In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah: We have a strong city; Walls and bulwarks does He appoint for salvation.
verse value 3504
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 53 letters. The shortest word is "city·of" (עִ֣יר, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·song·this" (הַשִּׁיר־הַזֶּ֖ה, 7 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "will·be·sung" (יוּשַׁ֥ר), "the·song·this" (הַשִּׁיר־הַזֶּ֖ה), "strength·to·us" (עׇז־לָ֔נוּ). The root שיר appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·land·of" (root ארץ, 169x in Isaiah); "in·the·day" (root יום, 124x in Isaiah); "that" (root הוא, 98x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Judah', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: בַּיּ֣וֹם [in·the·day] (58) + הַה֔וּא [that] (17) + יוּשַׁ֥ר [will·be·sung] (516) + הַשִּׁיר־הַזֶּ֖ה [the·song·this] (532) + בְּאֶ֣רֶץ [in·land·of] (293) + יְהוּדָ֑ה [Judah] (30) + עִ֣יר [city·of] (280) + עׇז־לָ֔נוּ [strength·to·us] (163) + יְשׁוּעָ֥ה [salvation] (391) + יָשִׁ֖ית [will·put] (720) + חוֹמ֥וֹת [walls] (460) + וָחֵֽל [and·army] (44) = 3504.
Rashi
"We have a strong city; salvation will He set." The city of Jerusalem, which from of old has always been a stronghold for us — the Savior will set salvation as its walls and its rampart.
And a wall. A low wall in front of the high wall:
Ibn Ezra
"On that day." A strong city for us, this is Jerusalem, which is our strength.
God will establish the walls and the rampart of the wall:
Radak
"On that day." All this refers to the time of salvation. "Shall this song be sung": the song that will be sung is these verses that follow. And he says, "In the land of Judah," for there the battle and the salvation will take place. And they said concerning Jerusalem that it is a fortress for us, and that the Holy One, blessed be He, will bring salvation to its walls and its outer fortification. And similarly it says, "You will call your walls Salvation." And "chayil" [fortress/outer fortification] is the small wall in front of the great wall. And in the words of our Sages of blessed memory, what is "chayil" and what is "choma" [wall]? "Sura" [wall] and "bar sura" [outer wall/fortification]. And the explanation of "chayil" is the moat surrounding the wall; we translate it as "gei chilita" [valley of the moat].
Metzudat David
"On that day." On the day of the downfall of Gog:
“A city of strength for us.” Jerusalem, which had been our stronghold from of old; behold, even now God will place salvation within its walls and its battlements, and the hand of the enemy shall not prevail over it.
Metzudat Zion
Yeshit. The matter of placing is like "They set their mouth against the heavens" (Psalms 73:9):
"Chomot" (walls). Just as it is written, "be-choomot" (in the walls):
"Vechal" – this refers to the low wall that stood before the high one, as it is written: "And rampart and wall mourned together" (Lamentations 2:8).
Malbim
“On that day” refers to a future prophecy, or it was fulfilled in the days of Hezekiah. He depicts that those who returned from exile in the days of Hezekiah—namely, the Ten Tribes, many of whom returned—(or it refers to the future) will say: “We have a strong city, which is Jerusalem.” However, its walls will not be made of stone by human construction; rather, the Lord will provide salvation, so that it will be a wall and a fortress for her. The salvation of the Lord will be her refuge and stronghold.
Open you the gates, That the righteous nation that keeps faithfulness may enter in.
verse value 2037
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 28 letters. The shortest word is "keeping" (שֹׁמֵ֥ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "nation·righteous" (גוֹי־צַדִּ֖יק, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "open" (פִּתְח֖וּ), "gates" (שְׁעָרִ֑ים), "nation·righteous" (גוֹי־צַדִּ֖יק). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·shall·come" (root בוא, 120x in Isaiah); "open" (root פתח, 25x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'gates', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 4 words. Full calculation: פִּתְח֖וּ [open] (494) + שְׁעָרִ֑ים [gates] (620) + וְיָבֹ֥א [and·shall·come] (19) + גוֹי־צַדִּ֖יק [nation·righteous] (223) + שֹׁמֵ֥ר [keeping] (540) + אֱמֻנִֽים [faithfulness] (141) = 2037.
Rashi
“Open the gates.” Her gates, and a righteous nation shall enter into them.
Guardian. Because he guarded and watched during his exile for many days, trusting in the faithfulness of the Holy One, blessed be He, that He would fulfill His promise, which He had promised through His prophets to redeem them.
Shomer: He waits. And similarly, “And his father kept the matter” (Genesis 37:11); and similarly, “And the Lord your God shall keep for you” (Deuteronomy 6:3).
Ibn Ezra
“Open the gates...” It is not fitting to open the gates of this land for one to enter and dwell in it except for the righteous, like Israel.
Radak
“Open.” By way of parable: that the Land of Israel should open for them, for it is today as though it were closed to them.
"Guardian of faithfulness." This refers to the fact that they preserved their faith in God during the exile and did not serve idolatry, as it is stated: "If we forget the name of our God, and stretch out our hands to a foreign god" (Psalm 44:13).
Metzudat David
“Open the gates.” Open the gates of Jerusalem, and do not fear the enemy.
"And he came." At the openings of the gates shall Israel come, who was watching and waiting for the fulfillment of the promise of God.
Metzudat Zion
Shomer. The matter of the waiting and hope is like [the verse] "And his father kept the matter" (Genesis 37:11):
Malbim
“Open [the gates],” they say to the gatekeepers, that they should open the gates and allow them to enter the city, for until now the gates had been closed before them for two reasons: 1. Because the Ten Tribes served idolatry and were thereby separated from the people of Judah; this is what is meant by “for now a righteous nation, serving the Lord, shall come.” 2. Because they rebelled against the sovereignty of the Sanhedrin from the days of Jeroboam onward. In contrast to this, it says, “Keeper of the faith,” for from now on they will no longer be divided into two kingdoms.
The mind stayed on You You keep in perfect peace; Because it trusts in You.
verse value 1945
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 26 letters. The shortest word is "and·because" (כִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "established" (סָמ֔וּךְ, 4 letters). Words sharing gematria 376: peace, peace. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "established" (סָמ֔וּךְ), "You·keep" (תִּצֹּ֖ר). The root שלום appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·because" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah); "the·inclination·of" (root יצר, 29x in Isaiah); "peace" (root שלום, 28x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root סמך ("established") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'peace', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. Full calculation: יֵ֣צֶר [the·inclination·of] (300) + סָמ֔וּךְ [established] (126) + תִּצֹּ֖ר [You·keep] (690) + שָׁל֣וֹם [peace] (376) + שָׁל֑וֹם [peace] (376) + כִּ֥י [and·because] (30) + בְךָ֖ [in·you] (22) + בָּטֽוּחַ [trusting] (25) = 1945.
Rashi
יצר. He relied upon the Holy One, Blessed be He, and leaned upon Him with firm confidence, not wavering in his faith due to any terror or suffering.
“Tzor.” That there may be peace, for in You he trusted; therefore, it is fitting for You to preserve him.
Ibn Ezra
"Yetzer, etc." – One whose yetzer (inclination) is close to You, You, O Lord, guard us in peace. And there are those who say that it is possible for the word "shalom" (peace) to be masculine as well as feminine.
Radak
"The mind stayed [on You]." It says, addressing God: the mind that is stayed and leans upon You, You will guard, for it trusts in You. Because it trusted in you, you preserved it and gave it peace—peace. The repetition is to strengthen the peace."
Batuach. An adjective, in the pattern of pa'ul:
Metzudat David
“A mind stayed [on You].” The thought that leaned upon God — peace shall guard him, so that he will not be terrified; and the word שלום is doubled to strengthen the matter.
“For in You does he trust.” This means: Indeed, it is fitting, since he has trusted in You.
Metzudat Zion
Yetzer. The matter of the activity of thought, as in "and every yetzer of the thoughts of his heart" (Genesis 6:5):
Adjacent. The matter of leaning:
Tatzor. The meaning is guarding, as it is written: "He guarded him like the pupil of His eye" (Deuteronomy 32:10).
Malbim
Yetzer, turning his face toward peace, says: “You are peace.” Yetzer, adjacent to ‘Titzor shalom’ (you will guard peace), yetzer and the thoughts of the heart that are adjacent and lean upon their strength and faith: “You will guard him, You are peace!” That he may have true peace, for in You, O peace! Through You this heart shall be secure and not fear evil.
Trust you in Hashem for ever, For Hashem is God, an everlasting Rock.
verse value 776
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 32 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֚י, 2 letters) and the longest is "forever" (עוֹלָמִֽים, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "trust" (בִּטְח֥וּ), "Hashem" (בְּיָ֣הּ). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "for" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah); "forever" (root עולם, 46x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'unto·perpetuity', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 5 words. Full calculation: בִּטְח֥וּ [trust] (25) + בַיהֹוָ֖ה [in·Hashem] (28) + עֲדֵי־עַ֑ד [unto·perpetuity] (158) + כִּ֚י [for] (30) + בְּיָ֣הּ [Hashem] (17) + יְהֹוָ֔ה [Hashem] (26) + צ֖וּר [Rock·of] (296) + עוֹלָמִֽים [forever] (196) = 776.
Rashi
For in Yah, the Lord. For one should rely on Him, that He is a refuge; the Lord is a rock and a fortress, a shelter for all eternity.
Ibn Ezra
“Trust in the Lord forever…” Therefore, the Fathers said to the children: “Trust in the Name.”
The letter bet in "ba-Yah" ("in Yah") functions as a serving [prefix] letter, according to the rule.
Tzur. Strengthen forever, for there are manuscripts that combine the letters aleph and bet with the Divine Name, which constitutes half of the Name in terms of the number of letters, and in the Book of Psalms I will explain this in the verse "Sing to Him who rides upon the clouds" (Psalms 68:5):
Radak
“Trust in the Lord forever.” Forever, or perhaps “forever” is also meant to be “forever,” thus doubling the expression, meaning: in all generations, trust in Him. And so did Jonathan translate: “for the world and for the worlds of worlds.”
“For in Him is the Lord, the Rock of ages.” For in Him it is fitting to trust, because He is the Rock of ages; the interpretation is: the strength of all the times. And “Rock” is an adjective, as it is also written, “The Rock, perfect is His work.” And there is another interpretation that “Rock” is a proper noun, and its meaning is that He is the strength of the worlds; and in this manner is understood “the Living One of the worlds.” And the interpretation of “in Him is the Lord”: the first instance is a descriptive term that indicates that the world is from Him, and the second is the Tetragrammaton, the proper name.
Metzudat David
“Trust in the Lord.” It is as if these [verses] are urging one another, saying: “Trust in the Lord forever,” for upon Him depends the strength of this world and the World-to-Come, and all comes from Him, the Blessed One.
Metzudat Zion
"Forever and ever." Forever. And similarly, "He who dwells forever" (below, 27).
Tzur. The meaning is strength:
Malbim
“Trust in the Lord forever” – they respond to them: “Do not place your trust in peace; rather, trust in the Lord. And then your trust will endure forever and ever, without interruption. For ‘in Him’ implies that the entity upon which one places trust must possess two conditions: 1. The power to fulfill the request of the one who trusts; 2. Constancy, such that His power will not cease nor His will change at any time. For without these conditions, we cannot place complete trust in Him. And these two conditions are found only in the Lord: 1. For He is eternal, whose existence is continuous; 2. He is the Rock of the ages, the strength of all the worlds, upon whom all the worlds depend, and through whom they find their existence and strength. Consequently, His power reigns over all.”
For He has brought down them that dwell on high, The lofty city, laying it low, laying it low even to the ground, Bringing it even to the dust.
verse value 3483
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 51 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֤י, 2 letters) and the longest is "He·lays·it·low" (יַשְׁפִּילֶ֤נָּה, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "He·lays·it·low" (יַשְׁפִּילֶ֤נָּה), "He·lays·it·low" (יַשְׁפִּילָהּ֙), "even·to·the·earth" (עַד־אֶ֔רֶץ). The root שפל appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah); "even·to·the·earth" (root ארץ, 169x in Isaiah); "dwelling" (root ישב, 71x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'set·on·high', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 5 words. Full calculation: כִּ֤י [for] (30) + הֵשַׁח֙ [He·has·brought·down] (313) + יֹשְׁבֵ֣י [dwelling] (322) + מָר֔וֹם [high] (286) + קִרְיָ֖ה [city] (315) + נִשְׂגָּבָ֑ה [set·on·high] (360) + יַשְׁפִּילֶ֤נָּה [He·lays·it·low] (485) + יַשְׁפִּילָהּ֙ [He·lays·it·low] (435) + עַד־אֶ֔רֶץ [even·to·the·earth] (365) + יַגִּיעֶ֖נָּה [He·brings·it] (148) + עַד־עָפָֽר [even·to·the·dust] (424) = 3483.
Rashi
"Those who dwell on high." Tyre, and other lands:
Ibn Ezra
"Ki heshach" – of the geminate verbs, like "hekal — he made light the land of Zebulun" (Isaiah 8:23); and the meaning concerns the nations' territories.
"Yashpilnah, yashpileh." Just as [the words] "Azim" and "Me'azim" (Jeremiah 16:19), and the meaning is always:
Radak
"Ki hashach" – From this you may see that it is good to seek refuge and trust in Him, for you, the House of Israel, have trusted in Him, for He has brought low and humbled your enemies, who dwelt in a lofty, exalted city; and every lofty, exalted city of theirs He has humbled. Or perhaps He spoke concerning a specific city among them, saying that He will humble it, etc. The repetition serves to strengthen the matter.
Metzudat David
"For He has humbled": He humbled the Chaldeans, who dwelt in the height of their exaltedness.
A city. And similarly, "He humbled every strong city."
He will humble her. And so He will humble her further, down to the earth and down to the dust; and this matter is repeated in what is stated, according to the extent of the humiliation.
Metzudat Zion
He brought low. The matter of humiliation:
Marom. From the root meaning height and loftiness:
Kriyah. A city:
"Nisgavah." Strong:
Malbim
“For, meaning that then you shall not fear, lest any rise up against you to harm you; for behold, you have seen how He has consumed the inhabitants of the heights, the mighty ones, on account of their location, and also the lofty city, on account of itself, He has already consumed it, and now He will humble it even further, and the humiliation will be down to the earth, and more than this, it will reach the point that it will be level with the dust of the earth, so that no mark of it will be recognized at all, until even”
The foot shall tread it down, Even the feet of the poor, and the steps of the needy.
verse value 1645
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 24 letters. The shortest word is "foot" (רָ֑גֶל, 3 letters) and the longest is "it·shall·trample·it" (תִּרְמְסֶ֖נָּה, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "foot" (רָ֑גֶל), "times·of" (פַּעֲמֵ֥י). The root רגל appears 2 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "foot" (root רגל, 20x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root פעם ("times·of") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'foot', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 4 words. Full calculation: תִּרְמְסֶ֖נָּה [it·shall·trample·it] (755) + רָ֑גֶל [foot] (233) + רַגְלֵ֥י [foot] (243) + עָנִ֖י [poor] (130) + פַּעֲמֵ֥י [times·of] (200) + דַלִּֽים [low] (84) = 1645.
Rashi
“the feet of the poor” – this refers to King Messiah, of whom it is said, “Poor and riding on a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9).
“Times of poverty”: Israel, who were poor until now.
Ibn Ezra
“And she shall be trampled underfoot, etc.” – So greatly will He humble her that she will be trampled by a foot; and not by the foot of a ruler, but by the feet of the poor.
“Steps.” Like “the feet,” for three times is like “feet” (Exodus 24:14, and the Targum).
Radak
"Thou shalt tread it under foot." After it falls to the ground, a foot will tread it under foot. And which foot? The foot of the poor, and they are Israel.
"The feet of the poor." The matter is repeated in different words, as is customary, meaning that Israel will trample upon their arrogance and pride, and will become masters over them, whereas previously they were servants under them.
Metzudat David
“And a foot shall tread it down.” The foot shall tread it down. And he returned and explained to say: “The feet of the poor shall tread it down,” and these are Israel, who are humble like a poor and destitute person.
"The feet of the poor." The matter is repeated in what is stated:
Metzudat Zion
It shall tread it down. The matter of treading:
Feet. The feet that walk with them, as it is said, "Lift up your feet" (Psalms 74).
Malbim
“Her foot shall trample down,” from the side that it was destroyed down to its foundation, and not only the feet of the mighty, but even the feet of the poor. Thus far are the words of the song. From here onward, the prophet pours out the feelings of his soul and prays concerning the tranquility of the wicked and the sufferings of the righteous.
The way of the just is straight; You, Most Upright, make plain the path of the just.
verse value 2470
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 29 letters. Verse gematria: 2470 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "way" (אֹ֥רַח, 3 letters) and the longest is "evenness" (מֵישָׁרִ֑ים, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "straight" (יָשָׁ֕ר), "entrenchment" (מַעְגַּ֥ל), "You·make·plain" (תְּפַלֵּֽס). The root צדיק appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root מישר ("evenness") in Isaiah. First appearance of the root ישר ("straight") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'evenness', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: אֹ֥רַח [way] (209) + לַצַּדִּ֖יק [for·the·just] (234) + מֵישָׁרִ֑ים [evenness] (600) + יָשָׁ֕ר [straight] (510) + מַעְגַּ֥ל [entrenchment] (143) + צַדִּ֖יק [just] (204) + תְּפַלֵּֽס [You·make·plain] (570) = 2470.
Rashi
“The path of the righteous is a straight course.” A path that shall be straight for receiving the reward of the righteous. You, O Lord, who are a God of uprightness, will straighten out the crooked path of the righteous to lead him along that very path so that he may receive his reward. And the righteous one is Jacob and his descendants. And thus is its interpretation: “The path of the righteous” is to receive his reward “for uprightness,” which he practices.
“Yashar.” You, the Holy One, blessed be He, make the steps of the righteous straight; You smooth the path for that traveler. “Pilos” is a term from the Old French language, meaning “counterfeit” [or “to smooth/level”], like a king who sits and calculates and weighs in his heart which of these is fit or that one. So too, “yashar” means that He straightens in His heart to guide him on the path of receiving reward for all that he conducted his deeds before You with integrity.
Ibn Ezra
"And the path..." And why is it so? Because there is no "path" for the righteous, only a "way" of uprightness.
"Yashar." And You, O Lord, make level the path of the righteous.
“Tefales,” like “tashkol” (weigh):
Radak
"The path of the righteous." Just as it is written, "The path of the righteous" (implying a path of uprightness for the righteous), and its interpretation is: You shall give to the righteous, and You shall prepare before him a path of uprightness, and You shall smooth out his way.
And he straightened. This is a term of calling out in response to God, blessed be He. He said: "You are God, upright and straight, and You make straight the path of the righteous." This follows the principle that our Sages of blessed memory stated: "One who comes to become impure, they open for him; one who comes to become pure, they assist him."
tifleis. The matter is of straightness; similarly, “straighten the circle of your feet” (Job 22:28). For this reason, the staff of the scales is called a plumb line, because it straightens the weight; similarly, “and He weighed the mountains with a plumb line” (Isaiah 40:12).
Metzudat David
"The way of the righteous is straight." This means that all this greatness and dominion will be for the righteous, because there is no way for every righteous person except to walk in the straight path and not deviate from it.
Yashar. You, O God, are the Just One; do You not scrutinize and weigh the circle of every righteous person, and know that it is so?:
Metzudat Zion
Orach. way:
A circle. A path and a track; and likewise, “I have taught you in the paths of righteousness” (Proverbs 4:11):
Tefales. It means "he will weigh with a scale," and it is the name of the instrument with which one weighs, as it says: "And He weighed the mountains with a scale" (below, 40).
Malbim
Regarding the word *orach* (path/way), before he began his complaint concerning the prosperity of the wicked, he came as one making an excuse, indicating that he did not approach this question in the manner of a complaint, as if he were doubting God’s governance. For he knows that “the judgments of the Lord are true, righteous altogether.” Rather, he came to plead regarding this matter and to ask that God reveal the punishment of the wicked. And just as all the prophets accustomed themselves, when speaking on this question, to first lay down a firm foundation—namely, that surely the ways of the Lord are very good, but it is proper to act thus so that this not become a stumbling block for people, causing them to stray from the ways of the Lord through it—as Asaf said (Psalms 73:1-2) before he began his question on this matter: “But it is good for Israel, God, for those of a pure heart,” and “I almost slipped my feet.” That is to say: I know that God is good; He is the God of the pure heart, and one should not doubt the righteousness of His governance. But the essence of my words is because “I almost slipped my feet.” Similarly, Jeremiah said (Jeremiah 12:1): “Righteous are You, O Lord, that I should contend with You.” That is to say: I know this, that from Your side there is no oppression in governance. And if the wicked prosper and traitors lift their heads, there is no doubt in my mind that there is wisdom and uprightness in this which man cannot comprehend, for what is man that he should understand divine wisdom and its truth? Only I will speak judgments with You: “Why does the way of the wicked prosper?” Is it not because by planting them, their root also takes hold, and thereby they will go forth and bear fruit to cause many to sin and to weaken the hands of the multitude, who will say, “In vain do we serve God,” etc., and “Now we call the proud blessed,” etc. (Malachi 3:15). And likewise, the prophet here preceded with: “I said, ‘I know this: the path of the righteous is straight.’” That is to say: the path that the righteous person ought to walk is the straight path. The righteous person needs to walk in straightness, without asking, without doubting, and without raging against the upper governance, but rather to believe that all is with righteousness and uprightness. Nevertheless, “You are upright, O Lord, when You test the righteous.” When the righteous person deviates from the *orach* (path), which is the straight way, and walks in a *ma'agal* (circle), which is the circuitous way—and this alludes to the time when the righteous person investigates and philosophizes about the ways of governance and asks questions, “Why does the way of the wicked prosper?” (as investigated by these prophets: Asaf, Habakkuk, Jeremiah, and their likes)—do not consider this a sin for him. For You, O Lord, will “test” and weigh this circuitous circle in the scales of justice, and You will know his heart, that he did not come as a denier or as one deviating and straying from the path, but as one who walks a circuitous path in order to arrive thereby at his desired destination. And that is to say: if I speak and pray now concerning the prosperity of the wicked, You, O Searcher of hearts, know this, that I did not come as a complainer or a denier, but as a believer and a suppliant. And after this introduction, he begins his prayer:
Indeed, in the way of Your judgments, O Hashem, have we waited for You; To Your name and to Your memorial is the desire of our soul.
verse value 2877
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 38 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "indeed" (אַ֣ף, 2 letters) and the longest is "desire·soul" (תַּאֲוַת־נָֽפֶשׁ, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "we·have·waited·for·You" (קִוִּינ֑וּךָ), "to·your·name" (לְשִׁמְךָ֥), "and·to·your·memorial" (וּלְזִכְרְךָ֖). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "to·your·name" (root שם, 83x in Isaiah); "your·ordinances" (root משפט, 42x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'we·have·waited·for·You', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. Full calculation: אַ֣ף [indeed] (81) + אֹ֧רַח [way] (209) + מִשְׁפָּטֶ֛יךָ [your·ordinances] (459) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + קִוִּינ֑וּךָ [we·have·waited·for·You] (192) + לְשִׁמְךָ֥ [to·your·name] (390) + וּלְזִכְרְךָ֖ [and·to·your·memorial] (283) + תַּאֲוַת־נָֽפֶשׁ [desire·soul] (1237) = 2877.
Rashi
“Even the path of Your judgments, O Lord, have we waited for You.” Just as we looked forward to receiving good from You, so too did we wait for You to show us the path of Your judgments of vengeance against the wicked.
"For Your name and for Your remembrance, my soul desires. That same soul of ours desires to see the place from which You went forth to execute vengeance upon Your adversaries."
Ibn Ezra
Even though, etc. These are the words of the righteous, who hope that God will reveal His justice in the world, for "the soul desires You." And the letter lamed is missing, as if it said, "to the way of Your judgments."
Radak
“Even in the way.” “Even in the way of Your judgments, O Lord, we waited for You,” meaning: even at the time when Your judgments came upon us, when You were punishing us in exile for our sins, nevertheless we waited for You and we did not despair of redemption. And for Your Name and for Your remembrance was the desire of our soul. And the explanation of “for Your Name and for Your remembrance” is that we longed for a prophet who would mention Your Name to us, and would tell us in exile a word from You.
Metzudat David
“Even the path of Your judgments.” Even when the path of Your judgments came upon us to afflict us with the sufferings of the exile, nevertheless we awaited You and did not despair of the redemption.
"For Your name and for Your remembrance." It is the same thing, for He is remembered by His name, and the verse employs synonymous terms.
“Desire of the soul.” The desire of every soul was to remind us of Your name and to speak to us a word from You.
Malbim
Even so, I say: behold, I shall not inquire concerning the sufferings of the righteous, for the answer to this is clear and elucidated, for “not as man sees does God see.” And if we imagine that so-and-so is a righteous person, it may be that he is a wicked person in secret. And so Jeremiah said: “You are righteous, O Lord, that I should plead with You; yet I would speak with You of Your judgments: Why does the way of the wicked prosper?” This means: If I were to plead with You, my plea would be: Why have You brought suffering upon me? I know that You will be vindicated, but my question is: Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Is it not that the wickedness of the wicked is public and well-known, and if one were to say that he is righteous, why does he prosper? And this is what it says: “Even when You deal with us according to the way of judgment, nevertheless we waited for You.” For we waited only for Your name and for Your remembrance. You, O Lord, are the desire of the soul! For through the judgment that You execute, Your name is magnified in the world.
With my soul have I desired You in the night; Indeed, with my spirit within me have I sought You earnestly; For when Your judgments are in the earth, The inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.
verse value 4461
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 60 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֞י, 2 letters) and the longest is "indeed·my·spirit" (אַף־רוּחִ֥י, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "I·desired·you" (אִוִּיתִ֙ךָ֙), "in·the·night" (בַּלַּ֔יְלָה), "indeed·my·spirit" (אַף־רוּחִ֥י). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah); "when" (root אשר, 176x in Isaiah); "to·the·land" (root ארץ, 169x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'I·will·seek·You', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 8 words. Full calculation: נַפְשִׁ֤י [my·soul] (440) + אִוִּיתִ֙ךָ֙ [I·desired·you] (437) + בַּלַּ֔יְלָה [in·the·night] (77) + אַף־רוּחִ֥י [indeed·my·spirit] (305) + בְקִרְבִּ֖י [in·my·midst] (314) + אֲשַׁחֲרֶ֑ךָּ [I·will·seek·You] (529) + כִּ֞י [for] (30) + כַּאֲשֶׁ֤ר [when] (521) + מִשְׁפָּטֶ֙יךָ֙ [your·ordinances] (459) + לָאָ֔רֶץ [to·the·land] (321) + צֶ֥דֶק [justice] (194) + לָמְד֖וּ [they·learned] (80) + יֹשְׁבֵ֥י [dwelling] (322) + תֵבֵֽל [world] (432) = 4461.
Rashi
"My soul longs for You." In my exile, which is akin to night, to perform these things:
“Even my spirit within me, I seek You.” I will supplicate You for all this. Why? Because when Your judgments come upon the land, You execute justice upon the wicked.
"Teach righteousness to the inhabitants of the earth." This teaches us to vindicate Your judgments and give thanks for Your attributes, for we see that the sinner is punished and the righteous person receives a good reward.
Ibn Ezra
My soul. The thought of my soul, that I longed for You by night:
“Even my spirit within me seeks You eagerly.” And behold, a person has a nefesh and a ruach, as I explained in Ecclesiastes (Ecclesiastes 3:21):
For when Your judgments are seen upon the earth, they shall learn righteousness.
"Inhabitants of the world." This is the name of the place of settlement:
Radak
"My soul longs for You." When speaking about the language of Israel, sometimes he speaks in the plural, following the principle of particularization, and sometimes in the singular. He said, "With my soul I long for You," meaning: with all my strength and desire, I long for You.
“Even my spirit within me.” As long as my spirit remains within me, I will seek You early and anticipate You in my prayer.
For as Your judgments are to the land. Although Your judgments will come upon us, I will not refrain from pursuing You and desiring You, for I see that Your judgments are good. For when Your judgments come to the land, they discipline and teach the inhabitants of the world to do justice; these are the ones whom God has touched in their hearts, and for their sake the world endures. But the wicked will not find grace. This is what it says:
Metzudat David
"My soul thirsts for You." My soul desires You at night, which is the time when a person's thoughts are free from distracting concerns.
“Even my spirit within me.” This means: As long as my spirit remains within me, I will seek You and inquire after You.
"For when, etc." – This means: I said that the judgment itself is for good, for when judgment comes upon the earth, then the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness and abandon wickedness out of fear of the coming judgment.
Metzudat Zion
"I have desired you." The word is from the root of "desire" (ta'ava).
Ashkarcha. The meaning is inquiry, like "seeking good" (Proverbs 1):
Tevel. So is called the inhabited place:
Malbim
"My soul" refers to the utterance of the call: "You, O Lord, are my soul!" You who sustain, animate, and guide me, just as a soul sustains, animates, and guides the body. Indeed, I long for You by night, even in times of darkness and distress; I long only for You, and I find joy in afflictions, for through them Your Name is magnified. "Even my spirit within me!" You, O Lord, who are my spirit within me. "Even I will cry out to You," meaning at the time when dawn rises and illuminates the night. You are the dawn that shines and rolls back darkness before the light. (And since by night, during sleep, only the soul remains in a person, and at dawn, upon awakening, the spirit comes to him, he addresses Him in His manner, calling Him his soul by night, and his spirit that returns to his inner self at dawn. That is to say, He is the One who oversees him to do him good in times of distress, when it seems as though the spirit of the world—that is, particular providence—hides Its face, and He is the One who arouses him in times of salvation, when His spirit appears upon him.) "For when Your judgments come to the earth," thereby the inhabitants of the world learn to act with justice, for they will see that there is a God who judges in the land.
Let favour be shown to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness; In the land of uprightness will he deal wrongfully, And will not behold the majesty of Hashem.
verse value 2521
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 42 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָֽה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "let·favor·be·shown" (יֻחַ֤ן, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·not·he·will·behold" (וּבַל־יִרְאֶ֖ה, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "let·favor·be·shown" (יֻחַ֤ן), "not·he·will·learn" (בַּל־לָמַ֣ד), "he·will·deal·wrongfully" (יְעַוֵּ֑ל). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "in·land·of" (root ארץ, 169x in Isaiah); "justice" (root צדק, 37x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root חנן ("let·favor·be·shown") in Isaiah. First appearance of the root נכחה ("straight in front") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'he·will·deal·wrongfully', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 3 words. Full calculation: יֻחַ֤ן [let·favor·be·shown] (68) + רָשָׁע֙ [wicked] (570) + בַּל־לָמַ֣ד [not·he·will·learn] (106) + צֶ֔דֶק [justice] (194) + בְּאֶ֥רֶץ [in·land·of] (293) + נְכֹח֖וֹת [straight in front] (484) + יְעַוֵּ֑ל [he·will·deal·wrongfully] (116) + וּבַל־יִרְאֶ֖ה [and·not·he·will·behold] (254) + גֵּא֥וּת [majesty] (410) + יְהֹוָֽה [Hashem] (26) = 2521.
Rashi
Though the wicked be shown favor, he will not learn righteousness. And is there for you to show favor to Esau the Wicked, who dwelled between two righteous men and did not learn righteousness?
"In the land of uprightness." Jerusalem and the Temple will be subject to plunder, looting, and destruction.
And let not the pride of the Lord be seen. He did not consider in his eyes your greatness and your pride. "And let not... be seen" is the language of regularity and constancy; he did not see, he did not consider, that he would do like this. As it is said of Job (Job 1:5):
Ibn Ezra
Yuchan. Of the geminate verbs, like "[a cart-wheel] is turned about upon cummin" (Isaiah 28:27), and the meaning is that God shows favor to the wicked, yet he will not learn righteousness; the meaning being that He will prolong his days, perhaps he will learn.
"In the land of uprightness" – in a place where there is righteousness, they will commit an iniquity.
"Nechuchot" (uprightness). It is derived from the root "nachah" (to be present/face), as in "good and upright" (2 Samuel 15:3). And he shall not pay attention to see the glory of God:
Radak
“Let the wicked be favored?” Its meaning is expressed as a rhetorical question: [He] said, “Let the wicked be favored,” and he did not learn righteousness for the sake of Your judgments, for he said, “It is not for moral instruction, but rather it is a chance occurrence in the world; there is no justice and there is no Judge.”
"In the land of uprightness, he will do oppression." In a land where they returned to perform uprightness and were disciplined on account of Your laws that touched them, he will not act thus; rather, he will do oppression—he will practice oppression in his judgment.
And let not the majesty of the Lord be seen. Some explain it as a prayer to God that the wicked should not perceive the majesty of the Lord, meaning that they should not perceive it as a good thing. The correct interpretation is that it is in the imperative mood, as it says, “Let it come,” and why? Because he does not perceive the majesty of the Lord, and he does not think that God watches over the affairs of human beings and will exalt Himself over them to repay them according to their wickedness.
Metzudat David
The wicked is shown favor. This means: Is it just that the wicked should be shown favor? Does he not learn righteousness, even from fear of judgment?
In the land of uprightness, he acts wrongfully. Although he is in the land where they have returned to act uprightly and were disciplined on account of the coming judgment, this wicked one does not act so; rather he clings to his crooked way still.
"And let it not be seen." And he does not gaze at the pride of the Lord, meaning: he thinks it came by chance and was not the act of the Lord — He who exalts Himself to repay recompense.
Metzudat Zion
Yuchan. The word of Chanina and chesed:
Nechochot. The matter of "straightness" is like "nechachim" (straight/true) to the understanding (ibid. 8:).
Ye'ol. From the root "ol":
Malbim
“Why do the ways of the wicked prosper?” But the crux of my question is: How does the wicked man prosper? Why does the wicked succeed? And he explains that there are two reasons why the wicked ought to be punished: 1. On account of himself, to give him his due according to his wickedness; and furthermore, if they do not punish him, he continues and increases in his wickedness. And regarding this it says, “How can the wicked prosper?” For behold, through this he does not learn righteousness, but rather continues to become more wicked. 2. On account of others, for through this many are shaken in their fear of God. And regarding this it says, “Behold, in the land where they practiced uprightness until now, will there come a cause that they do iniquity and turn away from righteousness?” In this way, he causes the many to sin. And why does God not see pride? Is there not a Judge who recompenses the wicked according to his wickedness?
Hashem, Your hand was lifted up, yet they see not; They shall see with shame Your zeal for the people; Indeed, fire shall devour Your adversaries.
verse value 2637
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 46 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֛ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "rose" (רָ֥מָה, 3 letters) and the longest is "not·they·see" (בַּל־יֶחֱזָי֑וּן, 8 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "not·they·see" (בַּל־יֶחֱזָי֑וּן), "behold" (יֶחֱז֤וּ), "ardour·nation" (קִנְאַת־עָ֔ם). The root חזה appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "your·hand" (root יד, 79x in Isaiah); "will·eat·them" (root אכל, 55x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'not·they·see', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 6 words. Full calculation: יְהֹוָ֛ה [Hashem] (26) + רָ֥מָה [rose] (245) + יָדְךָ֖ [your·hand] (34) + בַּל־יֶחֱזָי֑וּן [not·they·see] (123) + יֶחֱז֤וּ [behold] (31) + וְיֵבֹ֙שׁוּ֙ [and·be·ashamed] (324) + קִנְאַת־עָ֔ם [ardour·nation] (661) + אַף־אֵ֖שׁ [indeed·fire] (382) + צָרֶ֥יךָ [your·foes] (320) + תֹאכְלֵֽם [will·eat·them] (491) = 2637.
Rashi
“The Lord has lifted up Your hand, etc.” I have seen many aggadic midrashim on the verses of this parashah, both upper and lower, and they are not well-settled, neither according to the grammatical precision of the language nor according to the order of the verses. Therefore, I was compelled to elucidate them according to their proper order. And there are those who say that the prophet asked, etc., and He answered him, “It is better that they see and be ashamed.” But this is not in accordance with the language, for it is not written here, “You have lifted up Your hand.” Furthermore, this word is distinct from a similar word: every “lifted hand” in Scripture is accented on the final syllable, whereas this one is accented on the preceding syllable, like “Behold, my sheaf has arisen” (Genesis 37:7) and “Behold, your daughter-in-law has returned” (Ruth 1:15). Just as all of those are in the past tense, so too here: “The Lord—Your hand of might has been withdrawn from over Your adversaries.” It is necessary that they not see Your might, for they saw that their way prospered. I beseech You, let them see and be ashamed.
The zeal of Your people. In the good that You will do for Your people, even they themselves will see the judgment of Your vengeance, that the fire will consume them.
Ibn Ezra
“And I will lift up My hand” etc. The meaning is: After You have lifted up Your hand, and they shall not see it, they shall see that they have provoked Your people to jealousy, and they shall be ashamed. “And fire shall devour Your adversaries.” And there is one who says that “they shall see” [refers to] Your jealousy in all of them, and it is connected in sense with “even fire shall devour Your adversaries.”
Radak
"O Lord, Your hand is lifted up; they do not see it." They, the wicked, do not perceive it when You lift up Your hand, meaning that they do not consider that the calamity befalling the wicked comes from Your hand.
"They shall see and be ashamed, the zeal of a nation." They shall see at the time of salvation, when You shall be zealous for Your people and save them; they shall see and be ashamed, as it is said, "I have been jealous for Jerusalem with a great jealousy." For then they will not be able to say it was a coincidence, for they shall see a small people saved from among many nations, and then they shall be ashamed and humiliated.
Even fire must consume them. That very fire must consume them, for when man is confounded, his face will turn into fire, as it is said: “Their faces are like flames.”
Metzudat David
"Your hand is lifted." When you lift up your hand to strike these wicked ones, they do not notice that you have lifted your hand, for they will attribute it to chance.
They shall see. Therefore, they shall behold the salvation of Israel and shall be ashamed then, upon seeing the zeal that the Lord will show zeal for His people, for then they will not be able to think that it came by chance, for they shall see a small people being saved from among many nations.
Even fire. This means: "Even let them see the judgment of Your vengeance, that the fire will consume the wicked," namely, those who oppress Israel, as if they were oppressing the Divine Presence.
Metzudat Zion
They shall see. The matter of gazing, as in: “And you shall look” (Exodus 18:21).
Jealousy. The matter of vengeance:
Malbim
The Lord says, “I know that there is a response to this,” namely, that therefore the Lord does not punish the wicked immediately, in order to leave room for free choice. For if the Lord had punished immediately, they would have been afraid to do evil, and their actions would have been compelled, as it is stated, “Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.” That is to say, if He had punished immediately, they would have been afraid of the punishment. But the prophet responds to this by saying, “Lord, how high are Your hands,” meaning that Your judgments are exalted and withheld from them for the reason that they should not see [the immediate retribution], in order that there may be room for both possibilities, to do evil or good. “The righteous shall walk in them, and the wicked shall stumble in them.” I say that it is better that they should see [the consequences] and be ashamed of their evil deeds, for their measure is already full, such that they are worthy to receive their punishment, for two reasons: First, the zeal of the people—You ought to be zealous for what they have done to Your people, and to save them. Second, even the fire—they themselves kindled the fire, and it is fitting that it should consume them, for they have added much to the fire until it became a great blaze.
Hashem, You will establish peace for us; For You have indeed wrought all our works for us.
verse value 2933
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 34 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֕ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֛י, 2 letters) and the longest is "all·our·deeds" (כׇּֽל־מַעֲשֵׂ֖ינוּ, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 86: to·us, to·us. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "you·will·set" (תִּשְׁפֹּ֥ת), "all·our·deeds" (כׇּֽל־מַעֲשֵׂ֖ינוּ), "you·did" (פָּעַ֥לְתָּ). The root לנו appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "for" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah); "peace" (root שלום, 28x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·us', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 5 words. Full calculation: יְהֹוָ֕ה [Hashem] (26) + תִּשְׁפֹּ֥ת [you·will·set] (1180) + שָׁל֖וֹם [peace] (376) + לָ֑נוּ [to·us] (86) + כִּ֛י [for] (30) + גַּ֥ם [also] (43) + כׇּֽל־מַעֲשֵׂ֖ינוּ [all·our·deeds] (526) + פָּעַ֥לְתָּ [you·did] (580) + לָּֽנוּ [to·us] (86) = 2933.
Rashi
“Teshofet” – prepare. And similarly, “set the pot” (2 Kings 4:38). And similarly, “You have brought me down into the dust of death” (Psalms 22:16). And there are those who interpret all of them as meaning: “You will establish peace for us.”
"For even all our deeds. The evil ones:"
You have done for us. In response to them, we have taken from Your hand all our sins:
Ibn Ezra
11. Teshofet: "Arrange," as in "set the pot, set it" (Ezekiel 24:3).
"For You have always done for us what we do not know how to do ourselves."
Radak
“Lord, You will ordain.” You will set in order — from “set on the pot” (shefot ha-sir). He says: Ordain peace for us, for it is in Your power to act, just as You have acted and done all our deeds. Whatever has befallen us from the affairs of the world, whether good or evil, You have done it all, and it was not by chance. And since everything is in Your hand, spread out peace for us, for how many days were we in distress in exile. From here and onward, grant us peace. And my master and father, of blessed and righteous memory, explained: “Spread out peace for us,” for when You give us peace, all our deeds – You have done everything for us – everything depends on peace.
Metzudat David
“Hashem, You will establish...” – This means: You, Hashem, will arrange peace for us, for even all the events that befall us, whether good or bad, are not accidental; rather, all of them You have brought about for us. And since everything is in Your hands, arrange peace for us.
Metzudat Zion
Tashpof. The matter is one of editing and arranging, like the setting of a pot (Ezekiel 24:3):
Malbim
The Lord — after having argued that it is fitting to punish the wicked because their measure of evil has already been filled, returns to argue that it is also fitting that from now on You restore peace to us. For even though the punishment that You brought upon us was just due to our evil deeds, nevertheless, for all our evil deeds, You have already executed upon us the punishment due for them. (And the word "also" restricts the preceding statement, meaning: I request that You punish the wicked because their measure of evil has been filled; likewise, we have also filled our measure of punishment for our deeds, and it is therefore also fitting that from now on You restore peace to us.)
O Hashem our God, other lords beside You have had dominion over us; But by You only do we make mention of Your name.
verse value 1565
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 39 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֣ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "your·name" (שְׁמֶֽךָ, 3 letters) and the longest is "our·God" (אֱלֹהֵ֔ינוּ, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "they·have·ruled·us" (בְּעָל֥וּנוּ), "only·by·you" (לְבַד־בְּךָ֖), "we·will·mention" (נַזְכִּ֥יר). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "your·name" (root שם, 83x in Isaiah); "our·God" (root אלהים, 82x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root זולה ("beside·You") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'beside·You', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. Full calculation: יְהֹוָ֣ה [Hashem] (26) + אֱלֹהֵ֔ינוּ [our·God] (102) + בְּעָל֥וּנוּ [they·have·ruled·us] (164) + אֲדֹנִ֖ים [lord] (105) + זוּלָתֶ֑ךָ [beside·You] (463) + לְבַד־בְּךָ֖ [only·by·you] (58) + נַזְכִּ֥יר [we·will·mention] (287) + שְׁמֶֽךָ [your·name] (360) = 1565.
Rashi
“be’alono.” They became masters to us, and “oppressed us”:
“Besides You.” In a matter not according to Your will, they seek other gods to transgress Your Torah. But we alone have mentioned You, and we will not mention the name of any other deity except You alone.
Your Name. We shall mention the Name of Your Divinity, saying that our God alone is God.
Ibn Ezra
“The Lord, etc.” For we too served You when they oppressed us, when they were our masters, like “he shall pay money to its owner” (Exodus 21:34). And even so, we would mention Your name. And the meaning of “only in You” is that You are our help, as if he said, “there is no help but in You.” Therefore, it is incumbent upon us to mention You.
Radak
“Adonai Eloheinu.” Remember for us that You strengthened me, Your people, in exile, for even though the nations were masters and lords over us and they worked us with hard labor, nevertheless we would mention Your name alone. And if we had remembered the name of other gods, like our enemies under whom we were, we would have been saved from their hand and we would have been in rank and greatness like them. But we did not desire this; we endured humiliation and remembered Your name to our enemies, saying that our trust is in You, and we would not exchange You for another.
Metzudat David
"The Lord our God, etc." – This is the proper way to express that we are worthy of peace.
“Only in You.” But we did not heed them, for only in You do we mention Your Name, to say that You alone are called God, and there is none to associate with You.
Metzudat Zion
“Be’alonu.” The term denotes “master” and “ruler,” as in “if his owner is with him” (Exodus 22:14).
"Besides You" – like "without You."
Malbim
"O Lord our God," He explains and elaborates on his second question, that it is fitting that peace be poured out upon Israel. For did not their masters, who held dominion over us as their purchased property, seek to compel us to become alien to You, to deny Your faith and Your unity? Yet we did not heed them; rather, only in You alone did we mention Your Name; only You did we uphold as God, and only Your Name did we invoke, not the name of a foreign deity. And thus, how fitting it is that, since they clung to You and did not wish to deny Your divinity, thereby they shall be
The dead live not, the shades rise not; To that end have you punished and destroyed them, And made all their memory to perish.
verse value 3325
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 48 letters. The shortest word is "therefore" (לָכֵ֤ן, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·you·destroyed·them" (וַתַּשְׁמִידֵ֔ם, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "not·they·live" (בַּל־יִ֣חְי֔וּ), "You·have·visited" (פָּקַ֙דְתָּ֙), "and·you·destroyed·them" (וַתַּשְׁמִידֵ֔ם). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "therefore" (root כן, 48x in Isaiah); "not·they·rise" (root קום, 36x in Isaiah); "dead" (root מות, 28x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root אבד ("and·you·destroyed") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'not·they·rise', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 6 words. Full calculation: מֵתִים֙ [dead] (490) + בַּל־יִ֣חְי֔וּ [not·they·live] (66) + רְפָאִ֖ים [Rephaim] (331) + בַּל־יָקֻ֑מוּ [not·they·rise] (188) + לָכֵ֤ן [therefore] (100) + פָּקַ֙דְתָּ֙ [You·have·visited] (584) + וַתַּשְׁמִידֵ֔ם [and·you·destroyed·them] (800) + וַתְּאַבֵּ֥ד [and·you·destroyed] (413) + כׇּל־זֵ֖כֶר [all·memory·of] (277) + לָֽמוֹ [at] (76) = 3325.
Rashi
"The dead shall not live." May it be Your will that these wicked ones not live in the World to Come, and that these "refaim" (the dead), who have weakened their hands from Your commandments, have no resurrection.
Therefore, You have visited and destroyed them. Have You not already visited them and destroyed them by the words of Your mouth, as it is stated, “For I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek” (Exodus 17:14)?
Ibn Ezra
"The dead." And these are the lords who oppressed us: they are dead.
Radak
“The dead shall not live.” And the gods of those nations to whom we did not turn in exile, for they are dead and have no substance; and the meaning of “shall not live” is that they have no life, and they are like the dead who will not rise, as it is said, “He shall not move from his place.”
Therefore, You took account of them, and of their worshippers, and destroyed them from the world, until no trace remained of them.
"Every remembrance." This means any remembrance, just as in the phrase "no manner of work shall you do."
Metzudat David
Dead. For we said that there is no life in them.
"בל יקומו" – They will not be able to stand on their feet; therefore, You have punished them:
Metzudat Zion
Rephaim. They are the dead who were weakened and enfeebled by death, and the matter is doubled in what is stated:
"Visitation." The matter of the decree of calamity, as in "The Lord will visit upon the host on high" (above 24:21).
"and You shall destroy them." The meaning is destruction.
"Every male": No male; and similarly, "You shall not do any work" (Exodus 20:10), meaning: no work.
To them. To them:
Malbim
The dead shall not live, forever. And is it fitting that because they sanctified Your Name, they should die an eternal death or become shades and not rise? Is this possible? Rather, because they cleaved to Your divinity, You visited and destroyed them until You obliterated all memory of them, so that they and all that was theirs were lost. This means: Did they not die for the sanctification of Your Name? Did they not fall to the slaughter for the sake of Your unity? It is therefore fitting that You revive them and show them in Your salvation.
You have gotten You honour with the nations, O Hashem, Indeed, exceeding great honour with the nations; You are honoured to the farthest ends of the earth.
verse value 2955
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 38 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "you·added" (יָסַ֤פְתָּ, 4 letters) and the longest is "all·ends·of·earth" (כׇּל־קַצְוֵי־אָֽרֶץ, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 550: you·added, you·added. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "you distanced" (רִחַ֖קְתָּ), "all·ends·of·earth" (כׇּל־קַצְוֵי־אָֽרֶץ). The root יסף appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "to·the·nation" (root גוי, 65x in Isaiah); "You·are·honored" (root כבד, 24x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'You·are·honored', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 2 words. Full calculation: יָסַ֤פְתָּ [you·added] (550) + לַגּוֹי֙ [to·the·nation] (49) + יְהֹוָ֔ה [Hashem] (26) + יָסַ֥פְתָּ [you·added] (550) + לַגּ֖וֹי [to·the·nation] (49) + נִכְבָּ֑דְתָּ [You·are·honored] (476) + רִחַ֖קְתָּ [you distanced] (708) + כׇּל־קַצְוֵי־אָֽרֶץ [all·ends·of·earth] (547) = 2955.
Rashi
"You have added to the nation." To Israel, You have added Torah, greatness, and honor, and the more You added to them, the more they glorify You, for they acknowledge and praise before You for all the goodness. Thus, in their prosperity, Israel act before You with praise and honor, and in their distress as well.
Ibn Ezra
"You have added, etc." All that You have added to chastise Your people, time after time, has brought glory to Your Name; and if You have removed them from their place:
Radak
“You have added to the nation of the Lord.” That is, You destroyed and annihilated those names [of the other nations], but the nation that is Yours, You added and increased, bestowing upon them every good thing. You added to them because You were honored among them, and not among the other nations; therefore, You distanced them to the ends of the earth, meaning You moved them hither and thither and exiled them from their land to the ends of the earth.
Metzudat David
“You have added to the nation, O Lord.” Whatever You added to afflict Your people, time after time, nevertheless they acknowledged Your glory and did not rebel against You. And even though You removed them from their place to go into exile to the ends of the earth, they did not stray from You.
Metzudat Zion
"Yasafta." The word is in the form of "hosefah" (addition):
Kol. Like "bechol" (in all), and it lacks the bet:
Malbim
“Yasada” (the second argument): Behold, see the difference between Israel and the nations of the world. If you added greatness and honor to the idolaters, and added to them a second measure of greatness, I will ask you: Is Your Name thereby glorified? On the contrary, this results in the desecration of the Divine Name, for thereby You have distanced from Yourself every corner of the earth. For every time You added to the greatness of the nations of the world, they added to their provocation of You; and likewise, every corner of the earth added to their denial of You and their worship of foreign gods.
Hashem, in trouble have they sought You, Silently they poured out a prayer when Your chastening was upon them.
verse value 1514
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 27 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "in·the·distress" (בַּצַּ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "they·sought·You" (פְּקָד֑וּךָ, 5 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "in·the·distress" (בַּצַּ֣ר), "they·sought·You" (פְּקָד֑וּךָ), "they·constrained" (צָק֣וּן). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "in·the·distress" (root צר, 21x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root מוסר ("your·instruction") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·sought·You', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + בַּצַּ֣ר [in·the·distress] (292) + פְּקָד֑וּךָ [they·sought·You] (210) + צָק֣וּן [they·constrained] (246) + לַ֔חַשׁ [whispering] (338) + מוּסָרְךָ֖ [your·instruction] (326) + לָֽמוֹ [at] (76) = 1514.
Rashi
"The Lord will remember you in distress." They do not ponder Your attributes.
They poured out a whispered prayer. He poured out His speech and prayer:
"Your chastisement is upon them." When Your chastisements come upon them, thus is their prayer:
Ibn Ezra
O Lord, etc. In their distress, they sought You:
Tzakan lachash. The nun is an additional letter, like the nun in "who know not" (Deuteronomy 8:3), and it is a foreign word; it ought to have been spelled "yitzqu" (they poured out). Therefore, it comes lacking the first letter of the verb root, like "and today he descended greatly" (Judges 19:11). The meaning is like "and before the Lord he shall pour out his speech" (Psalms 102:2).
And the meaning of "your discipline" is that they would whisper the discipline with which You disciplined them.
Radak
"O Lord, in distress they sought You." When Israel was in exile and in distress, they sought You—meaning, they sought You alone at the time of their distress, and not another.
"Ziqqon lechash musarekha lamo." At the time that You were chastising them, they would pour out prayer before You, for they knew that the affliction that came upon them in exile was Your chastisement, and not by chance, but rather that You were chastising them for their iniquity. And they would confess and pray before You. Thus was their way and their custom all the time that they were in exile.
Tzakon. The nun is an added letter, like the nun in “your fathers did not know” (Deuteronomy 4:32); the word lacks the initial aleph of the verb, and its root is yatsaq. Lachash means prayer; it is called so because it is recited in a whisper. And the Targum translates it as “in the time of persecution,” etc., meaning: in the times of persecution during the exile, when they decreed against them not to study Torah and not to perform commandments, and they studied and performed them in secret.
Metzudat David
"In distress." When trouble comes upon them, they remember You and seek You in prayer.
"Zeqon le-hash." The pouring out of prayer is found among them when Your discipline comes upon them.
Metzudat Zion
"Pakadokh" – The meaning is remembrance, as it is stated: "And the Lord remembered Sarah" (Genesis 21:1).
Tzakon. The term refers to pouring out and spilling forth. And so it is said regarding the abundance of supplication: "And He shall pour out his talk" (Psalms 102).
To whisper. This means a prayer that is recited in a whisper, in a low voice.
"Your affliction." A decree of punishment:
To them. To them:
Malbim
The Lord — but not so is it with Israel: not only do they remember You in their greatness, but even in distress they inquire after You, and they do not attribute the distress to chance, but rather to Divine providence. And not only when a great calamity comes upon them, but even "tzakan," which is the distress of the soul—if any distress (Peretzweifelung) comes upon them—this was a whisper of Your reproof to them; this was to them a whisper of Your reproof, as if You whispered into their ears Your reproof (as it is stated, "He opened their ear to discipline," Job 36:10). And more than this, even at the time when...
Like as a woman with child, that draws near the time of her delivery, Is in pain and cries out in her pangs; So have we been at Your presence, O Hashem.
verse value 2911
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 45 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָֽה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "so" (כֵּ֛ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "in·her·pangs" (בַּחֲבָלֶ֑יהָ, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "bring·forward" (תַּקְרִ֣יב), "to·bear" (לָלֶ֔דֶת), "will·cry" (תִּזְעַ֖ק). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "we·were" (root היה, 213x in Isaiah); "from·your·face" (root פנים, 88x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·her·pangs', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 4 words. Full calculation: כְּמ֤וֹ [like] (66) + הָרָה֙ [pregnant] (210) + תַּקְרִ֣יב [bring·forward] (712) + לָלֶ֔דֶת [to·bear] (464) + תָּחִ֥יל [will·twist] (448) + תִּזְעַ֖ק [will·cry] (577) + בַּחֲבָלֶ֑יהָ [in·her·pangs] (57) + כֵּ֛ן [so] (70) + הָיִ֥ינוּ [we·were] (81) + מִפָּנֶ֖יךָ [from·your·face] (200) + יְהֹוָֽה [Hashem] (26) = 2911.
Rashi
“Like a pregnant woman who draws near to give birth,” etc. So too, we are [in this state] because of You: we see new afflictions arising, and we assume that they are types of signs of salvation and redemption, for we are assured that we will be redeemed from distress and anguish, just as this pregnant woman [is], [for these] are types of signs of salvation and redemption.
Before You. Before Your decrees:
Ibn Ezra
Like Harah. Explanation of Moserach:
"You shall bring near." Itself, to give birth.
Radak
Like a pregnant woman. My father, of blessed memory, explained that this verse is connected to the preceding verse: “You have rebuked us and disciplined us.” It means that no matter how much You strike and discipline them, they are always returning to You and loving You. Just as a pregnant woman approaches childbirth, for when she is near to giving birth her labor pains are more intense, and even though she knows that her husband is the cause of this, she does not hate him; rather, at that very time when her labor pains are intense, she loves him. So too, “we are for Your sake,” meaning that at the time when You strike and discipline us, we love You even more and return to You with all our heart.
Metzudat David
Like a pregnant woman. This means that they will say in their prayer: “Behold, we are like a pregnant woman who is about to give birth, at which time she is seized with trembling and cries out because of the pangs of childbirth. So too are we, trembling and quaking because of Your wrath.”
Metzudat Zion
Techil. From the root *chayil* and *chalchal*.
“Her pains.” These are the pains of childbirth, as it is written: “Your mother’s anguish” (Song of Songs 8:5).
Before You. The matter of anger and wrath is like “the portion of the Lord’s face” (Lamentations 4:16).
Malbim
Like a pregnant woman, at the time when she was about to give birth, and then she began to cry out in her great labor pains, so were we because of You, for You brought upon us great tribulations, as if the time of birth and salvation had drawn near. Even though the salvation did not come, nevertheless we did not lose our hope, for then
We have been with child, we have been in pain, We have as it were brought forth wind; We have not wrought any deliverance in the land; Neither are the inhabitants of the world come to life.
verse value 3197
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 48 letters. The shortest word is "like" (כְּמ֖וֹ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·not·come·to·life" (וּבַֽל־יִפְּל֖וּ, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "we·conceived" (הָרִ֣ינוּ), "we·twisted" (חַ֔לְנוּ), "we·bore" (יָלַ֣דְנוּ). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "land" (root ארץ, 169x in Isaiah); "not·we·wrought" (root עשה, 101x in Isaiah); "dwelling" (root ישב, 71x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'wind', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 6 words. Full calculation: הָרִ֣ינוּ [we·conceived] (271) + חַ֔לְנוּ [we·twisted] (94) + כְּמ֖וֹ [like] (66) + יָלַ֣דְנוּ [we·bore] (100) + ר֑וּחַ [wind] (214) + יְשׁוּעֹת֙ [salvation] (786) + בַּל־נַ֣עֲשֶׂה [not·we·wrought] (457) + אֶ֔רֶץ [land] (291) + וּבַֽל־יִפְּל֖וּ [and·not·come·to·life] (164) + יֹשְׁבֵ֥י [dwelling] (322) + תֵבֵֽל [world] (432) = 3197.
Rashi
"We conceived, we writhed in labor." The word "chil" (labor pain) is like "yolada" (she gave birth), as if to say: We have given birth, meaning we are close to redemption. And it is a spirit, and there is no salvation.
“Salvation shall not be made in the land.” In all our burdens and our distress, we do not prepare for ourselves salvation.
"And let them not fall." The nations that are the inhabitants of the earth, who have conquered and filled the land, do not fall. And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated "let them not fall" as "and we shall be distinguished" (Exodus 33:16). The inhabitants of the earth are not able to perform a miracle.
Ibn Ezra
We have conceived, we have been in labor. Spirit, and likewise we have borne children, and the reason is that there was no strength in us to save ourselves, and this is "salvation" [let us not do], we are unable to do:
Eretz. In the phrase "ba'aretz" [in the land], the letter bet is missing, just as in "ki sheshet yamim" [for six days] (Exodus 20:11):
"And they shall not fall." Some say that it is spelled defectively, lacking an aleph, and that it is read like "and they fell greatly in their eyes" (Nehemiah 6:16), and that "they fell" there is only according to its plain meaning, as I will explain. And according to my opinion, we cannot say that they shall not fall.
Radak
"We were with child, we writhed, we have as it were brought forth wind." My revered father, of blessed memory, explained: "The woman who has given birth knows that she has already been delivered; but the meaning here is like a woman who comes close to giving birth out of season and does not give birth—this is like a spirit. And she does not rejoice in the severing of the umbilical cords, for she knows that soon she will again stand in the throes of childbirth." So too were we in exile: at the time when we were escaping from one affliction, we did not rejoice, for we knew that another affliction was imminent and destined to come after it. Likewise, in this matter, we were throughout all the days of the exile, for the word of salvation that You promised us was not fulfilled in the land.
"And the inhabitants of the world shall not fall." The kingdoms of the gentiles were not falling, for that very thing is the sign of our salvation: when they fall, we shall rise. And at every time that we were delivered from distress, we did not rejoice in it, for we knew that the time of salvation had not yet come, and we did not see that the inhabitants of the world were falling.
It shall be made. It is in the nifal conjugation, standing [as such]:
Metzudat David
"We have conceived, we have writhed." This is because we are assured of being redeemed. [The verse] alludes to this through the parable of a woman in childbirth, who has the pain of pregnancy and the anguish of labor, yet gives birth to a stillborn child, having nothing with which to console herself for the suffering she endured. That is to say, they would say in their prayer: "Have we not been likened to such a woman in childbirth? For we have endured the hardship of bondage, yet there is nothing with which to console ourselves, for salvation has not yet been accomplished in the land, and the Chaldeans who conquered and filled the face of the earth have not yet fallen."
Metzudat Zion
Our pregnancy. A word denoting pregnancy:
We writhed in pain. The word is derived from the root meaning "strength" (chayil) and "anguish" (chalchal).
Malbim
Behold, we have labored as though we had given birth to wind. This depicts that the birth they experienced during those immense troubles was a spirit—a spirit of prophecy, a spirit of wisdom and knowledge, a spirit of hope. This is the son born from these labors and this pregnancy. And it explains what this spirit is: the spirit that is born prophesies to us, saying, “Salvation shall not be accomplished on earth.” That is to say, salvation will not be accomplished here on this material earth; we shall not be saved in this material world. Nor shall salvation fall upon the inhabitants of this physical globe. In other words, here in this material world and in physical life, there is no place where true salvation can occur, and the inhabitants of the globe are not worthy of lofty, true salvation. Nevertheless, one should not despair, for
Your dead shall live, my dead bodies shall arise— Awake and sing, you that dwell in the dust— For Your dew is as the dew of light, And the earth shall bring to life the shades.
verse value 4344
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 60 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "they·will·rise" (יְקוּמ֑וּן, 6 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "my·carcass" (נְבֵלָתִ֖י), "they·will·rise" (יְקוּמ֑וּן), "awake" (הָקִ֨יצוּ). The root טל appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah); "and·earth" (root ארץ, 169x in Isaiah); "they·will·rise" (root קום, 36x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·will·rise', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 11 words.
Rashi
“Your dead shall live.” Here he prayed that the righteous should live: “I beseech You, let those who await You live.” A royal decree went forth from before You, saying, “Let My corpses arise—the corpses of My people who have rotted away for My sake arise; for them shall there be a resurrection.” This is a reversal of what is written above, “The Rephaim shall not arise,” but these shall arise.
“Awake and sing.” All of this the Holy One, blessed be He, will say to them: “Awake and sing.” This is a language of command.
For the dew of your lights is your dew. For it is fitting for you to act thus, that the dew of your Torah and your commandments should be for them a dew of light.
“And the land of the Rephaim shall fall.” [This means] to the land and to the dust it shall cause the land of the Rephaim to fall, those who have weakened their hands from Your Torah.
"The Rephaim You have cast down." Because it says, "And the inhabitants of the world shall not fall," it returns and says, "You have cast them down," for there is not enough righteousness in us to cast them down.
Ibn Ezra
"They shall live, etc." Only your dead, the final kaph being the direct object marker referring to God, shall live. And according to the opinion of all, this is an allusion to the resurrection of the dead. And there are those who say that it is the opposite of "the dead shall not live," for behold, our Lord died, and we, who were considered as dead, were alive.
“Nevlati.” The yod is a sign of the prophet, for he is from Israel; and so it is, “Your dead shall live; my dead bodies shall arise,” as if they were to hear a voice saying, “Awake!”
For “dew of lights,” dew with its light, is your dew, and the letter kaf is in reference to the Divine Name. And there are those who say that “lights” refers to plants, like “to gather lights” (2 Kings 4:39), and they are plants that turn opposite the sun and the moon.
"And the land." The vav is opened to indicate the aleph of the word "knowledge" (da'at), which is lacking; and the land will cause the Rephaim to fall from it, as it is said, "And she fell." And some say, "You alone have revived your dead," for the nature of the land is to cast out the dead within it.
Radak
“Your dead shall live.” He said: “At the time of salvation, your dead shall live,” for the Holy One, blessed be He, is destined to resurrect the dead at the time of salvation. And similarly, it is stated in the prophecy of Daniel: “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awaken.” We have already written at the beginning of this chapter that this song will be sung on that day, and the song is the subject matter of this passage up to this verse. The prophet said, “At that time your dead shall live,” and the pronoun refers to God, meaning the righteous ones who are considered as belonging to God, as our Sages of blessed memory stated that the resurrection of the dead is for the righteous and not for the wicked. And so it appears from this verse, which says “your dead.” And likewise in the prophecy of Daniel, which says “and many,” and [Daniel] said, “When my carcass rises, [they too] shall rise.” The word is written without a vav or a kaf, either as “nevelati” [my carcass] or with a vav as “ve-nevelati” [and my carcass]. He means: when my carcass rises from the dust, the other righteous ones will also rise. And he was confident in truth that he would rise, for he knew within himself that he was righteous.
“Awake and sing for joy.” And each one said to his fellow, “Awake and sing for joy, you inhabitants of dust,” or a voice came forth from heaven and said to them this:
“Your dew is like the dew of lights.” “Lights” refers to vegetables, as in “to gather lights” (vegetables). He said by way of metaphor: The dew that is fit for vegetables is your dew. Just as dew revives and causes vegetables to grow, so too your dew. He said this in reference to the Name, Who will revive the dead.
"And the land of the Rephaim shall cast out." The land will cast the dead from it and outward, using the language of a woman who miscarries. "The land" is like [the phrase] "and the land was deprived of him," with the definite article "the" (heh). Alternatively, the tav of "taphil" (shall cast out) may be understood as corresponding to the preceding statement: "You will revive your dead," but the wicked, who are the Rephaim, it shall cast them down to the ground, before it revives them.
Metzudat David
“Your dead shall live.” He said this in the manner of a prayer and supplication: “Hasten the day when those who were slain for the sanctification of Your Name shall arise in the resurrection.”
“Let the dead bodies rise.” A royal decree has gone forth from before You, saying: “Let the dead bodies rise,” meaning: the dead bodies of My people, who have become putrid for My sake, shall rise for resurrection. And you, inhabitants of dust, awaken from the sleep of death and praise the Lord.
"For dew." Just as the dew of resurrection that I will bring down upon you will be like the dew that descends upon plants and causes them to grow, so too will the dead be revived by the dew of resurrection.
"And the land, etc." The land will cast down and cast out to the outside the dead who are buried in it.
Metzudat Zion
“Nevelah” (carcass). Even the body of a righteous person who was killed is called a nevelah, as it is written: “the carcass of the man of God” (1 Kings 13:29).
"Wake up." The matter of "arousal" is like [the verse] "the youth did not wake up" (2 Kings 4). "Or" is the name of a plant, just as [in the phrase] "to gather lights" (ibid.).
Rephaim. Thus are the dead called, because they have become weak and enfeebled by death.
Malbim
Your dead shall live; in the world of resurrection, in the eternal world, then the dead shall live and attain the salvations destined for them. It is not that only the souls shall live, but also their corpses shall rise, for the body too shall rise in the resurrection. And if the living have not been saved, Awake and sing, you companions of dust! For even though you dwell in the dust, your hope is not lost. For the dew, the dew that has ascended on high from your deeds, is like the dew that comes upon the lights, and they are the vegetables that grow in one day, such as mushrooms and fungi that grow with great speed. So too shall the bodies emerge through the dew of resurrection. (And he compares it to how dew comes from the vapors that the lights and plants exude, namely the moisture of the air [Oyisdunsten], and from this comes the dew that descends upon them and revives them. So too shall the resurrection be through the "good deeds.") And this dew He will rain upon the land of the Refaim, the dead, upon the place of the graves, to revive the sleepers in the dust. All this is the speech of the spirit that is born, and it is a wonderful figure of speech, as if from the depths of their distress a new spirit is born within them, a spirit of hope and faith. And even though they see that in this world their bones have dried up and they resemble dry bones in which there is no spirit at all, behold, a spirit of prophecy and supplication will be aroused in their hearts to trust in the coming world, and not to despair in any way, as it is written (Ezekiel 37): "Behold, I will open your graves, etc."
Come, my people, enter you into your chambers, And shut your doors about you; Hide thyself for a little moment, Until the indignation be overpast.
verse value 2893
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 54 letters. The shortest word is "go" (לֵ֤ךְ, 2 letters) and the longest is "until·the·indignation·passes" (עַד־(יעבור)־יַעֲבׇר־זָֽעַם, 14 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "in·your·chambers" (בַחֲדָרֶ֔יךָ), "door" ((דלתיך)), "your·door" (דְּלָֽתְךָ֖). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "go" (root בוא, 120x in Isaiah); "my·people" (root עם, 107x in Isaiah); "go" (root הלך, 60x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root דלת ("your·door") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'behind', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 3 words. Full calculation: לֵ֤ךְ [go] (50) + עַמִּי֙ [my·people] (120) + בֹּ֣א [go] (3) + בַחֲדָרֶ֔יךָ [in·your·chambers] (244) + וּֽסְגֹ֥ר [and·battle-axe] (269) + (דלתיך) [door] (464) + דְּלָֽתְךָ֖ [your·door] (454) + בַּעֲדֶ֑ךָ [behind] (96) + חֲבִ֥י [withdraw] (20) + כִמְעַט־רֶ֖גַע [as·little·of·moment] (412) + עַד־(יעבור)־יַעֲבׇר־זָֽעַם [until·the·indignation·passes] (761) = 2893.
Rashi
“Go, My people, enter into your chambers.” This is the response that He gave to the prophet: “Go, My people, enter into your chambers,” meaning, into synagogues and houses of study. Alternatively, Rabbi Tanḥuma interpreted it as follows: “Reflect upon your deeds within the chambers of your heart.”
“And shut.” The Targum translates: “Perform good deeds for yourself, so that He may plead your cause.” And Rabbi Tanḥuma expounded: “Shut the doors of your mouth,” so that you should not meditate upon the Attribute of Judgment.
Chavei. Hide yourself a little until the wrath passes, for I will surely visit upon your enemies.
Ibn Ezra
"Go, my people, enter your chambers." According to the opinion of Rabbi Moses the Kohen, this refers to the closing of the gates of Jerusalem because of Sennacherib.
Ḥavī. Some say that it comes like words with a final he, for it is found with feminine language, such as “and the sin-offering of your people” (Exodus 5:16). And Rabbi Yehudah HaDakdaka, of blessed memory, said that ḥavī is a noun on the pattern of shavī (Isaiah 20:4). And the first opinion is the truth.
Radak
“Go, my people.” This verse was stated regarding the war of Gog and Magog, that there will be a distress for Israel for a short time. He said by way of parable: “Go, my people, enter your chambers and shut your doors behind you.” And this is a parable for hiding oneself in good deeds and in complete repentance, for the anger will last but a moment and then pass, and the righteous will be saved, as it is said: “All who are found will be written in the book.”
Chabi. It uses the feminine form in correspondence to “My people,” which is masculine, for we find “people” in the feminine form, as in “Why has this people transgressed?” and “the sin of Your people.” But for the most part it is in the masculine form. Some explain it in the verse “A captive of a doe,” and “your gates” is written with a yod, in the plural form, while it is read “your gate” in the singular form, following the principle of a general statement. It is not from the pattern of “dalt” with a segol, for the singular would say “your gate,” as in “and he bored a hole in his door.”
“Ya'avor” (He shall pass). It is written with a vav and read without a vav, with a chataf qamats, on account of the maqaf.
Metzudat David
“Go, my people.” The prophet’s statement is an allegory: “Enter your chamber and shut the door behind you, so that no one may come to you to do you harm; and hide yourself for a brief moment, until the anger passes and departs.” This means: conceal yourself in the refuge of repentance and good deeds, to protect you from the anger of the troubles that will come before the arrival of the redemption.
Metzudat Zion
"Ba'adekha." Facing you:
Chavi. From the language of "chibuah" (hiding place) and "mistar" (concealment):
Za'am: Anger.
Malbim
"Go to your chambers," the Lord answers him, "My people, go to your chambers." Although the time of salvation has not yet arrived, hide yourself for a moment until the Lord's anger passes from you, for then
For, behold, Hashem comes forth out of His place To visit upon the inhabitants of the earth their iniquity; The earth also shall disclose her blood, And shall no more cover her slain.
verse value 3644
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 69 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "going·out" (יֹצֵ֣א, 3 letters) and the longest is "over·her·slain" (עַל־הֲרוּגֶֽיהָ, 8 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "to·punish" (לִפְקֹ֛ד), "inhabitant·of·the·earth" (יֹֽשֵׁב־הָאָ֖רֶץ), "and·will·disclose" (וְגִלְּתָ֤ה). 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "for·behold" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah); "upon·him" (root על, 200x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'upon·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 6 words. Full calculation: כִּֽי־הִנֵּ֤ה [for·behold] (90) + יְהֹוָה֙ [Hashem] (26) + יֹצֵ֣א [going·out] (101) + מִמְּקוֹמ֔וֹ [from·his·place] (232) + לִפְקֹ֛ד [to·punish] (214) + עֲוֺ֥ן [perversity] (126) + יֹֽשֵׁב־הָאָ֖רֶץ [inhabitant·of·the·earth] (608) + עָלָ֑יו [upon·him] (116) + וְגִלְּתָ֤ה [and·will·disclose] (444) + הָאָ֙רֶץ֙ [the·land] (296) + אֶת־דָּמֶ֔יהָ [her·bloods] (460) + וְלֹא־תְכַסֶּ֥ה [you·shall·not·cover] (522) + ע֖וֹד [still] (80) + עַל־הֲרוּגֶֽיהָ [over·her·slain] (329) = 3644.
Rashi
"For behold, the Lord is going forth..." From the attribute of mercy, you learn the attribute of judgment.
“Yoshev ha’aretz” – this is Mount Seir.
“Concerning their slain.” That is, those whom they killed among the Israelites.
Ibn Ezra
"Ki." It departs from its place, the decrees that emanate from before the Name:
“Her blood.” These are the martyrs who are buried within her.
Radak
For behold, the Lord goes forth from His place. This is by way of parable, just as He also said, "And the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations." All their sins that preceded will be accounted against them at that time, and all innocent blood that they shed will be accounted against them. And just as when the blood is not avenged, it appears as though it is covered under the earth, so when it is avenged, it appears as though it is uncovered. And so Job said, "O earth, cover not my blood" (Job 16:18). Therefore, it says, "And shall no longer cover her slain." And it mentions the blood and does not mention the other injustices they committed, for bloodshed is the greatest injustice. And so it is said in the prophecy of Joel, "I will not acquit them of their blood" (Joel 3:19).
Metzudat David
He departs from His place. This is the subject of the parable, as it is stated: “And the Lord shall go forth and fight against the nations” (Zechariah 14:3).
"To visit." To remember the iniquity of the inhabitant of the land upon the dweller therein, in order to recompense them for their deeds.
"And it shall be revealed." The land will reveal the blood of those who were slain and buried within it.
Metzudat Zion
"To take account." The matter of remembrance:
"And it shall be revealed." The language of "revealed."
Malbim
The Lord went forth from His place to visit upon the sin of the non-Jews who had done evil to Israel. The land uncovered the blood that had been shed in it; let the blood be uncovered to kindle heat, to avenge the vengeance for the past. And from now on, it shall no longer cover its slain; rather, if one is found who has killed a soul, the land shall rise up against him to punish him immediately.
Rashi
Ibn Ezra
Radak
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim