Let me sing of my well-beloved, A song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My well-beloved had a vineyard In a very fruitful hill;
verse value 3007
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 47 letters. The shortest word is "please" (נָּא֙, 2 letters) and the longest is "of·well-beloved" (לִֽידִידִ֔י, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 68: of·well-beloved, to·well-beloved. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "I·will·sing" (אָשִׁ֤ירָה), "song·of" (שִׁירַ֥ת), "my·beloved" (דּוֹדִ֖י). The root שיר appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "was" (root היה, 213x in Isaiah); "very·fruitful" (root בין, 43x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root שיר ("I·will·sing") in Isaiah. First appearance of the root נא ("please") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·his·vineyard', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 5 words. Full calculation: אָשִׁ֤ירָה [I·will·sing] (516) + נָּא֙ [please] (51) + לִֽידִידִ֔י [of·well-beloved] (68) + שִׁירַ֥ת [song·of] (910) + דּוֹדִ֖י [my·beloved] (24) + לְכַרְמ֑וֹ [to·his·vineyard] (296) + כֶּ֛רֶם [vineyard] (260) + הָיָ֥ה [was] (20) + לִידִידִ֖י [to·well-beloved] (68) + בְּקֶ֥רֶן [in·horn·of] (352) + בֶּן־שָֽׁמֶן [very·fruitful] (442) = 3007.
Rashi
"I will sing, pray, to my beloved." The prophet says, "I will sing, pray, to my beloved," meaning: in place of my beloved, in his stead, and as his agent, just as it is written, "The Lord will fight for you" (Exodus 14:14), which means: on your behalf.
The song of my beloved. This is the song that he sang on behalf of his vineyard, concerning the affairs of his vineyard, as it is said: “And the men of the place asked his wife” (Genesis 26:7).
A vineyard, etc. A son of oil in the corners, one who produces oily fruits like good oil.
Ben Shemen: This name is fitting for him, just as olives are fit for producing oil, so too he was fit for death, like one who is called a son of death (II Samuel 2), who was fit for death. This is an analogy, and the matter will be explained at the end of the discussion.
Ibn Ezra
“I will sing, please.” Every instance of “please” (na) is equivalent to “now.”
To my beloved. [It means] “for my beloved,” like “say of me (imri li)” (Genesis 20:13), [meaning] “for my sake.”
To his vineyard. On account of his vineyard:
"My friend" – its root is triliteral, while "dodi" (my beloved) is from the two-letter [roots].
Beit Keren bar Shemen. It was a distinguished place in the vineyards of Jerusalem. And there are those who say that "Beit Keren" refers to a high place, and "bar Shemen" is derived from the phrase "and it shall be rich and fat" (Isaiah 30:23), and like "the richness of the oil" (Numbers 11:8). And it is not far-fetched.
Radak
“I will now sing.” The words of the prophet make a parable between God, blessed be He, and Israel. He calls Israel a vineyard and the Holy One the owner of the vineyard. He calls this parable a “song,” and this parable is addressed to the people of his generation, since it is a praise of the lover and his love for the beloved. Likewise, the Song of Songs of Solomon, since it recounts the love of the one who desires for the one who is desired. It is a parable of the Holy One with the Congregation of Israel. The prophet calls God, blessed be He, “my beloved” and “my friend,” in the manner of the verse: “For I have desired Him.”
“On the horn of Ben Sheman.” As its Targum [renders it]: “On the lofty tower and in the fertile land.” And the verse calls the Land of Israel “horn” because it is higher than all the lands, and the horn is higher than the entire body. And it calls the Land of Israel “Ben Sheman” [son of fatness], as it is stated regarding it: “a land flowing with milk and honey.” And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated: “And I sanctified them,” etc.
Metzudat David
To my beloved. The prophet said: “Let me sing, please, on behalf of my beloved and in his commission.”
The song of my beloved. The song that my beloved sang concerning the affairs of his vineyard:
Vineyard. And this is the Song: “Behold, my beloved’s vineyard was on a hilltop,” etc.
Metzudat Zion
To my friend, my beloved and my cousin:
"ba-karn." The corner and the angles; and likewise regarding the horns of the altar (Leviticus 4:7):
"Son of oil." This refers to one that is fit to produce oily fruits; and likewise, "son of death" (1 Samuel 20:31) means that he is fit to die.
Malbim
"I will sing" – this teaches that the Lord reproves Israel through a parable that is both fitting and incisive, and He sings a song on behalf of His beloved. The song that his beloved sang concerning his vineyard, vineyard, compares the word of the Lord with Israel, as if the Lord had a vineyard belonging to His beloved. He planted it on a high and steep mountain, in a fertile place, which, by virtue of its location, ought to have produced excellent wine. Moreover, nothing was lacking that was needed for the proper cultivation of the vineyard.
And he dug it, and cleared it of stones, And planted it with the choicest vine, And built a tower in the midst of it, And also hewed out a vat therein; And he looked that it should bring forth grapes, And it brought forth wild grapes. .
verse value 3814
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 70 letters. The shortest word is "in·it" (בּ֑וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·he·dug·it" (וַֽיְעַזְּקֵ֣הוּ, 7 letters). 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·he·dug·it" (וַֽיְעַזְּקֵ֣הוּ), "and·he·cleared·it·of·stones" (וַֽיְסַקְּלֵ֗הוּ), "and·he·planted·it" (וַיִּטָּעֵ֙הוּ֙). The root עשה appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·do" (root עשה, 101x in Isaiah); "in·it" (root בו, 24x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root נטע ("and·he·planted·it") in Isaiah. First appearance of the root בנה ("and·he·built") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·it', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 5 words.
Rashi
"And he made a ring for it." They surrounded and fenced it around, encircled like a kind of ring, as we translate in the Aramaic: "eizaka."
And he cleared it of stones. He removed stones from within it that were harmful to the vines, as in the phrase clear away the stones (infra 62).
And he planted it with a choice vine. They are the choice cuttings, suitable for planting, as opposed to the other cuttings.
And he built a tower in it. A winepress to tread grapes:
“And also a winepress hewn out of it.” The pit before the winepress to receive the wine, and so every “winepress” in Scripture is a term for a pit. And so, “to the winepresses of the King” (Zechariah 14:10), the Targum renders: “unto the King’s pits (shichaya de-malka)” — that is, the depth of the ocean. Therefore, here the term “hewn” is used, as in “hewn-out cisterns” (Deuteronomy 6:10).
And he waited for it to yield grapes. And my beloved waited for this vineyard to yield him grapes:
And it produced wild grapes. They resembled grapes, and they are called (lambrusques in the vernacular):
Ibn Ezra
“And he fenced it in.” Some say that the word is derived from the Targumic root, as in the Targum’s rendering of “ring” (Isaiah 3:21) as “ezqata.” This interpretation, however, is nonsensical. The correct view is that this word has no cognate in Biblical Hebrew; it is found only in the Qedarite dialect, and its meaning is akin to that of “fence” or “hedge.”
“and they stoned him.” This is from the heavy binyan (pi’el), and its meaning is that they removed the stones; and if it were from the light binyan (pa’al), it would mean to join the stones together. Similarly, “and He will uproot you from the land of the living” (Psalms 52:7).
"And he planted it with a choice vine." From the root *shureq*, because the noun form possesses the force of every verb, whether past or future.
“And he built a tower in it.” [This refers to] a place for the watchman to dwell.
“And also a winepress hewn in it”: To extract the new wine in the vineyard.
“ba’ushim.” Like “chuchim,” as it is written, “and instead of barley, noxious weeds” (Job 31:40):
And the meaning of “and he dug it” is that the Land of Israel was built with pleasant houses and walls; and “and he stoned it” means that he drove out the Canaanites; the tower is an allegory for the House of the Lord, which was on Mount Moriah; and the winepress is an allegory for the altar of burnt-offering; and the grapes are an allegory for the righteous.
Radak
“And he dug it up.” The explanation is that they dug it, as derived from the words of our Sages of blessed memory, who found him sitting and digging beneath the olive trees. Alternatively, the explanation is that they fenced it around, as indicated by its Targumic translation, “a ring of ‘azqā’” (a fence), which is round and encircling. And one who wishes to plant a vineyard first fences it in, so that wild animals will not enter and destroy the saplings; he also digs the place for planting the vines. And likewise, he clears the stones from it, and only then plants from the finest saplings he can find. This is what is stated: “and he cleared it of stones,” meaning he removed the stones from there, and afterward, “and planted it with a choice vine.” And “shorēq” denotes a distinguished planting, as it is also said, “I planted you as a choice vine.” And it is stated that the vine which produces good grapes without seeds is called “shorēq.” The meaning of the parable is that the Almighty guarded Israel when He brought them into the Land. The fence represents the clouds that surrounded them, and the clearing of stones from the vineyard represents the seven nations of the Land of Israel. And “He planted in it” refers to this people, who are a chosen planting, the seed of truth, namely the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and they were worthy to produce good fruit. And there are those who interpret it as an allusion that six hundred and thirteen mitzvot, corresponding to the numerical value of “shorēq,” and I added to them the seven commandments with which the sons of Noah were commanded.
“And He built a tower in its midst.” Just as one who possesses a fine vineyard and desires to guard it with excellent protection at all times builds a tower within it, and also constructs a winepress there, treads the grapes there, and stores the wine there—all of this he does out of his love for the vineyard; and there are those who build a single tower in a vineyard to guard all the vineyards—so too, the Blessed and Holy One built a tower in its midst, promising them His protection as long as they heed His voice and trust in His Name, so that no evil shall befall them. This is the “strong tower,” as it is written: “The Name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.”
“And also a winepress was hewn in it.” These are the prophets, as it is stated, “I have hewn [chitzavti] among the prophets.” Just as in a winepress one treads the grapes in order to extract the fruit of the grapes for practical use, so too the prophets instruct Israel in the Torah so that their deeds may be good before God and before man. And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] rendered “tower” as “the House of the Sanctuary,” and he translated “winepress” as “altar.”
“And he hoped it would produce grapes, but it produced wild grapes.” And behold, he hoped that this vineyard would produce good grapes, just as the planting was good, for it was a good planting from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and likewise, he taught the Torah of truth, and it was fitting that their deeds be good.
"And it produced wild grapes." The explanation is that these were bad grapes. So too did Rabbi Saadia Gaon, the translator, interpret it, rendering it as "and they became bad and into heaps." And Rabbi Hai Gaon, of blessed memory, wrote that "ba'ushim" is a known type among the kinds of grapes, and it is the worst of them. And it is known from the language of the Mishnah: "Grapes that are 'ovushim' [rotten] in their early stage," with the aleph preceding the bet. So too with Israel: in a place where they were worthy to perform good deeds, they performed bad deeds.
Metzudat David
"And he fenced it, etc." He built a wall around it, cleared it of stones, planted in it fine vines, made a winepress in it, and dug a vat in it.
And he hoped. In light of these actions and rectifications, he hoped that the vineyard would produce good grapes, but it was not so, for it produced wild grapes.
Metzudat Zion
"and he fenced it." The Targum translates it as "a ring," and that is to say: he surrounded it with a border all around, like a ring.
"And he cleared it of stones." He removed the stones from within it. And likewise, "clear it of stones" (below, 62).
Shorok. Selected branches, as it is said: “But I had planted you, a shoot of noble stock” (Jeremiah 2:21).
Tower. The winepress in which the grapes are trodden to extract the wine is called a *yekev*. It is the vat located before the winepress, into which the wine flows down.
Chatzav. The excavation in stones is called chitzvah in the language of the Bible:
And they hoped. The word is in the form of "hope."
Regarding the word "avushim": These are fruits similar to grapes but inferior to them. Likewise, the phrase "instead of barley, avush" (Job 31:40) means that the barley was of poor quality.
Malbim
1. And he dug it out: He surrounded it with a fence so that it would be protected from damage coming from outside. 2. And he cleared it of stones: He removed stumbling-block stones from within it, lest they obstruct the spreading of the roots; and this is the removal of damage coming from within. 3. And he planted it with fine vine: He planted it in such a manner that it could produce clusters and shoots, by leaving space between vine and vine. 4. And he built: He built a tower in which a watchman would sit to guard it against birds and thieves. 5. And he also hewed out a wine vat and a winepress in it: In it the grapes would be trodden to extract their wine. And in this way he expected it to yield grapes, since nothing was lacking for it. And it yielded wild grapes: The branches of the vine were foreign.
And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, Judge, I pray you, between me and my vineyard.
verse value 2588
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 41 letters. The shortest word is "now" (וְעַתָּ֛ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "Jerusalem" (יְרוּשָׁלִַ֖ם, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "judge·please" (שִׁפְטוּ־נָ֕א), "between" (בֵּינִ֖י), "and·between" (וּבֵ֥ין). The root בין appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "dwelling" (root ישב, 71x in Isaiah); "and·man·of" (root איש, 59x in Isaiah); "between" (root בין, 43x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Judah', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְעַתָּ֛ה [now] (481) + יוֹשֵׁ֥ב [dwelling] (318) + יְרוּשָׁלִַ֖ם [Jerusalem] (586) + וְאִ֣ישׁ [and·man·of] (317) + יְהוּדָ֑ה [Judah] (30) + שִׁפְטוּ־נָ֕א [judge·please] (446) + בֵּינִ֖י [between] (72) + וּבֵ֥ין [and·between] (68) + כַּרְמִֽי [my·vineyard] (270) = 2588.
Ibn Ezra
"And now, the inhabitant of Jerusalem and the man of Judah." Any man who is from Judah, which refers to the surroundings of Jerusalem.
Radak
"And now." This means: You yourselves shall be judges between Me and you. And it says, "The inhabitant of Jerusalem and the man of Judah," implying that the other ten tribes were exiled when this prophecy was uttered, for in the sixth year of Hezekiah the ten tribes were exiled.
Metzudat David
"And now." Since it was so:
“Sitting in Jerusalem.” Any person who dwells in Jerusalem, and every individual among the men of Judah:
"Judge, I pray you, between me and my vineyard. See what is done between me and my vineyard, and see whose right it is."
Malbim
And now, He invites the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the city of the kingdom, and with them all the tribe of Judah who have not yet sinned; they shall serve as judges between the Lord and His vineyard—which is the ten tribes and the kingdom of Ephraim—to see who is liable in the matter, and He presents His case before the judges, saying:
What could have been done more to my vineyard, That I have not done in it? Wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, Brought it forth wild grapes?
verse value 4429
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 53 letters. The shortest word is "in·it" (בּ֑וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "what·to·do" (מַה־לַּעֲשׂ֥וֹת, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "what·to·do" (מַה־לַּעֲשׂ֥וֹת), "I·looked·for" (קִוֵּ֛יתִי). The root עשה appears 4 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·not" (root לא, 286x in Isaiah); "what·to·do" (root עשה, 101x in Isaiah); "more" (root עוד, 44x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root מדוע ("why?") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·it', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: מַה־לַּעֲשׂ֥וֹת [what·to·do] (851) + עוֹד֙ [more] (80) + לְכַרְמִ֔י [to·my·vineyard] (300) + וְלֹ֥א [and·not] (37) + עָשִׂ֖יתִי [I·did] (790) + בּ֑וֹ [in·it] (8) + מַדּ֧וּעַ [why?] (120) + קִוֵּ֛יתִי [I·looked·for] (526) + לַעֲשׂ֥וֹת [to·do] (806) + עֲנָבִ֖ים [grapes] (172) + וַיַּ֥עַשׂ [and·did] (386) + בְּאֻשִֽׁים [stinking or worthless things] (353) = 4429.
Ibn Ezra
"What, etc." What remains of good to do for the vineyard that you have not done?
Why? [Because] there are two words, such as "from this in your hand" (Exodus 4:2), and likewise "you have crushed My people" (Isaiah 3:15):
Radak
What is there to do? All the watchings and labors that a person performs for his vineyard, I have performed for it; there remains no good thing for me to do that I have not done. If so, why was it that I hoped to produce grapes, yet it produced wild grapes? The word kivviti is vocalized with a tzere under the vav.
Metzudat David
"What more could I have done for my vineyard? What else was there for me to do for my vineyard that I did not do, from all the things that are done for a vineyard?"
"Why did I wait?" — This means: Why was it not so as I had hoped?
Malbim
What more is there to do, for the sake of the repairs of the vineyard which I did not perform? And why did I hope and was my expectation dashed? (And the allegorical meaning is explained in verse 7: The congregation of Israel is the vineyard which the Lord planted. The horn of a fertile height is the Holy Land, prepared so that they might attain there two kinds of perfection: either the perfection of the soul between man and his Creator, inasmuch as it is a sanctified land, prepared for purity, holiness, and prophecy; or the perfection of governance between man and man, inasmuch as it is a land where nothing shall lack, and they will not need to oppress or rob or move a boundary marker. And these are the grapes that the Lord hoped for, namely justice and righteousness (as stated in verse 7): justice concerning man, and righteousness concerning the Omnipresent. And He also performed all the needs of the vineyard explained in the parable: 1. He fenced it with a fence and separated it from the nations around them, lest they mix with them. 2. He cleared away the stumbling stones from among them by commanding them to blot out the Canaanites, lest they turn them away from the Lord. 3. He allotted to each one a portion of field and vineyard separately, for by this He planted them, so that they would flourish in justice and righteousness, that their minds would be free for the service of the Lord, and their needs would be found without need to oppress. 4. He built a tower in its midst, which is the Temple, wherein sits the Guardian of Israel, who neither slumbers nor sleeps, to guard them from every distress and enemy. 5. He dug out a winepress, which is the Divine abundance that descends in exchange for their deeds, which is the wine, and the ultimate purpose of the vessel from the action. And despite all this, the vineyard acted with hostility, as it is stated: “I looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold, a cry!”)
And now come, I will tell you What I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, And it shall be eaten up; I will break down the fence thereof, And it shall be trodden down;
verse value 5071
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 65 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָיָ֣ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "doing" (עֹשֶׂ֖ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "let·me·make·known·please" (אוֹדִיעָה־נָּ֣א, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 370: breach, for·a·trampling·place. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "let·me·make·known·please" (אוֹדִיעָה־נָּ֣א), "what·I" (אֲשֶׁר־אֲנִ֥י), "his·hedge" (מְשׂוּכָּתוֹ֙). The root היה appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·shall·be" (root היה, 213x in Isaiah); "what·I" (root אשר, 176x in Isaiah); "doing" (root עשה, 101x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root פרץ ("breach") in Isaiah. First appearance of the root מרמס ("for·a·trampling·place") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·my·vineyard', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 8 words.
Rashi
"Remove its hedge." To remove the fence that shelters and protects it. "Its hedge" refers to a thorn hedge, whereas "fence" denotes a stone wall.
And it shall be. The vineyard:
For grazing (le-va'er). That cattle and beasts shall graze in it.
Ibn Ezra
"And now." *Meshukhato* ("his hedge"), like "as thorns in your eyes" (Numbers 33:55).
לבער. To graze, as it is said: "And if a man cause a field or vineyard to be eaten, and he let his cattle loose, and they do eat in another man's field" (Exodus 22:4).
And the meaning of “breach its wall” is that its walls will fall.
Radak
And now, remove its hedge. With a dagesh in the vav, like the hedge of a vineyard, in the first person, and the hedge is what they make for a vineyard from thorns outside the stone wall that they make for it, and they do this mostly for protection, and if there is no hedge, a person will enter it with difficulty, and this is "and it will be for devouring," meaning for food, like "and he devoured in another field," and after breaking through the stone wall, it is for trampling, that animals and beasts will trample it, and the metaphor in the hedge and the wall is the protection of God that He will remove from them, and the nations of the world will rule over them, as the verse says, "And I will remove My face from them, and it will be for eating."
Metzudat David
That which I am doing. That which is in my heart to do for my vineyard:
“Remove.” To remove its fence, and it shall become pasture.
"Broken down." [This teaches that] its fence was broken down, and it became a place trodden underfoot. And this is a double meaning in what is written:
Metzudat Zion
"His hedge" (mishkhato). This is the fence that provides shade and protection for him, as it is said, "Have You not hedged him in?" (Job 1:10).
And it shall be. Like "and it was":
לבער. To graze, as it is written: "and it grazed in another man's field" (Exodus 22:4).
To be trampled. To be trodden underfoot:
Malbim
And now, after it has been established before the judges that the vineyard itself is guilty and has transgressed of its own accord, He informs them of the punishment which He intends to inflict upon it: "Remove" — namely, the fence of stones that is built around the vineyard so that it will not be trampled upon. And since it is not yet certain that animals will leap over the fence, a thorn hedge is made above the fence to restrain even the legs of beasts. He says that first the thorn hedge will be removed, and it will be left for beasts to graze upon; and afterwards, the fence itself will be breached, and it will be left to be trampled upon and become ownerless property. And in the Jerusalem Talmud, at the beginning of Bava Kamma: "Remove its hedge" refers to the tooth, and "Breach its wall" refers to the foot (and the metaphorical meaning is: when He withdraws from them His particular providence that shelters them from above against natural calamities and the consequences of the days, He also weakens their natural strength of might, by means of which they are protected from every distress and enemy).
And I will lay it waste: It shall not be pruned nor hoed, But there shall come up briers and thorns; I will also command the clouds That they rain no rain upon it.
verse value 4125
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 60 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֤א, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·I·will·make·it" (וַאֲשִׁיתֵ֣הוּ, 7 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·I·will·make·it" (וַאֲשִׁיתֵ֣הוּ), "waste" (בָתָ֗ה), "will·be·sung" (יִזָּמֵר֙). The root שית appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 286x in Isaiah); "and·upon" (root על, 200x in Isaiah); "and·rise" (root עלה, 49x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root שית ("and·I·will·make·it") in Isaiah. First appearance of the root זמר ("will·be·sung") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·thorn bushes', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 6 words.
Rashi
"And I will make it a desolation." This is the language of desolation and emptiness. And similarly (below, 7): "in the wadis of the desolations."
And it shall not be hoed. This is the language of digging a vineyard.
And briers and thorns shall grow up. Menachem ben Saruq interpreted them as species of thorns. But I say that shamir is a term for a strong worm, which splits stones; with it Solomon built the Temple, as it is stated (Ezekiel 3:9): Harder than adamant is your forehead.
Sheith. The language of devastation and breaking (Lamentations 3:47); the language of it shall become desolate, a waste (below, 6). Its side is from where no one seeks to enter into it, and consequently, a worm will arise within it.
Ibn Ezra
"And I will make it a waste." Like "desolation," and similarly, "in the ravines of the wastelands" (Isaiah 7:19):
"It shall not be pruned." This is derived from the root of "zemerah" (a branch), meaning to prepare it by cutting off the branch from it.
“יעדר” – A correction, like “חפירה” (excavation); and similarly, “אשר במעדר יעדרון” (Isaiah 7:25).
“Shamir and sith.” These are types of thorns, and the meaning is that the wicked will prevail.
And the meaning of “upon the clouds” is “upon the prophets,” as it is also written: “Even her prophets found no vision” (Lamentations 2:9).
Radak
“And I will make it a desolation.” Moreover, I will do this for them: even though I have made it ownerless, and the beasts have eaten it and trampled it, nevertheless, regarding the vines that remain in it, I will not perform any labor upon them that would cause them to produce fruit; rather, I will leave it so that it becomes a desolation—neither pruned nor hoed. The meaning of “pruned” is the cutting of the shoots in order to increase the fruit, and the meaning of “hoed” is that one digs around the shoots and pulls out the thorns and bad weeds. And since it will not be worked, thorns and thistles will grow up in it, like the land that is not cultivated, in which thorns and thistles grow. “Thorns and thistles” are types of thorny plants. And “desolation” means a waste. Similarly, in “the streams of desolation” (Nahum 1:4), even though [the word there] is dagesh-ed [doubled] and this one is without dagesh [single]. The parable is: even though I have removed My watchmen from them, and they have become food for the nations, and I have exiled them from their land—the majority of them, for the Ten Tribes were exiled—nevertheless, regarding those who remain, I will not do them good, nor will I send My blessing to them so that they may multiply and increase, just as one cuts the shoots in order that they may produce more fruit.
“And thorns and thistles shall grow up.” Let their works be for a curse, as it is stated, “And he who earns wages earns wages, only to put them into a pouch with holes,” and the parable: “And I will command the clouds” is to be understood in its plain sense, that I will withhold My blessing from their land, as it is written, “And I will restrain the heavens, and there shall be no rain,” and Jonathan rendered it in the Targum: “Upon the prophets, etc.”
Metzudat David
"And I will make it desolate." I will make it desolate.
One must not prune. They must not cut the branches in order to increase the number of shoots, as is done with vineyards.
"And it shall not be hoed." They shall not dig beneath the trees as is done in vineyards to tend the vines.
“And thorns and thistles shall it grow.” It shall grow thorns, just as a field that is not cultivated does. The parable is explained, saying that the House of Israel is the vineyard.
Metzudat Zion
And I will place it. I will place it:
"Batah." The meaning is that desolation is like "in the streams of desolate places" (below, 6):
Yizmor. So too, the cutting off of vine shoots is called "yitzmor," as it is written: "You shall not prune your vineyard" (Leviticus 25:4).
Yi'adder. The matter of digging is similar to [the verse] "And all the mountains that are with a mattock shall be dug" (below, 7).
Shamir and Shit. These are names of types of thorns:
Malbim
"And I will make it a waste," and afterward, "I will establish it" so that it will be a place of desolation forever. From this perspective, it will not be pruned—meaning, the coarse branches that contradict the vines will not be cut off—nor will it be hoed around to remove thorns and thistles, until the mandrake and the nightshade grow. And I will command that the clouds not rain upon it. (The allegory is that after He brings the feet of strangers to their land, and it becomes a trampled place, He will destroy the nation from among the peoples; He will cut off from them kings, princes, and leaders, and prophecy will also be removed from them, which is the upper rain, as in Targum Jonathan: "And upon the prophets I will visit, that they shall not prophesy to them.")
For the vineyard of Hashem of hosts is the house of Israel, And the men of Judah the plant of His delight; And He looked for justice, but behold violence; For righteousness, but behold a cry.
verse value 4641
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 71 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֤ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 4641 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "his·delight" (שַׁעֲשׁוּעָ֑יו, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 66: and·behold, and·behold. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "his·delight" (שַׁעֲשׁוּעָ֑יו), "bloodshed" (מִשְׂפָּ֔ח), "for·righteousness" (לִצְדָקָ֖ה). The root הנה appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "for" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah); "Israel" (root ישראל, 84x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root הנה ("and·behold") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·delight', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 7 words.
Rashi
For the vineyard of the Lord of Hosts is the House of Israel. To this vineyard you are compared, O House of Israel, for all that He did to this vineyard, He did to Israel. And the vineyard is Adam the First, for we find in many places in Tanchuma and in Genesis Rabbah that these verses are interpreted regarding him: Adam the First was not driven out until he sinned and blasphemed, as it is said, He hoped for it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes, etc. And in another place we find: He placed guards over him so that he would not eat from the Tree of Life, as it is said, And over the clouds I will command. And thus it is interpreted regarding him.
(“Vineyard” – this refers to Adam, the first man:
To my friend. This is the Holy One, blessed be He:
Ben Shemen. In the Garden of Eden:
And he fenced him in. This refers to the ten canopies mentioned in Ezekiel 28, in the section concerning Hiram, king of Tyre.
And he cleared him. He was free from the evil inclination until he ate from the tree, and the evil inclination entered into him.
And he planted him as a choice vine. The beginning of its creation is from the place of the altar.
And he built a tower within it. And He breathed into his nostrils the breath of life from the upper realms:
“And also a winepress hewn in it.” A spring that flows forth, a source of wisdom.
"And it hoped to yield grapes." This means that they will give thanks and praise before Him.
"And he made them stink." He cursed and blasphemed with foul words.
“Judge, I pray you.” Since the conclusion of the parable is to say that they too acted like him, the verse asks them to judge.
“Let me inform you. What seems to me to be done for him, I will do:”
"Remove his hedge." He troubled him from within his canopies:
"And it shall be to consume." Its end is to die, and wild beasts will rule over it.
"His fence is broken." He was removed from the partition of the Garden of Eden.
"And I will make it a desolate waste." I restored him to his proper place, meaning that I did not give the Torah in his days.
He shall not be pruned, nor shall he be hoed. They shall not learn from him either merit or good deeds.
“And the thorn and the thistle came up.” The evil inclination gained dominion over him, and over the generations that followed him, to commit corrupt deeds.
"And upon the clouds I command." I commanded guardians to guard the way of the Tree of Life.
For the vineyard of the Lord of Hosts is the House of Israel. For just as that vineyard is to Me, so is the House of Israel. The Ten Tribes were to Me like a vineyard of wine, like a vineyard of olives, like a horn of oil in a land whose oil is the oil of the priesthood, the oil of kingship, the oil of the Menorah, the oil of the meal offerings. I strengthened them at first with the surrounding Clouds of Glory in the wilderness, and I planted them—Shorok, six hundred and six commandments, corresponding to the numerical value of Shorok, I added to them, to the seven commandments with which the sons of Noah were commanded. I built a tower within them—My Sanctuary and My Temple—and also the winepress and the altar.
"And it produced stinking things." They corrupted their deeds.
"Now, let the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the men of Judah judge between me and them, concerning the evil that I have brought upon them. Who has transgressed against whom? What more goodness could I have done for My vineyard, and did I not do it for him?"
Let me inform you. Even you, who provoke Me to anger, [I will do] that which is fitting in My eyes to do to My vineyard, just as I did to the first man.
"Remove from his booth." [This teaches that] I will remove My Divine Presence from them, who are sheltered by it, as it is stated (below 52:1): "And He will remove the screen from Judah."
“Tear down its wall.” I will tear down its walls:
"And I will make it a wasteland." And I made them ruins:
He shall not be pruned, and he shall not be hoed. They shall not recline, and they shall not lean.
"And there shall come up briers and thistles." [The Targum:] they shall be cast about and forsaken — after the likeness of the briers and thistles of a vineyard; but where the actual vineyard [is meant], elsewhere it is rendered "hovai u-vur" (briers and waste).
"And upon the clouds I will command." And upon the prophets I will charge that they shall not prophesy concerning them. Prophecy is likened to rain, which the clouds receive from the heavens; so too, the prophets receive prophecy from the mouth of the Holy One, blessed be He.
“His plantings are his delights.” Just as the word “planting” (ne’ta) is written, and since it is attached [to the preceding word] it has a patach with a dot [in the final letter], similar to the phrase “in the morning, the sacrifice of peace-offerings” (Numbers 7:88).
“And they shall judge.” [This means] that they shall execute justice, and behold, “they shall attach” (mesapech) [sin upon sin], just as in the verse “he attached” (mehaspach) (1 Samuel 26:19). Another interpretation: it is the language of “touching” (negiah). And since it is a term that falls upon the word in its reading, “justice” (mishpat) resembles “attachment” (mesapech). And likewise, “cry” (ze’akah) resembles “charity” (tzedakah). The Holy Spirit rested upon the prophet’s mouth [in this manner].
Ibn Ezra
"Behold, the parable has been explained in the vineyard:"
Maspach. From the root of "the spreading [scall]" (Leviticus 13:6):
Radak
"For the vineyard of the Lord [is the house of Israel]." Now he explained the parable: the house of Israel [is] the ten tribes.
“And a man of Judah.” [This refers to] the tribe of Judah and [the tribe of] Benjamin.
“His planted delight.” Initially, when He planted them, they were His planted delight, for He would delight in them and rejoice with them when they performed good deeds, and He hoped from them that they would always perform good deeds and administer justice for the poor, just as He always did good deeds with them.
And behold, a plague. The meaning is: it touched, like a spreading skin disease (safachat). And in the refined language of the verse, he attached "justice" (mishpat) to "plague" (mishpach), and likewise "cry" (tze'akah) to "charity" (tzedakah), because they are close to them in their letters. The sense of the verse is to say: I hoped that they would execute justice for the poor and the oppressed, and behold, it is a plague and a touch of leprosy for them; and I hoped that they would do charity for them, and behold, it is a cry, for the poor cry out because of the oppression with which they oppress them.
“Mishpach.” It is written with a shin:
Metzudat David
“His plantings are for his amusement.” The planting in which he takes delight and finds joy.
And He hoped. According to the great good that He had done for them, there was reason for them to act justly; yet it was not so, for they accumulated many sins or committed detestable acts, as a sign of leprosy.
"To charity. He had hoped that they would perform acts of charity, but behold, the cry of the oppressed was heard:"
Metzudat Zion
His pleasures. Its meaning is: engaging in something for the sake of rejoicing in it:
“Mishpach.” This means the gathering of sins, as it is said, “And they were attached to the house of Jacob” (below, 14); or it is the language of “sefa’chat” the tzara’at [scall]. And since the language of “mishpach” falls under the language of “mishpat” [judgment], he said so.
Malbim
For “vineyard,” he begins to explain the tenor of the parable: this parabolic vineyard is the House of Israel, whom the Lord planted in the corner of the field of goodly olive trees, as stated in verse 4. And just as in every vineyard one finds the choicest planting, in which its owner takes delight, so too in this vineyard is the man of Judah, for from him He caused a horn to sprout for David, and a ruling scepter, and He looked for justice. These are the grapes for which the Lord looked: justice between man and his fellow, and righteousness between man and the Omnipresent. Yet they produced clusters of injustice; instead of justice, behold, bloodshed, as they cling to one another to seize the boundary of the poor, as stated in verses 8, 9, and 10. And instead of righteousness, behold, a cry, regarding the wine, as stated in verses 11 and 12. (In this verse he spoke in general terms, and now he begins to explain first what was said about “justice” and “behold, bloodshed.”)
Woe to them that join house to house, That lay field to field, Till there be no room, and you be made to dwell Alone in the midst of the land!
verse value 3784
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 57 letters. Verse gematria: 3784 is divisible by 86, the value of Elohim. The shortest word is "until" (עַ֚ד, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·you·will·be·dwelt" (וְהוּשַׁבְתֶּ֥ם, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "that·join" (מַגִּיעֵ֥י), "in·field" (בְשָׂדֶ֖ה), "they·join" (יַקְרִ֑יבוּ). The root בית appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·land" (root ארץ, 169x in Isaiah); "and·you·will·be·dwelt" (root ישב, 71x in Isaiah); "house" (root בית, 67x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root נגע ("that·join") in Isaiah. First appearance of the root שדה ("field") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·join', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 7 words. Full calculation: ה֗וֹי [ah!] (21) + מַגִּיעֵ֥י [that·join] (133) + בַ֙יִת֙ [house] (412) + בְּבַ֔יִת [to·house] (414) + שָׂדֶ֥ה [field] (309) + בְשָׂדֶ֖ה [in·field] (311) + יַקְרִ֑יבוּ [they·join] (328) + עַ֚ד [until] (74) + אֶ֣פֶס [end·of] (141) + מָק֔וֹם [place] (186) + וְהוּשַׁבְתֶּ֥ם [and·you·will·be·dwelt] (759) + לְבַדְּכֶ֖ם [alone] (96) + בְּקֶ֥רֶב [in·midst·of] (304) + הָאָֽרֶץ [the·land] (296) = 3784.
Rashi
Thus, it reaches house by house. Twenty-two times the word "Ashrei" is stated in the Book of Psalms concerning those who fulfill the Torah, and twenty-two times Isaiah says it concerning the wicked. Thus, it is the language of a cry of sighing regarding the calamity that is destined to come.
“Those who bring their houses close together.” They bring their houses close to one another, and thereby they seize the land of the poor and weak that lies between the two houses. And likewise:
A field in a field they shall bring until there is no place left, meaning that there is no place for the poor man to dwell.
"And you shall dwell alone in the land." You might assume that there is no portion for the Holy One, blessed be He, nor for the poor, in the land; His portion — the tithes — you rob, and from the poor their land, so that you alone would dwell in it.
Ibn Ezra
"Hoy, those who reach [house to house]." "Hoy" is like the sense of a calling-out, or like "woe"; and the meaning is [those who are] the movers of the boundary of houses and fields.
"Until there is no place at all." That is to say, until there is no place, and the reason is that He has taken everything.
"And you shall cause to rest." From a construction in which the name of its agent is not called, from the verbs having a yod, and similarly, "and the Tabernacle would be taken down" (Numbers 10:17).
Radak
“Hoi magi’ei beit” means that they reach the boundary and seize the property of the poor. If the poor man has a house adjacent to the rich man’s house, or a field adjacent to his field, the rich man approaches him indirectly until he takes it from him and joins it with his own.
"Until there is no place left." Until there remains no place for the poor to dwell, and you suppose that you alone will dwell in the land, because you are great and wealthy.
"And you shall be made to sit." It is in the Huf'al construction, and those who cause to sit are the wicked judges.
Metzudat David
“Woe.” This means that one should complain about the fact that they add house to house: when a person is weak, and his house is situated between the houses of strong, powerful men, the strong man on one side extends his house into the boundary of the weak man’s house and takes from his boundary, and likewise the man on the other side, until no space remains for the weak man between them.
"And you shall dwell." The prophet said to the strong: Do you perhaps think that only you alone will dwell and remain secure within the land, and that there is no place for the weak among you?
Metzudat Zion
"Nothing." It is like "there is none."
Malbim
Woe! The mighty men were bringing their houses close to one another in such a way that they stole the boundary of the poor man who was within, but they did not bring the fields close, for a field and a vineyard were not considered in their eyes at that time for working the land. On this, the prophet calls out against them, "Woe!" I call out to those who bring house upon house: Is it not better that they bring field upon field, to take from the poor man even the boundary of his field, until there is no place left, until the poor man finds no place, neither in the city nor in the field? And by this you will gain, for "you shall remain" — you will remain sitting alone in the midst of the land, and the poor will be driven out as a fugitive. And this is the second matter: Is it not better for you to have the fields and the vineyards than the houses? For behold:
In mine ears said Hashem of hosts: Of a truth many houses shall be desolate, Even great and fair, without inhabitant.
verse value 2356
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 53 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֣ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֣ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·good" (וְטוֹבִ֖ים, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·good" (וְטוֹבִ֖ים). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "they·will·be" (root היה, 213x in Isaiah); "without" (root אין, 92x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root גדול ("great") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'hosts', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 9 words. Full calculation: בְּאׇזְנָ֖י [in·My·ears] (70) + יְהֹוָ֣ה [Hashem] (26) + צְבָא֑וֹת [hosts] (499) + אִם־לֹ֞א [if·not] (72) + בָּתִּ֤ים [houses] (452) + רַבִּים֙ [many] (252) + לְשַׁמָּ֣ה [to·astonishment] (375) + יִֽהְי֔וּ [they·will·be] (31) + גְּדֹלִ֥ים [great] (87) + וְטוֹבִ֖ים [and·good] (73) + מֵאֵ֥ין [without] (101) + יוֹשֵֽׁב [dwelling] (318) = 2356.
Rashi
“By the ears of the Lord of Hosts.” The prophet said: “Two ears heard” when the decree was decreed upon them by the Lord, and with an oath: surely, many houses shall become desolate, and great and good houses shall be without inhabitant.
Ibn Ezra
“Into My ears.” The meaning is: “Into My ears” I, the Lord of Hosts, [have heard] this injustice that was committed. And similar to this is: “The Lord will make Himself known to him in a vision” (Numbers 12:7). Or, it refers to the words of the prophet, and the word “said” or “voice” is omitted.
Radak
“B’aznei” – The statement of the Holy One, blessed be He: “That which you speak among yourselves and agree upon to rob the poor has come to My ears, for I am the Lord of Hosts above and Hosts below, and it is in My power to humble and to exalt. And I say that many houses will be desolate; you were thinking that you would dwell in them alone, but I say that you will be exiled from them, and your houses, which were many and great, will become desolate, with no one dwelling in them.”
"If not." This is the language of an oath. Similarly, "if not, as I have likened it, so it was"; "if not, I established and I made silent." And it is like a person who says, "This shall not be, if that shall not be."
"Many" – like "the king's nobles," meaning distinguished in fine building; so too "great and good." This is a doubling of the sense in different words. And Jonathan [the Aramaic translator] rendered the verse: "Thus said the prophet: In my ears I heard..."
Metzudat David
"In the ears of the Lord of Hosts." It is stated, "The Lord of Hosts said in the ears," and the word "said" is omitted, yet it is understood from the context itself.
If not. This is a matter of the language of an oath, like one who says, “If it shall not be so, then my punishment shall be such and such,” and he exaggerates and does not say, “And so.” And likewise, “If not, as I have imagined” (below 14).
"Many houses, etc." And it is as if saying: Since it is so, what benefit is there to them in acquiring more from the boundaries of the weak?
Malbim
In my ears, a voice calling, saying: The Lord of Hosts—this is the language of an oath, that the Lord swore by His Great Name, that many houses will become desolate, and not that they will become desolate because of their smallness or inferiority, for even great and good houses will become desolate due to the lack of inhabitants, for half the city will go into exile. And if so, why will you plunder the house of the poor for nothing, to enlarge your houses? But in the fields and vineyards, will you not find pleasure?
For ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath, And the seed of a homer shall yield an ephah.
verse value 3613
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 37 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֗י, 2 letters) and the longest is "acres·of·vineyard" (צִמְדֵּי־כֶ֔רֶם, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "ten" (עֲשֶׂ֙רֶת֙), "acres·of·vineyard" (צִמְדֵּי־כֶ֔רֶם), "they·will·do" (יַעֲשׂ֖וּ). The root עשה appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah); "they·will·do" (root עשה, 101x in Isaiah); "and·seed·of" (root זרע, 33x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root עשר ("ten") in Isaiah. First appearance of the root צמד ("acres·of·vineyard") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'one', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 4 words. Full calculation: כִּ֗י [for] (30) + עֲשֶׂ֙רֶת֙ [ten] (970) + צִמְדֵּי־כֶ֔רֶם [acres·of·vineyard] (404) + יַעֲשׂ֖וּ [they·will·do] (386) + בַּ֣ת [bath] (402) + אֶחָ֑ת [one] (409) + וְזֶ֥רַע [and·seed·of] (283) + חֹ֖מֶר [slime] (248) + יַעֲשֶׂ֥ה [will·do] (385) + אֵיפָֽה [ephah] (96) = 3613.
Rashi
For ten pairs of vineyards. And because of the famine, the inhabitants of the houses will go into exile, and there will be no one dwelling in them. And this too will be your measure-for-measure retribution for the joining of a field to a field, whereby you stole the portion of the Omnipresent in the tithes of the land.
Ten tzemeds of vineyard. (Arpentin in the vernacular.) And I say that a "pair" is called so because it is the amount of work done in one day by a pair of oxen.
They shall yield a single bath. One measure of wine, which is three se'ah:
“And the seed of chomer.” A house of a kor, which is thirty se’ah of grain, will make an ephah of three se’ah.
Ibn Ezra
"For the Ten." The sum of the calculation, and the meaning is "many."
And the meaning of "paired" (tzemadi) in the context of a vineyard is because they have encroached upon the boundary, and behold, the rows of the vineyards are joined together.
“a sister [of the ephah].” One measure, and the chomer is ten kor; and the bat and the ephah are equal.
Radak
"For ten pairs of oxen of a vineyard." Now He gives the reason why the houses will become desolate, without inhabitants: because I will send a curse upon the fields and the vineyards, inasmuch as they used to plunder them from the poor. Therefore, their produce will become a curse; and since there will be no fruit, there will be no inhabitants. And the meaning of "ten pairs of oxen" is a place in a vineyard which, when plowed by ten pairs of oxen in one day, will yield nothing but a single bath of wine. And the measure of a bath, when wet, is equivalent to an ephah when dry. And a place of ten in a field, when sown with a kor, will produce nothing but an ephah. And a chomer is the same as the kor, and it equals ten ephahs.
Metzudat David
“For the ten, etc.” – The place where the ten, etc., were worked shall produce a single bath of wine, and the place where a homer of seed was sown shall produce a single ephah; and because of the famine, they shall leave their houses and go away, and they shall remain desolate, abandoned by their owners.
Metzudat Zion
Tzemadi. The term *zug* (pair) is akin to *tzemed* (yoke) of oxen (1 Samuel 11), and the work of a single day performed by a yoke of oxen is called *tzemed* of a vineyard.
Bat. The measure of liquid is three se'ah.
Chomer. It is a kor that holds thirty seahs.
Eifah. The measure of dry [grain] holds three se’ah?
Malbim
For ten pairs of vineyard rows will yield only one measure of wine, and the seed of the vine will produce only an ephah, which is one-tenth of the usual amount; from this side you will need large vineyards and fields. And regarding what He says about them, "You would have profited more from stealing fields than from stealing houses, which will stand desolate." (Now he begins to explain what was said: "They sought justice, and behold, a cry over the wine"):
Woe to them that rise up early in the morning, That they may follow strong drink; That tarry late into the night, Till wine inflame them!
verse value 2520
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 39 letters. Verse gematria: 2520 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "ah!" (ה֛וֹי, 3 letters) and the longest is "who·rise·early" (מַשְׁכִּימֵ֥י, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "who·rise·early" (מַשְׁכִּימֵ֥י), "they·shall·chase" (יִרְדֹּ֑פוּ), "after the following part" (מְאַחֲרֵ֣י). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "ah!" (root הוי, 22x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root שכם ("who·rise·early") in Isaiah. First appearance of the root בקר ("in·the·morning") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·shall·chase', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 4 words. Full calculation: ה֛וֹי [ah!] (21) + מַשְׁכִּימֵ֥י [who·rise·early] (420) + בַבֹּ֖קֶר [in·the·morning] (304) + שֵׁכָ֣ר [strong·drink] (520) + יִרְדֹּ֑פוּ [they·shall·chase] (300) + מְאַחֲרֵ֣י [after the following part] (259) + בַנֶּ֔שֶׁף [in·the·twilight] (432) + יַ֖יִן [wine] (70) + יַדְלִיקֵֽם [inflames·them] (194) = 2520.
Rashi
“From behind, at night.” To drink wine at night:
"Wine shall kindle them; it burns in them:"
Ibn Ezra
"Be early." Although it is followed by a bet, it is adjacent [to the preceding word], and similarly is "the dwellers in tents" (Judges 8:11):
And similarly, [the word used] after [is] twilight, the beginning of the night; and similarly, "in the twilight, in the evening of the day" (Proverbs 7:9). "The stars of its twilight" (Job 3:9), for there is a twilight that is adjacent to the morning.
The word yadlikhem takes two objects: from the root of "for you pursued" (Genesis 31:36), and some say from the Aramaic translation "he will kindle them."
Radak
“Be early in the morning.” To drink wine. Woe to them, for all their occupation is drinking and the pleasures of the flesh, and they do not engage in matters of Torah and wisdom. And in the morning they rise early to drink, as if they were pursuing the wine, wondering where they might find it good. Likewise, at night they linger later than others at the banquet hall, until the wine inflames them and kindles them to fulfill all the desires of their soul.
Metzudat David
“Rising early in the morning.” They rise early in the morning and rush to seek intoxicating wine, and they delay sitting down for the evening meal in order to drink abundantly, until the wine becomes inflamed and burns within them.
Metzudat Zion
"at twilight." In the darkness of the night, as it is stated below (21): "twilight of my desire."
Malbim
Alas! He observes, as one who sees people rising early, and asks: “Why do they rise early in the morning? Do they go to the House of the Lord to pray?” He answers: “No, for they chase after gain!” He sees again that these are after the Sabbath, and asks: “Why, after the evening has passed, do they do this?” He answers: “There, wine inflames them.” He continues to investigate further: What will they do all day in the house of feasting? Will they gaze there at the work of the Lord and His deeds? He answers: “No, for:”
And the harp and the psaltery, the tabret and the pipe, And wine, are in their feasts; But they regard not the work of Hashem, Neither have they considered the operation of His hands.
verse value 3195
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 60 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָיָ֨ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "timbrel" (תֹּ֧ף, 2 letters) and the longest is "their·drinking" (מִשְׁתֵּיהֶ֑ם, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 31: not, not. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "timbrel" (תֹּ֧ף), "and·pipe" (וְחָלִ֛יל), "and·wine" (וָיַ֖יִן). The root לא appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "not" (root לא, 286x in Isaiah); "and·it·shall·be" (root היה, 213x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root כנור ("lyre") in Isaiah. First appearance of the root תף ("timbrel") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'their·drinking', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 9 words.
Rashi
"Kinnor and nevel." The nevel has more strings than the kinnor. And why is it called a nevel? Because it nullifies (nevel) all other types of musical instruments. [See] Midrash Tehillim.
A drum. It is made of skin:
“Vechalil.” A flute made of reed, (tsimbl in the vernacular):
"And they shall not look upon the work of the Lord." And they did not gaze into the Torah of the Lord.
And the works of His hands have not seen them. They behaved as though they had not seen His mighty deeds. A different interpretation: They did not praise Him in the morning, [saying] “Who forms the light,” nor in the evening, [saying] “Who brings in the evenings.”
Ibn Ezra
And the harp. It is known:
"Nevel." It has ten holes, and the flute is derived from the same root, meaning "hollow":
“And they shall not look upon the work of the Lord.” In the manner of those who are occupied with drunkenness, they do not know the ways of the Lord; and likewise, whoever errs in it will not be wise (Proverbs 20:1). And according to my opinion, in this place it does not speak except of the evils that the Lord brought upon Israel, for the ten tribes were exiled.
Radak
"And there was a harp." Now it enumerates how they drank wine while the harp, the lyre, the timbrel, and the flute were played before them, with the wine placed in front of them. In this manner they drank, using instruments of music that enticed them to drink, with the wine set before them.
“And they shall not look upon the work of the Lord, nor regard the work of His hands.” Behold, they are free from labor, for they are wealthy; and behold, all their occupation is in feasting and in listening to melodies, and they do not occupy themselves at all times of leisure with matters of Torah and with the words of the sages, which are the work of the Lord, and the work of His hands that He wrote on the tablets—the Ten Commandments—which are the general principle for all the commandments between man and his fellow and between man and his Creator. And one may interpret “the work of the Lord” and “the work of His hands” as the wisdom of the stars, for from it a person arrives at the honor of the Creator, as it is said in the Psalm: “How adorable is Your name in all the earth,” for he said, “For I look at Your heavens, the work of Your fingers”; and it says, “The heavens declare the glory of God,” meaning that anyone who understands the secret of their creation knows the glory of God. And the prophet said, “Lift up your eyes on high and see: Who has created these?” meaning that they should contemplate this wisdom, and from it they will know the glory of the Creator. And so our Sages of blessed memory said: “Anyone who knows how to calculate the seasons and the constellations and does not calculate them—of him the verse says, ‘And they shall not look upon the work of the Lord, nor regard the work of His hands.’” And furthermore, they interpreted “And they shall not look upon the work of the Lord” as meaning that they did not pray in the morning and in the evening, namely, the blessings “Who forms light” and “Who brings in the evenings.” This is the work of the Lord and the work of His hands.
Metzudat David
"And the harp, etc." The harp was in their hands, etc., to play at the time of drinking for pleasure, and also the wine they were drinking was in their hands.
"The work of the Lord." They do not pay attention to observe the work of the Lord, who will bring all to judgment.
And the work, etc. The duplication of the matter in what is written:
Metzudat Zion
“Harp and lyre, timbrel and flute.” These are the names of musical instruments:
Malbim
“And it shall be” — there, harp and lyre are joined to the wine of their feasts; but they shall not behold the work of the Lord, in order to inquire into the governance and providence of the Lord, for they have never seen His handiworks; how then could they set their hearts upon Him now, amidst the revelry of wine?
Therefore My people are gone into captivity, For want of knowledge; And their honourable men are famished, And their multitude are parched with thirst.
verse value 1927
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 40 letters. The shortest word is "therefore" (לָכֵ֛ן, 3 letters) and the longest is "without·knowledge" (מִבְּלִי־דָ֑עַת, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "without·knowledge" (מִבְּלִי־דָ֑עַת), "and·his·multitude" (וַהֲמוֹנ֖וֹ), "parched" (צִחֵ֥ה). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "my·people" (root עם, 107x in Isaiah); "therefore" (root כן, 48x in Isaiah); "and·his·glory" (root כבוד, 38x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root גלה ("is·gone") in Isaiah. First appearance of the root בלי ("without·knowledge") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'without·knowledge', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 6 words. Full calculation: לָכֵ֛ן [therefore] (100) + גָּלָ֥ה [is·gone] (38) + עַמִּ֖י [my·people] (120) + מִבְּלִי־דָ֑עַת [without·knowledge] (556) + וּכְבוֹדוֹ֙ [and·his·glory] (44) + מְתֵ֣י [men·of] (450) + רָעָ֔ב [famine] (272) + וַהֲמוֹנ֖וֹ [and·his·multitude] (113) + צִחֵ֥ה [parched] (103) + צָמָֽא [thirst] (131) = 1927.
Rashi
“Without knowledge.” Because their hearts were devoid of understanding.
"And their glory are men of famine." Its nobles shall die of famine:
"Tzchah, tzama." "Tzama" corresponds to the majority of their drinking.
Tzahah. The Targumic translation of tzmahah is:
Ibn Ezra
Therefore. And its glory. The meaning is “and with its glory,” in accordance with the rule of words that draw others after them.
And similarly, tzahah, tzameh, mateh, tzahah, and the meaning of tzahah is close to tzameh. And likewise, "and He will satisfy with bright, clear places" (Isaiah 58:11), and its derivation is from the pure and clear light.
Radak
Therefore, He will exile My people without knowledge. Because they did not know the deeds of God and did not contemplate them, but rather turned to food, drink, and pleasure, therefore they will be exiled from their place and will be in hunger and thirst, measure for measure. And the meaning of "His glory" is: "and His men of glory," meaning that those who were called "men of glory" will be called "men of hunger."
"Metei" – like "men of," as in "from a city of men (me-ir metim)":
And the multitude. And the multitude of the people shall be parched with thirst:
Tzahah. From the phrase “and He will satisfy your soul in drought” (Isaiah 58:11), which refers to dryness; and the Targum translates “tzahah” as “tzahuta,” meaning dryness, such that their throats become dry due to thirst. “Tzahah” is an adjective that comes before the noun, as in “a pleasing aroma to the Lord” (Leviticus 5:13). And when it says, “the hungry men of honor, and the thirsty of the multitude of the people,” it does not mean to bring this upon the one and that upon the other, but rather that all should be equal in hunger and thirst—both the men of honor and the multitude of the people. And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] rendered “metei” as if it were “metei” with a tzere under the mem — from the sense of death — for he translated “and they were dear to them” as “mita be-kafna ve-sagavhon be-btzrata be-tzahuta” [they were precious to them in their death, and their multitude in drought and dryness]. But according to grammatical analysis, this is not possible, for “matay” with a shva under the mem has its root in “mavet” [death], whereas “matay” in Aramaic with a mem has its root in “mut” [dying/death].
Metzudat David
Without knowledge. Regarding our refusing to know the ways of the Omnipresent:
"And His glory." The men of honor and the distinguished ones shall be few from hunger, like the "dead" (meti), and the multitude of the people shall die because of the drought of thirst. And the word meti serves in two [senses]:
Metzudat Zion
Metei ra'av. Men of hunger:
Tzahah. The matter of dryness and thirst, as in "upon the dryness of the rock" (Ezekiel 24:7):
Malbim
Therefore, on account of all that is mentioned—because they produced wild grapes—they went into exile for lack of knowledge.
"And His glory, their honored ones, shall die of hunger, instead of having reached the boundaries to increase their wealth; and their multitude shall die of thirst, instead of having been satisfied with wine and strong drink."
Therefore the nether-world has enlarged her desire, And opened her mouth without measure; And down goes their glory, and their tumult, and their uproar, And he that rejoices among them.
verse value 2772
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 57 letters. Verse gematria: 2772 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "in·her" (בָּֽהּ, 2 letters) and the longest is "has·enlarged" (הִרְחִ֤יבָה, 6 letters). 10 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "has·enlarged" (הִרְחִ֤יבָה), "her·soul" (נַפְשָׁ֔הּ), "and·opened" (וּפָעֲרָ֥ה). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "therefore" (root כן, 48x in Isaiah); "her·soul" (root נפש, 31x in Isaiah); "her·mouth" (root פה, 25x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root רחב ("has·enlarged") in Isaiah. First appearance of the root שאול ("Sheol") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'without·measure', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 6 words. Full calculation: לָכֵ֗ן [therefore] (100) + הִרְחִ֤יבָה [has·enlarged] (230) + שְּׁאוֹל֙ [Sheol] (337) + נַפְשָׁ֔הּ [her·soul] (435) + וּפָעֲרָ֥ה [and·opened] (361) + פִ֖יהָ [her·mouth] (95) + לִבְלִי־חֹ֑ק [without·measure] (180) + וְיָרַ֨ד [and·shall·descend] (220) + הֲדָרָ֧הּ [her·majesty] (214) + וַהֲמוֹנָ֛הּ [and·her·multitude] (112) + וּשְׁאוֹנָ֖הּ [and·her·roar] (368) + וְעָלֵ֥ז [and·exultant] (113) + בָּֽהּ [in·her] (7) = 2772.
Rashi
Therefore, it expanded. Measure for measure: they expanded their souls to devour food and drink in abundance, and they opened their mouths wide to swallow; likewise, Sheol shall expand its soul to swallow.
And it shall be opened. And it shall be opened:
“Without a fixed decree.” [This refers to] the infinite [sustenance]. And why [is it described as] “without a fixed decree”? Because there was no fixed decree or set measure in the hands of these [individuals] regarding their sustenance.
And he went down. A name for the glory of Jerusalem:
And the exultant one within it. The joyful ones among them:
Ibn Ezra
Therefore. Nefesh. It is the breath that exits from the mouth, and similar to it is [the verse]: "His breath kindles coals" (Job 41:14).
And "uf'arah" is like "patachah" (she opened), and similarly, "ufihem p'aru lamalkosh" (and they opened their mouths for the latter rain) [ibid. 29:23].
Without limit. The custom is reversed:
“And he who exults”: whoever exults within her; or, there will be exultation for others at her downfall, and Rabbi Yonah of blessed memory said that it is like the mockery that befell certain dead at the time of their death.
Radak
Therefore, it expanded. He spoke by way of a parable, referring to the majority of people who will die from among Israel:
"Sheol enlarged her soul" — to receive the dead.
"And her splendor went down." The meaning of "her splendor" is the splendor of the Land of Israel, or the pronominal suffix refers to Jerusalem. It states that the men of honor and the multitude of the people went down to Sheol. Furthermore, the matter is repeated with different words, and it says, "and her tumult, and he who exults in her." And "her tumult" is like "her multitude" mentioned earlier.
And he exulted in it. Like the "glory" mentioned earlier, the meaning of "and he exulted in it" is that whoever exulted and rejoiced in the city due to its abundance of good, descended to Sheol; similarly, Jonathan rendered it in the Targum: "and he grew strong in them," which is in accordance with the explanation we have given. And there are those who explain "and he exulted in it" as referring to the enemy.
Metzudat David
"She has enlarged." Measure for measure, because they enlarged their souls to indulge in excessive pleasure, therefore Sheol will enlarge their souls to swallow everything.
Its glory. The glory of their congregation:
"In it" (referring to Sheol) connects back to "and he went down," meaning that everything will go down to Sheol.
Metzudat Zion
וּפִעֲרָה – She gaped wide, i.e., she opened it greatly, as it is said: “I have opened my mouth” (Psalms 119:131).
In order that it not be a statute. Without a fixed measure, and the counting. The multitude of her people:
"Vesa'onah." It is like "hamoneh" (the counting), and the matter is repeated in what is written:
And regarding "And you shall rejoice": the matter of joy.
Malbim
Therefore, [the phrase] is dependent on “without measure”; the pit will widen its mouth to “without measure,” to one who has not set a limit for his desire. Likewise, Sheol will set no bound to its desire to swallow souls, and “her glory shall descend.” When a city is laid waste, first its *shaoná* is abolished, which is the great clamor within it, the sound of joy and gladness and the like; afterwards its *moná*, which is the accustomed hum; and afterwards its *hadrá*, which is the king and princes. Thus the order is that *shaoná*, *moná*, and *hadrá* are swallowed. The speaker here reverses the order, saying that the inhabitants are laid waste suddenly, as if the pit opened its mouth and swallowed the entire city all at once, until everything is silenced simultaneously. And with this it says, “and rejoiced in her,” as if while they were still in their drunkenness and merriment, they would fall into the pit without realizing it, and they would still rejoice and laugh in the belly of the pit. And the word “in her” refers to the pit.
And man is bowed down, And man is humbled, And the eyes of the lofty are humbled; .
verse value 2177
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 31 letters. The shortest word is "man" (אָדָ֖ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·was·humbled·man" (וַיִּשְׁפַּל־אִ֑ישׁ, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·eyes·of" (וְעֵינֵ֥י), "high" (גְבֹהִ֖ים), "are·humbled" (תִּשְׁפַּֽלְנָה). The root שפל appears 2 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·eyes·of" (root עין, 45x in Isaiah); "man" (root אדם, 30x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·was·humbled·man', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיִּשַּׁ֥ח [and·was·bowed] (324) + אָדָ֖ם [man] (45) + וַיִּשְׁפַּל־אִ֑ישׁ [and·was·humbled·man] (737) + וְעֵינֵ֥י [and·eyes·of] (146) + גְבֹהִ֖ים [high] (60) + תִּשְׁפַּֽלְנָה [are·humbled] (865) = 2177.
Rashi
And he was exhausted. “And he was exhausted” – he weakened the mighty men. And according to its midrashic interpretation, it is the Holy One, blessed be He, whom they caused to appear as a man struck dumb. And so it says, “The Rock that bore you has forgotten you” (Deuteronomy 32:18). And it also says, “Through laziness the roof beams sag” (Ecclesiastes 10:18).
Ibn Ezra
And he shall humble himself. Every person from among the other nations who are surrounding Judah:
Radak
"And a man smote a man." The matter is expressed in different words, or perhaps "man" refers to the lowly, while "a man" refers to the great, just as it is said, "both sons of men and sons of a man." And so did Jonathan translate: "A person was humbled, and the mighty were weakened."
“And haughty eyes.” Since a person’s arrogance is evident in his eyes, therefore it states “haughty eyes.” And similarly it states, “haughty eyes of man,” and similarly it states, “lofty eyes,” and similarly it states, “haughtiness of eyes.”
Metzudat David
"And the man bowed down." The repetition of the matter is stated in what is written:
"And the eyes that are lofty" – the eyes that would raise themselves to gaze upward, as is the manner of the arrogant.
"Teshpalnah." To look downward, as is the manner of one who is immersed in distress and anguish.
Metzudat Zion
וישח. The meaning is bending, as it is said: "The wicked bow down before the righteous" (Proverbs 14:19).
Malbim
"And he shall slaughter": Man must humble himself, both in heart and in deed, and his eyes shall be lowered before the Lord in repentance and remorse (see the commentary on the verse above, 2:9).
But Hashem of hosts is exalted through justice, And God the Holy One is sanctified through righteousness.
verse value 2094
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 37 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·was·lifted·up" (וַיִּגְבַּ֛הּ) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֥ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·it·was·lifted·up" (וַיִּגְבַּ֛הּ, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 26: and·it·was·lifted·up, Hashem. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·it·was·lifted·up" (וַיִּגְבַּ֛הּ), "and·the·god" (וְהָאֵל֙), "sacred" (הַקָּד֔וֹשׁ). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "and·the·god" (root אל, 95x in Isaiah); "hosts" (root צבא, 73x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root קדש ("consecrated") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·judgment', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיִּגְבַּ֛הּ [and·it·was·lifted·up] (26) + יְהֹוָ֥ה [Hashem] (26) + צְבָא֖וֹת [hosts] (499) + בַּמִּשְׁפָּ֑ט [in·the·judgment] (431) + וְהָאֵל֙ [and·the·god] (42) + הַקָּד֔וֹשׁ [sacred] (415) + נִקְדָּ֖שׁ [consecrated] (454) + בִּצְדָקָֽה [in·righteousness] (201) = 2094.
Rashi
"And the Lord of Hosts will be exalted in judgment." When He will execute judgments upon them, His Name will be exalted in the world. "In judgment" (במשפט). "Yosh-titz" in the vernacular.
And God shall be sanctified among the righteous ones remaining among you.
Ibn Ezra
And He will be exalted. Then you will see the majesty of God, because of the judgment He will execute in Israel, and His holiness will be revealed because of the justice He will administer.
Radak
And He will be exalted. In the same judgment that He will execute upon the wicked of Israel, He will be exalted in His judgment, and they will say that He is lofty and exalted, and that He judges the world according to His will. And God in executing judgment upon them, will be sanctified through them, as it is stated: "Among those who are near to Me I will be sanctified" (Leviticus 10:3), and it is also stated: "And I will be sanctified among them" (Leviticus 22:32). And the meaning of "in righteousness" is "in justice," just as the word "judgment" implies.
Metzudat David
"And He will be exalted, etc." – In judgment: when He executes judgment, His Name will be raised high and exalted.
"He shall be sanctified through righteousness." His Name shall be sanctified by the fact that he performs charity for the worthy individuals of the generation.
Malbim
"And He shall be exalted": And then they will return to producing grapes, which are judgment and righteousness. And the Lord shall be exalted through the judgment that they will practice between man and his fellow, and He shall be sanctified through the righteousness that they will practice between man and the Divine: [Note: Know that all the names and attributes that we ascribe to the Lord are only according to our perspective, and they do not depend on His Essence, blessed be He. For example, we call Him "Hosts" (Tzevaot); this name indicates that He leads and sustains His hosts which He created. Now, this name could not be ascribed to Him except after He created the two parts of creation, the upper and the lower. But before any creature was created, He was not designated by the name "Hosts." Nevertheless, we know that His Essence did not change after He created the world and acquired the name "Hosts" for Himself, compared to what He was before the creation, when He was not designated by this name. It is clear from this that this name has no connection to the Essence of the Lord, and we designate Him with this name only according to our perspective: since we are His hosts, we call Him "Lord of Hosts" or "God of Hosts." Our understanding here is that He leads, binds, gives life, and sustains the hosts of creation in their entirety. And since this name is ascribed to Him only in relation to His hosts, it is clear that the glory of this name also increases or decreases in relation to His hosts and their governance. That is to say, when the hosts of creation are arranged in proper order and are governed correctly, then the splendor of this name, which is the name "Hosts," is magnified and increased. And when the hosts of creation are corrupted and their order is destroyed, then the splendor of this name is diminished and reduced. And since the principle according to which the order of civil governance and the binding of the hosts in proper order is rectified is judgment, for when they do not establish judgment as a principle, the general governance will be corrupted and the glory of the name "Hosts" will be diminished, since these hosts to which this name is ascribed are like ravenous beasts and wolves of the desert, on this basis he says.]
"And the Lord of Hosts will be exalted in judgment" — that through their return to practicing justice, the Name will be multiplied and exalted. Similarly, the holiness that we ascribe to the sublime Essence and by which we describe Him with the attribute "Holy" has no inherent connection to His Essence itself. For holiness is a matter attributed to man when he abandons his natural concerns and elevates himself to conduct himself in a manner superior to the natural, fleshly realm. However, the Name is not dependent on a level higher than what He is, for which reason holiness would be attributed to Him. Rather, we attribute holiness to Him from our side, because the fundamental basis of holiness for us is that we abandon natural ways in order to emulate the spiritual ways of the Creator. Upon this pole revolve all the commandments between man and God, as it is stated, "You shall be holy, for I am holy." Therefore, we necessarily attribute the source of holiness to God, blessed be He. It follows that when the lower beings do not conduct themselves with holiness, He too is not described with the name "Holy," since this attribute does not apply to Him. This is what is written: "And the Holy God will be sanctified through righteousness" — that through righteousness directed toward the Divine, He will be called by the attribute "Holy," in that He is the source and root of their holiness. [End of quote.]
Then shall the lambs feed as in their pasture, And the waste places of the fat ones shall wanderers eat.
verse value 1960
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 33 letters. The shortest word is "and·they·will·pasture" (וְרָע֥וּ, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·ruins·of" (וְחׇרְב֥וֹת, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "lambs" (כְבָשִׂ֖ים), "as·their·pasture" (כְּדׇבְרָ֑ם), "and·ruins·of" (וְחׇרְב֥וֹת). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "as·their·pasture" (root דבר, 88x in Isaiah); "they·shall·eat" (root אכל, 55x in Isaiah); "and·ruins·of" (root חרב, 44x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root גור ("sojourner") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'as·their·pasture', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְרָע֥וּ [and·they·will·pasture] (282) + כְבָשִׂ֖ים [lambs] (372) + כְּדׇבְרָ֑ם [as·their·pasture] (266) + וְחׇרְב֥וֹת [and·ruins·of] (622) + מֵחִ֖ים [fatlings] (98) + גָּרִ֥ים [sojourner] (253) + יֹאכֵֽלוּ [they·shall·eat] (67) = 1960.
Rashi
And they shall pasture like sheep, as is their custom. The righteous, who are likened to a flock of sheep:
As they speak. According to their custom, with integrity and measure, they sustain their words with justice, like these sheep; and our Sages interpreted "as they speak" to mean "as is spoken concerning them," referring to the consolations that are spoken to them.
“And the houses of the wicked are desolate.” The houses of the wicked, which are fat:
"Proselytes shall eat." The righteous, who are like proselytes, shall eat them.
Machim. Fattened animals, like burnt offerings, are machim, as it is said: “fattened burnt offerings I will offer” (Psalms 66:15).
Ibn Ezra
"And they shall graze, etc." Then the land of Judah shall become a desolation, and the sheep shall graze in it as if they were accustomed to be there.
[As they spoke]. From the Aramaic root, and similar to it is "rafts" in the sea (1 Kings 5:23):
“Meichim.” They are the fat sheep that have marrow, and similarly [it says], “they are made drunk” (Isaiah 25:6). And “harvot” [desolations] is from the root of “churban” [ruin], and here it is adjacent to [the word] “ha’aretz” [the land], which is omitted, just as [in the phrase] “and drunk” (Isaiah 51:21), [where it says] “sorrow” and not “wine.” [The burden] is heavy for them (Exodus 1:14). And the meaning of “gerim” [strangers/sojourners] is that non-Jewish men will dwell there, and “meichim” [fatlings] is a description of the subject [the sheep], which are in the passive state, whereas the “gerim” [strangers] are the active agents.
Radak
“And they shall feed like sheep.” This is an allegory for the righteous and the weak, who until then had been driven from their homes and were fleeing before the wicked. And when the wicked are finished, the poor will eat what the wicked used to eat. This occurred in the days of Hezekiah, who was a righteous king and a judge of truth, and in his days the strong had no power to oppress the weak. And most of Israel died or went into exile in his days.
The meaning of “as they speak” is: “According to their custom,” as we translate in the Targum, “and they shall conduct themselves according to their speech,” meaning that there is no coercion upon them.
And the meaning of “and desolate cities shall be inhabited” is: the desolate [homes] of the fat ones, the possessors of fatness, who are the wealthy who used to oppress the poor. Their homes, which became desolate, the poor who fled from them will now come to dwell in them and to eat their portion.
And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated the verse thus: “And the righteous shall be sustained, etc.” He translated it according to the interpretation that I have explained, except that he rendered “as they speak” as a matter of discourse.
Metzudat David
“Lambs.” The righteous, who are likened to a flock of sheep, will graze in comfort and tranquility, as has been their custom from of old, and they will not be included among the wicked.
"And the ruins of the fat ones." The ruined houses of the wicked, wealthy ones, shall be consumed by the righteous, who are now like strangers in the presence of the wicked.
Metzudat Zion
"As they spoke." According to their custom, for the Targum renders "and He led" as "and He spoke," and similarly, "And I will make them speak in the sea" (I Kings 5), which is a matter of guidance.
Machim. The wicked, the fat ones, the owners of the brain:
Malbim
And they shall graze: The commentator seized upon a parable from two sheep of the flock. One was accustomed to grazing on pastures of grass, and the other was a fat sheep that had been fattened on the manger. At the time of famine, when the manger is empty and there is no food for the fattened one, it will die of starvation; but the lean sheep will find its sustenance even then in the field and in the wilderness. And this is what it says: “And they shall graze, the sheep, according to their speech and their custom, to graze in the field.” But “and the waste places of the fatlings shall they consume - gerim [i.e., the bones].” The desolation and the dryness that will dry up the marrow in the bones of the fattened sheep—they shall eat and destroy the flesh and the bone. For the fattened sheep, because they are accustomed to rich and oily food, and now this will be lacking for them, their bone marrow will become desolate, and even the bones will be consumed. The application of the parable is that after they return to do justice and righteousness and will not plunder one another, then those accustomed to earning their livelihood through the work of their hands will find their sustenance even then and will graze according to their custom. But those accustomed to earning their livelihood from plunder—now their fat bones will become desolate, for when justice is established in its proper place, they will not find the prey of their hands.
Woe to them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, And sin as it were with a cart rope,
verse value 1526
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 35 letters. The shortest word is "ah!" (ה֛וֹי, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·as·cords·of" (וְכַעֲב֥וֹת, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "in·cords·of" (בְּחַבְלֵ֣י), "emptiness" (הַשָּׁ֑וְא), "and·as·cords·of" (וְכַעֲב֥וֹת). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "perversity" (root עון, 24x in Isaiah); "ah!" (root הוי, 22x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root משך ("drawing") in Isaiah. First appearance of the root חבל ("in·cords·of") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'emptiness', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. Full calculation: ה֛וֹי [ah!] (21) + מֹשְׁכֵ֥י [drawing] (370) + הֶעָוֺ֖ן [perversity] (131) + בְּחַבְלֵ֣י [in·cords·of] (52) + הַשָּׁ֑וְא [emptiness] (312) + וְכַעֲב֥וֹת [and·as·cords·of] (504) + הָעֲגָלָ֖ה [heifer] (113) + חַטָּאָֽה [sin] (23) = 1526.
Rashi
“Behold, they draw in sin.” They drag the evil inclination upon them little by little, at first like the cords of vanity, as fine as a spider’s thread; but once it is aroused within them, it grows stronger and stronger until it becomes like the thick rope used to tie the cart for pulling.
Vanity. A matter that has no substance:
She sinned. “Sinned”:
Ibn Ezra
“Woe unto those who draw out sin.” The reason is that they strengthen the sin.
And just as the cart’s ropes was a sin-offering, so too they were dragging a sin-offering. And the term is akin to “chatat” (sin-offering), as it is written: “Who bears iniquity and transgression and sin” (Exodus 34:7), for the Name itself may also be described by this term.
Radak
“Hoi, draw iniquity to yourselves” – this is stated by way of parable: just as a person draws a cart laden with goods by means of ropes and cords, so too they draw iniquity to themselves with force. And their ropes are ropes of vanity and falsehood. The sin of “drawing” refers to pleasures and the drinking of wine, which draw a person and bring him to the sin of blatant sexual immorality, robbery, and shedding of blood. They draw iniquity to themselves willingly by accustoming themselves to pleasures and the drinking of wine. And similarly, Solomon said in this language: “To draw my flesh with wine.”
"וכעבות" – with a kaf denoting similarity, meaning: just as one pulls a cart by its thick ropes, so too do they draw the sin-offering toward them; and the word "chata'ah" here is equivalent to "chatat" (sin-offering).
And "avot" (ropes). It is a noun for a single rope, spelled with a qamats under the ayin and a vav, as in "me'aseh avot" (the work of ropes), or with a sin and a vav, as in "me'aseh avot." For the plural, it is "avotim" or "avotot." The rope that is made from three strands is called an "avet." And in the words of our Sages of blessed memory, the evil inclination at first is like a hair, and in the end, like the ropes of a cart, as it is said: "Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of vanity" (Isaiah 5:18).
Metzudat David
"Those who draw iniquity": they draw upon themselves the evil inclination, which incites to iniquity.
"With cords of falsehood." With thin cords, and there is almost no substance in them:
"And as thick ropes." Ultimately, the evil inclination, which causes sin, continues by means of thick ropes that pull the cart. That is to say, at first one is drawn after it only slightly, but ultimately one is drawn after it greatly.
Metzudat Zion
And as for "thick": [These are] thick ropes.
Malbim
Alas! The measure of the verse is: “Alas, they draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and as ropes of a cart they draw sin.” And the explanation of the matter is that a person always has an internal struggle. When something pleasant comes before him, from which he is warned, then desire arouses him to enjoy the thing, and intellect warns him not to touch it because of the commandment of the Lord. When desire prevails and he transgresses the commandment, it is called a “sin” in the Holy Writs, for “sin” is from “missing the mark,” meaning he deviated and became guilty. And those who sin in this manner are full of remorse, for after they satisfy their desire, they open their eyes and recognize the evil they have done.
There are people, however, that when desire incites them to transgress a commandment, and they see that intellect stands to oppose them, they also call upon intellect to aid desire, by denying the commandment, or denying its reward and punishment, and the like. This is what is called “iniquity,” for he has “perverted his ways” intentionally. And this person will never repent. With this group the prophet argues here, as stated in the following verse: “They say, ‘Let him make his work swift, that we may see it.’” These are those who deny the punishments of the Lord. He argues against them that they should inquire into the root cause that led to their licentiousness: whether this was solely due to intellectual investigation and proofs of contemplation. But in truth, this is not the root cause; rather, the root cause was the tumult of their desire for forbidden things. This drew them with strong ropes, like the ropes of a cart. And then they drew “iniquity,” which is the arguments of intellect used to aid desire and sin, but not with strong ropes, only with “cords of vanity” that have no substance. And this is what the verse says: “Alas, they draw iniquity”—that which they draw, namely the arguments of intellect, are cords of vanity and spiderwebs, which are broken with a slight touch, for there is no substance in their proofs. But “as ropes of a cart they draw sin,” and this is the root cause of the sin. For see and examine their arguments which they set forth against the prophet who reproves them. See these cords of vanity. Behold, they are:
That say: ‘Let Him make speed, let Him hasten His work, That we may see it; And let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh and come, That we may know it! ’
verse value 4525
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 56 letters. The shortest word is "counsel·of" (עֲצַ֛ת, 3 letters) and the longest is "who·say" (הָאֹמְרִ֗ים, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "let·Him·make·speed" (יְמַהֵ֧ר), "let·Him·hasten" (יָחִ֛ישָׁה), "let·us·see" (נִרְאֶ֑ה). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "who·say" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah); "and·will·go·in" (root בוא, 120x in Isaiah); "Israel" (root ישראל, 84x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root מהר ("let·Him·make·speed") in Isaiah. First appearance of the root חוש ("let·Him·hasten") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'let·us·see', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: הָאֹמְרִ֗ים [who·say] (296) + יְמַהֵ֧ר [let·Him·make·speed] (255) + יָחִ֛ישָׁה [let·Him·hasten] (333) + מַעֲשֵׂ֖הוּ [His·work] (421) + לְמַ֣עַן [so·that] (190) + נִרְאֶ֑ה [let·us·see] (256) + וְתִקְרַ֣ב [and·will·come·near] (708) + וְתָב֗וֹאָה [and·will·go·in] (420) + עֲצַ֛ת [counsel·of] (560) + קְד֥וֹשׁ [holy·one·of] (410) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל [Israel] (541) + וְנֵדָֽעָה [and·let·us·know] (135) = 4525.
Rashi
He hastens his deed. The calamity that He says He will bring:
"For us to see. Whose word will stand:"
Ibn Ezra
"The ones who say, etc." It is possible that "yemaher" is transitive, like "maheru et ha-man" (Esther 5:5), and it is possible that "yachishah" alone is transitive; and both come as futures without a connecting vav, and similar to it is "al tarbu tedaberu — do not multiply [nor] speak" (1 Samuel 2:3), and the meaning is: "Would that these future events come, and we will see if they are true."
Radak
“The ones who say”: When I send prophets to them, and they say to them, “The evil that I am bringing upon them as punishment for their evil deeds,” they say, “We do not believe.”
"Let Him hasten, let Him accelerate His work." That is to say, the work of calamity. And it appears that our prophets speak the truth, for now we do not believe.
"The counsel of the Holy One, blessed be He." What He counseled to bring upon us, for He is the Holy One, blessed be He, and how could He do us harm? For they think that their deeds are not evil, as it is said: "Woe to those who call evil good" (Isaiah 5:20).
Metzudat David
The ones who say, etc. They say in mockery: "Hasten to bring about the deed of calamity that He speaks of," so that we may see whether he can do it.
“And she drew near and came in.” The duplication of the word is stated in what is written:
"And we shall know." That He has the power in His hand:
Metzudat Zion
Yechishah. It is like yimhar, and so also achishah (Psalms 55:9). And the doubling of the matter in synonymous names, and so also admat afar (Daniel 12):
Malbim
Those who say to the prophet who is prophesying that they will return, and who informs them of the calamity that the Lord will bring upon them, they reply to him: “Is it not for many days and distant times that he prophesies?” And it is necessary that the Lord hasten His actions, so that then there will be proof that He is provident, and this is what is needed. 1. That He hasten them in time, 2. That He expedite and perform them with swiftness. Not so now, since He delays them in time, and also, at the time He brings the evil, He brings it slowly; we can attribute it to chance, and “His counsel will draw near and come,”—the counsel spoken of regarding the Lord everywhere is the ultimate purpose for which He performs His action. For example, a king against whom a nation rebels, and he deliberates how to subdue them, how to send his warriors, and how to fight them until they are subdued under him. Now, the battalions he sends there and his war with them are the actions he performs to fulfill the counsel, which is that they bring their necks under his yoke. And at the time he fights with them, it is said that he has completed his action, and at the time he conquers them, it is said that his counsel has been fulfilled. It is clear that regarding the Lord, who does not need counsels and stratagems, the term “counsel” applies only to the desired end in His action. And when He decrees a calamity upon any nation, the ultimate intent of His purpose is that they may recognize His divinity and power. The calamity He brings is His action, and His intent that they recognize His strength and might is His counsel. According to this, it says: After the ultimate intent of His purpose is that through the punishment we will return in repentance, it is necessary: 1. That He hasten the action itself, which is the punishment, 2. That He also hasten the counsel that we attain, which is the One who does everything. And this is what it says: “and draw near,” so that the counsel does not remain in a distant place until it is not seen at all, and also “and come,” so that it does not remain in one place but goes and comes to us, and thereby “we will know” with intellectual perception that so it is. Not so now, since both His action and His counsel are hidden from our eyes. This is their argument, the argument of sin, and it is “pains of nothingness and emptiness,” for it is known that the Lord delays the punishment so that there may be room for choice, or from His expectation lest they return in repentance, and there are other known reasons.
Woe to them that call evil good, And good evil; That change darkness into light, And light into darkness; That change bitter into sweet, And sweet into bitter!
verse value 4511
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 60 letters. Verse gematria: 4511 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "evil" (רָ֑ע, 2 letters) and the longest is "who·say" (הָאֹמְרִ֥ים, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 390: heaven, heaven. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·to·the·good" (וְלַטּ֣וֹב), "to·darkness" (לְחֹ֔שֶׁךְ), "to·sweet" (לְמָת֖וֹק). The root רע appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "who·say" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah); "heaven" (root שמים, 35x in Isaiah); "to·light" (root אור, 33x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root חשך ("darkness") in Isaiah. First appearance of the root מר ("bitter") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'evil', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 10 words.
Rashi
“Those who call evil good”: They flatter the gentiles, and [they consider it] evil in their eyes to serve the Holy One, blessed be He, Who is good.
"They make darkness into light": A thing that is destined to bring darkness upon them, they say, will shine for them.
"Who render bitter as sweet." Regarding the sin that is destined to bring upon them a bitter retribution, they say: "Make it sweet for them."
And they render sweet as bitter. The sweet service of the Holy One, blessed be He, they say is bitter.
Ibn Ezra
Woe. The reason is because they desire that evils come upon them, and they are like one who has no understanding.
Radak
“Thus are those who say: Regarding their evil deeds that they perform, they say that they are good; and regarding engaging in Torah and wisdom, they say it is bad and a burden of the flesh. They are like those who place darkness for light, since they do not distinguish with their intellect what is good and what is evil; behold, they are like those who do not distinguish with their senses, and their sense of sight and sense of taste are deceived.”
Metzudat David
To the evil. Regarding the idolatrous worship of the Canaanites, they would say that it is good.
And for good. It is the service of the Omnipresent:
"He made darkness His covering" etc. The repetition of the matter two or three times is in the manner of rhetorical expression, to emphasize the continuity of the matter.
Malbim
“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil.” These three expressions correspond to the three distinctions inherent in human faculty: 1. The intellectual distinction, to differentiate between true good and true evil, such as between a commandment and a sin; 2. The distinction of the imaginative faculty, to differentiate between what is beneficial and what is not beneficial, such as between light and darkness; 3. The distinction of the sentient soul, between what is pleasant and what is unpleasant, such as between honey and wormwood. Just as it happens in bodily illnesses that bitter tastes sweet and sweet tastes bitter, or in eye diseases that light is perceived as darkness and darkness as light, so too it is found in spiritual illnesses that evil is reversed for them into good, and good into evil. The measure of the verse is: “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter,” for they are deluded by spiritual illnesses, like a severe bodily disease, to the extent that the power of distinction and perception is removed from them. However, whereas the sick rely on the testimony of the healthy people standing before them, who tell them that this is light and sweet, or darkness and bitter, not so is it with these, for...
Woe to them that are wise in their own eyes, And prudent in their own sight!
verse value 726
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 29 letters. The shortest word is "ah!" (ה֖וֹי, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·their·eyes" (בְּעֵינֵיהֶ֑ם, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "in·their·eyes" (בְּעֵינֵיהֶ֑ם), "discerned" (נְבֹנִֽים). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "their·faces" (root פנים, 88x in Isaiah); "in·their·eyes" (root עין, 45x in Isaiah); "discerned" (root בין, 43x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·their·eyes', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: ה֖וֹי [ah!] (21) + חֲכָמִ֣ים [wise] (118) + בְּעֵינֵיהֶ֑ם [in·their·eyes] (187) + וְנֶ֥גֶד [and·opposite] (63) + פְּנֵיהֶ֖ם [their·faces] (185) + נְבֹנִֽים [discerned] (152) = 726.
Ibn Ezra
Woe. The reason is that they do not distinguish between good and evil, and yet they are wise in their own eyes.
Radak
“Be wise.” They consider themselves wise and discerning, and when the prophets say to them, “This is a good path; walk in it and turn away from the evil path,” they reply to them, “No, rather the path that we hold to is the good one, and we are wiser than you in recognizing good and evil.” And my master and father, of blessed and righteous memory, explained: “Wise” means that they do what is right in their own eyes, and “discerning” means that they devise what seems fitting before their faces. This is in accordance with the manner of the verse that states, “They were wise to do evil.”
Metzudat David
"In their eyes." They consider themselves to be wise.
And opposite their faces. According to the direction of the gaze of their faces, and the repetition of the matter as stated:
Malbim
Woe to them, for they are wise in their own eyes, even though discerning men stand before their faces, instructing and clarifying for them what is good and what is evil.
Woe to them that are mighty to drink wine, And men of strength to mingle strong drink;
verse value 2573
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 32 letters. The shortest word is "ah!" (ה֕וֹי, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·men·of·strength" (וְאַנְשֵׁי־חַ֖יִל, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "mighty" (גִּבּוֹרִ֖ים), "to·drink" (לִשְׁתּ֣וֹת), "and·men·of·strength" (וְאַנְשֵׁי־חַ֖יִל). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·men·of·strength" (root איש, 59x in Isaiah); "ah!" (root הוי, 22x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root שתה ("to·drink") in Isaiah. First appearance of the root מסך ("to·mix") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'wine', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: ה֕וֹי [ah!] (21) + גִּבּוֹרִ֖ים [mighty] (261) + לִשְׁתּ֣וֹת [to·drink] (1136) + יָ֑יִן [wine] (70) + וְאַנְשֵׁי־חַ֖יִל [and·men·of·strength] (415) + לִמְסֹ֥ךְ [to·mix] (150) + שֵׁכָֽר [strong·drink] (520) = 2573.
Rashi
"To mix wine." To mix wine: the rectification of the drink is called "masach."
Ibn Ezra
"Woe, mighty ones." The reason is that their wisdom was consumed because of the wine.
“L’masok” is like “l’nasok.” And they are two different roots, similar to which is: “Maschah yaynah” (Proverbs 9:2):
Radak
“Be strong.” All their strength is for drinking wine; that is to say, their power and might are not evident in fighting against their enemies, but rather all their occupation is drinking wine. And drinking wine and pleasures bring about weakness, and thus they lose their wisdom and strength through drinking wine and pleasures. Likewise, it says, “And your princes eat in the morning” (Ecclesiastes 10:16), whereas in contrast it says, “And your princes eat in the time of strength” (Ecclesiastes 10:17), not in a state of drunkenness. Behold, the drinking of wine prevents strength.
"And men of valor." Like "mighty men," for the meaning of *chayil* is "strength," as it is said, "Who girds me with strength for war" (Psalms 18:40). The Targum translates "strength" as *chayila*, and Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated it as "and mighty men, masters of wealth," like the verse, "Make for me the *chayil*" (Deuteronomy 8:17).
To mix (i.e., dilute wine with water). Just as it says "to mix" (referring to wine):
Metzudat David
"To drink wine." They display their strength by drinking much wine.
"And the men, etc." The matter is repeated in what is stated:
Metzudat Zion
“Lemaskheh.” The pouring of the wine is called “masekh.”
Malbim
“Be strong, etc.” – “who justify the wicked”: This means that the fundamental glory of strength is that one administers justice and rescues the oppressed. If so, the text calls out: “Be strong, and men of valor!” How is it that they themselves are justifying the wicked through bribery? And “to drink wine, and to mix strong drink” is a parenthetical remark, as if mocking them in his words: “Strong men, but not for strength, only for drinking wine; men of valor, but only for mixing strong drink,” for their strength is not directed toward the desired end. (And it is clear to me that “the strong one” refers to one who is strong by nature, whereas “a man of valor” is not necessarily strong but rather knows the tactics of warfare. Therefore, the drinking of wine itself is attributed to “the strong one,” while only the mixing and serving of strong drink is attributed to “the man of valor,” the tactics of drunkenness being contrasted with the tactics of warfare.) He says: How is it that these strong men justify the wicked, whose wickedness is manifest, and they do not even attempt to provide a reason for why they justified him, since it is clear to all that they justified him only because of the bribe he gave? And “the righteousness of the righteous, which is manifest, they take away from him.”
That justify the wicked for a reward, And take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!
verse value 2584
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 35 letters. The shortest word is "wicked" (רָשָׁ֖ע, 3 letters) and the longest is "that·justify" (מַצְדִּיקֵ֥י, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 254: that·justify, just. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "for" (עֵ֣קֶב), "and·righteousness·of" (וְצִדְקַ֥ת), "they·take·away" (יָסִ֥ירוּ). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·justify" (root צדק, 37x in Isaiah); "they·take·away" (root סור, 29x in Isaiah); "and·righteousness·of" (root צדקה, 27x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'present', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: מַצְדִּיקֵ֥י [that·justify] (254) + רָשָׁ֖ע [wicked] (570) + עֵ֣קֶב [for] (172) + שֹׁ֑חַד [present] (312) + וְצִדְקַ֥ת [and·righteousness·of] (600) + צַדִּיקִ֖ים [just] (254) + יָסִ֥ירוּ [they·take·away] (286) + מִמֶּֽנּוּ [from·him] (136) = 2584.
Rashi
"And the righteousness of the righteous" – who deserve to be vindicated in court, they take away from him, declaring him liable in the judgment and robbing him of his money.
Ibn Ezra
"Of the righteous." And wine will blind their heart, and also bribery will blind their heart.
“Because” (ekav): on account of, in the sense of “reward at the end,” from the root of “and he grasped his heel” (Joshua 8:13).
And righteousness. Each of the righteous ones shall remove from it, as it is said: “its branches run over the wall” (Genesis 49:22).
Radak
“Those who justify [the wicked].” The judges justify the wicked in his judgment:
“Because of a bribe” – in return for the bribe that they take from him, the righteous shall remove his righteousness from him in their judgment. And the phrase “from him” is stated after the mention of “the righteous,” implying that this applies to each and every one of the righteous who come to judgment.
Metzudat David
"Those who justify." They justify the wicked in judgment on account of a bribe.
They remove from him. From each and every one of the righteous, they remove his righteousness, in order to say about him that he is not righteous in his judgment.
Metzudat Zion
Ekev. "In reward," as it is stated: "And it shall come to pass, because you hearken" (Deuteronomy 7:12).
Therefore as the tongue of fire devours the stubble, And as the chaff is consumed in the flame, So their root shall be as rottenness, And their blossom shall go up as dust; Because they have rejected the law of Hashem of hosts, And contemned the word of the Holy One of Israel.
verse value 8026
Insights
Verse structure: 24 words, 92 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֣ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "stubble" (קַ֜שׁ, 2 letters) and the longest is "sacred·Israel" (קְדֽוֹשׁ־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 30: it·will·be, and·because. 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "as·it·devours" (כֶּאֱכֹ֨ל), "and·chaff" (וַחֲשַׁ֤שׁ), "will·sink" (יִרְפֶּ֔ה). 23 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "the·word·of" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah); "and·because" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root קש ("stubble") in Isaiah. First appearance of the root רפה ("will·sink") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'will·go·up', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 10 words.
Rashi
Therefore. "And this matter shall be for you..."
Like consuming straw, the language of fire. Like consuming the straw, the language of fire:
And "chashash." Jonathan rendered it "amira" — stalks of the grain-ears; and [the verse means] the chashash which the flame makes sink down and turns to ashes.
"Like rottenness": Like a thing that is decaying:
And their pride. Their greatness is like dust that rises before the wind and is dispersed; so too shall it be dispersed:
Ibn Ezra
Therefore. Kesh (chaff/stubble). It is a passive form (pa'ul), whereas the term "esh" (fire) is an active form (po'el).
And "chashash" is like "kash," and similar to it is "teharu chashash" (Isaiah 33:11):
And the letter bet is deficient, lacking a flame, as in “for six days” (Exodus 20:11), which is found in “the house of the Lord” (2 Kings 18:15); for “when He relents” refers back to “He was concerned,” and it is an intransitive verb.
Like rot: “the root rots, and behold it shall not endure.”
Like dust. It is adjacent to, and lacks, “the earth” or something similar to it, and the meaning is: the fathers and the sons.
Radak
Therefore, "as fire consumes straw." The custom of the language is to place the verb before the object; however, when the matter is clear and there is no possibility of misunderstanding, they place the object before the verb, as in this case, for it is known that fire consumes straw, not straw fire. Similarly, "water seeks fire," "stones grind water." [And it is called] the tongue of fire -- [i.e.,] the flame -- for it has the shape of a tongue.
And the chaff of the flame. This is a repetition of the same idea in different words: "cheshesh" is thin straw, and the meaning of the phrase "and the flame shall make the cheshesh weak" is that it shall weaken it and consume it. That is to say, just as this action is light and swift, for the tongue of fire eats the straw and the tongue of flame weakens the cheshesh, so too shall evil come to them swiftly and consume them until their root becomes like "mak." And "mak" is the "mak" mentioned in the words of our Sages of blessed memory, the "mak" of the scribes, which is rot. And the parable of their root means that their strength shall become rotten and dissolved.
And their blossoms. This is an allegory for the weak, like the dust which, due to its excessive lightness, rises into the air and is consumed; so too were all of them consumed, both the strong and the weak, for they were wicked.
“For they have rejected the Torah of the Lord of Hosts, and they have despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.” The matter is repeated in different words, like dust, all gathered together, and also the letter kaf. And the Targum [renders it]: “And the chaff of the flame,” like ‘amira b’shleboita [Aramaic for “straw in the flame”]. And in the midrashic interpretation: “Therefore, like eating straw,” the expression refers to fire. For is there any straw that consumes fire? Rather, this straw refers to Esau. Whenever the hands of Israel grow slack in the commandments, he gains dominion over them, over Israel, for they are the fire, and Esau is the straw, as it is said: “And the house of Jacob shall be fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble.”
Metzudat David
Therefore. On account of the inclination of the judgment:
“Like the eating of straw by the tongue of fire.” Just as the tongue of fire burns up the straw, and just as the flame loosens and weakens the chaff until it returns to ashes, so too will their root be weakened, becoming like a thing that is rotten.
"And their glory shall pass away." Their greatness shall be removed like fine dust that is carried away by a slight breeze.
Metzudat Zion
Stubble. Straw:
"Lashon esh" (tongue of fire): A flame of fire, so called because it is drawn out in the manner of a tongue.
"Chashash." This is fine straw, and likewise: "They shall conceive chashash" (below, 33).
"ירפה" – from the word "רפיון" (relaxation).
"Kamak" (rot). From the terms "decay" (המקה) and "dissolution" (המסה).
And their blossoms. The verse compares greatness to the blossoms of a tree:
"Yeleh." It means "to be removed," as in "like the going up of a heap" (Job 5:26).
They despised. The meaning is contempt:
Malbim
Therefore, the Written Verse limits [the punishment for] the gates [of their transgression]; therefore, [they are likened] to straw consumed by fire, that their root shall remain in its place, because they despised the Torah of the Lord of Hosts. And just as chaff is loosened by the flame, their blossom shall rise like dust, because they rejected the word of the Holy One of Israel. In that they rejected the word of the Holy One of Israel, which is the matter of prophecy, their sin is greater in two respects than that of despising the Torah: 1. For despising is only in the heart, whereas rejecting is with the mouth. 2. That the matter of prophecy is more severe, for it comes with punishments and warnings specific to them, and from the aspect that He is the Holy One of Israel and His unique providence over them. Therefore, the punishment for rejecting prophecy is harsher than the punishment for despising the Torah. And with this, it limits the punishment for despising the Torah, so that they are likened to straw consumed by fire. What is the parable in these two matters? 1. The straw is the root of the ear [of grain]. 2. The fire consumes it, but it does not become dust; only the ash remains in its place. And similarly, "their root shall remain in its place": 1. That the punishment shall reach only the root and not the blossom, which are the children, meaning only the sinner himself. 2. That only as ash shall it be, the matter of burning, and it remains in its place. But for the punishment of rejecting prophecy, it likens them to chaff loosened by the flame: 1. The chaff is the head, the blossom of the ear, and similarly "their blossom shall rise like dust," which are their descendants, which are the blossom. 2. The chaff consumed becomes like dust, which the wind carries and lifts into the air, and similarly it is nullified from existence entirely. And similarly in the matter being compared, it says "shall rise like dust," until the punishment is magnified in proportion to the sin.
Therefore is the anger of Hashem kindled against His people, And He has stretched forth His hand against them, and has smitten them, And the hills did tremble, And their carcasses were as refuse in the midst of the streets. For all this His anger is not turned away, But His hand is stretched out still.
verse value 4230
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 91 letters. Notable word values: "and·still" (וְע֖וֹד) = 86, equal to Elohim. Verse gematria: 4230 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "was·hot" (חָרָה֩, 3 letters) and the longest is "anger·of·Hashem" (אַף־יְהֹוָ֨ה, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 20: his·hand, his·hand. 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "was·hot" (חָרָה֩), "anger·of·Hashem" (אַף־יְהֹוָ֨ה), "in·his·people" (בְּעַמּ֜וֹ). The root על appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "anger·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "and·it·was" (root היה, 213x in Isaiah); "therefore" (root על, 200x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root חרה ("was·hot") in Isaiah. First appearance of the root רגז ("and·they·trembled") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'streets', dividing the verse into phrases of 15 and 6 words.
Rashi
Therefore. On account of these deeds of theirs:
And the mountains quaked. The kings of Judah and their princes:
Like spittle. Like saliva and vomit, which are expelled from a person’s body and are loathsome; in the language of the Sages, it is called “sachai.” And similarly, “sachai and loathsome things” (Lamentations 3:45).
"Among the streets." So too, they shall be detestable among the Babylonians:
Nevertheless. The one that comes upon them:
“His anger did not return.” They did not rectify their deeds to cause His anger to return from them.
Outstretched. To do them evil:
Ibn Ezra
"על כן" – because he abandoned His Torah.
"And the mountains trembled." From the weight of the blow.
As a withered thing. Cast aside; and the kaf is part of the root, as in “burned by fire, like a withered thing” (Psalms 80:17). And these are two verbal stems:
Radak
Therefore, "and the mountains quaked." This is by way of a parable: as if the mountains quaked and the earth trembled for them, due to the intensity of their distress.
“Kesuchah.” On the pattern of “shekhulah.” Its meaning is “cut down”; the Targum renders “lo tazmor” as “lo tikhsach.”
"His anger does not turn back" – because they do not return in repentance.
Metzudat David
Upon him. Upon His people:
The mountains. The kings of Judah and their princes:
Like spittle. Like spittle that is thrown into the midst of the streets:
Nevertheless. Despite all this calamity, the Lord did not turn back, and His hand was still stretched out to strike them.
Metzudat Zion
And they trembled. The matter is a movement of fear:
Like refuse. Like spittle that is expelled from the body; and so: "You have made us as filth and refuse" (Lamentations 3:45).
Malbim
"And He stretched out His hand against them and struck them" – this is like the parable of a person who raises his hand over his friend and strikes him; "and the mountains quaked" – meaning that the earth would shake and swallow its inhabitants; and through this, "their carcasses were like dung, cut off in the midst of the streets." "Nevertheless" – this means despite all these plagues – "He did not turn back His anger," and moreover, "His hand was still stretched out" to strike them by human hands, through enemies and oppressors, which is more severe, as David said: "Let us fall into the hands of the Lord, for His mercy is great, but let us not fall into the hands of man."
And He will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, And will hiss to them from the end of the earth; And, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly;
verse value 2548
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 44 letters. Notable word values: "to·him" (ל֖וֹ) = 36, double chai. Verse gematria: 2548 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "to·him" (ל֖וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·He·will·lift·up·an·ensign" (וְנָֽשָׂא־נֵ֤ס, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·He·will·lift·up·an·ensign" (וְנָֽשָׂא־נֵ֤ס), "and·will·hiss" (וְשָׁ֥רַק). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·land" (root ארץ, 169x in Isaiah); "will·go·in" (root בוא, 120x in Isaiah); "to·the·nations" (root גוי, 65x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root רחוק ("from·afar") in Isaiah. First appearance of the root קל ("lightness") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·land', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְנָֽשָׂא־נֵ֤ס [and·He·will·lift·up·an·ensign] (467) + לַגּוֹיִם֙ [to·the·nations] (89) + מֵרָח֔וֹק [from·afar] (354) + וְשָׁ֥רַק [and·will·hiss] (606) + ל֖וֹ [to·him] (36) + מִקְצֵ֣ה [from·end·of] (235) + הָאָ֑רֶץ [the·land] (296) + וְהִנֵּ֥ה [and·behold] (66) + מְהֵרָ֖ה [haste] (250) + קַ֥ל [lightness] (130) + יָבֽוֹא [will·go·in] (19) = 2548.
Rashi
And He shall lift up. The Holy One, blessed be He, lifts up a banner for the nations, giving them hints to gather and come against them. The lifting of a banner is like a long pole, upon whose top they place a cloth, and they ascend to the top of a high mountain, and it is seen from afar, and it is a sign for the gathering of people. And similarly, “against proud nations, a banner” (ibid. 49); and similarly, “and set it as a banner” (Numbers 21:8). A “kolon” is a “parca” in the vernacular tongue, and because it serves as a sign, it is called a “nes” (banner).
And "shrek." In the language of the gentiles, "sibler," it too is a sign of gathering.
“From the end of the earth.” That they will come from afar to besiege Israel.
Swiftly it shall come. The enemy against them, as it explains and continues:
Ibn Ezra
"And he shall lift up." As if he were to raise a standard for every nation, until they come to wage war against Israel; and similarly, "and he shall whistle unto it."
“Quickly He will come.” In the time of quickness He will come, or it is an adjective describing the coming, and this is the correct interpretation.
Radak
There is no weariness. This verse is expressed in a hyperbolic manner, due to their great eagerness and speed in coming: they will not fly, nor will they grow weary on the way, nor will any of them stumble on the path—that is to say, their feet will not strike against a stone on the road on account of their speed in walking. They will not doze off, nor will they sleep during the day, and even at night none of them will sleep in a fixed manner that would require them to unfasten their girdle or untie the laces of their sandals; rather, they will sleep, however they may sleep at night, with their garments and shoes still on their feet. All of this is expressed in a hyperbolic manner.
Metzudat David
“And he shall raise a banner”: This means that He will stir the hearts of the nations dwelling afar off to come against them, as if He had raised a banner for them, and as if He had sounded a horn for them to gather and come.
Metzudat Zion
Nes. It is a long pole, with the ends of the garment attached to it, and it is made to be used for signaling, gathering, and coming.
"ושרק" – This is the sound produced by gathering the lips together, and it serves as a sign for assembly. Likewise, it says, "I will whistle to them, and I will gather them" (Zechariah 10:8).
Malbim
"And he shall lift up a standard" — this refers to the flag that is raised for the troops stationed in distant places, so that they may assemble for war. And he adds to say that there will be no need at all for a standard, but rather, "and he shall blow with a trumpet" — meaning merely blowing a whistle with the lips alone. And even if the enemy is at the farthest end of the land, nevertheless, "and behold, quickly, lightly he shall come": "quickly" means that he will depart immediately from his place, and "lightly" refers to the swiftness of his walking and running.
None shall be weary nor stumble among them; None shall slumber nor sleep; Neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, Nor the latchet of their shoes be broken;
verse value 3408
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 60 letters. The shortest word is "in·him" (בּ֔וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·none·stumbles" (וְאֵין־כּוֹשֵׁל֙, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 37: and·not, and·not, and·not. 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "none·is·weary" (אֵין־עָיֵ֤ף), "and·none·stumbles" (וְאֵין־כּוֹשֵׁל֙), "will·be·drowsy" (יָנ֖וּם). The root לא appears 4 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 286x in Isaiah); "none·is·weary" (root אין, 92x in Isaiah); "was·opened" (root פתח, 25x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root אזר ("gird") in Isaiah. First appearance of the root חלץ ("his·loins") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'sleep', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 8 words.
Rashi
There is no weariness and no stumbling in Him. He does not grow weary and He does not stumble in His running to fulfill “Let Him hasten, let Him hasten,” which they say before Him.
"Niftach." The term denotes "was untied," akin to "and he untied the camels" (Genesis 24:63).
And it was not severed. Nor shall they see there any omen of failure, to be afraid on My account and refrain from coming.
Ibn Ezra
"Neither shall they sleep..." "Nor shall they slumber": "Slumber" is a lighter form of sleep, and the meaning is that they shall not even slumber, even though they do sleep.
And it does not depart from the Nifal binyan.
Radak
Natok. Its meaning is the untying of the lock’s knot:
Metzudat David
There is no weariness. In the people who come, one will not find in them weariness and stumbling.
"He shall not sleep." This means that no one should be negligent in this matter.
"And it shall not be opened." This means that there shall be no aspect of hindrance for anyone.
Metzudat Zion
Niftach. The matter of untying a knot is like the verse “He loosens the cords” (Job 30:11):
Ezor. A belt:
His loins. His waist:
Nataq. It was dislodged from its place:
Shoe-lace. The term refers to things that are tied, as in the verse “from a thread even to a shoe-lace” (Genesis 14:23).
Malbim
“He shall not be weary,” meaning that his gait is depicted as light, so that no hindrance shall befall him, nor shall he grow weary from his own exertion; “nor stumble,” meaning that no external cause shall obstruct his path; and neither shall he doze off, which is the drowsiness resulting from fatigue; nor even sleep, which is the natural, necessary sleep that people take at night. Thus, he will be able to walk both day and night. Not only shall no hindrance befall him from his body, but also from his garments no hindrance shall occur: for not even the lower belt beneath his skirts shall come undone, thereby causing delay; nor shall the strap of his sandal break. Although it is common for such a strap to break when walking a long distance, and although he would not be significantly delayed by this, since he could walk without a strap, nevertheless, not even such a minor cause shall befall him.
Whose arrows are sharp, And all their bows bent; Their horses’hoofs shall be counted like flint, And their wheels like a whirlwind;
verse value 4796
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 57 letters. The shortest word is "whose" (אֲשֶׁ֤ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·all·his·bows" (וְכׇל־קַשְּׁתֹתָ֖יו, 9 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "sharpened" (שְׁנוּנִ֔ים), "and·all·his·bows" (וְכׇל־קַשְּׁתֹתָ֖יו), "bent" (דְּרֻכ֑וֹת). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "whose" (root אשר, 176x in Isaiah); "bent" (root דרך, 57x in Isaiah); "as·flint" (root צר, 21x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root חץ ("His·arrows") in Isaiah. First appearance of the root קשת ("and·all·his·bows") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'bent', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 6 words. Full calculation: אֲשֶׁ֤ר [whose] (501) + חִצָּיו֙ [His·arrows] (114) + שְׁנוּנִ֔ים [sharpened] (456) + וְכׇל־קַשְּׁתֹתָ֖יו [and·all·his·bows] (1272) + דְּרֻכ֑וֹת [bent] (630) + פַּרְס֤וֹת [hoofs·of] (746) + סוּסָיו֙ [his·horses] (142) + כַּצַּ֣ר [as·flint] (310) + נֶחְשָׁ֔בוּ [were·counted] (366) + וְגַלְגִּלָּ֖יו [and·his·wheels] (88) + כַּסּוּפָֽה [as·the·storm] (171) = 4796.
Rashi
“Like a rock.” The Targum renders it as “like a stone,” similar to the word “tzur” (rock).
And its wheels. The wheels of its chariots:
Ibn Ezra
"asher" – like "tzar," as in "harbotz tzurim" (Joshua 5:3), for the cantillation patterns of names vary:
"וגלגליו" – like "the wheels of his chariots" (Exodus 14:25), and they are well known; and the meaning of "כסופה" is that it will come quickly, and the interpretation is like "the chaff of a storm."
Radak
“Whose arrows.” And similarly, “his weapons,” his war— all of them are prepared for battle: his arrows are sharpened and pointed; and likewise, his bows are strung, so that they will not need to be strung when they wish to fight, lest they be delayed in battle; and likewise, the hooves of his horses are like the rock, which is the strong stone, so that they will not be hurt by the road and they will not need to have iron shoes put on them; and likewise, the wheels of his chariots will come swiftly like the storm, which is the chaff that rolls in the wind. And all of this is hyperbolic language.
Metzudat David
“whose half are sharpened.” “A people whose half are sharpened” means: they shall be ready for war like a foe. Strong as a rock, and they shall not be struck down in their running.
Like a storm. They hasten to go like the wind of a storm.
Metzudat Zion
Sharp. Pointed:
"Darukot." The manner is to tread with his feet upon the bow, in order to stretch it well.
Hooves. They are like sandals.
As a rock. Like a stone:
And its wheels. The wheel of the cart:
Like a storm-wind. A strong wind:
Malbim
"As for 'which' [asher], it adds and continues to depict the swiftness of the march, such that he will not need to delay until he sharpens his arrows, for they will already be sharpened and prepared for war; nor will he need to brace his bow in battle, for his bows are braced of their own accord. All of this is an allegory by the poets describing how the enemy will successfully pursue his course without needing to delay to shoe his horses with iron, for the hooves of his horses are considered like flint, like the hard stone of flint, so that they will not be harmed by the rocks and will not require covering. And not only this, but he will not need horses at all to pull the chariots, for the wheels and the wheels of his chariots will be like a whirlwind, and they themselves will carry the chariots through the air. All of this depicts how it will fulfill what is written: 'He will hasten, he will speed up his work.' From here, it begins to depict the might and cruelty of the enemy."
Their roaring shall be like a lion, They shall roar like young lions, indeed, they shall roar, And lay hold of the prey, and carry it away safe, And there shall be none to deliver.
verse value 2226
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 53 letters. Notable word values: "to·him" (ל֖וֹ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "to·him" (ל֖וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "as·the·young·lions" (כַּכְּפִירִ֤ים, 7 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "roaring" (שְׁאָגָ֥ה), "as·the·lioness" (כַּלָּבִ֑יא), "and·will·roar" ((ושאג)). The root שאג appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·nothing" (root אין, 92x in Isaiah); "deliverer" (root נצל, 22x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root כפיר ("as·the·young·lions") in Isaiah. First appearance of the root נצל ("deliverer") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'as·the·lioness', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 9 words. Full calculation: שְׁאָגָ֥ה [roaring] (309) + ל֖וֹ [to·him] (36) + כַּלָּבִ֑יא [as·the·lioness] (63) + (ושאג) [and·will·roar] (310) + יִשְׁאַ֨ג [will·roar] (314) + כַּכְּפִירִ֤ים [as·the·young·lions] (380) + וְיִנְהֹם֙ [and·will·growl] (111) + וְיֹאחֵ֣ז [and·he·holds] (32) + טֶ֔רֶף [food] (289) + וְיַפְלִ֖יט [and·carries·it·away] (145) + וְאֵ֥ין [and·nothing] (67) + מַצִּֽיל [deliverer] (170) = 2226.
Rashi
A roar. This terror shall be upon you, like that of a lion:
And He will deliver. He will save us from the mouth of the predator; from the hand of all who come to seize her, He will deliver. "Ishqamotsir" in the foreign language.
Ibn Ezra
“Shagah. Veyinahum.” This is a foreign word, because the guttural letter expands, and the future tense comes on the pattern of yif‘al, since the ayin of the root is one of the gutturals; but if it were to be said thus, it could not at all be on the pattern of yif‘ol.
"And he shall let it go." It appears that he lets it go in order to see whether there is one who can save it.
Radak
It roars for him. And "roars" is written, while "shall roar" is read, and the meaning is one:
"And he shall seize the prey." For his roaring and his growling shall not be in vain, but rather that he shall seize the prey, as it is stated: "Does the lion roar in the forest when he has no prey?" (Amos 3:4). So too, this enemy, who is the king of Assyria, shall seize the prey, and there is none who can rescue from his hand; for when he came, he conquered all the Land of Israel, and also all the fortified cities of Judah. And the explanation of "and he shall let escape" is that he shall take the remnant, which is the land of Judah, for he conquered everything except for Jerusalem.
Metzudat David
It roars to him. To this nation:
And he shall deliver. He will rescue the prey for himself from the hand of the one who comes to snatch it from his grasp.
And there is no one to rescue. There shall be no one with the power to rescue from his hand:
Metzudat Zion
Kelevya. One of the names of the lion.
And he roared. The term is in the form of "hamiyyah" (a noun derived from the root meaning "to roar").
And He will deliver. The matter of salvation:
Malbim
He roars: “The roar of the mature lion is stronger than that of the young lion, which is the offspring of lions; but in contrast to this, the young lion continually roars at all times, whereas the mature lion does not. In light of this, [the verse] says: the quality of its roar shall be strong like the lion, and it shall roar with the constancy of the young lions.”
“And he shall roar” – The lion roars in bitterness only when it has no prey; but he shall roar even though he seizes prey. This means that even though he attains it and divides the spoil, his soul shall not be satisfied. And he shall cast the prey into its dens until they are unable to rescue it from his hand. And it adds, “and there is no deliverer,” meaning that no deliverer will be found in reality at all, for there is no one who can stand against him.
And they shall roar against them in that day Like the roaring of the sea; And if one look to the land, Behold darkness and distress, And the light is darkened in the skies thereof.
verse value 2857
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 55 letters. The shortest word is "distress" (צַ֣ר, 2 letters) and the longest is "as·roaring·of·sea" (כְּנַהֲמַת־יָ֑ם, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "as·roaring·of·sea" (כְּנַהֲמַת־יָ֑ם), "and·he·looks" (וְנִבַּ֤ט), "in·her·clouds" (בַּעֲרִיפֶֽיהָ). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "against·him" (root על, 200x in Isaiah); "to·the·land" (root ארץ, 169x in Isaiah); "in·the·day" (root יום, 124x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'as·roaring·of·sea', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 7 words. Full calculation: וְיִנְהֹ֥ם [and·will·growl] (111) + עָלָ֛יו [against·him] (116) + בַּיּ֥וֹם [in·the·day] (58) + הַה֖וּא [that] (17) + כְּנַהֲמַת־יָ֑ם [as·roaring·of·sea] (565) + וְנִבַּ֤ט [and·he·looks] (67) + לָאָ֙רֶץ֙ [to·the·land] (321) + וְהִנֵּה־חֹ֔שֶׁךְ [and·behold·darkness] (394) + צַ֣ר [distress] (290) + וָא֔וֹר [and·shining] (213) + חָשַׁ֖ךְ [shall·be·dark] (328) + בַּעֲרִיפֶֽיהָ [in·her·clouds] (377) = 2857.
Rashi
And he shall roar. The same enemy mentioned above, against the people of God.
Like the roaring of the sea. Just as its waves roar, so shall He come with tumultuous hosts.
"ונבט לארץ" – The term "looked" implies that Israel gazed and watched, hoping to be aided by the kings of the land, upon whom they relied, as it is stated: "Who go down to Egypt for help" (below 31:1).
"And behold, darkness." [This teaches] that it should not assist them. And "nabat" is in the Nifal conjugation, like "lo niftach" [it was not opened] and "lo natak" [it was not broken]. And the vav causes the verb to be rendered in the future tense. "Irrat" [fear] in the vernacular.
“Tzarah and light, darkness.” Just as it is written, “And he who helps stumbles, and he who is helped falls” (ibid.), so too: one who is in distress, upon whom the affliction has come, and the other who comes to bring him light—both of them are shrouded in darkness. And there are those who explain: “Tzarah” refers to the moon, which has diminished, and “light” refers to the sun.
"Be-arifeha." When its darkening comes — a term as in "shall drop (ya'arof) as the rain" (Deuteronomy 32:2); and such is the way: when rain pours down, the light darkens.
Ibn Ezra
And he roared over him. Over Israel:
Like the roar of the sea. For then the light of the world will be darkened, as it is written: "Darkness of waters" (Psalms 18:12).
And the meaning of “and he looked toward the land” is that they will be in the land, not in the sea. And “the darkness came” is a metaphor for the distress of the heart. Some say that “and he looked” is in the Nifal construction, but the view closer to me is that it is in the heavy, dagesh construction, and it refers back to Israel, as I stated regarding the word “upon him.”
"Darkness and light." Some say this refers to the sun and the moon, while others said it refers to the moon and the sun, because the moon is "dark" (tzar) in contrast to the sun. And Rabbi Adoniyah says that the letter heh is missing, as if it said "tza'har" (window/light), because the letters of the Tetragrammaton are sometimes written fully and sometimes found lacking. And behold, he erred, for the heh is not among the letters of connection (matres lectionis) and does not disappear [it should read: be omitted] except when it is the final letter, serving as a substitute for an aleph in pronunciation. And the correct view in my eyes is to take it according to its plain meaning, that "tzar" means "distress," as it is written: "Distress and anguish have found me" (Psalms 119:143). Or perhaps it is an adjective of the noun, and the meaning is that the land of Israel will be darkened because of the distress, and also because of the light that will be darkened at the time of its destruction, for it will rise up and cover the light of the sun.
"ba-eripah": Like "they shall cut down your altars" (Hosea 10:2), and it is close to the root of "and you shall break its neck" (Exodus 13:13).
Radak
And it shall roar, like the roaring of the sea. Like the roaring of the waves of the sea:
"And he looked toward the earth." It is from the conjugation *pa'al* with a dagesh in the root, like *avad* (perished) and *shavar* (broke). It says that Israel should look toward the earth when the enemy comes upon him suddenly; he should look to see if a helper will come to him, but there is none, and he sees nothing but darkness. And what is this darkness? It is the darkness of distress, meaning the darkness of the enemy who comes upon him. Even though the accent rests on the word *choshech* (darkness), the sense is connected with *tzar* (distress).
“And the light of the sun was darkened in its streets.” The light of the sun was darkened for Israel in the heavens; that is to say, the heavens above were darkened for them due to the abundance of distress. The heavens are called “arufim” (clouds) because they drip down rain, as it is said, “Even their clouds shall drip down dew,” and the meaning of “ya’arufu” is “they shall drip,” and similarly, “It shall drip down like rain, my teaching,” the word “ya’arof” means “it shall drip.” And there are those who explain “be’arufeyha” as “in its streets,” like the verse “They shall tear down their altars,” which refers to the matter of demolition. And there are those who explain it as “narrow,” meaning the light of the sun and the moon.
Metzudat David
Upon him. Upon Israel:
“And he looked toward the earth.” He gazed at the kings of the earth, perhaps he would find help from them.
"And behold, darkness is straitened." He has darkness from the distress and the enemy that comes upon him, because he found no help.
"And light was darkened in its clouds." The light of the sun was darkened for him in the heavens due to the abundance of distress; or, "in its clouds" means in its coming forth from the darkness; and because when rain pours down, the light becomes obscured, it says "in its clouds."
Metzudat Zion
Like a sigh. The word is in the form of *hamiyah* (a sighing).
And he looked. The word is from the root of looking and seeing.
“Be’erufiyah.” So are the heavens called, because they shed and drip the dew, as it is stated, “Even their skies shall drip down dew” (Deuteronomy 33:28); or perhaps it means “be’afelyah” (in the darkness).
Malbim
And they moaned: After depicting the terror of the enemy through the imagery of a devouring and roaring lion, he introduced another metaphorical image for the distress, by portraying the conquered nation at the hands of the enemy as a ship tossed about in the great sea. The sea grows stormy, the waves rise up high, and the ship thinks it will shatter. And this is what is said: “And they moaned against him on that day like the roaring of the sea,” just as this metaphor is also employed below (17:12) and by the Psalmist in Tehillim (93:4), “to liken the noise of the enemy to the roaring of the sea.” When it says, “He looked at the earth,” it depicts how the people on the ship struggle and toil to row toward the land, toward dry ground, toward a city of dwelling, but they cannot, because all the dangers prepared to shatter the ship have gathered together:
A. “And behold, darkness”: Surrounding them is gloom, and they cannot see the location of the shore.
B. “Distress”: Before them is a narrow strait and a great rock, and they fear that the ship will shatter upon the reefs.
C. “Light”: Before them is a thick cloud descending to drink the waters of the sea, which is a great danger to the ship, as is well known.
D. “Darkness in their upper parts”: For the cloud, which is the “light” mentioned above, poured rain upon them and spread its luminous cloud with lightning, flooding them (valkenbrakh), until it became dark for them due to the downpour and rain, and there was no hope of being saved, for all the wisdom of the sailors is then swallowed up. And this is a fine depiction of the magnitude of the distress and the ultimate despair.
Rashi
Ibn Ezra
Radak
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim