The nations summoned to trial; God calls the deliverer from the east, and says to Israel, 'fear not... I will help thee,' making the worm a threshing instrument.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
Keep silence before Me, O islands, And let the peoples renew their strength; Let them draw near, then let them speak; Let us come near together to judgment.
verse value 2323
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 52 letters. The shortest word is "strength" (כֹ֑חַ, 2 letters) and the longest is "hold·your·peace" (הַחֲרִ֤ישׁוּ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 28: strength, together. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "hold·your·peace" (הַחֲרִ֤ישׁוּ), "they·will·draw·near" (יִגְּשׁוּ֙), "they·speak" (יְדַבֵּ֔רוּ). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·me" (root אל, 95x in Isaiah); "they·speak" (root דבר, 88x in Isaiah); "to·the·judgment" (root משפט, 42x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'strength', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: הַחֲרִ֤ישׁוּ [hold·your·peace] (529) + אֵלַי֙ [to·me] (41) + אִיִּ֔ים [isles] (61) + וּלְאֻמִּ֖ים [and·peoples] (127) + יַחֲלִ֣יפוּ [let·them·renew] (144) + כֹ֑חַ [strength] (28) + יִגְּשׁוּ֙ [they·will·draw·near] (319) + אָ֣ז [then] (8) + יְדַבֵּ֔רוּ [they·speak] (222) + יַחְדָּ֖ו [together] (28) + לַמִּשְׁפָּ֥ט [to·the·judgment] (459) + נִקְרָֽבָה [let·us·come·near] (357) = 2323.
Rashi
"Be silent before Me." In order to hear the word:
Islands. Nations of the gentiles:
They shall exchange strength. They shall be adorned and strengthened with all their might, perhaps they will stand in judgment with strength.
“Let them approach.” Hither. And only when they approach will they speak.
Let us approach the matter of judgment. To prove against their faces:
Ibn Ezra
"Be silent." As if he said, "Be silent and listen to me."
"And to the nations they shall renew their strength." If there is power in them:
They shall come near. And after they have renewed strength, then they shall speak, and we shall draw near to judgment to know which one is the mighty one.
Radak
"Be silent before Me, O isles." Be silent, be still, and listen to Me, for one who is speaking cannot listen. And the meaning of "isles" is the inhabitants of the isles.
They shall exchange strength. Let them exert themselves in their arguments, if they can answer Me:
“Let them come near to Me.” To hear My words:
"Then they shall speak." "Then" – only after they have heard the words shall they speak, if they have a complaint to raise.
Together. I and they will bring to judgment my claims and their claims, for they diminish my strength and power, and say that I lack the strength to save Israel from their hands, and they serve worthless idols that have no reality. They will say to me:
Metzudat David
“Let the islands be silent before Me.” The inhabitants of the islands fell silent to listen to Me, for the one speaking does not hear and does not heed.
They shall renew strength. They shall renew strength to strive in their arguments, if they can answer me:
"Then they shall draw near, and they shall speak." They shall draw near to Me to hear My words, and afterward, after hearing them, they shall speak their words, if they find an answer.
Together. I and they shall come to judgment over what they say, that the power is not in My hand to save My people from their hands.
Metzudat Zion
They kept silent. The matter of silence is akin to “Let them be silent in His love” (Zephaniah 3:17):
Malbim
"Be silent" – after He spoke words of comfort to Zion, He calls to the nations, depicting that the Redeemer has already come (for one who beholds the visions of God sees the future as if it has already arrived). Based on this, He argues with them to return them to the belief in unity and the religion of truth. "Be silent" – the one who argues is sometimes defeated for four reasons: 1. If he is a person of little stature, he says, "You small islands, be silent to me; you shall not argue, but the great nations shall exchange strength; they shall argue." 2. If they press him into argument suddenly and he has no time to arrange his claims, he says, "They shall exchange strength to think and take counsel." 3. If he argues with a tyrant or a person of high status, whose fear or prestige intimidates him from speaking all that is in his heart, therefore it says, "Let them approach me without fear, and then they shall speak, not from afar in trembling and dread." 4. If there is no judge to decide between them, as it is stated (Job 9:33), "For there is no mediator between us," if only there were one among us who could mediate, who would lay his hand upon us both. Therefore it says, "Together let us come to judgment," before the judge who will decide between us with whom the justice lies.
Who has raised up one from the east, At whose steps victory attends? He gives nations before him, And makes him rule over kings; His sword makes them as the dust, His bow as the driven stubble.
verse value 4876
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 67 letters. The shortest word is "who?" (מִ֤י, 2 letters) and the longest is "calls·him" (יִקְרָאֵ֣הוּ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 460: will·give, will·give. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "calls·him" (יִקְרָאֵ֣הוּ), "to·his·foot" (לְרַגְל֑וֹ), "as·the·dust" (כֶּֽעָפָר֙). The root נתן appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·his·face" (root פנים, 88x in Isaiah); "calls·him" (root קרא, 84x in Isaiah); "and·kings" (root מלך, 73x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root מזרח ("from·east") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·his·foot', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 11 words.
Rashi
“Who has roused one from the east?”—That is the one whom righteousness summons at his heel. “Who has roused Abraham to bring him from Aram, which is in the east?” And the righteousness that he practiced went before his feet in all that he walked.
“He shall set nations before him.” One who aroused him from his place to go forth—He set before him four kings and their armies.
descended. descended:
“He shall make his sword like dust.” The Targum renders it as: “He shall cast them down like dust before his sword,” meaning that he shall wield his sword and make many slain, like dust, and he shall wield his bow, increasing the number of those killed and fallen, like chaff scattered by the wind.
Ibn Ezra
"Who roused one from the east..." The ancient commentators said that this is an allusion to Abraham, who overpowered the kings and shattered the idols. The proof is that immediately afterward it says, "the seed of Abraham, My beloved." This too is correct. And according to my opinion, it is an allusion to Cyrus, for the entire passage is connected, and it is also written, "He calls from the east" (Isaiah 47:11). And behold, after that it says, "I have roused him from the north, and from the rising of the sun I will call him by name" (Isaiah 41:25), and the entire passage explicitly refers to Cyrus there.
“From the east.” For Elam is northeast of Babylon.
“Justice shall call after him.” [It means] it will meet him, or [alternatively,] “Justice shall call after him” in every place where he goes.
"And kings shall have dominion." He will cause others to rule over kings, for this word is in the active construction (hif'il), and its accentuation is like that of "and he shall have dominion out of Jacob" (Numbers 24:19).
“He shall give his sword like dust.” The sword of every king, and some say that he will have many swords, and his bows shall be scattered like chaff driven by the wind.
Radak
“Who has stirred up one from the east?” It is our father Abraham, whom God stirred up to depart from the land of the east, which was his native land, as it is stated, “The children of the east,” and God stirred him up from the house of idolaters.
“Righteousness shall call him by his foot.” In every place that he went, this was “by his foot”; in every place where his foot was, he would proclaim righteousness and truth, as it is said, “and Abram called there upon the name of the Lord.” And “He shall call His Name by righteousness”—this is the righteousness and truth that he would say to them: “Abandon the idolatry, for there is no substance in it, and serve Him who created the world.” And he would teach them the ways of faith. Is there a wonder like this? One man among all the inhabitants of the land, who were all idolaters, and he would reprove them regarding their belief, and he did not fear them nor their kings. Who stirred his heart to do this? “Am not I, the Lord?”
"He shall deliver up before him nations." And who is it that will deliver up nations before Him? I will cause him to have dominion over kings, and these are four kings, namely, Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him. Abraham pursued them with three hundred and eighteen men, and he struck them and rescued from them all the captives and all the property that they had taken. And this was due to his great trust in the Omnipresent.
“Yared.” The matter is one of dominion, and it is from the hifil conjugation. Its meaning is similar to “You shall not oppress him with harsh labor” (Exodus 22:20), and “Your enemies shall rule over you” (Leviticus 26:17). The interpretation of “and kings shall come down” is that they shall exercise dominion over kings, and this is done with a small people. “He calls him,” “He gives,” “He subdues,” “he pursues them,” “he passes on” — all of them are future in place of past, and there are many such instances. The reason that He stated all these in the future tense is that just as God acted with Abraham then, so too He will act in every generation with every righteous person in it who possesses a love of God like Abraham’s.
“Give his sword as dust.” The Almighty gave them as dust to be trodden underfoot before Abraham’s sword, and made them like chaff scattered before his bow. And so the Targum renders it: “He cast them down as dust, slain before His sword; like chaff, driven away before His bow.” And there are those who explain that He rendered the sword of each of the kings and his bow as dust and as scattered chaff.
Metzudat David
“Who has stirred up one from the east?”—This refers to Abraham, who was in the east. Who stirred him up to depart from there and to reject the idols of his native land?
“Righteousness shall call after him.” In every place, from the path of the sole of his foot, he would call out to righteousness to abandon the idols and believe in the Lord, as it were saying, “Who has roused him but I, the Lord?”
“He shall set peoples before Him.” This means: Who is it that sets peoples before Him? They are like Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him.
And kings shall go down. They shall have dominion over kings:
He shall give his sword like dust. His sword shall give many slain, like the dust of the earth; and his bow shall make many a corpse, like the chaff that is scattered.
Metzudat Zion
The city. The word denotes “awakening”:
"Yared." The meaning is dominion, as in "Rule in the midst of Your enemies" (Psalms 110:2). "Nedaf." The meaning is crushing, as in "Let Him not crush us" (Job 32:19).
Malbim
“Who has stirred up one from the east?”—this refers to the King Messiah, who will come from the land of the east. He will be examined in light of three matters:
1. From the aspect of cause: One might ask, what will be the cause that rouses him to conquer nations and lands? Indeed, for all who stir up kingdoms, the cause that rouses their hearts to shake the earth is either the love of power and honor, or jealousy and vengeance and victory, or gain and possessions. But we have not heard that the love of justice and goodness rouses him to this, that for the sake of justice he will conquer lands. Who has stirred up this conqueror, whom justice calls and binds to his heel and stands before his path, so that the direction of his steps is toward justice, not toward serpents?
2. In considering the quantity of the victory, it too will be contrary to the natural order, for justice will place nations before him, and kings will be subdued by force. (Now, the way of the world is that kings are conquered in war, and afterward they subdue the nations; but with him it will be the opposite: he will conquer the nations, and the kings will be subdued.)
3. The quality of the victory will also be contrary to the natural order, for justice will place (nations before him) like dust (before) his sword; they will be like dust scattered by the foot before his sword. (It will place kings) like chaff scattered (before) his bow; the kings will be like chaff scattered before his bow, for he will defeat them with great ease.
He pursues them, and passes on safely; The way with his feet he treads not.
verse value 1508
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 29 letters. Verse gematria: 1508 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֥א, 2 letters) and the longest is "in·his·feet" (בְּרַגְלָ֖יו, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "he·pursues·them" (יִרְדְּפֵ֖ם), "in·his·feet" (בְּרַגְלָ֖יו). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 286x in Isaiah); "will·go·in" (root בוא, 120x in Isaiah); "he·passes" (root עבר, 41x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'peace', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: יִרְדְּפֵ֖ם [he·pursues·them] (334) + יַעֲב֣וֹר [he·passes] (288) + שָׁל֑וֹם [peace] (376) + אֹ֥רַח [way] (209) + בְּרַגְלָ֖יו [in·his·feet] (251) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + יָבֽוֹא [will·go·in] (19) = 1508.
Rashi
“He shall pursue them, passing safely.” He went on his paths in peace; he did not stumble in pursuing them.
An “unfamiliar path” with respect to his feet: A path that he did not previously walk with his feet, he shall not enter; namely, one he was not accustomed to enter.
Ibn Ezra
"Pursue them, etc."—He will pursue the kings, and pass through in peace, and not grow weary, as if the traveler had not come on foot.
Radak
“Pursue them, pass over in peace.” He pursued them and passed over in peace, because not one of his men died in the war. “Shalom” is missing the letter bet (elliptical usage), and similarly “Beit HaShem” is written as “Beit HaShem,” and there are many such cases. And one may explain that “shalom” is an adjective, like “Yaakov came in peace,” and it is similar to the expression “in near or far,” and like it is the phrase “he stretched out his hand against his friends.”
"A traveler shall not come on his feet." And this is astonishing: a traveler whose feet did not ache, and who was not overtaken by nightfall upon arriving at their place and striking them. And some say: "A wicked traveler shall not come on his feet," meaning that no evil befell him on that road. And the Targum renders: "The army of Arach did not ascend on its feet." And there are those who explain this matter as a prophecy concerning Cyrus, whom God aroused from the east to come against Babylon and capture it, and that nations and kings would not stand before him. And the correct interpretation is as we have explained, and so did my father, of blessed memory, explain it, and so did Jonathan explain it, who translated, "Who stirred up from the east?" as "Who brought forth from the east, from the land of the Medes, Abraham, the chosen one of the righteous?"
Metzudat David
"He shall pursue them." He pursued them and passed through in peace, even though he pursued them in a manner he had never walked before and was not accustomed to that way.
Metzudat Zion
Orach. A path and a way:
Malbim
"Yirdefem" (He will pursue them): Even though He pursues them, nevertheless He will pass over in peace; He will not appear as one going to war, but rather as one going in peace. Even though He will traverse a path that He does not enter with His feet—a dangerous path—it is clear that He did not come there with His feet, but rather by the Spirit of Righteousness and the Salvation of the Lord, which will bear him upon their hands.
Who has wrought and done it? He that called the generations from the beginning. I, Hashem, who am the first, And with the last am the same.
verse value 3501
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 48 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "calling" (קֹרֵ֥א, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·with·the·last" (וְאֶת־אַחֲרֹנִ֖ים, 9 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "who?·has·wrought" (מִֽי־פָעַ֣ל), "the·generations" (הַדֹּר֖וֹת), "and·with·the·last" (וְאֶת־אַחֲרֹנִ֖ים). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "and·has·done" (root עשה, 101x in Isaiah); "calling" (root קרא, 84x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·head', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: מִֽי־פָעַ֣ל [who?·has·wrought] (230) + וְעָשָׂ֔ה [and·has·done] (381) + קֹרֵ֥א [calling] (301) + הַדֹּר֖וֹת [the·generations] (615) + מֵרֹ֑אשׁ [from·head] (541) + אֲנִ֤י [I] (61) + יְהֹוָה֙ [Hashem] (26) + רִאשׁ֔וֹן [first] (557) + וְאֶת־אַחֲרֹנִ֖ים [and·with·the·last] (716) + אֲנִי־הֽוּא [I·he] (73) = 3501.
Rashi
"Who did and made this?" To Him who calls the generations from the beginning. To the first man He did this, and to Abraham He also did this.
"I am the Lord, the First." [This is said] to perform a wonder and to help.
"And with the last, I am He." Even with you, the last ones, I will be, and I will help you.
Ibn Ezra
“Who wrought and did.” This is in the manner of “repair,” as it is written, “And he hastened to do it” (Genesis 18:7). The meaning is: “Who wrought this?”—God made it, for He calls the generations from the beginning, before they come into being. The meaning is that He knew all the future generations, and He called each generation to stand at its appointed time.
"I am the Lord. The First to all the generations that have passed, and with the last ones I am He:"
Radak
"Who did and made." The matter is repeated in different words: "Who did and made these mighty acts."
He who reads the generations from the beginning. One who reads the future generations in advance, and He took hold of Abraham and raised him up, knowing that from him would come forth a seed that would be chosen before Him, selected from among all the nations.
"I am the Lord." I am He who is first, and I am with the last ones who are destined to be; that is to say, I know all generations from beginning to end. And the meaning of "calls" is as if He says, "Thus and thus it will be in the future." Likewise, He calls forth through His prophets many future events.
Metzudat David
Who has done this? Who is he who has done and made this? Is it not the Lord who has made it, who calls the generations from of old, before they come to be? That is to say, He knows all the coming generations and calls each generation to stand in its appointed time.
"I am the Lord, the First; the First to all the generations that have passed, and I am He with the last generations that will be."
Malbim
“Who?” — You say to the nations: “Behold and consider, who has acted, done, and brought this matter to completion? And who has called forth the generations from of old?” That is to say, who declared this beforehand, from ancient days, what would be in the latter generations, the generations of the Messiah? Is it not I, the Lord, the First, who declares this from the beginning? And also, in the latter times, in whose days this will be done and the prophecy fulfilled, I am He who brings the action into effect. (And the meaning is that when a prophet speaks of something that will happen in the future, and it is not distant from the natural order of reality, we could say that it occurred by chance or by the natural course of the world, and the truth of the prophet and his prophecy would not be established. Therefore, it was necessary that the miracles of the prophets be through things distant from the natural order of reality, as it is stated: ‘Behold, I will call to the Lord today, and He will send thunder and rain.’ For at the time of early and latter rains, this would not be a sign and wonder. Therefore, he said that this matter, the declaration of the coming of the Messiah and all its affairs, is distant from nature in all its details, for natural and customary things are necessitated by their causes. In contrast to this, he said, ‘Who has stirred up one from the east?’ b) Things that occur by chance and by happenstance are few in number. With this in mind, he says that the quantity and quality of this victory will not be by chance, as it is stated: ‘He will give nations before him, he will make them like dust to his sword.’ Upon this, he decisively declares: ‘Who has acted and done, and who has called the generations from of old?’ Both the prophecy from the beginning and the action in the end will bear witness to the fulfillment of the prophet’s word, that the hand of the Lord has done this, especially since they have already seen the works of the Lord in former days: ‘I am the Lord, the First.’ And thus you will know and understand that I am also the Last, not nature nor chance, but the hand of the Lord and His great power.)
The isles saw, and feared; The ends of the earth trembled; They drew near, and came.
verse value 2402
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 36 letters. The shortest word is "saw" (רָא֤וּ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·they·came" (וַיֶּאֱתָיֽוּן, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "they·will·tremble" (יֶחֱרָ֑דוּ), "and·they·came" (וַיֶּאֱתָיֽוּן). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·land" (root ארץ, 169x in Isaiah); "saw" (root ראה, 83x in Isaiah); "and·they·came" (root אתה, 50x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·will·tremble', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 2 words. Full calculation: רָא֤וּ [saw] (207) + אִיִּים֙ [isles] (61) + וְיִרָ֔אוּ [and·they·shall·fear] (223) + קְצ֥וֹת [the·ends·of] (596) + הָאָ֖רֶץ [the·land] (296) + יֶחֱרָ֑דוּ [they·will·tremble] (228) + קָרְב֖וּ [they·midsted] (308) + וַיֶּאֱתָיֽוּן [and·they·came] (483) = 2402.
Rashi
See the isles. The mighty deeds that I will perform, and they shall fear.
“Draw near and let them gather.” This refers to their assembling side by side to wage war when they see the redemption.
Ibn Ezra
See the islands. The might of Cyrus:
"Draw near." These are:
"And they came." A complete word, for the yod stands in place of the quiescent he, which is the third radical of the verb.
Radak
See the isles. The inhabitants of those isles, when they saw and heard this great thing that He had done, were afraid; and the ends of the earth, when they heard this thing from the mouths of the messengers, trembled at this thing.
“They drew near, and came.” “Come near” means: Come and stand before Abraham, like the king of Sodom who went out to meet him. Nevertheless, each man helped his fellow to make idols, and they did not set their hearts to understanding or wisdom, considering how this matter was with Abraham: he was but three hundred and eighteen men, and yet he defeated four great kings. This is a wondrous thing. For if you were to say that the kings were weak, behold, they were four and initially defeated five kings, and they struck down the entire land. If so, they should have set their hearts to consider why this wonder occurred through Abraham. Rather, it is because his faith is distinct from the faith of all the nations, and the God in whom he clung and whom he served aided him against these kings. Not only did they not say this, but they clung even more firmly to the idols, saying in their fear and awe of the great deed they had seen: “Let us strengthen and fortify ourselves in the service of our gods, each man with his idol, and they will help us.”
Metzudat David
“See the islands.” The inhabitants of the islands saw the miracle that I performed for Abraham, and they feared. Even those dwelling at the ends of the earth trembled upon hearing of the miracle.
“Come near, and they came.” “Come near” means that they came before Abraham to ask him for a gift freely, and they did not come to war, as it is stated: “And the king of Sodom said… ‘Give me the persons…’” (Genesis 14:21).
Metzudat Zion
"And they came in." The term denotes coming, as in "the morning came" (above, 21:1).
Malbim
See, it returns to recount the matter of the War of the Messiah, and how all the nations will stand to fight against Him, all with one voice. It depicts that even the distant islands at the edge of the inhabited world will see and be terrified; therefore, the ends of the earth will tremble and hasten to come and draw near, each man to his brother, and they will join together for war against the Messiah. And they will all gather together with one voice, for
They helped every one his neighbour; And every one said to his brother: ‘Be of good courage.’
verse value 1713
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "man" (אִ֥ישׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "his·neighbor" (אֶת־רֵעֵ֖הוּ, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "his·neighbor" (אֶת־רֵעֵ֖הוּ), "and·to·his·brother" (וּלְאָחִ֖יו). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "will·say" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah); "man" (root איש, 59x in Isaiah); "strengthen" (root חזק, 23x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·will·help', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: אִ֥ישׁ [man] (311) + אֶת־רֵעֵ֖הוּ [his·neighbor] (682) + יַעְזֹ֑רוּ [they·will·help] (293) + וּלְאָחִ֖יו [and·to·his·brother] (61) + יֹאמַ֥ר [will·say] (251) + חֲזָֽק [strengthen] (115) = 1713.
Rashi
A man against his fellow, etc. It means: Be strong for battle, perhaps their gods will stand up for them.
Ibn Ezra
"A man, etc." Every "island" and "island," every "man" and "man," and every "nation" and "nation" will add to the worship of idolatry, perhaps they will be saved from the hand of Cyrus.
Radak
"A man his fellow" – and "to his brother," just as it is written elsewhere "and a man to his brother." The verse is duplicated in its matter, using different words.
Metzudat David
“Each man shall help his neighbor.” And nevertheless, even though they had witnessed the miracles of God, they still helped one another to make the idols.
"To his brother." Each one said to his brother, "Be strong in making the idol," and this idea is repeated in what is written:
Malbim
A man shall help his fellow, and besides this, he shall say to his brother, “Be strong also in yourself, and do not rely on the help [of others]; rather, be a man of valor.”
So the carpenter encouraged the goldsmith, And he that smooths with the hammer him that smites the anvil, Saying of the soldering: ‘It is good’; And he fastened it with nails, that it should not be moved.
verse value 3705
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 64 letters. Verse gematria: 3705 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֥א, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·fastened·it" (וַיְחַזְּקֵ֥הוּ, 7 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "the·goldsmith" (אֶת־צֹרֵ֔ף), "flatters" (מַחֲלִ֥יק), "forge hammer" (פַּטִּ֖ישׁ). The root חזק appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 286x in Isaiah); "saying" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah); "it" (root הוא, 98x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'stroke', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 8 words.
Rashi
"And the craftsman strengthened it." The one who poured [the molten metal] for the idol:
The goldsmith. He gilds it with gold:
“Smooths with a hammer.” In the end, when he strikes gently to smooth out the work:
"The striker of the anvil." He is the one who begins working on it when it is [still] an ingot, and strikes with all his strength.
It says that it is good for attaching. This refers to those who would seek out good soil to attach iron stakes to it.
"Dabak." 'Soldure,' in the vernacular:
And He strengthened him. To the image:
"With nails it shall not be shaken. They will all strengthen one another:"
Ibn Ezra
And he strengthened. He smoothed, from the root of "And I, a smooth man" (Genesis 27:11):
"Hammer." It is known, as it says, "And like a hammer that shatters the rock" (Jeremiah 23:29):
“Holem pa’am.” It is from the root of “v’halma et Sisra” (Judges 5:26), namely the iron upon which he was struck, and “pa’am” may possibly be the iron instrument with which they struck him, and it is called “pa’am” because they struck upon it (pa’am), or “holem pa’am” means one single instrument.
He says, "to glue." Until the glue is good:
Radak
“And the craftsman encouraged the smelter.” A woodcarver first makes the image from wood, and he strengthens it by speaking; a silversmith and goldsmith make silver plating quickly, and they plated it.
“He smooths the hammer.” And what does the goldsmith do? He hastens his work and smooths the hammer to strike with it the sheets of silver or gold. “Smooth” relates to the matter of “I am a smooth man,” meaning slickness.
"Et" means "to strike" once. "Holam" is a noun, for it is accented on the penultimate syllable, and the meaning of "holam" is "striking," as in "and she struck Sisera," and the meaning of "pa'am" is the anvil upon which he strikes, and the meaning of "machlik" is "hammer," to strike with it the nails upon the anvil, and "et" is in place of the lamed of usage, as if it said "to strike the anvil." Jonathan translated: "He struck with a hammer, along with a small hammer on the anvil," and according to his words, "patish" is the large hammer and "pa'am" is the small hammer, which is called in the words of our Sages of blessed memory "kornes," and so is the way of the goldsmith: initially he strikes with a large hammer and afterwards with a small one.
He says, "It is good." When he glues the silver plate onto the wooden idol, and if the gluing is done well, he is pleased and says, "It is good." Afterwards, he secures it with nails so that the silver plate will not detach from the wooden idol today or tomorrow.
Metzudat David
"And the smith strengthened." The woodcarver, who made the idol, strengthened the goldsmith with his words, to be diligent in the work of overlaying the plates of gold with which they were to overlay it.
“Smooths with a hammer.” One who strikes with a small hammer to smooth the tiles would hasten the blow upon the tiles with great force at the beginning of the flattening, so that he might commence his work.
He says, "To cleave." When the plates adhere to the statue, he rejoices and says, "Behold, it is good," and likewise, "It is fitting for him."
"And He strengthened him." [This refers to] one who strengthens the plating by means of nails, so that it will not detach from the statue.
Metzudat Zion
“Smooths.” From the root meaning “smooth”:
Patish. It is the hammer, and similarly, “and like a hammer that shatters the rock” (Jeremiah 23:29). “Strikes the anvil (holem pa'am)” — both terms are of striking, as in “and she struck Sisera” (Judges 5:26), and as in “I was stricken and did not speak” (Psalms 46). The doubling of the word in synonymous names indicates the intensity of the blow.
"With nails." [These are] stakes; and likewise, "and iron in abundance for the nails" (1 Chronicles 22).
"Yamot." From the language of leaning and corruption:
Malbim
“Choreish” is the craftsman who fashions a tool for its intended use, making the weapon; and “tzoref” is the one who extracts iron from the earth. The choreish must necessarily wait until the tzoref completes his work. Yet they hasten so greatly to prepare weapons and arms that the choreish, whose work comes later, assists the tzoref and strengthens his hands in extracting and refining the iron, so that he may have iron from which to make a sword and spear. Likewise, the one who smooths the tool with a hammer at the completion of the work assists the one who strikes and hammers the tool at the outset, and does not wait until the striker completes his initial stage of the work. Moreover, he will say, “It is good,” meaning that he joins two pieces of broken swords with a temporary bond and secures them with nails to hold them together for the time being, so that they will not waver or come apart, and they will say of him that he is good. Due to the great haste with which they rush to war, even a broken sword, joined together with its fragments nailed, will suffice for them. (In this, he depicted: a. all the nations gathered together at one time; b. their mutual assistance; c. their exertion and speed in preparing for war.)
But you, Israel, My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, The seed of Abraham My friend;
verse value 2905
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 38 letters. Notable word values: "my·servant" (עַבְדִּ֔י) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "whom" (אֲשֶׁ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "I·chose·you" (בְּחַרְתִּ֑יךָ, 6 letters). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "whom" (root אשר, 176x in Isaiah); "Israel" (root ישראל, 84x in Isaiah); "and·you" (root אתה, 50x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'I·chose·you', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְאַתָּה֙ [and·you] (412) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֣ל [Israel] (541) + עַבְדִּ֔י [my·servant] (86) + יַעֲקֹ֖ב [Jacob] (182) + אֲשֶׁ֣ר [whom] (501) + בְּחַרְתִּ֑יךָ [I·chose·you] (640) + זֶ֖רַע [seed] (277) + אַבְרָהָ֥ם [Abraham] (248) + אֹהֲבִֽי [who·loves·Me] (18) = 2905.
Rashi
“And you, O Israel, My servant.” And upon Me it rests to help you; this is the end of the verse: “Fear not, for I am with you.” Thus, in my view, the connection of the matter appears according to its plain meaning. And others interpret the entire matter in Genesis Rabbah in reference to Melchizedek and Abraham.
(5) “Behold, islands.” This refers to the same war, and they were afraid there. Shem was afraid of Abraham, lest he say to him, “You have established these wicked ones in the world.” And Abraham was afraid of Shem, because he had killed the sons of Elam, who were from Shem’s lineage.
Isles. Just as the isles of the sea are defined in the world, so too Abraham and Shem were defined in the world.
"A man shall help his fellow." This refers to one helping the other with blessings: "Blessed be Abram" (Genesis 14:20); and one helping the other with gifts: "And he gave him a tenth of everything" (ibid.).
"And a smith strengthened it." This refers to Shem, who was a blacksmith making nails and bolts for the Ark.
"את צורף" – This refers to Abraham, who refines the creatures, bringing them near to the Divine Presence.
“Et” means “once.” This refers to Abraham, who struck all these kings at one time.
He says: "To cleave" is good. It is good to cleave to the God of this one.
"And He strengthened him." Shem strengthened Abraham, so that he would be attached to the Holy One, blessed be He, and not falter.
"And you, Israel, My servant": Abraham, who was not from the seed of the righteous, I did all these things for him; and you, Israel, My servant, who are acquired to Me from two fathers:
“Seed of Abraham, My beloved.” He did not recognize Me through the reproof and teachings of his forefathers, but rather through love.
Ibn Ezra
“And you, etc.” – These are the worshippers of idolatry (the words of the prophet): “And you, O Israel, My servant.” And the meaning of “remember Abraham” is that He brought him out from among the worshippers of idolatry.
"And those who love Me" is not like "My beloved," for "those who love Me" is a verb.
Radak
"And you, Israel, My servants." You are not like the nations of the lands, for you are My servants, and I have chosen you to be My servant. And why? Because you are the seed of Abraham, My beloved, who loved Me and cleaved to Me, and who came out from among the worshippers of graven images and idols.
Metzudat David
"And you" — but you, Israel, are not like them, for you are My servant whom I have chosen for Myself as a people, because you are the seed of Abraham, who loved Me and separated himself from idolatry.
Malbim
And you, says the Malbim: Do not fear, for you are Israel, My servant, and I will not abandon you into their hands. Behold, a king sometimes loves his servant because he is trustworthy in his service and the king needs him; and sometimes this love is voluntary, without any reason other than that He chose him to elevate and exalt him. In each case there is an advantage and a disadvantage. For the one chosen due to need, his advantage is great because the master needs him; but in contrast, if he finds another servant who will fulfill his need even more effectively, he will replace him with the second. Not so is the one chosen due to will, who will not be replaced in any way. This is what it says: “And you, Israel, My servant” — that I took you on account of your faithful service with which you serve Me. But on account of this alone, you should still fear, lest I find a more trustworthy servant and exchange you for another nation. Therefore it says: “Behold, you are Jacob, whom I have chosen.” At the time I chose you, you were called by the name Jacob (for there is a difference between Jacob, which is the name of the multitude, and Israel, which is the name of greatness for people of renown). And then I chose you solely on account of the choice, not on account of your service and your merit. And thus, even if I find a more trustworthy servant, I will not abandon you. But even in this, you still have reason to fear, that at least when your deeds become thoroughly evil, then My will toward you will change from love to hatred, and then I will cast you off from before Me. However, a servant who is chosen because his fathers were lovers of the king and His allies will not be rejected in any way, for the merit of his fathers stands forever. This is what it says: “Behold, you are the seed of Abraham, My beloved.”
You whom I have taken hold of from the ends of the earth, And called you from the uttermost parts thereof, And said to you: ‘You are My servant, I have chosen you and not cast you away’;
verse value 4903
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 61 letters. The shortest word is "to·you" (לְךָ֙, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·from·her·uttermost·parts" (וּמֵאֲצִילֶ֖יהָ, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "I·have·taken·hold·of·you" (הֶחֱזַקְתִּ֙יךָ֙), "from·the·ends·of" (מִקְצ֣וֹת), "and·from·her·uttermost·parts" (וּמֵאֲצִילֶ֖יהָ). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·not" (root לא, 286x in Isaiah); "and·I·said" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah); "whom" (root אשר, 176x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'I·have·called·You', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: אֲשֶׁ֤ר [whom] (501) + הֶחֱזַקְתִּ֙יךָ֙ [I·have·taken·hold·of·you] (550) + מִקְצ֣וֹת [from·the·ends·of] (636) + הָאָ֔רֶץ [the·land] (296) + וּמֵאֲצִילֶ֖יהָ [and·from·her·uttermost·parts] (192) + קְרָאתִ֑יךָ [I·have·called·You] (731) + וָאֹ֤מַר [and·I·said] (247) + לְךָ֙ [to·you] (50) + עַבְדִּי־אַ֔תָּה [my·servant·you] (492) + בְּחַרְתִּ֖יךָ [I·chose·you] (640) + וְלֹ֥א [and·not] (37) + מְאַסְתִּֽיךָ [I·rejected·you] (531) = 4903.
Rashi
"Whom I have grasped": I took you as My portion, as it is written (Exodus 4:4) "And He stretched out His hand and grasped it."
From the ends of the earth: From the rest of the nations.
“and from His emanations.” From the great ones among them:
"I called you." By name, to My portion, My firstborn son, Israel:
"And I have not rejected you." This is like the one about whom it is stated (Malachi 1:2–3): "I have hated."
Ibn Ezra
"Which": From the ends of the earth, namely those who were in Babylonia, and it is distant from their land.
And from its nobles. From its great ones, they are emanated from all, as it is said, "And I will take of the Spirit that is upon you" (Numbers 11:17), and likewise, "And to the nobles of the children of Israel" (Exodus 24:11); or its meaning is: from among its nobles.
Radak
“Which I have strengthened you.” The past tense is used in place of the future, as is the manner of prophecies; that is to say, “I will strengthen you to bring you out of exile.”
“From the ends of the earth and from its nobles” (Isaiah 49:1): I called you from the great ones of the land and from its kings, so that you would go out from their dominion, and they would have no power to detain you.
"And I have not rejected you." Even though your exile has been prolonged.
Metzudat David
“Who has strengthened you.” The past tense is used in place of the future tense, as is customary in prophetic passages, and the meaning is: “I will strengthen you, to bring you out from the ends of the earth.”
And from its nobles. “I have called you from the great ones of the land” – that you should depart from their dominion, and they shall have no power to detain you. “I have chosen you” – from that time I have chosen you, and I have not rejected you.
Metzudat Zion
“I held you fast.” The term “holding fast” denotes grasping, as in: “And the men laid hold of his hand” (Genesis 19:16).
His nobles. So too, the term is used for the great ones, as it is written: “and to the nobles of the children of Israel” (Exodus 24:11).
Malbim
"Which" adds to say: If the King were to choose one man for His service, it might happen that He would later find another man more fitting in His eyes and abandon the first one. But You—did I not strengthen You from the ends of the earth? From all the inhabitants of the ends of the earth, only in You did I strengthen. Not from the lowly ones, but from the nobles and dignitaries of the land did I call You; only You did I call. And I said only to you: "You are My servant." And so, are You not the chosen one in My eyes from all the inhabitants of the world? Therefore, let your heart be secure, for I have chosen You with an eternal choice and I will never reject You. And therefore...
Fear you not, for I am with you, Be not dismayed, for I am your God; I strengthen you, indeed, I help you; Indeed, I uphold you with My victorious right hand.
verse value 4857
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 61 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "indeed·I·help·you" (אַף־עֲזַרְתִּ֔יךָ, 8 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "with·you·I" (עִמְּךָ־אָ֔נִי), "do·not·be-dismayed" (אַל־תִּשְׁתָּ֖ע), "I·strengthen·you" (אִמַּצְתִּ֙יךָ֙). The root איל appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah); "do·not·fear" (root איל, 114x in Isaiah); "your·God" (root אלהים, 82x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·God', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 5 words. Full calculation: אַל־תִּירָא֙ [do·not·fear] (642) + כִּ֣י [for] (30) + עִמְּךָ־אָ֔נִי [with·you·I] (191) + אַל־תִּשְׁתָּ֖ע [do·not·be-dismayed] (1201) + כִּֽי־אֲנִ֣י [for·I] (91) + אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ [your·God] (66) + אִמַּצְתִּ֙יךָ֙ [I·strengthen·you] (561) + אַף־עֲזַרְתִּ֔יךָ [indeed·I·help·you] (788) + אַף־תְּמַכְתִּ֖יךָ [indeed·I·uphold·you] (971) + בִּימִ֥ין [with·right·hand] (112) + צִדְקִֽי [my·righteousness] (204) = 4857.
Rashi
Do not be foolish. Let your heart not melt to become like this wax. And the general rule is: for any word whose root begins with the letter shin, when it is conjugated in the hitpa'el, ta'ani, or yitpa'el forms, the letter tav is inserted and enters between the two root letters of the word, such as (Isaiah 29) "vayishtomem" (and he was astonished), (Micah 7) "vayishtamer" (and he was guarded), the laws of Omri (1 Samuel 1) "tish'takarin" (you will be intoxicated), (Job 30) "tish'tafakh" (you will be poured out).
Ibn Ezra
"Do not become lax." The tav belongs to the hitpa'el conjugation, and the first radical precedes the tav, as is the rule of the language; and the meaning is "be weakened," as in "look away (she'u) from me" (Isaiah 22:4).
Radak
"Fear not." This refers to the verse "For I am with you," and the one after it, in the passage of "Hear, you deaf" (Isaiah 42:18): "Fear not, for I am with you" (Isaiah 43:5). And a single verse serves as a sign: "And I will descend and speak with you there," etc.
“Do not be slack, for I am your God.” According to its context, it means “Do not fear.” And the Targum renders it, “Do not be broken.” And our Sages of blessed memory explained, “Do not be slack, for I am your God”—that is, do not be like wax, namely, like wax that melts before the fire; so too, do not melt yourself. And our Rabbis of blessed memory explained it from the term “slackness” in the verse “Let my hands be slack,” which is explained as “become weak.” And the meaning of “Do not be slack” is “Do not become weak,” as in the verse “Let not your hands grow weak.”
Metzudat David
"Let not your heart be troubled. Do not turn away from Me in your thoughts, that I have already forsaken you, for I am the Lord your God, as from of old I have sustained you." In words of goodness and comfort:
Even “I helped you.” In ancient times:
Even so, I supported you. When you were in the hand of the enemy, I supported you with My right hand, so that the enemy would not utterly destroy you.
“With My righteous right hand.” This means: not in retribution, but rather in righteousness.
Metzudat Zion
Tishtea. The meaning of "turning aside" and "removing" is like "his eyes were turned aside" (above 7:).
"I have strengthened you." The matter is one of strength:
“Tamekhtekha.” The matter is one of support and a leaning place.
Malbim
“Fear not,” in no way, and behold, a man fears, for several reasons. A. Lest his beloved Helper, who always assists him, has now rejected him; in contrast to this, it is said, “I have chosen you and not rejected you.” B. Lest his beloved Helper will not be found with him in time of distress; in contrast to this, it is said, “Fear not, for I am with you.” C. Lest his beloved Helper will not be able to save him; in contrast to this, it is said, “Do not be weary and do not occupy your thoughts with the question of whether I am able to save, for I am the Lord, the Master of Power, I am your God who watches over you with particular providence, and therefore I have certainly strengthened you.” And the meaning of “I have strengthened you” is that I have given you courage so that you can stand on your own against the enemy. Also, “I have helped you,” indeed. Also, “I have upheld you with My right hand of righteousness,” similar to how a beloved Helper assists his friend with his left hand and supports him with his right hand so that he will not fall: supporting with one hand and fighting his enemy with the other.
Behold, all they that were incensed against you Shall be ashamed and confounded; They that strove with you Shall be as nothing, and shall perish.
verse value 1604
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 44 letters. The shortest word is "they" (הֵ֤ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·let·them·be·confounded" (וְיִכָּ֣לְמ֔וּ, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·let·them·be·confounded" (וְיִכָּ֣לְמ֔וּ), "and·they·perish" (וְיֹאבְד֖וּ), "Your·cause" (רִיבֶֽךָ). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "they·will·be" (root היה, 213x in Isaiah); "all" (root כל, 93x in Isaiah); "as·nothing" (root אין, 92x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root כלם ("and·let·them·be·confounded") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'against·you', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 5 words. Full calculation: הֵ֤ן [they] (55) + יֵבֹ֙שׁוּ֙ [let·them·be·ashamed] (318) + וְיִכָּ֣לְמ֔וּ [and·let·them·be·confounded] (112) + כֹּ֖ל [all] (50) + הַנֶּחֱרִ֣ים [the·ones·who·are·incensed] (313) + בָּ֑ךְ [against·you] (22) + יִהְי֥וּ [they·will·be] (31) + כְאַ֛יִן [as·nothing] (81) + וְיֹאבְד֖וּ [and·they·perish] (29) + אַנְשֵׁ֥י [man] (361) + רִיבֶֽךָ [Your·cause] (232) = 1604.
Ibn Ezra
"Hen." The word "hancharim" (the ones who are angry) is from the Nifal conjugation, from the root of "charah af" (Exodus 11:8), just as it is written "nichru bi" (they were angry with me) (Song of Songs 1:6). The meaning refers to the children of Babylon, for at the time that He visited them with punishment and destroyed them, He visited His children, and they returned to their land by the decree of Cyrus.
Radak
"They shall be ashamed, those who are angry with you." Just as it says, "The children of my mother were angry with me," from the root *charah* (to be angry).
"They shall be ashamed and confounded." This refers to the fact that their scheme, which they had devised, would not succeed; for they had thought that the Israelites would never leave their dominion.
Metzudat David
“They shall be ashamed.” Indeed, in the end, all those who rage against you shall be ashamed.
"Your contentious men." Those who quarrel with you:
Metzudat Zion
The burning ones. From the word *charon* (wrath) and anger; and similarly, “the children of my mother were angry with me” (Song of Songs 1:6). As if nothing. As if it were no matter:
Malbim
“Behold, they shall be ashamed” — there are four types of enemies. [1] The one who hates his friend and speaks slander about him behind his back; these are “those who are angry with you.” They shall be ashamed in themselves and be put to shame by others who have heard their evil report. [2] The one who reproaches him to his face and censures him with disgrace; these are “your contentious men.” They shall become as nothing and perish from among you. [3] The one who rebels against you in strife until he strikes you with a wicked fist; these are...
You shall seek them, and shall not find them, Even them that contended with you; They that warred against you Shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought.
verse value 3539
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 44 letters. The shortest word is "and·not" (וְלֹ֣א, 3 letters) and the longest is "your·battle" (מִלְחַמְתֶּֽךָ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 361: man, man. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "you·shall·seek·them" (תְּבַקְשֵׁם֙), "you·will·find·them" (תִמְצָאֵ֔ם), "your·strife" (מַצֻּתֶ֑ךָ). The root איש appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·not" (root לא, 286x in Isaiah); "they·will·be" (root היה, 213x in Isaiah); "as·nothing" (root אין, 92x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·strife', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: תְּבַקְשֵׁם֙ [you·shall·seek·them] (842) + וְלֹ֣א [and·not] (37) + תִמְצָאֵ֔ם [you·will·find·them] (571) + אַנְשֵׁ֖י [man] (361) + מַצֻּתֶ֑ךָ [your·strife] (550) + יִהְי֥וּ [they·will·be] (31) + כְאַ֛יִן [as·nothing] (81) + וּכְאֶ֖פֶס [and·as·ceasing] (167) + אַנְשֵׁ֥י [man] (361) + מִלְחַמְתֶּֽךָ [your·battle] (538) = 3539.
Ibn Ezra
“Thou shalt seek them.” “Thy commandment” is lacking a nun; therefore, the tsadi is dagesh-ed, on the pattern of “malkot,” and similarly “love of commandments” (Proverbs 17:19), “when men strive” (Deuteronomy 25:11).
And "as nothing." Like "not."
Radak
"Seek them." Even if you seek them, you will not find them; they will be lost and become as nothing and as naught.
"Those who contend with you." Related to the word "matzah" (מצה) in the phrase "for strife and for contention" (לריב ומצה).
Metzudat David
"Seek them." Even if you seek them, you will not find the men who contended with you.
“Let them be as nothing, etc.” The matter is repeated many times due to the magnitude of the destruction.
Metzudat Zion
"Metzatikh" – The meaning is contention, as in the verse "Behold, you fast for strife and contention" (below, 58:4).
"Like nothing." A thing that has no substance.
Malbim
“Your men of strife,” those who engage in strife with you (for there is a difference between strife and contention: contention is with the mouth, and strife is with striking), you shall seek them, because they have sought you until now to strike you, but you will not find them. Those who wage war against your soul in battle to strike your soul, and these are your men of war, they shall be as nothing and as naught: at the time of war they shall be as nothing, and after the war they shall be as a thing that is void and finished and is no more.
For I Hashem your God Hold your right hand, Who say to you: ‘Fear not, I help you.’
verse value 2184
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 45 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֥ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 2184 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֗י, 2 letters) and the longest is "do·not·fear" (אַל־תִּירָ֖א, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 61: I, I. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "your·right·hand" (יְמִינֶ֑ךָ). The root אני appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "who·said" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah); "for" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·right·hand', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 5 words. Full calculation: כִּ֗י [for] (30) + אֲנִ֛י [I] (61) + יְהֹוָ֥ה [Hashem] (26) + אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ [your·God] (66) + מַחֲזִ֣יק [holding] (165) + יְמִינֶ֑ךָ [your·right·hand] (130) + הָאֹמֵ֥ר [who·said] (246) + לְךָ֛ [to·you] (50) + אַל־תִּירָ֖א [do·not·fear] (642) + אֲנִ֥י [I] (61) + עֲזַרְתִּֽיךָ [I·helped·you] (707) = 2184.
Ibn Ezra
"For. who upholds your right hand. For this is a wondrous matter: that Babylon was captured and its young men were slain in the land, yet Israel escaped."
Radak
"For I am." And after I have said to you, "Do not fear," be confident, for "I am not a man that I should lie, nor a son of man that I should repent."
Metzudat David
“Who upholds your right hand.” He grasps your right hand so that you will not fall.
"He who says to you, etc." – This means: Since I am the One who says to you, "Fear not, for I will help you."
Metzudat Zion
He supports him:
Malbim
"For I am the Lord your God, who upholds your right hand" (Isaiah 41:13) — and He gives you strength to go to war. Now, two things do not arise in battle: 1. Weakness and lassitude; in contrast to this, He said, "I uphold your right hand." 2. Fear and softness of heart; in contrast to this, He said, "I have said to you, 'Do not fear, for I have helped you.'" Therefore,
Fear not, you worm Jacob, And you men of Israel; I help you, says Hashem, And your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
verse value 4627
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 54 letters. The shortest word is "men·of" (מְתֵ֖י, 3 letters) and the longest is "do·not·fear" (אַל־תִּֽירְאִי֙, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 541: Israel, Israel. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "worm" (תּוֹלַ֣עַת). The root ישראל appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "says·Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "do·not·fear" (root איל, 114x in Isaiah); "Israel" (root ישראל, 84x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 6 words. Full calculation: אַל־תִּֽירְאִי֙ [do·not·fear] (652) + תּוֹלַ֣עַת [worm] (906) + יַעֲקֹ֔ב [Jacob] (182) + מְתֵ֖י [men·of] (450) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל [Israel] (541) + אֲנִ֤י [I] (61) + עֲזַרְתִּיךְ֙ [I·helped·you] (707) + נְאֻם־יְהֹוָ֔ה [says·Hashem] (117) + וְגֹאֲלֵ֖ךְ [and·your·redeemer] (60) + קְד֥וֹשׁ [holy·one·of] (410) + יִשְׂרָאֵֽל [Israel] (541) = 4627.
Rashi
“Worm of Jacob.” The family of Jacob is weak, like a worm that has no strength except in its mouth. “Worm” is “vermone” in the foreign language.
When do the Israelites...? The number of Israelites:
Ibn Ezra
“Fear not, O worm.” For Israel was regarded as a worm in the eyes of the Babylonians, and the meaning is: “Fear not that you will be killed by the Babylonians.”
“For I have helped you.” A past-tense verb used in place of a future tense. The meaning is that all future decrees are considered as if they have already occurred. Furthermore, past and future tenses apply only to created beings.
Radak
“Fear not, O worm Jacob.” Because they are weak in exile like a worm, and in Yelammedenu: Why are Israel compared to a worm? To tell you: Just as this worm does not strike the cedars except with its mouth, and it is soft yet strikes the hard, so too Israel—all their strength is in prayer, and they strike the wicked of the world, who are strong like cedars and are compared to them, as it is said, “The cedar in Lebanon.”
"Metei" [men]. Like "anashai" [men].
"I will help you." The term is in the feminine form, corresponding to "the worm," even though it says "men" (in the masculine):
Metzudat David
"Worm of Jacob." The congregation of Jacob is weak like a worm, and its strength is only in its mouth—namely, prayer—like this worm, which with its mouth bores through cedars.
"I have helped you." From then on:
"And I will redeem you." And I will be your Redeemer in the future; I am the Holy One of Israel.
Metzudat Zion
"Metei." Men of:
Malbim
“Do not look at the worm of Jacob,” meaning the multitude of the House of Jacob, which is the body of the general nation, is likened to a decaying corpse from which only the worm remains; and Israel, who are the distinguished ones of the nation and its mighty men, are depicted as though only the dead of Israel and weak men remain from them. He says, “Do not regard all this, for behold, I have helped you,” says the Lord. “From whom do you fear?” For thus says the Lord, your Redeemer. This means that a person should not rely on his helper either because he is weak in strength, or because he relies on him thinking that he will not wish to help him. Rather, thus says the Lord, the One possessing power and ability: “I am your Redeemer, who is called by the Holy Name of Israel,” named after your holiness and your deeds, for you are worthy of salvation. And not only will I help you, but I will also place strength within you so that your right hand will save you. For.
Behold, I make you a new threshing-sledge Having sharp teeth; You shall thresh the mountains, and beat them small, And shall make the hills as chaff.
verse value 5275
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 54 letters. The shortest word is "they" (הִנֵּ֣ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "double-edged" (פִּיפִיּ֑וֹת, 6 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "I·put·you" (שַׂמְתִּ֗יךְ), "for·threshing·sledge" (לְמוֹרַג֙), "owner" (בַּ֖עַל). The root שום appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "they" (root הן, 86x in Isaiah); "I·put·you" (root שום, 40x in Isaiah); "mountains" (root הר, 37x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'double-edged', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 6 words. Full calculation: הִנֵּ֣ה [they] (60) + שַׂמְתִּ֗יךְ [I·put·you] (770) + לְמוֹרַג֙ [for·threshing·sledge] (279) + חָר֣וּץ [sharp] (304) + חָדָ֔שׁ [new] (312) + בַּ֖עַל [owner] (102) + פִּיפִיּ֑וֹת [double-edged] (586) + תָּד֤וּשׁ [you·will·tread·out] (710) + הָרִים֙ [mountains] (255) + וְתָדֹ֔ק [and·you·will·crush] (510) + וּגְבָע֖וֹת [and·hills] (487) + כַּמֹּ֥ץ [as·the·chaff] (150) + תָּשִֽׂים [you·shall·set] (750) = 5275.
Rashi
"To a sharp threshing sledge." It is a wooden implement, heavy and made with grooves, resembling the iron tools of blacksmiths, which they call in the vernacular "limmer." They drag it over the stalks of the ears of grain, cutting them until they become fine chaff.
"New." When it is new, before the edges of its grooves have become smooth, it cuts much; but once it has grown old, the edges of its grooves have become smooth.
“Ba’al pifiyot.” These are the sharpened edges of the grooves:
"You shall tread down the mountains." Kings and princes.
Ibn Ezra
To the threshing sledge. It is well known, and similar to it is [the word] "hamoragim" (2 Samuel 24:22):
Charutz. It is derived according to the rule, just as it says, “Your judgments You have charatz” (1 Kings 20:40). Do not wonder that the verse speaks to Israel in the feminine language and also in the masculine language within a single verse, for the meaning of the feminine form is “the congregation,” and it is not a true feminine (gender).
And the meaning of “you shall tread the mountains” is an allusion to the Babylonians:
Radak
"Behold, I have set you as a sharp threshing-sledge." Just as it is written "a threshing-sledge and sharp," and similarly "sun, moon, Reuben, Simeon," and the like, even though the threshing-sledge is the sharp one—that vessel is made with two characteristics, one is called a threshing-sledge and the other sharp—or perhaps "sharp" is an adjective describing the threshing-sledge, meaning a threshing-sledge that cuts well, for "sharp" denotes cutting, as in "if his days are sharp." He said this in opposition to the worm of Jacob: "Behold, I have set you against the wicked, upon your emergence from exile, as a new sharp threshing-sledge."
"Ba'al Pifiyot." He has many mouths; therefore, the letter Pe and the letter Yod are doubled in him, for every Murg is a Ba'al Pifiyot, and they are the ones who remove the husk from the grain.
Mountains and hills. This is like a parable of the kings of the nations and their princes:
Metzudat David
"Behold, I have set you": I have set you to be a threshing sledge, made with iron teeth, which is newly sharpened, the sharpest of all, and it has many points.
Metzudat Zion
A morag is a kind of wooden board, with thin stones embedded in its underside, upon which grain is threshed. Similarly, it says, “and those who tread out with the moragim, and the vessels of the cattle” (2 Samuel 24:22).
Charetz. It is made with grooves and fissures between stone and stone:
"Ba'al pifiyot." This means that it has many edges and sharp points, which are the grooves.
Tidosh. The word is from the root of threshing:
And it shall be ground fine. The word is derived from the language of "dak" (fine/thin).
Like chaff. It is the refuse of the grain:
Malbim
"Behold, I have set you as a threshing instrument, sharp and new": This compares the nations of the world to chaff and refuse that will be trampled and removed by the new, sharp threshing instrument, which is the metaphorical comparison. The implication is that this will not come about by virtue of the old [instrument], which has already been consumed, but rather by virtue of the new one. Furthermore, [you are] one with many teeth, [possessing] many powers from many commandments; you shall thresh the mountains. The "great mountains" are compared to the wheat grains being threshed, and the "small hills" are compared to their chaff. This is a metaphor for their princes and servants, who will all be crushed and destroyed by the threshing instrument, which is Israel.
You shall fan them, and the wind shall carry them away, And the whirlwind shall scatter them; And you shall rejoice in Hashem, You shall glory in the Holy One of Israel.
verse value 5677
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 53 letters. The shortest word is "you·will·scatter·them" (תִּזְרֵם֙, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·storm" (וּסְעָרָ֖ה, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 412: and·you, in·the·Holy·One·of. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "shall·scatter" (תָּפִ֣יץ), "shall·be·joyful" (תָּגִ֣יל), "you·shall·glory" (תִּתְהַלָּֽל). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "Israel" (root ישראל, 84x in Isaiah); "will·lift·them" (root נשא, 57x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'them', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: תִּזְרֵם֙ [you·will·scatter·them] (647) + וְר֣וּחַ [and·wind] (220) + תִּשָּׂאֵ֔ם [will·lift·them] (741) + וּסְעָרָ֖ה [and·storm] (341) + תָּפִ֣יץ [shall·scatter] (580) + אוֹתָ֑ם [them] (447) + וְאַתָּה֙ [and·you] (412) + תָּגִ֣יל [shall·be·joyful] (443) + בַּֽיהֹוָ֔ה [in·Hashem] (28) + בִּקְד֥וֹשׁ [in·the·Holy·One·of] (412) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל [Israel] (541) + תִּתְהַלָּֽל [you·shall·glory] (865) = 5677.
Rashi
"Tizrom." You shall scatter them, as one scatters grain in a winnowing fork, to the wind.
"And the Spirit shall lift them up." [This teaches that] on their own accord they are destined for Gehinnom.
Ibn Ezra
Tzarem. An allusion that the majority of the Babylonians will be lost; even the Israelites plundered the Babylonians:
Radak
"tzarom." You shall scatter them, like a person who winnows grain after threshing, and the wind will lift and disperse the chaff, and they will be like the chaff.
Metzudat David
“Tazrom.” You shall scatter them, and the wind shall carry them far away.
"And there was a storm," etc. The matter is repeated in what is stated:
In the Lord. In the salvation of the Lord:
You shall boast. You shall boast in yourself in that you have placed your trust in the Holy One of Israel:
Metzudat Zion
"Tizrom." The meaning of "pazer" is like "vizerati peresh" (Malachi 2:3).
"Scatter." Disperse:
Tithallel. From the root H-L-L, meaning praise:
Malbim
“Tizrom” – as with grain, first it is threshed, then winnowed, and a gentle wind lifts it into the air aloft, and a storm scatters it in every direction. And you shall rejoice in the Lord – your joy shall be through the Lord and His great strength, and you shall boast among many that He is the Holy One of Israel, whose holiness is attributed to you according to your deeds (for a person may indeed rejoice even in success that comes to him from without, but he cannot boast or take pride except in accordance with his own deed and merit, by virtue of which he is worthy of it; and I have explained the distinction between “the Lord” and “the Holy One of Israel” on many occasions).
The poor and needy seek water and there is none, And their tongue fails for thirst; I Hashem will answer them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them.
verse value 3264
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 68 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֥א, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·the·needy" (וְהָאֶבְיוֹנִ֜ים, 9 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "poor" (הָעֲנִיִּ֨ים), "and·the·needy" (וְהָאֶבְיוֹנִ֜ים), "seeking" (מְבַקְשִׁ֥ים). 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "not" (root לא, 286x in Isaiah); "and·nothing" (root אין, 92x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'drank', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 7 words.
Rashi
They seek water. The prophet prophesied concerning the End of Days (Amos 8:11): “There shall be a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord; and they shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it.” And when His anger turns back, He will prepare for them bread and water, and His Divine Presence will dwell among them, and the Divine Spirit will be upon the lips of their prophets.
“Nishteh.” The language of “and they drank water from the sea” (above 19:22), denoting elevation and destruction (Lamentations 3:47). All of these terms convey the language of desolation and drought. Therefore, the tav is accented with a dagesh, for it comes in place of two letters, as there is no “sa’at” (elevation) without a tav. He should have said, for the feminine, “nishtetah,” for the masculine singular it is said “nishteh,” and for the plural “venishtu.”
Ibn Ezra
“The poor.” When you return from Babylonia to Jerusalem:
"It is dried up." The word "charvah" (desolate) is akin to "venishtu mayim me'ayim" (and the waters shall be dried up from the sea) (Isaiah 19:5):
"I am the Lord, I will answer them. I am the God of Israel, for I draw after my people according to justice."
Radak
“The poor and the needy.” These are the children of the exile, when they go forth from the exile to return to their land, and they travel through deserts, places where there is no water. They will seek water in the wilderness and will not find it, and their tongues will be parched with thirst. They will cry out to Me, and I will answer them, for I am the God of Israel, and I brought them forth from the exile. I will not abandon them to die of thirst in the wilderness. Rather, what shall I do for them?
Metzudat David
“The poor, etc.” The exiles, when they return to their land through the desert, will seek water and not find it, due to their thirst. Because of the thirst, it is as if their tongues were removed from their place.
"I will answer them." Regarding your question about the waters:
Metzudat Zion
"Their tongue fails." The matter refers to removal [of moisture]. And similarly, "and the waters shall fail from the sea" (above 19:5).
"Answer them." The matter is one of answering and response:
Malbim
“The poor” — behold, Israel in their exile despaired of redemption for two reasons: 1. When they beheld their weakness and frailty in contrast to their mighty and numerous captors, in response to which it is said, “Fear not, worm Jacob” (Isaiah 41:14), etc. 2. Because of poverty and destitution; in response to which it is said, “The poor” and “the destitute” (for the destitute is more lacking than the poor). Even though they are so impoverished that they seek water found in abundance, yet there is none, and their tongue cleaves to their palate from thirst due to the long duration of their thirst. I am the Lord. There is a distinction between the Name “the Lord” and “the God of Israel.” The Name “the Lord” is called from His own essence, whereas the Name “the God of Israel” is from the aspect of union and attachment that He has with Israel. He says: By virtue of the fact that I am the Lord, the Creator of all, I will answer them; and by virtue of the fact that I am the God of Israel, according to their good deeds, I will not abandon them at all, nor will they need to pray at all (for one who is answered has necessarily already been abandoned, to the point that he was compelled to cry out and pray).
I will open rivers on the high hills, And fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water, And the dry land springs of water.
verse value 4708
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 63 letters. The shortest word is "dryness" (צִיָּ֖ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "on·high·hills" (עַל־שְׁפָיִים֙, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "on·high·hills" (עַל־שְׁפָיִים֙), "valleys" (בְּקָע֖וֹת), "fountains" (מַעְיָנ֑וֹת). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·land·of" (root ארץ, 169x in Isaiah); "water" (root מים, 41x in Isaiah); "I·will·put" (root שום, 40x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'fountains', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 7 words. Full calculation: אֶפְתַּ֤ח [I·will·open] (489) + עַל־שְׁפָיִים֙ [on·high·hills] (540) + נְהָר֔וֹת [rivers] (661) + וּבְת֥וֹךְ [and·in·the·midst·of] (434) + בְּקָע֖וֹת [valleys] (578) + מַעְיָנ֑וֹת [fountains] (576) + אָשִׂ֤ים [I·will·put] (351) + מִדְבָּר֙ [wilderness] (246) + לַאֲגַם־מַ֔יִם [to·pool·of·water] (164) + וְאֶ֥רֶץ [and·land·of] (297) + צִיָּ֖ה [dryness] (105) + לְמוֹצָ֥אֵי [to·springs·of] (177) + מָֽיִם [water] (90) = 4708.
Rashi
Rivers. A heart that understands Torah and prophecy:
“Wilderness.” This refers to a place where the wisdom of the Torah was not present.
Ibn Ezra
“Open.” The heights—they are elevated—the opposite of the valleys. And this too is a wonder, that there should be a river on the heights.
"I will place [them] in the wilderness" – meaning that there is no settled habitation there.
Radak
"I will open upon the lips of rivers." "It has been exhausted." Like "Their might has failed," and the tav has a dagesh because of the pause.
I begin with the word "upon the heights." The high places, as in the verse: "And he went up to the height" (Numbers 23:3).
“Rivers.” Waters that will flow as rivers from them.
"And within the valleys." And all the more so within the valleys, from which many springs emerged, and everything will be a path of wonder, for one will not find water in the wilderness, neither in the mountain nor in the valley.
Metzudat David
“Upon the heights.” In the elevated places I will lead rivers, although it is not the way of rivers to draw forth springs from there. “I will open springs.”
“L’motzei mayim.” To be a place from which water emerges.
Metzudat Zion
Shafim. Thus are the high places called; and likewise, “a pure wind, shafim” (Jeremiah 4:11).
Agam. So is called the place where waters enter, and so too, “and their pools” (Exodus 7:19).
Dry land. Desolation:
Malbim
I will open rivers upon the heights, upon the elevated places where rivers do not normally flow, for rivers are found only in low-lying areas, and upon mountains one finds only springs; yet I will open rivers there.
And in the valleys, where springs are not found but only rivers, I will open up springs there; and this is contrary to nature and the usual order. I will make the desert into a pool of water: in the desert, pools are not normally found, for they are found only in a moist place; I will make them into pools of water.
And a land of drought and desolation, from which it is withheld that the pools should be sustained there, for the heat of the sun would dry them up; I will make for them sources of water, so that they will find there springs and fountains of water.
I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the acacia-tree, And the myrtle, and the oil-tree; I will set in the desert the cypress, the plane-tree, and the larch together;
verse value 4540
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 51 letters. The shortest word is "I·will·give" (אֶתֵּ֤ן, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·a species of tree" (וּתְאַשּׁ֖וּר, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "cedar" (אֶ֣רֶז), "acacia tree" (שִׁטָּ֔ה), "myrtle" (וַהֲדַ֖ס). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "I·will·give" (root נתן, 56x in Isaiah); "I·will·put" (root שום, 40x in Isaiah); "together" (root יחד, 34x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'oil', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 6 words. Full calculation: אֶתֵּ֤ן [I·will·give] (451) + בַּמִּדְבָּר֙ [in·the·wilderness] (248) + אֶ֣רֶז [cedar] (208) + שִׁטָּ֔ה [acacia tree] (314) + וַהֲדַ֖ס [myrtle] (75) + וְעֵ֣ץ [and·tree·of] (166) + שָׁ֑מֶן [oil] (390) + אָשִׂ֣ים [I·will·put] (351) + בָּעֲרָבָ֗ה [in·the·arabah] (279) + בְּר֛וֹשׁ [cypress] (508) + תִּדְהָ֥ר [a species of hardwood tree] (609) + וּתְאַשּׁ֖וּר [and·a species of tree] (913) + יַחְדָּֽו [together] (28) = 4540.
Rashi
"I will give in the wilderness the cedar, the acacia, the myrtle, and the olive."
All types of settlement, even in them, I will give all types of wisdom, goodness, and peace.
"Dehar and teashur." These are the names of fruitless trees used for building.
Ibn Ezra
"And I will place in the desert the cedar, the acacia" – it is lacking a vav; [read it as] "the cedar and the acacia," just as it is written: "The sun and the moon stood still" (Habakkuk 3:11).
“Tidhar and tashur.” [These are] trees, and all of these [grow] around the rivers, for in any place that is lacking in water, they will not grow.
Radak
“Behold, I will send...” This does not mean that they will merely find water in the wilderness, but rather that even trees will grow there. And if you were to ask, “What need do they have for trees?” we can say that upon their return from exile, we can state that these trees will be created in the wilderness, standing upright, just as they were created in the days of Creation, and they will provide shade so that the scorching heat and sun will not strike them. Alternatively, to establish that miracle from that day onward, there will be water and trees growing in those deserts forever, and the inhabitants of the world, as they pass through them, will say, “God did this for the sake of Israel,” and they will acknowledge the Name of the Lord forever for that miracle. And similarly, it is stated later in the parashah: “Seek the Lord, and He will be a sign to them forever, that it shall not be cut off.”
“and the tree of oil.” This is the tree called in the foreign language “pin,” and it is the trees of oil, and the oil that comes from it is pitch. And so did Jonathan translate: “ayin de-mesha.” And we cannot say that it is the olive tree, for in Ezra they are mentioned as two distinct items, and it says, “they brought leaves of the olive tree and leaves of the tree of oil.”
Tadhar. Jonathan translated it as “mornin,” and in the statements of our Sages of blessed memory, “tadhar” is rendered as “shagga,” and its meaning is “shagga” in the vernacular tongue (Old French).
“Tashur.” Jonathan the Targumist translated it as “ashkru’in,” and in the words of our Sages of blessed memory, “tashur” is “shorvina.” Rabbi Yonah wrote that this is indeed called “shorvin” in Arabic. The author of the Arukh explained that “ashkru’a” is called “baqam” in Arabic, which is what they call “bussu” in the non-Jewish language. If so, according to his view, “berosh” is not boxwood (buis).
Metzudat David
"I will plant in the wilderness the cedar..." – That the exiles may delight in its shade.
Together. They shall all be together there:
Metzudat Zion
"Cedar, etc.": These are the names of fruitless trees.
In the wilderness. In the desert:
"Cypress." Etc., names of fruitless trees:
Malbim
"I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the acacia tree, the myrtle, and the oil tree" (Isaiah 41:19): These are good for building houses; the myrtle is for fragrance, and the oil tree is for food and for lighting. And none of these are found in the wilderness. "In the desert" refers to a place in the wilderness where thorns and thistles grow. "I will plant there" means I will place there the pine, the cypress, and the plane tree—good and precious trees—and they will also be found together. Not just one of these species alone, but all of them together, in such a way that one cannot attribute it to chance.
That they may see, and know, And consider, and understand together, That the hand of Hashem has done this, And the Holy One of Israel has created it.
verse value 3703
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 59 letters. The shortest word is "that" (כִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·to·understand" (וְיַשְׂכִּ֙ילוּ֙, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·they·will·put" (וְיָשִׂ֤ימוּ), "and·to·understand" (וְיַשְׂכִּ֙ילוּ֙). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "hand·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "that" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah); "did" (root עשה, 101x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root שכל ("and·to·understand") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'this', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 3 words. Full calculation: לְמַ֧עַן [purpose] (190) + יִרְא֣וּ [they·will·see] (217) + וְיֵדְע֗וּ [and·let·them·know] (96) + וְיָשִׂ֤ימוּ [and·they·will·put] (372) + וְיַשְׂכִּ֙ילוּ֙ [and·to·understand] (382) + יַחְדָּ֔ו [together] (28) + כִּ֥י [that] (30) + יַד־יְהֹוָ֖ה [hand·of·Hashem] (40) + עָ֣שְׂתָה [did] (775) + זֹּ֑את [this] (408) + וּקְד֥וֹשׁ [and·the·Holy·One·of] (416) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל [Israel] (541) + בְּרָאָֽהּ [has·created·it] (208) = 3703.
Ibn Ezra
"For the sake of seeing." The poor shall see with their own eyes and set their hearts to it:
"And the Holy One of Israel created it." According to my opinion, it is like "He decreed this." And according to the opinion of many, God brings water — and not from anything pre-existing (yesh).
Radak
For the sake of. I will perform these wondrous deeds, so that the nations of the world may see them. Therefore, it is said: "All the nations shall tremble and know, and they shall set it upon their hearts and understand, that the hand of the Lord has done this," meaning that He brought Israel out of exile and performed these wondrous deeds for them.
He created. This is wondrous, for a wonder is a novelty; therefore, it is stated in the language of creation.
Metzudat David
"That they may see, etc." This miracle I will perform for them, so that the gentiles may see, take it to heart, and understand with discernment that the hand of the Lord has performed this redemption, and He is the One who created that miracle.
Malbim
“Lema’an” – these statements are restrictive, so that they may see and know that the hand of the Lord has done this, and they shall place [it on their hearts] and understand together that the Holy One of Israel created it. And there is a difference between “they shall see and know,” which is physical sight, and “they shall place [it on their hearts] and understand,” which is intellectual comprehension through the proofs of reason, by setting the matters upon their heart. And there is a difference between “the Lord” and “the Holy One of Israel.” The Name “the Lord” is called by Him inasmuch as He created general existence. And the Name “the Holy One of Israel” is called by Him inasmuch as He exercises particular providence over Israel, through the holiness of their deeds, because of which He conducts a miraculous governance above nature. And there is a difference between “making” (asiah) and “creation” (beriah). “Creation” is the creation of the very essence of the thing, which no one but the Lord alone can do, Who creates something from nothing. And “making” is the rectification of the thing by changing its form, as one makes a vessel from metal, without creating the metal itself. Based on this, I say: If they were to see by physical sight alone, they would already know with clear knowledge that not the hand of chance, but the hand of the Lord, has done this. But perhaps they could imagine that this was not a creation of something from nothing by the Holy One of Israel, through miraculous governance above nature, but only “making.” That is, that the Lord prepared nature so that the desert would be suitable for this, just as changes occur in the earth in most times, turning a desert into a city of habitation and a barren land into springs of water. But after they place it upon their hearts, then they will understand through proofs and rational evidence, and the proofs will be so publicized that all will understand them together, wise and foolish alike, that the Holy One of Israel, Who performs wonders above nature, created it by creation of something from nothing, not according to nature, but from nothing.
Produce your cause, says Hashem; Bring forth your reasons, says the King of Jacob.
verse value 2380
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 41 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "king" (מֶ֥לֶךְ, 3 letters) and the longest is "your·reasons" (עֲצֻמ֣וֹתֵיכֶ֔ם, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 251: will·say, will·say. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "your·cause" (רִֽיבְכֶ֖ם), "bring·forth" (הַגִּ֙ישׁוּ֙), "your·reasons" (עֲצֻמ֣וֹתֵיכֶ֔ם). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "will·say" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah); "king" (root מלך, 73x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 5 words. Full calculation: קָרְב֥וּ [midst] (308) + רִֽיבְכֶ֖ם [your·cause] (272) + יֹאמַ֣ר [will·say] (251) + יְהֹוָ֑ה [Hashem] (26) + הַגִּ֙ישׁוּ֙ [bring·forth] (324) + עֲצֻמ֣וֹתֵיכֶ֔ם [your·reasons] (676) + יֹאמַ֖ר [will·say] (251) + מֶ֥לֶךְ [king] (90) + יַעֲקֹֽב [Jacob] (182) = 2380.
Rashi
“Draw near, your controversy.” All the nations of the world, come and contend, and argue with the children [of Israel].
“Your mighty [arguments].” These are your sound and strong claims; and the term *riv* (contention) is used in the language of the Mishnah, referring to the two parties who were contending in a legal case, as discussed in Tractate Sanhedrin.
Ibn Ezra
“Draw near.” The command is from the heavy, stressed binyan, on the pattern of “Bless the Lord” (Judges 5:2).
“Your mighty deeds.” Like “your strife,” and similarly, “and he separates between the mighty” (Proverbs 18:18). It is also possible that it derives from the root *atzam* (mighty), and it is an adjective in the plural form.
Radak
"Draw near." The imperative form is due to the dagesh; however, the resh does not accept a dagesh. Now, he returns to speak against the worshippers of idols.
"Your strife." The strife that you have with the Lord and with His people. And the matter is repeated in different words:
"Your mighty deeds." [These are] your mighty claims; another interpretation: "Your very selves" is an expression of contention, as in the language of the Mishnah: "Two who were contending in a legal case." And some say: "Your mighty deeds" refers to the mighty things you have done in the world.
Metzudat David
“Bring your dispute.” Return to speaking to the idolaters and say to them: “Bring the dispute that you have with the Lord and with His people.”
“Bring forth your bones.” The substance of the arguments and the very core of the matter:
Metzudat Zion
"Your bones." The matter of the substance of the thing and its essence. And similarly, "My substance was not hidden from You" (Psalms 139:15).
Malbim
“Come near.” Now he concludes the argument that he began with them, as it is written, “They have conspired together against Me; let us draw near for judgment.” There is a difference between the verb qarav (to draw near) and the verb nagash (to approach). Qarav indicates things that are equal and drawing near to one another, whereas hagshah (approach) refers to a lesser entity before a greater one, or to a matter involving greater opposition, such as approaching for a dispute. There is also a difference between “your dispute” (rivchem), which is the simple dispute in which He said “draw near,” and “your strong contention” (otzemotchem), which is the dispute in which the matter becomes intensified and strengthened, and therefore He said regarding it “approach.” Furthermore, there is a difference between “the Name of the Lord” and “the King of Jacob.” “The Name of the Lord” is called from His own aspect, that He created everything, while “the King of Jacob” is from the aspect that He chose Israel as His people and is their King. Now, there are nations that completely deny the Lord and attribute all existence to pure chance, like Epicurus and his companions. In contrast to them, He says “draw near, your dispute,” because in this dispute the nations did not intensify themselves so much. For most of them acknowledged that there is a Lord who creates and forms everything, and it was only a small dispute from certain denying philosophers. And this is what the Lord says: this dispute is about the Lord, whom they denied and said, “He is not.” But there is another dispute in which all the nations entered and intensified themselves greatly, and it is that they deny that He is the King of Jacob. Although they acknowledge the Lord, they do not acknowledge that Jacob chose the Lord as his God. In contrast to this, “the King of Jacob” says, “approach your strong contention,” the great dispute in which you are intensifying yourselves, to deny the wonders that I perform for My people.
Let them bring them forth, and declare to us The things that shall happen; The former things, what are they? Declare you, that we may consider, And know the end of them; Or announce to us things to come.
verse value 5421
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 77 letters. Notable word values: "to·us" (לָ֔נוּ) = 86, equal to Elohim. Verse gematria: 5421 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "what" (מָ֣ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·former·things" (הָרִאשֹׁנ֣וֹת, 7 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "let·them·bring·forth" (יַגִּ֙ישׁוּ֙), "cold" (תִּקְרֶ֑ינָה), "and·let·us·put" (וְנָשִׂ֤ימָה). The root נגד appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 176x in Isaiah); "that·go·in" (root בוא, 120x in Isaiah); "announce·to·us" (root שמע, 106x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'cold', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 11 words.
Rashi
They bring near. The non-Jews their prophets and their diviners:
And let them declare to us. That which shall befall us in the future:
The first ones: those that were before the creation of the world, and on what was it created? What is this? (Another text: events that have already begun, what will be their end?)
Or those that are to come. In the future, they will make their voices heard to us, and we shall see whether there is truth in them, such that their words will be fulfilled.
Ibn Ezra
They shall bring them near. The idols:
And behold, the meaning of “Draw near” [“your dispute,” etc.] with Israel [“He shall speak”] is that they did not believe, and they were also serving idols in Babylonia; and the meaning of “your dispute” is until it shall be seen which is good:
Radak
“Let them bring forth.” The idols that you say are gods—let them bring forth their words, says the Prophet, in his own defense and in the defense of Israel, who do not worship idols like the nations, but God, blessed be He, alone.
"And they shall tell us what shall happen." The events that are destined to come, and He spoke in the feminine language, as if He said: the events that find the inhabitants of the world:
The former ones: what are they? They are the former ones that have passed.
"What are these? Tell me." He spoke as if addressing the idols.
"And let us set our heart [to it]." To remember whether they were the first things, as you have said:
"And we shall know their end." We shall know that you will know their end, if you have known their beginning. Or: "the things that are coming, announce to us" — the things destined to come.
Metzudat David
“Let them bring them near.” The invalid ones which you say are gods—let them bring them near, and let them declare to us what shall befall in the latter days.
The first ones: what are they? They say: What was before the creation of the world?
"Tell us." "Say, please, and let us set our hearts to remember, if it was so; and by this we shall know that you also know the end of the world."
"Or those that are coming, teach us." Teach us about the future events, if you know them:
Metzudat Zion
“Tikrayna.” The word is derived from the root *mikreh*, meaning “accident” or “chance.”
Malbim
“Let them bring near.” Behold, the fundamental proof that he established in this sign was based on the fact that the prophet foretold beforehand what was to come in the Messianic era, as it is stated: “Who has declared it from the beginning, that we may know? Or from ancient times, that we may say, ‘He is right’? There is none who can declare, nor one who can make known, nor one who can hear your words” (Isaiah 41:21, adapted). Can they also do likewise, to foretell future events and hidden matters? And behold, he considers here four degrees, one lower than the other.
A. The greatest of all is the one who foretells what is to come regarding a matter of chance that has no dependence on any cause among the causes, and of which not even a part has yet begun, such as saying: “In a hundred years, so-and-so king will become powerful,” or “There will be an earthquake and it will destroy so-and-so place,” and the like. And this is what it says: “Let them bring near and tell us what is to happen.” This refers to things that will occur in the future according to pure chance.
B. Lesser than this is the one who foretells future events regarding a matter of which a part has already begun, such as when so-and-so king has already arisen and is fighting and conquering, and he says what will be its end, or when the mountain has begun to collapse and he says how much the earth will tremble and shake. And this is what it says: “At least tell us the former things.” Since their matter has already begun, tell us what they are and what they signify, so that we may set our hearts on your words and know their end—what will be the outcome and the conclusion of the matter.
C. Lesser than this is the one who foretells future events regarding matters that are accustomed to come according to natural custom, and do not come by chance but by natural cause, such as: “That year will be a year of rains,” or drought, cold or heat, famine or plenty, and the like. And this is what it says: “Or tell us the things that are to come.” This refers to matters that are coming and customary.
D. Lesser than this is if the chance event, whose cause we do not know, has already occurred, and he informs us what was the cause of the event. This is a very easy matter, to the extent that scholars of history and nature can, in most cases, reveal the cause when they observe the effect. And this is what it says: “Or at least.”
Declare the things that are to come hereafter, That we may know that you are gods; Indeed, do good, or do evil, That we may be dismayed, and behold it together.
verse value 4365
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 63 letters. Notable word values: "gods" (אֱלֹהִ֖ים) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "that" (כִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "indeed·you·do·good" (אַף־תֵּיטִ֣יבוּ, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 28: tell, together. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "indeed·you·do·good" (אַף־תֵּיטִ֣יבוּ), "or·do·evil" (וְתָרֵ֔עוּ), "and·let·us·be·dismayed" (וְנִשְׁתָּ֖עָה). The root ראה appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah); "to·see" (root ראה, 83x in Isaiah); "gods" (root אלהים, 82x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'you', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 6 words. Full calculation: הַגִּ֙ידוּ֙ [tell] (28) + הָאֹתִיּ֣וֹת [that·come] (822) + לְאָח֔וֹר [backward] (245) + וְנֵ֣דְעָ֔ה [that·we·may·know] (135) + כִּ֥י [that] (30) + אֱלֹהִ֖ים [gods] (86) + אַתֶּ֑ם [you] (441) + אַף־תֵּיטִ֣יבוּ [indeed·you·do·good] (518) + וְתָרֵ֔עוּ [or·do·evil] (682) + וְנִשְׁתָּ֖עָה [and·let·us·be·dismayed] (831) + (ונרא) [to·see] (257) + וְנִרְאֶ֥ה [and·we·shall·see] (262) + יַחְדָּֽו [together] (28) = 4365.
Rashi
Declare the signs that are to come hereafter. The wonders that will come last:
“Ve-nishta’eh.” And let us recount their words; for “and he recounted (va-yesapper)” is rendered in the Targum “ve-ishta’i.”
Ibn Ezra
Let them declare. He is speaking to the idols:
The signs. From the root of “ateh baqar” (Isaiah 21:12):
And the meaning of “the future things that come after” is the time to come, for the time that has passed is called “before.” Then we shall know that there is in you the power to do good and to do evil.
And we shall relate it. And it is written, and the Targum translates “And Moses told” (Exodus 18:8) in Aramaic as “wa-ishtei,” and there are those who say it is like “and do not tarry” (1 Kings 10).
Radak
Tell the signs. The explanation is: the following ones, and so it came in the morning, as in the Targum: “ba ata” (he came).
“Backward.” That is, to the end; and so too its Targum renders it “to its end.” For initially He said, “those that are coming in the future,” implying not in a very distant time. And afterward He said, “Tell the letters backward,” meaning: in the end of days, if you do this.
And we shall know that You are God. Even so, do good and do harm, as Your servants think:
"And we shall speak, and we shall see." So it is written without the letter he, and it is read with the letter he as "and we shall be seen," and the meaning is one. "And we shall speak" means "and we shall narrate," as is the Targum's translation of "va'esheteyna," namely, "they shall speak about you." That is to say, "we shall speak about you, and we shall see you together, we, like your servants, after you have said all this."
Metzudat David
The letters in reverse order. Those that appear in the end of days:
"And we shall know." And then we shall know that God is with you, and you will even be able to do good or evil to whomever.
"And we shall converse together." Then I and they will speak, and we shall see together what to do in the world; and it is stated in a manner of mockery and derision:
Metzudat Zion
The letters that come, such as "ata voker" [morning comes] (above 21:12):
"Backward." From the language of "acharon" (behind/last). "Venishta'ah." The matter is the telling of words, for the Targum of "vayesaper" [he told] is "ve'ishtai" [and he told], and similarly, "and I will meditate on Your statutes continually" (Psalms 119:117).
Malbim
Declare the things that are to come hereafter, from the effect to the cause, (for one who states the cause after the effect has occurred, such as deducing from smoke that there was fire, is proceeding through backward reasoning). And even in this easy form of declaration, we will know that you are gods, for you do not even possess the knowledge of the natural philosophers and investigators. And a fortiori, since you lack the spirit to declare future events like God through His faithful visions, yet He adds, “At least I will compel you further in a matter even smaller: if the idols have at least the power to do good or evil to any person, even in this we will know that you are God.” But on the condition that we wait and see together that the prophets of Baal were lying in the name of Baal, claiming that she does good or evil to her worshippers or her traitors. But they devised this in their hearts through schemes of deceit and forgery to deceive the hearts of the simple-minded. Therefore, I stipulate that we wait and turn face to face, until we see together whether you have spoken truth, or only falsehood and lies. But the truth is, for...
Behold, you are nothing, And your work a thing of nought; An abomination is he that chooses you.
verse value 1799
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 31 letters. The shortest word is "in·you" (בָּכֶֽם, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·your·work" (וּפׇעׇלְכֶ֖ם, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "behold·you" (הֵן־אַתֶּ֣ם), "and·your·work" (וּפׇעׇלְכֶ֖ם), "of·nought" (מֵאָ֑פַע). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "from·nothing" (root אין, 92x in Isaiah); "behold·you" (root הן, 86x in Isaiah); "he·shall·choose" (root בחר, 27x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root בכם ("in·you") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'of·nought', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: הֵן־אַתֶּ֣ם [behold·you] (496) + מֵאַ֔יִן [from·nothing] (101) + וּפׇעׇלְכֶ֖ם [and·your·work] (246) + מֵאָ֑פַע [of·nought] (191) + תּוֹעֵבָ֖ה [abomination] (483) + יִבְחַ֥ר [he·shall·choose] (220) + בָּכֶֽם [in·you] (62) = 1799.
Rashi
"Behold, you are of nothing. And how can your words be fulfilled?"
And your work is from the root of "to lie." You are nothing but ones who cry out, raising your voices to deceive with words of falsehood.
"An abomination." Those who are detestable will choose you, and not the Holy One, blessed be He, nor His servants, nor His ministers.
Ibn Ezra
"Behold, you." A mnemonic for the images:
“Ma’afe.” Like “there is no” and “vanity,” and there is no fellow (rea) to it in all of Scripture.
"An abomination, etc." The meaning is: "A man who is an abomination will choose you" or "He will choose you for an abomination," meaning that He will enslave you.
Radak
"Behold you and your work." This refers to the thought of those who serve idols, for idols have no "work" (i.e., no independent action or efficacy).
Ma'afeh. Like ma'apes, for the samekh is [equivalent to] the ayin, in one of the alphabets among the 221 gates. And Rabbi Achi, Rabbi Moshe z"l, explained it as "a viper," meaning: your actions are like the deeds of the snakes that kill their victims.
"An abomination shall choose you." "An abomination"—that is to say, those who are detestable will choose you, not the Holy One, blessed be He, for the Lord will reject you.
Metzudat David
“Behold, you are as nothing.” Indeed, you are of a matter that has no substance.
From the deed of the *afah*—the lethal viper that kills those who cling to it.
"Abomination." A detestable man chooses you.
Metzudat Zion
Ma'afeh. It is the Afah, and it is a species of venomous snake.
“Abomination.” A man of abomination. And similarly, “And I am a prayer” (Psalms 109:4), and its interpretation is: a man of prayer.
Malbim
“Behold, you are from nothing,” meaning that one who chooses a thing chooses it either on account of its inherent excellence, or on account of the need and benefit, or the prevention of harm that he will attain through the chosen thing. But you, on account of yourselves and your excellence, are from nothing, for there is in you no wisdom to declare future events, nor understanding nor knowledge. Moreover, your deeds, which you attribute to idolatry—the deeds of bestowing good and evil—are also only from the puffing up of the priests who puff up falsehood and evil spirit. And since there is in you neither inherent excellence nor benefit, therefore “abomination” will be chosen in you; he who chooses you will choose only abomination, a thing that is detestable and loathsome, and nothing else.
I have roused up one from the north, and he is come, From the rising of the sun one that calls upon My name; And he shall come upon rulers as upon mortar, And as the potter treads clay.
verse value 4194
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 62 letters. Verse gematria: 4194 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "and·came" (וַיַּ֔את, 4 letters) and the longest is "from·rising·of·sun" (מִמִּזְרַח־שֶׁ֖מֶשׁ, 8 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "I·have·roused·up" (הַעִיר֤וֹתִי), "and·came" (וַיַּ֔את), "rulers" (סְגָנִים֙). The root כמו appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·shall·come" (root בוא, 120x in Isaiah); "will·call" (root קרא, 84x in Isaiah); "in·my·name" (root שם, 83x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·my·name', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: הַעִיר֤וֹתִי [I·have·roused·up] (701) + מִצָּפוֹן֙ [north] (266) + וַיַּ֔את [and·came] (417) + מִמִּזְרַח־שֶׁ֖מֶשׁ [from·rising·of·sun] (935) + יִקְרָ֣א [will·call] (311) + בִשְׁמִ֑י [in·my·name] (352) + וְיָבֹ֤א [and·shall·come] (19) + סְגָנִים֙ [rulers] (163) + כְּמוֹ־חֹ֔מֶר [as·mortar] (314) + וּכְמ֥וֹ [and·as] (72) + יוֹצֵ֖ר [potter] (306) + יִרְמׇס־טִֽיט [treads·clay] (338) = 4194.
Rashi
"I have aroused from the north, and he has come." I, who declare the future, I am arousing, to rebuild the ruins of Jerusalem, Cyrus from the north, and he has come, to destroy Babylon.
From the rising of the sun, My name shall be great among the nations. All the kingdoms of the earth, the Lord, God of heaven, has given to me (Ezra 1:2). And it appears that the land of Persia is in the northeast relative to the Land of Israel. Another interpretation: I aroused Nebuchadnezzar from the north to destroy My city, and Cyrus I aroused from the east, that he should call upon My name to build My city, for the kingdom of Persia is east of the Land of Israel, as it is said, “I saw the ram…” And the Targum renders: “I brought forth from the north a mighty king, and I brought forth, like the rising of the sun in its might; from [his] province have I strengthened him in My name.”
"And the princes shall come." He came against the king of Babylon and his princes, just as he came to trample upon mortar, and just as a potter tramples clay for earthenware vessels, so too he trampled the princes.
Ibn Ezra
I have awakened. The heh is opened (with a patach) on account of the ayin that follows it.
“From the north.” For Elam is to the northeast of Babylon, and the word “man” is omitted; similarly, it is written, “A man from the north,” and this refers to Cyrus.
"And he turned." This is a foreign word, because the pe and the lamed are from the quiescent letters, and it ought to have been on the pattern of "vayifan." And since the aleph was elided, they lengthened what precedes it, as is the rule for the letters of the throat; therefore the yod is opened, and behold, it is from the qal stem.
And he came [to the princes]. He came to the lands of the princes, or to the camp of the princes, and he trampled them.
Radak
“I have aroused from the north, and he has come.” The commentators explained this as referring to Cyrus, king of Persia, because his land is to the northeast of Babylon; therefore it says “from the north,” and it says “from the rising of the sun,” because he destroyed Babylon and commanded Israel to ascend to their land; therefore it says, “First to Zion: ‘Behold, they are coming.’” And our Sages of blessed memory explained the passage as referring to the Messiah, and said: “I have aroused” — it did not say “Who?” until it said, “Behold, My servant, I will uphold him.” And this is the correct interpretation. And what it says “from the north” and “from the east” is because there the Ten Tribes are, in Halakh and Habor, by the river Gozan and the cities of Media, and that land is to the northeast.
And he came. It comes lacking its third radical, and it is like "vaye’eteh" [in full].
"And the princes came" – just as it says, "upon the princes," and these are the kings of the nations.
Like clay. Just as the potter treads the clay with his feet, so too the matter is explained, and He said, "And like a potter, He will tread upon clay," and the potter is the artisan who makes earthenware vessels.
Metzudat David
"I have stirred up." This is as if He said: "Behold, I will declare future events that are already spread out before Me, in order to awaken Nebuchadnezzar from the north, to come upon Jerusalem to destroy it. And after this, Cyrus will come from the east and call in My name, so that people will believe in Me. And he will come upon the princes of Babylon to trample them, like clay, and like a potter who tramples in the mud." And the matter is doubled in what is stated:
Metzudat Zion
"I have awakened." From the language of awakening:
And he shall come. The matter of coming:
Sganim. A type of authority:
Chomer. It is like clay:
Yotzer. An artisan of clay:
He shall tread. The matter of treading with the foot:
Malbim
“The one whom I have aroused” – behold, I have aroused Gog, who will come from the north, and also, he shall come, as I have said. And I aroused them beforehand through the prophets. And I also aroused from the rising of the sun the King Messiah, who will call in My name, calling the nations to the faith of unity. And Gog too will come upon the viceroys, like upon clay that is trampled underfoot for the sake of building. And there is a difference between clay and mud: from clay they make earthenware vessels and bricks; not so with mud, from which nothing is made. According to this, I say that the Messiah will also trample the mud, which is fit for nothing, like a potter who makes vessels. The meaning is that even the empty and frivolous ones of the world will be turned for the better through His wars, until He does not trample them to destroy, but to repair.
Who has declared from the beginning, that we may know? And beforetime, that we may say that he is right? Indeed, there is none that declares, Indeed, there is none that announces, Indeed, there is none that hears your utterances.
verse value 3169
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 64 letters. The shortest word is "indeed" (אַ֣ף, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·from·face" (וּמִלְּפָנִ֖ים, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 81: indeed, indeed, indeed. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "who?·has·declared" (מִֽי־הִגִּ֤יד), "and·from·face" (וּמִלְּפָנִ֖ים), "and·we·will·say" (וְנֹאמַ֣ר). The root אף appears 3 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·we·will·say" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah); "to·announce" (root שמע, 106x in Isaiah); "none·who·declares" (root אין, 92x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'just', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 8 words. Full calculation: מִֽי־הִגִּ֤יד [who?·has·declared] (72) + מֵרֹאשׁ֙ [from·head] (541) + וְנֵדָ֔עָה [and·let·us·know] (135) + וּמִלְּפָנִ֖ים [and·from·face] (256) + וְנֹאמַ֣ר [and·we·will·say] (297) + צַדִּ֑יק [just] (204) + אַ֣ף [indeed] (81) + אֵין־מַגִּ֗יד [none·who·declares] (118) + אַ֚ף [indeed] (81) + אֵ֣ין [nothing] (61) + מַשְׁמִ֔יעַ [to·announce] (460) + אַ֥ף [indeed] (81) + אֵין־שֹׁמֵ֖עַ [none·hearing] (471) + אִמְרֵיכֶֽם [your·words] (311) = 3169.
Rashi
"Who among the prophets of Baal has prophesied like me, concerning the matter that is to come, and who among those of old has foretold it, so that when it comes to pass, it will be said that he is righteous, because his prophecy was true."
Even so, He does not reveal. But there is none among you who will reveal future events and they will come to pass:
Even so, [God] does not heed your words. [This is to say:] Let it be testified, when it comes to pass, that a certain prophet of Baal prophesied it beforehand.
Ibn Ezra
"Mi." And it is stated: "Tzadik" (righteous)—his words are just, and he turns away falsehood.
And behold, there is no one who speaks, and there is no one who hears the words of the idols, for they have mouths but they do not speak (Psalms 115:5):
Radak
“Who has declared it from the beginning?”—From the outset, before the future event had come to pass, it was declared: “Who has declared it?”—namely, from among the idols and their worshippers. And if any one of them had declared it, we would know that they are true.
"And from before." And who announced it from before, and it is said of Him that He is righteous and trustworthy in His word?
Even so, it does not declare. But we know that it does not declare:
"And he does not cause to hear." In all the idols, and not from their worshippers, will it be said that he heard your words. He said to the idols' faces: "For they have a mouth, yet they do not speak." And the matter is repeated in different words.
Metzudat David
“Who has declared it from the beginning?” Who among the worthless ones declared a matter beforehand, before its coming, and upon its coming we shall know that the word is true?
"And from before." Who told the matter before its coming, and when the matter came, it was said that his words were just? And this is a repetition of the matter stated in what was said:
Similarly, they do not proclaim. But in truth, they do not proclaim anything at all, not even what is currently happening, for "they have a mouth but do not speak."
Similarly, one does not cause to be heard mere speech, and this is a repetition of what was stated:
“Even so, they do not heed your words.” “Even so, there is none among them who will heed your words, for they have ears but do not listen.”
Malbim
“Who among you?” — Now I ask: Who among you declared this beforehand, so that we would know from then on that it would indeed be so in the future? And there is a difference between “beforehand” (merosh) and “from before” (milfanim): “From before” refers to the present tense regarding past time, whereas “beforehand” refers to past time in an absolute sense. The meaning is that the prophet declares the matter beforehand, that it will indeed be so in the future, and everyone knows the matter. But the sorcerer, whose prediction is not trustworthy and clear, will speak, and still they do not know at that time that it will indeed be so; only after the event has come do they say, “So-and-so spoke this from before,” and he was righteous in these words, for they proved true. But “Who among you” — it is said at least “now” that he spoke this from before. Moreover, there is no one who declares it, and even if he did declare it, he does not make it heard to inform the many, for your declarers are regarded as liars. And even if he did make it heard, they do not heed your words, for you have become known as deceivers.
A harbinger to Zion will I give: ‘Behold, behold them’, And to Jerusalem a messenger of good tidings.
verse value 2513
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 31 letters. The shortest word is "they" (הִנֵּ֣ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·to·Jerusalem" (וְלִירוּשָׁלִַ֖ם, 8 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "behold·them" (הִנָּ֑ם). The root הן appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "they" (root הן, 86x in Isaiah); "I·will·give" (root נתן, 56x in Isaiah); "and·to·Jerusalem" (root ירושלם, 42x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'behold·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: רִאשׁ֥וֹן [first] (557) + לְצִיּ֖וֹן [to·Zion] (186) + הִנֵּ֣ה [they] (60) + הִנָּ֑ם [behold·them] (95) + וְלִירוּשָׁלִַ֖ם [and·to·Jerusalem] (622) + מְבַשֵּׂ֥ר [flesh] (542) + אֶתֵּֽן [I·will·give] (451) = 2513.
Rashi
Rishon LeTzion: "Behold, they are here." The first king who will set his heart on Zion—this is the one I mentioned. Even though the Redemption will not be completed through him, he will be the one who initiates it. [This is alluded to in the verse:] "Who is among you of all his people?" (Ezra 1:3).
They are. The elders of Israel shall be prepared, in accordance with His word, to ascend from the exile and to begin.
And to Jerusalem I will give a messenger of good tidings. In those days, Haggai and Zechariah, who would urge them to rebuild in the days of Darius the Third of Persia:
Ibn Ezra
First. First after first, and this is the description of the herald:
Behold [they are]. The messenger should say to Zion, "Behold, your sons, and behold, they are [here]," and the repetition serves to indicate swiftness.
Radak
Rishon LeZion. The first one who will come to Zion from the exile will bring tidings to Zion and say to Zion, “Behold, they are your sons.” The repetition of the word [“Zion”] is due to the urgency of the matter.
Metzudat David
Rishon l’Tzion. It is as if He says, “But I will declare future events: the first one who will come to Zion from the exile will announce and say, ‘Behold, the redemption has arrived,’ and immediately they will come, and there will not be a prolonged hope. And to Jerusalem I will give an announcer.” That is to say, through Divine providence, I will bring such an announcer to announce in close proximity to it.
Metzudat Zion
Behold. Behold, they are:
Malbim
First, the proof and sign will be of two kinds, as explained in the science of logic: one is the negative proof, for example, when one brings proof that so-and-so is not wise because no word of wisdom has been heard from him, that he is not a prophet because he has not foretold future events; the second is the positive proof: so-and-so is not wise because he has spoken foolishness, he is not a prophet because we have seen that he does not know how to answer or reply to one who asks him a question. And the power of this sign is stronger, for regarding the negative proof, one can reply, “Not having seen is not proof.” Therefore, after he used this argument with the negative proof, proving that they are not gods who prophesy to their worshippers from the fact that they did not inform [them] of the future concerning the kingdom of the Messiah, he brings the positive proof. For behold, “First” — meaning the first sign designated for Zion — behold, they are the officials whom I have aroused from the north; they are the sign that the kingdom will return to Zion. And this sign is that I will give a herald to Jerusalem concerning the ingathering of the exiles. (And I have already written many times that in Zion was the seat of the kingdom and the Temple, and Jerusalem was the place of the multitude; therefore, Zion alludes to the restoration of the Temple and the kingdom, and Jerusalem alludes to the ingathering of the exiles throughout this entire book.) And nevertheless, even though these officials are the first sign for Zion, nevertheless...
And I look, but there is no man; Even among them, but there is no counsellor, That, when I ask of them, can give an answer.
verse value 1829
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 39 letters. The shortest word is "man" (אִ֔ישׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·I·will·ask·them" (וְאֶשְׁאָלֵ֖ם, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 67: and·nothing, and·nothing. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·I·will·see" (וְאֵ֙רֶא֙), "and·from·these" (וּמֵאֵ֖לֶּה), "and·I·will·ask·them" (וְאֶשְׁאָלֵ֖ם). The root אין appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·nothing" (root אין, 92x in Isaiah); "word" (root דבר, 88x in Isaiah); "and·I·will·see" (root ראה, 83x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'counselor', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. 6 of the verse's 9 words begin with the letter ו. Full calculation: וְאֵ֙רֶא֙ [and·I·will·see] (208) + וְאֵ֣ין [and·nothing] (67) + אִ֔ישׁ [man] (311) + וּמֵאֵ֖לֶּה [and·from·these] (82) + וְאֵ֣ין [and·nothing] (67) + יוֹעֵ֑ץ [counselor] (176) + וְאֶשְׁאָלֵ֖ם [and·I·will·ask·them] (378) + וְיָשִׁ֥יבוּ [and·refresh] (334) + דָבָֽר [word] (206) = 1829.
Rashi
"And I looked, but there was no man." I am always gazing at the prophets of Baal, and there is no man who declares a future matter.
"And from these." From all of these [matters] that are destined to come, there is none among them who is a counselor who stood at the end of the Lord and knew them.
"And I will ask them, and they will answer a word." "That which they will answer a word, if I ask them."
Ibn Ezra
And I saw. And behold, there is no man among the men of the images who will declare this:
Radak
"And I looked, but there was no man." [This refers] to the worshippers of idols; there was none among them who knew a thing.
"And there is no counselor." From these [verses], it is said regarding the idols: there is no counselor for their worshippers as to what they should do.
"And I shall ask them, and they shall answer a word." I shall question them, and they shall not answer and shall not reply. And since the word "they" (זכר) is not standing in the place of two, its meaning is as if it said, "and he shall not reply."
Metzudat David
"And I looked." But in the case of the idolaters, I will see that there is not among them a single person who knows what is to come.
"And these." From the idols themselves, there is no one who advises their worshippers what to do.
"And I will ask them." The word "ve'ein" (and there is not) stands in place of two words, to say: "There is none among them whom I will ask, [who] will answer a word, for speech is not in them."
Malbim
And I saw, among the nations who serve Baal, there was no man; although the matter had already begun, nevertheless, there was no man who knew what would be its end, that from this would arise the kingdom of the House of David and a messenger to Jerusalem. Not only do they not know the outcome of the matter in the future, but also from these there is no counselor who would give them counsel on how to save themselves from their distress. And not only do they not know counsel, but even if I were to ask them, and even if they were to answer something, they do not know how to answer even a word, let alone counsel. And from this it is clear that
Behold, all of them, Their works are vanity and nought; Their molten images are wind and confusion.
verse value 1624
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 30 letters. The shortest word is "they" (הֵ֣ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "their·works" (מַעֲשֵׂיהֶ֑ם, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "their·drink·offerings" (נִסְכֵּיהֶֽם). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "all·of·them" (root כל, 93x in Isaiah); "they" (root הן, 86x in Isaiah); "wind" (root רוח, 44x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'their·works', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. Full calculation: הֵ֣ן [they] (55) + כֻּלָּ֔ם [all·of·them] (90) + אָ֥וֶן [iniquity] (57) + אֶ֖פֶס [nothing] (141) + מַעֲשֵׂיהֶ֑ם [their·works] (465) + ר֥וּחַ [wind] (214) + וָתֹ֖הוּ [and·waste] (417) + נִסְכֵּיהֶֽם [their·drink·offerings] (185) = 1624.
Rashi
They are all naught. You must know that all the prophets who deny the Torah are naught and nothing; all their deeds are but molten images.
The form of their molten images. Like the graven image, the molten image, the dumb [idol], and the Targum [renders it] in a different sense. “First to Zion, etc.” The words of comfort that the prophets prophesied from of old concerning Zion have now come. And according to the Targum, the entire matter speaks of the Messiah King and the final redemption. But I see that the prophecy which Isaiah prophesied concerning Cyrus is all in the language of the style of this pericope: “I am the Lord, who has stirred them up in righteousness,” “calling from the east,” “the eagle,” the letters of which ask me, “declaring the end from the beginning”—all of it leans toward the subject matter of this pericope.
Ibn Ezra
They are all [included]. Regarding the idols:
Some say that the vav is an "and" in place of a yod, since the letters of YHWH are interchangeable, and it is possible that it should be taken literally: "they are vanity," even though their deeds [are not].
“their libations.” Some say it is derived from the root of “calf” (Exodus 32:4), [as in] “a molten image,” and the correct view in my eyes is that the libations were those that their worshippers would pour out for them.
Radak
“Behold, they are all.” All the idols and their libations are like the idol cast by a craftsman; they are all made of wind and emptiness. They made them, and they cast them, and they overlaid them with silver and gold, for they cannot benefit them, nor can they tell them anything of the future.
Metzudat David
"They are all alike." Indeed, the idols and their worshippers are but vanity and not reality, and this idea is repeated in what is stated:
Metzudat Zion
"Aven," "efes," "ruach," and "tohu" — one interpretation for them all: something that lacks utility and substance.
"their libations." The idol that is formed by the casting of metal, and likewise the idol that is cast by an artisan (above, 40):
Malbim
They are all vanity, for they have no substance in their very essence; and this corresponds to “I appeared, and there was no man,” and also to “their works are nothing,” meaning that they have no power to do evil or to do good; and this corresponds to “and from these there is no counselor.” (And this limits what is stated in verse 24: “You are from nothing, and your work from non-being.”) Therefore, “their molten images” — their dominion, or their idols — are wind in its own right, and emptiness in that it has no power to do evil or to do good.
Rashi
Ibn Ezra
Radak
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim