Woe to the treacherous spoiler; the LORD arises, the sinners in Zion afraid, and the vision of the King in His beauty and a Jerusalem no longer in fear.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
Woe to you that spoil, and you were not spoiled; And deal treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with you! When you have ceased to spoil, you shall be spoiled; And when you are weary with dealing treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with you.
verse value 3288
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 60 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·not·dealt·treacherously" (וְלֹא־בָ֣גְדוּ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 314: destroyer, spoiled, destroyer. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "spoiled" (שָׁד֔וּד), "and·acting·treacherously" (וּבוֹגֵ֖ד), "and·not·dealt·treacherously" (וְלֹא־בָ֣גְדוּ). The root שדד appears 4 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 286x in Isaiah); "and·you" (root אתה, 50x in Isaiah); "and·acting·treacherously" (root בגד, 26x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'with·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 6 words. Full calculation: ה֣וֹי [ah!] (21) + שׁוֹדֵ֗ד [destroyer] (314) + וְאַתָּה֙ [and·you] (412) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + שָׁד֔וּד [spoiled] (314) + וּבוֹגֵ֖ד [and·acting·treacherously] (21) + וְלֹא־בָ֣גְדוּ [and·not·dealt·treacherously] (52) + ב֑וֹ [with·him] (8) + כַּהֲתִֽמְךָ֤ [when·you·have·finished] (485) + שׁוֹדֵד֙ [destroyer] (314) + תּוּשַּׁ֔ד [you·will·be·dealt·violently·with] (710) + כַּנְּלֹתְךָ֥ [when·you·are·weary] (520) + לִבְגֹּ֖ד [to·act·treacherously] (39) + יִבְגְּדוּ־בָֽךְ [they·will·deal·treacherously·with·you] (47) = 3288.
Rashi
Woe: “The enemy who always plunders, yet is never plundered; who is always treacherous, yet no one is treacherous toward him nor robs him.”
“Like your being plundered.” Just as, when your plundering is completed, those upon whom the decree was issued to be plundered by you will be plundered, so too...
“When you finish (ki-nelotekha) dealing treacherously.” Menachem joined “ki-nelotekha” with “neither shall their produce (minlam) bend to the earth” (Job 15:29) in one entry; the first mem of “minlam” is a non-root letter, like the mem in “word” and in “knowledge,” and it can be understood as the language of destruction according to the context.
"When you finish (ki-nelotekha)." A term as in "when you cease (ke-khalotekha)"; and "neither shall their produce bend to the earth" [means]: the destruction decreed upon them shall not bend to the earth — shall not slacken and fail — but shall go on and grow strong.
Ibn Ezra
"Hoy" is a term of calling out, and the meaning concerns "Assyria."
"When you have finished plundering" — because you have been a plunderer, "you shall be plundered."
"When you cease (kanelotekha)": like "ke-hinnalotekha"; and similar to it is "their possession (minlam) shall not bend to the earth" (Job 15:29).
Radak
“Woe to the plunderer!” If this consolation is, as we have written, in the days of Hezekiah, then “Woe to the plunderer!” is said of Sennacherib. And if it is destined for the days of the Messiah, then “Woe to the plunderer!” is said of the king of the nations who will be in those days, which is the fourth kingdom in the vision of Daniel. And it says: “Woe to you, O plunderer, who have not yet been plundered, and you, O betrayer, who have not yet been betrayed!”
"As you plunder, so shall you be plundered." When you complete the act of being a plunderer, thus shall you be plundered—that is, others will plunder you. This means that a time will come when you will be broken and your kingdom will be destroyed.
"When you have finished." Its grammatical form is like "kehinnalotekha," for it is an infinitive from the Hifil binyan, and its meaning is like "kehashlimtekha" (when you complete). And so too, "let it not incline to the land" — "menolam" means "their completion" and "their end."
"Khatimakh." Its rule is that the mem takes a dagesh, for its root is tamam, and it is Qal, just as many geminate (doubled-root) verbs have had their doubling eased.
Toshed. With a vav and with dagesh:
Metzudat David
“Woe, robber.” Woe to you, Sennacherib, who rob all the nations! Until now, you have not been robbed by anyone, and you are the one who has betrayed them all, yet they have not yet betrayed you.
“When you finish” – as if to say: “Not so shall it be forever; for when you have finished plundering others, you too shall be plundered.”
When you finish. When you finish betraying others, then they will betray you.
Metzudat Zion
Ho. The matter of calling the young man:
A robber. An oppressor:
And a traitor. The matter is one of rebellion and revolt:
Like "finishing." The term derives from the root meaning "to be complete and to finish," as in "if the silver is exhausted" (Genesis 47:18).
"Like your completion" (k'navlotekha): The matter is one of ultimate goal and perfection. Similarly, "their attainment (minlam) shall not bend to the earth" (Job 15:29) — meaning their completion and perfection.
Malbim
"Woe to the plunderer"—this refers to his turning his face against Sennacherib, saying: "Ah, you who rob many nations! Yet you are not robbed, so why did you rob others? And furthermore, you are a traitor to the peoples who made a covenant with you, yet they did not betray you, so why do you betray your covenant? But know that when you are supported in robbery, then you will be robbed, as it is stated (above, chapter 10): 'For the Lord will make an end, the whole of His work, on Mount Zion. I will punish the fruit of the haughty heart of the king of Assyria.' And then they will betray you, for his sons struck him with the sword."
O Hashem, be gracious to us; We have waited for You; be You their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble.
verse value 2771
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 43 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֥ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "to·you" (לְךָ֣, 2 letters) and the longest is "also·our·salvation" (אַף־יְשׁוּעָתֵ֖נוּ, 9 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "be·gracious·to·us" (חׇנֵּ֖נוּ), "to·the·mornings" (לַבְּקָרִ֔ים), "also·our·salvation" (אַף־יְשׁוּעָתֵ֖נוּ). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "be" (root היה, 213x in Isaiah); "also·our·salvation" (root אף, 39x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'we·have·waited', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 6 words. Full calculation: יְהֹוָ֥ה [Hashem] (26) + חׇנֵּ֖נוּ [be·gracious·to·us] (114) + לְךָ֣ [to·you] (50) + קִוִּ֑ינוּ [we·have·waited] (172) + הֱיֵ֤ה [be] (20) + זְרֹעָם֙ [their·arm] (317) + לַבְּקָרִ֔ים [to·the·mornings] (382) + אַף־יְשׁוּעָתֵ֖נוּ [also·our·salvation] (923) + בְּעֵ֥ת [in·time·of] (472) + צָרָֽה [trouble] (295) = 2771.
Rashi
"His arm was." [This refers] to the arm of those who were robbed, which is in the hand of the robber.
“In the mornings.” Day by day, when He afflicts them, yet our salvation will be in time of distress.
Ibn Ezra
"The Lord." This is the prayer of the righteous ones when the king of Assyria comes, and it is in the manner of prophecy:
"Be their arm [every morning]": concerning the men of war.
Radak
“O Lord, have mercy upon us.” If in the days of Hezekiah the inhabitants of Jerusalem feared the king of Assyria to the extent that they were compelled to pray and seek mercy, as it is written, “And they said, ‘O Lord, have mercy upon us; You are our hope’” (Isaiah 37:17), and if in the days of the Messiah they will fear Gog and Magog and be compelled to pray and seek mercy:
Their arm was with us every morning. Every single morning our arm was strong against the enemy.
“Even our salvation.” All the more so in times of distress, when it is necessary that our salvation come and that we be saved through You. And the fact that He said “His arm” using the designation of the concealed [Divine attributes], and said “Have mercy on us, wait for us, our salvation” using the designation of those who speak on their behalf—this is the manner of the language, as in “Hear, O all you peoples,” and “Yet all of you, return and come,” and similar verses, as we have written in the book Miklal.
Metzudat David
“O Lord, grant us grace.” So that the hand of Sennacherib may not prevail over us, for we hope in You and do not trust in Egypt, as the Ten Tribes trusted.
Their arm was in the mornings. Each day it was for strength for those who hope in You.
Even our salvation in times of distress. Even it was for us a salvation if the distress had already come:
Metzudat Zion
“In the mornings.” The word is a noun meaning “morning,” and it implies “every day.”
Malbim
“Lord, be gracious to us” – [the supplicant] turns his face to God. “You, O Lord, show us mercy,” even though we are not worthy on account of our deeds; yet, we have waited for You, and it is fitting that we be saved for this reason. The arm and the light of the Ten Tribes, to whom the day was darkened and who went into exile, had their light sown for the mornings, at the time when morning comes, which is the time of redemption. But as for us, our salvation will be in the time of distress. For us, You will not wait for the time of morning, but You will save us in the time of distress, while it is still night, when the enemy besieges Jerusalem.
At the noise of the tumult the peoples are fled; at the lifting up of Thyself the nations are scattered.
verse value 1532
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 31 letters. The shortest word is "from·the·voice·of" (מִקּ֣וֹל, 4 letters) and the longest is "from·Your·uplifting" (מֵר֣וֹמְמֻתֶ֔ךָ, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "from·Your·uplifting" (מֵר֣וֹמְמֻתֶ֔ךָ), "they·scattered" (נָפְצ֖וּ). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "peoples" (root עם, 107x in Isaiah); "nations" (root גוי, 65x in Isaiah); "from·the·voice·of" (root קול, 35x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'peoples', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: מִקּ֣וֹל [from·the·voice·of] (176) + הָמ֔וֹן [multitude] (101) + נָדְד֖וּ [flee] (64) + עַמִּ֑ים [peoples] (160) + מֵר֣וֹמְמֻתֶ֔ךָ [from·Your·uplifting] (746) + נָפְצ֖וּ [they·scattered] (226) + גּוֹיִֽם [nations] (59) = 1532.
Rashi
From the noise of the tumult. From [the tumult] that goes forth from before You, peoples fled — until now, when You performed for us Your wonders.
Ibn Ezra
From the voice of a multitude. Assyria:
From Your exaltedness. That You granted him [the king] exaltation:
Radak
"From the voice of transgression they wandered." If this refers to the camp of Assyria, it means: from the voice of the multitude of the angel who struck the camp of Assyria. And if it refers to Gog and Magog, it is likewise as it is written: "And the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations."
"Nations have wandered": The nations have been scattered. Those who remain from the plague:
"Who exalts you": From Your exaltedness, so that they may know that You are lofty and sublime above them, and that their might and great strength were of no avail to them.
Metzudat David
“From the voice of the multitude.” This means that this, too, was a cause for our salvation, for at the voice of the angel who struck them down, the nations fled from the world.
"Your exaltation." From Your exaltedness, which is elevated above them, the survivors of the plague were broken.
Metzudat Zion
The multitude. From the word for commotion:
Nafatzu. The meaning is scattering:
Malbim
From the noise: If from the noise of the multitude of people, namely the army of Sennacherib, many nations were driven from their place by him, all the more so that when You, O Lord, exalt Yourself, the nations, namely the army of Sennacherib, will be shattered.
And your spoil is gathered as the caterpillar gathers; as locusts leap do they leap upon it.
verse value 1844
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 30 letters. The shortest word is "upon·it" (בּֽוֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "your·spoil" (שְׁלַלְכֶ֔ם, 5 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "your·spoil" (שְׁלַלְכֶ֔ם), "locust" (הֶחָסִ֑יל), "running" (כְּמַשַּׁ֥ק). The root אסף appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "upon·it" (root בו, 24x in Isaiah); "and·will·be·gathered" (root אסף, 20x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'locust', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְאֻסַּ֣ף [and·will·be·gathered] (147) + שְׁלַלְכֶ֔ם [your·spoil] (420) + אֹ֖סֶף [gathering·of] (141) + הֶחָסִ֑יל [locust] (113) + כְּמַשַּׁ֥ק [running] (460) + גֵּבִ֖ים [locusts] (55) + שֹׁקֵ֥ק [leaping] (500) + בּֽוֹ [upon·it] (8) = 1844.
Rashi
“And you shall gather your spoil.” This refers back to [the verse] “Your gates shall be opened wide to your enemies,” which teaches that they will betray you. And “you shall gather your spoil”—you, the betrayers of My people. When your judgment comes, the remnant of My people will plunder you and gather your spoil, just as a harvester gathers grain in the summer, each one for himself. So too here, each one will plunder for himself.
As the sound of the roaring of waters that gather and fall into cisterns with a roar, so shall those who come to plunder and spoil roar. The word "mishqeh" (sound) is in the sense of "roar," like (Proverbs 28:15) "a roaring lion and a bear that stalks," and similarly "mishqeh charol" (Zephaniah 2:9), when the wind blows through the reeds and they strike one another, they produce a sound; and similarly "in the city they shall roar" (Joel 2).
Gavim. Like “to uncover water from a reservoir” (m’gavah), and our Sages expounded it in the Aggadah in the section dealing with the plunder of Sennacherib’s inhabitants.
Ibn Ezra
"And your spoil shall be gathered." The spoil of the nations, for the letter kaf is a sign for Israel, whom the king of Assyria exiled.
Gavim. The Targum translates it into Aramaic as: Arbah.
shokkeq. Like osek (gatherer), and there are those who say that it is like the word in “and the son of my household” (Genesis 15:2). And according to my opinion, it is like the word in the Book of Joel, “they shall be shaken” (Nahum 2:5); it too refers to locusts.
Radak
“And you shall gather their spoil.” The spoil of the nations, which shall be your spoil, that you shall gather and plunder it.
“Gatherer of the locust.” Just as the gathering of the locust and the grasshopper, which people gather when they have settled on the ground—namely, the townspeople go out and gather them into their vessels so that they will not destroy the crops—so too the people of Jerusalem went out and gathered the spoil of the Assyrian camp. And the matter is also similar in that the angel’s march through the Assyrian camp is like the locust’s march through the crops, which it destroys.
And it says, “Like the rushing of the gibbim, teeming within it.” “Meshek” and “shokek” both refer to the matter of going/running, as in: “the steward of my house.”
Gibbim. Locusts, as in the Targum, “arbah” is rendered “gubba,” and the Targum renders the verse accordingly: “and they shall be gathered into the house of Israel,” etc. And if the matter refers to the days of the Messiah, it is also written: “And the inhabitants of the cities of Israel shall go out and kindle and consume with fire the weapons,” etc., “and they shall plunder those who plundered them, and they shall spoil those who spoiled them.” But our Sages of blessed memory interpreted it as referring to the days of Hezekiah, and thus they said: The prophet said to Israel, “Gather your spoils.” They said to him, “To plunder or to distribute?” He said to them, “the gathering of the locust.” Just as the gathering of the locusts is such that each one is for himself, so too your spoils are each for himself. They said to him, “But surely the property of the Ten Tribes is mixed in with it.” He said to them, “It is like the water of the gibbim, which is teeming within it.” Just as these gibbim elevate a person from impurity to purity, so too the property of Israel, once it has fallen into the hands of a gentile, is immediately pure.
Metzudat David
"And you shall gather your spoil." The spoil that you will take from the camp of Assyria will be gathered without any objector and without fear, like the manner of gathering in which one gathers locusts when they rest on the ground, where the townspeople go out and gather them into their vessels so that they will not destroy the produce of the land.
"As the sound of cisterns." Just as the sound of the murmuring of waters that are gathered and fall into cisterns is heard, so shall they hear the sound of the murmuring of the plunderers in the camp of Assyria.
Metzudat Zion
The chasil. A species of locust:
As for "mishqeh": the matter is that the sound of growling, and they are like a bear that is ravenous (Proverbs 28:15), and similarly "mimshak charul — a place of nettles" (Zephaniah 2:9):
Gibbim. Cisterns, like [the verse] “they came upon gibbim” (Jeremiah 14:3):
Shokek. A growling of voice:
Malbim
(The answer of the Lord:) “And He shall gather” – the Name responds to the supplicant: Know that even though He gathers your spoil and your wealth, just as one gathers the *hasil* (a type of insect) when the water troughs are full and overflowing, and one waters with it the *hasil*; for when there is rain and the troughs fill with water, the *hasil* drowns in them and dies, and one gathers it up with ease – so too did the camp of Assyria gather your spoil – nevertheless, you have not lost anything thereby, for
Hashem is exalted, for He dwells on high; He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness.
verse value 1928
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 33 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·righteousness" (וּצְדָקָֽה, 5 letters). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "for" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah); "judgment" (root משפט, 42x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'height', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 4 words. Full calculation: נִשְׂגָּ֣ב [is·exalted] (355) + יְהֹוָ֔ה [Hashem] (26) + כִּ֥י [for] (30) + שֹׁכֵ֖ן [dwelling] (370) + מָר֑וֹם [height] (286) + מִלֵּ֣א [has·filled] (71) + צִיּ֔וֹן [Zion] (156) + מִשְׁפָּ֖ט [judgment] (429) + וּצְדָקָֽה [and·righteousness] (205) = 1928.
Rashi
"For He dwelleth on high." This teaches that He demonstrated His might, that He is exalted above all, and His is the upper hand.
Ibn Ezra
“Exalted is the Lord.” The meaning is with reference to the Divine Presence, which is in Zion.
Radak
“Hashem is exalted.” In this salvation He is exalted, that the nations will exalt Him for this miracle and give thanks to Him, for He dwells on high and has the power to humble the proud and lift up the lowly. He humbled the camp of Assyria, which came against Jerusalem with a high hand, and He lifted up the inhabitants of Zion, who were lowly, so that “Zion is full of justice and righteousness.” “Nishgab” (exalted) is a participle in the Nifal construction, for it has a qamats.
And the meaning of “Zion shall be filled” is that from that day onward, in Zion they will administer justice and righteousness. Likewise, the Targum says: “To fill Zion with those who perform judgments of righteousness and uprightness.” And one may explain “Zion shall be filled” as referring to the spoils of the nations, which will be distributed in Zion with justice and righteousness.
Metzudat David
"The Lord is exalted." The Omnipresent strengthened Himself against them, for He dwells in the heights, in the heavens above. And even if the weak one above is considered mighty, how much more so is the One who is strong above.
"Full of Zion." Through this miracle, He filled Zion with justice and righteousness, for from then on, because of the wonders of the miracle, they practiced justice and righteousness.
Metzudat Zion
"Neshagav." The matter is one of strength:
Morum. From the word rom and gava:
Malbim
"Exalted is the Lord, the Lord who is exalted"—from the aspect that He dwells on high, He fills Zion with other treasures, precious and exalted beyond the spoils that were lost, and they are justice and righteousness; for through these they returned to the Lord and began to do justice and righteousness, and this is more precious than the spoils and all desirable vessels.
And the stability of your times shall be a hoard of salvation—wisdom and knowledge, And the fear of Hashem which is His treasure.
verse value 3831
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 45 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָיָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "riches" (חֹ֥סֶן, 3 letters) and the longest is "firmness" (אֱמוּנַ֣ת, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 26: and·it·shall·be, Hashem. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "firmness" (אֱמוּנַ֣ת), "your·times" (עִתֶּ֔יךָ), "riches" (חֹ֥סֶן). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "and·it·shall·be" (root היה, 213x in Isaiah); "it" (root הוא, 98x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·knowledge', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְהָיָה֙ [and·it·shall·be] (26) + אֱמוּנַ֣ת [firmness] (497) + עִתֶּ֔יךָ [your·times] (500) + חֹ֥סֶן [riches] (118) + יְשׁוּעֹ֖ת [salvation] (786) + חׇכְמַ֣ת [wisdom·of] (468) + וָדָ֑עַת [and·knowledge] (480) + יִרְאַ֥ת [the·fear·of] (611) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + הִ֥יא [it] (16) + אוֹצָרֽוֹ [his·treasury] (303) = 3831.
Rashi
And the faithfulness of your times, etc. And it shall be for a fortress of salvation, and for wisdom and knowledge, that which you believe in your Creator: the times He appointed for you for tithes and for terumah and for maaser at the time of their separation, for peah, leket, and shichechha at their time, to fulfill shemittah and yovel at their time. Another interpretation: "The faithfulness of your times" — that which you believed in the Holy One, Blessed be He, during the times that passed over you, and you awaited salvation, shall be for you a fortress.
"Fear of the Lord" – that you should stand in awe before Him; it is a good treasure that He will open for you through it.
Ibn Ezra
"And the faith of your time shall be." He speaks to the man of Judah:
Chochmah. It is written as a construct form, and the word "chochmah" is defective (lacking a final vowel):
[“The fear of the Lord...”]: The fear of the Lord is a treasury of strength and salvation.
Radak
“And your faith shall be the strength of your salvation.” This is stated in reference to Israel: the permanence of your time and the strength of your salvation shall be wisdom, knowledge, and the fear of the Lord, which is a person’s treasure. That is to say: behold, this salvation has come to you, and you are in peace. If you desire that peace and salvation remain established for you throughout all your days, occupy yourselves with wisdom, knowledge, and the fear of the Lord, which is a person’s treasure. Just as a person’s treasure is his confidence and stands by him in times of distress, so too is the fear of the Lord. Therefore, be those who fear the Lord, and occupy yourselves with the wisdom and knowledge of God, and you will be saved from all distress and be in peace throughout all your days. “Your faith” means permanence, like in the phrase “a reliable place,” which is interpreted as “enduring.”
Ḥoson. Strength, as it is said: “And the strong one shall become as tow” (Isaiah 4:4).
Chochmah: With a tav in place of a heh, like "tzitzat novel," "chelat matzah," "mikat belti sarah," and similar cases. And our Sages of blessed memory explained: "What brought you this salvation? The wisdom of God and the knowledge that was in Hezekiah, and the fear of the Lord, which is His treasury." And the Targum: The verse is thus, "And let what you said be so," etc.
Metzudat David
“And the stability of your times shall be your strength.” Your enduring preservation and the strength of your salvation shall be through wisdom, knowledge, and the fear of the Lord, which is a person’s treasure; that is to say, it serves as a secure refuge for him, like a treasury in times of need. It is as if saying: “Behold, salvation comes to you, and you shall be at peace.” And if you desire that your preservation last for a prolonged period and that your salvation be strong, engage in wisdom, in knowledge, and fear the Lord.
Metzudat Zion
Emunat. The matter of fulfillment, like a peg in a reliable place (above 32):
Atich. From the words "time" and "season."
Ḥoson. The meaning is strength, as it is written: “mighty is the Lord” (Psalms 89:19).
Malbim
"And it shall be, in place of the strength of the spoil that you lost, you have acquired another strength, for the trust of your antiquity—that which you trusted in the Lord during these evil times, and your heart did not retreat from His trust—this was for you a store and a strong wealth of salvations of wisdom and knowledge. This strength of the wisdom and knowledge of the Lord you have acquired. And if you ask, 'And where shall you place this strength to store it there?' The answer is: 'The fear of the Lord is its store.' The fear is the storehouse in which you shall store the wisdom and knowledge that you have acquired, to guard it there in the storehouse forever. The meaning is: through the fear of the Lord, the wisdom and knowledge will be preserved in your hands, just as the strength will be preserved if it is placed in a storehouse."
Behold, their valiant ones cry without; The ambassadors of peace weep bitterly.
verse value 1511
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 31 letters. The shortest word is "they" (הֵ֚ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "they·weep" (יִבְכָּיֽוּן, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "cried" (צָעֲק֖וּ), "outside" (חֻ֑צָה), "messengers·of" (מַלְאֲכֵ֣י). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "they" (root הן, 86x in Isaiah); "peace" (root שלום, 28x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'outside', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words.
Rashi
“Behold, their Ara’elim have cried out in the open.” The prophet was prophesying words of comfort, saying that the calamity had already consumed them, and now I will arise and lift up my voice to redeem them. “Behold,” it is because of their Ara’elim—their altar—that they have already cried out and mourned in their public squares and streets, with weeping and wailing.
"Mal'akhei shalom" (Messengers of peace): These are messengers whose mission it was to habitually announce peace ; they weep bitterly, saying, "The highways are deserted; the wayfarer has ceased."
Ibn Ezra
"Hayen Arealem." Some say it is derived from Ariel, as if it said "upon Ariel," but this is not correct according to the sense of the passage. And some say that "Arealem" is two words, "I will show them," but this too is far-fetched. And the correct view in my eyes is that the word "Arealem" is like "Malacheihem" (their angels), and the proof is "Mal'chei Shalom" (angels of peace). And similar to it is "Et Shnei Ari'el Moav" (the two Ariel of Moab) (II Samuel 23:20). And the meaning is that the angels of every nation who seek peace in the world will weep at the dominion of the kingdom of Assyria.
Radak
Behold, their Ariel. This passage concerns the calamity that befalls Israel prior to the downfall of the Assyrian camp:
“O Ariel.” [These are] angels, for “Ariel” is the name of an angel, and likewise our Sages of blessed memory referred to the angel by this name, saying, “The erelim [angels] have prevailed over the mighty ones, and the holy ark has been captured” (Ketubot 104a). For just as the word “angel” can refer to both a physical messenger and a spiritual messenger, so too can the word “Ariel.” The verse repeats the same idea using different words: it speaks of their angels, whom they initially sent from city to city, who were originally angels of peace; now they will cry out in the open, for the enemy has come into the land, and their weeping will be bitter. And the Targum renders the word “Arielam” as two separate words, meaning “I will show them,” and likewise its translation reads, “Behold, when I reveal to them,” etc.
Metzudat David
“Behold, their angels.” The prophet said: They are worthy of mercy, for they have already received the recompense for their sin. For every angel sent from among them—behold, they are all in the streets, in the place of their going, crying out with a bitter voice.
"Mal'achei shalom" (messengers of peace). The emissaries who go to announce the peace of the city, behold, they weep bitterly over its destruction.
Metzudat Zion
Arelim. The angel is called Ariel, and in the Midrash of our Sages of blessed memory it is stated: “The Arelim triumphed over the distressed” (Ketubot 104a). Just as the term “angel” is shared by both a spiritual angel and a corporeal angel, so too the name “Ariel” is shared by both.
Malachi. The matter of a messenger:
Malbim
(The response of the one who prays): “Behold, the mighty men and the warriors of the camp of Ashur cried out from outside, outside Jerusalem—namely, Rabshakeh and his men, who called out in a loud voice in Judean dialect to blaspheme the Living God. And also the messengers of peace, the messengers that Hezekiah sent to Sennacherib to make peace with him, returned with bad news in their mouths, saying: ‘Behold, already...’”
The highways lie waste, The wayfaring man ceases; He has broken the covenant, He has despised the cities, He regards not man.
verse value 4131
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 41 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֥א, 2 letters) and the longest is "highways" (מְסִלּ֔וֹת, 5 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "they·are·astonished" (נָשַׁ֣מּוּ), "highways" (מְסִלּ֔וֹת), "he·has·broken" (הֵפֵ֤ר). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 286x in Isaiah); "cities" (root עיר, 43x in Isaiah); "crossing" (root עבר, 41x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'way', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 7 words. Full calculation: נָשַׁ֣מּוּ [they·are·astonished] (396) + מְסִלּ֔וֹת [highways] (536) + שָׁבַ֖ת [ceased] (702) + עֹבֵ֣ר [crossing] (272) + אֹ֑רַח [way] (209) + הֵפֵ֤ר [he·has·broken] (285) + בְּרִית֙ [covenant] (612) + מָאַ֣ס [rejected] (101) + עָרִ֔ים [cities] (320) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + חָשַׁ֖ב [he·devised] (310) + אֱנֽוֹשׁ [man] (357) = 4131.
Rashi
[He broke it]: the enemy broke the covenant that he had made with Israel:
"He despised cities." In his eyes, he despised [them]; every enemy he did not regard as human.
Ibn Ezra
The highways are desolate. For the king of Assyria will not keep his covenant with a nation.
He has not regarded man as anything against him.
Radak
“The highways are desolate.” Because of the enemy, the highways are desolate, for the wayfarer has ceased to pass through.
"He has broken the covenant, he has despised the cities." My master and father, of blessed memory, explained: The Israelites were saying, "He has already broken His covenant with us, and He has despised our cities," contrary to what it says, "The eyes of the Lord your God are upon it."
"Mankind has not considered" – He has not considered us as anything. And the Targum [renders it]: "For they have despised us," etc.
Metzudat David
“The highways are desolate.” The roads became desolate because travelers ceased to pass along them out of fear of the enemy.
He broke the covenant. The enemy broke the covenant that he had made with Israel, and he despised their cities, not allowing them to remain in their place, for he destroyed them down to their foundations.
He has not considered mankind. He has not counted us as human beings:
Metzudat Zion
nashmu. From the word for desolation:
Mesillot. Its meaning is a trodden path:
Shabbat. Batel:
Orach. Derech:
Hefer. The matter of nullification:
"Chashav." The word is derived from "machshavah" (thought):
Malbim
“The highways have become desolate,” and furthermore, one does not pass along the sides of the roads, for the wayfarer has ceased to pass by. And the enemy who broke the covenant he had with Hezekiah—indeed, he has rejected the cities and does not wish at all for the cities to remain standing, so that they might serve him as tribute-paying subjects. Nor did man consider leaving at least a remnant of the common folk for the vintners and the threshers, for he is destroying and annihilating everything, until already
The land mourns and languishes; Lebanon is ashamed, it withers; Sharon is like a wilderness; And Bashan and Carmel are clean bare.
verse value 2893
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 49 letters. The shortest word is "trulied" (אָבַ֤ל, 3 letters) and the longest is "languishes" (אֻמְלְלָה֙, 5 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "is·ashamed" (הֶחְפִּ֥יר), "withered" (קָמַ֑ל), "as·the·arabah" (כָּֽעֲרָבָ֔ה). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "was" (root היה, 213x in Isaiah); "land" (root ארץ, 169x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root שרון ("Sharon") in Isaiah. First appearance of the root ערבה ("as·the·arabah") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'withered', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: אָבַ֤ל [trulied] (33) + אֻמְלְלָה֙ [languishes] (106) + אָ֔רֶץ [land] (291) + הֶחְפִּ֥יר [is·ashamed] (303) + לְבָנ֖וֹן [Lebanon] (138) + קָמַ֑ל [withered] (170) + הָיָ֤ה [was] (20) + הַשָּׁרוֹן֙ [Sharon] (561) + כָּֽעֲרָבָ֔ה [as·the·arabah] (297) + וְנֹעֵ֥ר [and·shaking·off] (326) + בָּשָׁ֖ן [Bashan] (352) + וְכַרְמֶֽל [and·Carmel] (296) = 2893.
Rashi
But. The language of mourning:
Kamel. It dried up and was cut off:
"Hayah" is a verb in the past tense:
Sharon. It is the name of a district for grazing livestock, as we learned in the Mishnah: “Rams from Moab, calves from Sharon.”
“Like the Aravah [plain].” A ruin:
And he shook. The term is akin to "he shook" as in (Exodus 14:21) "And the Lord shook."
Ibn Ezra
But. “He will find” – the word “land” is masculine, as in “the land is darkened” (Isaiah 9:18). And behold, this verse refutes the words of Rabbi Moses the Priest, who said that in “Fire shall devour it” (Job 20:26), the verb is not in the feminine form, [arguing that] such is the way of the language: whenever a word can be either masculine or feminine, it is not proper to use a feminine form after a masculine form.
“Hechpir” – [its subject is] the king of Assyria, for it is a transitive verb; “kamal” means it was cut off.
"HaSharon was." Just as it says, "Like the lily of the Sharon" (Song of Songs 2:1):
And he shall be shaken bare. From the root of “Thus shall it be, shaken out and empty” (Nehemiah 5:13):
Radak
But the matter of desolation: “Therefore the land shall mourn,” and the word “land” is used in the masculine gender and in the feminine gender; so too, “the land is sealed up,” “their land is overrun,” [where “land” is used] in the masculine gender and in the feminine gender, for the most part.
"The Sharon shall be like a wilderness." The Sharon is called a place of fertility and richness, and likewise concerning the cattle that graze in the Sharon, and it says that that place shall be like a desert:
“And Bashan and Carmel shall be shaken off.” The fruit of Bashan and Carmel shall be shaken, meaning that their trees shall drop their fruit.
Metzudat David
It mourns. He corrupted the earth, and it was cut off:
He was ashamed. He dried up and loathed Lebanon, and cut down the trees:
“The Sharon became.” The place of pasture became a desolation, like a wilderness.
“And it is shaken, etc.” The places where the olive trees shed and dropped their fruits, meaning that no fruits are cultivated there.
Metzudat Zion
Mourning. The matter of "corruption" is like "the land shall mourn" (Hosea 4:3):
“Amillah.” The matter of cutting off is similar to that of “Amillam” in “In the name of the Lord I will cut them off” (Psalms 118:10).
Was ashamed. A matter of shame and disgust:
Lebanon. A name of a forest in the Land of Israel.
Kamel. The meaning of "karet" (excision) is like that of "qanah" (reed) and "sof kamlo" (withered), as stated above (19:).
Sharon. It is a place that is rich and fertile; and similarly, “the lily of the Sharon” (Song of Songs 2:1).
“Aravah.” Its meaning is like “midbar” (desert), as it is written: “A land of drought and aravah” (Jeremiah 31:2).
And it is shaken off. The matter of a miscarriage that comes from violent movement; and similarly, "I shook out my bosom" (Nehemiah 5:13):
Bashan. It is a place of rich pasture, as it is stated: “Hear this, you cows of Bashan” (Amos 4:1).
"VeKarmel." It is a place of fields and vineyards.
Malbim
“The land mourns and languishes”—Judah is included in this; and “Lebanon shall be shamed,” because the forest was laid waste, and afterward Sharon too was laid waste, until it became like a wilderness; and afterward Bashan and Carmel were also stripped bare. He reckons in the order in which they were conquered and laid waste: (The answer of the Lord:) “But now, since He has laid waste everything:”
Now will I arise, says Hashem; Now will I be exalted; now will I lift Myself up.
verse value 2488
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 30 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "now" (עַתָּ֥ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "I·will·be·exalted" (אֵֽרוֹמָ֔ם, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 475: now, now, now. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "I·will·arise" (אָק֖וּם), "I·will·be·exalted" (אֵֽרוֹמָ֔ם), "I·will·be·lifted" (אֶנָּשֵֽׂא). The root עתה appears 3 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "will·say" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah); "I·will·be·lifted" (root נשא, 57x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: עַתָּ֥ה [now] (475) + אָק֖וּם [I·will·arise] (147) + יֹאמַ֣ר [will·say] (251) + יְהֹוָ֑ה [Hashem] (26) + עַתָּה֙ [now] (475) + אֵֽרוֹמָ֔ם [I·will·be·exalted] (287) + עַתָּ֖ה [now] (475) + אֶנָּשֵֽׂא [I·will·be·lifted] (352) = 2488.
Rashi
"Now I will arise." Because of the multitude of evils that the enemy has done to My people, I can no longer restrain Myself; now I will arise, and I will exalt, and I will raise up.
Ibn Ezra
"Now. Because He has greatly increased in corrupting [the world] now, I will arise:"
"I will exalt." It is from the hitpa'el stem, and the resh should have been dagesh-ed due to the omission of the tav, just as in "ensa" (I will be lifted).
Radak
"Now I will rise. I will rise against the king of Assyria, who has laid waste your land, and I will exalt and lift up [myself] against him."
Metzudat David
"Now I will rise." This means: Since they have received such a punishment, therefore the Lord will say, "Now I will rise to take vengeance from the king of Assyria."
"Now I will exalt." For when the Omnipresent executes judgment against the nations of the world, He is exalted and elevated.
"Now I will lift up." The matter is repeated in what is stated:
Malbim
"Now I will arise," says the Lord, "to save," as it is stated above (18:4), "I will be quiet and I will watch in My dwelling place; now I will lift up against Assyria, and now I will raise up upon the lips of all flesh through My wonders."
You conceive chaff, you shall bring forth stubble; Your breath is a fire that shall devour you.
verse value 3145
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 26 letters. The shortest word is "stubble" (קַ֑שׁ, 2 letters) and the longest is "will·eat·you" (תֹּאכַלְכֶֽם, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "you·will·conceive" (תַּהֲר֥וּ), "chaff" (חֲשַׁ֖שׁ), "you·will·bear" (תֵּ֣לְדוּ). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "will·eat·you" (root אכל, 55x in Isaiah); "your·breath" (root רוח, 44x in Isaiah); "you·will·bear" (root ילד, 31x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'stubble', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: תַּהֲר֥וּ [you·will·conceive] (611) + חֲשַׁ֖שׁ [chaff] (608) + תֵּ֣לְדוּ [you·will·bear] (440) + קַ֑שׁ [stubble] (400) + רוּחֲכֶ֕ם [your·breath] (274) + אֵ֖שׁ [fire] (301) + תֹּאכַלְכֶֽם [will·eat·you] (511) = 3145.
Rashi
Chashash. A type of chaff, a substance that is easy to ignite.
Your spirit is fire. From your body will issue a spirit of fire, and it will consume the stubble and the chaff.
Ibn Ezra
"You shall become pregnant." The tav indicates the second person, addressed to Assyria:
Chashash. When it is in the language of the Kedarites, like muts:
“Your spirit.” Some say that “your spirit shall be like fire” and it shall consume you. And the correct interpretation is that it is attached to the word “chashash,” meaning: let not your spirit carry you away, but rather let fire consume you.
Radak
“Teharu chashash.” It refers to the nations that were in the camp of the king of Assyria. And he calls the thought “pregnancy” and the deed “birth.” They thought to capture Jerusalem, but it did not succeed in their hands. Behold, their thought was vanity and their deeds were emptiness. This is “chashash” and “kash,” and “chashash” is the thin straw.
“Your spirit shall be a fire that consumes you.” Your thought shall be a fire that consumes you; that is to say, because you came to Jerusalem and planned to capture it, a fire from the Lord shall go forth to consume you, and this is the angel of the Lord who struck the camp of Assyria. And the plague likened it to the burning of fire, as we have stated above in the section “Therefore shall the Lord send,” where we elaborated on its explanation.
Metzudat David
“Teharu chashash.” He calls the thought “pregnancy” and the deed “childbirth,” meaning to say: that which you conceived in your minds—to conquer Jerusalem—you will not succeed in it, and behold, the thought is vanity, and the deed is like it.
"Your spirit" – "Your thoughts shall be a fire that consumes you," meaning that this very thought was the cause that brought destruction upon you.
Metzudat Zion
"Be pregnant." The word is derived from the term "pregnancy."
Chashash. It is fine straw. And likewise: "And the chashash shall be consumed by the flame" (above, 5).
Stubble. Straw:
"Your spirit." The matter of desire and thought; and similarly, "I will put My spirit in him" (below 37).
Malbim
“Be pregnant,” you, camp of Ashur; you have sown fear, which is the head of the ear, and thereby you have given birth to chaff, which is the ear itself; and your spirit of speech, which has gone forth from your mouth—that is the reviling and blasphemy that is in the hand of your messenger, the reviling of the Lord—this shall be the fire that will burn up the chaff, which is your deed, and it will consume you.
And the peoples shall be as the burnings of lime; As thorns cut down, that are burned in the fire.
verse value 2726
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 35 letters. The shortest word is "lime" (שִׂ֑יד, 3 letters) and the longest is "burnings·of" (מִשְׂרְפ֣וֹת, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "burnings·of" (מִשְׂרְפ֣וֹת), "lime" (שִׂ֑יד), "thorns" (קוֹצִ֥ים). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·they·shall·be" (root היה, 213x in Isaiah); "peoples" (root עם, 107x in Isaiah); "in·the·fire" (root אש, 27x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'lime', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְהָי֥וּ [and·they·shall·be] (27) + עַמִּ֖ים [peoples] (160) + מִשְׂרְפ֣וֹת [burnings·of] (1026) + שִׂ֑יד [lime] (314) + קוֹצִ֥ים [thorns] (246) + כְּסוּחִ֖ים [cut·down] (144) + בָּאֵ֥שׁ [in·the·fire] (303) + יִצַּֽתּוּ [they·will·kindle] (506) = 2726.
Rashi
"Like those that are mowed." [They are] cut down, like mowed [grain], as it is stated (Leviticus 25:4): "You shall not prune," and the Targum [Onkelos] translates: "You shall not mow."
Ibn Ezra
And they were. Burned, as if they had been burned with lime, an allusion to those who were suddenly destroyed by the angel, and similarly, "Thorns that are withered, which go out in the fire."
Radak
And the nations were burning lime, and the end of the nations who were in the camp of the king of Assyria will be like the stones that are burned for lime, or like dry thorns that went out and caught fire in the flame.
“Like stubble.” The meaning is “cut down.” And the Targum translates, “You shall not mow, you shall not reap.” And it says “stubble” because thorns that are not cut but are still attached to the ground do not ignite quickly, but when they are cut and dry, they ignite quickly. So too, the plague will come suddenly.
Metzudat David
"And the nations shall be." The camp of Sennacherib will be likened to stones that are burned to become lime.
“Thorns that are cut down.” They are likened to thorns that are cut down, which are dry, and when one sets fire to them, they burn quickly; so too, the camp of Sennacherib was swiftly destroyed.
Metzudat Zion
"Sid." Like "sid" with a samekh:
"Cut down." The matter of cutting off, and likewise burning with fire, is cut down (Psalms 80:17):
יצתו. The language of "igniting" and "burning":
Malbim
And the nations will be like lime kilns: the lime retains its heat for many days, but it does not ignite quickly; whereas dry thorns ignite quickly, but they do not retain the fire within them. I say that the nations will be like lime kilns that keep the flame of the fire for many days, and also like withered thorns that ignite immediately. This means that the fire of the Lord will easily consume them, and it will burn within them for many days.
Hear, you that are far off, what I have done; And, you that are near, acknowledge My might.
verse value 3130
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 33 letters. Notable word values: "and·know" (וּדְע֥וּ) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "afar" (רְחוֹקִ֖ים, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "afar" (רְחוֹקִ֖ים), "and·know" (וּדְע֥וּ), "near" (קְרוֹבִ֖ים). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 176x in Isaiah); "hear" (root שמע, 106x in Isaiah); "I·did" (root עשה, 101x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'I·did', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: שִׁמְע֥וּ [hear] (416) + רְחוֹקִ֖ים [afar] (364) + אֲשֶׁ֣ר [that] (501) + עָשִׂ֑יתִי [I·did] (790) + וּדְע֥וּ [and·know] (86) + קְרוֹבִ֖ים [near] (358) + גְּבֻרָתִֽי [my·strength] (615) = 3130.
Rashi
Distant are those who believe in Me and do My will from their youth.
"Those who draw near": Those who have returned in repentance and drawn near to Me anew.
Ibn Ezra
"Hear." [Those who are] near - they are Israel; therefore, after them [comes the word] "they feared."
Radak
"Hear, ye distant lands, what I have done." The distant ones will hear in the camp of the king of Assyria, and the near ones who were in the camp of Assyria will know the might of God that prevailed over them and struck them down, and they will know that the king of Assyria did not act by his own strength, as he boasted and said, "By the strength of my hand I have done it."
Metzudat David
"Hear, you who are far off." Those who dwell at a distance heard what I did in the camp of Assyria.
And know, O neighbors. Those who were in the camp of Ashur, give heed to know My might:
Malbim
"Hear, O distant ones, for this report will spread far and wide; and know, O near ones, that the wondrous news will spread even further with greater marvels and tales than those heard up close. But here, even those who are near shall know the greatness of the miracle."
The sinners in Zion are afraid; Trembling has seized the ungodly: ‘Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?’
verse value 2191
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 61 letters. Notable word values: "to·us" (לָ֗נוּ) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "who?" (מִ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "who·shall·sojourn" (מִֽי־יָג֥וּר, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 86: to·us, to·us. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "they·feared" (פָּחֲד֤וּ), "sinners" (חַטָּאִ֔ים), "she·has·held·fast" (אָחֲזָ֥ה). The root גור appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "eating" (root אכל, 55x in Isaiah); "ever" (root עולם, 46x in Isaiah); "in·Zion" (root ציון, 39x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'godless', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 9 words.
Rashi
"Sinners in Zion tremble." How will they find an opening for repentance?
“Who shall dwell in the devouring fire?” This means: Who will stand for us to quell the burning anger? Another interpretation: “Who shall dwell in the devouring fire?” means: Who is there for us who will dwell in Zion with the Rock, who is the devouring fire, and who is He who repays the lover of righteousness, etc.
Ibn Ezra
"Fear Him." They shall fear the Name upon seeing His might in the camp of Assyria, and they shall say, "Who is like Him, that He can dwell with the Name, which is a consuming fire?" And the meaning of "in Zion" is that there is the Divine Presence.
Radak
"Fear in Zion": The sinners who were in Zion feared when they saw the great camp of Assyria, and the hypocrites who were there were seized by trembling. And He said:
“Who will dwell for us?” This means: Who will stand on our behalf against this camp, which is a consuming fire and the furnace of the world? The sinners and hypocrites who were in Zion were afraid, for they did not trust in the Lord to save them; these were Shebna and his faction. But the righteous ones who were among them were afraid yet trusted in the Lord, and they did not say, “Who will dwell for us?” because they knew that the Almighty would save them upon their return to Him, through their cries and prayers before Him; these were Hezekiah and his faction.
"Consuming it." It is vocalized with a tzere under the root letter ayin, as in "and the flame of fire consumes them," "He guards the vineyards," and similar verses. And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated "a consuming fire" as referring to God, and he rendered it as saying, "Who will dwell with us in Zion, etc."
Metzudat David
“Fear in Zion.” Then, when Assyria came upon Zion, the righteous placed their trust in the Lord, but the sinners feared.
"I held fast," etc. The matter is repeated in what is stated:
“Who will dwell with us?” This means: Who among us is there who can dwell and remain here, in the face of the camp of Assyria, which is like a consuming fire?
"Who shall abide..." The doubling of the matter is stated in the words:
“Furnaces of the world.” This means those who burned and weakened all the inhabitants of the world.
Metzudat Zion
Trembling. The matter of trembling:
Hypocrites. Wicked people who flatter their evil inclination to fulfill its enticements:
יגור. The meaning of "dwelling" is like "I dwelt with Laban" (Genesis 32:5):
For us. Just as it says, “From among us”:
Mukadi. The matter of "the burning of fire" is like "upon its hearth" (Leviticus 6):
Malbim
"Fear" — behold, the sinners who did not believe in the Lord feared in Zion because of Sennacherib, who was waging war against Zion. And the hypocrites, the pretenders, were ashamed to say with their mouths that they were afraid and did not believe in the Lord; nevertheless, a bodily tremor seized them, so that their fear was evident to all through their trembling. For they said, "Who will dwell for us here in Zion, within a consuming fire, which is the enemy's camp? And who will dwell with this terrible enemy? Is he not the furnace of the world, who has already burned up most of the inhabited lands? How then can we dwell and feel secure in Zion?" The Lord answers them: "What do you fear? Is it not He who is..."
He that walks righteously, and speaks uprightly; He that despises the gain of oppressions, That shakes his hands from holding of bribes, That stops his ears from hearing of blood, And shuts his eyes from looking upon evil;
verse value 5827
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 78 letters. The shortest word is "going" (הֹלֵ֣ךְ, 3 letters) and the longest is "evenness" (מֵישָׁרִ֑ים, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 600: righteousness, evenness. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "in·profit·of" (בְּבֶ֣צַע), "extortions" (מַעֲשַׁקּ֗וֹת), "shaking" (נֹעֵ֤ר). 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "from·hearing" (root שמע, 106x in Isaiah); "and·speaking" (root דבר, 88x in Isaiah); "from·seeing" (root ראה, 83x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root תמך ("from·holding") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'evenness', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 15 words.
Rashi
"Whoever walks in righteousness." Who is it that will find one who walks in righteousness?
He shakes his hands. In Old French, "Ashkutz":
Otam. It means to seal, and similarly: “transparent, sealed” (1 Kings 6:4):
Otzem: To close. And similarly (above, 29:10), “And He closed your eyes.”
Ibn Ezra
“Walking...” These are the words of the prophet, for one who walks in righteousness, and the word is written defectively, lacking the letter bet.
"Otem": It means "to close," as in "He will seal up their ears" (Psalms 58:5). And if they are two different verbal stems:
And "ve'otzam": like "veya'etzem et eineichem" (Isaiah 29:10); and if there are two conjugations:
Radak
“Walking in righteousness.” The prophet said: “You say, ‘Who shall dwell with us?’ One who walks in righteousness shall dwell with you,” and this refers to Hezekiah, and through his righteousness the city was saved. And even though he attributed the merit to David and said, “For my sake and for the sake of David My servant,” the merit of David stood for them together with the merit of Hezekiah. Rather, he mentioned David because he is the primary head of the Kingdom of Zion, and it is called the City of David. And the Targum interprets the entire verse as referring to all the righteous ones who are in Jerusalem, saying, “Every righteous one shall dwell therein,” etc.
“Walking in righteousness.” The letter bet is missing from the word, so that it is read as if it said “walking in righteousness.” And these are the qualities mentioned in the verse; they are fitting for a king, and by means of them his kingdom will endure.
"He who walks in righteousness." All his ways and deeds are in righteousness and good deeds.
He detests ill-gotten gain. Now, the Torah states concerning judges: “He who hates gain”. When it says “gain” in a general sense, it refers to all wealth, meaning those who do not pursue wealth, for since they do not covet it, they will not be swayed by bribes. However, here it says “ill-gotten gain,” meaning wealth obtained through robbery and extortion. This is because the passage speaks of a king, and a king requires funds to pay his troops, warriors, servants, and attendants. He must strive to acquire wealth that is lawful. But wealth that is not lawful, he detests. Therefore, it says “ill-gotten gain”: even though he has the power to take others’ money, he detests it if it is not lawful, such as when a person is fined by the royal treasury.
“Shaking his hands” – he supports himself with bribery. Therefore, it says “Shaking his hands,” to teach that he will not accept any bribe in the world, even to acquit the one who deserves acquittal and to convict the one who deserves conviction. And even a gift he will not accept from the litigant while the case is before him; he shakes his hands, as if to say, “No bribe in the world.”
“Who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed” implies that he does not shed blood. Since it is within the king’s power to execute those who transgress his decrees, the verse states that he shall not kill except through proper legal judgment. If members of his household come and say to him, “So-and-so is liable to death because he did such-and-such to you,” he stops his ears, meaning that he is unwilling to listen unless it is truly established that the person is indeed liable to death. “Blood” refers to the blood of an innocent person, or even if the person is guilty, he forgives and overlooks the offense when the matter pertains to the king’s personal interest, because the killing of a human being is abhorrent in his eyes, unless it is necessary to eradicate evil from the land.
And the strength of his eyes is from seeing evil. He does not wish to see any evil in the world, or another interpretation: "evil" refers to a wicked person, meaning he cannot look upon a person who is wicked, as David said, "He who speaks lies shall not stand before My eyes." And all these qualities were in Hezekiah.
Metzudat David
“Walking in righteousness.” As if the Holy Spirit were responding: “This is the one who is established, who walks in the way of righteousness and speaks uprightly, who abhors the gain of oppression.”
He shakes his hands. He shakes his hands from accepting a bribe, and he refuses to take it:
"אוטם" – He stops up his ears from hearing words that incite to shed blood.
“Ve’otzam” – He closes his eyes to the sight of something forbidden to look upon.
Metzudat Zion
"Upright." The word is derived from the root y-sh-r, meaning "straight" or "upright."
In the matter of "profit." The concept of "desire" is akin to "What profit is there in my blood" (Psalms 30:10).
From the word "oppressing":
Nuaar. The matter of falling in strong motion:
"Matmoch." The matter of leaning:
"otem": The meaning is "plugging," as in "transparent and opaque" (I Kings 6:4). And "otzem": The meaning is "closing," as in "and He closed your eyes" (above, 29:10).
Malbim
“Whoever walks in righteousness” – this refers to Hezekiah – “shall dwell on high; he shall not fear the enemy” (i.e., “whoever walks in righteousness” refers to the commandments between man and God, and “speaks uprightly” refers to correct opinions and beliefs. He despised matters between man and his fellow, meaning he rejected any profit that might lead to oppression or loss for his fellow. He “withheld his hands” [from taking bribes], for although he was a king who always administered justice, he did not accept gifts from anyone, as was the custom of kings at that time. He feared lest later he would have to judge that very person, and even though he might return the gift then, it would still have served as a bribe in the interim. Moreover, he did not accept slander against anyone; if someone came to tell him that a person had rebelled against him and incurred the death penalty, he would “stop his ears,” as it were, and also “shut his eyes,” so as not to see evil at all, lest he come through it to covetousness and lust).
He shall dwell on high; His place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks; His bread shall be given, his waters shall be sure.
verse value 2710
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 46 letters. The shortest word is "he" (ה֚וּא, 3 letters) and the longest is "heights" (מְרוֹמִ֣ים, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "heights" (מְרוֹמִ֣ים), "will·settle·down" (יִשְׁכֹּ֔ן), "fortresses·of" (מְצָד֥וֹת). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "he" (root הוא, 98x in Isaiah); "is·given" (root נתן, 56x in Isaiah); "his·water" (root מים, 41x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·high·tower', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 4 words. Full calculation: ה֚וּא [he] (12) + מְרוֹמִ֣ים [heights] (336) + יִשְׁכֹּ֔ן [will·settle·down] (380) + מְצָד֥וֹת [fortresses·of] (540) + סְלָעִ֖ים [crags] (210) + מִשְׂגַּבּ֑וֹ [his·high·tower] (351) + לַחְמ֣וֹ [his·bread] (84) + נִתָּ֔ן [is·given] (500) + מֵימָ֖יו [his·water] (106) + נֶאֱמָנִֽים [faithful] (191) = 2710.
Rashi
"He gave him bread." One should not seek bread [from others], for his sustenance will be provided for him from Heaven.
His waters are faithful. The source of his waters will not fail, meaning that his offspring will grow and all his needs will be provided for.
Ibn Ezra
He. He makes these:
He shall dwell. In Zion, as if He dwelt in its fortresses:
“His bread He gave him.” Let it be that bread is given to him to suffice his needs.
They are trustworthy, so that they will not lie, and the reason is so that they will not be cut off, and behold, he sits in comfort, and also he will delight himself.
Radak
“He shall dwell on high” – this refers to the King, who shall dwell securely, as one who dwells in high towers. And He repeated the matter in different words to strengthen it. And the meaning of “fortresses” is strong towers, and it was not altered in the construct state in order to ease the reading.
"His bread is given" – with a qamats, for it is a participle.
“His waters are faithful” – they are established and will not cease. He stated this matter to indicate that there will be abundance in the days of Hezekiah, as it says in the preceding passage: “Happy are you who sow beside all waters” (Isaiah 32:20).
Metzudat David
He. He who does all these things shall dwell in security, as if he were in a lofty place that the enemy’s hand cannot reach.
"From its bulwarks." This is as if they were rock fortresses for Him, serving as a refuge.
"His bread shall be given." His needs will be provided for him from heaven.
His waters are trustworthy. The water of his well will not cease.
Metzudat Zion
"From the heights." From the word "height" and "loftiness."
"From its fortresses." The meaning is of a strong tower and fortress, like "the fortress of Zion" (2 Samuel 5).
His stronghold. The matter is one of strength:
“Reliable.” Its meaning is something that is established, as in “a peg in a reliable place” (above 22).
Malbim
“He” refers to King Hezekiah himself, who need not fear the consuming fire, for he shall dwell on high places, and the enemy will not be able to approach him; and also in fortified rock-strongholds, and the enemy will not be able to capture him. And lest you think that because the enemy will besiege him for many days, he will not find bread or water, and thereby be forced to surrender to him, it is said that his bread is provided and his waters are reliable. Therefore, you need not fear Sennacherib now.
Your eyes shall see the king in his beauty; they shall behold a land stretching afar.
verse value 2193
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 34 letters. The shortest word is "king" (מֶ֥לֶךְ, 3 letters) and the longest is "let·behold" (תֶּחֱזֶ֣ינָה, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "in·his·beauty" (בְּיׇפְי֖וֹ), "let·behold" (תֶּחֱזֶ֣ינָה), "distant·places" (מַרְחַקִּֽים). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "land" (root ארץ, 169x in Isaiah); "they·will·see" (root ראה, 83x in Isaiah); "king" (root מלך, 73x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·eyes', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: מֶ֥לֶךְ [king] (90) + בְּיׇפְי֖וֹ [in·his·beauty] (108) + תֶּחֱזֶ֣ינָה [let·behold] (480) + עֵינֶ֑יךָ [your·eyes] (160) + תִּרְאֶ֖ינָה [they·will·see] (666) + אֶ֥רֶץ [land] (291) + מַרְחַקִּֽים [distant·places] (398) = 2193.
Rashi
"Your eyes shall behold your king in his beauty." Explanation: You will merit to see your king, in the splendor of his majesty, from a distant land. Or the explanation is: (The Holy One, blessed be He, who is King—you will behold Him from a distant land; from the place where you stand, you will see the miracles and greatness that I will perform for you. But a bold people, deep in speech, will not behold the Divine Presence of the King in His beauty.) Thus it is written. All of this is not found in other manuscripts.
"Your eyes shall behold the King in His beauty." To you, the righteous, I say that you shall merit to behold the radiance of the Divine Presence.
"Let the land see from afar." Jonathan translated: "Look and behold the descent of the land of Gehenna."
Ibn Ezra
"King, etc." These are the words of the prophet, as if to say: Let Judah remember when the messengers of the king of Assyria came to collect tribute from Hezekiah, for he gave all the treasures of the House of the Lord, and he afflicted all of Judah. And they would say: Who will go with us, from among Hezekiah's officials, to the king of Assyria to pay this tribute? It is the king, in whose beauty your eyes will behold, and you will see the land from afar, for Assyria is far from Jerusalem.
Radak
“King in his beauty.” This refers to Hezekiah. It corresponds to the verse “Your eyes shall behold your king” (Isaiah 33:17), which alludes to the tribe of Judah, and to the verse “Your eyes shall see distant lands” (Isaiah 33:17). The explanation is: Your eyes, which until now saw a king from distant lands—namely, the king of Assyria, whom they initially served and whose face they beheld through the tribute they brought him—will no longer see him. Rather, you will see this king in his beauty and splendor, sitting on his throne in honor, without fear. Of him it is said, “He shall be exalted in the sight of the nations” (II Chronicles 32:23). A king mentioned in this manner stands in the place of two [words], according to the custom of Scripture, as if it said: “King in his beauty your eyes shall behold; [you] shall see a king from distant lands.” And in the word “from distant lands” (מֵרָחֹקִים), the mem is with a patach.
Metzudat David
"A king in his beauty." In your eyes you will see King Hezekiah in his beauty and his greatness, and you will not be exiled from your land.
“They shall see a land from afar.” The word “king” mentioned at the beginning of the verse stands in place of two, as if it said, “They shall see the king of the land from afar,” and its meaning is: the eyes that have until now seen the king of the land of Assyria, behold, now they shall see King Hezekiah in his beauty and in his greatness.
Metzudat Zion
They shall see. The matter of seeing:
Malbim
“King,” in contrast to what was said that by means of the righteousness of King Hezekiah they have something to rely upon and not to be afraid of the camp of Assyria, [the text] says: But in truth, when your eyes shall see the King in His beauty, meaning when you shall gaze upon Hezekiah in his time of beauty, namely, when the splendor of the King shall be revealed in His majesty, your eyes shall see a land of distances, meaning that your eyes shall also see the land from afar, namely, the King of Assyria in his beauty with the multitude of his armies. If, after you have seen with your eyes the King of Assyria in his beauty, with the multitude of his troops and battalions, if thereafter you shall also see King Hezekiah in his beauty and compare one against the other, I know that then
Your heart shall muse on the terror: ‘Where is he that counted, where is he that weighed? Where is he that counted the towers?’
verse value 1822
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 38 letters. The shortest word is "your·heart" (לִבְּךָ֖, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·towers" (אֶת־הַמִּגְדָּלִֽים, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 340: counting, counting. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "your·heart" (לִבְּךָ֖), "terror" (אֵימָ֑ה), "shekel" (שֹׁקֵ֔ל). The root אי appears 3 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "where?" (root אי, 30x in Isaiah); "your·heart" (root לב, 20x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root שקל ("shekel") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'terror', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 7 words. Full calculation: לִבְּךָ֖ [your·heart] (52) + יֶהְגֶּ֣ה [will·moan] (23) + אֵימָ֑ה [terror] (56) + אַיֵּ֤ה [where?] (16) + סֹפֵר֙ [counting] (340) + אַיֵּ֣ה [where?] (16) + שֹׁקֵ֔ל [shekel] (430) + אַיֵּ֖ה [where?] (16) + סֹפֵ֥ר [counting] (340) + אֶת־הַמִּגְדָּלִֽים [the·towers] (533) = 1822.
Rashi
“Your heart shall meditate on awe.” When you see the princes and the sages of the nations who were rulers in their lifetime, and behold, they are being judged in Gehinnom, your heart shall meditate on awe, and you shall say: “Where is the wisdom and the greatness of these? Where is the one who was a scribe in his lifetime, weighing every matter of wisdom, from whom all the counsel of the kingdom was sought?”
"Where is the scribe who counts the towers?" The explanation is that he used to count the towers within the city, for those tall buildings were considered prestigious and contributed more to the tax. And all that anxiety and fear shall no longer be yours.
Ibn Ezra
"Your heart." It speaks in his soul of awe:
Where is the scribe? He is the one who writes, how much is "the punishment of every man."
Where is he who weighs? Where is he who counts the towers? From the root "to count," for they were punished for every tower:
Radak
“Your heart shall meditate on awe.” Your heart, which was previously meditating on awe—namely, all day long you were in fear of the tax, and you were calculating in your heart: “Where is the tax collector? Now he will come upon us, the one who writes the tax and weighs the silver from our hands.”
He counted the towers. The explanation is that he counted the towers in the city, for those tall buildings were considered significant and contributed more in taxes, and all that anxiety and fear will no longer be yours.
Metzudat David
"Your heart shall meditate on awe." Your heart, which used to think in terms of awe and say, "Where is the king's scribe? Now he will come upon us and write down the tax; where is the weigher of the tax silver from our hands? Where is the one who counts the city's towers and the high houses, for the tax was determined according to the number of towers?"
Metzudat Zion
"Yehageh." He shall meditate, as in "the meditations of my heart" (Psalms 19:15).
Dread. Fear:
Shoqel. The word is derived from the noun mishqal, meaning "weight."
Malbim
Your heart shall ponder in awe, and you shall fear greatly because of Sennacherib. For then you will say in your heart: “Where is the scribe? If Hezekiah wishes to engage in battle against Sennacherib, where is his scribe who will count the multitude of his camps and armies, as was the case for the king of Assyria, who had special scribes appointed to count and enumerate the multitudes of his camps? And where is the scale designated for weighing silver into the treasuries, as is required for such a great king? And where is the scribe who records the towers from which they will fight against the enemy?” And you will fear in your heart, because you will see nothing of all this honor with Hezekiah, and how will he succeed in battle? Thus your heart shall ponder in awe. Nevertheless, I say to you: Let your heart trust, for...
You shall not see the fierce people; A people of a deep speech that you can not perceive, Of a stammering tongue that you can not understand.
verse value 3119
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 43 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "from·understanding" (מִשְּׁמ֔וֹעַ, 5 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "the·people" (אֶת־עַ֥ם), "fierce" (נוֹעָ֖ז), "deep" (עִמְקֵ֤י). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 286x in Isaiah); "people" (root עם, 107x in Isaiah); "from·understanding" (root שמע, 106x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'you·will·see', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 8 words. Full calculation: אֶת־עַ֥ם [the·people] (511) + נוֹעָ֖ז [fierce] (133) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + תִרְאֶ֑ה [you·will·see] (606) + עַ֣ם [people] (110) + עִמְקֵ֤י [deep] (220) + שָׂפָה֙ [lip] (385) + מִשְּׁמ֔וֹעַ [from·understanding] (456) + נִלְעַ֥ג [mocked] (153) + לָשׁ֖וֹן [tongue] (386) + אֵ֥ין [nothing] (61) + בִּינָֽה [understanding] (67) = 3119.
Rashi
"A bold nation." Just as the word "Lu'az" (foreign) refers to Assyria and Babylonia, whose language is not the Holy Tongue.
"You shall not see." Do not think in your heart that they will all be dark and lowly:
"Deepen the lip." This is analogous to the verse: "And the whole earth was of one language" (Genesis 11:1).
“Nileag lashon” – the term “stammering” (or “mocked”) is a foreign language expression. “Calves” (egel) and “depths of the tongue” (amkei sefah, cited above 23) – all of these are terms from a foreign language, not recognized in the Holy Tongue.
Ibn Ezra
“a bold nation.” We do not know whether the nun is a root letter or part of the nifal conjugation, and it is a foreign word with no family [of related words]; the meaning is “a foreign or strange nation.” And the one who says that the nun is in place of a lamed does not speak correctly.
“Nile’ag lashon.” For any language that a person does not understand is, in his eyes, mockery.
Radak
“You shall not see a bold people.” You will no longer see the scribes and the weighers:
“A fierce people (noaz).” It is like “az” (fierce), and it is a nifal form; “az,” “ya’oz,” and “izzuz” are of one meaning. And the fierce people are the Chaldeans, “a nation of deep speech,” implying that they spoke Aramaic, which the Israelites did not hear and understand, except for individuals. As it was said regarding Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah to Rabshakeh: “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it; do not speak to us in Judean in the ears of the people.” It appears that the people did not understand Aramaic. And another language, so that they would not understand, is for them deep and contemptible, as it says: “in a mocking tongue and in another language.”
From hearing. Explanation: from understanding, as in “a nation whose language you shall not hear,” and likewise it is said, “there was no understanding,” meaning they did not understand him, and the matter is repeated in different words.
Metzudat David
"An awesome people, etc." This means: From now on it will not be so, for you will not see with your eyes the mighty people, namely Assyria.
“With the people of deep speech.” The people whose language is profound and difficult to understand.
"Nile'ag lashon" – one who does not understand the language will imagine that he is speaking in a manner contrary to the nature of the matter, and there will be no comprehension of his words. This refers back to the beginning of the verse, to say: "You shall not see this people again." The matter is duplicated in what is stated:
Metzudat Zion
No'az. From the word "oz" (strength) and "chazak" (strong):
"Deep." So is called a matter that is difficult to attain, as if it were in a deep place.
Speech. So too, "language of a people" is called "speech," as it says, "And one speech for them all" (Genesis 11:6).
From the word "to hear." From the language of "to understand," as in: "Joseph heard" (Genesis 42:23).
"Nile'ag." So the speaker is called by the opposite of its characteristic, like "belagi shafah" (above 28:11):
Malbim
“The fierce and strong people of Sennacherib, you shall see no more, for they shall perish and be cut off from before you; the people who are deep in speech, you shall see no more, only”
Look upon Zion, the city of our solemn gatherings; Your eyes shall see Jerusalem a peaceful habitation, A tent that shall not be removed, The stakes whereof shall never be plucked up, Neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken.
verse value 5114
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 80 letters. Notable word values: "tent" (אֹ֤הֶל) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "behold" (חֲזֵ֣ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·all·its·cords" (וְכׇל־חֲבָלָ֖יו, 8 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "our·meeting" (מוֹעֲדֵ֑נוּ), "peaceful" (שַׁאֲנָ֗ן), "tent" (אֹ֤הֶל). 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "they·will·see" (root ראה, 83x in Isaiah); "your·eyes" (root עין, 45x in Isaiah); "Jerusalem" (root ירושלם, 42x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root נסע ("not·shall·be·pulled·up") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'our·meeting', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 12 words.
Rashi
Behold Zion. And whom will you see in your heart to be reckoned as royalty and dominion? It is Zion, which is a city of dwelling and assembly for us.
"Shall not be moved (bal yitz'an)." Shall not be uprooted; similar to it is "Elon-betza'anannim" (Judges 4:11), which the Targum renders "the plain of the basins (mishar agnaya)" — the hollows in the fields that they call "fosez" (ditches) in Old French, just as "aganim of the land" are called so because the waters gather there from the mountains and hills. And the bet of "b'tzananim," I say, is not rooted in the word but serves as a prefix.
“Let him not remove his pegs.” The pegs with which the ropes of the tent are tied: let him not remove them from the ground from the place where they were driven in, as in “and they removed large stones” (1 Kings 5:31), and similarly “and he removed them with the bar” (Judges 16:3); the language denotes uprooting.
Ibn Ezra
“Behold, etc.” – A person has no need to behold the king of Assyria; rather, behold Zion.
"קריית מועדינו" – according to its plain meaning; or like [the verse] "They burned all the altars of God" (Psalms 74:8).
Ohel. It is spelled without a kaf:
Yatsan. He has no companion, and its meaning will not fall, or rather, it will not uproot its stakes; a stake from among its stakes.
And all. The strings are the chords:
Radak
“Behold Zion.” That bold nation you shall not see; rather, what will you see? Zion, the city of our appointed times, to which they used to come during the three pilgrimage festivals each year. For until now, it was not the city of our appointed times during the days of the kings of Israel, who did not bring all of Israel there. Nor was it so during the days of Ahaz, when the festivals of the Lord and His sacrifices were abolished. For even at the beginning of the reign of Hezekiah, it is written that he sent letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, inviting them to come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover, and they mocked the messengers and ridiculed them. But now your eyes shall see Jerusalem as a peaceful dwelling place, for until now it was not a peaceful dwelling place, since the hand of the kings of the nations was upon it.
“His tent shall not be taken down.” Explanation: According to its context, it is as Targum Jonathan renders it, “like a dwelling that is not dismantled,” since we do not find a cognate for this word in Scripture. And our Sages of blessed memory explained that it is derived from the root י-צ-ע (to spread out), and its meaning is that the nun is an added letter in the pattern of the binyan qinyan alman rachman, and the explanation is: a tent that is not taken down and will never serve as a resting place, but rather will always be spread out and pitched.
"Let him not remove his tent pegs." Even one of his tent pegs he shall not remove. And since the verse likens him to a tent, it says "his tent pegs and cords," indicating that it will be pitched with tent pegs and cords. And what it says "forever" means for a long time.
Metzudat David
“Behold Zion.” But you shall see Zion and not be exiled from it:
Kiryat Moedenu: The city in which we gather and assemble during the pilgrimage festivals.
A dwelling that is tranquil, and a tent that will not be moved from its place, for it will stand in its location, and for a long time the stakes of the tent will not be uprooted, and all the ropes of the tent tied to the stakes will not be loosened from the stakes.
Metzudat Zion
"See." The matter of seeing:
Our appointed time. From the language of "ve'ed" and assembly:
The matter of "dwelling":
Shanan. The meaning is quietness and tranquility, as it is stated: "Moab was at ease" (Jeremiah 48:11).
Yatsan. The meaning is uprooting and moving from one place to another, as in: “And I will send to him those who tip him over, and they will tip him over” (ibid.).
Yasa. The meaning is uprooting, for he who uproots something moves it from its place.
"His pegs." The word is derived from "peg" and "nail."
For ever. This means that His cords are for a long time. The word is from the root of cord and line.
They shall detach. The matter of transferring and removing from its place:
Malbim
“Look upon Zion, only Zion shall you look upon” — how it will be our city of appointed times, to which all will go for the pilgrimage festivals, (instead of the earlier practice when the kings of Israel stationed guards on the roads to prevent people from going on pilgrimage). And “your eyes shall see Jerusalem”: even though you will not be able to picture Jerusalem as the depiction of a great and awesome royal city, with many camps and fortified cities, behold, you will picture it in another, more beautiful depiction, as if it were a pasture for sheep, tranquil and quiet, having no dealings with anyone. And within it you will see the tent of the shepherd, who is Hezekiah, who is like the depiction of a shepherd of sheep, for whom, if the tent is not disturbed and agitated within (that is, if he walks in the ways of the Lord and his heart is whole with his God), then its pegs will not be moved, and even its cords, which bind the tent, will not be loosened.
But there Hashem will be with us in majesty, In a place of broad rivers and streams; Wherein shall go no galley with oars, Neither shall gallant ship pass thereby.
verse value 3334
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 67 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "place·of·rivers" (מְקוֹם־נְהָרִ֥ים, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 215: great, great. 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "if·there" (אִם־שָׁ֞ם), "place·of·rivers" (מְקוֹם־נְהָרִ֥ים), "channels" (יְאֹרִ֖ים). The root אדיר appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "not" (root לא, 286x in Isaiah); "for" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'hand', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 7 words.
Rashi
“Only there.” “Only there” is construed with “He shall not remove his stakes” and “they shall not be uprooted.” The evil shall not be, but rather the good: “The Lord shall be there, mighty for us,” and the city shall be a place of rivers and streams, as it is stated: “And he measured a thousand… a river that I could not pass through” (Ezekiel 47:5). And so did Joel prophesy: “A spring shall go forth from the House of the Lord” (Joel 4:18), and it is the stream that shall grow stronger and stronger.
I am a ship. A ship that is sailing on the waters:
"And a mighty fleet." A great ship:
Ibn Ezra
For, etc. And the meaning: this Tent shall not be removed; but God will be mighty for us, in a land with rivers around it.
Yeorim. It is spelled with a missing vav, just as in the verse “The sun and the moon stand still” (Habakkuk 3:11).
Hands. Places, and the meaning is “from every corner,” and they are rivers such that one does not go in any one of them with an oar, and the meaning is that they should not fear an enemy, neither from the sea nor from the land.
Radak
“Only there.” This “only” means “truly,” as in “For truly there is a hereafter,” “For truly he is counted as clay in the hands of the potter,” and similar verses. Thus it says: “How shall Jerusalem be a quiet garden, a tent that shall not be taken down?” For truly, there in Jerusalem, the Lord is mighty; He is for us and helps us, and He is mighty and has power over the camp of Assyria, even though it is numerous and formidable.
“Place of rivers, canals.” And it shall be for us a place of rivers, as if there were rivers and canals of great breadth surrounding Jerusalem, which the enemies will not be able to cross. And even if I had a mighty fleet, it would not be able to navigate this great river nor cross it. And since he compared the camp of Assyria to a great river, as it says, “The waters of the mighty and numerous river, the king of Assyria,” etc., He said that the Lord will be for them a place of a river greater than it, which the king of Assyria will not be able to cross in order to conquer Jerusalem.
A ship of oars. They propel it with oars:
And a great ship. A large vessel:
Metzudat David
"But if there, etc." For truly, in Jerusalem, the Lord, the Majestic One, will be for us and our helper.
“Place of rivers.” Jerusalem will be as if surrounded by a place of broad rivers and streams, to the extent that a ship sailing upon the water will not be able to go there, and even a strong and large ship will not be able to cross the river. And this means that it will be guarded from Ashur, as if it were impossible to come there.
Metzudat Zion
"Im." Truly, just as in the verse "if the money is exhausted" (Genesis 47:18).
Adir. The matter of strength:
Yeorot. These are those made by human hands:
Hands. The matter of the place, and similarly, “a place in front” (below, 57):
I am a ship. A ship that sails on the waters, and it is from the expression “those who row you” (Ezekiel 27):
"And a mighty fleet." A strong and large ship, as it is stated: "Assyria has laid it as a foundation for the fleets" (above 23:13).
Malbim
For, it explains why this tent shall not journey forever, namely, if the Lord will be there our majesty in this tent; if the majestic Lord will be for us there in the quiet pasture and in the aforementioned tent as majesty and refuge, then even if this quiet pasture were to transform into a place of wide-flowing rivers and streams—which is the opposite of a quiet pasture, so that this place would become a place of a great river, to the extent that the tent within it would no longer resemble the tent of shepherds standing in a quiet pasture, but rather like a ship tossed about in the great sea surrounding it, and the king of Assyria would be likened in a metaphor to a mighty fleet sailing on this river to seize the ship tossed about in the great sea surrounding it and to capture it; nevertheless, if the Lord’s majesty is for us there, then my ship shall not sail there, even in a place of rivers where it is customary for ships to pass, and all the more so shall it not sail in a quiet pasture, nor shall a mighty fleet pass through it. (And the implied meaning is that although Jerusalem, which was quiet as it is stated, “Quiet women,” the mighty and numerous waters of the river passed through it—the king of Assyria and all his glory (above 8:7)—and the king of Assyria is likened to a mighty fleet sailing within the sea of his camps, to sink the small ship, the kingdom of Judah, within the waters of his numerous camps; [yet] the Lord is our majesty, and he was not able to pass there.)
For Hashem is our Judge, Hashem is our Lawgiver, Hashem is our King; He will save us.
verse value 1467
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 40 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֤י, 2 letters) and the longest is "He·will·save·us" (יוֹשִׁיעֵֽנוּ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 26: Hashem, Hashem, Hashem. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "our·judge" (שֹׁפְטֵ֔נוּ), "our·lawgiver" (מְחֹקְקֵ֑נוּ), "our·king" (מַלְכֵּ֖נוּ). The root יהוה appears 3 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "for" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah); "He" (root הוא, 98x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'our·lawgiver', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 4 words. Full calculation: כִּ֤י [for] (30) + יְהֹוָה֙ [Hashem] (26) + שֹׁפְטֵ֔נוּ [our·judge] (445) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + מְחֹקְקֵ֑נוּ [our·lawgiver] (304) + יְהֹוָ֥ה [Hashem] (26) + מַלְכֵּ֖נוּ [our·king] (146) + ה֥וּא [He] (12) + יוֹשִׁיעֵֽנוּ [He·will·save·us] (452) = 1467.
Rashi
For the Lord is our Judge, our Ruler and our Judge:
Ibn Ezra
"Ki, etc." This verse corresponds to "Your heart shall meditate on awe," and there is no one who will judge anymore, saying, "So-and-so shall give this tax." Rather, the legislator—the scribe—shall write down who and who shall go to the king with the tax, for the Name alone is our Judge, our Legislator, and our King.
Radak
"For the Lord has judged us." And He will judge us from the hand of the king of Assyria, meaning that He will take our judgment from him, for he has done us many evils.
"The Lord is our lawgiver." He is our ruler, for the ruler is called a lawgiver, as it says, "And the lawgiver is between his feet," because he establishes statutes among the people. That is to say, the Lord is our judge, our lawgiver, and our king, and He will save us from his hand.
Metzudat David
"For the Lord is our judge. He will take our judgment from the hand of Assyria, which has done evil to us from then on."
"The Lord is our lawgiver." The Lord is our ruler, and He is our king over us, and He will save us from the hand of Assyria, as it befits a king to save His people.
Metzudat Zion
Our Lawgiver. The Ruler is called a Lawgiver, as it says, "Judah is my lawgiver" (Psalms 60:9).
Malbim
For the Lord: This clarifies that since the Lord is our Judge, and He is the One who brings the waters of the river upon us because of our sins, yet He is also our Lawgiver, the One who established the religion and the statutes, and He can change them according to His will; and He is also our King, and He can forgive the sin, like a king who has the power to act with grace beyond strict justice; therefore, He will save us.
Your tacklings are loosed; They do not hold the stand of their mast, They do not spread the sail; Then is the prey of a great spoil divided; The lame take the prey.
verse value 3142
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 55 letters. The shortest word is "something lifted up" (נֵ֔ס, 2 letters) and the longest is "not·they·strengthen" (בַּל־יְחַזְּק֤וּ, 7 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "your·cords" (חֲבָלָ֑יִךְ), "not·they·strengthen" (בַּל־יְחַזְּק֤וּ), "base·of·their·mast" (כֵן־תׇּרְנָם֙). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not·they·strengthen" (root חזק, 23x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·cords', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 11 words. Full calculation: נִטְּשׁ֖וּ [they·were·left] (365) + חֲבָלָ֑יִךְ [your·cords] (70) + בַּל־יְחַזְּק֤וּ [not·they·strengthen] (163) + כֵן־תׇּרְנָם֙ [base·of·their·mast] (760) + בַּל־פָּ֣רְשׂוּ [not·faecal matter] (618) + נֵ֔ס [something lifted up] (110) + אָ֣ז [then] (8) + חֻלַּ֤ק [was·divided] (138) + עַד־שָׁלָל֙ [even·prey] (434) + מַרְבֶּ֔ה [be or become great] (247) + פִּסְחִ֖ים [lame] (198) + בָּ֥זְזוּ [they·plundered] (22) + בַֽז [spoil] (9) = 3142.
Rashi
"Abandon your cords." Those who pull the ship — that is, guilty Rome:
Yes. Prepare yourself well:
Tarneim. The ship's mast:
"A sail was not spread." They could not spread out the curtain that steers the ship:
“Then he shall divide the spoil.” “Edah” (spoil):
One who increases. Many will divide the spoil of Sennacherib:
Pesachim. (Israel) who until now were weak:
Ibn Ezra
They have forsaken. The kaf [second-person suffix] in "your ropes" (חבליך) is addressed to the camp of Assyria.
They have forsaken [it], similar to "you shall forsake [it]" (Exodus 23:11). By way of parable: just as a ship sinks and the sea casts out the wealth that is within it.
Bal. Let the mariners strengthen the masts of their ships, and let them not hoist sail; then he will divide the spoil, like “earth of dust” (Daniel 12:2), from the root of “in the morning he shall eat up” (Genesis 49:27).
"Marbeh" – like "harbeh" (much): [even] the lame (pischim) gathered and took the prey — and all the more so others.
Radak
“Cast off your ropes.” This is said in contrast to the camp of Assyria, whom He compared to a ship that is cast adrift and to a mighty vessel. A ship is steered by ropes tied to the sail spread upon the mast; the ropes are pulled according to the skill of the captain, and the sail—which is the canvas—is unfurled, and the ship moves by the wind that the sail catches. And He said, “Cast off your ropes,” meaning, “Let them not be strengthened.” Thus the Targum translates it: “Let them not unfurl the sail.” It is as if the ropes have been cast off, and there is no rope to pull, and the sailors cannot properly strengthen their mast and unfurl the sail, since the ropes have been cast off and severed. Or, “cast off” means they have become slack and are not taut, like the verse: “And they were cast off upon the face of the earth.”
Then the abundant spoil was divided. This means that since the ship could no longer proceed, the plunderers would divide its cargo; so too, the camp of Assyria: once they had died, the Israelites went forth and plundered and looted the camp. Indeed, even the lame people in Jerusalem went out to plunder and loot, for the camp was close to the city.
"Ed." Like "shelal" (spoils), we translate "ed" as "shelal edah" (the spoils of the assembly). Similarly, in the verse "In the morning he shall eat ed" (Isaiah 3:1), the vav is omitted, as if it said "ed and shelal." Just as we say "shemesh yareach" (sun and moon), "Reuven Shimon" (Reuven and Shimon), and similar pairs, so too here it says "ed and shelal." This is a duplication of meaning using different words to strengthen the concept, which is a common biblical style.
"Merbeh." It is a noun in the hif'il pattern of mar'eh and mashqeh, meaning "one who multiplies" or "increases," implying that they plundered a great spoil.
Metzudat David
“Abandon your ropes.” Since the verse compares Jerusalem to rivers surrounding it, the text employs that metaphor to say: you will not be able to come and besiege it, for it will be as if the sailors who steer the ship have abandoned the ropes with which they pull the sail to turn it against the wind.
"בל יחזקו" – they will not be able to properly hold the ship’s mast, nor will they be able to spread the sail against the wind.
Then. On the day of the fall of Assyria, its abundant spoil shall be divided:
The lame. Even the lame who walk on their supports will plunder the spoil, for his downfall will be near the city, and even the lame will go there to plunder the spoil.
Metzudat Zion
They have been forsaken. They have been abandoned, as it is written: “For He will not forsake” (1 Samuel 12:22).
Your cords. The word is from the root “chabel” (cord/rope).
Yes. Its meaning is as it should be and as is correct, just as it says, “he could not pronounce it correctly” (Judges 12:6).
Tarnen. It is the tall mast on the ship; and similarly, “and like a mast on the top of the mountain” (above, 30).
Nes. So it is called, "the sail of the ship," and so [it says], "to be for you as a signal" (Ezekiel 27:7):
Until spoil. There is one explanation for them, as in “In the morning he shall eat prey” (Genesis 49:27), and the doubling of the word with synonymous terms; and likewise “the earth of dust” (Daniel 12).
Pesachim. the lame:
"looted." The word is derived from the root meaning "plunder":
Malbim
“Abandoned” — in this metaphor, he likened the Land of Judah to how it was transformed into a place of rivers, and it was like a ship in distress at sea; yet, despite this, a mighty fleet will not be able to approach it, because the Lord is the One who saves this ship. He continues in his metaphor, comparing it to a ship standing in the midst of a stormy sea, which requires the captain to steer it, and requires that the mast be strengthened so that it will not fall, and that the sail be spread — namely, the curtains surrounding the ship — so that the wind will not dominate it and push it from its place. He says: if all these things are done for it, then the ship is secure in the compassion of the Lord. But if your ropes are abandoned — meaning, if they abandon the captain, who is their king, Hezekiah — or if they do not strengthen their mast, meaning they do not strengthen their mast with strength and firmness — or if they do not spread the sail to shelter against the wind — then inevitably the ship will be dislodged from its place, and then “they will divide the spoil,” meaning the enemies will divide much of the ship’s plunder. Moreover, even the weak and feeble will be able to plunder and loot the ship. The underlying meaning is: if the Lord is mighty for us, and the ship — which represents the kingdom and the people — will be bound and attached to the Lord and His commandments; and likewise, if they hold fast to the captain and the mast of the ship — meaning that the people remain faithful to their king, who is the one steering the ship; and likewise, if they spread the sail to shelter from the wind from outside — meaning they guard themselves against seeking help from other nations — then the mighty fleet of Assyria will not approach their borders. But if they do not observe these conditions, then they will divide much spoil that they will plunder from them, as happened at first, when he plundered many of the cities of Judah. And not by great strength will they conquer them; rather, then even the weak and feeble will plunder and loot, as one loots a ship that has no owners.
And the inhabitant shall not say: ‘I am sick’; The people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity.
verse value 2033
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 30 letters. The shortest word is "in·it" (בָּ֖הּ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·not·shall·say" (וּבַל־יֹאמַ֥ר, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·not·shall·say" (וּבַל־יֹאמַ֥ר), "I·am·sick" (חָלִ֑יתִי). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·not·shall·say" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah); "the·people" (root עם, 107x in Isaiah); "that·dwells" (root ישב, 71x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'I·am·sick', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 5 words. Full calculation: וּבַל־יֹאמַ֥ר [and·not·shall·say] (289) + שָׁכֵ֖ן [dwelling] (370) + חָלִ֑יתִי [I·am·sick] (458) + הָעָ֛ם [the·people] (115) + הַיֹּשֵׁ֥ב [that·dwells] (317) + בָּ֖הּ [in·it] (7) + נְשֻׂ֥א [forgiven·of] (351) + עָוֺֽן [perversity] (126) = 2033.
Rashi
And let him not say that it is so. Of Israel:
“I was sick. For the sake of this nation, evil has come upon me, because the people—Israel, who are called ‘the people dwelling in Jerusalem’—will have their iniquity forgiven.”
Ibn Ezra
"And let him not say: 'I have dwelt in Zion, and I have languished; for all the people bear iniquity.'"
Radak
And the inhabitant shall not say. One who dwells in Jerusalem should not say, "I have become ill," as they used to say at first, "Because of the multitude of troubles, we have become ill and we have suffered." They should no longer say this, because the Lord has borne their iniquity on account of Hezekiah, who rebuked them and returned them to what is good, and God saved them with a great salvation. And there are those who interpret this entire passage as referring to the future, to the days of the Messiah. But the correct view is as we have explained.
Metzudat David
And let him not say, "I have indeed been afflicted." One who dwells in Jerusalem should not say, "Now I have been afflicted with many troubles, for the people dwelling there will be forgiven and their sins atoned for, and troubles will no longer come, and there will be no more sick people."
Metzudat Zion
"I was ill." From the language of sickness:
Malbim
And let it not be said, “Nevertheless, even at the time when he will plunder her within her, because the sailors of the ship have abandoned her,” nevertheless, let it not be said that the dweller within the ship will be a spoil and will not be able to stand before Assyria coming upon him, for in all this he will only plunder in the land of Judah, not the dweller within the ship itself, which is Jerusalem, for that one he will not conquer in any way, for the people dwelling within Jerusalem, they are forgiven their iniquity; the Lord will atone for their sins and will not destroy them.
Rashi
Ibn Ezra
Radak
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim