In that day Hashem with his sore and great and strong sword will punish leviathan the slant serpent, and leviathan the tortuous serpent; and He will slay the dragon that is in the sea.
verse value 5576
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 85 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֩) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "upon" (עַ֤ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·great" (וְהַגְּדוֹלָ֣ה, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 496: leviathan, leviathan. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "in·his·sword" (בְּחַרְבּ֨וֹ), "and·great" (וְהַגְּדוֹלָ֣ה), "and·strong" (וְהַחֲזָקָ֗ה). The root על appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "upon" (root על, 200x in Isaiah); "that" (root אשר, 176x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'crooked', dividing the verse into phrases of 16 and 4 words.
Rashi
"On Leviathan, the serpent that is straight, etc." The Targum [translates]: "Concerning the king who was exalted like Pharaoh, the first king, and concerning the king who was arrogant like Sennacherib, the second king." [The word] "straight" [is] in the language of "straight," like "this straight [bar]," because he is the first.
“Eqlaton.” This is a double expression, for it is the second [in the series]. And I say that it is because these are three important nations: Egypt, Assyria, and Edom. Therefore, it says concerning these [nations] just as it says at the end of the matter: “And the lost ones shall come to the land of Assyria, and the outcasts to the land of Egypt.”
The Leviathan is a straight serpent. It is Egypt.
The Leviathan is a crooked serpent; it is Assyria.
"And he slew the sea-monster that was in the sea." It dwells in the midst of the seas, and likewise the Kittim are called the "islands of the sea."
Ibn Ezra
"On that day." In those days:
[He shall visit]. This is the visitation (as) written above:
Leviathan. It is the "tali," and it is called "beriyach" because it drives [or extends] from one end to the other.
And regarding Leviathan: It too is in the sea, and its form is that of a serpent, for there is also a serpent-shaped creature in the sea, and "Eqlaton" is its descriptive name.
"And the tannin." It is the great one that is in the sea.
And there are those who say that Leviathan, the crooked serpent, and the twisting serpent are on land, and the verse refers to the kings of the earth, and the tannin is the king of Egypt, as it is written in the Book of Ezekiel (Ezekiel 29:3). And there are those who say it refers to the king of Tyre. And what is correct in the eyes of Rabbi Moses the Priest is that it is an allusion, like [the verse] “and He cut off all the mighty men of valor, and the leaders and the commanders” (2 Chronicles 32:21).
Radak
"On that day." The great and mighty battle; the doubling [of the word] serves to emphasize the severing by the sword among the nations, which was unlike any other. All of this refers to the War of Gog and Magog, as we have explained. Leviathan, which is male, is an allegory for the strong kings of the gentiles. Leviathan is the great fish in the sea, and it is also called a crocodile, for so it is written: "And God created the great crocodiles." Therefore, the great gentiles are compared to Leviathan and the crocodile. The crocodile is the serpent. As for what is said, "serpent of the bar," and "coiled serpent," it is as if it were driving the sea from one end to the other due to its great size, and in places it coils itself due to its great length; therefore, it is called a "coiled serpent." As for what is said, "Leviathan, Leviathan, the crocodile," the three [instances] allude to the kingdom of Edom, Ishmael, and the third kingdom of the Greeks. And some say that the "serpent of the bar" is the Milky Way, which stretches from one end to the other; it too is a "coiled serpent." Of it it is said, "His hand has made desolate, a serpent of the bar." According to this interpretation as well, it is an allegory for the great ones of the gentiles. So too it is in Pirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer: "The Milky Way is the path of the lights, stretched from one end to the other, like a serpent of the bar, a coiled serpent."
Metzudat David
"Hashem will take account." He will watch to strike with His sword.
“Concerning Leviathan, the crooked serpent.” This is an allegory for Ishmael, who passes through most of the inhabited world, from one end to the other, just as Leviathan passes through the sea from one end to the other.
And regarding Leviathan, the crooked serpent: This is an allegory that he is crooked in his actions, like the Leviathan, which, due to its great length, coils itself in certain places of the sea.
The Tannin which is in the sea. It is an allegory for the other nations dwelling on the isles of the sea, who are neither of their faith nor of their multitude:
Metzudat Zion
He shall take account. The matter of providence:
Leviathan. It is the great fish in the sea, and likewise: "You draw out Leviathan with a hook" (Job 40:25).
Serpent. The Leviathan resembles a serpent:
Regarding the term "barikh": It is akin to the concept of a bar (or bolt) used to close a gate, which extends from one end of the gate to the other. Therefore, Leviathan is called a "barikh" because it stretches from one end of the sea to the other. The term "akalton" denotes something crooked and twisted, similar to the phrase "paths of crookedness" (Judges 5:6).
The tannin. This is the name given to the fish that resembles the appearance of a serpent, and likewise to the large tanninim (Genesis 1:21):
Malbim
"On that day," on the day of vengeance, "the great, the hard, and the strong sword": "Hard" indicates the quality of the material of iron, which is hard to withstand against every hard thing to crush it; "great" indicates the quantity that extends in length; "strong" indicates the power, thickness, and weight. "Upon the Leviathan, the barring serpent": this is a limiting statement, that the hard sword will execute judgment upon the Leviathan, the barring serpent—the great fish that pushes like a bolt in the middle of the sea and does not allow passage through its boundary; the sword will be harder than it to pass through it. The great sword will execute judgment upon the Leviathan, the twisting serpent—the serpent and fish so long that it encircles the entire world and twists itself around the sphere; the sword will be longer than it. And the strong one, in its weight and the strength of its power, will execute judgment upon the crocodile in the sea (the walrus), which cannot be killed by a sword; it will defeat it by its weight and the strength of its power. And the meaning is that there is a nation that is mighty because of the strength of its land, which dwells in high mountains and fortresses, and this is the barring serpent, which blocks the passersby. There is one mighty because of the length and breadth of its territory and the multitude of its people, and this is the twisting serpent. And there is one mighty because of the valor of its warriors and the giants within it, and this is the crocodile in the sea.
In that day sing you of her: ‘A vineyard of foaming wine! ’
verse value 744
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 19 letters. The shortest word is "vineyard" (כֶּ֥רֶם, 3 letters) and the longest is "sing·of·her" (עַנּוּ־לָֽהּ, 5 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "sing·of·her" (עַנּוּ־לָֽהּ). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·the·day" (root יום, 124x in Isaiah); "that" (root הוא, 98x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'that', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 3 words. Full calculation: בַּיּ֖וֹם [in·the·day] (58) + הַה֑וּא [that] (17) + כֶּ֥רֶם [vineyard] (260) + חֶ֖מֶר [slime] (248) + עַנּוּ־לָֽהּ [sing·of·her] (161) = 744.
Rashi
"On that day." At the time of the Redemption, Israel will sing; this is [the verse] "The vineyard of the Lord of Hosts is the house of Israel" (Isaiah 5:7), [as it is written] "He brought forth His good wine" (Isaiah 25:6). "Chamer" and "Yinush" are Old French terms.
Ibn Ezra
On the day. "Chomer" (thick wine). "Tirosh" (new wine) is like "you shall drink chomer" (Deuteronomy 32:14), and the meaning is that it will yield abundant fruit.
Anu. A melody, “the voice of singing” (Exodus 32:18):
"To Zion" refers to the musicians, and the word "anawim" (the humble) refers to the singers. The prophet has already mentioned above (5:7) that Judah planted the delights of the Lord.
Radak
"On that day, a vineyard of wine will answer her." The explanation is that this refers to the Congregation of Israel: they will sing to her and answer her, "A vineyard of wine"—a vineyard that produces good wine. Since, at the beginning of his prophecy, the prophet called her a vineyard that produces thorns rather than grapes, therefore he says that at that time, which is the time of salvation, they will call her a "vineyard of wine" that produces good grapes from which emerges fine, good red wine. For "chomer" (wine) connotes redness. Similarly, he said "wine of chomer," meaning that the wine is red in it, for the value of wine lies in its redness, as it is said, "Do not fear, wine, when it turns red." And the Targum translates "wine" as "chamra," and the red is called in Arabic "al-khamr."
Metzudat David
A vineyard of a vintner, they answered her. All will raise their voice concerning Israel, saying that it is a vineyard producing fine wine, unlike in the past, as it is said of it: “They hoped it would produce grapes, but it produced wild grapes” (above 5:2).
Metzudat Zion
Chomer. Its meaning is wine that is praised, as it is said: “You shall drink chomer” (Deuteronomy 32:14).
Anu. The meaning of "anu" is raising the voice, as in "And the Levites answered" (ibid. 27:14), "a loud voice" (ibid. 27:14).
Lah. Upon it:
Malbim
"On that day," then it will be like a vineyard of strong drink, for then the vineyard of the Lord of Hosts, the House of Israel, will not only produce grapes, but will also give its wine for satisfaction; and then they will answer and sing to Him this song. And the meaning is: in contrast to the song which my Beloved sang for His vineyard (above, 5:1) concerning what He did with the wild grapes, now they will sing to Him concerning that He will succeed with rich wine, wine fully mixed.
I Hashem do guard it, I water it every moment; Lest Mine anger visit it, I guard it night and day.
verse value 2163
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 45 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "lest" (פֶּ֚ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "every·moment" (לִרְגָעִ֖ים, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "guarding·it" (נֹֽצְרָ֔הּ), "every·moment" (לִרְגָעִ֖ים), "I·water·it" (אַשְׁקֶ֑נָּה). The root נצר appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "on" (root על, 200x in Isaiah); "and·day" (root יום, 124x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root רגע ("every·moment") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'I·water·it', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 6 words. Full calculation: אֲנִ֤י [I] (61) + יְהֹוָה֙ [Hashem] (26) + נֹֽצְרָ֔הּ [guarding·it] (345) + לִרְגָעִ֖ים [every·moment] (353) + אַשְׁקֶ֑נָּה [I·water·it] (456) + פֶּ֚ן [lest] (130) + יִפְקֹ֣ד [visit] (194) + עָלֶ֔יהָ [on] (115) + לַ֥יְלָה [night] (75) + וָי֖וֹם [and·day] (62) + אֶצֳּרֶֽנָּה [I·guard·it] (346) = 2163.
Rashi
"I am the Lord, who guards her." In the time of exile:
"For a moment I will pour out." Little by little I am pouring out upon her the cup of calamity that is coming upon her, lest I visit upon her all at once and consume her. For this reason, day and night I am watching over her. And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] rendered it in the Targum: "If it were not that I am visiting upon them the sins to which they are accustomed, day and night I would be guarding them."
Ibn Ezra
"I am." It was created. Concerning the Divine Presence, which is in Zion:
For a moment I will water it. This is like a prophecy that will not cease:
Lest He visit punishment upon her. Rabbi Yonah the Grammarian said that "pen" is like "lo" (not), and the yod in "yifkod" is in place of an aleph, which is the sign of the future tense, just as in "The way of life is far from them, lest they stumble" (Proverbs 5:6). The meaning is: "I will visit punishment upon all the nations, but not upon her." And Rabbi Yitzchak ben Shaul, of blessed memory, said that "yifkod" is like "no man was missed from among them" (Numbers 31:49), meaning that it is connected with "every moment I water it, lest any one of its leaves should wither," as in "whose leaf withers" (Isaiah 1:30). And Rabbi Moshe HaKohen said that "lest He visit punishment upon her" means that the enemy will visit punishment upon her, hiding day and night. And this is the correct interpretation in my eyes.
Radak
"I am the Lord, who guards her." This is the opposite of what was said: "Remove its thorn, and it shall be for burning."
"I will water it every moment." He reversed what He said, [changing] "And I will command the clouds" [to] "Who causes rain to fall upon it."
“Lest He visit upon her.” My master and father, of blessed memory, explained that the word “her” (aleha) is derived from “leaf” (ala), as in “olive leaf.” He said: “I will water her every moment, lest even her leaves be lacking, all the more so her fruit.” Alternatively, the explanation is: “Lest the enemy visit upon her,” meaning that day and night I will guard her. And the meaning of the parable is: “I, the Lord, guard her,” indicating that My providence will always be upon her, as it is stated, “And I will set My face toward them for good.”
"לרגעים אשקנה" – that I will pour out upon them the spirit of knowledge and the spirit of prophecy abundantly, like water in great quantity, as it is stated: "For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea," and it is also stated: "I will pour out My spirit upon all flesh." Yet it does not say "upon all flesh" in general, but rather upon Israel, as it subsequently states: "And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, etc."
Atseranah. With a chataf qamats under the tsadi in some manuscripts:
Metzudat David
"I am the Lord who created her." From this time onward, I will guard her, not as in the past, when it was said of her: "Remove its hedge, and it will be burned up," etc.
“L’ragaim ashqanah.” In every moment I will water her with rainwater, and not as in the past, where it is said of her, “And I will command the clouds not to rain upon it.”
“Lest He visit upon it.” For if the leaves were to be diminished due to withering, therefore I will guard it day and night to water it at its proper time. And He intended to say: “I will have compassion even upon the leaves,” and all the more so the grapes. This is a metaphorical way of saying: I will bestow upon them abundant goodness, from their greatest to their smallest.
Metzudat Zion
“Nitzrah.” The matter of guarding is like “kindness is kept” (Exodus 34:7):
For moments. The word is derived from the root *regah* (moment):
Yipaked. The matter of a deficiency, like: your seat will be missed (1 Samuel 20:18):
Aleha (its leaves). The leaves of the vines:
I will keep it. I will guard it:
Malbim
"I am the Lord" – [referring to] the words of the Lord concerning the vineyard in its song. "I am the Lord" – I guarded the vineyard from every blow from without (and this is the opposite of what it stated, "Remove its hedge"). And also, I watered it at every moment, so that it would grow (the opposite of what it stated, "And to the clouds I commanded"). And not only did I watch over it so that a branch or fruit would not be spoiled, but even out of concern lest one of the leaves be missing or lacking, I guarded it day and night. (And the metaphorical meaning is: I will guard them from enemies from without, and I will provide for them at every moment with an abundance of prophecy and the constant providence of the Lord over them. And not only will He watch over their priests and sages, but even the empty-headed and the masses among them, He will guard as the apple of the eye with particular providence.)
Fury is not in Me; Would that I were as the briers and thorns in flame! I would with one step burn it altogether.
verse value 3150
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 44 letters. Verse gematria: 3150 is divisible by 50, the years to the Jubilee (yovel). The shortest word is "to·me" (לִ֑י, 2 letters) and the longest is "who?·he·gives·me" (מִֽי־יִתְּנֵ֜נִי, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "who?·he·gives·me" (מִֽי־יִתְּנֵ֜נִי), "thorn bushes" (שַׁ֙יִת֙), "let·me·step" (אֶפְשְׂעָ֥ה). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "nothing" (root אין, 92x in Isaiah); "who?·he·gives·me" (root נתן, 56x in Isaiah); "together" (root יחד, 34x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·me', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 8 words. Full calculation: חֵמָ֖ה [wrath] (53) + אֵ֣ין [nothing] (61) + לִ֑י [to·me] (40) + מִֽי־יִתְּנֵ֜נִי [who?·he·gives·me] (570) + שָׁמִ֥יר [thorns] (550) + שַׁ֙יִת֙ [thorn bushes] (710) + בַּמִּלְחָמָ֔ה [battle] (125) + אֶפְשְׂעָ֥ה [let·me·step] (456) + בָ֖הּ [in·it] (7) + אֲצִיתֶ֥נָּה [I·would·burn·it] (556) + יָּֽחַד [together] (22) = 3150.
Rashi
“Wrath” — I have no [right to complain about] wrath. I have no mouth to intensify My anger against the idolaters, since even Israelites sin, and the attribute of judgment brings accusations.
“Would that I had briers and thorns in the midst of battle, among my warriors.” “My warriors” refers to Ishmael. “Would that I were”—so that I could exact punishment upon them, and the Attribute of Justice would not be able to object, so that Israel would return in repentance. And She gives me the quality of being briers and thorns among my warriors: I would take a step against the Attribute of Justice and exact punishment upon them, even an excess and addition to their iniquity and their transgression, and I would destroy them together. Thus the Targum [renders it] “upon the nations,” and our Sages of blessed memory interpreted it “upon Israel,” and it is referring to the vineyard, the sun: “I have no [power] in all the anger with which this vineyard has angered Me; I cannot pour out My wrath to burn it, because of the oath I swore to their fathers. Would that I were [like] the days that have passed; were it not for the oath, I would have briers and thorns, and I would punish the vineyard and destroy it together.”
Ibn Ezra
"Wrath, etc." Some say that these too are the words of God, and the meaning is: "I do not have much wrath."
“Would that I were [thorns and briers].” The Scripture speaks here in the manner of a human being, and the bet is omitted, just as in “for six days” (Exodus 21:11). And so it is: “Would that I were thorns and briers that are in the vineyard.” The meaning is concerning the wicked: on the day of my battle in the vineyard, I will crush them, just as in “according to the transgression” (1 Samuel 20:3).
“Azzitnah.” “Abeirnah,” like “Why did your servants set fire?” (2 Samuel 14:31):
Radak
"I have no anger." For it is not among My attributes, except long-suffering. And even though it is written, "The Lord is a jealous God and avenging" (Exodus 34:14), behold, it is explained after that, "He is avenging against His enemies" (Nahum 1:2), and they are the idolaters; against them He is avenging and keeping account until the time comes for their destruction. And even though He delays against them for a long time, He does this in order to destroy them and annihilate them completely, as it says, "And He will repay His enemies to their face, to destroy them" (Deuteronomy 7:10), and it says, "To destroy them forever" (Psalms 9:7). But to Israel He does not do so; rather, when they sin, He visits their iniquity little by little, and He does not keep account against them until they are filled, as it said, "Only you have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will visit upon you all your iniquities" (Amos 3:2). Therefore He said, "I have no anger," meaning against Israel. For if I had anger, who is there that would give me a vineyard producing wormwood and gall? Meaning, the vineyard that gives me wormwood and gall instead of grapes. If I had anger, I would stride with one stride and burn it all up together in war, when I fight against it for all its iniquities. Thus my master and father, of blessed memory, explained the verse to me, and it is the best of interpretations.
Shamir and Shit. The word is missing a vav, as if it said "Shamir and Shit," like "Shemesh and Yareach" or "Reuven and Shimon," and similar cases. Shamir and Shit are types of thorns.
Metzudat David
"I have no anger." Even from then on, I did not express all My anger against them; rather, if I were to express all My anger, who would give me a samir and a shet? That is to say, this vineyard that gave me, from then on, a samir and a shet instead of grapes. If I had abundant anger, I would take a single step and burn it all down at once in battle, when I fight against her to take vengeance upon her for her sins.
Metzudat Zion
Chamah. The matter of anger:
Shamir sith. Like shamir and sith, and the vav is omitted; they are types of thorns. And similarly, “and the leaf of shamir and sith” (above, 5:6).
"Apsa'ah." Like "apsa'ah" with a samekh, and its meaning is the stepping of the foot.
“atzitnah.” The meaning is kindling and burning, like “and it kindled among the thorns of the forest” (above, 9:17).
Malbim
“The vineyard says: ‘I have no anger, nor do I harbor hatred against any nation or tongue. Only, who will give me briars and thorns in battle? Who will fight against me so that they may bring briars and thorns, which destroy the vineyard, into my vineyard? Then I will step forth with the anger—that is, I will take one step with the anger—and burn them all together, the fighters along with the briars and thorns.’”
Or else let him take hold of My strength, That he may make peace with Me; indeed, let him make peace with Me.
verse value 1869
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 32 letters. The shortest word is "or" (א֚וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "in·my·stronghold" (בְּמָעוּזִּ֔י, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 376: peace, peace. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "it·shall·lay·hold" (יַחֲזֵ֣ק), "in·my·stronghold" (בְּמָעוּזִּ֔י), "let·him·make·to·me" (יַעֲשֶׂה־לִּֽי). The root עשה appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "will·do" (root עשה, 101x in Isaiah); "peace" (root שלום, 28x in Isaiah); "it·shall·lay·hold" (root חזק, 23x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·me', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 2 words. Full calculation: א֚וֹ [or] (7) + יַחֲזֵ֣ק [it·shall·lay·hold] (125) + בְּמָעוּזִּ֔י [in·my·stronghold] (135) + יַעֲשֶׂ֥ה [will·do] (385) + שָׁל֖וֹם [peace] (376) + לִ֑י [to·me] (40) + שָׁל֖וֹם [peace] (376) + יַעֲשֶׂה־לִּֽי [let·him·make·to·me] (425) = 1869.
Rashi
“Or He will strengthen Himself in my stronghold.” Alternatively, the word “or” is used in the sense of “if,” as in: “If it be known that the ox was wont to gore” (Exodus 21:36). Thus, “if He will strengthen Himself in my stronghold,” meaning that I will seek no refuge other than my Refuge, then He will make peace with me, to set my mind at ease, even though I am troubled within myself because I do not take vengeance on my enemies, yet I will take vengeance on them.
"He will make peace for me." This is from the attribute of judgment, so that He will not be able to bring a complaint and say, "What is different about these compared to those?"
Ibn Ezra
Or it may be strengthened: “Israel in my stronghold,” then I will not fight against Israel, according to the sense of “The Lord was like an enemy” (Lamentations 2:5):
And the meaning of “He shall make peace for me twice” is that He will make peace for me on two occasions, and not with the nations of the world for their sake.
And Rabbi Moses the Priest said that his interpretation is thus: “This that I say, I do not say it with the anger that is in me.” “Who would give me” is like “Who would give to me,” and similar to it is “For the land of the Negev was given to me” (Judges 1:15), “Who would give me thorns and briers in the vineyard.” And the meaning is: If Israel does not remove the wicked from among them, I will kill all of them. Or, “He will strengthen in my stronghold.” Then Jacob will take root.
And in my opinion, the phrase "I have no wrath" is not the words of God. Do not be astonished, for there are many such instances in this book. Behold, until recently we have been ill; "Your dead shall live" (Isaiah 26:19). And these are the words of a man of Judah: After God said, "I, the Lord, have created it for a moment," they said, "We are not speaking of wrath." For if the enemy were to come and put thorns and briers in the vineyard, I would kill myself, just as "Ezekiel shall be a sign to you" (Ezekiel 24:24), and as with Samuel (1 Samuel 12:11), as he did on that day (Leviticus 8:34). And in war, the matter is with "Who will give me?" Or will God strengthen me to grant me the strength of the covenant, so that God will be at peace with me, and also with the enemy? Then Jacob shall take root. And I needed this explanation because of the phrase "He makes peace for me," for God makes peace alone.
Radak
Or he will strengthen himself in my stronghold; or he will strengthen himself in my Torah, meaning that I would have destroyed her, or he would have held fast to my stronghold, meaning my Torah, which is a stronghold for them.
“He will make peace for me.” That is to say, a time will come when He will make peace for me.
"Peace He will make for me." The doubling is to strengthen the peace, so that there will be no more war between God and Israel, and this is the time of salvation. This is what He says immediately after:
Metzudat David
"Or let them hold fast to My stronghold." This means: Either I would burn them all up together, or each one would depart from his way to cling to My stronghold, which is the Torah, for it is a source of strength and might.
He would make peace with me. Then he would make peace with me, and I would not fight against him.
"Peace, etc." The doubling of the word is for the sake of emphasizing the matter.
Metzudat Zion
יחזק. The matter is one of grasping, as it is said: "And the men laid hold on his hand" (Genesis 19:16).
In his strength. From the language of strength and might; and so is the Torah called, as it is written: "The Lord gives strength to His people" (Psalms 29:11).
Malbim
Or, “He shall strengthen,” but as for the one who strengthens in my strongholds and makes peace with me, this man shall make peace with me, and I will do him no harm. (The word “mi” in the preceding verse extends to two meanings: “mi yittenani” [Who will give me]... or “mi” [who] shall strengthen in my stronghold.) And the intent of the song is that Israel will not do evil nor fight, yet whoever sets his heart to approach them, they will execute judgments upon him in anger and fury.
In days to come shall Jacob take root, Israel shall blossom and bud; And the face of the world shall be filled with fruitage.
verse value 3203
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 42 letters. The shortest word is "will·take·root" (יַשְׁרֵ֣שׁ, 4 letters) and the longest is "face·of·world" (פְנֵי־תֵבֵ֖ל, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "who·came" (הַבָּאִים֙), "will·take·root" (יַשְׁרֵ֣שׁ), "flourishes" (יָצִ֥יץ). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "who·came" (root בוא, 120x in Isaiah); "face·of·world" (root פנים, 88x in Isaiah); "Israel" (root ישראל, 84x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: הַבָּאִים֙ [who·came] (58) + יַשְׁרֵ֣שׁ [will·take·root] (810) + יַֽעֲקֹ֔ב [Jacob] (182) + יָצִ֥יץ [flourishes] (200) + וּפָרַ֖ח [and·buds] (294) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל [Israel] (541) + וּמָלְא֥וּ [and·they·shall·fill] (83) + פְנֵי־תֵבֵ֖ל [face·of·world] (572) + תְּנוּבָֽה [fruit] (463) = 3203.
Rashi
“Those who come shall take root, Jacob.” Do you not know what I did at first? Those who came to Egypt, whom Jacob caused to take root, sprouted and blossomed there until they filled the face of the earth with fruitfulness.
Ibn Ezra
“Those who come.” “In the days that are coming,” and the bet is missing, as if it said “in those who are coming,” and there are those who say that its meaning is “the sons.”
"He shall take root." And her roots remained (Psalms 80:11):
Tenuvah. Fruit:
Radak
“The coming ones.” That is, the coming days, which are the time of salvation, as it is said: “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch” (Jeremiah 23:5), etc. And then, in those days, Jacob will take root. The meaning of “will take root” is that he will establish roots, as it is said: “He struck its roots like Lebanon” (Isaiah 14:8), for now, in exile, he is like one who has no roots; but in those days, he will take root from below and blossom forth from above.
"And they shall fill the face of the earth with produce." This means: like "produce" (tenuvah), as it is stated, "and they shall bud forth from the city like the grass of the earth." And "tenuvah" is spelled defectively, lacking the letter kaf of similarity, just as "lev sameach yitav ga'ah" (a joyful heart makes the face cheerful), where "ga'ah" means like "ga'ah" (cheerfulness).
Metzudat David
“Those to come.” The word “in the days” is lacking [and to be supplied], meaning “in the days to come”; the ellipsis is self-evident, as if to say: If from of old I have not fully awakened all My anger, how much more so in the days of redemption will I show them mercy. And Jacob’s root will be established, spreading far and wide; and Israel will overflow and blossom forth. That is to say, they will rule far and wide and grow exceedingly.
Tenuvah. Like the plants of the earth:
Metzudat Zion
Yatzitz. It is like a flower, but larger than it. And similarly it is stated: "And a flower came forth, and yatzitz a blossom" (Numbers 17:23).
Tenuvah. Like "ketenuvah" [and] the kaf is missing, just as "yitav gehah" (Proverbs 17:22), and its grammatical rule is like that of "gehhah." And "tenuvah" means the produce of the field, like "mitenuvot sady" (Lamentations 4:9).
Malbim
“The coming ones”—now he explains: Who is the “vineyard of strong drink” of which he has spoken until now? Who planted it? And from where did its dye and branches derive? He answers: They are the vines that come from the root of Jacob. He compares Israel, after the exiles and massacres that befell them, to a vineyard that was completely desolated, utterly destroyed, so that nothing remained of it except the root. And this root will sprout, blossom, and multiply so greatly that the face of the earth will be filled with its produce, and it will become a great “vineyard of strong drink,” upon which this song is sung. (From verse 7 to verse 12 is a parenthetical statement.)
Has He smitten him as He smote those that smote him? Or is he slain according to the slaughter of them that were slain by Him?
verse value 1293
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 27 letters. Notable word values: "he·struck·him" (הִכָּ֑הוּ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "was·killed" (הֹרָֽג, 3 letters) and the longest is "or·as·the·slaying·of" (אִם־כְּהֶ֥רֶג, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "to·the·blow·of" (הַכְּמַכַּ֥ת), "striking·him" (מַכֵּ֖הוּ), "or·as·the·slaying·of" (אִם־כְּהֶ֥רֶג). The root הרג appears 3 times in this verse. 3 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "striking·him" (root נכה, 23x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'he·struck·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: הַכְּמַכַּ֥ת [to·the·blow·of] (485) + מַכֵּ֖הוּ [striking·him] (71) + הִכָּ֑הוּ [he·struck·him] (36) + אִם־כְּהֶ֥רֶג [or·as·the·slaying·of] (269) + הֲרֻגָ֖יו [his·slain·ones] (224) + הֹרָֽג [was·killed] (208) = 1293.
Rashi
“Just as the blow struck him, so did He strike him.” Have you seen in My might? Just as the blow struck Jacob, the Kittim—they drowned in the waters, and I drowned them in the waters. There are marvels that are fulfilled, such as this one, and such as (1 Samuel 2:27) “I revealed Myself to the house of your father,” (Ezekiel 8:6) “Do you see what they are doing?”
If so, just as Israel, who were the slain of Pharaoh, so He killed Pharaoh and his people,
Ibn Ezra
"Like the blow, etc." This passage concerns the exile of Samaria, and the proof is the Asherim.
"Strike him." This refers to Assyria.
"His slain ones." These are the Canaanites who were slain when Israel took their land. And the reason [for this expression] is that God did not strike Israel with these plagues that are mentioned.
Radak
“Just as He struck him, so He struck him.” For now, in this present time, you will be able to recognize and know that there is no anger against Israel on the part of God, just as He said, “I have no anger except as He struck him, so He struck him.” And “his smiter” is the one who smites Israel, such as Pharaoh and Sennacherib and others. And now, if in all that Israel sinned, God struck them just as He struck those who struck Israel, namely with the ten plagues.
"If he kills his slain as they were killed." He stated this matter in a double form: if he kills Israelites in the manner in which his slain were killed, and they are the enemies of Israel. The pronoun refers to Israel, for they are the slain of the One who killed them for the sake of Israel. Alternatively, the pronoun refers to Israel, and he said "his slain" because they are slain on account of Israel, and they are as though he killed them.
Metzudat David
“Like the striking.” This means: even from the time that He struck it. And did He strike it with cruelty, as He struck the Egyptians, who had struck Israel?
"Or as He killed His slain." And is He killing them in the same manner as He killed the Egyptians who killed Him? And this is a repetition of the matter stated in the preceding verse.
Malbim
“Hakamakhet” – See now, whether the Lord has struck Israel as He struck the one who struck Israel, or whether, as the Lord killed those who were killed by the one who struck Israel, does He likewise kill Israel? Has He not utterly destroyed the nations who struck and killed Israel? But He did not do so to Israel. And now He begins to explain the difference between Israel and the nations: for with Israel, behold...
In full measure, when You send her away, You do contend with her; He has removed her with His rough blast in the day of the east wind.
verse value 1998
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 37 letters. Notable word values: "removed" (הָגָ֛ה) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). Verse gematria: 1998 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "removed" (הָגָ֛ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·measure" (בְּסַאסְּאָ֖ה, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "in·measure" (בְּסַאסְּאָ֖ה), "when·You·send·her·away" (בְּשַׁלְחָ֣הּ), "You·contend·with·her" (תְּרִיבֶ֑נָּה). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·day·of" (root יום, 124x in Isaiah); "in·his·spirit" (root רוח, 44x in Isaiah); "when·You·send·her·away" (root שלח, 35x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'You·contend·with·her', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 5 words. Full calculation: בְּסַאסְּאָ֖ה [in·measure] (129) + בְּשַׁלְחָ֣הּ [when·You·send·her·away] (345) + תְּרִיבֶ֑נָּה [You·contend·with·her] (667) + הָגָ֛ה [removed] (13) + בְּרוּח֥וֹ [in·his·spirit] (222) + הַקָּשָׁ֖ה [the·hard] (410) + בְּי֥וֹם [in·day·of] (58) + קָדִֽים [east] (154) = 1998.
Rashi
In Sassai. In the same measure:
"When sending her away, You contend with her." When Egypt sent Israel away, [You requited] her measure by her own seah [measure for measure].
He inscribed it with His harsh spirit. He inscribed it with His harsh utterance:
"On the day of the east wind." "On the day that the Lord drove back the sea with a strong east wind" (Exodus 14:21):
Ibn Ezra
“Sasah.” Most of the commentators said that it is derived from the root of “seah,” and the meaning is “measure,” and it is a doubled word, like “yarkark” (Leviticus 13:49) and “mitaltelkha” (Isaiah 22:17).
The first opinion holds that they will contend against Samaria, and behold, afterward it is a fortified city.
Regarding the word "vishlachah" (and she sent): Some say that it means she corrupted herself with her weapons of war, as it is written, "and at the sound of the trumpet they shall fall" (Joel 2:8). However, the correct interpretation is that it is derived from the root of "shelkhekh" (your branches, Song of Songs 4:13), as evidenced by the phrase "in the day of the east wind." And indeed, this is so, for she measured out to herself a measure of retribution, since she engaged in strife even with the men of her own villages, and they "sent" her away. Therefore, God removed her, as in "he was removed (hogah) from the highway" (2 Samuel 20:13). And note that the letter heh here stands in place of the yod of the root, just as in "yadah hadah — shall put his hand" (Isaiah 11:8).
"On the day of the east wind." An eastern wind:
Radak
“B’sasah.” Its meaning is “a seah,” and it is a doubling of the letter pe and the letter ayin. He said: God did not act toward Israel as He acted toward their enemies, upon whom He poured out His wrath and destroyed them from the world. He did not do so to Israel; rather, when they sinned before Him, He exacted punishment from them no more than the measure of their sin. That is, not by pouring out wrath, but measure for measure, line for line, He exacted punishment from them. And the measure that He sends to them is “t’ribonah,” meaning “she contends,” i.e., the Congregation of Israel contends when He sends it. This is a general term for the fields of grain and the fruit trees, meaning that He sends them mildew and rust, locusts and caterpillars, and the like.
Marginal note: “He drove it away with His fierce wind.” He removed the fruit with His fierce wind, which He turns against them:
“On the day of the east wind.” A day on which a fierce east wind blows; its wind is that which He sends upon them to take vengeance on them, to consume their grain and their fruits. It is not that He pours out His wrath upon them without measure until He destroys them entirely; God does not do this to Israel. And this is what is meant by “the statement made earlier”: I only have the striking of the blow, and He sent it upon the vineyards and the fields of grain, similar to “The blessing of the sent one to the king’s garden” and “Your cheeks are like a garden of pomegranates.” My master and father, of blessed memory, explained the verse thus: “In the measure that You measured, You desired to contend with her and to judge her; and in sending it and destroying her, You desired to kill her, to judge her with fire according to the measure of Sodom, for their deeds were like their deeds. Had it not been that God had mercy, and behold, the fire was removed by a fierce east wind after it was cast upon the city, as is explained in Ezekiel.” Marginal note: The matter of “removal” is like “removing dross from silver,” and “removing the wicked before the king.”
Metzudat David
In the manner of "sas'ah." This means that they were punished in the very measure in which they sinned, and He did not arouse all His wrath against them.
"When you send her away, she will contend." This means that when He contended with her to exact punishment from her, He poured out His wrath upon the fields and gardens, sending upon them mildew and locusts, so that it did not first strike human lives.
Gloss. He removed the fruit with his harsh breath on a day when a fierce east wind was blowing, which is the most violent of winds.
Metzudat Zion
Bassasah. From the word *seah*, and it is a doubled word, like *yarkark* (greenish) and *adammad* (reddish).
"When you send out." This is a general term encompassing both fields and gardens. Similarly, "your sendings" [i.e., your outpourings] refers to a garden of pomegranates (Song of Songs 4:13).
They will quarrel. From the language of quarreling:
Gloss. The matter of “removal” is like [the verse] “Remove the wicked from before the king” (Proverbs 25:5):
Malbim
In measure, when it was sent forth, You contended with it. When the measure of their sins was full, He was angry and hastened to execute judgment upon Israel. Then the Lord pondered and spoke in His spirit on the day of the east wind, saying:
Therefore by this shall the iniquity of Jacob be expiated, And this is all the fruit of taking away his sin: When he makes all the stones of the altar as chalkstones that are beaten in pieces, So that the Asherim and the sun-images shall rise no more.
verse value 4543
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 79 letters. Notable word values: "and·this" (וְזֶ֕ה) = 18, chai, 'life'. The shortest word is "therefore" (לָכֵ֗ן, 3 letters) and the longest is "iniquity·Jacob" (עֲוֺֽן־יַעֲקֹ֔ב, 7 letters). 12 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "in·this" (בְּזֹאת֙), "is·atoned·for" (יְכֻפַּ֣ר), "iniquity·Jacob" (עֲוֺֽן־יַעֲקֹ֔ב). The root אבן appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "therefore" (root כן, 48x in Isaiah); "and·this" (root זה, 47x in Isaiah); "iniquity·Jacob" (root יעקב, 42x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·sin', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 8 words.
Rashi
"Therefore. Even now, by this was the sin of Jacob atoned for, to merit being redeemed as before:"
"And this is all the fruit." It is good for him to remove his iniquity if he places all the stones of the altars of his high places like crushed and pierced lime-stones. And similarly, (Psalms 137:9) "He shall dash their little ones against the rock," and similarly, (Jeremiah 13:14) "They shall be dashed, each against his neighbor." Lime is a type of pigment.
"Asherim and sun-pillars shall not rise up." In order that the nations of the world should not rise up against them.
Ibn Ezra
Therefore, by this the sin of Jacob will be atoned for. And the reason is that evil will not come to him, for the sin of Jacob is evil, and behold, the reason is that the decree would have been nullified had they abolished idolatry.
Remove. A verbal noun:
Altar. Belonging to the owners:
Gir. Like lime:
"Shattered." Like vessels of a potter, He will shatter them; broken:
They shall not stand up. They shall stand:
Radak
Therefore, by this shall the iniquity of Jacob be atoned for. Even though there are other sins among them, this is the primary aspect of their sin: the Asherim and the Hammanim, which they serve. If they dismantle the altars that they made for the Baalim, and crush and shatter them thoroughly, like crushed limestone, on the condition that they do not erect Asherim and Hammanim again; for if they shatter them now and return to build them at a later time, their repentance is not complete. Rather, they must uproot their belief from their hearts, and shatter and crush them so that they will not return to build them again. By this shall their iniquity be atoned for.
“And this shall be the whole fruit of the removal: he has removed all his sin.” For if he removes [the idolatry], what will be the fruit of this removal? The removal of all his sins. For since they have uprooted idolatry entirely, all the more so will they return from their other transgressions. For from the moment that idolatry is erased from deed and from thought, they will return to God with complete repentance and perform His commandments, for idolatry is the root of all sins. And “gypsum” (gair) is lime; and in Aramaic it is called “gira,” as in the phrase “the gypsum on the wall of the Temple.”
Metzudat David
"Therefore. Since I have mercy on him, I will also do this for him: that he be atoned for through a minor matter."
“And this is all the fruit” – this will be for him a good fruit, to remove his sin from him, that it may be forgiven him.
In his setting them: by means of the destruction of the altars constructed for idolatrous worship, and by scattering their stones, shattering them finely, as one shatters fine limestone.
They shall not rise. This means on the condition that they do not return to their corruption and do not establish for themselves from now on Asherim and Hammanim (idolatrous objects).
Metzudat Zion
Gir. It is lime (sid); and similarly, "on the plaster of the wall of the palace" (Daniel 5:5):
Shattered. The meaning of "crushing" and "grinding" is like [the verse] "and he shattered the pitchers" (Judges 7):
Asherim. A tree that is worshipped:
And the sun-gods. Some sort of image, made for the service of the sun.
Malbim
Therefore, by this shall the iniquity of Jacob be atoned for: all the great storm and wrath that He displayed against them was not for the purpose of destroying them, but rather to atone for their sins through their return from their transgressions. It is as if His spirit was harsh on the day of the storm and tempest, and on the day of slaughter He spoke, saying that by this shall the iniquity of Jacob be atoned for—their sins that they committed intentionally. And this too is all the fruit that serves to remove even their unintentional sins, so that even the unintentional transgression shall be corrected until they are purified from their sins completely. This is accomplished by their making all the stones of the altars that they had erected for idolatry resemble crushed lime stones, and also by abolishing the Asherim and the incense altars. For this was the ultimate purpose of the punishment: not to annihilate them, but to bring them back in repentance, for by this their iniquity shall be atoned for.
For the fortified city is solitary, A habitation abandoned and forsaken, like the wilderness; There shall the calf feed, and there shall he lie down, And consume the branches thereof.
verse value 3125
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 55 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "fortified" (בְּצוּרָה֙, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 61: habitation, and·will·consume. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "alone" (בָּדָ֔ד), "and·left" (וְנֶעֱזָ֖ב), "calf" (עֵ֛גֶל). The root שם appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah); "there" (root שם, 83x in Isaiah); "city" (root עיר, 43x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root נוה ("habitation") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'like·the·wilderness', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 7 words.
Rashi
"For it is a fortified city, alone. For when they do this, the fortified city of Ishmael will be alone, and the pasture will be sent away and abandoned like a desert."
There he shall pasture the calf. Ephraim shall inherit it, which is called "the calf," as it is stated (Jeremiah 31:18): "Like a calf that has not learned."
And consume its boughs. Its branches:
Ibn Ezra
"For [a fortified city] is alone. It is, and it is Samaria:"
Its branches. Like “upon the two branches” (1 Kings 18:21), and the meaning is: upon the unwalled cities.
Radak
"For a fortified city." For now that the nations of the world have subjugated the city, which was once fortified, it has become desolate and empty of inhabitants due to their sins; and that which was once a abode and dwelling place for people is now in ruins.
“Abandoned and forsaken like a wilderness.” And it is a place for grazing livestock; or alternatively, it means: “A fortified city destined to be desolate,” i.e., because of your sins, a city that is now fortified will become desolate. And this statement refers either to Jerusalem or to Samaria, for when this prophecy was uttered, the tribes had not yet gone into exile, as it says, “Woe, crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim.” And some say it refers to the royal palace or to the Temple, stating that it will be destroyed due to their sins and will become abandoned and forsaken like a wilderness, and there the calf and other livestock will graze, according to the literal meaning; or alternatively, it is to be understood metaphorically.
"And it shall consume its branches." He said "its branches" because he compared the Congregation of Israel to a vineyard; therefore he said that the calf will graze upon it and consume its branches, just as he said in the first prophecy: "Remove it from its shelter, and let it be consumed by fire." And my master and father, of blessed memory, explained that "calf" is an allegory for the king of Egypt, just as he called Egypt "a fair heifer" (Ezekiel 23:21), and this refers to the time when Jehoahaz was taken. And the sage Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra explained that "branches" is an allegory for the fortified cities, and if "calf" is an allegory for Pharaoh, then "branches" will be an allegory for the silver and gold with which Pharaoh punished the land.
Metzudat David
"For a fortified city." For when they do this, then the fortified city will be a great metropolis, etc. It will be desolate of its inhabitants, and its pasture will be sent away from its inhabitants and abandoned by them, like a wilderness abandoned by people. The matter is repeated in what is stated:
There. In the place of the fortified city, a calf will graze and lie down there, and it will consume the branches of the trees that grow there.
Metzudat Zion
Betzurah. From the language of fortress and strength:
Boded. A solitary one, devoid of its inhabitants, as it is said: “How she sits alone” (Lamentations 1:1).
Naveh. The matter of "madur" is like "noh eytan" (Jeremiah 49:19):
"Sent away": Driven away; expelled. And likewise: "And a man shall send away his wife" (Jeremiah 3:1).
Yarbetz. The matter of lying down to rest:
"Vecholah." From the language of destruction.
Its branches. Its offshoots, as it is said: “In its branches they nested” (Ezekiel 31:6).
Malbim
"For a fortified city" refers back to verse 7, "As he struck him, so shall he strike him," which explains that there is a great difference between how He struck the nations of the world, whom He struck with cruelty until He left them no remnant, but Israel He struck with compassion. And it explains that the reason He struck Israel was to bring them back in repentance, as it is stated, "And He spoke in days of old, saying: Therefore, by this shall the iniquity of Jacob be atoned for." But the fortified city of the nations, when it is alone, and even its pleasant abode of gardens and orchards becomes cast off, wild and ownerless to the point that an ox will graze there. And not only will it graze there occasionally, but it will also lie down there permanently and destroy its branches by using them as food, and afterwards...
When the boughs thereof are withered, They shall be broken off; The women shall come, and set them on fire; For it is a people of no understanding; Therefore He that made them will not have compassion upon them, And He that formed them will not be gracious to them.
verse value 5568
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 75 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "not·have·compassion·on·them" (לֹא־יְרַחֲמֶ֣נּוּ, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 31: not, not. 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "in·the·drying·of" (בִּיבֹ֤שׁ), "her·branch" (קְצִירָהּ֙), "shall·be·broken" (תִּשָּׁבַ֔רְנָה). The root לא appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 286x in Isaiah); "for" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah); "therefore" (root על, 200x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'it', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 10 words.
Rashi
In dry [conditions], it is harvesting. The cutting down of its roots is like “You will send forth its harvest” (Psalms 80:13) and “He made a harvest of it” (Job 14:9), meaning that when the merit of the slight honor he showed his father is exhausted, then its branches will be broken.
"Women come to light it up." The Targum renders: "With a weak fire, like women, they shall kindle it." "Light it up" is like (Malachi 1:10): "And you shall not light My altars in vain." And thus Donash interpreted it: because the wood will be dry, it will be easy to kindle. But Menachem interpreted it as "gathering," like (Song of Songs 5:1): "I have gathered my myrrh," and (Psalms 80:13): "and all who pass by the way have plucked it." Donash replied to him: Is it not written (Deuteronomy 16:9): "When your threshing is finished"? And one does not gather fruit from dry branches. And likewise our Sages forbade accepting charity from them on account of this reason, as they said in Bava Batra 10a: "He has no 'finished threshing' [i.e., he is not considered to have completed his harvest]; break them [the branches]."
Ibn Ezra
When her bough is dry. As it says, “And the dew shall abide on my bough” (Job 20:19).
"Let them be broken." The boughs, which are smaller than the bough:
"Ma'irah" (they illuminate). Some say it is derived from "ariti mori" (I gathered my myrrh) (Song of Songs 5:1), and the meaning is that they gather [the wood], and the sense is that even women, who are not strong, [may do so]. And there are those who say that "ma'irah" is like "me'irah" (they kindle), and the meaning is that they will be for firewood, and this is the correct interpretation, as in "And do not kindle upon My altar a vain fire" (Malachi 1:10).
Radak
In dryness, harvesting. "Katzir" (harvest) refers to the branch of the tree, as in "and dew shall abide in the harvest" (Isaiah 18:4), and "you shall send out harvests until the sea" (Isaiah 18:4). And "katzira" is singular in form but denotes a collective sense. He speaks of the particular through the language of the plural, saying "they shall be broken," meaning the twigs and the foliage. He speaks by way of parable: just as when a branch of a tree dries out, it breaks off by itself, so too Israel, when the time of their retribution arrives, will break apart by themselves. Even women will come to burn it up; that is, they will set it ablaze and ignite it, for since the branch has dried out, it is fit only for burning. "It" refers to the Congregation of Israel. The implication is that every nation, even if they are weak like women, will afflict her and destroy them.
For he is not a people of understanding. Israel at present is not a people of understanding; for if he were a people of understanding, he would reflect upon himself and see that all this evil has come upon him because he has forsaken the Lord.
Therefore, He will not have mercy on us. Since he does not reflect on his deeds and does not return to God when evil befalls him, He who created him and nurtured him above all nations will not have mercy on him.
“And He will form it.” To be a servant to Him, but he did not act thus; therefore, He will not have mercy on him, nor will He show him favor, and He will hide His face from them, and it will be for devouring, and many troubles and evils will find him, perhaps then he will return. And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated these two verses regarding the nations, namely: if they act to remove the Asherim and the Hammanim, the city of the nations will be a fortified city, solitary. And similarly, Jonathan translated: “For, the city,” etc.
Metzudat David
“Regarding the threshing of the dried stalks.” When its branches become dry, it will break on its own. This means: when their se'ah is filled, they will break by themselves.
"Women shall come." Women shall come and kindle the fire among them; and this means that a people weak like women shall destroy it.
"For he is not a people of understanding." To understand that all his governance comes from the Lord, and not by the strength of his own arm.
His Maker. The place where they raised him up and exalted him:
"And his Maker" etc. The duplication of the matter in what is said:
Metzudat Zion
"Reaping." So too is the branch called "reaping," as it is said, "and it produces a branch, like a sapling" (Job 14:9).
"Ma'irót." [This means] kindling, like "And you shall not kindle fire on my altars for nothing" (Malachi 1:10).
Between. The word is derived from “binah” (understanding):
He makes it. He builds it up and exalts it. And similarly, “Let Israel rejoice in Him who made them” (Psalms 149:2).
Malbim
In dryness, harvest; and its branches—because no one attends to water it, they break off by themselves, and women come and gather the harvest to kindle fire with them. (The parable is drawn from an abandoned orchard, in which first beasts graze, and afterward the branches dry up, and the poor women who gather wood to kindle fire gather them; this is a parable for desolation and destruction.) It is clear that there is a difference between Israel, whom He likened to a vineyard: even though it was ruined, the root remains, and “Jacob will take root, he will blossom and bud, and again become a vineyard of rich soil”; whereas the nations, whom He likened to a habitation (naveh) that was laid waste — its boughs withered, its roots beyond hope. And the reason that healing did not arise for their plague through repentance is explained by the fact that “they are not a people of understanding,” meaning they lack the wisdom to return in repentance (in the sense of “his heart will understand and return”). Therefore, “He who made them will not have mercy on them,” and they have no remedy. (And the reason for the repetition is explained through the clarification of the words.)
And it shall come to pass in that day, That Hashem will beat off [His fruit] From the flood of the River to the Brook of Egypt, And you shall be gathered one by one, O you children of Israel.
verse value 3381
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 63 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָיָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "one" (אֶחָ֖ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "from·flood·of" (מִשִּׁבֹּ֥לֶת, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 26: and·it·shall·be, Hashem. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "from·flood·of" (מִשִּׁבֹּ֥לֶת), "to·torrent" (עַד־נַ֣חַל), "you·will·be·picked·up" (תְּלֻקְּט֛וּ). The root אחד appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "and·it·shall·be" (root היה, 213x in Isaiah); "in·the·day" (root יום, 124x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Egypt', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 6 words.
Rashi
“Yichbat Hashem.” The Targum renders it as “Yitramon katilin,” and I say that these two terms, “chibut” and “likta,” overlap with one another, like one who beats his olives and then returns to gather them, while others gather them from the ground. So too, the Holy One, blessed be He, will begin the gathering, as it is stated: “He will blow a great shofar.”
“The channel of the river.” These are those who are lost in the land of Ashur:
“Until the River of Egypt.” They are the exiles in the land of Egypt:
The river. Euphrates: they are the people of Assyria who dwell along the Euphrates.
"Until the Wadi of Egypt." They are the inhabitants of Egypt; He will strike them as one strikes olives.
"And you shall be gathered." From the exiles:
One by one. Whoever finds one of them shall bring it as an offering.
Ibn Ezra
And it shall come to pass. In those days:
It shall be beaten out. Like "when you thresh" (Deuteronomy 24:20), "threshing wheat" (Judges 6:11):
Therefore, they shall be gathered; and the meaning is that a small amount will remain from the multitude.
Radak
"And it shall come to pass on that day" – In the time of salvation.
“Yichbat” – Just as one threshes wheat from the straw, and just as one beats olives from the tree, so too will God, blessed be He, “beat” (separate) Israel from among the nations. For they are among the peoples like wheat within the straw, and like olives among the olive trees, such that a person gathers from them the good, which is the fruit, and leaves behind the straw and the branches.
“Flow of the river.” “Flow” denotes the strength of the river’s current, as in “and the torrent swept me away” (Lamentations 4:15). And the meaning of “the river” is the Sambation River, as it is stated regarding the tribes, “and it flows beyond the river.” And He said “until the Brook of Egypt,” because they will come as far as Egypt, and there they will gather together with their brethren, the children of this exile, and ascend to Jerusalem. And He said “and you,” referring to the children of the exile, who are Judah and Benjamin, who are scattered in every direction; therefore He said “and you shall be gathered,” as if He said, “and you, children of Israel who are beyond this [border], shall be gathered one by one,” as it is stated in Jeremiah’s prophecy, “And I will take you one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion.” And the meaning of “one by one” is that each will be joined to his fellow, meaning one from here and one from there will gather together. And what He said “until the Brook of Egypt” is because in Egypt is the end of the dominion of the nations, when the King of the North fights with the King of the South, and the King of the North will come as far as Egypt and rule over the treasures of gold and silver and over all the desirable things of Egypt, etc., as it is written in the vision of Daniel. And He said, “At that time Michael the great prince who stands guard over the children of your people shall arise,” etc.
Metzudat David
"Yichbot Hashem." This means: Just as one beats the stalks with a stick to separate the grain from the chaff, so too will He remove Israel from among the nations.
“From the channel of the River”: from the land of Assyria, which dwells by the River Euphrates, to the Wadi of Egypt. This means that from all the places between these two, He will separate Israel from among the nations.
"And you, etc." The verse is transposed; it reads: "And you, the children of Israel, shall gather, etc." This implies that after the dispersion, you shall be gathered, each one individually, and whoever finds one of you shall bring him to Jerusalem.
Metzudat Zion
Yichbat. The matter refers to striking with a staff to separate the grain from the chaff, as it says, “For with a staff he shall thresh the black cumin” (below, 28:27).
"From the stream." It refers to the force of the flowing waters, as it is said: "Lest You drown me in the stream of waters" (Psalms 69:16).
“Each one individually.” Just as “one to one” implies joining one to another, so too here it means to join one to another.
Malbim
"And it shall come to pass on that day"—on the day mentioned above (verse 1-2)—(for from verse 3 to 7, the text recounts the words of the song that will be sung over the vineyard, and from verse 7 to here, it is a parenthetical statement).
"The Lord shall beat out" – In its figure, the verse likens Israel to the grain, and the non-Jews who are exiled among them He compares to the chaff, the husks, and the refuse. And when the Lord desires to gather the scattered remnants of Israel, He will first need to separate Israel from the non-Jews who are mixed among them, just as wheat and grain are mixed with the husks and chaff. And He compares this to one who threshes his grain, whereby the grain is separated, and the wind carries away the husks and chaff. So too, He will separate Israel by themselves, and the non-Jews will perish like chaff that is blown away from the threshing floor. And this threshing will be from Shibboleth HaNahar (the stream of the River), from there being the lands of Assyria until the Wadi of Egypt, where Israel are in the land of their captivity, as it is stated in the subsequent verse. And after this threshing, whereby the non-Jews have perished, the kernels of wheat and grain are still scattered; that is to say, Israel will still be scattered, one in a city and two in a family. And in order to gather them together, one to another, it says, "And you shall gather them one by one," meaning that each family and family shall assemble, each man to his brother. And afterwards
And it shall come to pass in that day, That a great horn shall be blown; And they shall come that were lost in the land of Assyria, And they that were dispersed in the land of Egypt; And they shall worship Hashem in the holy mountain at Jerusalem.
verse value 4976
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 85 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָיָ֣ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "in·mountain·of" (בְּהַ֥ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·impeled" (וְהַנִּדָּחִ֖ים, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 588: in·horn, in·Jerusalem. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "will·be·blown" (יִתָּקַע֮), "in·horn" (בְּשׁוֹפָ֣ר), "perish" (הָאֹֽבְדִים֙). The root ארץ appears 2 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "and·it·shall·be" (root היה, 213x in Isaiah); "in·land·of" (root ארץ, 169x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Egypt', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 5 words.
Rashi
“The lost in the land of Ashur.” Because they were scattered in a distant land, beyond the Sambation River, they were called “lost.”
Ibn Ezra
"And it shall come to pass." The meaning is: Then all the scattered children of Ephraim will seek to return to Jerusalem, for they have seen that their kingdom has been lost.
Radak
"And it shall come to pass on that day." He repeats the matter to strengthen it.
“Blow the great shofar.” This means that they will be gathered together as if a great shofar had been blown to make its sound heard throughout the entire world, as it also states, “And the Lord God will blow the shofar.” Thus, they will come from every corner, as if a shofar had been blown for them to summon them. These are the lost ones, namely the tribes that were exiled beyond the Euphrates River, whom the King of Assyria exiled to the land of Assyria. There they were as if lost, for they did not emerge from there again. For the exile of Babylon, which included Judah and Benjamin, returned afterward after seventy years, and afterward they were exiled a second time, and they are scattered in every corner. And what is said, “In the land of Egypt,” means that they will come there, as we have explained, and from there they will ascend and prostrate themselves before the Lord on the holy mountain, in Jerusalem. The explanation is that the holy mountain is in Jerusalem.
“On the holy mountain.” This is Mount Moriah, and it is the site of the Temple.
Metzudat David
“He shall blow with a great shofar.” This is a matter of parable, to say that all shall gather and come, as if a great shofar were blown to make the sound heard throughout the world, in order to gather and come.
“The lost ones.” Since they did not return to their land from the time they were exiled there, therefore He called them “lost” on the Holy Mountain in Jerusalem, on Mount Moriah, which stands in Jerusalem and is the site of the Temple.
Metzudat Zion
He shall blow. From the root meaning "blowing":
Malbim
He will sound the great shofar, and there will be a general gathering; and He will call those in the land of Assyria “the lost,” because their location and very existence have been forgotten until the end of days, whereas those in the land of Egypt are merely “the outcasts.”
Rashi
Ibn Ezra
Radak
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim