Woe to the drunkards of Ephraim; the LORD lays in Zion a tried corner-stone — 'he that believeth shall not make haste' — and the parable of the farmer's God-taught wisdom.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
Woe to the crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim, And to the fading flower of his glorious beauty, Which is on the head of the fat valley of them that are smitten down with wine!
verse value 5155
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 60 letters. The shortest word is "ah!" (ה֗וֹי, 3 letters) and the longest is "valley·of·fatness" (גֵּֽיא־שְׁמָנִ֖ים, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "hire" (שִׁכֹּרֵ֣י), "and·flower" (וְצִ֥יץ), "valley·of·fatness" (גֵּֽיא־שְׁמָנִ֖ים). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "which" (root אשר, 176x in Isaiah); "on·head·of" (root ראש, 28x in Isaiah); "ah!" (root הוי, 22x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root ציץ ("and·flower") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·glory', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 5 words. Full calculation: ה֗וֹי [ah!] (21) + עֲטֶ֤רֶת [crown·of] (679) + גֵּאוּת֙ [majesty] (410) + שִׁכֹּרֵ֣י [hire] (530) + אֶפְרַ֔יִם [Ephraim] (331) + וְצִ֥יץ [and·flower] (196) + נֹבֵ֖ל [being·senseless] (82) + צְבִ֣י [beauty] (102) + תִפְאַרְתּ֑וֹ [his·glory] (1087) + אֲשֶׁ֛ר [which] (501) + עַל־רֹ֥אשׁ [on·head·of] (601) + גֵּֽיא־שְׁמָנִ֖ים [valley·of·fatness] (454) + הֲל֥וּמֵי [smitten·of] (91) + יָֽיִן [wine] (70) = 5155.
Rashi
“Drunken men of Ephraim.” They became drunk on the fine wine of the province of Phrugia, as it is stated: “The waters of Dorimskith and the wine of Phrugia have cut off the ten tribes.”
“And the fading flower of its glorious beauty.” The standing of its glorious planting shall be — its blossom fading. These are the spoiled figs, as we learned in Berakhot regarding “novelot,” which our Sages explained as “bushelei kamra” — [fruit] ripened by heat — and “tzeitz” means “netz,” as we translate in the Targum: “ve-yitztz tzitz” and “ve-anatz netz.”
“Which are planted on the head of the valley of fatness.” This is the Sea of Kinneret, whose fruits are sweet, and there they are smitten with wine.
"Those who are drunk with wine." [This refers to] those crushed by wine; and there is another explanation: "The beauty of his glory that is upon..." [refers to] the beauty of the glory that was upon the heads of the Ten Tribes, who were anointed with the pride of heads of oils, as it is stated (Amos 6:6): "The first of the oils they anoint themselves." "Gai" is a term for pride, like [in the verse] "Moab is a gai of much" (above 15). (And that tzitz was like the tzitz of a withered flower). "Those who are drunk with wine." This is how they are called, on account of their drunkenness, as it is stated concerning them (Amos 6:6): "Those who drink wine in bowls."
Ibn Ezra
Behold. "The drunkards of Ephraim": For the princes were occupied with wine.
Tzvi. Just as in “for the glory and for the beauty” (Isaiah 4:2):
And the meaning of “a crown upon the kingship” is:
"Head of the valley of fatness." "Head" is like "chief spices" (Song of Songs 4:14); and they were so many that it became like a valley — as in "and we abode in the valley" (Deuteronomy 3:29). And there is one who says it is like "valley indeed" (Isaiah 16:9), which is spelled without a he.
halomi. Like "halmoni" in "I did not know" (Proverbs 23:35):
Radak
“Woe to the crown of their pride.” Now he speaks concerning the men of his generation, in the kingdom of Ephraim, regarding the tribes that had not yet gone into exile. They were delighting in the good things they possessed, and all their occupation was with food and drink and pleasure, with perfumed oil, until they came to drunkenness, vomited, and went out in the manner of drunkards. They were drawn after the pleasures of the world and forgot God and His commandments, as it is said, “The fat of their fatness was as the fat of grain offerings, and they abandoned the God who made them” (Deuteronomy 32:15), and so on. And our Sages of blessed memory said: “The wine of Perugita and the waters of Dormaskith” (Gittin 57a) — these were what deprived the Ten Tribes from Israel. And the prophet said concerning them: “Woe to the crown of their pride,” by way of a parable. For from their arrogance they made crowns for themselves, and they boasted in their wealth and their pleasures. And their desire and their pride were like the blossom of the grass or the tree, which is beautiful when it emerges, but when the wind blows upon it, it withers and falls to the ground, and behold, its beauty is spoiled and it returns to dust. So shall be the glory of the pride of Ephraim, and the crown of their arrogance. And he said “Ephraim,” for it was the head of the kingdom of Israel. And “glory” (tzevi) means desire, delight, and splendor, as it is said, “It is a glory to all the lands” (Ezekiel 20:6). And he said, “which is on the head of the valley of abundance.” The meaning is: the crown of pride and the blossom of splendor that is on the head of the valley of these drunkards, who are the “wounded by wine,” that is to say, those struck down by wine, for the wine strikes them to the ground, so that they fall, drunk, rolling in their vomit and excrement. And the verse reads:
"Head of the valley of ointments." In a manner of hyperbole, due to the abundance of scented oil that they pour upon their heads, as if it were a valley full of water. And now He says to them: "What is the end of their pleasure?" And He says:
Metzudat David
Woe. The prophet laments over the crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim; that is to say, over the fact that they prided themselves in their arrogance.
"And the flower of his glory fades away." His splendor, his glory, is the crown of pride that He mentioned; it will perish quickly, like the flower of the field, which in a short time withers and droops. This is a repetition of the matter stated in the verse:
“Which is upon the head.” This refers back to “the crown of pride,” to say: the crown that is upon the head of the children of Ephraim, who indulged themselves by anointing their heads abundantly with fragrant oil, as if the head were a valley full of oil.
“Those who are struck by wine.” These are those who are beaten because of wine, for due to their excessive drunkenness they fall to the ground and are struck by the stones scattered upon the surface of the earth, as if the wine itself is the one striking them.
Metzudat Zion
Woe. An expression of crying out in distress:
And the blossom. Like a flower:
Noveil. The meaning is like "to wither," as in: "And its leaf shall not wither" (Psalms 1:3).
Tzvi. The matter of "hadar" is like "and the beauty of his adornment" (Ezekiel 7:20):
Gai. Valley:
"Halumei" – a term of striking and crushing, as in "they struck me (halamuni), I felt it not" (Proverbs 23:35).
Malbim
Woe! The vision of this chapter and those following it revolves around the multitude of afflictions that befell the tribe of Judah at the hands of the King of Assyria, and their ultimate downfall. The verses (from verse 1 to 5) that speak of the Ten Tribes serve merely as an introduction to the author’s intended purpose, which is to prophesy concerning Judah from verse 5 onward, as if saying: “The kingdom of Ephraim has already ceased and been nullified; but the kingdom of Judah, upon whom God’s thought is for good—they too have stumbled in wine and wandered in strong drink, and the cup shall pass over them as well, until the Spirit from on high is poured out upon them.” With this, we come to the explanation. He says: “Woe!”—I call out. Is not the crown of pride of Ephraim’s drunkards their kingdom? (And it is called a “crown of pride” to indicate that it is not truly a crown of glory, but rather a crown of arrogance of heart and haughtiness of spirit, which imagines falsely.) And “the fading flower” is a euphemism for their very fertile land, which produces excellent fruits atop the most fertile regions. (And it is called a “fading flower” as a reproach, because it did not endure in their possession.) Behold, these two—their kingdom and their land—are already drunkards of wine, broken and lost, because they pursued wine and intoxication.
Behold, the Lord has a mighty and strong one, As a storm of hail, a tempest of destruction, As a storm of mighty waters overflowing, That casts down to the earth with violence.
verse value 3049
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 57 letters. The shortest word is "they" (הִנֵּ֨ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "mighty" (כַּבִּירִ֥ים, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 267: as·rain-shower·of, as·rain-shower·of. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·strong" (וְאַמִּץ֙), "destruction" (קָ֑טֶב), "washing" (שֹׁטְפִ֛ים). The root זרם appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·the·land" (root ארץ, 169x in Isaiah); "they" (root הן, 86x in Isaiah); "hand" (root יד, 79x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root ברד ("hail") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'destruction', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 7 words.
Rashi
Behold. There is a strong and mighty wind for the Lord, which is like a torrent of hail and a fierce, bitter storm.
He shall lay it on the ground with his hand. He shall place it upon their land with His strong hand, and He shall cause the withered figs to fall.
Ibn Ezra
Behold, "mighty." It is an epithet for either "day" or for "army":
Gate of Ketev. [The first kaph] is drawn out after it, and so it is like a gate.
Ketev. Just as it says, “I will be your destruction, O Sheol” (Hosea 13:14):
He placed them upon the earth [by His hand]. The reason is that the Name caused these streams to descend, and He placed them upon the earth by His strong hand.
Radak
"Behold, strong and mighty for the Lord"—behold, a day of strength for the Lord shall come upon them, like a torrent of hail that fells the trees and shatters them.
Storm of destruction. And “gate,” and the kaf is like the one in “flood,” standing in place of two, and “gate” is said of a stormy wind that shatters and cuts down everything. Furthermore, they compared it to a flood of mighty waters that will come and wash away everything they pass over and fell the tall trees to the ground; so too is this strong and mighty day.
He shall lay it on the ground. Just as “he shall lay” is a past tense used in place of a future tense, and there are many such instances; for example, it is said: “This is the strong day; He shall lay the crown of their pride on the ground by hand,” meaning by force.
Metzudat David
"Behold, strong and mighty." Behold, there is a spirit, strong and mighty, belonging to the Lord, which is like a torrent of hail that breaks the trees.
A storm of destruction. Like a storm wind that cuts down and devastates.
“Those who overflow.” This refers to the floodwaters that overflow with force.
"He laid it on the earth with his hand." This refers to the Divine Spirit, which will lay their crown of glory upon the earth, firmly grasped in the hand and with great power.
Metzudat Zion
“Like a stream.” The matter of a flood that comes with great force; and likewise “like a stream” of a wall (above, 25a):
"Gate." A stormy wind, and the kaph of "k'zeram" serves a double function, as if it said "ke-sha'ar":
Katav. The matter of "cutting" (karet) is like [the verse] "I will cut you off, O Sheol" (Hosea 13:14):
"Kavirim." Strong or numerous:
They flow. They are drawn along and continue in haste:
“He gave rest.” Like “he will give rest” — a past form in place of the future:
"By hand." This means: by strength, as it is said, "for the strength is in the hand."
Malbim
Behold, (from here until verse 5 is a parenthetical statement explaining how their kingdom and land were taken from them):
The Lord’s word is strong, strong and mighty: (mighty denotes the continuity of strength without interruption or pause; and the term strong restricts it to a stream of hail, while mighty restricts it to a stream of mighty waters.) Strong is like a stream of hail that shatters cedars; and a cutting wind is a stormy wind that cuts and severs everything from its place. And if it joins with the streaming hail, a great stormy wind will uproot everything. And mighty is like a stream of mighty, flooding waters, for hail shatters but does not wash the thing away from its place; but if a stream of waters follows it, then they wash away everything that the hail shattered and carry it to a distant place. The parable of the hail is to the killing and destruction that the Assyrians wrought in their land; and the parable of the stream is to what they did when they exiled the remnant to the river of Gozan and the cities of Media. He left behind the stream of hail and mighty waters: first He cast the crown of pride to the ground by His hand, and afterwards
The crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim Shall be trodden under foot;
verse value 2996
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 30 letters. The shortest word is "crown·of" (עֲטֶ֥רֶת, 4 letters) and the longest is "with·feet" (בְּרַגְלַ֖יִם, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "with·feet" (בְּרַגְלַ֖יִם), "drunken" (שִׁכּוֹרֵ֥י). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "with·feet" (root רגל, 20x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·will·be·trampled', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 4 words. Full calculation: בְּרַגְלַ֖יִם [with·feet] (285) + תֵּרָמַ֑סְנָה [they·will·be·trampled] (755) + עֲטֶ֥רֶת [crown·of] (679) + גֵּא֖וּת [majesty] (410) + שִׁכּוֹרֵ֥י [drunken] (536) + אֶפְרָֽיִם [Ephraim] (331) = 2996.
Ibn Ezra
“With the feet.” “A crown.” The word is singular in form, yet its meaning is plural, and so too with “many.”
Radak
“With your feet you shall trample them.” It is not sufficient that you cast their crown of glory to the ground, but rather that you trample it with your feet after it has fallen to the ground. All of this is an allegory for the extent of their humiliation. And it says “you shall trample them” in the plural form, whereas it says “crown” in the singular form. It says “crown” in a general sense, and “you shall trample them” in a particular sense, referring to all their crowns—that is to say, all the things in which they boast. So too, “when you call them to battle.”
Metzudat David
“With feet shall you trample them.” With the feet of the enemy shall you trample them—the crown of pride belonging to the drunkards of Ephraim. That is to say, the enemy will humble their arrogance.
Metzudat Zion
It shall tread it down. The matter of treading:
Malbim
“With feet you shall trample them,” and the tenor of “He cast down to the earth by hand” refers to the fact that He removed the crown from the king. And the tenor of “With feet you shall trample them” refers to the fact that He removed the kingship entirely by exiling them from their land. These two aspects stand against the flow of the hailstorm and the flow of mighty waters. For through the flow of the hailstorm, which is an allegory for slaughter, the crown of kingship fell; and through the flow of mighty waters, which is an allegory for exile, the crown was trampled completely, so that it cannot be restored by another king, after all of them went into captivity before the enemy. And this means that Sennacherib came against Ephraim three times, and in the first two times there remained for them still a remnant, but in the third time they were trampled until total destruction.
And the fading flower of his glorious beauty, Which is on the head of the fat valley, Shall be as the first-ripe fig before the summer, Which when one looks upon it, While it is yet in his hand he eats it up.
verse value 6249
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 80 letters. The shortest word is "being·senseless" (נֹבֵל֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "his·glory" (תִפְאַרְתּ֔וֹ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: which, which. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "fringe" (צִיצַ֤ת), "as·first-ripe-fig" (כְּבִכּוּרָהּ֙), "summer" (קַ֔יִץ). The root אשר appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·shall·be" (root היה, 213x in Isaiah); "which" (root אשר, 176x in Isaiah); "he·sees" (root ראה, 83x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'fat', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 10 words.
Rashi
“Like the firstfruits before the harvest.” Like the ripening of the fig of the blossom, which withers:
“Before the summer” – this is the time for the ripening of the remaining figs. Because it is a first-ripe fruit, one leaps upon it and swallows it while it is still in his hand. Thus, “He will attend to the evil and bring it upon us” (Daniel 9:14).
Ibn Ezra
“And the crown shall wither.” This is as if it said, “This crown shall be withered,” like “the daughter of Babylon, who is devastated” (Psalms 137:8), or “the crown of a withered leaf,” and this is the correct interpretation.
Like the firstfruits. It is the firstfruits of the fig, before the summer fruit arrives.
Radak
"And it shall be a tzitzit." The word is mentioned in the masculine form as tzitz and in the feminine form as tzitzit, just as netz and netzah. And "tzitzat" is not written in the construct state (semikhut); rather, the tav will come in many places in place of the heh, such as "eglat sheloshah" (a three-year-old heifer), "lo titni pogah lakh" (do not give yourself respite), and similar cases, as we have written in the book Mikhlal. And since the tzitz is mentioned in both the masculine and the feminine forms, it says "ve-haytah" (and it shall be). And it says "fading" again — it compares the flower of their glory to a first-ripe fig before summer, saying "like the first-ripe fig before the summer" (Isaiah 28:4), meaning the fig that is first before the fruits of summer come out; that is, the first fruit that comes at the beginning, people jump upon it to take it, and whoever sees it at the beginning takes it.
“While it is in his palm, he will swallow it.” This means: at the time that it is in his palm, immediately he will swallow it, due to his great desire for it. So too, “The enemy shall swiftly swallow up the wealth and goodness of Ephraim.”
Like “firstborn.” He derives the letter he, and it is not for a pronoun [suffix], but rather for the beauty of the reading, similar to it are “and she will bring forth her hiddenness as light” and “and she is revealed upon her head.” And my master and father, of blessed memory, explained “in her branch” like “and they did not find her fresh,” meaning that when he sees her in her branch, he will swallow her up due to his great desire for her.
Metzudat David
"And it shall be, etc." – His beauty shall be like the withering tassel that serves as a crown upon the head of the valley of oil.
Like the firstfruits. It refers back to “and it shall be” stated at the beginning of the verse, to say that the crown of glory shall be like a fig that was chosen as firstfruits before summer arrives, which is the time when all the figs ripen.
"Which one sees, etc." – "Which" means that immediately when the observer sees it, he will swallow it immediately while it is still hanging on the branch, and he does not wait until he plucks it. And he said that so will the enemy hasten to humble their arrogance.
Metzudat Zion
Tzitzit. From the word tzitz:
Like the firstborn. From the term "firstborn," meaning that which is completed and ripened first, and similarly, "the first fruits of the grape" (Numbers 13).
"Summer." It is the time for ripening figs, and also [the time for] bread and summer (II Samuel 15).
"בכפו" – its meaning is "branch," as it is written: "And its branch was not fresh" (Job 15:32).
Malbim
"And it shall be" — after he has recounted how the crown of pride fell, he now proceeds to narrate the withering of the flower, which serves as an allegory for their land. It was like a firstfruit before the summer; and by this he depicts three matters: 1) that they were exiled first and ripened before their time, like a fruit that ripens early before summer arrives; 2) that they are compared to this firstfruit, which anyone who sees it, even if he is not its owner, will gather; 3) that while it is still in his hand, while it is in his grasp before it reaches his mouth, and he swallows it in one gulp without chewing due to its delightfulness, so too will strangers, to whom the right does not belong, inherit it, and they will devastate them while they are still rooted in their land, while they are sitting securely. (Thus ends the parenthetical remark; now return to his words in verse 1.) He says: "Behold, the crown and flower of Ephraim are those long accustomed to wine, but in contrast to this, for the tribe of Judah, behold."
In that day shall Hashem of hosts be For a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, To the residue of His people;
verse value 3590
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 48 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֣ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "beauty" (צְבִ֔י, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·for·diadem·of" (וְלִצְפִירַ֖ת, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "to·crown·of" (לַעֲטֶ֣רֶת), "and·for·diadem·of" (וְלִצְפִירַ֖ת), "beauty" (תִּפְאָרָ֑ה). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "it·will·be" (root היה, 213x in Isaiah); "in·the·day" (root יום, 124x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'beauty', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 2 words. Full calculation: בַּיּ֣וֹם [in·the·day] (58) + הַה֗וּא [that] (17) + יִֽהְיֶה֙ [it·will·be] (30) + יְהֹוָ֣ה [Hashem] (26) + צְבָא֔וֹת [hosts] (499) + לַעֲטֶ֣רֶת [to·crown·of] (709) + צְבִ֔י [beauty] (102) + וְלִצְפִירַ֖ת [and·for·diadem·of] (816) + תִּפְאָרָ֑ה [beauty] (686) + לִשְׁאָ֖ר [to·rest·of] (531) + עַמּֽוֹ [his·people] (116) = 3590.
Rashi
"On that day." When the wicked are destroyed:
"And the Lord of Hosts shall be a crown of glory." To the righteous who remain in it.
Ibn Ezra
"On that day," etc. And behold, this is the opposite of "the glorious crown of Ephraim," for you will see the kingdom of the Lord in Zion.
Radak
"On that day." [This refers to the time] when the Ten Tribes will be exiled, as it is stated, "At that time the Lord of Hosts will be for a glorious crown and for a diadem of splendor to the remnant of His people." And they are Judah and Benjamin, who remained, and Hezekiah reigned over them, for he did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord. In the sixth year of Hezekiah, the tribes were exiled. And it says, "for a glorious crown," which is the opposite of "for a crown of pride," which was said concerning the tribes. And it repeats the matter, saying "and for a diadem of splendor," to strengthen the matter, for a crown and a diadem are one, and glory and splendor are one. And it is the custom of Scripture to repeat the matter with different words to strengthen the matter. And "diadem" (tzefirah) is a matter of encircling; therefore, the crown or the turban of the head is called a diadem, because it is around the head. And in the Mishnah: "A basket [is susceptible to impurity] from the time that two diadems are made in it," and these are what they make from the groove around the basket. And it says that God will be for them a glory and a splendor in the days of Hezekiah.
Metzudat David
"On that day." On the day of the fall of the Kingdom of Ephraim:
To the crown of glory. This means: they shall hang the honor upon the pride of the Lord.
And for the diadem of glory. The doubling of the matter is stated in what is written:
to the rest of his people. They are Judah and Benjamin:
Metzudat Zion
And regarding "tzfirah": Thus is called the crown or the mitznefet that encircles the head, for "tzfirah" is a matter of encircling. And in the Mishnah: "the basket — once two tzfirot are made across its width" (Kelim ch. 16). And this means the encircling that is done to the basket.
Malbim
"On that day" — the day of Ephraim's downfall — the crown of beauty, in contrast to the crown of arrogance of Ephraim, shall be a glorious crown; and in contrast to the withering flower that grows and perishes, it shall be a diadem of splendor, the light of dawn that grows and progresses until the day is established, for the remnant of His people, the kingdom of Judah.
And for a spirit of judgment to him that sits in judgment, And for strength to them that turn back the battle at the gate.
verse value 2873
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 42 letters. Verse gematria: 2873 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "judgment" (מִשְׁפָּ֑ט, 4 letters) and the longest is "in·the·judgment" (עַל־הַמִּשְׁפָּ֔ט, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·to·wind" (וּלְר֖וּחַ), "in·the·judgment" (עַל־הַמִּשְׁפָּ֔ט), "and·to·strength" (וְלִ֨גְבוּרָ֔ה). The root משפט appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·the·one-sitting" (root ישב, 71x in Isaiah); "answerers·of" (root שוב, 51x in Isaiah); "and·to·wind" (root רוח, 44x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'judgment', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 6 words. Full calculation: וּלְר֖וּחַ [and·to·wind] (250) + מִשְׁפָּ֑ט [judgment] (429) + לַיּוֹשֵׁב֙ [to·the·one-sitting] (348) + עַל־הַמִּשְׁפָּ֔ט [in·the·judgment] (534) + וְלִ֨גְבוּרָ֔ה [and·to·strength] (252) + מְשִׁיבֵ֥י [answerers·of] (362) + מִלְחָמָ֖ה [battle] (123) + שָֽׁעְרָה [gate] (575) = 2873.
Rashi
And for the spirit of judgment. The Holy One, blessed be He, will be to teach judgment:
To those who sit in judgment and to the mighty. It shall be for those who are the ones who wage war, the war of Torah:
Ibn Ezra
And to the spirit. To the one who sits in judgment. They are the Sanhedrin, and the reason is to uphold them:
“Who turn back the battle [to the gate],” [i.e.,] to the gate. Some say, “Who turn them back from the gate.” And Rabbi Moses the Cohen said that God strengthens the fleeing ones, and this is the correct interpretation.
Radak
And for the spirit of judgment. And it shall be that God will be a spirit of judgment for whoever sits in judgment, and this refers to Hezekiah, who will be king and sit on the royal throne to administer justice. It is said that God will be for him a spirit of judgment, meaning that God will grant him understanding and discernment to render true justice. And the term "spirit" is used as in the verse, "And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding," for wisdom and understanding are components of the spirit, which is the soul.
And for strength. That God will be their strength, and likewise He will be their peace in the camp of Ashur, on their account, and they did not need human strength, for God will be their strength. And likewise, when their enemies fought them and returned the battle against them, up to the gates of their fortified cities, God was their strength, and by His strength they defeated their enemies, as it is written: “He struck the Philistines as far as Gaza and its borders, from the tower of the watchmen to the fortified city.” And Jonathan [the Aramaic translator] rendered both verses thus: “In that time it shall be…” And likewise our Sages of blessed memory explained this matter in reference to the days of the Messiah in the future, and they said: “‘A crown of beauty (tzvi)’ — for those who do the will (tzivyono) of the Holy One, blessed be He; ‘and a diadem of glory’ — for those who look forward to (metzapin) His glory.”
Metzudat David
“And for the wind of judgment.” The Lord shall be for the wind of judgment for those who sit in judgment; that is to say, He will grant them understanding to the strong, to execute true judgment.
“and for might.” He will be for might for the sons of Judah who return from the place of battle to enter the city gate, to be exalted there. This means that they will not need the might of battle, for God will fight for them and strike down the enemy.
Metzudat Zion
And to the spirit. The matter of arousal, and similarly, “And the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah” (Judges 11:29):
Malbim
And as for the wind, in contrast, the success of the nation depends on two things: 1. That the king who wears the crown will execute justice between one man and his fellow, for then he will wear a crown of beauty; “Behold, the Lord will be to him a wind of justice,” for by the Spirit of the Lord he will execute justice. 2. That it will have mighty warriors who wage war and guard it from an external enemy; it says, “For the Lord will be to those who return from war as a wind of might,” to strengthen them against the enemy who devastates their land, and by this it will be for them a diadem of glory, that their land will not be ruined and will not resemble a withered flower. But surely
But these also reel through wine, And stagger through strong drink; The priest and the prophet reel through strong drink, They are confused because of wine, They stagger because of strong drink; They reel in vision, they totter in judgment.
verse value 4727
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 72 letters. The shortest word is "they·went·astray" (שָׁג֔וּ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·also·these" (וְגַם־אֵ֙לֶּה֙, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 476: went·astray, went·astray. 10 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·also·these" (וְגַם־אֵ֙לֶּה֙), "in·the·wine" (בַּיַּ֣יִן), "strong·drink" (וּבַשֵּׁכָ֖ר). The root שגה appears 3 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·the·vision" (root ראה, 83x in Isaiah); "and·also·these" (root אלה, 27x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root שגה ("they·went·astray") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'went·astray', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 12 words.
Rashi
"And also these" — the inhabitants of justice and the restorers of war in this generation, meaning the good and important ones among them — have erred in wine, for now there is no good in them.
They erred in the Seer. They mocked the words of the prophets, and the Targum [renders it as] "in the food of delicacies," which they saw as a delight to them.
“Pako pilleya.” They caused the judgment to stumble.
Paku. The language of "pik" in the knees (Nahum 2:11), "pukah" (1 Samuel 25):
Ibn Ezra
And also [these]: there are men of Judah:
A priest: who is the one who teaches; and so too a prophet: who is the one who admonishes.
They have erred with regard to the Seer. In the words of the Seer, the people are reproved:
“Paku pilleya.” The judges, and behold, “paku” is a transitive verb, or one should omit the word “words,” and this is the correct approach, and it is a standing verb from the root of “vafik birkayim” (Nahum 2:11), in the sense of “the breaking of the knees.”
Radak
"And also these." The term "these" refers to Judah and Benjamin, and it is stated about them just as it was stated about the tribes: "Drunkards of Ephraim, heavy with wine." So too does it say about Judah and Benjamin that even they erred through wine and strayed through strong drink. This occurred in the days of Ahaz. And thus, these were worthy of exile just like those, except that a king is destined to reign over them who will return them to the good path, and he is Hezekiah.
“Priest and prophet.” The priest and the prophet, who were obligated to teach the Torah, erred like them in feasting and the pleasures of this world. And “prophet” does not refer to the true prophets, but only to the false prophets who were among them; they misled them and permitted them pleasures, saying to them, “Peace shall be yours; do not fear. Do whatever you wish.” And the Targum: “The priest and the scribe,” meaning the student.
They were swallowed up by the wine. They were corrupted by excessive drinking of wine, and they strayed from the right path due to excessive drinking of intoxicating liquor.
They erred in the One who sees. “The One who sees” is a noun formed on the pattern of “yoreh and malkosh [the early and late rains].” And he explained: “They erred in prophecy, in the prophecy of the true prophets; they erred and did not follow it.” And my master and father, of blessed memory, explained: Even in matters visible to the eye, they erred.
“They have stumbled in judgment.” They stumbled in judgment and did not judge with true justice; the priests and prophets, who were obligated to instruct them in the Torah and judge them according to true law, failed to do so.
“Peliliyah.” From [the phrase] “ve-natan bifelilim” (Exodus 21:22), meaning: he shall be fined as the judges determine.
Metzudat David
"And also these." Also Judah and Benjamin, because of the drunkenness of wine, they erred in their understanding, and because of the intoxication they strayed from the straight path.
Kohen. He is the teacher, and likewise it is stated: "For the lips of the priest shall guard knowledge, and they shall seek the Torah from his mouth" (Malachi 2:7).
"And a prophet." The false prophet whom they appointed to refute [the true prophets] and to justify their ways.
They erred because of strong drink. On account of drinking strong drink, they erred in their understanding.
"נבלעו" – They were swallowed up; they were ruined through drunkenness.
They erred with regard to seeing. They were mistaken in their understanding concerning the matter of the vision, like a drunkard whose mind does not grasp the truth of what is seen.
"Pervert justice." They subverted the legal process and did not judge him with true justice.
Metzudat Zion
Shaggu. The verb is from the root of shiggah and meshagah:
And with strong drink: old wine.
"תעו" (He who goes astray): One who is confused in his mind and does not know what to do is called a "to'eh" (one who goes astray), and the term is borrowed from one who wanders on the road and does not know where to go.
"נבלעו" – This term denotes corruption, as in the phrase "and it shall be swallowed up in this mountain" (above 25:7).
"Paku." The meaning of "causing to stumble" is similar to "and he made the knees stumble" (Nahum 2:10).
"piliyyah." The matter of judgment, as it is written: "and God shall judge" (1 Samuel 2:25).
Malbim
“Also these” – the remainder of His people and His mighty men, whom He mentioned, namely the tribe of Judah – stumbled in wine, and they did not take a lesson from Ephraim, who were drunkards with wine. (At first, “stumbled in wine” refers to a minor error, and afterward, “in strong drink” – which is intoxicating wine – they erred greatly.) And even the priest and the prophet, who instructed the people, stumbled in drinking strong drink. Until the prophet was swallowed up by the wine: his prophetic power and his faculty of imagination were corrupted by the wine, and consequently he erred in his vision and beheld a false and delusory oracle. Likewise, the priests erred because of the strong drink: they erred in their rulings, they faltered in judgment, and they perverted justice. (The statements are restrictive.)
For all tables are full of filthy vomit, and no place is clean.
verse value 1386
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 27 letters. Verse gematria: 1386 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֚י, 2 letters) and the longest is "all·tables" (כׇּל־שֻׁלְחָנ֔וֹת, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "all·tables" (כׇּל־שֻׁלְחָנ֔וֹת), "vomit" (קִ֣יא), "filth" (צֹאָ֑ה). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah); "they·filled" (root מלא, 28x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'filth', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 2 words. Full calculation: כִּ֚י [for] (30) + כׇּל־שֻׁלְחָנ֔וֹת [all·tables] (844) + מָלְא֖וּ [they·filled] (77) + קִ֣יא [vomit] (111) + צֹאָ֑ה [filth] (96) + בְּלִ֖י [without] (42) + מָקֽוֹם [place] (186) = 1386.
Rashi
For all their tables are full of the refuse of their sacrifices to the dead, which are like vomit and excrement.
Without a place. The mind cannot tolerate them:
Ibn Ezra
"For, etc." – This is the custom of drunkards.
"Without a place." That is, it is not filled, as it is written, "even to the uttermost place" (Isaiah 5:8), and similarly, "filled with vomit and filled with excrement," and behold, from above and from below.
Radak
"for all tables" – even the table of the priests was filled with vomit and excrement. The explanation is that "vomit and excrement" is written without the connective vav (the omitted conjunction and), like "sun and moon" or "Reuven and Shimon." They say that they drink until they become intoxicated and vomit, for that is the way of a drunkard, as it says, "As a drunkard staggers in his vomit." And indeed, they vomit through their mouths and excrete through their openings, from above and from below.
Without any space. Until there is no clean space in the place of their feasting/drinking, but everything is filled with vomit and feces.
Metzudat David
For all tables upon which they recline:
Vomit and feces. Vomiting and diarrhea: the discharge is like that of wine, which brings about vomiting and diarrhea from below.
Without a place. There is no place free and clean from these:
Metzudat Zion
Vomit. It is the food that returns from the body through the mouth:
Tzoh. Like "and tzoh," and it is the excrement of the body.
Malbim
For all their tables are full of vomit and excrement, due to their drunkenness, and they have no designated, secluded place for this; rather, they defile themselves in every place, openly.
Whom shall one teach knowledge? And whom shall one make to understand the message? Them that are weaned from the milk, Them that are drawn from the breasts?
verse value 2854
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 44 letters. The shortest word is "knowledge" (דֵעָ֔ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·whom" (וְאֶת־מִ֖י, 5 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "early rain" (יוֹרֶ֣ה), "weaned·ones·of" (גְּמוּלֵי֙), "removed" (עַתִּיקֵ֖י). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "he·will·explain" (root בין, 43x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'report', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 4 words. Full calculation: אֶת־מִי֙ [whom] (451) + יוֹרֶ֣ה [early rain] (221) + דֵעָ֔ה [knowledge] (79) + וְאֶת־מִ֖י [and·whom] (457) + יָבִ֣ין [he·will·explain] (72) + שְׁמוּעָ֑ה [report] (421) + גְּמוּלֵי֙ [weaned·ones·of] (89) + מֵחָלָ֔ב [than·milk] (80) + עַתִּיקֵ֖י [removed] (590) + מִשָּׁדָֽיִם [from·breasts] (394) = 2854.
Rashi
"Who shall He instruct in knowledge?" Perhaps to infants who do not know how to understand, since the adults have turned to a wicked path.
Weaned from milk. Those who are weaned from milk:
"Those removed from the breasts." This is the language of "And he moved from there" (Genesis 12:9). Alternatively: "Those removed from the breasts" refers to those who have extracted from the Torah, which is called "milk," and who transmit [knowledge] before scholars of Torah.
Ibn Ezra
"You, etc." If the prophet comes to reprove them, they do not understand, for on account of the wine they are not in their right mind, like children.
A report. “a noun”:
"Those weaned from milk." It is a construct form (smikhut), and this usage is well-known, as in "those dwelling in tents" (Judges 8:11).
"עתיקי" – [meaning] that they removed them, as it is written, "and he moved from there" (Genesis 12:8); and the word is an adjective describing the noun.
Radak
“Who is he instructing?” Since they are intoxicated, and all their concern is with food and drink, and they become drunk, who is the teacher coming to teach them instructing? To whom will he impart understanding, and to whom will he make clear the message that the prophet heard from God, to command them, to instruct them, and to make them understand? To whom will he impart understanding, and to whom will he make clear the message? And behold, they are not people of understanding and intellect; rather, they are like children who soil themselves and lack the sense to go to a designated place to relieve themselves.
“Those weaned from milk, those old from the breasts.” These are young children after their nursing is completed, as it is written, “And the child grew and was weaned” (Genesis 21:8), and “until the lad is weaned” (1 Samuel 1:23). When the nursing of the children is completed, they begin to speak, but they still do not possess human understanding or distinction from animals, except for speech, for they still do not have intellect. So too are these elders like children. And the explanation of “old from the breasts” is: they have departed from the breasts, as it is written, “And he departed from there” (Genesis 12:8). And it says “weaned, old” in a construct chain according to that usage, like “of the prophets of your king” (2 Kings 23:17), “the God of the near place” (Jeremiah 23:23), “the dwellers in tents” (Judges 8:11).
Metzudat David
"To whom?" Since the great ones turn to drunkenness, to whom will the prophet learn knowledge, and to whom will he understand the message which he heard from the Lord?
Weaned from milk. And does the verse teach this regarding those who have been weaned from nursing milk?
Atiqin. Those who are transferred from the breast of their mother, and the matter is repeated in what is stated:
Metzudat Zion
Yoreh. The matter of learning is like [the verse] “and He put it in his heart to teach” (Exodus 35:34).
Weaned from milk. Thus is the child called who is separated from nursing, as it is said: "And the child grew, and was weaned" (Genesis 21:8).
"Old ones." The word is related to the concepts of "copying" and "removing," and similarly, "and he moved from there to the mountain" (Genesis 12:8).
Malbim
“From whom?”—he concludes his words, saying: “After I have already proven them again and again through the prophets, and they have also seen what happened to Ephraim yet did not take it to heart, from whom shall the priest who teaches instruction ask, and to whom shall the prophet who has heard prophecy announce? Is it to those just weaned from milk that he teaches instruction, who do not understand the lesson the first time and therefore need to be explained and taught a thousand times?” And the interpretation of the verse, “Is it to those just weaned from milk that he teaches instruction?”—until
For it is precept by precept, precept by precept, Line by line, line by line; Here a little, there a little.
verse value 2212
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 34 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "a little" (זְעֵ֥יר, 4 letters). Words sharing gematria 340: there, there. The root צו appears 4 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah); "there" (root שם, 83x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root צו ("command") in Isaiah. First appearance of the root קו ("cord") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·line', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 4 words. Full calculation: כִּ֣י [for] (30) + צַ֤ו [command] (96) + לָצָו֙ [to·precept] (126) + צַ֣ו [command] (96) + לָצָ֔ו [to·precept] (126) + קַ֥ו [cord] (106) + לָקָ֖ו [to·line] (136) + קַ֣ו [cord] (106) + לָקָ֑ו [to·line] (136) + זְעֵ֥יר [a little] (287) + שָׁ֖ם [there] (340) + זְעֵ֥יר [a little] (287) + שָֽׁם [there] (340) = 2212.
Rashi
"For a commandment goes forth to meet a commandment, a commandment to meet a commandment." The Prophet brings a commandment to them from the Holy One, Blessed be He, and they have a decree of idolatry against this commandment. The Prophet returns and rebukes them, and they always say, "We have a decree; our decree is more important than yours."
“Qav la-qav.” They have a measuring line: the line of the scales of the judgments of the wicked is opposite the line of righteousness.
“Za’ir shem.” The prophet says to them, “A little while longer, and evil will come upon you,” and they say, “Za’ir shem,” meaning, “May He hasten and expedite His work to a few days.”
Ibn Ezra
For commandment follows commandment. They are worthy to speak with them as a father speaks to his young son, who does not yet know.
"Commandment to commandment": one commandment after another, or a commandment attached to another commandment.
The verse states: “A line upon a line.” This teaches the manner of writing.
Zair, there. Little by little, time after time:
Radak
“For precept is upon precept.” “Precept” is a noun, like “mitzvah” (commandment), and this term for commandment is not used elsewhere in this form. By saying “precept,” he means a small commandment. He says that they are like children, and one commands children little by little and teaches them gradually so that they may accept, for they do not have the capacity to accept except small matters. Likewise is the explanation of “line upon line”: the “line” is the builder’s line, and the builder inclines it until he makes it into one row, and afterward he removes it and inclines it to make another row, and likewise he does little by little until he completes the wall. So too is the learning and habituation of children. And so the prophet must teach this people, for they are small in understanding, and furthermore, they are weary of hearing the word of the Lord because they do not desire it. And after he said, “precept upon precept, line upon line,” he repeated it to strengthen the matter, and said, “here a little, there a little,” meaning that he should say to them a little about this matter and a little about that matter, and even so, they do not accept.
Metzudat David
"For commandment calls to commandment": They are so distant from the mitzvot of the Lord in their indulgence and excess that it is necessary to issue them a decree regarding the mitzvot of the Lord, meaning to establish an additional fence and barrier for the mitzvot of the Lord; and for this decree and fence, it is necessary to establish yet another fence and decree.
“Line for line.” This refers to the plumb line, which is made to preserve the building from becoming crooked; therefore, it calls the guard by the term “line,” and it means that it is necessary to establish for them a guard for the guard of the Torah, and to establish yet another guard for the guard. The matter is double in what is stated:
“Zair shem.” This means that even in a place prepared for studying the Torah of the Lord, one should not teach them except little by little, for it will be considered a burden to them.
Za’ir is a name. The doubling indicates contraction:
Metzudat Zion
"Commandment to commandment." The word is derived from the root meaning "to command" (tsavah).
"Line" to "line." Its meaning is the plumb line of the builder, and similarly, "And He shall stretch out a line" (Zechariah 1:16).
Zair. A little, as it is said: “Wait for me a little” (Job 36:2).
There. This means in the known place prepared for studying there, and so too for every action, "there" (Ecclesiastes 3). And the explanation is: in the place prepared for the matter.
Malbim
For “commandment calls to commandment,” until it is necessary to command that which He has already commanded, and to return and command that which He has already commanded twice. And even this is not sufficient; rather, one must further indicate with a line, as is the manner of teaching infants by means of lines and drawings: one indicates the thing that one has already indicated to them with a line, and afterwards indicates and draws it a second time. One does not teach and draw many things at one time, but rather a little here, a little there—a little in this matter and a little in another matter—as is the custom in teaching, whereby they teach infants.
For with stammering lips and with a strange tongue Shall it be spoken to this people;
verse value 1912
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 32 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֚י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·in·tongue" (וּבְלָשׁ֖וֹן, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "with·stammerings·of" (בְּלַעֲגֵ֣י), "and·in·tongue" (וּבְלָשׁ֖וֹן), "another" (אַחֶ֑רֶת). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah); "to·the·people" (root איל, 114x in Isaiah); "he·will·speak" (root דבר, 88x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root לעג ("with·stammerings·of") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'another', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. Full calculation: כִּ֚י [for] (30) + בְּלַעֲגֵ֣י [with·stammerings·of] (115) + שָׂפָ֔ה [lip] (385) + וּבְלָשׁ֖וֹן [and·in·tongue] (394) + אַחֶ֑רֶת [another] (609) + יְדַבֵּ֖ר [he·will·speak] (216) + אֶל־הָעָ֥ם [to·the·people] (146) + הַזֶּֽה [this] (17) = 1912.
Rashi
"בלעגי שפה" – a tongue that is mocking. And so too, every term of mockery, and likewise (below, 32) "עלגים" – both are terms denoting something inverted, not straightened out to be heard properly.
“Speak to this people.” Anyone who speaks to them in the language of prophecy and rebuke, it is to them like a derisive tongue, which they are unable to understand.
Ibn Ezra
"Ki belagay." From the root of "le'eg" (Psalm 79:4), for such is the custom that the teacher speaks to the child:
And in another language: Just as the teacher should request that those [letters] which are not difficult on the tongue be substituted for others, so too is it fitting that the rebuker speak to this people.
Radak
"For I will speak to this people in a strange language." The prophet said that when he spoke to this people, it would be as if he were speaking to them in a strange language, like one who mocks with his lips, so that people would not be able to understand his words well; or like one who speaks in another language. Thus they would make themselves unable to understand the prophet's words.
Metzudat David
"For with stammering lips." For the words of the prophet were in their eyes as if he were speaking to them in a foreign tongue and in another language that they did not understand.
Metzudat Zion
“Be-la’agei.” One who speaks contrary to the nature of the matter, hard to understand, is called “nil’ag” in Scripture, as in “a stammering tongue (nil’ag lashon) without understanding” (below, 33):
Malbim
For the words of the prophet seemed to them as if he were speaking in a foreign tongue, such that they did not understand his words. (And the Rabbis’ intention is [that this applies to] one who speaks in another language, even though he is fluent in the purity of that language; and likewise, one whose speech is garbled, even though he speaks in the language of his people, it is difficult to understand his words; and all the more so for one who speaks in another language and also does not know the purity of that language. And so, too, the words of the prophet seemed to them [unintelligible], even though he was speaking in the Holy Tongue, pure and refined sevenfold.)
To whom it was said: ‘This is the rest, Give you rest to the weary; And this is the refreshing’; Yet they would not hear.
verse value 2819
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 50 letters. Notable word values: "to·them" (אֲלֵיהֶ֗ם) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "who" (אֲשֶׁ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·resting·place" (הַמְּנוּחָה֙, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "the·resting·place" (הַמְּנוּחָה֙), "give·rest" (הָנִ֣יחוּ), "to·the·weary" (לֶעָיֵ֔ף). The root זאת appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·not" (root לא, 286x in Isaiah); "said" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah); "who" (root אשר, 176x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root עיף ("to·the·weary") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'rest', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 3 words. Full calculation: אֲשֶׁ֣ר [who] (501) + אָמַ֣ר [said] (241) + אֲלֵיהֶ֗ם [to·them] (86) + זֹ֤את [this] (408) + הַמְּנוּחָה֙ [the·resting·place] (114) + הָנִ֣יחוּ [give·rest] (79) + לֶעָיֵ֔ף [to·the·weary] (190) + וְזֹ֖את [and·this] (414) + הַמַּרְגֵּעָ֑ה [rest] (323) + וְלֹ֥א [and·not] (37) + אָב֖וּא [they·were·willing] (10) + שְׁמֽוֹעַ [to·hear] (416) = 2819.
Rashi
"Asher amar" (That which He said): The prophet said to them: "This rest shall be for you, that you may be in tranquility; let the weary be at ease, that you may not plunder him. This shall be your moment of respite."
Ibn Ezra
That which the prophet said to them:
"This. Jerusalem is your rest. Make rest for the weary, so that he will not flee to Egypt and Assyria."
המרגעה. From the root מרגוע (Jeremiah 6:15), and both are nouns. According to the opinion of the Jerusalem grammarian, the word is a verb:
The aleph at the end of [the word] “avoh” is an extra letter, like the aleph in “halakhah” (Joshua 10:24):
Radak
Which He said to them. And the prophet will not speak to them except good words in which they may find rest, if they heed; and he will say to them: "This is the rest: if you heed the words of the Lord and perform His commandments, there shall be for you rest in your land, and you shall not be exiled from it." And he would say to their priests and prophets: "Leave the weary Israel alone, for he is weary and burdened by many troubles that befall him. Leave him alone and instruct him in the word of the Lord, in which he may find rest, and do not mislead him with your falsehoods and your rashness."
"And I will not come to hear." It is written with an aleph, and so too is the word "ha-holkho" [in the phrase "hal-kha' eto"], and so too is the word "hu" (He).
Metzudat David
"Which He said to them." This means that He spoke for their benefit, for this is the matter He said to them: "Leave the weary and faint of spirit alone, and do not plunder them; and through this you will find rest and relief." Nevertheless, they do not wish to listen, even though the matter is for their benefit.
Metzudat Zion
The word "hamargia" (the quieting). Its meaning is "rest," similar to the phrase "to go to quiet him" (referring to Israel) in Jeremiah 31:2.
"Avo." The meaning is desire and will, like "her yavam was unwilling" (Deuteronomy 25:7), and the aleph is added, and similarly "who walked with him" (Joshua 10):
Malbim
"Asher" (meaning "that" or "which"), i.e., this implies that the one who does not heed reproof is either because he does not understand, or because the one reproving him demands that he accept upon himself things that are difficult for human nature, such as mortifying his body or scattering his wealth. And after having explained that it is impossible for them not to understand the words of the prophet, who repeats and triples his statements and explains them to them in the clear language of the common people, he explains that he is not demanding anything great from them. Rather, he said to them: "In this you will find rest for the body and refreshment for the soul, if only you allow the weary and sighing one strength from the hand of his oppressors—do not rob and oppress." And despite all this, "will I come and not be heard?"
And so the word of Hashem is to them Precept by precept, precept by precept, Line by line, line by line; Here a little, there a little; That they may go, and fall backward, and be broken, And snared, and taken.
verse value 4496
Insights
Verse structure: 22 words, 81 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָיָ֨ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "command" (צַ֣ו, 2 letters) and the longest is "word·of·Hashem" (דְּבַר־יְהֹוָ֗ה, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 340: there, there. The root צו appears 4 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "word·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "and·it·shall·be" (root היה, 213x in Isaiah); "there" (root שם, 83x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'there', dividing the verse into phrases of 15 and 7 words.
Rashi
“And the word of the Lord was to them, etc.” According to their measure, He will measure to them; He will decree that, since they spoke against them—the decree of the nations who enslave them—decree upon decree, labor upon labor, a line of retribution corresponding to the line of transgressions in their hands, line for line, hope exchanged for hope: they will hope for light, and behold, darkness.
“Zair shem zair shem.” In a few days, [divine judgment] will come upon them, and they will be diminished in the land of their enemies.
Ibn Ezra
"And it shall be." And behold, they reasoned that the word of the Lord is not essential, but is merely like a father guiding by hand to accustom them, so that they would not go to Egypt, as it is written: "Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help" (Isaiah 31:1), for this passage is one continuous unit.
Radak
"And the word of the Lord was to them." Since they did not wish to hear [the word] little by little, it became for them a stumbling block; sin little by little, measure for measure.
“Lest they go and stumble backward.” That is to say, when they intend to go forward, they will stumble backward, and the hand of their enemies will be upon them; they will be broken, crushed, and captured.
Metzudat David
“And the word of the Lord was to them, etc.” The meaning is that it was very easy for them to transgress the word of the Lord, as if it were merely a decree and a fence for another decree, and even that other decree was only a decree and a fence for the commandment of the Lord, which a person does not guard so carefully, since it is a decree distant from the commandment of the Lord.
“Kav le-kav” — as if one watch passed it on to another watch, and that other watch also passed it on only to the watch of the Torah, which no one can fully fathom. And the matter is double in what is stated:
“Zair” is the name. This means that even in the place where it was learned, it is considered insignificant, how much more so is this true for those who did not tread its paths.
Za’ir is a name. The doubling indicates diminution.
"למען ילכו" – For this purpose, when they go, they will stumble and fall backward, and they will be broken and fall into a snare, and they will be caught in it. That is to say, they will fall into distress and will not be able to escape.
Malbim
"And it shall be": Indeed, although they do not wish to hear the word of the Lord, nevertheless, the word of the Lord will come to them, one commandment after another, and one warning after another, time after time, and He will explain His words to them one by one, so that they may walk and stumble backward. For one who walks in error, unaware that there is a stumbling block in his path, moves forward; but one who knows there is a stumbling block and walks deliberately, stumbles backward. For he is the one who retreats from the known good path, backward, and in this way he is broken beyond remedy. This means that the Lord will send His prophets upon them, so that thereby their punishment will be greater, since they will be acting deliberately. "And they shall stumble and be bruised": "Stumbling" refers to tripping over a stone, while "bruised" (ha-muqqash) refers to being caught in a snare that others have intentionally set for him. The metaphor of "stumbling" applies to one who sins of his own accord, and the metaphor of "being bruised" applies to one who sins through the influence of instigators and false prophets.
Wherefore hear the word of Hashem, you scoffers, The ballad-mongers of this people which is in Jerusalem:
verse value 2886
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 42 letters. Verse gematria: 2886 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "therefore" (לָכֵ֛ן, 3 letters) and the longest is "word·of·Hashem" (דְבַר־יְהֹוָ֖ה, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "scorning" (לָצ֑וֹן), "ruling" (מֹֽשְׁלֵי֙). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "word·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "which" (root אשר, 176x in Isaiah); "people" (root עם, 107x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'scorning', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: לָכֵ֛ן [therefore] (100) + שִׁמְע֥וּ [hear] (416) + דְבַר־יְהֹוָ֖ה [word·of·Hashem] (232) + אַנְשֵׁ֣י [man] (361) + לָצ֑וֹן [scorning] (176) + מֹֽשְׁלֵי֙ [ruling] (380) + הָעָ֣ם [people] (115) + הַזֶּ֔ה [this] (17) + אֲשֶׁ֖ר [which] (501) + בִּירוּשָׁלִָֽם [in·Jerusalem] (588) = 2886.
Rashi
The parables of this people, who speak in the language of parables to mock, such as:
Ibn Ezra
Therefore. Men of mockery. Those who mock by saying that the words of God, are like a command to a command:
moshelim. Some say it is derived from the root of "government" (mem-shalet), and the meaning is "the princes." And the correct [view] is that it is like "Therefore the princes shall say" (Numbers 21:27):
Radak
Therefore, hear. Men of mockery, who mock the word of the Lord and do not regard it as anything:
The rulers of this people: This refers to the princes of Judah, who were like rulers over this people. For King Ahaz would not have committed those abominations if the princes had remonstrated with him. But when the prophet would reprove them and inform them of the calamity destined to befall them, they would mock and say, “We have made a covenant with death.”
Metzudat David
Men of mockery. Those who mock the words of the prophet:
Rulers. The rulers over the people who are in Jerusalem:
Metzudat Zion
Mockery. A verbal noun from the root *la-ts*:
"Rulers." From the root meaning "government":
Malbim
Therefore, since it is God’s will to prophesy and warn you, even though you do not listen, hear the word of the Lord, you men of scoffing, who engage in mockery, even though you rule over God’s people in Jerusalem, the Holy City.
Because you have said: ‘We have made a covenant with death, And with the nether-world are we at agreement; When the scouring scourge shall pass through, It shall not come to us; For we have made lies our refuge, And in falsehood have we hid ourselves’;
verse value 7467
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 88 letters. The shortest word is "and·because" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·with·the·nether-world" (וְעִם־שְׁא֖וֹל, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 30: and·because, for. 11 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "you·spoke" (אֲמַרְתֶּ֗ם), "we·cut" (כָּרַ֤תְנֽוּ), "and·with·the·nether-world" (וְעִם־שְׁא֖וֹל). The root כי appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 286x in Isaiah); "you·spoke" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah); "and·because" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root כזב ("lie") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'seer', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 13 words.
Rashi
"We made a covenant with death, that it should not come upon us:"
We have established a boundary. A limit that one must not cross; likewise, "their desired boundary" (Psalms 107:30); and likewise, "from boundary to boundary" (1 Kings 7:5)—all of these are terms denoting a boundary. And the outer edge of a thing is "essomier" in Old French.
A rushing flood. A plague that walks upon the earth:
"Let them not come upon us." Let them not come upon us:
We placed falsehood. We placed idolatry:
“Our refuge.” Our refuge:
And in falsehood we have hidden ourselves. In a foreign god we trusted to hide us.
Ibn Ezra
For we have made a covenant. With death, that we should not die now:
“And with Saul we made a covenant.” Like a covenant. And Rabbi Moses the Priest said: it is like “chazon,” in the manner of prophecy. And what is to be done with the phrase “we made a covenant”? And according to my understanding, “chaze” is the prophet, and so it is: “a covenant of death, and with Saul we made a covenant of chaze,” like a covenant that is made through prophecy.
A scourge that sweeps away. Regarding famine, and the one that is akin to it, namely a scourge, [it is like] a stream that sweeps away.
"For we have made." The meaning is: even though we have made it a lie, and similarly, "Heal my soul, for I have sinned against You" (Psalms 41:5).
Radak
"For you have said: That you have despaired of the calamity and say in a manner of mockery, 'We have made a covenant with death, that it shall not come upon us,' and likewise, 'The rod of the enemy, when it passes through the world, shall not come upon us.'"
“Chozeh.” The term is like “ro’eh,” which we have explained, meaning: We made a vision (or appearance) with him, as one who appears before his adversary to make peace with him.
For we have made falsehood [our refuge], and they are the false prophets:
As for "the shelter of lies," they did not say "lies" and "falsehood," but rather the prophet calls it "the shelter of lies," and these are the words of the false prophets who were assuring them with falsehood.
Sheit. It is written with a yod, and it is read as "shot" with a vav, and the letters aleph, he, vav, and yod are interchangeable.
“עבור” – It is written without a yod, and it is a ketiv; and the qere is “יעבור” with a yod. The meaning is one and the same.
Metzudat David
"For you have said" (Isaiah 28:15). What you have said in mockery: "Behold, we have cut a covenant with death, that it not come upon us before its time, and we will not fear the prophet's threat."
We made a covenant. We established a boundary not to come to Sheol before the appointed time:
A scourge that sweeps away, etc. When the plague that walks through the land passes, it will not come upon us.
"For we have made falsehood our refuge." We took refuge in the shadow of the falsehood, for we were wise enough to say before the blow struck that the Omnipresent had not commanded it to come upon us; and this is a matter of mockery.
And in falsehood we were hidden. The matter is repeated in what is stated:
Metzudat Zion
Sheol. It is the pit of the grave.
"Boundary." The matter of "boundary" is akin to "the boundary of their desire" (Psalms 107:30):
A whip. A staff that strikes, like a whip for a horse (Proverbs 27):
Shoteif. Its meaning is swift walking, and it is borrowed from the term “naḥal ha-shoteif” (the rushing stream):
Malbim
You said, “From the well of their mockery, we have cut off.” The commentator states that death is the messenger of Sheol and destruction, which will cry out, “Enough, enough!” and not be satisfied. And they said that they had cut a covenant with death, that it would not kill them, and as a sign that the covenant would be upheld, they made an agreement with Sheol, which sends death, that it would not desire their death. The allegory is that the king of Egypt is an allegory for death, and the wealth found in the land is an allegory for Sheol, for it is Sheol that sends death upon them; because He desires their wealth to plunder their spoils, He comes to destroy their land. And they cut a covenant with the king of Egypt, and they had no reason to fear that he would return and break his covenant by setting his eye on their wealth, for their wealth itself was the witness and the sign for the maintenance of the covenant, for they had already sent all their treasures and wealth to him as a gift (as it is stated below, [chapter] 30: “they shall carry their wealth on the shoulders of young asses”). And in this they trusted in the aid of the king of Egypt, that even if a sweeping flood would pass, even if it were a general scourge that destroyed lands, and even if it would pass through lands, nevertheless it would not come to us, for we have made a broken cistern our storehouse. A lie is greater than a broken cistern, for a broken cistern is truth in its time, only that it does not endure, whereas a lie has no reality even in its time. And a hiding place is greater than a shelter, and he said, by way of mockery, that they attributed to themselves a small shelter in the broken cistern, and the lie, which has no substance at all, they thought would be for them a hiding place and a great strength against the enemy. The allegory is that they trusted in Egypt and took refuge in it, and he desired to help them, but he was to them like a broken cistern and could not save them in the end. And they also trusted in Assyria, to whom they gave a gift and a bribe, and they considered this a great hiding place, and this was an immediate lie, for his heart was against them for evil.
Therefore thus says the Lord Hashem: Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, A tried stone, a costly corner-stone of sure foundation; He that believes shall not make haste.
verse value 2935
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 64 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "thus" (כֹּ֤ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·one·who·believes" (הַֽמַּאֲמִ֖ין, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 110: foundation, foundation. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "testing" (בֹּ֜חַן), "the·one·who·believes" (הַֽמַּאֲמִ֖ין), "hasten" (יָחִֽישׁ). The root יסד appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "not" (root לא, 286x in Isaiah); "said" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'stone', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 9 words.
Rashi
“Behold, I have laid the foundation.” The term is in the past tense, like “the king laid the foundation” (Megillah 1a), and thus it must be interpreted accordingly: “Behold” refers to what has already been established. (“In Zion a stone already”) The decree was issued beforehand, and I have appointed a king, the Messiah, who will be in Zion as a tried stone (even bochan) — a term of fortress and strength, like “the Ophel and the tower (bachan)” (below, 32:14), and like “they raised their siege-towers (bachunav)” (above, 23:13).
“Established, established.” The first instance serves as an introduction, because it is attached to “the established of the established” (mosad), which is a fully established institution.
"The one who believes should not hasten." "The one who believes" in this matter should not be hasty; he should not say, "If it is true, it will hasten to come."
Ibn Ezra
Therefore. I have established. An adjectival noun from the heavy binyan, on the pattern of "avad" (perished), and behold, similar to it is "yotze" (goes out), and "I praised the dead" (Ecclesiastes 4:2):
"Stone of testing." Just as it says, "hill and tower" (Isaiah 34:14), and the meaning is that Zion shall be exalted above the king of Assyria.
“Corner of a precious foundation.” The first word, “corner,” is like “foundation,” and “precious” is adjacent to it. The second “mussad” is a passive participle of the added heavy conjugation [Hof'al], on the pattern of “mutzav artzah — set up on the earth.” Therefore, the samekh is dagesh-ed to absorb the doubling.
"A faithful man does not hasten. For this prophecy will be fulfilled only after many days:"
Radak
Therefore, thus says the Lord. He established there a description, and even though it is a patach, it says, "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone," and he is the King. He compared him to a large stone that one places as the foundation of a building. And likewise, the corners of the house are made from large stones to sustain the building. And it says that a good king will reign in Zion, so that Zion will be saved through him from the enemy, and he is Hezekiah, who will return the people in repentance and eradicate the wicked. And the meaning of "bochan" is a fortress, from "they raised their siege-towers (bachunav)" (Isaiah 23:13), [and] "the Ophel and the tower (bachan)" (Isaiah 32:14).
Yekarat. A noun, like yakar, and the letter tav takes the place of a he, and it is not adjacent [to the preceding word], as we explained in the word tzitzit.
“Established, established.” The first instance is a noun, and the second is a verb, which is dagesh-ed and written with a vav. Its meaning is: “A strong foundation among the foundations shall this foundation be.” This refers to Hezekiah, who is “the faithful one.” “The faithful one shall not hasten”—since most of the people did not believe the words of the prophet during the days of Ahaz, therefore it says: “The faithful one who is among you shall not hasten and rush to see this prophecy; nevertheless, he shall surely see it. And if it does not occur very soon, it shall not be far off.”
Metzudat David
"Therefore. Since there are among you men who mock the words of prophecy, a time will come when they will receive their due reward, as he concludes and continues:"
"Behold, I lay the foundation." Behold, I am He who from of old decreed and established that there shall be in Zion a king strong as a stone; and concerning Hezekiah it shall be said:
A testing stone. This stone shall be for them a fortress:
“Corner of precious stone.” It shall be like a precious stone set in the corner of the building, so that it will be visible from one side and from the other side.
“Established, established.” It shall be like the unique foundation among the foundations.
"The believer shall not hasten." This is because most of them did not believe the words of the prophet during the days of Ahaz. Therefore, it says: "The believer in My words shall not hasten to see the matter," meaning he shall not think in his heart that the matter will occur now, for it will not occur until after a period of time.
Metzudat Zion
Bochan. The meaning is a strong fortress, as in "they built its towers" (above 23).
Pinnat (corner). From the root panah, meaning to turn, and the word for corners.
Yekarah. From the word "yakar," meaning precious and important.
Musad. From the root yasad:
Yachish. The matter of speed, as in "He will hasten his work" (above, 5).
Malbim
Therefore, (this prophecy extends until chapter 29, verse 9, and its content is as follows: Initially, it relates that King Hezekiah will rebel against the Assyrian kingdom (16), and their trust in Egypt will not stand (17-18), and Assyria will pass through their land (18-19); but ultimately, it will fall (19-21). Based on this, He spoke to them words of rebuke (23-29). Then, He returns to recount the troubles that will befall them first through the King of Assyria (chapter 29, verses 1-4) and his ultimate downfall (verses 5-9). With this, we will elucidate the verses) “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,” He compares, in His figurative speech, that the House of Judah was destroyed and ruined, and the Lord will begin to rebuild it anew, and He will first lay a stone for the foundations upon which the house will be built, and this is King Hezekiah (and His figurative speech is also limited in contrast to what is said, “And the refuge of waters will be poured out like rain,” meaning the refuge of waters will be removed from its place, and in opposition to it, a faithful house will be built for the House of Judah). “A tested stone,” He depicts three aspects in this stone: A. From the perspective of its substance, it will be a testing stone and strong, which has been tested and tried, being a good stone, not composed of earth and sand and foreign parts. B. From the perspective of its value and form, after they place it as the cornerstone, it will be a precious stone, like a sapphire and a carbuncle, so that it may be a precious corner. C. From the perspective of its purpose, it will be a sure foundation, upon which all the foundations will be placed; it will be the foundation of foundations, and it will support the entire building. The metaphorical meaning is that this king, from his own perspective, will be tested and tried to be a perfectly righteous man, clean from desires and pure in thoughts. B. From the perspective of his lineage, after he becomes the cornerstone, he will be from the precious seed of the House of David. C. That he will be the foundation of foundations, he will clothe himself with counsel and might, and he will begin to save Israel. Whoever believes in this matter will not hasten or rush, for this will not happen immediately, for first many troubles will pass.
And I will make justice the line, And righteousness the plummet; And the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, And the waters shall overflow the hiding-place.
verse value 4026
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 49 letters. The shortest word is "to·line" (לְקָ֔ו, 3 letters) and the longest is "for·plummet" (לְמִשְׁקָ֑לֶת, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "for·plummet" (לְמִשְׁקָ֑לֶת), "and·will·sweep" (וְיָעָ֤ה), "overflowed" (יִשְׁטֹֽפוּ). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "judgment" (root משפט, 42x in Isaiah); "water" (root מים, 41x in Isaiah); "and·I·will·put" (root שום, 40x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'for·plummet', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 7 words. Full calculation: וְשַׂמְתִּ֤י [and·I·will·put] (756) + מִשְׁפָּט֙ [judgment] (429) + לְקָ֔ו [to·line] (136) + וּצְדָקָ֖ה [and·righteousness] (205) + לְמִשְׁקָ֑לֶת [for·plummet] (900) + וְיָעָ֤ה [and·will·sweep] (91) + בָרָד֙ [hail] (206) + מַחְסֵ֣ה [refuge] (113) + כָזָ֔ב [lie] (29) + וְסֵ֥תֶר [and·hiding-place] (666) + מַ֖יִם [water] (90) + יִשְׁטֹֽפוּ [overflowed] (405) = 4026.
Rashi
“And I will set My judgment as a line.” Before the King comes upon you with decrees to destroy the sinners among you, “I will set My judgment” — His chastisement — “as a line,” meaning that I will set a line of the measure of chastisement to bring upon you. And “I will set righteousness as a plummet,” meaning that righteousness will be the weight that straightens the builders building the walls; namely, righteousness will go before them and straighten their paths, so that the sinners will be exhausted and the righteous will remain.
“And the hail shall sweep away the shelter of falsehood.” That covering which you said, namely that we placed falsehood as our shelter, the hail shall come and sweep it away. And “cover” (ויעה) is a term denoting sweeping, like [the expression] “the shovels” (היעים) [in I Kings 6:1], which are those in which they shovel the ashes of the altars.
"a hiding place." You stated regarding it, "And in falsehood we were hidden, the waters will wash it away," meaning that I will bring a multitude (of nations) that will break their monuments and their idols. And the legal term used here is "yoshtitz" in the vernacular.
Ibn Ezra
“And I will set.” This is a metaphor referring to the measuring line and plumb line of the builders, because it states, “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone.” And there are those who say that the “stone” is a metaphor for Hezekiah.
"And he smote with hail." From the root of "to strike" (יעה), and behold, "hail" is the agent, for "he smote" is an active verb, and the meaning of "hail" is an allegory for the king of Assyria.
Machseh. It carries over to what follows, thus: “and a hiding-place of refuge [from] the waters [when] they sweep through”; or else the word “these” is lacking.
Radak
"And I will set." By means of this king whom I will raise up, I will establish justice as a plumb line, not as it is now, when there is no justice, no kindness, and no knowledge of God in the land. But in the days of this king, justice will be in a straight line, like the line that they stretch out to straighten the building. And like the plumb line, which is the stone of lead or tin that they pass over the building to see if it is straight, and according to that plumb line they straighten the building; so too will righteousness be in a straight line.
“To the plummet (le-mishkalet).” A noun, on the pattern of “mishmeret”; and because of the etnach, the qof takes a qamats.
“Yi’eh barad” – The enemy is compared to hail and to sweeping waters, as it was stated above: “like a mighty flood of waters sweeping by.” “Yi’eh” is from the root of “ya’im,” which are the gutters by which a person cleanses his house. That falsehood they were saying, “We have made falsehood our refuge,” the hail will remove that refuge. And that false shelter you said, “In a shelter we have hidden ourselves,” that shelter the waters will sweep away. This is an allusion to the camp of Assyria, which will come like mighty sweeping waters, as it was stated above: “the mighty and numerous waters of the river.” And it says, “And He passed through Judah, sweeping and passing over,” etc., as it says, “And He went up upon all the fortified cities of Judah and seized them.” Then the wicked ones in Judah, who had made their shelter and refuge falsehood and deceit, were swept away.
Metzudat David
And I will set a measure for their punishment. Then I will return the recompense of their deeds, and I will set a measure of suffering for these wicked ones according to the measure of their sin. That is to say, like something measured with a line—no less and no more.
And righteousness shall be a plummet. And to the righteous I will do righteousness according to the weight of their righteousness, for in the days of Hezekiah, Sennacherib will conquer the fortified cities of Judah and kill the wicked, but the righteous will remain and receive the good.
"And the hail was heavy." In response to what they said, "For our fat is like a false storehouse," he says that the hail will be heavy and will sweep away the false storehouse. That is to say, Sennacherib the smiter will not turn to the words of falsehood.
"And He will hide." In response to what they said, "In falsehood we have hidden ourselves," He said that the waters will sweep away the hiding place of falsehood. This means that Sennacherib will not turn to falsehood. And He repeated this matter in what is written:
Metzudat Zion
Likku. Its meaning is: a measuring cord.
ויעה. The meaning is "sweeping" and "cleaning," and it is a word from "and the vessels" (Exodus 38), which are the vessels made to sweep and to remove the ashes.
Malbim
"And I will establish" – After having depicted the foundation of the building, He begins to depict the building itself. Behold, the custom of builders is that after they lay the cornerstone, they measure the length and width of the building with a measuring line. And after they build in height, they hold in their hand a plumb line and a weighted stone to see whether the wall is even in its height. In accordance with this, it is said that the judgment between man and his fellow, which they are to perform at that time, will be the line; according to it, the building—which is the House of Judah—will be extended in length and breadth. And charity, which is the slight matter between man and the Divine, will be the weight, according to which the building will rise in height, directly before those seated in the heavens. (And it hints that through judgment they will succeed in a natural manner, and through charity they will succeed through wondrous providence from above, beyond nature.) "And I will establish" – After they build a fortress-like structure, they will abolish the shelter that has no substance, and they will not trust in Assyria and Egypt. "And a flood of waters shall sweep them away" – Hail breaks [things] and leaves them in their place, but waters sweep [things] away and carry the matter off. And it hints that the shelter upon which they relied more will be abolished even more, until no trace of it remains at all.
And your covenant with death shall be disannulled And your agreement with the nether-world shall not stand; When the scouring scourge shall pass through, Then you shall be trodden down by it,
verse value 5526
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 60 letters. Notable word values: "by·it" (ל֖וֹ) = 36, double chai. Verse gematria: 5526 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·your·appearance" (וְחָזוּתְכֶ֥ם, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·will·be·covered" (וְכֻפַּ֤ר), "your·covenant" (בְּרִֽיתְכֶם֙), "and·your·appearance" (וְחָזוּתְכֶ֥ם). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 286x in Isaiah); "when" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah); "and·you·shall·be" (root היה, 213x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'will·rise', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 7 words. Full calculation: וְכֻפַּ֤ר [and·will·be·covered] (306) + בְּרִֽיתְכֶם֙ [your·covenant] (672) + אֶת־מָ֔וֶת [with·death] (847) + וְחָזוּתְכֶ֥ם [and·your·appearance] (487) + אֶת־שְׁא֖וֹל [with·the·nether-world] (738) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + תָק֑וּם [will·rise] (546) + שׁ֤וֹט [whip] (315) + שׁוֹטֵף֙ [washing] (395) + כִּ֣י [when] (30) + יַֽעֲבֹ֔ר [will·pass] (282) + וִהְיִ֥יתֶם [and·you·shall·be] (471) + ל֖וֹ [by·it] (36) + לְמִרְמָֽס [for·trampling-place] (370) = 5526.
Rashi
"And your covenant with death shall be annulled"—and the covenant that you said you had cut with death shall be annulled. Every instance of the term "atonement" (kippur) denotes wiping away and removing a matter; likewise, [the verse states], "I shall wipe away His face" (Genesis 32:22).
And your covenant. Which you said, "we have made a covenant with Sheol."
A scourge that sweeps away. As it is said, “It shall not come upon you, and you shall be to it a trampling place.”
Ibn Ezra
"Ve-kippēr." Like "And a wise man will make atonement for it" (Proverbs 16:14), in the sense of destruction and removal.
[And your seeing Sheol]. And the covenant of your seeing with Sheol:
And the letter vav in "ve-hayitem" is like a peh with a rafe (i.e., unspirantized) in the language of Ishmael, and similarly in "on the third day, Avraham lifted up his eyes" (Genesis 22:4).
Radak
And it shall make atonement. It shall be nullified and removed, as it is said: "But a wise man shall make atonement for it."
And your sight. You said, "We have made a covenant," but it will not stand as you thought. Similarly, "a sweeping flood"—you said, "It will not come upon us," but it will not be as you said; rather, you will become a trampled thing for it.
Metzudat David
"And it shall make atonement," etc. In response to their statement, "We have made a covenant with death," He said, "Then the covenant shall be removed and abolished, for it shall come upon you."
"And you shall see..." – In response to their statement, "We have made a pact for ourselves with Sheol," He said: The boundary that you established with the dead shall not stand; for thus you shall come to the dead.
“Whipping, sweeping, etc.” In response to what they said, “Whipping, etc., shall not come upon you,” He said: “Just as the scourge that walks about shall pass over, so shall you be trampled underfoot, for it shall come upon you and trample you.”
Metzudat Zion
And it atones. The matter is one of removal and nullification, as it is said: "A wise man will atone for it" (Proverbs 16:14).
And your appearance. The word is derived from the root of "region" and "boundary."
"It shall not stand." – This means: "It shall not endure."
“to trample.” The matter of treading with the foot:
Malbim
"And it shall be annulled," and consequently their covenant with Assyria and Egypt will be broken, and they will become a trampling for the camp of Assyria, which will pass through the land of Judah.
As often as it passes through, it shall take you; For morning by morning shall it pass through, By day and by night; And it shall be sheer terror to understand the message.
verse value 2874
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 57 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָיָ֥ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "from·enough·of" (מִדֵּ֤י, 3 letters) and the longest is "for·in·the·morning" (כִּֽי־בַבֹּ֧קֶר, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "for·in·the·morning" (כִּֽי־בַבֹּ֧קֶר), "and·in·the·night" (וּבַלָּ֑יְלָה), "only·terror" (רַק־זְוָעָ֖ה). The root עבר appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·shall·be" (root היה, 213x in Isaiah); "in·the·day" (root יום, 124x in Isaiah); "to·understand" (root בין, 43x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root די ("from·enough·of") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·in·the·night', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 4 words. Full calculation: מִדֵּ֤י [from·enough·of] (54) + עׇבְרוֹ֙ [its·passing] (278) + יִקַּ֣ח [he·shall·take] (118) + אֶתְכֶ֔ם [you] (461) + כִּֽי־בַבֹּ֧קֶר [for·in·the·morning] (334) + בַּבֹּ֛קֶר [in·the·morning] (304) + יַעֲבֹ֖ר [will·pass] (282) + בַּיּ֣וֹם [in·the·day] (58) + וּבַלָּ֑יְלָה [and·in·the·night] (83) + וְהָיָ֥ה [and·it·shall·be] (26) + רַק־זְוָעָ֖ה [only·terror] (388) + הָבִ֥ין [to·understand] (67) + שְׁמוּעָֽה [report] (421) = 2874.
Rashi
"In the morning, in the morning"—that is to say, frequently, frequently I will bring decrees upon you.
And it shall be only that those who hear the news will be terrified. "Terrified" – for all who hear, in order to understand the harsh calamities that I will bring upon you; all who hear will be terrified.
Ibn Ezra
Midi. "For the river that flows will carry you away:"
“Zoea.” It is not like “ze’oh” (Deuteronomy 28:25), which is reversed when the Rabbis separate it; rather, it is from the root of “lo za’am mimenu” (Esther 5:9), and the vav comes in the middle like the vav in “mavet,” and the meaning is that he will fear whoever understands your news, what has happened to you.
Radak
From the time it passes. From the moment that lash passes, it will take you:
"For morning by morning it shall pass." This means that every day and every day, for from the time they set out to come to the Land of Israel, they did not rest by day or by night, as it is stated above, "He shall neither slumber nor sleep." And what is meant by "morning by morning"? The camp was traveling by day and by night, but they were not visible at night; rather, they were visible only each morning, in the land through which they were coming toward Jerusalem.
“And it shall be only that the rumor shall be heard.” When they will understand his rumor, they will be shaken, tremble, and fear from it; for now they do not believe.
Zoa. Movement, as in “He neither arose nor stirred from it,” for the one who is afraid will tremble, quake, and his body will move.
Metzudat David
"Whenever it passes." Whenever the sweeping rod passes, it will take you along with it.
"For in the morning." In every morning He will pass over you, and thereafter He will constantly come, both by day and by night.
"And it shall be..." – One who pays attention to understand the tidings of calamity will not find his heart at ease; rather, it will be filled with trembling and dread.
Metzudat Zion
Medi. Just as "matai" [when], so too "medi" [whenever], as it is stated: "Whenever I speak of him" (Jeremiah 31:20):
Zoa. The meaning is trembling and fear, as in “on the day that the keepers of the house shall tremble” (Ecclesiastes 12:3):
Malbim
From the time he passed through, at every time that he passes he will take you, for at the time that he subdued the nations dwelling in Aram, he entered each time into the land of Judah, those who dwell at the navel of the land. And do not think that he will not pass through constantly, for every morning he will pass through, and he will linger with you by day and by night, and it will be only a trembling. After he recounted the immediate afflictions that he will bring upon them, he says: But know that what I will bring upon you, the king of Assyria, his end will not be to uproot you from your land, as was the case with the ten tribes, for his end will be only a trembling—hearing the report—to terrify and shake you, so that you will understand the report that you will hear from the Lord, so that you will incline your ear to the words of the prophets.
For the bed is too short for a man to stretch himself; And the covering too narrow when he gathers himself up.
verse value 2626
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 30 letters. Verse gematria: 2626 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "narrowed" (צָ֖רָה, 3 letters) and the longest is "than·to·stretch·oneself" (מֵהִשְׂתָּרֵ֑עַ, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "for·is·short" (כִּֽי־קָצַ֥ר), "couch" (הַמַּצָּ֖ע), "than·to·stretch·oneself" (מֵהִשְׂתָּרֵ֑עַ). 6 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'than·to·stretch·oneself', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: כִּֽי־קָצַ֥ר [for·is·short] (420) + הַמַּצָּ֖ע [couch] (205) + מֵהִשְׂתָּרֵ֑עַ [than·to·stretch·oneself] (1015) + וְהַמַּסֵּכָ֥ה [and·a pouring] (136) + צָ֖רָה [narrowed] (295) + כְּהִתְכַּנֵּֽס [when·gathering·oneself] (555) = 2626.
Rashi
For the bed is too short to stretch out upon. For I will bring upon you an enemy who will oppress you, whom you will not be able to serve fully; when he spreads his bed upon you, it will be too short for him to stretch out upon it.
"מהשתרע" – from the stretching out, i.e., from the prostrating oneself to extend his limbs, "Ishstandli" in the vernacular.
"And the covering shall be narrow." The prince who shall rule over you—his place shall be cramped for him when he gathers within it. And our Sages interpreted it regarding idolatry, that Manasseh brought them into the Temple. "The bed is too short to stretch out upon it"—two evils have dominated over it. And I have expounded it according to its plain meaning, and in this manner the Targum translates it. And even the midrash of our Sages can be settled according to the manner of speech, namely: Why do I bring this calamity upon you? Because the bed is too short to stretch out upon it—I alone upon it, as it is stated (1 Kings 8:27), "Behold, the heavens cannot contain You," and all the more so when you bring a covering into My midst; as it were, the place is cramped for Us.
Ibn Ezra
"Ki." The bedding-spread, which is below, in the gallery (yatzia):
Mahashtare’a. From the root meaning to be extended and stretched out, like the phrase “v’shru’a v’kilot” (Leviticus 22:23).
And the covering (hamaskah). Like a cover (mekheh):
“כהתכנס” – This is a verbal noun derived from the root כ.נ.ס, as in the phrase “לך כנוס” (Esther 4:16). The meaning of “כהתכנס” is “when many will gather under her,” and this is a metaphorical expression referring to the people and their rulers.
Radak
“for the couch is too short.” The verb *katsar* is in the past tense, because half of it has a qamats and half has a patach. Similarly, *tzarah* is a past-tense verb, because it is accented on the penultimate syllable. He said this by way of parable: like a person who lies on a couch that is short, and he cannot stretch out his legs and extend himself upon it; and likewise like a person who covers himself while lying down with a covering that is narrow, and he cannot gather himself together and fit underneath it. So too shall it be with Israel, for the camp of Assyria will spread out in their land, and behold, the breadth of their land will become narrow and short, as it is said: “The breadth of your land is filled, for God is with us.” And nothing remained to them of all their land except Jerusalem, and it was narrow and short, such that they could not all gather within it.
"מהשתרע" – from the root שרוע וקלוט, which conveys the meaning of "excess" or "surplus."
As for "when He gathers" (khatichnas): When He wishes to gather under it, He will not be able to. The term "gathers" (hatichnas) refers to the matter of assembly, as in: "The outcasts of Israel shall be gathered" (nedchei Yisrael yichnas).
Metzudat David
"For it is short, etc." The bed upon which he shall lie will be short, so that he will stretch himself out upon it and extend his body with his legs stretched out. This means that their land will be too narrow to contain the full expansion of the multitude of the enemy's forces that are coming.
And the covering is narrow like the gathering in. The covering will be narrow for him when he gathers in to assemble under it with all his limbs, and this is a doubling of the matter in what is stated, "and it will indicate the excess of the matter that his camp will be great," and as it is stated, "and the tents of his wings will be full of the breadth of your land" (above, chapter 8).
Metzudat Zion
The bed. Its meaning is the pillows and coverings placed beneath a person when he lies down, as it is written: “the bed of my couch” (Psalms 132:3).
"מהשתרע" – This denotes an excess and surplus of length, similar to the terms "שרוע" and "קלוט" (Leviticus 22:23).
And the covering. The word is derived from "masach" (covering), and "masach" and "maskah" are similar, as in "and the covering that is poured out" (above 25:).
“Distress.” That is, “constrained.”
"כהתכנס" – Its meaning is gathering, as in "the outcasts of Israel shall be gathered in" (Psalms 147:2).
Malbim
"For the bed is too short" depicts the downfall of Assyria surrounding Jerusalem, like one who brings a guest into his house and lays him on a bed whose sheet beneath him is short in length, and the covering with which he is covered is narrow in width. If he wishes to stretch out his body to its full length, he cannot, because the sheet beneath him is short and he has nothing upon which to place his feet; and if he wishes to draw his feet up toward his body, he cannot, because the covering above him is narrow and he has nothing with which to cover himself from above. The application of this metaphor will be explained in the following verse:
For Hashem will rise up as in mount Perazim, He will be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon; That He may do His work, strange is His work, And bring to pass His act, strange is His act.
verse value 4656
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 69 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֤י, 2 letters) and the longest is "like·mount·Perazim" (כְהַר־פְּרָצִים֙, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 482: his·service, his·service. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "like·mount·Perazim" (כְהַר־פְּרָצִים֙), "as·valley" (כְּעֵ֖מֶק), "in·Gibeon" (בְּגִבְע֣וֹן). The root מעשה appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "for" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah); "to·do" (root עשה, 101x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'tremble', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 8 words.
Rashi
"Like Mount Perazim": Targum Jonathan renders it as "the mountains trembled," [meaning] that just as the Glory of the Lord was revealed in the days of King Uzziah, and in the miracles performed for Joshua at Gibeon, etc., so too will [the Divine Presence] be revealed to take vengeance upon the deeds [of the wicked], etc.
“Alien is His doing.” It may seem to you as alien, for when severe retribution comes upon you,
"To serve His service" – to perform His work, like the work of the land, *Bauer* in the vernacular.
Ibn Ezra
"For as Mount Perets." This is the one known from the wars of David (2 Samuel 5:20), which was called Baal-Perets because the Philistines slew him suddenly, by a wondrous act; or [it refers] to the Valley [of Gibeon], which is in Gibeon.
[“Yirgaz”]. Just as the sun and the moon stood still (Joshua 10:12), so too will God wage a strange war for Israel, like which has never been heard.
A non-Jew’s idolatry. It is doubled in meaning, as is the rule:
Radak
“For as Mount Perazim.” Like the battle in which David fought the Philistines at Baal-Perazim, where there was a mountain, as it is written, “And they went up to Baal-Perazim.” And that event was a great miracle, for David struck them with the people who were with him at that time, and all the Philistines had gathered against them. And David said, “The Lord has broken through my enemies before me like a breaking forth of waters,” meaning that this came from the Lord. And just as that deed was great, in which the Lord arose and fought against them, so too will He now arise and fight against Israel. And just as in Joshua’s battle at Gibeon, which was a great miracle, and he said, “And the Lord threw them into confusion,” so too will the Lord now throw Israel into confusion, and they will have no strength to stand against their foes. And what he said, “as the Valley of Gibeon,” means: just as He did in the Valley of Aijalon and at Gibeon.
"To do his deed, a foreigner is his deed." When he rises to do his deed, he is a foreigner among Israel. And they said, "a foreigner is his deed," because he has not done such a thing since yesterday or the day before. And the matter is repeated in different words, for "foreigner" and "alien" are one, and "his deed" and "his service" are one, as in the Targum, where "deed" is rendered as "avda" (act/service). And our Sages of blessed memory explained "a foreigner is his deed" to mean that at Har Perutz and in Gibeon, he rose to aid Israel in taking vengeance on their enemies, but now it will be the opposite, for now he will take vengeance on Israel. And the Targum renders the verse: "Thus, ari (i.e., the Aramaic word for "for/because")..."
Metzudat David
“Like Mount Perazim.” This is similar to the time of David’s war against the Philistines at Baal-Perazim, which is situated on a mountain, as it is stated, “And he went up to Baal-Perazim” (I Chronicles 14). There, the Philistines were destroyed suddenly, and he said, “So may the Lord arise to destroy them suddenly from the face of the earth.”
“Like the valley of Gibeon.” Just as during the wars of Joshua against the Amorites in the valley of Gibeon, they were fought against from heaven, as it is stated: “And the Lord hurled large stones upon them from heaven” (Joshua 10:11), so too will the Lord tremble against them and fight against them.
to carry out His act. To take vengeance from them:
"His deed is strange." The deed shall be strange; that is to say, a matter that He did not do with them recently.
"And to serve, etc." This is a duplication of the idea expressed in the phrase "for it is a service," where "service" corresponds to "deed" and "foreigner" corresponds to "stranger," and they have a single explanation.
Metzudat Zion
"ירגז" (yirgez): Its meaning is "rogaz" (רוגז) and "kaas" (כעס), i.e., anger and wrath.
"And to serve His service." The Targum renders "ma'aseh" (deed) as "uvda."
Malbim
For as Mount Perets, the Lord will bring upon the enemy judgments from above and from below; from beneath him the earth will tremble with an earthquake, and the Lord will rise up against him as He rose up at Mount Perets, where the mountain was breached by the earthquake of the earth, and it cracked and moved from its place. And this is the meaning of the simile “the bed is too short to stretch out on,” that the bed beneath them, which is the earth, will not be able to expand for him to flee upon, for all around him it will be full of breaches and cracks from the earthquake of the earth. And regarding “and the covering is too narrow to wrap oneself in,” it says that if he wishes to enclose himself and stand crowded in his place, behold, like the Valley of Gibeon it will tremble, that He will rain upon him hailstones and fire from above, as He rained upon the Canaanite in the Valley of Gibeon (Joshua 10), and there will be no covering from above to protect him from the hail. In such a way that he will be able neither to flee nor to remain in his place. To perform his deed, the statements are restrictive: “As Mount Perets He will rise up” to perform his deed, which will be strange and a thing not customary, even though an earthquake of the earth is a natural matter; and “like the Valley of Gibeon it will tremble” to perform its service, which is a foreign service, for the raining of fire from the heavens is a thing supernatural, and concerning this they called it “service,” and it will not occur at all in reality, and concerning this they called it “foreign” (as stated in the explanation of the words).
Cross-references: Exodus 10:1; II Samuel 5:19; I Chronicles 14:9
Now therefore be you not scoffers, Lest your bands be made strong; For an extermination wholly determined have I heard from the Lord, the God of hosts, Upon the whole land.
verse value 4912
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 67 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִ֛ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "from" (מֵאֵ֨ת, 3 letters) and the longest is "be·not·scoffers" (אַל־תִּתְלוֹצָ֔צוּ, 9 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "be·not·scoffers" (אַל־תִּתְלוֹצָ֔צוּ), "lest·they·be·strong" (פֶּֽן־יֶחְזְק֖וּ), "your·bands" (מֽוֹסְרֵיכֶ֑ם). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "for·complete·destruction" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah); "upon·all·the·land" (root ארץ, 169x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·bands', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 8 words. Full calculation: וְעַתָּה֙ [now] (481) + אַל־תִּתְלוֹצָ֔צוּ [be·not·scoffers] (1053) + פֶּֽן־יֶחְזְק֖וּ [lest·they·be·strong] (261) + מֽוֹסְרֵיכֶ֑ם [your·bands] (376) + כִּֽי־כָלָ֨ה [for·complete·destruction] (85) + וְנֶחֱרָצָ֜ה [and·determined] (359) + שָׁמַ֗עְתִּי [I·have·heard] (820) + מֵאֵ֨ת [from] (441) + אֲדֹנָ֧י [my·lord] (65) + יֱהֹוִ֛ה [Hashem] (26) + צְבָא֖וֹת [hosts] (499) + עַל־כׇּל־הָאָֽרֶץ [upon·all·the·land] (446) = 4912.
Rashi
And now, do not mock. After we have cut the covenant with death:
Your reproofs. Afflictions:
Ibn Ezra
"And now. Your reproofs. Reprimands:"
And it was decreed. A decree that was cut off, like "you have cut off" (1 Kings 20:40):
Radak
"And now, do not mock." Just as it is said of them, "men of mockery," and in many instances the verb appears in the hitpa'el conjugation, such as "metanakesh b'nafshi" (scheming against my soul), "metadpekim al ha-delet" (knocking on the door), and similar expressions, the chet and zayin are strengthened with a shva.
“Your chastisements”: Your sufferings. He said: Take heed to yourselves that you no longer mock the words of the Lord, lest your sufferings become more severe. Everything is according to your deeds, for the calamity is destined to come, for I have heard from the Lord that it is complete and decreed. “Complete” means that it will be decreed; that is, it will be final. And similarly, “a complete destruction” means a final destruction.
Metzudat David
"Do not mock." This teaches that one who speaks in a mocking tone, saying, "We have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol we have made an agreement..."
“Lest your chastisements be strengthened.” Lest the chastisements prepared for you be strengthened.
For the destruction, etc. – I have heard from the Lord that destruction and cutting off will come upon the entire land; therefore, do not mock.
Metzudat Zion
"tattalatzu" (you shall mock). The word is derived from "latz" (a mocker):
"Your reproofs." The word is derived from the root of "afflictions."
Kallah. The word is derived from the root meaning “destruction” (keliyah).
And it was decreed. The meaning of "cutting" (keritah) is like "desolations were decreed" (Daniel 9:26):
Malbim
And now, in this time, do not mock, you men of mockery, lest your reproofs be stronger in your sin, for I have heard that the Lord brings ruin, and this ruin has been decreed and ordained by the Lord:
Give you ear, and hear my voice; attend, and hear my speech.
verse value 2143
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 31 letters. The shortest word is "my·voice" (קוֹלִ֑י, 4 letters) and the longest is "give·ear" (הַאֲזִ֥ינוּ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 422: and·hear, and·hear. The root שמע appears 2 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·hear" (root שמע, 106x in Isaiah); "my·voice" (root קול, 35x in Isaiah); "give·ear" (root אזן, 28x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root אמרה ("my·word") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'my·voice', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: הַאֲזִ֥ינוּ [give·ear] (79) + וְשִׁמְע֖וּ [and·hear] (422) + קוֹלִ֑י [my·voice] (146) + הַקְשִׁ֥יבוּ [hearken] (423) + וְשִׁמְע֖וּ [and·hear] (422) + אִמְרָתִֽי [my·word] (651) = 2143.
Ibn Ezra
"Give ear, and hear my voice." "And hear my speech" - the meaning is "voice."
Radak
"Hear, O heavens!" He said to them by way of parable, and He told them to give ear to it and to heed it. He repeated the matter with different words in order to strengthen the matter.
Metzudat David
"Give ear." Turn your ear and listen to the voice of My words.
“Hearken, etc.” The matter is doubled in what is stated:
Malbim
“Give ear, and hear my voice; attend, and hear my speech”: The prophet begins with a parable in his speech, to express his opinion, how the afflictions that come upon the nation as a whole, or upon a single individual in particular, are necessary by the nature of creation; without them, man would not attain the perfection that is within his power to achieve. And they are all mandated by the Higher Wisdom to serve as means leading the collective to its general end, which is human perfection, and the individual person to his particular end, each according to his deeds and his true happiness. And this parable is divided into two parts: the first part (verses 24–26) speaks of the general afflictions that come for the sake of the end of the species in its entirety; and the second part (verses 27–29) speaks of afflictions that come upon specific individuals for the sake of a specific personal end. Regarding the first, it says, “Give ear, and hear my voice”; and regarding the second, it says, “attend, and hear my speech,” for therein He speaks a particular utterance to particular individuals (and see the commentary on the words).
Is the plowman never done with plowing to sow, With the opening and harrowing of his ground?
verse value 2727
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 33 letters. The shortest word is "all" (הֲכֹ֣ל, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·harrows" (וִֽישַׂדֵּ֖ד, 5 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "will·cut·in" (יַחֲרֹ֥שׁ), "and·harrows" (וִֽישַׂדֵּ֖ד), "his·ground" (אַדְמָתֽוֹ). The root חרש appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "day" (root יום, 124x in Isaiah); "all" (root כל, 93x in Isaiah); "to·sow" (root זרע, 33x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·sow', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. Full calculation: הֲכֹ֣ל [all] (55) + הַיּ֔וֹם [day] (61) + יַחֲרֹ֥שׁ [will·cut·in] (518) + הַחֹרֵ֖שׁ [that·plows] (513) + לִזְרֹ֑עַ [to·sow] (307) + יְפַתַּ֥ח [opens] (498) + וִֽישַׂדֵּ֖ד [and·harrows] (324) + אַדְמָתֽוֹ [his·ground] (451) = 2727.
Rashi
"All this day" – this is an expression of wonder; therefore, it is pointed with a chataf patach.
“Yicharosh.” One who plows in order to sow. And does one plow for all eternity in order to sow? If so, what good would it accomplish? Likewise, the prophets admonish you to return you to what is good. Do they admonish for all eternity without accomplishing anything?
“Yiftach v’ishdad adamato.” And does it mean that one never plants, but rather always breaks up the soil with plows and other plowing implements? “V’ishdad” is the term for fieldwork. “Yiftach v’ishdad”: At first he makes wide furrows, and in the end he makes narrow furrows. In the Midrash of Rabbi Tanḥuma, it is explained:
Ibn Ezra
"All." The reason is that the plowman prepares the ground repeatedly, and then sows, and the earth, by its natural property, produces the crop.
Yiftach v’yeshaded. “He will repair the field,” like “Jacob will repair for himself” (Hosea 10:11), and the meaning is double:
Radak
All the day the plowman shall plow. How are the judgments of God and His commandments, which come through the prophets, comparable to the laws of plowing and sowing? We will first explain the parable, and afterward we will explain the moral. The plowman says: “I plow my field in order to sow it; I plow all day long. I do nothing else. What do I do after I have plowed for part of the day? I open the yoke, unyoke my oxen, and I break up the clods of earth.” That is to say, I crush the clods. And this is what is meant by “and he shall break up the clods”: he goes through the field and crushes the clods wherever he finds them.
Metzudat David
"All day long." He began with a parable and said: Does the plowman plow all day long in order to prepare the field for sowing?
Yiftach. It is construed as referring to the entire day, to say: Does the earth open up with the plowshare and crush the clods of soil all day long?
Metzudat Zion
Yiftach. The word is derived from the root meaning “opening.”
"וישדד" – The meaning is the crushing of clods of earth. And similarly, "if he shall plow up valleys after you" (Job 39:10). And it is possible that the word is derived from the root of "field," meaning that he prepares the field.
Malbim
"All is today" begins to speak about the afflictions that come upon the nation as a whole, for they are necessary by the nature of creation. Just as it is inevitable that many illnesses and pains pass over every human being during the days of growth and development, such as the time of teething and the like, so too this is under Divine providence, in order that man may recognize that there is another world, and that he was created for a final, exalted purpose higher than the initial perfection, which is the perfection of this world. As I have explained this in Chovot HaLevavot, Sha'ar HaKeni'ah (The Gate of Submission), so it was necessary to bring upon the entire Jewish nation, whom He chose as His special treasure, many illnesses and afflictions. Through them they were refined like silver in a furnace, to remove from them the dross of desires and types of materiality and their guardians, and to strengthen the powers of intellect and soul. This was the purpose of the exile in Egypt and the other exiles, as I have explained in my own work on the Torah in many places.
Now, the Seer (the prophet) raised a very fitting parable on this matter from the nature of plowing and sowing. For it is known that among the sages and philosophers, the soul is likened to a field plot, which its sowing will cause to grow. Just as the field has the potential to produce fruit of grain if its work is done, so too the soul has the potential and is prepared to attain understanding and acquire happiness if the seed of wisdom and knowledge is sown in it. And just as the earth, if one does not engage in it with plowing and sowing, will bear thorns, so too the soul that is not plowed and sown, or if it is full of thorns and thistles, will not bear fruit. As it is written: "Plow up for yourselves" (Jeremiah 4:3), and "I passed by the field of a lazy man" (Proverbs 23).
Now, the work of the earth is divided into two matters: plowing and sowing. So it will be with the work of the plot of the soul. Now, plowing in the work of the earth contains three aspects, which the prophet details here, as it says: "He shall plow, he shall break open, and he shall harrow."
1. To remove the thorns and thistles and other things that hinder the growth of the grain. This is what is meant by "he shall plow," as it says: "Plow up for yourselves and do not sow among thorns."
2. To open the earth so that it may contain the seed. This is what is meant by "he shall break open."
3. To crush and grind the clods so that it becomes a field. This is what is meant by "he shall harrow."
And these three matters are required in the plowing of the soul. For since man is born like a wild donkey, behold, before it is prepared to contain the seed of wisdom and morality, it is necessary:
1. To remove the thorns and thistles, which are the desires and bad imaginations that the imagination has brought into it and which are aroused in the days of childhood. As long as these grow on the soil of the soul, the precious seeds, which are wisdom and morality, cannot grow and bear fruit, for the bad desires will pierce them and destroy them.
2. It is necessary to open the innate powers of the soul through good character traits and moral imaginations, so that it may be prepared to receive the seed of wisdom.
3. To crush the clods and plots of rocks and stones that cannot be worked or sown. And all of this is achieved through the afflictions that the Lord will bring upon the nation as a whole, to subdue the powers of materiality, to remove desires and bad character traits, and to humble all the powers of the soul, to subdue them and crush them in the mortar within the furnace.
Now, in any case, just as the one who plows the earth, after the plowing, is only preparing to reach through it the goal, which is the sowing—surely he will not plow forever, for inevitably he will attain the goal, which is the sowing—so too the afflictions that the Lord will bring upon the nation, after they are only means to the desired goal of preparing the soul to receive the seed of wisdom and fear of Heaven, inevitably they will not be eternal. Rather, through them He will attain the goal of returning the people in repentance, and then the afflictions will cease. On this he raised his parable to say: "All is today, the plowman plows to sow." For behold, the plowman who only weeds and digs the ground, for whom plowing is his final goal, can plow always. But the plowman who plows to sow, whose goal is the sowing, "All is today" he plows, breaks open, and harrows—which are the three aspects of plowing as mentioned above—not so.
When he has made plain the face thereof, Does he not cast abroad the black cummin, and scatter the cummin, And put in the wheat in rows and the barley in the appointed place And the spelt in the border thereof?
verse value 3988
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 58 letters. The shortest word is "black cummin" (קֶ֖צַח, 3 letters) and the longest is "when·he·has·leveled" (אִם־שִׁוָּ֣ה, 5 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "when·he·has·leveled" (אִם־שִׁוָּ֣ה), "he·shall·dash" (יִזְרֹ֑ק), "wheat" (חִטָּ֤ה). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "is·it·not" (root לא, 286x in Isaiah); "her·face" (root פנים, 88x in Isaiah); "and·will·name" (root שם, 83x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root שוה ("when·he·has·leveled") in Isaiah. First appearance of the root קצח ("black cummin") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'he·shall·dash', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 7 words. Full calculation: הֲלוֹא֙ [is·it·not] (42) + אִם־שִׁוָּ֣ה [when·he·has·leveled] (352) + פָנֶ֔יהָ [her·face] (145) + וְהֵפִ֥יץ [and·he·shall·scatter] (191) + קֶ֖צַח [black cummin] (198) + וְכַמֹּ֣ן [and·cummin] (116) + יִזְרֹ֑ק [he·shall·dash] (317) + וְשָׂ֨ם [and·will·name] (346) + חִטָּ֤ה [wheat] (22) + שׂוֹרָה֙ [in·rows] (511) + וּשְׂעֹרָ֣ה [barley] (581) + נִסְמָ֔ן [marked·off] (200) + וְכֻסֶּ֖מֶת [and·spelt] (526) + גְּבֻלָתֽוֹ [its·border] (441) = 3988.
Rashi
Is it not so? For this is the manner of one who plows: once he has plowed, he levels the surface of the ground, and only afterward does he sow.
"And he scattered it abroad." If it is kitzach that comes to be sown, one sows it by scattering; if it is kammon that comes to be sown, one sows it by casting. Kitzach is a type of food.
And the name of wheat is “row,” barley is “encirclement,” and spelt is “its border.” And if grain comes to be sown, thus is his custom: he sows the wheat in the middle of the furrow, and the barley he sows around them, and the spelt he sows on the borders and sides of the field. “Row” means a row; he sows in the middle, and it is found that it forms a row upon the barley and the spelt.
Ibn Ezra
"Behold." A gezerah shavah (verbal analogy), and a contentious woman is comparable (to it) (Proverbs 27:15):
Ketzach. It is a type of cumin, but finer than it, and it is black.
Shorah. Some say it means "the good," and others say it means "with a measure," as in "with a just measure" (Leviticus 19:35), and this is what is right.
And barley. Barley is well known.
It was marked. Like a sign:
"and spelt in its appointed border (gevulato)." From the root of "of plaited work (migbalot) shall you make them" (Exodus 28:14):
Radak
“Behold, if he levels its surface.” “If” here means “when,” just as it is said, “And when the Jubilee shall be,” [the verse states] “when he levels the surface of the earth, breaking its clods, he shall level the surface of the field” so that the seed may fall on a level surface.
“He scatters the fitches and the cumin.” For every seed has its own manner of sowing, and the fitches and the cumin must be sown in a place where the soil is very finely crushed and very fine.
“Row.” Measure, as in “weight and measure” (משקל ובמשורה), whose meaning is measure; and “row” (שורה) describes something that is placed in a measured manner. It is in the feminine form because it describes wheat (חטה), which is a feminine noun. And he said: “Thus shall he set the wheat in his sowing” – in a place that he knows from the land is a good place for sowing wheat, he shall sow it there in a measured manner; he shall not add to that place, nor shall he subtract from the land that is good. And likewise for barley, “he shall mark it” (נסמן) – meaning that he has a marker in the place where he sows barley. And likewise for millet (כוסמת), he shall place it in its boundary known to him. And likewise for every seed and seed, according to its proper manner and in the place suitable for it. But he mentioned these specifically, as they are the principal food for man and beast. And likewise, cumin (קצח) and cummin (כמון) are types of spices needed for human food. Such is the proper manner of sowing. “Row,” “mark,” and “boundary” (שורה, נסמן, וגבולתו) are all one concept, and he expressed the concept in different words, as is customary. “Katzach” (קצח) is a black seed and is among the types of spices. And “kammon” (כמון) is well known, and it is called “kumin” in the foreign language.
Metzudat David
“Behold, if he levels its face.” Behold, when one levels the face of the earth, he abandons his other labors and engages in sowing.
And he scattered black cumin. When one comes to sow black cumin, he sows it by scattering; and if one comes to sow cumin, he sows it by throwing. Each species is sown according to its custom.
“And he places wheat in a row.” The wheat [seeds] are placed in a row, meaning in the middle of the field, in the measure appropriate for it; one should not add nor subtract.
“And its barley is like a signpost.” The barley is sown around the wheat, like one who marks something.
"And its border is spelt." Spelt is sown along the borders and edges of the field, each type of seed in its proper place. The metaphorical meaning is to say: just as it is not the custom of the plowman to plow all day long, but rather, after he has leveled the surface of the soil, he sows each type of seed in its proper manner and in its appropriate place; so too, there is no benefit in the prophet’s rebuke alone. Rather, it is fitting that after they hear the words of the prophet, they should correct their deeds and return in repentance, as is appropriate for each one according to the sin he has committed and the guilt he has incurred.
Metzudat Zion
If. Just as it is written, "And if the Jubilee shall be" (Numbers 36:4).
Equal. This means that it should be similar in all places, so that there should not be a mound on one side and a trench on the other.
And He scattered. The meaning is: scattered.
Black cumin and cumin. They are species of small seeds:
"And he placed" (ושם). The word is derived from the root "sima" (placing), spelled with a yod.
Line. The matter of a measure is like that of weight and measurement (Leviticus 19:35).
Nismen. The word is derived from the root "siman," meaning "sign" or "mark."
And as for "kussemet": A type of grain.
Malbim
But if He treats their faces equally, then He would begin with the sowing and the scattering of the nigella (black cumin). Now He begins to depict the second matter, which is the sowing. Behold, we have seen that the sowing changes according to the quality of the species sown: the nigella (black cumin) is dispersed by scattering, and the cumin is dispersed by throwing. Likewise, the place where the seeds are placed and their arrangement also change according to the types of seeds sown: the wheat he places in the middle, and the barley around it, and the spelt he places on the border. So too, although the plowing, which is the exiles and sufferings, the Lord will bring equally upon the nation as a whole, nevertheless the sowing, which is the study of Torah and prophecy, will change according to the preparation of the recipients. Those who are prepared for wisdom are satisfied with a slight hint, whereas the common people need repetition, doubling, and explanation for them: command upon command, line upon line. Likewise, the sages will understand the inner depths, the interiors, and the secrets of the wisdoms, whereas the common people will know only the narratives and the garments in which these divine intellectual matters are clothed.
For He does instruct him aright; His God does teach him.
verse value 1065
Insights
Verse structure: 4 words, 20 letters. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·He·instructs·him" (וְיִסְּר֥וֹ), "He·instructs·him" (יוֹרֶֽנּוּ). 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "his·God" (root אלהים, 82x in Isaiah); "to·the·judgment" (root משפט, 42x in Isaiah). Full calculation: וְיִסְּר֥וֹ [and·He·instructs·him] (282) + לַמִּשְׁפָּ֖ט [to·the·judgment] (459) + אֱלֹהָ֥יו [his·God] (52) + יוֹרֶֽנּוּ [He·instructs·him] (272) = 1065.
Rashi
“And He shall discipline them with judgment” etc. Even if the Holy One, blessed be He, teaches them, He will not send prophets to reprove them forever; rather, after they do not heed reproof, He disciplines them with the judgments of affliction, so that the labor of His reproof will be effective. This is like one who levels the face of the field for sowing, so that the labor of his plowing will succeed.
Ibn Ezra
And He disciplined them. And God had already disciplined the sower and the scatterer, and taught them how to do it:
And the meaning of "for judgment" is like "according to their number, according to the statute" (Numbers 29:32), meaning to act according to custom. And likewise, "His God will teach them."
Radak
“And He instructed them in judgment.” God instructed the sower in the law of sowing and guided him, as if it said, “And their God instructed them in judgment and guided them,” meaning that He alone placed this wisdom in their heart. And our Sages of blessed memory interpreted the verse thus and said: “And He instructed them in judgment” is to be understood by way of parable, like one who instructs a striker, saying that the sower should strike the hard clods in order to level the surface of the ground according to its proper manner. Just as it says afterward, “Their God guided them,” meaning He will rain upon them, from the root of *yoreh* and *malqosh* (the early and latter rains), namely, the sower shall sow according to the proper law, and afterward he shall hope in God that He will give rain and the seeds will sprout.
Metzudat David
"And He disciplines him with justice." He continues speaking in parable, saying: Behold, when the grain grows and the seed pods, from which one wishes to separate the chaff and the husks, the manner of doing so is to strike and thresh each type according to the appropriate measure of justice, as his God has taught him and placed wisdom in his heart to know the proper measure for each type.
Metzudat Zion
"ויסרו" - Its meaning is striking and beating, as in "My father disciplined you with rods" (1 Kings 12:11).
“According to the ordinance.” Just as in “according to the ordinance” [במשפט], the lamed takes the place of the bet, and similarly in “You sat on the throne” (Psalms 9:5), which means “on the throne.” And “ordinance” [משפט] refers to what is customary and fitting, as in “the king stood on the pillar, according to the ordinance” (2 Kings 11:14).
"Yorenu." The meaning is "teaching," as in "He will teach him the way he should choose" (Psalms 25:12).
Malbim
"And they shall be disciplined": Now the parable is explained. Just as plowing is necessary for sowing, so too "and they shall be disciplined": the discipline that the Lord inflicts upon man is for judgment and for a purpose, so that thereby their God will teach them. For through discipline, the heart is returned to listen to the teachings, and one succeeds in receiving the seed of wisdom, fear of Heaven, discipline, and knowledge.
For the black cummin is not threshed with a threshing-sledge, Neither is a cart-wheel turned about upon the cummin; But the black cummin is beaten out with a staff, And the cummin with a rod.
verse value 2166
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 55 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "in·the·diligent" (בֶחָרוּץ֙, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 198: black cummin, black cummin. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "in·the·diligent" (בֶחָרוּץ֙), "will·be·trodden·out" (י֣וּדַשׁ), "and·wheel" (וְאוֹפַ֣ן). The root כי appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 286x in Isaiah); "for" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'will·be·turned', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 6 words.
Rashi
“Bcharutz.” It is a wooden tool made with grooves, called a morg, and with it one cuts the hard stalks to produce straw.
"For not with a threshing sledge do they thresh cumin." Because its seed easily emerges from its husks, and likewise, one does not turn a cart wheel over it to tread it down, for kitzach is easily threshed with a staff, and cumin [is threshed] with a rod.
Ibn Ezra
"Ki bcharutz": This is like the "ali" (a type of mortar or pestle) in which they crush, as it is written, "a new charutz" (Isaiah 41:15).
“Nor is a wheel turned about upon cummin.” For the force of the “lo” [not] carries over to the clause with it.
Radak
"For not in the haritz." Explanation: It is a wooden board with small stones embedded beneath it for threshing. He said: Just as there is a distinction between the seeds at the time of sowing, and this law is not like that law, so too at the time of the harvest.
"For not with a threshing sledge shall they thresh [it], nor shall the wheel of a cart turn upon it." "Yusav" is written with a vav and a dagesh, and its meaning is: "Nor shall the wheel of a cart." And it is not that the word "yusav" (turn/roll) stands in the place of two words; rather, the meaning is that cummin and cumin are types of fine seeds, and they are not threshed either with a threshing sledge or with a cart, but they are beaten with a staff. And a staff and a rod are one and the same.
Metzudat David
"For it is not threshed with a threshing instrument": This means that all species are not threshed in the same manner; rather, there is a distinction between one species and another. For black cumin is not threshed with a threshing instrument, because it is easy and simple to separate from the hard parts, and there is no need to thresh it with a threshing instrument.
"And the wheel of the cart shall not turn upon the cumin." The word "not" stated at the beginning of the verse serves a double function, as if it said, "Upon the cumin it shall not turn," meaning that it is not necessary to turn the wheel of the cart upon the cumin in order to separate it from the chaff, for it is also easily separated by a light matter.
"For with the staff." Rather, with the staff he threshes the black cumin, and cumin he threshes with a rod, for with these too they are separated from the stalks.
Metzudat Zion
In the threshing sledge. The name of a tool full of grooves, made for treading [grain] with it. And likewise: “and in the iron grooves” (2 Samuel 12:31):
Yodesh. The term refers to threshing:
And "of a wheel"—a wheel. And to add further explanation, he said that the word "eglah" (cart) is derived from the root meaning "round" (agulah).
Yosav. A verb meaning “to turn around”:
“for with the staff.” Rather, with the staff:
Yachbat. The meaning is striking and threshing, as in “he who beats wheat in the winepress” (Judges 10).
Malbim
For it is not threshed with a rod, he begins to elucidate the second part of the parable, to explain the matter of the afflictions that come upon individual persons. Sometimes the righteous are afflicted and oppressed. He raised this parable from the grain: even after the seed has succeeded and produced fruit of grain, behold, the wheat and the barley and all kinds of grain emerge mixed with chaff and refuse. One requires threshing and grinding to remove the chaff and to cleanse it until it becomes clean flour. So too, the soul whose sowing brings forth growth, and which is prepared to receive religion and moral discipline, sometimes has alien, confused studies and false notions mixed in with its learning, stemming from the intellect and the imagination. One must remove the straw from the grain and clarify the truth from the falsehood.
Now, just as in the kinds of grain there are found chaff and refuse that are attached with a "neighborly attachment," which are removed by threshing or beating, and refuse that is attached with a "self-attachment," which is not removed except by grinding with millstones and sifting in a sieve; so too the confusions and alien opinions that take root in the soul—some of them, which come through the power of the imagination, are easily removed by the judgment of the intellect, and some, which are confusions of the intellect itself through misleading philosophical studies and erroneous premises, are difficult to remove. One must rely on the principle that "the righteous shall live by his faith," and not remove it from him. From this aspect, afflictions come upon individual persons who have already received the laws of wisdom and knowledge, each according to his particular circumstance.
In this matter, the afflictions that came upon the people of God in Egypt in the days of their childhood, before they received the Torah, were like the plowing to receive the seed, which is the Torah. And the afflictions that came upon them afterwards are like the matter of threshing or grinding, to remove from them false thoughts and alien beliefs stemming from the fact that they were nursed by foreign women. These afflictions will be according to the level of the generation and its individual persons. With this, we come to the explanation.
He says, "For it is not threshed with a rod." Behold, the threshing that comes to remove the chaff attached with a "neighborly attachment" is removed easily, and many kinds do not even require threshing by a rod or a cart wheel, as is required in the threshing of barley and wheat, for the cummin is beaten with a staff, and the cumin seed has its husk removed from it with even greater ease. So too, sometimes their deeds are corrected by light moral discipline and rebuke in words, and there is no need for afflictions, if one wishes to remove only the external chaff that is not attached.
Is bread corn crushed? Nay, he will not ever be threshing it; And though the roller of his wagon and its sharp edges move noisily, He does not crush it.
verse value 2593
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 51 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֛י, 2 letters) and the longest is "thresh·it" (יְדוּשֶׁ֑נּוּ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 31: not, not. 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "will·be·crushed" (יוּדָ֔ק), "threshing" (אָד֣וֹשׁ), "thresh·it" (יְדוּשֶׁ֑נּוּ). The root דקק appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 286x in Isaiah); "for" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah); "bread" (root לחם, 22x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root דקק ("will·be·crushed") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'thresh·it', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 6 words. Full calculation: לֶ֣חֶם [bread] (78) + יוּדָ֔ק [will·be·crushed] (120) + כִּ֛י [for] (30) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + לָנֶ֖צַח [to·ever] (178) + אָד֣וֹשׁ [threshing] (311) + יְדוּשֶׁ֑נּוּ [thresh·it] (376) + וְ֠הָמַ֠ם [and·will·move·noisily] (91) + גִּלְגַּ֧ל [wheel] (66) + עֶגְלָת֛וֹ [his·cart] (509) + וּפָרָשָׁ֖יו [and·his·riders] (602) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + יְדֻקֶּֽנּוּ [crush·it] (170) = 2593.
Rashi
"Bread is ground." And who is it that grinds with hard implements? The bread of the grain-crop, because it is not easy to thresh.
For He will not tread him down forever. Behold, this "for" serves in the language of "but," meaning: He will not crush him forever, because the kernels of the seed are never crushed so as to be trodden and ground by the threshing sledge and the wheels of the cart.
"Though the wheel of his wagon rattles with its separators, it does not crush it." When the wagon-wheels roll over it to crush and thresh it, even the wheel is broken and shattered, and likewise the other implements of the chariot with it. Those who separate the grain from its chaff shall not thresh it, and the ears of grain are not threshed so as to be winnowed, “thresh, he shall thresh it.” Like “make, he shall make” (Ezekiel 31:11), “wrap, he shall wrap” (above 22), and this aleph comes in place of a he, like “and afterward I joined Jehoshaphat” (2 Chronicles 20:35), like “he joined”; even here, “thresh, he shall thresh it.” And so did Menachem explain it.
Ibn Ezra
"Bread [is roasted]. And the custom of the bread is that it is roasted:"
The letter aleph: “Adosh” is an additional aleph, like the aleph in “Azrua’cha” (Jeremiah 32:21):
[And the chariot wheels, etc.]. And when the chariot wheels of his chariot are still, then his horsemen will not crush it, and the reason is that when he plows, he does not crush it, for God created every thing in its time to be so, therefore after him also this, etc., the reason being that he does not crush it forever.
Radak
“Bread is trodden” – but the term “bread” here implies that which is used to make bread, namely wheat, barley, and spelt. These are trodden by means of the threshing sledge and the oxen. And what is meant by “trodden” is akin to “threshed”; rather, it is said “trodden” with reference to the straw covering the grain, which is trodden through threshing until the grain within it is revealed.
"For not forever." Nevertheless, they will not tread forever; rather, there is a fixed time for them, so that a person may understand what is being trodden, whether with the threshing sledge or with the cart. And in the word "adush" (treading), the aleph is added; the first [vowel] is a chireq and the second is a patach, and it is a root.
"And he made the wheels of his cart." Like the wheel of a cart that he mentioned, for a wheel and a cart are one; for if he does this for a long time, the wheel of the cart will bruise and crush the seed. And likewise with the threshing sledge, it must be guarded that he not pass it over the grain for a long time, so that the teeth of the threshing sledge do not crush the seed fine. And its teeth are the two [parts] of the threshing sledge with which the straw is crushed from the seed. And if he does this for a long time, even the seed will be broken and crushed. The reference of "tread it" and "thresh it" is to the bread that he mentioned. And the verb "tread it" is in the singular form, referring to the wheel. And likewise the verb "thresh it" refers to the threshing sledge.
Metzudat David
"Bread is crushed." The grain from which the bread is made is not easily separated from its chaff by a light means; therefore, it is threshed with a flail and with a cart, in order to crush the straw very finely until the kernel is revealed.
"For not forever." Rather, it is not for an extended period that one may tread upon them to thresh the grain, but only according to the need for separating the kernels from the stalks.
"And he crushed it with the wheel of his chariot." This means that if he were to do this for a long time, the wheel of the chariot would be worn down and broken, and even the seed [would be destroyed].
“And his horses shall not crush it.” This means that likewise, the flail shall not remain for a long time upon the grain, so that the teeth of the flail do not grind the seed into fine, fine particles. The metaphorical meaning is to say that just as it is not the practice of the thresher to thresh black cumin and cumin with a flail and a wheel, in a manner such that, since they are easy to separate from the chaff, and they suffice with a light touch, so too, if you were easy to accept reproof with a slight hint of judgment of suffering, the Omnipresent would not have made the sufferings heavy upon you. But since it is not so, it is necessary to make the sufferings heavy, in order that you may be disciplined, like this grain which is not easy to separate from the chaff, and it is necessary to thresh it with a flail and a wheel. However, “Yet He will not contend forever, neither will He make an end,” like this grain which is not threshed for a long time, so as not to ruin the seed.
Metzudat Zion
Yodek. The word is derived from the root D-Q-K.
"Ki lo. [Here ki means] rather: not:"
"Forever." This means for a long duration.
"Adosh." The word is derived from the root meaning "threshing," and the letter aleph is added.
"Vehamam." The meaning is crushing and breaking, like "a day of tumult and trampling" (above 22).
Galgal. A wheel; and to add further explanation, he said: "His cart" is from the root "round."
"and its furrows." These are the teeth of the plowshare, which are spread out and separated from one another.
He will crush it. The word is *daq*:
Malbim
“Bread that is pounded” – but if one wishes to make bread, at which point it is necessary to remove the husk that is attached to the grain, and the wheat is inherently and naturally adherent, threshing alone is insufficient; rather, one must pound it in a mortar and grind it with millstones, or crush it in a mortar. For even threshing with a wheel and a harrow, which is required to remove the outer chaff from the grain, will not suffice to remove the husk. For it is not true that “forever shall we thresh him,” meaning that the threshing which removes the chaff from the grain from above will last forever. It will not be forever, for it will not be effective only for the first stage of refinement, which is to remove the chaff, but not to pound it and grind it in such a way that the husk is removed. For even if they brought upon him the wheel of their cart and their horses, nevertheless they will not pound him in such a way that he is pounded into flour and the husk is removed, for this requires a mortar or millstones. Likewise, one in whom the confusions and evil thoughts are inherently and naturally adherent, reproof alone is insufficient for him, and it is necessary to bring upon him afflictions, which are analogous to pounding and grinding, until the flour is clarified from the bran.
This also comes forth from Hashem of hosts: Wonderful is His counsel, and great His wisdom.
verse value 2286
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 38 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֥ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 2286 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "with" (מֵעִ֛ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "also·this" (גַּם־זֹ֕את, 5 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "also·this" (גַּם־זֹ֕את), "went·out" (יָצָ֑אָה), "is·great" (הִגְדִּ֖יל). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "with" (root עם, 107x in Isaiah); "hosts" (root צבא, 73x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'went·out', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 4 words. Full calculation: גַּם־זֹ֕את [also·this] (451) + מֵעִ֛ם [with] (150) + יְהֹוָ֥ה [Hashem] (26) + צְבָא֖וֹת [hosts] (499) + יָצָ֑אָה [went·out] (106) + הִפְלִ֣א [is·wonderful] (116) + עֵצָ֔ה [counsel] (165) + הִגְדִּ֖יל [is·great] (52) + תּוּשִׁיָּֽה [wisdom] (721) = 2286.
Rashi
“Also this is from the LORD [of Hosts], etc.” – “Also this” is like the manner of the threshers of grain, and the beaters of kitzach and cumin, which all came forth from the Holy One, blessed be He.
He has made His counsel wonderful. To show you hints through the novel approach of a wondrous and concealed parable: Just as cumin and kitzach do not weigh heavily upon them when threshed a great deal, because they are beaten easily, so too, if you had hastened to accept reproof, the decrees would not have weighed heavily upon you. But since you are stubborn to accept rebuke, like grain that is hard to thresh, therefore He will weigh heavily upon you, yet not forever; for He contends not forever, and He will sift you. Just as it is said, “He will not thresh forever,” and the arrows of His plagues will be spent, yet you will not be destroyed. This is like the winnowing of the wheel, the cart, and the wheat, which will not be threshed. And if you were willing to be consumed, He would not test you with severe afflictions. Like this flax-beater: when he knows that his flax is good, he beats upon it.
Ibn Ezra
"He made His counsel wonderful." Pliyah:
“Tosiyah” – wisdom. And Rabbi Moses the Priest said that it is derived from the root yesh (to be/exist). And behold, the meaning is that the nature of the soil and the seeds is better than the nature of those who hear the words of the prophet and it avails not. The opposite of this is: “My teaching will drop like rain” (Deuteronomy 32:2), as I have explained in its context.
Radak
“Also this.” Because at the beginning of the parashah it says, “My voice,” and it says, “I said,” he says: Do not think that I said this from my own heart; rather, also this riddle, like the other things that I say to you, came forth from the Lord of Hosts, Who excelled in this counsel and greatly increased in wisdom, for this parable is wondrous and great, and “wisdom” [tushiyah] is wisdom and Torah, for there is wisdom in this parable. And now we will explain the parable: The plowman is God, blessed be He, and the land is Israel. Just as the plowman prepares the land so that it will be ready to receive the seed, so God, blessed be He, prepared the state of Israel so that they would be ready to receive His words. First, He brought them out of Egypt, where they were like a field that is not worked and brings forth thorns; so too, they were in Egypt engaged in evil deeds that resemble thorns. And He sent to them Moses, His prophet, after He had sent to them Aaron and other prophets, as it says in the prophecy of Ezekiel: “And I said to them, ‘Let every man cast away the abominations of his eyes, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt’” (Ezekiel 20:7). And after He sent to them Moses and performed for them signs and wonders until they believed, as it says, “And the people believed” (Exodus 4:31), and He brought them out with silver and gold, and struck their enemies with the known plagues, and showed them the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night, and passed them through the sea on dry land, and drowned Pharaoh and his host. And all of this is the preparation of the land to receive the seed, that they would accept His commandments and statutes, as they said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do and we will heed” (Exodus 24:7). And the preparation of the land and the leveling of its surface is not done by the plowman all day long; so too, God does not show those wonders at all times. And after the preparation of the land, He began to sow in it, and He caused His Divine Presence to descend before their eyes at Mount Sinai with voices, lightning, and torches, and He made His words heard to them until they were all on the level of prophets, but they were not all equal, as our Sages of blessed memory said: “Moses was a partition unto himself, and Aaron was a partition unto himself.” And so too, all of them, each according to his intellect. And those who were good in intellect, and they are the subtle in contemplation, are likened to the place that is the best of the land, fine in soil, in which to sow cumin and cummin, which are fine seeds and are not food in their own right but for flavor. All of this is the subtlety of the matter and the smallness of corporeality. And so too, the subtle in contemplation among them received and understood the subtle spiritual matters. And wheat, barley, and millet: even in coarse matters, there is one finer than another. And so too, among the recipients, there is one whose contemplation is better than another, just as wheat is better, finer in food, than barley and millet, and it requires a better place in the land to sow it. And so too, barley and millet, each according to what it is, so too each of the subtle contemplative matters has its own measure. And so too, among their recipients and their understanders, each has his own measure. And just as the sower hopes in his seed that the land will produce for him many seeds from one seed, so too God hopes from Israel that they will add to what was given to them, and they will understand and comprehend one thing from another, for just as it is the nature of the land to produce more than what was sown in it, so too it is the nature of man to produce more by the power of the intellectual soul that was given to him, to add to what they are taught. And so too Solomon said, “Give to the wise, and he will be wiser still” (Proverbs 9:9), etc. And “He disciplined them for judgment”: He rebuked them constantly. And “the rain to man” is that which arouses man, and they are the prophets. And behold, God sent to them prophets constantly to arouse them and to make them understand, and they are like the rain on the land, as it says, “His God will instruct him” (Isaiah 28:26). And furthermore, the seed stands in the land for a set time until the time of its sprouting and completion of its ripening, and afterwards man harvests it and threshes it to extract the food and to benefit from it. So too, Israel, after the seed was given to them—and they are wisdom, Torah, and commandments—and they were established in them and accustomed to them, and this corresponds to the time of the seed standing in the land, it was fitting that the sower should find an increase and see the good in it before the eyes of all, as it says, “For it is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples” (Deuteronomy 4:6). And they were to understand and improve their deeds until the nations would say of them, “Only this great nation is a wise and understanding people” (Deuteronomy 4:6). And the threshing is the statement of the prophet and his warning to bring forth the good fruit, and they are the good deeds. And the understanders are worthy that a little warning should suffice for them, like cumin and cummin, which are beaten with a rod. And the people are worthy of a great and strong warning, like the coarse seeds, wheat, barley, and millet, which need to be threshed with a sledge and a cart. And nevertheless, this will not be forever; so too, the prophets will not make their warning forever, for just as the seed will be broken and ruined by excessive threshing, so too the words of the prophet are ruined by excessive warning after they are not accepted. And behold, they remain in the land to no avail, for Israel, whatever the prophet warns them, they will add to sinning, and behold the matters are spoiled after they do not benefit from them and do not return because of them from the evil way, and behold they are the opposite of what was sought from them and hoped for in them, and the nations will say of them, “A foolish people and without understanding” (Jeremiah 5:21), the opposite of what was said of them when they were keeping the way of the Lord, “Only this great nation is a wise and understanding people.” And Jonathan the Targumist translated thus: “All day long, in every Eden, they prophesy,” etc.
Metzudat David
"Also this, etc." – As if to say: "when I said: Hear my voice, and know that this parable was spoken to me by the Name [of God], and I did not utter it from my own heart."
"He has excelled in counsel." In this parable, He revealed a wondrous counsel:
"He magnified wisdom." He displayed great wisdom and wondrous instruction.
Metzudat Zion
He marveled. A noun derived from the root for “wonder.”
He magnified. The word is from the root "great."
Tuvshiah. The word is from the term "yesh" (existence), and the wisdom of the Torah is called by this name because it endures forever and does not return to nothingness, unlike other things in the world.
Malbim
Also this, in the light of the second parable, says that also this came forth from the Lord who excelled in counsel. That is to say, we see in the works of the Lord and in the totality of existence both great quantity and great quality. For we see that existence extends without limit, as it is written, “How manifold are Your works, O Lord.” And yet, we also perceive many wonders of His supreme wisdom in every single point, to the extent that each and every part of the totality of existence is a world in itself with regard to the wondrous wisdom concealed within it. As it is written, “You have made them all with wisdom.” That is to say, that despite their multitude in quantity, they are full of wisdom and wonder. And similarly, it says, “How great are Your works, O Lord,” and nevertheless, “How profound are Your thoughts.” To the extent that a brutish man cannot know or understand this. And similarly, it says here that He excelled and concealed counsel and wisdom in the existence which He created, until His counsel is wondrous and concealed from most. Only those who gaze with the spirit of the Lord will look into it. And yet, He greatly increased the resourcefulness, which is the existence itself in its external aspects, making it great in quantity and very abundant. So that in this great existence, if we delve into it, the counsel will be revealed to us—that is, the end known to Him, which is wondrous and concealed in every thing. As you will see how, in the rectifications of the bread in all their details, concealed within the cloak of the parable are the rectifications of the soul’s bread, and the removal of the chaff and straw by the power of the soul.
Rashi
Ibn Ezra
Radak
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim