The earth utterly emptied and laid waste, its inhabitants under a curse for breaking the everlasting covenant; yet the LORD of hosts shall reign on Mount Zion.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
Behold, Hashem makes the earth empty and makes it waste, And turns it upside down, and scatters abroad the inhabitants thereof.
verse value 1489
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 39 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֛ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "they" (הִנֵּ֧ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·wastes·it" (וּבֽוֹלְקָ֑הּ, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "emptying" (בּוֹקֵ֥ק), "and·wastes·it" (וּבֽוֹלְקָ֑הּ). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "the·land" (root ארץ, 169x in Isaiah); "her·face" (root פנים, 88x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root פוץ ("and·he·shall·scatter") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·wastes·it', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 4 words. Full calculation: הִנֵּ֧ה [they] (60) + יְהֹוָ֛ה [Hashem] (26) + בּוֹקֵ֥ק [emptying] (208) + הָאָ֖רֶץ [the·land] (296) + וּבֽוֹלְקָ֑הּ [and·wastes·it] (149) + וְעִוָּ֣ה [and·distorts] (87) + פָנֶ֔יהָ [her·face] (145) + וְהֵפִ֖יץ [and·he·shall·scatter] (191) + יֹשְׁבֶֽיהָ [its·inhabitants] (327) = 1489.
Rashi
“Behold, the Lord will lay waste the earth and make it desolate.” This prophecy is one of calamity for Israel, because although He prophesied for them this consolation, they are destined to see great distress before it. Therefore, He said to them: “I am not saying to you that you will inherit it, for behold, the Holy One, blessed be He, will lay waste and make desolate you. And those who remain from you on the day of redemption—they will raise their voice, they will sing. This is the conclusion of the matter, and for them I prophesied this good prophecy.”
Bokak. To empty:
And "bolqah" – it means "destroyer."
“and she distorted her face.” And “she hastened her attendants” – the term “turned” (עוה) connotes the sense of “turning” (as in the above, 21).
Ibn Ezra
“Behold, it empties.” Like “makes void,” and similarly, the verse “a vine that is emptied out” (Nahum 2:10):
And "bolqah." means “devastating”, and this word has a similar form in this book:
And He will twist its face.
Radak
"Behold, the Lord is breaking." The commentators interpreted this passage as referring to the exile of the Ten Tribes. This is also apparent from the words of our Sages of blessed memory, and this is the view of the Targum of Jonathan. However, it seems correct to me that it refers to a future event, as is clarified at the end of the passage.
Bokk. That is to say, I will empty it so that it will be empty of people, but a grapevine that is bokek is an intransitive verb, whereas this one is transitive.
“Vav-bulkah.” He cuts it off from habitation, and similarly [the words] “vav-mivukhah” and “vav-mivulkah.” This is the sense of the statement of our Sages of blessed memory: “Lo chilak yid’ana ve-lo bilak yid’ana,” which means that the ring will be severed and cut off. My master and teacher of blessed memory explained that the sense of “opening” comes from the Arabic expression “balakat al-khab,” meaning the opening of the gate. And the meaning of “vav-bulkah” is that he opens it so that its inhabitants may come out of it. In this direction inclined the mind of the Targumist, who rendered it: “Vav-bulkah ve-masar lah le-sin’ah.”
"And the face of it shall be marred." This is to be understood metaphorically: the face of the earth shall be marred, so that no living creature shall be found in it. And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated in the Targum: "And shame shall cover the faces of her nobles," on account of their having transgressed the Torah. And all these words mentioned in this verse are a repetition of the idea regarding the corruption of the earth, and the repetition of the idea in different words is in the manner of Scripture, in order to strengthen the matter.
Metzudat David
"Behold, the Lord will empty..." He will empty the Land of Israel of its inhabitants, for they will be exiled from it.
"And it shall be laid waste." He cuts it off from habitation.
"and twisted its surface." This teaches us that He perverts and uproots the important people of the land.
And He will scatter them. He will scatter them across the face of the earth:
Metzudat Zion
Bokk. The meaning is "hollowed out," like the verse: "Israel is a hollowed-out vine" (Hosea 10:1).
"Vav-bulkah." The matter of cutting off, and likewise "bukah" and "mevukah" and "mevulkah" (Nahum 2:11). And in the words of our Sages of blessed memory: "I do not know whether it was severed, or I do not know whether it was cut off" (Hullin 19a).
Avah. The word is derived from the root meaning "to twist and distort":
Panim. This means the important ones:
And He scattered. The meaning of “scattered” is:
Malbim
Behold, these prophecies were prophesied concerning the exile of the Ten Tribes by Sennacherib: “He shall devastate the land, first he shall strip the land of its fruit and lay it waste and abandon it to all, and afterward he shall ruin and confuse the face of the land itself, and afterward he shall scatter its inhabitants into exile.” The intention is that first he shall deprive them of their property, and afterward he shall ruin the land itself, until no man shall recognize his inheritance, and afterward he shall lead them into exile.
And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; As with the servant, so with his master; As with the maid, so with her mistress; As with the buyer, so with the seller; As with the lender, so with the borrower; As with the creditor, so with the debtor.
verse value 3365
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 64 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָיָ֤ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "in·him" (בֽוֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "as·his·lord" (כַּֽאדֹנָ֔יו, 6 letters). 10 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "as·the·people" (כָעָם֙), "as·the·priest" (כַּכֹּהֵ֔ן), "as·his·lord" (כַּֽאדֹנָ֔יו). The root לוה appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·shall·be" (root היה, 213x in Isaiah); "as" (root אשר, 176x in Isaiah); "as·the·people" (root עם, 107x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root גברת ("as·the·her·mistress") in Isaiah. First appearance of the root מכר ("as·the·seller") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'as·the·her·mistress', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 8 words. 12 of the verse's 15 words begin with the letter כ.
Rashi
Tosafot: “And he shall be like a people, like a priest.” This is not like other travelers, where the master leads his slave and the mistress leads her maidservant—the master is honored and the slave is demeaned, the mistress is honored and the maidservant is demeaned. But when the captor leads the captives, they are all equal before him.
Like a buyer is like a seller. When the people are dwelling securely in their inheritance, the buyer is happy and the seller is sad, lest he return from his sale. But when the enemy leads them away, the buyer should not rejoice and the seller should not mourn. Similarly, like a lender and a borrower, both are equal, for the borrower has nothing with which to repay, and the lender, had he not lent to this person, the enemy would have taken it. Likewise, like one who is owed and one who owes: the term "borrower" applies to money, while "debtor" applies to all other things — such as wine, oil, grain, and honey, as it is written (Deuteronomy 24:10): “When you lend to your neighbor any manner of loan.” End of quotation.
Ibn Ezra
"And it shall be." All people shall be equal in this evil, and when two kafs [of comparison] come joined, it is an abbreviated construction. Likewise, the master shall be like the slave, and the slave like his master.
Like a lender. He is the one who gives from his own property without charge:
As a creditor. He is the owner of the money:
“As with him who is indebted.” This refers to one who takes money upon his pledge.
Radak
"And it shall be like a people." These are according to their apparent status, and each one is elevated or diminished accordingly; therefore, the letter kuf comes with both of them, meaning this one is like that one, and that one is like this one. Similarly, "like you" is like "them," and "like you" is like Pharaoh. And in His saying, "like a people, like a priest, like a servant, like his master," and so on with all of them, the meaning is that in the desolation of the land, the desecrators will not recognize the honored among them, nor will they see the face of the great; rather, they will all be equal in decree, and the great will be like the small, and the small like the great. And all those mentioned are one above the other, for the priest is master to the people, as in [the case of] Jethro, priest of Midian. And the buyer is above the seller, for the seller sells his inheritance because of his poverty, while the buyer is wealthy, and the wealthy is like a master to the poor. And so the verse says, "The rich rules over the poor" (Proverbs 22:7). And similarly, the lender is like a master to the borrower, and so the verse says, "The borrower is servant to the lender" (Proverbs 22:7). And what is said, "like a creditor," as in "as he who is owed by him," after it said "like a lender, like a borrower," is because one is a loan of money and the other is a loan of food. And the meaning of "like a creditor" is the borrower, and "he who is owed by him" is the lender. And the letter bet connects them, separating between them.
Metzudat David
"As a people, as a priest, etc." – Those who corrupt the land shall not show favor to the great; rather, all shall be equal in the decree, whether small or great.
Like a buyer is like a seller. When the people dwell securely in their inheritance, the buyer rejoices and the seller is sorrowful at the time he sells from his portion. But when they go into exile, the buyer does not rejoice, and the seller does not mourn over the sale.
Like a lender to a borrower. The manner of the lender is to have dominion over the borrower, as it is stated: “For the borrower is servant to the lender” (Proverbs 22:7). But since the captor will take everything, it is as if the borrower has no claim against the lender, for the borrower has nothing with which to repay, and he has not caused a loss to the lender; for had anything remained in his possession, the captor would have taken it from him.
“as a creditor.” This refers to one who borrowed for a matter other than money.
As it is stated: “When He lifts it up.” This refers to the lender who lends to the borrower.
Metzudat Zion
“Like a people, like a priest.” The doubling of the letter kaf is to indicate a complete similarity.
Like her mistress. Like her lady:
"like a creditor." The subject matter concerns loans of items other than money, such as wine, oil, and grain, as it is written: "a loan of anything" (Deuteronomy 24:10).
Malbim
"And it shall be, when you go into exile, that no distinction of rank or office will be found among them, for all will be equally lowly and despised. The masses of the people will be on the same level as the priest, and even the slave, who is the monetary property of his master, will be on the same level as his master, for his master too will be a slave like him. And even the female slave will be on the same level as her mistress (even though the female slave is more submissive to her mistress than the male slave to his master, as it is stated, 'Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters,' and it adds, 'so are the eyes of a female slave to the hand of her mistress' [Psalms 123:2]), because there will be no distinction of rank or office whatsoever. The verse adds this statement to teach that not only will mastership and office cease, but also the obligations of ownership and the status of wealth will cease. The buyer will be like the seller, meaning he will be poor and lacking inheritance, just like the seller. And not only the buyer, who deals in land which cannot be taken with them into exile, but even the lender will be poor and destitute like the borrower, for even the money will not remain. And more than this, the one who lends to his fellow indirectly to pay off his debt will be lowly and lacking in money, just like the man to whom he is owed, which is worse than the borrower who has no means to repay. Nevertheless, now they will all be equal in poverty, for they will empty out all their assets."
The earth shall be utterly emptied, and clean despoiled; For Hashem has spoken this word.
verse value 2243
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 38 letters. Notable word values: "and·utterly" (וְהִבּ֣וֹז) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·word" (אֶת־הַדָּבָ֥ר, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 26: and·utterly, Hashem. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "utterly" (הִבּ֧וֹק), "will·be·emptied" (תִּבּ֛וֹק), "and·utterly" (וְהִבּ֣וֹז). The root בקק appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "for" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah); "the·land" (root ארץ, 169x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'shall·be·plundered', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: הִבּ֧וֹק [utterly] (113) + תִּבּ֛וֹק [will·be·emptied] (508) + הָאָ֖רֶץ [the·land] (296) + וְהִבּ֣וֹז [and·utterly] (26) + תִּבֹּ֑ז [shall·be·plundered] (409) + כִּ֣י [for] (30) + יְהֹוָ֔ה [Hashem] (26) + דִּבֶּ֖ר [has·spoken] (206) + אֶת־הַדָּבָ֥ר [the·word] (612) + הַזֶּֽה [this] (17) = 2243.
Rashi
The verse states: “The earth shall be utterly emptied.” “Shall be emptied” means: it shall be emptied out.
"It shall be utterly plundered." This is the language of contempt and plunder.
Ibn Ezra
"Ha-bok." From the root *bakak*, and it is the noun derived from the doubled verbs. "Tevuk." Like *tesuv* (Psalms 114:3), and so too “ha-boz tibboz” (it shall be utterly spoiled); and after the Name has decreed this, no glory shall remain for a man over his companions.
Radak
“Havok, for the Lord of Hosts”
Matter. And since it is a matter, a person cannot decree upon it, for truly the earth will be shattered and despoiled.
Metzudat David
“Havok tavok, etc.” – This means that certainly it shall be so, for the Lord has spoken, etc., and who can annul His word?
Metzudat Zion
"The hollow will be emptied. Emptiness will be cleared out:"
“And you shall plunder the plunder.” From the language of “despise” and “spoil.”
Malbim
“Havok,” [the verse] elucidates the reason why the distinction of lordship and the status of mastership will be abolished, as it is written, “And it shall be, as a people, so a priest,” because the land will be parched and emptied, and [the people] will go into exile, and consequently there will be no master and no servant. And in contrast to what is written, “As one who buys, so one who sells,” [which implies] that the importance of the wealthy and of property owners will be abolished, [the text] states the reason: “For the disgrace will be disgraced,” meaning that all their wealth will be despoiled, and they will all become poor and destitute, for the Lord has spoken, and His word will not fail on the earth.
The earth faints and fades away, The world fails and fades away, The lofty people of the earth do fail.
verse value 1845
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 39 letters. The shortest word is "world" (תֵּבֵ֑ל, 3 letters) and the longest is "people·of·the·earth" (עַם־הָאָֽרֶץ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 87: senselessnessed, senselessnessed. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "mourninged" (אָבְלָ֤ה), "people·of·the·earth" (עַם־הָאָֽרֶץ). The root נבל appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·land" (root ארץ, 169x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'world', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: אָבְלָ֤ה [mourninged] (38) + נָֽבְלָה֙ [senselessnessed] (87) + הָאָ֔רֶץ [the·land] (296) + אֻמְלְלָ֥ה [fails] (106) + נָבְלָ֖ה [senselessnessed] (87) + תֵּבֵ֑ל [world] (432) + אֻמְלָ֖לוּ [languish] (107) + מְר֥וֹם [high·of] (286) + עַם־הָאָֽרֶץ [people·of·the·earth] (406) = 1845.
Rashi
Nevelah. As it is written (Jeremiah 8:13): "And the leaf is withered" [והעלה נבל], a term of withering, as in "their strength shall fail."
“Wretched.” A term denoting lowliness, like “the wretched Jews” (Nehemiah 5:3).
"Tevel." This is the Land of Israel, for it is seasoned with many commandments.
"From the height of the am ha'aretz." The arrogance of the am ha'aretz:
Ibn Ezra
But I will make her desolate, etc. The reason is because of the king of Assyria, who devastated many kingdoms.
“Nevelah.” It is from the Nifal construction, like “and the spirit shall be broken” (Isaiah 19:3) and “it was wide and it was encompassed” (Ezekiel 41:7). And it is possible that the second occurrence of “nevelah” is like “navul tavul” (Exodus 18:18), from the Qal construction.
They languished — [namely] the inhabitants of the high places of the land:
Radak
Avelah. The term denotes destruction; similarly, "avlah" of new wine refers to the spoilage of new wine.
Nevelah. It is akin to "niflah" (it fell), and similarly, "kenavul alah megefen" (a withered leaf came from the vine). The repetition of the matter serves to strengthen it.
The lofty ones of the people of the land. The great ones of every nation and people shall perish.
Metzudat David
But it is rotten, it is putrid. The land has been corrupted and wasted.
Wretched is the corpse. The land of Israel, which is the mainstay of the inhabited places, has been cut off and withered.
They were desolate. The leaders of the common people were cut off.
Metzudat Zion
Avelah — it mourns. The meaning is destruction, as in: "The land shall mourn" (Hosea 4:3).
Nevelah. The meaning is like "to wither," as in the verse "and its leaf shall not wither" (Psalms 1:3).
“Amellah.” The matter of *keritah* (excision) is like “yimolel” and “yavesh” (ibid. 90):
Tevel. So is the inhabited earth called.
Morum. The matter is one of loftiness and greatness:
Malbim
“Abelah, Nebelah” — now he depicts the destruction of the Land of Israel from one stage to the next. First, the land was desolated, meaning the uninhabited places; “Abelah” [desolate] because there was no traveler or passerby. And afterward, “Nebelah” [carcass] — it was completely ruined and spoiled, for thorns and briers grew up in it because it lay waste, with no one tilling the soil. After that, “Amalalah” [she languished] — “Nebelah” [carcass], “Tevel” [the inhabited places] — even the places inhabited by people were destroyed, for their residents were exiled. After that, “Amalalu” [they languished] — even “Merom” [the high places] of the land were desolated; the royal city was destroyed, and the nobles and the royal court were exiled. (And we can align this triple expression with the three times Sennacherib raised his hand against the House of Ephraim: first, the inhabitants of Transjordan; afterward, the land of Zebulun and Naphtali; and finally, he exiled all of them, as it is stated above [in chapter 8]: “In the first year, which was light,” etc. In the first instance, the general destruction affected only the uninhabited parts of the land, where agricultural work ceased due to fear of the enemy. Afterward, it affected even the inhabited places, and finally, even the high places of the land [including all of them].)
The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; Because they have transgressed the laws, violated the statute, Broken the everlasting covenant.
verse value 4175
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 45 letters. The shortest word is "statute" (חֹ֔ק, 2 letters) and the longest is "because·they·transgressed" (כִּֽי־עָבְר֤וּ, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "was·profaned" (חָנְפָ֖ה), "because·they·transgressed" (כִּֽי־עָבְר֤וּ), "they·have·passed·away" (חָ֣לְפוּ). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·the·land" (root ארץ, 169x in Isaiah); "its·inhabitants" (root ישב, 71x in Isaiah); "ever" (root עולם, 46x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root ברית ("covenant") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'its·inhabitants', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 7 words. Full calculation: וְהָאָ֥רֶץ [and·the·land] (302) + חָנְפָ֖ה [was·profaned] (143) + תַּ֣חַת [under] (808) + יֹשְׁבֶ֑יהָ [its·inhabitants] (327) + כִּֽי־עָבְר֤וּ [because·they·transgressed] (308) + תוֹרֹת֙ [teachings] (1006) + חָ֣לְפוּ [they·have·passed·away] (124) + חֹ֔ק [statute] (108) + הֵפֵ֖רוּ [have·broken] (291) + בְּרִ֥ית [covenant] (612) + עוֹלָֽם [ever] (146) = 4175.
Rashi
“And the earth deceived.” It produced grass in a manner of deception, and did not produce standing grain; it appeared to have standing grain, but there were no ears of wheat in its stalks.
“Under her inhabitants.” Because of her inhabitants:
“An everlasting covenant.” This is the Torah that they received in a covenant.
Ibn Ezra
"And the land was corrupted." [I.e.,] the laws — the faculty of reason with which all people are equally endowed.
"They have transgressed the statute" (חלפו חוק): [i.e.] "they broke [it]" (כרתו), similar to "it shall utterly pass away" (כליל יחלוף, Isaiah 2:18).
Chok. They are the statutes of the Name according to their derivation, and this is the meaning of “an everlasting covenant”:
Radak
"And the land has become defiled." It is as if the time showed that it was desolate and did not yield its fruits. And why did this happen to it? Because of the iniquity of its inhabitants. And this is the meaning of "instead" (tachat) as "in punishment," like the phrase "because you did not serve."
“Because they have transgressed the Torah.” If this was said regarding the tribes, as the commentators explained, it is according to its plain meaning: because of the abundance of their wickedness they were exiled. And since it is destined to apply to the gentiles, the interpretation of “Because they have transgressed the Torah” is regarding the oppression with which they oppressed Israel beyond what was necessary, as the Holy One, blessed be He, said: “I was angry only a little, but they exceeded the measure for evil.” Behold, “they have transgressed the Torah and passed beyond the statute” in their oppression of Israel.
They broke the eternal covenant. Just as it is stated regarding Edom, “And he remembered not the covenant of brothers,” so too Ammon, Moab, and Ishmael were brothers to Israel, and all of them did evil to them. The evils that came upon them were in punishment for Israel’s sins, and likewise in the future, for Gog and Magog and the rest of the nations, whatever evil will befall them will come as a punishment for Israel.
Metzudat David
"And the land has dealt treacherously." This means: Just as one who flatters with his lips while his heart is not with him, so too the land produces grass but does not produce standing grain; it gives the appearance of standing grain, yet there is no wheat in its stalks.
"Under its inhabitants." On account of the sin of its inhabitants:
"For they have transgressed the Torahs." They have transgressed the Written Torah and the Oral Torah:
They transgressed the statute. They passed on from the statute of the Torah and did not observe it.
“An everlasting covenant.” This is the Torah, which they received in a covenant to observe for all eternity. The matter is repeated twice and three times, as is the manner of rhetorical expression.
Metzudat Zion
Tachat. This means: in punishment. And similarly: "Because you did not serve" (Deuteronomy 28:47).
"Chalafu." The matter of passing over is akin to "and it passed over Judah" (above, 8):
A decree. The matter of a decree:
They annulled. They abolished:
Malbim
And the land: He directs His vision to the destruction of the soil due to the sin of Israel, which is the curse written in the parashah of Nitzavim, where it says there, “And all the curses written in this book shall rest upon it,” and afterwards it says, “And the eyes of all who see it will behold the plagues of the land, etc., brimstone and salt, a burning of the whole of its land, etc.,” and it is said, “Because they forsook the covenant of the God of their fathers, etc.” In light of this, he now depicts the time of their exile, when this curse was fulfilled, and through the sin of its inhabitants, the land was ruined. He says, “And the land has committed treachery beneath its inhabitants,” meaning that the land sinned and was considered as having committed treachery and transgression in place of its inhabitants; on account of the sin of its inhabitants, the iniquity was visited upon the land as if it itself had sinned. He explains this by stating that because its inhabitants transgressed the laws, etc., therefore the curse devoured the land, etc., because they transgressed the laws. The religions are three: natural, conventional, and divine. The natural religion is that which distances evil and draws near to justice, in such a way that human society is maintained, and they guard against murder and oppression, and the like. The conventional religion is that which is established by a wise man or wise men according to the time and place, to distance the disgraceful and draw near to what is praiseworthy in matters that are well-known and in matters upon which all agree that this is praiseworthy and that is disgraceful from the perspective of reason. The divine religion is established by God, through a prophet, to direct people toward true success and the happiness of the soul (as stated in the Principles, Part 1, Chapter 7). Regarding this, he says: 1. “Because they transgressed the laws,” meaning they transgressed the divine Torah that He gave them through His faithful prophet, His house. 2. Moreover, “because they passed over the statute,” meaning they did not even observe the conventional religion, which reason obligates in order to distance disgraceful things. 3. Moreover, “because they broke the everlasting covenant,” meaning they also broke the natural religion, which is the guardian of the world’s covenant, and without it, human society would not be maintained at all, for they murdered and oppressed, and each man devoured his fellow like the fish of the sea.
Therefore has a curse devoured the earth, And they that dwell therein are found guilty; Therefore the inhabitants of the earth waste away, And men are left few.
verse value 3473
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 53 letters. Notable word values: "curse" (אָלָה֙) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "in·it" (בָ֑הּ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·they·offended" (וַֽיֶּאְשְׁמ֖וּ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 322: dwelling, dwelling. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "has·devoured" (אָ֣כְלָה), "and·they·offended" (וַֽיֶּאְשְׁמ֖וּ), "they·burned" (חָרוּ֙). The root על appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "therefore" (root על, 200x in Isaiah); "land" (root ארץ, 169x in Isaiah); "dwelling" (root ישב, 71x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root אשם ("and·they·offended") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·it', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 7 words. Full calculation: עַל־כֵּ֗ן [therefore] (170) + אָלָה֙ [curse] (36) + אָ֣כְלָה [has·devoured] (56) + אֶ֔רֶץ [land] (291) + וַֽיֶּאְשְׁמ֖וּ [and·they·offended] (363) + יֹ֣שְׁבֵי [dwelling] (322) + בָ֑הּ [in·it] (7) + עַל־כֵּ֗ן [therefore] (170) + חָרוּ֙ [they·burned] (214) + יֹ֣שְׁבֵי [dwelling] (322) + אֶ֔רֶץ [land] (291) + וְנִשְׁאַ֥ר [and·is·left] (557) + אֱנ֖וֹשׁ [man] (357) + מִזְעָֽר [a little] (317) = 3473.
Rashi
“Therefore, a curse.” On account of the sin of a vain oath:
Charu. A term denoting dryness and thirst in the heat of desolation, as in “nichar mapu'ach [the bellows is scorched]” (Jeremiah 6:29).
Ibn Ezra
Therefore [these]. In "these," the letter bet is missing, like "for in six days" (Exodus 20:11), and there are those who say that the word "instead" is omitted, like "we will restore the bulls of our lips" (Hosea 14:3):
חרו. Like “and the copper became hot” (Ezekiel 24:11), as in “they were burned.”
Radak
"Al ken" (Therefore). Although there are other transgressions for which Israel and the other nations were punished, this [transgression] applies to all of them, namely, that they swear falsely by the name of God, and for this reason the Land was largely destroyed. And our Sages of blessed memory stated: "For all the transgressions in the Torah, He exacts punishment from him [the sinner] alone; but here, He exacts punishment from him and from the entire world," as it is stated: "He who swears falsely" (Hosea 4:2), and it is also stated: "Because of these things the land mourns" (Jeremiah 23:10).
“The land has eaten.” With a kaf:
"Vayeshamu" (And they were laid desolate). With a sheva under the aleph and the shin, and it is a term denoting desolation.
Charu. The matter of dryness and burning, meaning the matter of destruction.
Metzudat David
"Therefore, the curse." Because of the curse that was in vain, therefore the land was consumed and its inhabitants were laid waste.
"Al ken." On account of the sin of the curse, the inhabitants of the land were burned, and only a few men remained from them.
Metzudat Zion
"Alah." The matter of an oath; and similarly, "and he hears the voice of an oath" (Leviticus 5:1).
Akalah. The matter of destruction and ruin:
"And they were desolate." From the root meaning "desolation"; likewise, "and the flocks of sheep were laid waste" (Joel 1:18).
Charu. The matter of dryness and burning; and likewise, the bellows (*mapuach*) is scorched (*nachar*) (Jeremiah 7).
Anosh. This is one of the names of man.
"maz'ar." "Me'at" – like the phrase "and the rest is me'at maz'ar" (above, 16):
Malbim
Therefore, since they transgressed the Torah, the curse—the curse written in the portion of Nitzavim—consumed and burned up the land, as it is stated: "Brimstone and salt shall be the burning thereof; all the land thereof" (Deuteronomy 29:23). And the guilt of the inhabitants thereof shall be upon them; indeed, the guilt returns to the heads of the inhabitants thereof, for they caused the land to be desolate and burned. Therefore, the punishment returned from the land to its inhabitants. Hence, the inhabitants of the land were scorched, burned, and seared by the burning with which the land was burned; they too were scorched and burned like something that dries up and is charred by fire, its quantity diminished. Likewise, "a remnant of men shall remain, a remnant of few"—meaning a remnant of small quantity, namely, the poor and the common people, a few in number.
The new wine fails, the vine fades; All the merry-hearted do sigh.
verse value 1743
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 29 letters. The shortest word is "trulied" (אָבַ֥ל, 3 letters) and the longest is "languishes·vine" (אֻמְלְלָה־גָ֑פֶן, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "wine" (תִּיר֖וֹשׁ), "languishes·vine" (אֻמְלְלָה־גָ֑פֶן), "they·were·sighed" (נֶאֶנְח֖וּ). 5 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root תירוש ("wine") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'languishes·vine', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: אָבַ֥ל [trulied] (33) + תִּיר֖וֹשׁ [wine] (916) + אֻמְלְלָה־גָ֑פֶן [languishes·vine] (239) + נֶאֶנְח֖וּ [they·were·sighed] (115) + כׇּל־שִׂמְחֵי־לֵֽב [all·joyful·inner man] (440) = 1743.
Ibn Ezra
But the new wine has made the vine languish, for there is no pruner or trimmer.
"Rejoice the heart." For wine gladdens the heart.
Radak
But the desolation of the land is [defined as] the exhaustion of its fruits, so that it does not yield grain, new wine, and oil. And if there are no tillers of the soil, there are no fruits.
Avel. The term denotes "desolation," and likewise "therefore the land shall mourn":
"All the gladness of the heart has sighed." The reason for this is that grain and new wine are the things that bring joy to a person when they are abundant, but when they are exhausted, he sighs.
Metzudat David
But as for the new wine: the grapes of the wine have been spoiled, because there is no pruner or digger.
The vine languishes. The matter is repeated in what is stated:
"All who are joyful of heart groaned." Even those accustomed to joy will groan, because the wine that gladdens the heart has been lost, as it is written: "And wine that gladdens the heart of man" (Psalms 104:15).
Metzudat Zion
Aval (it mourns). The matter of corruption:
Tirosh. Grapes for wine:
“Emalelah.” It was cut off:
They groaned. From the language of “groaning” (anachah):
Malbim
But as for new wine, it shall plead, because the new wine, which is the son of the vine and its offspring, mourns, for its father and begetter, the vine, has withered; like a son who mourns at the death of his father. And since the new wine mourns, therefore all the gladness of the heart groans, for the wine that used to gladden the hearts of people is itself mourning, and it cannot gladden others.
The mirth of tabrets ceases, The noise of them that rejoice ends, The joy of the harp ceases.
verse value 4068
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 35 letters. Verse gematria: 4068 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "ceased" (שָׁבַת֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "exultant" (עַלִּיזִ֑ים, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 702: ceased, ceased. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "timbrels" (תֻּפִּ֔ים), "exultant" (עַלִּיזִ֑ים). The root שבת appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'exultant', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: שָׁבַת֙ [ceased] (702) + מְשׂ֣וֹשׂ [exultation] (646) + תֻּפִּ֔ים [timbrels] (530) + חָדַ֖ל [had·ceased] (42) + שְׁא֣וֹן [roar] (357) + עַלִּיזִ֑ים [exultant] (167) + שָׁבַ֖ת [ceased] (702) + מְשׂ֥וֹשׂ [exultation] (646) + כִּנּֽוֹר [lyre] (276) = 4068.
Rashi
"Rejoicing with timbrels": For you were saying, "Behold, joy and gladness" (above 22:).
Ibn Ezra
"The mirth of the timbrels has ceased." From the banquet hall:
The clamor of the jubilant. When they become intoxicated:
Radak
Shabbat, a joy of timbrels. For with timbrels and harps they rejoiced at the banquet, being merry and joyful; and now it has ceased and stopped.
Metzudat David
Ceased is the joyous occasion with the sound of timbrels. The joy that they rejoiced with the sound of timbrels was abolished.
The clamor of the jubilant. The murmur of the joyous:
Metzudat Zion
Shavat. It means ceased, as in "and the oppressor has ceased" (above, 14):
Mashos. A matter of joy:
Tophim. A type of musical instrument:
He ceased. The matter of prohibition:
Sha'on. The matter of murmuring:
“Alizim.” The matter of joy:
Malbim
Shabbat, and by means of the cessation of wine, the dances that they were accustomed to perform with drums and dancing ceased, for the drum was specifically designated for dancing and revelry, and thereby, of its own accord, the clamor of the merry ones ceased—the clamor and noise that the merry ones and dancers would make during the joy of the drums. And also the joy of the lyre ceased, for the lyre was not made for dancing, but rather to arouse the joy of the soul, and they would play upon it even when not during the dance, for all joy had departed.
They drink not wine with a song; Strong drink is bitter to them that drink it.
verse value 2845
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 24 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "they·drink·wine" (יִשְׁתּוּ־יָ֑יִן, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "in·the·song" (בַּשִּׁ֖יר), "they·drink·wine" (יִשְׁתּוּ־יָ֑יִן), "will·be·bitter" (יֵמַ֥ר). The root שתה appears 2 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 286x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·drink·wine', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: בַּשִּׁ֖יר [in·the·song] (512) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + יִשְׁתּוּ־יָ֑יִן [they·drink·wine] (786) + יֵמַ֥ר [will·be·bitter] (250) + שֵׁכָ֖ר [strong·drink] (520) + לְשֹׁתָֽיו [to·its·drinkers] (746) = 2845.
Ibn Ezra
"In the song they shall not drink wine." In the melody, only when necessary, for the wine has become bitter. And in my opinion, the word "bitter" is from the doubled verbs, like "lightened" (Genesis 15:5), and it is in the Nifal construction.
Radak
With song. Just as it is the custom of the joyous to drink while singing songs and melodies, they will be groaning, and there will be no song in their mouths; moreover, even the little intoxicating drink they drink will be bitter to them, like bitterness in their mouths, due to the multitude of their troubles.
Metzudat David
In the Song, etc. They shall not drink for the joy of a feast, as one drinks in the Song; rather, the strong drink shall be bitter to those who drink it, for they drink it to assuage grief and sorrow.
Metzudat Zion
Yamar. From the language of bitterness:
Shechar. Old wine:
Malbim
In song, and not only were the melodies of various musical instruments silenced, but even in the song that poets sing with their mouths, they will no longer drink wine from now on, for they will not rejoice at the time of drinking wine, for the strong drink has turned bitter for its drinker, for they give strong drink to those with a troubled heart.
Broken down is the city of wasteness; Every house is shut up, that none may come in.
verse value 2452
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 24 letters. Verse gematria: 2452 is divisible by 613, the number of the commandments (mitzvot). The shortest word is "was·shut" (סֻגַּ֥ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "city·formlessness" (קִרְיַת־תֹּ֑הוּ, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "was·broken" (נִשְׁבְּרָ֖ה), "city·formlessness" (קִרְיַת־תֹּ֑הוּ). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "from·the·vicinity·of" (root בוא, 120x in Isaiah); "every·house" (root בית, 67x in Isaiah); "was·broken" (root שבר, 25x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'city·formlessness', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 3 words. Full calculation: נִשְׁבְּרָ֖ה [was·broken] (557) + קִרְיַת־תֹּ֑הוּ [city·formlessness] (1121) + סֻגַּ֥ר [was·shut] (263) + כׇּל־בַּ֖יִת [every·house] (462) + מִבּֽוֹא [from·the·vicinity·of] (49) = 2452.
Rashi
"City of chaos." When it is broken, it is called "city of chaos."
Entry. From "No man shall enter into it":
Ibn Ezra
“Shattered [is the city of chaos].” The reason is that any city whose inhabitants follow after vanity is considered shattered.
He shuts every house and entrance, for every person goes out to the roads due to excessive sorrow.
Radak
“The city of chaos was shattered.” After it was shattered, it is a city of chaos; and similarly, “I baked bread upon its coals,” and the like.
"Sealed every house of entry." In stating "every," it means the majority, just as in "and all the land came to Egypt," [for] most of the houses will be desolate, and there is no purpose in entering them.
Metzudat David
“The city of chaos was shattered.” Every city that is shattered is called the “city of chaos,” named after its ultimate fate: when it is shattered, it will become chaos. Likewise, “I baked bread upon its coals” (below, 44), which calls it “bread” named after its ultimate fate.
“Closing every house of entry.” The houses shall be ruined, and no one will enter them, as if one closes the house so that no one enters it.
Metzudat Zion
Keriyah. A city:
Tohu. A matter of desolation, and likewise the earth was tohu va-bohu (Genesis 1:1-2):
Malbim
"Broken": This depicts the nature of the exile, and the scene visible in the city when the people are preparing to leave their native land for the land of the enemy. The citadel, which is the fortress of the city, and the roofs of the houses and the walls are broken, and every house is already locked so that they cannot enter it.
There is a crying in the streets amidst the wine; All joy is darkened, The mirth of the land is gone.
verse value 2456
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 37 letters. The shortest word is "is·gone" (גָּלָ֖ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "amidst·the·wine" (עַל־הַיַּ֖יִן, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "outcry" (צְוָחָ֥ה), "amidst·the·wine" (עַל־הַיַּ֖יִן), "in·the·streets" (בַּחוּצ֑וֹת). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·land" (root ארץ, 169x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·streets', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 5 words. Full calculation: צְוָחָ֥ה [outcry] (109) + עַל־הַיַּ֖יִן [amidst·the·wine] (175) + בַּחוּצ֑וֹת [in·the·streets] (512) + עָֽרְבָה֙ [pledged] (277) + כׇּל־שִׂמְחָ֔ה [all·joy] (403) + גָּלָ֖ה [is·gone] (38) + מְשׂ֥וֹשׂ [exultation] (646) + הָאָֽרֶץ [the·land] (296) = 2456.
Rashi
Aravah. The darkness:
"The joy of the earth" refers to Jerusalem.
Ibn Ezra
Tzohah. Like a cry:
On [the wine]. The place of the wine:
“in the streets.” In public:
Aravah. From the root arav (Genesis 1:5), like choshech.
Radak
“Crying out over the wine.” In the markets, they cry out regarding the wine: “Whoever has wine to sell, come and sell it.” And those crying out are either travelers passing through or the few who remain in the city. Alternatively, it means that there will be wailing and lamentation over the wine at midnight, because it is lacking for them.
“All joy is darkened (arevah kol simchah).” All joy has grown dark, for joy is in wine, as it is said, “And wine gladdens the heart of man.” And “Aravah” is from “erev,” which means darkness, and joy is light, and its opposite is darkness.
“Rejoicing has fled from the land.” The rejoicing has fled and departed from their land.
Metzudat David
“Crying out over wine.” They will cry out and complain in the streets over the wine that is lacking for them, and for this reason all joy becomes darkness, for wine gladdens the heart, and they have nothing with which to be gladdened (and since joy is called “light,” therefore in its absence he speaks of the matter of darkness).
"Revealed is the joy of the land." The joy departed from them.
Metzudat Zion
Aravah. From the root arav, meaning “evening,” implying that it denotes darkness, like the evening.
Exiled. From the language of exile:
Malbim
“Zochah” – and the exiled people stand in the streets, crying out in bitterness, with cups of wine in their hands. Just as they were accustomed to sing songs of praise over wine, so too in the time of mourning they would complain and cry out over the wine, uttering these words: “All joy has turned to mourning.” The joy is the joy of the heart, which is likened to the light that illuminates the soul. Through the light of joy, they attain gladness, for gladness refers to the dances performed at times of joy, such as dancing and feasting and the like (as explained in the commentary on the words). Now, the light of joy has turned to mourning, and its light has grown dark from the horizon of the hearts. Consequently, the gladness of the land has been exiled; the voice of joy and feasting will not be heard in the land, for all will be exiled. Who, then, will remain in the city at this time?
In the city is left desolation, And the gate is smitten to ruin. .
verse value 2500
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 22 letters. Verse gematria: 2500 = 50². The shortest word is "desolation" (שַׁמָּ֑ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "is·smitten·gate" (יֻכַּת־שָֽׁעַר, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "remained" (נִשְׁאַ֥ר), "and·ruin" (וּשְׁאִיָּ֖ה), "is·smitten·gate" (יֻכַּת־שָֽׁעַר). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "desolation" (root שם, 83x in Isaiah); "in·the·city" (root עיר, 43x in Isaiah); "remained" (root שאר, 21x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'desolation', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: נִשְׁאַ֥ר [remained] (551) + בָּעִ֖יר [in·the·city] (282) + שַׁמָּ֑ה [desolation] (345) + וּשְׁאִיָּ֖ה [and·ruin] (322) + יֻכַּת־שָֽׁעַר [is·smitten·gate] (1000) = 2500.
Rashi
"And desolation shall smite the gate." Through the desolation of a barren [place], the houses shall moan from lack of a dweller; and the gates shall be smitten by harmful spirits.
Ibn Ezra
"Neshar. And 'shaiyah.' A noun from the root of 'sho'ah' (Isaiah 10:3):"
And the prophet spoke in the manner of a human being, in order that the listeners might understand; likewise [regarding the verse] “It is better than both of them” (Ecclesiastes 4:3):
Radak
"It remained." The rejoicing has departed from the city, and nothing remained in it except desolation and ruin. And the meaning of "in the city" is: in every single city, of the cities of the nations. And the meaning of "ruin": "and the gate of the city shall be battered into ruin," for none goes out and none comes in. And "ruin" is akin to "desolation," as in, "until the cities lie waste, without inhabitant." And all this great calamity that he mentioned will be in the days of the Messiah, in the time of Gog and Magog and the rest of the nations. And these three verses that he mentioned at the end of this parashah testify to our interpretation, that this prophecy is destined for the days of Gog and Magog and the rest of the nations, when the majority of the nations will perish and only the few will remain, as it says, "And a remnant of people shall remain, a very small number." And in the verse following this one, too, it says, "Like a beater of an olive tree."
Metzudat David
He remained in the city, desolate. This means that the joy departed, and the desolation remained.
And the desolation. And because of the desolation, the gate of every city will be smitten, for such is the way of a desolate city: its gates are broken down and demolished, for there is no one who pays attention to their repair.
Metzudat Zion
Shammah. A desolate place:
"ושאיה" – like "ובשאיה," and it pertains to the root meaning of desolation, as in "Shao irim" (above, verse 6).
יוכת. From the root of "כתיתה" (crushing):
Malbim
It shall remain; now it shall remain only there, and the meaning is that in the city where the houses and dwellings were, there it shall now be, and at the city gate where the gathering was always with a multitude of people, and where the elders used to sit, as it is stated, “The elders have sat in the gate,” and “The inhabitants of the gate speak with me,” now its gates shall be desolate and silent, so that no person shall be found there.
For thus shall it be in the midst of the earth, among the peoples, As at the beating of an olive-tree, As at the gleanings when the vintage is done.
verse value 2899
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 47 letters. Verse gematria: 2899 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "as·gleanings" (כְּעוֹלֵלֹ֖ת, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 30: for, it·will·be. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "as·gleanings" (כְּעוֹלֵלֹ֖ת), "when·is·done" (אִם־כָּלָ֥ה). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah); "it·will·be" (root היה, 213x in Isaiah); "the·land" (root ארץ, 169x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·peoples', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 5 words. Full calculation: כִּ֣י [for] (30) + כֹ֥ה [thus] (25) + יִֽהְיֶ֛ה [it·will·be] (30) + בְּקֶ֥רֶב [in·midst·of] (304) + הָאָ֖רֶץ [the·land] (296) + בְּת֣וֹךְ [in·midst·of] (428) + הָעַמִּ֑ים [the·peoples] (165) + כְּנֹ֣קֶף [as·striking·of] (250) + זַ֔יִת [olive-tree] (417) + כְּעוֹלֵלֹ֖ת [as·gleanings] (556) + אִם־כָּלָ֥ה [when·is·done] (96) + בָצִֽיר [vintage] (302) = 2899.
Rashi
For thus: Israel will remain scattered among the nations, one person in a city and two in a family.
Like one who beats an olive tree: He who leaves kernels on the top of a shoot:
Ibn Ezra
"Ki": Like the beating of an olive tree. Like the shaking of an olive tree, and it is similar in sense to "and he shall cut down the thickets of the forest" (Isaiah 10:34):
"Like the gleanings thereof." The reason is [that the quantity is] slight, for when the vintage is finished, the gleanings remain.
Radak
"For thus it shall be. All that is mentioned shall be within the land:"
“Among the nations.” [This implies that] until those who remain are like the olives that cling to the branch or like the gleanings of the vineyard after the vintage. And the meaning of “like the olives that cling to the branch” is like the beating of an olive tree: when a person beats and strikes it, only a few olives remain that do not fall, here and there. Likewise, after a person has harvested his vineyard, only a few gleanings remain in it. So too will it be with the nations, for the majority of them will perish, and only a few will remain. And those who remain will acknowledge God and His power, for He is the Master of all, and all is in His hand, as they witness the downfall of Gog and Magog. Regarding them it is said: “Call upon the name of the Lord, and serve Him with one accord.” Likewise, the survivors from the camp of Assyria, when they saw his downfall, returned to serve the Lord, as it is written, and as we explained above in the portion concerning their prophecy against Egypt.
"If it is finished." When it is finished. And similarly: "And if the Jubilee shall be for the children of Israel," and "And if you make an altar of stones for Me," and verses similar to them.
Metzudat David
For thus it shall be. For so shall be the number of those who remain, among those who remain in the Land of Israel, and among those who remain in the Diaspora, dwelling among the nations:
Like one who strikes an olive tree. It returns to the beginning of the verse to say that the number of those remaining will be like a cluster of fruit from an olive tree, which leaves behind only a few, and like the number of clusters remaining on the vines when the vintage is finished, which are few; so too, few will be those remaining from the children of Israel.
Metzudat Zion
Koh. “So”:
Like "knof." The matter of "keritah" (excision) is similar, as well as "venakaf" (and it hewed down) the thorns of the city (above 6:).
“Like clusters.” These are the small grapes that remain on the vine, and no one takes heed of them; and it is from the language of “infant” and “nursling.”
Kalah. Nishlam:
Betzir. Thus, the plucking of grapes is called "betsir," as it is stated: "When you gather the produce of your vineyard" (Deuteronomy 24:21).
Malbim
For thus: After he recounted the destruction and exile that befell the kingdom of Ephraim through Sennacherib, he began to recount the salvation and miracle that will be for Hezekiah. He says: At the time when Israel will be like a gleaned olive tree in the midst of the land—that is, in the Land of Israel—and among the nations—that is, in the land of their exile—"like a gleaned olive tree" is a phrase that limits [the scope]. In the midst of the land, they will be like a gleaned olive tree, as one who gathers all its fruits one by one; so too, they will be killed and exiled, all of them. And among the nations, they will be like the gleanings when the vintage is finished—the remnants of them that will be found among the nations in Chaldea and Babylon. They will be few, like the gleanings after the vintage. This means: In the Land of Israel, they will be cut off entirely, while those remaining in exile will be only few gleanings.
Those yonder lift up their voice, they sing for joy; For the majesty of Hashem they shout from the sea:
verse value 1118
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 31 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 1118 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "abundance" (הֵ֛מָּה, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·pride·of" (בִּגְא֣וֹן, 5 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "in·pride·of" (בִּגְא֣וֹן), "they·shout" (צָהֲל֖וּ). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "they·will·lift" (root נשא, 57x in Isaiah); "abundance" (root הם, 49x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'let·them·shout·for·joy', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: הֵ֛מָּה [abundance] (50) + יִשְׂא֥וּ [they·will·lift] (317) + קוֹלָ֖ם [their·voice] (176) + יָרֹ֑נּוּ [let·them·shout·for·joy] (266) + בִּגְא֣וֹן [in·pride·of] (62) + יְהֹוָ֔ה [Hashem] (26) + צָהֲל֖וּ [they·shout] (131) + מִיָּֽם [from·sea] (90) = 1118.
Rashi
"They shall lift up their voice." This refers to that small remnant that remains; the good that I mentioned above shall come to them.
The waters rejoiced. More than they rejoiced at the sea during the Exodus from Egypt:
Ibn Ezra
"They are, etc." All the commentators agree that this passage, beginning with "Behold, the Lord will lay waste the earth" (Isaiah 24:1), refers to the future, concerning the War of Gog and Magog. According to the opinion of Rabbi Moses the Cohen, it refers to the King of Assyria. The "banquet of rich meats" (Isaiah 25:6) refers to the death of the camp of Sennacherib and his officers; this is what is meant by "the crown of pride" (Isaiah 28:1).
"They." Those who flee:
“Yir’u” – “They shall cry out.” This is an expression of raising one’s voice, and it is derived from the word “u’ta’avor ha’renah” (“and the cry shall pass”), as it is written in Kings 22:36. “Mayim” – “Waters.” This refers to those who go upon the sea. Similarly, the word “tzahalu” (“they shouted”) is related to “tzehalat ha’sus” (“the neighing of the horse”).
Radak
"They shall lift up their voice" — in praise of God; "and they shall sing aloud" — in the pride of the Lord, for they saw that He exalted Himself over all the nations by overthrowing them when they came against Jerusalem.
“Zehali mayim.” Just as “they shall shout for joy” (yizhalu) uses the past tense in place of the future, so too here, and it is plural, as is common in prophetic passages. And the meaning of “mayim” (waters) is “from the west,” namely, those who are distant from Jerusalem in the land of the west will sing aloud and shout for joy in the pride of the Lord.
Metzudat David
"They shall lift up their voice." They shall merit the redemption and lift up their voice in song.
"In the pride of the Lord." Because of the pride of the Lord, they shall shout with a voice louder than the voice of joy with which they shouted at the sea when Egypt sank into the depths of the sea.
Metzudat Zion
They shall lift. The matter of the lifting:
Gaon. A matter of great dominion:
"Rejoice." The meaning is the making of a loud sound, and similarly, "Raise your voice, O daughter of waves" (above, 10).
Malbim
"They, these survivors, shall lift their voice and sing with joy in the pride of the Lord, in that pride with which they rejoiced when they went up through the waters"—that is to say, the pride of the Lord that was displayed to them at the time they went up through the waters of the Reed Sea, which was the destruction of the Egyptians by the hand of the Lord and His might—shall now be displayed to them in the destruction of the camp of Assyria, as it is stated (above 10:2): "And He stretched out His rod over the sea."
’Therefore glorify you Hashem in the regions of light, Even the name of Hashem, the God of Israel, in the isles of the sea.’
verse value 1512
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 39 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 1512 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "name·of" (שֵׁ֥ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "in·the·lights" (בָּאֻרִ֖ים, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 26: Hashem, Hashem. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "in·the·lights" (בָּאֻרִ֖ים), "in·isles·of" (בְּאִיֵּ֣י). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "therefore" (root על, 200x in Isaiah); "Israel" (root ישראל, 84x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 6 words. Full calculation: עַל־כֵּ֥ן [therefore] (170) + בָּאֻרִ֖ים [in·the·lights] (253) + כַּבְּד֣וּ [glorify] (32) + יְהֹוָ֑ה [Hashem] (26) + בְּאִיֵּ֣י [in·isles·of] (23) + הַיָּ֔ם [sea] (55) + שֵׁ֥ם [name·of] (340) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + אֱלֹהֵ֥י [God·of] (46) + יִשְׂרָאֵֽל [Israel] (541) = 1512.
Rashi
“On this account, in the high places.” The Targum renders it: “In the dwellings of light for the righteous,” referring to the two (one manuscript reads: “two lights”) of the redemption from Babylonia and from Edom. And Menachem said that “orim” is a term denoting hollows and branches where fugitives would hide; similarly, “Ur of the Chaldeans” (Genesis 11) [is derived from] “the valley of the Chaldeans,” and likewise, “the lair of vipers” (above 11) [is derived from] “the hollow, the hole of its dwelling.”
Ibn Ezra
On the word "Al" (meaning "in" or "upon") in the phrase "Ba'urim" (in the lights): Some say that it refers to boundaries, and similarly is [the place name] "Ur Kasdim" (Genesis 11:31); and others say it refers to valleys; and the first opinion is the correct one.
In the islands of the sea. “Honor the Lord,” for “Honor” draws after it “His people.”
Radak
"Therefore, ba'urim." In the valleys, like [the phrase] "Ur of the Chaldees." And what he said, "ba'urim," is because most cities are in the valleys and not on the mountains. And he said "therefore," meaning: when you see and hear of God's power and His majesty over the nations, honor Him with words of praise. And likewise, in the far-off islands of the sea, honor the Lord, the God of Israel, for their sake He did what He did to the nations.
Metzudat David
"Al ken" (Therefore): Since they are assured of the redemption, therefore those who are hidden in the clefts of the earth out of fear of the enemy shall glorify the Lord.
"On the isles of the sea." The word "kavdu" (they honored) is used in two senses: to say that those who were exiled to the isles of the sea honored the Name of the Lord, etc.
Metzudat Zion
Openings. The matter of a crack and a fissure, and likewise the den of a viper (above 11):
Malbim
Therefore, it is connected to the following verse: “From the end of the earth we have heard songs,” and “From the end of the earth they shall sing praises, saying: ‘Therefore, glorify the Lord with lights.’” They kindled lights as a sign of salvation, as is the custom when a great salvation is renewed in the land: they illuminate the entire night with great lights to announce the good tidings to distant places (illuminare), and not only in the land of Judah but also in the islands of the sea (glorify with lights), the name of the Lord, God of Israel, who showed His wonders and signs to Israel.
From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs: ‘Glory to the righteous.’ But I say: I waste away, I waste away, woe is me! The treacherous deal treacherously; Indeed, the treacherous deal very treacherously.
verse value 2922
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 67 letters. The shortest word is "to·me" (לִ֑י, 2 letters) and the longest is "acting·treacherously" (בּוֹגְדִ֖ים, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 257: leanness·to·me, leanness·to·me. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "wing" (מִכְּנַ֨ף), "songs" (זְמִרֹ֤ת), "and·treachery" (וּבֶ֥גֶד). The root בגד appears 5 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·I·said" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah); "the·land" (root ארץ, 169x in Isaiah); "we·have·heard" (root שמע, 106x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·me', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 5 words.
Rashi
“From the end of the earth.” Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated: “From His Holy Temple,” which is at the end of the Land of Israel, in its east, as we learned: “Lydda from the west and the Jordan from the east.” Thus, the distance from Jerusalem to the Jordan is a day’s journey. And I say, according to the plain meaning, that we heard from behind the curtain that they will raise songs from the end of the earth. And what are these songs? “Glory to the righteous” — there is destined to be a standing and an arising for the righteous.
And he said, "Woe is me," etc. Woe is me, that two secrets have been revealed to me: the secret of retribution and the secret of salvation. Yet behold, salvation will be delayed until enemies come, plunderers after plunderers, and robbers after robbers. The five betrayals mentioned here are:
Ibn Ezra
“From the end.” It is possible that the meaning is “the righteous ones,” and because the earth is round, it says “from the end of the earth,” and the meaning is “from a distant place.”
Tzvi. Glory, or according to the Aramaic Targum, and the word "and I say" refers to the words of every nation, and so have we heard.
Razim. From the root of “He sent leanness into their souls” (Psalms 106:15), and the meaning is that at times, in every moment:
"The treacherous have dealt treacherously." For all men deal treacherously — betrayal after betrayal.
Radak
“From the end of the earth.” This passage, too, is prophetic like the one preceding it. The prophet said, “From the end of the earth we have heard songs of joy for the righteous.” “From the end of the earth” means the extremity of the earth; similarly, “to grasp the corners of the earth” means the ends of the earth. That is to say, this news and good tidings have come to us from afar. And he said, “we have heard,” indicating that even the prophets who were in his time prophesied about this future event, as it is written in their prophecy:
“Glory to the righteous.” Explanation: “Glory” means delight and splendor. And similarly, “glory” applies to all the lands and those like them. That is to say, for whom are these songs that we have heard? They are for the righteous, because the righteous are worthy to rejoice in them, and they serve as songs for them. As He said at the beginning of the book: “On that day the Branch of the Lord will be for glory and for splendor.” And for whom will it be? For the remnant of Israel, who are the righteous, as it is said: “Behold, for the righteous,” and it is said: “And he who remains in Zion and whoever is left in Jerusalem.”
And he said, “I waste away, I waste away.” It is as if the prophet said: When I saw this calamity that is destined to befall Israel in the days of the Redemption, whereby they will be refined and only the righteous will remain.
"Razi li." That is to say, "Razon li" [leanness to me], as if He said, "From the fat of my flesh, it shall grow lean because of this," and "Woe to Me on account of this," for how many traitors there are among them, and all of them have been destroyed; or the explanation is: how many traitors will betray them; or the explanation is that it is an allusion to the four kingdoms: Babylon, traitors; Media and Persia betrayed them; "Yivgad bogdim" [traitors will betray]—Media and Persia will be betrayed by Greece; and regarding Greece, Rome; and all of them were subjugated by Israel and betrayed them during their exile among them. And our Sages of blessed memory expounded and said: A heavenly voice went forth and said, "Razi li, Razi li." The prophet said: "Until when will a heavenly voice go forth?" And it said: "Bogdim bagdu" [Traitors have betrayed], etc., until they come with "bazzuzi" [with money], and with "bazzuzi debazzuzi" [with money of money]. And the yod in "Razi" is a lamed-hafael [indicating the hifil stem], like the yod in "naki" [pure]; and "Razi" is accented on the penultimate syllable (mil'el) because of the word "li" which is next to it, as it is a short word. And the Targum of Jonathan translated "Razi" as a matter of a secret, like "And every secret shall not be hidden from you"; and so he translated the verse: "From the house of My sanctuary that is there, etc."
Metzudat David
"From the end of the earth we have heard songs." This means that I and my fellow prophets heard in prophecy that at the time of the redemption there will be destruction and devastation from one end of the earth to the other, and afterward there will be splendor for every righteous person.
And I said: When I heard this matter, I said, "The secret that was told to me brings affliction to me; and woe to me over the report, for the traitors will betray Israel and do evil to them."
"And the treacherous have dealt very treacherously." This means that a group of traitors, who will betray those very traitors, will also betray Israel. In other words, there will be strife and war among the gentiles, and all of them will betray Israel.
Metzudat Zion
"From the corner." From the edge, as it is said: "To seize the corners of the earth" (Job 38:13).
Zemirot. The matter of cutting off is like [the verse] "the song of the ruthless shall be cut down" (below, 25):
Tzvi. The matter of "hadar" is like "for the crown of beauty" (below, 28):
Razi. The first [meaning] is a matter of a secret, as in: “And no secret was withheld from you” (Daniel 4:6); and the second [meaning] is a matter of emaciation and thinness.
Malbim
“From the wing” — this is a parenthetical remark: “We have heard from the ends of the earth, from the exiles of Israel there, songs of praise; they will sing praises.” Therefore, in the plain sense (pshat), it refers to “Glory” (tsevi), for the righteous one sings praises. And this phrase extends to two meanings: we also heard songs of praise, glory, and splendor, which they will sing for Hezekiah the righteous, by whose merit this salvation occurred. And secrets were revealed to me, telling how many additional mysteries were disclosed to him, and they informed him that even this salvation would not be an eternal salvation, and how many more troubles would pass over the heads of the holy people, and how the wicked would drown them in the waters of the Babylonian and Median exiles and the other exiles, because they would add further to their sin, as it continues to recount. And this is what it says: “Many more secrets were revealed to me,” and therefore, “Woe is me when I hear!” I see that “the treacherous deal treacherously,” meaning that after Hezekiah, traitors betrayed the Lord, with betrayals like those of Manasseh, Jehoiakim, and his companions. “and with the treachery of the treacherous they deal treacherously” — meaning that their betrayal would be a “garment of traitors,” that is, a great betrayal specific to great traitors, such as setting up an idol in the Temple, which is a betrayal beyond which there is none greater.
Terror, and the pit, and the trap, are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth.
verse value 1424
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 22 letters. The shortest word is "terror" (פַּ֥חַד, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·pit" (וָפַ֖חַת, 4 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·pit" (וָפַ֖חַת), "and·snare" (וָפָ֑ח). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "upon·you" (root על, 200x in Isaiah); "the·land" (root ארץ, 169x in Isaiah); "dwelling" (root ישב, 71x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·snare', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: פַּ֥חַד [terror] (92) + וָפַ֖חַת [and·pit] (494) + וָפָ֑ח [and·snare] (94) + עָלֶ֖יךָ [upon·you] (130) + יוֹשֵׁ֥ב [dwelling] (318) + הָאָֽרֶץ [the·land] (296) = 1424.
Rashi
“Terror, and a pit, and a snare shall be upon thee.”—This applies to the nations dwelling in the land.
Pachat. A pit into which one falls, as he explains and says:
Ibn Ezra
"Fear, etc." And because of this, evil came upon all the people. And behold, when the soul is frightened, and the pit, which is like a nearby cistern, and his foot is caught in the snare, he immediately falls.
Radak
"Fear." This refers to Edom, Ishmael, and others who were the inhabitants of the land and its masters, while Israel was in exile among them. He said: Do not think that the distress will befall Israel alone; rather, it will also befall all of you, whom you consider to be the masters and inhabitants of the land. You will be shaken from within it, and every nation will be shaken from its place. Israel will be saved from the distress, and those righteous ones will be inscribed for life, but you will not escape.
Metzudat David
"Fear, etc." – This means strange and frequent troubles.
Upon you. Israel, the inhabitants of that land, will come upon you:
Metzudat Zion
"ופחת" – A deep excavation, as in "one of the pits" (2 Samuel 17:9).
And a snare. A net:
Malbim
"Fear," and through the treachery of these traitors, the land is prepared for numerous calamities, depicting the onset and multitude of troubles. This is according to the parable of the hunters: when hunting animals, they dig a pit and a large hole into which the animal will fall as it walks. And according to the pit, on the other side, they place a net trap, so that after the animal falls into the pit and wishes to escape, it will be caught on the other side by the net. And in order for the animal to fall into the pit, they chase it with dogs and frighten it with fear, so that through the fear it will flee and fall into the pit, and afterward it will be caught in the net. So too, the troubles that befell Israel are depicted as one being the cause of the next.
And it shall come to pass, that he who flees from the noise of the terror shall fall into the pit; And he that comes up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the trap; For the windows on high are opened, And the foundations of the earth do shake;
verse value 4805
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 76 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·shall·be" (וְ֠הָיָ֠ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "something lifted up" (הַנָּ֞ס, 3 letters) and the longest is "for·windows" (כִּֽי־אֲרֻבּ֤וֹת, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 120: will·fall, foundations·of. 12 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "something lifted up" (הַנָּ֞ס), "terror" (הַפַּ֙חַד֙), "will·fall" (יִפֹּ֣ל). 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·shall·be" (root היה, 213x in Isaiah); "land" (root ארץ, 169x in Isaiah); "to·the·pit" (root איל, 114x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root ארבה ("for·windows") in Isaiah. First appearance of the root מוסד ("foundations·of") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·snare', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 6 words.
Rashi
The escape. (Because of) [the sound of] the fear, they will fall into the pit, etc. The one who escapes from the sword of Messiah son of Joseph will fall by the sword of Messiah son of David, and the one who escapes from there will be caught in a trap in the war of Gog.
Ibn Ezra
“And it shall be.” “When the windows of heaven are opened.” Like windows, and the meaning is: decrees from Heaven.
Radak
And it shall be. This verse is an explanation of the preceding one.
"והפחת" – this is the great excavation.
“For the windows on high have been opened.” Because the decrees descend from the heavens, he said it as if it were a mighty rain, as it is said regarding the Flood: “and the windows of the heavens were opened.” And so shall the decrees descend from the heavens in great abundance, like the Flood; and because of this, “the foundations of the earth trembled,” so that it would not be able to stand for its inhabitants.
Metzudat David
"And it came to pass, that he who flees" [This refers to] whoever flees from his place due to the sound of the terror will fall, etc. The meaning is: whoever is saved from one distress will fall into another.
“Because of the windows.” The verse employs a parable, as if the windows of heaven were opened and many troubles descend through them.
"And they trembled, etc." This means that even the strong ones will tremble from the fear of the numerous troubles.
Metzudat Zion
“Ha-nas” (he who flees). A term of fleeing:
Windows. Windows, like “the windows of the heavens” (Genesis 7:11):
From on high. From the lofty heavens:
Musadi. From the word yasad:
Malbim
“The windows on high” – this depicts the desolation that will come upon the land, time after time, by means of an earthquake: the earth will quake from its place, and its pillars will be shaken. And since earthquakes sometimes depend on the upper signs, the verse states: even though, according to the signs, these terrible quakes would not be obligatory, nevertheless, the windows of heaven will be opened to bring down new evils by the decree of the Most High, and the foundations of the earth will tremble.
The earth is broken, broken down, The earth is crumbled in pieces, The earth trembles and totters;
verse value 3614
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 39 letters. Verse gematria: 3614 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "a·shepherdess" (רֹ֥עָה, 3 letters) and the longest is "is·crumbled" (הִֽתְפּוֹרְרָה֙, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 291: land, land. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "is·broken" (הִֽתְרֹעֲעָ֖ה), "utterly" (פּ֤וֹר), "is·crumbled" (הִֽתְפּוֹרְרָה֙). The root ארץ appears 3 times in this verse. 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·land" (root ארץ, 169x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root מוט ("tottering") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·land', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 6 words. Full calculation: רֹ֥עָה [a·shepherdess] (275) + הִֽתְרֹעֲעָ֖ה [is·broken] (750) + הָאָ֑רֶץ [the·land] (296) + פּ֤וֹר [utterly] (286) + הִֽתְפּוֹרְרָה֙ [is·crumbled] (896) + אֶ֔רֶץ [land] (291) + מ֥וֹט [tottering] (55) + הִֽתְמוֹטְטָ֖ה [totters] (474) + אָֽרֶץ [land] (291) = 3614.
Rashi
"Is broken, broken down (ro'ah hitro'a'ah)." A term of breaking, as in "You shall break them (tero'em) with a rod of iron" (Psalms 2:9).
“Dust that is crumbled.” The language of crumbs:
Ibn Ezra
"Rule." From the root of "you shall rule" (Psalms 2:9), and this expression is known in Aramaic:
"פור התפוררה" – according to the sense of "shattered," as it is written, "If I were to break, I would be shattered" (Job 14:12); and similarly, "You shattered the sea with Your strength" (Psalms 74:13).
Radak
"Rahah" – it shall be utterly broken. The matter is one of breaking, and similarly, "por" – it shall be shattered, as it is written: "You shattered the sea with Your strength." And all the doubling [of letters] is to emphasize the great distresses that will be upon the entire land at that time.
Metzudat David
"Broken, etc." – As if to say: But in the end, the matter will turn, and the distress will be reversed upon the gentiles; and the land will be shattered and crumble into fragments, and it will be inclined to fall. This is an allegory for the majority of troubles, and the repetition of the phrase serves to strengthen the statement.
Metzudat Zion
“Rah” – “tarua’ah.” The matter of “shiburah” (breaking/shattering) is like “ve-ra’u dalotav” (and its branches shall be broken) (Jeremiah 11:
“Dust that is scattered.” The matter of being crushed into many pieces, as it is said, “You crush them” (Psalms 74:13).
"It shall utterly totter." The word means leaning and falling:
Malbim
“Rachah” – [the verse] considers the shaking of the earth as progressing from one level to another: first, the earth will quake and cracks will form in it due to the tremor; afterward, it will crumble into fine fragments; and finally, it will collapse completely and be dislodged from its place.
The earth reels to and fro like a drunken man, And sways to and fro as a lodge; And the transgression thereof is heavy upon it, And it shall fall, and not rise again.
verse value 3626
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 56 letters. The shortest word is "reeling" (נ֣וֹעַ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·sways" (וְהִֽתְנוֹדְדָ֖ה, 8 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "reeling" (נ֣וֹעַ), "will·quiver" (תָּנ֤וּעַ), "as·the·drunkard" (כַּשִּׁכּ֔וֹר). The root נוע appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "on" (root על, 200x in Isaiah); "land" (root ארץ, 169x in Isaiah); "rise" (root קום, 36x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'as·a·lodge', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: נ֣וֹעַ [reeling] (126) + תָּנ֤וּעַ [will·quiver] (526) + אֶ֙רֶץ֙ [land] (291) + כַּשִּׁכּ֔וֹר [as·the·drunkard] (546) + וְהִֽתְנוֹדְדָ֖ה [and·sways] (480) + כַּמְּלוּנָ֑ה [as·a·lodge] (151) + וְכָבַ֤ד [and·will·heavy] (32) + עָלֶ֙יהָ֙ [on] (115) + פִּשְׁעָ֔הּ [her·transgression] (455) + וְנָפְלָ֖ה [and·shall·fall·away] (171) + וְלֹא־תֹסִ֥יף [and·not·again] (587) + קֽוּם [rise] (146) = 3626.
Rashi
Like a hut. A hut of watchmen at the top of the tree:
Ibn Ezra
נוע. The reason is that the inhabitants of the land will flee from place to place, and wander about like a sojourner, for the watchman changes his place of lodging.
And the meaning of "and it shall be heavy" is that when they seek to stir themselves up and flee, their sin will become heavy upon them, and they will fall.
"Arise." It is a noun derived from a verb, and similarly [in the verse] "a king with whom there is no rising up" (Proverbs 30:31):
Radak
“Shake, shake, O earth,” like a watchman’s hut. A watchman’s hut is one that the vineyard-keeper builds on a hilltop, from which he guards all the vineyards. That hut is constructed of light wooden poles, for it has no fixed dwelling place, since the watchman does not reside in it permanently, but only as long as the grapes are in the vineyards, to guard them. That hut is called a “malona” (watchman’s hut), because the watchman also spends the night there. When the wind strikes that malona, it sways back and forth. Due to its lightness, it withstands the swaying without falling to the ground; but if there were something on top of it to weigh it down, it would collapse. So too, the earth: its inhabitants will sway back and forth, and they will not have stability, for their sins will weigh heavily upon them, and they will fall to the ground, never to rise upon it again.
Metzudat David
"Waver, etc." The earth will waver like a drunkard who staggers, and it will not be able to stand upright without swaying.
And it shall be shaken. It shall be a shaking and moving, like the booth of a gourd-keeper which is shaken by the wind.
"And the transgression will be heavy upon it." The transgression that Israel transgressed, to straiten them, will be heavy upon the land, and it will fall down and will not be able to rise again. He means to say that this sin will serve as an accusation.
Metzudat Zion
“Move, move.” The word is derived from the root meaning “to move” and “to be shaken.”
And it shall wander. The word is from the root of "wandering":
Like a night lodge. So too, one may call a booth used by a guard of gourds a sukkah, for it is constructed only for overnight lodging, as it is written: "Like a night lodge" (above, 1:1).
Malbim
“Nua” (It shall totter): After having recounted the shaking of part of the land, the text now describes how the land will be shaken in its entirety. Initially, it will totter hither and thither, like a drunkard who moves from place to place due to the wine burning within him; so too will the land totter of its own accord due to the vapors trapped within it, like objects in a full belly. Subsequently, it will sway like a tent that sways due to an external cause, namely the wind; so too will it totter due to an external cause. The metaphorical meaning is that initially there will be rebellion, tumult, and civil war within the nation, and subsequently it will be shaken by an enemy coming from without. Afterwards, its sin will become heavy upon it from Above, and it will fall completely, like an object that has been dislodged from its fixed position: if any weight is placed upon it, it will fall downward.
(And in the threefold poetic structure of this verse and the preceding verse, it is clear that the prophet intended to refer to the three times that Nebuchadnezzar shook the Land of Judah until he conquered it, as explained in Jeremiah. In this verse, he intends to refer to the shaking of the land in the days of the Second Temple by the kings of Greece, and subsequently to the destruction of the Temple by Edom, which is what is meant by “it has fallen and will not rise again,” as it is stated regarding the Virgin Israel, “she has fallen and will not rise again,” for this final exile will last for ages upon ages. And together with what is stated in verse 18, “the foundations of the earth trembled,” you will find that he mentioned and enumerated all the troubles that befall them until the destruction of the Second Temple, at which time they fell to the depths of the great abyss, and from then on they will fall, falling upon falling, one fall after another. Furthermore, observe that he intended to enumerate the seven types of earthquakes mentioned by the natural philosophers, as this Edomite [Azariah de Rossi] mentioned in his book *Ma'or Einayim*, in the part called *Kol Elohim* [The Voice of God]; see there.)
And it shall come to pass in that day, That Hashem will punish the host of the high heaven on high, And the kings of the earth upon the earth.
verse value 1509
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 54 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָיָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָיָה֙, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·upon·kings·of" (וְעַל־מַלְכֵ֥י, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 26: and·it·shall·be, Hashem. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "upon·host" (עַל־צְבָ֥א), "height" (הַמָּר֖וֹם), "and·upon·kings·of" (וְעַל־מַלְכֵ֥י). The root מרום appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "and·it·shall·be" (root היה, 213x in Isaiah); "in·the·day" (root יום, 124x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·high', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְהָיָה֙ [and·it·shall·be] (26) + בַּיּ֣וֹם [in·the·day] (58) + הַה֔וּא [that] (17) + יִפְקֹ֧ד [he·will·punish] (194) + יְהֹוָ֛ה [Hashem] (26) + עַל־צְבָ֥א [upon·host] (193) + הַמָּר֖וֹם [height] (291) + בַּמָּר֑וֹם [in·the·high] (288) + וְעַל־מַלְכֵ֥י [and·upon·kings·of] (206) + הָאֲדָמָ֖ה [ground] (55) + עַל־הָאֲדָמָֽה [upon·the·ground] (155) = 1509.
Rashi
"Host of the Most High." He will first cast down the princes of the nations.
Ibn Ezra
“And it shall be, etc.” There are many who interpreted this as referring to the darkening of the luminaries. However, the correct interpretation is that they are the angels who stand to assist a nation and to serve as adversaries to another nation. This is explicitly stated in the Book of Daniel (Daniel 10:13, 21). Therefore, it says, “and upon the kings of the earth, on the earth,” for the dominion of the kings is bound up with the dominion of the angels.
Radak
“And it shall come to pass on that day that the Lord will punish the host of the heavens in the heavens.” Some explain this as referring to the darkening of the luminaries, for this is a sign and omen of the misfortune of the nations; therefore, he said, “and on the kings of the earth.” And the wise Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra, of blessed memory, explained that “the host of the heavens” refers to the angels, who stand to aid one nation and to harm another nation, as is expounded in the Book of Daniel. And therefore he said, “and on the kings of the earth,” for the dominion of the nations is bound up with the dominion of the angels.
Metzudat Zion
יפקוד – as it is written, “And He charged me” (Ezra 1:2):
Malbim
"And it shall be," after he revealed the secrets and mysteries that were revealed to him concerning the evils that will befall Israel, he begins to inform [us] of what will be in the latter days of the wrath, when the time of the eternal redemption arrives. Then the Lord will visit upon the host of the heights, who are the princes of the nations or the upper forces of the constellations and stars that indicate their sustenance and success, and afterwards upon the kings of the earth, who are the kings from among the idolaters who will come to aid Gog and Magog, as stated in the Book of Ezekiel (and see in Exodus Rabbah, Parashah 9, and in Midrash Hazzita, verse "Flee, my beloved").
And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the dungeon, And shall be shut up in the prison, And after many days shall they be punished.
verse value 2104
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 42 letters. The shortest word is "gathering" (אֲסֵפָ֤ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "in·prison" (עַל־מַסְגֵּ֑ר, 6 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·they·will·be·gathered" (וְאֻסְּפ֨וּ), "gathering" (אֲסֵפָ֤ה), "into·pit" (עַל־בּ֔וֹר). The root אסף appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "days" (root יום, 124x in Isaiah); "and·from·multitude·of" (root רב, 32x in Isaiah); "and·they·will·be·gathered" (root אסף, 20x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root בור ("into·pit") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·prison', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְאֻסְּפ֨וּ [and·they·will·be·gathered] (153) + אֲסֵפָ֤ה [gathering] (146) + אַסִּיר֙ [prisoners] (271) + עַל־בּ֔וֹר [into·pit] (308) + וְסֻגְּר֖וּ [and·are·shut] (275) + עַל־מַסְגֵּ֑ר [in·prison] (403) + וּמֵרֹ֥ב [and·from·multitude·of] (248) + יָמִ֖ים [days] (100) + יִפָּקֵֽדוּ [they·shall·be·punished] (200) = 2104.
Rashi
"And they shall gather" – The nations of the world gather them. This is to their detriment, to bring the prisoner into the pit prepared for him, from those obligated to Gehinnom, into Gehinnom.
“And He shut them up in the prison.” These are the seven levels of Gehinnom:
"And for many days they shall be punished." Their sins, for many days, shall be brought to account against them. This is what the paytan Kaliri established (in the selikhah of the Yotzer for the parashah of Zakhor): "For many days to be counted, to reckon accounts against them."
Ibn Ezra
“And they shall gather a gathering” [prisoners]. Like prisoners: when a multitude of prisoners is brought into a pit to be shut up, and they are left there for many days, and “they shall visit” them to provide them with sustenance; the reason being that this evil will be prolonged. It is possible that this is akin to “and from many days I will visit” (Ezekiel 38:8), and this “visitation” is for evil.
Radak
And they shall gather a gathering, a captive. The word lacks the letter kaf of similarity, and its meaning is “like a captive,” just as captives are gathered at night into a pit and locked in a cage until morning, when they are taken out for their labor, so too shall the nations of the world be gathered. This means that they will be like captives because of Israel, so that they will not have permission to lift hand or foot until they are humbled before them with the utmost humiliation.
"And in the multitude of days": This means that for many days they will be visited [i.e., remain in their state], and every nation will be in its kingdom, for after they have become accustomed to lowliness for many days, they will no longer improve, and every nation will return to its kingdom. And my master and father, of blessed memory, explained the verse regarding Israel, that they will be in exile for many days, and will be confined between Esau and Ishmael, and in the multitude of days every nation will be visited; and after they have been in exile for many days, God will have mercy on them, and they will be visited.
Metzudat David
"And they shall gather, etc." – They shall be gathered in to receive punishment, just as all the prisoners are gathered at night into the pit of the prison and are locked up in their cells until morning, when each one goes out to his work. That is to say, the gathering in which they shall assemble together against the Lord and against His Anointed – that gathering shall be to their detriment, like the gathering of prisoners.
"And in the multitude of days they shall be visited." Then He will visit upon them retribution for the sins they committed in days of old.
Metzudat Zion
Asir. Like "aser" [prisoner], but lacking the letter kaf of the simile.
On a cistern. Into a cistern:
On the bolt. Just as in "on the bolt," where "on" takes the place of "in," and similarly, "on your sword" (Ezekiel 33:26). And Rashi means: in the lock of the bolt.
Malbim
And they shall be gathered: Then, by the will of the Lord, all the nations will be gathered to Jerusalem for war, and there He will judge them with great judgments, as it is stated in Zechariah. And regarding this, He compares this gathering to the way prisoners are first gathered to the pit, and yet they are not placed inside the pit until they are judged whether they are guilty or innocent. So too, He will gather them to Jerusalem to stand before Him in judgment, and after they are found guilty, then they will be shut up with a bolt and placed in the house of the pit, confined there. And after many days they will be visited: then He will visit upon them what they did in the multitude of days, what they sinned all those days against the Lord and against His people Israel.
Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed; For Hashem of hosts will reign in mount Zion, And in Jerusalem, and before His elders shall be Glory.
verse value 2638
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 61 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֣ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "in·mountain·of" (בְּהַ֤ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·in·Jerusalem" (וּבִיר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם, 8 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·will·be·ashamed" (וְחָֽפְרָה֙), "tile" (הַלְּבָנָ֔ה), "and·will·put·to·shame" (וּבוֹשָׁ֖ה). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "for·will·reign" (root מלך, 73x in Isaiah); "hosts" (root צבא, 73x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root חמה ("the·sun") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·sun', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 9 words. Full calculation: וְחָֽפְרָה֙ [and·will·be·ashamed] (299) + הַלְּבָנָ֔ה [tile] (92) + וּבוֹשָׁ֖ה [and·will·put·to·shame] (319) + הַחַמָּ֑ה [the·sun] (58) + כִּֽי־מָלַ֞ךְ [for·will·reign] (120) + יְהֹוָ֣ה [Hashem] (26) + צְבָא֗וֹת [hosts] (499) + בְּהַ֤ר [in·mountain·of] (207) + צִיּוֹן֙ [Zion] (156) + וּבִיר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם [and·in·Jerusalem] (594) + וְנֶ֥גֶד [and·before] (63) + זְקֵנָ֖יו [His·elders] (173) + כָּבֽוֹד [glory] (32) = 2638.
Rashi
"And the moon shall be confounded, etc." The Targum: "And those who serve the moon shall be ashamed, and those who worship the sun shall be humbled."
Ibn Ezra
And it shall be ashamed. The reason is the moon and the sun, because they are rulers; and behold, the kings of the earth shall be ashamed, and the sun and the moon shall be darkened. Then the kingdom of the Lord shall be seen on Mount Zion, and then there shall be glory for those who cleave to the Name. And there are those who say that the reason refers to the worshippers of the luminaries, and this is not connected to the reasons of the passage.
Radak
"And the moon shall be confounded." The explanation is: "And the moon shall be confounded for the nations of the world, and the sun shall be ashamed for them," meaning that the world will be darkened for them due to the multitude of troubles. This will occur during the war of Gog and Magog. Then the Kingdom of the Lord of Hosts will be seen on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, for there they will encamp against Jerusalem, and they will conquer half of the city. And the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations. Then all the survivors from all the nations will recognize that to the Lord belongs the kingship, and it will be against the elders of His people for honor and glory, as it is stated at the beginning of the book: "A shoot will come forth for the Lord, for beauty and for glory," etc., and it says, "And it shall come to pass that the remnant in Zion," etc., and these are the elders of His people mentioned here.
Metzudat David
"And the moon shall be darkened." [This refers to] the nations of the world: the moon and the sun will be darkened, meaning that their light will be obscured from the eyes of the nations of the world due to the multitude of troubles that will befall them. Similarly, it is stated regarding the downfall of Babylon: "The stars of the heavens and their constellations do not give their light" (Isaiah 13:10).
"For the King, etc." – This means: when His kingship will be revealed in executing vengeance against the men of Gog.
“And before His elders is honor.” Before the elders of His people, it shall be for honor and for glory, that from of old they attained the knowledge that the Lord is God.
Metzudat Zion
"Vechafara." The meaning is shame, that is to say, it means "its light was dimmed," for a person who is ashamed has the light of his countenance dimmed.
"Ki." As in:
Malbim
And the moon will be confounded; then they will no longer give divinity and glory to the sun and the moon, for they will recognize that the Lord is the First Cause, and He is the First and Last Bestower, He who oversees the heavens above and the earth below. For the Lord reigns on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before His elders is glory. This means that the idolaters used to attribute to the sun a divine power of emanation and bestowal, because it bestows light upon the moon and the luminaries. And they also gave honor to the moon, thinking that it receives the bounty from the sun and bestows it upon the lower world, and that it rules over the lower world. But then the moon will be confounded, for they will know that the supreme glory is not bestowed upon it by the Creator of all, but rather the glory is bestowed upon His elders and His prophets. Upon them He will emanate the supreme glory, and they will stand before the Lord at the level of the moon relative to the sun. So too, the supreme glory will be limited before His elders, and they will receive His light, and from them the influence will descend as reflected light to illuminate and bestow upon the earth and its inhabitants. The verse "The sun shall be ashamed, for the Lord reigns on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and the moon shall be confounded, for before His elders is glory" teaches that the light of the Lord’s kingdom will be beneath the light of the sun, and His elders, who receive the light of His glory, will be beneath the moon.
Rashi
Ibn Ezra
Radak
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim