O Hashem, You are my God, I will exalt You, I will praise Your name, For You have done wonderful things; Even counsels of old, in faithfulness and truth.
verse value 3189
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 49 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֤ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "I·will·extol·You" (אֲרֽוֹמִמְךָ֙, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "I·will·extol·You" (אֲרֽוֹמִמְךָ֙), "I·will·give·thanks" (אוֹדֶ֣ה), "trees" (עֵצ֥וֹת). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "for" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah); "you·did" (root עשה, 101x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'wonder', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 4 words. Full calculation: יְהֹוָ֤ה [Hashem] (26) + אֱלֹהַי֙ [my·God] (46) + אַתָּ֔ה [you] (406) + אֲרֽוֹמִמְךָ֙ [I·will·extol·You] (307) + אוֹדֶ֣ה [I·will·give·thanks] (16) + שִׁמְךָ֔ [your·name] (360) + כִּ֥י [for] (30) + עָשִׂ֖יתָ [you·did] (780) + פֶּ֑לֶא [wonder] (111) + עֵצ֥וֹת [trees] (566) + מֵרָחֹ֖ק [distant place] (348) + אֱמ֥וּנָה [firmness] (102) + אֹֽמֶן [verily] (91) = 3189.
Rashi
"Counsels from afar, faithfulness confirmed (emunah omen)." The counsels that You counseled from afar to Abraham at the Covenant Between the Parts:
"Emunah omen." Faithfulness made firm; "omen" is [a noun] like "ohel" (tent), "okhel" (food) — not an agent-form but a noun of action — "afermement" (confirmation) in Old French.
Ibn Ezra
"YHWH, my God." The words of the prophet, or of any one of the elders:
"Counsels from afar." From ancient times, and the reason is that the accent clings to the word "asita":
[Emunah Aman]. And behold, they appear in emunah (faith), and the word emunah [is written with a vav, resembling] aman (craftsman), like “The Lord is my strength and my fortress” (Jeremiah 15:19).
Radak
"The LORD is my God." And then, in those days, each of the elders mentioned in "and before His elders shall be glory" (Isaiah 24:23) will say: "O Lord, You are my God," meaning: You are my Judge, for You have taken my judgment from the nations; therefore, I recognize that You are truly my God. Hence, I will exalt You, I will praise Your name, meaning: I will give You in my praise exaltation, for You have been exalted and lifted up above all the nations. And it says "I will exalt You" and "I will praise Your name," for He is His name, and His name is He.
"For You have done." With us a wonder, a wondrous thing in our eyes: that You have taken us from among the nations, who were scattered among them and serving them; and furthermore, after the ingathering of the exiles, that Gog and Magog and many peoples with them will gather against us, and He will cast them down upon the mountains of Israel, as it is written in the prophecy of Ezekiel and in the prophecy of Zechariah—this will be a great wonder.
“Counsels from afar, faithfulness of a craftsman.” The counsels that You spoke long ago through Your prophets have been fulfilled with a strong fulfillment; this is the “faithfulness of a craftsman,” just as “good and faithful” means strong and enduring, and likewise in the phrase “faithful, strong, and enduring.”
Metzudat David
"You are my God." When the prophet saw that prophecy, he began to praise the Omnipresent, and said, "You are my God," etc.
"Counsels from afar." The counsels that You counseled long ago, which You promised through the prophets, are a true and enduring faith, for so it shall be done.
Metzudat Zion
"Faithful." Its meaning is something that remains fixed, like a peg in a reliable place (above 22:).
Malbim
“Hashem, You are my God” – this is the song that the elders will recite in the future: “I will exalt You.” The Holy Name, blessed be He, is recognized through two aspects: First, from His own essence; from this perspective, He is called by the Tetragrammaton, the One who was, is, and will be, and He is the Creator and Renewer of all. Second, from the wonders He performs contrary to nature; from this perspective, all inhabitants of the world will recognize that to Him belongs the strength to shatter the battle array and to act throughout all existence according to His will. Unlike this, His comprehension from the aspect of His essence cannot be grasped by flesh-and-blood beings, for He is exalted above all comprehension and thought. The Name “Elohim” indicates this when applied to Israel, signifying that these wonders He performed and will perform because He is the God of Israel, for the benefit of His close people. This is the statement of limitation: “Hashem, I will exalt You” – because You, Hashem, I exalt above all comprehension and thought, above all blessing and thanksgiving; “My God, You, I will thank Your name, for You have done wonders” – and because You are my God and have revealed Your divinity to me by performing great and awesome wonders, from this aspect I am able to thank Your name, since You have performed wonders beyond the nature of existence. “Counsels from afar” – these wonders You performed for the sake of the counsels You devised long ago through Your prophets, in order to perfect faith and to strengthen belief by showing that You can destroy nature according to Your will.
For You have made of a city a heap, Of a fortified city a ruin; A castle of strangers to be no city, It shall never be built. .
verse value 3104
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 50 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "fortified" (בְצוּרָ֖ה, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 320: from·a·city, from·a·city. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "to·the·mound" (לַגָּ֔ל), "citadel" (אַרְמ֤וֹן), "is·built" (יִבָּנֶֽה). The root עיר appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 286x in Isaiah); "for" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah); "name" (root שם, 83x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root גל ("to·the·mound") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·a·ruin', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 6 words. Full calculation: כִּ֣י [for] (30) + שַׂ֤מְתָּ [name] (740) + מֵעִיר֙ [from·a·city] (320) + לַגָּ֔ל [to·the·mound] (63) + קִרְיָ֥ה [city] (315) + בְצוּרָ֖ה [fortified] (303) + לְמַפֵּלָ֑ה [to·a·ruin] (185) + אַרְמ֤וֹן [citadel] (297) + זָרִים֙ [strangers] (257) + מֵעִ֔יר [from·a·city] (320) + לְעוֹלָ֖ם [to·ever] (176) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + יִבָּנֶֽה [is·built] (67) = 3104.
Rashi
For You made it a heap: Mount Seir, from a city to a heap of ruins:
“Palace of strangers from the city.” A dwelling that they made in your city, which they have laid waste—give over its palaces to desolation, so that it will never be rebuilt.
Ibn Ezra
"for, etc." The meaning is: How many cities will be destroyed at the coming of Gog and Magog? And in the words of Rabbi Moshe HaKohen regarding the days of Sennacherib:
To the heap. Just as it says, “to this heap” (Genesis 31:51).
"Palace of strangers": These are the exiled nations.
From a city. From every city:
Radak
“Because you have become a heap from a city.” From that place which was a city, You have made a heap; that is to say, You have made a heap of stones, for many of the cities of the nations will be destroyed in those days. And He repeated the matter in different words to strengthen the matter, and said: “A fortified city, to ruin,” with a tsere under the pe.
“Palace of strangers from the city.” It shall be desolate from the city, for it will never be rebuilt. And “palace of strangers” refers to Babylon, which is like a palace for all the cities of the nations, and they are called strangers and aliens.
Metzudat David
From a city to a heap: that place which was a city and ceased to be so, becoming a heap of stones, as is the manner of a ruin.
A fortified city. A fortified city that was to become a ruin:
"The palace of strangers": The place of the palaces of the Babylonians will be broken down from the city, and it will never be rebuilt again to return to its former glory.
Metzudat Zion
To a heap. A mound and a heap:
"Palace": The terms "palace" (heichal) and "palaces" (paltrim).
"Strangers." [These are] non-Jews. And similarly, the nations are called "non-Jews," as it is stated, "and also to the non-Jew" (1 Kings 8:41).
From the city. From being a city, and similarly, "for he who robs from a house" (above, 23):
Malbim
For, [the verse] explains the wonders that the Lord performed for them: “from a city You have made a heap”: suddenly, while it was yet a city, it was overturned and became a heap in an instant. And more than this, even a walled city (shamat) fell suddenly into ruin. And conversely, the palaces of strangers (shamat le-miflah) — from a city of the cities of Israel, He removed the palaces that the strangers had established there, and He caused them to fall into ruin in such a manner that they shall never be rebuilt. And these are the wonders that Your hand brought upon them in an instant. (The phrase shamat le-miflah also extends to the end of the verse: "the palaces of strangers shamat le-miflah me-ir.")
Therefore shall the strong people glorify You, The city of the terrible nations shall fear You.
verse value 1855
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 34 letters. The shortest word is "therefore" (עַל־כֵּ֖ן, 4 letters) and the longest is "they·will·glorify·You" (יְכַבְּד֣וּךָ, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "they·will·glorify·You" (יְכַבְּד֣וּךָ), "people·strong" (עַם־עָ֑ז), "they·shall·fear·You" (יִירָאֽוּךָ). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "therefore" (root על, 200x in Isaiah); "people·strong" (root עם, 107x in Isaiah); "nations" (root גוי, 65x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'people·strong', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: עַל־כֵּ֖ן [therefore] (170) + יְכַבְּד֣וּךָ [they·will·glorify·You] (62) + עַם־עָ֑ז [people·strong] (187) + קִרְיַ֛ת [city] (710) + גּוֹיִ֥ם [nations] (59) + עָרִיצִ֖ים [awe-inspiring] (420) + יִירָאֽוּךָ [they·shall·fear·You] (247) = 1855.
Ibn Ezra
"Upon." With a mighty people, those who flee or are distant, when they hear:
Radak
Therefore: Even the fierce and the arrogant ones among the nations of the world will fear You and honor You, when they see what You have done to Gog and Magog and their camp.
Metzudat David
Therefore. When they see Your government, all nations will honor You; the mighty peoples and the men of the strong cities of the gentiles will fear You.
Metzudat Zion
"Arutzim." Strong, like "a mighty tyrant" (Jeremiah 20:11).
Malbim
Therefore, in contrast to the two types of deeds that He considered that the Lord had done: A. That He destroyed the cities of the idolaters, to take vengeance upon them; B. That He removed their palaces from the cities of Israel, in order to save Israel. He says: In contrast to what You removed, the palaces of strangers, from the cities of Israel, to save Israel, therefore "the mighty nation shall glorify You" — Israel, who will then be a mighty nation, will glorify You. And in contrast to what You devastated, the cities of the nations, to take vengeance upon them, therefore "the cities of ruthless nations shall fear You," for one who acts only in destruction and vengeance is feared by them, but they do not glorify him; whereas one who performs salvation and mercy is glorified by them, but they do not fear him. And You, who have executed vengeance upon the nations and salvation for Israel, will attain both glory and awe.
For You have been a stronghold to the poor, A stronghold to the needy in his distress, A refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat; For the blast of the terrible ones was as a storm against the wall.
verse value 3203
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 60 letters. The shortest word is "shadow" (צֵ֣ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "for·you·have·been" (כִּי־הָיִ֨יתָ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 123: stronghold, stronghold. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "for·you·have·been" (כִּי־הָיִ֨יתָ), "to·the·poor" (לַדָּ֛ל), "to·the·needy" (לָאֶבְי֖וֹן). The root מעוז appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·from·heat" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah); "for·you·have·been" (root היה, 213x in Isaiah); "from·heat" (root חרב, 44x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·distress·to·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 9 words.
Rashi
“Refuge from the torrent.” A covering, like a tent, to save from the torrent, and shade to protect from the heat. And what is that torrent? It is the wind of the wicked, for their wind is likened to a rushing torrent that strikes against the wall and overthrows it.
Ibn Ezra
"Behold, and so forth." He wonders: for every fortified city is captured, while the place of the lowly escapes; yet this Jerusalem is a refuge from the flood, for the enemy is likened to waters.
"For the spirit of the arrogant". Explanation: From the stream.
Radak
"For You have been a stronghold for the poor." The poor and the needy are Israel, and their troubles and exile were like a rushing stream and the scorching sun, and God was a refuge and shade for them so that they were not consumed in exile. And he explained the parable, saying, "The breath of the arrogant is like a stream against a wall." This means that the anger of the arrogant nations against Israel was like a rushing stream that topples a wall. Were it not for God's mercy, we would have had no hope of restoration.
And "spirit" [ruach]—anger, as it is said, "Do not be hasty in your spirit to become angry" (Ecclesiastes 7:9); "A fool gives vent to all his spirit" (Proverbs 29:11); "They have quieted my spirit" (Zechariah 6:8).
Metzudat David
“For You were.” For by the strength of Your arm You were a stronghold in the time of distress for Israel, a poor and needy nation.
Machseh. You were a refuge for them from the torrent of waters, and a shade from the heat of the sun—namely, their salvation from the hands of the nations that afflict Israel.
"For the spirit." The verse elucidates what is meant by "the flood." It states that the anger of the arrogant is like a flood of waters that rushes with force to overthrow the wall.
Metzudat Zion
Ma'oz. Strength:
Mizram. The meaning is the washing of the waters, as it were, like a stream of water (infra 28a):
From the root חר"ב. The matter is dryness of heat, as in "in the parching heat of summer" (Psalms 52):
"RUAH." The matter of anger, as it is written, "Do not be hasty in your spirit" (Ecclesiastes 7:9):
Kir. A wall:
Malbim
“Because You were” – this expounds further how He effected salvation for Israel, by overthrowing the cities of idolaters. “Because You were a stronghold for the poor” – and also a stronghold for the destitute, who is worse off than the poor, in time of distress (which enhances the merit of the doer of charity, if he assists in time of siege). “You were” a refuge from the flood: the poor man, who sits without a refuge – You were for him both a refuge from the flood and a shade from the heat (these being the two opposing elements, heat and moisture, which afflict the poor; and this is an allegory that He suspended from him all his troubles). For the explanation of what is stated, “a refuge from the flood,” is that the wind of the tyrants is similar to a flood that destroys and consumes. “You were” a wall against the outside, in the face of the flood. (“You were” is also drawn to the end of the verse: “You were a wall.”)
As the heat in a dry place, You did subdue the noise of strangers; As the heat by the shadow of a cloud, the song of the terrible ones was brought low.
verse value 2768
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 44 letters. The shortest word is "cloud" (עָ֔ב, 2 letters) and the longest is "awe-inspiring" (עָרִיצִ֖ים, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 257: strangers, song. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "You·subdued" (תַּכְנִ֑יעַ), "song" (זְמִ֥יר). The root חרב appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "as·heat" (root חרב, 44x in Isaiah); "in·a·dry·place" (root ציון, 39x in Isaiah); "will·answer" (root ענה, 25x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'You·subdued', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 6 words. Full calculation: כְּחֹ֣רֶב [as·heat] (230) + בְּצָי֔וֹן [in·a·dry·place] (158) + שְׁא֥וֹן [roar] (357) + זָרִ֖ים [strangers] (257) + תַּכְנִ֑יעַ [You·subdued] (550) + חֹ֚רֶב [scorching·heat] (210) + בְּצֵ֣ל [in·shadow·of] (122) + עָ֔ב [cloud] (72) + זְמִ֥יר [song] (257) + עָרִיצִ֖ים [awe-inspiring] (420) + יַעֲנֶֽה [will·answer] (135) = 2768.
Rashi
As the heat in a dry place. In a time of drought that dries up the seeds so that they may be threshed, so too will You subdue the tumult of the nations.
“Chorav b’tzel av.” When the waters are gathered in a thick cloud during the days of drought, in which all rejoice, so too shall the song of the righteous be answered, concerning the destruction of the arrogant and their downfall.
Zemer. The phrase “you shall not prune” (Leviticus 25):
Ibn Ezra
Like desolation in Zion. Just as it is said, “In a land of drought” (Jeremiah 2:6):
"You shall subdue the noise of strangers." And behold, "Chorav betzel av" is doubled in meaning:
And behold, a thick cloud. When the cloud is concealed and is not visible:
And behold, "the song of the arrogant." Just as "the tumult of strangers" is derived from the root of "songs" (Isaiah 24:16):
"Ye'aneh." From the root of "ani" (poor/afflicted), and it is a standing participle, from the root of "le'anot" (to afflict) as in Exodus 6:3:
Radak
“Like desolation in Zion.” Just as desolation and drought are in a place of aridity, and a person has no shelter or refuge there, so too You have subdued them—the clamor of strangers and their tumult—so that they shall have no refuge or sanctuary.
“Cherev b’tzel av” (a sword in the shade of darkness). And that destruction will be for the nations like the destruction of Zion, and for Israel it will be like a destruction in the shade of darkness; that is to say, that great afflictions will be in these days for the idolaters and for Israel, as we have written above regarding the verse “And the moon shall be confounded,” and Israel will escape from that affliction, as it is written, “All that is found is written in the Book.” And for them that destruction will be like a destruction upon which a shade comes and cools it, but for the idolaters it will be like a cutting off that will subjugate them.
Zemer. The meaning is cutting, as it is written: “You shall not cut down your vineyard” (Leviticus 25:4).
"Yena." The meaning is submission, as in "to bow down before," and the arrogant ones are the idolaters.
Metzudat David
“Like the desolation in Zion.” Like the desolation and the heat that are in a place of drought, where there is no shelter to be found, and it causes great distress; so too will it utterly subdue the arrogance of the strangers who raise a voice of tumult.
“Chorav betzel av.” Just as the scorched earth is subdued and cooled by the arrival of the shade of the clouds, so too will You destroy and subdue the tyrants.
Metzudat Zion
In Zion. From the root meaning drought and desolation:
Sha'on. The matter of murmuring:
"Strangers." Non-Jews, and they are the nations in the Land of Israel.
Av. "A cloud:"
Zemer. The matter of cutting down is like, “You shall not prune your vineyard” (Leviticus 25:4).
“He shall be humbled.” A term of submission, as in "you refuse to humble yourself" (Exodus 10):
Malbim
As it says, “Like a sword,” this implies that just as drought, in times of affliction and aridity, subdues the clamor of foreign waters—meaning that through the drought the waters dry up and the flow is destroyed—and just as the shade of a dense cloud subdues the drought, so too will the song of the wicked be silenced. Thus, the song and melody of the wicked, who sing and rejoice over their victory and might, will be subdued (and the meaning is that the nature of holiness is to subdue wickedness, just as the nature of moisture is to subdue aridity, and vice versa). These are the words of the song that will be sung then. From now on, the prophet will begin his words.
And in this mountain will Hashem of hosts make to all peoples A feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, Of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined.
verse value 5360
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 66 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֨ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "in·the·mountain" (בָּהָ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·all·the·peoples" (לְכׇל־הָֽעַמִּים֙, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 745: feast, feast. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "wiped" (מְמֻ֣חָיִ֔ם), "purified" (מְזֻקָּקִֽים). The root משתה appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "and·will·do" (root עשה, 101x in Isaiah); "to·all·the·peoples" (root כל, 93x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root מחה ("wiped") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'lees', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְעָשָׂה֩ [and·will·do] (381) + יְהֹוָ֨ה [Hashem] (26) + צְבָא֜וֹת [hosts] (499) + לְכׇל־הָֽעַמִּים֙ [to·all·the·peoples] (245) + בָּהָ֣ר [in·the·mountain] (207) + הַזֶּ֔ה [this] (17) + מִשְׁתֵּ֥ה [feast] (745) + שְׁמָנִ֖ים [fat·things] (440) + מִשְׁתֵּ֣ה [feast] (745) + שְׁמָרִ֑ים [lees] (590) + שְׁמָנִים֙ [fat·things] (440) + מְמֻ֣חָיִ֔ם [wiped] (138) + שְׁמָרִ֖ים [lees] (590) + מְזֻקָּקִֽים [purified] (297) = 5360.
Rashi
"And the Lord of Hosts shall do this to all the nations:"—namely, when they come to wage war against Jerusalem.
Feast of Oils. For they are of the opinion that it will be pleasant for them like oil, but it will turn into a feast of lees.
“Fat, full of marrow.” [This means that] the bones will be soft and oily like the brain. The dregs will be refined from every drink, oil and wine, so that nothing will be there except the dregs alone. And all of this [will occur] in the wars of Gog and Magog.
Ibn Ezra
“Make it.” On this mountain, which is Zion:
Mishṭeh Shemanim. The reason is that He will feed them rich, fatty foods:
Mumach. From the root of "and his bones shall be drenched with marrow" (Job 21:24), and it is from the heavy, stressed binyan:
And afterward, they shall pour out refined dregs, and behold, they shall become intoxicated, according to the meaning of "For as you have drunk upon My holy mountain" (Obadiah 1:16).
Radak
And the Lord shall do it. On this mountain, on Mount Zion, for there all the nations shall gather against Jerusalem.
“The Feast of Fats.” It is derived from the word for “fat,” and it is a metaphor for the cups that will be drunk there, as it is said, “And when you drink on My holy mountain, all the nations shall drink.” And all of this is metaphorical, as it also says, “I will pour out new wine as poison for all the nations.” And it states that that feast which will be held will be a feast of fats.
"Mimachim" – that is to say, many oils are derived from the matter of the brain. And if it is not from its root, and the drink that is most oily, when a person drinks much of it, burdens the heart and disturbs it; and all the more so does a drink of wine lees that are refined from the wine. And all of this is an allegory for the tumults of the Lord in which they themselves will kill one another, as it is said, "His hand will rise against the hand of his neighbor." And Targum Jonathan renders: "On this mountain a banquet (sheru), etc." The meaning of "sheru" is a feast, and the meaning of "zeman" is "the time when He will invite them to come to this feast." And this is the meaning of what is said, "I will bring you up from the north country, and I will bring you to the mountains of Israel."
Metzudat David
To all the nations that come to war with Gog:
"On this mountain." The mountain of the daughter of Zion:
"Mishṭeh shemenim." This means that they will think it will be easy for them to conquer Jerusalem, like oil, which is smooth and easy, and it will turn for them into a "mishṭeh shemirim," which is hard on the body; that is to say, there they will fall without any hope of recovery.
“Oils are wiped away.” The oils that are accessible and the oils like the marrow of bones will be transformed into refined yeast from the drink, which is without yeast alone, and this is a double matter in what was said, to say that their thought will be transformed from one extreme to the other.
Metzudat Zion
A feast. This is also the term for a joyous meal, as in: "And he made a feast" (Esther 1).
Shmanim. From the word shemen:
Dregs. The dregs of the drink that settle at the bottom of the vessel; and likewise, “but their dregs shall be squeezed out” (Psalms 75:9). Marrow. The term is derived from the word for the marrow of the bones.
"Refining." The matter of refining is to remove the dross, and he speaks in the language of a question regarding the removal of the liquid:
Malbim
"And the Lord will make" – this returns to the beginning of his words, which he started to prophesy in the previous chapter (verse 21), how the nations will gather to Jerusalem in the days of the Messiah and there they will be judged. He says that the Lord will make for all the nations a feast of rich foods and dregs. When they come there, they will be like those invited to the feast that the Lord has prepared for them. However, for some of them, the feast of rich foods will be a feast of rich and good things, and this is for those who recognize the true faith and return to the God of Israel. And for some of them, He will make a feast of dregs, for those who stiffen their necks and refuse to walk in the light of the Lord. And He explains that the rich foods will be rich with marrow, full of marrow and fat, and likewise the dregs will be dregs refined from all drink, only thick, harmful, and damaging dregs. This means that there will not then be any intermediate state, but only either life in the world to come or disgrace and destruction forever.
And He will destroy in this mountain The face of the covering that is cast over all peoples, And the veil that is spread over all nations.
verse value 1383
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 51 letters. The shortest word is "in·the·mountain" (בָּהָ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "over·all·the·peoples" (עַל־כׇּל־הָעַמִּ֑ים, 9 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·He·will·swallow·up" (וּבִלַּע֙), "face·of·the·covering" (פְּנֵֽי־הַלּ֥וֹט), "the·covering" (הַלּ֖וֹט). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "over·all·the·peoples" (root על, 200x in Isaiah); "face·of·the·covering" (root פנים, 88x in Isaiah); "over·all·the·nations" (root גוי, 65x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root מסכה ("and·a pouring") in Isaiah. First appearance of the root נסך ("the·spread") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'over·all·the·peoples', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: וּבִלַּע֙ [and·He·will·swallow·up] (108) + בָּהָ֣ר [in·the·mountain] (207) + הַזֶּ֔ה [this] (17) + פְּנֵֽי־הַלּ֥וֹט [face·of·the·covering] (190) + הַלּ֖וֹט [the·covering] (50) + עַל־כׇּל־הָעַמִּ֑ים [over·all·the·peoples] (315) + וְהַמַּסֵּכָ֥ה [and·a pouring] (136) + הַנְּסוּכָ֖ה [the·spread] (146) + עַל־כׇּל־הַגּוֹיִֽם [over·all·the·nations] (214) = 1383.
Rashi
Haluṭ. The covering that is wrapped over all the nations. The One who covers all the nations; “haluṭ” is akin to “He covered His face” (1 Kings 19:13) and “Behold, it is covered with a garment” (1 Samuel 21:10).
The word "maskah" (מסכה) is an expression denoting sovereignty and dominion:
Ibn Ezra
And "swallowed" (ve'ila): like "swallowed up the holy things" (Numbers 4:20), in the sense of "revealed."
Haluṭ. Like “and he covered his face with his mantle” (1 Kings 19:13), and behold, its meaning is like a mask, and it is like “covering,” as in “and the covering is narrow, like the gathering in” (Isaiah 28:20):
Radak
And "swallow" (belah) denotes the matter of destruction, as in "the wicked shall swallow up the righteous" (Habakkuk 1:13), and similar verses.
“Halu’t halu’t.” The first is a noun and the second is a participle, like “the woven covering” (ve-hamasachah hanisuchah), and even though it is written with a cholam, it is an adjective. The verse is duplicated with different words, for the meaning of “halu’t halu’t” is like the meaning of “the anointed covering.” The explanation of the verse is: the concealment and covering in which the nations were hidden until that day, when they were all in tranquility and dominion, God will destroy that covering, and they will be exposed and prepared for the evil that will come upon them, and they will have no cover or refuge from it. And the meaning of “My face” is that until that day they were covered as if their faces were not seen, like the matter written, “His way was hidden.” And my father, of blessed memory, explained: “Halu’t halu’t” alludes to a nation that covers their faces.
Metzudat David
And He will swallow up. The Omnipresent will destroy on this mountain the important ones of the covering, and He returns and explains: "the covering" is that which covers and shields all the nations, and concerning Gog He says:
And the covering. The covering that covers over all the nations of the world; and the matter is repeated in what is stated:
Metzudat Zion
And "swallowed" (u'vala) – the matter is one of destruction, as it says: "The Lord has swallowed" (Lamentations 2).
"Penei" – this means the important ones. And similarly, "ve'oh peneha" (above, 24).
“Hilot.” The term denotes a covering, as in “wrapped in a garment” (1 Samuel 21). And “maskah.” This too denotes a covering, as in “the bowls of the libation, with which they pour” (Numbers 4).
Malbim
And regarding “He shall swallow up” (ve’al’ah): Since before the coming of the Messiah, the nations will be divided into two camps: 1. Peoples who have faith and are not idolaters, but who have not recognized the true religion. Their false faith will place a veil over their faces and avert their gaze from beholding the light of truth. Even though it would be easy for them to recognize the true faith, since they already believe in many fundamental principles of religion—such as reward and punishment, Divine providence, and the like—these are called “peoples” (amim), which is a higher rank than “nations” (goyim). Regarding them, it is said that then the Lord will swallow up and remove the veil that envelops and covers their faces; that is, He will remove from them their false faith, and consequently they will see a bright light in the heavens and recognize the true religion of their own accord. 2. Nations who do not yet have any faith at all, and who are still idolaters like the ancient nations, such as the people of China, Japan, and the like. These are called “nations” (goyim), which is a lower rank. Regarding them, it is said that He will remove the mask, which is the idolatry that has been poured out upon them to serve as gods for them and to commit harlotry after them.
He will swallow up death for ever; And the Lord Hashem will wipe away tears from off all faces; And the reproach of His people will He take away from off all the earth; For Hashem has spoken it.
verse value 3208
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 66 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִ֛ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "all·faces" (כׇּל־פָּנִ֑ים, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 140: from·off, from·off. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "has·swallowed·up" (בִּלַּ֤ע), "death" (הַמָּ֙וֶת֙), "and·will·wipe" (וּמָחָ֨ה). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "for" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah); "from·off" (root על, 200x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'all·faces', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 8 words.
Rashi
"Death is swallowed up." He will cover it and hide it forever from Israel.
Ibn Ezra
"He has swallowed up death." – He will swallow them up.
"From above all faces." For they did great evils to all:
Radak
"Death is swallowed up forever." It will be destroyed and abolished, namely, accidental death, not natural death; that is to say, the killings that the nations used to carry out against them during the exile—then that death and the weeping that existed on every face, namely, on every face of the people of Israel, who were always weeping in exile because of the evils that the nations inflicted upon them—then God will erase that weeping from their faces, for they will no longer have distress. And He will remove the disgrace of His people from all the land, from which they were scattered throughout all the land, and they had disgrace in every place; God will remove that disgrace.
"For the Lord has spoken." Indeed, it shall be so, for the Lord has spoken, and whatever He speaks He will certainly fulfill in every respect.
Metzudat David
"בלע" (He shall swallow up). Then He will destroy and abolish death for all eternity.
"And He will wipe away" etc. This means: He will cause the tears of weeping to cease, and the reproach of His people He will remove. No longer will there be found anyone to reproach Israel, for they will no longer be exiles among the nations.
"From over all the land." For they will all return; no one will be missing, and no exile will be found among them throughout the land, and they will not be cursed by anyone.
"For the Lord has spoken. And in His hand is to confirm His word:"
Metzudat Zion
"בלע" (belah). The matter of destruction:
And she wipes. The concept of erasing and wiping is similar to "she eats and wipes her mouth" (Proverbs 30:20).
Malbim
“Death shall be swallowed up forever” – this is interpreted as: Who will swallow up these false beliefs? Death, meaning that the men of Gog, who will then assemble against Mount Zion, will die; He will swallow up the false belief forever. For when they see the downfall of Gog and the plague that the Lord will then strike upon the enemies of Jerusalem, they will return to the faith in God and recognize the true religion. “And He will wipe away the tears from all faces” – meaning that they will not then weep over those who fall in the war of Gog and Magog, nor over those struck down by God, for they will recognize that this was for their benefit, in order that they might recognize the true religion. “And the reproach of His people He will remove” – referring to the fact that now all the earth reproaches God’s people, saying, “Why do you hope for salvation? Has not your hope been lost, and is there no salvation for you in God?” Then He will remove this reproach.
And it shall be said in that day: ‘Lo, this is our God, For whom we waited, that He might save us; This is Hashem, for whom we waited, We will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.’
verse value 2709
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 69 letters. Notable word values: "to·him" (ל֖וֹ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "this" (זֶ֛ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·He·will·save·us" (וְיוֹשִׁיעֵ֑נוּ, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 172: we·waited, we·waited. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·He·will·save·us" (וְיוֹשִׁיעֵ֑נוּ), "let·us·rejoice" (נָגִ֥ילָה), "and·let·us·rejoice" (וְנִשְׂמְחָ֖ה). The root זה appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "and·will·say" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah); "in·the·day" (root יום, 124x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·He·will·save·us', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 7 words.
Rashi
And it is stated: “With Him on that day, behold, etc.”
"We waited for Him, and He will save us." This means that we were waiting for Him to save us.
Ibn Ezra
And he said. It is attached to the word "with him."
"And He will save us." And He will save us always; behold, it is like the present [continuous] tense.
Radak
And it says: “And he shall say.” His people, whom he mentioned, will say on that day, when they see the great salvation: “Behold, this is our God; this is He for whom we waited in exile, that He would save us. Behold, He is the One who will save us.” The matter is repeated, and it says: “This is the Lord; we waited for Him. Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.”
Metzudat David
And it says: “Then Israel will say, ‘Behold, this is our God, whom we have waited for, and He will save us.’”
"This is the Lord, etc." The duplication of the matter in what is stated:
We will make a joyful noise and rejoice in the salvation that comes from Him.
Malbim
And he says: He explains how He will remove the reproach of His people, for then His people will say to the nations who initially reviled Him, “Where is your God?” His people will then say, “Behold, this is our God, whom we have awaited throughout the entire period of exile, and who will save us in truth; we did not wait in vain.” And they will add, “This is the Lord, whom we have awaited; is He not the God whom we have awaited, namely the Lord who created all existence, who is called by the eternal Name ‘Lord’ and who brings all things into being?” Consequently, His salvation will not resemble salvation accomplished through nature or other forces, whose glory is not magnified and which does not endure forever. Consequently, we will rejoice and be glad in His salvation, for it will be a wondrous salvation in an exalted manner, arousing joy in those who hear of such exaltedness, and it will also be perpetual forever, in such a way that we will rejoice in it for all time.
For in this mountain will the hand of Hashem rest, And Moab shall be trodden down in his place, Even as straw is trodden down in the dunghill.
verse value 3063
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 52 letters. The shortest word is "in·the·mountain" (בָּהָ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "for·will·rest" (כִּי־תָנ֥וּחַ, 6 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "for·will·rest" (כִּי־תָנ֥וּחַ), "and·will·be·trodden·out" (וְנָד֤וֹשׁ), "as·the·treading·of" (כְּהִדּ֥וּשׁ). The root דוש appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "hand·Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "this" (root זה, 47x in Isaiah); "in·the·mountain" (root הר, 37x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root דוש ("and·will·be·trodden·out") in Isaiah. First appearance of the root במו ("water") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'this', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 8 words. Full calculation: כִּי־תָנ֥וּחַ [for·will·rest] (494) + יַד־יְהֹוָ֖ה [hand·Hashem] (40) + בָּהָ֣ר [in·the·mountain] (207) + הַזֶּ֑ה [this] (17) + וְנָד֤וֹשׁ [and·will·be·trodden·out] (366) + מוֹאָב֙ [Moab] (49) + תַּחְתָּ֔יו [under·him] (824) + כְּהִדּ֥וּשׁ [as·the·treading·of] (335) + מַתְבֵּ֖ן [straw heap] (492) + (במי) [water] (52) + בְּמ֥וֹ [in] (48) + מַדְמֵנָֽה [dung place] (139) = 3063.
Rashi
"When the hand of the Lord rests." His strength, that of the Omnipresent:
And it shall be trodden. Let it be trodden:
Tachto. In his place, and "venadash" is like "venarots" (the wheel) (Ecclesiastes 12:6).
From straw. Straw:
From the word "demanah" (meaning mud or clay), and similarly from the word "domen" (meaning dung, spread upon the face of the ground) (Jeremiah 15:
Ibn Ezra
For. The hand of the Lord, His strike:
"And Moab shall be trodden down." This refers to those who came to aid the besiegers of Zion. The word "ve-nadosh" is in the nifal conjugation, from the second class of verbs that appear so, or from the doubled verbs.
Like "the threshing." It is a verbal noun from the nifal construction, and a shureq takes the place of a holam, for they interchange.
Madmenah. A place of dung:
Radak
"When the hand of the Lord rests. To strike the nations:"
"And Moab shall be trodden down." Even though the nations have become confused and it is not known today which is Ammon, which is Moab, and which is Edom, and likewise the other nations, and in those days too the peoples will not be distinguishable, and similarly it is written in the prophecy of Daniel: "And these shall escape from the hand of Edom, Moab, and the chief men of the children of Ammon," meaning from the hand of the King of the North. But if they escape from the hand of the King of the North, they will not escape from the hand of the Almighty in the war of Gog and Magog. The matter is that even though they are not distinguishable and are mixed together, it is possible that there will be known families among them, or it is possible that "Edom" refers to the nation dwelling in the land of Edom, and "Moab" refers to those dwelling in the land of Moab, and so on for all of them. And He mentions here Moab because it will be an aid to the nations coming from the land of the North to Jerusalem with Gog and Magog. Since Moab are neighbors to the Land of Israel and close to them, they will prepare roads for those coming and will be with them; therefore, Moab is mentioned specifically, and it says, "Moab shall be trodden down under it," meaning in its place, and likewise the Targum renders it "in their place," and it will be trampled as straw is trampled in a threshing floor.
"From straw." Like "straw":
“From Madmenah.” It is the refuse, for the dung in the refuse is called “domen,” as it makes the ground barren, like “domen” upon the face of the field. And my master and father, of blessed memory, explained that Madmenah is the name of a city among the cities of Moab, as it is written in the prophecy concerning Moab: “Even from Madmen you shall be cut down.” And the explanation of the verse is thus: “And we shall trample Moab in its place, which is Madmenah, like the treading of straw, as one treads straw.”
Metzudat David
"When the hand of the Lord rests, to strike the nations that have assembled against Jerusalem:"
“And Moab shall be trodden down under it.” Moab shall be trampled and crushed in its place, because it aided those who came to war against Jerusalem.
Like one who tramples straw. Just as one tramples the straw within the refuse heap, for the custom is to cast straw into the place of the refuse heap, so that it may be trampled by the feet of people and animals, to become manure, with which to fertilize the fields.
Metzudat Zion
Tenuach. The word denotes the meaning of "resting" (hanachah):
And it shall be trodden. It is the language of treading and crushing.
“Tachto.” In his place:
From straw. The term is derived from the word "straw":
Bemo. "Within," as in "When you walk through fire" (below, 43).
From the word *dumanah*. Its meaning is refuse, as in: “Like a heap of refuse on the face of the field” (Jeremiah 9:21).
Malbim
"When it shall rest," [the verse] refers to Moab and Edom, who are destined to be given into the hand of Israel in the end of days, as it is stated, "Edom and Moab are the refuse of their hand," and as our Sages of blessed memory stated in their tradition: "The two kings, Edom and Moab, who surrounded the borders of the land of Israel when they went up from Egypt, and the Lord commanded at that time not to fight against them, Israel will conquer them in the future." It says: "Behold, against Moab, who will come to Mount Zion to fight against Israel, the Lord will lay His hand [upon them], and Moab shall be trodden down under the mountain, like straw that is trodden to make manure," meaning that it will be crushed, ground down, and transformed into manure and refuse.
And when he shall spread forth his hands in the midst thereof, As he that swims spreads forth his hands to swim, His pride shall be brought down together with the cunning of his hands.
verse value 4695
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 52 letters. The shortest word is "with" (עִ֖ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·He·will·bring·low" (וְהִשְׁפִּיל֙, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 30: his·hands, his·hands. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·he·shall·spread" (וּפֵרַ֤שׂ), "spreads" (יְפָרֵ֥שׂ), "that·swims" (הַשֹּׂחֶ֖ה). The root פרש appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "as" (root אשר, 176x in Isaiah); "with" (root עם, 107x in Isaiah); "his·hands" (root יד, 79x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root שחה ("that·swims") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·swim', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 5 words. Full calculation: וּפֵרַ֤שׂ [and·he·shall·spread] (586) + יָדָיו֙ [his·hands] (30) + בְּקִרְבּ֔וֹ [in·his·midst] (310) + כַּאֲשֶׁ֛ר [as] (521) + יְפָרֵ֥שׂ [spreads] (590) + הַשֹּׂחֶ֖ה [that·swims] (318) + לִשְׂח֑וֹת [to·swim] (744) + וְהִשְׁפִּיל֙ [and·He·will·bring·low] (431) + גַּאֲוָת֔וֹ [His·majesty] (416) + עִ֖ם [with] (110) + אׇרְבּ֥וֹת [cunning·of] (609) + יָדָֽיו [his·hands] (30) = 4695.
Rashi
“And he spread his hands.” And he broke his hands and his arms by clapping his hands in weeping.
The one who swims. He swims in the water:
To swim. To swim; and likewise, "those who swim" (Ezekiel 47:10):
And He humbled. One who humbles his arrogance:
“With the walls of his hands.” This is the language of “and he lay in wait for him” (Deuteronomy 19:5). Jonathan the Targumist rendered it: “He made his hands like walls,” meaning that he made his hands like walls to lie in wait, and these are high towers, like walls and towers, as it is said (Jeremiah 3:12): “Her walls have fallen.”
Ibn Ezra
And He stretched out His hand against Moab:
Ha-sochah. Like one who wades (Ezekiel 47:5):
And he humbled. The pride of Moab:
"With the locusts of his hands." He has no brother, and its meaning is according to its context, and the commentators derived it from the root of "making locusts" (II Kings 7:2), in a distant manner:
Radak
And it shall be scattered. The Lord shall spread out His hands in the midst of Moab, as a swimmer spreads out his hands when swimming; for a person swimming in water spreads out his hands with all his strength, and the Lord shall humble the pride of Moab.
"With the multitude of his hands." These are the prominent parts of the hands, for just as one who immerses lowers everything that comes to him into the water by immersing beneath the prominent parts of his hands when he extends them, so too God will humble all the arrogance of Moab. And in another place, Moab is also mentioned in connection with arrogance, as it is stated: "We have heard of the pride of Moab, that they are exceedingly proud" (Isaiah 16:6).
Metzudat David
“And he shall spread his hands within him.” God shall spread His hands within Moab to strike it.
"Which, etc." For when he swims in the water, he stretches out his hands with all his strength.
And He will humble. He will humble the arrogance of Moab, along with the places where it had been accustomed to lie in wait, which are the high towers; that is to say, the towers will not be of any use to them.
Metzudat Zion
And he spread out. The matter of the spreading out:
One who delays to swim. The matter of swimming in water is like the waters of swimming (Ezekiel 47:5):
Ambushes. From the word "ambush":
His hands. The term "hand" is used in the sense of "place," as in "the hand of Absalom" (2 Samuel 18).
Malbim
And "he shall spread forth" — this applies only when placing the hand from above downward. Afterward, he shall spread his hands hither and thither, as one who dives and swims on the surface of the waters. He humbled, through the ambush of his hands and their stratagems, all the pride of Moab. That is to say: first, he shall subdue the army that will come to Mount Zion, and this is depicted by the placing of the hand in one place. Then, Israel shall go to the land of Moab and humble and subjugate them to tribute, and this is likened in his rhetoric to spreading and swimming with his hands far away, hither and thither. And this shall be for God with great ease, like one who dives and swims in the water, who does not exert any effort with his hands, but merely keeps them afloat above.
And the high fortress of your walls will He bring down, lay low, And bring to the ground, even to the dust.
verse value 2738
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 36 letters. The shortest word is "He·will·bring·down" (הֵשַׁ֥ח, 3 letters) and the longest is "your·walls" (חוֹמֹתֶ֗יךָ, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·fortification·of" (וּמִבְצַ֞ר), "high" (מִשְׂגַּ֣ב), "He·will·lay·low" (הִשְׁפִּ֛יל). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·the·land" (root ארץ, 169x in Isaiah). Full calculation: וּמִבְצַ֞ר [and·fortification·of] (338) + מִשְׂגַּ֣ב [high] (345) + חוֹמֹתֶ֗יךָ [your·walls] (484) + הֵשַׁ֥ח [He·will·bring·down] (313) + הִשְׁפִּ֛יל [He·will·lay·low] (425) + הִגִּ֥יעַ [He·will·bring] (88) + לָאָ֖רֶץ [to·the·land] (321) + עַד־עָפָֽר [even·to·the·dust] (424) = 2738.
Rashi
"From the security of your walls." He is saying this to Moab:
Ibn Ezra
"U-mivtzar" – The letter kaf in "chomotai" (my walls) corresponds to Moab.
"The lowly one was humbled." Without a vav conjunctive, just as in the phrases "he bowed," "he lay down," and "he fell" (Judges 5:27). The meaning of "was humbled" is that he had already been humbled at the time of Sennacherib's arrival.
Radak
"And the fortress is a stronghold." A word adjacent to a word; similarly, "the number of the people" [in the phrase "the numbering of the people"], and others like them.
"Until dust." This teaches that he shall have no further revival.
Metzudat David
"Your walls" – this is said in opposition to Moab.
“Until dust.” And the matter is repeated many times to indicate the magnitude of the humiliation and destruction.
Metzudat Zion
"U'mivtzar mishgab." One interpretation of these terms is that they relate to the concept of strength, and the doubling of the word in synonymous names is similar to "admat afar" (Daniel 12:2) and similar cases.
The word "hashach." The matter of "hashach" (to humble) is like the expression "vayashach rom anashim" (and the loftiness of men was humbled) (above, 2). And the duplication of the word with synonymous terms, and it says "hishpil" (he humbled) — in the manner of Scripture.
Malbim
And regarding the word "fortress," now it returns to Edom, saying: You, who are a fortress, a fortified city and a stronghold in Edom, do not be arrogant, for the stronghold of your ramparts has been brought low, and afterward they were completely humbled, until they were brought low, lower and lower, and afterward they were brought down to the ground, so that they resemble the dust of the earth, such that no trace is recognizable at all, whether there was ever any stronghold or wall there.
Rashi
Ibn Ezra
Radak
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim