The righteous perishes, And no man lays it to heart, And godly men are taken away, None considering That the righteous is taken away from the evil to come.
verse value 2801
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 62 letters. The shortest word is "there" (שָׂ֣ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·men·of·goodness" (וְאַנְשֵׁי־חֶ֤סֶד, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 209: just, just. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "he·perished" (אָבָ֔ד), "and·men·of·goodness" (וְאַנְשֵׁי־חֶ֤סֶד), "without" (בְּאֵ֣ין). The root צדיק appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·heart" (root על, 200x in Isaiah); "and·nothing" (root אין, 92x in Isaiah); "that·because·of" (root פנים, 88x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·heart', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 8 words. Full calculation: הַצַּדִּ֣יק [just] (209) + אָבָ֔ד [he·perished] (7) + וְאֵ֥ין [and·nothing] (67) + אִ֖ישׁ [man] (311) + שָׂ֣ם [there] (340) + עַל־לֵ֑ב [to·heart] (132) + וְאַנְשֵׁי־חֶ֤סֶד [and·men·of·goodness] (439) + נֶאֱסָפִים֙ [gathered] (241) + בְּאֵ֣ין [without] (63) + מֵבִ֔ין [between] (102) + כִּֽי־מִפְּנֵ֥י [that·because·of] (210) + הָרָעָ֖ה [the·evil] (280) + נֶאֱסַ֥ף [was·gathered] (191) + הַצַּדִּֽיק [just] (209) = 2801.
Rashi
"The righteous perishes." For example, Josiah.
"And no man was there to set his heart." Why was he removed?
“When there is no one who understands.” There is no one among the remnants who understands what the Holy One, blessed be He, saw to remove him.
"For because of the evil that is destined to come upon the generation, the righteous person is gathered [i.e., taken away]."
Ibn Ezra
"The righteous one." These are the deeds of the shepherds: the righteous have perished, and no one takes it to heart to say, "Why do the righteous perish while these wicked ones live?" And behold, this is the prophet's explanation: the righteous one is gathered away before he sees the evil that is coming upon Israel and upon the Holy City.
Radak
“The righteous.” The verse is duplicated with different words, and it does not speak of a specific righteous individual, but rather of the righteous ones who passed away from that generation. And likewise, they said: “Men of kindness are gathered,” meaning they are gathered to their people. And when it says “perished,” it does not mean that the righteous person perished in his death, for he himself has not perished; rather, his soul is in pleasant, good life, better than the life of the body. But he has perished from his generation, for them it is a loss.
"And there was no man who took it to heart" – this teaches that Israel should be rebuked for these evil deeds. Alternatively, "And there was no man who took it to heart" is interpreted like "And there was no one who understood," its meaning being connected with "Because of the evil, the righteous is gathered away." That is to say, the righteous and the men of kindness were gathered from the generation before their time because of the evil that was destined to come upon that generation, so that they would not see that evil. Just as the prophetess Huldah said by divine utterance to King Josiah: "Behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace, and your eyes shall not see all the evil that I am bringing upon this place."
And there is no man who takes it to heart. And there is no one who understands that the righteous is gathered away because of the evil, so that he should not see the evil.
Metzudat David
“The righteous person has perished.” When the righteous person is lost from the world, no one takes it to heart to ponder the matter: why was he put to death? What did he do?
“And men of kindness.” By this, many men of kindness were gathered together, because there was no one who understood that the first righteous man was gathered (i.e., taken) because of the evil, in order that he not see the evil destined to come. Since there was no one who emphasized the matter and no one returned to the Lord, they multiplied in death, either so that they might take heed, or so that they too would not see the evil.
Metzudat Zion
They are gathered. The matter of death is like [the verse] “Aaron shall be gathered” (Numbers 20):
Malbim
“The righteous man perishes”—they say, “Let us drink wine and enjoy ourselves, for what will be our end? Indeed, the righteous man perishes, and no one takes it to heart, for one fate befalls the righteous and the wicked.” And also “men of kindness, who practice kindness, are gathered in and die, with no one understanding why they died, for they were righteous.” But there is no justice and no Judge. (The righteous man is engaged in the commandments between man and God; regarding him, no one takes any notice at all. But men of kindness toward their fellow beings—regarding their death, people take notice; they mourn and grieve for them, and they ponder why they died. Yet no one understands why they died, for one fate befalls all, and there is no extra portion for man.) For because of evil, the righteous man is gathered in. They say that the righteous man is gathered in because of the evil that was with him in his lifetime: he sat in fasting and abstinence and lacked everything, and therefore he was gathered in before his time.
He enters into peace, They rest in their beds, Each one that walks in his uprightness.
verse value 1522
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 29 letters. The shortest word is "going" (הֹלֵ֖ךְ, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·their·beds" (עַל־מִשְׁכְּבוֹתָ֑ם, 9 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "they·rest" (יָנ֖וּחוּ), "in·their·beds" (עַל־מִשְׁכְּבוֹתָ֑ם), "his·uprightness" (נְכֹחֽוֹ). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "will·go·in" (root בוא, 120x in Isaiah); "going" (root הלך, 60x in Isaiah); "peace" (root שלום, 28x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root משכב ("in·their·beds") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·their·beds', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 2 words. Full calculation: יָב֣וֹא [will·go·in] (19) + שָׁל֔וֹם [peace] (376) + יָנ֖וּחוּ [they·rest] (80) + עַל־מִשְׁכְּבוֹתָ֑ם [in·their·beds] (908) + הֹלֵ֖ךְ [going] (55) + נְכֹחֽוֹ [his·uprightness] (84) = 1522.
Rashi
“May peace come.” For thus said the Holy One, Blessed be He: “Let this righteous one come to his fathers in peace, and let him not see evil.”
“Let them lie down on their beds.” This is when evil is coming: this refers to one who walked in his uprightness, in his integrity, as in the phrase “to do that which is right” (Amos 3).
Ibn Ezra
“Come, etc.” – [The righteous shall come] in peace to their grave, in the sense of “you shall die in peace” (Jeremiah 34:5) and “you shall go to your fathers in peace” (Genesis 15:15):
They shall rest on their beds. Anyone who walks in the presence of the Lord in the sense of “You shall walk after the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 13:5), and some say that peace shall come with tranquility, and they shall rest on their beds.
“His going is upright.” [And behold, “his uprightness”] is in place of “his presence,” for the patterns of nouns vary:
Radak
May peace come. When the righteous one is gathered before his time, it is for his benefit, as it is said, “Because of the evil.” Moreover, in his death he will come to a good rest and will come in peace, for before the evil he will die in peace, as it is said: “And you shall go to your fathers in peace.”
“Let them rest on their couches.” The righteous ones, who are remembered in their death, will rest in great tranquility, and death is described in terms of lying down, as it is said, “And I shall lie down with my fathers.” For even though it may be understood from this that “lying down” is in its literal sense, namely the body’s lying in the grave, nevertheless, in that lying down there will be rest for the soul, for the language of “lying down” also conveys the idea of rest, as in “His heart did not lie down” and “My sinews shall not lie down.”
“His going forth is upright.” The peace that was mentioned shall come before the righteous one at his gathering, meaning: in peace he died, and in peace he shall come at his death, as if peace went out to meet him. And the sage Rabbi Abraham interpreted it as: “He who walks uprightly in his lifetime before God shall have peace and rest in his death.”
Metzudat David
“Peace shall come.” It is interpreted above to say that thus that place stated: “The righteous shall be gathered, and he shall come in peace to the grave, and shall not see evil.”
They shall rest. The men of kindness shall lie down in rest upon their couches in the grave.
"His going is upright." For each one was walking in the upright way, and it is not fitting that he should see evil.
Metzudat Zion
Its uprightness. The matter of "uprightness" is similar to what is stated above (26): "In the land of uprightness he walks."
Malbim
"The righteous have perished" – God answers them: "So that peace may come to the world of peace; and 'the men of kindness are gathered in' – so that they may rest in the world of rest. They have not been lost, for each one of them goes straight to the place designated for the payment of his reward." But
But draw near hither, You sons of the sorceress, The seed of the adulterer and the harlot.
verse value 1968
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 30 letters. The shortest word is "son" (בְּנֵ֣י, 3 letters) and the longest is "midst·they" (קִרְבוּ־הֵ֖נָּה, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "midst·they" (קִרְבוּ־הֵ֖נָּה), "sorceress" (עֹנְנָ֑ה), "adulterer" (מְנָאֵ֖ף). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·you" (root אתה, 50x in Isaiah); "son" (root בן, 43x in Isaiah); "seed" (root זרע, 33x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'sorceress', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְאַתֶּ֥ם [and·you] (447) + קִרְבוּ־הֵ֖נָּה [midst·they] (368) + בְּנֵ֣י [son] (62) + עֹנְנָ֑ה [sorceress] (175) + זֶ֥רַע [seed] (277) + מְנָאֵ֖ף [adulterer] (171) + וַתִּזְנֶֽה [and·commited·fornication] (468) = 1968.
Rashi
"And you, come near here." The survivors, after the righteous ones have departed, shall receive your retribution:
"Sons of a sorceress." Sons of sorceries:
"Seed of an adulterer." This refers to the male who is an adulterer:
And she played the harlot. The feminine form:
Ibn Ezra
"And you, draw near." To judgment, My people, the House of Israel, says the Lord:
Bnei Onnanah. Like “and soothsayers like the Philistines” (Isaiah 2:6).
The seed of an adulterer. This refers to the father.
And she played the harlot. This refers to the mother. And the meaning is that the sons and daughters were wicked.
Radak
"And you, come near here." This was said in opposition to the wicked men of his generation: "Come near here to stand in judgment for your evil deeds."
“Children of Onnah.” This means that your mothers are sorceresses and enchantresses, for sorcery is found among the majority of women; and your fathers are adulterers and your mothers are harlots. How, then, could you be righteous?
"ve-onanah" – it is a description; similarly, "ve-onanim ke-filishtim" ("and diviners like the Philistines"). If their root is complete, it is "anan"; and if their root is "onan," it is a participle.
"And she played the harlot." This means: "And your mother played the harlot." For the men of that generation were wicked, sons of the wicked. And in this manner Hosea said: "I will not punish your daughters when they play the harlot, nor your spouses when they commit adultery, for they themselves consort with harlots" (Hosea 4:14).
Metzudat David
"And you." Since the righteous ones had departed, draw near, you, here to judgment and to receive the evil.
“Children of Onnah.” You are children of Onnah, for sorcery is commonly found among women.
"Seed of an adulterer and a harlot." The seed of an adulterer and a harlot, for the father was an adulterer and the mother was a harlot.
Metzudat Zion
Hither. To here:
“עוננה” – The meaning is like “a soothsayer” and “a diviner” (Deuteronomy 18:10).
Malbim
“And you, draw near here for judgment, children of the soothsayer,” because they were committing adultery and fornication through idol worship, as the Guide of the Perplexed states, that all matters of idolatry were akin to fornication and adultery. The children born from this adultery would attribute their lineage to a specific idol or a specific star, and they would calculate the time of their birth according to their religion, stating that one was born under a certain constellation, under the governance of a known star. For this reason, they were called “children of the cloud” with reference to the time they emerged into the world, and “seed of an adulterer” with reference to the time they were conceived in their mothers’ wombs, since the father was an adulterer and the mother committed fornication.
Against whom do you sport yourselves? Against whom make you a wide mouth, And draw out the tongue? Are you not children of transgression, A seed of falsehood,
verse value 4827
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 52 letters. The shortest word is "mouth" (פֶ֖ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "not" (הֲלוֹא־אַתֶּ֥ם, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 150: against·whom, against·whom. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "you·delight·yourselves" (תִּתְעַנָּ֔גוּ), "you·make·wide" (תַּרְחִ֥יבוּ), "you·shall·prolong" (תַּאֲרִ֣יכוּ). The root על appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "against·whom" (root על, 200x in Isaiah); "seed" (root זרע, 33x in Isaiah); "child·transgression" (root ילד, 31x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'tongue', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 4 words. Full calculation: עַל־מִי֙ [against·whom] (150) + תִּתְעַנָּ֔גוּ [you·delight·yourselves] (929) + עַל־מִ֛י [against·whom] (150) + תַּרְחִ֥יבוּ [you·make·wide] (626) + פֶ֖ה [mouth] (85) + תַּאֲרִ֣יכוּ [you·shall·prolong] (637) + לָשׁ֑וֹן [tongue] (386) + הֲלוֹא־אַתֶּ֥ם [not] (483) + יִלְדֵי־פֶ֖שַׁע [child·transgression] (504) + זֶ֥רַע [seed] (277) + שָֽׁקֶר [lie] (600) = 4827.
Rashi
“Upon whom will you delight?” Since you have turned away from Me, upon whom will you rely to delight in goodness? If you had merited it, then you would delight in the Lord; but now, upon whom will you delight?
“Against whom do you widen your mouth?”—namely, when you mock and deride His prophets.
Ibn Ezra
"Upon whom will you delight?"—To seek [the One] Who has done good with us.
Radak
“On whom will you revel?” Just as it is said, “I will take wine and drink,” indicating that they reveled in food and drink, and they opened their mouths wide and lengthened their tongues to speak against the prophets of the Lord, mocking them, as stated earlier in the section beginning with “Woe to the crown of their pride,” where it says, “Hear the word of the Lord, you mockers.” It was against yourselves that you should have opened your mouths, for you are children of transgression, offspring of falsehood.
Children. The yod is written with a hireq, contrary to the usual custom, but rather with a patach.
Metzudat David
“Upon whom?” Since you have turned away from Me, upon whom will you rely to enjoy good? If you had merited it, you would have relied upon Me; but now, upon whom will you rely?
“Upon whom shall you open your mouth?”—Upon whom shall you rely to open your mouth and ask for all your needs?
"Lengthen your words." Ask all that is necessary, and repeat the matter two or three times, as usual, and in the manner of prophecy.
“Children of transgression.” They beget transgression and sow falsehood: this means that all your deeds are transgression and falsehood. And what is the prostitution found among you?
Malbim
“Upon whom will you delight yourselves?”—against the children of the storm cloud. It says, “Upon whom will you trust, that you will delight yourselves, saying, ‘I will take wine, I will be drunk with strong drink?’” And is it upon the soothsaying and the divination that you divined, that you were born under a favorable constellation, that you will trust?
Against whom do you open your mouth? Against the seed of an adulterer, saying: “How do you open your mouth to mock, saying: ‘Eat and drink, for tomorrow we shall die’?” And furthermore, you lengthen your tongue to prolong speech and repeat it. Should you not have been ashamed of the blemish of your birth? For you are children of transgression on the part of the mother, who committed harlotry, and seed of falsehood on the part of the father, who committed adultery.
You that inflame yourselves among the terebinths, Under every leafy tree; That slay the children in the valleys, Under the clefts of the rocks?
verse value 3433
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 51 letters. The shortest word is "under" (תַּ֖חַת, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·ones·who·inflame·themselves" (הַנֵּֽחָמִים֙, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 808: under, under. 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "the·ones·who·inflame·themselves" (הַנֵּֽחָמִים֙), "in·the·mighty" (בָּאֵלִ֔ים), "all·tree" (כׇּל־עֵ֣ץ). The root תחת appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·the·mighty" (root אל, 95x in Isaiah); "all·tree" (root כל, 93x in Isaiah); "under" (root תחת, 34x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'leafy', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 6 words. Full calculation: הַנֵּֽחָמִים֙ [the·ones·who·inflame·themselves] (153) + בָּאֵלִ֔ים [in·the·mighty] (83) + תַּ֖חַת [under] (808) + כׇּל־עֵ֣ץ [all·tree] (210) + רַעֲנָ֑ן [leafy] (370) + שֹׁחֲטֵ֤י [that·slay] (327) + הַיְלָדִים֙ [the·children] (99) + בַּנְּחָלִ֔ים [in·the·valleys] (140) + תַּ֖חַת [under] (808) + סְעִפֵ֥י [clefts·of] (220) + הַסְּלָעִֽים [the·rocks] (215) = 3433.
Rashi
“Who inflame yourselves among the terebinths.” Who heat yourselves with emission of seed beneath the oak and the terebinth.
The slaughterers of children for an idolatrous sacrifice:
“Clefts.” The clefts of the rocks, and similarly (Judges 15:11): “to the cleft of a rock.”
Ibn Ezra
“You who inflame yourselves (ha-nechamim).” The best of the explanations is that it speaks of idolatry; “ha-nechamim” is on the pattern of “ha-nitzavim” (those standing, Genesis 45:1), of the nifal conjugation, from the root of “when the flocks were in heat (yechemu)” (Genesis 30:41), and behold, it is connected with “children of iniquity.” And behold, it is written, “In sin did my mother conceive me” (Psalms 51:7).
Shochtei. [The word] “shochtei” [is used in the context] of idolatry, like “and I slaughtered them” (Genesis 40:11), [which is interpreted] like the deed of a harlot who kills her children.
“Bachalki.” From the root of “chaluki avanim” (stones for slings) (1 Samuel 17:40), and the meaning is that they would seek smooth stones [should be: smooth stones] to engrave them as idols.
Radak
The comforters. Behold, we have seen in the books of the Prophets that they likened Israel and the worshippers of foreign gods to a woman who commits adultery with her husband, and the words of Ezekiel are mostly in this manner, and likewise the beginning of the words of Hosea is in this way, and in this way is the matter of this passage, and this is the meaning of "the comforters among the elim (trees)":
“Set your bed.” You loved their beds, and all the language of the passage:
The comforters. It is from the nifal binyan, its root being yod-chet-mem, from “in all the warmth of the flock,” meaning the mating of the male and female. He used the language of warmth, like “my mother warmed me,” and “in all the warmth of the flock,” and “the flock warmed,” and “to warm them with sticks.”
“Ba’elim.” And he subsequently explained, “Under every green tree,” for “elim” is a general term for trees, since it was their custom to serve idolatry under the green trees whose branches and leaves were moist.
“Those who slaughter children.” This refers to idolaters who used to sacrifice their sons to them, as the prophet Ezekiel said, “And when they slaughtered their children to their idols” (Ezekiel 23:39). They performed this act in riverbeds, where there were rocks beneath the branches. And the term “branches” (se’ifim) denotes two things. Likewise, in the phrase “a branch of a rock” (se’iv sl’ etam), it is called so because it is to the rock what a branch is to a tree, similar to “a tooth of a rock” (shen sl’).
Metzudat David
The comforters. Those who warm themselves under a tree that was made for idolaters:
"Under every green tree." And he meant to say that they joined themselves to idolaters. And since the Scripture likened the worshippers of idolatry to a harlot, he used a term that falls in the context of a woman's lying with a man, as it is written, "and in sin did my mother conceive me" (Psalms 51:7).
Those who slaughter children. Before the idolatrous service:
“By the streams.” Thus was their practice: they would slaughter them in the valleys beneath the overhanging rocks, for they would place the idolatrous worship on the overhanging rock in a high place.
Metzudat Zion
Those who inflame themselves. From the word for warmth:
In "elím." A name of a fruitless tree, as it is said, "They shall be ashamed of the elím" (above 1:29).
Ranan. The meaning is moisture and dampness, as in “with fresh oil” (Psalms 92:11). “Ba-nechalim.” A term of depth and valley, and similarly, “And Isaac’s servants dug in the valley” (Genesis 26:19):
“Branches.” So is the tooth of the rock called, as it says, “unto the branch of the rock” (Judges 15:11). And this is a metaphor drawn from the branch that emerges from the tree, which is called a “branch,” as it is stated, “and all its branches” (above, 27).
Malbim
The Comforters, in explaining what is written, “children of transgression,” state that they would warm themselves to beget children with the gods, the idols standing under a fresh tree. They would say that the idols beneath the trees came upon them, and from them they were begotten, for they would say that the idols desired human daughters, and the sons of the gods would come to the daughters of men and beget children for them. And “chatti” means that the gods slaughtered the children in the streams, for after this they would say that the gods commanded them to slaughter the children that they had begotten from them, under the branches of the rocks, as an offering. For by this the children would be sanctified and ascend to the heights of the clouds, as is known in the worship of Tzavah from ancient sources and their superstitions. And by this it would appear as though the gods themselves were slaughtering the children, for they were slaughtering them by their command, according to their superstitions.
Among the smooth stones of the valley is your portion; They, they are your lot; Even to them have you poured a drink-offering, You have offered a meal-offering. Should I pacify Myself for these things?
verse value 2651
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 52 letters. Notable word values: "these" (אֵ֖לֶּה) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "abundance" (הֵ֥ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "in·smooth·of·torrent" (בְּחַלְּקֵי־נַ֣חַל, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 45: abundance, abundance. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "in·smooth·of·torrent" (בְּחַלְּקֵי־נַ֣חַל), "your·portion" (חֶלְקֵ֔ךְ), "your·lot" (גּוֹרָלֵ֑ךְ). The root חלק appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for" (root על, 200x in Isaiah); "abundance" (root הם, 49x in Isaiah); "you·have·offered" (root עלה, 49x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·lot', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 8 words. Full calculation: בְּחַלְּקֵי־נַ֣חַל [in·smooth·of·torrent] (238) + חֶלְקֵ֔ךְ [your·portion] (158) + הֵ֥ם [abundance] (45) + הֵ֖ם [abundance] (45) + גּוֹרָלֵ֑ךְ [your·lot] (259) + גַּם־לָהֶ֞ם [even·to·them] (118) + שָׁפַ֥כְתְּ [you·poured] (800) + נֶ֙סֶךְ֙ [libation] (130) + הֶעֱלִ֣ית [you·have·offered] (515) + מִנְחָ֔ה [gift] (103) + הַ֥עַל [for] (105) + אֵ֖לֶּה [these] (36) + אֶנָּחֵֽם [I·pacify·Myself] (99) = 2651.
Rashi
“Among the portions of the stream.” Stones that are in the stream:
"Your portion." In them they will stone you:
They are your lot. Why should you be distressed over them? For you have also poured out a libation for them.
"Shall I relent concerning these?": From doing evil to you.
Ibn Ezra
“And to them also You poured out a libation.” “Shall I comfort these?”—that is, concerning the evil that I will do to you. And there are those who say that it is from the hitpa’el conjugation, as if it said, “What comfort will there be for me?” But this is unnecessary.
Radak
Regarding “in the parts of the stream”: When they would find a smooth and beautiful stone among the stones of the stream, they would worship it, in accordance with the teaching of our Sages of blessed memory: “He set up a moonstone and bowed down to it.”
“Chelki” – an adjective describing a smooth stone, like “chalukei avanim” (pebbles), except that they are two different weights, and in both the lamed is dagesh. They are “your portion” and “your lot,” as opposed to “The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and my cup.” And He said “my portion” and “your portion” – this is an example of a word that falls upon the tongue (a play on words).
“Anachem.” It is in the nifal conjugation, like “And the Lord repented of the evil” (Genesis 6:6). The verse says, “Upon these,” meaning: If I can find solace for the evil regarding these wicked deeds, then I will refrain from bringing it upon them.
Metzudat David
"In the portions of the stream is your portion." You chose for yourself a portion in the stones of the stream to serve them as a divine service.
"They, etc." The duplication of the matter in what is stated:
"You poured out a libation." You were pouring wine as a libation before them, and you brought up for them a meal-offering.
“Will I mourn over these things?” And is it fitting that My thoughts should turn from evil to good on account of those who perform such deeds?
Metzudat Zion
“Of the smooth stones of the stream.” [The text refers to] “the smooth stones of the stream,” and they are called by this name because they are smooth, as it is stated, “five smooth stones from the stream” (I Samuel 17:40). And to be concise, the text did not say “stones,” relying on the reader to understand.
"Your lot." Its meaning is like "portion," and similarly, "and the lot of our spoilers" (above 17); see there, that it is divided by lot usually.
I will relent. It is the opposite of the word "thought":
Malbim
In "my portion," meaning when the stream shall divide your portion, i.e., when you shall give your portion to the stream, which is that you shall give to it the children that you have borne, for you shall slaughter them there in the stream; they are your lot, you think in your folly that thereby the gods have risen in your lot, that by means of your slaughtering the children in the stream the gods shall cut a covenant for you, and also for them you poured out a drink-offering, and for the children that you slaughtered you poured out a drink-offering, for you believed that the children that were slaughtered to the idol were sanctified and ascended to the kingdom of the gods, and you poured out drink-offerings for them afterwards; and how shall I mourn over such abominable deeds?
Upon a high and lofty mountain Have you set your bed; Thither also went you up To offer sacrifice.
verse value 2751
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 34 letters. The shortest word is "upon" (עַ֤ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "mountain·high" (הַר־גָּבֹ֙הַּ֙, 5 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "have·risen" (עָלִ֖ית), "to·slaughter" (לִזְבֹּ֥חַ). The root זבח appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "upon" (root על, 200x in Isaiah); "name" (root שם, 83x in Isaiah); "and·shall·be·carried·away" (root נשא, 57x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·bed', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 4 words. Full calculation: עַ֤ל [upon] (100) + הַר־גָּבֹ֙הַּ֙ [mountain·high] (215) + וְנִשָּׂ֔א [and·shall·be·carried·away] (357) + שַׂ֖מְתְּ [name] (740) + מִשְׁכָּבֵ֑ךְ [your·bed] (382) + גַּם־שָׁ֥ם [also·there] (383) + עָלִ֖ית [have·risen] (510) + לִזְבֹּ֥חַ [to·slaughter] (47) + זָֽבַח [sacrifice] (17) = 2751.
Rashi
"Set your bed in a lofty place" – Your adulterous couch, which you have raised up to idolaters upon the high mountains.
Ibn Ezra
“Set your couch in a public place.” Like a harlot who commits harlotry in an exposed place, and the meaning is in public view.
Radak
"On a high mountain." Just as it is said, "On the high mountains and under every green tree."
“Your couch.” We have already explained that this is a euphemism for the idolaters who served there. And even there, you did not shrink from the trouble of ascending; everything was easy for you because of your love for that service.
Metzudat David
“Your bed” – You made a bed for harlotry; that is to say, you set up the name of idolatry. And since it is likened to a harlot, the verse employs language that is used in reference to a harlot.
Also there. On the height of the mountain:
Malbim
"Upon a mountain," for they believed that there were sons of the gods dwelling in the valleys, and others dwelling on high mountains; therefore, you also ascended a high mountain and raised [yourself] to harlotry there as well, to the idols.
And behind the doors and the posts Have you set up your symbol; For you have uncovered, and are gone up from Me, You have enlarged your bed, And chosen you of them Whose bed you lovedst, Whose hand you saw.
verse value 6620
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 74 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·doorpost" (וְהַמְּזוּזָ֔ה, 7 letters). 10 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "door" (הַדֶּ֙לֶת֙), "and·doorpost" (וְהַמְּזוּזָ֔ה), "your·remembrance" (זִכְרוֹנֵ֑ךְ). The root משכב appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah); "name" (root שם, 83x in Isaiah); "hand" (root יד, 79x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·remembrance', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 12 words.
Rashi
And after the door and the mezuzah, you have set your memory. To whom is she being compared? To an adulterous woman, whose adulterers watch and wait before the entrance of her house, yet her heart and her memory are fixed on the door and the mezuzah. How could she open the door and go out to them?
"For from Me you exposed yourself, and went up." With Me you were lying, and you exposed the covering that had covered [you] together, and you went up from Me:
"You have enlarged your bed" – to receive within it many adulterers.
"And you shall cut for you a covenant with them":
“Love their bed.” When you have seen fit to provide yourself with the means and opportunity to demonstrate your love for them:
"Yad" (hand). "Iyyish" in the foreign tongue, and similarly, see Chelkat Yoav, ad loc. (II Samuel 14).
Ibn Ezra
And after the door. Likewise in secret:
"You have set your memorial" – just as it says, "And its memory shall be like the wine of Lebanon" (Hosea 14:8); and from this root comes "its memorial portion" (Leviticus 2:2).
"For you exposed yourself from Me." Just as it says regarding a harlot, "For you have exposed yourself to Me," [implying] that I was concealing you.
"And she shall go up." To commit harlotry in public.
"You have enlarged your bed." The meaning is that the bed is capable of accommodating many people:
"And you shall cut off for yourself from them." Instead of "I will cut off for you," and similar to it are "and you will do evil, and you will be able" (Jeremiah 3:5), and "I will cut a covenant for you from them," that you chose to be men of your covenant.
[“the love of their couch”]: Those whom you love to lie with you.
[You have seen]. In every place that you have seen, (just as in "in every place that you shall see" Deuteronomy 12:13):
Radak
"And after the door and the mezuzah, your memory perished." "Perished" means that you abandoned a matter of the same type as the service, so that you would always remember the service, contrary to [the commandment]: "And you shall write them on the mezuzot of your house and on your gates." I gave you the commandment of the mezuzah so that you would always remember My service and the placement of My service, on account of the service of other gods, and you placed for them a remembrance after the door and the mezuzah, and you placed the remembrance that I gave you to remember Me always [aside], and some say that "your memorial" is of the sense of "the scent thereof is like the wine of Lebanon" (Hosea 14:8), [and] "its memorial-part to the Lord" (Leviticus 2:2) — meaning that you set incense for idolatry behind the door and the doorpost.
“For from Me You have exposed Yourself, and You shall ascend.” “For from Me You have exposed Yourself” — You have exposed Yourself from Me. I commanded You to serve Me in a hidden place: “An altar of earth You shall make for Me,” not a high structure of stones; and I commanded, “You shall not ascend to My altar with steps.” Yet You did the opposite: to other gods, in an exposed place, on the lofty mountains.
"You have enlarged your couch." I said, "You shall not offer your burnt offerings in every place that you see, but only in the place that the Lord your God will choose in one of your gates." Yet you have enlarged your couch in many places, for the number of your cities was the number of your gods, O Judah.
“Your hand saw.” In every place and place that You have seen, reverse it in every place that You will see, for I have commanded You this: that you not learn from the deeds of the nations, who offer sacrifices in every place; and do the opposite of My commandment in every matter.
Metzudat David
"And after the door and the doorpost." Since He compares her to a harlot, He uses the language that applies to a harlot: adulterers watch and wait for her behind the door; her heart, her memory, is set on those standing behind the door and the doorpost. And He means to say: even while you are in the Sanctuary of the Lord, your memory is set on going to the house of idolatry.
"For from Me you have rolled away and risen up." "You were lying with Me; you have rolled away the covering with which we were covered together, and risen up from Me to go to the adulterers."
"You have enlarged your couch." You made for yourself a wide place of rest, to receive in it many adulterers. "That is to say," you served many idolatrous services.
"And you shall cut." You cut for yourself a covenant of love with them.
“His love for their couch.” This means a love such that they would lie with you in every place that you saw, even in the presence of great publicity.
Metzudat Zion
And the mezuzah: They are the ones standing at the opening of the doorway, one on this side and one on the other.
Galita. From the language of "galui" (revealed):
"and you shall go up." The matter of departure is akin to "as a sheaf of grain at its season" (Job 5:26).
Yad. Place:
"Chazit." The matter of "seeing" is like [the verse] "And our eyes have seen in Zion" (Micah 4:11).
Malbim
And another interpretation: He compares her to the parable of a promiscuous woman who goes out at night from her husband’s bed to the harlots standing behind the wall. She leaves her remembrance—namely, the frankincense and perfumes that were on her neck—behind the door and the mezuzah, so that her husband will not notice her. For it says, “You have exposed yourself away from Me and gone up; you have spread your couch upon the top of the mountain” (implying: “You used to lie with Me, and now you ascend to the top of the mountain to the harlots; you have spread your couch, like a harlot whose couch is wide”). However, since she cannot bring the harlots there, because her husband is with her in the bed, she therefore goes out from the wide couch to lie with the adulterers on the narrow couch that they have prepared for her near the wall. And this is what it says: “Behold, you have spread your couch.” But since it says, “And you have cut off for yourself a couch from among them,” meaning you have severed and separated yourself from the harlots, therefore you loved the couch of the harlots, which is the “hand of the front,” meaning the hand and the palm of the front and the wall. (And the meaning of the parable is: While you were serving God, you had all good things and abundant prosperity; you abandoned the Source of Life to hew for yourself a shattered cistern.)
And you went to the king with ointment, And did increase your perfumes, And did send your ambassadors far off, Even down to the nether-world.
verse value 5127
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 52 letters. The shortest word is "to·the·king" (לַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·you·sent·down" (וַתַּשְׁפִּ֖ילִי, 7 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·you·traveled" (וַתָּשֻׁ֤רִי), "and·be or become great" (וַתַּרְבִּ֖י), "your·perfumes" (רִקֻּחָ֑יִךְ). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·the·king" (root מלך, 73x in Isaiah); "and·you·sent" (root שלח, 35x in Isaiah); "until·Sheol" (root עד, 22x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·perfumes', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַתָּשֻׁ֤רִי [and·you·traveled] (916) + לַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ [to·the·king] (120) + בַּשֶּׁ֔מֶן [in·the·oil] (392) + וַתַּרְבִּ֖י [and·be or become great] (618) + רִקֻּחָ֑יִךְ [your·perfumes] (338) + וַתְּשַׁלְּחִ֤י [and·you·sent] (754) + צִרַ֙יִךְ֙ [your·ambassadors] (320) + עַד־מֵ֣רָחֹ֔ק [until·far·off] (422) + וַתַּשְׁפִּ֖ילִי [and·you·sent·down] (836) + עַד־שְׁאֽוֹל [until·Sheol] (411) = 5127.
Rashi
"And you went to the king with oil." And I, from the beginning, raised you up, and you used to receive the countenance of your king in all kinds of delicacies. "Va-teshuri" is a term for seeing someone's face [i.e. gaining an audience], as in: "I behold him, but not near" (Numbers 24:17); and likewise (I Samuel 9:7), regarding "u-teshurah" - there was nothing to bring as a gift for the purpose of gaining an audience.
“And you shall send out your envoys.” Your emissaries to distant regions, to collect tribute from the kings of the nations.
"and you shall humble." The strong nations, down to Sheol. So does Jonathan translate it:
Ibn Ezra
“And you have sent envoys to Assyria…”: And behold, there is another evil besides: it is not enough that you served idolatry, but you also sent gifts to the king of Assyria or to Egypt, to rely upon them. And “vateshuri” (ותשורי) is like “ashurenu” (אשורנו) [Numbers 24:17], meaning: you went to see.
In oil. For they bring the oil from the Land of Israel.
Tzireikh. They are the emissaries:
And you shall humble your soul, even to Sheol:
Radak
“And you traveled to the king with oil.” “Vatashuri”: Rabbi Saadia Gaon, of blessed memory, explained it from the sense of “teshurah,” meaning a gift. But I explained it in my Book of Roots like “vatelechi” (you went), and similarly “tashuri me-rosh amanah” (you shall travel from the peak of Amanah), “yashur al anashim” (he travels among men), and similarly “sherotayich u-ma’aravayich” (your travelers and your traders), and likewise in the words of our Sages, of blessed memory: “a caravan that travels from place to place.”
“To the king.” With a patach under the lamed of the definite article, meaning: the king of Assyria, who was ruling over all the lands in those days. [The prophet] said: It is not enough that you served other gods, but you also removed your trust from Me and placed your trust in the arm of flesh and blood. Regarding this it is stated: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his arm, and whose heart turns away from the Lord.” Had they been worshipping the stars, with their understanding directed to God as the First Cause, and worshipping the sun and moon in His honor, and worshipping their images as a form of service, it would have been evil, as it is stated: “You shall not make for yourselves gods of silver…” But furthermore, they committed an additional evil by removing their hearts and trust from God and placing their trust in the king of Assyria, and afterwards they fell into his hands. And it says “oil,” because they used to export oil from the Land of Israel, as it is stated: “Upon her, a land of olive trees and oil.” And it says: “Judah and Israel—they are your merchants; with wheat of Minnith, and pannag, and honey, and oil, and balm they gave you in exchange for your wares.” And it says: “And oil shall be exported to Egypt.”
“And increase your perfumes.” This refers to the fact that you used to send them, as a tribute, oil that you had compounded into many perfumes, to send to the king of Assyria, in order to secure his assistance for you.
Your envoys. Your emissaries — you sent them as a tribute to distant lands, for the land of Assyria is far from the Land of Israel.
"and you shall humble yourself." Your humbling of yourself down to Sheol, and your disgrace in sending to a distant land to seek help. And it is possible that "tashpili" is an intransitive verb, as in "humble yourselves, sit down," meaning that you were humbled down to Sheol because of the evil deeds. And Jonathan rendered the verse in the Targum thus: "When you served the Torah for yourself, etc."
Metzudat David
And you sent messengers. This means: It is not enough that you served idolatry, but you also removed your trust from Me and sent a gift to the king of Assyria, a present of oil, and you increased in sending him spices prepared by a perfumer, so that he might be your ally.
“And you sent.” You sent your messengers to him, as far as distant Assyria, far from your land:
"and you shall humble yourself." The humbling of your soul down to Sheol, by displaying great submission.
Metzudat Zion
"And you offered a gift." From the term for a gift or present, as it is written, "And there was no gift for him to bring" (1 Samuel 9:8). "Your perfumes." Spices prepared by a perfumer; and similarly, "my perfumes with my ointments" (1 Chronicles 9:29).
Tzireikh. Mal'akhayikh, like "and a messenger is sent among the nations" (Obadiah 1:1):
Sheol. The pit of the grave:
Malbim
“And she went out,” [the verse] recounts how she proceeded from one degradation to another: after she had left her husband’s bed, she began to be a harlot, ready for prostitution, until she conceived thoughts of how to prostitute herself with the king. She adorned herself for this purpose with myrrh oil, for so it is said that the days of their myrrh are six months with myrrh oil. After this preparation, “you sent your messengers” to plead on your behalf and to praise you in Pharaoh’s house, until you humbled yourself even to Sheol, for afterward you were promiscuous with everyone. You began to prostitute yourself with the great ones, but it did not succeed, and therefore you became a harlot to every passerby (and this is an allusion to how they prostituted themselves after their God and made a covenant with the kings of Assyria and Egypt, and afterward they were humbled even before small kings).
You were wearied with the length of your way; yet said you not: ‘There is no hope’; you did find a renewal of your strength, therefore you were not affected.
verse value 3592
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 41 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֥א, 2 letters) and the longest is "your·way" (דַּרְכֵּךְ֙, 4 letters). Words sharing gematria 31: not, not. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "your·way" (דַּרְכֵּךְ֙), "despaired" (נוֹאָ֑שׁ), "you·found" (מָצָ֔את). The root לא appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 286x in Isaiah); "you·said" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah); "therefore" (root על, 200x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'despaired', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: בְּרֹ֤ב [with·abundance·of] (204) + דַּרְכֵּךְ֙ [your·way] (244) + יָגַ֔עַתְּ [you·toiled] (483) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + אָמַ֖רְתְּ [you·said] (641) + נוֹאָ֑שׁ [despaired] (357) + חַיַּ֤ת [life·of] (418) + יָדֵךְ֙ [your·hand] (34) + מָצָ֔את [you·found] (531) + עַל־כֵּ֖ן [therefore] (170) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + חָלִֽית [you·were·weak] (448) = 3592.
Rashi
"In most of your ways you have labored": You have occupied yourself with your needs, to satisfy your desires and to increase your wealth.
You have not said "despair." I would despair of those [worldly matters] and no longer hasten to engage in them, for in Torah and mitzvot I would set my heart.
“Your hand has found you.” You have found what your hand needs; you have succeeded in your deeds.
“Therefore you have not been sick.” Your heart has not been afflicted with worry over My service, to engage in Torah study. “Cheit” is an Arabic term meaning “need.”
Ibn Ezra
"In most of your ways you have labored." From the multitude of paths that you have trodden, behold, you have labored, yet you did not say, "My heart has despaired," as it is said regarding Saul, "and he despaired of him" (1 Samuel 27:2); rather, you said, "Perhaps my labor will be of benefit."
“Chayit.” Like “koach” (strength), and the meaning is attached to “yiga’ata” (your toil), therefore you did not become weak.
Radak
"In most of your ways you have labored." This means: Had you desired, you would have found rest in your land; had you walked in the ways of God, blessed be He. But now, since you have rebelled against Him, you have been compelled to seek help, and thus you have labored in many ways.
You did not say, “I have despaired.” Just as a person who toils on the roads might say, “My heart has despaired; on these roads I will sit and rest,” you did not say so. Rather, all that toil was agreeable to you. Therefore, you did not become weary or suffer pain from that toil, because of your love for walking in the ways of the nations and turning away from the way of the Lord. The explanation of “the sustenance of your hand” is: your life and your strength. That is to say, you found something that was agreeable to you, like food, which is a person’s life and strength.
Metzudat David
"In the multitude of your ways." In that you walked much in the ways of your heart to seek help from the king of Assyria, behold, you have labored greatly in this, and yet you did not say, "I will despair of seeking help from him," due to the great toil.
“Your hand has found you.” This is because you found in Him the strength of your hand, for He is an arm to you in chariots and in horsemen. Therefore, you did not become ill and suffer pain despite all the toil, because you received it with joy.
Metzudat Zion
"Despaired." The word is derived from the concept of despair and abandonment of the matter, as it is said: "And they said, 'Despair'" (Jeremiah 18).
Chayot. The meaning is strength and health; and likewise, "until their chayot" (Joshua 5:10).
“Chalita.” A term derived from “choli” (illness) and “meka’ov” (pain):
Malbim
Regarding “in the multitude of your ways”, even though you have grown weary in the multitude of your ways, having gone out to seek harlots and not found what you desired, nevertheless you did not say “I have despaired” nor did you lose heart, because you found your hand still active, for as long as you found and perceived that your hand was alive, therefore you did not become ill—you did not consider yourself sick in your own eyes—even though your feet and body were already weary. As long as one hand remained alive within you, you did not cease from your evil deeds. (The allegory: Even though, by this very thing, their land was destroyed, they were exiled and scattered, and many calamities befell them, as long as some of them were still upon their land, they did not feel the pain of the general body, which is the nation as a whole, nor did they cease from seeking foreign aid and serving their gods.)
And of whom have you been afraid and in fear, that you would fail? And as for Me, you have not remembered Me, nor laid it to your heart. Have not I held My peace even of long time? Therefore you fear Me not.
verse value 5676
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 70 letters. Notable word values: "not" (הֲלֹ֨א) = 36, double chai. Verse gematria: 5676 is divisible by 86, the value of Elohim. The shortest word is "that" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·you·feared" (וַתִּֽירְאִי֙, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 627: and·you·feared, you·remembered. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "you·feared" (דָּאַ֤גְתְּ), "you·lie" (תְכַזֵּ֔בִי), "keeping·silent" (מַחְשֶׁה֙). The root לא appears 3 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 286x in Isaiah); "that" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah); "to·your·heart" (root על, 200x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·your·heart', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 7 words.
Rashi
"And of whom are you afraid?" From whom do you fear?
"When you have dealt treacherously." Because you have severed yourself from My service and dealt treacherously with Me, as it is written, "They shall not deal treacherously with their seed forever" (below, 58), and "All men are liars" (Psalms 116:11). "Pleyntsa" in the foreign tongue; and so is every term of "dealing treacherously" applied to one upon whom people rely, yet he is a liar and a traitor.
"Am I silent? I have overlooked how many transgressions you have transgressed against Me:"
Ibn Ezra
"And you, etc." Why did you need to worry about an enemy and fear an enemy, to the extent that you needed to lie, and did not remember Me?
“Am I not silent?” According to my understanding, it is a verb that produces two active meanings, and the reason is that I truly silence whoever lies, both “I am” and “I was.” And it is possible [to read]: “of whom were you anxious, of whom afraid — of Me?” The first interpretation is the correct one. And there are those who say that the meaning of *machesh* is like the meaning of *hachashiti* (II Kings 14), “I will endure,” like a person who remains silent.
Radak
"And whom did you fear?" From whom were you afraid and terrified?
"When you lie." If you wish to lie and say that you did not commit these deeds that I have mentioned, from whom were you afraid? For you did not remember Me when you were committing the evil deeds, nor did you pay heed, for you did not think that I was seeing your actions. If so, you were not afraid of Me; why should you lie? It is better that you confess to them.
“Am I not silent? Did I not remain silent to you, and did I not prolong My patience, so as not to punish you immediately?”
And from the beginning. And from of old, My ways have been thus with My creations, that I am long-suffering with them:
"And as for Me, you shall not fear." But you did not fear Me; for had you feared Me, you would not have committed these evil deeds. And since you did not fear Me at the time of the deed, you will not fear Me at the time of the reproof, but you will lie and say, "I did not do evil."
Metzudat David
"And who did you fear?"—This means: All of this was in vain, for from whom did you fear and be afraid, that you abandoned your trust in Me and did not remember Me? This means: Is there anyone in the world upon whom My hand will not prevail?
Did you not set your heart to mind? For it is good to take refuge in the Lord. And this matter is repeated in what is stated:
"Am I not the One who makes the nations tremble? Truly, I silence all who rise up against you, and this has always come from Me, not from the help of the nations. Nevertheless, do not fear them, but only those who rise up against you."
Metzudat Zion
Dagat. From the word "daga" (anxiety) and "fear":
Tichzavi. The meaning is abandonment of the matter, as in “You have become to me like a failing [stream]” (Jeremiah 15:18):
“Silence.” The matter of silence is like “I have kept silent since always” (above, 42):
Malbim
And to whom were you anxious? He says to her: “as to a promiscuous, brazen harlot, who no longer fears her husband at all. From whom were you anxious, or from whom will you fear? (Anxiety is that one worries lest he lose the love of his beloved, whereas fear is due to punishment.) And He clarifies: ‘To whom were you anxious?’ You have no reason to be anxious lest, because of your adultery, I will no longer be your husband and I will give you a bill of divorce. For indeed, you will lie; you yourself will lie, saying that I am not your husband at all, and you no longer remember Me, nor did you set your heart to remember Me even when you mentioned Me in your mouth. And ‘and from whom will you fear?’ He says: ‘From whom will you fear?’ You have no reason to fear punishment, for I have concealed Myself from you not only from now, but from of old, and I do not punish you. And likewise, you do not fear the awe of majesty, as a wife fears her husband, for you do not fear Me. That is to say, you do everything without anxiety and without fear of Me, and you never repent of your deeds.”
I will declare your righteousness; your works also—they shall not profit you.
verse value 1729
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 30 letters. Notable word values: "I·will·declare" (אַגִּ֖יד) = 18, chai, 'life'. Verse gematria: 1729 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "I" (אֲנִ֥י, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·your·works" (וְאֶֽת־מַעֲשַׂ֖יִךְ, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "I·will·declare" (אַגִּ֖יד), "your·righteousness" (צִדְקָתֵ֑ךְ), "and·your·works" (וְאֶֽת־מַעֲשַׂ֖יִךְ). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·not" (root לא, 286x in Isaiah); "I" (root אני, 76x in Isaiah); "I·will·declare" (root נגד, 40x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·righteousness', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: אֲנִ֥י [I] (61) + אַגִּ֖יד [I·will·declare] (18) + צִדְקָתֵ֑ךְ [your·righteousness] (614) + וְאֶֽת־מַעֲשַׂ֖יִךְ [and·your·works] (847) + וְלֹ֥א [and·not] (37) + יוֹעִילֽוּךְ [profit·you] (152) = 1729.
Rashi
"I will declare your righteousness. I am always telling you things that, if you do them, you will be righteous:"
"And your deeds": That you do not according to My will, they will not benefit you in your time of distress.
Ibn Ezra
"I will proclaim Your righteousness. In the mouth:"
And your deeds will not benefit you. Because your deeds are evil, you have trusted in someone other than the Lord.
Radak
I will say. Even though you will lie and say, "I am righteous," I will declare the righteous deeds you performed, and these are the actions mentioned: Will you say that they are good deeds?
"And your deeds." I will declare your deeds that you have done, and the deeds that you have done will not benefit you as you thought, but rather they will harm you.
Metzudat David
"I will tell of Your righteousness." I am telling you in what way you will find righteousness from Me, and this is the deed that you will perform: "to take refuge in the Lord," and not in the aid of those who serve the stars and constellations.
And they shall not benefit you. But all My words are of no avail to you, for you do not turn to them.
Metzudat Zion
It will be of benefit to you. From the word "benefit":
Malbim
I will say: That is to say, why should you worry and how should you fear, for behold, I am telling you: "Your righteousness"—this teaches you to perform deeds by which you will be justified. And "your good works"—yet they will not benefit you, for you desire abandonment (of the law) rather than the righteousness of deeds. But know that even though you do not currently fear Me, nevertheless...
When you cry, let them that you have gathered deliver you; but the wind shall carry them all away, a breath shall bear them off; but he that takes refuge in Me shall possess the land, and shall inherit My holy mountain.
verse value 3400
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 60 letters. Verse gematria: 3400 is divisible by 50, the years to the Jubilee (yovel). The shortest word is "in·Me" (בִי֙, 2 letters) and the longest is "will·inherit·land" (יִנְחַל־אֶ֔רֶץ, 7 letters). 10 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "when·you·cry" (בְּזַֽעֲקֵךְ֙), "will·deliver·you" (יַצִּילֻ֣ךְ), "your·collections" (קִבּוּצַ֔יִךְ). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "will·carry·away·wind" (root נשא, 57x in Isaiah); "hill" (root קדש, 32x in Isaiah); "will·deliver·you" (root נצל, 22x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'shall·take·breath', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 5 words. Full calculation: בְּזַֽעֲקֵךְ֙ [when·you·cry] (199) + יַצִּילֻ֣ךְ [will·deliver·you] (160) + קִבּוּצַ֔יִךְ [your·collections] (228) + וְאֶת־כֻּלָּ֥ם [and·all·of·them] (497) + יִשָּׂא־ר֖וּחַ [will·carry·away·wind] (525) + יִקַּח־הָ֑בֶל [shall·take·breath] (155) + וְהַחוֹסֶ֥ה [and·that·seeks·refuge] (90) + בִי֙ [in·Me] (12) + יִנְחַל־אֶ֔רֶץ [will·inherit·land] (389) + וְיִירַ֖שׁ [and·may·possess] (526) + הַר־קׇדְשִֽׁי [hill] (619) = 3400.
Rashi
"In your crying out, let your gatherers save you." Let the gatherers of idols and graven images, and deniers of the Torah, whom you have gathered, please arise and save you in your crying out from your distress. But surely the wind shall carry them all off, and they will not be able to save.
Ibn Ezra
"In your cry, He will deliver you; your gatherers." These are those whom you gathered to save you, and behold, "your gatherers" is a noun form, just as in "the disciples of the Lord" (Isaiah 54:13).
"The wind shall carry them all off; a breath shall take them away." That is to say, by way of metaphor, that they shall perish and not see the salvation of the Lord.
"And he who takes refuge in Me shall inherit the land, and shall possess My holy mountain." And behold, it is connected with the passage written above, "Everyone who keeps the Sabbath" (Isaiah 56:6):
Radak
“By your cry.” Now you shall see whether your deeds will be of avail for you. When you cry out from the evil of your enemies, you shall see how those you have gathered will save you. This refers to the nations whom you used to gather to help you, and you would bring them offerings so that they might be a help to you. Now you shall see whether they will save you, for they will destroy you. For the king of Assyria destroyed the Land of Israel, and behold, they did not even save themselves when he came to Jerusalem with a heavy multitude.
And the wind shall carry all of them away. Just as the wind lifts the light chaff quickly, so too they all died in a single moment.
“And he who takes refuge in Me” – this refers to Hezekiah and his followers, who shall inherit the land, contrary to the expectation of the King of Assyria, who intended to capture Jerusalem.
“And he shall inherit My holy mountain.” This refers to Jerusalem. Although this matter concerns Hezekiah, and it also encompasses all of humanity and every assembly of people, their cries for deliverance from their distress will not avail them, for all the assemblies of people in this world are but wind and vapor, and the fear of the Lord is their treasure. But whoever takes refuge in Me shall inherit the land and possess My holy mountain. The World to Come is called the Land of the Living and the Holy Mountain, whereas this world is a stumbling block, and its elevation is repentance.
Metzudat David
"By your cry." At the time you gather chariots and horsemen from the army of the idolaters who come to your aid against the enemy. And will the gathering that you have gathered save you? This is said with a note of wonder.
"And all of them, etc." But regarding "all of them," the wind shall lift them up and scatter them over the face of the earth, and the breath shall take them away—meaning, they shall be removed from the world by a slight cause. Where, then, is your trust and your refuge in Me? This is not so with one who takes refuge in Me; behold, his land shall remain to him as an inheritance, and the city of Zion, My holy mountain, shall remain to him as a heritage, and the enemy shall not dislodge him from there. And concerning Hezekiah it is said that he trusted in the Lord and did not move from his place, contrary to what Sennacherib had thought.
Metzudat Zion
With your cry. The matter is one of gathering and assembling, for it comes with the cry of the gatherer; and similarly, “What is to you that you cry out?” (Judges 18:23).
Vanity. A thing that has no substance:
And the one who trusts. The matter of trust:
And he inherited. The language of inheritance:
Malbim
In your cry, when you will cry out, He who gathers you will save you; when distress will come upon you and you will cry out to these gatherings, from the harlots who are with you, that they save you, then you will see that He will carry away the spirit of all of them, and only the one who takes refuge in Me will inherit the land.
And He will say: Cast you up, cast you up, clear the way, Take up the stumblingblock out of the way of My people.
verse value 1840
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 33 letters. The shortest word is "my·people" (עַמִּֽי, 3 letters) and the longest is "cast·up·cast·up" (סֹֽלּוּ־סֹ֖לּוּ, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "cast·up·cast·up" (סֹֽלּוּ־סֹ֖לּוּ), "clear·way" (פַּנּוּ־דָ֑רֶךְ), "from·way·of" (מִדֶּ֥רֶךְ). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·will·say" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah); "my·people" (root עם, 107x in Isaiah); "from·way·of" (root דרך, 57x in Isaiah). First appearance of the root סלל ("cast·up·cast·up") in Isaiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'clear·way', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְאָמַ֥ר [and·will·say] (247) + סֹֽלּוּ־סֹ֖לּוּ [cast·up·cast·up] (192) + פַּנּוּ־דָ֑רֶךְ [clear·way] (360) + הָרִ֥ימוּ [lift·up] (261) + מִכְשׁ֖וֹל [a stumbling] (396) + מִדֶּ֥רֶךְ [from·way·of] (264) + עַמִּֽי [my·people] (120) = 1840.
Rashi
And it says: “Clear away, clear away.” Thus said the Prophet in the Name of the Holy One, blessed be He, to His people: “Clear away a cleared path; remove the evil inclination from your ways.”
Remove the stumbling block. Clear away the stones over which your feet stumble; these are the evil thoughts.
Ibn Ezra
And it is said: One who says, or one who reads, or one who proclaims:
“Sing praises, sing praises.” The path—clear it of stones; and the meaning is that sometimes the reader will read it thus, one time after another.
In the manner of my people. Since they were serving God, therefore, at the end of the passage, it says: “There is no peace,” says the Lord, “to the wicked.”
Radak
And it says, “Clear, clear.” One who takes refuge in Me shall say: In the time of the enemy’s plague, “Clear, clear, make a way,” for the stumbling block that was in the roads has been removed, namely the enemy, because of whom Israel could not come to Jerusalem. He says, “Now make a way for them and remove the stumbling block.” If there are stones that are stumbling blocks in the roads, lift them up, for the great stumbling block, namely the enemy, has already been removed. And the commandment is not to specific individuals, but to whoever may be. Likewise, see: “The scent of your sons,” it says, “to the king and to the noblewoman,” “Strengthen the weak hands,” and those similar to them. And it says that they should make a way for them, and now Israel will come in tranquility and security. The matter of “clear” and “highway” is that they lift up stones that are placed in roads that are ruined by mud. And some say that “clear” refers to removing stones from the roads so that people passing on the roads and animals will not stumble upon them.
Metzudat David
And it says: “Chizkiyah, who has taken refuge in Me, shall say: ‘Lift up, lift up.’” This means: Make a path and a well-trodden road.
"Make a path." From the obstacles:
“Raise them up.” Set aside the stumbling blocks from the path along which the children of My people will walk, for they will no longer fear the enemy, for he is dead and no more.
Metzudat Zion
Salu. From the word for a path or way, as it is written: “And they made a path for themselves on the way of their calamity” (Job 30:12).
Penu. The matter of removal:
They shall lift it up. The subject of the passage is: “And this is the heave-offering that you shall lift up for the Lord” (Exodus 30).
Malbim
And it says, “Make straight” – this begins a new matter: after having spoken (55:6) about repentance, and then interrupting the subject (from 56:9 onward) with an account of the wickedness of the generation and the wickedness of its leaders, the text returns to say that the Lord will prepare a way to receive these sinners in repentance. “Make straight” – in a place where there is no path, prepare a new path; and in a place where there is a path, but it subsequently became ruined, repair the path; and in a place where the path is still intact, but stumbling blocks have been found upon it, remove the stumbling block from the path of My people. (This means: those who did not know the way of the Lord at all, teach them; and even those who knew but forgot; and even those who did not forget, but whose evil inclination served as a stumbling block for them.)
For thus says the High and Lofty One That inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, With him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
verse value 5995
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 82 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּי֩, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·low·of·spirit" (וּשְׁפַל־ר֔וּחַ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 416: and·sacred, and·sacred. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "I·will·settle·down" (אֶשְׁכּ֑וֹן), "and·with·the·contrite" (וְאֶת־דַּכָּא֙), "and·low·of·spirit" (וּשְׁפַל־ר֔וּחַ). The root שכן appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "said" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah); "for" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah); "his·name" (root שם, 83x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'I·will·settle·down', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 8 words.
Rashi
"From on high and holy." I dwell there, and from there I am with the humble and lowly of spirit, for I incline My Divine Presence upon him.
The humble. Oppressed, enduring poverty and illness:
Ibn Ezra
High and exalted. His name:
“Dwelling forever.” Forever, for an eternal age, beyond what a person can count, and the meaning is “eternity.” And the meaning of “dwelling” is that all created beings have motion, even the stars have motion, like a soul.
“I shall dwell on high and holy” (Isaiah 57:15). The meaning is that I shall dwell with the angels above, and with the brokenhearted who are on earth. (The meaning of “I shall dwell” is) to give life to the spirit of the humble, or: I shall dwell on high in order to give life to these humble ones.
Radak
For thus it is said. The saying of the prophet:
“Dwelling forever.” “Dwelling forever,” and the meaning of “dwelling forever” is that just as one who constantly remains in a place is called a dweller, so too God, blessed be He, is called “dwelling forever” because He constantly maintains His providence over the created beings.
"And holy is His name." Just as I have heard that the Seraphim call Him: "Holy is the Lord of Hosts," [and as it is written:] "What shall I say of the Most High? And I shall dwell in holiness."
“And I will dwell with the humble and contrite in spirit.” Although I dwell with the exalted and holy ones—who are the celestial spheres and the angels—nevertheless, I also dwell with the lowly, with those among them who are humble and contrite in spirit, to revive their spirit and their heart, even though they are in distress. Do not think at times that I do not pay attention to them. Similarly, Israel, who are destined to be in exile for a long time, and who are lowly and crushed, I am destined to revive them, for they are like the dead in exile due to the multitude of their afflictions.
Metzudat David
"For thus has He said..." — this phrase is dependent on the preceding verse, to say that it is good to take refuge in the Lord, for He oversees all; "for thus has the Lord said," [referring to] the Exalted and the Elevated, Who dwells eternally, for no motion can be ascribed to Him, as is the case with created beings.
And His Name is holy. His Name is sanctified and distinct, and there is nothing comparable to Him.
“From on high, etc.”: This means that this is what He says, “I dwell in a place, in a holy place”; nevertheless, I am with the crushed and those of a contrite spirit, to watch over and to revive the spirits of the humble, etc.
Metzudat Zion
Ad. Its meaning is "eternity." And similarly, "Trust in the Lord forever" (above 26:4).
Deka. Broken into pieces and shattered:
"and lowly in spirit." This is how the humble person is called.
They are crushed. Broken and crushed:
Malbim
For thus says the High and Lofty One: Although I dwell in a high and holy place, nevertheless, I dwell with the crushed and lowly in spirit, who is the penitent. This means that three objections were raised regarding repentance and its possibility:
1. From the aspect that God is High and Lofty: One might argue, “Does He not measure the sin according to the stature of the one who sinned against Him? And since God is High and Lofty without end, it must be that the punishment for rebelling against Him is also endless, and his guilt cannot be atoned for through repentance.”
2. They argued from the aspect that He is an Everlasting Dweller, unchanged by any change: How can He change because of the sinner’s repentance, from unwilling to willing?
3. They argued from the aspect that His Name is Holy: Since He is Holy, how can He be appeased by one who defiled himself and departed from His holiness? By what means can he repair what he has distorted?
He answers them: Although I dwell in a high and holy place, nevertheless, I dwell with the crushed and lowly in spirit. “High” corresponds to “High and Lofty”; “Holy” corresponds to “His Name is Holy”; and “I dwell” corresponds to “Everlasting Dweller.” This means that these three objections not only do not compel that I will not accept the crushed one who returns to Me, but rather, the very same three objections compel that I accept repentance. For the objection based on His being High and Lofty itself obligates that God accept the repentant who regrets his actions. For in light of His greatness, being High and Lofty, no one is innocent before Him, nor do even the heavens merit favor in His eyes. If He were to guard over sins, who could stand? Indeed, in light of His greatness, no one is found who has fulfilled his obligation. Therefore, He must accept repentance.
And from the aspect of the second objection, that He is unchanging and Holy, this very fact obligates that “My thoughts are not your thoughts,” as explained above (Chapter 55). Thus, these arguments give rise to and obligate repentance.
“And with the crushed and lowly in spirit”: This means that the penitent returns for two reasons: either through afflictions that God brought upon him, which is called “crushed” (dacha); or through his spirit being humbled, and he sets his heart to return on his own, which is called “lowly in spirit.” Against “lowly in spirit,” it says, “to revive the spirit of the lowly”; and against “crushed,” it says, “to revive the heart of the crushed.” For the heart is the external vessel that is crushed, while the spirit is the internal, thinking faculty that is humbled in itself.
For I will not contend for ever, Neither will I be always wroth; For the spirit that enwraps itself is from Me, And the souls which I have made.
verse value 3224
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 54 letters. Verse gematria: 3224 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·souls" (וּנְשָׁמ֖וֹת, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "I·will·be·displeased" (אֶקְצ֑וֹף), "for·spirit" (כִּי־ר֙וּחַ֙), "will·turn·aside" (יַעֲט֔וֹף). The root לא appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 286x in Isaiah); "for" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah); "I·did" (root עשה, 101x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'I·will·be·displeased', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 6 words. Full calculation: כִּ֣י [for] (30) + לֹ֤א [not] (31) + לְעוֹלָם֙ [to·ever] (176) + אָרִ֔יב [I·will·strive] (213) + וְלֹ֥א [and·not] (37) + לָנֶ֖צַח [to·ever] (178) + אֶקְצ֑וֹף [I·will·be·displeased] (277) + כִּי־ר֙וּחַ֙ [for·spirit] (244) + מִלְּפָנַ֣י [from·my·face] (210) + יַעֲט֔וֹף [will·turn·aside] (175) + וּנְשָׁמ֖וֹת [and·souls] (802) + אֲנִ֥י [I] (61) + עָשִֽׂיתִי [I·did] (790) = 3224.
Rashi
"For I will not contend forever. If I bring afflictions upon a person, My contention against him will not last for many days, nor will My anger endure forever."
"For a spirit from before Me shall grow faint." When the human spirit, which is from before Me and which was given to him by Me, grows faint, he will confess and submit regarding his transgression, like [it says]: "those who faint from hunger" (Lamentations 2:19), "an infant that faints" (ibid.), and "the souls that I have made."
"For the Spirit [is] from before Me." For this "ki" serves in the language of "when," such as "when you see," "when you come"; that is to say, when his spirit is subdued and he is humbled, I remove My anger and wrath from him.
Ibn Ezra
“For I will not contend forever. With Israel:”
"And I will not be angry forever. For I have created the spirits, and behold, it is fitting that a spirit from before Me should faint."
"And I have made souls." The meaning is twofold:
"And behold, he will faint." From the root of "When the poor faints" (Psalms 102:1):
Radak
"For I will not contend forever." From the day they became a people to Me until now, I have been in contention with them: they sin, and I am angry with them. But this contention and anger will not be forever, for I will remove the heart of stone from them, and I will do that which is in My statutes, that they may walk in them.
"For the Spirit from before Me shall encompass." The Spirit from before Me is He, and He shall encompass and clothe the body, and subdue it to walk in the good way, and He repeated the matter, saying:
“And I have made the souls.” Just as it says, “from before Me,” because there is no earthly nature in the soul, unlike the body, which is of earthly nature. Therefore, the body sins and follows the desires of beasts, and it drags the spirit after it, so that it will not be so forever. Rather, a person must recognize that the souls are from before Me, and I alone made them, and they do not contain an earthly nature. And they shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord. And this is from the day that I will bring them up from exile and revive them from the death of exile. And the Targum interprets the verse as referring to the resurrection of the dead, as it says, “For not for the world to come, etc.”
Metzudat David
“For I will not contend forever.” For the contention that I engage in with the sinner, to punish him according to the recompense of his deeds, behold, it will not endure forever.
"And not forever, etc." The matter is repeated in what is stated:
"For the spirit, etc." – For the spirit of man comes from before Me, and it envelops him; and all the souls, did I not create them? Therefore, it is fitting for Me to have mercy on them.
Metzudat Zion
Ariav. From the language of "merivah" (dispute):
Aqtzof. From the language of anger and wrath:
"Ye'atof." From the language of wrapping and donning:
Malbim
For “not forever will I contend,” sometimes the Lord punishes a person, yet He is abundant toward him; against this it says, “Not forever will I contend.” And sometimes He does not punish him, but only becomes angry with him and hides His face from him, and keeps His anger; against this it says, “Nor will I be angry forever.” The gates are restricted [by the principle that] “not forever will I contend,” for “the spirit from before Me” surrounds him; He cannot punish him forever on account of His kindness toward the body, for the vital spirit comes from before Him. And how could He suppress it forever? And “nor will I be angry forever,” for “souls I have made.” Even the hidden anger and the hiding of the face cannot be forever, for He cannot do this on account of His kindness toward the soul, which is a portion of God, for I have made it. And how could I be angry and keep the sin forever?
For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth and smote him, I hid Me and was wroth; And he went on frowardly in the way of his heart.
verse value 2596
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 42 letters. The shortest word is "his·heart" (לִבּֽוֹ, 3 letters) and the longest is "I·was·displeased" (קָצַ֥פְתִּי, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 38: and·I·struck·him, his·heart. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "his·profit" (בִּצְע֛וֹ), "and·I·struck·him" (וְאַכֵּ֖הוּ), "I·hid·Myself" (הַסְתֵּ֣ר). The root קצף appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·went" (root הלך, 60x in Isaiah); "in·way·of" (root דרך, 57x in Isaiah); "in·the·iniquity·of" (root עון, 24x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·I·will·be·displeased', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 4 words. Full calculation: בַּעֲוֺ֥ן [in·the·iniquity·of] (128) + בִּצְע֛וֹ [his·profit] (168) + קָצַ֥פְתִּי [I·was·displeased] (680) + וְאַכֵּ֖הוּ [and·I·struck·him] (38) + הַסְתֵּ֣ר [I·hid·Myself] (665) + וְאֶקְצֹ֑ף [and·I·will·be·displeased] (277) + וַיֵּ֥לֶךְ [and·went] (66) + שׁוֹבָ֖ב [backsliding] (310) + בְּדֶ֥רֶךְ [in·way·of] (226) + לִבּֽוֹ [his·heart] (38) = 2596.
Rashi
“Because of the sin of his ill-gotten gain.” Its robbery:
"I was angry." Initially, I would strike him by hiding My face from his distress constantly, and I would be angry. And because he walked as a rebel in the way of his heart, he altered the verse. And so is its interpretation: "For the sin of his gain, he walked as a rebel in the ways of his heart; I was angry and struck him."
Ibn Ezra
“By iniquity.” “And I will strike him.” This refers back to “My people” mentioned above, or to “the humble and lowly in spirit.” “And I will strike him” is a verb indicating the present [continuous] tense, for it has no marker in the Holy Tongue.
"Hide." I hid My face and struck him with My hand, as it were, so long as I had not yet had mercy on him; and behold, "hide" is the name of the verb.
[And he went a whoremonger]: He went as a whoremonger, quarreling and asserting his dominance, and he returned to his evil ways; and the word "shovav" is used in a derogatory sense.
Radak
“Because of the sin of violence.” This refers to one who covets and oppresses, for the sin of violence is grave. Even though it does not incur the death penalty, the reason the Torah did not impose the death penalty for this sin is that this sin is not commonly found, because it disrupts the order of settled life; therefore, people restrain themselves from it. But when this sin spreads throughout a land, the land cannot endure and will be destroyed because of violence. The Flood came upon the world because of violence, as it is written: “For the earth was filled with violence through them” (Genesis 6:13).
“Hester.” The meaning of “hester” is “the hiding of the Face,” as it is stated, “And I will surely hide My Face from them.”
And he went astray. He rebelled against Me and against My service, and turned after other gods, just as his heart led him astray.
Metzudat David
“Because of the iniquity of his unjust gain.” On account of the sin of robbery, I was angry with him and struck him, and not for nothing.
“I hid My face and was angry.” I hid My face from him, so that I might not behold his distress; yet I further became angry with him, to intensify the affliction upon him.
“And he went on waywardly.” For even while I hid My face, he went on before Me in refusal and rebellion, in the way of his heart’s desire; therefore, I increased My anger against him.
Metzudat Zion
"בצעו" (Batzu). The matter of robbery and oppression, as in "haters of gain" (Exodus 18:21).
Shovav. The matter of rebellion and refusal, as in: "Why has this people of Jerusalem turned away with their turning away?" (Jeremiah 8:5).
Malbim
“Because of the sin of their greed, I was angry.” For behold, that which I was angry with him is only because of the sin of his greed. And when the sin is removed through repentance, the anger is removed. “I was angry and struck him; I hid [My face] and was angry.” This phrase limits [the scope] against the two matters mentioned in the previous verse: that sometimes “I was angry and struck him,” and I punished him for his sin; and sometimes “I hid [My face] and was angry,” [meaning] I was angry with the concealment of [My] face, such that I do not punish him, but only hide My face from him. Nevertheless, however it may be, behold, I did not do this except because of the sin of his greed. “When he went astray in the way of his heart,”—at the time that he goes away from his straying and his evil imaginations which were rooted in the way of his heart, at the time that he abandons his straying, then
I have seen his ways, and will heal him; I will lead him also, and requite with comforts him and his mourners.
verse value 1882
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 42 letters. Notable word values: "to·him" (ל֖וֹ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "to·him" (ל֖וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·I·will·heal·him" (וְאֶרְפָּאֵ֑הוּ, 7 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "his·ways" (דְּרָכָ֥יו), "and·I·will·heal·him" (וְאֶרְפָּאֵ֑הוּ), "and·I·will·lead·him" (וְאַנְחֵ֕הוּ). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "I·have·seen" (root ראה, 83x in Isaiah); "his·ways" (root דרך, 57x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·I·will·heal·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 5 words. Full calculation: דְּרָכָ֥יו [his·ways] (240) + רָאִ֖יתִי [I·have·seen] (621) + וְאֶרְפָּאֵ֑הוּ [and·I·will·heal·him] (299) + וְאַנְחֵ֕הוּ [and·I·will·lead·him] (76) + וַאֲשַׁלֵּ֧ם [and·I·repay] (377) + נִחֻמִ֛ים [comforts] (148) + ל֖וֹ [to·him] (36) + וְלַאֲבֵלָֽיו [and·to·his·mourners] (85) = 1882.
Rashi
His ways I have seen. When he humbles himself before Me, that is, when distress comes upon him:
“And I will heal him, and I will restore him.” Perhaps “I will heal him” means to lead him on the path of healing, or “I will restore him” is in the sense of settling and calming.
“Unto him, and not to his mourners.” This refers to those who grieve over him.
Ibn Ezra
"My ways I have seen." Behold, this is a sign of the correctness of the book's interpretation: when I observed his ways, either that he repented, or that he experienced the bitterness of evil, as it is said, "For the inclination of man's heart is evil" (Genesis 8:21).
"And I will heal him." For he was like a sick person, for a sick person does not have the strength to walk.
"And I will restore comfort to him." This means that I will comfort him regarding the illness that had befallen him.
"And for his mourners" – these are his loved ones, who act like mourners over the sick person upon his death.
Radak
His ways I have seen. I have seen His ways, that He does not remain for a long time on the path of goodness without sinning and returning; and since I have struck him and exiled him for a long time, I will return.
"And I will heal him." This means the healing of the soul, as in: "Heal my soul."
"And I will return and heal him: I will forgive his iniquity."
"And I will lead him." In the good way, meaning: I will straighten his heart so that he will no longer sin.
“And I will restore comfort to him and to his mourners.” Regarding the troubles and the evil that he suffered in exile, I will restore to him comforts, meaning good things through which he will be consoled; and even more so to his mourners, namely to those who mourned in exile over the destruction of Jerusalem, as it is stated, “I will make you a joy to all who mourn over her.” And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated in the Targum, “I have seen His ways, the path of their reproach is revealed before Me,” and he translated “to him and to his mourners” as “to them and to those who mourn over them.”
Metzudat David
I perceived his ways. And when I saw his ways, which were fitting for him, to which he returned to walk, I relented concerning the evil:
"And I will heal him." Then I healed him of the plagues that were decreed upon him.
And I will guide him. I will guide him on the straight path for his good.
"And I will restore." I will give him much good, so that he will have recompense and consolation for the evil that befell him.
To him, and to his mourners. I will recompense him with consolation, and to all who mourn and suffer distress over his affliction.
Metzudat Zion
"ואנחהו" – the meaning is "He guided Him," similar to "and God did not guide" (Exodus 13:17).
Nechumim. From the language of nechamah (comfort). And “to those who mourn” — from the language of mourning (avelut) and sorrow (tza’ar):
Malbim
"I have seen his ways; I see that he is now walking in his ways, and I will heal him and comfort him." This means: at the time when I am angry and strike him with afflictions, then I will heal him; and at the time when I merely hide [My face] and become angry through the hiding of My face, without striking him—since he does not require healing—then I will comfort him. And I will no longer hide My face from him. And I will repay comfort in proportion to the distress that he suffered, and to those who mourned with him over his troubles.
Peace, peace, to him that is far off and to him that is near, Says Hashem that creates the fruit of the lips; And I will heal him.
verse value 3569
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 48 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "fruit" ((נוב), 3 letters) and the longest is "and·I·will·heal·him" (וּרְפָאתִֽיו, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 376: peace, peace. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "fruit" ((נוב)), "fruit" (נִ֣יב), "to·the·far" (לָרָח֧וֹק). The root שלום appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 449x in Isaiah); "said" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah); "peace" (root שלום, 28x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'lips', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 7 words. Full calculation: בּוֹרֵ֖א [creating] (209) + (נוב) [fruit] (58) + נִ֣יב [fruit] (62) + שְׂפָתָ֑יִם [lips] (830) + שָׁל֨וֹם [peace] (376) + שָׁל֜וֹם [peace] (376) + לָרָח֧וֹק [to·the·far] (344) + וְלַקָּר֛וֹב [and·to·the·near] (344) + אָמַ֥ר [said] (241) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + וּרְפָאתִֽיו [and·I·will·heal·him] (703) = 3569.
Rashi
"Creator of the utterance of the lips." I will create for him a new utterance of the lips, in contrast to how distress has befallen him until now, and all have cried out against him; they will call upon him, "Peace, peace."
“From afar and from near.” Both are equal: one who has grown old and accustomed himself to My Torah and My service from his youth, and one who has now drawn near from a distance to return from his evil way. Thus says the Lord: “I will heal him of his illness and of his sins.”
Ibn Ezra
"Creator." All the commentators said that the Name [of God] is [the] Creator, and the word "said" is omitted. Were it not that it is not fitting to innovate [new interpretations], I would have said that it is a term of creation from the root of "who creates darkness" (Isaiah 45:7).
And the word *niv* is like *peri* (fruit). Just as it says, “the produce of the field” (Deuteronomy 32:13), and the meaning is “speech.” And so is its interpretation: “Say peace to the distant and to the near,” meaning: inform them that God has already healed Israel, and the meaning is “and I will heal him.”
Radak
"Creator." And I will renew a matter of the lips, which will be said on the lips of all: "Peace, peace," and the name of war will not be mentioned in the world. And this will be after the war of Gog and Magog. And the explanation is: "to the far and to the near" — to those far from Jerusalem and to those near to it. And since that war will take place in Jerusalem, the verse connects peace to it.
“And I will heal them.” This refers to Israel, as we have explained in connection with “and I will heal him.” There is a dispute among our Sages of blessed memory regarding this matter. Some of them interpreted it in the opposite way: they understood “the distant” to refer to penitents, and “the near” to refer to the righteous. From this they derived and stated that penitents are greater than perfectly righteous individuals, as it is written: “For the distant and for the near” (Isaiah 57:19)—the term “distant” is mentioned first, and then “near.” They explained that “the distant” refers to one who was distant and has now drawn near, while “the near” refers to one who was already near.
Metzudat David
“Creator.” A new utterance of the lips I will give Him, a renewed utterance of the lips, not as in the past when everyone reviled Him with their words, for from now on all will say to Him, “Peace, peace.” The doubling is for emphasis.
“To the far and to the near.” Whether for him who is far from Him or him who is near to Him — on the lips of all I will create words of peace before Him.
“Said the Lord, and I will heal him.” This means: Thus said the Lord, and thus it came to pass, for he was healed from the plagues and from the lack of peace. (The word “and I will heal him” is stated in place of “the Lord,” as if He Himself is speaking.)
Metzudat Zion
"Creator." Any new thing is called a creation.
Niv. The matter of speech, as it is said, “It shall yield wisdom” (Proverbs 10:31), and it is from the language of “the fruits of the earth” (Deuteronomy 32:13), for speech is the fruit of the tongue.
Malbim
"Creator," the Lord Who created all existence through the utterance of His lips, which is His breath, said, "Peace to the far and to the near," meaning to the righteous and to the penitent. And the "Lord" at the end of the verse is the subject of the statement: the Lord, Who created the utterance of lips, said, "Peace to the far and to the near," and He healed him of the sickness of his soul and the pains of his body. But...
But the wicked are like the troubled sea; For it cannot rest, and its waters cast up mire and dirt.
verse value 3040
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 44 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֤י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·wicked" (וְהָרְשָׁעִ֖ים, 7 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Isaiah. Unique to this verse in Isaiah (hapax): "and·wicked" (וְהָרְשָׁעִ֖ים), "like·the·sea" (כַּיָּ֣ם), "driven·out" (נִגְרָ֑שׁ). The root גרש appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 286x in Isaiah); "for" (root כי, 221x in Isaiah); "his·water" (root מים, 41x in Isaiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'driven·out', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 8 words. Full calculation: וְהָרְשָׁעִ֖ים [and·wicked] (631) + כַּיָּ֣ם [like·the·sea] (70) + נִגְרָ֑שׁ [driven·out] (553) + כִּ֤י [for] (30) + הַשְׁקֵט֙ [to·be·quiet] (414) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + יוּכָ֔ל [he·is·able] (66) + וַיִּגְרְשׁ֥וּ [and·they·drove·out] (525) + מֵימָ֖יו [his·water] (106) + רֶ֥פֶשׁ [mire] (580) + וָטִֽיט [and·mud] (34) = 3040.
Rashi
And the wicked: those who do not apply their heart to repent.
Like the sea that is driven out. The waves of this sea boast to rise high and go beyond the boundary of the sand which I have set as a boundary for the sea, and when it reaches there, it is broken against its will, and each wave sees its fellow and does not return. So too, the wicked person sees his companion being punished for his wickedness and does not return. And just as the sea’s roaring and its tumult are from its mouth, so too the tumult of the wicked is from their mouths, such as Pharaoh who said, “Who is the Lord?” (Exodus 5:2), Sennacherib who said, “Who among all the gods of the lands has been able to deliver his land out of my hand?” (Isaiah 36:20), and Nebuchadnezzar who said, “I have made a tower to the Most High” (ibid. 14).
Like the sea that is driven out. Like the sea which is driven out, for it drives out all day long mud and mire:
Ibn Ezra
"And the wicked, etc." The reason is that God heals the righteous of Israel but not the wicked, for they are like the sea, which is constantly driven away, as it says, "and He drove out its waters," and this is close to the root of "Behold, I am driving out from before you" (Exodus 34:11).
"For quietness shall not be able." Explanation: Like "the sea is driven," here you would lack the word "that it is" (driven), for "driven" is an adjective describing the noun.
"And they drove them out from his waters." Like [the word] "they shall tremble."
Radak
And the wicked. Then the wicked will be consumed, as it is stated in the prophecy of Malachi: “And all the arrogant and all who do wickedness shall be stubble,” etc. The explanation of the verse extends its meaning to “no peace,” because He said, “Peace, peace to him who is far off and to him who is near.” But the wicked, who are like a driven sea, have no peace; rather, they will all be consumed then. The meaning of “like a driven sea” is like the sea, which is driven to the shore at every moment, for it cannot remain calm; rather, wave after wave will come, and it will never rest. And when it reaches the shore, its waters drive mud and mire from the seabed onto the land. And the deeds of the wicked are compared to mud and mire, for the wicked will never cease from troubling the world until they die, as it is stated there: “Let the wicked cease from troubling.”
Metzudat David
“And the wicked.” But the wicked who stand in their rebellion will persist in distress, like this sea, which at all times is driven by the wind and tossed by its waves toward the shore, for it cannot be in calmness and rest, for even a slight wind drives it and tosses it.
"And his waters cast out." This means that when he came to the shore, they drove out from him the mud and slime that are found on the edge of the sea. Likewise, these wicked ones will persist in their distress, and they will yet add further evil to harm others.
Metzudat Zion
"Is divorced." From the language of divorce and removal.
The quiet. The matter is one of rest and tranquility:
Yochal. From the language of ability:
Refesh. It is moist earth, like clay, and it has no parallel in Scripture or in the words of our Sages of blessed memory, except for the statement: "It shall be like its refesh" (Bava Kamma 30a).
Malbim
And the wicked who do not return in repentance are like a driven sea that cannot be quiet, for the wind brings up the evil images that have taken root in their souls for every iniquity and every sin upon their heart, and this wind storms within them until it drives out the mire and mud of its waters, for it clouds their intellect and their character traits with the turbidity of lusts and evil dispositions, until it becomes impossible for them to attain the peace of the soul, to calm it from its wrath, and therefore
There is no peace, Says my God concerning the wicked.
verse value 1374
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 20 letters. The shortest word is "nothing" (אֵ֣ין, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·the·wicked" (לָרְשָׁעִֽים, 6 letters). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "said" (root אמר, 244x in Isaiah); "nothing" (root אין, 92x in Isaiah); "my·God" (root אלהים, 82x in Isaiah). Full calculation: אֵ֣ין [nothing] (61) + שָׁל֔וֹם [peace] (376) + אָמַ֥ר [said] (241) + אֱלֹהַ֖י [my·God] (46) + לָרְשָׁעִֽים [to·the·wicked] (650) = 1374.
Rashi
There is no peace. This is in response to what He said to the righteous and to those who repent: “Peace, peace, to the distant and to the near…” (Isaiah 57:19), and then He returned and said: “There is no peace for the wicked” (Isaiah 48:22).
Ibn Ezra
No. Therefore, there shall be no peace for them, for they cannot have tranquility.
Radak
"There is no peace," says my God. Indeed, this is so, and the manuscripts that read "says the Lord" are in error. For the first instance in the passage, "Go forth from Babylon," reads "says the Lord," whereas this one reads "says my God." And the distinguishing sign is: "The Lord, my God."
Metzudat David
“There is no peace,” etc. In contrast to what was stated above, that toward the penitent He would renew words of peace, it says here: but concerning these wicked ones, God said that there shall be no peace for them, for they will all taunt Him with words of strife and contention.
Malbim
"There is no peace," said my God, "to the wicked"—just as there is no peace in their spirit, so too is there no peace in all that is theirs.
Rashi
Ibn Ezra
Radak
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim