Israel poured upon with the Spirit; the folly of the idol-maker who warms himself and worships the leftover wood; and Cyrus named to rebuild Jerusalem.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
Yet now hear, O Jacob My servant, And Israel, whom I have chosen;
verse value 2334
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 28 letters. Notable word values: "my·servant" (עַבְדִּ֑י) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "in·him" (בֽוֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·Israel" (וְיִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל, 6 letters). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "hear" (root שמע, 106x in Isaiah); "and·Israel" (root ישראל, 84x in Isaiah); "my·servant" (root עבד, 48x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'my·servant', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְעַתָּ֥ה [now] (481) + שְׁמַ֖ע [hear] (410) + יַעֲקֹ֣ב [Jacob] (182) + עַבְדִּ֑י [my·servant] (86) + וְיִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל [and·Israel] (547) + בָּחַ֥רְתִּי [I·have·chosen] (620) + בֽוֹ [in·him] (8) = 2334.
Rashi
And now, hear: "To return to My Torah, Jacob, My servant."
Ibn Ezra
"And now. Hear the good:"
Radak
And now, hear. Even though I profane you and strike you for your sins, I will yet do for you a great good. And now, hear the good comfort: that you are My servants among the other nations, and I have chosen you above all of them. A good servant, even if he sins at times, his master does not expel him, but rather disciplines him. In the end, after he has been disciplined many times, the servant relents and returns to serve his master with a willing heart, and his master does for him great good.
Metzudat David
"And now." This means: "And now, hear the good that is destined to come."
Malbim
And now: This means, “For the sins of that generation, I punished them justly, and your debt has already been collected. Now the time has come to show mercy to you, whether while you are still in exile or when I redeem you.” “Hear, O Jacob, My servant, and Israel, whom I have chosen” — this means: On the basis that you are My servant, by virtue of your service, you are Jacob, for your service is not of such a high level; but on the basis that I have chosen you, by virtue of this you are Israel, ruling over nature, and I will perform wonders for you.
Thus says Hashem that made you, And formed you from the womb, who will help you: Fear not, O Jacob My servant, And you, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.
verse value 3526
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 53 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֥ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 3526 is divisible by 86, the value of Elohim. The shortest word is "in·him" (בֽוֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "do·not·fear" (אַל־תִּירָא֙, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "will·help·you" (יַעְזְרֶ֑ךָּ), "and·Jeshurun" (וִישֻׁר֖וּן). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "thus·said" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah); "do·not·fear" (root איל, 114x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'will·help·you', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: כֹּה־אָמַ֨ר [thus·said] (266) + יְהֹוָ֥ה [Hashem] (26) + עֹשֶׂ֛ךָ [who·made·you] (390) + וְיֹצֶרְךָ֥ [and·formed·you] (326) + מִבֶּ֖טֶן [from·belly] (101) + יַעְזְרֶ֑ךָּ [will·help·you] (307) + אַל־תִּירָא֙ [do·not·fear] (642) + עַבְדִּ֣י [my·servant] (86) + יַעֲקֹ֔ב [Jacob] (182) + וִישֻׁר֖וּן [and·Jeshurun] (572) + בָּחַ֥רְתִּי [I·have·chosen] (620) + בֽוֹ [in·him] (8) = 3526.
Ibn Ezra
25. "And He constrained him from the womb" – this is an allusion to Jacob, in accordance with the sense of "He grasped his brother by the heel in the womb" (Hosea 12:4), which I will explain there. Alternatively, it is to be understood metaphorically, meaning “from the womb” — from the day they became a people unto God.
Yeshurun. From the root of yashar, and it is a descriptive term for the Name, and it is on its metrical pattern:
Radak
Thus says the Lord, your Maker—like as He made Moses and Aaron, whose meaning is that He exalted them and taught them; or the meaning of “your Maker” may be like “your Creator, who formed you from the womb.” The wise man Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra explained that this alludes to Jacob, as it is said, “He grasped his brother’s heel in the womb,” meaning that the One who formed Jacob in the womb did so with the power by which his hand held onto Esau’s heel, not in the manner of other fetuses, for a fetus does not extend its hand from the amniotic sac, let alone grasp with its hand. This was a miraculous act. And the One who was with your father in the womb will be with you in exile, which is a place of constriction for you, like the womb is for a fetus. It is also possible to interpret “and formed you from the womb” as explained by “your Creator,” and the meaning of “from the womb” is that at the time the son emerges from the womb, He brings him into the covenant of God and circumcises him on the eighth day.
He will help you. He will help you, and He says to you: Do not fear.
Jeshurun. It is known that this refers to Israel, and it is called so because it is upright among the nations.
Metzudat David
“Who formed you and fashioned you.” He who made you and fashioned you, and from the time of your coming forth from the womb will He aid you:
"Yeshurun." So too are they called Israel, for they are the upright people.
Malbim
Thus says the Lord, He who made you and He who formed you, He who formed is He who shapes the form of the thing, and He who made is He who completes the thing. He said, not only did He make you and complete you, but He also formed you; and furthermore, after He made you, He will help you from the day you came forth from the womb, and He watches over you constantly. (He compares Him to a child who is formed from the drop, and afterwards is completed, and afterwards, upon his coming forth from the womb, the Lord watches over him constantly. And in this matter, He compares the birth of the nation as a whole in Egypt, where He formed them, and that He grew them and brought them to perfection at the time of the Giving of the Torah, where He made them, and afterwards He watched over all their needs in the Land of Israel, according to the sense of "Is He not your Father who acquired you [against 'formed']? He who made you ['made'] and established you ['from the womb He will help you']? Therefore, do not fear, My servant Jacob.)
For I will pour water upon the thirsty land, And streams upon the dry ground; I will pour My spirit upon your seed, And My blessing upon your offspring;
verse value 2864
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 52 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֤י, 2 letters) and the longest is "upon·your·offspring" (עַל־צֶאֱצָאֶֽיךָ, 8 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "I·will·pour·water" (אֶצׇּק־מַ֙יִם֙), "upon·the·thirsty·land" (עַל־צָמֵ֔א), "and·flowing" (וְנֹזְלִ֖ים). The root יצק appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah); "my·spirit" (root רוח, 44x in Isaiah); "upon·your·seed" (root זרע, 33x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root נזל ("and·flowing") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'upon·the·dry·ground', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: כִּ֤י [for] (30) + אֶצׇּק־מַ֙יִם֙ [I·will·pour·water] (281) + עַל־צָמֵ֔א [upon·the·thirsty·land] (231) + וְנֹזְלִ֖ים [and·flowing] (143) + עַל־יַבָּשָׁ֑ה [upon·the·dry·ground] (417) + אֶצֹּ֤ק [I·will·pour] (191) + רוּחִי֙ [my·spirit] (224) + עַל־זַרְעֶ֔ךָ [upon·your·seed] (397) + וּבִרְכָתִ֖י [and·My·blessing] (638) + עַל־צֶאֱצָאֶֽיךָ [upon·your·offspring] (312) = 2864.
Rashi
"For I will pour water upon the thirsty." Just as I pour water upon the thirsty, so will I pour out My Spirit upon your offspring.
Ibn Ezra
“For I will pour out, etc.” Just as I pour water upon a thirsty place, so will I pour out My Holy Spirit, or My Spirit of salvation. The letter tsadi in “I will pour out” is dagesh-ed, indicating the omission of the yod. A similar case is found in “Before I formed you in the womb” (Jeremiah 1:5).
Radak
"For I will pour out." The word "for" implies: Just as I pour water upon a thirsty place, so will I pour out My spirit upon your seed. And similarly, Joel said, "I will pour out My spirit upon all flesh." And "all flesh" does not literally mean all flesh, but only Israel alone, as it is stated, "and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy." And similarly, "I will pour out upon them My blessing." And in His saying "upon your seed and upon your offspring," the prophet was prophesying concerning his own generation, and he was promising salvation for their children, that the redemption would come in their days. And he likened the matter of water to two matters: to My spirit and to My blessing. One is concerning the soul, that Israel are thirsty in exile for the word of prophecy, which has ceased for many years. And similarly it is stated, "Not hunger for bread, nor thirst for water, but to hear the word of the Lord." And He promised to quench the thirst of the thirsty, just as water quenches the thirsty and dry place. And He said, "I will pour out My spirit upon your seed." And concerning the body, that Israel are thirsty in exile for salvation and for all the good that the Almighty promised them upon their return to their land. And regarding this He said, "and My blessing upon your offspring." And in His saying "upon the dry land," it means dry and thirsty, for all the land is called "dry land" in a general sense, as it is stated, "And God called the dry land Earth." But this is a specific reference to the place that is thirsty and dry within the land.
Metzudat David
"For I will pour out." Just as I pour water upon thirsty land, etc., so will I pour out My good will upon your seed.
"And I will bless." The doubling of the matter is in what is stated, for the desire is the blessing.
Metzudat Zion
Azek. A term denoting pouring out and libation.
And the liquids. The matter of "dripping" is like [the verse]: "He shall pour forth water out of his buckets" (Numbers 24:7).
"On dry land." This means: on a dry place.
My spirit. The matter of desire; and likewise, "until a spirit from on high shall be poured upon us" (above 32:
“Your offspring”: The sons who emerge from you.
Malbim
“‘For I will pour out’—this means that the Divine effluence will not descend except upon those prepared for it, and only upon the place that requires that effluence, just as the Lord does not send down rain except for the sake of the fields of tithes that need the rain of heaven. Nevertheless, after the Lord sends down the effluence for the sake of those who are prepared and in need of it, it will also fall by chance upon those who are not prepared for it, just as when rain falls for the sake of the fields of grain, it also falls by chance upon the faces of the streets. And this is what He said in the parable: ‘As I pour water upon the thirsty’—upon and for the sake of earth that is thirsty for rain, in which there are plants that are thirsty to drink water; and through this, ‘streams upon the dry ground’—the waters will flow upon every dry place, even upon earth that is not thirsty for rain, and not prepared or in need of that effluence. So too, ‘I will pour out My spirit upon your seed’ (the seed refers to the older children, and the offspring refers to the younger children). So too, with the Divine effluence that I will bestow upon you from prophecy and My Holy Spirit, I will pour it out upon your older seed, who are prepared for prophecy; and through this, My blessing will also descend upon your younger offspring. For due to the abundance of the Divine effluence that will descend upon the elders in the Spirit of the Lord, the younger ones too will be blessed. (And this means that by the merit of the great ones of the generation, upon whom the Lord will emanate His Spirit, the entire community of the exiles will be blessed).
And they shall spring up among the grass, As willows by the watercourses.
verse value 1106
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 28 letters. The shortest word is "between" (בְּבֵ֣ין, 4 letters) and the longest is "by·the·streams·of·water" (עַל־יִבְלֵי־מָֽיִם, 9 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·they·will·sprout" (וְצָמְח֖וּ), "between" (בְּבֵ֣ין), "like·willows" (כַּעֲרָבִ֖ים). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "between" (root בין, 43x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'grass', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: וְצָמְח֖וּ [and·they·will·sprout] (150) + בְּבֵ֣ין [between] (64) + חָצִ֑יר [grass] (308) + כַּעֲרָבִ֖ים [like·willows] (342) + עַל־יִבְלֵי־מָֽיִם [by·the·streams·of·water] (242) = 1106.
Rashi
“And they shall sprout up among the grass.” Within Amalek, through converts who will be added to them. “Among the grass” refers to Amalek, as it is stated regarding him: “And it shall be a home of jackals, grass (chatzir) for ostriches” (above, 34:13).
Ibn Ezra
[“And they shall grow among the grass.”] “And they shall grow” — my spirit and my blessing shall flourish like grass. And many [commentators] explain this regarding descendants, and so [it is as if] “they shall grow” as though they are sitting among the grass, the meaning being that they shall prosper and multiply.
Radak
“And they shall sprout among the grass.” The letter bet in “among” serves as an augmentative, for it would have sufficed to say “between grass,” as with the bet in “within.” It means that Israel shall sprout with goodness, as if they were sown among grass. This is by way of a metaphor, for grass grows swiftly; thus, they are compared to grass on account of the swiftness of their growth, not for their endurance, for grass does not endure, as it is said, “For like grass quickly it withers.” Therefore, afterward it says, “Like willows by the streams of water,” which stand in their moisture all the days.
Metzudat David
"And they shall sprout." They shall sprout and multiply, as if they were placed among the grass, and it is similar to this.
Like the willows. Like the willows of the brook, planted by streams of water, growing and flourishing quickly:
Metzudat Zion
“Hay.” Grass and herbs.
Like willows. The name of a barren tree, willows of the brook.
“Streams of water” – channels of water. And similarly, “and by the stream it shall send forth its roots” (Jeremiah 17:8).
Malbim
And they shall grow among the grass: The grass has two deficiencies: 1. That it dries up quickly before all other vegetation; 2. That it grows in a dry place where there is no water. And the willows by the watercourses have two excellences: 1. That they are strong and sturdy; 2. That they grow upon waters. The verse states: Even though they shall grow among—meaning in a place found among the grass, where grass grows around them—nevertheless, they shall be like willows by the watercourses, which have two excellences in contrast to the place of the grass and the grass itself. (The metaphor is that when the Lord pours water upon the thirsty, and His spirit upon their seed, even though they grow in the land of the nations, who themselves are like dry grass, and by virtue of their location they do not drink from the rain of heaven and the divine abundance, nevertheless they shall be like strong willows planted by the watercourses, which is a metaphor for spiritual abundance and holiness.)
One shall say: ‘I am Hashem’S’; And another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; And another shall subscribe with his hand to Hashem, And surname himself by the name of Israel.
verse value 2733
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 56 letters. Notable word values: "and·this" (וְזֶ֖ה) = 18, chai, 'life'. The shortest word is "this" (זֶ֤ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "by·the·name·of·Jacob" (בְשֵֽׁם־יַעֲקֹ֑ב, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 56: to·Hashem, to·Hashem. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "by·the·name·of·Jacob" (בְשֵֽׁם־יַעֲקֹ֑ב), "will·write" (יִכְתֹּ֤ב), "and·in·the·name·of" (וּבְשֵׁ֥ם). The root זה appears 3 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "will·say" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah); "will·call" (root קרא, 84x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'by·the·name·of·Jacob', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 7 words. Full calculation: זֶ֤ה [this] (12) + יֹאמַר֙ [will·say] (251) + לַיהֹוָ֣ה [to·Hashem] (56) + אָ֔נִי [I] (61) + וְזֶ֖ה [and·this] (18) + יִקְרָ֣א [will·call] (311) + בְשֵֽׁם־יַעֲקֹ֑ב [by·the·name·of·Jacob] (524) + וְזֶ֗ה [and·this] (18) + יִכְתֹּ֤ב [will·write] (432) + יָדוֹ֙ [his·hand] (20) + לַֽיהֹוָ֔ה [to·Hashem] (56) + וּבְשֵׁ֥ם [and·in·the·name·of] (348) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל [Israel] (541) + יְכַנֶּֽה [will·surname·himself] (85) = 2733.
Rashi
"This one says to the Lord, 'I am.' These are the completely righteous."
And this shall be called by the name of Jacob: These are the minor children of the wicked.
"This one shall write his hand to the Lord." These are the penitents.
"And with the name of Israel he shall be called." These are converts from among the non-Jews, as it is taught in Avot de-Rabbi Natan:
Ibn Ezra
"זֶה וְגוֹ'." – Let there be many, and the majority of them shall be lovers of the Name, to return to His house.
“And this shall be called by the name of Jacob” – to boast before the eyes of the nations that he is from a holy seed.
"And this he shall write his hand." It is lacking the letter bet, and similarly, "he shall write with his hand," in order to come to the Sanctuary of the Name.
Yikaneh. Like yikra, and many Rabbis interpreted it with reference to the converts, in the sense of “and ten men shall hold fast” (Zechariah 8:23).
Radak
"This one shall say." For those who remain in Israel will all be holy, and all will be called by the name of the Lord, and they will be called as being from the seed of Jacob, as it is stated: "And he who remains in Zion and he who is left in Jerusalem shall be called holy, everyone who is recorded for life in Jerusalem" (Isaiah 4:3), and similarly it is stated: "And everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Isaiah 12:4).
“He shall write his hand to the Lord.” He shall say it with his mouth and write it with his hand to the Lord, meaning that he belongs to the Lord. And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] rendered it in the Targum: “He shall bring his offerings.” And in saying “this and this,” it is according to the principle that one comes from this and one from that, as it is written: “And you shall gather, one by one, the children of Israel.”
He shall call himself. He shall call himself by the name of Israel, for he shall not mention his own name, but rather say, "I am Israel."
Metzudat David
"This one shall say: The righteous among them will say, 'We have always trusted in the Lord, to believe in Him.'"
“And this shall be called by the name of Jacob.” These are the young children of wicked men: they shall not incline after the opinion of their wicked fathers, but rather they shall call themselves by the name of Jacob, so as to be righteous like him.
"And this one shall write his hand to the Lord." These are the penitents who obligate themselves to return to the Lord, like one who obligates himself in his own handwriting.
“And in the name of Israel he shall be called.” And among them there will be one who calls himself by the name of Israel—these are the converts who will be added to them.
Metzudat Zion
Yechaneh. A name that is not a proper name; and similarly, "I will surname you though you have not known Me" (below, chapter 45).
Malbim
This, the Divine abundance and the knowledge of God, will increase so greatly that the levels in the knowledge of God will multiply, until it will be found: A. There will be one who will say, “I belong to the Lord”—a gentile who will recognize God, and even though they will not accept His Torah, they will say that they belong to the Lord and not to a foreign god. B. There will be one who will be called by the name of Jacob—he is the multitude of the people from the seed of Jacob who will guard their lineage to preserve the religion of their fathers. And there will also be those who will write their hand to the Lord; they are the righteous who go before God constantly, until they write their hand to the Lord, like one who places upon himself a document of servitude to dedicate the works of his hands to their Maker, so that he will do nothing mundane with his hand, only that which is for the Lord and for the observance of His commandments. And this man will be called by the name of Israel, for his conduct will be above nature. That is to say, at the time that he writes his hand to the Lord, then God will call him by a new name and designate him by the name of Israel, as a sign that he rules over nature while being a servant of God.
Thus says Hashem, the King of Israel, And his Redeemer Hashem of hosts: I am the first, and I am the last, And beside Me there is no God.
verse value 2753
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 63 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֧ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "I" (אֲנִ֤י, 3 letters) and the longest is "king·Israel" (מֶלֶךְ־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 61: I, nothing. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·his·redeemer" (וְגֹאֲל֖וֹ), "and·apart·from·me" (וּמִבַּלְעָדַ֖י). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "thus·said" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah); "nothing" (root אין, 92x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'hosts', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 7 words. Full calculation: כֹּה־אָמַ֨ר [thus·said] (266) + יְהֹוָ֧ה [Hashem] (26) + מֶלֶךְ־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל [king·Israel] (631) + וְגֹאֲל֖וֹ [and·his·redeemer] (46) + יְהֹוָ֣ה [Hashem] (26) + צְבָא֑וֹת [hosts] (499) + אֲנִ֤י [I] (61) + רִאשׁוֹן֙ [first] (557) + וַאֲנִ֣י [and·I] (67) + אַחֲר֔וֹן [last] (265) + וּמִבַּלְעָדַ֖י [and·apart·from·me] (162) + אֵ֥ין [nothing] (61) + אֱלֹהִֽים [God] (86) = 2753.
Ibn Ezra
25. The King of Israel, when they are in their land and He redeems them from exile:
"Hashem of Hosts." For He is King forever, and the witnesses are the hosts of heaven.
I. The First King:
Radak
Thus says the Lord, King of Israel and his Redeemer: For when He redeems us, He will be the King of Israel alone, so that there will not be under the dominion of the kings of the nations. And He is the Master of Hosts, both below and above, and all is in His hand, and the power is in His hand to bring them out of exile. "I am the First" — even to the heavenly hosts that stand, so that they do not change; even to them I am the First, and I created them. "And I am the Last" — they will cease to exist, and I will remain. "And besides Me there is no God" — to nullify the belief of those who worship the sun, the moon, and the stars; there is not one among them that is a God, but only by My command and by My permission do they govern what they govern.
Metzudat David
"I am the First." This means: prior to the creation of the world.
And I am last. After the world has come to an end:
Malbim
Thus says the Lord: I am the First. (The prophet now argues against two types of sects that existed in his time among the nations. One sect found fault with the divinity of God, and he argues with them until verse 9; the second sect denied divine providence and served idols, and he argues with them from verse 9 onward.) He speaks first against the sect that found fault with the divinity of God, namely, those who claimed that He is not eternal and that He is not One, as explained above (Isaiah 43:10-11). And regarding this, he says: Against those who say that He is not eternal, "I am the First, and I am the Last"; and against those who say that He is not One, he says, "And besides Me there is no God."
And who, as I, can proclaim— Let him declare it, and set it in order for Me— Since I appointed the ancient people? And the things that are coming, and that shall come to pass, let them declare.
verse value 3431
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 60 letters. The shortest word is "to·me" (לִ֔י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·who·like·me" (וּמִי־כָמ֣וֹנִי, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 311: will·call, and·let·him·arrange·it. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·who·like·me" (וּמִי־כָמ֣וֹנִי), "and·let·him·declare·it" (וְיַגִּידֶ֤הָ), "and·let·him·arrange·it" (וְיַעְרְכֶ֙הָ֙). The root נגד appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·that" (root אשר, 176x in Isaiah); "they·will·go·in" (root בוא, 120x in Isaiah); "will·call" (root קרא, 84x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'people·of·old', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 5 words. Full calculation: וּמִי־כָמ֣וֹנִי [and·who·like·me] (182) + יִקְרָ֗א [will·call] (311) + וְיַגִּידֶ֤הָ [and·let·him·declare·it] (38) + וְיַעְרְכֶ֙הָ֙ [and·let·him·arrange·it] (311) + לִ֔י [to·me] (40) + מִשּׂוּמִ֖י [since·My·appointing] (396) + עַם־עוֹלָ֑ם [people·of·old] (256) + וְאֹתִיּ֛וֹת [and·coming] (823) + וַאֲשֶׁ֥ר [and·that] (507) + תָּבֹ֖אנָה [they·will·go·in] (458) + יַגִּ֥ידוּ [let·them·declare] (33) + לָֽמוֹ [at] (76) = 3431.
Rashi
"And who, as I, shall proclaim?" Who shall proclaim — being like Me — and declare and set in order for Me all that has been since I established the people of old until now?
With the world. All creatures:
And the letters. Words of wonder:
"And that which shall come." They also foretell future events, just as I am doing now, when the Temple has not yet been destroyed, you have not yet been exiled, and Cyrus has not yet been born, and I am announcing him to you.
Ibn Ezra
And who [is like Me]? And whoever claims to be like Me:
He shall call. (As it is said) "He shall raise his voice":
And He told. All the things that passed before Him, and He arranged them for Me.
From the words of [the people of the world]. The first people, and the meaning of "world" is in the past tense:
"And the letters." This is a complete verb form, and that which comes after it indicates to their souls that they know them.
Radak
"And who is like Me?" And whoever is God like Me, let him declare the things that have passed and the things that are to come, and let him set them forth for Me, from the time of the creation of the world. That is to say, from the creation of the world. And behold, He says "from the time of the creation," meaning that I established the created beings at the time when I created them, each one in its boundary: the upper ones above and the lower ones below. And likewise, He says to Me, "the letters that shall come." And this is not a repetition of language, but rather an explanation: the letters that are destined to come in the near future, and those that are destined to come in the distant future. And Jonathan the Targumist translated it as "for us," and it should be interpreted according to its plain meaning. And the explanation is "for their sake," meaning that they shall declare in order to justify themselves. And there are those who interpret that "letters" refers to the words of a sign or miracle, and that the "He" in "let Him declare and set forth" refers to the past that has passed, from the creation of the world until now.
Metzudat David
"And who is like Me, that he should call upon Me?" Who is there that can call upon Me, to claim that he is like Me, and to recount and set forth before Me the events that have transpired since I established the world, namely, all of creation?
"And the letters." Matters that occur in the near future and matters that will come in the distant future—He will declare them to them. That is to say, He will declare them for their own sake, to justify their words. And the verse returns to its beginning to say: "Who is He who declares such things?"
Metzudat Zion
And she shall set it in order. The language is of arranging and ordering:
And the letters. That come, such as "atah boker" (above 21):
To them. To them:
Malbim
“And who is like Me, let Him call” [Isaiah 44:7] – [God] responds to these mockers: “Since, according to your opinion, there exists another deity like Me—for those who deny His eternity, there is a god like Him who preceded Him; and for those who deny His unity, there is one like Him who existed with Him at the same time—I say, ‘Who is like Me, let Him call’; who will call and declare that he is a god like Me? I say to him: ‘Let Him declare and set forth to Me, even from the beginning, what is to come’ [ibid.]. This means that the existence of God and His unity are clearly demonstrated by proof in two ways:
1. From the existence of the world. (This proof is constructed along these lines: If one thing exists, it is necessary that there exists one thing whose existence is necessary [for if not, causes and effects would proceed to infinity, which is impossible]. And since the tangible world, or at the very least I myself, actually exists, it is necessary that there exists a thing that is necessarily existent. This necessarily existent thing cannot be the very thing that I see [the world, or myself], for the world and likewise I have possible existence. And necessarily, the necessarily existent is distinct from everything that I have apprehended. The existent whose existence is necessary, and it is impossible to conceive at all that His existence would be possible, is the Essence that is perfectly complete. And it is necessary that all these conditions be found in Him: that He be One, Eternal, and the like.)
The second proof is derived from the existence of nature in its entirety. (And this is: Since we see that all of nature is arranged toward limited ends, it is clear that there exists a Wise Ordainer who created and arranged it. Since all parts of nature are arranged in such a way that they all join together to complete one another, just as the limbs of a living being join together to complete and sustain the entire body, it is necessary that the existent who established this arrangement is One. The existent without whom it is impossible to conceive the existence of the world is the necessarily existent. And the necessarily existent is necessarily perfectly complete. And since it is impossible to conceive the existence of the world in general without the Lord, He is the necessarily existent and necessarily complete, and necessarily He is Eternal, Unique, and the like.)
Based on this, it is said: “Who is like Me, let Him call and declare that he is a god like Me.” I will ask him: 1. “Let Him declare to Me from the beginning” – let Him declare to Me the clear proof derived from “the beginning of the world,” which is from the existence of the world and the people within it, that it is proven by demonstration that no god exists other than Me, as was clarified in the first proof. 2. “And set forth to Me” – let Him respond to the order that appears from “the beginning of the world,” namely how this world is arranged, part relative to part, etc., connected by a strong bond and an ordered arrangement like the limbs of a body to sustain the comprehensive body.
And now he brings a third proof, which is clear from the past, present, and future times: the entire existence stands on one order and one arrangement. It is clear that He is the First and the Last, and there is none besides Him; for otherwise, this order would necessarily change in one of the times. And this is what it says: “And the words that are coming in the present,” and likewise “and those that are coming in the future,” “they shall declare to them” – meaning to the “people of the world” mentioned above. They will declare to the people of the world and clarify that I am Eternal and One.
Fear you not, neither be afraid; Have I not announced to you of old, and declared it? And you are My witnesses. Is there a God beside Me? Indeed, there is no Rock; I know not any.
verse value 4467
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 67 letters. Notable word values: "not" (הֲלֹ֥א) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "not" (הֲלֹ֥א, 3 letters) and the longest is "do·not·fear" (אַֽל־תִּפְחֲדוּ֙, 7 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "do·not·fear" (אַֽל־תִּפְחֲדוּ֙), "and·do·not·be·afraid" (וְאַל־תִּרְה֔וּ), "and·I·will·tell" (וְהִגַּ֖דְתִּי). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 286x in Isaiah); "do·not·fear" (root איל, 114x in Isaiah); "I·announced·to·you" (root שמע, 106x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'my·witnesses', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 6 words. Full calculation: אַֽל־תִּפְחֲדוּ֙ [do·not·fear] (529) + וְאַל־תִּרְה֔וּ [and·do·not·be·afraid] (648) + הֲלֹ֥א [not] (36) + מֵאָ֛ז [of·old] (48) + הִשְׁמַעְתִּ֥יךָ [I·announced·to·you] (845) + וְהִגַּ֖דְתִּי [and·I·will·tell] (428) + וְאַתֶּ֣ם [and·you] (447) + עֵדָ֑י [my·witnesses] (84) + הֲיֵ֤שׁ [being] (315) + אֱל֙וֹהַּ֙ [God] (42) + מִבַּלְעָדַ֔י [apart·from·me] (156) + וְאֵ֥ין [and·nothing] (67) + צ֖וּר [Rock] (296) + בַּל־יָדָֽעְתִּי [not·I·knew] (526) = 4467.
Rashi
"And fear not." It has no analogy or interpretation according to the context, like "do not be dismayed from proclaiming My name" to the nations.
“Have I not told you from of old? From Mount Sinai I declared to you there that there is no god besides Me.”
"And you are My witnesses." For I opened for you seven heavens and showed you that there is none other, and you are witnesses in this matter that there is no God besides Me.
"And there is no rock; I know not any." The Targum: "And there is no mighty one among the gods who was given might from before."
I do not know. The language of “And I will make you know by name” (Exodus 33:17); “He knew your walking” (Deuteronomy 2:7); “I knew you in the wilderness” (Hosea 13:5).
Ibn Ezra
"Neither be afraid (al tirhu)." It has no fellow [in Scripture], and those who interchange it with an aleph are not correct in this place, due to the deficiency of the yod from the writing, since the vav is the root.
And the meaning of “Do not fear” is: When these troubles come to Babylon, you (these very ones) should not fear.
“Have I not declared to you from of old, and you are My witnesses, and behold, you shall see: Is there a god besides Me? And there is no rock [of which I have not known]—that I would not know Him, for He is vanity and emptiness [and nothingness].” And some say that it is in the sense of “and He knew them” (Judges 8:16), “the men of Succoth.” And the correct explanation is that it is an allusion to the multitude of the upper realms.
Radak
“Fear not.” He said to Israel, “Do not fear other gods, and do not be afraid of them.” And so Jeremiah said, “Do not be afraid of them, for they will not do harm, nor are they able to do good.”
"And do not be afraid." The explanation, according to its context, is like "Do not fear." And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated it as "You shall not be dismayed, and you shall not be terrified," like "Do not fear" and "Do not be afraid." Is it not so that from the time I made you hear and told you of the future events, and they came to pass, you are witnesses for Me? For to you I sent prophets, and with you I performed miracles and wonders, and you know if there is a God besides Me, as Moses our teacher said, "Or has God ever tried to go and take a nation from the midst of another nation by trials, by signs, and by wonders," etc., before your eyes, as it says, "Behold, you are My witnesses."
"And there is no rock like our God". For there is nothing above Him that is known, for all that is known is with Him. Alternatively, the meaning is: "There is no rock that I have not known," and they do not know them in truth, for they are not God. He said this regarding the angels and the celestial spheres. And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] rendered it in the Targum: "And there is none mighty among them who was given strength from before."
Metzudat David
“Do not fear. From other gods:”
“Is it not so from that time?” At the Giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, I made you hear and declared that there is no God besides Me, and you are witnesses to this matter, for then He opened seven heavens and showed them that there is nothing beyond them. Our Sages of blessed memory said:
The verse states: “Is there a god besides Me?”
"And there is no rock." There is no strong one in the world whom I do not know; it is as if He says, "Am not I the One who gives strength to all the mighty, and from all of them I have knowledge?"
Metzudat Zion
Tarah. It has no parallel or interpretation; according to its context, it means "fear," as in the manuscript:
Tzur. The meaning is strength:
Malbim
“Do not fear,” meaning: According to the view of the deniers, I am unable to violate nature and perform miracles, since My power is limited; but you, do not fear, and do not even entertain any such thought, for have I not already made Myself heard and declared to you, at the time when I made My words heard at the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai, that there is no other God besides Me? And you yourselves are witnesses to the particular providence and the miracles that I have performed for you until now. From all this, you have come to know that: A. “Is there a God besides Me?”—this refutes the opinion of the heretics who used to say that there is a partner to Me. B. “And there is no Rock besides Me”—this refutes what they said, that I am neither first nor last. And even though no other god is found besides Me now — was there ever, or will there ever be, before Me or after Me, a Rock that I know not?
They that fashion a graven image are all of them vanity, And their delectable things shall not profit; And their own witnesses see not, nor know; That they may be ashamed.
verse value 2334
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 59 letters. The shortest word is "all·of·them" (כֻּלָּם֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·their·delectable·things" (וַחֲמוּדֵיהֶ֖ם, 8 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "fashioners·of·graven-image" (יֹצְרֵי־פֶ֤סֶל), "and·their·delectable·things" (וַחֲמוּדֵיהֶ֖ם), "not·to·profit" (בַּל־יוֹעִ֑ילוּ). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "all·of·them" (root כל, 93x in Isaiah); "not·they·see" (root ראה, 83x in Isaiah); "and·not·they·know" (root ידע, 73x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'not·to·profit', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 6 words. Full calculation: יֹצְרֵי־פֶ֤סֶל [fashioners·of·graven-image] (480) + כֻּלָּם֙ [all·of·them] (90) + תֹּ֔הוּ [waste] (411) + וַחֲמוּדֵיהֶ֖ם [and·their·delectable·things] (119) + בַּל־יוֹעִ֑ילוּ [not·to·profit] (164) + וְעֵדֵיהֶ֣ם [and·their·witnesses] (135) + הֵ֗ׄמָּׄהׄ [abundance] (50) + בַּל־יִרְא֛וּ [not·they·see] (249) + וּבַל־יֵדְע֖וּ [and·not·they·know] (128) + לְמַ֥עַן [so·that] (190) + יֵבֹֽשׁוּ [let·them·be·ashamed] (318) = 2334.
Rashi
And they themselves are their witnesses. The idols are witnesses to the shame of their worshippers, for behold, we see that they neither see nor know, yet people worship them.
"למען יבושו" - "That they may be ashamed": [This refers to] those who serve them.
Ibn Ezra
The makers of idols are all vanity. They and their idols are vanity:
"and their beauty": That they should form them with carved images until they become pleasing to the eye, and these are the idols.
And their idols are they. For the graven images neither see nor know:
"Lest they be ashamed." It is attached to the phrase: and their witnesses, they.
Radak
"Formers of idols": The artisans who make and fashion the idol are all vanity, for their works are vanity. And the idols, which are their cherished ones—those they covet and love—why do they covet them, since they will not benefit them?
And their witnesses are they. And if you say to them, "We do not know," [the question arises:] will their witnesses be of no avail? The idols are witnesses in themselves that they will be of no avail, for they neither see nor know. And since they do not see and do not hear and know, how can they be of avail to others?
“Lest they be put to shame.” They will remember this, so that they will be put to shame for having served them. And some say: “And they themselves are their witnesses,” meaning that they bear witness against themselves that they have no power; for even if they were burned, they would not be able to save themselves, let alone others.
Metzudat David
“Formers of idols.” The artisans who make the idol are all vanity, because their works are vanity.
And their idols. The idols that are precious to them, behold, they have no benefit, and they themselves are witnesses. The idols themselves bear witness that they are of no use, for they do not see and they know nothing; and how, then, could they benefit others?
"For they shall be ashamed." That testimony will serve to cause those who covet them to be ashamed.
Metzudat Zion
"יוצרי" – The matter of creation and innovation. And similarly, "יוצר עמל עלי חוק" (Psalms 94:20).
Malbim
"Your idols" – now he returns to argue with the second sect, who denied Divine Providence, and consequently served stars and idols. And behold, there were three sects among them: (the first sect) attributed divinity to the statue itself, and they thought that within it there existed an exalted form and a sublime power. Regarding them it is said, "All who fashion idols are nothing" – the "fashioners" are those who, according to their opinion, imbue it with a divine form; behold, they are the most foolish of all sects, and their works are "nothing." (The second sect) considered the statue akin to talismans, to draw down through spirituality and emanation from a specific star, and they thought that the stars desire that particular form and influence it. And they did not serve the statue itself, but rather used it as a means to attain benefit through it. Regarding them it is said, "And their desires shall not profit them," for the stars do not desire the form, and thus they will not attain the imagined benefit. And their "witnesses" – in contrast to what is said, "But you are My witnesses," meaning that Israel are witnesses to the might of the Lord and His providence – he says that likewise the worshippers of idols are witnesses to their idols, that they will not see fit to provide for their worshippers, and even they themselves have no knowledge; so that their witnesses, who are their worshippers, shall be put to shame.
Who has fashioned a god, or molten an image That is profitable for nothing?
verse value 1280
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 24 letters. The shortest word is "a·god" (אֵ֖ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "who?·formed" (מִֽי־יָצַ֥ר, 5 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "who?·formed" (מִֽי־יָצַ֥ר), "or·a·carved·image" (וּפֶ֣סֶל). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "a·god" (root אל, 95x in Isaiah); "who?·formed" (root יצר, 29x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'has·cast', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 2 words. Full calculation: מִֽי־יָצַ֥ר [who?·formed] (350) + אֵ֖ל [a·god] (31) + וּפֶ֣סֶל [or·a·carved·image] (176) + נָסָ֑ךְ [has·cast] (130) + לְבִלְתִּ֖י [and·not·to] (472) + הוֹעִֽיל [to·profit] (121) = 1280.
Rashi
Nesekh: A term denoting pouring out and libation. The nun in the word is a root letter that is subject to elision, such as the nun in the words neshekh (usury) and negaf (plague).
Ibn Ezra
"Who...?" Is there madness like that of one who created in the image of God, and called [it] according to his thought?
Nesekh. Like "a calf of molten metal" (Jeremiah 7:5) [to no avail]:
Radak
"Who formed a god?" Who would perform such a futile act as to labor in vain and squander his money on emptiness? Is there such madness?
Nesekh. It means “covered it,” or it is a term denoting pouring.
Metzudat David
Who formed a god? Who committed such folly as to fashion a god and cast an idol for no purpose?
Metzudat Zion
Nesekh: The matter of pouring and melting.
Malbim
“Who has formed” is construed with reference to “that they may be ashamed,” for who would commit such folly as to fashion a god for himself, after seeing that it is of no use? The meaning is that when one performs a disgraceful act, the benefit derived should be so great that it outweighs the shame incurred due to his action, on account of the utility he gains from it. But who would commit such folly as to perform a disgraceful act like this, casting an idol for himself, without any benefit? (And the doubling of “Who has formed a god” and “cast an idol” is directed against two sects: against the sect concerning whom it is said, “All the makers of idols are nothingness,” who believe that the idol itself possesses divinity, it says, “Who has formed a god”; and against the sect concerning whom it is said, “Their delights will not profit them,” who regarded the image as a conduit for the descent of divine emanation through it, it calls it an “idol” and an “image,” which restricts the deity to the stars.)
Behold, all the fellows thereof shall be ashamed; And the craftsmen skilled above men; Let them all be gathered together, let them stand up; They shall fear, they shall be ashamed together.
verse value 2624
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 52 letters. The shortest word is "they" (הֵ֤ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "all·his·fellows" (כׇּל־חֲבֵרָיו֙, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 318: let·them·be·ashamed, let·them·be·ashamed. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "all·his·fellows" (כׇּל־חֲבֵרָיו֙), "from·man" (מֵאָדָ֑ם), "let·them·gather·themselves" (יִֽתְקַבְּצ֤וּ). The root בוש appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "all·of·them" (root כל, 93x in Isaiah); "they" (root הן, 86x in Isaiah); "abundance" (root הם, 49x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·man', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: הֵ֤ן [they] (55) + כׇּל־חֲבֵרָיו֙ [all·his·fellows] (276) + יֵבֹ֔שׁוּ [let·them·be·ashamed] (318) + וְחָרָשִׁ֥ים [and·carpenters] (564) + הֵ֖מָּה [abundance] (50) + מֵאָדָ֑ם [from·man] (85) + יִֽתְקַבְּצ֤וּ [let·them·gather·themselves] (608) + כֻלָּם֙ [all·of·them] (90) + יַעֲמֹ֔דוּ [they·will·stand] (130) + יִפְחֲד֖וּ [they·will·fear] (108) + יֵבֹ֥שׁוּ [let·them·be·ashamed] (318) + יָֽחַד [together] (22) = 2624.
Rashi
“Behold, all his companions”—those of that maker and founder of idols, who join with him to worship his creation and his casting—shall be put to shame.
"And they are craftsmen." Those who fashion and pour out [molten metal] from among human beings are a fortiori argument for their creation, which is but vanity.
Ibn Ezra
“Behold, all his companions.” They are the priests of Baal or the craftsmen, and this is the correct interpretation.
They shall all be gathered together. And they shall be put to shame:
Radak
"Behold, all his companions"—those who associate with him to make him or to serve him. Alternatively, "his companions" is to be understood in its plain sense: the idol is "nothingness" (tohu), and those who engage with it are also "nothingness" like it, as it is stated, "All the makers of idols are nothingness" (Isaiah 41:29). Thus, they are companions to the idol in the matter of nothingness.
"And they are craftsmen, they are from man." They are not angels and seraphim who do this thing, but rather artisans from among the children of man who perform other crafts and make this idol; this is a matter of wonder.
"They shall gather together." The explanation is that all idolaters shall gather and discuss their deeds, asking: "What is it? And shall they look at it?" If they do this, they will fear God for what they have done and be ashamed of themselves because of their deeds, which are vanity, and they will contemplate it.
Metzudat David
“Behold, all his companions”—those who join themselves to it to serve it.
And artisans. Are not the artisans who make it human beings? And how is it possible that they should make a god?
They shall all be gathered together. The craftsmen and the workers of the idol shall be gathered together, and they shall stand to understand and examine the matter, and they shall all together fear the Lord and be ashamed of their deeds.
Metzudat Zion
And craftsmen. Artisans:
Malbim
“Behold,” now He speaks concerning the third sect found among them, who claimed that the idol itself is truly nothing; rather, it is the intention of the artisan who creates the image, who fashions it at a specified time, and during its creation directs his intentions and performs specific deeds. Afterwards, a group of people associates with him and restricts their deeds and intentions through him to a specific power among the upper forms and their stars, and they then remember and fear these upper powers. This will cause the upper powers to bestow blessing upon them, not on account of the idol, but on account of the people’s intentions, as is also found in holiness, where one who acts with intention draws holiness upon his work. In contrast to this, He said: “What will these deeds profit you? Behold, all his companions will be ashamed; their association with him to restrict their intentions toward the upper powers will not be of benefit. Moreover, the craftsmen who fashioned it—how can they, through their work, arouse the upper powers? Are they not merely human, and what can human deeds and thoughts accomplish in the stars above? And the proof is that if they all gather together, both the deaf craftsmen and his companions, and stand opposite the idol, then they will fear and be ashamed together. This means that even if they intend to themselves to be afraid, so that they will indeed fear in the presence of the idol from the stars, nevertheless they will also be ashamed, for they will see that their deeds are vanity.”
The smith makes an axe, And works in the coals, and fashions it with hammers, And works it with his strong arm; Indeed, he is hungry, and his strength fails; He drinks no water, and is faint.
verse value 4072
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 70 letters. The shortest word is "strength" (כֹּ֔חַ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·with·the·hammers" (וּבַמַּקָּב֖וֹת, 7 letters). 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "axe" (מַֽעֲצָ֔ד), "in·the·charcoal" (בַּפֶּחָ֔ם), "and·with·the·hammers" (וּבַמַּקָּב֖וֹת). The root פעל appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·nothing" (root אין, 92x in Isaiah); "water" (root מים, 41x in Isaiah); "fashions·it" (root יצר, 29x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'fashions·it', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 9 words.
Rashi
A smith of iron. A smith who works with iron:
A ma'atzad. It is one of the tools of the blacksmiths.
And "pe'al" (the verb form): [It means] to carve an idol out of charcoal. In the Aramaic tongue, it is called "carbon."
And with hammers. In Old French, "martel" (hammer).
יצרהו. In the language of “forming” (i.e., shaping):
“And He formed it with the strength of His arm, even hunger, etc.”: Even he, the maker, lacks strength and is weak, in that if he were to hunger, he would have no strength, or if he did not drink water, he would immediately become weary; a fortiori, his work has no benefit in providing assistance.
Ibn Ezra
"Craftsman." When it is adjacent [to the preceding word], the resh is open; and when it is in a well-known place, it always has a large qamats. And there is no foreign word in the Bible.
Adze. An iron tool with which they cut:
And regarding the *maqqavot* (hammers or mallets): A vessel in which one makes a hole.
יצרהו. From the root צורה, and the correct [derivation] is from the root יצירה:
Also famine. It is a description of the craftsman:
Radak
Craftsman. It is adjacent to "iron," for the resh is open. The book now relates the matter of the idol, how they toil for vanity. He who is an artisan in iron will make the chisel and the hammer, for every artisan needs iron tools. They make the idol from wood or from stone or from iron or from tin or from silver or from other metals, using iron tools they make them.
Me'atzad. An iron tool with which a woodcutter cuts wood; it is called "dolodira" in the foreign tongue, or "aisha."
And he worked with charcoal and with hammers. That craftsman worked with the charcoal into which air was blown to heat the iron, from which the vessel would be made; and he worked with the hammers to fashion them, with which he would shape the idol. This is what is stated: “He shaped it,” meaning he worked with the hammers with which he shaped it. The word “He shaped it” (yatz’rohu) derives from the root yatzar, and the letter pe of the binyan pa’al is absorbed into a dagesh.
“And He wrought it with the arm of His strength.” He works in it with all His strength, for He hopes in its work for a good reward. Its meaning is “with the arm, with His strength,” and the letter bet in “with the arm” serves in place of two words. Alternatively, the explanation is like “turn with the strength of His arm,” and similarly, “a place where there is a grave” (Ezekiel 39:11).
Also, hunger, and there is no strength. Until, due to his great desire for the work, when the time for eating arrives, he will not wish to rise from the work, and he is hungry and continues working until no strength remains in him. And likewise, he is thirsty and will not rise even to drink. And behold, he is weary, thirsty, and hungry, and despite all this, he works due to his great desire for the work.
Metzudat David
"A smith of iron." Now he relates the matter of the image, saying: The artisan of iron will fashion it and work it through coals, with arm and hammers he will make it and refine it.
"With the arm of His strength." "With the arm" – in His strength; and the letter bet in "with the arm" serves as two words, meaning "with all the might of His strength."
Also, hunger. Even when he was hungry, he would not abandon his work until he had no strength left in him, and when he was thirsty, he would not drink water until he became weary and exhausted, and all this was due to his great desire for that work.
Metzudat Zion
Me'atzad: The name of a large tool used for cutting; and similarly, "the work of a craftsman with a me'atzad" (Jeremiah 10:3). [In the] charcoal: [It means] a glowing coal, like [the phrase] "he blows upon the charcoal in the fire" (below, 54b).
And with hammers. It is the hammer, and similarly, "and she took the hammer in her hand" (Judges 4:21):
He formed it. He made it and renewed it:
Malbim
An iron chisel: (He equates every thing and its value to the Exalted One according to the matter, the form, the agent, the end, and the means that led to the end. First, He explained that the idol is vanity from the aspect of its form, as it is stated, “Let them not see, and let them not know,” meaning it is a lack of intellectual and sentient form. Afterwards, He explained that it is vanity from the aspect of its end, as it is stated, “Who fashioned a god to no avail.” Afterwards, He explained that it is vanity from the aspect of its agent, as it is stated, “And they are dumb, from man.” Now He begins to mock the idol from the aspect of its matter, so that you should not say that there is any excellence in the idol from the aspect of the matter from which it is made, that it is precious and noble compared to the matter of man. “An iron chisel”: Some made idols of iron because it is enduring and permanent, and some made it of wood, for wood is superior to iron from the aspect of its form, since it possesses a vegetative soul. He begins first to speak about the iron idol: How do you think that there is any reality in it? Is it not an iron chisel? From the aspect that if there were divinity in it, surely the condition of divinity is that it creates others, not that others act upon it. Yet the beginning of the idol’s existence is that the chiseler cuts the iron from its ore. And if you say that the divinity does not begin in it until after it has been cut and shaped by the chisel and separated for the idol, and initially it was ore, is it not stated, “And he works it with charcoal”? Surely afterwards they melt it by means of fire. How can the fire dominate it to melt it? And if you say that the divinity does not begin in it until after it has been melted and received its form, surely afterwards “with a hammer” they shape it, making many holes in it with a hammer to depict its form and beautify it. And do not say that all this appears to us only to the eye, and in truth the idol makes itself, and the divine power within it is the one that cuts with the hammer and blows the fire on the charcoal. Therefore it says, “Is it not he who works it with the strength of his arm?” Surely the artisan feels that by his strength he acts upon it, and that it does not make itself. And if you say that this very power that the artisan has to act is received by him from the idol, that it gives him power to act, so that the artisan is acted upon and not an agent, therefore it says, “Is it not also hunger and there is no strength?” Surely he sees that his strength is natural, and he requires bread and water to strengthen it.
The carpenter stretches out a line; He marks it out with a pencil; He fits it with planes, And he marks it out with the compasses, And makes it after the figure of a man, According to the beauty of a man, to dwell in the house.
verse value 7687
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 78 letters. The shortest word is "cord" (קָו֒, 2 letters) and the longest is "with·planes" (בַּמַּקְצֻע֔וֹת, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 622: he·marks·it·out, he·marks·it·out. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "tree" (עֵצִים֮), "with·the·pencil" (בַשֶּׂ֔רֶד), "he·makes·it" (יַעֲשֵׂ֙הוּ֙). The root תאר appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "he·makes·it" (root עשה, 101x in Isaiah); "to·dwell" (root ישב, 71x in Isaiah); "house" (root בית, 67x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root תאר ("he·marks·it·out") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'he·marks·it·out', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 7 words.
Rashi
A carpenter. And if one comes to make it of wood, he is considered a carpenter, as this is his usual practice.
“Stretch a line.” As carpenters do, and according to the line they shape it with a plane, straightening it with a saw called “dallaura” in the vernacular. “They shape it.” They beautify it.
"He shall make it with tools." And he smooths it with a file and a chisel; "tools" – the Targum translates: "azmalya" (chisels).
"And with a compass he shall delineate it." The term "delineate" is derived from the phrase "and they delineated the boundary" (Joshua 15:9). If one intends to make round drawings with it, he circles around it with a compass, known in the vernacular as "Konfess."
As the glory of a man. This refers to a woman, who is the glory of her husband.
Ibn Ezra
Craftsman. He mentioned the idols of stone and iron, and behold, also the idols of wood:
"Stretch out a line. For thus is the judgment:"
“Yit’arehu.” He shall make its form. And the correct interpretation is that it is like “v’ta’ar lachem hag’vul” (Joshua 15:9), in the manner of an impression or stamp.
"With the sered": a kind of pigment; and it has no fellow [in Scripture].
"He shapes it with planes (maktzu'ot)." He fashions it; and Rabbi Yonah said that the maktzua alludes to the scribing [of the outline].
“With a compass.” From the root *chug* (circle), it is the instrument with which a circle is made.
In the glory of man. Some say it is feminine, and there is no need for anything more than the reason being doubled:
“to rest in the house.” Like a person who sits in his home:
Radak
“a wood-cutter.” Likewise, it is a construct form, and the resh is with a patach.
He inclined the line. The measure:
“יתארהו” – “יגבלהו,” that is, he shall set a boundary on the wood with *shard*, which is the colored thread by which the carpenter marks what he wishes to cut from the wood. And similarly, “ותאר הגבול” – “and he shall mark the boundary.” And that color is called *shard*, and the “line” mentioned is the thread that he dyes with *shard*.
“He shall make it with planes.” And after he has marked it, he shall smooth it with planes. “Planes” are two tools similar in their workmanship: one is called a “plane” (*phlyana*) and the other a “smoother” (*simantron*). With these, the carpenter scrapes the surface of the wood and smooths it. The Targum translates “and the house he shall plane” as “he shall scrape,” and the Targum of Jonathan renders “with planes” as “with chisels.” These tools are made like chisels.
"And with a compass He shall trace it out." Compass: This is the "compass" in the vernacular, with which they draw shapes and the outlines of depicted objects. The first aleph is accented with a *chataf patach*, and the second aleph with a *chataf qamats*.
“Like the glory of a man.” For his form is beautiful and splendid compared to other living creatures. And Targum Jonathan translates: “Like the glory of a man, like the beauty of a woman dwelling in a house.” That is to say: just as it is the glory of a woman to dwell in the house and not go out to the outside, so too the idol sits in the house, and it is like her. and "the human persons (nefesh adam), of the women" (Numbers 31:35). And my master and father, of blessed memory, explained it according to its plain meaning. The matter is twofold, and it says: “And he made it in the image of a man, like the glory of a man.” And why is it to sit in the house? Not for any other purpose, for it does not move from its place.
Metzudat David
A carpenter. And when the work of the adze is completed, the carpenter will stretch a measuring line along the beam to cut it with an adze according to what is appropriate.
He outlines it with red paint. Afterward, he marks the features of the idol with the color of the red paint, and according to the marked lines, he carves it out with chisels; it is one of the tools of the carpenters.
And with a compass he shall delineate it. And with a compass: one draws round shapes with it to beautify it.
Like the glory of a man. This means that his form is more splendid than that of other living creatures.
“to dwell in a house.” This means that the idol was not, of itself, made to dwell in a house, for it does not move from its place.
Metzudat Zion
Kav. The cord of measurement:
“יתארהו” – from the language of “תואר” (description) and “תמונה” (image):
Regarding "shard": It is a name of a color. Alternatively, "maktsa'ot" refers to the tools of carpenters, with which they peel the wood and smooth it. The term derives from the phrase "and the house shall be scraped" (Leviticus 14:41), which denotes the matter of scraping.
"And with a compass": This is the name of the instrument used to draw circles.
“יתארהו” – The matter is one of surrounding; and similarly, “and the border went around” (Joshua 15:).
Like a pattern. A likeness to the form:
Malbim
A carver of wood: Even the carver of wood, at first, draws a line to determine how much he will cut from the block for the sake of the idol, and he outlines it around with charcoal and colors it so that he will not subtract from the required measure. Thus, even this piece is not cut off by itself. And if you say that it does not acquire the divine power until it is cut from the block and stands on its own, behold, even afterward he will work on its extremities. And if you say that it does not acquire this power until it has received its form and become an idol, behold, even afterward with a compass he will outline it to make it even and to beautify it. Furthermore, behold, he will make it in the likeness of a person. Between an idol of iron and one of wood, how can it be divine after he makes it in the likeness of an existent being? (For "person" encompasses all existent beings, and this is the difference between it and "man.") And if it were divine, how could it receive the form of any particular existent among existents? Behold, the Divine has no body and no form. More than this, if one thinks that the idol is superior to man, how will he make it in the likeness of man’s glory, as if thereby it boasts in that it has the form of man, only that it differs from man in that it is designated to dwell in a house, in that it cannot go outside like man, for "their feet shall not move," and is this what grants it superiority?
He hews him down cedars, And takes the ilex and the oak, And strengthens for himself one among the trees of the forest; He plants a bay-tree, and the rain does nourish it.
verse value 3184
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 52 letters. The shortest word is "planted" (נָטַ֥ע, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·he·strengthens·for·himself" (וַיְאַמֶּץ־ל֖וֹ, 7 letters). 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "to·cut·for·himself" (לִכְרׇת־ל֣וֹ), "cedars" (אֲרָזִ֔ים), "a type of tree" (תִּרְזָה֙). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·took" (root לקח, 21x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·trees·of·forest', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 4 words. Full calculation: לִכְרׇת־ל֣וֹ [to·cut·for·himself] (686) + אֲרָזִ֔ים [cedars] (258) + וַיִּקַּ֤ח [and·took] (124) + תִּרְזָה֙ [a type of tree] (612) + וְאַלּ֔וֹן [and·god] (93) + וַיְאַמֶּץ־ל֖וֹ [and·he·strengthens·for·himself] (183) + בַּעֲצֵי־יָ֑עַר [in·trees·of·forest] (452) + נָטַ֥ע [planted] (129) + אֹ֖רֶן [chest] (251) + וְגֶ֥שֶׁם [and·rain] (349) + יְגַדֵּֽל [nourishes] (47) = 3184.
Rashi
Tereza and alon: species of fruitless trees.
“And He strengthened him with trees of the forest.” He made for him reinforcements, both for strengthening and for ornamentation, from various kinds of trees that differ from one another in their appearance.
“Planting an evergreen.” When he finds a shoot suitable for planting, he plants it for that purpose, and the rain causes it to grow.
Oron. A term for a sapling; "plantzoun" in the vernacular.
Ibn Ezra
"To cut." The reason is that there is one who will disqualify his god because it is made of cedars, and there is one who will take a tirzah, a species of tree.
And he shall strengthen him. He shall deceive him:
Oran. A name of a tree, or its meaning is root:
And rain. The Targum renders it as “body,” also in the Aramaic translation, and also in the language of Kedar; and some say it means “he will plant a pine tree, and the rain will cause it to grow.”
Radak
“To cut down cedars for him.” Until here, the passage has recounted the making of the idol from good wood. Now it states that the idol-maker will exert even more effort, going to the forest to cut down cedars for him, in order to fashion an idol from them. Moreover, there is even greater labor than this: he plants a sapling and nurtures it until it is fit to be cut down for timber to make an idol. Behold how far the power of their worship has reached, and everything seems easy in their eyes, as they calculate that they will receive a good reward for this. Yet they toil for vanity and emptiness, and they do not reflect on their deeds. And in His saying “cedars,” He indicates that they seek the most choice of them to cut down.
Teresah. A tree among fruitless trees, and its commentators explain that it is what they call in Arabic "sanabur."
And the oak. It is the chestnut tree.
And he strengthened himself with the trees of the forest: to seek good from them.
“Plant an oren.” It is the name of a tree, also good for work, and in the words of our Sages of blessed memory: “cedars, orens, and cypresses.”
"And rain shall enlarge it." Some explain that "rain" refers to a physical entity, meaning the physical body of the tree; similarly, in Aramaic, "gashmi" means physical. However, the correct interpretation is according to its plain meaning, as Jonathan also translated: "and rain shall increase it." It was necessary to state "and rain shall enlarge it" because it is well known that rain causes all vegetation to grow. Rather, the verse teaches that even though he plants the tree for the sake of idolatry, the rain will still cause it to grow. And behold, the rain comes by the agency of God, blessed be He. Nevertheless, the world continues according to its custom, as our Sages of blessed memory stated regarding this matter: "If one stole a seah of wheat and sowed it, logically it should not grow, but the world continues according to its custom, and the fools who corrupted it will eventually be judged."
Metzudat David
"To cut down cedars for him." Above, the text told of the making of the idol from hewn wood; now it states that there are those who would go to the trouble of entering the forest to cut down cedars for themselves, in order to fashion an idol from them.
"And he took a cypress (tirzah) and an oak." There are those who take a cypress and an oak, for those woods are the most beautiful, and since they are not as strong as cedar, they strengthen them with nails made of forest wood.
"Planting a pine tree." This means that there are those who exert even greater effort, planting initially a pine tree, which is suitable for crafting, and waiting until it grows and becomes fit for carving.
“And the rain shall increase.” This is as if to say: Even though the intention of the one who plants it is to make an idol from it, the rain increases its growth by the decree of the Omnipresent for the world proceeds according to its custom, and they will ultimately have to give an accounting. And this is as our Sages of blessed memory stated: “One who steals a seah of wheat and plants it, etc.”
Metzudat Zion
Tarzah and alon. These are names of fruitless trees:
And he strengthened himself. The matter of fortification:
Oren. The name of a non-fruit-bearing tree; and in the words of our Sages, “oranim” [are listed among the cedars] (Rosh Hashanah 23a).
Malbim
"To cut down for Him": After the wood has been felled from the side that is not its face, and the artisan and the tools of the craft have worked upon it, He adds the statement, "Do not insist in arguing that within the trees themselves, from which the idol is made, there resides spirituality and holiness, to the extent that it does not require at all the quality of its manufacture, for it is holy in itself from its beginning." This is what is said: "Behold, he goes to cut down cedars for Him"—whatever there may be, and no specific cedar is designated for the making of the idol, but rather any cedar that happens to be available. And how can you say that there was holiness in the wood itself? And do not say that the entire species of cedar as a whole contains holiness. Did he not also take the terebinth and the oak, and strengthen it also with the trees of the forest, reinforcing it with trees of lesser importance? And not only this, but he also planted the pine, which grows into a great forest of cedars, and its growth is not accomplished above the course of nature, but rather "the rain will make it grow" in the natural way.
Then a man uses it for fuel; And he takes thereof, and warms himself; Indeed, he kindles it, and bakes bread; Indeed, he makes a god, and worships it; He makes it a graven image, and falls down thereto.
verse value 3089
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 65 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָיָ֤ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "from·them" (מֵהֶם֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "indeed·he·makes·a·god" (אַף־יִפְעַל־אֵל֙, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 302: to·be·consumed, indeed·he·makes·a·god. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "to·man" (לְאָדָם֙), "and·was·hot" (וַיָּ֔חׇם), "indeed·he·kindles" (אַף־יַשִּׂ֖יק). 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·shall·be" (root היה, 213x in Isaiah); "he·makes·it" (root עשה, 101x in Isaiah); "from·them" (root הם, 49x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root חמם ("and·was·hot") in Isaiah. First appearance of the root סגד ("and·falls·down·to·it") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'bread', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 5 words. Full calculation: וְהָיָ֤ה [and·it·shall·be] (26) + לְאָדָם֙ [to·man] (75) + לְבָעֵ֔ר [to·be·consumed] (302) + וַיִּקַּ֤ח [and·took] (124) + מֵהֶם֙ [from·them] (85) + וַיָּ֔חׇם [and·was·hot] (64) + אַף־יַשִּׂ֖יק [indeed·he·kindles] (501) + וְאָ֣פָה [and·will·bake] (92) + לָ֑חֶם [bread] (78) + אַף־יִפְעַל־אֵל֙ [indeed·he·makes·a·god] (302) + וַיִּשְׁתָּ֔חוּ [and·worships] (730) + עָשָׂ֥הוּ [he·makes·it] (381) + פֶ֖סֶל [idol] (170) + וַיִּסְגׇּד־לָֽמוֹ [and·falls·down·to·it] (159) = 3089.
Rashi
"And it shall be for man to burn." And that tree, part of it was for man's needs to burn:
"And he took." From the wood, and he warmed his body against them.
Even he shall heat [an oven]. From them [the examples are] an oven and one who bakes bread.
Also he makes it into a god. From the remainder:
Ibn Ezra
"And it shall be for burning." [This means] to kindle. And behold, it is explained: Some [interpret it as] heating in the fire, and some [interpret it as] touching it, as in "and fire touched them" (Psalms 78:21), like the manner of a skin.
And he bowed down. This is known in Aramaic and in the language of the Qedarites:
Radak
"And it shall be." For when one cuts down the tree and intends it for an idol, the disqualified pieces shall be for him to burn, to warm himself, and to bake with, from those pieces of wood.
And he grew warm. The chet is read with a chataf qamats, and the zakef is written with a yod.
"ישיק" – like "יבעיר," meaning he will heat with them the oven.
"And bake bread." Like [the verse] "and grind flour."
"למו" – either as "לו" or in its literal sense; and the explanation is that it refers to idols, even though only one is mentioned, they are plural.
Metzudat David
"And it shall be for man to burn." From that very tree itself, some of it shall be for man's needs, to burn in it the fire, and he shall take from them. From those trees he shall take some of them to kindle a fire to warm himself, and from them he shall also heat the oven and bake bread, and from them he shall also take and make an idol and worship it.
He made it, etc. The duplication of the matter in what is stated:
To them. To idols; and although only one is mentioned, there are many.
Metzudat Zion
To burn. The matter of kindling:
And it grew warm. The word is from the root of warmth:
Yishak. Like yisek with a samekh, and it is from the language of heating and kindling.
And he bowed down. The term denotes prostration, as in “And he made known to Daniel” (Daniel 2).
Malbim
“And it shall be” – But was it not from the cedar that grows in this forest that no sanctity was made of it? For it shall be for a man to burn, and more than this, for a man shall also derive bodily benefit from it at the time of burning, taking and warming himself by them. And there is an even closer benefit than this, for he shall even burn it in the oven and bake bread on its embers. And even if he makes a god and worships it, how can there be any matter of sanctity and divinity in it? (And he repeats his words against the two sects mentioned above: against the sect that thinks the idol itself is a deity, he says, “even if he makes a god and worships it”; and against those who think it is only a limiter to the spiritual form, he says, “he made it an idol and bowed down to it.” See the explanation of the terms.)
He burns the half thereof in the fire; With the half thereof he eats flesh; He roasts roast, and is satisfied; Indeed, he warms himself, and says: ‘Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire’;
verse value 4175
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 63 letters. The shortest word is "burned" (שָׂרַ֣ף, 3 letters) and the longest is "upon·half" (עַל־חֶצְיוֹ֙, 6 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "upon·half" (עַל־חֶצְיוֹ֙), "will·roast" (יִצְלֶ֥ה), "roast" (צָלִ֖י). The root חצי appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·shall·say" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah); "I·have·seen" (root ראה, 83x in Isaiah); "will·eat" (root אכל, 55x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root חצי ("his·half") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·will·swear', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 6 words.
Ibn Ezra
“Half of it.” The word “Aha!” (ha’ach) is an interjection that a person says when he experiences delight, and similarly, “Aha, our eye has seen it” (Psalms 35:21).
"I saw light." Just as it is written, "There shall be light for them in Zion" (Isaiah 31:9):
"I have seen." According to its plain meaning. And Rav Saadia Gaon, of blessed memory, said that its sense is "I have breathed freely," without distress.
Radak
“Half of it.” This means that a portion of it was stated, that in the half which he burns, he derives benefit in two ways: he roasts a roasted meat with it and eats until he is satiated, and furthermore, he warms his flesh by the fire.
“Upon half of it, the flesh shall be eaten.” The explanation is: He roasts the roasted offering, and how does he eat the flesh? He eats it on the half [of the vessel] in which he roasted the offering.
And it says, “Aha!” [This is an expression of] joy. And similarly, “Aha, aha, our eyes have seen it.” This fool says, “I am seduced by this idol and I rejoice in it in my folly in two ways: in the pleasure of the body for a moment, and in his thinking that there will be a good reward for him in his worship.” He says, “How good is this idol to me, for I derive benefit from part of it through the pleasure of my body, and from part of it I will worship it, and it will save me in my time of distress.”
I am warm. Accented on the final syllable:
Metzudat David
“Half of it.” This means that he burned part of it in the fire, and with the other part he ate meat, for he roasted a roast with it, ate, and was satisfied. Moreover, he warmed his flesh, rejoiced, and said, “Ah! Behold, I have warmed myself; I have also derived benefit from sitting by the fire.”
Metzudat Zion
In the middle. In the midst:
"Aha." This is a matter of the language of joy, as it says, "Aha, aha, our eyes have seen" (Psalms 35). "My mother-in-law." From the language of "sealing" (chatimah).
“Light.” A flame that illuminates. Likewise, “light for the Sabbath” opposite it (see below, 47).
Malbim
“Half of it” – he adds to say that not only was the forest in its entirety consumed by fire, but also from the tree that he had set aside to make an idol, behold, half of it was already burned up by fire, and on the other half, flesh will now be eaten. (That is to say, it does not acquire sanctity, neither before its completion nor after its completion.) Moreover, no misfortune will come upon its consumption such that one would not be sated from it; rather, he will roast a roasted meat and also be sated. And do not be mistaken that the meat was roasted by a miracle, not by means of the wood, for the wood is not burned at all. For behold, it will even heat and he will feel the heat. And do not say that this too is merely a deceptive illusion, that it seemed to him so. For behold, he will say, “Aha! I am warm, I have seen the light.” The two properties of fire – illumination and heat – he will feel them by sense perception. Until he will say, “My brother, my sister-in-law,” and he will rejoice at the heat, and he will see the light with his actual eyes, not in imagination.
And the residue thereof he makes a god, even his graven image; He falls down to it and worships, and prays to it, And says: ‘Deliver me, for you are my god.’
verse value 4023
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 64 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·his·remnant" (וּשְׁאֵ֣רִית֔וֹ, 7 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·his·remnant" (וּשְׁאֵ֣רִית֔וֹ), "to·god" (לְאֵ֥ל), "to·his·idol" (לְפִסְל֑וֹ). The root אל appears 3 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·shall·say" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah); "for" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah); "did" (root עשה, 101x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·his·idol', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 10 words. Full calculation: וּשְׁאֵ֣רִית֔וֹ [and·his·remnant] (923) + לְאֵ֥ל [to·god] (61) + עָשָׂ֖ה [did] (375) + לְפִסְל֑וֹ [to·his·idol] (206) + (יסגוד) [he·falls·down] (83) + יִסְגׇּד־ל֤וֹ [he·falls·down·to·it] (113) + וְיִשְׁתַּ֙חוּ֙ [and·worships] (730) + וְיִתְפַּלֵּ֣ל [and·he·will·intercede] (556) + אֵלָ֔יו [to·him] (47) + וְיֹאמַר֙ [and·shall·say] (257) + הַצִּילֵ֔נִי [deliver·me] (195) + כִּ֥י [for] (30) + אֵלִ֖י [my·God] (41) + אָֽתָּה [you] (406) = 4023.
Ibn Ezra
“And the rest of it he made into a god.” According to his thought:
"To his idol." Explanation: of "he made it into a god."
Radak
“And the remnant thereof he makes into a god.” The explanation is: into his idol—this is his god.
He shall bow down to Him. "He shall prostrate himself" is a repetition of the same idea expressed in different words, for "he shall bow down" is equivalent to "he shall prostrate himself," as rendered in the Targum; or, the explanation of "he shall bow down to Him" is that it refers to prostration.
And he bowed down. [This means] he prostrated himself with his hands and feet, as our Sages of blessed memory interpreted, and Jonathan rendered it in the Targum: "He worshipped him and served him."
Metzudat David
"And the remainder of it." That which remains from the wood, he shall make it into a god, and he goes back and explains "he shall make it" as: for his idol.
"Let him bow down to Him." Let him prostrate himself before it and pray, etc.
Metzudat Zion
“And the remainder thereof.” The matter of a remainder:
Malbim
And the remainder thereof, and how from this wood shall he make the remainder thereof for a god? For a god he made it, for his idol. He repeated his words against the two sects mentioned above: the first, who consider it a deity, and the second, who consider it only as a conduit for the flow of divine emanation from the higher powers. And this is what it says: either for a god he made it, as a deity, or for his idol, to limit through it the form of the star. And he explains: either he will worship it, if he made it only as an idol, or he will prostrate himself before it, if he made it as a god, and he will pray to it and say, “Save me, for You are my God.” See the explanation of the words.
They know not, neither do they understand; For their eyes are bedaubed, that they cannot see, And their hearts, that they cannot understand.
verse value 1992
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 39 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֥א, 2 letters) and the longest is "their·eyes" (עֵינֵיהֶ֔ם, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "they·will·discern" (יָבִ֑ינוּ), "spread·over" (טַ֤ח), "their·eyes" (עֵינֵיהֶ֔ם). The root לא appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 286x in Isaiah); "for" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah); "from·seeing" (root ראה, 83x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·will·discern', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 6 words. Full calculation: לֹ֥א [not] (31) + יָדְע֖וּ [know] (90) + וְלֹ֣א [and·not] (37) + יָבִ֑ינוּ [they·will·discern] (78) + כִּ֣י [for] (30) + טַ֤ח [spread·over] (17) + מֵֽרְאוֹת֙ [from·seeing] (647) + עֵינֵיהֶ֔ם [their·eyes] (185) + מֵהַשְׂכִּ֖יל [from·understanding] (405) + לִבֹּתָֽם [their·hearts] (472) = 1992.
Ibn Ezra
No. The faculty of thought is in the apertures near the forehead, and the faculty of understanding is in the central aperture, which is within the head.
"ki tach." Like "and he shall sprinkle the house" (Leviticus 14:42), and it is a verb that produces an effect, and the verb is the name.
"their eyes." Each one individually, and similarly, many:
Radak
"They shall not know, nor shall they understand." "Tach" is of the weak-ayin [hollow] roots, though it has a patach; and it is a transitive verb, and the One who besmeared is God — in the manner of "make the heart of this people fat" (Isaiah 6:10), as we have explained. Alternatively, "takh" may refer to their evil inclination, which dominates their intellect.
Metzudat David
They did not know. There is in them neither knowledge nor understanding.
"For he has blinded. The evil inclination, which entices, has blinded their eyes from seeing and their hearts from understanding:"
Metzudat Zion
Smear. The matter of smearing and anointing, and likewise, "he shall smear the house" (Leviticus 14:42):
Their hearts. From the word "heart":
Malbim
"They did not know," says the verse: "Behold, that they did not know and did not understand to perceive the vanity of their faith—this is not a wonder, for they did not know because the surface of their eyes was covered, and they did not understand because the surface of their hearts was covered" (meaning: knowledge comes through examination and experience, and one who is blind and lacks the senses cannot examine to recognize perceptible things; and understanding comes through intellectual proof and contemplation, and they had the surface of their hearts covered. How, then, could they understand, if they lacked the faculties of intellect and comprehension?). And thus, it is no wonder that they did not know and did not understand. But this is a wonder: why?
And none considers in his heart, Neither is there knowledge nor understanding to say: ‘I have burned the half of it in the fire; Indeed, also I have baked bread upon the coals thereof; I have roasted flesh and eaten it; And shall I make the residue thereof an abomination? Shall I fall down to the stock of a tree?’
verse value 6484
Insights
Verse structure: 22 words, 99 letters. The shortest word is "tree" (עֵ֖ץ, 2 letters) and the longest is "not·understanding" (וְלֹֽא־תְבוּנָה֮, 8 letters). 13 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·he·shall·not·return" (וְלֹֽא־יָשִׁ֣יב), "to·his·heart" (אֶל־לִבּ֗וֹ), "not·understanding" (וְלֹֽא־תְבוּנָה֮). 22 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·not" (root לא, 286x in Isaiah); "saying" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah); "to·his·heart" (root איל, 114x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·eats', dividing the verse into phrases of 16 and 6 words.
Rashi
And he shall not return it to his heart. Half of it I burned with fire.
And neither knowledge nor understanding. In it to say this:
“Lavo’l etz.” To wood rot:
Ibn Ezra
"And he shall not return to his heart." This is an allusion to the intellect, which is the essential faculty.
The letter mem with a vav in the word "bemo" is an additional letter, like the word "kemo" (Psalms 58:10):
And they left over. The remainder:
Bol. It is not harmful to it. Some say that it refers to an idol or an image. And Rabbi Moses the Kohen said that it is like the verse “bol harim” (Job 40:20), and the meaning is “sprout.”
Radak
"And he did not turn back." The vav is not like the vav in "And Abraham lifted up his eyes," nor is it a repetition of the matter. Rather, it means: "And he did not return to his heart these matters that were mentioned, for they were words of wonder, and there was in his heart neither understanding nor wisdom to say, that is, to consider in his heart: 'Half of it I burned with fire myself, and even...'"
"I baked upon his coals." Above, it stated, "He shall even kindle [them]," for a person performs two actions with the wood: either he heats the oven by applying them to it to bake the bread through adhesion, or he bakes the bread upon the coals.
And they left over. That which remained from it, and it is a name from the root y-t-r.
“An abomination.” To something that God detests and has forbidden to be worshipped.
“Bul of wood.” This refers to a branch of wood. Likewise, “for the bul of the mountains shall bear him up” (Job 40:20) means that they will uproot the bul.
Metzudat David
"And he shall not return." He does not apply his mind to examine the matter, and he has neither knowledge nor understanding to reason: "Did I not burn part of it in the fire, and even..."
"I baked bread upon his coals." The term "bread" is named after its final state, for only after it is baked does it become bread. Similarly, "and grind flour" (below, 46a).
"I roast" [אצלה] — as in the phrase, "I roast, and the rest" [used later in this same verse]. And how could I make the remainder into a detestable idol, abhorrent in the sight of the Lord? And how could I bow down to a branch of a tree?
Metzudat Zion
And they shall remain. From the language of "remaining":
Bol. Like livul, and similarly, “For He shall raise up the bol of the mountains” (Job 40:20), and its meaning is a shoot and a branch.
I will bow down. I will prostrate myself:
Malbim
"He shall not return it to his heart" – this is a simple matter, for surely to recognize this thing one does not need either knowledge or understanding (meaning: knowledge through examination and trial, and understanding through intellectual demonstration); rather, he only needs to return it to his heart and say: "Did I not burn half of it with my own hand in fire, and even bake it (as stated above in verses 15–16)? How then can I make the remainder an abomination?" (And he repeats his words: If he made it into a deity, how can he make the remainder an abomination? And if he made it to worship through it the spiritual forces, how can I bow down to a piece of wood? Is it not wood that decays and is destroyed, and how can it make an impression among the stars of heaven, which are enduring?)
He strives after ashes, A deceived heart has turned him aside, That he cannot deliver his soul, nor say: ‘Is there not a lie in my right hand?’
verse value 3120
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 49 letters. Verse gematria: 3120 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "heart" (לֵ֥ב, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·not·deliver" (וְלֹא־יַצִּ֤יל, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "was·deceived" (הוּתַ֖ל), "has·turned·him·aside" (הִטָּ֑הוּ), "and·not·deliver" (וְלֹא־יַצִּ֤יל). The root לא appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·not" (root לא, 286x in Isaiah); "will·say" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah); "his·soul" (root נפש, 31x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root אפר ("ashes") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'has·turned·him·aside', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 7 words. Full calculation: רֹעֶ֣ה [pasturing] (275) + אֵ֔פֶר [ashes] (281) + לֵ֥ב [heart] (32) + הוּתַ֖ל [was·deceived] (441) + הִטָּ֑הוּ [has·turned·him·aside] (25) + וְלֹא־יַצִּ֤יל [and·not·deliver] (177) + אֶת־נַפְשׁוֹ֙ [his·soul] (837) + וְלֹ֣א [and·not] (37) + יֹאמַ֔ר [will·say] (251) + הֲל֥וֹא [is there not] (42) + שֶׁ֖קֶר [lie] (600) + בִּימִינִֽי [in·my·right·hand] (122) = 3120.
Rashi
“Roe’ah efer lev ha’otel ha’ta’u.” His heart that was inclined, he inclined it to make for himself a shepherd of ashes—the likeness of one who was half-burned and became ash. This fool would say that this was his shepherd and provider. Another interpretation: “Roe’ah efer” is a term of “ri’ut” (servitude); he serves the service of others and attaches to himself the service of others, which is ash.
And he shall not deliver. [He is] the one deceived regarding his own soul, [so as] to say, "Is there not falsehood in my right hand?" and to separate himself from it.
Ibn Ezra
"Pasture." Like a person who pastures ashes, which causes harm and brings no benefit; or its meaning is like "pasturing wind" (Hosea 12:2).
Hoteil. A descriptive term, for descriptive terms change according to the measure and pattern of a faltering leg (Proverbs 25:19):
Lev. The fool:
"הטהו" – This word is always used in a derogatory sense throughout the entire Bible, for it implies turning away from the straight path. The word "להטות" (Exodus 23:2) I have already explained.
Radak
“Tending ashes.” This refers to one who makes an idol in order to worship it; “tending ashes” means that he is occupied with something that will not benefit him, following the pattern of “Ephraim is tending wind.” And the Targum says: “The half of the chalta is the katma.”
"A deceived heart has led him astray." "Hotel" (deceived) is a descriptive form; and although it is vocalized with a patach, by rule it should take a dagesh [in the vav], but instead it appears without dagesh [light], like "hitel bi" (he deceived me). He is referring to the evil inclination, which deceives him and leads him astray to an evil path, so that he does not understand and does not save his soul before it is lost.
And one should not say, “Is it not falsehood that is in my right hand?”—meaning, what I have done and accomplished with my right hand is falsehood. And the Targum [Yonatan] renders it: “Is it not falsehood that I have performed with my right hand?”
Metzudat David
"Feeding on ashes, etc." – This means that his heart, which mocks and deceives him, incited him to accept the role of shepherd and leader of the matter, which is considered as ashes when it is burned.
And he shall not save. Even the artisan who makes the idol shall not save his own soul, nor shall he say, “Is it not true that what I have made with my right hand is falsehood and has no benefit, for it is the work of my hands?”
Metzudat Zion
Shepherd. This means: leader.
“Hetel.” A term of mockery; and similarly, “and Elijah mocked them” (1 Kings 18:27).
Malbim
“Pasture the ashes,” and it is said, “Behold, he who pastures the ashes,” meaning one who does not know at all that in man there is a divine soul, exceedingly high and exalted, to the extent that it is not even conceivable that man would bow down to the inanimate or the growing, for he is exalted above them by virtue of the power of his soul. But since he does not know the soul at all, he is merely one who pastures ashes, who guides the ashes and the body (like “pasture faith,” “pasture spirit”). Of him, there is no wonder at all that the heart of the one who is led astray is inclined by the one who leads him astray and mocks him, inclining him from the path until he considers himself inferior to a wooden or stone idol, to submit before it. And he will not save his soul by remembering, “How can I do such a thing against my soul, which is divine and intellectual? How can I submit it before the inanimate and the growing?” Or perhaps he will say, “At least, ‘Falsehood is in my right hand’”—meaning that falsehood is manifest and clear, as if it were engraved on my right hand. For falsehood is manifest and clear: since he is one who pastures ashes and does not know his soul at all, he is truly inferior to the idol, and there is no wonder at all about him. But...
Remember these things, O Jacob, And Israel, for you are My servant; I have formed you, you are Mine own servant; O Israel, you should not forget Me.
verse value 4148
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 51 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "my·servant·you" (עַבְדִּי־אָ֑תָּה, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "remember·these" (זְכׇר־אֵ֣לֶּה), "I·bound·you" (יְצַרְתִּ֤יךָ), "servant·to·me" (עֶֽבֶד־לִי֙). The root ישראל appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 286x in Isaiah); "for" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah); "and·Israel" (root ישראל, 84x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'my·servant·you', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 6 words. Full calculation: זְכׇר־אֵ֣לֶּה [remember·these] (263) + יַֽעֲקֹ֔ב [Jacob] (182) + וְיִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל [and·Israel] (547) + כִּ֣י [for] (30) + עַבְדִּי־אָ֑תָּה [my·servant·you] (492) + יְצַרְתִּ֤יךָ [I·bound·you] (730) + עֶֽבֶד־לִי֙ [servant·to·me] (116) + אַ֔תָּה [you] (406) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל [Israel] (541) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + תִנָּשֵֽׁנִי [you·will·be·forgotten] (810) = 4148.
Rashi
"Do not forget Me." Do not become forgetful of My awe.
Ibn Ezra
"Remember these things." That You did while You were in My land:
And the meaning of “for you are My servant” is: Since you were once My servant, confess your former sins, for I desire that you be My servant.
And the meaning of [“a slave to Me”] is that you alone are [My slave]:
“Remember me.” It is from the nifal conjugation, and in my opinion, it is so, [as in] “Do not forget me,” [which parallels] “Remember me, and I will remember you.”
Radak
"Remember these, O Jacob": If the nations, who serve idols, will not understand, you, remember these things and do not be seduced into serving idols.
"For you are My servant." From the time that you are My servant, and not a servant of idols; and therefore I formed you to be a servant for Me. And the meaning of "I formed you" is as explained in "Your Creator" and "He who formed you." Or, the time when Israel was taken as a people and brought out from the house of bondage is the time of formation. And the Targum: "I prepared you to be a servant, to worship before Me."
Israel, do not forget Me. You shall not be forgotten by Me; remember Me, and I will remember you.
Metzudat David
"Remember these things, O Jacob." If the nations do not understand this, you, Jacob, remember these matters and do not be seduced after them, for you are My servant and not a servant of an idol.
"I have formed you, My servant" – I created you to be My servant; therefore, you, Israel, shall not forget Me.
Metzudat Zion
"Make me forget." The matter of forgetting; and similarly, "God made me forget" (Genesis 31).
Malbim
“Remember these things, O Jacob” — but you, Jacob, surely you know the exalted status of man by virtue of his form, and especially you, Israel, for your soul is exceedingly high, even above the ministering angels, as is indicated by the name Israel, for it says, “He wrestled with God and prevailed.” And all the more so in contrast to the nations, for you are My servant, not a servant of foreign gods. Beyond the fact that you are My servant by virtue of your service to Me, behold, I have formed you as a servant to Me, for you were created for this purpose by virtue of your origin, through My having given you a lofty, divine soul. Therefore, you, Israel, shall not forget Me; you must be careful not to forget Me and to serve foreign gods.
I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, your transgressions, And, as a cloud, your sins; Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.
verse value 2538
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 40 letters. Verse gematria: 2538 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "your·sins" (חַטֹּאותֶ֑יךָ, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "I·wiped" (מָחִ֤יתִי), "and·as·the·cloud" (וְכֶעָנָ֖ן), "your·sins" (חַטֹּאותֶ֑יךָ). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah); "to·me" (root אל, 95x in Isaiah); "return" (root שוב, 51x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·sins', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 4 words. Full calculation: מָחִ֤יתִי [I·wiped] (468) + כָעָב֙ [as·the·cloud] (92) + פְּשָׁעֶ֔יךָ [your·transgressions] (480) + וְכֶעָנָ֖ן [and·as·the·cloud] (196) + חַטֹּאותֶ֑יךָ [your·sins] (454) + שׁוּבָ֥ה [return] (313) + אֵלַ֖י [to·me] (41) + כִּ֥י [for] (30) + גְאַלְתִּֽיךָ [I·redeemed·you] (464) = 2538.
Rashi
"I have blotted out, like a cloud, your transgressions." In Egypt and in the wilderness, and even now, return to Me.
Ibn Ezra
"I have wiped away [your sins] like a cloud." The one that passes at the rising of the sun and is not [seen]:
Radak
"I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions." Just as a thick cloud is erased by water, so too have I erased your transgressions.
"Return to Me." And what you have sinned until now, I have forgiven. And the Sage Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra wrote: "At this time, the transgression passes away at the setting of the sun." And he repeated the matter in different words.
“Return.” Accented on the final syllable:
"I have redeemed you." Now I will redeem you from the exile of Babylonia.
Metzudat David
"I have blotted out, like a cloud, your transgressions." From of old I have blotted out your sins with this cloud, which is dissolved in water.
And like a cloud, etc. The matter is repeated in what is stated:
"Return to Me." Therefore, return to Me, for I am the One who redeems you.
Metzudat Zion
“Machiti.” The term “machikah” (erasure) and likewise “Anochi, Anochi” (I, I) – “He who blots out your transgressions” (above, 43) – “like a thick cloud and like a cloud.” They are one matter, and the repetition is in what is written.
Malbim
"I will blot out [your sins], and even though your iniquities currently separate between you and your God, and I cannot cause My Divine Presence to dwell among you, until they are like a cloud and a mist that obscure the rays of the sun, nevertheless they will serve as a canopy between Me and you. Yet I will erase the transgressions: just as a cloud and a mist are erased by the wind that scatters them, so too I will erase your great transgressions, which are like a dense cloud, and your unintentional sins, which are like a mist that does not obscure as much as a dense cloud. This is only on the condition that you return to Me with repentance, for then I will redeem you. 'Then, if you return, behold, I have already redeemed you,' for the redemption is prepared, and the fundamental matter depends on repentance. And then, at the time of the redemption, they will no longer serve the stars and constellations, for then..."
Sing, O you heavens, for Hashem has done it; Shout, you lowest parts of the earth; Break forth into singing, you mountains, O forest, and every tree therein; For Hashem has redeemed Jacob, And does glorify Himself in Israel.
verse value 5593
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 76 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "in·him" (בּ֑וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·over·Israel" (וּבְיִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 291: shout, land. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "for·he·did" (כִּֽי־עָשָׂ֣ה), "shout" (הָרִ֙יעוּ֙), "low" (תַּחְתִּיּ֣וֹת). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "land" (root ארץ, 169x in Isaiah); "for·he·did" (root עשה, 101x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 5 words.
Rashi
They broke them open. The language of "opening of the mouth":
Ibn Ezra
Ranu. By way of parable: for there will be great joy for Israel, because on account of Israel’s redemption, the glory of God will be revealed to the entire world.
Radak
“Rejoice, O heavens.” This is an analogy: as if the entire world would rejoice at the exodus of Israel from exile.
For the Lord has done a good deed with His people and redeemed them.
“The depths of the earth.” This is the central point of the earth. And here, the circle and the point are mentioned, as well as the inanimate and the vegetative, but the living are not mentioned, for they will not all rejoice, for Babylon will mourn.
“Patzach.” Its meaning is raising the voice. And it mentions “mountains” because the primary aspect of the creation of the earth is the mountains within it.
“Let Him be glorified.” For the glory of God will be manifested in His bringing forth His people from exile, and the nations will glorify Him thereby; similarly, it is stated: “Cyrus said, ‘The Lord has given me all the kingdoms of the earth’” (Ezra 1:2).
Metzudat David
“Let the heavens rejoice.” This is a metaphor, and it means that there will be great joy in the world.
"For the Lord has done." This means that He has done what He was obligated to do and fulfill, namely, the redemption of Israel.
“The depths of the earth” – this is the central point of the terrestrial sphere.
"Forest." The place where the trees stand.
“And in Israel He shall be glorified.” Through the redemption of Israel, He shall be glorified in the mouths of all.
Metzudat Zion
“Shout.” From the term teruah [a blast]:
Tachtiyot. From the word "tachat" (under) and "mitachat" (from below):
“Patzach.” They opened their mouths by raising their voices to sing praises. And similarly: “Patzchi, rena, ve-tzaheli” (below, 54).
Let him be praised. The matter is one of praise and eulogy:
Malbim
Let the heavens rejoice, for the Lord will cause them to rejoice, for He will appear to all, for the Lord has made the heavens and governs the celestial order; and also, let them not err like those who wander astray, saying that the Lord has abandoned the earth to the dominion of the stars. For indeed, the depths of the earth will also shout for joy, for there too the glory of the Lord and His providence will be manifest. It is not that He watches over the earth only with general providence; for indeed, the mountains will burst forth in song, and even the forest and every tree within it, for His providence extends to every particular individual of creation, even to the vegetable kingdom. And by what means will they recognize His providence?
For the Lord has redeemed Jacob, and in Israel, who are the righteous, He will yet boast through performing for them great miracles and signs and wonders for His glory.
Thus says Hashem, your Redeemer, And He that formed you from the womb: I am Hashem, that makes all things; That stretched forth the heavens alone; That spread abroad the earth by Myself;
verse value 3383
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 62 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "all" (כֹּ֔ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "thus·says" (כֹּֽה־אָמַ֤ר, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 50: all, who?. The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "thus·says" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah); "the·land" (root ארץ, 169x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·the·belly', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 12 words.
Rashi
"And I will make you strong from the womb." From the time that "the children struggled together within her" (Genesis 25:22), I was your helper and I chose you.
He stretches out. “Heavens, by Myself!”
Ibn Ezra
25. "Make everything" – I make everything that is My desire. And the proof is: "For I have stretched out the heavens by Myself."
“From Me.” From My strength, for the Name is not a body; and it is written, “Who is with Me?” and behold, it is like “alone.” And know that the verse said, “Who stretches out the heavens and lays the foundation of the earth,” for their standing is always by the Name.
Radak
Thus says the Lord. And He brought you forth from the womb, I have explained it:
"Who does all." I made the entire world at the time of Creation, and there was none but I alone; and every day I am doing, for I sustain it by My power.
“Spreading forth the heavens.” “Fashioning the earth”: You have explained them. And when it says “alone” and “from Me,” it means that I am the first of all created beings, and at the time of creation there was none but I alone, from Me and by My power everything came into being. In Bereshit Rabbah, all agree that the angels were not created on the first day, lest they say, “Michael was stretching out the southern part of the firmament, and Gabriel the northern part, and the Holy One, blessed be He, was measuring the middle part.” Rather, “I am the Lord, who made all things; who spread forth the heavens alone, who fashioned the earth.”
"From Me." "Who is with Me" is written, to teach: Who was My partner in the creation of the world?
Metzudat David
"And I have formed you from the womb." From the moment of your emergence from your mother's womb, I have formed you for Myself as a people.
“Who does all.” Any matter that is done alone, with no one to help me.
“Spreading the earth from Me.” The spreading of the earth is from Me, meaning: from Me.
Metzudat Zion
Rokea. The meaning is spreading out and flattening, as in “who spread the earth over the waters” (Psalms 136:6).
Malbim
“Thus says the Lord”: This begins a new matter, speaking from the beginning about the redemption from Babylon, and he circles his words from this redemption to the future redemption, “I will redeem you in the future,” and he requires “from the womb” in the past tense. “I am the Lord who made all”: Not as those say that the world was created from Him necessarily, like a shadow from the sun, or as emanating from the intellect, as was the opinion of Aristotle; nor as those say that the Lord created the world through preexisting matter. Hence it says, “I am the Lord who makes,” for the necessary agent is not called by the name of “maker,” as the philosopher explained. And “I am the Lord who makes all”: All of it, even the matter of the world, I created from nothing. “I stretched out the heavens alone”: Not as those say that creation emanated from Him through causes and effects, for I stretch out the heavens alone, without any assistant. “I spread out the earth, without any helper”: Meaning, not as those say that the governance of the earth was entrusted to nature or to the celestial spheres, for behold, the stretching out of the earth upon the waters—this necessarily comes from Me, for it is contrary to the nature implanted in the element of water, which is to surround the element of earth from all sides, and not to be beneath it.
That frustrates the tokens of the imposters, And makes diviners mad; That turns wise men backward, And makes their knowledge foolish;
verse value 2845
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 44 letters. The shortest word is "he·frustrates" (מֵפֵר֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·divinationing" (וְקֹסְמִ֖ים, 6 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "he·frustrates" (מֵפֵר֙), "signs" (אֹת֣וֹת), "imposters" (בַּדִּ֔ים). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "turns·back" (root שוב, 51x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'makes·foolish', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: מֵפֵר֙ [he·frustrates] (320) + אֹת֣וֹת [signs] (807) + בַּדִּ֔ים [imposters] (56) + וְקֹסְמִ֖ים [and·divinationing] (256) + יְהוֹלֵ֑ל [makes·foolish] (81) + מֵשִׁ֧יב [turns·back] (352) + חֲכָמִ֛ים [wise] (118) + אָח֖וֹר [backward] (215) + וְדַעְתָּ֥ם [and·their·knowledge] (520) + יְסַכֵּֽל [makes·foolish] (120) = 2845.
Rashi
“‘He breaks the power of the signs.’ Since I stretched out the heavens, therefore I can break their power.”
Baddim. They are the diviners who gaze at the stars through the signs of the heavens, and because they often deceive, they are called baddim, for I exchange the ministers above, and those who inquire of them are led astray. And since the astrologers of Babylon divined by the stars, as it states below (Isaiah 47:13), “Let them rise and save you, the star-gazers of the heavens,” therefore it says, “I have nullified the signs of their baddim,” for it is I who nullified the signs of the baddim of Egypt.
Ibn Ezra
“Mafar et otot badim” – they are those who fabricate [things] from their own hearts; and similarly, “Should your babbling put men to silence” (Job 11:3). And it is more accurate to derive it from the root *badad*, for there are souls that have the power to isolate themselves.
"And diviners." They are the wise men of the constellations, and the meaning is "those who cut off," i.e., those who say, "Thus it shall be." And soothsayers are those who say, "Thus it shall be," not through wisdom.
He turns back the wise men. They are the seers of the liver and the shoulder, and the wise men of the future.
Radak
“Who breaks their signs.” And since He is the Master of all, He breaks and nullifies, whenever He wills, the deeds of the wise men who were in Babylonia, who lied with their signs, claiming them to be the signs of the heavens, as it is said, “And do not fear the signs of the heavens,” or alternatively, “signs” refers to the hours of the day, as it is said, “And they shall be for signs,” [meaning] they did not recognize the evil that would befall them, as it is said, “Let them stand up and save you, the makers of the heavens,” etc. And He called them “baddim” [diviners] because they sometimes lie regarding the judgment of the constellations. And “baddim” is from “badekha” in “your boastings (badekha) make men keep silence” (Job 11:3), which is interpreted as “your lies.” And similarly, “qosmim” [soothsayers] are those who gaze [into the future], like Balaam the son of Beor the soothsayer, for he was a seer of the stars. And “baddim,” “qosmim,” and “hakhamim” [wise men] are a repetition of the same concept expressed in different words. And the wise man Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra interpreted “baddim” from the root “badad” [to be alone], for there are souls that have the power to isolate themselves and reveal the future, but not through wisdom. And “qosmim” are the experts in the constellations, and “hakhamim” are those who see [omens] in the liver and in the shoulder blade.
Metzudat David
He frustrates. He nullifies the signs of the astrologers and it shall not be so:
"And sorcery He makes foolish." It mocks the minds of the sorcerers, and their deeds shall not be effective.
"He turns the wise backward." This is because it is the way of the wise to become ever more clever with each passing moment; therefore, the verse states that the Omnipresent turns the wise backward, meaning that they become foolish and lose their wisdom, and they become fools.
Metzudat Zion
mefar. The matter of prevention and annulment, as in "her husband annuls them" (Numbers 30):
"Signs." From the language of "sign" and "token":
Baddim. The matter is a lie fabricated from the heart, and likewise, "shall men keep silent at your idle talk?" (Job 11:3). And the astrologers are called so, because for the most part they speak a lie fabricated from the heart.
"and diviners." This refers to the matter of sorcery.
"Yehullal." The meaning is foolishness, as in "and makes fools of judges" (there, 12:).
He will be made foolish. The word is derived from folly and foolishness:
Malbim
“Mafir” – meaning, after I have created and oversee both the upper and lower realms with voluntary guidance according to My simple will, I am the One who nullifies the signs of the constellations and zodiacs. Even if a sign is found in the course of the zodiacs that Jerusalem will not be built, I will nullify the signs of the heavens. “Veholal khamim” – the sorcerers who attain knowledge through the wisdom of sorcery regarding what will be in the future will be like raving madmen, for it will not be as they have divined. “Vehashiv chachamim acharon” – the wise men are the sages of nature; I will turn them back, and their knowledge will be confounded. And the meaning is that the sages of nature attain knowledge of what is destined to happen according to the laws of nature. They proceed in their manner forward, meaning they always investigate from the cause to the effect. When they see the cause, they judge in their mind that the effect is compelled to occur: if there is fire, smoke is compelled to come; if there are clouds, rain will come. However, sometimes they err, and the matter does not happen, nor does it come as they judged. Then they go backward, meaning they return from the effect to the cause. For example, why did rain not come through the clouds? Because there was wind. Nevertheless, they will not succeed in their investigation except when the custom follows nature. But after I strengthen the laws of nature and nullify them, then the sages who first judged from the cause to the effect, and saw that the matter did not come as it was compelled to come according to the laws of nature, will return backward to seek the natural cause that brought this about. And then they will see that the Lord has confounded their knowledge, for they will see that this matter has no natural cause at all, but it is the finger of God.
That confirms the word of His servant, And performs the counsel of His messengers; That says of Jerusalem: ‘She shall be inhabited’; And of the cities of Judah: ‘They shall be built, And I will raise up the waste places thereof’;
verse value 4798
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 70 letters. The shortest word is "word·of" (דְּבַ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·her·ruins" (וְחׇרְבוֹתֶ֖יהָ, 8 letters). 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "am·establishing" (מֵקִים֙), "and·counsel·of" (וַעֲצַ֥ת), "his·messengers" (מַלְאָכָ֖יו). The root קום appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "who·said" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah); "word·of" (root דבר, 88x in Isaiah); "sojourner" (root ישב, 71x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'He·will·perform', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 8 words. Full calculation: מֵקִים֙ [am·establishing] (190) + דְּבַ֣ר [word·of] (206) + עַבְדּ֔וֹ [His·servant] (82) + וַעֲצַ֥ת [and·counsel·of] (566) + מַלְאָכָ֖יו [his·messengers] (107) + יַשְׁלִ֑ים [He·will·perform] (390) + הָאֹמֵ֨ר [who·said] (246) + לִירוּשָׁלִַ֜ם [to·Jerusalem] (616) + תּוּשָׁ֗ב [sojourner] (708) + וּלְעָרֵ֤י [and·to·cities·of] (316) + יְהוּדָה֙ [Judah] (30) + תִּבָּנֶ֔ינָה [they·will·be·built] (517) + וְחׇרְבוֹתֶ֖יהָ [and·her·ruins] (637) + אֲקוֹמֵֽם [I·will·raise·up] (187) = 4798.
Rashi
"He upholds the word of His servant." Moses:
"And the counsel of His angels." One angel said to Jacob, "Your name shall be Israel" (Genesis 32:29), and I fulfilled his words. Even here, I will fulfill the counsel of the prophets who said regarding Jerusalem, "It shall be inhabited."
Ibn Ezra
"Establishing the word of His servant" – this refers to the prophet himself, and the meaning is self-evident. And what is "the word of the prophet"? That the inhabitants of Jerusalem:
[Toshav]. From the root y-sh-v, like "tored" (Isaiah 14:15):
And their swords. Swords of every city and city, or the letter heh is a sign for Jerusalem.
Radak
“Establishing the word of His servant.” This refers to Isaiah and his companions, the remaining prophets who prophesied concerning the building of the Second Temple.
For Jerusalem. On account of Jerusalem; and similarly, “and for the cities.”
Toshav. That its inhabitants will return to it; toshav, its root is yashav, from which its verb form is not mentioned in the augmented conjugations.
And her ruins. Its meaning refers to Jerusalem, which was mentioned.
Metzudat David
"Who upholds the word of His servant" – this refers to Isaiah.
"And the counsel of His angels." These are the other prophets:
"He who says": This refers to each one of them, who prophesied and said that Jerusalem would be inhabited by people, and concerning the cities of Judah, he said that they would be rebuilt after the fall of Babylon.
Metzudat Zion
“Establishes.” A verb derived from the root meaning “establishment.”
His angels. His agents:
He will complete. From the root of completion and finishing.
To Jerusalem. On account of Jerusalem. And similarly: “Open your mouth for the mute” (Proverbs 31:8).
Toshav. From the word "yeshiva" (dwelling):
“Tibbanenah” (they shall be built). From the language of building:
“and its ruins.” From the word “churban” (desolation).
Malbim
"Makim" means that which will be changed regarding the indications of the stars, the indications of the astrologers, and the indications of the naturalists, all of whom will indicate that Babylonia will be successful and Jerusalem humbled; and I will reverse the matter. This will be because I am the One who establishes the word of His servant. And the meaning is that the miracle will occur for two reasons: 1. Through the decree of the righteous or their prayer, as it is stated regarding Elijah, "As the Lord lives, if there shall be dew and rain these years but according to my word," meaning that I am not saying this as a prophecy, but as a decree; I speak and decree, and so it shall stand. And this is what is meant by "He establishes the word of His servant," referring to the righteous person who serves Him. 2. To fulfill the prophecy, if the prophet requests a sign and wonder in order to achieve the desired end, namely that they believe in his prophecy. And this is what is meant by "and He fulfills the counsel of His angels," referring to what His angels and messengers advise by way of counsel to achieve the desired end. From these two aspects, namely the prayer of the righteous and the declaration of the prophets, He will perform this miracle. And He said to Jerusalem, "You shall be inhabited," and also the other cities of Judah shall be rebuilt, and also the ruins of Jerusalem, which are the Temple and its courts, I Myself will raise up in My honor.
That says to the deep: ‘Be dry, and I will dry up your rivers’;
verse value 1637
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 25 letters. The shortest word is "who·said" (הָאֹמֵ֥ר, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·your·rivers" (וְנַהֲרֹתַ֖יִךְ, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "to·the·deep" (לַצּוּלָ֖ה), "and·your·rivers" (וְנַהֲרֹתַ֖יִךְ). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "who·said" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah); "sword" (root חרב, 44x in Isaiah); "and·your·rivers" (root נהר, 22x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'sword', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: הָאֹמֵ֥ר [who·said] (246) + לַצּוּלָ֖ה [to·the·deep] (161) + חֳרָ֑בִי [sword] (220) + וְנַהֲרֹתַ֖יִךְ [and·your·rivers] (691) + אוֹבִֽישׁ [I·will·dry·up] (319) = 1637.
Rashi
One who says to the deep: “Be dry!” One who says to Bavel: “Dry up!”
"And I will dry up your rivers." Because she sits upon rivers, the slaughter of her inhabitants is likened to the drying up of rivers.
Ibn Ezra
"He who says tzolah: Like metzulah [Jonah 2:4], 'in the depths of the sea' [Micah 7:10]. And this is the reason: it alludes to Babylon, which was full of people and wealth, like the depths of the sea."
Radak
One who says "Tzolah": It is Babel, which is compared to the depths of the sea for two reasons: one, that it was full of water; and the second, because it was a valley.
"חרבי" – that is, "I will make you dry up," meaning that no good will remain in you, but you will be desolated by Cyrus. Likewise, "and your rivers will be dried up" is figurative language. And behold, all is in the hand of the Almighty, for He said to Jerusalem, which was desolate, that it would be rebuilt, and He said to Babylon, which was built, that it would be desolated.
Metzudat David
He who says “to the deep” [lit. “to the one in the deep”]: That which each of the prophets said concerning Babylon, which stands in the deep, that it shall become a place of desolation, means that all its inhabitants shall perish. And since it dwells in the deep, they likened the destruction of its people to the drying up of the waters.
"And I will dry up your rivers." The matter is doubled in what is stated:
Metzudat Zion
Latzolah. To the depths; its meaning is a place of abundant waters. Similarly, “And You cast me into the depths” (Jonah 2:3). Charvi. Its meaning is dryness, like “the waters dried up” (Genesis 8:13).
And "uvish" – the word means "dried."
Malbim
He says to her, “And even to Babylon—although it is a deep abyss and the waters gather there by nature—I say to her: ‘My sword [shall be upon you],’ so that there shall be no water in her; and even her rivers shall be dried up, although by nature it is impossible for them to dry up in this land, which stands in a deep abyss.” (And the parable is: although according to nature Babylon is prosperous and flourishing, nevertheless the Lord will overturn it, and this will be through Cyrus, who conquered Babylon and granted permission to Israel to rebuild Jerusalem.)
That says of Cyrus: ‘He is My shepherd, And shall perform all My pleasure’; Even saying of Jerusalem: ‘She shall be built’; And to the temple: ‘My foundation shall be laid.’
verse value 3597
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 48 letters. The shortest word is "my·shepherd" (רֹעִ֔י, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·all·My·delight" (וְכׇל־חֶפְצִ֖י, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "let·it·be·built" (תִּבָּנֶ֔ה), "and·temple" (וְהֵיכָ֖ל), "will·be·founded" (תִּוָּסֵֽד). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "who·said" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah); "to·Jerusalem" (root ירושלם, 42x in Isaiah); "my·shepherd" (root רעה, 25x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'makes·be·at·peace', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: הָאֹמֵ֤ר [who·said] (246) + לְכ֙וֹרֶשׁ֙ [of·Cyrus] (556) + רֹעִ֔י [my·shepherd] (280) + וְכׇל־חֶפְצִ֖י [and·all·My·delight] (244) + יַשְׁלִ֑ם [makes·be·at·peace] (380) + וְלֵאמֹ֤ר [and·to·say] (277) + לִירוּשָׁלִַ֙ם֙ [to·Jerusalem] (616) + תִּבָּנֶ֔ה [let·it·be·built] (457) + וְהֵיכָ֖ל [and·temple] (71) + תִּוָּסֵֽד [will·be·founded] (470) = 3597.
Rashi
My shepherd. My king:
Ibn Ezra
"He who says" – and [the verse continues] "to say to Jerusalem, 'It shall be built,'" – and behold, this is complete proof that Jerusalem was built in the days of Cyrus. And the allusion [in the verse] is that it was "founded" upon the House of the Lord, which he had commanded to be built. And when the hands of Zerubbabel had laid the foundation, Cyrus commanded that it not be built. And thus it is clarified that Daniel did not err in his calculation, as I explained in its proper place.
Radak
Who says of Cyrus: Concerning Cyrus, it says that he is My shepherd, meaning that he will tend My flock, and it refers to Israel.
“And all My desires shall complete it.” In Babylonia and in Jerusalem:
"And the Temple shall be founded." From this we find that the word "Temple" (heichal) is both masculine and feminine, for we also find the verse "The Temple of the Lord has not been founded" (ve-heichal Hashem lo yesad), where it is treated as masculine. It is possible that the vav in "ve-heichal" is the vav of the direct object, and the verb "tosad" is used because in the days of Cyrus they only laid the foundation, for the Ammonites caused their work to cease, and it remained halted until the second year of Darius.
Metzudat David
He who says to Cyrus: “That each one said on account of Cyrus, that he would be my shepherd to pasture My flock, and they are Israel, and he would fulfill My desire to destroy Babylon and to send Israel from exile.”
And to say: To command on behalf of Jerusalem to build it and the Temple, He commanded to lay its foundation (for in his days only the foundation was laid, and it was completed in the days of Darius, as stated in Haggai).
Metzudat Zion
My delight. My desire:
Tosad. The word is from the root "yesod":
Malbim
He stated that the miracle would manifest in two aspects: a. The suspension of the laws of nature. b. The suspension of the laws of choice and free will, such that God would change the hearts of the kings to do His will; and this miracle is more difficult (even though among human beings this is not considered so much of a miracle, because free choice is more free than the laws of nature). And in this regard he added that thereby this miracle would be magnified in general, by compelling the choice of Cyrus to His will.
He said to Cyrus, “My shepherd,” I say to Cyrus, “My shepherd, and I will reveal to him My counsel and My thoughts, and he shall carry out all My desires.” And what is this desire? For he shall say, “Let Jerusalem be built, and the Temple be founded” (and it is said, “and the Temple be founded,” because the entire building is attributed to the Lord Himself, as it is stated [Isaiah 44:26], “I will raise up its ruins”).
Rashi
Ibn Ezra
Radak
Metzudat David
Malbim