the crescent (1 Samuel 7):
"The harps." The name of a musical instrument:
Malbim
And they shall hang it, because it likens it to a peg, saying that all shall hang their honor upon this peg, even the small children, and all their utensils shall hang upon it, a figure of speech meaning that all their needs shall be attained through it.
In that day, says Hashem of hosts, shall the peg that was fastened in a sure place give way; and it shall be hewn down, and fall, and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off; for Hashem has spoken it.
verse value 4980
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 79 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֣ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "that·upon·it" (אֲשֶׁר־עָלֶ֔יהָ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 26: Hashem, Hashem. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "will·feel" (תָּמוּשׁ֙), "pin" (הַיָּתֵ֔ד), "the·fastened" (הַתְּקוּעָ֖ה). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "for" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah); "that·upon·it" (root אשר, 176x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root מוש ("will·feel") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'faithful', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 8 words.
Rashi
"The peg shall be removed." The greatness of Shevna:
“And the burden that was upon it shall be cut off.” His family members and his faction, who rely upon him and hang upon him their instruments of glory, and since He compared him to a peg, He compared those who boast in him and lean upon him to the burden that is loaded upon the peg. And there are those who interpret it as follows: “And the prophecy that was prophesied concerning him shall be fulfilled.”
Ibn Ezra
"The peg shall give way." This is an allusion to Shebna, who thought that he was like a peg firmly fixed in a reliable place.
“And the burden that is upon her shall be cut off.” They are the people of his government:
Radak
"On that day." The peg driven into a reliable place, and this is an allegory for Shebna, who assumed that his honor would endure until the day of his death, as it is said: "He who hews his sepulcher on high" (Isaiah 22:16), and "the burden that was upon it was cut off" (ibid.). Just as when a peg breaks and falls, all the utensils hanging from it and borne by it break, fall, and are cut off, falling with it; so too, when Shavna broke, his family and all his faction broke.
Metzudat David
And it shall be removed. This means that although he thought to be established in his dominion, like a peg driven into a place where it remains, behold, on that day his dominion shall be removed.
“And it shall be cut off.” It shall be severed from its place and fall to the ground. This means that its dominion shall be abolished and its stature shall be humbled.
"And the burden shall be cut off." When the peg falls, it will break, and the burden of the vessels hanging from it will be severed. That is to say: in the downfall of Shebna, his family will be humbled, along with his men who honor him and lean upon him.
"For the Lord has spoken." And it is in His power to fulfill:
Metzudat Zion
Tamos. "Tasur" is like "lo yamush" (shall not move) of the pillar of cloud (Exodus 13:22):
And we shall be cut off. The matter of "cutting off" (karet) is like the verse "sycamores are cut down" (above, 9:
Malbim
Tamos, her greatness shall be removed. First, it shall be loosened from its place, and afterward it shall be cut off, by leading him away in fetters. And this resembles the expression found in verse 19.
Rashi
Ibn Ezra
Radak
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim