The servant formed from the womb, a light to the nations; and Zion, who thought herself forsaken, told, 'I will not forget thee,' her children gathered from afar.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
Listen, O isles, to me, And hearken, you peoples, from far: Hashem has called me from the womb, From the bowels of my mother has He made mention of my name;
verse value 2713
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 56 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "to·me" (אֵלַ֔י, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·attend" (וְהַקְשִׁ֥יבוּ, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·attend" (וְהַקְשִׁ֥יבוּ), "called·me" (קְרָאָ֔נִי), "from·the·womb·of" (מִמְּעֵ֥י). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "listen" (root שמע, 106x in Isaiah); "to·me" (root אל, 95x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·far', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 7 words. Full calculation: שִׁמְע֤וּ [listen] (416) + אִיִּים֙ [isles] (61) + אֵלַ֔י [to·me] (41) + וְהַקְשִׁ֥יבוּ [and·attend] (429) + לְאֻמִּ֖ים [peoples] (121) + מֵרָח֑וֹק [from·far] (354) + יְהֹוָה֙ [Hashem] (26) + מִבֶּ֣טֶן [from·belly] (101) + קְרָאָ֔נִי [called·me] (361) + מִמְּעֵ֥י [from·the·womb·of] (160) + אִמִּ֖י [my·mother] (51) + הִזְכִּ֥יר [he·mentioned] (242) + שְׁמִֽי [my·name] (350) = 2713.
Rashi
From the womb He called me. While I was in the womb, it arose before Him in thought that my name should be Yeshayahu, to prophesy salvations and consolations.
Ibn Ezra
Hear. These are the words of the prophet:
“From afar.” Those who dwell in a distant land, or “from afar” concerning a matter that is yet to come.
From the verse “He called me from the womb.” I will explain it in the book of Jeremiah:
Radak
“Hear, O isles!” – The explanation is: “Inhabitants of the isles.” And these are the words of the prophet concerning himself. He said, “Hear and pay attention,” to the nations that are far off, as if they were near him, because he prophesied to them the calamity that was destined to befall them. For he prophesied against Sennacherib, king of Assyria, many times, and he prophesied against Babylon, Moab, Damascus, Egypt, Dumah, Tyre, and Sidon.
"The Lord called me from the womb." Do not be astonished at me if I prophesy evil against you, for I was appointed for prophecy from the womb. And this is in accordance with the interpretation we gave for the verse "A transgressor from the womb."
Metzudat David
"Hear, O isles!" The inhabitants of the isles of the sea:
From afar. Those who dwell from afar:
From the womb He called me. From the time I was in my mother’s womb, He called my name Isaiah, to hint that I would prophesy salvations.
From the womb, etc. The matter is repeated in what is stated:
Malbim
“Hear, O nations!”—from this we may infer that He turned His face away from the prophecy concerning the redemption from Babylonia through Cyrus (from chapter 43, verse 14, through chapter 45), and He began His prophecy regarding the future redemption: “Hear, O isles! Attend, O peoples!”—meaning that this prophecy extends to the ends of the earth. And “let the peoples hear from afar”—that is to say, those who will be in the end of days.
"The Lord called me from the womb, and prepared me for prophecy concerning the redemption." What is the difference between "from the womb" (mebatn) and "from the loins of my mother" (memei emi)? For the fetus is initially attached within the mother's intestines (me'im), and afterward, when it grows somewhat, it separates from the intestines and floats upward into the abdomen (batn). This indicates that while he was still in his mother's abdomen, prior to emerging into the outside world, the Lord already called him and commanded him to go on His mission to prophesy to Israel. Moreover, not only that, but even while I was in my mother's intestines, attached to her entrails—which is before the form of the child is fully formed—my name was already mentioned, that I, specifically, would be the one prepared for this mission. This is akin to saying that at the time the seminal drop was absorbed in the mother's womb, from then on the Lord called by his name. And after that, when he separated from the intestines and was in the upper abdomen, then He called him personally and sent him to go on His mission. (The intent is that for attaining prophecy, one requires both natural preparation and habitual preparation: that one be predisposed to it by nature, and that one prepare oneself for it through habituation in commandments and good deeds. He states that he was naturally predisposed to this from the time of conception, and he prepared himself for it through his own choice from the time he separated from the intestines, even though he had not yet emerged from his mother's womb. An example of this is found in Jeremiah (1:5), as I explained there.)
And He has made my mouth like a sharp sword, In the shadow of His hand has He hid me; And He has made me a polished shaft, In His quiver has He concealed me;
verse value 3407
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 53 letters. Notable word values: "he·hid·me" (הֶחְבִּיאָ֑נִי) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "my·mouth" (פִּי֙, 2 letters) and the longest is "he·hid·me" (הֶחְבִּיאָ֑נִי, 7 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "sharp" (חַדָּ֔ה), "he·hid·me" (הֶחְבִּיאָ֑נִי), "and·made·me" (וַיְשִׂימֵ֙נִי֙). The root שום appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "his·hand" (root יד, 79x in Isaiah); "as·sword·of" (root חרב, 44x in Isaiah); "and·put" (root שום, 40x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'he·hid·me', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיָּ֤שֶׂם [and·put] (356) + פִּי֙ [my·mouth] (90) + כְּחֶ֣רֶב [as·sword·of] (230) + חַדָּ֔ה [sharp] (17) + בְּצֵ֥ל [in·shadow·of] (122) + יָד֖וֹ [his·hand] (20) + הֶחְבִּיאָ֑נִי [he·hid·me] (86) + וַיְשִׂימֵ֙נִי֙ [and·made·me] (426) + לְחֵ֣ץ [for·an·arrow] (128) + בָּר֔וּר [sincerely] (408) + בְּאַשְׁפָּת֖וֹ [quiver] (789) + הִסְתִּירָֽנִי [he·concealed·me] (735) = 3407.
Rashi
"And I set my mouth like a sharp sword" – to convict the wicked and to prophesy against them disaster.
"In the shadow of His hand He concealed me" – so that they could not harm me.
A clear pressure. Polished, from the Old French "Klär":
“From his quiver.” A vessel in which arrows are fastened, which they call “koykher” in the vernacular.
Ibn Ezra
"And he made my mouth like a sharp sword" — to speak with clarity, or [to be] sharp in his prophecy against Babylon. The meaning is: although He made my mouth like a sharp sword, the Lord concealed me in the shadow of His hand, and the Babylonians and the wicked of Israel could not prevail against me.
And behold, He has hidden me like a sheath for a sword, and the proof is: "And in his quiver."
Clear. it appears to be pure:
Radak
And he put his mouth. I cannot restrain myself from prophesying, for He placed my mouth like a sharp sword to speak of the future with a cutting tongue, without fear.
"In the shadow of His hand He concealed me." This teaches that the Israelites were unable to harm me, even though I spoke harsh words against them.
And He made me a clear, sharp arrow; to shoot from my tongue to the distant nations:
"In His quiver He hid me." Because He likened Himself to an arrow, He likened His hidden secrets to a quiver, where arrows are concealed. He said "a sharp sword" in reference to Israel, who are close to Him, for with a sword a person strikes those who are near, not those who are far. And He said "an arrow" in reference to the nations, who are distant, for with an arrow a person shoots at a distance. And the meaning of "clear" is that it is drawn out and twisted until it is pure and clear.
Metzudat David
"Like a sharp sword": To convict the wicked and to prophesy against them calamities:
"He hid me" – so that they would not be able to harm me.
A polished arrow. To prove and to prophesy, etc. And the matter is repeated in what is written:
"In His quiver He hid me." This means that He served as a refuge for me from the wicked. And since he compared himself to an arrow, he used the language that is employed regarding arrows:
Metzudat Zion
Sharp. Sharp and pointed:
He who hid me. From the language of a hiding place and a refuge:
Clear. Free from rust:
“From his quiver”: So is called the quiver of arrows, as it is written, “Upon it shall the quiver rejoice” (Job 39:23).
Malbim
"And He set my mouth like a sharp sword" (Isaiah 49:2): The sword cuts up close, whereas the arrow strikes even from afar; the sword is held in the hand, whereas the arrow is placed in the quiver. The verse states that He set my mouth like a sharp sword that cuts up close, indicating that I would discipline and reprove Israel with my very mouth, through my sharp and cutting words. And He held me in His hand. Since one approaches battle against a sword, the verse says that He hid me in the shadow of His hand: when He held me in His hand, He did so in such a manner that I would be concealed under the shadow of the hand, so that they would not see me. (The underlying meaning is: since His words were spoken in the Name of the Lord, they did not look at me, the one disciplining them with the sword of His tongue, because I prophesied in the Name of the Lord.) Furthermore, He set me as a polished arrow, smoothed and refined, indicating that I would direct my prophecy even to distant nations and future times, like an arrow that strikes from afar. And He hid me in His quiver, which is the place where arrows are kept, until they did not perceive that He was prepared to shoot.
And He said to me: ‘You are My servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.’
verse value 2535
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 29 letters. Verse gematria: 2535 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "to·me" (לִ֖י, 2 letters) and the longest is "my·servant·you" (עַבְדִּי־אָ֑תָּה, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "in·whom" (אֲשֶׁר־בְּךָ֖), "I·will·be·glorified" (אֶתְפָּאָֽר). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah); "in·whom" (root אשר, 176x in Isaiah); "Israel" (root ישראל, 84x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'my·servant·you', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֥אמֶר [and·said] (257) + לִ֖י [to·me] (40) + עַבְדִּי־אָ֑תָּה [my·servant·you] (492) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֕ל [Israel] (541) + אֲשֶׁר־בְּךָ֖ [in·whom] (523) + אֶתְפָּאָֽר [I·will·be·glorified] (682) = 2535.
Ibn Ezra
And He said to me. God:
"You are My servant, Israel, in whom I will glorify Myself" (Isaiah 49:3): "You are My servant"—you are from the seed of Israel, in whom I will glorify Myself; or, you are Israel, in that you are regarded in My eyes as representing all of Israel. And this latter interpretation is the correct one.
Radak
And He said to me, “You are My servant.” This means that you are prepared for My mission, like a servant to his master, as it is said, “Here I am, send me.”
Israel. It means: In a general and specific statement, “You are Israel,” in whom I will take pride, like a master who takes pride in his faithful servant.
Metzudat David
"You are My servant. You are ready for My mission, like a servant to his master:"
Israel. Behold, you stand before Me as the entire multitude of Israel, in you I take pride, just as I do in all of them.
Malbim
And He said to me, “You are My servant,” and He called me by the name of His servant, when I am ready for His service in this matter. “Israel”—the Prophet now turns his face toward Israel, saying, “You, Israel, know that in you I will glory.” What I mean by saying that the Lord called me His servant is that this glorying—I cannot glory except in you and through you, for my service is to bring you back in repentance. And now I will do this; it is the time for Israel to return. Then I will glory in being called the servant of the Lord, for I have completed my service. Not so if you do not return in repentance, for then I cannot be called the servant of the Lord, since my service has not been completed.
But I said: ‘I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought and vanity; Yet surely my right is with Hashem, And my recompense with my God.’
verse value 4523
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 60 letters. The shortest word is "my·strength" (כֹּחִ֣י, 3 letters) and the longest is "Hashem" (אֶת־יְהֹוָ֔ה, 6 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "I·am·weary" (יָגַ֔עְתִּי), "to·waste" (לְתֹ֥הוּ), "and·vanity" (וְהֶ֖בֶל). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "I·utteranced" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah); "and·I" (root אני, 76x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'I·spent', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַאֲנִ֤י [and·I] (67) + אָמַ֙רְתִּי֙ [I·utteranced] (651) + לְרִ֣יק [in·vain] (340) + יָגַ֔עְתִּי [I·am·weary] (493) + לְתֹ֥הוּ [to·waste] (441) + וְהֶ֖בֶל [and·vanity] (43) + כֹּחִ֣י [my·strength] (38) + כִלֵּ֑יתִי [I·spent] (470) + אָכֵן֙ [surely] (71) + מִשְׁפָּטִ֣י [my·judgment] (439) + אֶת־יְהֹוָ֔ה [Hashem] (427) + וּפְעֻלָּתִ֖י [and·my·wages] (596) + אֶת־אֱלֹהָֽי [with·my·God] (447) = 4523.
Rashi
And I said, “In vain have I labored.” When I saw that I was admonishing them and they were not listening.
Indeed, my cause is with the Lord. He knows that it is not from me, but from them.
Ibn Ezra
And I. Even these are the words of the prophet on his own behalf:
I said in my heart:
In vain have I labored. For I have wearied my soul in admonishing Israel, yet they did not listen.
Indeed, it is just. With God that will give me reward for my labor, and so my work, as it is written: "the wages of a hired worker shall not remain with you overnight" (Leviticus 19:13).
Radak
"And I said": When I saw that Israel did not return in repentance to my reproof, I said, "I have labored in vain." And the matter is repeated in different words.
"My judgment and my recompense." They are with the Lord, who sent me to them, yet I did not profit, and with Him I will contend about this:
Metzudat David
"And I said: When I was admonishing them and they did not incline their ear, I initially thought that I had labored in vain, for since I had not succeeded, I would therefore not receive a reward."
"Tohu, etc." The doubling of the matter is stated in the verse:
Indeed. But in truth, the judgment of my recompense is with God, and He will repay fully, since I have done my part.
And my work. The reward of my work is with my God. And the matter is doubled in what is stated:
Malbim
And I said, and for this reason I said in my heart that I have labored in vain, after I saw that Israel does not return in repentance; thus, I have not fulfilled my mission. My strength I have spent for naught and vanity. "The labor" indicates the standing during the time of the work, and "my strength I have spent" indicates the standing after the completion of the work. For example, one who was hired to dig for a treasure, and his wage was stipulated in general terms, and he dug but did not find the treasure: behold, his labor was in vain because he did not find what he sought, yet his strength was not spent for naught, for he will receive his wage. But if they hired him on the condition that they would not pay him his wage unless he found the treasure, and he searched but did not find it, then he labored in vain, and also his strength was spent for naught and vanity. According to this, I say that he thought he had labored in vain after his reproof did not succeed in bringing them back in repentance, and also his strength was spent for vanity and naught, for he will not now receive any reward, since he did not complete his mission.
“Yet surely” — the verse’s clauses correspond: “I said, In vain have I labored” — “yet surely my judgment is with the Lord”; “I said, For naught and vanity I spent my strength” — “yet surely my recompense is with my God.” That is to say, the Lord, in His kindness, completed for me what I had not completed in my service as His messenger. For I had said, “In vain have I labored,” meaning that the labor of the service itself and all the reproofs I delivered were a vain matter, for they accomplished nothing. But the judgment of His providence is from the Lord, and He, by His power, turned the matter so that these reproofs and prophecies would be of great benefit, as will be explained. Likewise, what I thought, that I had exhausted my life for futility, that I would not receive reward for this service—rather, the reward of my work is from my God, and He brought it about that I would receive great reward from this service, as is explained.
And now says Hashem That formed me from the womb to be His servant, To bring Jacob back to Him, And that Israel be gathered to Him— For I am honourable in the eyes of Hashem, And my God is become my strength—
verse value 3001
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 78 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "to·him" (ל֔וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·Israel" (וְיִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 36: to·him, to·him. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "that·formed·me" (יֽוֹצְרִ֤י), "to·bring·back" (לְשׁוֹבֵ֤ב), "and·I·am·honored" (וְאֶכָּבֵד֙). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "not" (root לא, 286x in Isaiah); "said" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'will·be·gathered', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 6 words.
Rashi
"Let him gather." To Him he shall return in repentance.
Ibn Ezra
"And now, my Former: God created me in order to bring judgment upon Israel until they return to God."
"Lo yisa'ef." The root is spelled with a vav when read, as in "hu eshenu ve-lo anachnu" (Psalm 100:3) and its analogues. The Gaon said that "lo yisa'ef" means "he shall not die," for it was his custom to interpret according to both the vocalized reading and the written text. However, the correct view is what I stated: the aleph written in the text stands in place of a vav, as explained by Rabbi Yehudah the Grammarian, of blessed memory.
Radak
And now He said: "To bring Jacob back to Him," therefore He formed me to be His servant, to bring Jacob back to Him through my reproach, and to gather Israel to Him, meaning for His service. And if it will not be effective in this generation, it is sufficient for me that I be honored in the eyes of the Lord, and that He make known to me His secrets and future events, and He was my strength, so that no harm would come to me. And it is written with an aleph: "lo ya'asef," and the interpretation of the verse is in the form of a question.
Metzudat David
"And now, says the Lord..." — This means: The Lord, who formed me from the womb to be His servant, to go on His mission, has now told me to bring Jacob back to Him in repentance. And for this reason, I will be honored in the eyes of the Lord. Moreover, He was my strength, so that the wicked could not harm me. And it is as if to say: as he thought at the end, so the Lord said to me — that even if I do not succeed, I will still be honored in His eyes. And thus He was to me a fortress and a strength.
Metzudat Zion
To bring back. From the language of restoration:
"He will gather." The matter is one of bringing in.
My strength. My might:
Malbim
And now, he begins to explain how the Lord turned the matter around so that there would be benefit and reward for his labor. He says: "The Lord said to me: 'The Lord, who formed me from the womb to be His servant, to bring Jacob back to Him.'" This means: Although the ultimate purpose for which the Lord formed me from the womb to serve Him was specifically for a particular matter and a special task—namely, to bring Jacob back to Him through repentance—regarding Israel, who are the great ones among them who do not need to be brought back in repentance, I will gather them through reproof, so that they will assemble themselves to serve Him as one united group, with one mind. This was the primary service that the Lord assigned to me from the time of my formation. In this service, I said, "In vain have I labored," because I did not complete it, for Israel did not return to the Lord, nor did they heed my reproof. Nevertheless, since I was honored in the eyes of the Lord—after I was honored in the eyes of the Lord because He saw the great effort and toil that I had exerted—and my God was my strength through my good deeds.
Indeed, He says: ‘It is too light a thing that you should be My servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob, And to restore the offspring of Israel; I will also give you for a light of the nations, That My salvation may be to the end of the earth.’
verse value 6733
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 90 letters. The shortest word is "to·me" (לִי֙, 2 letters) and the longest is "than·your·being" (מִֽהְיוֹתְךָ֥, 6 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "it·is·slight" (נָקֵ֨ל), "than·your·being" (מִֽהְיוֹתְךָ֥), "servant" (עֶ֔בֶד). The root היה appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah); "than·your·being" (root היה, 213x in Isaiah); "the·land" (root ארץ, 169x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·restore', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 7 words.
Rashi
"It is easy for You to be..." etc. A small gift is it in Your eyes that You should have this alone for You, that I should be Your servant to establish Jacob and to return to You the captives of Israel; and behold, I will add to you further, and I will make you a light to the nations, and to prophesy concerning the downfall of Babylon, which is a joy to the whole world.
"And the fortresses of Israel." Just as it is written in Proverbs 7:10, "and the fortress of the heart," meaning their hearts are surrounded by the inclination toward sinful thoughts, like a besieged city surrounded by its attackers.
Ibn Ezra
And he said, "It is a light matter." It is in My eyes for you to be a servant to restore Israel to their land through speech.
And the fortresses of Israel. [They are] desolate, like "a besieged city" (Isaiah 1:8):
And the meaning is: You shall not return only the Israelites, but rather, "I have made you a light to the nations."
"To be my salvation." To be proclaimed before it comes to pass:
Radak
And He said, “Nakal.” It is in the nifal conjugation, and the qof is with a tsere. Its meaning is one of astonishment, and it is lacking the heh of astonishment, as if He said: “Is it ‘nakal’ (vain/light) that you have said? Why did you say that you have labored in vain? Is it ‘nakal’ (easy) for you to have been My servant? This alone is sufficient for you, even though the men of your generation did not heed you; it is enough that you fulfilled My mission. Moreover, to restore the tribes of Jacob from their fall, in exile among the nations, and is it not enough for you that you prophesied concerning the good that I am about to bring upon them?”
"And the strongholds of Israel shall be returned." The explanation is that they shall be returned to their former state. And "strongholds" means ruins, as in: "And in ruins shall they lodge."
“And I will make you a light to the nations.” The explanation is that your prophecies will be, in the future, a light to the nations; when they see that your prophecies are fulfilled, they will return to the good path and shine in you, so that your salvation will reach the ends of the earth. For through the salvation of Israel, the nations too will be saved, after the wars of Gog and Magog, as it is stated, “All flesh shall come to bow down before Me,” and it is stated, “And nations shall walk to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.”
Metzudat David
And He said. The Lord said to me: It is a light gift in My eyes compared to what it would be for Me to have a servant in this matter alone, to establish the tribes of Jacob so that they stand in their faith, and to bring Israel back to Me in repentance, who are surrounded by the incitements and deceptions of the evil inclination, like a besieged city surrounded by armies.
"And I will make you." Rather, I will add to you an even greater gift, for I will make you a prophet and a herald of the future Redemption. Then, "My salvation shall come from the end of the earth to its utmost limit," for all of them shall be saved through the salvation of the Lord.
Metzudat Zion
Nakal. The word is derived from the root "kal" (light).
And "natzori." The word is derived from "matzor" (besiege) and "heqef" (encircle), like "a besieged city" (above, 1:8).
Malbim
And He said, “Therefore, the Lord said to me: Do not worry that you did not achieve the ultimate purpose for which you were created, and that the task I assigned to you—to bring Israel back in repentance—was not completed. For you are now prepared for something greater than this, and I have now assigned to you a great ultimate purpose and a very honorable task. For it is easier for you to be My servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob—the task assigned to you until now, to raise up the tribes of Jacob—than the task I have now placed in your hands. For now, ‘I will make you a light to the nations.’ Now, the ultimate purpose of your mission will not be a particular matter, namely to bring that generation back in repentance, but rather a great, general matter. For you are anointed to proclaim to the afflicted the great tidings and the future consolations, at the time of the general salvation that will occur in the end of days. By the light of your prophecy, many nations will walk, and the verse’s clauses correspond: “it is too light a thing that you should be My servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob,” for ‘I have made you the salvation of My people to the end of the earth.’ And it is easier for you to be My servant, the guardian of Israel, to bring them back (for ‘I have made you’ a light to the nations), for the task assigned to him in his prophecy concerning Israel was for two purposes: A. To raise up the tribes of Jacob, which means to raise them from their physical fall, as they were then exiles and scattered after the exile by Sennacherib. And the Lord desired that Isaiah, through his reproofs, would return them to their place, to their land, and to their success. B. ‘The guardian of Israel to bring them back’—to bring Israel back in spiritual success, for which they were given the name Israel, and to bring them back in repentance to the Lord. And after these two purposes were not accomplished by him, the Lord said to him that, in contrast to this, his mission in these two matters would be a comprehensive mission for the entire world. And corresponding to the spiritual success, he would be ‘a light to the nations,’ illuminating for them the true faith, so that they would all walk in the light of the Lord. And corresponding to the physical success, the salvation of the Lord would spread to the end of the earth. (The intention of these words you will see as stated above in Chapter 12.) For from the time that the ten tribes were scattered by Sennacherib, from that time began the time of redemption. And it is that ‘from that time the prophets began to prophesy that these lost ones would be gathered and return, the prisoners of hope.’ And this exile began in the sixth year of Hezekiah. And from that time began the prophecy of the seers concerning redemption. And if Israel had returned then in complete repentance, that redemption would have arrived immediately in the fifteenth year of Hezekiah, when Assyria fell, and that would have been the time for these lost ones to return. And therefore, he connected his prophecy concerning redemption and gathering to the defeat of Sennacherib, as you will see above (Chapters 11, 18, 27). For all the prophecies (that he prophesied in the first part, he prophesied before the defeat of Sennacherib. And then he foresaw in the spirit of the Lord that there was hope that the lost ones would be gathered immediately to their land and be redeemed. And this depended on the condition that they return in repentance. And for this mission, Isaiah was assigned for all that time while Hezekiah was alive. For all that time there was hope that Hezekiah would be the Messiah, the God of Jacob, as our Sages mentioned in many places. But his words did not bear fruit, for that generation, both the Jews who remained and the tribes that were exiled (for his prophecy was for both together, as it is written, ‘He made my mouth like a sharp sword, and He set me as a polished arrow’), did not return in repentance. And consequently, they also did not return to their land. And the Temple was destroyed afterwards due to the sin of those who remained, and all vision perished. As Isaiah himself saw this even in the days of Hezekiah, and prophesied about it above (24:16). And then Isaiah thought that he had labored in vain and his strength was spent for nothing. But the Lord said to him: Know that you have not labored in vain, for all these prophecies that you prophesied concerning the return of the lost ones will be fulfilled in the end of days. And then the salvation will not be particular, as it would have been if it had come in the days of Hezekiah, but it will be a general salvation. Instead of raising up the tribes of Jacob, who are the ten tribes exiled to Halah and Habor, instead of that, ‘My salvation will be to the end of the earth.’ And instead of bringing back that generation in repentance, as it is written, ‘The guardian of Israel to bring them back,’ and this matter was not accomplished by you, you will be ‘a light to the nations,’ and you will illuminate with spiritual success for the entire world. For if the redemption had been in the days of Hezekiah, it would not have been so general, and the true faith would not have spread so much as it will in the end of days, as it is written, ‘For then I will turn to the peoples a pure language.’ And it is clear that after the death of Hezekiah, when he saw that his labor was in vain (or perhaps after he prophesied the prophecy above in Chapter 39, which was due to Hezekiah’s sin, as stated there), from then on the prophet despaired and saw that the lost tribes would not return now. And from then on, the Lord anointed him to proclaim to the afflicted the great, future, general redemption, which he prophesied from Chapter 40 until the end of the book). And from now on, he begins his prophecy concerning the future, and these words of his are like the matter that was proposed to them: after he prophesied the redemption of Cyrus, he will relate how the Lord sent him to proclaim great future consolations.
Thus says Hashem, The Redeemer of Israel, his Holy One, To him who is despised of men, To him who is abhorred of nations, To a servant of rulers: Kings shall see and arise, Princes, and they shall prostrate themselves; Because of Hashem that is faithful, Even the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.
verse value 6688
Insights
Verse structure: 22 words, 99 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "thus" (כֹּ֣ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "says·Hashem" (אָֽמַר־יְהֹוָה֩, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 541: Israel, Israel. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "holy·one·of" (קְדוֹשׁ֗וֹ), "to·scorn·soul" (לִבְזֹה־נֶ֜פֶשׁ), "to·the·abhorred·of" (לִמְתָ֤עֵֽב). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 20 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "says·Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "who" (root אשר, 176x in Isaiah); "Israel" (root ישראל, 84x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·they·prostrate·themselves', dividing the verse into phrases of 15 and 7 words.
Rashi
“to despise his soul.” A soul that is despised.
"To one who is detested by a nation." To one whom the gentile detests.
Kings shall see. Him, and they shall rise:
"Who is trustworthy" – to keep His promise that He made to Abraham concerning the monarchy, as it is stated: "Behold, a smoking furnace and a flaming torch" (Genesis 15:17).
"Holy is Israel." It is [the verse]: "And He chose you."
Ibn Ezra
“Thus, etc.” Also these are the words of the prophet, and so it is: “Thus said the Lord to me,” that I am held in contempt by the wicked, and behold, “to him who is despised of soul” is an epithet (shem ha-to'ar).
“to one who abhors a nation.” It is a participle that can be understood in two ways: either that the prophet will speak words for which the nations will abhor him, or that he will be one who abhors a nation, meaning that the prophet will abhor every nation.
“to rule over servants.” And the meaning is according to the thought of the exiles of Israel, or it is an allusion to the Babylonians, and this is the correct interpretation.
“Kings shall see and arise.” Behold, I have already hinted to you this secret in the middle of the book (Isaiah 40:1), and according to the opinion of many, that the kings, such as Cyrus, when they hear the words of the prophet, will arise and bow down.
“For the sake of the Lord.” For He is faithful in His word.
And behold, the letter kaf in "vayivcharcha" [He chose you]—is a witness to the correctness of this explanation.
Radak
Thus says the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel: From the exile of the nations, for these are destined to be the following passages that come after this:
"His holiness." That He be sanctified by them through the wonders He will show in bringing them out of exile.
“to despise the soul.” God said: Because Israel is a soul that is despised and loathed by every nation, and they are a servant to many rulers, yet I will cause kings to see them and rise on their account, and princes to bow down to them.
“For the sake of the Lord, who is faithful.” This means that they should do this for the sake of the Lord, Who is the Helper of Israel, as Zechariah stated: “Be strong, you ten men,” etc., “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”
Which is trustworthy in His word and in His promise, which He promised to Israel, and for the sake of the Holy One of Israel, Who chose you.
Metzudat David
"To despise a soul." [This refers] to Israel:
To the one abhorred by a nation. On whom [does this apply]?
"To a servant of rulers." This refers to one who is a servant—upright and blameless—before those in authority.
Kings shall see and arise. In the time of redemption, when the kings of the Chaldeans will see, they will arise, and when the princes will see Him.
"For the sake of the Lord." This means: They shall not perform this honor for your sake, but rather for the sake of the Lord, who is faithful to His promise, having promised to be with you. As it is stated: "Then ten men from the languages of the nations shall grasp the garment of a Jew, saying, 'Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you'" (Zechariah 8:23).
Kadosh. "For the sake of the Holy One of Israel, who chose you," and the matter is repeated in what is stated:
Malbim
Thus says the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, His Holy One—prepared to redeem them through the holiness of their deeds, with great miracles. “To despise the soul”: this is the measure of the verse. “Kings shall see and arise, princes shall bow down”: to despise the soul, to abhor the nation. To Israel, who are now despised and abhorred. “Princes shall bow down”: to despise the soul. This means that Israel are despised among the nations, the worshippers of foreign gods, on account of three matters:
1. On account of their soul: they think that their soul is despised and lowly, contrary to what the divine soul is called “glory” in the Holy Writings; they think that their soul is lowly and from a source of corruption.
2. On account of their body: they consider them abhorrent and disgusting, so much so that they guard against touching them. And this is what is said: “to abhor the nation.” “Nation” refers to the physical body; they think that their body is abhorrent.
3. On account of their rank and possession: they are a slave of rulers, not like a slave who has one master, but like a slave of many masters, who is forced to serve them all with harsh labor.
And now, in contrast to “despise the soul” and “abhor the nation,” their exaltation will be great with great honor, until kings shall see and arise—until the kings of India shall rise before them out of great honor. And in contrast to “slave of masters,” the opposite will be: the princes shall bow down to them. And this will be for the sake of the Lord, who is faithful. This means that this will be because of two things:
1. Because of the promise, for the Lord is faithful to fulfill His promise.
2. Because of the holiness of their deeds; on account of this, He will choose them themselves because of their righteousness. And this is what is said: “the Holy One of Israel, and He will choose you.”
And the meaning is that the redemption will come, either before the appointed time, if they improve their deeds, or if they do not improve their deeds, it will come at least at the destined time, for the Lord is faithful to fulfill His promise. And this is what is said: “either it will be for the sake of the Lord, who is faithful,” and this at the end of the time, or it will be for the sake of the Holy One of Israel, through their deeds, at the time when He will choose you because of the goodness of your deeds.
Thus says Hashem: In an acceptable time have I answered you, And in a day of salvation have I helped you; And I will preserve you, and give you For a covenant of the people, To raise up the land, To cause to inherit the desolate heritages;
verse value 6267
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 79 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "thus" (כֹּ֣ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "I·answered·you" (עֲנִיתִ֔יךָ, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "I·answered·you" (עֲנִיתִ֔יךָ), "to·cause·to·inherit" (לְהַנְחִ֖יל), "heritages" (נְחָל֥וֹת). 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "said" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah); "land" (root ארץ, 169x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root רצון ("pleasure") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'I·helped·you', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 9 words.
Rashi
"At the time of favor." At the time of prayer, when You are appeased and reconciled before [me]:
And on the day of salvation. That you will be in need of salvation:
"And I will protect you. And I will guard you:"
To the covenant with the people. To be a people of covenant for Me:
"To establish the earth." The land of Israel, chosen by Me among all the lands.
Ibn Ezra
"In a time of favor I answered you." This too is according to the hint. And many said that the kaph in "I answered you" refers back to Cyrus. However, the verse is not connected [to the preceding one]. And Rabbi Moses said that the bet in "In a time of favor" is like the bet in "In the broad place" (Psalms 118:5), and this is not far-fetched.
Radak
Thus says the Lord, in a time of favor: God says to Israel: “In a time when you do My will, I answered you in your cry to Me, if distress comes upon you.”
"And on the day of salvation." The explanation is: "On the day when you will need My salvation, I will help you and save you." And similarly, I will do in every generation and generation, that I will guard you from destruction. Even though you are sometimes deserving [of punishment], nevertheless, I will save you until I make you a covenant people. And this refers to the future, to the days of the Messiah, when you will need to be a covenant people, meaning, a people established for permanence, as it is stated: "The Lord will establish you for Himself as a holy people."
"To establish the earth." The meaning is: to rebuild the desolations of the Land of Israel and to inherit you the inheritances that were waste throughout the entire period of the exile. And so did Jonathan translate it: "In the time of favor," as he explained regarding "At that time, you shall say..." etc. And he translated "to establish the earth" as "to raise up the righteous who lie in the dust."
Metzudat David
"At a time of favor." At a time that you will do My will, I will answer you in your cry, on account of the distress that is coming:
"And on the day of salvation." On the day that you need salvation, when you are in distress, I will help you. And the matter is doubled in what is written:
Metzudat Zion
I answered you. The word [is derived from] the root meaning “poor” and “answer.”
Malbim
Thus says the Lord: “In a time of favor I have answered you.” This refers to the limitation set forth against the two matters stated in the previous verse: either the redemption will come before the appointed time, if they improve their deeds and it becomes a time of favor—and this is what is said, “In a time of favor I have answered you”; or, at the very least, He will assist them at the destined time, which will not pass—and this is what is said, “And in a day of salvation I have helped you.” And this is on the day destined for salvation, which is when the destined day arrives. And I will sustain you even throughout the days of exile, sustaining you with special providence so that you will not be destroyed among the nations, until I make you a covenant of a people that the Lord will establish. A. The covenant that He made with Israel. B. To establish the land, which is the Holy Land. C. To inherit desolate inheritances, meaning that He will restore them to inherit the places of inheritance that are now desolate, and these are the Azarot (courts) and the Temple, which are the Lord’s inheritance for His dwelling.
Saying to the prisoners: ‘Go forth’; To them that are in darkness: ‘Show yourselves’; They shall feed in the ways, And in all high hills shall be their pasture;
verse value 3538
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 52 letters. The shortest word is "go·out" (צֵ֔אוּ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·in·all·bare-hills" (וּבְכׇל־שְׁפָיִ֖ים, 9 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "to·the·prisoners" (לַֽאֲסוּרִים֙), "show·yourselves" (הִגָּל֑וּ), "on·the·ways" (עַל־דְּרָכִ֣ים). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah); "to·those·who" (root אשר, 176x in Isaiah); "on·the·ways" (root דרך, 57x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'show·yourselves', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 4 words. Full calculation: לֵאמֹ֤ר [saying] (271) + לַֽאֲסוּרִים֙ [to·the·prisoners] (347) + צֵ֔אוּ [go·out] (97) + לַאֲשֶׁ֥ר [to·those·who] (531) + בַּחֹ֖שֶׁךְ [in·the·darkness] (330) + הִגָּל֑וּ [show·yourselves] (44) + עַל־דְּרָכִ֣ים [on·the·ways] (374) + יִרְע֔וּ [feed] (286) + וּבְכׇל־שְׁפָיִ֖ים [and·in·all·bare-hills] (498) + מַרְעִיתָֽם [their·pasture] (760) = 3538.
Rashi
“Let the captives go forth.” At the time when I say to the captives of exile, “Go forth.”
Shafim. Jonathan translated: "Nagdim, springs of water."
Ibn Ezra
"To say." This is an allusion to Israel, that the prophet prophesied prior to the redemption.
“And on all bare heights shall be their pasture.” They shall find their pasture:
Radak
"To say to the captives: Go forth." For they are in exile, like captives who have no power to go forth from under the dominion of the nations. And similarly, the exile is likened to darkness.
They shall pasture. That they will find their sustenance in every place upon their emergence from exile:
“And in all the high places.” These are the elevated areas; similarly, “and he went to the high place.” The term “high places” is mentioned because it is not customary to find pasture for livestock in mountains, since they are not places of water. Likewise, in places where a traveler will not find his needs met, yet there they will find their needs met.
Metzudat David
"To say, etc." – This is dependent on the phrase "I will strengthen you" in the preceding verse, to explain that "I will strengthen you" means from the time of the destruction until the time comes to say to those imprisoned in exile: "Go forth from there."
"To him who is in darkness." To one who hid himself in darkness out of fear of the enemy.
"Reveal yourselves!" They were uncovered and visible in the light of day:
“On the ways they shall graze.” Even though grazing is not found on the roads and on the heights of the mountains, he meant to say: even though they will return by way of the wilderness, they will lack nothing.
Metzudat Zion
Reveal yourselves. The word is from the root "galui" (revealed/exposed):
Shafim. Thus are called the high places, and likewise "a glowing wind of the bare heights" (Jeremiah 4:11):
Malbim
To say: It is clarified in what was written above (chapter 42, verse 7) that the tribes of Judah and Benjamin were scattered and exiled under the hand of the nations, who bound them in iron fetters, as it is stated there, “To bring out the prisoners from the dungeon.” And the Ten Tribes who were exiled to Halah and Habor are not under the dominion of the nations, nor is there upon them the yoke of servitude. Rather, they are confined in sealed places, where no one knows their location, and it is as if they sit in darkness, unseen by any person, as it is stated there, “Those who dwell in darkness, from the house of prison.” Regarding the tribe of Judah, He says, “To say: ‘Go out, you prisoners.’” And regarding the Ten Tribes, He says, “To say: ‘To those who are exiled in darkness.’” For then their location will be revealed. And to them I need not say “Go out,” for they are not prisoners; “On the highways they shall graze.” This compares them, upon their return, to their rest, like sheep which the Lord shall graze, as it is stated (above, chapter 40), “He shall feed his flock like a shepherd.” And sometimes one must lead the flock into the wilderness to distance them from robbers; corresponding to this, it says, “On the highways they shall graze,” meaning that all passersby will not touch them. And sometimes one must lead them into the wilderness because he cannot find pasture; corresponding to this, it says, “And on all the bare heights shall be their pasture,” meaning that on every high mountain they will find their pasture. And the meaning is that they will return from exile in public.
They shall not hunger nor thirst, Neither shall the heat nor sun smite them; For He that has compassion on them will lead them, Even by the springs of water will He guide them.
verse value 2683
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 56 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֤א, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·by·springs·of" (וְעַל־מַבּ֥וּעֵי, 8 letters). 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "they·will·be·hungry" (יִרְעָ֙בוּ֙), "they·will·be·thirsty" (יִצְמָ֔אוּ), "nor·will·smite·them" (וְלֹא־יַכֵּ֥ם). The root לא appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 286x in Isaiah); "water" (root מים, 41x in Isaiah); "nor·will·smite·them" (root נכה, 23x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·sun', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 5 words. Full calculation: לֹ֤א [not] (31) + יִרְעָ֙בוּ֙ [they·will·be·hungry] (288) + וְלֹ֣א [and·not] (37) + יִצְמָ֔אוּ [they·will·be·thirsty] (147) + וְלֹא־יַכֵּ֥ם [nor·will·smite·them] (107) + שָׁרָ֖ב [burning or scorching heat] (502) + וָשָׁ֑מֶשׁ [and·sun] (646) + כִּֽי־מְרַחֲמָ֣ם [for·He·who·pities·them] (358) + יְנַהֲגֵ֔ם [he·will·lead·them] (108) + וְעַל־מַבּ֥וּעֵי [and·by·springs·of] (234) + מַ֖יִם [water] (90) + יְנַהֲלֵֽם [he·will·guide·them] (135) = 2683.
Rashi
Sharov. Heat:
Ibn Ezra
Not, etc. “When they returned to Zion”:
Sharav. Like chorev, “and the wasteland shall become a pool” (Isaiah 35:7), and “the blow to the sun,” like “the sun shall not strike you by day” (Psalms 121:6).
Radak
"They shall not hunger." Along the entire way, they will not experience hunger or thirst, for God will provide for them, as He will open springs for them in the wilderness and also cause trees bearing edible fruit to grow for them. This will be done through a miracle and wonder, as it is stated: "As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt, I will show them wonders."
Sherev. Like [the verse] “The sword has devoured me,” the Targum [renders it] “Shereva.”
Mibbe’ei. Its root is *nava’*, meaning that wherever they would go in the desert, water would spring up for them.
Metzudat David
They shall not hunger. With this, the preceding verse is explained:
"And they shall not smite them." They shall not be pained by the warmth of the air and the heat of the sun.
“For He who has compassion on them.” The Lord, who has shown compassion to them from of old, will guide and lead them to places where there are springs of water, and they will quench their thirst.
Metzudat Zion
Sharov. The matter of heat and dryness, as in: "And the heat shall be a pool" (above 35:7).
Meva’ei. The matter of a mikveh and a spring is like “to the meva’ei of water” (ibid.):
"ינהלם" – The meaning is guidance, as it is said: "You led them in Your strength" (Exodus 15:13).
Malbim
“They shall not hunger”: One who travels on a distant road may lack bread or water, or the heat and the sun may strike him. And this is what is said: “They shall not hunger, nor shall they thirst, nor shall the heat and sun strike them,” for the Lord will guide them with compassion, so that He will not lead them to a place where the sun dominates, and He will lead them to springs of water, so that they shall not thirst.
And I will make all My mountains a way, And My highways shall be raised on high.
verse value 2127
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 25 letters. The shortest word is "for·the·journey" (לַדָּ֑רֶךְ, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·my·highways" (וּמְסִלֹּתַ֖י, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "all·my·mountains" (כׇל־הָרַ֖י), "for·the·journey" (לַדָּ֑רֶךְ), "and·my·highways" (וּמְסִלֹּתַ֖י). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "all·my·mountains" (root כל, 93x in Isaiah); "for·the·journey" (root דרך, 57x in Isaiah); "and·I·will·put" (root שום, 40x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'for·the·journey', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: וְשַׂמְתִּ֥י [and·I·will·put] (756) + כׇל־הָרַ֖י [all·my·mountains] (265) + לַדָּ֑רֶךְ [for·the·journey] (254) + וּמְסִלֹּתַ֖י [and·my·highways] (546) + יְרֻמֽוּן [they·will·rise] (306) = 2127.
Rashi
“And I will make all the mountains a highway.” This is in contrast to what was stated above (Isaiah 33:14), where it says that during its destruction, the wayfarer ceased to pass through; now, however, they will return and walk on it, passersby, coming and going.
“And my roads shall be raised.” In response to what was stated (ibid.), “Their roads have been destroyed,” meaning that they have been ruined because there is no one to repair them; now, “my roads shall be raised,” meaning that the ruin of the roads will be repaired, and they will be elevated as is proper, with layers of stones and earth.
Ibn Ezra
And I will make all My mountains a highway: that the mountains shall be lowered and the paths raised up, and behold, they are in the lowland.
And the word "Yerumon" comes with "paths" just as it is written, "If you find my beloved" (Song of Songs 9:8), and the main point is that since all [the terms] are in the plural form, one need not be concerned about using masculine language for females. And there are those who say that the meaning of "all My mountains" is that the returnees will be so many that they will walk upon the mountains; and they refer "yerumun" to the returnees, as if it read "and upon My highways they shall be raised."
Radak
"And I will make." Just as it is stated, "Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill shall be made low," and this shall be literally, by means of a miracle, so that they will not have to ascend and descend on the roads; or it is metaphorical, meaning that they will not be weary or exhausted on the roads, for ascending and descending tires the traveler, and God will strengthen their power so that they will not become weary. And He said:
“Behold, and my highway.” With the first-person suffix — the speaker being God. It means to say that He will renew those paths in the deserts, in a place where there is no road, as it is stated: “And there shall be a highway and a road,” etc.
Metzudat David
“On the way.” This means: on a well-trodden path.
"And my paths." The paths by which I will lead her shall raise up the deep places within them, so that they may be level, straight, and pleasant to walk upon.
Metzudat Zion
And my path. From the language of "masilah," meaning a track or road:
"ירומון" – from the language of lifting and exaltation:
Malbim
“And I will make” – and they will also not need to seek a path, for even the mountains will become a path. And do not think that it will be an unbroken path, for “I will make a highway” – that it will be a well-trodden highway, until all will know that they are My special highways.
Behold, these shall come from far; And, lo, these from the north and from the west, And these from the land of Sinim.
verse value 1476
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 44 letters. Verse gematria: 1476 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "they·will·go·in" (יָבֹ֑אוּ, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·behold·these" (וְהִֽנֵּה־אֵ֙לֶּה֙, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 96: behold·these, and·from·the·sea. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "behold·these" (הִנֵּה־אֵ֕לֶּה), "and·behold·these" (וְהִֽנֵּה־אֵ֙לֶּה֙), "Sinim" (סִינִֽים). The root אלה appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "from·land·of" (root ארץ, 169x in Isaiah); "they·will·go·in" (root בוא, 120x in Isaiah); "behold·these" (root אלה, 27x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·will·go·in', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 6 words. Full calculation: הִנֵּה־אֵ֕לֶּה [behold·these] (96) + מֵרָח֖וֹק [from·far] (354) + יָבֹ֑אוּ [they·will·go·in] (19) + וְהִֽנֵּה־אֵ֙לֶּה֙ [and·behold·these] (102) + מִצָּפ֣וֹן [north] (266) + וּמִיָּ֔ם [and·from·the·sea] (96) + וְאֵ֖לֶּה [and·these] (42) + מֵאֶ֥רֶץ [from·land·of] (331) + סִינִֽים [Sinim] (170) = 1476.
Rashi
From the land of the Sinim. From the land of the south:
Ibn Ezra
Behold, from afar they shall come, from the east:
"[From the north]"—this refers to Babylonia.
And "the west." Assyria, as it is written: "and the heart of the king of Assyria" (Ezra 6:22):
From the land of the Sinim. On account of Egypt, perhaps the bush was exempted from this decree:
Radak
"Behold these." This alludes to the four corners of the earth, to which Israel is scattered in all directions. Regarding the eastern corner, it says "from afar," because the Land of Israel is situated in the center of the inhabited world, which is relatively close, and it is farther from the eastern corner, since it leans toward the western corner of the land; therefore, it says regarding the east: "from afar."
And water. It is the western [sea]:
“From the land of the Sinim.” This refers to the south, as Jonathan rendered it, “from the land of the south,” because the Sinim dwell there. And the Sinim are among the descendants of Canaan, as it is written. And Rabbi Saadia Gaon explained it as “Atra b’lufon.”
Metzudat David
"Behold these." Some of those who will come to the Land of Israel will come from a distant place, namely the eastern quarter. And since the Land of Israel extends from the equator westward, therefore he called the eastern quarter "distant."
And water. From the west:
“From the land of Sinim.” This refers to the southern region, as the Targum states.
Metzudat Zion
Sinim. It is called so after the inhabitants of that place, as it is stated, "and the Arvadites, and the Sinim" (Genesis 10:17).
Malbim
“Behold these” – here a new matter begins. The intent is to depict that the ingathering of the exiles will precede the building of Zion, and that at the time the exile is gathered from the four corners, Jerusalem will still be desolate. He depicts this in a most wondrous manner: on one side, he portrays how all the exiles are gathering from the four corners of the world, and all the world and all of nature – the heavens and the earth, the mountains singing and rejoicing – recount this wondrous novelty. On the other side, he indicates Zion, how at this time she sits like a desolate widow, covered with her widow’s veil, mourning because her husband has forsaken and forgotten her, and that Zion knows nothing of all the joy that has spread throughout the entire world, until suddenly she lifts her eyes and sees the salvation. He says: “See now, behold these – the exiles of the East will come from afar” (for the Ten Tribes who were exiled to the East were exiled to a distant place, as stated above (43:5)), and these are the exiles of the North and West, coming from the north and from the west, and these are the exiles of the South, coming from the land of the Sinim. See now, all the exile is gathering; the joy has spread over all of nature, until even
Sing, O heavens, and be joyful, O earth, And break forth into singing, O mountains; For Hashem has comforted His people, And has compassion upon His afflicted.
verse value 2570
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 54 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "overcome" (רׇנּ֤וּ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·his·afflicted" (וַעֲנִיָּ֖יו, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 255: mountains, ringing·cry. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·rejoice" (וְגִ֣ילִי), "and·break·forth" (וּפִצְח֥וּ), "and·his·afflicted" (וַעֲנִיָּ֖יו). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "land" (root ארץ, 169x in Isaiah); "his·people" (root עם, 107x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root נחה ("for·has·comforted") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'ringing·cry', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 5 words. Full calculation: רׇנּ֤וּ [overcome] (256) + שָׁמַ֙יִם֙ [heaven] (390) + וְגִ֣ילִי [and·rejoice] (59) + אָ֔רֶץ [land] (291) + (יפצחו) [and·break·forth] (194) + וּפִצְח֥וּ [and·break·forth] (190) + הָרִ֖ים [mountains] (255) + רִנָּ֑ה [ringing·cry] (255) + כִּֽי־נִחַ֤ם [for·has·comforted] (128) + יְהֹוָה֙ [Hashem] (26) + עַמּ֔וֹ [his·people] (116) + וַעֲנִיָּ֖יו [and·his·afflicted] (152) + יְרַחֵֽם [he·has·compassion] (258) = 2570.
Rashi
“For the Lord has comforted His people:”
Ibn Ezra
"Rejoice" etc. This is an allegory; or, [it means] an actual rejoicing of the heavens, so that the air may be pure and the earth may yield vegetation, and likewise the mountains.
Radak
"Rejoice, O heavens." This is an analogy: it is as if the entire world rejoices at the exodus of Israel from exile.
And they shall break forth. It is written yaf'tachu [they shall break forth], read ve-ha-'inyan echad [and the matter is one], and the meaning is raising the voice in joy. And it mentioned mountains on their own, even though they are included in the general category of "land," because they are the primary element of the creation of the land and the enduring portion within it; furthermore, the metals are in the mountains.
Metzudat David
“Let the heavens rejoice, etc.” This is a matter of eloquent speech, and it means that there will be great joy in the world.
Metzudat Zion
“And you shall rejoice.” The matter of joy:
“And they shall break forth.” The meaning of “opening the mouth” is raising the voice; similarly, “Break forth in song and shout” (ibid. 54).
Malbim
“Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth also exult; let even the individual mountains burst forth in song, for the tidings have reached those dwelling in the mountains, saying: ‘For the Lord has comforted His people, and He has seen the afflicted and had compassion upon them.’ All are singing praises, except for one.”
But Zion said: ‘Hashem has forsaken me, And the Lord has forgotten me.’
verse value 1427
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 28 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "Zion" (צִיּ֖וֹן, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·she·said" (וַתֹּ֥אמֶר, 5 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "has·left·me" (עֲזָבַ֣נִי), "forgot·me" (שְׁכֵחָֽנִי). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "and·she·said" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah); "and·my·Lord" (root אדון, 64x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַתֹּ֥אמֶר [and·she·said] (647) + צִיּ֖וֹן [Zion] (156) + עֲזָבַ֣נִי [has·left·me] (139) + יְהֹוָ֑ה [Hashem] (26) + וַאדֹנָ֖י [and·my·Lord] (71) + שְׁכֵחָֽנִי [forgot·me] (388) = 1427.
Rashi
And Zion said. She was thinking that I had forgotten her.
Ibn Ezra
"And she said": Before the exile, Zion would say that the Lord had forsaken her; and the meaning of "Zion" is the Congregation of Israel.
Radak
"And Zion said." He mentions Zion, because she was the head of the Kingdom of Israel, and it is as if the city itself laments over her children who were exiled from her. And all of Israel are her children, not only her residents, for all of Israel would come to her to serve the Lord.
“He has forsaken me.” “He has forgotten me.” This is said in reference to the length of this exile, which gives the impression that God has abandoned and forgotten.
Metzudat David
And Zion said: “Behold, Zion thinks to say, the Lord has forsaken me and He has forgotten me.”
Malbim
And Zion says, “Zion says: ‘The Lord has forsaken me.’” Zion is unaware of all this, and she mourns at that time, saying, “How has the Lord forsaken me?” Not only has He forsaken me since the sin, but it also appears to me as though the Lord has forgotten me and no longer remembers me (for forsaking occurs because of sin, and then God remembers the forsaken one; but forgetting occurs because of disgust, and then He no longer remembers him at all).
Can a woman forget her sucking child, That she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Indeed, these may forget, Yet will not I forget you.
verse value 2885
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 45 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֥א, 2 letters) and the longest is "son·of·her·womb" (בֶּן־בִּטְנָ֑הּ, 6 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "will·forget" (הֲתִשְׁכַּ֤ח), "from·having-compassion" (מֵרַחֵ֖ם), "son·of·her·womb" (בֶּן־בִּטְנָ֑הּ). The root שכח appears 3 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 286x in Isaiah); "her·sucking-child" (root עלה, 49x in Isaiah); "son·of·her·womb" (root בין, 43x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'son·of·her·womb', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: הֲתִשְׁכַּ֤ח [will·forget] (733) + אִשָּׁה֙ [wife] (306) + עוּלָ֔הּ [her·sucking-child] (111) + מֵרַחֵ֖ם [from·having-compassion] (288) + בֶּן־בִּטְנָ֑הּ [son·of·her·womb] (118) + גַּם־אֵ֣לֶּה [also·these] (79) + תִשְׁכַּ֔חְנָה [they·will·forget] (783) + וְאָנֹכִ֖י [and·I] (87) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + אֶשְׁכָּחֵֽךְ [I·will·forget·you] (349) = 2885.
Rashi
“Has a woman been forgotten?” – her infant child:
“From the womb of the mother.” From the [root] of having mercy on the child in the womb:
"Even these shall be forgotten." Even if these are forgotten, I will not forget you.
Ibn Ezra
“Has He forgotten?” Because God placed in the nature of all females the instinct to have mercy on their children, therefore He said this.
Olah. Like ulel, and also like “ule yamim” (Isaiah 65:20):
"From the womb of the mother." The meaning is twofold:
"Even these shall be forgotten." There are also cruel women who will forget their children, and it is possible that "these" refers to them:
"And I will not forget you." The meaning of the word "the nursling" (or "going up") is that one shows greater compassion for the younger one, because he lacks strength.
Radak
"Can a woman forget her nursing child?"—her young son, for she has greater compassion for him because he lacks the strength to seek his own livelihood, unlike the older child. And he repeated the matter, saying, "she will have compassion on the son of her womb." Likewise, he spoke concerning the young one, as with "nursing child," and similarly, "if it gore a son or gore a daughter"—whether sons or daughters—he said, "Can a woman forget her nursing child?"—that she not have compassion on this son of her womb? Let it not be so.
"Even these may forget." There are times when even these women forget their children, when they possess the trait of cruelty, for it may be found in them; but they are few. But I am merciful, and I will never forget you.
Metzudat David
“Has she forgotten?”—as if to say, “Behold, it is not so; for can a woman forget her nursing child, and yet not have compassion on the son of her womb?”
“Even these shall be forgotten.” Even if it might happen at some point that even these are forgotten, yet I will not forget you.
Metzudat Zion
"Olah." Its meaning is a tender infant, as in "out of the mouths of babes and sucklings" (Psalms 8:3).
Malbim
“Has it been forgotten?” This, too, is from the words of Zion. Zion says: “Can a woman forget her nursing child?” Even if we imagine that she forgets the older child who no longer needs her, and she forgets the love if she has abandoned him, but can we imagine that a woman would forget the compassion for the child of her womb? The child of her womb is the one who suckles at his mother’s breast, which, besides arousing love, also arouses compassion because he needs his mother. And if she forgets the love, how could she forget the compassion to have mercy on the small child of her womb? And you, O Lord, if You have forgotten Your love, how could You forget to have mercy, since I am forsaken and there is no support except for You? So says Zion. [Now] the husband who had wandered far appears to the mourning widow, and says to her: “Know that even if those things were forgotten—even if those two women you mentioned, namely the woman who has an older child and the woman who has a nursing infant, even if both of these women were to forget their children—nevertheless, I will not forget you, for I cannot forget you, for…”
Behold, I have graven you upon the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me.
verse value 1848
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "they" (הֵ֥ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "upon·the·palms" (עַל־כַּפַּ֖יִם, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "upon·the·palms" (עַל־כַּפַּ֖יִם), "I·engraved·you" (חַקֹּתִ֑יךְ), "before·me" (נֶגְדִּ֖י). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "upon·the·palms" (root על, 200x in Isaiah); "they" (root הן, 86x in Isaiah); "before·me" (root נגד, 40x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'I·engraved·you', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: הֵ֥ן [they] (55) + עַל־כַּפַּ֖יִם [upon·the·palms] (250) + חַקֹּתִ֑יךְ [I·engraved·you] (538) + חוֹמֹתַ֥יִךְ [your·walls] (484) + נֶגְדִּ֖י [before·me] (67) + תָּמִֽיד [continually] (454) = 1848.
Rashi
“Upon palms.” Upon My palms: I regard it as though you were engraved upon My palms, so that I may see you and remember you always. A further interpretation: “Upon palms” means above the clouds of glory, as it is said, “He covers His hands with the light” (Job 36:32).
Ibn Ezra
“Behold.” The Gaon said that it refers to thick palms. And in my opinion, the verse speaks about the tongue of human beings, for “on palms” [i.e., on the tongue] I have inscribed Your statutes, so that I may see You always. And the proof is from the half-verse, as it is stated:
Radak
“Behold, upon palms.” Rabbi Saadia Gaon explained it as meaning “like clouds,” and similarly, “Lift up our heart to the palms.” However, the correct interpretation is according to its plain meaning, as Jonathan rendered: “behold, as if you were engraved before Me, that I may remember you always.”
"Your walls" – meaning: your ruined walls.
Metzudat David
Your statutes. Remember them before Me, as if I had engraved you upon my hands:
"Opposite Me always." In order to remember them and to establish them.
Metzudat Zion
Kafayim. The palm of the hand:
"Your statutes." From the language of engraving:
Malbim
“Indeed, on my hands I have engraved Your statutes; I have engraved Your name upon the palms of my hands, so that whenever I use my hands, I shall remember Your name (and the metaphorical meaning is that all his actions and deeds are means leading to the great ultimate goal, which is the promised salvation). And also Your battlements (I have engraved) before me always; they are engraved before my face as a sign and as frontlets, and not only now but always. This means that what I engraved of You on my hands, and Your battlements before my face, this was always so, from the time of the exile until now. And what I have left You desolate, like a widow, for many days, this was not due to forgetfulness, nor am I culpable in the matter; rather, Your children themselves caused this, for if...”
Your children make haste; Your destroyers and they that made you waste shall go forth from you.
verse value 1171
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 29 letters. The shortest word is "from·you" (מִמֵּ֥ךְ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·they·that·waste·you" (וּמַחֲרִיבַ֖יִךְ, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "they·hastened" (מִהֲר֖וּ), "destroyers·of·you" (מְהָֽרְסַ֥יִךְ), "and·they·that·waste·you" (וּמַחֲרִיבַ֖יִךְ). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "your·sons" (root בן, 43x in Isaiah); "shall·come·forth" (root יצא, 42x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·sons', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 4 words. Full calculation: מִהֲר֖וּ [they·hastened] (251) + בָּנָ֑יִךְ [your·sons] (82) + מְהָֽרְסַ֥יִךְ [destroyers·of·you] (335) + וּמַחֲרִיבַ֖יִךְ [and·they·that·waste·you] (296) + מִמֵּ֥ךְ [from·you] (100) + יֵצֵֽאוּ [shall·come·forth] (107) = 1171.
Rashi
“Hasten, your sons, to return.”
Ibn Ezra
"Hurry, etc." Behold, your sons have come, and all your destroyers have gone out from you.
Radak
“מהרו” (Hurry). The past tense is used in place of the future tense, just as in “ימהרו” (they will hurry), and this is the common practice in most prophecies.
“Your destroyers and your devastators.” They are the transgressors who emerged from you, so that there would no longer be any wicked or transgressing person among you, for they were the cause of the destruction and devastation.
Metzudat David
“Hasten, your sons.” The sons of Zion forgot their land more hastily than I would forget them.
“Your destroyers.” Those who destroy and lay you waste have come from among you; that is to say, the wicked within your midst are the ones who brought about the destruction and desolation, and the evil did not originate from Me.
Malbim
"Hasten, your children"—if your children were to hasten to repent, then your destroyers and your devastators would already have departed from you; your enemies who have destroyed you would have gone away from you long ago. If your children were willing, and if they hastened to return from their sins—but the past is gone; it is now.
Lift up your eyes round about, and behold: All these gather themselves together, and come to you. As I live, says Hashem, You shall surely clothe you with them all as with an ornament, And gird thyself with them, like a bride.
verse value 3452
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 66 letters. The shortest word is "and·surely" (כִּ֤י, 2 letters) and the longest is "lift·round·about" (שְׂאִֽי־סָבִ֤יב, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 90: all·of·them, all·of·them. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "as·I·live" (חַי־אָ֣נִי), "as·the·finery" (כָּעֲדִ֣י), "you·will·dress" (תִלְבָּ֔שִׁי). The root כל appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "says·Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "and·surely" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah); "come·to·you" (root בוא, 120x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'come·to·you', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 8 words. Full calculation: שְׂאִֽי־סָבִ֤יב [lift·round·about] (385) + עֵינַ֙יִךְ֙ [your·eyes] (160) + וּרְאִ֔י [and·see] (217) + כֻּלָּ֖ם [all·of·them] (90) + נִקְבְּצ֣וּ [were·gathered] (248) + בָֽאוּ־לָ֑ךְ [come·to·you] (59) + חַי־אָ֣נִי [as·I·live] (79) + נְאֻם־יְהֹוָ֗ה [says·Hashem] (117) + כִּ֤י [and·surely] (30) + כֻלָּם֙ [all·of·them] (90) + כָּעֲדִ֣י [as·the·finery] (104) + תִלְבָּ֔שִׁי [you·will·dress] (742) + וּֽתְקַשְּׁרִ֖ים [and·you·will·bind·them] (1056) + כַּכַּלָּֽה [as·the·daughter-in-law] (75) = 3452.
Ibn Ezra
All of them. The mem is a sign for "your children," and Rabbi Moshe HaKohen, of blessed memory, said that the meaning of "all of them" refers to "your children" and "those who destroy you," and the meaning is regarding the wicked, and he explains that "they went out" is like a past-tense verb, and there is no need [for further explanation].
"I live! And behold, a decree that will not be nullified: just as I live, so shall this be true."
“And you shall bind them like a bride.” Like the bindings of a bride on the neck:
Radak
"Lift up your eyes round about." For from every corner they will all come, all your children from every direction:
"As I live" – this is the promise that You will not turn back, just as it is written, ‘By Myself I have sworn’; "in the gathering" – all Israel will be gathered to You; "they shall be to You" – like the ornaments and the bands of a bride.
Metzudat David
Lift up your eyes round about. It is as if it were saying to Zion: "See how all your children have gathered and come to you."
“Like a bride’s garments you shall clothe yourself.” You shall adorn yourself with them as with festive attire.
"And you shall bind them." You shall bind them to your neck as an ornament, like the knots of a bride; and they are the silk threads with which you bind your hair.
Metzudat Zion
Like a jewel. The matter of a beautiful ornament:
Malbim
“Cast your eyes around you, and do not look to one side only, but around and around, for the gathering has come suddenly from the four corners of the heavens. And see how they have all gathered and come to you. These are two wondrous things: 1) The gathering from the great dispersion, as it says, ‘They have all gathered.’ 2) Their return to Jerusalem from such a great distance, as it says, ‘And they have come to you.’ But do not worry, saying, ‘Yet my widow’s house is small and narrow; how can it contain so many sons?’ Do not worry about this either. As I live, declares the Lord, you shall adorn them all as ornaments. ‘You shall adorn them all as ornaments’ alludes to the filling of the desolate place with inhabitants, as if the land were being clothed in a garment, namely its inhabitants who cover it. As it is written, ‘The sheep shall cover the mountains’ (Psalms 65:14). For the desolate place is naked and exposed, and when it is settled, it will be clothed and wrapped to cover its nakedness. However, at the time after it has already been clothed with its garments—that is, after the place has already been settled—when additional distinguished inhabitants, princes and sages, come upon it, ‘You shall adorn them all as ornaments’ alludes to the fact that the place will put on further ornaments upon its garments. For these new inhabitants will honor and glorify its previous garments, and it says ‘You shall adorn them all as ornaments,’ meaning that they will all be for her honor and glory. And you shall bind them upon you as a bride. Just as a bride guards her bonds, which are the ornaments that the groom gave her in her hand for the sake of betrothal, so that they will not be lost from her, for they are the sign of the bond between him and her; so too, you shall bind them upon yourself with a strong bond, so that they will not depart from you again, for they are the sign of the betrothal between you and God, by whom I betrothed you in faith.”
For your waste and your desolate places And your land that has been destroyed— Surely now shall you be too strait for the inhabitants, And they that swallowed you up shall be far away.
verse value 4523
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 49 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֤י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·desolate·places·of·you" (וְשֹׁ֣מְמֹתַ֔יִךְ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 30: for, and·surely. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "your·ruins" (חׇרְבֹתַ֙יִךְ֙), "and·desolate·places·of·you" (וְשֹׁ֣מְמֹתַ֔יִךְ), "your·ruin" (הֲרִסֻתֵ֑ךְ). The root כי appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah); "and·land·of" (root ארץ, 169x in Isaiah); "from·inhabitant" (root ישב, 71x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·ruin', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 6 words. Full calculation: כִּ֤י [for] (30) + חׇרְבֹתַ֙יִךְ֙ [your·ruins] (640) + וְשֹׁ֣מְמֹתַ֔יִךְ [and·desolate·places·of·you] (816) + וְאֶ֖רֶץ [and·land·of] (297) + הֲרִסֻתֵ֑ךְ [your·ruin] (685) + כִּ֤י [and·surely] (30) + עַתָּה֙ [now] (475) + תֵּצְרִ֣י [you·will·bind] (700) + מִיּוֹשֵׁ֔ב [from·inhabitant] (358) + וְרָחֲק֖וּ [and·they·shall·be·far] (320) + מְבַלְּעָֽיִךְ [swallowers·of·you] (172) = 4523.
Rashi
"You shall be cramped by the inhabitants (tetzri mi-yoshev)." You will be straitened by the multitude of inhabitants who will come into you; the place will be too narrow for them to build themselves houses.
Ibn Ezra
"For [I have made you desolate]." Instead of "your desolations," and similar to this are the readings: "I shall give my firstborn for my transgression" (Micah 6:7), and "we shall repay the bulls with our lips" (Hosea 14:3); or alternatively, the meaning is: for until now they were thus.
Tzari is derived from the root meaning "to sit." It refers to the multitude of those who dwell, and they are all your children; therefore, "and they shall be far from your destroyers."
Radak
"For your desolations and your wastes" — Concerning them, which you grieve over, you shall no longer grieve.
"For now you will be straitened from inhabitants." All the desolate and abandoned places will become inhabited until you are straitened due to the multitude of inhabitants.
"Tzari" [you shall be straitened]. "Tidchaki" [you shall be pressed/crowded]:
“And the destroyers of you shall be far from you.” The destroyers of you shall be driven to the farthest ends of the earth, so that they shall no longer come within your borders, the destroyer.
Metzudat David
"For your desolations, etc." – This means: Because of the grief over your desolations and your ruins, etc., you shall no longer grieve, for now they will all be inhabited until there is distress and crowding due to the multitude of inhabitants.
“And they shall be far from your devourers.” Those who destroy you shall be distant, at the farthest ends of the earth, and shall not enter your borders.
Metzudat Zion
"Your ruins" – from the language of demolition and destruction.
tzari. From the language of tzar and distress:
mavla’ekha. The meaning is destruction, like “He swallowed up all her palaces” (Lamentations 2:5).
Malbim
“For your ruins, and do not think that your house is narrow and your place too small to contain all these many inhabitants, for you will clothe your ruins, meaning that all the desolate and abandoned places will be clothed with these inhabitants, and more than this, for now, when you are crowded with inhabitants—(and ‘those who swallow you up will be far from you’ is a parenthetical remark, stating that what will crowd you will be inhabitants; you will be filled not with destroyers, as you were filled with them until now, for those who swallow you up will now be far from you, but now, when you are crowded with inhabitants)—then the exiles will no longer find a place to dwell within you.”
The children of your bereavement Shall yet say in your ears: ‘The place is too strait for me; Give place to me that I may dwell.’
verse value 2052
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 41 letters. Verse gematria: 2052 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "yet" (ע֚וֹד, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·your·ears" (בְאׇזְנַ֔יִךְ, 6 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "in·your·ears" (בְאׇזְנַ֔יִךְ), "your·bereavement" (שִׁכֻּלָ֑יִךְ), "strait·for·me" (צַר־לִ֥י). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "they·will·say" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah); "and·let·me·dwell" (root ישב, 71x in Isaiah); "yet" (root עוד, 44x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·bereavement', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 4 words. Full calculation: ע֚וֹד [yet] (80) + יֹאמְר֣וּ [they·will·say] (257) + בְאׇזְנַ֔יִךְ [in·your·ears] (90) + בְּנֵ֖י [son] (62) + שִׁכֻּלָ֑יִךְ [your·bereavement] (380) + צַר־לִ֥י [strait·for·me] (330) + הַמָּק֖וֹם [the·place] (191) + גְּשָׁה־לִּ֥י [make·room·for·me] (348) + וְאֵשֵֽׁבָה [and·let·me·dwell] (314) = 2052.
Rashi
“Your children are bereaved.” Children from whom You are bereaved.
“Come near to Me.” Draw close to the other side on My behalf, and I shall sit.
Ibn Ezra
“Come near.” – “For My sake,” that is, for My benefit.
Radak
Furthermore, “your mind.” That is, she who is bereaved of them [her children] will have many [people] within her [city], to the point that each one will say to his companion, “I am cramped for space; make room for me so that I may sit.” In other words, “Move aside for my sake so that I can sit.” Thus, the sitters will be so numerous. And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] rendered it in the Targum as “room for me,” and I will sit.
Metzudat David
“Let them speak in your ears.” This means that you shall hear in your ears what the sons will say, from whom you were bereaved.
The place is too narrow for me. From the multitude of the majority of the people:
“Come near to me.” One says to his companion, “Come a little further on my account, so that I, too, may sit down.”
Metzudat Zion
"שכוליך" – One whose children are lost to him is called a "shakhol" (one bereaved), just as it says, "like a bear that is bereaved" (Hosea 13:8).
“Come near to Me.” “Move away, for my sake.”
Malbim
They will say further, meaning: “Then your children, who have been orphans because of you until now, shall be called ‘the children whom you were bereaved of until now.’” These are the children of the exile. And they will say this in your ears: “Now the place is too narrow for Me; come close to Me, so that I may dwell in your place. The place is too narrow for Me, and I cannot enter into it. Therefore, come close and draw near to Me, so that I may dwell within you.” This means that once Israel will be exceedingly numerous, and the Land of Israel will not be able to contain them all, the Land of Israel will expand its borders and extend beyond its current limits, as it is stated below (54:2): “Enlarge the place of my tent.” This is expressed through a parable: the Land will approach those who dwell outside it, who are unable to enter into it.
Then shall you say in your heart: ‘Who has begotten me these, Seeing I have been bereaved of my children, and am solitary, An exile, and wandering to and fro? And who has brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; These, where were they?’
verse value 3540
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 79 letters. Notable word values: "these" (אֵ֖לֶּה) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "who?" (מִ֤י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·desolate" (וְגַלְמוּדָ֑ה, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 50: who?, who?. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "begot·to·me" (יָֽלַד־לִי֙), "bereaved" (שְׁכוּלָ֖ה), "and·desolate" (וְגַלְמוּדָ֑ה). The root אלה appears 3 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·you·will·say" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah); "they" (root הן, 86x in Isaiah); "and·I" (root אני, 76x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·desolate', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 12 words.
Rashi
Galmodah. Shulda in Old French:
And "Soreh." It is estranged from every person; everyone says concerning it: "Turn away from it!"
Ibn Ezra
"And you shall say." And [the word] is isolated, sitting alone, and similarly, "let him be isolated" (Job 3:7), and the root of the word is from four letters, and it is a descriptor of the Name.
Sura. A noun denoting one who has departed from his place, and it cannot be a participle, for "sar" is not among the verbs that produce [such forms].
And these, then, are they: two words with the same meaning as "ayyoh."
Radak
"And you shall say," "And bereft." "Bereft" means solitary.
"Golah ve-sorah." From the aspect of sons who went into exile and strayed from her; and likewise, "ke-olah" [a terebinth] whose leaf withers. And "sorah" is an adjective, just as "ve-suri" in the phrase "ba-aretz yichtavu" is written.
“Where are they?” – Meaning, from where, i.e., from which place did they come; or the explanation is: where were they?
Metzudat David
"Who has begotten..."—this means: From where did such a great multitude come?
"And I am bereaved." Is this not so? For many days I have been bereaved of them, and I am alone.
“Exiled and estranged.” Are not the children exiled and estranged from Me?
"These, where are they? These are those who come from some place: from where did they come?"
Metzudat Zion
And it was desolate. It was solitary, devoid of people. And likewise, "that night shall be desolate" (Job 3:7).
"Where?" – Just as the word "from where" indicates a question regarding location, so too does this word indicate a question of place, as in: "Where are they feeding [the sheep]?" (Genesis 37:16).
Malbim
And you shall say in your heart: Then you will ask three questions. And it is compared in a parable to a woman whose children all died, and she was thereafter desolate without a husband, and exiled from place to place, and she found no rest for the sole of her foot, for there was no man to gather her into the house. And afterwards, sons came to her from across the sea, who were related to her, having been born from her. And then you will ask the three questions mentioned here:
1. "Who has borne these to me?" You will ask regarding the prevention of childbirth, for it is impossible at all that these sons were born from her, since she was bereaved, for all her children had died, and furthermore she was thereafter desolate without a husband. And how were these sons born to her?
2. "I was exiled and wandering; who has brought these up?" You will ask regarding the prevention of upbringing. For even if it were conceivable that I gave birth to sons, who brought them up and trained them? Was it not I who was exiled and wandering? That is to say, I was exiled from my place, and also in the place where I was, they did not allow me to sit in rest, but I was wandering from place to place. And therefore, who brought these up?
3. "Behold, I was left alone; where were these?" You will ask regarding the prevention of their arrival here. For even if it were conceivable that they were born from me and grew up by themselves, who brought them here to my place? Was it not I who was left alone, far from them? And where were these? From what place did they come, and who brought them here?
(The meaning of the parable is that Jerusalem was bereaved, for her children were slain and went into captivity before Assur. And from then on she sat desolate. And therefore she will marvel: Who has borne sons to her, for she thought that all her children were slain and taken captive. Secondly, she will ask: Even if some of them remained, were they not exiles and impoverished, and who brought them up for two thousand years, and how did they not perish and be consumed by distress? Thirdly, she will ask: And even if they survived until now, who gathered her dispersed ones, and who freed them and brought them to Zion?)
Thus says the Lord Hashem: Behold, I will lift up My hand to the nations, And set up Mine ensign to the peoples, And they shall bring your sons in their bosom, And your daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders.
verse value 3557
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 73 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יֱהֹוִ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "they" (הִנֵּ֨ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·to·peoples" (וְאֶל־עַמִּ֖ים, 7 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "to·the·nations" (אֶל־גּוֹיִם֙), "and·to·peoples" (וְאֶל־עַמִּ֖ים), "my·ensign" (נִסִּ֑י). The root נשא appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "thus·said" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah); "and·they·shall·bring" (root בוא, 120x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'my·ensign', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 6 words.
Rashi
Yad. A sign to bring the exiles:
Nasi. The term "parqa" in Old French is like "and he gathered upon the hill" (above, 30), and it is a sign of gathering, and they place a garment on its head.
In their outer courts. Yeshil in Old French, and similar to this is in Ezra: "And I also shook out my lap" (Nehemiah 5).
Ibn Ezra
"I will lift up my hand to the nations" – like a person who raises his hand and shows it; and likewise, "I will raise a banner." The meaning is that I will make this salvation known.
And they shall bring. The nations, your children:
"בְּחוּצָן" – just as it says, "I shook out my lap" (Nehemiah 5:13).
Radak
Thus it is said: "chotzen" (bosom), [referring to] the corner of the garment, and likewise [the term] "chotznei" (bosom of) my garment.
Metzudat David
“I will lift up my hand to the nations” – to hint to them to bring Israel; that is to say, I will awaken their hearts to this matter.
"Raise a banner." – "I will raise a banner," and this too is a matter of allusion, and the matter is repeated in what is stated:
“Outside.” This means that they will bring them out with great honor.
Metzudat Zion
Nesi. It is an upright pillar, and they place a cloth upon it as a hint.
"Outside." So too, "the corner of the garment" is called a "chutzn," just as it is written, "I also shook out my lap" (Nehemiah 5:13).
“Upon the shoulder.” Upon the shoulder blade.
Malbim
Thus says the Lord: He answers her with three responses to these three questions, in order from bottom to top. Regarding what she asked, “Where are these?”—and who gathered the exiles and brought them here? Know that He who scattered Israel will gather them. For I will lift My hand to the nations, and I will signal to them to bring the children of the exiles to their land. And to the peoples—I have already explained that “nations” are lesser than “peoples.” I say that for the nations, it will suffice to lift the hand as a signal to bring the children of the exiles. But the peoples will not listen immediately, until I raise for them a banner—the war of Gog and Magog—where they will fall among the fallen. And then, “Your sons shall be brought in a carrying-chair.” This refers to the throne upon which dignitaries are carried. And your daughters shall be carried on the shoulder; they shall be borne on the shoulder, and they will bring them to their land.
And kings shall be your foster-fathers, And their queens your nursing mothers; They shall bow down to you with their face to the earth, And lick the dust of your feet; And you shall know that I am Hashem, For they shall not be ashamed that wait for Me.
verse value 5363
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 85 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "to·you" (לָ֔ךְ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·their·queens" (וְשָׂרֽוֹתֵיהֶם֙, 8 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "foster-fathers·of·you" (אֹמְנַ֗יִךְ), "and·their·queens" (וְשָׂרֽוֹתֵיהֶם֙), "nursing-mothers·of·you" (מֵינִ֣יקֹתַ֔יִךְ). 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "and·they·shall·be" (root היה, 213x in Isaiah); "for" (root אשר, 176x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'shall·lick', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 6 words.
Ibn Ezra
"And kings shall be thy nursing fathers." Like "He reared Hadassah" (Esther 2:7), this is a metaphor for the great honor that will be theirs.
Radak
"And your foster-parents" – "your nurturers," like as a craftsman lifts up a suckling.
"And you shall know": Then you shall know that I am the Lord, and that all is in My hand to humble and to exalt. And if you were lowly for many days, you shall be exalted above all the nations. And I am He who will not cause those who wait for Him to be ashamed; for if you waited for Me for many days in exile, your hope has not perished, and there shall be no more shame for you from the nations who used to say that you have no hope.
Metzudat David
And you shall know. Then you will know that I am the Lord, and the power is in My hand.
“Who wait for Me shall not be ashamed.” For one who waits for a matter and it does not come, it is counted as a shame for him.
Metzudat Zion
Your nurses. So too is the tower of the maiden called a nurse, as it is stated: “When the nurse lifts the young one” (Numbers 11).
"Yilchaku" refers to the matter of licking with the tongue; and similarly, "k'lichukhashor" (ibid. 22:4).
“Wait.” The word is derived from the root meaning “hope.”
Malbim
And it shall be, regarding the second question you asked, "Who will nourish them?" after you were exiled and estranged, and how this long period of time was sustained, I answer you: behold, for growth two things are required: A. to nurse the child until he is weaned. B. to train him and raise him from the time he is removed from the breasts. Now, the kings shall be your nurses, and their noblewomen shall be your wet-nurses, and the advocacy they will provide on your behalf against every misfortune, until you grow up, and they will train and raise you as a nursemaid raises a nursing infant until the end, at which point "their faces..." etc.
And you shall know, and regarding the third question which you asked: “Who bore these to me, since you were bereaved and desolate, all your children having been taken into captivity and into slavery, and who brought them out free?” I answer you: Now you shall know that I am the Lord, Who has the power to do this, so that those who wait for Him shall not be ashamed, because it will not seem wondrous in their eyes to say:
Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, Or the captives of the victorious be delivered?
verse value 1210
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 28 letters. The shortest word is "will·be·taken" (הֲיֻקַּ֥ח, 4 letters) and the longest is "or·captives-of" (וְאִם־שְׁבִ֥י, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "will·be·taken" (הֲיֻקַּ֥ח), "from·the·mighty" (מִגִּבּ֖וֹר), "booty" (מַלְק֑וֹחַ). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "or·captives-of" (root ישב, 71x in Isaiah); "will·be·taken" (root לקח, 21x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'booty', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: הֲיֻקַּ֥ח [will·be·taken] (123) + מִגִּבּ֖וֹר [from·the·mighty] (251) + מַלְק֑וֹחַ [booty] (184) + וְאִם־שְׁבִ֥י [or·captives-of] (359) + צַדִּ֖יק [just] (204) + יִמָּלֵֽט [will·slip·away] (89) = 1210.
Rashi
"Shall the prey (malkoach) be taken from the mighty?" You suppose that it is impossible to take from Esau the captive spoil of Jacob the righteous.
Ibn Ezra
“Will He take away...” – The words of the prophet speak on behalf of Israel, who were saying: How will Israel be taken out of the hands of the nations?
“Is it taken from the mighty?” The thing taken is that which he took, namely the captive.
“And if the captive of the righteous is delivered.” Because of his righteousness, after the mighty one has taken him.
Radak
“Will he take from the mighty?” These are the words of the nations: How will he take from the mighty? From a buyer who has already taken possession, and furthermore, because he is the captive of a righteous one, for he took him in righteousness and in justice. How will he escape from his hand? From two aspects: one, that he is mighty; and the other, that he is righteous in his captivity. So too with Israel: How will they go forth from under our dominion?
Metzudat David
“Hayukach.” The meaning is: You might think to say, “Is it possible to take from the hand of Esau the mighty the spoils that he plundered?”
“And if [it is] captivity. And is it possible to escape from His hand the captive whom he captured, namely Jacob the righteous?”
Metzudat Zion
Regarding "malkoch." So too, the captivity of livestock is called "malkoch," as it is stated: "and the captivity and the malkoch" (ibid. 31).
Malbim
“Shall one take booty from a mighty man, or shall the captive of the mighty be rescued?”—after the Israelites were captured and taken as slaves into the hands of the mighty, is it possible to rescue the captives and the booty from their hands? And this is the question that you asked: “After I am bereaved and desolate, and my children are booty and captives in the hands of the mighty, who gave me these?” For how is it possible to take booty from a mighty man? Now, those who wait shall not be ashamed of this question, because...
But thus says Hashem: Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, And the prey of the terrible shall be delivered; And I will contend with him that contends with you, And I will save your children.
verse value 3555
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 69 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "said" (אָמַ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·with·your·adversary" (וְאֶת־יְרִיבֵךְ֙, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 81: I, I. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "even·captives-of" (גַּם־שְׁבִ֤י), "and·booty" (וּמַלְק֥וֹחַ), "and·with·your·adversary" (וְאֶת־יְרִיבֵךְ֙). The root אנכי appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "said" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah); "for·thus" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'will·slip·away', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 6 words.
Rashi
"And your adversary." And with your adversaries I will contend.
Ibn Ezra
For thus says the Lord: The captive, whom the mighty one took, shall be taken from him:
“Arutz.” Like “gevur” (mighty), and it is an attribute of the Divine Name, like the word “aimim” (terrors) (Genesis 14:5). Behold, it is thus derived:
And further, “[I will contend with your adversaries].” For I will make a dispute with those who contend with you. And many said that “[your adversary]” derives from the root having a yod as its first letter, while others said that it is reversed. And the Jerusalem Talmud says that the word “asher” is omitted, as if it said, “and with those who contend with you,” and it placed the yod, which is for the future tense. And behold, he forgot, “Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me” (Psalms 35:1). And the general rule is that the yod is a foreign letter.
Radak
For thus. The Holy One, blessed be He, answered:
"Even a mighty man, when taken captive, will be taken." For I am mightier than you, and I will take him from your hands. And as for what you will say, "He is not righteous, but rather a tyrant," [the answer is that] you took him by force and tyranny, not by righteousness and justice. This is how my master and father, of blessed memory, explained it.
"Your adversary": This is a descriptive term, and the yod is added like the yod in "yikum," meaning, "He who contends with you in exile, and I will save your children from among them."
Metzudat David
"For thus, etc." – The meaning is: But it is not so; rather, "Thus says the Lord," that it is also possible to take the captive from the hand of Esau the mighty, and to deliver the captive from the hand of the tyrant.
"And your adversary." With those who contend against you, I will contend.
Metzudat Zion
"Arutz." Strong, like "as a mighty man, an arutz" (Jeremiah 20:11).
Malbim
For thus says the Lord: Even the captive of the mighty shall be taken. And He brought them out from the hand of captivity and servitude. Now, there is a distinction between "captive" (sh'vi) and "plunder" (mal'kuch). "Plunder" refers to what the enemy takes for himself as male and female slaves, whereas "captive" refers to those in the land of their captivity who were not taken as slaves. Now, it is impossible for the "plunder" to escape, for he is under the authority of his master; it is only possible that he be taken from his master by force, after he is held as a slave unjustly. But this is only if the "plunder" is in the hand of a weak man. But can one take "plunder" from a mighty man? If the "plunder" is in the hand of a mighty man, is it not impossible to take him from his hand? But with "captives," it is the opposite: it is impossible that they be taken by force, for the "captive" status is according to law, in that the defeated people are in captivity, since they are not held as slaves, and they are not "plunder" but only "captives." It is only possible that they escape, since they are not under the authority of a master. But you will ask: Can a righteous captive escape? If the captive was taken justly because of his sin and rebellion—which is called a "righteous captive"—is it not also impossible for him to escape? The meaning is that among Israel, some were "plunder," i.e., male and female slaves, and some were "captives" in the hand of the nations. They asked: Even though the "plunder" was taken unjustly, is he not in the hand of a mighty man, and who will take him from his hand? And the "captive," since he is a righteous captive, for they were taken justly, how will they escape? And the Lord answers them: "Even the captive of the mighty shall be taken." The meaning is: Not only will the captive escape, for it is easy for the captive to escape, since they are not guarded, for he is a captive of the mighty, not a righteous captive. The meaning is: Since they were taken not justly, but by might and strength, even they shall be taken by force from their captors. And even the plunder of the tyrant shall escape. Not only shall the plunder of the mighty be taken by force, but even the plunder of the tyrant, who is greater than the mighty, shall escape on his own from his hand. And regarding "your adversary," the meaning is: Do not fear that it will happen to you as with the slave who flees from his master, that his master comes and contends with him and brings him to court. For "your adversary I will contend with," meaning I will argue against them, saying that I purchased you as a slave first, for "to Me the children of Israel are servants." And regarding what was said, "Even the captive of the mighty shall be taken," He says: "For your children I will save," and I will take them from the hand of their captors.
And I will feed them that oppress you with their own flesh; And they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine; And all flesh shall know that I Hashem am your Saviour, And your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.
verse value 4504
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 73 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "that" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·I·will·feed" (וְהַאֲכַלְתִּ֤י, 7 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·I·will·feed" (וְהַאֲכַלְתִּ֤י), "your·oppressors" (אֶת־מוֹנַ֙יִךְ֙), "their·flesh" (אֶת־בְּשָׂרָ֔ם). The root בשר appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "that" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah); "I" (root אני, 76x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·will·be·drunk', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 9 words.
Rashi
"And I will feed those who afflict you." The Babylonians—their flesh to the beasts of the field. "Those who afflict you" is an expression meaning "Do not wrong" (Leviticus 25:14), namely, verbal wronging—those who defame you with their insults.
And like sweet wine. The sweetness of wine:
“their blood shall be drunk.” Just as they will be intoxicated by their blood—namely, those accustomed to drinking blood, who are these? The birds of the sky. So too does the Targum render it.
Ibn Ezra
"And I will feed those who afflict you." This is derived from the root of "You shall not wrong one another" (Leviticus 25:17). Others say it means "your enumerators," just as in "by the hand of the one who counts" (Jeremiah 33:13), where Israel is compared to a flock.
Damam. From "damdam," and it is a euphemistic expression.
Radak
"And I will feed those who oppress you." Your oppressors, as in: "And My princes shall no longer oppress My people," and its Targum renders it: "And they shall no longer oppress."
Their flesh. In the manner of: “A man shall eat flesh with its sinew.”
And as for *asis*: wine of grapes or wine of pomegranates is called so because it comes out by means of squeezing and crushing, from [the verse] "and they crushed the wicked" (Malachi 3:21), and likewise, "from the *asis* of pomegranates the mountains shall drip down *asis*" (Song of Songs 4:15).
“Damam” [is] as if “mi-damam” (with their blood); and Jonathan’s Targum renders it: “the flesh that was counted against you, etc.”
Metzudat David
"And I will feed them." To give life to those who are fit to eat meat, I will feed those who defraud you with verbal deceit.
“their flesh.” To add further clarification, it states that he shall feed them their flesh:
"And like the juice of their blood they shall be drunk." The birds that are fit to drink blood will become drunk from their blood, like one who drinks wine, and this is a matter of wordplay.
"And they shall know..." — Then all will understand that it is the Lord who does all these, and that they came not by chance.
And your Redeemer, etc. The repetition of the matter in what is stated:
Metzudat Zion
"מוניך" (He who oppresses you). The matter of reproach and of verbal fraud; and likewise, "You shall not wrong a stranger" (Exodus 22:20).
"U-kesiss" – this refers to the matter of crushing, as in "and you shall crush the wicked" (Malachi 3:21). It is called so regarding grape wine or pomegranate juice, because the liquid is extracted by squeezing and crushing. And similarly, "me-kesiss romanim" (Song of Songs 8:2).
“Let them be intoxicated.” The matter refers to drinking beyond the proper measure.
Avir. The matter of strength:
Malbim
"And I will feed those who afflict you with their own flesh, those who have been afflicting you until now through verbal oppression, saying, 'Your hope is lost'; they shall eat the flesh of your enemies. That is to say, they shall wage war against your adversaries. And all flesh shall know that I, the Lord, am your Savior, above nature, by the power of the Lord, Who possesses the ability. And your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob, for I shall do this because of the bond that He has with Jacob, and through your righteousness."
Rashi
Ibn Ezra
Radak
Metzudat David
Malbim